There were only a couple of folks who understood why I've continued to play through "Kingdom Hearts II" after admitting to not having so much fun.
Some recommended biting the bullet and giving up, but that was never an option for me.
Thirty-two hours and some change later, though, it's finally over; my second dip into Square Enix's Disneyland finished.
I'm not sure how I expected to feel when the credits started to roll.
Perhaps elation? Because I could finally stop playing a game I regretted starting and turn my attention to "Bully"? Instead, I was confused: the remaining 12 hours I had with "Kingdom Hearts II" were really great, but they filled me with a bit of shame. Why? It meant that I would, inevitably, play "Kingdom Hearts III."
Let me try to explain...
"Kingdom Hearts II" closes out the storyline the first game set into motion. I expect (or hope) "Kingdom Hearts III" will spin in a new direction, saving me from a larger reason "Kingdom Hearts II" became such a chore.
Combat in "Kingdom Hearts" has never been anything to write home about. You can ridiculously overpower yourself in the sequel, which means combat becomes completely mindless. Not unlike "Lost: Via Domus," "Kingdom Hearts II"'s enjoyment comes down to the fun that can be had exploring each of the Disney worlds.
I started playing "Kingdom Hearts" for a single reason: "The Nightmare Before Christmas." It's one of my favorite movies of all-time, so I've suffered many a time to virtually explore Halloweentown: namely in "Kingdom Hearts," "Kingdom Hearts II", "The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King."
Whenever Square Enix's Tetsuya Nomura (the game's director) inserted his confusing plot into "Kingdom Hearts II," my interest waned. Every time I heard something related to Organization XIII, an evil group whose role is never properly explained, my eyes glazed over. But, every time I touched down on a new Disney world and found myself fighting alongside Jack Skellington, Hercules, Jack Sparrow, Tron, Mickey Mouse or Simba, all was forgiven. My hate melted.
A friend later told me I would have been less confused if I'd played "Kingdom Hearts: Chains of Memories" for the Game Boy Advance first, which explained the origins of Organization XIII. I sighed.
Why do I need to play a spin-off to know what's going on in a numbered sequel? Maybe the "Lost" producers were right for making "Via Domus" almost completely unrelated to the show's story. That problem almost made me completely give up on "Kingdom Hearts II."
Will I end up playing "Chains of Memories"? Probably not. Organization III's role is over. As I said before, I hope Nomura takes a few common criticisms to heart. If he doesn't, well... I'll worry about that later.
But I digress. I'm so, so late to the party on this, but I'm glad it's over. Lesson learned: I need to stop playing games that rely on my interest outside of the game itself. I hope "Bully" helps.