I'm 14 years late. But I finally played "Kingdom Hearts". I was 13 when it was released and at the time thought it looked dumb. Of course I was only playing Half-Life, Tekken and Zelda at that time. All of my peers played the two KH games, and I figured *now* I would play it. Which was probably smart since I can better appreciate it as an adult. 

It was also the first RPG I've played. Never got into Final Fantasy...yet. So there was a big learning curve. I enjoyed it though, A LOT. So much to do. I've logged 40 hours and still have a lot to do. My only complaint is that some of the bosses were too easy. Like why was Hades harder than the final boss in the Hades Cup. Why was Ansem so easy? Who knows. I just know I am ready for KH2 and then board the waiting train that may never come for KH3.