This page will contain news stories about Kingdom Hearts 2, as they become available.Kingdom Hearts IIKingdom Hearts II is an RPG video game sequel to the 2002 Disney/Square RPG Kingdom Hearts, though it is actually the third installment in the series. Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the game continues Sora's adventures in finding King Mickey and Riku with the help of a large cast of Disney characters including Donald, Goofy, Jack Sparrow, Tron, Aladdin, the Beast and more. Developed by Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts II was released in Japan on December 22, 2005. The English version will be released on March 28, 2006 in North America [1], followed by European and Australian releases later in the year. The in-game music is composed by Yoko Shimomura, who composed the music for the first game, and the theme song Passion (Sanctuary for the international release) is written and performed by Japanese pop music star Utada Hikaru. Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.OverviewKingdom Hearts II begins where Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories left off. Sora and his companions have been asleep for about a year, regaining their memories. When Sora awakens, he eventually arrives in Twilight Town, the place where a mysterious boy, Roxas, who can use dual Keyblades, lived before he left suddenly. Gaining new clothes and powers, Sora began his journey anew, unaware of the events that have taken place in Chain of Memories. Sora continues his quest, sealing the keyholes of each world to protect them from the Heartless, as well as facing Axel and the remaining members of the mysterious Organization XIII. As the game progresses, Sora learns how much he and Roxas have in common. WorldsSora, Donald Duck, Goofy and Jack Sparrow in the Port Royal world of Kingdom Hearts II.As in the first Kingdom Hearts game, the player can access different worlds with themes based mostly on Disney films. Disney-based worlds
Original worlds
New gameplay featuresGameplay is revamped from the last game; there are various new features offering the potential of more interesting play. Drive FormsOne of Sora's first drives, "Brave".Sora can "fuse" with either Donald or Goofy to become more powerful and acquire different attributes as well. Three out of the five forms allow Sora to use two Keyblades instead of one, and the second keyblade may be equipped in the items menu for this purpose. There are five drive forms in all. The first two forms have Sora merge with one of his permanent party members, Donald or Goofy. One is Brave Form, where Sora merges with Goofy, and dons red and black clothes. Although he cannot use magic in this form, Sora gains a massive boost to his physical ability. Sora wields two Keyblades which doubles his combo potential dramatically and also gives him additional attacks. Sora also runs twice as fast in this form. The other, Wisdom Form, is where Sora merges with Donald for this form, and he dons blue and black clothes. Sora gains a massive magic attack boost, and hovers across the floor never touching the ground, instead of running giving him superior movement control. Wisdom Form replaces the attack command with shoot, which lets him shoot a blue magic bullet from the tip of the Keyblade in rapid fire if pressed continuously making Wisdom Form a long distance specialized form. The other two forms have Sora combine with two of Donald, Goofy or another party member to attain greater power than in the other two forms. Master Form, where Sora merges with both Donald and Goofy, combines the powers of the Brave and Wisdom forms. Sora's combo potential is increased, and his magic power is increased as well. Two Keyblades can be wielded,one psychokinetically and the other is held normally. His clothes turn yellow and black, and he is able to glide very swiftly as well as perform a double jump. The drawback to this form is that the drive meter will decrease quicker than the previous two drives. When in Final Form, Sora will merge with both other party members and don silver and black clothing. Wielding two Keyblades psychokinetically as well as the ability to fly incredibly fast, Sora wields incredible power in this form, dispatching enemies with ease and dealing increased physical and magical damage. Anti Form is a bizarre form that is caused by taking too much damage while in Drive form, and then attempting to use the Drive command afterward. Sora turns completely black like a shadow, walks on all fours, and has yellow eyes, similar to a basic Heartless. While in this form, both partners disappear and Sora uses his "claws" for wide-range attacks that may be weak with individual attacks, but he also has a very high maximum combo count. Unlike the other forms, when this form occurs it will cancel out Drive when entering a new area as opposed to staying in effect. Sora is also unable to use either items or magic, and both of the computer controlled partners will dissappear regardless of who Sora drives with. Reaction commandThe reaction command, similar to the Resident Evil 4 real time reaction commands, is used during fights and can allow you to perform certain actions when timed correctly. For example, against "Dusk" nobodies, your character will slide behind the normally evasive opponents and set you up for a combo. Reaction commands can also trigger counter moves as well. For example, a nobody might shoot a red bullet at you, but with a well timed reaction command, Sora will kick the bullet back at it. Reaction commands are often pivotal in defeating bosses as well. Combination AttackSimba and Sora's team attack knock rocks up from the ground and have Sora and Simba roar intensely to do damage.A gameplay addition gives Sora a special linked attack with any of the guest characters, and the effect varies depending on the character teaming up with Sora. In the Olympus Coliseum world, for example, Sora has the option to perform a linked attack with Auron when battling enemies. Later in the game Sora will also be able to perform team attacks with Donald and Goofy individually in similar fashion. Magic abilitiesSora's magic spells from Kingdom Hearts has been modified. Some spells have been replaced, other have differing effects. Casting spells in different drive forms also offers another variety to the spell effects, mostly increasing their strength. Two new abilities introduced to the game are Magnet and Reflect. Magnet creates a sphere that slowly sucks in enemies. Reflect causes a large shield to form around Sora for a very short amount of time, then crack and send out sharp shards a limited distance. SummonsThe Stitch summon involves music.Like the previous game, Sora can summon a particular character to aid him in battle when attaining each of their respective items. Summoning however, uses the drive meter, so Sora can't drive and summon at the same time. The character will replace the two computer-controlled characters and fight alongside Sora for as long as the drive meter holds out. Instead of the summoned character being limited to only one action, the summoned character now has a menu of his own to perform multiple actions, some solo actions and some cooperative actions with Sora. There are four summons.
Mickey's helpIn certain boss battles, if Sora is knocked out, a second option may be available, called "I won't give up!" It allows you to play as Mickey Mouse. Mickey is fast and his attacks are brutal, and he can shoot beams of magic from his Keyblade. However, you must revive Sora to finish off the boss; this is done by pressing the triangle button repeatedly to fill up his Drive bar. This can also be done by constantly attacking the opponent. After the bar is full, pressing the triangle button will bring Sora back to life. If you lose as Mickey, Sora will be automatically revived. Different command menusA new feature is that each world has their own command menu, which are sometimes animated. For instance, Olympus Coliseum's design shows the image of the top of the Coliseum, and Port Royal's design is to show a ship's steering wheel and the Pirates of the Caribbean logo. If the player desires, the command menu's design can be changed to the original Kingdom Hearts design in the options menu. There are two different Command Menus; a normal one, used to access magic, items and attack, and another used for attack, drive and party. MapsIt is optional to have a map in the top-right corner of the screen. In addition, mini-maps can be found in each world. On these maps, a small Kingdom Keyblade indicates Sora's location. Disney cameosIn addition to the Disney characters that will be returning from Kingdom Hearts, there will also be additional characters from their movies including Megara, Pegasus, Pain, Panic and the Hydra from Hercules, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, Chip, and Wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast, the merchant from Aladdin, Eric from The Little Mermaid, and Santa Claus as depicted in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Stitch from Lilo & Stitch and the titular characters of Chicken Little and Peter Pan act as new summons. Characters from the previously unexplored worlds of Mulan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron and The Lion King also play parts in the game. Yen Sid the sorcerer, Mickey's master in the movie Fantasia, makes an appearance, inhabiting a mysterious tower. Merlin returns and will be in Disney Castle and Hollow Bastion, revealing the existence of Timeless River to the heroes. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty give Sora his new outfit. Scrooge McDuck also makes an appearance. Pete is also in the game as an ever-persistent enemy to Sora, Donald and Goofy, appearing in many worlds. He works with the resurrected Maleficent, who refuses to relent in her desire for power. Final Fantasy cameosSquall and Cloud in the Hollow Bastion world of Kingdom Hearts II.Seventeen characters from the Final Fantasy series appear. Auron of Final Fantasy X will be Sora's partner in battle in Hercules' world. Yuna, Rikku and Paine from Final Fantasy X-2 appear as fairies at the Hollow Bastion. Younger versions of Seifer Almasy, Fujin (called "Fuu"), and Raijin (called "Rai") from Final Fantasy VIII appear in Twilight Town, as a "disciplinary committee". Squall Leonhart (Leon) and Selphie Tilmitt of Final Fantasy VIII, and Cloud Strife and Yuffie Kisaragi as depicted in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children return as cameos in Hollow Bastion. Aerith Gainsborough also appears, albeit wearing a modified version of her Before Crisis clothing. Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy VII also makes her first cameo in the series, wearing her Advent Children attire. Cid Highwind also returns, but he is still wearing the same attire as in the previous game; he has a speaking role this time around as opposed to caption bubbles in Kingdom Hearts. Sephiroth, Cloud's ever-present enemy, comes along as well, battling Cloud. The Moogles, featured in many different Final Fantasy titles, serve as shopkeepers in the world of Hollow Bastion. It had been stated by Nomura that, although the first game strictly stuck to characters Nomura designed, this time around they were going to "take some risks", which implied that characters from the Final Fantasy games without involvement from Nomura could make an appearance. One of these was Vivi Ornitier of Final Fantasy IX, who appears in Twilight Town as a member in Seifer's group. Another non-Nomura character included is Setzer Gabbiani of Final Fantasy VI, as a challenger in Twilight Town. Cloud Strife has his own side story, involving conflict with Sephiroth and his relationships with Tifa and Aerith. Voice CastEnglish language version (tentative)
Japanese language version
Music
The tracklist for the single is as follows:
Trivia
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The tracklist for the single is as follows:. The blocking of the Howard Stern channels is anticipated to change once the announced return of Stern to Canada takes place. One of these was Vivi Ornitier of Final Fantasy IX, who appears in Twilight Town as a member in Seifer's group. Sirius had previously disabled the Howard Stern channels on radios with a Canadian ESN number, even if they are subscribed to American content from an American address. It had been stated by Nomura that, although the first game strictly stuck to characters Nomura designed, this time around they were going to "take some risks", which implied that characters from the Final Fantasy games without involvement from Nomura could make an appearance. [2]. The Moogles, featured in many different Final Fantasy titles, serve as shopkeepers in the world of Hollow Bastion. On February 1, 2006, The Globe and Mail reported the announcement that Stern's show on Howard 100 would become available in Canada as of February 6, 2006. Sephiroth, Cloud's ever-present enemy, comes along as well, battling Cloud. On January 11, 2006, a Canadian writer interviewed on Stern's show announced an online petition to bring Stern to Sirius Canada. Cid Highwind also returns, but he is still wearing the same attire as in the previous game; he has a speaking role this time around as opposed to caption bubbles in Kingdom Hearts. [1] (It should be noted that this figure also includes an unverified number of listeners who subscribed before the Canadian satellite radio services launched at all — the analysts' figures did not offer any estimate of how many Canadians chose a grey market subscription over Sirius Canada specifically because of Stern.). Tifa Lockhart of Final Fantasy VII also makes her first cameo in the series, wearing her Advent Children attire. Howard 100 News has stated on air that they estimate at least 60,000 grey market satellite subscriptions in Canada; in December, the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail reported that business analysts in Canada estimate a total of 60,000 grey market subscribers to both Sirius and XM combined. Aerith Gainsborough also appears, albeit wearing a modified version of her Before Crisis clothing. A significant number of Canadians have purchased grey market subscriptions to Sirius' American service to listen to Stern, although owing to the nature of grey market economics a precise number is difficult to verify. Squall Leonhart (Leon) and Selphie Tilmitt of Final Fantasy VIII, and Cloud Strife and Yuffie Kisaragi as depicted in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children return as cameos in Hollow Bastion. Despite popular belief that Stern's broadcast was banned by the CRTC, this is not the case — Sirius Canada, in fact, voluntarily chose not to air the program at the time of its launch in Canada. Younger versions of Seifer Almasy, Fujin (called "Fuu"), and Raijin (called "Rai") from Final Fantasy VIII appear in Twilight Town, as a "disciplinary committee". Sirius Canada did not initially carry Howard Stern. Yuna, Rikku and Paine from Final Fantasy X-2 appear as fairies at the Hollow Bastion. Sirius Canada was officially launched December 1, 2005. Auron of Final Fantasy X will be Sora's partner in battle in Hercules' world. After a lengthy debate, cabinet rejected the appeals on September 9, 2005. Seventeen characters from the Final Fantasy series appear. The groups objected to Sirius’ approach to and reduced levels of Canadian content and French language programming, along with the exclusion of Canadian non-commercial broadcasting. He works with the resurrected Maleficent, who refuses to relent in her desire for power. The decision was appealed to the Canadian federal cabinet by a number of broadcasting, labour, and arts and culture organizations, including the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, CHUM Limited, and the National Campus and Community Radio Association. Pete is also in the game as an ever-persistent enemy to Sora, Donald and Goofy, appearing in many worlds. The application was approved on June 16, 2005. Scrooge McDuck also makes an appearance. In November, 2004, a partnership between Sirius, Standard Broadcasting and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation filed an application with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to introduce Sirius in Canada. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather from Sleeping Beauty give Sora his new outfit. Some popular radios from Sirius:. Merlin returns and will be in Disney Castle and Hollow Bastion, revealing the existence of Timeless River to the heroes. Sirius' hardware lineup is available at Sirius.com. Yen Sid the sorcerer, Mickey's master in the movie Fantasia, makes an appearance, inhabiting a mysterious tower. They also make many receivers for aftermarket installs as well, including the Sportster Replay, Starmate Replay, Sirius S50 with built in 1GB MP3 player, and the Sirius One. Characters from the previously unexplored worlds of Mulan, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron and The Lion King also play parts in the game. Starting in 2006, all Rolls-Royce vehicles sold in the United States will come with a Sirius radio and lifetime subscription as standard equipment. Stitch from Lilo & Stitch and the titular characters of Chicken Little and Peter Pan act as new summons. As of 2005, Sirius receivers are available for various new Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Ford, Infiniti, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mercury, Mini, Nissan, Scion, Toyota, Porsche, Volkswagen, and Volvo vehicles, and the service plans on adding availability for portable use. Potts, Chip, and Wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast, the merchant from Aladdin, Eric from The Little Mermaid, and Santa Claus as depicted in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sirius also offers an adapter that allows conventional car radios to receive satellite signals. In addition to the Disney characters that will be returning from Kingdom Hearts, there will also be additional characters from their movies including Megara, Pegasus, Pain, Panic and the Hydra from Hercules, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. The chipset converts the signals from 2.3 gigahertz (GHz) to a lower intermediate frequency. On these maps, a small Kingdom Keyblade indicates Sora's location. Inside the receiver module is a chipset consisting of eight chips. In addition, mini-maps can be found in each world. The signal is then passed on to the receiver module. It is optional to have a map in the top-right corner of the screen. The antenna module picks up signals from the ground repeaters or the satellite, amplifies the signal and filters out any interference. There are two different Command Menus; a normal one, used to access magic, items and attack, and another used for attack, drive and party. The Sirius receiver includes two parts -- the antenna module and the receiver module. If the player desires, the command menu's design can be changed to the original Kingdom Hearts design in the options menu. Sirius offers car radios and home entertainment systems, as well as car and home kits for portable use. For instance, Olympus Coliseum's design shows the image of the top of the Coliseum, and Port Royal's design is to show a ship's steering wheel and the Pirates of the Caribbean logo. Signals are also beamed to ground repeaters for listeners in urban areas where the satellite signal can be interrupted. A new feature is that each world has their own command menu, which are sometimes animated. Programs are beamed to one of the three Sirius satellites, which then transmit the signal to the ground, where your radio receiver picks up one of the channels within the signal. If you lose as Mickey, Sora will be automatically revived. The Sirius system is similar to that of its competitor. After the bar is full, pressing the triangle button will bring Sora back to life. A fourth satellite will remain on the ground, ready to be launched if any of the three active satellites encounter transmission problems. This can also be done by constantly attacking the opponent. Sirius completed its three-satellite constellation on November 30, 2000. However, you must revive Sora to finish off the boss; this is done by pressing the triangle button repeatedly to fill up his Drive bar. Sirius says the elliptical path of its satellite constellation ensures that each satellite spends about 16 hours a day over the continental United States, with at least one satellite over the country at all times. Mickey is fast and his attacks are brutal, and he can shoot beams of magic from his Keyblade. Instead, its three SS/L-1300 satellites fly in geosynchronous (24-hour orbital period) inclined elliptical orbits. In certain boss battles, if Sora is knocked out, a second option may be available, called "I won't give up!" It allows you to play as Mickey Mouse. Sirius does not use Geostationary satellites. There are four summons. The Sirius uplink facility is located in Vernon, Sussex County, New Jersey. Instead of the summoned character being limited to only one action, the summoned character now has a menu of his own to perform multiple actions, some solo actions and some cooperative actions with Sora. Sirius' satellites are called Radiosat (instead of after the company name), due to there already being a previous fleet of satellites launched also named SIRIUS, launched by Sweden's NSAB (Nordiska Satellitaktiebolaget, or Nordic Satellite AB) and used for general telecommunications and satellite tv throughout Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia. The character will replace the two computer-controlled characters and fight alongside Sora for as long as the drive meter holds out. The series of satellites from which they come, the SS/Loral LS-1300, is known to have problems with their solar array cells — a similar but more severe issue affects the Boeing satellites belonging to competitor XM Radio. Summoning however, uses the drive meter, so Sora can't drive and summon at the same time. Radiosat 4 is a ground spare, in storage at SS/Loral’s facility in Palo Alto, California. Like the previous game, Sora can summon a particular character to aid him in battle when attaining each of their respective items. The first three of the series were orbited in 2000 by Proton-K Block-DM3 launch vehicles. Reflect causes a large shield to form around Sora for a very short amount of time, then crack and send out sharp shards a limited distance. Sirius’ spacecraft Radiosat 1 through Radiosat 4 were manufactured by Space Systems/Loral. Magnet creates a sphere that slowly sucks in enemies. Iceberg Radio is programmed by Standard Broadcasting, which also provides a number of additional channels exclusive to Canada; the other four come from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Two new abilities introduced to the game are Magnet and Reflect. With the launch of Sirius Canada in December 2005, American listeners gained five Canadian-produced stations including CBC Radio One, CBC Radio Three and Iceberg Radio in English, and Première Plus and Bandeapart in French. Casting spells in different drive forms also offers another variety to the spell effects, mostly increasing their strength. The deal with NPR was the first high-profile deal entered into by Sirius. Some spells have been replaced, other have differing effects. Sirius also has exclusive satellite radio rights to National Public Radio, carrying two separate streams. Sora's magic spells from Kingdom Hearts has been modified. In June 2005, Sirius signed an agreement with BBC Radio 1 in the UK to rebroadcast the station to an American audience. Later in the game Sora will also be able to perform team attacks with Donald and Goofy individually in similar fashion. Sirius has also been aggressive in creating its own in-house produced studio sports radio content. In the Olympus Coliseum world, for example, Sora has the option to perform a linked attack with Auron when battling enemies. In August 2004, Sirius launched NFL Radio, a 24-hour radio stream dedicated exclusively to covering the NFL. A gameplay addition gives Sora a special linked attack with any of the guest characters, and the effect varies depending on the character teaming up with Sora. Beginning in 2005 Sirius also has exclusive radio rights to cover the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Reaction commands are often pivotal in defeating bosses as well. Sirius also has rights to a number of major college sports conferences, including the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference as well as schools like Notre Dame. For example, a nobody might shoot a red bullet at you, but with a well timed reaction command, Sora will kick the bullet back at it. Starting in 2007, Sirius will have full NASCAR coverage. Reaction commands can also trigger counter moves as well. NHL games will be shared with XM for the 2005–2006 season, after which XM will have exclusive broadcast rights. For example, against "Dusk" nobodies, your character will slide behind the normally evasive opponents and set you up for a combo. The agreement also creates a 24-hour NBA Radio Channel, located on channel 127. The reaction command, similar to the Resident Evil 4 real time reaction commands, is used during fights and can allow you to perform certain actions when timed correctly. Sirius also announced in December 2005 a multi-year deal with the NBA, which makes the satellite radio company the broadcaster of more live NBA games than any other radio outlet. Sora is also unable to use either items or magic, and both of the computer controlled partners will dissappear regardless of who Sora drives with. Currently, Sirius has exclusive satellite radio broadcasting rights to all NFL and NBA games. Unlike the other forms, when this form occurs it will cancel out Drive when entering a new area as opposed to staying in effect. Another cornerstone of Sirius’ business strategy has been to pursue exclusive sports content. While in this form, both partners disappear and Sora uses his "claws" for wide-range attacks that may be weak with individual attacks, but he also has a very high maximum combo count. On October 25, 2005 Sirius announced that "E Street Radio", the exclusive channel of legendary artist Bruce Springsteen, would air from November 1, 2005 to January 31, 2006 on the Bridge - Channel 10. Sora turns completely black like a shadow, walks on all fours, and has yellow eyes, similar to a basic Heartless. It was Karmazin who fiercely protected Stern in the wake of the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show (produced by MTV and aired by CBS, both co-owned with Infinity) and the FCC crackdown on shock jocks and obscenity, in general. Anti Form is a bizarre form that is caused by taking too much damage while in Drive form, and then attempting to use the Drive command afterward. Stern worked under Karmazin at Infinity Radio and the two men have always had a great deal of mutual respect for each other. Wielding two Keyblades psychokinetically as well as the ability to fly incredibly fast, Sora wields incredible power in this form, dispatching enemies with ease and dealing increased physical and magical damage. On November 18, 2004 the former COO and President of Viacom, Mel Karmazin, was named the CEO of Sirius. When in Final Form, Sora will merge with both other party members and don silver and black clothing. Generally the personalities act as DJs hosting shows with music they personally like. The drawback to this form is that the drive meter will decrease quicker than the previous two drives. These shows are hosted by personalities including skateboard legend Tony Hawk, seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, The B-52's lead singer Fred Schneider, NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton and longtime New York City DJ “Cousin Brucie”, who was dropped by WCBS-FM after the station changed to its format from an oldies station to a “Jack” format. His clothes turn yellow and black, and he is able to glide very swiftly as well as perform a double jump. In addition to the channel-programming deals, Sirius has also programmed a number of more conventional shows with well known personalities in a number of fields. Two Keyblades can be wielded,one psychokinetically and the other is held normally. In Howard Stern's first major hire for Sirius, Stern brought on board Tampa, FL based Bubba the Love Sponge, fired by Clear Channel due to a $750,000 fine proposed by the FCC Reuters, to do a show on Sirius. Sora's combo potential is increased, and his magic power is increased as well. Beginning with the announcement of his imminent departure, Stern began to complain of one of his employers, Infinity Broadcasting, as trying to impede the success of his departure. Master Form, where Sora merges with both Donald and Goofy, combines the powers of the Brave and Wisdom forms. Stern stated that his move was forced by the stringent regulations of the FCC whose enforcement was intensified following the Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show. The other two forms have Sora combine with two of Donald, Goofy or another party member to attain greater power than in the other two forms. The deal, which gave Sirius exclusive rights to Stern’s radio show, also gave Stern the right to build at least two full-time programming channels. Wisdom Form replaces the attack command with shoot, which lets him shoot a blue magic bullet from the tip of the Keyblade in rapid fire if pressed continuously making Wisdom Form a long distance specialized form. By far the biggest of these deals was announced on October 6, 2004 when Sirius announced that it signed a five-year, $500-million agreement with Howard Stern to move his radio show to Sirius starting on January 9, 2006. Sora gains a massive magic attack boost, and hovers across the floor never touching the ground, instead of running giving him superior movement control. Sirius has reached extensive deals with domestic diva Martha Stewart, E Street Band member Steven Van Zandt (aka Little Steven), Jimmy Buffett, and Eminem to executive produce streams on Sirius. The other, Wisdom Form, is where Sora merges with Donald for this form, and he dons blue and black clothes. A major component of Sirius’ business strategy has been to execute far-reaching and exclusive deals with big-name entertainers and personalities to create and build broadcast streams, from the ground up. Sora also runs twice as fast in this form. . Sora wields two Keyblades which doubles his combo potential dramatically and also gives him additional attacks. “Mongo” later became NASCAR driver Spencer’s nickname with the NASCAR Broadcasters in the following races. Although he cannot use magic in this form, Sora gains a massive boost to his physical ability. The dog in the Sirius logo (Sirius is referred to as the "Dog Star") is unofficially named “Mongo,” a name garnered from the debut of Sirius Satellite Radio’s sponsorship on Casey Atwood’s and later Jimmy Spencer’s NASCAR entry, when the announcing cast voted on names. One is Brave Form, where Sora merges with Goofy, and dons red and black clothes. Sirius was previously known as CD Radio. The first two forms have Sora merge with one of his permanent party members, Donald or Goofy. However, Sirius led the market in new satellite radio subscribers in 2005. There are five drive forms in all. Sirius currently lags behind competitor XM Satellite Radio in terms of subscribers with 3.3 million, well less than XM's current audience of more than 6 million subscribers (as of January 9, 2006). Three out of the five forms allow Sora to use two Keyblades instead of one, and the second keyblade may be equipped in the items menu for this purpose. A $10 activation fee ($15 if activated by phone) is also required. Sora can "fuse" with either Donald or Goofy to become more powerful and acquire different attributes as well. to $499.99 for a lifetime subscription (of the receiver, not the subscriber). Gameplay is revamped from the last game; there are various new features offering the potential of more interesting play. Subscription costs for Sirius range from $12.95/mo. As in the first Kingdom Hearts game, the player can access different worlds with themes based mostly on Disney films. Its business model is to provide pay-for-service radio, music channels being free of commercials, analogous to the business model for premium cable television. As the game progresses, Sora learns how much he and Roxas have in common. Sirius is based in New York City. Sora continues his quest, sealing the keyholes of each world to protect them from the Heartless, as well as facing Axel and the remaining members of the mysterious Organization XIII. “XS120”, “XS9”, “XS17”). Gaining new clothes and powers, Sora began his journey anew, unaware of the events that have taken place in Chain of Memories. Sirius channels are identified by Arbitron with the label “XS” (e.g. When Sora awakens, he eventually arrives in Twilight Town, the place where a mysterious boy, Roxas, who can use dual Keyblades, lived before he left suddenly. A subset of Sirius’ music channels are included as part of the DISH Network satellite television service. Sora and his companions have been asleep for about a year, regaining their memories. The streams are broadcast from three satellites in an elliptical geosynchronous orbit above North America. Kingdom Hearts II begins where Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories left off. With any Sirius-enabled radio, the user can see the artist and song information on display while listening to the stream. . Music streams on Sirius carry a wide variety of music genres, broadcasting 24 hours a day, commercial free. The in-game music is composed by Yoko Shimomura, who composed the music for the first game, and the theme song Passion (Sanctuary for the international release) is written and performed by Japanese pop music star Utada Hikaru. Sirius Satellite Radio NASDAQ: SIRI is a satellite radio (DARS) service in the United States that provides 68 streams (channels) of music and 55 streams of sports, news and entertainment. The English version will be released on March 28, 2006 in North America [1], followed by European and Australian releases later in the year. Black and white lineup from SiriusBackstage.com, Adobe Acrobat Reader Required. Developed by Square Enix, Kingdom Hearts II was released in Japan on December 22, 2005. Official Sirius Satellite Radio Stations List, Adobe Acrobat Reader Required. Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the game continues Sora's adventures in finding King Mickey and Riku with the help of a large cast of Disney characters including Donald, Goofy, Jack Sparrow, Tron, Aladdin, the Beast and more. List of Sirius Satellite Radio stations. Kingdom Hearts II is an RPG video game sequel to the 2002 Disney/Square RPG Kingdom Hearts, though it is actually the third installment in the series. XACT XTR1 Radio with Car Kit. The release year of Mulan is erronously written as 1992 in Jiminy's Journal in the Japanese version. Clarion Calypso SIRIUS Radio with Car Kit. The plot of Agrabah is loosely based on a direct-to-video movie, The Return of Jafar. Kenwood H2EV Radio with Car and Home Kits. The name of the world "Space Paranoids" is a reference to one of the games that Kevin Flynn created in Tron. Tivoli's SIRIUS Table Radio. [21]. SIRIUS Sportster Radio with Boombox Package. During its first week of availability in Japan, Kingdom Hearts II sold 727,591 copies. Docking Station Package. [20]. SIRIUS Sportster Exec. It is notable because only five games have been given perfect '40/40' scores. SIRIUS S50. The notoriously harsh magazine Famitsu has given the game a score of 39/40; close to perfect. Characters from Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, such as Axel, DiZ, and Naminé, as well as allusions to deceased Organization members, such as Marluxia, make appearances in the game. A teaser for what appears to be a sequel or a spin-off can be seen if the player accomplishes certain tasks. Certain levels of gameplay are based on music and button coordination, such as the Atlantica world and the Stitch summon. Click here to listen to a 46 second sample of Passion. Passion ~after the battle~ (5:57). Passion ~single version~ (4:36). The CD single for Passion was released on December 14, 2005, with a price of ¥1,050 (roughly 8.78 USD). The theme songs to Kingdom Hearts II, Passion and Sanctuary (the English version of Passion) are performed by Utada Hikaru, and according to Tetsuya Nomura it ties in even more closely with the game's story than Hikari (Simple and Clean) did with Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. See Kingdom Hearts II Original Soundtrack. An original soundtrack CD for Kingdom Hearts II, composed by Yoko Shimomura was released on January 25, 2006 and its catalogue number is TOCT-25871~2. as Chicken Little. Keiko Yamamoto .. as Peter Pan. Yu Hayashi .. as Gopher. Mahito Tsujimura .. as Roo. Masaya Sugimoto .. as Tigger. Tessho Genda .. as Owl. Toshiya Ueda .. as Rabbit. Naoki Tatsuta .. as Piglet. Mitsuru Ogata .. as Winnie the Pooh. Sukekiyo Kameyama .. as MCP. Ikuya Sawaki .. as Sark. Tetsuo Kanao .. as Tron. Hiroshi Tsuchida .. as Banzai. Ben Hiura .. as Shenzi, Kanga. Tomie Kataoka .. as Rafiki. Ryuji Saikachi .. as Mufasa. Shinya Owada .. as Nala. Riko Hanamura .. as Simba. Mitsuru Miyamoto .. as Santa Claus. Tomoaki Nagae .. as Oogie Boogie, Pumbaa. Hiroshi Hatanaka .. as Barrel. Shigeo Matsuzawa .. Finklestein, Timon. as Dr. Yuji Mitsuya .. as Sally, Shock. Yuko Doi .. as Jack Skellington. Masachika Ichimura .. as Iago. Toru Ohkawa .. as Jafar. Akira Takarada .. as the Merchant. Takashi Matsuo .. as Jasmine. Kaori Aso .. as Aladdin. Shinichiro Miki .. as Barbossa, Scar. Haruhiko Jo .. as Elizabeth Swann. Saori Yumiba .. as Will Turner. Daisuke Hirakawa .. as Jack Sparrow. Hiroaki Hirata .. as Ariel's Sister #2. Shion Hino .. as Ariel's Sister #1. Hiromi Maeda .. as Flounder. Takuya Kaihoko .. as King Triton, Eeyore. Taro Ishida .. as Prince Eric. Kazuhiko Inoue .. as Ursula. Kujira .. as Dale. Minoru Inaba .. as Chip. Roko Takizawa .. as Daisy Duck. Mika Doi .. as Minnie Mouse. Yuko Mizutani .. as Hades. Kyusaku Shimada .. as Megara. Rika Matsumoto .. as Philoctetes. Ichiro Nagai .. as Hercules. Yasunori Matsumoto .. as the Wardrobe. Takako Kondo .. Potts. as Mrs. Kimiko Fukuda .. as Lumiere. Masashi Ebara .. as Cogsworth. Kazuo Kumakura .. as Belle. Eri Ito .. as Chien-Po. Kozo Shioya .. as Ling. Ryusei Nakao .. as Yao. Yutaka Oda .. as Shan Yu. Hiroshi Fujioka .. as the Emperor. Osamu Kobayashi .. as Captain Shang, Lock. Shintaro Sonooka .. as Mulan, Ariel. Mayumi Suzuki .. as Merryweather. Masako Nozawa .. as Fauna. Hisako Kyouda .. as Flora. Miyoko Aso .. as Merlin. Minoru Uchida .. as Tournament announcer. Junichi Suwabe .. as Yen Sid. Takashi Inagaki .. as Olette. Yuka Hirasawa .. as Pence. Hayato Taya .. as Hayner. Kazunori Sasaki .. as Paine. Megumi Toyoguchi .. as Rikku. Marika Matsumoto .. as Selphie, Yuna. Mayuko Aoki .. as Setzer. Ryotaro Okiayu .. as Vivi. Ikue Otani .. as Rai. Kazuya Nakai .. as Fuu. Rio Natsuki .. as Seifer. Takehito Koyasu .. as Sephiroth. Toshiyuki Morikawa .. as Tifa. Ayumi Ito .. as Cid. Kazuhiro Yamaji .. as Yuffie. Yumi Kakazu .. as Aerith. Maaya Sakamoto .. as Cloud. Takahiro Sakurai .. as Leon, Auron. Hideo Ishikawa .. as Jiminy Cricket. Kaneta Kimotsuki .. as Pete, the Mayor. Toru Ohira .. as Maleficent. Toshiko Sawada .. as Xigbar. Hochu Otsuka .. as Luxord. Jouji Nakata .. as Demyx. Kenichi Suzumura .. as Xaldin. Yousuke Akimoto .. as Saix. Ginpei Sato .. as Naminé. Iku Nakahara .. as Axel. Keiji Fujiwara .. as Ansem (Xehanort). Akio Otsuka .. as DiZ (Ansem). Genzo Wakayama .. as Xemnas. Norio Wakamoto .. as Mickey Mouse. Takashi Aoyagi .. as Roxas. Koki Uchiyama .. as Kairi. Risa Uchida .. as Riku. Mamoru Miyano .. as Goofy. Yutaka Shimaka .. as Donald Duck, Mushu, Beast, Sebastian, Genie, Stitch. Koichi Yamadera .. as Sora. Miyu Irino .. as Chicken Little [19]. Zach Braff .. as Tron. Bruce Boxleitner .. as Genie. Dan Castellaneta .. as Aladdin [18]. Scott Weinger .. as Hades [17]. James Woods .. as Hercules. Sean Astin .. as Beast. Robby Benson .. as Shan Yu. Miguel Ferrer ... as Mushu [16]. Mark Moseley .. as Mulan [15]. Ming-Na ... as Yen Sid. Corey Burton .. as Pence[14]. Sean Marquette ... as Paine [13]. Gwendoline Yeo .. as Rikku [12]. Tara Strong .. as Yuna [11]. Hedy Burress .. as Auron. Matt McKenzie .. as Tifa Lockhart [10]. Rachael Leigh Cook .. as Aerith Gainsborough [9]. Mena Suvari .. as Cloud Strife [8]. Steve Burton .. as Squall Leonhart (Leon). David Boreanaz .. as Jiminy Cricket. Eddie Carroll .. as Pete, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger. Jim Cummings .. as Maleficent. Susan Blakeslee .. as Naminé [7]. Brittany Snow .. as Ansem (Xehanort). Billy Zane .. as DiZ (Ansem) [6]. Christopher Lee .. as Mickey Mouse. Wayne Allwine .. as Roxas [5]. Jesse McCartney .. as Kairi [4]. Hayden Panettiere .. as Riku [3]. David Gallagher .. as Goofy. Bill Farmer .. as Donald Duck. Tony Anselmo .. as Sora [2]. Haley Joel Osment .. His team attack with Sora is somewhat cinematic, as Sora will be reminded of his adventures in Neverland in the first game (with pictures floating across the screen) while Peter and Sora fly around hitting anything in their path. Tinkerbell heals Sora constantly at the same time. Peter comes with Tinker Bell, and flies around attacking much like he did in the first Kingdom Hearts when he was a temporary party member. Peter Pan is the boy who never grows up and the titular character of Peter Pan. His team attack with Sora is a ukelele jam session where different buttons can be pressed to prompt different musical attacks for big damage. He will actually climb around the menu screens as well as the screen itself (as if he were on the surface of your screen), and do various things while shooting the enemies with his plasma gun somewhat nonchalantly. When summoned, Stitch is somewhat unique. Stitch is the cute but destructive anti hero of Lilo & Stitch. Depending on the form he is in, Genie will be able to perform an enormously damaging move. The drive form to mimick must be unlocked first. Genie attacks with a humorous recreation of Sora's keyblade, and has a command to mimick any one of Sora's drive forms. Genie is the blue genie in a lamp who helps the titular character of Aladdin. His attack with Sora, "FPS", is, as suggested, a First Person Shooter-like mode where Chicken can throw baseballs in rapid fire from a first person view. Chicken when summoned, chucks baseballs at enemies when on his own. Chicken Little is the titular character of Chicken Little. The World That Never Was. Disney Castle. Hollow Bastion. Destiny Islands (Unplayable). Twilight Town. Space Paranoids, from Tron (1982). Pride Land, from The Lion King (1994). Halloween Town, from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Agrabah, from Aladdin (1992). Port Royal, from Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). Atlantica, from The Little Mermaid (1989). 100 Acre Wood, from The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977). Timeless River, from Steamboat Willie (1928). Olympus Coliseum, from Hercules (1997). Beast's Castle, from Beauty and the Beast (1991). The Land of Dragons, from Mulan (1998). |