Why does everyone think days was such a bad game?

[Goldpanner]

ok, i'll go kill myself XD

I was just annoyed when I typed all that, because I was sick of all the days bashing.i had a feeling people would brutally rape everything I said and hand it back to me.

don't worry, I have the noose around my neck, just say when.

^
that was what I was trying to say. Then everyone raped me and spat in my face. I agree with all that.

RAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE!

lol geez, I get it now. This is why I don't post much, because people love to argue and never let stuff die, I worded everything wrong, I know.But Sora364 stole the text, right out from under my finger tips. Thats all I'm saying, please don't kill me.

Glad you admit you brought it on yourself, but don't say 'people' are the ones who don't let it die when it's you who keeps bringing it up. And 'people who don't like Days aren't real gamers' isn't what Sora364 said at all.

Anyway...

1. I'm finding it a little agitating to see how the vast amount of you are being overwhelmingly condescending about this. In fact, most of these complaints are just carping over "what people expected" This game was created with the sole purpose of conveying the story of Roxas' days in the Organization. You are all livid based on your false pre-conceptions of the game.

Since we've been waiting for this game ever since Nomura mentioned he had ideas for it back in 2007, of course we would have some expectations. And not just from KH2, but also from little things he'd said in interviews back then. And if those expectations had been proved wrong with something good, then I know I at least would have been happy.

If this was the first KH game I had ever played I would have thought Roxas was an absolutely useless character who didn't drive the story at all, obsessed over Xion and ice cream and was very boring. In fact I already loved Roxas a lot from KH2, and my love for him was sorely tested by Days.

How would Days have played out had Xion not existed? Without Xion, there is no tension nor legitimate conflict. It would merely be Roxas going on tedious missions day by day until he gets fed up, and goes off to find the reason why the Keyblade chose him for some random reason...then Riku magically appears and owns him.

Well let's see here. What plot would you be cutting out, if you cut Xion out? A keyblade wielder with no memories begins to have strange dreams of someone else. They begin to get doubts about their own identity. They hack a computer, running away to break into an abandoned castle, and end up consorting with the enemy all to find the truth. One they find the truth, they have to decide what was most important while undergoing something like an existential crisis.

If they could magic up a plotline like that which we only see through cutscenes while Roxas is not present, for a character that was created specifically for this game, why do you think they couldn't also magic up an interesting plot for Roxas himself, if they had to?

3. Fan-Fiction? Really? I take it half of you couldn't spot decent writing if it punched you in the face.

....If you think Days had good writing, then I'm sorry, but I'd say the same about you. Good writing is not half as repetitive (how many times does Xion go missing? How many ominous scenes of DiZ getting irritated at Sora's memory slowing and yet not taking any action? How many ice cream scenes about nothing? how many times does Xion faint?) and good writing is paced well; it does not have the huge stretch of 'nothing happening except missions and vagueness' through the middle of the story with a rush of sudden plot at the end.

And the fact that Nomura wrote the script himself makes this the farthest from a fan-fiction, more so than any KH game in existence.

Hmm... Nomura wrote the script, but it was from the scenario that Ishida and Kanemaki wrote. And you can see here how much Kanemaki put in:

For the 14th book, the first afterword! I’m Tomoko Kanemaki. Thank you very much for reading ‘Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days’. To both those who have always read my books, and to those who haven’t, I truly thank you.

The 14th book… yes, this is already the 14th volume in the Kingdom Hearts Novel Series. And, 14 is also the number that Xion was charged with. Moreover, just as this is the first afterword in the KH Novel Series, ‘Days’ was the first game title I had helped write a scenario for. I think it was about two years ago that we worked on that scenario, re-writing it over and over. Those days have already become a fond memory.

I remember happily the days when all the new staff at Square Enix’s Shinjuku office had very long conferences with Tetsuya Nomura. That time, he usually came once or twice a week. Most of the discussion was during meetings amongst Yukari Ishii of the scenario team, and the reliable supervisor, Daisuke Watanabe, and myself. Well, we really did talk about many different things. Mr. Nomura looked at the discussions the three of us had, and produced. Mr. Nomura added his hand and created more things, and that’s the shape that production took as it went along. I had been involved in game development before that, however, these jobs were all on visual novel type games, and this was the first RPG I’d helped produce. I’d usually worked alone over everything else, and so working in a team in itself was also something I was able to enjoy.

Out of the things we discussed in relation to the premise, the number one impressive thing was the premise related to Xion.

I was the one who put forward the premise of Xion, and very much of what I discussed and decided was adopted. This includes her name, which I thought about deeply. It’s already touched upon in the Ultimania, but Xion’s name corresponds to Naminé (波音, ‘the sound of waves’) as Shion (潮音, ‘the sound of the tide’), as well as being an anagram of X and ‘the Number that Never Was’, the imaginary number No. i. Then there’s one more thing. The flower Aster tataricus [‘shion’ in Japanese] means ‘I won’t forget you’ [in Japanese floriography].

Furthermore, Xion’s hair colour was also a request of mine. It came from my private desire, “I want to see Mr. Nomura make a girl with black hair!”. It was nothing other than a perk of the job. I am treasuring a rough sketch of Xion that (probably) hasn’t been shown to the public.

Moreover, the base of the Replica premise of mine was also adopted. It was an idea that came from a thought I’d had when I was writing Riku’s volume of the Chain of Memories novels, that the Replica’s weren’t actually counted. Beings whose existence has been created, that are supposed to exist even less than the beings that aren’t supposed to exist. The premise is one that cannot but end sadly no matter how you handle it, but I think it’s so if the Replicas are feeling happiness in their hearts at the end, even after all that.

Still, just as the game itself is a long series, the novels have also become a long series. Volume 1 came out about six years ago, you see. The first volume, for which I was groping in the dark in every conceivable meaning, holds incredibly fond memories. And them, in those six years, so many things have happened. A child entering elementary school at that time would be a middle school student this spring! Wahh. I have so many feelings of gratitude towards everyone who has supported me for those six years, and to all the staff.

I don’t usually have the opportunity to say this properly, so here are some more concrete words of thanks.

First, to director Tetsuya Nomura. The signed Sora figure I received on a birthday sometime ago has been treasured in front of my desk the whole time. I’m your fan. We haven’t met recently, but I really enjoyed idling and talking with you backstage at the game show. I’d like the two of us to talk backstage again sometime. And, I thank you in advance for taking care of me from now on, too!

She's a fan, check.
She writes fiction about it, check.
She wrote her own Kingdom Hearts OC, check.
It got approved by Nomura---this makes it not fanfiction.
Dang, 3/4.

At the very least, you have real antagonists and there is a true conflict brewing throughout the story (even though it's subtle until mid-way through.)

Who were the real antagonists? Saix... being harmlessly mean? Pete.... doing random shit that had no effect on anything? DiZ.... looming ominously in cutscenes and never doing anything? Xemnas.... looming ominously in cutscenes and never doing anything? Riku... only an antagonist at the absolute end of the game?

Or do you mean the Heartless? Cause lol, all the games have had those.

This game did bore me to tears. At least Sora was moving forward throughout his story. Roxas was staying in the same place, mentally and physically, for most of the game. Doing nothing. And we have to play as him. Perhaps if they had made Xion the playable character it wouldn't have been so boring. Even so, I think her plot was pretty predictable anyway (she must have some tragic fate cause she's not in KH2.... she has to have some kind of conflict but in the end choose the Right Thing to Do....), the only redeeming feature would be that at least we would have seen a plot unfolding in front of us instead of off to the side.

Then again...I was always neutral to this game and ignored it (caring only about Birth By Sleep) until the game released. Maybe that's why I can actually well...appreciate it.

From everything you've said about 'take Xion out and the plot doesn't work' and the like, it was already pretty obvious that you'd never actually thought about any other way the story of Roxas' time in the org could have been written. And that's fine, except I think that hardly gives you the right to act condescending like that, because when people who do care have put thought into things like that, they generally know what they're talking about a little better.

...should I bite on this? Should I really? >.<

Yes please. I should just stay out of these things, or write some kind of default reply to copy and paste to these same old comments lol

actually, the only reason why xion needed to be in the game is because they made it that way. xion influenced the title, the story, and the characters.

nomura probably created her simply to make it easier for days to relate to BBS (xigbar's memory of xion and nomura hinting ventus being involved with dual wielding) but other than that, the story could've taken a completely different turn. sucha s instead of focusing on xion they could've focused on different characters.

.....WHAT IS THIS?? I'M AGREEING WITH YOU ABOUT SOMETHING. *hyperventilates*

 

[Ventus91]

idk I thought it was ok, there times where it was like didn't we just do this mission in a different world? it got rather boring after a while.

 

[VenFan17]

To be honest, I'm not sure of my EXACT opinion on Days, but...

To tell you the truth, it's actually the first KH game I've not played all the way through (or not wanted to play all the way through...I'm almost done with BBS). For me, I liked the story, but I didn't LOVE it. I don't hate Xion, but at the same time she's not the best thought out character. Overall, for my opinion, though, the gameplay was the worst part. Not fun at all. >.< But, I still plan to finish it ONE DAY. Maybe I'll like it better when I finish it...or maybe not. I dunno. It's a 50/50 game IMO, not the worst, not the best.

 

[sora364]

If this was the first KH game I had ever played I would have thought Roxas was an absolutely useless character who didn't drive the story at all, obsessed over Xion and ice cream and was very boring. In fact I already loved Roxas a lot from KH2, and my love for him was sorely tested by Days.

Peculiar that you say that, as my appreciation for Roxas increased substantially. Six days...(3 hours of gameplay) in Kingdom Hearts II was a stupendous disservice to a character like Roxas. He was a more dimensional character than Sora (KHII), and had more characterization than a majority of the game's cast. This game gave me supplementary perspective to who Roxas really was. Before Days, I thought Roxas was an angsty prick (judging by the flashbacks in KHII) who was inducted into the Organization for no real purpose. Sure, one would have surmised because "He could wield the Keyblade" yet KH2 itself seldom makes such inferences. I say this because in KHII, he would get po'd very quickly after his memories were restored. I began to question exactly who is the real Roxas? Days answered that question. Yeah, yeah, we weren't anticipating him being a drooling Xion fanboy. Still, I felt it suited his story perfectly. Roxas and Xion have similar origins, and are the only character's linked to Sora. It's natural the two would bond. The same also applies with Axel. Seeing Roxas socialize and forging bonds with true friends, made me see him more than just a Nobody of Sora. For the first time, to me, Roxas didn't feel like a plot device. I know Xion is also a plot device, but at least the game gave her more than three hours of coverage. I really didn't see much point in the character's (Roxas) existence other than: "He must merge with Sora so that he can wake up." I never felt sympathy for him at the beginning of KHII. Just "Oh...sucks to be him. YAAAY!! I get to play with Sora now XD)*shrugs* But that's just me.

Well let's see here. What plot would you be cutting out, if you cut Xion out? A keyblade wielder with no memories begins to have strange dreams of someone else. They begin to get doubts about their own identity. They hack a computer, running away to break into an abandoned castle, and end up consorting with the enemy all to find the truth. One they find the truth, they have to decide what was most important while undergoing something like an existential crisis.

I won't lie, ordinarily I would totally agree with you. But in essence, just encapsulated the entire prologue of Kingdom Hearts II. I always got the vibe this basically would have happened in Days had Xion not existed...but it would just be a more elaborate regurgitation of a plot we've already seen.

If they could magic up a plotline like that which we only see through cutscenes while Roxas is not present, for a character that was created specifically for this game, why do you think they couldn't also magic up an interesting plot for Roxas himself, if they had to?

...I'm not sure how to phrase this, but in all due honesty...Xion was a plot device to foreshadow Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep. They could have, but maybe they thought they did. They could have inadvertently put more focus on Xion, while thinking they were doing the same with Roxas (I personally felt it was split evenly) I'm still not sure why people thought Roxas' fell to the wayside in this story, he was equally as important as Xion, but alas, I never viewed Roxas the main character to begin with.

....If you think Days had good writing, then I'm sorry, but I'd say the same about you. Good writing is not half as repetitive (how many times does Xion go missing? How many ominous scenes of DiZ getting irritated at Sora's memory slowing and yet not taking any action? How many ice cream scenes about nothing? how many times does Xion faint?) and good writing is paced well; it does not have the huge stretch of 'nothing happening except missions and vagueness' through the middle of the story with a rush of sudden plot at the end.

I never said Days itself was "good" writing, it was moderately decent. The story does suffer due to repetition, but prominently pacing. The pacing was terrible. At the same time, I don't think it was "bad" either. Kingdom Hearts II is an example of a "bad" work of writing. Literally zero character development, tons of worthless characters that contributed nothing to the plot, pointless "antagonists" you covered once every blue moon. Not to mention the tons of unexplored potential for characters like Roxas, Namine, and Axel. Characters I was really looking foward to learning more about. I mean, RIKU was reduced to a side character that appeared extremely late in the game. Seriously, WTF? That game is just...bad in terms of story. It's a complete mess. It had a great premise, but the execution of the ideas was erratic and sloppily deployed. It totally spat on everything COM had previously established. 358/2 Days was satisfying for me because it nearly did everything KHII didn't. Develop characters, evolve relationships, and most importantly, shed light on two under represented characters: Roxas and Axel. I'm really sorry you and others couldn't get that from this game's story.[/QUOTE]

Hmm... Nomura wrote the script, but it was from the scenario that Ishida and Kanemaki wrote. And you can see here how much Kanemaki put in:

She's a fan, check.
She writes fiction about it, check.
She wrote her own Kingdom Hearts OC, check.
It got approved by Nomura---this makes it not fanfiction.
Dang, 3/4.

...You know what. I'm not even going to try.

Who were the real antagonists? Saix... being harmlessly mean? Pete.... doing random shit that had no effect on anything? DiZ.... looming ominously in cutscenes and never doing anything? Xemnas.... looming ominously in cutscenes and never doing anything? Riku... only an antagonist at the absolute end of the game?

Nice one, but no. Pete? Never crossed my mind;he's not even important. Diz and Riku fall under "anti-hero" in this game's plot. And...I don't recall seeing Diz that much in this game. As for the last two: you don't have to physically do anything to be an antagonist if that's what you were implying.

Xemnas and Saix are both maliciously scheming on the absolute best way of manipulating Roxas and Xion. They created Xion as a failsafe in the event Sora and or Roxas proved useless to them. They full well knew that Roxas and Xion cannot possibly exist together.
This becomes more obvious as the story progresses, as Saix begins to dispatch Roxas and Xion on separate missions-intentionally alienating them. Even going as far has having them try to destroy each other though illusory deception. All they cared about was the Keyblade, the fates of Roxas and Xion came of no consequence to them. They used them, played with them like mere pawns. They created Xion with the intent of a possible absorption of Roxas and that Xion will become a "new" Sora. They didn't actively do anything, just behind the scenes. I'm not sure how I can be more clear than that. They caused the rift between Roxas and Xion. They tried to make two best friends destroy one another. It also deteriorated Roxas' relationship with Axel. At the end of the game, I truly wanted to beat the **** out of both Xemnas and Saix. That's something I never experienced in KHII. I felt Roxas' rage after Xion's death, I felt like setting Kingdom Hearts free, and was royally pissed when Riku showed up and defeated Roxas (even if Xion gave him encouragement to to it.) The fact is, they were the antagonists, and there's no denying that. They may have been underplayed at the start, but as the story escalated they became worse, even if you did not realize it.

This game did bore me to tears. At least Sora was moving forward throughout his story. Roxas was staying in the same place, mentally and physically, for most of the game. Doing nothing. And we have to play as him.

As long as you are talking exclusively about the original Kingdom Hearts and Chain of Memories, then I agree with you. Now about Roxas "staying in the same place mentally and physically"...I see why you would think view at as such, but I totally disagree. At the beginning of the game, Roxas is a monotone that can barely speak. He is ignorant of the world. He starts off knowing absolutely nothing about anything. He befriends Axel, and slowly begins to learn more about himself and his own existence. The latter goes for Xion as well. Not sure whether you recognize this, but Roxas is a dynamic character, no matter how underwhelming it may have been for you. Though, I will say it may have been a departure of what we thought could have been Roxas. Alas, I digress.

Perhaps if they had made Xion the playable character it wouldn't have been so boring. Even so, I think her plot was pretty predictable anyway (she must have some tragic fate cause she's not in KH2.... she has to have some kind of conflict but in the end choose the Right Thing to Do....), the only redeeming feature would be that at least we would have seen a plot unfolding in front of us instead of off to the side.

Hm...well I can see where you're coming from. Taking into account Xion is one of the major charcters of this game (and the plot literally revolves around her) he being a playable character would have made a ton of sense. I even thought so myself as I was playing it. So yeah, I'm definitely with you on that. Still, she's pretty much a gameplay carbon copy of Roxas, so I doubt it would have felt refreshing at all. And you're right, a tragic fate was extremely predicatable (Birth By Sleep, anyone?) I predicted exactly what was going to happen to Terra and Ven (and to a degree, Aqua as well) but I still liked watching the events unfold to see if I was right or not. But yeah, seeing Xion's standpoint wouldn't have hurt the experience at all. Though I still don't feel I "watched from the side" though.

From everything you've said about 'take Xion out and the plot doesn't work' and the like, it was already pretty obvious that you'd never actually thought about any other way the story of Roxas' time in the org could have been written.

I did, just not the extent the most of you did. And I expected him to "question his existence" and whatnot due to KH2. Still...I didn't let my pre-conceptions overrule an unfinished story I knew nothing about. I took Roxas' days as "a blank page" and kept my expectations low as...well...I already knew the end of the story. So my interest was "meh..." until Xion appeared. Why? She was the only thing of any "relevance" that I was unaware of to Roxas' days in the organization.

And that's fine, except I think that hardly gives you the right to act condescending like that, because when people who do care have put thought into things like that, they generally know what they're talking about a little better.

I did say I was being too critical, and I apologize for the way it came out. The only reason it was that mordant, was because it was clear that Xion was going to have a VERY strong role in this game the second she was unveiled. People overlooked this, then ***** about how it should have been more about Roxas (since he is the protagonist), when the hints were all there. Her role may have been "more strong" than people wanted, but it doesn't change they ignorned Xion's vitality to the story. I mean, "new character created for game= game based around new character." -Those were my first thoughts. I'm glad I made that deduction, or else I would have been setting myself up for massive disappointment. So apparently, we all went in with different expectations. And also, are you saying that my opinion is less valued because my expectations were different from yours? I can clearly see why you all feel that way now. But from what I got out of the game before its release, it was going to be based on Roxas, Xion, and Axel. Not just Roxas. Either way, whether we like it or not, Xion's canon, she's here to stay, now let's deal swallow our pride and deal with it.

 

[Ovafaze]

Glad you admit you brought it on yourself, but don't say 'people' are the ones who don't let it die when it's you who keeps bringing it up. And 'people who don't like Days aren't real gamers' isn't what Sora364 said at all.

Anyway...

suicide and rape, calling everyone fake gamers, that wasn't me, I swear.

no, I was just kinda mad when I wrote that, plus..talking about killing my self and being raped is my sick sense of humor, pay no mind to it. But I agree with most of the things he says,

 

[zaqareemalcolm]

I personally didn't feel 358/2 days was a bad game.(Then again, it was my first Kingdom Hearts game so, fair enough). I played it through 2 times in two different ways. The first playthrough, I just played it continuously. Very boring. However, for the second playthrough, I did it in short bursts (Eg.Play at least 2-4 missions, do some challenges etc., then stop playing and continue later). It became more fun and enjoyable and for once, didn't think the missions were repetitive. I liked the panel system as well. It was an interesting twist of the traditional leveling system from other RPGs I played.

Also, I didn't think Xion was the center of the story. Sure, she was more mentioned/in more scenes than Roxas, but doesn't really change the fact the he is, and still will be the main character of the game. Also, I'm not gonna bitch about "No elaboration for the organization members". The fact that its about the period between KH:CoM and KH2 and NOT about who came from where made that unnecessary (Well, to me at least). I also agree with sora364, "new character created for game= game based around new character."

 

[sora364]

Another thing I find interesting, is that many people see Days as irrelevant to the main story. Almost as if it contributed nothing aside from creating "pointless" Xion. That statement could not be any more erroneous. I personally believe people let their hate for Xion cloud their judgement. It explained many things. Unexplained things.


1. Axel needlessly slaughtering members of the Organization in Chain of Memories. You know...the one's that weren't traitors (Zexion & Vexen, anyone?) Did no one question this? He seemed almost derranged, and you could never tell whose side he was on. Turns out, he was ordered by Saix to eliminate them so he would move up in the ranks/dispose of those who would get in his way. Wow.

2. It properly explains why the organization was in Castle Oblivion. All before, they were *conveniently* there with little explanation.

3. It explains in much more detail why Roxas left the organization. It expanded beyond "Why did the Keyblade choose me?" I believe this was more of an expansion than a retcon.

4. It demonstrates what caused the rift between Roxas and Axel.

5. Axel's complete personality change from COM to KHII.

6. Finally gives closure to why Deep Dive ever happened. Roxas left the organization...so WTF did he return back to its HQ? Explanation: Vengeance.

7. Explains why Roxas awakened to his second keyblade in canon form. All before was (plausible) but unverified speculation.

8. My biggest pet peeve of Roxas tossing a keyblade to his enemy for no real reason (other than the fact it looked...well...awesome)

9. Why the hell Xaldin knows pretty much Beast inside and out. He's been stalking since 358/2 Days.

10. Explains why Hayner would feel as if he's met Sora before (due to his meeting with Roxas)

11. Gave us insight to what Riku was up to. I don't care how much it was related to Xion, it showed us his actions during the gap between COM and KHII.

12. Why the hell Agrabah looks completely different in KH2 from its KH1 counterpart.

13. More information on the Replica Project, that there were numerous others yet to be introduced.

^^That's all from the tip of my head. It's one thing to not like the story, I can understand that. But to say it's completely impertinent to the main story...is completely wrong. That's the reason why I can never take someone who says "Days was a pointless side story" seriously.

 

[Taochan]

There are several reasons people didn't like Days... I found it not incredibly necessary and the missions were VERY repetitive.
But overall I still really enjoyed it, because I'm partial to the Organization members. Though I understand where everyone's opinion is coming from on Days.

 

[Mister E]

Days is not bad, in fact it's rather good considering it's a fully 3D action-RPG for the DS. The Panel system is a nice spin on levelling and abilities, there's plenty of potential replay value, and it's of a decent length for a portable RPG.

However, the missions, as many have said, are repetitive and quite linear. It's also rather disappointing how much it recycles from KH2 in terms of enemies and worlds. It also drags on quite a bit; I found it rather agonizing when it would go for "days" at a time without plot progression, and when the plot did progress it was often in small steps. It did get tiresome after a while.

 

[Dowhax]

I'm not gonna keep explaining why I hate Days, but the only thing I like was the story from 1/2-3/4's (since it slowly got a little interesting at those points; 1/2 being when Xion goes to Castle Oblivion.) of the game up to the end. Everything before then was major BS.

I just hope 3d will make a mockery out of this game.

 

[Allister Rose]

Days is not bad, in fact it's rather good considering it's a fully 3D action-RPG for the DS. The Panel system is a nice spin on levelling and abilities, there's plenty of potential replay value, and it's of a decent length for a portable RPG.

However, the missions, as many have said, are repetitive and quite linear. It's also rather disappointing how much it recycles from KH2 in terms of enemies and worlds. It also drags on quite a bit; I found it rather agonizing when it would go for "days" at a time without plot progression, and when the plot did progress it was often in small steps. It did get tiresome after a while.

you basicalyl say it as thats the only thing that made days good...which i'm going to have to agree

 

[Reika]

1. Axel needlessly slaughtering members of the Organization in Chain of Memories. You know...the one's that weren't traitors (Zexion & Vexen, anyone?) Did no one question this? He seemed almost derranged, and you could never tell whose side he was on. Turns out, he was ordered by Saix to eliminate them so he would move up in the ranks/dispose of those who would get in his way. Wow.

Vexen, I understood without the need for Days. Zexion, yes I questioned. I figured he probably got in the way of Axel or something, though, and didn't give it that much thought.

2. It properly explains why the organization was in Castle Oblivion. All before, they were *conveniently* there with little explanation.

We didn't need Days for that; it was obvious they were there to get Sora, and that going to CO was all part of the plan of capturing Sora. In fact, I'm pretty sure there were heavy implications, if not outright statements, of this in CoM itself. I'm sure most of us knew it without he need of Days.

3. It explains in much more detail why Roxas left the organization. It expanded beyond "Why did the Keyblade choose me?" I believe this was more of an expansion than a retcon.

We didn't NEED one; KH2 had that cleared up. Well, KH2 and Nomura interviews. Originally, Roxas found out that the Org and his own best friend had been keeping the secrets of his origins from him, he got pissed and desperately wanted to know what his past held and left.
By the way, would anyone care to explain how Roxas' line, "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know." makes sense in Days? :/ He left because of Xion and because he had been lied to; he hadn't really questioned his own origins that much in Days (he was too focused on Xion's), so why does he, all of a sudden, have to know why the Keyblade chose him?

4. It demonstrates what caused the rift between Roxas and Axel.

Again, as I explained above, we already knew what caused the rift. We don't need a demonstration to explain everything to us.

5. Axel's complete personality change from COM to KHII.

Actually, Days made that WORSE. We saw that he was the Axel from KH2 in Days, his attitude changed for CoM/Castle Oblivion ONLY, and then reverted back to his regular personality upon his return, with no explanation as to why he became a sadistic asshole for his stay at Castle Oblivion only.
This also takes away the character development we thought he had. Originally, it seemed like being a sadistic asshole was Axel's real personality, but that it slowly changed into a mellowed out personality because of his friendship with Roxas. Now we know that he stayed the same throughout the entire year without an ounce of character development.

6. Finally gives closure to why Deep Dive ever happened. Roxas left the organization...so WTF did he return back to its HQ? Explanation: Vengeance.

It was implied Roxas was meeting Riku there. Kinda why the first thing he wants to know is where Sora is; Roxas may not know his past, but he knows that Sora is somehow connected (what with his dreams and all), so he went out to find him.

7. Explains why Roxas awakened to his second keyblade in canon form. All before was (plausible) but unverified speculation.

Because his will to never forget her is an awesome catalyst for awakening his second Keyblade, amirite?

And Days didn't even explain that; it was explained in an Ultimania. So the game didn't do the explaining there, a magazine released only to the Japanese did.

8. My biggest pet peeve of Roxas tossing a keyblade to his enemy for no real reason (other than the fact it looked...well...awesome)

Noooooot really. Days doesn't really explain why Roxas threw Riku the Keyblade, unless you're going to tell me that Roxas magically knows one Keyblade has Xion in it (or is Xion, however you want to describe it), and would be willing to hand the Keyblade of the best friend he just killed (and is, in Days, wanting desperately to be with again) to the guy that has always been seen as an enemy to Roxas.
The fanon's speculation makes more sense.

9. Why the hell Xaldin knows pretty much Beast inside and out. He's been stalking since 358/2 Days.

I think that was pretty much implied in KH2. It was obvious he had been working at this for a while. Didn't need Days for that.

10. Explains why Hayner would feel as if he's met Sora before (due to his meeting with Roxas)

Thing is, Days wasn't even being thought of, let alone worked on, at the time KH2 was being made. So that wasn't the original reason.

11. Gave us insight to what Riku was up to. I don't care how much it was related to Xion, it showed us his actions during the gap between COM and KHII.

Yeah; Riku did jack shit during his time between CoM and KH2. Days reeeeeeeally cleared THAT one up!

12. Why the hell Agrabah looks completely different in KH2 from its KH1 counterpart.

That, I agree with. Though it doesn't explain the different routes to the Cave of Wonders (first, you can get to it through a wall, and the ruins that exist would be to the left of the Cave; now, in KH2, the ruins are to the RIGHT with the Cave to the left). It also doesn't explain the different layout the Cave of Wonders had. From what we saw, the Cave wasn't being rebuilt, whether it was hit by the sandstorms or not.
But, that was also not really necessary. Agrabah wasn't the only world in KH2 that looked different from it's KH1 counterpart; Halloween Town (and, if you want to count it, Atlantica) looked different as well, and we didn't get any explanations for those. I think it was just generally assumed that these revamps of the worlds were just that; revamps, to make the worlds more interesting and fun than their originals.

13. More information on the Replica Project, that there were numerous others yet to be introduced.

If they are to be introduced at all. It's information we didn't need, because it was information that, thus far, as only effected Days.

^^That's all from the tip of my head. It's one thing to not like the story, I can understand that. But to say it's completely impertinent to the main story...is completely wrong. That's the reason why I can never take someone who says "Days was a pointless side story" seriously.

It WAS a pointless side story. Half the crap you mentioned was unnecessary information, stuff we didn't need to know to understand the story.

 

[xStarSeekerx]

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you know when the game is gonna end. i find it sorata disappointing.

 

[Reika]

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you know when the game is gonna end. i find it sorata disappointing.

More so HOW the game will end. It was way too predictable.

 

[Mister E]

I have to agree; whilst I enjoyed the plot and the text dialogue, it is almost completely about character development. Xion is erased from existence due to her own nature, and as such has no direct effect on any other game in the series' events. One could quite easily skip over this game and still be able to mostly comprehend the overall plot of the series so far.

 

[Reika]

I have to agree; whilst I enjoyed the plot and the text dialogue, it is almost completely about character development. Xion is erased from existence due to her own nature, and as such has no direct effect on any other game in the series' events. One could quite easily skip over this game and still be able to mostly comprehend the overall plot of the series so far.

Exactly. In fact, I think the only major questions we had before Days' release was "Why can Roxas duel wield" and our questions regarding Xehanort, of course. And both could be mostly answered in BBS. Why can Roxas duel wield? Because he has Ven's heart. Why did it have to be more complicated than that? It's a good enough reason.

 

[Allister Rose]

i think that was the least of our questions...even without days, nomura could've hinted it in kh2 and answer it in BBS

 

[sora364]

Vexen, I understood without the need for Days. Zexion, yes I questioned. I figured he probably got in the way of Axel or something, though, and didn't give it that much thought.

The fact you never gave Zexion's fate much thought does not nullify the fact it was unexplained. Period.

We didn't need Days for that; it was obvious they were there to get Sora, and that going to CO was all part of the plan of capturing Sora. In fact, I'm pretty sure there were heavy implications, if not outright statements, of this in CoM itself. I'm sure most of us knew it without he need of Days.

Then I would be bold enough to ascertain that you knew it was (in addition to manipulating Sora) a base to eliminate traitors? And I take it you also knew Axel's secondary purpose there was to unearth the Chamber of Waking? Wow, you're good.

We didn't NEED one; KH2 had that cleared up. Well, KH2 and Nomura interviews. Originally, Roxas found out that the Org and his own best friend had been keeping the secrets of his origins from him, he got pissed and desperately wanted to know what his past held and left.

Not "needing" one does not equate to adding more dimension to the story, whether its representative to the events of Kingdom Hearts II or not. It's egregious enough that it wasn't "needed" as when can skip Days and never need to know all of these supplementary events. It expanded on the limited amount of information we were provided with Kingdom Hearts II. Either way, the end result was the same. So I am not seeing your point.

By the way, would anyone care to explain how Roxas' line, "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know." makes sense in Days? :/ He left because of Xion and because he had been lied to; he hadn't really questioned his own origins that much in Days (he was too focused on Xion's), so why does he, all of a sudden, have to know why the Keyblade chose him?

That, I cannot answer. It was either sloppily thrown in, or I missed something. I would like to think Nomura inserted that scene with a purpose, though given his recent interviews...

Again, as I explained above, we already knew what caused the rift. We don't need a demonstration to explain everything to us.

Really? Because I did not. I just assumed Axel was butthurt about Roxas "betraying" them, and additionally pissed off at the fact Roxas no longer remembered him. But as you previously did, I will say the same. It expanded more on the story. The end result was the same, we didn't need to know it, but it broadened the depth of both characters, plain and simple.

Actually, Days made that WORSE. We saw that he was the Axel from KH2 in Days, his attitude changed for CoM/Castle Oblivion ONLY, and then reverted back to his regular personality upon his return, with no explanation as to why he became a sadistic asshole for his stay at Castle Oblivion only.
This also takes away the character development we thought he had. Originally, it seemed like being a sadistic asshole was Axel's real personality, but that it slowly changed into a mellowed out personality because of his friendship with Roxas. Now we know that he stayed the same throughout the entire year without an ounce of character development.

Taking into account our time with Axel was brief in the beginning of Days, we cannot say for certain what is true personality was. He initially wasn't very pleased when being grouped with Roxas. We are left with two options: 1. His personality in COM was mostly a facade as he was literally a double agent. Or option #2 (which I side with) that this was always his personality, yet like you said, his time with Roxas made him more rational and composed. Roxas made him feel "like he had a heart." I fail to see how it worsens with Days at all. Because if you view is personality in COM as his original persona, then play 358/2 Days, there is much character development. Though this is subjective due to not knowing Axel's "true" personality. It depends on your outlook. Looking at it from your angle, he's definitely a static charater. Yet I see it differently.

It was implied Roxas was meeting Riku there.

Implication=/= Fact. There was no meeting. Roxas only returned to finish off Xemnas and liberate Kingdom Hearts, not because of an arranged battle with Riku.

Because his will to never forget her is an awesome catalyst for awakening his second Keyblade, amirite?

And Days didn't even explain that; it was explained in an Ultimania. So the game didn't do the explaining there, a magazine released only to the Japanese did.

Fair enough. I'll play devil's advocate and be like you. It was "implied" that Xion's death awakened the 2nd keyblade. I made that deduction the second I saw the cutscene as I played, before I even knew the Ultimania for it even existed. There. Now we're even

And even so, whether or not it was confirmed in the Ultimania and you didn't realize it (when people like me thought it to be dead obvious) it does not alter the fact that Days revealed it.

Noooooot really. Days doesn't really explain why Roxas threw Riku the Keyblade, unless you're going to tell me that Roxas magically knows one Keyblade has Xion in it (or is Xion, however you want to describe it), and would be willing to hand the Keyblade of the best friend he just killed (and is, in Days, wanting desperately to be with again) to the guy that has always been seen as an enemy to Roxas.

...That is where you are totally misinformed. It is strangely ironic actually, you just shoved the Ultimania down my throat and yet, that sentence verified you are oblivious to one of the plot points it mentioned. The Ultimania confirmed neither Keyblade belonged to Xion.

In the end Roxas is able use two keyblades. Is this because he now has Xion’s?

Nomura: Well, it isn’t that Roxas has physically inherited Xion’s keyblade, but more that Xion has awakened it within Roxas. In the KH series there are a lot of complex reasons why someone can use a keyblade, but basically you need a “heart” to be able to wield one. So strictly speaking, they are being influenced by Sora. At the present I can’t say more than that, since it would go into whether or not Roxas has a heart. And there is also a part that has to do with Xehanort’s memories. This time there were connections to the Kingdom Hearts secret movie, and the time will come when this will have a clear connection as well. You’ll just have to ask me then.

And also, it was not Roxas who threw the Keyblade to Riku. It was Xion acting through Roxas.

-- When Roxas tries to do what Xion has asked of him, Riku hears Xion’s voice asking him to stop Roxas. Why?

Nomura: First he have to look at things in order. First, the reason why Roxas throws a keyblade to Riku, and we then see a vision of Xion, is that there is a small remaining part of Xion in Roxas that wants to stop him, and makes him take those actions. The name of the keyblade that is given to Riku suggests that it has something to do with Xion. Xion wants Roxas to set Kingdom Hearts free, but doesn’t want him to face Xemnas right now. She sees that he would most likely lose. So she begs Riku to stop him.

The fanon's speculation makes more sense.

I will not dissemble to be aware of the "fanon's" speculation (nor do I even care) but the fact is: their theories aren't canon, whether or not you agree with them. Now...back on topic.

I think that was pretty much implied in KH2. It was obvious he had been working at this for a while. Didn't need Days for that.

...I'll give you that. Like always, we didn't "need" Days for that, it expanded the story.

Thing is, Days wasn't even being thought of, let alone worked on, at the time KH2 was being made. So that wasn't the original reason.

Funny you say that, because back in 06 I VIVIDLY remember someone speculating that Roxas may have met Hayner, Pence, and Olette on this forum. Up until that point, I never really questioned why he felt familiar with Sora (because I felt somehow the "data" version of him affected him) but that theory made much more sense. Turns out, it was true. How can you say that was the original reason? Are you Nomura? Nomura always has a list of ideas in his head whilst he's creating games. That is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Using that logic, knowing that Castle Oblivion was created by Aqua/was originally the Land of Departure is also pointless. I mean...clearly it wasn't "thought of" during Chain of Memories' development. I mean...it didn't change anything aside from the fact that Ven is sleeping inside. Right? :tongue:

Yeah; Riku did jack shit during his time between CoM and KH2. Days reeeeeeeally cleared THAT one up!

*Tries to come up with counter arguement* *fails* Yeah...we can pretty much agree that he didn't do anything in Days. XD

That, I agree with. Though it doesn't explain the different routes to the Cave of Wonders (first, you can get to it through a wall, and the ruins that exist would be to the left of the Cave; now, in KH2, the ruins are to the RIGHT with the Cave to the left). It also doesn't explain the different layout the Cave of Wonders had. From what we saw, the Cave wasn't being rebuilt, whether it was hit by the sandstorms or not.

It's called game design. I never even brought the Cave of Wonders up (if you thought I was) I was speaking exclusively for the town itself.

But, that was also not really necessary. Agrabah wasn't the only world in KH2 that looked different from it's KH1 counterpart; Halloween Town (and, if you want to count it, Atlantica) looked different as well, and we didn't get any explanations for those. I think it was just generally assumed that these revamps of the worlds were just that; revamps, to make the worlds more interesting and fun than their originals.

Once again...it's called game design. You're right, they were revamped. Why they only explained Agrabah, I don't know. I'm speaking on what Days did establish.

It WAS a pointless side story. Half the crap you mentioned was unnecessary information, stuff we didn't need to know to understand the story.

s1britishguy Yeah...whatever you say.

 

[Reika]

The fact you never gave Zexion's fate much thought does not nullify the fact it was unexplained. Period.

A lot of things go unexplained. We don't need an explanation for everything.
And was Zexion even eliminated in the same manner in the GBA version of CoM? If that was a Re:CoM only thing, it's possible that scene was added on purpose, in preparation for Days (which, to my knowledge, would have been in development at that time).

Then I would be bold enough to ascertain that you knew it was (in addition to manipulating Sora) a base to eliminate traitors? And I take it you also knew Axel's secondary purpose there was to unearth the Chamber of Waking? Wow, you're good.

And that detail was brought up ONLY in Days. In every other game, there wasn't even a notion that the traitors were sent to CO specifically for that reason, just that Axel was sent there to specifically be rid of them.
Again, the Chamber of Waking and Axel's purpose with it was a detail only mentioned in Days. It was added on, something that was never even implied in earlier games.
I think the Chamber of Waking, as well as the Xion-looking-like-Ven thing, were merely Easter eggs for us, hints being dropped about BBS and nothing more.

Not "needing" one does not equate to adding more dimension to the story, whether its representative to the events of Kingdom Hearts II or not. It's egregious enough that it wasn't "needed" as when can skip Days and never need to know all of these supplementary events. It expanded on the limited amount of information we were provided with Kingdom Hearts II. Either way, the end result was the same. So I am not seeing your point.

Ah, but your original point was that Days is relevant to the KH plotline as a whole. Adding more dimension does not make it necessary or relevant. So you just contradicted yourself. Thus, you just agreed with MY point; that Days ISN'T relevant to the KH series and could easily be skipped without a problem.

That, I cannot answer. It was either sloppily thrown in, or I missed something. I would like to think Nomura inserted that scene with a purpose, though given his recent interviews...

Exactly. It made more sense WITHOUT Days, when Roxas' reason for leaving was because he dreamt of a Keyblade-wielding Sora, know it was somehow connected to his origins, and wanted to know more, but wasn't getting the answers from the Organization or even his own best friend.

Really? Because I did not. I just assumed Axel was butthurt about Roxas "betraying" them, and additionally pissed off at the fact Roxas no longer remembered him. But as you previously did, I will say the same. It expanded more on the story. The end result was the same, we didn't need to know it, but it broadened the depth of both characters, plain and simple.

If you have a friend pissed at you to the point of completely abandoning you (like Roxas did), I would think that'd cause a rift. As you said, Axel was upset because Roxas could no longer remember him. Axel didn't seem annoyed at Roxas at first. But Roxas' repeated attempts to push him away and the obviousness of Roxas not even remembering Axel set him off in the end. Axel didn't seem to know that DiZ/Namine wiped Roxas' memories, so he probably thought the memory lapse was caused by Roxas himself.

Taking into account our time with Axel was brief in the beginning of Days, we cannot say for certain what is true personality was. He initially wasn't very pleased when being grouped with Roxas. We are left with two options: 1. His personality in COM was mostly a facade as he was literally a double agent. Or option #2 (which I side with) that this was always his personality, yet like you said, his time with Roxas made him more rational and composed. Roxas made him feel "like he had a heart." I fail to see how it worsens with Days at all. Because if you view is personality in COM as his original persona, then play 358/2 Days, there is much character development. Though this is subjective due to not knowing Axel's "true" personality. It depends on your outlook. Looking at it from your angle, he's definitely a static charater. Yet I see it differently.

We saw enough of his personality at the beginning. We even saw a bit from behind the scenes, between Axel and Saix. He didn't seem to be even close to the dick he was in CoM. And what about Axel calming down immediately after his job was finished. After returning, he hadn't spent enough time with Roxas for their friendship to calm him down, because he was calm and relaxed again right away!

Implication=/= Fact. There was no meeting. Roxas only returned to finish off Xemnas and liberate Kingdom Hearts, not because of an arranged battle with Riku.

Yet, the mission goal right away was to meet Riku.
In the Deep Dive video at the end of KH1, Roxas' first question was, "Where is Sora?", as if he went there especially just to find out Sora's whereabouts.
Riku said in KH2 that he believes Roxas left the Organization to meet you, and Riku using force was unnecessary because of that; this points to the implication in question.
The rest of my reply to this is below:

Fair enough. I'll play devil's advocate and be like you. It was "implied" that Xion's death awakened the 2nd keyblade. I made that deduction the second I saw the cutscene as I played, before I even knew the Ultimania for it even existed. There. Now we're even

And even so, whether or not it was confirmed in the Ultimania and you didn't realize it (when people like me thought it to be dead obvious) it does not alter the fact that Days revealed it.

Oh, trust me, I thought that, too.
However, unlike the implication I was trying to explain above, the truth of how Roxas duel wielded had already been created at the time of Xion's death, making our implications instantly wrong, only due to lack of information.
With the Deep Dive implications, Roxas' goal to destroy Xemnas and free Kingdom Hearts as per Xion's last wish was not even thought of at that time, because Days was not even thought of. All we had factual-wise were the implications, because an actual truth to the matter was not yet in existence. This means that Days was still unnecessary in explaining this part, because the explanation hadn't even existed at the time of the scene in question took place.

In order for Days to have revealed the true reason behind duel wielding, it would have to outright state or heavily imply that Roxas' will to never forget Xion was the reason. NOBODY thought that was the case until the Ultimania came out. We all thought that Xion's power or essence or whatever you want to call it, or that the shock of her death alone was enough to awaken the ability. But it wasn't. Her death didn't trigger her; as I said before (and I wish I had a better way of wording this), his WILL to never forget her is what triggered it. If Xion didn't even die, and it was only the memories of her that would be erased from the worlds, so long as he didn't want to forget her, it still would have triggered the duel wielding. That was not in the game. If it was, please point it out to me.

...That is where you are totally misinformed. It is strangely ironic actually, you just shoved the Ultimania down my throat and yet, that sentence verified you are oblivious to one of the plot points it mentioned. The Ultimania confirmed neither Keyblade belonged to Xion.

I know that. I remember that Ultimania, too. What I meant was the Keyblade Roxas gave to Riku is the Keyblade Xion sort of spoke through. When Riku grabbed the Keyblade, memories of Xion started flooding to him.

And also, it was not Roxas who threw the Keyblade to Riku. It was Xion acting through Roxas.

Why did Roxas not question this? An inanimate object was moving for him and giving itself, Roxas' own weapon, to the guy he's supposed to fight against.
Anyway. Yet another explanation not needed. As said before, this reason did not even exist at the time of the scene's creation. Meaning, there must have been some other reason for the action that they eventually retconned for the sake of Days. So Days would not have been necessary in revealing this, because it wasn't even the original canon reveal.

I will not dissemble to be aware of the "fanon's" speculation (nor do I even care) but the fact is: their theories aren't canon, whether or not you agree with them. Now...back on topic.

.... I know they aren't canon. That's why I said "fanon". I was merely saying that the theories mere fans created made more sense than the actual explanation.

...I'll give you that. Like always, we didn't "need" Days for that, it expanded the story.

And like before, your original point was that Days is relevant to the main series. You've just said again that Days was not necessary or needed. Thus, it is not relevant.

Funny you say that, because back in 06 I VIVIDLY remember someone speculating that Roxas may have met Hayner, Pence, and Olette. Up until that point, I never really questioned why he felt familiar with Sora (because I felt somehow the "data" version of him affected him) but that theory made much more sense. Turns out, it was true. How can you say that was the original reason? Are you Nomura? Nomura always has a list of ideas in his head whilst he's creating games. That is not beyond the realm of possibility.

I'll give you that, that Nomura may have had an idea that they had met in person before. However, ideas =/= canon. He had an idea that Sora would be part monkey and carry a chainsaw, but that wasn't canon either. And it was never confirmed until he decided to make Days, which happened AFTER the completion of KH2.

*Tries to come up with counter arguement* *fails* Yeah...we can pretty much agree that he didn't do anything in Days. XD

Exactly. xD I actually wish Nomura had stuck with his original idea for Days (as he said in an interview), by making it Riku's game.

It's called game design. I never even brought the Cave of Wonders up (if you thought I was) I was speaking exclusively for the town itself.

I know that. My point was that you said Days explained why the layout of Agrabah was different. I was pointing out that there were other worlds that had layout changes with NO explanation, and even parts of Agrabah (ruins, Cave of Wonders) weren't explained for the layout change, and actually made even MORE changes. It explained Agrabah's alone and nothing else. So why, if Days has answers regarding the layout change, didn't it explain ALL layout changes?
A question I know will go unanswered. It's just annoying that they did that. :/

Once again...it's called game design. You're right, they were revamped. Why they only explained Agrabah, I don't know. I'm speaking on what Days did establish.

My point of that being that Agrabah wasn't the only one with a layout change, but was the only one explained. If the other layout changes can continue to go unexplained, then a explanation for Agrabah's change was not needed, either.

 

[*TwilightNight*]

I didn't want to get in, but since I was getting to prepare a respond of my own (before Reika beat me to it, lol), might as well add in my two cents to certain things.

The fact you never gave Zexion's fate much thought does not nullify the fact it was unexplained. Period.

Why did Zexion die? What mysteries will be unsolved? Will it relate to Xehanort? Will it reveal a massive plot in future installments? Will Zexion reappear to become the second-in-command and take over? Who knows, who knows. It's such an importance to find out why Axel was a douchebag. In fact, it affects the whole entire series.

s1gildragonin30years

Then I would be bold enough to ascertain that you knew it was (in addition to manipulating Sora) a base to eliminate traitors? And I take it you also knew Axel's secondary purpose there was to unearth the Chamber of Waking? Wow, you're good.

Those are minor aspects that didn't need a game to explain. Very minor, unnecessary things that I wouldn't have given a second thought of or gave a damn about if Days didn't bring it in for whatever reason. Done in one sentence in an interview by Nomura, all of it. Nothing was even accomplished with the Chamber of Awakening in the game. It was just to reaffirm that Xemnas was looking for it, which we already knew by KH2:FM+. Who cares if Axel was thrown in there? He didn't need to be; does it make any difference in the scheme of things? He was obviously in CoM originally for a higher purpose in eliminating the traitors, scouting for them, and being the hidden assassin. For goodness sakes, the guy was to die in KH2 right at the beginning without nothing else if the fanwank didn't save him. There was nothing to wonder about then. Honestly, who ever questioned what Axel was doing in CO? Who? If the 358/2 Days we were given didn't exist, who truthfully could care? Nobody did. Cause they already gave the reason why - he was a double agent sent to spy.

Apparently, you're like the only exception to everything the fandom figured out.

Not "needing" one does not equate to adding more dimension to the story, whether its representative to the events of Kingdom Hearts II or not. It's egregious enough that it wasn't "needed" as when can skip Days and never need to know all of these supplementary events. It expanded on the limited amount of information we were provided with Kingdom Hearts II. Either way, the end result was the same. So I am not seeing your point.

I'm not seeing your point either. It expanded it, but it didn't need to be expanded upon if no one felt like it. We had enough hints to explain the behind the scenes. You said yourself: the result was the same. 358/2 Days didn't make or break anything. The whole series would have gone on fine without it. That more or less admits that it didn't need to be created.

Really? Because I did not. I just assumed Axel was butthurt about Roxas "betraying" them, and additionally pissed off at the fact Roxas no longer remembered him. But as you previously did, I will say the same. It expanded more on the story. The end result was the same, we didn't need to know it, but it broadened the depth of both characters, plain and simple.

What was expanded, exactly? We were outright and obviously told why the rift happened. Since we love Nomura interviews:

What triggered Roxas’ separation from the Organization?
Nomura: As he kept having recurring dreams of Sora, someone he didn’t know, he felt he needed to leave the Organization to find out who these people he didn’t know were. As Axel didn’t want him to go, he didn’t tell Sora about Roxas in Castle Oblivion, did he?

Xion? Xion who? Xion what?

Implication=/= Fact. There was no meeting. Roxas only returned to finish off Xemnas and liberate Kingdom Hearts, not because of an arranged battle with Riku.

It's not even an implication, actually. Nomura had it in mind before Xion's existence was ever thought of, which was after KH2 was done. And not even by him, but by some novel writer. Sometimes, people need to look at Nomura's old interviews, and see what his basic ideas were before it was ruined (or in my opinion, at least, was ruined):

So, let’s talk about this new story, which doesn’t have Sora as the main character. What sort of story will it be?
Tetsuya Nomura: Well, I need to start with the story depicted in a Birth by Sleep. Aside from that, there’s the story of how the King found his keyblade in the world of darkness and other things like that. Myself, one of the things I most want to do is to give Roxas more of a role to play. I think it would be interesting to flesh out more of the year he spent between his birth and disappearance. Or making Riku the main character, and writing about his desperate fight while Sora was asleep, and things like that. You get the impression that Riku summoned Roxas to a place of shadows, and that Riku is a master of shadows, so I would like to give him more exploration in the game.

Obviously, Riku had something to do with the reason why Roxas was heading towards TWTNW, not Xion. That was the original intention. You could see it in the Deep Dive and Another Side, Another Story trailers. I always thought that Riku was just a random person to Roxas (or someone he has met rarely), who he asked for aid of because he was being overrun and surrounded by Heartless (or else, he, first, wouldn't have jumped out of the way into a clearing if he wasn't in trouble, and second, wouldn't have looked around at the mess, glanced up, and decided to run up the skyscraper, all in the video). That is, until this interview. The two boys were more interconnected than previously thought.

I would've wasted xdhdjhhssssk highest cash only for the game to focus on these two, and the rest of the cast properly. A part of me thinks it should have been Roxas who met Riku instead of Xion all those times.

Fair enough. I'll play devil's advocate and be like you. It was "implied" that Xion's death awakened the 2nd keyblade. I made that deduction the second I saw the cutscene as I played, before I even knew the Ultimania for it even existed. There. Now we're even

And even so, whether or not it was confirmed in the Ultimania and you didn't realize it (when people like me thought it to be dead obvious) it does not alter the fact that Days revealed it.

It doesn't alter anything else either. I definitely would have preferred the awakening to happen once Roxas came in close proximity to Ventus in CO and the connection, which makes much more sense considering why he has the dual wielding ability in the first place, brought it forth.

The Ultimania confirmed neither Keyblade belonged to Xion.

And yet, she could magically get into someone's mind and speak through it cause the Keyblade's name means "memories".

And also, it was not Roxas who threw the Keyblade to Riku. It was Xion acting through Roxas.

Though that didn't need to occur for it to happen the way it did, like I explained above somewhere.

I will not dissemble to be aware of the "fanon's" speculation (nor do I even care) but the fact is: their theories aren't canon, whether or not you agree with them. Now...back on topic.

The fact is: there were many options that could replace Xion easily for something else, and the story would be okay. It's kind of sad that the fans were more original, while the professionals took the 1,000,000 14th member fanfiction of the minute and applied it to canon - ending up with the same elements of why they sucked except for Xion having a penis :/.

Funny you say that, because back in 06 I VIVIDLY remember someone speculating that Roxas may have met Hayner, Pence, and Olette on this forum. Up until that point, I never really questioned why he felt familiar with Sora (because I felt somehow the "data" version of him affected him) but that theory made much more sense. Turns out, it was true. How can you say that was the original reason? Are you Nomura? Nomura always has a list of ideas in his head whilst he's creating games. That is not beyond the realm of possibility.

To be honest, it was clued in that Roxas had met them before. It doesn't make sense why they would think Sora was familiar otherwise, unless the Data Twilight Town bonded it to their Hearts. O

Once more, why's this important to the bigger plot in the series? I mean, hell, people even forget to mention HPO.

Xion-looking-like-Ven thing, were merely Easter eggs for us, hints being dropped about BBS and nothing more.

I don't even know why Xion looking like Ven for a few seconds was a much bigger deal than Roxas looking exactly like him, 24/7, 100% of the time. It's practically Ventus walking with a different personality.