I talked too soon

[taotrooper]

Because Larg is unstable. It still freezes or reboots sometimes. Right now I'm chilling in Safe Mode, where I have some guarantee it's not going to kick my ass while I type this... I hope. But it's still mostly usable.

Regarding Soel, two shops have shrugged when I showed them the adapter cable. It seems the connecting part you plug on the laptop is so rare, there's no easy way to substitute it. Well, splendid. My uncle is taking it to the shop the people at PC City pointed me at. Let's hope there's a way to solve this, or I'm sort of losing my laptop and all the manga/video/images/music I had in it.

So I beat the game... in beginner's mode, the Journal incomplete, some minigames not done. And the previous two games, I'm stuck and I had to watch the endings in youtube. B-but still!

Like I said in a previous post, KH2 is ridiculously easy compared to the other games in the series. But see, I like it that way. The reason why I could finish it is because it never wasted my patience. Why yes, I *am* that cheap. Nonetheless, playing it was a nice experience. Sure, it ain't Okami or Ocarina of Time, but it just hits all my nostalgia buttons and takes me back to my childhood in which I didn't know what a Mary Sue was, but imagined me and my imaginary friends were minor characters in Disney movies while I listened to the OSTs. So I enjoyed it.

My favorite one in the "trinity" is still Donald. Because really, guys, it's a duck and a wizard and Donald Duck ♥ It just can't be more awesome than that! But Goofy is so much love; I really like his characterization in the games, and how he's actually smart for some things. I didn't like Sora in the few worlds I could play from the first game, but he warmed up to me in the sequel. Probably he really grew up, or his cheerful yet main-character-of-shounen-manga-ish attitude is contagious.

As much as "woe is me! I'm a worthless piece of scum and I refuse your help or love" kind of characters annoy me, I'm really fond of Riku. Maybe because he didn't appear much to rub it on my face, or because all the angstastic Darkness shit he went through was to help others in a good way, and you gotta respect the balls he had. Kairi is really cute; like Sora, I stopped disliking her in this game. Too bad she didn't get to fight? In some other Squeenix game, she would've been a nice white mage. Mickey is great, but the bitch should've helped me more *pouts*. I still liked his backstory and friendship with Ansem, though.

Speaking of which, am I insane and totally predictable for thinking the most interesting character, plot-wise, was Ansem the Wise? I couldn't bring myself to give a shit about anyone on the Organization XIII (except for Roxas, and Naminé even though she's not a member). Of course, this game only presents you half of them, so I gotta end CoM to have a real opinion on the ones who were dead already. Nonetheless, the idea of human!Xenohart and the other disciples intrigues me. It has great potential for precanon fanfiction to fill the holes. (Which of course must mean nobody wrote it, according to my experience -___- I really want to read fics with Ansem now. Too bad laurus_nobilis isn't a gamer, because that means I'll have to write the 'Ansem and Clow discussing unpredictability of hearts' crossover plotbunny by myself ;_;)

So yeah, I altready mentioned I liked Roxas more than I expected, although I liked his Twilight Town self more than his previous OrgXIII personality. I loved the Twilight Town kids because they felt realistic. I wish I had friends like Hayner, Pence, and Olette; I really do. I liked Naminé, but there wasn't enough of her. I guess I'll have to retake CoM to have MOAR. I don't understand what's the big deal with Axel and why fandom loves him so much, but eh.

I love the Hollow Bastion people so much. I still have a ridiculous crush on Leon... Hell, no, I think it got worse <3 But I like the whole group: Aerith and her strong-willed cuteness, Cid and his grumpiness, Yuffie and her genkiness. Which is funny, since I'm sure that I wouldn't give a damn about their FF versions. I feel like when in Tsubasa I think some alter versions to be better? It's like that, really. But the restauration comitee is awesome, and if liking them over the Final Fantasy originals is wrong then I don't want to be right.

What else...? Pairings. I mentioned once that Leon/Aerith was my OTP. And it still is! I mean, Cloud can come too if he STFU about darkness and Sephiroth, but right now I'm not missing him at all. I just like Aerith way better with Leon.

...And the ending kind of sold me Sora/Riku D: WTF WTF WTF. This is like the first time I'm liking main character/obvious slash choice, and I'm so shocked! No, really, it doesn't feel like me. But the whole scene at the beach in darkness was just so... lovely? I dunno! WTFF!

Comments

TL;DR discussion timez.

[sammywhatammy]

I actually found this game to be harder in a lot of ways. Not in actual gameplay...killing enemies was redonk, except some of the bosses...but they upped the price of items, so I'm never able to afford armor and accessories because I'm too worried about being apply to re-supply on Potions and Ethers. Also, the worlds were a CHORE to get through. The Disney characters were horribly OOC and angsty, which was painful to listen to even if they WEREN'T beloved characters from my childhood. And it was just running back and forth and ORB-COLLECTING and infuriating hard bosses. It wasn't FUN to play. When I was first playing and came out of Hollow Bastion only to find I had to play every world over, I wanted to shoot myself.
Donald was GREAT in this game. I love how they brought out more of his original, awful personality that they previously tried sweeping under the carpet: his greed and his selfishness. I LOVE IT. And Goofy's always cute, but the...death thing was so dumb. It could have been better if handled differently? I dunno. It was just...OH NOES GOOFY D8 *run off and kill Heartless* HAI GAIZ 8D I dunno.
I've always liked Sora, but I LOVE him in this game. He became a flat, judgemental little twit...but he's ridiculously adorable so I forgive him. Riku got on my nerves with all that angst...and Kairi could've been a good character. But she's out of sight most of both games...and she comes off pretty bratty, though that might be how she's voiced. Namine's so cute, especially in CoM where she has more screen time. TT!Roxas is SO CUTE. The whole gang is. I think that's why the intro is so strong and heartbreaking. The game kinda falls apart after that, for me.
The Hollow Bastion crew is awesome. But I'm still so upset that they changed Aeris' voice, because the new one is absolutely TERRIBLE. Cloud is also disgustingly angsty, which makes me angry because he really wasn't, in FFVII. He was a JERK, and he was quiet and difficult to understand, but he wasn't angsty. I don't know how fandom turned him into that, and I don't know why Squeenix listened. But it pisses me off.
Y'know? I was sold on the typical Axel/Roxas and Sora/Riku pairings too, after I finished the game. But now that I've stepped back, both are really gone for me. I like them as friends. I think the fanservice was successful that way... I dunno. I LOVE the reunion, and it works platonically, but all anyone sees is BUTTSEX POTENTIAL, and I kinda hate Nomura for it. (...Actually, I kinda hate him for what he did to 2 in general, but.)
The thing is, this game was such a huge disappointment for me, because for the most part it was just throwing together action sequences, fun sequences, and fanservice, and not a really structured or even half-decent plot. The worlds were butchered in ways that didn't make sense, the Nobodies were just something new as a perk, Orgy XIII felt like more fanservice...
I dunno. It's just...this game could have been amazing. But the plot never took any one direction, it was a muddled mess. This game didn't fit in with the first, and none of the questions from the first were answered. It felt like two completely different games, and while that's been successful before in a series (such as the transition between Jak & Daxter and Jak II), this is a case where, I think, it DIDN'T work. It took me a while to sit down and think about this, because for a while after its release, I was blinded by the COOL and the PRETTY and the BUTTSEX POTENTIAL.
I think the problem was the writers spent all their time in CoM - which was a brilliantly written game with an intricate, engaging and intelligent plot - and then they were like "...crap. We still haven't written 2. And now we have all this shit that has to make sense now. WHADOWEDO."

And yet. I can't hate this game. Because I love the main cast too much, and the reunion was heartbreaking :[

[telrunya.livejournal.com]

Ansem the Wise is probably one of my favorite characters and I don't read much KH fanfiction but there might be some fics of him? That plotbunny is awesome and I completely agree with you.

Woah. I didn't expect you to like Sora/Riku! I mean, it's a surprise. I. But yeah, that scene made me love them more and actually, I fell in love with the pairing because of it. I think the fact that Riku not appeared much in the second game is what make his whole plotline more interesting and less full of cheap angst? He is my favorite character, but I like how they never abused of his angst all that much and that's why I got to love him more.

Yeees, I also like Leon/Aerith, I find them extremely cute.

Mickey and Ansem is like an OTP for me, in a way. But I love them in the platonic sense and more like friends than anything else. I shit Mickey/Riku. I'M NOT ASHAMED.

[paper-seagulls.livejournal.com]

I remember the game as being horribly unbalanced. One boss battle I recall just running the hell around trying to stay alive after most of the game was cake walk. (Beast's castle maybe? Can't remember.) Also, the magic system was broken, and the disney worlds seemed even less important than ever.

I could look past all that, except the ending gave me the creeps! Maybe I missed the point, but all the antagonists were attempting to do at the end was exist... The 'good guys' were so caught up in their own angst that they barely batted an eye as they murdered a bunch of people rather than attempt to save their souls. (Oh yeah, and all the sudden Sora is in love with Riku. (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=209)) No contemplation or realization at the end of what they might have done. Not to mention Roxas and Namine, who were more interesting than their other halfs. Grrrr. Yeah, the scientists brought it upon themselves, but still that's just freaky! Kingdom Hearts 2 made me no longer care about the series.

The only redeeming parts are the fact that they made Squall likeable and interesting, and Donald as a black mage rules.