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Topic: Kingdom Hearts II - Impression
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Post #1 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Posted On: Mar. 28 2006, 4:13 PM
Alethea Offline
 
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After months of waiting, the door to Kingdom Hearts II has opened. What lies beyond? RPGamer brings you an impression of what this sequel has to offer.

Kingdom Hearts II - Impression

I apologize for not having a full review. There were some problems with my review copy that were beyond my control.

As with all my reviews, I'm willing to answer any questions you may have about the game. I'm approximately halfway through, and I hope to have the review finished sometime soon.

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Post #2 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 28 2006, 5:07 PM
Macstorm Offline
 
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This makes me excited.  I didn't like the button mashing of the first game, but hearing of the improvements has got me pumped.

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Post #3 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 28 2006, 8:11 PM
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I've yet to read IGN's review of it but just having looked at their score I was kinda bummed about it; after reading this though, my enthusiasm has returned. Based on overall sources I've heard the game is quite easy, however, even if this is true, I intend to crank the difficulty up to the max.

Anyway, the game has recieved pretty good reviews all around with the exception being IGN. Their opinion of the battle system seems to be the contrary of what most have been saying...Who knows, maybe Oblivion's immense depth just overshadowed Kingdom Hearts II for IGN.

<3 that Xero Ifirt quote, Mac.

Edited by Athiestic doubt on Mar. 28 2006, 8:14 PM

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Post #4 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 28 2006, 9:12 PM
Martyr Offline
 
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I've read the IGN and GameSpot reviews as well as this, and it seems as if, with the exception of better camera controls, everything I hated about the original is back.

So yeah, me and the IGN dude are going to do and hide in our bomb shelter for a few weeks until the fallout clears. If any fellow KH haters want in, the password is "nonsymbiotic."

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Post #5 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 1:02 AM
Davis Offline
 
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Dude, save me room! I'll bring a keg.

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Post #6 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 1:02 AM
Elranzer Offline
 
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Rated E for Everyone. Interesting, most of Square Enix's RPGs get at least a Teen rating...
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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 6:05 AM
KujiUn Offline
 
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IGN entitled to their opinion and all, but...

"Combat is literally reduced to button mashing, and the newly included abilities aren't even necessary for the game. This is a big step back from the action/RPG mix of the original"

So, just because they didnt personally USE the new options; makes it worse then the orginal? I think IGN is just going for shock value here to be more noticed; 'cause GOD knows what hell they'd bring upon themselves if they tried doing this with the other big RPG coming out (FF XII).

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Post #8 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 7:23 AM
Alethea Offline
 
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E		Based on overall sources I've heard the game is quite easy, however, even if this is true, I intend to crank the difficulty up to the max.


Go for Proud mode! I'm playing on Standard, and it's a cakewalk. I think I've died only once to some particularly tough regular enemies ("those centaur things in the Land of Dragons that twirl their spears around; a couple of them tore the crap out of Sora at the same time"). I'd hate to think of how easy the Easy mode is; it's probably designed for kids.

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E		"Combat is literally reduced to button mashing, and the newly included abilities aren't even necessary for the game. This is a big step back from the action/RPG mix of the original"


Hahaha, what the crap? No, plenty of the abilities aren't necessary, but they make things go a lot faster. Boss fights would drag on if you merely bashed them with the Keyblade. Triangle commands push things along, sometimes forcing a boss to change its attack.

Remember those fat Heartless that waddle around and bump you with their bellies, and you have to smack them from behind and they take a while to kill? "There's a triangle command that will quickly dispatch them. Get your timing right, and you'll smack them across the room for HUGE damage, often a fatal blow."

As for a boss example, "in Beast's Castle, you fight a Heartless that has possessed the entire ballroom -- the windows, the pillars, the chandelier. At some points in the fight, it will move into the chandelier and send it crashing down to the floor, then spinning around the room." There is a triangle command that will release it from this form and stop the attack, saving yourself from a lot of pain and moving the battle along.

It's not just button mashing; IGN's comment completely ignores the need for timing and watching the enemies' movements for openings. Their comment about it being a huge step back makes no sense at all! It's the same basic battle system with many added dimensions -- Drive form, combo attacks with party members, triangle commands -- that give you more to do in combat aside from hack-and-slash. How could this be a step back?

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E		So, just because they didnt personally USE the new options; makes it worse then the orginal? I think IGN is just going for shock value here to be more noticed; 'cause GOD knows what hell they'd bring upon themselves if they tried doing this with the other big RPG coming out (FF XII).


Agreed.

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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 8:07 AM
Starky27 Offline
 
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(Elranzer @ Mar. 29 2006,01:02)
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E		Rated E for Everyone. Interesting, most of Square Enix's RPGs get at least a Teen rating...

Well it is a game built on Disney licenses, and to be fair it's the new E10+ rating...

I've greatly enjoyed what I've played so far, but some of the attention to detail in the enemies patterns and movements is nice.  Like, "the first fight with Axel as Roxas.  Just watching him bob and weave around the ring spinning the chakram with his right hand.  It's not much, but it's a nice touch"...

Edited by Starky27 on Mar. 29 2006, 8:07 AM

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Post #10 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 8:53 AM
Carlisle Offline
 
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From what I've heard, yeah, the difficulty is the main turn off.  And as far as IGN bashing the gameplay because they didn't use the extra controls, I can agree with that as being a negative for the gameplay.  

If you don't need to use the extra controls, then why use them at all?  What's the point of them even being there?  If it's quicker and just as effective to button mash, then why bother going through the motions of using the special controls to defeat enemies?  Personally, for gameplay to stand out there needs to be mandatory usage for all controls and features in a game, otherwise they may as well have not even put them in there.

Concerning IGN's and GameSpot's lower-than-average scores, I can't make up my mind.  Considering that most of the people who'll buy KH2 are from KH's, SE's, FF's, and Disney's fanbases (which is no small number of people), it's easier for me to believe that IGN and GS probably had more accurate reviews and everyone else is simply blinded by the glory that is a new Kingdom Hearts RPG with drool-worthy visuals and FF cameos.  

Although, I'll submit that it could also very well be the case that IGN and GS just want to be known as the people who gave KH2 a bad score, which may cause some to falsely believe that they're the only "honest" game reviewers on the net.  Kinda like when GamePro gave FFVIII the lowest (or one of the lowest) scores they could.  The fact that the guy who reviewed KH2 for IGN proclaimed himself a KH fan who was looking forward to this game and had played the original KH and CoM several times leads me to believe that their review is probably a bit more accurate that others, however.

As an unrelated note, I just wanted to say that from what I've heard of the soundtrack, it's largely recycled Disney and KH1 themes, so I'm not expecting that to be anything stellar.  But I'll give it a full going-through shortly and will likely write up a Soundtrack Review for it before long.

That being said, I'm still a rampant, slobbering KH fanboy who will get the game and reserve final judgment for the day I complete it.  But I'm glad I read some reviews that bashed it a little.  Without those, I'd have kept my impossible expectations for the game and possibly ended up being disappointed as a result.

Also, great impression Alethea.  I look forward to the full review :)

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Post #11 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 9:03 AM
Solon Offline
 
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E		The perspective is also higher up and further behind, meaning one can see more of the world surrounding the characters.

Good. This was one of my biggest gripes in the first game.

Other than that, pretty much what I expected.

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Post #12 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 10:05 AM
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E		As far as voice acting goes...a few are exceptionally great


Read: Christopher Lee as Diz, Quinton Flynn as Axel, and Brittany Snow as Namine.



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Post #13 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 11:42 AM
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(Elranzer @ Mar. 29 2006,01:02)
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E		Rated E for Everyone. Interesting, most of Square Enix's RPGs get at least a Teen rating...

Yeah, I hear they took out all the profanity, blood, and partial nudity for the US version.

*Final Fantasy Gaiden: 4 Warriors of Light review
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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 11:52 AM
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(Rage @ Mar. 29 2006,11:42)
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(Elranzer @ Mar. 29 2006,01:02)
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E		Rated E for Everyone. Interesting, most of Square Enix's RPGs get at least a Teen rating...

Yeah, I hear they took out all the profanity, blood, and partial nudity for the US version.

And redesigned the guns in the Pirates of the Carribean world too, from what I've heard.

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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 1:33 PM
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I'm playing KHII solely for the storyline (one of the few RPGs I do that for anymore) so I'm not terribly put off by the fact that, as IGN and GameSpot claim, the gameplay hasn't changed changed all that much from the first game.  What I'm most happy to hear about is the changes to the camera as that, for me, was the worst aspect of the first game.  During the heat of battle more often than not I'd find myself staring at a wall instead of Sora's back.

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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 1:43 PM
Martyr Offline
 
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I'm with Carlisle on this one. If the game is unbalanced enough to where it's more effective to just button mash, then there's no point in using the other controls at all.

I can also agree that a lot of people are blinded by this being a highly-awaited SE game oversaturated with fanservice (see also: Chrono Cross' heavily inflated average score on Gamerankings). Heck, most of the people I've come across that are huge KH fans readily admit that the gameplay isn't anything spectacular and that the real meat of the game is the story. I can see how a story could be so good to where the game gets a better score than it would if the story wasn't so hot, but if that's true with the reviews that are out already then I don't see how the story could effect the overall score by such a wide margin when, judging from the reviews that are out there, the gameplay mostly consists of a tweaked version of the humdrum gameplay in the original.

I really wonder if this series would be half as popular if it was centered around a totally unique Square Enix IP.

Edited by Martyr on Mar. 29 2006, 1:44 PM

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Post #17 Skip to the next post in this topic.
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 2:01 PM
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(Carlisle @ Mar. 29 2006,11:53)
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E		If you don't need to use the extra controls, then why use them at all?  What's the point of them even being there?  If it's quicker and just as effective to button mash, then why bother going through the motions of using the special controls to defeat enemies?  Personally, for gameplay to stand out there needs to be mandatory usage for all controls and features in a game, otherwise they may as well have not even put them in there.

They're there to make battles quicker, although you can't see Alethea's example, as it's in a spoiler tag.

P.S. Did you say the same thing about Zelda: Wind Waker's timed attacks?  As far as I remember, the last boss battle was the only time in the game you needed them.

Edited by Powerlord on Mar. 29 2006, 2:02 PM
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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 2:37 PM
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Maybe people are just misunderstanding things.  I don't think that it's just as effective to button mash, just that button mashing could accomplish the same goal.  You don't need to use the extra controls, but I would imagine that the extra buttons would help things go a lot smoother and quicker.

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Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 2:49 PM
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From GameSpot:

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E		. Despite all the cool new spells and their usefulness against some of the more-imposing enemies, you will spend the majority of the game hammering on the main attack button, not because it's the only thing you can do, but because it's the most efficient.


This is a complaint that is in more than one review, though I'm sure that your results may vary.

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Post #20
Skip to the previous post in this topic. Posted On: Mar. 29 2006, 4:35 PM
Rebochan Online
 
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IGN is the lone voice crying the wind.  While I have to applaud them for not being afraid to give such a well-waited for and appreciated game a score accorded to the reviewer's personal opinion (which is what ALL reviews are!), even Gamespot gave it an 8.7 and most of them are higher.

As for my personal opinion, I'm loving the hell out of it.  Good God, why hasn't Christopher Lee done more voicework?  He's perfect.  I freaking love this guy.

Crispin Freeman as Setzer is a switch.  Kind of a shame to see Setzer get such a tiny cameo.  Even Fuujin and Raijin are getting more camera time (but hooray for the return of "chicken wuss!")

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