Kingdom Hearts

Kingdom Hearts II is a really messed up game. It's got awful pacing, the grievous re-usage of almost all the content from the first game, and a narrative so incomprehensible it makes the Star Wars prequels look logical. Still, I'll be damned if I've ever seen a better JRPG combat system. It's like my good friend Tim Spaeth's irrational love of Too Human's combat, except mine is totally rational and sensible. The one area where Kingdom Hearts II really succeeded for me was with it's bosses, which I've mentioned before. It's got all shapes and sizes of boss, and it does them all extremely well.

The Year of Living Tediously

HIGH Some of the best graphics I've yet seen on the Nintendo DS.

LOW Beautifully-designed bosses you can barely see due to a lousy camera.

WTF The fourteenth member of Organization XIII?

The difference between the original game and its sequel are like the difference between night and day. Every place the first was flawed, the second polishes to perfection. The aspects that formerly irritated and infuriated me are completely gone, replaced by choices that make more sense and enhance the experience.

Game Description: Kingdom Hearts II follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing quest. It's been a year since the events of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. The story begins in Twilight Town, a quiet burg nestled between night and day. Sora and friends are joined by a vibrant new cast of characters, including the king himself! Together, they encounter countless dangers—in worlds both familiar and brand-new. Cameo appearances by popular Final Fantasy characters.

Frequent readers of this site may remember that I covered the original Kingdom Hearts on PlayStation 2 and gave it one of the lowest scores on the Internet at a time when it was undeservedly racking up accolades and capturing a legion of fans.

The title's narrative is certainly where it shines.

Kingdom Hearts was formally announced at the Electronics Entertainment Expo of 2000, which I was fortunate enough to attend. Most convention-goers (myself included) waiting in the mile-long line for the preview left stunned, amazed, or a quivering mixture of both. The game that was shown represented nothing less than a completely unexpected merger of two colossal forces, two seemingly invulnerable icons, each at the summits of their respective media.

Game Description: This is the story of Sora, a 14-year-old boy whose world is shattered. When a violent storm hits his island-paradise home, he is separated from his two best friends and goes to look for them. Meanwhile, King Mickey is missing from Disney Castle and Captain Goofy and the court wizard Donald are off to search for him. When Sora, Donald and Goofy meet, they hear about the Heartless: Strange and powerful creatures who caused the terrible storm and kidnapped King Mickey. They'll work together to help each other meet their goals - and have an incredible adventure as they go!