tempestuously (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tempestuously) wrote2006-04-07 02:40 am
tempestuously) wrote2006-04-07 02:40 am
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Nayami's last long-windied KH babble
Still obsessing. I figure it will fizzle out by the end of the week. The longest my obsessions tend to go is two weeks.
But since I'm in the mood and it's already morning, comprehensive review of KH2 with added fangirl reaction bonus. Spoilers for the entire game within.
GAMEPLAY
I enjoyed this style much more than the first. Maybe it was just the reduced need for multiple button pushing KH1 entailed what with the gliding, super jumps, keyblade throwing, dodge rolling and other nifties that made for awesome visuals but were essentially useless if you sucked at gaming like me. While I never used much of KH2's extras such as the drives (except for Wisdom which was the closest KH gets to the Matrix), summons, limits or magic aside from Cure, having them there did offer more variety. I did whore the hell out of co-op attacks though. Simba and Sora ruled the Pride Lands as did Tron and Sora. I also had endless fun with the overt slash value of Riku and Sora's co-op, but we'll get more into that later. Reaction commands also made for additional fun since each world and enemy featured a myriad of reactions with amusing results. I think my favorites were during boss fights, particularly Roxas first fight with the massive Nobody, Sora vs. Demyx pt. 2 and any of the Sora or Sora/Riku vs. Xemnas reactions. Too bad I later set up auto-limit in the game so that whenever I tried to hit a reaction command, I ended up preforming co-ops non-stop and devouring my magic. Also more abilities for keyblades with each one having its own speciality and unique action symbol (LionKing!Blade made grass, Axel!Blade made shuriken symbols, ect.) Anyone else wowed at how the cut scenes with tailor themselves to which blade you hold at the time. That always amazed me since it's not the way it worked in KH1 if I can remember right.
Both the gummy ship and Collesium battles were improved tenfold. I actually enjoyed the gummy levels most of the time, even though I only flew them once. Some had great music such as Broken Highway. The additions to the Collesium with the timed battles, point battles and objective battles gave it more of a new feel than just traditionally thrashing through them all. I admit the weakness of Hades injured my soul a bit compared to how he owned me through most of KH1. Sephiroth is still a right bastard. We can be thankful for that.
My one flaw with the gameplay was the shortness of the worlds. I have a mixed reaction to this. On one hand, I enjoyed the constant and sometimes nerve-wrecking exploration involved in KH1 but I was also less interested in KH1's storyline so I didn't mind taking hours or sometimes days for each world. In KH2, I was deeply invested in the storyline by the end of Roxas' introduction and it's possible such intensive worlds, complete with puzzles and difficult jumps, could have rubbed me the wrong way when I couldn't find out what happened immediately. Some worlds I did miss the long explorations, particularly Halloween Town since I spent so many hours there in KH1 just messing around and Hollow Bastion of the same reason. Wonderland I could live without. Seriously. I nearly chewed through my chord trying to find friggin' dalmations in Wonderland. I still would have appreciated a little more difficulty in finding certain things throughout the game, possibly treasure boxes with nifty things aside. In KH2, they were just tossed right in front of your face most of the time and the side quests for items were not ridiculously complex and based on luck such as the special White Mushrooms from KH1. Getting Ultima Weapon was almost too easy for the bonuses it packed. Magic Hastega is my god
I also missed some of the extra abilities like DODGE really bad sometimes. I disliked how the only way to avoid an enemy's attack was to outrun it, outjump it, block it or just plain survive it. Let's just say I did a LOT of surviving. That was the crux of my fight with Xigbar. Simply taking it and praying my health would hold out while I attempted to whale into him.
On a last gameplay note, KH2 also had a penchant for gimmicks. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. Making me fight bosses that would normally be pathetic on a device with retarded controls no work. Making me have to take out side enemies within a timeframe while avoiding a goofy sitar-player annoying as hell but clever. Mixing battles with reaction commands that are the only keys to success also difficult but, once I got past the killing rage at my losses, also unique. Making me fight a boss through DDR-styled controls lame. Allowing me to play as either Riku or Mickey when Sora's taking a beaten always a winner.Or would have been had I not entirely sucked at controlling Riku. Thank god for Sora's high health. And so forth. All in all, a lot of good ideas.
Um, skateboards!!! And killing enemies while on the skateboard!
STORY-MAIN PLOT
Overall AKA Sora/Roxas/Riku/Kairi:
I loved it! All of it! I was engaged on every cut scene. It even made me get all cutesy over Sora/Kairi, which is a huge deal since I couldn't stand her in KH1. I hate girls who just need to be saved or are just too perfect to exist. In KH2, Sora's affection for her was much cuter with his vision of them dancing in Halloween Town, their hugging reunion, the blushing, the teasing at her forgetting him during Roxas' introduction and their whole Roxas/Namine deal. Roxas' entire section may have annoyed some, but I also adored it, mostly because of Axel. The game needs more Axel. But Roxas was also fun to watch mature and learn things about himself before he came to his final decision and discovered Sora. Everything with the Organization and the confusing Ansem/Xehanort/Xemnas/Xehanort's Heartless was also intriguing, especially with the twist of Ansem!Riku. The storyline really pushed me through the game in this one and made me want to finish as soon as possible just so I could get the whole thing. There's also the Sora/Riku but we'll touch on that near the end. The semi-dark/semi-bittersweet motif of existence and friendship really paid off this time without being as bogged down with typical Save-The-Princess plot as KH1 was. I liked more of the focus being on finding your other whether it was your light/friend/identity instead of simply saving the day. It made it more complex and gave it a level of dimension, which kept the mystery going throughout and had me hoping for Sora to find his loved ones as much as he did.
Only real problem with this was the random side-switching of Malicifent (I was so excited to have her back to) and the way the Heartless plot with her is pretty much dropped by the time you reach The World That Never Was. Her and Pete need to get a room.
STORY-WORLD REVIEW
Mulan:
Painful. The storyline was just tossed in randomly. Mulan was a shadow of her movie self and just pissed me off with her weakness and sole purpose of flirting with Shang. Also Mushu was no longer a summon. Enough said. The only thing that saved this world remotely was the return, which featured Sora's first real glimpse of Riku since KH1 and a fun dragon boss fight. I also hated the morale challenge (damn horsed samurai). Another gimmick fight aspect that just didn't work out, for me anyway.
Beauty and the Beast:
Also painful if only because of the bastardization of Beast's character. He locks everyone in a dungeon, goes whacko on Sora, is all about his rose and kirks out on Belle when he loses it. Then she tells everyone he's only ever been kind to her. Uh what? I liked Beast so much more in KH1 with his questing and determination to find Belle. His limit helped his world a bit. I was really hoping his scene with Xigbar would involve a destroying of the rose, death scene or something to bring about the Prince. But no. It did give Belle a chance to stop being pathetic when she tricked Xigbar. That fight was NUTS!
Hercules:
Awesome world. Loved the Collesium, loved Meg, loved getting to fight on Pegasus. AURON! Auron's redemption and brain-washed storyline. Sora's admiration for Auron and his desire to bring back the true Auron. I just loved their relationship. I also enjoyed Sora and Hercules relationship except for the part where the Collesium is destroyed and Hercules moped. I wanted to kick him then. Underdrome ownage. The Pete fight with Hercules was also entertaining. I liked rolling him around like a bowling ball. Whee!
Atlantica:
The ONLY thing good about this place was that I didn't have to swim. That said, it still deserved to be more than just singing mini-games. Sora and the gang scared me throughout this. Even the Ursula singing fight was lame. As were the dumb excuses the world made for not letting me progress through it without leveling up or getting some advanced magic ability. I also think the graphics were lacking. Sora and Ariel had something going there during those songs. That was cute.
Aladdin:
It at least tried to twist its story slightly with Aladdin missing genie, Iago's redemption and that guy swiping Jafar's lamp. A little Return of Jafar but better than butchering characters as Beast's Castle did. Agrabah had more to it than most of the other Disney worlds in way of exploration. Jafar fight was annoying. So was the find the switch game. No real Sora love going on here. Everything was kinda neutral, even with Genie. I think Iago had more of an impact than anyone. The characters were all a bit lackluster, but I think they were the same way in KH1. I never liked Agrabah. I missed the Cave of Wonders, even if I hated fighting the Tiger Head.
Nightmare Before Christmas:
Really really missed the exploring here since all you really get is Halloween Town and Santa's Workshop. Sora's Santa expression was adorable enough to make up for this. I kept fearing he was going to bite Santa and turn him into one of his vampire cronies everytime he made his uber grin while in the vampire getup. Loved Santa's teasing him about how Riku told him there was no Santa and he believed him. Jack was equally amusing with his Santa/Christmas love. I kept wishing Santa would just let him deliver the gifts; it made him so happy. Oogie Boogie might as well not been included. He was an insult to his old self, and I hope this was the intention. I hated how he forgot everything two seconds after he said it. His children trio were more enjoyable. I could have done without the Sally/Jack storyline being so blatantly connected with Sora/Kairi but more because Sally/Jack always seemed random and forced to me and I could do without that conotation for the Destiny Island children. Oh I loved spinning the carousel and killing things.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
As many have said, it would have been much better had Sora and the gang donned pirate gear. The storyline was too immersed in the movie with little attention to Sora's part other than his cute "I wanna be a pirate!" mentality. The game would have liked to think Sora and Cap. Jack bonded, but I don't really believe this was the case. They didn't seem to think much for each other. Best moment was Cap. Jack's attempt to take the keyblade and Sora calling it back to him. Sweet! Will and Elizabeth were also dull. The storyline with Cap. Jack's curse was slightly better but that bitch-ass money-stealing Heartless kinda killed it for me. I really hated him. Another great scene was Sora and Goofy's teasing Donald about being greedy.
Lion King:
My favorite if only because I got to be a lion and run mad fast with the keyblade in Sora's mouth. The fight with Scar was a whirlwind and Simba's co-op made it a blast. Sora and the gang fit well into the storyline, with their friendship with Simba in both helping him regain his pride and find his confidence. I enjoyed the second storyline more because it was new and let us see a new side of King Simba after he defeats Scar. Could have done without that Heartless boss fight though. Sora and Simba also had an engaging relationship, with Sora pushing Simba forward. I also got a kick out of Sora wanting to be king in the beginning of the storyline. He needed a "Just Can't Wait to Be King" number. People complain the speed in this world is off-putting since you can't slow down to just slap the enemies and you lack drives, but I think the speed suited a world that was mostly open space with lots of running room. Anyone else try to dive off Pride Rock just for fun? And why is Goofy always a turtle? Nine times out of ten, I confuse him for a Heartless. Cheers for Nala, one of the few Disney females in KH2 that didn't suck. Sora unlocked the world with his tail.
Mickey's Castle:
Emphasized Malificent so points for that. Fighting with Minnie was fun with her attacks. I didn't mind dragging her around (she could have manuevered those Heartless better). Daisy/Donald stuff was cute. Not much to say. Small world. Also adding Yen Sid's part in here with the Wise Fairies since they are all royal stuff. They made for good cameos with added laughs for the fairies' fight over coloring Sora's new clothes. Yen Sid was suitable creepy.
Old!Mickey World:
Damn those cars! Everything else was a bit nostalgic and looked genuinely interesting so that kept up my interest. I liked the storyline with Old!Pete and his relationship with Sora's gang, especially his fight with Current!Pete. Old!Mickey returning to the boat at the very end was the best. Had the world not included those stupid cars that beat the shit out of me in the fire level, I would have more love for it. Good idea overall and nice tie-in with the Cornerstone.
Tron:
Tron's relationship with Sora is nearly unmatched by any except Pooh. This world infuriated me but it was a risky ventured that offered many angles from the light cycles to the computers to the battle with the MCP. I don't know why so many found the light cycles that difficult. Beat it on the first try. I admit the R1 and L1 for turning was annoying. I mostly enjoyed watching Sora's gang be totally baffled by Tron's comp-sci lingo and Tron loosening up around them. Sora tickling computer!Tron after you defeat MCP is cute. His smile is so devious. And the hugs. Tron's a big sap. Gimmick level included the transport to reach the MCP with the weight limit restriction. It was the most enraging part of the game since I wasn't skilled at quickly killing those purple machines with the attacks you can't block. Tron was another world well tied into the storyline while also managing to retain most of its original plot. Kudos. It was also amusing how even Leon was concerned about Tron later on.
Winnie the Pooh:
The most emotional of the Disney worlds. Pooh's loss of memories hits Sora hard and I realize just how much Sora appreciated his frienship with Pooh. The side quests weren't too entertaining, but it was worth it to watch Pooh remember his friends and watch Sora deliver forced-happy replies as he continued to be forgotten. The last scene on Starry Hill made this world. Pooh and Sora BFF! Much more poignant than even the Pooh world in KH1, which was also bittersweet.
Hollow Bastion AKA Squenix World:
Cloud and Sephiroth are gay. Aerith needs a hobby. Leon's opening up to Sora and generally being a more assuring guy. He and Sora had one of those deepish relationships going on that Sora is so renowned for throughout the game. Not much going on with Yuffie or Cid. Tifa just plain kicked ass. Watching her take on Sephiroth...damn. I'm still trying to decide which one is more of the emo poser Cloud or Leon. FFX2 pixies were snarky bitches and golddiggers. Excellent. Best parts were the Heartless attack on the world with everyone fighting, the buddy-buddy tension between Cloud and Leon, Sora teaming up with practically everyone and Stitch joining in on the action. I think this was the largest exploration level save The World That Never Was. Those fire wizard things hurt! Oh and the Demyx fight. Dance water dance. Goofball. Radiant Garden is a stupid name for anything.
Twilight Town AKA World of Less Popular Square Characters:
It had Vivi, Setzer, poser gangsta Seifer and the posse and trains. Much love. The job quests are a pain when in Roxas' introduction. Roxas' gang are cute, but the one with the lasting impression is definitely Hayner. I wish they hadn't had to drop the Destiny Island gang since I miss Tidus and Wakka being dorks. I guess Sora was enough of a dork without them. Best part was struggle battle since Seifer continued to be a poser and used phrases like "We totally owned you lamers." I nearly choked on my drink. Roxas beating the shit out the computer, Namine being emo and Axel fighting for his Roxas give this world even more meaning. The seven wonders were also too funny.
The World That Never Was:
Lots of Organization. Lots of Riku. Lots of tragedy. Fangirl's dream. Yep. Also more fun taking out enemies than you'd ever thought possible. Once you got Riku, Sora and Goofy going, it was a party.
FANSERVICE
I'm sure this game had offerings in both flavors but as I'm a slash fangirl, that is my focus. You had suggestive lines from Hayner about cherishing moments, Seifer's "Isn't this romantic?" when he fights you, obvious closeless of Axel and Roxas with Axel admitting Roxas was the only one who made him feel he had a heart (sora too but that's semantics), Leon and Cloud fighting together, the popsicles, the Struggle battles, the desire of both Roxas and Sora to find each other (with Sora's cute scene when he puts his hand on his heart after Riku tells him Roxas is inside him), Cloud and Sephiroth obsessing over each other, practically everyone wanting Roxas during his intro and sexy older Riku. Then you have Sora/Riku. I really can't say more about this than can really be said other than the whole final fight with Xemnas was just a heaving helping of fanservice with the combined moves, saving of Sora, self-sacrificing Riku and of course Session, the most slashy co-op known to man. It doesn't even hurt that much since it's rarely accurate. I think it exists mostly for fanservice, and it delivers. You can also toss in the Destiny Island trio reunion and Sora crying at Ansem!Riku's feet. Aww. Ending is also PURE fanservice. In conclusion, it becomes obvious that just as Kairi is Sora's light, Sora is Riku's. He flat-out tells him so. Squenix definitely had their fanbase nailed for this one.
VOICES
I'm adding this last part only because I'm sick of hearing about how much the American VA suck and lack the emotion of the Japanese seiyuu. I've seen both versions now. I always saw the American version first while playing. If these scenes are missing any emotion, it's beyond me because they tear me up just as much as they would in Japanese. Axel, Roxas, Riku, Sora, Kairi deliver perfectly. I argue nothing is lost. Maybe you have comparison if you saw the Japanese first. But I say the difference is minimal at best if it delivers the same emotional impact, and it does. Aside from Aeris' VA (who needs to be shot and I don't even like Aeris), the VAs do a remarkable job and should be fully supported. Osment is perfect for Sora as Gallagher makes an even better Riku than he did in KH2. McCartney also deserves a hand for his rendition of Roxas. I do miss Angel (David Boreanaz though.) And in response to comments further down, I completely forgot Billy Zane voiced Ansem in KH1. I miss him too.
QUESTIONS
Just a few things I didn't quite get about the game, probably from my lack of ever playing Chain of Memories.
1. Why did Ansem trap Roxas within false memories?
2. What was up with the dropped rivalry between the Heartless and the Nobodies?
3. If Riku surrendered himself to darkness and became a partial Heartless with Xehanort shouldn't he have a Nobody too?
4. Why did Roxas fight Riku? I know why Riku fought Roxas. I want Roxas' intentions.
5. How did kidnapping Kairi tie into Axel's plan and in case it didn't, what exactly made him switch sides? He says he was trying to see Roxas but why kidnap Kairi. How could he see Roxas again when he knew Roxas was already within Sora?
6. Why can't they just call him Squall? Is it because he's an unloved FFVIII character in a world of FFVII?
7. Are the Worlds still connected? It seemed the Destiny Island gang would still be able to see Mickey at the end?
8. About Namine/Roxas, just what was up with that?
9. What ever happened to the real Xehanort?
10. Why is Riku so friggin' tall?
11. Why does Riku look like he was just tossed into the World That Never Was as far as ordinary gameplay? His rendering is horrific. Until I saw that outfit in CGI, I kept screaming at the boy to put back on the robe.
12. And where the hell did Riku get that keyblade for Kairi anyway? Was he just carrying that around? Did he make it out of darkness? Did Mickey give it to him? Was it their closeness that created it? Anything?
13. More of a fic request than a question. Why won't anyone write a Riku/Sora moment right after the fight with Xemnas? I swore Riku was a dead man that entire scene on the island. I don't want smut. I want an interpretation of how hurt Riku was? He just got slammed by a lightsaber of RAGE. What healed him anyway? As many times as that boy fell and the way Sora was practically dragging him over that island, I want to know what happened?
I shall end by saying I've never been more satisfied with a game ending in my life. Everytime I hear "Simple and Clean" as the Door to Light appears, I get all choked up inside. Then come the Disney snuggles with Donald/Goofy/Sora and Mickey/Riku. Mickey and Riku are also BFF. In case I didn't mention it, I also adore their relationship with Mickey instrumental in Riku's redemption from the dark. Also great that no pairings were shoved down throats in this one like in KH1 and the ending wasn't so much an agonizing cliffhanger as something that got you all excited about the Trio's next big adventure. Did I mention I also need the soundtrack to this game bad? This game gave me everything I could ask for and more in way of storytelling. I am also a total SoraRikuKairi shipper now, along with my side dish of Axel/Roxas. Demyx can just provide musical accompaniment while Namine draws fanart. It's all good.
But since I'm in the mood and it's already morning, comprehensive review of KH2 with added fangirl reaction bonus. Spoilers for the entire game within.
GAMEPLAY
I enjoyed this style much more than the first. Maybe it was just the reduced need for multiple button pushing KH1 entailed what with the gliding, super jumps, keyblade throwing, dodge rolling and other nifties that made for awesome visuals but were essentially useless if you sucked at gaming like me. While I never used much of KH2's extras such as the drives (except for Wisdom which was the closest KH gets to the Matrix), summons, limits or magic aside from Cure, having them there did offer more variety. I did whore the hell out of co-op attacks though. Simba and Sora ruled the Pride Lands as did Tron and Sora. I also had endless fun with the overt slash value of Riku and Sora's co-op, but we'll get more into that later. Reaction commands also made for additional fun since each world and enemy featured a myriad of reactions with amusing results. I think my favorites were during boss fights, particularly Roxas first fight with the massive Nobody, Sora vs. Demyx pt. 2 and any of the Sora or Sora/Riku vs. Xemnas reactions. Too bad I later set up auto-limit in the game so that whenever I tried to hit a reaction command, I ended up preforming co-ops non-stop and devouring my magic. Also more abilities for keyblades with each one having its own speciality and unique action symbol (LionKing!Blade made grass, Axel!Blade made shuriken symbols, ect.) Anyone else wowed at how the cut scenes with tailor themselves to which blade you hold at the time. That always amazed me since it's not the way it worked in KH1 if I can remember right.
Both the gummy ship and Collesium battles were improved tenfold. I actually enjoyed the gummy levels most of the time, even though I only flew them once. Some had great music such as Broken Highway. The additions to the Collesium with the timed battles, point battles and objective battles gave it more of a new feel than just traditionally thrashing through them all. I admit the weakness of Hades injured my soul a bit compared to how he owned me through most of KH1. Sephiroth is still a right bastard. We can be thankful for that.
My one flaw with the gameplay was the shortness of the worlds. I have a mixed reaction to this. On one hand, I enjoyed the constant and sometimes nerve-wrecking exploration involved in KH1 but I was also less interested in KH1's storyline so I didn't mind taking hours or sometimes days for each world. In KH2, I was deeply invested in the storyline by the end of Roxas' introduction and it's possible such intensive worlds, complete with puzzles and difficult jumps, could have rubbed me the wrong way when I couldn't find out what happened immediately. Some worlds I did miss the long explorations, particularly Halloween Town since I spent so many hours there in KH1 just messing around and Hollow Bastion of the same reason. Wonderland I could live without. Seriously. I nearly chewed through my chord trying to find friggin' dalmations in Wonderland. I still would have appreciated a little more difficulty in finding certain things throughout the game, possibly treasure boxes with nifty things aside. In KH2, they were just tossed right in front of your face most of the time and the side quests for items were not ridiculously complex and based on luck such as the special White Mushrooms from KH1. Getting Ultima Weapon was almost too easy for the bonuses it packed. Magic Hastega is my god
I also missed some of the extra abilities like DODGE really bad sometimes. I disliked how the only way to avoid an enemy's attack was to outrun it, outjump it, block it or just plain survive it. Let's just say I did a LOT of surviving. That was the crux of my fight with Xigbar. Simply taking it and praying my health would hold out while I attempted to whale into him.
On a last gameplay note, KH2 also had a penchant for gimmicks. Sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn't. Making me fight bosses that would normally be pathetic on a device with retarded controls no work. Making me have to take out side enemies within a timeframe while avoiding a goofy sitar-player annoying as hell but clever. Mixing battles with reaction commands that are the only keys to success also difficult but, once I got past the killing rage at my losses, also unique. Making me fight a boss through DDR-styled controls lame. Allowing me to play as either Riku or Mickey when Sora's taking a beaten always a winner.
Um, skateboards!!! And killing enemies while on the skateboard!
STORY-MAIN PLOT
Overall AKA Sora/Roxas/Riku/Kairi:
I loved it! All of it! I was engaged on every cut scene. It even made me get all cutesy over Sora/Kairi, which is a huge deal since I couldn't stand her in KH1. I hate girls who just need to be saved or are just too perfect to exist. In KH2, Sora's affection for her was much cuter with his vision of them dancing in Halloween Town, their hugging reunion, the blushing, the teasing at her forgetting him during Roxas' introduction and their whole Roxas/Namine deal. Roxas' entire section may have annoyed some, but I also adored it, mostly because of Axel. The game needs more Axel. But Roxas was also fun to watch mature and learn things about himself before he came to his final decision and discovered Sora. Everything with the Organization and the confusing Ansem/Xehanort/Xemnas/Xehanort's Heartless was also intriguing, especially with the twist of Ansem!Riku. The storyline really pushed me through the game in this one and made me want to finish as soon as possible just so I could get the whole thing. There's also the Sora/Riku but we'll touch on that near the end. The semi-dark/semi-bittersweet motif of existence and friendship really paid off this time without being as bogged down with typical Save-The-Princess plot as KH1 was. I liked more of the focus being on finding your other whether it was your light/friend/identity instead of simply saving the day. It made it more complex and gave it a level of dimension, which kept the mystery going throughout and had me hoping for Sora to find his loved ones as much as he did.
Only real problem with this was the random side-switching of Malicifent (I was so excited to have her back to) and the way the Heartless plot with her is pretty much dropped by the time you reach The World That Never Was. Her and Pete need to get a room.
STORY-WORLD REVIEW
Mulan:
Painful. The storyline was just tossed in randomly. Mulan was a shadow of her movie self and just pissed me off with her weakness and sole purpose of flirting with Shang. Also Mushu was no longer a summon. Enough said. The only thing that saved this world remotely was the return, which featured Sora's first real glimpse of Riku since KH1 and a fun dragon boss fight. I also hated the morale challenge (damn horsed samurai). Another gimmick fight aspect that just didn't work out, for me anyway.
Beauty and the Beast:
Also painful if only because of the bastardization of Beast's character. He locks everyone in a dungeon, goes whacko on Sora, is all about his rose and kirks out on Belle when he loses it. Then she tells everyone he's only ever been kind to her. Uh what? I liked Beast so much more in KH1 with his questing and determination to find Belle. His limit helped his world a bit. I was really hoping his scene with Xigbar would involve a destroying of the rose, death scene or something to bring about the Prince. But no. It did give Belle a chance to stop being pathetic when she tricked Xigbar. That fight was NUTS!
Hercules:
Awesome world. Loved the Collesium, loved Meg, loved getting to fight on Pegasus. AURON! Auron's redemption and brain-washed storyline. Sora's admiration for Auron and his desire to bring back the true Auron. I just loved their relationship. I also enjoyed Sora and Hercules relationship except for the part where the Collesium is destroyed and Hercules moped. I wanted to kick him then. Underdrome ownage. The Pete fight with Hercules was also entertaining. I liked rolling him around like a bowling ball. Whee!
Atlantica:
The ONLY thing good about this place was that I didn't have to swim. That said, it still deserved to be more than just singing mini-games. Sora and the gang scared me throughout this. Even the Ursula singing fight was lame. As were the dumb excuses the world made for not letting me progress through it without leveling up or getting some advanced magic ability. I also think the graphics were lacking. Sora and Ariel had something going there during those songs. That was cute.
Aladdin:
It at least tried to twist its story slightly with Aladdin missing genie, Iago's redemption and that guy swiping Jafar's lamp. A little Return of Jafar but better than butchering characters as Beast's Castle did. Agrabah had more to it than most of the other Disney worlds in way of exploration. Jafar fight was annoying. So was the find the switch game. No real Sora love going on here. Everything was kinda neutral, even with Genie. I think Iago had more of an impact than anyone. The characters were all a bit lackluster, but I think they were the same way in KH1. I never liked Agrabah. I missed the Cave of Wonders, even if I hated fighting the Tiger Head.
Nightmare Before Christmas:
Really really missed the exploring here since all you really get is Halloween Town and Santa's Workshop. Sora's Santa expression was adorable enough to make up for this. I kept fearing he was going to bite Santa and turn him into one of his vampire cronies everytime he made his uber grin while in the vampire getup. Loved Santa's teasing him about how Riku told him there was no Santa and he believed him. Jack was equally amusing with his Santa/Christmas love. I kept wishing Santa would just let him deliver the gifts; it made him so happy. Oogie Boogie might as well not been included. He was an insult to his old self, and I hope this was the intention. I hated how he forgot everything two seconds after he said it. His children trio were more enjoyable. I could have done without the Sally/Jack storyline being so blatantly connected with Sora/Kairi but more because Sally/Jack always seemed random and forced to me and I could do without that conotation for the Destiny Island children. Oh I loved spinning the carousel and killing things.
Pirates of the Caribbean:
As many have said, it would have been much better had Sora and the gang donned pirate gear. The storyline was too immersed in the movie with little attention to Sora's part other than his cute "I wanna be a pirate!" mentality. The game would have liked to think Sora and Cap. Jack bonded, but I don't really believe this was the case. They didn't seem to think much for each other. Best moment was Cap. Jack's attempt to take the keyblade and Sora calling it back to him. Sweet! Will and Elizabeth were also dull. The storyline with Cap. Jack's curse was slightly better but that bitch-ass money-stealing Heartless kinda killed it for me. I really hated him. Another great scene was Sora and Goofy's teasing Donald about being greedy.
Lion King:
My favorite if only because I got to be a lion and run mad fast with the keyblade in Sora's mouth. The fight with Scar was a whirlwind and Simba's co-op made it a blast. Sora and the gang fit well into the storyline, with their friendship with Simba in both helping him regain his pride and find his confidence. I enjoyed the second storyline more because it was new and let us see a new side of King Simba after he defeats Scar. Could have done without that Heartless boss fight though. Sora and Simba also had an engaging relationship, with Sora pushing Simba forward. I also got a kick out of Sora wanting to be king in the beginning of the storyline. He needed a "Just Can't Wait to Be King" number. People complain the speed in this world is off-putting since you can't slow down to just slap the enemies and you lack drives, but I think the speed suited a world that was mostly open space with lots of running room. Anyone else try to dive off Pride Rock just for fun? And why is Goofy always a turtle? Nine times out of ten, I confuse him for a Heartless. Cheers for Nala, one of the few Disney females in KH2 that didn't suck. Sora unlocked the world with his tail.
Mickey's Castle:
Emphasized Malificent so points for that. Fighting with Minnie was fun with her attacks. I didn't mind dragging her around (she could have manuevered those Heartless better). Daisy/Donald stuff was cute. Not much to say. Small world. Also adding Yen Sid's part in here with the Wise Fairies since they are all royal stuff. They made for good cameos with added laughs for the fairies' fight over coloring Sora's new clothes. Yen Sid was suitable creepy.
Old!Mickey World:
Damn those cars! Everything else was a bit nostalgic and looked genuinely interesting so that kept up my interest. I liked the storyline with Old!Pete and his relationship with Sora's gang, especially his fight with Current!Pete. Old!Mickey returning to the boat at the very end was the best. Had the world not included those stupid cars that beat the shit out of me in the fire level, I would have more love for it. Good idea overall and nice tie-in with the Cornerstone.
Tron:
Tron's relationship with Sora is nearly unmatched by any except Pooh. This world infuriated me but it was a risky ventured that offered many angles from the light cycles to the computers to the battle with the MCP. I don't know why so many found the light cycles that difficult. Beat it on the first try. I admit the R1 and L1 for turning was annoying. I mostly enjoyed watching Sora's gang be totally baffled by Tron's comp-sci lingo and Tron loosening up around them. Sora tickling computer!Tron after you defeat MCP is cute. His smile is so devious. And the hugs. Tron's a big sap. Gimmick level included the transport to reach the MCP with the weight limit restriction. It was the most enraging part of the game since I wasn't skilled at quickly killing those purple machines with the attacks you can't block. Tron was another world well tied into the storyline while also managing to retain most of its original plot. Kudos. It was also amusing how even Leon was concerned about Tron later on.
Winnie the Pooh:
The most emotional of the Disney worlds. Pooh's loss of memories hits Sora hard and I realize just how much Sora appreciated his frienship with Pooh. The side quests weren't too entertaining, but it was worth it to watch Pooh remember his friends and watch Sora deliver forced-happy replies as he continued to be forgotten. The last scene on Starry Hill made this world. Pooh and Sora BFF! Much more poignant than even the Pooh world in KH1, which was also bittersweet.
Hollow Bastion AKA Squenix World:
Cloud and Sephiroth are gay. Aerith needs a hobby. Leon's opening up to Sora and generally being a more assuring guy. He and Sora had one of those deepish relationships going on that Sora is so renowned for throughout the game. Not much going on with Yuffie or Cid. Tifa just plain kicked ass. Watching her take on Sephiroth...damn. I'm still trying to decide which one is more of the emo poser Cloud or Leon. FFX2 pixies were snarky bitches and golddiggers. Excellent. Best parts were the Heartless attack on the world with everyone fighting, the buddy-buddy tension between Cloud and Leon, Sora teaming up with practically everyone and Stitch joining in on the action. I think this was the largest exploration level save The World That Never Was. Those fire wizard things hurt! Oh and the Demyx fight. Dance water dance. Goofball. Radiant Garden is a stupid name for anything.
Twilight Town AKA World of Less Popular Square Characters:
It had Vivi, Setzer, poser gangsta Seifer and the posse and trains. Much love. The job quests are a pain when in Roxas' introduction. Roxas' gang are cute, but the one with the lasting impression is definitely Hayner. I wish they hadn't had to drop the Destiny Island gang since I miss Tidus and Wakka being dorks. I guess Sora was enough of a dork without them. Best part was struggle battle since Seifer continued to be a poser and used phrases like "We totally owned you lamers." I nearly choked on my drink. Roxas beating the shit out the computer, Namine being emo and Axel fighting for his Roxas give this world even more meaning. The seven wonders were also too funny.
The World That Never Was:
Lots of Organization. Lots of Riku. Lots of tragedy. Fangirl's dream. Yep. Also more fun taking out enemies than you'd ever thought possible. Once you got Riku, Sora and Goofy going, it was a party.
FANSERVICE
I'm sure this game had offerings in both flavors but as I'm a slash fangirl, that is my focus. You had suggestive lines from Hayner about cherishing moments, Seifer's "Isn't this romantic?" when he fights you, obvious closeless of Axel and Roxas with Axel admitting Roxas was the only one who made him feel he had a heart (sora too but that's semantics), Leon and Cloud fighting together, the popsicles, the Struggle battles, the desire of both Roxas and Sora to find each other (with Sora's cute scene when he puts his hand on his heart after Riku tells him Roxas is inside him), Cloud and Sephiroth obsessing over each other, practically everyone wanting Roxas during his intro and sexy older Riku. Then you have Sora/Riku. I really can't say more about this than can really be said other than the whole final fight with Xemnas was just a heaving helping of fanservice with the combined moves, saving of Sora, self-sacrificing Riku and of course Session, the most slashy co-op known to man. It doesn't even hurt that much since it's rarely accurate. I think it exists mostly for fanservice, and it delivers. You can also toss in the Destiny Island trio reunion and Sora crying at Ansem!Riku's feet. Aww. Ending is also PURE fanservice. In conclusion, it becomes obvious that just as Kairi is Sora's light, Sora is Riku's. He flat-out tells him so. Squenix definitely had their fanbase nailed for this one.
VOICES
I'm adding this last part only because I'm sick of hearing about how much the American VA suck and lack the emotion of the Japanese seiyuu. I've seen both versions now. I always saw the American version first while playing. If these scenes are missing any emotion, it's beyond me because they tear me up just as much as they would in Japanese. Axel, Roxas, Riku, Sora, Kairi deliver perfectly. I argue nothing is lost. Maybe you have comparison if you saw the Japanese first. But I say the difference is minimal at best if it delivers the same emotional impact, and it does. Aside from Aeris' VA (who needs to be shot and I don't even like Aeris), the VAs do a remarkable job and should be fully supported. Osment is perfect for Sora as Gallagher makes an even better Riku than he did in KH2. McCartney also deserves a hand for his rendition of Roxas. I do miss Angel (David Boreanaz though.) And in response to comments further down, I completely forgot Billy Zane voiced Ansem in KH1. I miss him too.
QUESTIONS
Just a few things I didn't quite get about the game, probably from my lack of ever playing Chain of Memories.
1. Why did Ansem trap Roxas within false memories?
2. What was up with the dropped rivalry between the Heartless and the Nobodies?
3. If Riku surrendered himself to darkness and became a partial Heartless with Xehanort shouldn't he have a Nobody too?
4. Why did Roxas fight Riku? I know why Riku fought Roxas. I want Roxas' intentions.
5. How did kidnapping Kairi tie into Axel's plan and in case it didn't, what exactly made him switch sides? He says he was trying to see Roxas but why kidnap Kairi. How could he see Roxas again when he knew Roxas was already within Sora?
6. Why can't they just call him Squall? Is it because he's an unloved FFVIII character in a world of FFVII?
7. Are the Worlds still connected? It seemed the Destiny Island gang would still be able to see Mickey at the end?
8. About Namine/Roxas, just what was up with that?
9. What ever happened to the real Xehanort?
10. Why is Riku so friggin' tall?
11. Why does Riku look like he was just tossed into the World That Never Was as far as ordinary gameplay? His rendering is horrific. Until I saw that outfit in CGI, I kept screaming at the boy to put back on the robe.
12. And where the hell did Riku get that keyblade for Kairi anyway? Was he just carrying that around? Did he make it out of darkness? Did Mickey give it to him? Was it their closeness that created it? Anything?
13. More of a fic request than a question. Why won't anyone write a Riku/Sora moment right after the fight with Xemnas? I swore Riku was a dead man that entire scene on the island. I don't want smut. I want an interpretation of how hurt Riku was? He just got slammed by a lightsaber of RAGE. What healed him anyway? As many times as that boy fell and the way Sora was practically dragging him over that island, I want to know what happened?
I shall end by saying I've never been more satisfied with a game ending in my life. Everytime I hear "Simple and Clean" as the Door to Light appears, I get all choked up inside. Then come the Disney snuggles with Donald/Goofy/Sora and Mickey/Riku. Mickey and Riku are also BFF. In case I didn't mention it, I also adore their relationship with Mickey instrumental in Riku's redemption from the dark. Also great that no pairings were shoved down throats in this one like in KH1 and the ending wasn't so much an agonizing cliffhanger as something that got you all excited about the Trio's next big adventure. Did I mention I also need the soundtrack to this game bad? This game gave me everything I could ask for and more in way of storytelling. I am also a total SoraRikuKairi shipper now, along with my side dish of Axel/Roxas. Demyx can just provide musical accompaniment while Namine draws fanart. It's all good.
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Along the subject of voice acting, even though I miss Zane like I would miss my liver (were it missing), I think Richard Epcar did a good job. Christopher Lee as DiZ just blows my mind. He's good--hell, he's always good. My biggest complaint with the voice acting would have to be Mena Suvari's acting for Aerith. To be blunt, I thought she did a piss-poor job. I cringe to think of what she'll be like in Advent Children.
Also, in response to question 6--my boyfriend's argument is that "Squall sucks so bad" he's hiding in shame, and thus had to change his name. But um... I don't play FF so I really wouldn't know how good Squall is. ^^;; I always liked him though. *pets him*
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But, I also didn't like Seifer, Raijin or Fuujin's voice either. I guess I had something else in my mind for them when I was playing FFVIII. I almost think Mena should have been Fuu...since her voice was SO DAMN ROBOTIC!!!
And I'm with you on the missing Billy Zane thing. Goddamn, his voice is sexy.
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I think the intention there was like Xaldin was doing to Beast at the castle. He took Belle and his rose in order to feed his anger and turn him into a powerful Heartless. At some point, someone (Saix?) tells Sora that Axel will stop at nothing to make Sora a Heartless. i.e., if Sora feeds into anger and hate and losing Kairi is what is the catalyst to that, he will become a Heartless (again) and therefore split into the two, the Heartless and the Nobody -- Roxas.
So, basically, Sora + becoming a Heartless = seeing Roxas again.
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Wikipedia says that Roxas doesn't have memories of being Sora because Sora was a heartless for such a short time & because of the fact that Kairi's heart served in his creation. *shrugs* Makes sense to me.
Nice review! I'm so in love with this game right now & I love reading other people's thoughts.
Also the soundtrack is here (http://bluelaguna.net/music/kh2ostsoundtrack/mp3s.php).
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To me, the game seemed extremely easy and so far I have not needed the use of the strategy guide. The first game, I had the strategy guide but had to restrain myself from using it (I always try to see if I can beat it first without the guide then I go back and get all the stuff).
Hated Mulan, Beast, Little Mermaid, Port Royal and some of the other stuff but as I kept playing there really was a lot that made up for it. I LOVE the Lion King part of the game. I'd say it is my favorite but I also liked the fight in Hallow Bastion when all the guys and gals join in to fight the heartless.
Seeing Leon and Cloud fight together was cool, I really liked the words they exchanged with each other before fighting. LOVED when Stitch got involved ... too cute.
Seriously though ... I think the story lines in most worlds could have been a lot better.
Thanks for sharing :)
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But the real reason I reply is to let you know I shall attempt to piece together a small fanfiction-esque tale regarding Sora and Riku after the battle with Xemnas. I have a few good thoughts. I'll get back to you once I type it up.
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I'm glad Roxas gets some love! Some don't like him just because of Jesse McCartney, and while that doesn't exactly make me leap for joy, he did a REALLY good job voicing him. The English dubs get such bad raps, when I seriously loved this version better than the Jap. Although, Aeris's voice was utterly horendous. I'd take Mandy any day.
I actually liked most of the storylines, except Mulan's. It just rubbed me the wrong way, and Shan Yu was not as cool and badarse. =/ But, yes! Tifa pwned all, especially with her scaring the crap out of Sora and them. XD Kairi fighting was just... strange to see. As was Maleficent and Pete "helping" the trio. I'm still disturbed by that.
But, OMG, the game seriously needed more Axel. I love that boy. I cried when... you know. ;_;
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1. Why did Ansem trap Roxas within false memories?
To keep Roxas under thumb and out of the way while Sora's memories came back. It also changed his personality considerably (from what I could tell) and allowed him to accept being re-absorbed into Sora.
2. What was up with the dropped rivalry between the Heartless and the Nobodies?
Nobodies and Heartless only fought in the first place because of those controlling them (The Organization vs. Maleficent et al).
3. If Riku surrendered himself to darkness and became a partial Heartless with Xehanort shouldn't he have a Nobody too?
XD I like your thinking.
4. Why did Roxas fight Riku? I know why Riku fought Roxas. I want Roxas' intentions.
At the time, Roxas had no memories of being Sora, so didn't see Riku as a "friend." Riku, however, stood between Roxas and is goal - Sora. Plus, Riku attacked him. Why not fight back?
5. How did kidnapping Kairi tie into Axel's plan and in case it didn't, what exactly made him switch sides? He says he was trying to see Roxas but why kidnap Kairi. How could he see Roxas again when he knew Roxas was already within Sora?
Kairi was bait to lure in Sora. I assume Axel intended to turn Sora into a Heartless, so that Roxas would be created again.
6. Why can't they just call him Squall? Is it because he's an unloved FFVIII character in a world of FFVII?
:P Cloud and Squall...Cloud and Squall...
7. Are the Worlds still connected? It seemed the Destiny Island gang would still be able to see Mickey at the end?
There was never a mention that those paths that Sora opened were closed. Perhaps they just need a gummi ship.
9. What ever happened to the real Xehanort?
Where is Billy Zane when you need him?
10. Why is Riku so friggin' tall?
He'd be even taller if he didn't SLOUCH.
Seriously, he's only a little taller than Leon. Sora & Kairi are just short.
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Because he's 16 and if Sora can grow four to six inches in a year, so can Riku. I nearly bust a gut laughing when I saw Sora in his old clothes at the beginning of the game. So, so sad.
Someone mentioned something that I hadn't realized. All the Nobodies are the names of the original self rearranged plus an X.
Sora = Roxas
Xemnas = Ansem
And for a while I totally thought that Axel was Riku's Nobody.