Kingdom Hearts Chains of Memories

Going into this game i figured i would be playing a Kingdom Hearts game that takes place in between KH1 and 2... while this is true, there are some BIG differences... The main and most important one being the game play...

Instead of the normal free roaming slash and smash game play the game uses an interesting card based fighting system... rather than being able to attack any enemy at any time, and heal yourself at any time (assuming you have enough mana or potions) you are forced to use a card that represents that action... and when you run out of cards ( because your cards are gone after you use them) you must replenish your deck by holding the X button while the recharge card is selected... the more times you run out of cards, the longer it takes to get them back.. It is EXTREMELY confusing at first, but after about an hour or so you begin to accept the new game play and it becomes second nature...

The camera is completely manual, which is very annoying because you have enough to worry about without first having to find your enemies... i dont remember if the original KH had an automatic camera but it seemed like it was at least partially computer controlled..

After spending a few months playing nothing but XBOX 360 on my HDTV anything less just looks terrible.. which may explain why the games visuals appear to be ugly... so basically, understand that it IS a PS2 game and will NOT support HD so if you have an SDTV you may want to play it there...

The controls are what we have come to expect from square, so despite the complex gameplay, it is relatively easy to control...

In conclusion, the game is innovative, but i would definitely recommend renting or borrowing the game before you buy it... its not for everyone as it forces you to be more strategic with you battles... its a fun game if you like strategy, but the learning curve is a little sharper than it should be... and with PS2 visuals, its not exactly GORGEOUS...