Kingdom Heartache: Episode 4.44

Jason Oestreicher is in too few videos. I understand that he is busy doing other stuff, editing and whatnot, but I nonetheless love the guy.

@steveurkel: You don't think the responsiveness and layering of mechanics is similar to whats implemented in Tales of Berseria? You don't see the similarities in how a real time system like the Tales series which took FOREVER to get competent hasn't taken from how this series figured out 3D threat management with ranged, close ranged and just basic movement?

I think you need to go back to the era this game came out and see where things like Tales were, to see where 3D action systems were before and after Devil May Cry came out and how few games seemed to learn from how to make good feeling combat in games. KH is one of the series that understood aspects of just super fundamental things like just good hit reactions.

Compare that to the countless games that took after the Assassin's Creed's "Combat" most recently that Mad Max game, its a mess to look at and its even worse to play. Horizon's melee attacking is some of the sloppiest work in AAA games and even the bow has little to no weight on it. The games that actually figure this stuff out are very few and far between.

Yay, Jason!

Thanks, Ben.

Sorry you had to watch Ben play this game Jason.

@cornbredx: Yeah, I generally enjoy surrealist stuff but I don't remember what it was that put me off it a bit, perhaps the pacing of it. I didn't hate it, just thought it was decent. Definitely an interesting interpretation though as you said.

@chacobo: idk how you can watch this and think this game is anything other than shit

BEN, JUMP ON THE HYDRA'S BACK!

@jigglemaster7: because i've actually played these games - long after they released - and have understood how their fundamentals in combat and animation carry over into things that are universally praised like Platinum's combat systems.

@steveurkel: I'm certainly not "blinded by love" for this game since I have it rated in my catalog as a 3/5. You know there is room for nuance when it comes to enjoyment of games..

Oh man, watching this series- we really did get better at making games.

I remember playing games in the aughts that were just agonizingly cryptic about where to go and what to do. Nowadays they either straight up show you where to go with a huge arrow or smart level design, or make exploration fun, and not make it a horribly repetitive, boring thing.

What's with the whisper-quiet game audio?

How the fuck have we gone four episodes and we *still* don't know if Ben has ever gone to Disneyland?

Potatortilla-it was pretty good.

Oh man, if they have this much trouble in such a small world where the game explicitly tells you where to go, wait for the next one.

The next world is going to be 6/3.25 Kingdom Heartache: Superior Revision episodes long.

@teddie: Yeah this. People keep bashing the game since Ben keeps running around like a headless chicken without purpose, when he misses the character literally telling him where to go. We could have scaved off about 1 hour of gameplay if they paid attention. There's alot of bullshit in this game make no mistake, but alot could have been avoided.

I like this video series even thou my backseat-gaming inner self is screaming. Keep at it :) Use a guide whenever you're stuck.

T-They are actually talking about what is going on in the game! Hold me.

Whoa whoa whoa...@unastrike, butter with sugar is the only way to eat lefse! (I come from Norwegians who settled in North Dakota, so clearly the superior sect of Norwegians!)

Love this series. Checker cat is my favorite Disney character.

@ste89 I think some people are genuinely curious why others praise the game so much. I definitely have never had anyone around me talk ill of it. Ben was probably trying to give it a shot like I've tried 4 times or so in the past. It's just boring if you're not a Disney fan. I've also never gotten to the "good parts" according to my friends. I don't know if there's a way for them to save this series.

Against all odds, this series is going a long way towards justifying Kingdom Heart's existence to me.

I wonder how the numbering on this series will end up as it progresses.

Not sure what kind of guide that is, but when i hear the Cheshire cat talk about how you need to meet him elsewhere in the same room, with the doorknob, i would assume that you need to go to the regular room instead of the upside down room. The one where you saw the sleeping doorknob. This game is very light on text reading (it being marketed to kids and all), so the text that you get to read in cutscenes is mostly useful.

You probably also don't want your mage to refrain from using his magic, and instead go in front to wack people with his stick. You've seen how fast Donald dies. :)

Also, keep in mind, this is an RPG. Fire damage doesn't work against fire enemies. I think you get extra tech XP for using the right elemental attacks? And most enemies have a quirk to them. For instance, the big guys are only weak in the back. And the friendly shadows all want you to give them the right item for them to give you something back. I think they are purely experimentation though, and i don't remember it ever being important. You mostly encounter them in zones that you already cleared once and are not important anymore.

Despite the game having some annoying triggers to progress the story, i'm actually surprised how good this game is about it's checkpoints and slotting magic into your slots if you have an open spot. Not too shabby for 2002. They should've found a way to hotkey items though. Partymembers using your items all the time was a nightmare too. Only give them items before a hardass bossbattle.

Thanks for the episode. Looking forward to episode 5.76

If they're not paying attention to the game, you don't need to.

I'm waiting for Ben to deliberately tell those in every single episode.

I love this series so far, it's exposing me to how difficult these games must've been for a teenager/young kid.

One thing bothers me though: does anyone know why Ben couldn't go to Disneyland that one time?

Same

Glad to see Jason on this one as I had been wondering what was up with Ben posting videos and no Jason on cam lately (I am aware he could well be in control both for many of the videos). Hope all is OK.

EDIT and also of course need to keep exploring the funny animal concept and food poisoning. I wonder who is next to be forced to watch Ben play as I feel they are running out of GB West staff - GB East remotely or Gamespot staff (not that I know of anyone aside from Peter Brown on Gamespot these days but hope some of their newer staff is good...?)

Ben, you can assign a magic spell to a hotkey in options to make life easier. Also, enjoyed the episode.

Yeah navigating in this game is really hard, no doubt. It isn't quite this random in KH2 if they get to that.

At first, this all seemed like a horrible plan, because this game is the worst kind of committee trash, and it's just kind of lazy endurance run on the surface.

But the more I hear these repeated gags, and the fact that everybody in the office has taken a turn riding shotgun on this little merry-go-round, I'm cautiously optimistic that the entire thing is just gonna get weirder, and weirder, and weirder as duders return to this game over time.

The millennial shtick isn't fooling me. Something is going on.

You can (not) open the door.

@onijai: It wasn't.

This is nothing but a social experiment, and all of you who have not figured that out yet are in fact the test subjects.

Did they start paying attention to what they were supposed to do yet? Or is it aimless wandering for 20 minutes at a time because they didn't listen to what the game clearly told them? I stopped watching 2 episodes ago because of that shit.

Could this game escape from prison?

Inside the golf ball at Epcot is a ride called Spaceship Earth. It takes you through humanity's evolving technology from ancient alphabets, to telephones, to modern age.

The game audio was super low on this episode and couldn't really hear the game

M8s this game is great, so many people here crapping on it. It's not the best but it gets way better as the series goes on, I'd give this game a 7/10.

of anything ben does, the making fun of people's criticism, is the worst, as he just comes of as a child, instead of just internalizing the criticism and adjusting what he feels he should

@onemanarmyy: This is everything I came to say, so thank you for saying it for me. :)

Hope we get turns with each member of the Beast crew next! Then maybe a few solo weeks, with Ben descending into madness until an intervention is necessary.

I hope that the funny animal thing isn't true

Came to the comments to see if there is improvement from before before I watch it.

Seems to be a mixed bag but apparently the addition of Jason makes it better although low volume and actively mocking comments that are trying to help them might also be a problem?

I hope he enjoys the game and sure they get a lot better but still feel it's getting hard done by.

Sora and Kendra and the Sephiroth lookin' motherfucker were trying to leave Heartwash Island on a raft.

I changed my mind this series is flawless keep going

Honestly, congrats on getting all four evidence pieces without too much trouble. I definitely thought that would go worse than it did.

I think we're starting to see the consequences of the rotating couch. Jason had never even seen the right side up version of the bizarre room (and I guess never will) so he had no shot of helping Ben go to the correct version even when looking at the guide.

As someone who has beaten every KH game and played through KH1 again a few years ago, I appreciate seeing it through other eyes! I may know it too well to not get frustrated though...

I'll just continue quoting myself until it's no longer relevant:

Great episode! Keep it up! Also more Jason in videos! As others have mentioned he is great and deserves more camera time. Seems like Ben is picking up some production duties, so hopefully that means we can get Jason back out in front of the camera. Thanks guys!

man, if only he knew the Bizarre Room was also a room next to the save point!

This looks worse than shenmue. I remembered it being kinda bad, but it doesn't hold up well at all.