Facebook – Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games: 16

16: Kingdom Heart II (PS2)
Developer: Square Enix
Year: 2005

Some of you will need to be immediately reminded of the fact that this series is called “Top 100 FAVORITE Video Games” – with “favorite” in all caps for a reason; these games aren’t necessarily posted in an order showcasing which games are better, but more like which games I love the most, have the most connection to, or are the most important to me. In that respect, Kingdom Hearts 2 easily earns its place in the top 20 by being one of the most anticipated games I’ve ever played that completely lived up to my expectations.

While the first game was my very first title on Playstation 2, Kingdom Hearts 2 is likely the most important of all the purchases, or – more accurately – the one which I value the most. It came to me in a stupid and strange time of my life: my Wal-Mart adventure. Yeah, yeah, for those of you who don’t know, just Google my name and you’ll see it all. That happened before, during, and after the release of KH2. So, during a time that saw me doing school work, trying to maintain a relationship, and balancing that all out with 5-seconds of fame, only one thing calmed me 100%, and that was this game.

I loved the first game a ton (its featured on this list, even) and its one of the reasons I bought a Playstation 2 in the first place. So I craved more of the game. Chain of Memories, while a cute and fun little diversion, left only further desire for a full fledged game to flesh out the ideas of the wider KH universe. I scoured webpages, looked in every magazine, and visited just about every forum I could to glean any new info on the game off of those that already had it. I wanted the game so bad that, actually – and I’m sad to admit this, despite the fact that I am going to admit it – I cried during the opening cinema because of the song and the animation. I know, I know… pathetic. But, keep in mind, I was really tired and stressed out, so any glimpse of beauty was all it took.

Everything fun about the first game was even better, too, and not just the cinema quality. Button mashing was improved, the fucking awful gummi ship levels had been replaced entirely, and even the time spent swimming around was replaced with optional miniquests that one only needed to complete in order to get the secret ending (more on that in a few). And, best of all, the narrative took no damages in presentation, actually presenting a better told story throughout. To say the few-year-wait was worth it all was an understatement.

I remember beating the game one night at my at-the-time girlfriends place. She was tired as hell and falling asleep, I was sitting there mashing buttons for the final few blows to Xemnas’ final form. When it was all over, she said something like “congrats on beating your game”, clearly happy that I’d finished it. And, while turning the thing off, I said something along the lines of “Oh, I haven’t finished it yet.” Few games have demanded I complete them 100%. In the day and age of Achievements and Trophies, things that make players go back and forth, I really don’t spend that much time collecting everything after I finish the game, once. But Kingdom Hearts 2, a game in a series known for providing “secret movies” to those that complete the game entirely, claimed my soul for 70ish hours. Collecting every piece for weapon synthesis, getting every hard-to-reach treasure chest, and beating every secret boss – sometimes within crazy time limits, even! – was a necessity. Could I have just scoped out the vid on YouTube? Yeah, duh. But it was an accomplishment I wanted to see through, for myself. And it was worth it.

All in all, the Kingdom Hearts series offers up good, old fashioned action adventure with quality RPG elements and baseline customization of your party. The new worlds in 2 were a treat (with Tron, pictured below, being the standout) and even the music was a blast. Some may hate these games, and that’s fair; Square and Disney shouldn’t have made an excellent pair, but somehow they did… for me. Should KH3 be announced as a PS3 exclusive, I’ll immediately buy a PS3. That’s silly, I know, especially since tomorrow’s game (#15, seriously?! Time flies…) is another Playstation exclusive that I swore I’d follow but have so far failed to do, but its true. Insult the franchise all you want; I love it.

Classic Moment:
Sephiroth shows up in the first game, and he shows up in this one, too, showcasing all new moves and a fuck-ton of instant kill attacks. But his fight isn’t as much fun as the Final Fantasy brawl against Tifa, Yuffie, Leon, and Cloud… at the same time! Round 49 of the Hades Paradox Cup is a monster to finish (and you have to do it within limits to get that secret ending! Again, I wasted just as much time getting a 100% complete game as I did beating it, once) and not even the final battle! Each character is a fucker, with some of them helping and healing each other. Figuring out who to beat up first is tough, and its even more difficult getting one alone long enough to kill before Cloud flies around and starts swinging that giant sword of his. Best battle in the whole damn series.

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Added April 6, 2017
I have the HD collection on PS4 and the thought of trying to complete that final challenge in the Hades Paradox Cup is just a murderous concept that makes me sick thinking about it.
Hope KH3 has those Cups because while they are daunting and horrifying to think about, I loved every minute of them back in the day.