Kingdom Hearts 2 U.S. Version Impressions

[EvilBob46]

PS2.IGN (http://ps2.ign.com/) has some info, screenshots and videos of the U.S. version (http://ps2.ign.com/articles/696/696712p1.html) of the Disney-inspired Kingdom Hearts 2. Gamespot (http://www.gamespot.com/) has some additional videos (http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/rpg/kingdomhearts2/media.html) as well. The U.S. Version features voice acting by well-known individuals such as Christopher Lee (Saruman in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Count Dooku in Star Wars Episodes 2 and 3) and Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense).

Significant changes in the sequel to Kingdom Hearts include new features to the battle system (such as reaction commands to spice up combat), fewer platforming elements, and an improved camera system.

Watch the Gamerankings KH2 space (http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/915410.asp?q=kingdom%20hearts/) for additional reviews, which should start coming in at the end of the week. As far as print magazines go, the game has so far received a 9/10 from Game Informer magazine (criticizing only the number of reused worlds and the fact that the game is "too long" according to one reviewer). The game's release date is March 28.

[Heretic Machine]

Games can't be too long. That's a fact. The longer something is, the more bang for my buck that I'm getting.

[thecrazyd]

I don't buy that. More bang for the buck means more games I won't beat. If a game can keep things interesting for 200 hours, then by all means, do so, but 99.99% of games cannot.

Would you say that all movies should be seven hours long? So you get your money's worth?

[Syl]

Games can certainly be too long. When sections of games are inflated to make the game seem longer, it's not a good thing.

For an Example: Triforce pieces in Zelda: The WindWaker.

Or any other really annoying and extremely long fetch quest.

[Salesmunn]

Games can absolutely be too long. If it's too long, it will appeal to the hardcore gamer but turn off the casual gamer (which is where the money is.)

I hated Kingdom Hearts, that god damn camera...ugh.

[EvilBob46]

I hated Kingdom Hearts, that god damn camera...ugh.

I hear they fixes this with the improved camera system.

[Kelegacy]

Kingdom Hearts 2, potentially being one of the best JRPGs released this generation and trumping its predecessor, makes me think I need to beat the first and maybe even the Gameboy Advance title I have here but have never played. The first KH was okay, but I'm not a huge disney fan, especially the Little Mermaid, Tarzan, and that crap. Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan...now that is what I'm talking about.

Sequels are meant to be worse than originals! This cannot be!

[Magnanimous Gnome]

To me it depends on what that game length consists of. Morrowind can be played for 200+ hours, but that's only if you explore a lot and do lots of sidequests. Just doing the main quest doesn't take nearly that long. Most RPG's are the same way, although most do not have the amount of content that Morrowind does of course.

I wouldn't necessarily want a game where it took 200 hours just to go through the main storyline. I am however tired of all the 6-10 hour games that come out at full price these days. Take Black for example. That game was in development for years and only has 6 hours of gameplay. That's definitely not worth $50.

[Kelegacy]

A game's length used to matter to me a great deal. These days I have less time, but I still like a game to be meaty. I had a goddamn blast with Black, but it was over too quickly. Another level or 2 would have been great.

On the other hand, some RPGs are over far too quickly as well. KotOR can be blown through very quickly, Sudeki was short, and Fable was atrociously small. Jade Empire was 20 hours--I played RE4 longer, which should never happen. JRPGs are much longer because of random encounters, which I have been outgrowing for many years now, and 60-100 hour JRPGs piss me off when most of that time is spent in generic battles engines.

Games like Morrowind scared me, sucked my life away. MMORPGs will never appeal to me because I like closure...just like how I lost interest in the Wheel of Time series; I want it to fucking end! I still loved Morrowind, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally beat the main story.

Oblivion will be a time-whore, too, but I embrace it. At least, I will for a couple weeks until I realize that my cat died because of starvation, my bladder is ruptured because of holding it too long, and a layer of mold has grown over my teeth from poor hygiene.

[Wadmaasi]

Where can I find out if KH2 supports 480p?

[EvilBob46]

Where can I find out if KH2 supports 480p?

You're totally out of luck. No 480, no progressive scan, no widescreen.

The game stretches the PS2 to its limits as is, so I suppose they made the decision to can those features as a result (although Square-Enix has never been big on supporting those, period). Disappointing, for sure.

[SBKidJamX]

Can't wait. Been looking forward this for a long time.

[Spigot]

Well, I for one can't wait. I really enjoyed the first KH, warts and all. Even though I like to think of myself as someone who can't stand Disney, playing that game really made me realize how big a part of my childhood a lot of those worlds were.

This new one looks even better. I mean, they have TRON! And Pirates of the Carribean. Those two additions alone make it worth the price of admission.

I do need to finish the Chain Of Memories title for the GBA. I'm probably a good 3/4's of the way through it but I'm completely stuck at Malificent. Stupid card battle system. I hates them!

[Kagger]

I still have 99% of dragon quest viii to go through, but I'll get KH2 the moment I beat it.

I didn't play chain of memories, but I'll wing it. I'm sure they'll fill in all the ps2 people who may not have a GBA (I do have a DS now though).

[OSX]

Totally excited. I havnt been this excited about a game since Snake Eater first came out . But can anyone tell me how you scroll through the actions menu now that the camera is mapped to the right stick? Ive looked a few places but none have adequately explained how I am supposed to scroll through my magic. The system in KH was clunky for sure, but what is going to scroll through that menu now?

[bean19]

Kingdom Hearts 2, potentially being one of the best JRPGs released this generation and trumping its predecessor, makes me think I need to beat the first and maybe even the Gameboy Advance title I have here but have never played. The first KH was okay, but I'm not a huge disney fan, especially the Little Mermaid, Tarzan, and that crap. Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan...now that is what I'm talking about.

Sequels are meant to be worse than originals! This cannot be!

Fuck the GBA game. Stay away, it is outside of the "canon" of the game and sucks horribly.

Also, KH2 has Tron and Pirates of the Carribean as two of the worlds you visit. I can't wait to get my Tron/Sora doll. You know they'll make one and you'll probably wonder who will buy it. That would be me.

This franchise taps into some of my happiest childhood memories. It's crack-nostalgia laced with fine gameplay.

[bean19]

Games like Morrowind scared me, sucked my life away. MMORPGs will never appeal to me because I like closure...just like how I lost interest in the Wheel of Time series; I want it to fucking end! I still loved Morrowind, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally beat the main story.

You might have like FF XI then. . . if it weren't such a horrible grind. It really does have a good story that is well told. The only problem is that the main story is about 5% of the game, but you have to do the other 95% of grinding to unlock it.

[OSX]

Dont believe the hype. Chain of Memories is a great game. A great game in a different vein perhaps, but it still has its merits.

[bean19]

Dont believe the hype. Chain of Memories is a great game. A great game in a different vein perhaps, but it still has its merits.

Don't believe him! It is utter swill.

Er. . . whatever, OSX's opinion is valid and there are others who like it. It just isn't anything like the PS2 game and isn't very good in my opinion (or in many other people's opinions). Some people do like it though.

OSX - I have no idea about the spell selection controls, but I found that Sora does way more damage as a fighter than as a caster. I just paused on the rare occassions that I needed to use a spell to create an opening against late game baddies and otherwise used Sora's MP as the "heal pool". It worked out a lot better that way than when I tried to play him as a caster. . .

[Spigot]

Fuck the GBA game. Stay away, it is outside of the "canon" of the game and sucks horribly.
What do you mean, it's outside of the canon of the game? It's a direct link between KH1 & 2. If you watch the opening movie of KH2, it even has the little girl from Chain of Memories during one of the montage sequences.

The gameplay leaves a lot to be desired but the story itself is intended to link the two games. I'm sure they'll have some kind of recap in KH2 though.

[OSX]

Don't believe him! It is utter swill.

Why do you hate America! Freedom hating leftist nancy boy!

But seriously, the card battling was different, but is actually quite challenging. The room generation bit was interesting. It wasnt perfect, but as a game to pick up, fill in some plotholes and entertain for a few hours it serves its purpose.

[aversion2k]

I have a friend who loves the gba game.
I've never played it though, so its possible he's an idiot :D

[Wadmaasi]

You're totally out of luck. No 480, no progressive scan, no widescreen.
Well shazbot. I'll never get to play it then. Or, not until I buy a PS3 two years from now.

[Durandal-217]

Fuck Kingdom Hearts 2.

We got a storm coming....

[Watership]

I just can't get into a RPG where you use a large Key as an offensive weapon.

[Heretic Machine]

I personally have no problem with long-ass games. Why? Because I don't care if I beat them or not. It doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm having fun.

EDIT: BTW, I doubt I'll buy KH2. I bought KH for a bargain price, and got bored with it quickly. The combat just seemed repetitive and boreing. The graphics were awesome and highly sylized, but that was about all that impressed me as far as that game goes.

[Deadend]

I personally have no problem with long-ass games. Why? Because I don't care if I beat them or not. It doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm having fun.

EDIT: BTW, I doubt I'll buy KH2. I bought KH for a bargain price, and got bored with it quickly. The combat just seemed repetitive and boreing. The graphics were awesome and highly sylized, but that was about all that impressed me as far as that game goes.

And that is why most of us hate the giant 200 hour long games. As it's a 40 hour game... with 160 extra hours.

Like Dragon Quest VIII, I love the game, but I am going to have to sit down and go grinding, I hate that, I want to just crank my stats up a little bit and keep moving onwards.

I hate long battles that are random, they just feel like filler to me.

I just wish that those short 8 hour games had more to them than 8 hours. Give me an amazing 8 hour game, but then pack it full of extra features and side modes, like arena combat and challange missions. As I understand that a well paced story is important, but having enough gameplay is important as well, so just put gameplay into other modes. Metal Gear games have been great at this, short-tight story, but lots of extra things to do.

Hell, Fable was supposed to be like that too, giant arrow pointing to the next mission, but so much other stuff to do for fun.

So yeah, I think long games are a bad thing, as too often the length is just padding, like Ghost in The Shell anime, it was a 13 episode anime, with 13 extra episodes.

I just say... Death to Filler!

[Mason]

I personally have no problem with long-ass games. Why? Because I don't care if I beat them or not. It doesn't matter to me, as long as I'm having fun.

EDIT: BTW, I doubt I'll buy KH2. I bought KH for a bargain price, and got bored with it quickly. The combat just seemed repetitive and boreing. The graphics were awesome and highly sylized, but that was about all that impressed me as far as that game goes.
The problem is the density of the experience. Games that inflate themselves through repetition or long stretches of content-light tedium aren't actually giving you more "game", just spreading the same amount of game over a longer period of time.

The real problem is when a game has a lot of fun which is spread out by unnecessary tedium, like the aforementioned Windwaker. Just quitting the game means you miss some great stuff, but there's a lot of boredom associated with getting to those good parts.

Bloated repetition is often the difference between a dense, awesome game and a boring mess, and when both of them cost $50, "too long" seems like a perfectly valid criticism.

[Heretic Machine]

Long games don't have to be full of filler. It's just that they often are. I didn't say I enjoyed filled, I said I liked games to be long. If there is a lot of filler, then the game is just mediocre and should be ignored.

Anyhow, I spent like two hours playing Kingdom Hearts before deciding that it wasn't going to be my thing. I haven't played it since.

[RMan]

The plain and simple truth is that developing content takes time/money. So, you can either have an intense, well executed game that’s short, or a long game with more copied or lower quality content, that’s just the reality of making a game. Anyone who says they’d rather have a longer game has to get used to having less content or having it dished out slowly (like in a RPG, more random battles or more traveling are common methods for slowing down the game). Personally, I value my time and I don’t like games that suck it away on purpose. To me that’s not getting my money’s worth, if the filler isn’t fun, which it seldom is, I’m paying someone to waste my time (which is why subscription bases MMORPGs will likely never appeal to me).

I say the best overall experience comes from a 6 hour game, it just needs to be $20, not $50-$60. Seriously, while some are shorter, if a game is longer than a full season of 24, there’s something wrong with that.

Edit: Opps, Mason already made most of my point here :(

[Busted_Astromech]

So yeah, I think long games are a bad thing, as too often the length is just padding, like Ghost in The Shell anime, it was a 13 episode anime, with 13 extra episodes.

Gah! How can you say that? Even if the filler episodes were not as good as the plot episodes, does that still not place them far and away above other TV?

As far as game length goes, I never had a problem with games being too long until I played Doom III. It got to the point where I couldn't wait for it to end; where I knew that each room would have some cheap scare that jumped out at me and more of the same hallways. It's the only game I've played where I've actually wished it was shorter.

Since then though I've had twinges of the same feeling, but only when I've got more than one game on my plate. I'll get near the end (or what I think is the end) and when I turn out to have more to go I'll get mildly annoyed instead of happy that I have more to play. It happened during the 360 launch and also with some rented games, most notably King Kong. It's hard to analyze as I individually like each game but felt pressed for time--I felt like I had seen every trick the developer would throw but was still compelled to finish the game.

Still, unless it's Doom IV, I'm not going to root for a short game.

[Deadend]

I used GITS as an example of how filler works. Even though I cheated and watched all the Complex episodes first.

I think I am going to play the Max Payne 2 card for length.

Short game, but paced nearly perfectly for the story. Throwing a few more hours would have dulled the game down.

FEAR also suffered from the Too-Damn-Long Syndrome, even though it was short, as it had so many repetitve hallways and areas that did no service to the plot, nor featured memorable moments. It really feels like some of the scenes were just added in for the sake of time.

I just hope KH2 doesn't have that whole filler thing going.

I am going to say I am towards leaner games, less fat, more filling. Not shorter games overall, but tighter stories and action.

So, here is to less backtracking and required subquests and giant long hallways full of monsters.

[Shodan2020]

I'm just sick of being pestered to pre-order the damn thing everytime I make a purchase at my local Gamestop. I had no interest in the first one, and I have even less interest in the second one. I have never had an itch to be in a RPG team with Goofy and Pluto weilding a key.

[Wasson_]

Um...I wouldn't be caught dead playing the game in question...goofy and donald with cloud and squall...a bit too contrived to for my taste.

why can't other people see how pathetic it is how this game panders and whores out otherwise classic and or well liked characters in what is basically just a RPG-heavy hack'n slash?

That dog won't hunt Mon Senior...

[bean19]

Um...I wouldn't be caught dead playing the game in question...goofy and donald with cloud and squall...a bit too contrived to for my taste.

why can't other people see how pathetic it is how this game panders and whores out otherwise classic and or well liked characters in what is basically just a RPG-heavy hack'n slash?

That dog won't hunt Mon Senior...

I said that for the first game. . . but the thing is, it works. Also, they capture the charm of all the Disney characters and their worlds very well. They do the material justice.

[Wasson_]

perhapse...I'm just not exactly taken with either two of the source materials being used.

Just not my bag, mien friend.

[Shodan2020]

Yeah... Disney charm worked on me when I was 4. Not so much now.

Maybe if I have kids, I'd buy it for them... but I'd have to have kids first.

[Wasson_]

As far as I'm concerned the best thing that Disney ever made happens to be a milestone in animation and music...and it happens to have been made in 1940. It goes by the name Fantasia and it represents key things that Walt was seriously trying to bring to the masses above all else. Art and Science. And espescially Art Through the use of Science-

[Royal Fool]

I think it's more of a testament to how far companies are willing to go with whoring out their franchises. It's a crazy unlikely combo to mix Final Fantasy with Disney... maybe it works, I just remember not liking the original game very much.

I can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 and see all the Pixar characters get defiled. Thank you, Steve Jobs.

[EvilBob46]

But can anyone tell me how you scroll through the actions menu now that the camera is mapped to the right stick?

If you hold R2, the right analog stick will cycle through the menu instead of rotating the camera.

[EvilBob46]

I just can't get into a RPG where you use a large Key as an offensive weapon.

But you can get into RPGs that recycle the same old sword'n'elves bullshit over and over again? Puh-lease.

Um...I wouldn't be caught dead playing the game in question...goofy and donald with cloud and squall...a bit too contrived to for my taste.

Yeah... Disney charm worked on me when I was 4. Not so much now.

Just for the record, I think it's ridiculous to not play a game because it happens to have themes that appeal to a younger audience or tries something a little different. Who the hell cares about that, as long as the gameplay holds up (as it appears to in the sequel)? Extend your gaming horizons a bit for crying out loud, and at least try the game.

[51|RandoM]

Eh, I liked KH as a game, regardless of the history of the characters/worlds. The fact that they were square/disney characters meant basically nothing to me, as I was never into either camp's worldbuilding.

So sure, I was running around with a duck and a dog, so what? Check out Grandia 3. Every other character in there is an animal-human hybrid and guess what the first weapon your main character starts out with is? A WRENCH, lol.

I'm not stuck on trying to play "mature games" only though, as I think the term is an oxymoron when it comes to videogames. I do my mature gaming in the boardroom and the bedroom.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I think it's more of a testament to how far companies are willing to go with whoring out their franchises. It's a crazy unlikely combo to mix Final Fantasy with Disney... maybe it works, I just remember not liking the original game very much.

I can't wait for Kingdom Hearts 3 and see all the Pixar characters get defiled. Thank you, Steve Jobs.


Um, you'd be seeing "Pixar" characters regardless of Steve Jobs. Disney owns the rights to Toy Story, Bug's Life, Monster's Inc., Finding Nemo, and Incredibles. They would have kept those franchises regardless of what Steve Jobs and Pixar decided to do.