"No longer Simple and Clean"

Up until the day of its release, Kingdom Hearts 2 was one of the most hyped-up games in years. When it came out in Japan back in December of 2005, it received all high reviews, which only added to the anticipation. The original Kingdom Hearts is considered to be one of the best games available on the PS2 and a fantastic achievement. I, however, do not share this sentiment and feel that the original Kingdom Hearts was a lackluster game. In fact, if I were to make a list of the most overrated games I've ever played, Kingdom Hearts 1 would be way up near the top. As you can see, I didn't expect much out of Kingdom Hearts 2 when I picked it up, but I felt it deserved a fair chance before I judged it. It turns out that that was all it needed to become one of my favorite games this generation.

At the beginning of the game, you don't control the familiar hero, Sora. Instead, you play as a boy named Roxas during the end of his summer vacation with his friends Hayner, Pence, and Olette. You control Roxas for five 'days', during which mysterious events begin to happen in Roxas' hometown of Twilight Town. These five days give you a tutorial of the game's controls, get you familiar with some of the main characters in the game, and set the story in motion for Sora's more epic portion. At the end of the five-day introduction, you take control of Sora and begin your quest to rid the worlds of the Heartless yet again. Familiar faces from the first game return, including a more grown up Kairi, Riku, who is sexier than ever, and your companions, Donald and Goofy.

Unlike the first game, the enemies in Kingdom Hearts 2 are no longer just Heartless and the big baddies from familiar Disney movies. As you will soon learn, there is a much bigger threat this time around - the black-hooded, mysterious figures of Organization XIII. Under their command are the Nobodies, a group of soulless white creatures. Like the Heartless, there are many types of Nobodies, but there are less types of Nobodies than Heartless - in fact, there are about 3 or 4 more variations of Heartless than Nobodies. Most of the familiar Disney villains from KH1 find their way back into KH2, but most of their roles are decreased greatly from the first game. My only problem with the enemies is the fact that Organization XIII's numbers have already been cut in half, since you face some of them in Chain of Memories, which connects the stories of the first and second games. Some members are complex and interesting, while some seem as if they're in the game just for the sake of being there and are thrown in at the end of the game, as if the developers just forgot about them.

Now, let's talk about the different Disney worlds you'll be visiting in Kingdom Hearts 2. Returning worlds are Hollow Bastion, Olympus Coliseum, Agrabah, Halloween Town, and, unfortunately for us all, Atlantica. But wait! Square decided to spare us the underwater pain and made Atlantica optional - you only need to beat it if you want to get 100%. Each returning world adds something new to make it different from the version of it in KH1. For example, Hollow Bastion takes place in Leon's hometown, not the familiar castle where you battled Maleficent in the first game. Olympus Coliseum takes place almost completely in the Underworld. Agrabah expanded a bit but is still quite boring. Halloween Town includes Christmas Town as an area to visit. Atlantica was made into a musical world but thankfully can be beaten with the TV on mute ^_^. New worlds in Kingdom Hearts 2 include The Land of Dragons (Mulan world), Beast's Castle, Port Royal, Disney Castle, The Pride Lands, and a few others I won't mention here. You visit each Disney world twice during the course of the game, but you can return to them any time you wish. For the most part, the first time you visit each world, the story that takes place is basically ripped straight out of each respective movie, just with Sora, Donald, and Goofy thrown in. This really detracts from the game because you can pretty much guess what happens if you've seen the movie for each world. The second visit to each world is, for the most part, dull. Most are uninteresting, and some of these sections feel as if they were just thrown in to lengthen the game.

One of the problems people have with the game is that nearly every fight can be won by hitting the X button as many times as you can. This is true to an extent, as lunging, jumping at aerial enemies, and other special moves occur naturally by simply locking onto the enemy and pressing X. Combat is not always this simple, though. In the beginning of the game, after you take control of Sora, he gets new clothes to replace his familiar outfit from the first game, which he has clearly outgrown. These clothes have a special ability, though- they allow Sora to use Drive Forms. These Forms allow Sora to transform by fusing with Donald, Goofy, or both. There are four Drive Forms in all: Valor, Wisdom, Master, and Final. Another major problem people have is that the game is quite linear. You will always be pointed in the direction to go, and there is very little veering away from the main course of events. Remember looking all over an area for a certain treasure chest? Well that's gone now in KH2. Treasure chests are literally laid out right in front of you with very little exploration allowed.

One major improvement over Kingdom Hearts 1 is the Gummi Ship sections of the game. In KH1, flying to and fro between worlds became boring with the uninspired, clunky Gummi Ship areas. In Kingdom Hearts 2, however, that area has been completely revamped up to the level of well-done "shoot-em-up" game. The camera rotates to the sides and even behind your ship, with enemies approaching from all directions constantly. In fact, the Gummi Ship section in Kingdom Hearts 2 is so good, that it could even be its own game.

Of course, the Kingdom Hearts series is probably most famous for the cameos of Final Fantasy characters we all know and love (at least SOME of them are loved). Some of the more prominent characters are Squall under the alias of Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, and Final Fantasy VII's Cid Highwind, who all help you out in Hollow Bastion. Other famous characters are Cloud (FFVII), Tifa(FFVII), Setzer(FFVI), Seifer and his cronies, Fuujin and Raijin (now just called Fuu and Rai, y'know?) Vivi (FFIX), and, of course, Sephiroth, who returns for another secret Boss fight, which, while not as hard as the first game's Sephiroth fight, is harder than any other fight you'll have in the game. Another nice Easter egg is that all the moogles who run the synthesis shops throughout the worlds are named after the save moogles in Final Fantasy IX. Of course, these aren't the only cameos made by Final Fantasy characters; it's just better if you find out some for yourself.

I didn't expect much from Kingdom Hearts 2, especially after playing the, in my opinion, bland Kingdom Hearts 1. However, I decided to give it a chance and was greeted with one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had since playing Resident Evil 4 back in January of 2005. In fact, I enjoyed this game so much that I put over 80 hours into it, collected every Keyblade, and will try to finish 100%, something I've never felt the drive to do in any other game I've played. Even if you didn't enjoy Kingdom Hearts 1, give KH2 a chance. It's one of the best-looking games on the PS2, has an amazing soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura, unfortunately suffers from a simplified battle system, but is a gaming experience not to be missed by any gamer who calls himself an RPG fan.

Graphics: 9/10- Some of the best on the system. A great accomplishment by Square. Character designs are great, and the worlds are all detailed well.
Sound: 10/10- Shimomura at his best, delivering a mix of old and new tunes. Background music is relaxing, battle music is intense, and everything just fits perfectly. Haley Joel Osment returns as the voice of Sora, and Quinton Flynn, famous for his role as Raiden in Metal Gear Solid 2, provides the voice for the mysterious red-haired Axel.
Gameplay: 7/10- Simplified controls make this game an X-mashing exercise, but it doesn't HAVE to be played that way.
Fun Factor: 10/10- Great detailed worlds to visit, familiar faces to see, so many things to collect, and an amazing story. What more do you need?

Whether or not you're a fan of the original Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts 2 deserves at least one play through. It's a great improvement over the original and deserves your attention.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/22/06