Gasp! KH2 Gets a Mere 7.7?!
IGN: Kingdom Hearts II Review
A lot of people are upset over IGN's review of Kingdom Hearts 2, especially when compared to other reviews. I will reserve judgement til I play it.
The problem with Kingdom Hearts is this:
Would anyone have even given the game a second thought if there wasn't anything Disney or Final Fantasy related there. If it was the same concept (different worlds with their barriers destoryed succumbing to an approaching darkness), the same combat system, and same production values, would it have sold 5 million worldwide? Probably not. This is a game that knows its strength lies in its licenses. I found combat in the first game to be exceedingly boring, the camera problematic, the playforming clunky, and the interface cumbersome. Despite all this, I played it, beat it, and enjoyed it. The setting, characters, and story are able to compensate. Now I haven't played the sequel (yet), but if the gameplay is not vastly improved over the first, that is a problem. And you cannot say nothing innovative and bar raising has not come out in the last four years (yes it's been that long). Why not draw from elements of God of War for combat? If you insist on platforming, how about smoother controls akin to Prince of Persia? You don't have to blatantly rip off these games, but you need to strive to be as good as or better. That's the point of evolution in the industry. Now all that said, I look forward to when my brother beats the game and I inherit his copy (presumably when I'm about done with Oblivion).
A lot of people are upset over IGN's review of Kingdom Hearts 2, especially when compared to other reviews. I will reserve judgement til I play it.
The problem with Kingdom Hearts is this:
Would anyone have even given the game a second thought if there wasn't anything Disney or Final Fantasy related there. If it was the same concept (different worlds with their barriers destoryed succumbing to an approaching darkness), the same combat system, and same production values, would it have sold 5 million worldwide? Probably not. This is a game that knows its strength lies in its licenses. I found combat in the first game to be exceedingly boring, the camera problematic, the playforming clunky, and the interface cumbersome. Despite all this, I played it, beat it, and enjoyed it. The setting, characters, and story are able to compensate. Now I haven't played the sequel (yet), but if the gameplay is not vastly improved over the first, that is a problem. And you cannot say nothing innovative and bar raising has not come out in the last four years (yes it's been that long). Why not draw from elements of God of War for combat? If you insist on platforming, how about smoother controls akin to Prince of Persia? You don't have to blatantly rip off these games, but you need to strive to be as good as or better. That's the point of evolution in the industry. Now all that said, I look forward to when my brother beats the game and I inherit his copy (presumably when I'm about done with Oblivion).
