Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Unless you're a fan of the original Kingdom Hearts on the PS2 then I would probably stay away from this game. You'll be totally lost and confused and won't know who the hell any of the characters are aside from the recognizable Disney ones. Plus, they are all suffering from amnesia and their long, too frequent, cut-scenes have an enigmatic feel to them so you'll still not really ever be sure what is going on no matter how far you get into the game.

I think the card-based strategy of fighting and evolving is a horrible, badly conceived misfire of an idea. This kind of thing may be fine in a Beyblade video-game but in a Disney/Final Fantasy game it's just inappropriate. The whole concept is scatterbrained and random and has no real skill involved. It takes ages to build up a decent combat deck and even when you do the fighting is endless, tedious and boring. You'll fight the same villains in every level and while in appearance the levels may look different (taking their inspiration from many different Disney films) they are essentially all the same.

The fun comes from spotting popular Disney characters and trying to get into the story that involves them. But the plot is so incomprehensible and alienating that I just didn't care after a while.

I did stick with the game for a good few months and found advancing through each level to be an exhilarating and thankless chore. Nothing changed and I never really felt like I was getting anywhere. I've played better RPGs than this and so have you. As RPGs on the GBA go, I've yet to see one that truly works.

Skip this unless you're a die-hard fan of either franchise.

Graphics A Sound C Gameplay C+ Lasting Appeal C+