The Best PlayStation Game Every Year 1994 - 2024

Launching alongside Final Fantasy XII and Persona 3, 2006 ought to be remembered as a great year for RPGs. However, Kingdom Hearts II takes the gold because it proved that lightning could indeed strike twice.

After all, the combination of Disney and Final Fantasy could’ve so easily been a cash grab. Instead, Kingdom Hearts II is the moment the series goes the opposite way completely. The game is denser, the combat customisation is broader and this is the moment the plotline becomes less a line and more a spirograph. It’s something about hearts, doors, Nobodies, Organisation XIII and there’s a bit where everyone thinks Goofy has been killed and it's all deadly serious.

And yet, as ludicrous as it was, it was so easy to be swept up in it because it was undeniable how great each individual part was. The presentation was of course top-notch, with incredible music and voice performances pulling you along for the ride. The choice of Disney worlds was superb and paced in a way that few overstayed their welcome. Perhaps most importantly, Square had really tightened the controls: exploration was far less finicky, combat was so much more satisfying and the dreadful Gummi Ship stages from the first game were finally enjoyable.

Kingdom Hearts II was the maturation of the original in every way, turning gaming’s strangest crossover event into a franchise in its own right. To this day, KH2 sits at the peak of the series, and stands as a testament to crafting something worthy of the sum of the parts provided.