#kh2 critical

[rednether]

KH2 Sora is and always will be amongst the two worst versions of the character.

He's an edgy angry yet smug jackass who thinks he's better than everyone, he insults and mocks everyone even his allies and if not he just ignores them.

[intotheventures]

I have a lot of disagreements but I agree with him on a few key points. Kairi in KH3 isn’t even that bad! These people waited MONTHS to shit on KH3 for “muh soggy knees”, where is their article on KH2? That game is miles more sexist than KH3 could have ever hoped to be, yet they don’t bitch about it nearly as much as they do KH3. Kairi did deserve better than what she got but the same could be said for how she was treated in KH2. Namine in KH2 was a plot device as much as she was in KH3 too, and Olette (also in KH2) only served as an extra character slot. 

These people are just hypocrites........

[intotheventures]

Fandom: Kairi was so great in KH2!

*Curb your enthusiasm theme plays as she gets kidnapped twice and the camera zooms in to her panties* KH2 Manga Kairi was pretty decent though.

[intotheventures]

Epic Mickey 2 was a better sequel than KH2.

The Power of Two had a lot of flaws, but it was nowhere near as bad as KH2.

[intotheventures]

KH1 Kairi > KH3 Kairi >>>>>> KH2 Kairi

KH2 Kairi was absolutely the worst, got kidnapped MULTIPLE times and was used for fanservice to top it off.

[intotheventures]

KH2 is fanfiction (Revision + Addendum)

A response to khtrinityftw (BTW the REAL trinity is Birth By Sleep + 1 + Chain of Memories).

It contains:

- Yaoi bait: Yeah, there’s a difference between male relationships that fangirls seize on for yaoi shipping and relationships that are actively being written in a way that baits them. Sora/Riku and Axel/Roxas in KH2 was not in any way intentionally written to deliberately draw these fangirls in, Nomura didn’t even verbally acknowledge that he was aware of KH fangirls’ existence until after KH2 was already made. If you compare Sora and Riku’s dynamic in KH2 to their dynamic in 3D, there’s a very vivid difference. One is natural, and the other is true “yaoi bait”.

What is natural about Sora falling to his knees for Riku? Nothing. What did the added AkuRoku scenes in Final Mix add to the story? Nothing. Also “he made me feel like I had a heart” is cringy. 

- Shallow “badass” presentation: This is one of the terms this loser has NEVER defined, nor why it’s so bad, nor how the other games in the series beyond that he will defend at every turn in his never-ending quest to scream into the wind that KH2 is the devil are any better despite having even more blatant “badass” presentations.

Have you looked at a single reaction command? Sora chopping a building in half isn’t a shallow “badass” presentation? It’s all style, no substance, it’s more blatant than anything in any other KH game.

- Flanderized characters plus emo MC (Roxas): Again, no examples of how characters are Flanderized, nor anything backing up his repeated claims of how Roxas, a character with a very legitimate grievance to suffer angst over, is “emo”.

Sora became more idiotic (he wasn’t this dumb in DDD, contrary to popular belief, he was just blissfully unaware and let his guard down) and hostile, constantly taunting and insulting his opponents for little to no reason (contrary to popular belief, he was not like this in the other games), Kairi became a shallow love interest (was better in the manga though but not like she was in KH1′s game, unfortunately), Riku was more sullen, Namine only appeared for brief scenes and had little personality, and Roxas’ angst was really overdone. 

- Gary-Stu MC (Sora): No examples of how he’s a Gary-Stu, or if he is then how he isn’t one in the other games.

Too often he just magically solved the problems of various Disney characters, like Simba. He’s not a Gary-Stu in DDD because he ended up failing the exam after Xehanort rigged it, and his idiocy cost him greater than in KH2.

- Rushed pacing: No clarifications at to what he means and how it’s rushed (if anything, I’d say the pace can be too slow at points), or why he obsessively tries to tear down KH2 to prop up games with unquestionably worse pacing (like KH3, the game whose story barely has anything progressing in the beginning and middle, just the end.)

KH3 connects all of the worlds and is better at not having filler. A lot of things are just brought up and either resolved too quickly (like the “I can’t use the Keyblade!” scene or just dropped (”While you're there, the nature of that world may tempt you to do something dark. You must resist that temptation at all costs!”).

- A large cast, yet 90% of it is the Sora show: So 90% of the game is about the main character you play as for literally 90% of it!? No shit, Sherlock! And once again, failure to define how this sets KH2 apart from every other game where Sora is the main character.

None of the rest of the cast really contribute anything, most are just plot devices to pad out the character count. Kairi didn’t do anything better than she did in 1, Riku’s screentime was mostly spent lamenting about his very existence, HPO did nothing anyone else couldn’t have done, same with Namine, their roles are mostly interchangeable and obligatory. Plus KH2 had a much larger cast of OCs than KH1 + CoM so it's a much more glaring flaw.

Forgot to add a few more:

- Submit your own character: The Organization, as well as Hayner, Pence and Olette.

- Sex scene: Obviously none, but Kairi’s panties are close enough. In no other game was she used for fanservice/sex appeal.

- Dialogue that is either cringe or OOC: There is so much of this I don’t know where to begin.

“That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers!” (This sounded outdated in 2006) “Sorry, “Mommy”, your poopsies are toast!” (Cringe) “Hmph, maybe you should have kept some to yourself.” (This maybe fits Riku, but NOT Sora!) “You gonna cry?!” (OOC, and doesn’t make sense in context. Frustrated Jacob even made fun of this line.) ”I guess you think you can psych me out by saying really random stuff!” (Like the above, FJ made fun of it.) “Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkies did all the fighting!” (WTF)

"[Maleficent]’s toast.” (Cringe, doesn’t sound cool in the least.) “Lowlife.” (OOC) “I bet you can’t even fight!” (OOC, just sounds like a prick) “Just give it a rest! You're Nobodies! You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything!” (He says this after meeting Axel, Roxas, and Namine. Plot hole + OOC) “Then stop moping and DO something!” (later) “Why stick around if he’s not even gonna try?” (later) “C’mon, Goofy.” (This is too OOC to be Sora.)

It also has elements of a songfic (KH2 Atlantica).

[intotheventures]

Sora Dialogue Comparison: 1 & CoM vs. KH2

A lot of people think that I didn’t like Sora’s dialogue in KH2 because I “want sora to be a pure positive soul that’s perfect to everyone”, because I’m “oversensitive”, and other crap like that. None of that is true! Here are a few comparisons, so you can see how OOC he truly was in KH2, and how KH1 and CoM managed to display negative emotions without making him OOC.

Sora, to Leon (KH1): What’s that supposed to mean? (Said in response to “Why would it choose a kid like you?”. Warranted.) Sora, to Sephiroth (KH2): So what if I am? (Said in response to “...and you must be its chosen wielder.” Sora’s line isn’t bad on its own, but it’s a bit too extreme as a response to what Sephiroth said.)

Sora was never one to be so rude to just anyone who opposes him, as was the case in KH2.

Sora, to Leon (KH1): What? There’s no way you’re getting this! Sora, to Sephiroth (KH2): How’d you like that?

Sora was never one to taunt his opponents the way he did in KH2.

Sora, to Larxene (CoM): Wait, Larxene! Where are you? Don't you dare hide from me! Show yourself! (After all the crap Larxene just put him through, it’s more than justified.) Sora, to Xigbar (KH2): Ha! Tough talk for someone who stood on the sidelines while his Nobody flunkeys did the fighting! (later) You gonna cry? (later) I guess you think you can psyche me out by saying really random stuff! (All Xigbar did was just taunt him a little and stand in his way. WAY too extreme.)

Sora was never one to get so pissed off so easily like he did in KH2.

Sora, to Riku (KH1): You’re stupid. Sooner or later they’ll swallow your heart. (Said about his friend siding with the villains. “Stupid” was almost too kind for how Riku was acting.) Sora, to Beast (KH2):  Hmph, maybe you should have kept some to yourself. (Said in response to Beast feeling down about the rose. This is not something Sora would have ever said to him, or anyone.)

Sora was never one to act so self-righteous or berate someone who was feeling so down, which is what happened in KH2.

Sora, to Repliku (CoM): Hey, Riku...  Mind if I jog your memory? (Said about “Riku” shrugging off their old friends.) Sora, to Barbossa’s crew: Aw, we only get to stomp on a few of you? (This came out of nowhere.)

Sora was never one to talk about “kicking butt” or anything like that, he’s not Sonic the Hedgehog, this is one of many ways his characterization was warped in KH2.

Sora, to Jafar (KH1): Okay, Jafar! Back to your lamp! (Self-explanatory) Sora, to Jafar (KH2): Don’t mess with street rats! (Said after Jafar gets defeated and spouts “No... How could I be defeated again, by a filthy pack of street rats?”. This is really stupid, and “street rat” doesn’t describe Sora, Donald, or Goofy.)

Sora was never one to spout out these cheesy one-liners after battle, but they made him do just that in KH2.

Sora, to Vexen (CoM): YOUR Riku? You're so full of it! YOU'RE the one who changed Riku, aren't you? Every word you've said is a lie! I'd never throw away my heart! I'm gonna take you down and save Riku and Naminé. THAT's what's in my heart! (Completely appropriate for the situation, as Vexen insulted him and referred to Riku as “his”, as if Riku was his play toy.) Sora, to Demyx (KH2): Didn't we catch you messing around in the Underworld? How'd a wimp like you get into Organization XIII? (He just insults Demyx for no reason.)

Sora was never one to insult his opponents unprovoked.

I could go on, but I think you get my point.

[intotheventures]

One felt organic and added to the story, the other was just convoluted plot point on top of convoluted plot point, in a story that already didn't need more of this crap.