Yes, that's right. Kingdom Hearts II. After IGN's shameful 7.6, I've decided that the game needs a REAL review (And I haven't reviewed anything in a while), so here we go.
Name: Kingdom Hearts II
Platform: Playstation 2
Producer: Square-Enix, Disney
Rating: E10+ (Mild Blood, Use of Alchohol, Violence)
Players: 1
DLC: No, it's on the PS2.
Retail Price: N/A
Gamestop/EB Games Used Price: $19.99
Kingdom Hearts II is the sequel to 2002's Kingdom Hearts and 2004's Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The story begins roughly one year after the events of Chain of Memories, but you are not playing as Sora. You begin the game as a new character named Roxas in a new world, Twilight Town.You join Roxas as he prepares for the end of summer break with his friends, but the fun ends as his week becomes a time to learn the truth of his identity. After the prologue, and a boss battle to set the pace of the game, you take control of Sora once more. Awakening in Twilight Town, he sets out with Donald and Goofy to not only find King Mickey, but to stop the mysterious Organization XIII.
Gameplay is largely unchanged from the original title. Battles occur in real time via the Command Menu in the corner of the screen, and spells can be set to the shortcut menu to be executed quickly (Items can now be set in the shortcut menu as well). The camera, once controlled with the shoulder buttons, has been switched to the right analog stick, allowing for better control. But the biggest change is the Drive function. Drive allows you to combine your power with that of Donald or Goofy (or even both), removing that charcter from your party. Drive comes in four flavors: the speedy Valor, the spell-slinging Wisdom, the area-clearing Master, and the all-powerful Final Form. However, there is a catch to Drive. The game keeps track of when you use Drive, not only its activation but when you use it. Everytime you use Drive, there is a chance that you will be thrown into Antiform; a black form that fights very similarly to a Heartless. You cannot use items or magic (or even recover HP), and you can only revert outside of battle. Antiform may seem like a condemnation, but if mastered can be your most powerful form. However, you must weigh the risk of using such dark power...
The story, naturally, is driven forward not only by the characters, but the worlds in which they live. You'll be humming the music all day long as you're doing laundry and waiting for the chance to play it again.
There are... a few problems. Mostly with the difficulty. There isn't any. Proud mode (the game's equivalent of "hard") is as hard as it gets, but it feels like a standard difficulty setting. Some of the voice work is a little rough around the edges (I'm looking at you, "Captain"), but it won't hold you back.
All in all, a pretty good game, though not the end. Rumor has it that there are DS and PSP titles in the works...
Yes, that's right. Kingdom Hearts II. After IGN's shameful 7.6, I've decided that the game needs a REAL review (And I haven't reviewed anything in a while), so here we go.
Name: Kingdom Hearts II
Platform: Playstation 2
Producer: Square-Enix, Disney
Rating: E10+ (Mild Blood, Use of Alchohol, Violence)
Players: 1
DLC: No, it's on the PS2.
Retail Price: N/A
Gamestop/EB Games Used Price: $19.99
Kingdom Hearts II is the sequel to 2002's Kingdom Hearts and 2004's Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The story begins roughly one year after the events of Chain of Memories, but you are not playing as Sora. You begin the game as a new character named Roxas in a new world, Twilight Town.You join Roxas as he prepares for the end of summer break with his friends, but the fun ends as his week becomes a time to learn the truth of his identity. After the prologue, and a boss battle to set the pace of the game, you take control of Sora once more. Awakening in Twilight Town, he sets out with Donald and Goofy to not only find King Mickey, but to stop the mysterious Organization XIII.
Gameplay is largely unchanged from the original title. Battles occur in real time via the Command Menu in the corner of the screen, and spells can be set to the shortcut menu to be executed quickly (Items can now be set in the shortcut menu as well). The camera, once controlled with the shoulder buttons, has been switched to the right analog stick, allowing for better control. But the biggest change is the Drive function. Drive allows you to combine your power with that of Donald or Goofy (or even both), removing that charcter from your party. Drive comes in four flavors: the speedy Valor, the spell-slinging Wisdom, the area-clearing Master, and the all-powerful Final Form. However, there is a catch to Drive. The game keeps track of when you use Drive, not only its activation but when you use it. Everytime you use Drive, there is a chance that you will be thrown into Antiform; a black form that fights very similarly to a Heartless. You cannot use items or magic (or even recover HP), and you can only revert outside of battle. Antiform may seem like a condemnation, but if mastered can be your most powerful form. However, you must weigh the risk of using such dark power...
The story, naturally, is driven forward not only by the characters, but the worlds in which they live. You'll be humming the music all day long as you're doing laundry and waiting for the chance to play it again.
There are... a few problems. Mostly with the difficulty. There isn't any. Proud mode (the game's equivalent of "hard") is as hard as it gets, but it feels like a standard difficulty setting. Some of the voice work is a little rough around the edges (I'm looking at you, "Captain"), but it won't hold you back.
All in all, a pretty good game, though not the end. Rumor has it that there are DS and PSP titles in the works...
Score: 7.6 */shot*... 9...