Kingdom Hearts 2 Zero -> Four

Since the majority of my gaming downtime will be spent with Kingdom Hearts 2 over the next few days, I'll update my impressions accordingly with time elapsed. Here're some things through the first four and a half hours of gameplay:

• I realize now what was missing from Chain of Memories on the GBA: expression. Sure, the static portraits were drawn to show a wide range of emotions, from shock to sadness to embarassment, but they prove their inadequacy when compared to how intricately characters express themselves in KH2. It's the believability that this additional level of expression lends to the events of the game that make KH, well, KH. Not to say that Chain of Memories wasn't a good game, but I do remember feeling like it lacked something.
• Back when the first KH came out, I remember thinking: "an RPG with Disney characters? This just looks too simple, too childlike, to be good." I was right in content but wrong in tone. KH succeeds because it is simple and childlike, but not childish. It has an innocence at its core that anyone willing to open themselves up to it will automatically connect with the characters and events of the story. At the risk of sounding cheesy, KH succeeds because it has heart.
  
• Man these games start slow. Just like the first, where you do some menial fetch quests (presumably to learn the controls and get used to getting around), KH2 has a series of menial jobs that hold your hand through the process of learning to walk, jump, run, and attack. I understand the utility of doing this, but in the case of KH2 if it weren't for the fact that they flood you with confusing plot developments throughout this early section that only make sense if you get through it all, these menial tasks would have proven excessive. They basically acknowledge that you've played a Kingdom Hearts game previous to this one by way of how they develop the story, so why can't they let us just get into the game instead of teaching us how to play (for THREE HOURS)?
• I get the impression that this game may be much longer than the first KH. The opening section, which I have just completed, took me over four hours to get through. By contrast I think it took maybe half that if not less the first time around to get through the intro and into the first themed world. With all that they seem to be attempting to tackle in terms of story concepts, though, additional length will likely prove beneficial.
• Christopher Lee needs to do voice work for all games, cartoons, and commercials for sinister-themed products. I think he's the only voice actor in this game so far to trigger the crossover to my subwoofer.
  
• I was thinking about the possibility that the Hundred Acre Wood will somehow be in this game, but then realized that the voice of Tigger has passed on since the first game. I am now torn... much of the nostalgia that made the Winnie the Pooh parts of KH was the presence of the original voice actors. I almost hope they don't have a Winnie the Pooh section in this game -- they did it perfectly in the first, and doing it again without Tigger's real voice will mar the experience.
  

That's all for now. I could touch on actual gameplay, but since I'm just now getting access to the new features (and even magic, for crying out loud) I'll give it more time before I address it.