Kingdom Hearts Marathon Part 3

 

Let’s s begin today’s post with a slap on the hand. A little goal for this year was to return to the consistent pace of four or more posts per month. Made it almost halfway but May is likely to break the trend. On the upside I have been using that time wisely with the new job and wrapping up some big pop-culture conquests. Case in point; I managed to wrap up the whole Kingdom Hearts sage at last. Hard to stress just how much of a relief that was after years of set-backs. So today let’s talk about the most recent chapter of the franchise along with some thoughts on the series as a whole.

The final piece of the puzzle is the rhythm game spin-off Melody of Memory which plays out like something of a victory lap for the series. The game actually starts off with zero explanation for what’s going on with an opening FMV recap with accompanying rhythm game-play that you initially fumble through before getting tossed out into the game’s main map and working your way through one soundtrack at a time divided by worlds and stage types.

Stages are dived into several varieties such as battles, boss battles, and memory dives though in reality there’s just two takes on the game-play with bosses and dives playing largely the same. Regular battle levels make up the vast majority however with your chosen team of 3 characters running ahead while you time your prompts with the music to make them attack, use special abilities, jump, glide, all that jazz. There are multiple difficulties to choose from plus the game provides a numerical rating for how challenging a particular song is on each difficulty. Adding to that is how each song has three missions that provide different stars to unlock further portions of the campaign. Having little missions may not sound like the biggest deal but for long-term playing it makes the experience a lot more involving. As I was going through the world tour mode that was my first encouragement to try higher difficulties in order to get those precious stars. Casual players won’t have to pay a ton of attention to this as, save for a couple choke points, the main story can largely be gotten through by just finishing songs on beginner. For those who want to unlock all the tracks however they’re gonna need to step their game up.

As you play through different portions of the campaign you’ll be interrupted by scenes of Kairi retelling the entirety of Sara's adventures. Little context is given to any of this until the very end of the game when like 30-40 minutes of story is thrown at the audience in order to put pieces in place for the next era of the series. We learn of a deeper connection between Kairi and Xehanort, get some hints about the girl Lea and Isa talked about in part 3, and learn a little of what’s to come. Personally I got geeked about all of this and am stoked to see what comes from the concept of alternate realities and the upcoming visit to the city of Quadratum. It’s all quite mad but I wouldn’t have Kingdom Hearts any other way.

While I mostly enjoyed my time with Melody of Memory a few cracks started to show during the endgame. For whatever reason the majority of the Kingdom Hearts III soundtrack is skipped over, with often a single memory dive track as the only selection for an entire world. These tracks can be really lame too such as how Frozen has the dreadful Let It Go but not the wonderful exploration music. Even stuff you’d think would be a shoe-in is oddly missing. How is that we have multiple takes on Simple and Clean and My Sanctuary but not My Fears? Then there’s other oddball missing elements like none of the Pirates tunes. The endgame is also where you’re likely to notice the sever imbalance of stage types. There’s easily over a hundred battle stages with only like 5 bosses, and maybe twenty memory dives. And while I appreciate the dedication to their being no DLC it means these oversights will never be corrected.

Odd endgame aside I found Melody of Memory to largely be a fun and breezy way to ease from one era of the series to the next. Sure I was missing some songs and wished there were more options for customizing parties but as someone who generally isn’t huge on rhythm games there was a lot of fun to be had here. Most of that comes down to a nice difficulty structure, the added variety of stage types, and the unique ways in which the game-play elements mix together. It may not be the absolute best the series has to offer but I can think of much worse ways to spend ones time.

The final question is whether it was worth taking the time to play through such a big series? The answer is absolutely yes! There are no doubt installments that rub me the wrong way, and it sorta stinks that actually playing through Days and Re:coaded requires hunting down DS copies but the sheer amount of fun and memorable moments scattered throughout these titles marks some of the brightest spots in gaming. Taking the time to go through each one further enhances the dramatic peaks and valleys of the massive storytelling so you end up caring that much more when characters return or depart. It makes the level of engagement so much more meaningful that if the next title were to drop today I’d be right in front of the boob tube plunging away. For those of you out there with the time who don’t take themselves too seriously and enjoy wild, outlandish storytelling go pick up these games. Even the first one for as old as it is holds up marvelously.

To wrap things up let’s do a quick personal ranking of the series.

Out of contention due to me only having experience video versions: 358/2 Days, Re:coaded, X. One day I’ll nab original copies of these to experience them in full. For now it seems wrong to try and rank them based on story alone.

Re: Chain of Memories: Big surprise here, right? This stain on my KH play-through still requires me to tackle it in full. At this current point in life a card-game/dungeon crawl still doesn’t gel with me.

Melody of Memory: A fun little diversion with a huge ending. Far from a shining entry but still good fun.

0.2 A Fragmentary Passage: An odd curio with an annoying final boss that remains entertaining thanks to unique environments and a deeper glimpse into Aqua’s plight.

Kingdom Hearts 2: Perhaps I might mend my relationship with part 2 on a return trip. For now I still hold grudges against the sloppy driveform leveling and wildly inconsistent difficulty.

Dream Drop Distance: 3-D is such a weird entry on both game-play and storytelling fronts that it can’t help but be a memorable adventure. Some of the additions like drops can stay with this one while others like flow-motion hopefully get integrated even further than they did with part 3.

Kingdom Hearts: The original is still damn near the best thanks to the pure energy a company fully embracing a wild concept. The game-play may not be as refined as later entries but the overall quest is hard to top.

Birth by Sleep: What it lacks in world selection BBS more than makes up for with game-play. Mixing and matching commands together is crazy addicting which propels the player along through the tragic prequel tale.

Kingdom Hearts 3: Come at me naysayers. I didn’t think it possible but part 3 manages to encapsulate so much of what makes the series worthwhile into such a clean and well-made package that’s just a constant joy to play. The worlds are huge, variety is nice but not forced, challenge is quite reasonable, and the ending is just gravy.

And with that done I’ve returned to other gaming endeavors such as completing the Trine series and yet another Ys adventure. I’m starting to get that pull that drags me toward different series I’ve yet to indulge in. Maybe it’s time for Atelier or Legend of Heroes? You all let me know if you’ve got any suggestions for my next big gaming conquest. As for tonight I’ve got some grocery shopping lined up as there’s a frightening lack of masala sauce around here.

CosmicSparky Returns to Adventuring

 

After a seeming eternity of safety-measures and putting off outings for later the cementing of vaccines has finally allowed for a return to small adventures. Yes, yes, yous truly is able to venture forth and seek out the weird wonders of mid-Michigan and thanks to the new job I actually have the cash to back it up. From the earliest days of the pandemic my first goal was to return to my beloved thrift and antique holes where shopping is unpredictable and often a bit smelly. Technically I made my triumphant return last weekend via some local joints and managed to bring little home besides a few odd card games. It managed to feel like a step in the right direction yet wasn’t quite enough to rejuvenate the spirit of the hunt. After another week it was time to set out to a neighboring town to revisit some antique stores we’d hit back in the summer of 2019 which, by my calculations, was about about eight years ago. While it wasn’t everything envisioned during those homebound days it still managed to be a worthy outing for a weekend afternoon.

So the plan to kickoff returning to old junk stores was a visit to Nashville, the Michigan version, a sleepy lil burg with two decent antique markets. The main reason I’d wanted to return here was that 66 Unique Antiques had an upstairs corner filled to the brim with old records and comics where I discovered the wonders of Japanese metal band, Loudness. Suffice to say I marched upstairs and straight to that corner upon entering the building only to find bupkis… a new booth under construction with nary a sign of record or comic to be found. Using breathing techniques to steady myself I though perhaps the vendor simply changed booths, downsized, or something to that effect and commenced a total search of the store.

Eventually I learned that the legendary corner was actually stock the building owners had purchased from closed stores and the two main chunks had been bought out last fall. Ordinarily this would have cast a major cloud over the day had I not found a few lovely picks during the search. With a half-hour to spare before both places closed up I headed across the street to boardroom antiques where I nabbed one more goody and asked about a major piece of memorabilia. This old KB Toys sign was there the last time I’d visited and boy does it ever bring back some good vibes. I’ve always had lousy teeth which back when I was kid meant at least a few times a year I’d have to get some fillings. Afterward I was almost assured a visit to the Lansing Mall for Sabarro pizza and some KB shopping. Just looking at this formed plastic brings back sensations of a sore mouth, pepperoni pizza, and the sights of various mechanical toys bumping around on a walled display table. I had to ask what the asking price could be. The quote was around $250, a bit to high for me currently though I’m considering a return somewhere down the road. Of course if any of you would like to get there first and save me from myself that’s fine.

What about the days haul then? One of the first areas of note had a bevy of late-80s/early-90s comics on hand. You’ll note I picked up a few from Marvel’s failed New Universe line. These titles were long gone before my initial experience with comics and had a small failed reboot a little after I returned to the medium in the mid-aughts. The idea was a comic world that veered closer to reality with regular people suddenly being changed by something called the “white event” which granted more scientifically plausible abilities than traditional comics were known for. In recent years I’ve really wanted to dig into these obscure characters and there was a decent offering on hand at this booth. Sadly some of the others where a good deal more expensive or in the middle of their respective series but I was more than happy to march off with the first issue of Kickers Inc. John Byrne’s run on Namor is a title whose Omnibus has been tempting for a while so this issues offers a chance to get a sneak peak at whether the big tome is worth it. Punisher: The Prize just looked like a good read and Hawkworld was a pretty major overhaul for Hawkman that, like many classics DC titles, has a spotty record for collected editions.

On the record front I managed to find a vendor who tried to offer a balance of good condition items at sensible pricing. On hand was a copy of More Chad & Jeremy, a duo firmly set within the framework of Beatles and Monkees era tunes, and music from Miami Vice which offers a nice combo of material made for and licensed by the series. Over at Boardroom I got the best of Hank Williams marking I believe only my second country album in the collection. Admittedly I dispose modern upbeat country only opening my saloon doors for this classic sad-sack stuff. Among the highlights are “Why Don’t You Love Me” and one I’d never heard called “Kaw-liga” about a wooden cigar store Indian who can’t express his feelings. It’s a bit odd and more than a little culturally insensitive.

Bringing home some tunes and reading material was totally expected, what wasn’t was a glass case display of old NES titles near the check-out. While fairly small the selection of titles had plenty to offer be it action, puzzle, etc. Some like Ninja Gaiden II were just simply cost more than I was willing to give into while many of the others didn’t have much in the way of personal meaning, until I found a big one. Dragon Warrior, a game that stood alongside Final Fantasy in our cartridge collection as something my young, illiterate mind couldn't play. I certainly gave the old college try but it would be years before I finally dove headfirst into the world of JRPGs. There’s a lot of memories tied up with this cart be it watching my brothers tackle the game for real, my own meager attempts at battling slimes, or simply admiring the boss ass artwork. Once I clean this copy up it’ll serve as a reminder of how those early days resulted in modern traditions like tackling a Final Fantasy, Tales of, and Ys every year.

There was an unexpected addition to the trip in that we wove our way back through the dirt back-roads of, I believe, Mennonite country, emerging just in time to visit a place called Sunset Acres Bakery which has been around for a few years but is just outside of our usual travel routes. These ladies were stocked up on some crazy treats like sugar cookies that seem closer to personal pan sized cakes or giant rice crispy treat rolls with chocolate swirls. It feels odd to purchase something this indulgent from a bunch of repressive religious zealots but maybe this is how they vent sinful urges. Overall I enjoyed most of this stuff with their peanut butter cookies being the real winners.

So that was a tiny adventure that may just result in some extra post material down the line. It felt so good to finally get out there and feel secure enough to linger and shop properly. Now it’s time to prepare for a few more days trips like finally seeing my college. Seriously… I graduated from a school I’ve never seen. For tonight however I am content to relax and unwind before another work week unfolds. Feel free to share any thoughts on the haul or tips for nice weird stores to visit.

Snack Report: May 2021

 

    Another month brings yet another round of snacks and novelties to consume. Perfect timing too since there’s been plenty of work and the household has been riff with drama of late. We played host to a new doggy for a wee bit and he proved to be something of an ill fit and is on his way to another home that can hopefully work with his particular brand of madness. Another factor making the snack world exciting for yours truly is having a second dose of vaccine. That’s right, I’m now fully equipped to go out and snack hunt in style. Well… two a few more days technically for everything to cement, and yes I will celebrate that mark by returning to an antiques shop with a truly excellent record corner. You all best be getting your shots too, believe me, it feels great to know there’s at least a little defense standing between you and everything else. Enough of dramatics and medical science! it’s time for some food!

Hostess Lemonade Stand Twinkies

    Snack hunters can take a lot of flack for the weird shit they bring home and these lemonade Stand Twinkies earn plenty of side-eye and speculation. Suspicions soon turned around as the fatty cakes turned out to be far different than expected yet in a most pleasing way.

    Presentation’s fairly standard for Hostess. Big, bright box housing chemical-laced cakes. While we expected something more outright lemony on the flavor front the reality was far more subdued. Normally I might consider that a failure but the lite citrus undertone ends up giving each Twinkie a slightly cleaner taste with less of that fatty after-effect. For anyone who hates that lingering lard flavor this is an absolute winner. At the very least I’m giving these a 4 out of 5.

Hostess Smores Cupcakes

    These Smore cupcakes are returning after their first round in 2020 which I totally missed thanks to all the wonders of the pandemic. Other than finally being easy to find I’m not so sure these deserved a second round.

    Hear me out here. These are still decent enough snack cakes with a fairly balanced flavor. Problem is much like the Lemonade Stand Twikies this isn’t a very accurate recreation of smores nor is there any fringe benefit from the light-touch production. Instead you get a vaguely smore-esque snack that’s good enough in a pinch but lacks the necessary punch to really soar. I will at least give some points for the coloration as it still screams fireside treat. Let’s be nice and give em a 3.

Meijer Salted Caramel Peanuts

    Not a ton to say on this one, only fair since it’s available exclusive to the handful of states with Meijer stores. More than likely I would’ve failed to notice em if not for being severely let down by the sight of an empty honey roasted shelf yet again. As someone who enjoys both peanuts and caramel this seemed like an easy pick for pitch-hitter. Unfortunately the caramel aspect is a total failure. Whoever produced these for Meijer just used a caramel powder rather than some kind of coating. The result is that most of that candy flavor rubs off on your hands leaving a slightly off-tasting salted peanut. The peanuts themselves are still pretty good but why bother? 2 out of 5 purely on the strength of the peanuts.

Arbor Brewing Company Trail Lyte Beer

    By and large this is not a lite beer household. If you’re going to do something you may as well go for broke. Still; an adventurous man keeps his options open and I’m rather glad I did. The whole experience is bright, fruity, and truly refreshing meaning it’ll be a shoe-in should we ever actually get a warm night (Spring has been decidedly chilly in these parts).

    The presentation is solid with nice box-art and skinny cans that help denote the whole lite motif. Flavor begins with a clean beer taste followed by solid notes of berry and some citrus. There’s more than enough taste to stand out without getting overpowered or tacky. Not sure how far distribution on this brand stretches out but if you come across some it’s a solid choice for a hot day. Let’s grant em a 4 out of 5.

On the Boarder Homestyle Thick and Crispy tortilla chips

    Here’s another one that doesn’t require much preamble. On The Boarder, a brand whose cafe style tortilla chips already make for some great nachos, decided to put out a thick and crispy variant likely to compete with the likes of Donkey Chips. While not as thoroughly enjoyable as Donkey when plan or dipped these Homestyle chips still make a pretty solid base for nacho consumption. At least a 3 out of 5.

Key Lime Pie Kit-Kat

    A tiny gift from a sibling returning from a road trip, these newest kit-kats were an interesting proposition. The brand has such a wide ratio of success to failure that it’s always tricky to test out their newest flavors. Just looking at this bright green wrapper makes one likely to point a finger at the candy and demand it live up to its potential.

    So what’s the verdict? Oh yeah, these are good. Not only did they nail a proper key lime pie flavor, they somehow kept it reserved enough to seem refreshing instead of overbearing. The entire package was inhaled in mere seconds. A total winner, one of the best kit-kat off-shoots I’ve seen in some time, go grab some while you can and pray they make a return in years to come. Gonna give em a 4.5 rating.

Skittles Gummies Wild Berry

    The first in a trio of items I found at my first trip to Speedway in over a year these Skittles Gummies are something of a dream come true. I’ve loved Skittles of any kind my whole life but there’s always that point when their texture starts to destroy your mouth. That painful reality can now be circumvented by the power of gummies.

    So far only had the chance to dig into the Wild Berry variety but what a knockout. These give the full flavor of Skittles with the comforting, chewy joy of gummy. Hell; they even smell good. Debating it at the moment but this may indeed be worthy of a perfect score of 5.

Hi-Chew Fruit Combos

    Hi-Chew is definitely a love it or hate it kinda candy. Some folks can’t stand the waxy nature of these things or find the flavors too muted. Generally being a fan of them though made me stoked to try these new combo flavors since they include the all-mighty mango. At least theory that is seeing as there were only two mango piece in the entire bag that was otherwise overrun with pina colada.

    Disappointment at the pina colada flood aside these are still some good chewy candy. I’d dare say the cream element in these two flavors comes across better than most of the normal fruit varieties. If you don’t like Hi-Chew then these aren’t gonna change your mind but for those who enjoy em this is a worthwhile spin-off. 3 outta 4. Might be more if they included enough mango.

Mingua Bourbon Beef Jerky

    It’s a rare treat to stumble upon a spindle rack filled with a previously unknown jerky brand yet that night in Speedway offered plenty of options for taking the Mingua brand for a test-drive. I decided to go with a more basic flavor, figuring that a company needs to nail the basics before achieving anything truly marvelous. These guys couldn’t even manage that.

    I can forgive the rustic down home charm of the packaging but the jerky itself seems like something your buddy might create as an experiment. It’s thin, dry, salty, and all-around harsh. This might be a bit cruel but I’m gonna have to give these a 1 out of 5.

Monster Strawberry lemonade Rehab and Pappilion

    With the increase in housebound hours during the pandemic I’ve rarely had a chance to indulge in energy drinks. Spending a portion of one workday entering different Monsters into the register system opened up my eyes to everything I’d been missing. Rest assured the employee discount was utilized immediately in order to bring home these new elixirs.

    Much as I enjoy the Rehab line, much like Rockstar’s Recovery drinks, this newest flavor doesn’t do quite enough to set it apart from the pack. In fact I’m hard pressed to come up with much of a description for it other than light, somewhat fruity, energy drink. It went down well-enough with the energy formula preforming admirably. Sadly there’s just not a whole lot going on here. Maybe deserving of a middle of the road 2.5 rating.

    Pappilion comes out a bit better across the board thanks to excellent presentation and a far more unique taste. The pinky peach can covered in butterflies is quite the looker and the perfume smell puts one in the mood for indulgence. The flavor is in interesting one with aspects of different fruits blending together in a way that feels like springtime thanks to an almost floral aftertaste. It’s a good one for sure. Not absolute top tier material yet good enough to earn a 3.5 or maybe 4.

Brother’s Bond Bourbon

    While out of town to get my second dose of vaccine I was able to visit a damn nice liquor store in order to stock up on a few cough… essentials. While trying to hunt for some items on the grocery list I came across something I thought would be much tougher to find, Brother’s Bond Bourbon. What makes this bottle so special you ask? It’s all in the novelty of this brand belonging to Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, aka the Salvatore brothers of Vampire Diaries fame. In essence this is the semi-official drink of those who love pretty vampires. Novelty will only get you so far however so how’s it hold up as a drink?

    When it comes to the whiskey/scotch/etc arena I’ve the least experience with bourbon so don’t expect a lot of direct comparisons there. Still; I know what I like and Brother’s Bond at least falls within the positive end of that spectrum. Both the smokiness and bite are bolder than I expected yet it still manages to go down fairly smooth. All the burn is delayed however so don’t go acting hard and taking shots without prepping for a screaming throat a few seconds later. There’s a lot of whiskey that I’d pick up before this one, especially in the forty dollar price range, but for those who like a decent sipping bourbon I can see this being a hit. Personally I’ll grant it a 3.5 though I expect others will find it more to their liking.

Doritos 3D

    Yet another revival of an item hailing from that strange period of time when yours truly wasn’t an absolute snack-fiend. Yes indeed, much like Oreo-O’s this sub-line of Doritos never passed my lips back in the day. One might think that would make their return all the more exciting but for whatever reason I’ve been forgetting to pick these up for months now. Perhaps this has something to do with the association of how these are a Doritos take on Bugles, one of the worst snacks ever made.

    Can’t say either flavor, Spicy Ranch or Chili Cheese Nacho, have done much to win me over. On one end I appreciate their spicy nature but neither the flavor nor texture really do a whole lot that other chips already do better. Maybe some different flavors and more powder could help. Otherwise it just felt like a sad reminder that you could be eating actual Doritos instead of these. They’re not a total letdown but I fail to see what they have to offer. Let’s say 2.5 to be nice.

    Did… did I finish? You wouldn’t believe how long this post has taken to complete. Fact is I’ve yet to adjust the writing schedule to the new work schedule, not to mention how selling thousands of dollars in Pokemon product can leave one a bit dead-headed. Still; having a consistent source of income combined with a lovely vaccine means there could be a much wider variety of content coming down the pipeline. We’re approaching a renewed era of freedom my friends. Why mere hours ago I saw the inside of two local joints for the first time in over a year. Anyhow it’s horror movie night so I’m gonna wrap this up and settle in for some much-needed downtime. You all feel free to share in recent snack finds or if you think I’m way of the mark on any of this current crop.