Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain Of Memories

[Marshall Banana]

What disappointed me most about KHII was the lack of fun Disney worlds.

[hhr1dluv]

I liked the Disney worlds of KH II well enough. I enjoyed Mulan's world, Space Paranoids, Agrabah, Halloween Town, Atlantica (I know...:P), and Hundred Acre Wood. Pride Rock was interesting too, though I felt like I was running endlessly through the pride lands all the time.

Admittedly though, I felt the game was a bit too easy (though proud mode made it just hard enough that I didn't care about the easiness), and I thought the pacing of the story was weird. And the ending could have been stronger. But, I liked it overall.

[Wolf Kanno]

The unfortunate flaw of KHII is its incredible ease. Additionally, due to how easy the game is, mashing X is by far the easiest way to get through the game, even if you specialize in Magic right from the beginning. Disregard shortcuts via L1.

Odd, I consider its major flaw being its half ass story telling.Chain of Memories was awesome and set-up something awesome. The prologue of KHII even gave the illusion it might make good on the expectations CoM made for but then it just starts to fall apart for the sake of making sequels and spin-offs. :rolleyes2

Tragic enough that half of the upgrades for Magic are not readily obtainable, and even if they were, there's no incentive to use it without a strong Magic stat, and hard to aim. Compare this to Explosion, which offers area-of-effect, damage based on the magic stat, and knocks everything back (though for some bosses, it resets their aggression AI). Compare to Guard Break, which more or less guarantees invincibility for a second, and does far much more damage than just about anything using the Keyblade, and disables the defenses of most enemies. Combine both with Finisher Plus, and you're unstoppable. Lock-On isn't exactly the best ability that helps you hit the enemy, though it [Magic] proves superior in range and area-of-effect capabilities. Reflect is piss-poor for the first two stages; it is game-breaking in the third. Even though the recharge bar is a step up above stocked charges, it still ultimately forces you to resort to physical methods of fighting while you wait; MP Gift rectified this, and it could easily have been balanced for Goofy, and give him a reason to have a Magic stat. Then again, Firaga + Final Form is game-breaking, too.

Magic to me, is more for complimenting the physical combat. I think the team got feedback on KH1 that most people didn't use magic and it was poorly designed and thus they chose to make it complimentary to the main combat system rather treat as an alternative for battling baddies. Only Wisdom and higher form levels can use magic to combat and that's more because they have the magic combo system. Still, I don't see it totally worthless as I was able to wipe out Cerberus in a few minutes with little effort by spamming Thundaga in Final form.

What disappointed me most about KHII was the lack of fun Disney worlds.

Honestly, with the exception of Pirates of the Caribbean world, I felt the Disney worlds were way more solid. I don't understand this dislike for Mulan as that has always been a Disney world I adore. Most of the world's I like from KH1 were brought back except for Alice in Wonderland. Seriously, I hated Monstro, Peter Pan's world and I prefer KH2's version of The Little Mermaid world cause it broke up the monotony of the other worlds and because the world was terribly designed in KH1.

[Marshall Banana]

There's little room to explore in any of them; they're too straightforward, sometimes too small, and not very memorable, I think.

I guess KHII's Disney fan service just isn't up to par for me! =O

[Wolf Kanno]

I don't think any amount of Disney fanservice will satiate your love of Disney in these games.

I felt quite a few worlds were expanded better (Agrabah and Olympus)and the worlds had either more open environments or well crafted ones that hide how linear they really are. Course I'm also bias cause KH2 pretty much has my complete collection of fav Disney films in it.

[Depression Moon]

I was thinking about getting this, but I'm starting to question if I even care, the game should've came out last year and I probably be more edged to get it if it was Final Mix instead of just Chain of Memories.
Also it would further my incling that I desperately want a PS3, I should only be looking at hi-def graphics by now.

[sdm42393]

I felt quite a few worlds were expanded better (Agrabah and Olympus)

I actually thought Agrabah in KH2 was just horrid in every single way (imo). In the first game the whole world was a big platforming level with alleys and mini-puzzles to progress. In the second game it a few large maps that weren't too eye-pleasing and featured nothing that made it so memorable in the first game.

I didn't like Olympus too much either, but I have to admit it was much expanded.

[arcanedude34]

MY favorite Disney world from the first game (Agrabah for it's platforming and the most bosses of any Disney world, iirc) became my least favorite in KHII (no platforming, really ugly looking maps, and a tacked on plot stolen from a hated sequel of the movie the world was based on)

[Wolf Kanno]

I felt quite a few worlds were expanded better (Agrabah and Olympus)

I actually thought Agrabah in KH2 was just horrid in every single way (imo). In the first game the whole world was a big platforming level with alleys and mini-puzzles to progress. In the second game it a few large maps that weren't too eye-pleasing and featured nothing that made it so memorable in the first game.

I didn't like Olympus too much either, but I have to admit it was much expanded.

MY favorite Disney world from the first game (Agrabah for it's platforming and the most bosses of any Disney world, iirc) became my least favorite in KHII (no platforming, really ugly looking maps, and a tacked on plot stolen from a hated sequel of the movie the world was based on)

Taking Aladdin 2's plot aside...

The main reason I adore the stages in KH2 better is because the developers decided to do the smart thing and completely drop the heavy platforming in favor of combat. The platforming in KH1 was terrible and seeing it go away was welcomed.

I did not like KH1's Agrabah cause I detested the of meandering through a world that is literally a straight line only to finally get to the roof jump to the next platform and due to the crappy design and camera either miss the jump, get knocked off by an enemy or fall while attacking an enemy that appeared on the platform in my mid-jump. Forcing me to start all over. No, I do not miss KH1's Agrabah at all...

[Marshall Banana]

I don't like Agrabah in either game!

Kingdom Hearts:

• I love Traverse Town! It has many Disney components - Mickey Mouse gloves on sign poles, Donald's nephews' store, Geppetto and Pinocchio, the Mad Hatter store, Dalmatians' House, the Lady and Tramp fountain, Merlin, and the Fairy Godmother. The section that houses the fountain of Lady and Tramp is very castle-like, too, which I love; it's pretty enough to make me press Select and just look around for a while! The whole town feels so Disney!
• The games within 100 Acre Wood are fun for me, but I can't say that I'm not happy to seal its keyhole and be done with Pooh's book.
• Wonderland is fun, because there are many areas that I find only when I explore (such as the different walls of Bizarre Room).
• Olympus Coliseum is fun for me, even though there isn't much to discover within it; it's just a fun sidequest.
• I like Tarzan, but I'm not a huge fan of it or its characters, so I think that Deep Jungle is just okay. Vine jumping annoys me, but I like the sliding mini game, and I like that Mrs. Potts and the tea cups from Beauty and the Beast are inside Jane's camp (cute)! Also, Waterfall Cavern is pretty, and I like the scene that occurs there.
• Agrabah is the least impressive world and the most dreaded/rushed by me. The fight with Jafar is pretty cool, though.
• Monstro is easy (although confusing at first), but I like it, because Riku finally appears again and makes up for it (I like the scenes between him and Sora).
• Atlantica is one of my favorite worlds - just because The Little Mermaid is my favorite movie in the whole world! The mermaid palace is disappointing, though, and I hate being forced to fight the shark again and again near the sunken ship. Aside from those two things, though, having Ariel in my party, being a mermaid, and swimming and fighting monsters to the tune of Under the Sea make me excited!
• Halloween Town is great, too! There's a lot to look at there. In KHII, though, it's reduced to what - two screens? Christmas Town is only a few screens, too, if I'm not mistaken.
• Neverland is great, because Sora learns to fly, and the plot becomes more exciting. I spend a lot of time in Neverland just flying around and hitting Mushrooms. The pirate ship alone isn't impressive, though, and I don't like to explore it.
• Hollow Bastian is my favorite non-Disney world! The game is nail-biting exciting by that point, and Hollow Bastian is full of Disney characters! I get to team up with Beast, finally battle Maleficent, and talk to all of the Disney princesses in one room (except Belle, who hangs out in the library as soon as she's free, of course). Hollow Bastion is very pretty, too.
• The End of the World is just pretty.

Kingdom Hearts II:

• Twilight Town is very pretty, but there are almost no Disney references within it (only Final Fantasy characters); actually, I'm not sure that there are any - other than the weapons that have Micky Mouse shapes - but I can't remember.
• Land of Dragons looks great (like most worlds in KHII), but it didn't enthrall me, I'd say, even though I like Mulan. I expected the settings to be bigger and more grand, I guess, because the film is (avalanches, parades, fireworks, etcetera).
• Beast's Castle is probably my favorite world in KHII, but I don't care for the story events (they're boring).
• I think it's really cool that Olympus is expanded to include the Underworld and that Meg is around, but the only good things about the Underworld are Hades (he's cool) and Auron (he's cool). The Underworld is just a collection of screens that look green and spooky. =(
• Radiant Garden/Hollow Bastian is okay. There isn't much Disney fun to be had there; Merlin is around, but the place is dominated by Final Fantasy characters and events instead.
• I didn't even play 100 Acre Wood, and I was angry that Sora let enemies screw up Pooh's book in order to make me go back there.
• When I played KHII (which was only once) I hadn't watched Tron, so I didn't have an opinion about Space Paranoids. Now that I've watched Tron, Space Paranoids is pretty disappointing, because it seems even smaller than it seemed before!
• Atlantica is fine; it's okay that it was reduced to a sidequest (I like the songs), but the story sequences should have been left out, because Ursula is supposed to be dead (plus, overall, they're inaccurate and cheesy).
• Disney Castle is gorgeous! Minnie! Chip! Dale!
• Timeless River might be the best world, even though it isn't my favorite; it's fun to run around in, and it's the most unique!
• Port Royal is super boring and ugly.
• I progressed through Agrabah so fast that I barely remember it. I know that I despised it, though.
• Pride Land is neat only because Sora makes an adorable lion cub! It's pretty, too, but one thing that bothers me about Pride Land is: it looks spacey - like there's a lot to it - but that is trickery! Instead there is a lot of blank space with pretty walls.
• Halloween Town, like I said before, is way too small, and there aren't enough screens of Christmas Town to make up for it.
• The World That Never Was is pretty neat, but I don't care for the story events (or the game's ending).

I just want larger and more...extravagant worlds.

[Rye]

Glad I'm not the only person who dislikes Agrabah. =O

[Jessweeee♪]

I love really old cartoons so Timeless River was like, the most awesome thing ever xD

[Rye]

Space Paranoids, come to think of it, was my least headache. D:

I think Halloween town was my favorite, it was huge!

[sir helix]

i only liked the world that never was for being able to have riku on your side. but that last boss was a pain, and i hated playing as riku during it, you should have been able to do more than those 3 or 4 crappy commands that caused you to have to redo a lot of stuff if you didnt gaurd in time

[mooglebunni608]

I just want larger and more...extravagant worlds.

Me too!~ I loved how in KH1 you could run and jump and fly and there was something hidden EVERYWHERE and no place was blocked off. Too much of that is missing in KH2, which makes me sad! ><