Kingdom Hearts 1 vs. Kingdom Hearts 2
I recently played Kingdom Hearts 2 and don't really know if I like it more then the first one. KH2 is, as far as I know, the most popular game in the fanbase. But I wanted to ask the regular JRPG player.
Gameplay wise, KH2 is the better game. They introduced the Limit System and the Drive forms, which brought more variety. But then there are these weird choices like not giving you a Dodge Roll in the beginning, which frustated me alot. You can get one by upgrading the Limit-Drive Form, but a.) you get that Form late in the game and b.) grinding these Drive Forms is a pain, especially for a first-time player. And the Summons are so useless compared to the Drive-Forms, that I never seriously used them.
I feel that KH1 is more accessible for a non-fan of the franchise. The Story focusses more on the Disney Villians, with Maleficent being the main antagonist. Ansem gets his reveal much later on.
Meanwhile, KH2 gives you half a dozen of cloaked figures, all having the same cold anime stereotype. All except for Xemnas and maybe Saix are just cool boss-fights, but no actual character. And considering that Xemnas is basically just like the fake Ansem from KH1, with him searching for Kingdom Hearts, I felt like I was playing the first game again.
Despite all that, I still feel like KH2 is slighty better. KH1 is maybe the perfect game for a child. It's colorful, has a ton of Disney-characters and you beat the enemy with the power of friendship. It was so cheesy, even compared to other JRPGs.
Now KH2 is not a mature game, for sure. But it's a little more complex. And even if I wasn't the biggest fan of the main villians, I still read all the Secret Ansem Reports. And it had more ideas like the real Ansem in hiding, the Nobodies and even Roxas and his little story. I even didn't hate that way to long beginning.
This went on for way to long. Maybe a direct comparison isn't even necessary. I just needed to rant about these games. I would not call myself a big KH fan, but I still collected all the treasures and beat all the Superbosses and both games.