With improved graphics, excellent gameplay, and a unique storyline, Kingdom Hearts 2 is a must-have for the season.
Gameplay is a big step up from the previous Kingdom Hearts. Without giving too much away, you start as Roxas, an adolescent boy who hangs out with his three friends. They get together to get a train ticket, and, well...you will have to play to find out what happens next. Anyway, the whole "Roxas" story is essentially a tutorial that explains the action-packed combat system, improved camera, and storyline.
The graphics in Kingdom Hearts II is a huge improvement from the 2002 release of Kingdom Hearts. Objects and characters have less jagged edges, there is more detail in buildings and interior spaces, and the game itself looks like a piece of art. Now, it's not Xbox 360 great, but KH2 has used the PlayStation 2's system to its max.
Sound is absoultely amazing. KH2 uses Dolby Digital 2 support, which helps add to the sound quality. You can hear the an enemy get hit with your Keyblade, the sound of "munny" falling to the ground, magic spells getting ready to strike - the list goes on. It may get annoying to hear the 1000th piece of munny fall, but it reminds you of the cheerful Disney-like attributes added. The music is also composed with good quality, with KH2's theme song sung by the Japanese/American sensation Utada Hikaru.
Overall, this game has an engaging storyline to keep you busy, with tons of Disney and Square-Enix characters(including a special guest appearance by Auron, Yuna, Paine, and Rikku from Final Fantasy X), cheerful music, and nice graphics. This is one game you don't wanna miss.
- Rilliath