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| | Title:
Kingdom Hearts 2
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System:
Playstation 2
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Genre:
Action RPG
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Publisher:
Square-Enix
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Developer:
Square-Enix
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Release:
March 1, 2006
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending (RP)
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Kingdom Hearts 2 keeps getting closer and closer to release, to the joy of many fans. As such, with the Japanese launch day quickly approaching, a good amount of new material has become available to the media. Until recently, there was still not a lot known about Kingdom Hearts 2. What Disney worlds will be created in the game as well as who Sora and company will encounter in those worlds has been very much left open to speculation. Square-Enix fans can take a sigh of relief now. A good number of screenshots and info has been released to the masses, painting a very clear picture about what Kingdom Hearts 2 is going to be about. The game looks to be coming along beautifully and should be one of the best titles (if not the best) for Playstation 2's last year as Sony's primary console.
There are several new Disney worlds that are being introduced in Kingdom Hearts 2. All these locations will be familiar to those who grew up watching the Disney flicks. The list includes Beast's Castle (Beauty and the Beast), Land of Dragons (Mulan), Port Royal (Pirates of the Caribbean), Timeless River (Steamboat Willie), and the Pride Lands (Lion King). Each of the new worlds looks to give the player a different experience. Take the Pride Lands: when Sora and company enter this world they will assume the form of animals. Sora takes the form of a young lion and finds himself fighting alongside Simba against Scar to foil his evil plans. Timeless River is a great choice by allowing gamers to experience the world of the first Mickey cartoon as Steamboat Willie. Not only does Sora take on the more dated appearance, but the entire world is presented in black and white. But while all these new worlds sound amazing there was one that, until recently, was just a rumor. However, its inclusion into the Kingdom Hearts series is a welcome one. I am talking about the world of Tron. For those of you too young to remember, Tron was a movie about a guy sucked into a videogame itself. It was an instant Disney classic when it was released in the eighties. When visiting the Tron world, Sora will not only appear as if he were a part of the Tron world but also get to participate in a Lightcycle minigame. Complimenting these new worlds is a handful of returning Disney worlds. These returning worlds, however, will feature new locations. Instead of fighting through the streets of Agrabah, players will now take on the Heartless inside the palace itself, as well as the Cave of Wonders.
But what would these worlds be without cameos? While the final list of Disney and Final Fantasy characters has not been released, numerous screenshots and videos have given us a very good idea about who players should expect to encounter:
For Disney Characters:
- Donald (numerous Disney movies)
- Goofy (numerous Disney moives)
- Mickey (Steamboat Willie)
- Pete (Steamboat Willie)
- Aladdin, Abu, Genie, Jafar, and Jasmine (Aladdin)
- Belle, Cogsworth, Chip, Lumiere Mrs. Potts, and Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
- Mulan, Mushu, Shang, and the evil Hun general (Mulan)
- Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth (Pirates of the Caribbean)
- Tron (Tron)
- Simba, Zazoo, and Scar (The Lion King)
- Jack Skellington, Santa (The Nightmare Before Christmas)
- Hercules (Hercules)
- Aerial, King Triton, Flounder, Sebastian (The Little Mermaid)
- Winnie the Pooh and Co. (Winnie the Pooh and Tiger Too)
- Stitch (Lilo and Stitch)
- Chicken Little (Chicken Little)
For Final Fantasy Characters:
- Cloud (Final Fantasy VII)
- Leon (Final Fantasy VIII)
- Auron (Final Fantasy X)
- Yuffie (Final Fantasy VII)
- Seifer and his lackies (Final Fantasy VIII)
- Vivi (Final Fantasy IX)
- Cid (Final Fantasy VII)
- Setzer Gabbiani (Final Fantasy IV)
- Yuna, Rikku, and Paine (Final Fantasy X-2)
In a nod to fans, some of the Final Fantasy characters have gotten a visual upgrade from their previous Kingdom Hearts cameos. Cloud now resembles his Advent Children counterpart as does Yuffie. Leon's jacket now sports the trademark white fur collar, and Vivi's entire character model is a site to behold with his tall hat, lantern eyes and blue robe present.
Combat has also been a big part of the mystery. It was obvious that there would be improvements with the combat system but just how deep these improvements went was unknown. Part of the mystery has been solved by information explaining the "Drive" Gauge. As enemies are defeated they will drop yellow balls. Collect enough of these yellow balls and the Drive Gauge will fill to the top and allow Sora to enter into a "Form." Forms are a combination of Sora and one of the characters in your party (Goofy, Donald or some Disney specific character). When in this form the Drive Gauge will begin to fall. Only by eliminating more enemies and collecting more yellow orbs will Sora be able to stay in his "Form" longer. So far there are three forms that have been confirmed: Valor, Wisdom, and Master. Valor form allows Sora to wield two Keyblades and increases his health and attack power. But no magic may be cast in this Form. Wisdom is just the opposite by increasing your magical abilities but reducing the physical ones. Master is a combination of both Valor and Wisdom and, as such, makes the Drive Gauge fall much quicker. When Sora fuses with another member in your party, that member is no longer present on the battle field. Only by allowing the Drive Gauge to empty will Sora return to his normal form and the member of your party return. There are rumors that Sora will also fuse with Riku and the Blonde Haired Kid. These have not been confirmed yet.
Another large question on people’s mind is the refinement to the camera issues that plagued the original Kingdom Hearts. It can only be assumed that the dynamic camera is getting some work as this was one of the chief complaints from fans of Kingdom Hearts.
The biggest secret of Kingdom Hearts 2 is the story. Ansem has returned and with him has come the remainder of The Organization. However, how Riku, Kairi and the mysterious Blond Haired Kid play a role in the story is still anyone's guess.
With Kingdom Hearts 2 approaching fans have a lot to be excited about. In addition to new worlds, gamers are going to get their hands on a vastly improved combat system and be greeted by familiar Disney and Final Fantasy characters left and right. How could one not pick up this game? Reserve it, buy it, and get ready to love it.
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More Reviews for this game: (displayed by authors name)
Crusader
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