What does it take for a game to be your favorite game of all time? Is it graphics that surpass every game to date? Is it unrivaled gameplay? Is it how much time spent with the game? Those may be additions to why a game is your favorite game but I feel for a game to be a favorite it must have an experience worthy of going back to and a connection with the player. This may be the reason as to why Kingdom Hearts is my favorite series, and why Kingdom Hearts 2 is my favorite game of all time. After the first game was released, it seemed to be that Disney and Square teaming up was a match made in heaven. The formula worked out so well; and with the cult following that game had, its a good thing that Kingdom Hearts had gotten a sequel. Kingdom Hearts 2 starts off casting you as the new character Roxas. Roxas has dreams of Sora, which is kind of a recap of what had happened in the first game. After 3 hours with Roxas (depending on who you are, you may hate this part after the first hour or you will enjoy all 3 hours), you go back to playing as good old Sora (he really is old, compared to the first game anyways). You begin a year after the first game and right after Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memoires. You are then sent around different Disney worlds, finding out more about the Nobodies, Ansem, Heartless, and searching for Riku and Kairi. If Kingdom Hearts 2 does not exceed parts of the first game (aside from difficulty) it definitely at least rivals them. Gameplay has been updated, giving you more fluid control over Sora and making the whole game a lot faster. This is especially great, because it gives the sense that Sora is a badass and all powerful. And to be honest, maybe a little too powerful. This game is pretty easy, even on the hardest difficulty. If this game was just a little more challenging then it would be even that much greater. The game looks great. Disney worlds look like their movie counter-parts, from Mulan to Pirates of the Caribbean (which the graphics for the world are insane for a PS2 game). But, the areas are a bit too small, especially when you get stronger abilities like glide. You can find yourself entering a new area and going through it in about 3 seconds, then wait for the short loading time and enter a new area. If only areas were bigger with more enemies. The original songs for the game are pretty awesome, some of the best in the entire game. I also found myself humming a lot to most of the music in any world, because none of it is really annoying (maybe The Little Mermaid world...lol everyone's gotta bash it). Overall, the sound for the game is very good. I've played the game two times through. The first time was on Proud mode, which difficulty wasn't too much of a problem aside from a boss battle or two. The second time I was going for 100% completion, and while I wasn't there yet I decided to beat the game just cause I wanted to see the ending again. This is because the story hooks you, pretty deeply too. You want to know what is going to happen to the plot, to the characters. So why do I like this game so much? Its because of that hook the story has on the player. Its because of the charm the Disney worlds have, and how you can reminisce on childhood in these worlds. Its because of the great graphics, gameplay, and value this game has. If you enjoyed the first on, if you enjoyed Disney movies as a child, if you are looking for a great adventure, you would be doing yourself a favor checking this game out.