Kingdom Hearts II (Sony PlayStation 2, 2006)

When I first played Kingdom Hearts back in 2002, I was completely blown away, and had been looking forward to the sequel ever since I landed 100% completion and unlocked the hidden movie at the end. Well, 4 years later, I placed a reserve for Kingdom Hearts 2 at a local video game store, and anxiously awaited the release date. I had figured that this game was going to be pretty much similar to the last, albeit with new worlds and a couple of upgrades here and there, and obviously a new, expanded plot. That alone was enough for me to nervously count down the days until its release. However, I was very, very wrong.

Kingdom Hearts 2 is much, much more than a sequel. This game single-handedly redefines the entire Kingdom Hearts series, and, in my opinion, it is the best example of taking an already groundbreaking title, and turning it into something that you never thought would be possible. The game manages to take the series into a slightly darker, more mature atmosphere, all the while retaining a perfect balance between the RPG elements and the more imaginative, wonder-filled worlds to which you traverse. The characters, Disney ones in particular, are as colorful and lively as you would expect them to be (it is almost as if we are watching them in their corresponding movies), while all the Final Fantasy and original characters still retain all of their trademark looks and personalities, with some being revamped to reflect the later time period from the first game (one year) and the more mature storyline. The same is true for worlds as well, with some older worlds featured in the first Kingdom Hearts looking almost nothing like their year-later counterparts.

Kingdom Hearts 2 features a re-hauled battle system, with new abilities for Sora, such as the Drive Forms, which are different forms that Sora can transform into. Drive Forms require you to bond with either one, or both, of the party members to enhance Soras powers, with some forms letting you use two keyblades at once. To use the Drive Forms, you must fill up your Drive Gauge (filled by items, fighting enemies, etc.) to the desired number of the particular form (e.g. the Valor form requires a minimum level of 3). While in Drive Form, allies that you bonded with will be temporarily removed from battle. The Drive Gauge also serves as another function, to summon other Disney characters to aid Sora in battle.

Also new to the series is a completely revamped take on the Gummi Ship transport from the first game. Taking on the new job of being used to clear routes to worlds (designed to resemble a combination of rail shooter and Disney Theme Park rides), as well as being the controller on the world map, literally letting you fly to the different worlds located there, the Gummi Ships are also more customizable than in the previous title, and are more essential to the development of the story.

The Kingdom Hearts series has set a new bar for the Action-RPG genre, and has continued to do so from the first Kingdom Hearts in 2002, to the most recent release, Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep in 2010. Upon the series launch, it has dominated sales charts and won many awards from many gaming communities and critics.

Praised for its unique approach to the genre, Kingdom Hearts continues to be one of the most widely acclaimed and commercially successful series in gaming history, and with 6 different installments under its belt, with another 2 on the way, the series continues to thrive 9 years later.

Kingdom Hearts 2 picks up where Chain of Memories left off. Sorta. The game starts off rather slowly in Twilight Town but not as Sora, as Roxas. After about three grueling hours during Roxas's intro, the title screen appears and then, KH2 finally picks up where COM left off. The heroes, Sora, Goofy, and Donald awaken from a memory repairing slumber and learn that their adventure is not over, even after defeating Ansem. Their battle against Organization XIII from COM still continues and now face new enemies known as Nobodies. Nobodies are the counterparts of Heartless, being a strong person's husk after losing their heart. Organization XIII seeks a mass number of hearts so Sora and company must stop them.

Now that the spoiler-free summary is done and over with, let's get to the game. KH2 improves on almost everything you'd complain about from KH. Graphics are obviously much more better and sparkly this time around. The camera no longer gets in the way so much, however adjusting it could be the only issue.

Using the Gummi Ship is also a lot more interesting where you're not just flying through some colorful space portal and doing nothing but shooting whatever that comes your way. You're shifted around at high speeds that feels like a Sonic game. The Gummi Route leading to each world has it's own unique design and its very own miniboss at the end.

For KH2, the battle system is perfect. New to the battle system are Drive Forms, Limit Commands, and Reaction Commands. Drive Forms are new costumes for Sora that are either beefed up in Strength, Magic, or both and instead of using one keyblade, you're equipped with two or three, depending on the form. Each form has its own unique way of leveling up and when you reach a required level, Sora will be able to equip abilities like gliding in his normal form. The "cost" of using these Drive Forms are absorbing one or all of your party members.

Limit Commands are flashy moves Sora can use when teaming up with world characters such as Auron or his usual party members, Donald and Goofy. Reaction Commands are timed using the triangle button to perform some effective attack against an opponent. All of these elements make battle interesting.

Storywise, it's intriguing. So intriguing that it overweighs actual gameplay.

Now let's get to why this game did not recieve a perfect score. Although new and original worlds have been added, most are too short and lack any exploring elements. Summons were so lacking that they may as well just take that whole part out. Most of the bosses could easily be defeated simply with brute strength, making Magic unnecessary. My biggest issue is the lack of difficulty.

Even in Proud mode, the game is too easy. Drive Forms were hardly needed and often neglected since you could mow down your enemies without transforming. You could still survive bosses without using Reaction Commands. You can't get lost in worlds and it is hard to actually die. This is expected of a game with a Rating of 'Everyone 10+.' If you don't want to be insulted, head immediately into Proud Mode and DON'T equip things like Slide Dash.

Kingdom Hearts 2 gets a near perfect score. It's an improvement on KH and has a nice story. Too bad it is too easy and lacking of any gameplay when compared to cut scenes. Music isn't really too special to go into but it isn't horrible either. (Atlantica an exception) Those who care for voices will probably rip their ears off.

First of all, I NEVER write reviews for games, because frankly, I don't care enough about games in general to do so. I mention this, so that when I say Kingdom Hearts is the most briliantly setup game series I've seen for years, so much I would even bother to write a review about it, you will get my full meaning.

For those of you who don't know the series, it combines certain characters from the world of Final Fantasy with the worlds and characters from Disney. You play as the main character Sora, a little boy from a paradise world who finds out he's the chosen one to wield a sword-like weapon known as the "Keyblade" in a battle against invading forces of "Heartless". You will travel from world to world, trying to figure out what's going on.

Basic premisse for any game.

What makes this series special is the details. You team up with two other guys, namely Goofy, captain of the guard, and Donald, court magician from Disney Castle, who are in search of their King Mickey. The worlds the three of you travel to are the worlds of (mostly recent) Disney movies. There your missions become part of the story of those movies. You get great scenes where all their villains work together to controll the Heartless. You get to team up with Tarzan or Jack Skellington, fight Jafar alongside Alladin, or search for Alice, lost in Wonderland, to name but a few. In part two you get to team up with even more characters like Simba, Hercules, Tron and even Captain Jack Sparrow. You'll also get to fight alongside and against some great heroes and villains from the Final Fantasy games.

All this makes these games very rich in stories, while maintaining a great and versitile gameplay with lots of action and adventure, with plenty of puzzles, skill games and mini missions.

But what I loved most is the fact that allmost ALL Disney characters (and there are a lot of them) have the original voice actor behind them. Which makes this a very well produced game full of wellknown Hollywood talent.

All in all this is a game series for all ages which can keep you playing for weeks.

"There are many worlds, but they share the same sky…One sky, one destiny."
What started as a random encounter between a Square Soft and Disney executive on an elevator has grown into one of the most epic collaborations since Yalta. The fruit of their union is Kingdom Hearts. In this action/RPG, the worlds of Disney and Final Fantasy cross-over, and familiar characters such as Cloud Strife and Donald Duck fight side-by-side with a host of original characters.
Sora, Donald and Goofy return to continue the search for Riku and King Mickey. But things have become more complicated than they expected. The soul devouring Heartless are still rampant in many worlds and Sora must use the keyblade to close the dark portals that let them in. As old adversaries return, new ones emerge with more mysterious intentions: A group named Organization XIII seeks to draw Sora into their fold by manipulating the strange creatures called Nobodies. Stranger still is that the members of this group seem to know Sora, but by a different name.If I said much more than that I wou be spoiling one of this games many plot twists. Expect the story to get intriguing right off the bat and continue to surprise you throughout. If you haven’t played the previous two games you might be confused at first but you’ll still be able to enjoy the game.With new enemies, Sora will need new powers to keep the darkness at bay, and there are many in this game. Your primary method of attacking is the keyblade, which can be equipped with various key chains that give it new forms and abilities. Sora can also unlock many new moves as the game continues. I like that none of the weapons are simply more or less powerful, they are just better suited for different play styles.Drives are probably the coolest and most powerful ability Sora has. After charging up the drive gauge by collecting spheres, Sora can absorb one or both of his companions to increase his own powers, giving the player about a minute of rampaging time. Different forms unlock special powers, including dual keyblade fighting and hyper magic abilities. Using the drives often will level them up, allowing you to eventually equip drive abilities in your regular form.Magic is much more useful this time around as your MP gauge will automatically recharge whenever you run out. You can set up to four spells with shortcut commands making them easily accessible. This is helpful since using magic through the menu is difficult and takes too long to be useful. Items (which are just as difficult to use through the menu) can also be assigned to shortcut commands, but this takes space away from your magical repertoire. Summon spells call a character to fight with you for a short time. If you don’t trust the AI, you can take direct control of their attacks.Reaction commands are another new addition that adds style to ordinary combat and can make boss battles seem like choreographed movie scenes. A green triangle appears over enemies when a reaction command is available. If the player hits the button in time, Sora will swing by their tail, deflect a shot at them or something else appropriate to the situation. In boss battles, these activate elaborate cut-scenes and require you hit the triangle button at several precise moments. If you learn how to trigger them, reaction commands can give you an edge over stubborn enemies.The hallmark of Kingdom Hearts is the ability to team up with your favorite Disney character.

This game is Fantastic. It's probably one of the best Action-RPG on the Playstation 2. Not Counting FF series because i wasnt a big fan of it.
There's a great storyline, character development, breath taking cinematic scenes, and Gigantic Worlds to Explore.

Team up with Goofy and Donald to find your Friends, and solve the mystery to the Heartless, what's a nobody, and organization 13. Lock world hearts from evil and engage in Breath-taking boss battles. If your look for all the above, Kingdom Hearts 2 is the game for you.