So, I'm planning on doing reviews...

[Deathreaper]

Game Reviews. But not just game reviews, game PLOT reviews. I'll be making reviews purely aimed at the plot of games and I decided to take my first shot at Kingdom Hearts II's plot. Now I'll be generally making reviews in 3 10 minute sections about the beginning, middle and end. Showing key scenes and commenting on them as I go through it. I have an unfinished draft of my script. Keep in mind, my grammar is a bit odd here because it's a draft. I will go to fix those later. But what I'm more or less focusing on are my main points I will make in the reviews, in a sort of Confused Matthew-like thing.

So here is the draft for my script and tell me what you think.

http://knightofthecolossus.deviantart.com/#/d2xnhh2

[Prpl_Mage]

Far too much text just like that. I hope you add some scenes and pictures for the actual review. 'Cuz I guess that you're gonna do something like that.

[Deathreaper]

Far too much text just like that. I hope you add some scenes and pictures for the actual review. 'Cuz I guess that you're gonna do something like that.

Well, this will be a video, actually. I'm analysing the plot as I review it. Show scenes, pictures and such as I go through the plot and explain what happens, what's wrong with it and so on

[zuhane]

COOL STUFF, BRUTHA!

[Linkforce]

Sounds like a good idea!  This is for non rgp maker games right?

[Deathreaper]

Sounds like a good idea!  This is for non rgp maker games right?

Well, yeah. THough I could review (rip apart) RPG Maker game plots if someone wanted me to, though >.>

[SaiKar]

I strongly disagree with your review. I thought the beginning of KOH2 was easily the best part of the game (except the time they throw 1000 enemies at you with no restrictions, but that's better for different reasons). The pacing was slow, but it was moody and, I have to say, actually a bit creepy. They reveal so little that you really don't know what's going on, but it's pretty obvious that Roxas isn't just a normal kid enjoying the last few days of summer vacation, and it gets more and more complex without revealing anything major but that there is something just outright wrong with Twilight Town... right up until the point you find Sora. Then Sora and Donald and Goofey wake up and Roxas is gone and it's business-as-freaking-usual, BSing around in Diseny storylines and replaying movies that weren't all that great the first time around since KH1 used a lot of the best movies already, doing a bunch of completely 100% meaningless things until the end of the game's rather ho-hum finale.

I was really interested when they say that the Nobodies were different from the Heartless in the sense that the Heartless were just sort of feral, randomly causing havoc, but the Nobodies were sentient and could scheme and plan. But I never felt they really developed much of this plotline. I never got much of a sense that the Nobodies I were fighting were anything more than random goons. The main guy, I forget his name, had some sort of scheme involving trying to create his own world. Gee, that's not the motive of every RPG villain ever.

Did beat the game since the beginning hooked me so hard, but I felt they really used up a lot of the real creativity in the opening and there wasn't much left for the rest. But admittedly it's all sorta misty by now... played it like 5? years ago.


Oh, BTW, don't do reviews if you're doing them like this. This is more of a plot summary than a review of the game, and a rather nit-picky one at that. It's spoiler-tastic, which isn't good. Now if you want to just start a blog or something about saying random spoilery things about games, then that's cool. Thought about doing something like that myself. But don't call it a review since it's not what a review is.

[Deathreaper]

I strongly disagree with your review. I thought the beginning of KOH2 was easily the best part of the game (except the time they throw 1000 enemies at you with no restrictions, but that's better for different reasons). The pacing was slow, but it was moody and, I have to say, actually a bit creepy. They reveal so little that you really don't know what's going on, but it's pretty obvious that Roxas isn't just a normal kid enjoying the last few days of summer vacation, and it gets more and more complex without revealing anything major but that there is something just outright wrong with Twilight Town... right up until the point you find Sora. Then Sora and Donald and Goofey wake up and Roxas is gone and it's business-as-freaking-usual, BSing around in Diseny storylines and replaying movies that weren't all that great the first time around since KH1 used a lot of the best movies already, doing a bunch of completely 100% meaningless things until the end of the game's rather ho-hum finale.

As for Roxas' beginning, well, it seemed as though they tried to make us feel sorry for him. But the problem is, I can't feel very sorry for him at all, really. I don't know much about Roxas, how he lived and what life was like for him before this reveal was made. I couldn't feel like this beginning or Twilight Town in general was really important. Roxas doesn't really even seem very important in the grand scheme of things concerning Kingdom Hearts II.

Things were even weird after Sora awoken in the town. No one seems to generally react to odd things happening in what one could assume is a relatively normal town.

As for the Disney Worlds thing, I'll bring that up later at some point but I agree. It's pretty much filler that doesn't have anything to do with anything.

I was really interested when they say that the Nobodies were different from the Heartless in the sense that the Heartless were just sort of feral, randomly causing havoc, but the Nobodies were sentient and could scheme and plan. But I never felt they really developed much of this plotline. I never got much of a sense that the Nobodies I were fighting were anything more than random goons. The main guy, I forget his name, had some sort of scheme involving trying to create his own world. Gee, that's not the motive of every RPG villain ever.

Well, as far as that goes... Heartless actually seem alot smarter than what they told us. To say the least, Nobodies seem to be needed to be told something. When fought, they don't use a coordinated effort as much as bounce around and do silly things. As I've said before in my review, they were told to bring back a living, breathing creature... but brought back photos of him. I don't see any sign of higher thinking from heartless. It may even be lower.

Not even the Organization can be seen as doing this. Organization XIII doesn't even know what they're doing. They pretty much hinder their own vague plans with their own actions and decisions. I actually have alot to say on that matter.

Did beat the game since the beginning hooked me so hard, but I felt they really used up a lot of the real creativity in the opening and there wasn't much left for the rest. But admittedly it's all sorta misty by now... played it like 5? years ago.


Oh, BTW, don't do reviews if you're doing them like this. This is more of a plot summary than a review of the game, and a rather nit-picky one at that. It's spoiler-tastic, which isn't good. Now if you want to just start a blog or something about saying random spoilery things about games, then that's cool. Thought about doing something like that myself. But don't call it a review since it's not what a review is.

Actually, you're incorrect there in an aspect. This is sort of both. I'm explaining the plot to the game as I review it. I suppose it could be seen as an analysis, but I'm just doing things in this format since it would be alot easier to go into detail what these problems are. An example would be ConfusedMatthew's reviews. I'm making a video of this, when I get the time. Showing scenes and going along with them as I try my best to explain them with what information the story is giving me. Though it seems kinda long in text, that's probably just 5 minutes of speaking so far. Maybe 4.

As for being Nitpicky... I'm not trying to be. Being as honest as I could, this is what I got from it. I thought Roxas' part was rather... uncommentable. But Sora's part is quite literally and scene for scene one gapping plot hole after the other.

There is a REASON I am choosing to examine and look at this game. Because in my memory, even with the Japanese's AWFUL standards for writing, there isn't a game I've played with such a broken plot. There's one anime in particular that I remember being worse (and somehow popular), but this game's plot is probably the most broken thing I've ever had to witness. There is also a reason for my choice in this format. So I can prove it. Going step by step, letting this thing prove itself will prove my case for me more than anything else. And honestly, without going through the plot in such a manner, I would find it difficult to really comment about the plot of the game as a whole.

[_JeT_]

The pacing was slow, but it was moody and, I have to say, actually a bit creepy. They reveal so little that you really don't know what's going on

I have to say, I felt differently. Creepy? I thought it was more so just boring. The part could have been made a lot shorter and quicker, and nothing would have been any less in the grand scheme of things. Roxas' personality didn't help make anything interesting either. He was always a downer, even when he didn't know of all the messed up stuff. In fact, he always is a downer. I got that KH game on DS, and he was just kind of depressing. Was like...

Axel: Yo, dont be such a downer, live a little

Roxas: *looks down* But... why?

I get he was confused at first, and what not, in 358/2 days, but really. He is a main character in that game, and KH2 (Even though you only play as him to buy a train ticket and hit boxes up hills), he shouldn't be such a depressed punk. Sorry, different game, but I just think anything with Roxas is doomed to be boring or slow.

Anyway, enough of my brainless rambling on Roxas.

Really, I think the biggest problem in KH2 is the Nobodies. They do seem retarded half the time, either failing a mission or prancing around all fancy like (for the regulars. The Organization Nobodies are just there to move the plot along, hardly characters for the most part. They could be replaced with any body. Heck, replace Demyx with Kuwabara, wouldn't detract from the story much in my opinion. And yeah, the emotions thing is kinda messed up, I just think Yen Sid somehow got a mind of his own in the development of the game, got upset he wasn't in the first game nor had a bigger role, so he tried to create a plot hole to mess everything up. So, a wizard did it.

And now I go back to lurking summore. Yayz.

[SaiKar]

There is a REASON I am choosing to examine and look at this game. Because in my memory, even with the Japanese's AWFUL standards for writing, there isn't a game I've played with such a broken plot.

Well, I don't know. Look deeply enough into stuff and you can find all sorts of weird stuff wrong with every game. I mean, Chrono Trigger has like 10 "... wait, what?" moments in the first hour or so. How did Lucca break into the castle to see you - twice - when the guards stop Crono both times, who is an established better fighter?? Why does the odd time paradox with Marle have a big effect on her but all other alterations to the past and the future don't threaten to make characters vanish from time and space? How the HAIL did they get the Dragon Tank up on the bridge outside the jails when it's like 15 feet tall and the door is about 5, plus it's on the 4th floor of a castle?! KH2 didn't strike me as any more wrong than any other game. It's got flaws in its storyline, but they all do.

I have to say, I felt differently. Creepy? I thought it was more so just boring. The part could have been made a lot shorter and quicker, and nothing would have been any less in the grand scheme of things.

The "grand scheme of things" was just traveling to different disney worlds and replaying scenes from movies, so really, might as well just fess up that these games don't have any actual plot. I mean, the different disney worlds are interesting in sort of an odd fanfiction kind of way, kind of like playing Smash Bros with characters from alternate game worlds, but I was really happy for the change of pace that the opening provided. Maybe I wouldn't feel that way if I had to play through all the slowness again now that I know what the deal with the town was, but the first time through it was epic weird stuff.

I don't really know anything about Roxas, or the other KH games besides 1. I just thought it was a very entertaining opening sequence.

[Deathreaper]

Well, I don't know. Look deeply enough into stuff and you can find all sorts of weird stuff wrong with every game. I mean, Chrono Trigger has like 10 "... wait, what?" moments in the first hour or so. How did Lucca break into the castle to see you - twice - when the guards stop Crono both times, who is an established better fighter?? Why does the odd time paradox with Marle have a big effect on her but all other alterations to the past and the future don't threaten to make characters vanish from time and space? How the HAIL did they get the Dragon Tank up on the bridge outside the jails when it's like 15 feet tall and the door is about 5, plus it's on the 4th floor of a castle?! KH2 didn't strike me as any more wrong than any other game. It's got flaws in its storyline, but they all do.

Of course every storyline has flaws, that's unavoidable. There's absolutely no way to avoid plotholes, trying to completely avoid them actually would restrict you in what you're writing. But my problem with KH2 isn't that it has plot holes or flaws. My problem with KH2 is that the story is incoherent, sloppy and broken beyond belief. It quite literally is constructed of one plot hole after another and they require nothing more than a moments thinking and common sense to know. They were given roughly 5 years to write this thing. 5 years.

A writer has to sit down, think of what will happen and then have a script meeting to deliberate on any major flaws with the script. So I'm just baffled at why it's THIS bad. The only way this would have gotten KH2 would have gotten this broken of a story is that they didn't write this. To make things worse, these mistakes were easy to miss. So how people who have gone to college to learn about writing and are being paid to do so made this script is just irritating to think of.

[Prpl_Mage]

I hope you're aware that one man was the character designer, story writer and the director of the game.

And really, most plot holes are vaguely answered in the Ansem files. Although some things doesn't make sense.
Heartless seeks out hearts, take hearts and new heartless are born. And apparently the heartless are born in The end of the world - world.
Nobodies are the bodies left behind when a strong heart is taken by the heartless. Just like the heartless - a strong heart might regain it's original form. And they are born in the world that never was.
The Ansem files also mentions that heartless are easily manipulated to do ones bidding but they might as well turn on the dark heart that uses them.
But a stronger heartless would be able to control the lesser ones. That's pretty much why the Heartless Ansem was created.

And then some more rambling from my part if I continue.

[Deathreaper]

I hope you're aware that one man was the character designer, story writer and the director of the game.

As far as that goes, he was the base story writer, which he is credited to. That means that he put a base down for others to look at and fill in the holes, basically. Even if he wasn't he had roughly 5 years to really think this through and he didn't do so properly.

He's also not the only one to take such a job as a writer, director and designer of a game or movie. There are others who do a way better job than he has been doing.

And really, most plot holes are vaguely answered in the Ansem files. Although some things doesn't make sense.
Heartless seeks out hearts, take hearts and new heartless are born. And apparently the heartless are born in The end of the world - world.
Nobodies are the bodies left behind when a strong heart is taken by the heartless. Just like the heartless - a strong heart might regain it's original form. And they are born in the world that never was.
The Ansem files also mentions that heartless are easily manipulated to do ones bidding but they might as well turn on the dark heart that uses them.
But a stronger heartless would be able to control the lesser ones. That's pretty much why the Heartless Ansem was created.

And then some more rambling from my part if I continue.

I have read the Ansem Reports and all of that jazz. There's still more plot holes in it than there are holes in swiss cheese. I'm fully aware of their creation, that isn't a problem unless the subject of Namine and Kairi come in. Quite honestly, that pretty much never had the chance to make any sort of sense what-so-ever. If you'd like for me to go into detail about why that isn't even consistent with what the game has told us, I'd be happy to.

As for Heartless... they're rather strange to say the least. Xehanort's Heartless is probably the only heartless to be shown to have any level of human intelligence and thinking. What I find interesting is, there seems to be not so hostile heartless, like those in the Mushroom Heartless family can be. Though it's not really all that important, I've always been curious as to why those heartless in particular don't seem to be doing anything wrong.

Though, as far as Nobodies go... with the exception of the members of Organization XIII, they don't seem to function any differently than the heartless do. The Nobodies seem far more dependent on orders, actually. They're always being told what to do instead of doing it themselves. Heartless tend to act on their own and Nobodies seem to listen to Organization XIII as far as we have been shown in KH2 or Days. But they can't even get that part right. Even Ansem said that they were stupid when they collected photos in place of a living being.

[SaiKar]

I think you all take a game series that is a thinly veiled attempt for Diseny to try to be "cool" again a littttttle too seriously.

[Deathreaper]

I think you all take a game series that is a thinly veiled attempt for Diseny to try to be "cool" again a littttttle too seriously.

Well, I don't think slapping "Disney" to it really makes it any difference. If it had Disney in it or not, it wouldn't change the fact that the story is actually pretty broken nor who it was targeted at, really (Kids, teens, young adults). It has many fans to this day of many ages. Hell, nerds who are way into it than I am.

Though, I'm not taking this seriously because it's KH. I'm just taking this seriously because I am a(n aspiring) writer. Even the most basic kids shows and movies need to be relatively consistent. But that isn't here. That's just my general problem with the story, I've just never seen a story that blatantly lies and contradicts itself this much before.

As a writer, I look at other works of fiction, find out what they did right or wrong. I do it with TV shows, games, movies, etc. That's the point of having it reviewed this way, it's more or less having a(n aspiring) writer critiquing another writers work.