CoM and kh2

In my opinion, you'd be missing out on a lot by not playing CoM. The gameplay really isn't all that spectacular. However, the story is very well written. Not to mention, KH2 does a lousy job of explaining the events of CoM properly, and they're essential to understanding exactly why Sora is in the situation he is in at the start of the game. If you are unable or unwilling to buy the game yourself to play, I would recommend at least finding a friend who does own it and borrowing it from them. It'll make KH2 make a lot more sense.

 

That would ruin the fun.

 

I think you definitely have to play CoM... I gave it a miss until I got KH2 - I had no idea what was going on at the start! Or, if you prefer, you could go to Wikipedia or something and read up on the plot and stuff, because the gameplay is...odd. It's certainly not the worst, but it's definitely not the best!

 

If you don't want a vein to burst (finding all the specific map cards is tedious and irritating. D: ), then you can always read the manga.
The drawings are cute and it covers the whole plot, and has funny bits in it. :3

 

i dont like the manga to much, but it is a good plot supplement.

 

Really? I loved it.

Esp. the chibi Riku on the 2nd cover.

 

well it wasnt bad i suppose, but i think making it so cutesy and funny was annoying. (like during marluxia's battle with axel, namine was in the corner with a hardhat on?)
I know Kingdom hearts isnt like Final Fantasy seriousness but making it so cute kind took away from the spirit of the fighting and stuff to me. Art was really good though.

 

In short, COM explains/introduces the following:

• 
  ¤ shows us where Sora went, after the KH1 ending
  ¤ tells us the events leading up to his one-year-long sleep
  ¤ introduces Castle Oblivion
  ¤ introduces Naminé
  ¤ introduces the Riku Replica
  ¤ Riku is possessed by Xehanort
  ¤ Riku parts ways from Mickey (explains why they weren't travelling together anymore in KH2
  ¤ explains why Sora can't remember Naminé
  ¤ explains why everyone forgot about Sora in KH2 (or started to remember him suddenly. Aeris or Leon mentions this in a cutscene)
  ¤ shows us why Axel is considered a traitor
  ¤ explains why the Organization XIII doesn't have 13 members in KH2 (lol)
  ¤ gives a more complete image of who Naminé is and what her part in KH2 is

that is all i can think of from the top of my head right now. these things are probably mentioned in KH2 (i cant remember completely)
but i didn't play KH1 or COM before i played KH2...then again, it came out here pretty late, and before it came out, i researched both KH1 and COM, to prepare for KH2. so i guess it depends on the player, if they need to play the first two games or not. i didnt need to, i just watched cutscenes, walkthroughs, read transcripts etc.
and for the record, i liked Naminé soooo much better the way she was in COM. in KH2, i was annoyed every time she showed herself on the screen. -shrugs- i also think Marluxia was a FAR BIGGER TRAITOR THAN AXEL. but people seem to ignore that since A, he doesnt appear in KH2...i dont even think he's mentioned...or B, people who think Axel was a traitor and a jerk obviously didnt play COM. if they did, they'd know that Marluxia was worse. ;D

 

you should probably buy it, in my opinion, for the gameplay. and i played kh2 before Com,s and i still managed to make sense out of it. But i wish i had played Com before, cause it would have made a lot of sense.

 

yea i agree with the ppl who sed u should play it ^-^
u understand who the organization is and what they're about and also about namine and who she is and her part in the story, it also tells what happened to riku and how come he comes bak in KH2 and how and stuff also ^-^

 

CoM should be AFTER KD2 becuaaaaseee it is tah minal mix and does play a role...in Nomiames (no clue how to speel tha makers name of KD's) interviews said this KD series is not like final fantasy, all games WILL be connected with story line..CoM is KD2 final mix, it is just converted to ps2- but CoM doesnt have all of tha things that tha final mix has^