I want to line the pieces up . . . yours and mine
This is the fabled Kingdom Hearts II update. Although I was a tad delayed in getting the game, I can safely say it's a gem. From the 10 hours I logged over the weekend--and I think that's almost exact, as I believe I saved it a minute or two past the ten-hour mark--it has met all expectations. I have followed the game closely for over a year, and I can certainly say I'm not disappointed. Yes, some of the dialogue (such as Seifer's "We totally owned you lamers" remark) is chintzy and could have been a bit more polished. Yes, the overly moralistic Disney influence is present. Yes, parts of the storyline seem heavily compressed so as to fit within the larger framework of plot. Yes, it combines Disney and Squaresoft characters. Yet, as before, it all works. Somehow everything checks out, and I truly can't decide if the sparkle comes from the blatant mismatch of elements or from the blatant respect for and attention to the source material for both companies. Simply the fact that so many of the original voices return just for a few lines of dialogue attests to a great appreciation for the joint efforts of Disney and Tetsuya Nomura. At least it does to me at any rate. It may be hard to reconcile first talking to Scrooge McDuck and then immediately to Squall Leonhart--I refuse to call him Leon as per the game--but, regardless, it makes for a wonderful confluence of franchises and their trademark characters.
Disney has gone down the tube in more ways than one over the past decade or so I'd say, but I've never ceased to marvel at the consistent quality of the voicework they assemble for their animated fare. Kingdom Hearts II is helped by the fact many of the actors who contributed to the first game's rock solid cast return for the sequel, but I truly cannot think of any other videogame I've played with as great of voicework as this game has. Haley Joel Osment seems to have kind of fallen off the face of the earth--What was the last movie he made? Secondhand Lions?--but he is terrific as the main character, Sora. Osment has definitely matured over the past few years, and a simple comparison of Sora's voice from the first game to this one is evidence enough for that. His line delivery is superb; from my viewpoint he nails every line and clearly understands the sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle motivations for Sora's expressions. I've been away from theatre for a year, and thus I think I'm a tad rusty critiquing this, but let there be no doubts: the game has a strong lead. Next to Osment are a number of fairly well known actors from all sorts of entertainment venue. Christopher Lee voices the character DiZ and does just as good a job, if not even a little better, than Osment. His commanding, sonorous voice is a treat and easily comes off every bit as threatening and authoritative as that which he used for Saruman in The Lord of the Rings films. I have neither watched nor listened to Jesse McCartney--my sister could probably vouch for him better than I, as she has watched "Summerland"--but I thought he brought notable youthful exuberance and angst to Roxas in the opening vignette. I don't understand why Billy Zane was replaced as Ansem though. Even in the flashbacks from the first game Ansem's voice was changed. Maybe Billy Zane just wasn't available. The other voices, from Ming-Na (Mulan) to Robby Benson (Beast), are outstanding in their own right.
Ack, I'll finish this later. More to come!