Kingdom Hearts is easily one of the most weirdest combination of characters in gaming, yet it's a very popular franchise so far. I'm a big fan of KH, and absolutely love the original. When Chain of Memories came out, I was so disappointed that I threw it in the fire pit. However, when they announced that Kingdom Hearts II would come out, I was so excited. However, there are a lot of minor problems that makes the original my personal favorite.
Storyline 5/10
Wow. The story is somewhat confusing, but how can you blame me? The game takes off right from Chain of Memories, but I didn't finish the damn game because it was a piece of Shat. But nevertheless, it has the courtesy to tell what Organization 13 is and more about the Nobodies, regardless of playing CoM or not. Sora's Nobody, Roxas, is in a simulated Twilight Town when he finally figures out he wasn't supposed to exist. He was created when Sora was once a Heartless. But they don't tell you that until the middle of the game, so I was completely lost. Also, the separate storylines for each world is also a little off-beat. My biggest example is Port Royal, from Pirates of the Caribbean. They have all of these scenes where it focuses on the secondary characters, not Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and it has the balls to repeat a long scene from the original movie. Please, if I wanted to watch that, I would have rented the movie. Overall, I just wish the story was that the Heartless was still roaming and Sora visits new and old worlds. No Organization or Nobody Shat.
Gameplay 6.5/10
The upgraded battle system is bad compared to the first game. You have stricter MP limits, and if you use Cure, it drains all of your MP, whereas the first game, it only took one section of it. The MP Gauge is not even a group of sections anymore. It's like another health bar, and it takes longer to refill than in the previous game. Sora's movements are awkward in my opinion. He moves more valiantly, but it's a little weird controlling him, especially when he's in a Drive Form like Wisdom. Speaking of Drive Forms, that's new too. Valor and Master forms are among the best Drives, but Wisdom form is a piece of Shat. I never use it. Limits are moves that drain ALL MP, which is bull-Shat, but it does take a large chunk of HP out of the enemy most of the time. Overall, the battle system is OK, but it has more options that aren't needed, and the controls are a little "Goofy". (Bah bum ksssshhhh)
Music 9/10
The music certainly is a lot better than the original in my opinion. I don't know why, but the music in this game has a lot more groove and beat to it, which makes it enjoyable. Yoko Shimomura is also a great composer, so I expected that he would never let me down with this department.
Graphics 9/10
The graphics have improved twofold over the original. When you view a cutscene, it has more depth and shape and you can actually skip over scenes for once! There is still a major problem with the lip syncing up with the movement of the mouth. It looks like they are babbling, so I always read the Subtitles that are given. Overall, I think the graphics here are superb.
Replay 4/10
This game is twice as long than the original game. 60% of the game consists of cutscenes, which is not a good thing. Cutscenes appear almost every area you appear in when you are in a new world, which never happened in the original. I just want to find some Heartless, not sympathize that Kairi has been kidnapped or watch Jack Skellington dress up as Santa Claus. Gimme a break. Also, with the new battle system, it's pretty hard to get used too, and more strict, so I don't think you'll be replaying this anytime soon.
Overall 7.5/10
Definitely insuperior to the original game. To me, this game has way less freedom than in the first game, and that is what I want in a game. Certainly a good game, but not a fantastic game.
Storyline 5/10
Wow. The story is somewhat confusing, but how can you blame me? The game takes off right from Chain of Memories, but I didn't finish the damn game because it was a piece of Shat. But nevertheless, it has the courtesy to tell what Organization 13 is and more about the Nobodies, regardless of playing CoM or not. Sora's Nobody, Roxas, is in a simulated Twilight Town when he finally figures out he wasn't supposed to exist. He was created when Sora was once a Heartless. But they don't tell you that until the middle of the game, so I was completely lost. Also, the separate storylines for each world is also a little off-beat. My biggest example is Port Royal, from Pirates of the Caribbean. They have all of these scenes where it focuses on the secondary characters, not Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and it has the balls to repeat a long scene from the original movie. Please, if I wanted to watch that, I would have rented the movie. Overall, I just wish the story was that the Heartless was still roaming and Sora visits new and old worlds. No Organization or Nobody Shat.
Gameplay 6.5/10
The upgraded battle system is bad compared to the first game. You have stricter MP limits, and if you use Cure, it drains all of your MP, whereas the first game, it only took one section of it. The MP Gauge is not even a group of sections anymore. It's like another health bar, and it takes longer to refill than in the previous game. Sora's movements are awkward in my opinion. He moves more valiantly, but it's a little weird controlling him, especially when he's in a Drive Form like Wisdom. Speaking of Drive Forms, that's new too. Valor and Master forms are among the best Drives, but Wisdom form is a piece of Shat. I never use it. Limits are moves that drain ALL MP, which is bull-Shat, but it does take a large chunk of HP out of the enemy most of the time. Overall, the battle system is OK, but it has more options that aren't needed, and the controls are a little "Goofy". (Bah bum ksssshhhh)
Music 9/10
The music certainly is a lot better than the original in my opinion. I don't know why, but the music in this game has a lot more groove and beat to it, which makes it enjoyable. Yoko Shimomura is also a great composer, so I expected that he would never let me down with this department.
Graphics 9/10
The graphics have improved twofold over the original. When you view a cutscene, it has more depth and shape and you can actually skip over scenes for once! There is still a major problem with the lip syncing up with the movement of the mouth. It looks like they are babbling, so I always read the Subtitles that are given. Overall, I think the graphics here are superb.
Replay 4/10
This game is twice as long than the original game. 60% of the game consists of cutscenes, which is not a good thing. Cutscenes appear almost every area you appear in when you are in a new world, which never happened in the original. I just want to find some Heartless, not sympathize that Kairi has been kidnapped or watch Jack Skellington dress up as Santa Claus. Gimme a break. Also, with the new battle system, it's pretty hard to get used too, and more strict, so I don't think you'll be replaying this anytime soon.
Overall 7.5/10
Definitely insuperior to the original game. To me, this game has way less freedom than in the first game, and that is what I want in a game. Certainly a good game, but not a fantastic game.