I know that the Lingering Will isn't his heart. It's his mind. Why did Terranort reform into Master Xehanort instead of Terranort?
Recognizability, for the most part. I'm sure Terranort will show up in KH3.
That was one thing that really bugged me about the story of Dream Drop Distance. Storywise, I do not understand why it wasn't Terranort who returned. I get what you mean by "recognizability" or whatever, but just based on the story, he shouldn't have returned as Master Xehanort, imo. I don't even know where Terra's body is now.
Kind of undermines half the plot of birth by sleep if he's just gonna come back as an old man, right? For the sake of the plot, I'm assuming that he returned as Master Xehanort because Xehanort's heart has completely absorbed Terra's body, so he gets a few more youth years tacked on but he took on his original appearance, kind of like how Ansem Seeker of Darkness formed his original appearance around Riku's body while the rest of Riku was in the Realm of Darkness.
I've always treated Terranort like the Lich King. Arthas was the Lich King's body but he had two minds controlling him, and Arthas eventually assumed control over the other mind and tossed out his heart.
I know that the Lingering Will isn't his heart. It's his mind. Why did Terranort reform into Master Xehanort instead of Terranort?
It was never explicitly stated that MX who showed up was the one that returned presently.
If Terra is still fighting for control then Terranort is out there running amok in present time
I think what Duckroll talked about in the MC thread is true and worrying. After KH3 the series needs a semi-reboot to cut as many ties to the "Xehanort-Saga" as possible and start a truly fresh story even if Sora is still the main character. The original audience that jumped in in the KH-KH2 era is getting quite old and outside of hardcores are probably dropping or already dropped the interest in the plot if not the games (I have noticed quite a few of people in different forums/friends interested in KH3 while not playing the post KH2 games luckily). Gettin into the series probably seems really intimidating while a series like FF you can pretty much jump in at any time. I have talked about the possibility of 2 separate storylines if they want to continue making handheld games after KH3 making the handheld and console games more separate. At any rate I think SE/Disney need to be very careful about how they are going to go foreward after KH3. The series needs to be able to pull in as many new fans as possible to stay relevant and especially with Disney side of things they might be quite a bit younger than you could expect them to go back to the older games unless they are crazy about HD collections and whatnot.Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KHays which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.
Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KHays which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.
Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
Guybrush Threepwood in KH3. Yay or Nay?
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos. Trying to explain certain things in relation to the other games is borderline impossible without falling into some plot hole because the game tried to progress and expand the story just for the sake of it. Compare this to KHays which was a natural, and compelling way to expand the series.
Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
Hyperbole much?
Days was pretty bad dude.
Dream Drop Distance is also pretty bad in a lot of ways, but I don't think we should count our chickens before they hatch. The game's 100% about setup for the next game moreso than telling its own standalone story, so you really can't make a verdict about that until KH3 comes out, I feel.
How was days bad from a story perspective?
It is about sad people constantly eating ice cream and accomplishing nothing of note. Also, "from a story perspective" isn't some sort of default qualifier you can throw in there. It's a horrendous, poorly made game.
It is about sad people constantly eating ice cream and accomplishing nothing of note. Also, "from a story perspective" isn't some sort of default qualifier you can throw in there. It's a horrendous, poorly made game.
Where is the hyperbole?
Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance did irreparable damage to the Kingdom Hearts mythos.
Nothing chronologically before Kingdom Hearts or After KH2 should be considered canon.
Do you fundamentally not understand the concept of hyperbole?
I understand hyperbole. You did not even address the points I made supporting my statement.
In regards to what I marked in spoilers, that's just my opinion. I came to that thought because I believe that KH2 was originally intended to be the conclusion of the story arc that began in KH1.
- Dual Weilding is explained
- Sora's connection to Ventus is hinted at
It has great cutscene renders, impressive graphics considering the hardware, and also a decent frame rate.
great voice acting
Some people also complain about the game's structure. I would with them as far as the occasionally repetitious and tedious missions goes, but there is another side (another story) to this. As a portable game, Days was inherently meant to be played in spurts and on the go. You're supposed to pace yourself, and not approach it as you would a main title. This is why the game is mission based, and doesn't have you going on long quests. You're supposed to be able to take out your DS on the train or in the car and play a mission or two in-between destinations. Days was one of the pioneers in this kind of on-the-go formula that you would later see copied by games, such as Resident Evil: Revelations. And of course that fact that you do not even need to complete every one of those missions to beat the game is also a key factor.
Days is also meant to be played with friends via Mission Mode: the large multiplayer section. Suddenly those tedious mushroom chasing missions are a race between friends to see who can destroy it first. This also gives reason for why there is repetition in missions as it allows for players to experience the same kind of mission in a different setting. It's a shame this game did not get a full remake with online mode because people would easily be able to understand why these seemingly horrible missions are actually quite enjoyable when you get a bunch of friends to play with.
Days shouldn't have been its own game. The gameplay sections offer nothing. It would have been if you could unlock the cutscenes in KH2 as you go along, or just have flashbacks with the cutscenes scattered throughout the game, while the only playable parts are the boss battles.
So you don't understand how "irreparable damage" is hyperbole then?
Where is the hyperbole? Did DDD's back half not spend most of its time completely undermining the other games in the series? The mythology of nobodies were utterly destroyed by Dream Drop Distance, just to shoehorn this horcrux plot. The idea of nobodies being these entities that are basically pure muscle memory with intent was fresh and unique. It allowed for a lot of touching scenes, like when Saix dies. But oh, don't worry Saix... your heart was inside you, or growing inside you, the entire time according DDD, yet he still dissolved into nothingness. I think it was pretty obvious that the reason Roxas was the only one to actually show hints of true emotion was either because of Ventus' heart or Sora's own influence. I know people like to claim that Xemnas was lying to the organization about hearts and what not, but I recall Ansem being the one to explain the nature of nobodies.
Then there is time travel. Need I say more? Without a doubt the most universally confusing concept to add into any work of fiction, yet alone Kingdom Hearts. Everything about time travel felt forced in Dream Drop Distance. Heart fracturing is a ridiculous concept considering how damaging it should be. Xemnas, Ansem, and Xehanort being in the same place at any time is ridiculous.
I won't even go into the fan service that occurs with Lea at the end. There are no chosen ones, nothing is set in stone, yet everything is "predetermined." That isn't hyperbole, it's just the facts.
Also, KH2 was at no point ever intended to be the conclusion. When Squaresoft and Enix merged, they released a statement that they wanted Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts to be the three pillar with which they supported the company.
source"We've already been approached by the Disney side saying that they want us to make it," said the busy producer regarding the next installment in the series. "What I can say at this time is 'We have various ideas, but we're not at the point where we can say that.' Looking at the development schedule, after KHII FM+, the Kingdom Hearts team has Final Fantasy Versus XIII awaiting, so it's physically impossible at the present. I feel that it's not the right time to talk about the future of Kingdom Hearts."
And yes, I didn't address them, because I think you're being dismissive of the games very obvious flaws. It doesn't play well. It's not fun. The pacing is a fucking trainwreck.
Furthermore, some of the points you think were explained, actually were not. For example,
Actually, no it isn't. That wasn't explained until we got to Birth by Sleep and found out that Ventus was in Sora's heart.
Xion's death allowed for Roxas to wield two key blades. Yes, it is Ventus' key blade, but if it was just because Ventus was in Sora's heart then should he, and, to a lesser extent, Sora not been able to dual wield since the original Kingdom Hearts and the beginning of 358/2 days? Dual Wielding is almost entirely connected to Xion and Roxas's story.
Also not true. Ven showed up in all of one scene and it was Xigbar's perception of Xion. You obviously couldn't draw conclusions about Sora from that, because no one did.
Xion is entirely made up of Sora's memories. Many fans speculated that there was a connection between Sora and Ventus because of that scene. That moment is virtually identical to Sora visiting Twilight Town in Chain of Memories, despite never being there, since it hints at a connection.
All subpar to the effort in RE:coded.
This is not really a "negative." One should hope that after working on 2-3 games on the Nintendo DS and it being 2 years after Day's release, the team would make Re:coded function and play better than its predecessor
There were very few lines spoken in Days DS.
There are over 30 minutes worth of voice acted cutscenes in Days. Yes, it's much smaller than what is typically delivered on more powerful hardware, but this is about quality, not quantity. The voice work is well done, and it being of shorter length does not detract from that.
There are plenty of other games that do this and do this better than Days. It wasn't a pioneer when it lifted its design concept from PSO/Monster Hunter. And it's far far inferior to both of those games.
I will agree with you here. Speaking directly of the multiplayer handheld space, I would say that Days was definitely a pioneer in this kind of on-the-go mission based gameplay. It did not need to be the first, or need to be the best, but it was definitely one of the earliest games exploring this idea.
Look, I get that you like Days and you think it gets a bad rap. But your rose tinted glasses are clearly making it so you can't give an objective judgement. It's not nearly as good as you would purport it to be.
I'm torn because 358/2 Days is a terrible game but I also would rather talk about how bad it is than talk about which characters we think are going to kiss each other.
I'll just say that I want Xion to be saved in KH3, and that she is given a proper "existence". I kinda like her character, and I feel a lot of pity for her.
It's one of the thing that will be quite important for me in KH3: the fate of all the ones who lost their bodies so far. Ven will be made whole again, but what about Roxas? His nature is still quite special:
Roxas is an entity which is, in a way, born from both Sora and Ventus, which makes him quite unique. On top of that, he was a nobody, and it was made clear in 3D that
- Do we have to consider him as just Sora's Nobody?
- Is he Ven's heart taking over what's left of Sora's body, but unable to awaken, since it's not his body? In that case, when Ven awake, will he inherit all of Roxas's memories?
- Is he Vanitas? After all, Roxas is way more prone to negative emotions than Ven, and even Sora didn't show anger to the extent of Roxas's (heck, DiZ himself said that he should share said "hatred" to Sora, since he considers him "too nice for his own good" - in fact, in a way, in 3D,
). On that subject, can Ventus and Vanitas really reunite one day, or will they end up as separate beings (again, one might say) when Ven is saved?that's precisely what Roxas did when he shared his memories with Sora. Not to mention that Roxas appeared asthose can grow hearts on their own, given time. It is quite fascinating, and I hope that KH3 will give us satisfying answers about him and his ultimate fate.a separate entity from Ventus when Riku saved Sora in 3D
The other person I'm quite concerned about is Aqua. Sure, she has the level of a Keyblade master, but she has been captive of the Dark World for years now, and there is no doubt that said experience had its toll on her. However, even if I want Riku and Mickey to set on a trip to save her, I want her to save herself (and saving Ansem the Wise by the same occasion). And to kick some ass and take names. She is one of the characters who suffered the most personaly, and I want her to have both her happy ending and her long due revenge on the ones who destroyed her life and friends.
I'll just say that I want Xion to be saved in KH3, and that she is given a proper "existence". I kinda like her character, and I feel a lot of pity for her.
It's one of the thing that will be quite important for me in KH3: the fate of all the ones who lost their bodies so far. Ven will be made whole again, but what about Roxas? His nature is still quite special:
Roxas is an entity which is, in a way, born from both Sora and Ventus, which makes him quite unique. On top of that, he was a nobody, and it was made clear in 3D that
- Do we have to consider him as just Sora's Nobody?
- Is he Ven's heart taking over what's left of Sora's body, but unable to awaken, since it's not his body? In that case, when Ven awake, will he inherit all of Roxas's memories?
- Is he Vanitas? After all, Roxas is way more prone to negative emotions than Ven, and even Sora didn't show anger to the extent of Roxas's (heck, DiZ himself said that he should share said "hatred" to Sora, since he considers him "too nice for his own good" - in fact, in a way, in 3D,
). On that subject, can Ventus and Vanitas really reunite one day, or will they end up as separate beings (again, one might say) when Ven is saved?that's precisely what Roxas did when he shared his memories with Sora. Not to mention that Roxas appeared asthose can grow hearts on their own, given time. It is quite fascinating, and I hope that KH3 will give us satisfying answers about him and his ultimate fate.a separate entity from Ventus when Riku saved Sora in 3D
The other person I'm quite concerned about is Aqua. Sure, she has the level of a Keyblade master, but she has been captive of the Dark World for years now, and there is no doubt that said experience had its toll on her. However, even if I want Riku and Mickey to set on a trip to save her, I want her to save herself (and saving Ansem the Wise by the same occasion). And to kick some ass and take names. She is one of the characters who suffered the most personaly, and I want her to have both her happy ending and her long due revenge on the ones who destroyed her life and friends.
Was Maleficent ever really a threat in the scope of things? She was being manipulated since Birth By Sleep and needed A,SoD in order to reach her full potential. She even went as far as to help Sora in KH2.
Well, I definitely agree that she was some form of a threat in the series. Also, Riku might have been manipulated even prior to meeting Maleficient considering he was the one who opened the door and allowed Destiny Islands to be swallowed into darkness.
She indeed helped Sora in KH2, but she was being pragmatic: it was an "enemy mine" situation. She took care of the mooks while Sora and cie. took care of the real threat.
Do we know if she managed to take control of the organisation XIII's headquarters (which was her alledged goal in KH2)? I would say no, judging by 3D, but who knows?
She's a threat to everyone except Xehanort. She had the influence to gather all of the Disney villains and was one of the few who could (somewhat) keep her darkness under her own control. She only helped Sora because she knew that she couldn't destroy the Organization herself. After everything got revealed with Xehanort's decades-long master plan, she seems pretty insignificant in comparison. Riku WAS being manipulated from the beginning but she pushed him over the edge, which ironically worked against her when he got possessed by Ansem and turned on her by making her darkness grow out of control.
All this talk about Riku being manipulated just makes me realize how Dream Drop Distance tried to undermine the fact that Riku has been a victim to darkness for a majority of the series, yet they made it seem like he had a natural tolerance or immunity to it. Forget the fact that Sora, King Mickey, and DiZ were responsible for saving him from Darkness on multiple occasions.
In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out
I don't get Riku x Xion as far as fan-shipping goes. I mean, she's literally a femSora that resembles Kai-Right. Let's get back on topic.
Howdy ho fellow nerds,
As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.
In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out
Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself
Howdy ho fellow nerds,
As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.
In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out
Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself
Howdy ho fellow nerds,
As my first post to gaf, I found it only fitting that it be in the community thread for the franchise that got me into gaming that wasn't the Budokai games. So... There ya go.
In all seriousness, I recently found this fantastic top 10 video about what Kingdom Hearts 3 "needs", and wanted more KH fans to see it
check it out
Nails basically all his points. Gushed about it a bit in the comments myself
Most of his darkness-tolerance training was done between chains and KH2, during 358/2 days. By that point he had learned to utilize the darkness without it overcoming his mind, but lost his form in the process later on. It got fixed completely when the encoder exploded. Even though they saved him, he still had to work all of that out on his own later.
It seems a consensus is forming. 3D really did do more harm than good.