Despite all the popular hate KH2 wasn't necessarily awful...it just disappointed me. Too much hype perhaps? Or the fact I can't help comparing it to KH1. The gameplay, I admit, was fun but sometimes you wanted a challenge but the enemies didn't deliver one single bit. Not to mention the reaction commands were annoying after awhile....plus the occasional (more often than not) button mashing. But that's not where I was disappointed.
The story itself felt weaker than KH. The disney worlds, and I always repeat myself when topics like these are brought up, were just filler. Unlike in KH1 where the Disney worlds weren't only disney plots but tied back to the overall plot, KH2's disney plots were literally just Sora, Donald, and Goofy arriving somewhere and bonking shit up. Just wanting to get involved with whatever instead of finding themselves sort of in the middle of it like in KH1. They went out of their trying not to meddle in KH1 but in KH2 its like a mission to making their presence in the disney worlds seem so damn forced. In KH1 when they entered a world it felt like they became apart of the story rather than being meddling spectators.
And the way they handled the FF characters weren't so favorable to me either, though I doubt everyone feels this way. I mean in KH1 Leon and the group had a purpose, they weren't only eye-candy/fanservice. They justified their presence. But in KH2 it was almost fanficish. Setzer, Seifer, Fuu, etc. etc. They could have been handled better. What if Sora, Donald, and Goofy couldn't reach such and such a place like say example, The World that Never Was, why not justify Setzer's presence by having him offer to take them there similar to one of his actions in his respective game? I mean they could have been a lot more creative with the cameos is all.
The organization. Individually they are pretty interesting characters to follow. But when you look at these goons as a unit. They bonking fail. What the hell do they do? Sit in a castle, go cause trouble in another disney villains world, and just get bonked up by Sora. What the hell in your existence did you accomplish Luxurd besides having one of the most smexiest voices in the entire Org., no homo? The whole thought of an organization of baddies wouldn't have been bad if they hadn't made them look like some sort of failed gang. They could have done a better job being a rival gang for Setzer and Hayner's gangs. They were not intimidating. Only Xemnas, Saix (maybe), and Xigbar really got work done in KH2 from what I remember. Xaldin spent the most of his good years creepin' Beast. I mean...come on. The dude doesn't wanna be a heartless, calm your dreads. We don't even know what the hell they want in KH2 once you think about it? Sure they wanted KH to get their hearts back but what the hell happens after that? Send everyone fruit baskets and apologize for your behavior? For beings that are supposed to be logical they made no type of sense. Yes I may be missing some points here concerning them but even taking those points into consideration....what did they accomplish? What havoc did they reap besides disturbing the mother-bonking peace? Misdemeanors at best.
And Sora's maturity. He went from being a character with some depth to being a clueless hero he just swung his key around earning Xigbar's burn, "You're not even half the hero the others were..." I know he lost all his memories of castle oblivion where a lot of his growing up happened but come on...he should be thinking like he was in KH1 not the way he was in BBS and still running races with Riku waiting for his dad to come pick him up.