Kingdom Hearts II
Lightning strikes twice.
Published: May 30, 2006
First off, I have to apologize for this review being so late. It's likely that anyone wondering how the critical reception of the game would go has found out by now, and our review is certainly not going to be one of those crucial make-or-break decision makers for any consumers (not even I'm that delusional), so this late to the party verdict is purely for the sake of having it in our database.
On the plus side, it did give me time to a) resign myself to the fact that Square Enix, after almost a decade of being all chummy with us, had finally decided we were poo, and b) read a lot of reviews about the game. Somewhere along the line, probably because of a combination of the two above mentioned factors, I started to feel the game was somehow lacking. After pouring 40+ hours into the experience, though, I can happily report that it's anything but lacking.
In fact, Kingdom Hearts II is, in just about every way, leaps and bounds better than the original Kingdom Hearts. I don't say that lightly; I loved me some KH, and it hit at a particularly tumultuous time in both the site's and my personal history. For that reason it's linked forever with very, very good times, and the sequel had to muscle past all that to replace it as a better title. It did that, and here's why.
The short version is just that it's a more well-rounded game that addresses some of the issues from the first and then some. The combat is infinitely more enjoyable, more interactive and easier to take in thanks to a much-improved camera and lock-on system that works flawlessly. The integration of Disney and Final Fantasy characters is tighter than ever, and the storyline is more intricate, interesting and meatier than before. All these things add up to an action RPG that presents itself in a way no other game can, and something that feels worthy of both Disney and Square history, despite where the two companies have ventured in more recent years.
That's not saying the game is perfect; it's still littered with little issues here and there. The Gummi Ship sections are much improved (they now play like an homage to Panzer Dragoon Saga than the overly simplistic rail shooter from last time out), but they're still forced on the player and they aren't terribly interesting. The game also suffers from backtrack-itis, where you're forced to revisit worlds in a way that doesn't really help the storyline. It just pads the game length and actually makes it slip into a rut for about half of the game.
When the storyline does pick up, though, it's awesome. A direct continuation of the GameBoy Advance KH title Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II requires that you do at least a little research first if you don't want to be scratching your head for about 20 hours. The first four or five hours of the game, you're not even playing as the main character from the last game, Sora, you're playing as some guy who looks a lot like him called Roxas. But, as the story unfolds, you'll see an interesting schism in the antagonist's side of the storyline. Without spoiling too much, there are technically two main "bad guy" parties in the game, and they're fighting with each other as much as you.
It's a more engaging and mature way of handling things than in the first game where it was all about hearts and darkness and blah blah blah. I loved that story too, but it did feel a little sophomoric. KHII can't completely ditch those roots, and there are times where the dialogue for some of the characters (particularly the Final Fantasy cameos) is downright forehead-slappingly bad. Entire chunks of the game essentially forget that the larger conflict is even going on, but when it does enter back into the picture, the events are so interesting that you forget that you've been traipsing across the Disneyscape for the past 10 hours and get sucked right back in again.
On the plus side, it did give me time to a) resign myself to the fact that Square Enix, after almost a decade of being all chummy with us, had finally decided we were poo, and b) read a lot of reviews about the game. Somewhere along the line, probably because of a combination of the two above mentioned factors, I started to feel the game was somehow lacking. After pouring 40+ hours into the experience, though, I can happily report that it's anything but lacking.
In fact, Kingdom Hearts II is, in just about every way, leaps and bounds better than the original Kingdom Hearts. I don't say that lightly; I loved me some KH, and it hit at a particularly tumultuous time in both the site's and my personal history. For that reason it's linked forever with very, very good times, and the sequel had to muscle past all that to replace it as a better title. It did that, and here's why.
The short version is just that it's a more well-rounded game that addresses some of the issues from the first and then some. The combat is infinitely more enjoyable, more interactive and easier to take in thanks to a much-improved camera and lock-on system that works flawlessly. The integration of Disney and Final Fantasy characters is tighter than ever, and the storyline is more intricate, interesting and meatier than before. All these things add up to an action RPG that presents itself in a way no other game can, and something that feels worthy of both Disney and Square history, despite where the two companies have ventured in more recent years.
That's not saying the game is perfect; it's still littered with little issues here and there. The Gummi Ship sections are much improved (they now play like an homage to Panzer Dragoon Saga than the overly simplistic rail shooter from last time out), but they're still forced on the player and they aren't terribly interesting. The game also suffers from backtrack-itis, where you're forced to revisit worlds in a way that doesn't really help the storyline. It just pads the game length and actually makes it slip into a rut for about half of the game.
When the storyline does pick up, though, it's awesome. A direct continuation of the GameBoy Advance KH title Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II requires that you do at least a little research first if you don't want to be scratching your head for about 20 hours. The first four or five hours of the game, you're not even playing as the main character from the last game, Sora, you're playing as some guy who looks a lot like him called Roxas. But, as the story unfolds, you'll see an interesting schism in the antagonist's side of the storyline. Without spoiling too much, there are technically two main "bad guy" parties in the game, and they're fighting with each other as much as you.
It's a more engaging and mature way of handling things than in the first game where it was all about hearts and darkness and blah blah blah. I loved that story too, but it did feel a little sophomoric. KHII can't completely ditch those roots, and there are times where the dialogue for some of the characters (particularly the Final Fantasy cameos) is downright forehead-slappingly bad. Entire chunks of the game essentially forget that the larger conflict is even going on, but when it does enter back into the picture, the events are so interesting that you forget that you've been traipsing across the Disneyscape for the past 10 hours and get sucked right back in again.
