Technically, the whole point of the Disney Worlds before revisiting them was to open pathways to them while on the lookout for Riku and/or the King, or trouble from the Heartless and the Nobodies. Not as plot relevent as the first game, but they had a meaning. For the revisits, though...I got nothing. There was no given reason as to why Sora had to go back to all those worlds before going to the Twilight Town mansion which was shown on the photo he just got! Bad storytelling by Nojima and Oka.
Disagree about the villains; You could argue that the Organization and the Nobodies were weaker threats than the Disney Villains and the Heartless, but Xemnas, I felt, was MORE threatening than Ansem was. And Maleficent came back because come on, she's too good a villain to stay down after just the first game. I also loved how they used Pete (except in the Pride Lands; that was pointless)
But THIS:
Lastly, that whole Cloud and Sephiroth subplot was just pointless and very out-of-place.
is 100% true.
I also was very disappointed by Kingdom Hearts 2. The level design was VERY linear and there was nowhere to really explore and look for hidden stuff. The whole thing was a disappointment. The only thing they really got right was the timing of the humor, as I actually laughed at some of KH 2, but none of KH 1. But the level design and combat were awful, bringing the whole game down.
I find they both have their strengths. 2 had more talking with animated lips, instead of a cheap, flat, moving mouth animation. Plus, the levels were still fun the second time around.
Though, to 1's favour, it has a straightforward story and a more naive, optimistic Sora.
Both have great music, both have great endings.
^ Agreed.
I really thought that 2 was better in almost every respect. The gameplay was improved, I don't have any problem with linear levels, and I liked a lot of the ideas that the plot had in 2. Granted, the way it told it was absolutely a mess, but still.
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Not Up To Par With The First
Let me start by saying I used to be a big Kingdom Hearts fan. The first game was wonderful, and Chain of Memories was a lot of fun to play through (aside from the card system). I anticipated Kingdom Hearts 2 for years, and while I had fun playing it at first, I was ultimately disappointed in the end. First, let's talk about the game play: the reaction commands are way cool to look at, and the drive forms are pretty awesome, too. Unfortunately, I NEVER used magic (except for Cure). Unlike the first game which required you to use magic quite often (Ursula's first boss fight, Ice Titan, Clock Tower Phantom) this game requires little use of magic; almost all work can be done with the X and triangle buttons. The same goes for summons; I only ever used them just to see what they looked like. Also, I never died. Especially if someone like me never dies, the game's too easy. One gamplay improvement, however, is the Gummi Ship. The Gummi Ship was way better this time.
Now let's move on to the story: this is the game's biggest problem. I love Disney, and that's what drew me to Kingdom Hearts in the first place. The Disney worlds had importance to the plot in the first game, but this time around, it's just as if Sora is like "Hi, guys! Just wanted to come visit. What's that? Organization 13's causing trouble here?! Let me help!" Also, the less said about Atlantica, the better. The Organization also seemed less threatening as villains than Xehanort's heartless. And what was the point of Maleficent coming back alive? I totally forgot about her until she was either shown or mentioned. Lastly, that whole Cloud and Sephiroth subplot was just pointless and very out-of-place. Oh yeah, and the voice acting really sucked at certain parts.
I'm not saying "don't play this game", but if you've just discovered Kingdom Hearts and want to play all the games, don't set your hopes up too high for this installment.