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Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Preview for Xbox 360

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Preview for Xbox 360

A Musical That’s Less Boring Than Fantasia.

There are people on this planet who are frighteningly obsessed with Disney’s history. Typically, these people have a house full of memorabilia and awkwardly look forward to funerals because it’s a nice chance to show off their latest Mickey Mouse tie. In a lot of ways Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is made specifically for this crowd.

When I arrived at Disney’s booth on the E3 show floor, I showed up just in time to watch a Disney rep give a short presentation about the history of Epic Mickey 2. Unless you were standing in the crowd with me, you’ll probably never understand how unbelievably obsessive the developers were about infusing 80 years of Disney history into this game. In fact, parts of their booth made the place look more like a museum than a convention hall. Glass cases containing various pieces of Disney memorabilia were scattered throughout the show floor, and each item acted like a breadcrumb for the development process. We got a chance to see original sketches of Mickey and Oswald that hadn’t seen the light of day in 50 years, not to mention the stockpile of other characters that had previously been forgotten.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Screenshot

See, part of what made the previous Epic Mickey title so successful was the darker demeanor that Junction Point Studios adopted. One of the ways that they got away with this was by populating the world with characters that had been previously lost to history. Now we’re obviously still controlling Mickey Mouse, so there’s only so much darkness than can be achieved—the designers weren’t trying to compete with Resident Evil or anything—but the Epic Mickey franchise is making an overt attempt to leave one foot in the child-like world that Disney is known for, while reaching the other into a more grow up experience.

Still, for all of its museum-like historical qualities, Epic Mickey 2 wasn’t entirely designed for creepy, Disney-obsessed social outcasts. It has a broad based appeal that puts it into a category only Nintendo has been able to master with consistence. I got the chance to sit down with one of the game’s concept designers who gave me an incredibly fast tutorial and then dropped me into a boss fight.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Screenshot

The controls in Epic Mickey 2 are primarily geared for use with a motion control system like the Wiimote or the PlayStation Move. One hand controls an aiming device while the other controls character movement. The whole setup has a unique fluidity to it. It’s tight, intuitive and you’ll like it more than 90% of the motion control titles on the market. However, on a standard PS3 control pad, the aiming system has a tendency to feel pretty wonky. The left analog stick controls movement, while the right takes over the role that the Wiimote used to fill. Instead of pointing your controller at the screen, players are directing a cursor around, which can be cumbersome when you’re trying to defeat a fire-breathing dragon. This is compounded slightly by the same frustrating camera work that Epic Mickey fans will undoubtedly remember from the previous title. Either way, Oswald and I managed to defeat him in the end.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Screenshot

Actually, Oswald is probably the most important new addition to Epic Mickey 2. Those of you who had a chance to play the previous title will remember that Oswald served as the story’s MacGuffin. Well, this time Oswald has been promoted from MacGuffin to the centerpiece of Epic Mickey 2’s unique gameplay. In fact, Disney was handing out customized Oswald ear-hats at E3 this year, and if an ear-hat doesn’t prove you’re important, I’m not sure anything can.

Actually, Oswald is probably the most important new addition to Epic Mickey 2. Those of you who had a chance to play the previous title will remember that Oswald served as the story’s MacGuffin. Well, this time Oswald has been promoted from MacGuffin to the centerpiece of Epic Mickey 2’s unique gameplay. In fact, Disney was handing out customized Oswald ear-hats at E3 this year, and if an ear-hat doesn’t prove you’re important, I’m not sure anything can.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Screenshot

Also, remember all of that stuff I said about Epic Mickey being darker than previous Disney franchises? Well just forget about that for a second, because Epic Mickey 2 also a musical. At times players will be compelled to burst into song in order to advance the plot, which probably means that I’m not going to play it around any of the people I’ve played Rock Band with. They’ll just put a ceiling on my excellence.

All in all, Epic Mickey 2 is a fairly solid step forward in the Epic Mickey franchise. Even if you don’t get caught up in the Disney-centric historical component, it’s a rock-solid title that you can play when your parents force you to babysit your step-brother. Plus, Epic Mickey 2 contains at least one interesting historical moment; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, whose voice has never been heard, speaks for the first time since he was created in 1927. This by itself might actually be enough to convince me to pick up Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two when it hits shelves this fall.

Game Features:

  • Full motion support on the PlayStation Move and the Wii.
  • Players can play as Oswald in drop-in, drop-out 2-player co-op mode.
  • Original game story co-written by award-winning American comic book writer, Marv Wolfman, and Junction Point.
  • New 2D levels based on classic Disney animated films and shorts will offer compelling puzzle-based, platforming gameplay.

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