So. Before or after KH2?

[Smile]

A friend of mine, basically my best friend since junior high (ages ago...) is slowly yet surely progressing through the series. He finally finished KH1 a while ago and is now progressing through Re:CoM.

My question is as following (and is up in the poll..):

Should I have him play Days afterwards, as it links directly to post-CoM events, or have him play KH2 and only later see the whole picture?
I played Days second and I enjoyed both games enough but I do have to wonder how playing Days first would influence his impression of KH2.

Opinions please?

 

[Ven-Dono]

I would say Days after KH2.
Mostly because of the hints to BbS in it. (Although I barely know of them. Nomura just said it.)

I have a feeling it doesn't matter, but something was cool to me about a game focusing on the Org. after we saw them all die.

Edit: And if he doesn't play KH2 first, the ending won't make him all sorry for Roxas. It'll just spoil him a bit.

 

[Rexy]

sorry i made a mistake in the pool, i voted Days after KH2 but i think that its better to play Days before KH2

 

[Kagachi]

Well, playing Days before KH2 would make KH2 more epic in my opinion.

 

[Ven-Dono]

I guess I'm the only one who sees it the way I do.

But I'm not too strongly one way or the other.
Both ways would probably appeal in different aspects.

And he might want to take a break from playing as Sora.

 

[Antiquity]

I'd say have him play Days after KH2.
Sort of raises a few questions during the play through KH2 that Days could sort of answer, though I bet Days would bring up questions either way it's played. Probably based on me playing Days after KH2 but I like when questions are asked before getting the answers if that makes any sense (probably doesn't) XD

 

[Sacred X]

Haha, I was thinking the same thing if one of my friends were to get into KH2.

Basically, if your friend plays Days first, the story should be a lot easier to understand. On the other hand, it might kill some of the suspense such as "Whoa, what's Ansem doing alive??" or the faces of the new Organization members/the Leader wouldn't be surprizing at all.

However, if they play KH2 first, they might be a little confused with the plot revolving Roxas and possibly Axel, although they will be able to have their questions as to why "Ansem is alive" and so on.

I'm not going to say which order he should play the game in, but look at it this way:

1. He can play Days first and while have less suspense, she'll understand more about the plot and Organization overall. This would prove useful if he isn't going to be a KH fanatic. Understanding a plot is always fun.

2. He can play KH2 first and while having more intriguing questions, find the overall plot a little hard to follow. Nomura made these games because he wants people to ask questions and make theories. Does your friend fit those interests? Also eventually finding the answers to those questions can prove fun.

Hope that helps. Of course, I'm just assuming KH2 would be easier to understand with having Days played first. Afterall, I also played KH2 first.

 

[Shadow_]

I say after, because thats how we all followed the storyline. Plus there would be a few spoilers in 358/2 days that he might be confused about.

 

[Candylanger]

I would say after KH2, since if you play Days before KH2, you won't be as surprised about things that happens in that game. I liked it more that I played Days after KH2, so, yeah, after KH2.

 

[ThePromise]

Days, he'll understand characters like Axel more ..

 

[Reverie]

Even though Days takes place before KH2, I prefer playing after. Although, if you prefer to do it in order, Days would be a good place to start.

 

[whodeany]

I'd say play kh2 first, then watch the final mix+ added scenes, and then play days. If just for suspense and plot.

 

[Azrael]

To be honest, playing Re:CoM and Days are essential to fully understand KHII.

 

[stacyadams]

I say Days then KH2,it will fill in the horrible story gaps.Plus he will have more empathy for Axel.

 

[Snow]

I say Days after KH2.

So that the plot elements won't confuse your friend.

If you play Days before KH2, there will be some parts not understandable, but the other way round it's less so.

 

[NumberVIII]

That's hard. I voted days after in the poll, but I'm torn. On one hand, we all played kh2 first, and I didn't find the plot confusing when I played it. Then days is like a filler, adding more background and depth. On the other hand, it would be kind of interesting to see what his thoughts would be if he played it in order, and he'd probably appreciate the organization and Axel and such a little more when playing kh2.

Edit: I think would say kh2 before days though. It just makes a little more sense to me. Plus, if he played days first, he might not like how Xion is completely missing in kh2, without even the faintest mention of her.

 

[Muse]

I think by playing Days before KHII, your friend would be able to understand why Xion wasn't mentioned before or think that she's just a random add-in, along with it possibly flowing better, since he just finished CoM and Days occurs during/after CoM.

 

[Smile]

I think by playing Days before KHII, your friend would be able to understand why Xion wasn't mentioned before or think that she's just a random add-in, along with it possibly flowing better, since he just finished CoM and Days occurs during/after CoM.

He's not the person to overthink those things like that xD; also, he's not the type to hate on characters. So the no mentionings aspect wouldn't be a problem.

 

[gelandporn]

Definitely after.
From my own experience, it is better to play a game series based on when each game was released rather than chronologically.
Yeah, you probably get a better feel for the timeline playing chronologically, but playing out of order like that can really diminish the effect of certain experiences.

For example, the KH2 members' unveiling would be a bore. Not to mention, there'd be zero mystery behind Roxas.

Plus, as much as Nomura says otherwise, you really ought to play the series up until KH2 before Days. Yeah, I'm sure new players could survive Days without prior knowledge of KH, but to get the full effect, you ought to know about the Nobodies beforehand.

Thus, while you can play them chronologically, they were clearly made to play out of order.
Had your friend never played a KH game, and wanted to start after BbS was released, you obviously wouldn't make him/her start with BbS.