"Hey, do you know where Riku is?"
Apr. 5th, 2006 04:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
crienseltWell, today I beat Kingdom Hearts II. Spoilerifc thoughts follow...
So, all right, I know most people hate the first 4 hours of Roxas tutorial-ish time, but I actually really enjoyed them. I really did feel sad when it ended and we left Twilight Town. (Definitely got a lil misty when that tear rolled down Sora's cheek. God, I'm becoming more and more of a sap everyday!)I just liked the whole atmosphere of the place. I liked the trio, I liked Seifer and Co. I adored having Setzer and Vivi around. (When the make KH III, I so hope we get more of the Amano characters. It was just nice seeing Setzer in 3D glory. And I am and always will be a Vivi fan, maybe even a fangirl. But more on my fangirlism later.) Ah, what the hell; I'll fangirl now. I totally squeed during those first Deep Dive scenes and when the hooded guy w/ the soul eater appeared in front of the mansion after Roxas entered it. I was all, "HA! RIKU! YAY!" And, really, when push comes to shove, I am more of a plot person than game-play person, so I really liked that the plot was taking center stage during this portion of the game.
Then we left. And were plunged into pointless tedium (for the most part) of the Disney worlds. Now, I like the Disney worlds to a certain extent. I mean, it's neat getting to explore them and be immersed in them, but seriously--what happened to my plot! This was my problem with the first KH and why I didn't start liking it until the end, when the plot kicked in. But, once again, I was stuck traversing the Disney lands, and feeling disappointed when yet another world failed to have anything to do with the story or help in our (and by our I mean Sora, Donald, and Goofy of course! [Side note, I really do need subtitles to understand Donald. That one scene in Disney castle where they stopped, I had like no idea what he was saying! Man, I do love that duck though.]) quest to either of our friends. That said, I freaked out when there was sudden plot development after Agrabah. Of course, this only got my hopes up for more random exposition, which never really came.
I loved everything to do with Hollow Bastion and did enjoy the Battle sequence. And, for once, I actually was okay with one of the worlds b/c Tron realy had a purpose! Huzzah for purposes!
As for the actual plot, when it did get going, I'm afraid I was a bit disappointed there too. That is to say, the Organization did not get nearly enough screen time. I'd have liked some more background or characterization on/of each of them. And Axel, what was his story, y'know? Where'd he come from? I was, naturally, sad when he died, but... Actually, all of the Nobodies made me kinda sad. I wanted to give them hearts! Or at least get their original ones back or help them do the Roxas-Sora thing. Speaking of Roxas, he was a bit of a waste, too, character wise. I mean, he has all this angst in the beginning, and then he just goes into Sora and that's that. We don't see him again, and then, when we do, it's been so long that it kinda lacks the impact I think it was meant to have.
So, those are my gripes, and I don't mean to sound like I didn't enjoy the game b/c I did, over all and for the most part. The game play was improved and more fun than the last time around. And, in spite of my frustration, the worlds were fun to explore, if nothing else. And I did like the plot that was given. I loved any scene Mickey was in, and tear for the real Ansem. (Y'know, I never got to play as Mickey and must venture back into the game to find a battle in which to die and let him come to my rescue.) The Axel-Roxas stuff was kinda touching-sweet. And I did enjoy being able to play as all the different characters (and with the different characters--yeah for having the FF crew and Axel as allies~), which brings me to my huge, sickening squeal: Riku! You get to play with Riku! **spazzes and faints**
In general, I'm not a big fan of fangirls and try to fight my urges to be one for certain characters. I mean, I am a bit of a Vivi fangirl, I suppose. I am most certainly an Uncle Iroh fangirl. And, y'know, I'll admit to having a thing for other people to. (Like Freya, I like that rat chick. And Kratos of Tales of Symphonia, I've a definite thing for him...okay, maybe I fangirl him too.) Oh, and Jack Bristow! I've a thing for him (Okay, apparently I fangirl more often than I like to admit.) But, I have stopped even trying to resist fangirling Riku and have given into complete insanity...
I naturally freaked out when we got to fight him in Mulan, and when he appeared cloaked to rescue Kairi. And then my heart stopped for an instant when he was wearing that Ansem look. I knew (or had strong suspicions) that we got to fight with him in the end, but if he was gonna look like Ansem, that just kinda killed it. I did attempt to talk myself into the idea of having Ansem's character model running around with me and looking cool, but it didn't really take. And, when the white-out thing happened post real Ansem's demise, I couldn't help but feel hopeful. First thing I did when the screen cleared was look for Riku. Oddly enough, I looked and felt disappointed that he seemed to still be in Ansem form. But then, oh but then, I saw that I was wrong and, once again, allowed myself a small fangirl spasm/dance. Riku was back and kicking ass in my party. And, aww, to explanation of the blindfold. I loved the Sora-Riku friendship. It's so sweet. (That earlier scene where Kairi made them all hold hands and Sora was all crying. Melted my little-rapidly-growing-sappier heart!) Really, there was so much sweet Sora-Riku friendship in the ending that it's amazing that I was able to hold it together. (Again, sappy!) But, anyway, the coolest thing obviously, was having the final battle fought solely by Sora and Riku. Cause, y'know, it really was their story in the end. (Randomly remembering that I loved the scene/shot where/of the three keyblade wielders, Riku, Sora, and Mickey, were pointing their blades at Xemnas (I think.) Yeah, just wanted to mention that.) One big whoop for actually having Riku playable in that one portion of the final battle. That, my friends, was awesome.
About the ending, I played in Normal (or standard, or whatever the middle level is called) mode and have yet to get 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal (Thought I'd go ahead and see the ending so that I could stop having to worry about avoiding spoilers) but know that the secret ending is kinda set in the past but about the future, or something like that, right? And the three knights are new characters. Now, I read about this before and was thinking that maybe we had seen the last of Sora, Kairi, Riku, and co, especially since so many Disney worlds are kinda wrapped up. (Though, they do all have sequels, don't they...? Hmm.) But, now, with the letter arriving at the end and having read the interviews w/ Nomura and his reluctance to say anything about it, I'm gonna guess that this leads in to KH III, which would mean the gang would be back for another go--maybe. And I don't really know what I'm getting at here. I have totally lost my train of thought. Ah, well.
Oh, and just some other random notes before I go:
Voice acting was pretty great as was to be expected. I want to know who filled for Johnny Depp. And the FF characters were all good. For some reason, I'd have liked Vivi to sound a little froggier. Rachel Lee Cook has raised my expectation level for Advent Children. Mae Whitman did Yuffie! It's Katara--Yuffiefied! About Aerith...Mena Suavari's (sp?) voice, I think might be okay if her delivery was better. There's a certain element to it that I think I like and I think suits her, but it just isn't working overall. I dunno. I'm okay with Cid. Steve Burton did well as did whoever voiced Leon. (Dissappointed it wasn't David B, but I could barely tell the difference, really, s'all's good.) And I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but laugh when I realized Haley Joel Osment was singing. Not that he necessarily sounded that bad, but it was just kinda an eyebrow raising moment for me.
What's with Kairi randomly getting a keyblade and then nothing coming of it?
What's with Coliseum not giving experience? It makes leveling up so much more boring. And I wanna beat Sephiroth. **sigh**
Am now playing catch up. I saved all the links to KHII icons that have appeared since it's Japanese release, and only one link was dead as the account had been deleted. Pretty damn good, no? (I've gone crazy saving them. It'll be hard to choose. Must not allow my user icons to be overrun by Riku. Though, it is tempting. ^_-)
So, all right, I know most people hate the first 4 hours of Roxas tutorial-ish time, but I actually really enjoyed them. I really did feel sad when it ended and we left Twilight Town. (Definitely got a lil misty when that tear rolled down Sora's cheek. God, I'm becoming more and more of a sap everyday!)I just liked the whole atmosphere of the place. I liked the trio, I liked Seifer and Co. I adored having Setzer and Vivi around. (When the make KH III, I so hope we get more of the Amano characters. It was just nice seeing Setzer in 3D glory. And I am and always will be a Vivi fan, maybe even a fangirl. But more on my fangirlism later.) Ah, what the hell; I'll fangirl now. I totally squeed during those first Deep Dive scenes and when the hooded guy w/ the soul eater appeared in front of the mansion after Roxas entered it. I was all, "HA! RIKU! YAY!" And, really, when push comes to shove, I am more of a plot person than game-play person, so I really liked that the plot was taking center stage during this portion of the game.
Then we left. And were plunged into pointless tedium (for the most part) of the Disney worlds. Now, I like the Disney worlds to a certain extent. I mean, it's neat getting to explore them and be immersed in them, but seriously--what happened to my plot! This was my problem with the first KH and why I didn't start liking it until the end, when the plot kicked in. But, once again, I was stuck traversing the Disney lands, and feeling disappointed when yet another world failed to have anything to do with the story or help in our (and by our I mean Sora, Donald, and Goofy of course! [Side note, I really do need subtitles to understand Donald. That one scene in Disney castle where they stopped, I had like no idea what he was saying! Man, I do love that duck though.]) quest to either of our friends. That said, I freaked out when there was sudden plot development after Agrabah. Of course, this only got my hopes up for more random exposition, which never really came.
I loved everything to do with Hollow Bastion and did enjoy the Battle sequence. And, for once, I actually was okay with one of the worlds b/c Tron realy had a purpose! Huzzah for purposes!
As for the actual plot, when it did get going, I'm afraid I was a bit disappointed there too. That is to say, the Organization did not get nearly enough screen time. I'd have liked some more background or characterization on/of each of them. And Axel, what was his story, y'know? Where'd he come from? I was, naturally, sad when he died, but... Actually, all of the Nobodies made me kinda sad. I wanted to give them hearts! Or at least get their original ones back or help them do the Roxas-Sora thing. Speaking of Roxas, he was a bit of a waste, too, character wise. I mean, he has all this angst in the beginning, and then he just goes into Sora and that's that. We don't see him again, and then, when we do, it's been so long that it kinda lacks the impact I think it was meant to have.
So, those are my gripes, and I don't mean to sound like I didn't enjoy the game b/c I did, over all and for the most part. The game play was improved and more fun than the last time around. And, in spite of my frustration, the worlds were fun to explore, if nothing else. And I did like the plot that was given. I loved any scene Mickey was in, and tear for the real Ansem. (Y'know, I never got to play as Mickey and must venture back into the game to find a battle in which to die and let him come to my rescue.) The Axel-Roxas stuff was kinda touching-sweet. And I did enjoy being able to play as all the different characters (and with the different characters--yeah for having the FF crew and Axel as allies~), which brings me to my huge, sickening squeal: Riku! You get to play with Riku! **spazzes and faints**
In general, I'm not a big fan of fangirls and try to fight my urges to be one for certain characters. I mean, I am a bit of a Vivi fangirl, I suppose. I am most certainly an Uncle Iroh fangirl. And, y'know, I'll admit to having a thing for other people to. (Like Freya, I like that rat chick. And Kratos of Tales of Symphonia, I've a definite thing for him...okay, maybe I fangirl him too.) Oh, and Jack Bristow! I've a thing for him (Okay, apparently I fangirl more often than I like to admit.) But, I have stopped even trying to resist fangirling Riku and have given into complete insanity...
I naturally freaked out when we got to fight him in Mulan, and when he appeared cloaked to rescue Kairi. And then my heart stopped for an instant when he was wearing that Ansem look. I knew (or had strong suspicions) that we got to fight with him in the end, but if he was gonna look like Ansem, that just kinda killed it. I did attempt to talk myself into the idea of having Ansem's character model running around with me and looking cool, but it didn't really take. And, when the white-out thing happened post real Ansem's demise, I couldn't help but feel hopeful. First thing I did when the screen cleared was look for Riku. Oddly enough, I looked and felt disappointed that he seemed to still be in Ansem form. But then, oh but then, I saw that I was wrong and, once again, allowed myself a small fangirl spasm/dance. Riku was back and kicking ass in my party. And, aww, to explanation of the blindfold. I loved the Sora-Riku friendship. It's so sweet. (That earlier scene where Kairi made them all hold hands and Sora was all crying. Melted my little-rapidly-growing-sappier heart!) Really, there was so much sweet Sora-Riku friendship in the ending that it's amazing that I was able to hold it together. (Again, sappy!) But, anyway, the coolest thing obviously, was having the final battle fought solely by Sora and Riku. Cause, y'know, it really was their story in the end. (Randomly remembering that I loved the scene/shot where/of the three keyblade wielders, Riku, Sora, and Mickey, were pointing their blades at Xemnas (I think.) Yeah, just wanted to mention that.) One big whoop for actually having Riku playable in that one portion of the final battle. That, my friends, was awesome.
About the ending, I played in Normal (or standard, or whatever the middle level is called) mode and have yet to get 100% completion of Jiminy's Journal (Thought I'd go ahead and see the ending so that I could stop having to worry about avoiding spoilers) but know that the secret ending is kinda set in the past but about the future, or something like that, right? And the three knights are new characters. Now, I read about this before and was thinking that maybe we had seen the last of Sora, Kairi, Riku, and co, especially since so many Disney worlds are kinda wrapped up. (Though, they do all have sequels, don't they...? Hmm.) But, now, with the letter arriving at the end and having read the interviews w/ Nomura and his reluctance to say anything about it, I'm gonna guess that this leads in to KH III, which would mean the gang would be back for another go--maybe. And I don't really know what I'm getting at here. I have totally lost my train of thought. Ah, well.
Oh, and just some other random notes before I go:
Voice acting was pretty great as was to be expected. I want to know who filled for Johnny Depp. And the FF characters were all good. For some reason, I'd have liked Vivi to sound a little froggier. Rachel Lee Cook has raised my expectation level for Advent Children. Mae Whitman did Yuffie! It's Katara--Yuffiefied! About Aerith...Mena Suavari's (sp?) voice, I think might be okay if her delivery was better. There's a certain element to it that I think I like and I think suits her, but it just isn't working overall. I dunno. I'm okay with Cid. Steve Burton did well as did whoever voiced Leon. (Dissappointed it wasn't David B, but I could barely tell the difference, really, s'all's good.) And I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but laugh when I realized Haley Joel Osment was singing. Not that he necessarily sounded that bad, but it was just kinda an eyebrow raising moment for me.
What's with Kairi randomly getting a keyblade and then nothing coming of it?
What's with Coliseum not giving experience? It makes leveling up so much more boring. And I wanna beat Sephiroth. **sigh**
Am now playing catch up. I saved all the links to KHII icons that have appeared since it's Japanese release, and only one link was dead as the account had been deleted. Pretty damn good, no? (I've gone crazy saving them. It'll be hard to choose. Must not allow my user icons to be overrun by Riku. Though, it is tempting. ^_-)
