PixyJunket

E3 is around the corner and since information on "Revolution" may be scarce, Kingdom Hearts II is pretty much the only thing I'm REALLY looking forward to hearing about from E3. I'm just finishing up the Final Mix version of the first game from Japan and the new optional boss (one of the members of The Organization from Chain of Memories) was really awesome. So I'm really in a big Kingdom Hearts mood, I even bought a Keyblade replica from somebody on eBay.

Anybody interested should really check out the extended teaser that was only on Final Mix, it's amazing.
http://www.kh2.co.uk/forums/dl/dl.php?ad=khfmdd

And here are some actual trailers of Kingdom Hearts II.
http://www.kh2.co.uk/?kh2=Videos

Among things shown in the trailers that I took interest in were: Mickey Mouse kicking ass donned in one of the Organization black cloaks (also shown in the Deep Dive video and the 2nd ending to Chain of Memories) with his Golden Keyblade (seen in the ending of the first game, the keyblade for the world of darkness); Hades (! - James Woods is awesome!) manipulating another Final Fantasy character; Sora dual-wielding keyblades doing some INSANE air combos; and a return to Hollow Bastion that looks to be overrun with literally THOUSANDS of Heartless.



Here's kind of a "wish list" I've had for the game.

* Better AI for Donald and Goofy. They were alright for normal battles but seemed to eat every special attack in certain boss battles (Dragon Maleficent, Hades, etc.). This seems like a natural upgrade for a sequel, so I'm not worried about it.

* More interaction from the Disney characters with other Disney characters and characters from the main storyline. My favorite parts of the story in the first game were when the characters broke from the set stories and characters of their own worlds; all the Disney villains conspiring together, Maleficent manipulating all of them, Hades manipulating Cloud (and calling him a sucker!), the whole Princesses of Heart thing (though why Alice was a princess and Ariel wasn't still confuses me.. other than the fact that Ariel was to be a playable character). This has already been confirmed to have been improved upon, after the success of the first game Disney has given Square-Enix much more freedom with the characters.

* Better magic system. I was a huge magic-whore in the first game and being that it was an action game, having to use the menu to access half of your spells was a sore point. The magic and summon system has said to have been improved for better flow in the action setting, but how I don't know. Hopefully the summons aren't totally useless again (save for Bambi and Tinkerbell).

* More rare/unique monster drops. There were only two in the first game: the Defender's Shield and the Wizard's Relic. They are, without contest, my favorite items in the game.. even Donald and Goofy's new weapons in Final Mix aren't as cool. I've always been a sucker for these kinds of rare items that are only acquired from monster battles and I want more! Plus, seeing Goofy wield that giant monster-faced shield was hilarious.

* Less or better mini-games. A lot of these were just pointless and/or poorly done. Square tradition I guess.

* Soundtrack has to be on the level of or surpass the first, which could be a mighty feat because the soundtrack to the first game was probably one of the best I've heard since Square's Super Nintendo days. The very small amount of new music in Chain of Memories indicates this is off to a good start.

* Costumes!! This was something I felt was a missed opportunity in the first game as a New Game+ bonus or something. Donald and Goofy are seen in three different outfits in the game.. I always though it would've been really nice to play through the game in their original outfits (as seen in the ending) or their more traditional wizard and solider outfits (seen in the opening parts of the game while they're in Disney Castle). Sora has new clothes in the sequel, and they change when merging with Donald or Goofy (see Drive Mode below).

* A better "Expert" mode. The expert mode in the first game was pretty weak. The only thing it changed was that all enemies did double damage, so you more or less just spend a good portion of the game healing yourself as opposed to putting extra effort or strategy in the battles.

Of course, complaints from others have been addressed as well. First, the camera.. already improved upon in Final Mix (allowing you to disable the auto-centering camera and making Sora transparent when in tight spots) its already been confirmed to have been totally reworked and much better. The Gummi Ship is no longer a main part of the game, but more of a side mini-game. I thought this part had great potential myself.. the main part wasn't really well made but I really, really, really enjoyed the building ships part. Hopefully the new version is much better.

The story seems to revolve around the world between light and dark.. thus the main city of Twilight Town (stuck between day and night) and the new enemies called Dusk. Pete seems to be central Disney villain much like Maleficent in the first game. My guess is that The Organization is probably more up-front as a antagonist than Ansem was in the first game, so having a more comical mediator for the Disney worlds might work better here. We'll see.. it's of my personal opinion that you really can't get any cooler as Maleficent as the main bad guy in a Disney game, so it was probably better to go a different direction than to attempt (and fail) at trying to fill her shoes.

Confirmed Disney Worlds so far: Disney Castle (you get to see, but not go to it in the first game), Fabled Countryside from Beauty and the Beast, Ancient China from Mulan, The Underworld from Hercules, Christmas Town from Nightmare Before Christmas and Agrabah from Aladdin returns. Twilight Town is the new central town like Traverse Town and Hollow Bastion also returns.

One of the big new gameplay elements is called "Drive Mode" that allows you to merge with Goofy (and presumably Donald) to gain extra abilities and attacks. Merging with Goofy is shown off in one of the trailers and by doing so Sora gets a new red outfit and can duel-wield keyblades, gaining what looks to be like a lot of combo-centric abilities based on this. The obvious assumption is that merging with Donald will give you massive magic abilities (DROOL!).

There's still no release date, but the rumor is that it'll get a worldwide release this winter (this is a prime holiday release obviously). Hopefully they'll at least divulge this information at E3. The game has been worked on for almost THREE full years now (and started from scratch, they threw all code from the first game out of the window) and it really appears this may be the rare chance that a game lives up to the wild expectations I'm building for it.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to share my excitement and some information to a group that wasn't fully retarded or just flat-out creepy (see: all Kingdom Hearts forums). Feel free to share your thoughts and I'll bring this up whenever new information comes out.

Mercury

I'm looking forward to this! I want complete escapism in games. The last game I had this kind of hopes for was Final Fantasy X. I didn't appreciate how all the charectors had issues to work out that I was supposed to relate to. I just want my imagination to be engaged and not have a forced story.

Thanks you for the post, PixyJunket. :-)

RocShemp

I really enjoyed the first and wish I had money to burn to get myself a Gameboy AND Chain Of Memories but Kindom Hearts II will suffice for me.

Thanks for the link and info, Pixy.

Outlaw

can't wait. i already finished chain of memories and reverse rebirth (which i thought was much better than COM). mickey is definitely a badass. I can't believe I just said that. i loved KH on PS2, looking forward to this game. I'd also like to see a better camera, though the previous one they had was managable. bu i'd like to see them get the same composer as well. i already saw a spoiler of a disney character i was hoping to be in it.

PixyJunket

Not that there was ever any doubt, but Square-Enix has released their E3 lineup and Kingdom Hearts II is listed.

Dirge of Cerberus Final Fantasy VII (PS2)
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (PS2)
Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
Fullmetal Alchemist 2: Curse of the Crimson Elixir (PS2)
Kingdom Hearts II (PS2)
Radiata Stories (PS2)
Romancing SaGa (PS2)
Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia (PS2, PC)
Front Mission Online (PS2, PC)
Final Fantasy II (Mobile)
Before Crisis - Final Fantasy VII (Mobile)
Final Fantasy VII Snowboarding (Mobile)
Font Missions 2089 (Mobile)
Hexcite Fusion (Mobile)
Musashi Mobile Samurai (Mobile)
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (DVD)

Outlaw

hell yeah

PixyJunket

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050425/lam061.html?.v=6

Man, who needs new hardware when you've got the following to look forward to?



KINGDOM HEARTS® II

KINGDOM HEARTS II for the PlayStation®2 follows Sora, Donald, and Goofy on their continuing quest to find their friends and King Mickey. Haley Joel Osment (Secondhand Lions, The Sixth Sense) reprises his role as the main character Sora and is joined by Ming-Na (ER, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within) who voices Mulan and James Woods (Be Cool) who returns as the villain Hades, along with a slew of soon to be announced celebrity voices. It has been a year since the events of KINGDOM HEARTS CHAIN OF MEMORIES. The story begins in Twilight Town, a quiet burg nestled between night and day. Sora and friends are joined by a vibrant new cast of characters, including the king himself! In the effort to help Mulan and stop the villain Hades' devious plots, they will encounter countless dangers both familiar and brand-new. The release date for KINGDOM HEARTS II will be announced at a later date. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB.



DRAGON QUEST(TM) VIII: Journey of the Cursed King(TM)

DRAGON QUEST VIII: Journey of the Cursed King is the latest installment of the immensely popular DRAGON QUEST series that has sold over 35 million units worldwide and is the first to be released for the PlayStation®2. Characters designed by Akira Toriyama are brought to life by "cel-shading," bringing gamers of all ages into a world straight out of Japanese anime. In DRAGON QUEST VIII, old meets new, as classic gameplay is married to sumptuous graphics, delivering the kind of sweeping adventure that only DRAGON QUEST games can offer. The release date for DRAGON QUEST VIII will be announced at a later time. This title has been rated T (Teen) by the ESRB.



RADIATA STORIES(TM)

RADIATA STORIES is the latest PlayStation®2 fantasy RPG by tri-Ace, developer of Valkyrie Profile(TM) and the Star Ocean(TM) series for the PlayStation®2. An emotional story about the conflict between humans and fairy creatures is complemented by a new gameplay system that draws the player deep into the game. Enter a never-before-seen living, breathing world where all of the characters live their own lives and the passage of time brings about remarkable changes. Your choices determine which of over 150 individuals will lend you a hand in your journey. Precise, easy-to-use controls allow you to add strategies to real-time battles through various changes in your party's formation. Radiata Stories is slated for release in Fall 2005. This title has not yet been rated by the ESRB. This title is not officially concept approved by Sony Computer Entertainment America.

Noonan

I just hope they keep the music from Traverse town in the new game. I could never get that song out of my head while I was playing the first one or COM.

PixyJunket

So http://www.kh2.co.uk/ is translating (or taking someone else's translation of) a big interview with Nomura from the Japanese Chain of Memories guide book and have posted what they feel to be an important part pertaining to Kingdom Hearts II. I'll spoiler tag it just in case, though if it was really spoiler-worthy he wouldn't have put it out into the open (if you read other interviews he's real tight-lipped on story-specific material).


Well.. I figured that was obvious seeing the trailers and the theme of "Another Side, Another Story."

joshd2012

This is one of my favorite games on the PS2. The one thing I hope they do is change the camera from being controlled by L2/R2 to being controlled by the right analog stick. That and get rid of the Gummi Ship Besides that, if they do the same thing they did with KH1, I'll be more than happy.

PixyJunket

Well good news for you, my friend. IGN had a chance to play a small demo and have confirmed camera control on the right stick. Also, as stated in my monster first post, the Gummi Ship is still in the game, but it is now a mini-game and not required to progress through the main game. I'm right with you wanting more of what made the first great and so far it looks pretty damn good.

One thing that bothers me about the right stick being used for the camera is how you're going to scroll through the menus while moving.. this was critical during some boss battles. Of course, since the magic/summon system is being reworked this might not even be an issue.

PixyJunket

Quick news, links to follow.

Disney Japan Kingom Hearts II site updated.
Square-Enix Japan Kingom Hearts II site opens May 2nd.
Some 50 images have been added to Gamespot.

joshd2012

PixyJunket

Kingdom Hearts manga coming out in English:
http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?p...tegorycode=BMG

It's not that good, but the artwork is nice.

RocShemp

I want all three of those!

Homer Simpson

I bought my PS2 just for KH, I would pay another $300 to get KH2, it will be worth every penny. Going to be a big tax on the marriage with a new Advance Wars, new KH, and a new Zelda...

boredsilly

The first game was great. I was interested in it when I heard about it (because really, has there ever been a bigger WTF? game announcement?) but was sold when I read that David Boreanaz (along with a host of other people I enjoy) was going to do voice over work. Bought it not knowing what to expect and damn if this game didn't provide a healthy dose of whimsy. So much fun. I cannot wait for part 2, especially to play in Mulan's world.

I hope they include worlds from The Lion Kind, Fantasia (or at least make the magical mops and buckets summons ), and Winnie the Pooh (not just that miny game).

You know what game I would really like to see though?

Disney vs. Warner Brothers by capcom. How much would that own? Hmm? Hmmmmmm?

PixyJunket

Official site is up!

http://www.square-enix.co.jp/kingdom2/

New trailer! I can't access it at work boo!!

joshd2012

I couldn't link to it directly. Try hitting the front door:

http://www.square-enix.com/jp/index_f.html

It worked for me.

PixyJunket

The whole site is blocked for me. I'm waiting for another site to host the trailer.

PixyJunket

HOLY SHIT. The Gummi Ship in Kingdom Hearts II LOOKS FREAKIN' INSANE.





You really have to see it in action.

The ballroom from Beauty and the Beat is a BOSS?!

Wow, Kairi sure has grown-up over two years.



Selphie is back too, which is good, cause she was hot.



This game is going to be great!

joshd2012

I just watched the trailer. OMFG! No matter how many Square-Enix games I play, they never stop amazing me.

Y2K Falcon

Am I the only moron that doesn't know Japanese? I can't find the trailer on that site...

joshd2012

Once you get into the site, and get the menus, click on the last option. You will see a heart with an 'i' in it. Click on the arrow (either one) and you will see a film projector. Click on the film projector and you got it.

Y2K Falcon

Well, It's fitting I needed help finding it. I couldn't do KH1 without a walkthrough.