 |
 |
|
|
|
|
A Perfect Disney-Final Fantasy Marriage.
APRIL 05, 2006
Part 1: Overview
[TOP]
Kingdom Hearts II is the long anticipated sequel to Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts. Filled with classic Disney heroes and villains, all our favorite Final Fantasy characters, and the return of the Kingdom Hearts cast, it is sure to entice any RPG adventure-loving fan. A few new characters such as Roxas make their appearance early on in the game. Although rated "E" for "everyone," the game does have some mild blood, use of alcohol, and violence. If you loved the first Kingdom Heart's game, you will surely become addicted to this new installment. A strong storyline, lovable characters, a diversity of environments and gameplay, cinematic visuals, and the beloved music of Yoko Shimomura combine into a very satisfying action RPG game experience. 
Part 2: Storyline
[TOP]
Once again, Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out to save the world from the powers of darkness. There
are battles with the usual heartless and now the nobodies. Behind all these villains is a
mysterious group of hooded characters known simply as Organization XIII. Will Sora and his friends
be able to find their old friends, seal the worlds from darkness, and stop this secret society?
Disney also saturates Kingdom Hearts 2 with its franchise of animated characters. For example, parts of the Mulan level plays straight from the animated feature. If the player hasn't seen the Mulan animated film, Disney has made the cinematics so enticing that one would want to rush out and buy the DVD. Obviously, Disney is milking its franchise for all its worth. The Beast and Mulan, for example, are both playable characters. It is nice to have their respective storylines interwoven with gameplay elements. I think the combination of dramatic tension with Disney humor is well balanced.
Part 3: Gameplay
[TOP]
The gameplay really begins to shine by the time the player reaches King Mickey's castle. You've now gotten your first summon, Chicken Little, and you've leveled up to about level 25, so there's enough Ability Points (AP) for Sora to equip a multitude of combos and support features. Also, the Trinity limit becomes available along with Donald's Comet attack. The Moogle is always available near a save point to synthesize items. An interesting attack strategy is to use the skateboard at Mickey's Castle to defeat some pretty fierce enemies. The Halloween Town level is simply rich with cinematic detail. It is a vast improvement from the first game. The boss fights in this level are creative and challenging. The costume designs for Sora, Donald, and Goofy help to complete the Nightmare Before Christmas feel to this level. The Gummi Ship challenges remind me of the Ratchet and Clank franchise. There's many chances to level up your Gummi Ship or to build your own design.
Although Kingdom Hearts II is story driven, the player is free to select more than one world to explore. If a player wants to go back and explore previous worlds, buy a few needed items, or level up, he or she can. The player is not restricted to going through the game in a linear fashion. This is a huge plus. Gameplay length is another improvement. In the spirit of an epic Final Fantasy game, there is much to experience before the game ends. Overall, this is perhaps the best RPG game this year. One can only hope that Sora and his friends will return for another quest on PlayStation 3.
Copyright © 2006
Phoenix Genesis/MBS LP [TOP]
|
The usual cast of Final Fantasy characters is back, ranging from Vivi to Squall Leonheart. Not only can
the player fight some of these characters in battles, but they are well integrated into the storyline.
It's a nice addition to have Auron as a playable character who joins Sora's party. I wish Vivi could
have been playable as well. Jiminy Cricket keeps tabs in his journal of all story events and characters,
so the Final Fantasy uninitiated can view the profiles of each character and what game he or she made
his or her debut.
A nice feature of Kingdom Hearts 2 is the ability to select differing levels of gameplay, from beginner to normal to
"proud." The sequel plays much like its predecessor, but this time Square-Enix has fixed those pesky camera problems.
Now, battles are much easier, although I would prefer to have smoother character control. The level design offers
both interior and exterior locations, all straight out of Disney animated movies. There are two particularly creative
levels, ranging from the Winnie the Pooh storybook to a black-and-white level straight out of the early sound era
of Steamboat Willie.
Final Fantasy RPG fans will be accustomed to the usual leveling up, potions and elixirs, and shopping sprees
to accessorize your party. However, "munny" is hard earned in this game. There are the usual magic spells with
fire and thunder and a cure spell thrown in for good measure. Gameplay consists mostly of battles and treasure
chest seeking with story elements. Examination of items and non-playable character conversations are a bit
predictable though. NPC conversations mostly serve as a guide to remind the player of his or her objectives.
There are a few mini games, although I wish they were more diverse. The boss fights are where the battle
system really shines. Timed special attacks allow Sora to unleash some interesting moves against his foes.
