Kingdom Hearts review

Oh, you've got some magic fireballs, ice shards, and some fancy combo moves that make your keyblade a formidable weapon indeed. And you mostly fight with two CPU-controlled partners - usually in the form of Goofy the knight and Donald Duck the wizard, but sometimes a Disney character like Peter Pan or The Little Mermaid's Ariel. But the magic system and strategy requirements are still far less robust than those of a typical RPG.

In fact, combat can even get a little monotonous; new enemies are introduced just frequentlyenough to keep the tedium tide from rising too high, though some challenging and revered bosses from both sides of the Square/Disney divide will keep you glued tightly to your controller.

The Gummi Ship leaves one with a sour taste too, even with collectible rare ship parts and blueprints. Its rudimentary graphics and half-baked space shootouts make the trips from one planet to the next something of a chore. And to be completely honest, the story premise is wonderful - a boy searching for his lost girlfriend and best buddy, saving the galaxy en route - but the actual story boasts lots of other confusing, random threads that make little sense.