Search - Various Artists :: Kingdom Hearts 2

Indescribable!

03/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Following after the amazing sounds feautured in KH1, the original soundtrack for KH2 captures the hearts of even those who have not even heard of the game.



Each world, and certain main characters, have their own theme songs. Kairi keeps her original - representing her hopeful, cheery attitude. Riku and Roxas both have more serious, darker themes that portrays their pain, confusion, and struggles amazingly. Sora, being the determined spirit he is, holds a faster, more battle-like, beautifully orchestrated theme that reappears in a section of Kingdom Hearts 2's ending theme, "Fantasia alla marcia", to help add a more plot-focused song to review the events of the game. You might hear familiar tunes in this sequel, for each world's theme has been remixed and changed to fit the mood of the world. Atlantica changed it's theme completely, so that instead of hearing the annoying, elevator-like music of "Under the Sea", Haley Joel Osmont (Sora) and the other stars of this world actually sing along with it. They also sing "Part Of Your World", and two other unique songs ("Swim this way" and "A New Day is Dawning") that were not heard in the movie. Atlantica's new theme, "Isn't it Lovely?", is, in my opinion, beautiful, and a little more soft and gentle, fitting the more serious plot excellently.



The first game of the Kingdom Hearts series had a main theme for the entire game, "Hikari" or "Simple and Clean" which had three versions similar to the sequel, the opening Planitb remix which featured a techno-like, faster version; the orchestrated version, which reappears in KH2; and the ending slower and original version played during the solemn ending. Utada Hikaru proves herself once more with a more matured, darker theme for the top-selling game's sequel. The song, "Passion" or also known as "Sanctuary" to some after watching the MTV preview of the English version(See kh-vids.net), also shares the three versions. The first intro version is also fast-beat and rockier than the ending and the orchestrated. The orchestrated version has about the same stunning quality as "Hikari"'s, making the menu trailer (which appears after leaving the controller alone for a minute or two) a bit more fun and interesting. And last, but certainly not least, the "Passion -After the Battle-" ending theme is a bit more atmospheric, put into more softer, quieter words. Hikaru does an excellent job in proving her emotions, as well as the game's, with her beautiful singing voice. The pianoist, whoever that was, also exceeded the expectations in his/her part. The song, in it's three breathtaking versions, is by far the strongest reason to buy the soundtrack. The other battle music, remixed or original, dramatic songs, and world and character themes complete the discs, yet "Passion" really previews the darker points of the game and puts just about anyone into it's mood.



Overall, this soundtrack is not a childish, average-gaming-type-sounding CD, yet each song captivates the matured, darker, more modern qualities in the game, and deserves a thousand out of 5 stars. BUY IT!!! YOU WILL NOT, I reapeat, NOT REGRET IT!!! I've observed EVERY song and each is beyond expectations. Square Enix has outdone itself once again!"

Just Breathtaking...

01/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm sure you're all thinking, oh it's just another stupid soundtrack. But oh, are you SO wrong! This time around, the famous Yoko Shimomura returns and truly shows her talent. She has previously worked on the first Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack that many found redundant, but the arrangements for the Kingdom Hearts II soundtrack will not disappoint you. I've already listened to many of the songs thanks to some ripped music from the actual game and it's beyond my expectations. With the third installment finally released in Japan and hopefully soon, making it's way over here to the United States, the new darker and more mature melodies fit the game's new storyline very well.



Some of the songs from the original game such as "Dearly Beloved" and "Hand in Hand Reprise" have returned, and some may believe that it's not a very good idea, but it is! The arrangement for "Dearly Beloved" in the first game consisted of a pianist and the background noise of ocean waves hitting upon the sand on Destiny Islands. Now, Yoko Shimomura re-arranged the song to fit the darker theme of Kingdom Hearts II. After listening to it endlessly, you being to realize the almost "softer" piano sound for it isn't as dramatic sounding. It gives more of a soothing feeling. Not only that, but the Kingdom Hearts II version of "Dearly Beloved" also contains a mixture of the Original Dearly Beloved and the March Caprice (the ending song for Kingdom Hearts). The addition of the cello adds the finishing touches and adds a more serious view of song. There is also the return of the well known Hallow Bastion music, and it's better than ever, along with the return of other songs from the original game but they're back with a whole new arrangement to fit the the new theme for Kingdom Hearts II -- "Are you afraid of the darkness?"



Now on to the famous theme song for the game -- *Passion* here's my review from earlier:



Just from listening to this song, I've become an even bigger Hikki fan. It's so much more mature than her previous songs and fits perfectly with the new and darker Kingdom Hearts II. At first I was kind of iffy about the single, but the more and more I listened to it, it really grew on me. It's very different from her previous Kingdom Hearts single "Hikari" or "Simple & Clean" in that is much more mature, and has a deeper meaning. It's hard to figure out what that is exactly since there is only a rough translation out there, which you can get at www.kh2.co.uk



I haven't actually bought the single itself, but there are three versions of the song: There's the Opening version, the Single version and then the After the Battle version. The single version was the original and then transformed into the Opening version which provides a funky rock vibe about half way through the song, where she sings "My heart's a battleground" as well as some english lines backward, which sound like "I need more passion than you know" and "I need two emotions" it's very cool, and very different, but adds a lot to the song itself. The "After the Battle" version is accompanied by the Piano and is probably my favorite. It's slower than the single version and the way she sings it, is just amazing. It's so emotional and really provides an image as to what the ending is possibly like for Kingdom Hearts II, and from listening to it, it's going to be sad, no doubt. The reason the "after the battle" version is my favorite, is beacause she sings the song with so much...well, um, passion! No pun intended, since i'm serious here. Just by listening to some of the words she sings it's just sad and she really puts her emotions into this version; it's just breathtaking really. At the end of the "After the Battle" version, well at least after she sings the lyrics, there's this orchestrated version of the song, which finishes it off beautifully since as you get closer to the end of the song, the orchestrated part gets more intense.



Speaking of the orchestrated part in "after the battle" there is an actual Orchestrated version of the song, which is just beautiful, and I would highly recommend finding it and downloading from somewhere. It's beautiful.



I would highly recommend this single, especially for those die hard Kingdom Hearts fans like me. It's such a nice change from the main stream J-Pop music that she ususally sings. I mean, I love Hikari and S&C as much as the next person, but this is just so much different and I'm sure you'll enjoy this more mature song.



*And I mean every WORD of this review. But on the OST there are three versions of Passion and they are the Opening Version, the Orchestrated Version, and then Passion -- After the Battle, but I assure you, that you WILL NOT be disappointed.



Just like first game, this soundtrack has an orchestrated ending song and it's called "Fantasia all Marcia" and compared to it's previous contender "March Caprice" it's beyond amazing. It starts off really happy and sounds like it came right out of Disney World, but soon goes into a more serious arrangment. As the song progresses it's intensity increases with more dramatic arrangments from previous songs such as "March Caprice". It then moves on to a more battle-esqe feel with the sound of the Japanese Latin singing choir which adds a most excellent touch to the song, and really shows how much not only the game has matured, but as well as the soundtrack. I won't tell you the rest, because I don't want to give away too much info on one of my favorite songs on this OST.



**So, basically I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS KINGDOM HEARTS SOUNDTRACK for it is by far one of the BEST soundtracks out there right now, and it will not disappoint you. Let's just say that you'll regret not buying this, or at least downloading it somewhere ^_~"

One of the best soundtracks ever!

Sephiroth Fanatic | 04/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although Amazon gave you the tracks from the first disc, they did'nt give you the tracks for the 2nd disc. Luckly, I'll show you them. Enjoy ^^



Disc 1

1. Dearly Beloved

2. Passion (Orchestral Ver.)

3. Passion ~Opening Version~

4. Lazy Afternoons

5. Sinister Sundown

6. The Escapade

7. Dive Into the Heart -Destati-

8. Fragments of Sorrow

9. Tension Rising

10. Kairi

11. Missing You

12. The 13th Struggle

13. Roxas

14. Sora

15. The Afternoon Street

16. Working Together

17. Friends in my Heart

18. Magical Mystery

19. A Twinkle in the Sky

20. Hollow Bastion

21. Scherzo Di Notte

22. Laughter and Merriment

23. Desire for All That Lost

24. Organization XIII

25. Gearing Up

26. Shipmeisters' Rhapsody

27. Blast Off!

28. Asteroid Away!

29. Crossing the Finish Line

30. Waltz of the Damned

31. Dance of the Daring

32. Hesitation

33. Dance to the Death

34. Beauty and the Beast

35. The Home of Dragons

36. Fields of Honor

37. Apprehension

38. Vim and Vigor

39. Cloudchasers

40. Olympus Coliseum

41. The Underworld

42. What Lies Beneath

43. Villains of a Sort

44. Rowdy Rumble

45. Mickey Mouse Club March

46. A Walk in Andante

47. Monochrome Dreams

48. Old Friends, Old Rivals

49. Floating in Bliss

50. Winnie the Pooh

51. Bounce-O-Rama (Speed up ver.)



Disc 2

1. Isn't It Lovely?

2. Let's Sing and Dance!

3. Swim This Way

4. Part of Your World

5. Under the Sea

6. Ursula's Revenge

7. A New Day is Dawning

8. Nights of the Cursed

9. He's a Pirate

10. The Corrupted

11. Hazardous Highway

12. A Day in Agrabah

13. Arabian Dream

14. This is Halloween

15. Spooks of Halloween Town

16. Adventures in the Savannah

17. Savannah Pride

18. Confrontation

19. Space Paranoids

20. Byte Bashing

21. Sinister Shadows

22. The 13th Dilemma

23. Showdown at Hollow Bastion

24. One-Winged Angel

25. Battleship Bravery

26. Sacred Moon

27. Deep Drive

28. Riku

29. Courage

30. Disappeared

31. A Fight to the Death

32. Darkness of the Unknown

33. Passion ~After the Battle~

34. Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra

35. Destiny Islands

36. Hand in Hand

37. Dark Horizons

38. Dearly Beloved -Reprise-









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