(edited version of earlier review)
Came back to play this briefly and checked out the 1.5 cutscenes for funsies.
In terms of character and the sheer emotion of the story it's definitely on the upper end for the series, but the gameplay's so basic that it's not really a good one to play. Still, I wouldn't call the gameplay particularly bad per se, just mediocre or decent for a handheld. Honestly I prefer the mission-based system to the more JRPG-esque structure of its cohorts (especially since it means Disney stuff is more like settings for interactions than stories to play through). I'd generally recommend watching the movie version of this from 1.5, BUT do note that you'll be missing out on some random smaller interactions and moments between Org XIII members and Roxas that you'd otherwise be completely unaware of.
Anyway, this's kinda hard to rate for me because I really like everything they were going for, but it seems that a lot of the problems arose from it being relegated to an underpowered handheld. Had it been on PS2 or even PSP at the time it probably could have been in the running for being actually properly good without any strings attached. Unfortunately, that isn't so. Even so, it's got enough nice elements that I'd say it's above average as a game, but only barely. Obviously the emotional impact and writing also tend to be pretty nice in this as it explores a lot of the simpler sides of friendship and relationships in a way I find cute.
Came back to play this briefly and checked out the 1.5 cutscenes for funsies.
In terms of character and the sheer emotion of the story it's definitely on the upper end for the series, but the gameplay's so basic that it's not really a good one to play. Still, I wouldn't call the gameplay particularly bad per se, just mediocre or decent for a handheld. Honestly I prefer the mission-based system to the more JRPG-esque structure of its cohorts (especially since it means Disney stuff is more like settings for interactions than stories to play through). I'd generally recommend watching the movie version of this from 1.5, BUT do note that you'll be missing out on some random smaller interactions and moments between Org XIII members and Roxas that you'd otherwise be completely unaware of.
Anyway, this's kinda hard to rate for me because I really like everything they were going for, but it seems that a lot of the problems arose from it being relegated to an underpowered handheld. Had it been on PS2 or even PSP at the time it probably could have been in the running for being actually properly good without any strings attached. Unfortunately, that isn't so. Even so, it's got enough nice elements that I'd say it's above average as a game, but only barely. Obviously the emotional impact and writing also tend to be pretty nice in this as it explores a lot of the simpler sides of friendship and relationships in a way I find cute.