EPIC MICKEY

I must say my first impressions of this game were terrible. I was at Best Buy and could hardly hear anything and playing on a small, maladjusted crappy TV. I also didn't get too far since the game has a relatively long introduction and pretty spaced out tutorials. My best impressions came from being at a friend's house who had the game only because his wife is a huge Mickey Mouse fan. I took the opportunity to really sit down and play this game. Despite the nasty reviews this game has received I couldn't help but notice how much I was digging playing it. The further I got into the game the more and more I liked it even though the lag on my friend's LCD TV made the controls lag pretty badly, and the fact that the camera requires more attention than most games. Speaking of the camera lets talk about that. I can't believe people are throwing this game out because the camera is not perfect. Let's put it this way. People who claim that they die over and over again because they couldn't see where they were jumping to are simply moronic. The camera requires more intervention than most games do. You have 3 ways to manipulate the camera. L and R on the D-pad, the C button, and the 1 button. The D-pad camera controls seem to change the most from enabling you to pan completely around Mickey, to panning slightly to the left or right, or no control at all. The C button puts the camera behind Mickey. The 1 button puts you in first person. The D-pad camera controls are the most inconsistent as they change alot on what they allow you to do. The C button works most of the time, but sometimes is not allowed. The first person camera works 100% of the time. Also in first person you are still able to shoot paint and thinner as well as look in any direction as you wish. Despite the relatively complex camera functions, the camera never bothered me once and I never missed a jump because of them. If you like playing 3D platforming games, these camera control quirks should not bother you. This may come as a huge shock since this game is for the Wii, but this game is NOT for KIDS or CASUAL gamers at all. The controls will frustrate them to no end. Also this is sort of a dark game for Mickey, so don't expect any of that light hearted cutesy stuff that you've seen in every other Mickey game in the past. This is a real game. People who want easy and cutesy games need to be looking at Kirby's Epic Yarn. That game is perfect for little kids and casual only gamers. So now that we've established that this is a game for those who like reasonably challenging games, lets talk about the visuals. These are some of the cleanest graphics I've ever seen on the Wii. They're so clean they looked great on my friend's 46 inch LCD from about 6 feet away. This is the first game I've seen where the jagged edges were not very apparent. Even better than Mario Galaxy in alot of ways. With that ofcourse came some compromises. The game runs at 30 frames per second as opposed to 60 frames per second on Mario Galaxy. Also the game drops a few frames frequently as where Mario Galaxy is always smooth as silk. Nonetheless, Epic Mickey still plays great as the somewhat inconsistent frame rate never becomes an issue. So there is the good, the bad, and the ugly. I greatly enjoyed this game in the time I had with it, and plan to enjoy completing it when my very own copy arrives from Amazon.

For animation nerds, it's going to be nothing short of a godsend. Epic Mickey tells a sorta true story about real Disney characters and what happens to them once they're forgotten. The game takes place in Wasteland, a warped, scuffed re-envisioning of Disneyland that is essentially an afterlife refuge, where cultural castaways can live on in peace eternally. And it's overseen by the granddaddy of tragically squandered potential, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The levels are some of the most elaborate levels seen in the Wii, and rival those of Super Mario Galaxy. No, they are not as far fetched and original as those, but they are very detailed and well thought out. They are also full of surprises and secrets. Graphics: Gorgeous. Great environments and designs. Be prepared for some choppiness as some in some stages the graphics are so detailed that they tax the capabilities of the Wii. Sound: Fantastic soundtrack. The characters don't really speak, they grunt and squeak. Gameplay: There are some control issues, but overall the game proves to be a challenging and engaging experience. Certainly a game for the whole family, the little ones will find it difficult to play on their own, but the overall experience is so charming that playing it with them is a joy.

Reviews for Epic Mickey have been all over the place. Not everyone "gets" this game, and more than a few openly despise Mickey Mouse, calling him a fossil, a relic and saying that anyone that likes Mickey Mouse is childish and unsophisticated. Well, apparently I'm childish and unsophisticated and so is Warren Spector, the creative force behind this game because we both love Mickey Mouse, at least what he used to be, an ultimately good hearted but sometimes mischievous rascal who had a tendency to get in over his head. The story is steeped in Disney lore, as Mickey's older brother, Oswald the lucky rabbit, has his life inadvertently ruined by Mickey's hijinks. Now, years later Mickey has to try to help his brother, fix the cartoon wasteland he resides in, and redeem his own past misdeeds. The game is fairly text heavy and the voice acting is limited to grunts, laughs, etc. This makes enormous sense considering the Oswald/ early Mickey shorts had no vocal acting to speak of. The graphics and sound are very, very good. While it maybe a bit dark and sometimes bleak, remember that this game takes place in a world that Mickey ruined, so it makes perfect sense. If you want to get an idea of the mood of the game, think of a Tim Burton film and you'll be pretty close. Okay, so Mickey is on a quest to fix his past mistakes. Another forgotten group of characters, the Gremlins (co-created with Roald Dahl) guide Mickey through his journey. This sounds like a pretty standard 3-d platformer so far, but a couple of features set it apart, and tie in well with the story. One, Mickey has a magic paintbrush, which can project a stream of paint to create and repair broken parts of the levels, and thinner which can eliminate parts and reveal secrets. These can also be used to befriend or melt enemies, respectively. Two, how Mickey utilizes his paint or thinner and his general behavior will influence how characters treat him or respond. You won't always realize when you've made a radical change, but the game responds to your choices later on. Quite frankly, despite all this game's charm, style, and imagination, there are some flaws. One, the camera isn't great, and takes constant adjustment to jump accurately. Second, this game is probably too hard for kids, which isn't really the target audience. This game is for old school Disney fans, people who like 3-d platforming, and people who have the patience to watch a good story unfold in a charming and touching way. I for one loved this game.

Like a lot of gamers, I was very impressed by the early footage from Epic Mickey and Warren Specter's enthusiasm for the project. However, upon playing it, I'm decidedly mixed. THE GOOD The game is visually beautiful, really pushing the Wii's graphical capabilities above and beyond. The cutscenes look incredible, like a real cartoon. The levels are absolutely brimming with visual treats - no boring fields of grass or carbon copies of the same building repeated over and over. Look closely and you'll spot some cool Mickey paraphernalia in some levels. Using old cartoon strips as settings for the 2-D levels is ingenious. It's too bad they don't go on longer and only serve as transitional levels. There is some replay value. There are a lot of pins, which might interest players who like collecting Disney pins in real life. More interesting are the unlockable cartoon reels and concept art. THE BAD The gameplay. It just isn't that exciting. It seems the game was torn between appealing to kids and holding the interests of adult gamers. Epic Mickey was billed as a platformer, but the never reaches anything as exciting as the Mario games. There's some jumping, there are some decent moments, but it's mostly just fetch quests where you have to find an item for somebody. However, the fetch quests often seem forced as they come at random times from people who aren't well developed characters (there are exceptions - I liked Horace the Detective). Other reviewers have criticized the camera system and I do agree. It's not a deal breaker, but there are times when it refuses to give you a clear view of what you need to see. THE UGLY The game is too hard for kids, too easy for adults. I think this game would have benefitted greatly from allowing the user to adjust the difficult setting. THE FINAL WORD At the end of the day, there's a lot of potential in Epic Mickey, but I can't really say it's a great game. It's probably one of the better third-party games for the Wii, but that's not saying a whole lot. I will probably try Epic Mickey 2 because Warren Specter seems aware of Epic Mickey's flaws, but I won't be rushing to get it on Day One.

I'd like to start out by saying emphatically, WE LOVE THIS GAME! Our hero, Mickey, finds himself in a heap of trouble when he decides to tinker with the Sorceror's creation (from Fantasia) by taking up his paintbrush and fiddling with his creation, which resembles Disneyland quite strongly. As the Sorceror returns, Mickey makes a hasty exit after realizing that he has fouled up quite a few things and creating a monster resembling a gigantic ink blot. Fast forward a little and Mickey is suddenly seized by the Ink Blot and cast into the world of nightmares, armed with a paint brush that can either create objects or destroy them with thinner. The paint brush is a very simple game mechanic, but clever. There are levels within the game where you may need to selectively paint and THEN remove something in order to solve puzzles, unlock hidden items (and there are treasure troves to be had in unlockables!), etc. Also, defeating enemies with paint thinner or making them friends by heaping generous amounts of paint on them have impacts later on that I won't spoil here. Suffice it to say that decisions that you make have impacts. What I love most about this the game is the Disney memorabilia and attention to Disney lore. Not many will be familiar with Oswald (who appears in the game), but he was Disney's first (and failed) character to attempt to grace the screen. There are loads and loads of unlockables of Disney stuff that makes the Disney enthusiast in me fully appreciate the game not only for its gameplay, but for the rewards that it delivers. Some have complained about the camera during gameplay and I can honestly say that I haven't encountered the same issues. There is a button to recenter the camera, as needed, and I find that utilizing that command from time-to-time is necessary and does not detract from gameplay whatsoever. Admittedly, however, we did have issues with making the paint land where we want it to, but we never found ourselves wanting for paint as needed even with our trial-and-error moments. All in all, this is a solid effort from Disney/Junction Point that is full of whimsical adventure and rewards for those of us who truly love what started Disney off in the first place...one little mouse.

When I was a Blockbuster at home subscriber a few years ago I rented this game and absolutely loved it! I played it for over a week before I returned it. I can't say that for most games. I always wanted to own it but it was still expensive but not here at Amazon. Just like everything else it is very affordable. This is the darker side of Mickey with his friend Oswald. The world is so fantastic so vivid and colorful and the sound and music are fantastic! Each level is challenging but not impossible and you can achieve your goal different ways. There are magic carpet rides, boat rides that could land you into a whirlpool, you get to ride clouds, jump and leap and climb and battle little demons which vary and each level is so unique and you collect Mickey tickets. And fun games in between the levels. And you go through these worlds with your paint brush using either paint or thinner. This game is for children and adults and a game that will be used quite a lot.

Well, with 15 hours of playtime on the clock, my first play through has concluded; color me impressed. I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into with all of the complaints of the "game-breaking" camera and the fetch-quests, but it turns out that the camera was never any less than serviceable, and, well.. I don't seem to have any issues with fetch-quests. This game is the ultimate tribute to the animated works of Walt Disney from 1928-1953, as well as an especially personal love letter to fans and frequenters of Disneyland, such as myself. The paint and thinner mechanics were an absolute joy for me. Sure, the premise sounds a bit cooler than the execution, given that only specific things can be thinned out and/or filled in, but it sure makes for some fun, creative, and even exciting gameplay mechanics, as well as making for a very cool combat system. The paint and thinner also works itself into a brilliant, seamless morality system, in that it eliminates the need for text-based menus or QTE prompts to make big decisions, and rather allows players to artfully decide whether they will make the good or bad moral decision simply by the way they choose to redeem (paint) or destroy (thin out) their foes. As for the gameplay in general, this game sent me so many Banjo-Kazooie vibes, from the visual style, the music, and the game's constant use of secret areas at every turn. The similarities between EM and B-K were very welcomed by me. The market has not been kind to many 3D platformers that don't have "Mario" in the title, and consequently not many worthwhile platformers even make to market. Thankfully, Epic Mickey is one of the most refreshing non-Mario 3D platformers I've played since the N64 era, and I couldn't recommend it more to any 3D platforming fans who cut their teeth on Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie. Sadly, Warren Spector (Lead Creative Developer) seemed a bit too fond of fetch-quests when crafting Epic Mickey. In fact, I'd say the game is almost one giant fetch-quest, and traversing between the lands does become a bit tedious, thanks to brief, yet recurring side-scrolling stages. There are 36 side-scrolling stages in all, but before you get excited, note that each stage takes about one minute to playthrough, and that includes finding the hidden film reel (one in each of the 36 stages) on the way to the exit. Still, as short as these segments are, they are a well-done feast for the eyes and a nostalgic romp through classic Disney cartoons that each stage is based off of. It's just too bad that traveling between lands has players replaying the same stage each time, to the point where one could close their eyes and get through the stage in seconds after the 20th time. Thankfully, at least the fetch-quests are kept interesting by the constant choices in how the player goes about completing them. Trickery, greed, dedication, laziness, and even flat-out forgetfulness (I failed a few quests simply because I forgot I had them...) are common themes in the many fetch-quests the game presents players with, and it will be fun seeing the alternate choice's consequences during my second playthrough. The story is very well presented, and while many may complain of a lack of voice acting, I felt the lack of voices (aside from small grunts and token words) worked well to keep the game lighthearted and less convoluted than full voice acting would have caused it to be. I was quite impressed by the depth and bold nature of the story, as well as the smart written dialog and tongue-in-cheek humor that it entailed. The soundtrack goes nicely with it, but it really scares me how much some of the tunes remind me of B-K. This is definitely a memorable story, and even a legendary one if you're a fan of the source material who can appreciate how amazing a feat it is to see Mickey and Oswald together in an epic journey. Rest assured that, despite Mickey's family friendly nature, this game is rather challenging. I've died quite a few times from tougher enemies, leaping before I looked, and simply just not thinking when using thinner when standing on thinnable ground... That said, almost every death I encountered felt well deserved, except for the one time I glitched through a wall and fell endlessly until restarting, and that other time when the game froze on me entirely. It's worth noting that this game could have used another month of bug testing. Besides for the aforementioned glitch and freeze, the music regularly would cut out in action-heavy situations, and twice cut-out altogether until I'd change areas, and that sucked. Still, my experience with glitches weren't nearly offensive or frequent enough to affect my overall enjoyment with the game at all. Overall, Epic Mickey is an amazing package that should not be missed by any fans of Disney and/or platforming. The controls are solid, the action is great, the soundtrack is fitting and well-done, the story is deeper than expected, the game is chock-full of Disneyland fanservice, and everything comes together to create quite the satisfying experience (the ending is especially excellent). I don't want to slap a number on this game, but if I had to, I'd say it's no doubt an 8 out of 10 experience, brought down only for the glitches, a sub-par camera, and overuse of fetch-quest mechanics; the rest is golden!

I am a true Disneyite, I live near the parks and I love going to them. So when I played epic mickey and saw how similar it seemed to some areas in Disney, it was the funnest thing in the World! I loved the characters, the fact that you can choose to paint things in or erase them, the little shops, the multiple quests at a time, the atmosphere, and the fact that its not completely easy. Some challenges will even give you thrills as you run away from certain enemies! I heard of some people complaining of the camera angles and its true that sometimes it messes up, but not enough to stop you from passing a level or enjoying the game. If you're thinking about buying Epic Mickey- DO IT. I played it 2 months ago, and I feel like playing it again. Wonderful fun and a great story!