Return of the Kingdom
It was a good day for gamers yesterday. After a long wait, the sequel to Kingdom Hearts was finally released. Of course, I headed on over to my local Best Buy to pick it up right after work. In case you are not familiar with the concept of the game, it basically fuses the worlds of Final Fantasy with worlds and characters from Disney. The original game was the main reason why I decided to buy a PS2 in the first place (being a Nintendo guy, you know!) Needless to say, I had been anxiously anticipating the release of the sequel ever since it had been announced.
But before I get to KH2, I must first bring up Chain of Memories. "What is Chain of Memories?", you might be asking. Well, it is the Kingdom Hearts game that bridges the gap between the original and the new sequel released for the Game Boy Advance (YAY NINTENDO!). Best Buy had a promotion where if you bought Kingdom Hearts 2, you could also get Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for $10 on the same receipt. So I took advantage of the deal, and am I ever glad I did. 
Chain of Memories picks right up directly after the events of the original KH. Basically, you are trying to reunite with friends you had been seperated from in the original, but as you progress through the game you gradually lose your memories. The further along you go, the more you forget. Ultimately you and your companions (Wise Donald and Brave Goofy!) are put into a sort of stasis wherein your memories are slowly being restored by a mysterious girl named Namine. Unfortunately, the process takes an entire year to complete. And that is where KH2 picks up.
During the lengthy prologue of KH2, you play not as Sora (the hero of the original epic, and wielder of the Keyblade!), but as Roxas, a character that seems to hold part of Sora within him. Utilizing Roxas, you are taken through a tutorial adventure that familiarizes you with the new game dynamics, as well as new allies and enemies. Basically the prologue serves to bridge the events of Chain of Memories to the new sequel. Ultimately you revive Sora, Donald, and Goofy from their year-long stasis, and the adventure begins anew.
King Mickey himself sets you off on your new adventure, as you still seek to reunite with your long lost friends, and the elusive way home. (On a personal note, there is nothing cooler than watching Mickey in "Jedi" robes kickin' ass with a Keyblade...Goosebumps!) I think that is the main reason why this game has struck a chord with so many people. Not only are you immersed in this world-spanning epic with strange creatures and locations, but you gut to journey through them with the characters that you grew up with as a kid. You get to see a totally different side of them that you never even imagined existed. (Where else could Bambi be a powerful ally?) 
Some worlds from the previous game have been abandoned such as Deep Jungle from Tarzan, Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland, Monstro from Pinocchio, and Neverland from Peter Pan, and replaced by new Disney worlds. And for the first time ever you can travel to worlds and interact with characters based on live-action Disney films. Making their KH debuts are:
Captain Jack Sparrow in Port Royal from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Tron in Space Paranoids from the movie Tron
Timeless River from the movie Steamboat Willie
Mulan and the Land of Dragons from the movie Mulan
Simba and the Pride Lands from The Lion King
Stitch from the movie Lilo and Stitch
And Chicken Little from the movie Chicken Little
If the length of the prologue is any indication (as well as the length of the original game), I'm in for an epic adventure that will last a while. But that is the draw of games like these, the fact that you can immerse yourself fully in these worlds with these characters that you've grown up with. I've got my fingers crossed that there is a third one made, and hopefully that one will see the inclusion of Pixar characters into the mix. What could be cooler than slaggin' aliens alongside Buzz Lightyear, or putting Heartless on ice with Frozone? (And with the arrival of the PS3, it can only get better!)
It was a good day for gamers yesterday. After a long wait, the sequel to Kingdom Hearts was finally released. Of course, I headed on over to my local Best Buy to pick it up right after work. In case you are not familiar with the concept of the game, it basically fuses the worlds of Final Fantasy with worlds and characters from Disney. The original game was the main reason why I decided to buy a PS2 in the first place (being a Nintendo guy, you know!) Needless to say, I had been anxiously anticipating the release of the sequel ever since it had been announced.
But before I get to KH2, I must first bring up Chain of Memories. "What is Chain of Memories?", you might be asking. Well, it is the Kingdom Hearts game that bridges the gap between the original and the new sequel released for the Game Boy Advance (YAY NINTENDO!). Best Buy had a promotion where if you bought Kingdom Hearts 2, you could also get Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories for $10 on the same receipt. So I took advantage of the deal, and am I ever glad I did. 
Chain of Memories picks right up directly after the events of the original KH. Basically, you are trying to reunite with friends you had been seperated from in the original, but as you progress through the game you gradually lose your memories. The further along you go, the more you forget. Ultimately you and your companions (Wise Donald and Brave Goofy!) are put into a sort of stasis wherein your memories are slowly being restored by a mysterious girl named Namine. Unfortunately, the process takes an entire year to complete. And that is where KH2 picks up.
During the lengthy prologue of KH2, you play not as Sora (the hero of the original epic, and wielder of the Keyblade!), but as Roxas, a character that seems to hold part of Sora within him. Utilizing Roxas, you are taken through a tutorial adventure that familiarizes you with the new game dynamics, as well as new allies and enemies. Basically the prologue serves to bridge the events of Chain of Memories to the new sequel. Ultimately you revive Sora, Donald, and Goofy from their year-long stasis, and the adventure begins anew.
King Mickey himself sets you off on your new adventure, as you still seek to reunite with your long lost friends, and the elusive way home. (On a personal note, there is nothing cooler than watching Mickey in "Jedi" robes kickin' ass with a Keyblade...Goosebumps!) I think that is the main reason why this game has struck a chord with so many people. Not only are you immersed in this world-spanning epic with strange creatures and locations, but you gut to journey through them with the characters that you grew up with as a kid. You get to see a totally different side of them that you never even imagined existed. (Where else could Bambi be a powerful ally?) 
Some worlds from the previous game have been abandoned such as Deep Jungle from Tarzan, Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland, Monstro from Pinocchio, and Neverland from Peter Pan, and replaced by new Disney worlds. And for the first time ever you can travel to worlds and interact with characters based on live-action Disney films. Making their KH debuts are:
Captain Jack Sparrow in Port Royal from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Tron in Space Paranoids from the movie Tron
Timeless River from the movie Steamboat Willie
Mulan and the Land of Dragons from the movie Mulan
Simba and the Pride Lands from The Lion King
Stitch from the movie Lilo and Stitch
And Chicken Little from the movie Chicken Little
If the length of the prologue is any indication (as well as the length of the original game), I'm in for an epic adventure that will last a while. But that is the draw of games like these, the fact that you can immerse yourself fully in these worlds with these characters that you've grown up with. I've got my fingers crossed that there is a third one made, and hopefully that one will see the inclusion of Pixar characters into the mix. What could be cooler than slaggin' aliens alongside Buzz Lightyear, or putting Heartless on ice with Frozone? (And with the arrival of the PS3, it can only get better!) 
No comments:
Post a Comment