Top 3 Favorite Entries

Simple question, which is your favorite entry in the series and why?

Birth by Sleep - Easily the best gameplay in the series with one of the best stories as well. The set-up of the game is nice, the cast is cool, the story is pretty dark and emotional and the gameplay just rocks from beginning to end. Finally reveals several looming questions in the franchise and also set-ups what KHIII is going to be all about. The tragic story of all three main characters is some of the most emotional stuff in the series. The new Drive system is also amazing, with a much smoother interface.

358/2 - A very emotional story centering on fan favorite Organization XIII, and pretty much proves how the concept of the Nobodies is one of the more thought provoking elements in the rather cutsey franchise. The gameplay is pretty solid too, though the camera is an issue and god knows the DS can't handle the ambitious design like SE probably wanted it too. Still, the customization system is actually pretty ingenious and the new way of approaching magic was very fresh and original. The game has easily the most gut-wrenching ending in the franchise and having the knowledge of Roxas' fate in KHII only makes the ending more tragic. I honestly thought I was going to hate Xion but by games end, she has become one of my top fave characters in the franchise.

Chain of Memories - The first game that convinced me that maybe KH won't just be a silly novelty series. The "card" mechanic is actually well done and finds a happy medium between strategy and keeping with the series action-rpg roots. The introduction of Organization XIII was a nice boon since Ansem was a nice villain but kind of showed up late in KH1, it was nice to have a set of consistent villains that actually felt a bit menacing. Being able to play as Riku was a boon as well and this is still the only game where I felt the summons worked... The story was also pretty twisted, not what I expected and the games endings, while not as tragic as the first game, still left you clamoring for more which is how you should do a series.

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Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno

Simple question, which is your favorite entry in the series and why?

Birth by Sleep - Easily the best gameplay in the series with one of the best stories as well. The set-up of the game is nice, the cast is cool, the story is pretty dark and emotional and the gameplay just rocks from beginning to end. Finally reveals several looming questions in the franchise and also set-ups what KHIII is going to be all about. The tragic story of all three main characters is some of the most emotional stuff in the series. The new Drive system is also amazing, with a much smoother interface.

358/2 - A very emotional story centering on fan favorite Organization XIII, and pretty much proves how the concept of the Nobodies is one of the more thought provoking elements in the rather cutsey franchise. The gameplay is pretty solid too, though the camera is an issue and god knows the DS can't handle the ambitious design like SE probably wanted it too. Still, the customization system is actually pretty ingenious and the new way of approaching magic was very fresh and original. The game has easily the most gut-wrenching ending in the franchise and having the knowledge of Roxas' fate in KHII only makes the ending more tragic. I honestly thought I was going to hate Xion but by games end, she has become one of my top fave characters in the franchise.

Chain of Memories - The first game that convinced me that maybe KH won't just be a silly novelty series. The "card" mechanic is actually well done and finds a happy medium between strategy and keeping with the series action-rpg roots. The introduction of Organization XIII was a nice boon since Ansem was a nice villain but kind of showed up late in KH1, it was nice to have a set of consistent villains that actually felt a bit menacing. Being able to play as Riku was a boon as well and this is still the only game where I felt the summons worked... The story was also pretty twisted, not what I expected and the games endings, while not as tragic as the first game, still left you clamoring for more which is how you should do a series.

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Damn. I wanted to write a whole essay on it too, but you basically summed up my thoughts exactly. I completelly agree with you. These are the best games in the series. I'm still not sure, though, wether I prefer BBS or Days...

No mention of the main entries yet?

I agree that BBS is the best. Best gameplay clearly, and for a prequel it really had a nice story and tied things together. I'm almost shocked at how well it fits into the rest of the series. I'm actually more excited about a potential BBS2 than KH3.

Second would go to Kingdom Hearts 2, because I liked the addition of the forms and some of the worlds were a lot cooler, like Mulan. Also the addition of Organization XIII and the nobodies added a nice dimension to the plot.

Third would be the original Kingdom Hearts. It was a great idea and story. The handheld spinoffs were great, but they lack the epic adventurous nature of the first entry.

The original without any question is my favorite. After that, Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep in whichever order (honestly, I think I probably like Birth by Sleep more than KH2 on most days).

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Originally Posted by Kenshin IV

The original without any question is my favorite. After that, Kingdom Hearts II and Birth by Sleep in whichever order (honestly, I think I probably like Birth by Sleep more than KH2 on most days).

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This. The first one is still my favorite. KH2 is probably second, mostly because of that scene in Hollow Bastion when there is a huge battle with a lot of FF characters and because of the world that never was. Third is BBS.

The original still takes the cake for me. Not the best gameplay, and in retrospect not even the best story, but the emotional investment I had in that game was so deep, and there are parts that will always stick with me. I love it like a child.

BBS is probably second for me, like others have said, amazing gameplay, a great story, and overall probably the most polished game in the series for my mind.

Kingdom Hearts 2 is third, mostly cause I haven't played the other ones properly, but I still think that the intro to that game is beautiful and incredibly moving; it deserves points just for that. Plus the gameplay is slick.

358/2 Days was pretty amazing. I popped in KHII after I beat it, and that prologue got so much more awesome because of it.