I actually liked the Disney/Square interaction a lot more in this one. In fact, some of the scenes actually made me laugh, while none of the first game's did.
I don't get though why so many think this game has better gameplay. It's the gameplay that prevents me from being able to enjoy this one! The levels are often very linear and more-or-less just a straight path with lots of cutscenes shoved in there. The magic system is broken and I find myself only using heal, due to the recharge mechanic and the way magic works. There's no real hidden treasures - only ones you can't get until you revisit for the second run through the area. I do love the music and graphics; the presentation is great, but I agree with IGN's review on this one: "Presentation through the roof. Gameplay through the floor."
I unfortunately (because I like this series a lot) have to agree with the points that the Disney worlds are slowly becoming filler and the overall plot is getting increasingly hard to follow. Hell, even Birth By Sleep, which actually answered many of the questions raised by both this and the first game, also created whole new ones (The Unknown's identity, the future of the Xehanort conflict, etc).
Still, for all its faults, I still consider the KH series pretty good, so I can stand beside this review. Thanks for sharing, MWTP. =)
@Bonsai Forest: I meant the combat gameplay...it just flows a better than it did in the original which, while great, wasn't as fine-tuned. I will agree that the worlds weren't as explorable as in the first KH or even BBS, and that the magic system was really weakened. The linearity issue didn't bother me too much because I just loved playing in Disney worlds period, but the magic.....yeah, I only stuck with healing as well, the rest was useless.
I found combat much more enjoyable in the second game. Anyone that says it was better in the first is blinded by nostalgia/first game fanboyism.
Puzzle, exploring, and platforming was definitely better in the first game.
Since I am one for darker and edgier I preferred two's tone a bit more, but I do admit I miss Aero.
^ The first games' combat was good but not up to parr with the combat of KH 2 or BSS.
About the "tone" though, I don't think KH2's tone was any more or less darker than the first game. The Heartless invasion and the Nobody invasion were pretty equal in tone. Actually, the plot of Chain of Memories was probably darker than both of them, since it actually took things to a psychological level.
I found the platforming in Kingdom Hearts unbearable, so I was glad it was gone in Kingdom Hearts II.
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^^^^ Having a different opinion doesn't mean having "first game fanboyism". There were certain things I liked more about the combat in KH 2, and it can get very frantic at times. I also like the combination attacks like Whirligoof and Donald's Comet. But I think that overall, with the magic being used as part of it, the first game was better.
The first game may have had Aero, but I don't enjoy magic in the first game as much as the second. I mean in this one I actually use the magic, especially Fire and Blizzard when I really didn't in the First one and not to mention Thunder and Reflect are great too.
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The Flawed Masterpiece
Kingdom Hearts II is the last installment in the original Kingdom Hearts trilogy, and also the most controversial. My thoughts on it vary.
First off, I think the game's plot is a really good one, especially it's ending, which wraps everything up beautifully. However, the story, how that plot is told...............is dissapointingly weak. This actually stems from three big factors.
One: the Kudzu Plot elements kicks into high gear and Nomura's concepts, which has much more free reign over than in the original Kingdom Hearts, become absurdly, needlessly convoluted, and they don't serve the Disney elements nearly as well as they used to.
Two: the writer hired for this game, Kazushige Nojima, freely admitted that he was "not a major staff member" on the first KH and only wrote some scenarioes at the very end (post Hollow Bastion), and thus he doesn't quite "get" how KH works and thus creates many awkward or pointless scenes, missed opportunities, moments where characters act out-of-character, and....well, he generally creates a mess and was just not the right man for the job.
Third: the Disney elements are portrayed much more inconsistently. Half of the time, they're relevant to the overall original plot. Half of the time, they're Filler. Half of the time, their plotlines are original but with elements from their movies (like in the first KH). Half of the time, their plotlines are ripped entirely from their movies. Half of the time, the stuff in them are really run. Half of the time, they're lame. It all becomes a roller coaster of quality that can be very frustuarting.
However, there's alot that's done right in KH2 as well. The gameplay is actually better than the original game's, fine-tuning all the kinks. Even the Gummi Ship segments are fun! The graphics are still colorful and Disney-esque, the music still fantastic, and for all it's fault, the story still has plenty of moments that entertain. If the original Kingdom Hearts was something of a genuine masterpiece, then it's successor is a flawed masterpiece. It's got alot going for and against it, but the pros far outweigh the cons. I've recommended KH, I've recommended KH:COM, and I sure as hell recommend KH2 to all Disney and Square Enix fans.