Review: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PS3)

Platform: PS3

Developer: Blitz Games

Publisher: Disney Interactive

# of Players: 1 – 2 (Co-op)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: Single Player: D+ (65%)/ Co-op B+ (85%)

 

 

Rather than cut and paste my Wii review of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two  from earlier  with a few HD-themed edits, I decided to get a little more creative… to a point. Yup, this is what happens when you stay up to long playing one version of a game after another, folks…

More Epic song? OK, I’ve got one- 
In HD, Mickey’s hot as strong sun
The shadows here? They can’t be beat
with detailed backgrounds that are quite neat.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two looks great on the PS3, with some gorgeous cartoon colors, more detailed backdrops, better draw distance and some great use of shadows that give areas a lot more life than on the Wii version. It may seem like a small thing, but the care that went into elements such as the bucket-carrying brooms casting shadows on the walls (and yes, recalling the Sorcerer’s Apprentice sequence in Fantasia) add to the overall game experience. Granted, lovely shadows and backdrops don’t make a great game, but for the most part, the game doesn’t disappoint on the visual front…

 

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Review: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Platform: Nintendo Wii

Developer: Junction Point Studios

Publisher: Disney Interactive

# of Players 1 – 2 (Co-op)

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Official Site

Score: Single Player D+ 6.5/Co-op: B+ 8.5

Like the piles of scattered Disney memorabilia you traverse through between maps, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a beautiful mess. As in beautiful when it works and a mess when it doesn’t. Of course, that’s both a good and bad thing, but we’ll get to the constructive criticism below the jump. As a co-op experience, the game in a great deal of fun as Mickey Mouse and Oswald The Lucky Rabbit team up to battle enemies solve puzzles and track down a seemingly endless supply of collectibles as they tackle the task of repairing an earthquake-ravaged Wasteland. There’s less darkness here and a much richer color palette, making this one of the better-looking Wii titles this year. But both single player and co-op have a few technical and gameplay hurdles that can sap the fun down a bit. While the PS3 and Xbox 360 (and presumably Wii U) versions can probably be patched up to a more stellar experience, I’m gathering Wii owners will be stuck with a flawed game that could have been greater than it is as it currently stands.

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DIsney Epic Mickey 2: Solo Or Co-op, This Is Going To Be A Total Blast To Play

 

Having seen and played a bit of this a few months back solo and co-op, I can safely say that it’s one of the better player-friendly games I can recall. You have a few different ways (all up to you) to get through the levels and while a second player does make things more fun, even in solo play you have enough freedom to have fun getting from point A to point B. November 18th, folks – I need to decide which version I want, as I was leaning towards the PS3 one for its Move support initially, but the Wii U version is tempting me with that shiny new (and innovative) GamePad.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two: On Characters (Having and Being, Of Course)…

It’s quite cool how the folks at Junction Point Studios and Blitz Games are making a mascot game relevant and engaging by taking a bunch of already established characters, adding a heft amount of storytelling and allowing players to cut loose and play in two different styles that change up the tale you end up with in the final product. Granted, the element of “choice” is the toughest thing to pull off in any game genre (as there’s always going to be players not satisfied with the amount of freedom they end up with), but the dev teams here are making their game quite a ride for those who are Disney fans with long memories and a willingness to experiment with nostalgia.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Update: A Little Bit About Storytelling…

Here’s a new look at more on Disney Epic Mickey 2’s production, this time a quick peek at what it takes to put together the game’s story elements. This one’s on course to be even better than the first game in every aspect, so I can’t wait to see how it’s turned out. Hopefully, all these videos will appear on the retail disc so people can see that it takes a great deal of work to get a game like this into out hot little hands. As i always say, it’s all about respect, people…

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two Opening Cinema: The Mouse, The Rabbit And The Really Odd Place

OK, I’m no Carl Barks, but I figured I may as well try and make up a title that’s not quite as  necessarily unwieldy (or even more, depending on your tastes) as the one the game has that more or less explains as much as possible while not giving anything away. Yeah, I left out the musical aspects, the new game camera, drop in/drop-out co-op play, the lovely visual upgrades across the board and the still innovative Paint & Thinner gameplay choices players can make. In fact, my hands-on preview was better! Ah well..

Hey, YOU try and describe all of that in a title without burning up a few brain cells. Yeah, see? Told you so. Anyway, November 18th is the big day, so get yourself prepared…

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Hands-On: Twice As Fun (And Then Some)…

As great fun as Disney Epic Mickey was on the Wii, the game did have a few issues. Granted, the innovative gameplay that allowed players to paint in or remove chunks of the game world meant the Wii was doing some spectacular calculations behind the scenes, but the game camera suffered in too many areas. That and the game could have used a bit more in the way of actual voices for its cast, especially as it captured a wide range of Disney history that demanded to be heard as well as seen. Yes, James Dooley’s fantastic score carried the aural experience to new heights, but something was still missing. For the sequel, I’m happy to report that not only are PS3 and Xbox 360 owners going to get in on the fun, those camera and sound problems are gone and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two should be on your list of games to dive into when it hits retail in mid-November. I finally got to play the E3 demo of the PS3 version at a Disney event here in NYC and as good as the first game was on the Wii, the new camera system absolutely sings using the Move and /Navigation Controller setup.

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E3 2012: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two Trailer: A Pair Of Aces.

 

It’s too bad the first game isn’t coming to the PS3 and 360, as I can see it doing well (with the same new game camera system the sequel has), but even without it, there will be an instant appeal to Disney fans looking for something they can hop into with the kids or a friend who wants a cool co-op experience and a non-violent one at that. Granted, the musical numbers will probably have too many people having to listen to their kids singing songs from the game on long car trips, but hey – it’s less annoying than having the kid keep quoting lines from a Gears of War or God of War game, right?

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Is Pleased To Introduce Itself (Say Hi!)

[youtube+http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMmwOhdLdfk]

It’s funny writing out the ENTIRE name of this upcoming sequel each time I post about it, but being lazy and abbreviating it to DEM2:TPoT is actually worse. Anyway, here’s a look at what’s in store for this next installment, from the co-op play to the big musical numbers and refined camera system. It would be awesome to see the first game get fixed up in HD for the PS3 and 360, but I don’t think that’s in the cards anytime soon, if at all. For those who still haven’t played it because you don’t own a Wii, ah, go buy one already! There are a bunch of very cool games on the system and you’d be surprised at how not EVERY motion control game is a dance or exercise game that will make you trow fits because not a shot is fired and there are no explosions (other than the top of your head popping off from touching a Wii Remote)…

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Isn’t The First “Musical Comedy” Game On A Console…

As much as I respect Warren Spector, I noticed he made a slight error in a recent interview when he noted that Junction Point’s upcoming Epic Mickey sequel would be the first musical comedy video game.  Wellll, I bet Nippon Ichi Software may have a tiny issue with that. Their insanely cute, insanely easy and on a few occasions, insanely hilarious PlayStation One strategy/RPG, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure gets to wear that crown. I was working in an indie game shop when it hit the US back in 2000 and it was one of those titles that we couldn’t keep in stock because a wide range of customers found something to love about the game.

Parents with young kids liked the total lack of violent content, kids liked the songs and jokes and JRPG fans of a few ages found the game easy, but funny enough to dive into just to hear every one of the songs in the game. I did have to explain why there were a few too many panty jokes in the game to one concerned parental unit, but overall, I remember it as a lighthearted romp that was also one of the simplest JRPGs I’d ever played. A wee bit too easy, but then again, it WAS a kid’s game. Anyway, there were a couple of sequels released (in Japan only, of course) and the game got a nice reworking on the Nintendo DS that changed up the combat somewhat and can be found pretty cheap online if you know where to look.

Anyway, I’m not her to raise a “gotcha” game ruckus about this at all – just pointing out a fact or two in case you’re wondering about this sort of stuff. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how Mickey looks in HD and plays with the Move setup here, that’s for sure…