David Boreanaz

‘Kingdom’ full of heart By Sean Ludwig, Arts And Entertainment Editor. Posted April 07, 2006. Courtesy of Square Enix “Kingdom Hearts II” teaches gamers yet again that just because a game is full of Disney characters, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously. Don’t be surprised if this ends up being one of the bestselling games of the year.

The idea behind 2002’s “Kingdom Hearts” on the Playstation 2 was absurd. Whoever thought a stylized action/role-playing game that featured a bunch of Disney characters and worlds must’ve been either a genius or taking some kind of hallucinogenic. Not only would the game feature a main character traveling to locales featured in “Aladdin,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Winnie the Pooh,” but it also would feature cameos by well-known “Final Fantasy” characters.

Every Disney game before “Kingdom Hearts” wasn’t treated with seriousness because it was usually just a cash-in for a movie instead of an original creation. But after the release of “Kingdom Hearts,” it eventually sold more than 5 million copies worldwide and garnered the respect of many in the gaming community, which is no small feat.

Now we have the original’s inevitable sequel, “Kingdom Hearts II,” which takes the premise of the first game and overhauls it to be even more accessible, feature more worlds and push even better graphics out of the PS2.

The story continues from the previous game. You play as Sora (voiced by Haley Joel Osment), who was chosen by a mysterious force to wield the Keyblade, the only weapon that can kill the Heartless, which are enemies created by the darkness in people’s hearts. Sora travels alongside Donald Duck and Goofy as he goes world to world, solving problems and defeating foes.

It all sounds kind of hokey at first, but after playing some of the first game, in which you get the opportunity to beat down the likes of Ursula and Captain Hook, it becomes a fun, nostalgic experience.

Tetsuya Nomura, the game’s director, made sure to tweak the battle system so it wasn’t as repetitive as the first game; in that game, you just had to hit the X button repeatedly and use an occasional magic spell. Now, users get to utilize Reaction Commands, in which you hit the triangle button at just the right time during a fight to perform a special move. The feature is a double-edged sword that makes battles easier, but it also makes the gameplay more varied.

Nomura also brought in some excellent voice talents for the game. If you listen closely, you can hear Christopher Lee, Rachel Leigh Cook and David Boreanaz.

“Kingdom Hearts II” has only been out for about two weeks, and the biggest complaint many gamers have is that the game is too easy.

If one sets the difficulty at the beginning to the hardest setting, then the problem is fixed. Still, this is the type of game that should be a little easier to make it more accessible to younger and casual gamers.

Overall, “Kingdom Hearts II” should entice anyone between the ages of 7 and 25 that has seen a few Disney movies. The skeptics out there should give the game a try because it is much more than kiddie fodder - it is one of the best action-RPGs ever released on the PS2.