Kingdom Hearts II review

A duck with a wand, a dog with a shield, and a story that might have you holding back tears ... they did it again

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You don't care that combat is often such a manic, camera-swerving lightshow that you literally can't see yourself. Becauseduring the moments in which you can see, you can do things like jump on the back of a cyborg T-rex, ride him like a bull until he swan-dives headlong into the ground, then bludgeon his still-fighting-but-now-headless body to death with a giant key.

You don't care that, as the fabric of the universe is shredding all around you, you're taking time off to sing rhythm-action tunes with a mermaid or yank a honey pot off Pooh-bear's head, because it's just so damn earnest and fun. You don't care that actress Mena Suvari sounds all wrong as the voice of Final Fantasy VII's lovely Aerith, because her game-mate Tifa is a total hottie.

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GenreRole Playing
DescriptionIt's back: that mystical merger of Disney characters, Final Fantasy cameos and Action RPG combat against sub-human agents of nothingness. Weird? Oh, yeah. But also wonderful.
Platform"PS2"
US censor rating"Everyone 10+"
UK censor rating"Rating Pending"
Alternative names"Kingdom Hearts 2","KH 2","KH II",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.
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