Kingdom Hearts II

The best role-playing game of 2006.

Kingdom Hearts II proves that some games ARE worth waiting for. This game, which follows four years after the original, finally returns players to the epic worlds crafted by Disney and Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura. This epic follow-up picks up where the pleasant and entertaining Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for the Game Boy Advance left off.

The game sees the return of Sora, Goofy, Donald and familiar Disney and Square Enix characters as the trio from the first game move from world to world, saving friends and unlocking new realities to explore. Sora still utilizes the magical key blade weapon, which can be used in combat and has the ability to unlock magical gateways to other worlds. These worlds include Winnie the Pooh's 100 Acre Wood, Halloween Town (Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas), the wonderfully delightful world of TRON, and Pirates of the Carribean -- just to name a few. Each of these worlds features the characters from the films - and most also feature voice acting from the original folks that donned the roles from the films. Of course there's plenty of Square Enix character cameos that break the Disney moments up, but the real fun is found in the worlds based on Disney films past and present including ultra classic worlds that are chalked full of wonderfully crafted eye candy. It should also be noted that if you've never had the pleasure of playing the original game or the wonderful plot-bridging GBA game Chain of Memories, then you may have a hard time making sense of the plot for this game.

Before delving into the actual gameplay, it is important to point out the high level of presentation that KH2 offers - from the expertly crafted worlds chalked with wonderful Disney and Square Enix characters like Captain Jack Sparrow, Stitch, Tron and Auron from Final Fantasy X to top notch voice acting featuring the likes of Haley Joel Osment (reprising his role as a more matured Sora), Jodi Benson (the Original Ariel), James Woods (Hades), and the trio that currently do the voices of Mickey, Donald and Goofy. The voice acting is superb and really lends some authenticity to the game. It is one thing to tie different universes into a single game experience but it is quite another to do it with such spot on dialogue and high production values. But if there is any real weakness in the game's presentation it is in the dialogue for Square Enix's side of the equation; oftentimes you'll witness Square Enix heroes and villains saying things that just don't fit the personas of the characters they originally portrayed. But this is a minor complaint considering how grand this game is..

Besides a plethora of new features being thrown into the mix, Kingdom Hearts II improves on almost every aspect gameplay while retaining the core action RPG elements that fans are familiar with. One of the most appreciated improvements is the camera, which works a lot more seamlessly and won't cause gamers angst anymore. Now the camera -- in most situations - works like it is supposed to. The combat system has also been vastly improved, building on the basic attack combo formula used in the first game.

The combat system still lends itself to a button mashing frenzy at times, but with the added attack types, players will feel like there's a reason to do so. The core combat mechanics are basic attacks and some pretty nifty special abilities like Limit, Reaction and special Drive attacks. The Drive attacks allow Sora to change into a different form depending on who he has as his companions. Having Goofy in your group will enable you to use a special attack with two key blades or having Donald around might allow you to use a rapid fire attack - as examples. There are plenty of other Drive forms you can gain as you venture into the many worlds of KHII and they certain add some flavor to the combat.

KHII's reaction system is another neat element to combat that gives Sora the ability to attack based on situations and positions of an enemy. Some enemies have more than one reaction attack that can be used against them as well. While this is timing based, the pay-off for accomplishing it could be the difference between ending a battle quickly or not. Then there's Limit breaks, which are wonderful team based attacks that combine two characters to become one and unleash an ultra powerful special combat move for extra damage. A limit attack uses your magic power, so you'll want to use them sparingly but are certainly worth using in the right situation. Another neat combat aspect that has been tweaked are summons. Now there are more of them and these summons (Simba, for example) have their own independent levels that you can build to make them stronger.

Finally another aspect of the game which has improved vastly -- and is one of the best mini-games available in recent memory -- is the gummi ship. The gummi ship is how you'll travel from world to world, but in this game you'll be able to upgrade it to your liking. The interface for building it has been vastly improved and now you be able to customize it in a myriad of ways. These shooter levels you'll deal with are now enhanced by the fact that you can add various systems to your ship for improved combat.

Of course KHII offers character customization. buy and upgrading weapons and plenty of neat mini-game elements that fans will eat up. There are plenty of new features and improvements that fans of the first 1 1/2 games (Chain of Memories) will truly appreciate.

But what really sets KHII apart is its attention to detail. There are so many little things that make the entire game a joy to play. From the wonderful new music, to the attention to small sound effects all the way to how your characters' costumes change to represent the worlds they are exploring. The entire game is an inspired work of art and there is very little to complain about in this game.

In the end Kingdom Hearts II is an inspiring emotional work of art and perhaps the best role-playing game this year. Square Enix continues to prove that you can take even the most played out source material in the world (Disney's various franchises) and make something wonderful. If you don't own Kingdom Hearts II already we fully encourage you to run out and buy it today.

Review by James 'Prophet' Fudge - courtesy of Gameshark.com