Mickey's Dead Space

It has been quite some time since Xbox Live's "Games with Gold" service has seen a month as eclectic as this. While I enjoy having a diverse selection of games to pick from, there is likely going to be only one game that speaks to each user while the other three seem like a wash. On the Xbox One side of things, the venerable Forza Horizon series gets some representation with Horizon 2 being up for grabs while Ubisoft's interesting, yet flawed, For Honor sits alongside it.

For 360 users (and Xbox One via backward compatibility), you'll be able to nab the conclusion of Visceral's Dead Space trilogy and get the lackluster follow-up to Warren Spector's Disney game, Epic Mickey 2. ?I can't?? say I'm particularly interested in any of these games, but everyone is likely to find at least something to entertain them.

You can catch the dates for them below:

• Forza Horizon 2 (Xbox One) - Aug 1 - Aug 31
• For Honor (Xbox One) - Aug 16 - September 15
• Dead Space 3 (Xbox 360) - Aug 1 - Aug 15
• Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Xbox 360) - Aug 16 - Aug 31

New Games with Gold for August 2018 [Xbox Wire]

The post Forza Horizon 2 and For Honor headline August’s Games with Gold titles appeared first on Destructoid.

Did anyone ask for this port?

Epic Mickey 2 came and went, and was pretty much a step back from the original in every way.?? What started out as a promising homage to Walt Di??sney's first major creation -- Oswald the Lucky Rabbit -- ended up in disaster both critically and commercially.

I'm not sure who exactly asked for a Vita port of the game, but nonetheless, the Vita port comes with touch screen capabilities, as well as ad hoc network fu??nctionality. Point blank, I would not recommend picking up this game until it's?? deeply, deeply discounted.

The post Epic Mickey ?2: The Powe?r of Two gets Vita launch trailer appeared first on Destructoid.

Because everyone wanted this

The Disney Movies UK Twitter account revealed that Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be heading to the PlayStation Vita sometime this year. No other info was revealed, but we've reached out to Disn??ey and will have more for you as soon as we know.

Quite peculiar that Epic Mickey 2 is getting a Vita release. The game didn't review all that well, leading to very poor sales, and the inevitable shutdown of developer Junction Point.

The post Epic Mickey 2 coming to the PlayStation Vita appeared first on Destructoid.

Fault Disney

Epic Mickey is easily among the more tragic wastes of potential we've seen in the videogame industry. It first whipped fans into a frothy lather of excitement when concept images were shown, displaying a twisted and macabre take on the Disney universe, promising a truly dark Mickey Mouse adventur??e. 

The more the game developed, the more this premise was neutered, as Disney's sugary overseers refused to take the brave steps needed to realize those early visions. By the time Epic Mickey came out,? it was nowhere near as remarkable as it could have been. 

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, however, is quite remarkable indeed ... but only beca??use it's so r??ubbish. 

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed], Wii, Wii U)
Developer: Junction Point Studios
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Release: October 18, 2012
MSRP: $59.99

Taking place after the events of the original Wii title, this sequel promises to be bigger and better, yet retreads old ground and does nothing to address the legitimate complaints players had last time. Even worse, those few tiny areas in which Epic Mickey 2 attempts new things only contribute to making the overall pro??duct? worse. 

The sequel's story sees Epic Mickey's Mad Doctor return, now claiming to be a good guy and winning favor with the Cartoon Wasteland's leader, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In a plot that grows exponentially inane and contrived with each step forward, Mickey finds himself returning to the realm of forgotten Disney characters, teaming up with Oswald in order to resolve the vaguely defined conflict that we're supposed to care about because somebody told us it matters. 

This time around, the game is fully voiced, but this is one of the aforementioned new features that help make things worse. The voice acting is universally dreadful, with exuberant squawking and simpering from heroes and villains alike. You may have been fooled by marketing into thinking that Epic Mickey 2 is a musical, but it's not. The only character to really sing is the Mad Doc, in a running joke that stops being funny after the first cutscene, especially since ??the voice actor's gravelly tones grate on the ears and the tunes themselves come across as awkwardly forced. Only one scene in the game feels like a rea?l musical number, and even then, it's hardly memorable. 

Gameplay is largely preserved from the original Wii title, and using a traditional controller feels like a notable downgrade. For non-Wii versions, you'll be using the right stick to aim a targeting reticule around the screen, making it perform like a third-person shooter despite the c?amera, controls,? and interface framing themselves around a traditional 3D platform game. As you attempt to move and fire, the camera regularly shifts the reticule away from the target, and the way in which the screen moves independently of Mickey's firing line makes combat uncomfortable and difficult to visually process. It's something I don't think I ever quite got used to. 

Once again, Mickey is armed with both paint and thinner, which he uses to remove or add pre-determined elements to the world. He can also use thinner to destroy mo?n?sters, or paint to turn them friendly. It's a system that never expands, isn't exploited in any clever way, and generally removes a sense of tactility and interaction with the world. Spraying paint at an enemy just isn't very satisfying, especially when it's such a struggle to keep the stuff on target as the opponents run wildly around and the camera does its best to disorient combatants. 

Gameplay is divided into action-platformer sequences with light puzzle elements, and 2D sidescrolling levels. Players use the 2D levels, aesthetically inspired by classic Disney shorts, to travel to new areas of the Wasteland, whereupon they'll be required to engage in some fetch-questing and paint-splashing to advance to the next area. Every now and then, tasks can be solved in one of several ways, with a light "moral dilemma" element to them. Such "dilemmas" never really impact the story and seem to exist just to look interesting, rather than be interesting. Neither the 3D or 2D sections last very long, leading to Epic Mickey 2 becoming quite the disjointed affair that rushes its players from one chapter to the next in a maladroit fashion. ??;

In fairness, some of the 2D sections can be quite enjoyable, especially when they take on the appearance of old black-and-white cartoons. As in the original game, these are the standout moments of the adventure. It's just a shame that they're so short, and almost insultingly simple. The levels are never designed with any intricacy, instead providing rudimentary left-to-right progress with a few obligatory obstacles tossed in the way. It's a shame nobo?dy felt like putting more effort into these areas, as they're the only places where potentially compelling gameplay can be found. 

Rather than evolve the gameplay in any meaningful way, Junction Point has instead settled on a tired old standby to give the illusion of evolution -- co-op. This time around, Oswald is available as a secondary character in an offline cooperative journey. Instead of paint, Oswald uses a remote control that stuns enemies or powers various machines appearing in Epic Mickey 2's trite little puzzle challenges. He can also use his ears like propeller blades, ferrying Mickey across chasms in a manner similar to Tails in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. 

Co-op is not something to be ignored, and my advice to you is that, if you insist on playing this game, you do so with a human partner at your side. Relying on the CPU to control Oswald is a big mistake, as his A.I. is pathetic and regularly works to sabotage a solo player's progress. Left to his own devices, Oswald would rather run around worthlessly than actually help, choosing ?to attack enemies only at random and often preferring to scurry about in circles or let himself get hit. At times, he'll disappear from the game entirely, respawning on a whim. Pressing a button to ?call him over only seems to work half of the time. 

He'll activate machinery only when he feels like it, and he has an awful time following Micky through sections that involve jumping on multiple raised platforms. One particularly nasty area requires both players to scale a wall, at the top of which Oswald is supposed to glide both heroes across to another ledge. Oswald simply refused to climb up that wall when I tried it, and disappeared into thin-air whenever Mickey reached the top. Only after multiple attempts did I manage to somehow trick Oswald into jumping up there. That is how you deal with Oswald as a solo player. You have to fool him into doing what he's meant to do.

On other occasions, Oswald played an active role in getting me hurt or killed. If there are ledges that sink into deadly lakes of thinner when stood on, you can bet that Oswald will stand right on the thing and let it sink. At other times, he would jump into me and knock me into the thinner. Perhaps worst of all was a certain boss that Oswald kept saying he'd distract (constantly, because all dialog loops incessantly), so that Mickey could squirt paint at its back. This tactic soon fell apart when it became clear t??hat "distraction" meant "follow Mickey around so the? boss is always facing the player." 

And for what? What is so good about co-op that it was worth rendering single-player so unbearable? Nothing. Just a few shoehorned, old-fashioned, enforced cooperative moments where both players have to pull switches, or Mickey holds something open so that Oswald can zap it. The kind of conceited co-op banality that has been injected violently into any sort of game desperate enough to want a popular feature listed on the back of the box but remains too lazy to make that feature do anything meaningful. This kind of crap should not?? be tolerated anymore. ;

As noted, the camera is about as unhelpful as Oswald is. Not only does it try a?nd remain in a fixed perspective at all times, it's almost always set at some terrible angle that gives an unclear view of the surroundings. The interface is also dreadful, with both the action and jump commands bound to the same button. This leads to Mickey constantly jumping whenever the player wants him to grab an item or open the many doors that lead to various pointless shops or item-gathering sidequests. Mickey himself is slow, his jumps are pitiful, and his attacks have no precision -- especially notable for enemies that require use of thinner and head-stomps, something the uncoordinated, sluggish mouse isn't properly equipped for. 

The Power of Two is a consistently annoying experience. From block puzzles that boast despicable floaty physics to NPC and tutorial dialog that repeats itself obnoxiously, one could be forgiven for thinking that Epic Mickey 2 was designed as a means of interactive psychological torture, built to exasperate enemies of the state into lunacy. Between its unfunny humor, unsatisfyingly brief levels, broken co-op A.I., petulant camera and grotesque voice acting, Epic Mickey 2 is the kind of game tha??t drives sane people mad, and mad people ??sane. 

It can at least be said that the game looks good. It still has the distinctly cute visuals that drive home the missed potential of the original idea, but the bright colors and unmistakable Disney aesthetic look a lot better on an HD console than it did on the Wii. The nostalgic 2D levels bring a measure of obscure charm to the experience, and may be worth seeing for those willing to put up with the suffering required to get there. You'd have to be an insanely loyal Mickey fan, though.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two does nothing to improve itself over its predecessor, repeating old ideas while refusing to fix problems that are glaringly obvious to even the least tasteful of dolts. Anything added in the sequel has been done so to the its overall detriment -- the vo??ice acting grates, the musical pretensions are vapid, and the cooperative schtick is corny, strained, and a total intrusion for solo play that slows progress, causes trouble, and does not bloody work. 

At least Epic Mickey felt fresh enough that some of its faults could be overlooked by the more forgiving of players. The Power of Two has no such charm to hide behind. It's a gormless, chafing, unquestionably horrid little waste of time. Only?? the hardcore Disney obsessive need look into this one, and I don't advise they look too deeply.

The post Review: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two appeared first on Destructoid.

Rainbow exploration for consoles, and hot mermaid action for 3DS

Good Sir Warren (and the fine folks at Disney Interactive) have unveiled a few new levels for both Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, and Castle of Illusion's successor, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion. As expected, we were also sent a bounty of screenshots to share??, so that we can all ogle at them for a bit.

This new area, Rainbow Caverns, was one of the first attractions built in Wasteland, but as time moved forward the ride was re-purposed into a power station for the projectors found across the world. The gameplay video shows off some of the new moves and power-ups for Mickey?? and Oswald to use, along with some of the co-op gameplay that will be featured in the final game. 

With Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion on 3DS, Mickey will encounter characters and scenes from The Little Mermaid in the South Wing of the Castle, including such memorable underwater companions as Ariel, Sebastian, and Simba! Yes, you will be able to encounter the protector of the Pride Lands... under the sea. All joking aside though, Power of Illusion is shaping up to be a worthy success?or to the fine legacy of its forefathers.

The post Disney reveals new ?l??evels for upcoming Epic Mickey titles appeared first on Destructoid.

You guys wish you could be me

I failed to mention that, immediately following the Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion preview event last month, Warren Spector led all the journalists on a tour through Magic Kingdom. We went on the Magic Carpet, Haunted Mansion, and Peter Pan rides, while Warren fielded questions and explained how he incorporated park elements into the Epic Mickey games.

Frankly, I think it was all an excuse for Warre?n to ride the rides for free??.

A Disney cameraman was on hand to film B-roll of the tour. In the video above, you might notice a particularly strapping young man in a blue plaid long-sleeve shirt who appears to be?? commanding the bulk of Mr. Spector's time. That gentleman is me.

The only reason I'm sharing this video is because it's Sunday and I feel like making all of you cats jealous that I am now close, personal friends (not really) with the legendary game designer. The Machinima clip above only shows brief bits of my interaction with Warren. After the break, you can watch the unedited footage that Nintendo World Report uploaded a couple weeks ba??ck.

Warren Spector Tours?? Disney World (Inside Gaming Extended) [YouTube]

Warren and I strike up a conversat?ion as we enter Adventureland [YouTube]

Near the 7:30 mark, Warren and I? snuggle up on the Pet??er Pan ride [YouTube]

The post Warren Spector and I are totally best friends now appeared first on Destructoid.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is officially heading to the Wii U. You are totally shocked by t?his news, I'm sure. The Wii U version will include GamePad specific features, such as a real-time map of the game world displayed on the touch screen. You'll also be able to access and activate sketches from the GamePad.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two will be out this holiday season for the Wii U. Check out images of the Wii U version of the game over in our gallery.

The post Disney Epic Mickey 2 heading to the Wii U appeared first on Destructoid.

Glenn Beck is a political talk show host who is hard to love for many. Some might say, he is a loud-mouthed liar who loves to exaggerate and sensationalize for attention. You may be able to understand then why game designer Warren Spector denied Beck the promotional Oswald ears for Epic Mickey 2 at the recent GameStop EXPO in San Antonio, Texas.

Accordi??ng to Glenn Beck's radio show, the ears were given to Beck's friend but snatched back when this friend announced that the ears were for Glenn Beck.

"Anybody who associates with Glenn Beck doesn't get these," Spector said, according to Beck. After a brief back-and-forward, Disney securi??ty came and asked Beck's friend to leave, sans Oswald ??ears.

Beck is a self-proclaimed Oswald fan and seems to have taken this promotional item refusal to heart, comparing Spector to producer-turned-criminal Phil Spector and saying poli??tics shouldn't get in the way of something simple like this.

Beck managed to get an Oswald cap in the end. How he got it, who knows? But, I received the above image in a tweet from Brad Skaar who seems to? work for Beck, going by his Twitter.

I applaud Spector for having the courage to make a statemen?t like this. So many people in the game industry would ju?st smile and give the item, despite their feelings. I've spoken to Spector on more than one occasion and can tell you that he's always honest. This is a perfect example of that.

I reached out to Disney and? Spector, but there is no comment at this p?oint.

[via GamerTagRadio]

The post Warren Spector denies Glenn Beck rabbit ears at??? event appeared first on Destructoid.

A new "behind-the-scenes" video for Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, featuring Warren Spector and other members of the Junction Point team, as they discuss some of the new features which have been implemented in the game. Topics include co-op gameplay with Oswald the Rabbit and improvements to the oft-maligned camera from the first game.

And then they refer to the Xbox 360 and PS3 as being "Next Gen" consoles. Now, I don't want to be some nitpicking, mega-dork who sneers and sniggers over the use of the term. I'm sure that the audience for Epic Mickey is chock full of people who have no idea what that term mi?ght mean to us as game enthusiasts and have no real need to know; if it sounds cool, that should be good enough. That said, I think I can be forgiven for a little knee jerk reaction.

(snigger)

The post Epic Mickey 2 dev diary talks up camera, co-??op play appeared first on Destructoid.

GamesRadar has uploaded a nearly five-minute walkthrough of the upcoming Epic Mickey 2, demonstrating the 360 build and the new drop-in, drop-out co-op. GR has confirmed suspicions that the Wii version is the lead platform. Junction Point is handling Wii development itself, while the HD ports are in the care of Blitz Games, previously responsible for Bad Boys: Miami Takedown and the Burger King Xbox games. Yummy.

In addition, it looks like co-op is limite??d to local play for now. That may or may not change in the future.

Then there is the Nintendo Power confirmation of the rumored 3DS companion title. Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion is being handled by DreamRift, previously responsible for the low-key but fun DS gems Henry Hatsworth and Monster Tale. Personally, the portable version is sounding more promising than its home cons??ole brothers. I've keep my eyes peeled for more info.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two previe?w - what's new? [GamesRadar via GoNintendo]
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of?? Two & Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion [Nintendo Power via GoNintendo]

The post Epic ??Mickey 2 lead platform is Wii, 3DS version confirmed appeared first on Destructoid.

At Epic Mickey 2's announcement press conference in Austin last week, Junction Point??'s Senior Creative Director, Warren Spector, surprised attending press members by calling the game "the first musical comedy game in the history of video games."

While what we saw of the game was limited, we were assured that Epic Mickey 2 is a true musical, with m??uch of its stor?y told through song. Spector, a big fan of music himself, joked that he wants the "Gleeks to turn out" for this game.

We were shown the game's opening sequence?, which almost immediately becomes a musical act. The Mad Doctor, the last game's antagonist, bursts from the ground in a craft and pleas with main character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, asking him to forgive and join forces. This is all done through singing and lyrics that were a perfect fit for ??Disney's style. 

Through song he makes it clear that Oswald must on??ce again become a hero, though the choice should be made quickl?y:

??Danger is closing in, so much we must avoid / If we don't band together Wasteland will be destroyed

Brian Freyermuth, Senior Game and Story Designer at Junction Point, tells Destructoid that there was initially some skepticism on how well they could pull off a game filled with musical numbers. He says that even with that initial doubt, everyone on the team was immediately on board with the idea, and from hearing the first recorded tune they were all fully committed to the cause. Now he and the team a?re excited for fans to experience these musical numbers.

It seems that the Mad Doctor does the bulk of the singing in Epic Mickey 2. Freye??rmuth sai?d that most of the music comes from this character as he introduces music to Wasteland, and every bit of what he says in the game ends up being song. Most of the game's characters are confused by his singing at the game's beginning, but as things progress, more and more join in, and more types of music are gradually introduced. 

Freyermuth revealed that Jim Dooley, the composer of the first game, worked with lyricist Mike Himmelstein to transform the story and dialogue into full musical numbers. For this creation process, after feedback was given from Disney and Warren Spector on scratch tracks, the songs wou?ld be recorded with the voice actors for each of the characters.

While they were only able to show one number at the reveal event, it sounds like Junction Point has a?? musical treat lined up for fans. Freyermuth says that he feels their work rivals any of Disney's older musicals in quality. He told us that while it's too early ??to talk about any of the other singing characters, there are about 8 major pieces to look forward to, and teased that one of the operatic pieces in the middle of the game is one of his favorites.

Look for more on Epic Mickey 2 and its music later this year.

The post Epic Mickey 2 is ‘the first musical comedy game’ appeared first on Destructoid.

At Epic Mickey 2's announcement press conference last week, Junction Point's Warren Spector talked about how the three biggest issues in Epic Mickey have been addre??ssed for the upcoming sequel, which takes the Mouse and his paintbrush multi platform, with cooperative play. He told attending press members that ?even though he is proud of his team's work on the first title, you can "never get everything right the first time."

Spector said that most of the complaints from Epic Mickey stemmed from the game's camera, which gave players trouble in sections, limiting the view and hindering s??mooth gameplay. He said that he would defend the work his team put forth on their first outing, but the ??reality was that different camera systems were needed, and he felt they could do better this time around.

The day Epic Mickey shipped, a dedicated team started working on improving the camera for this sequel. Spector said that over 1,000 changes have been made to the new camera system since then, and they're still working to improve it even now. He also claimed that if a player were to only follow the game's main story path, they would never ??have to touch the main camera controls. He left some room for himself and his team after making this claim, adding that he has his "fingers crossed that this is the case."

Following the game camera, Epic Mickey's lack of voice acting was the next biggest issue players had. The game used beeping or "barking" in place of actual dialogue, much like some of older Japanese role-playing game titles. Spector took responsibility for this choice, saying that he originally thought that if silent film character Oswald couldn't speak, then no one else should. Now he admits that this was a bad dec??ision. 

In Epic Mickey 2, every ??character speaks every line of dialogue, and even player direction is voiced, meaning that reading is no longer required. Junction Point worked directly with Disney to use the real voices of each character, with an internal team working to craft story lines and dialogue to fit each character. 1920's character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit has a voice of his own ??for the very first time, voiced by famed voice artist Frank Welker. 

Spector said that persistence was another major issue players had with Epic Mickey. All of his 22 games have been about player choice and consequence, but in Epic Mickey the choices were not permanent. He admits that he had game choices revert back to default settings to make play a bit more accessible for kids and other less experienced gamers the first time around, but now says that "all bets are off this time" as they've made eve?ry game choice permanent.

The post Epic Mickey 2: The three biggest issues addressed appeared first on Destructoid.

From the unexpected original to the inevitable sequel, Mickey Mouse and veteran game designer Warren Spector are on ?a strange ride together.

With characters breaking into song for musical segments, full voice acting, split-screen co-op, and one of the most ambitious camera systems in recent memory, Epic Mickey is going to get a bit stranger this fall in Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.

Pleased by sales, humbled by fans, and aware of rev??iewers’ complaints, developer Junction Point is making a sequel with all parties in mind. The result is a game that is shaping up to offer the same charm of the original, just with less fuss and in HD.

Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii)
Developer: Junction Point
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Release: Fall 2012

The announcement of the first Epic Mickey left me scratching my head. “The co-creator of System Shock is making a Mickey Mouse game revolving around moral choices and platforming?” I said. Then I said it again and tried ?slapping myself awake.

Despite all odds, this pairing worked in terms of aesthetics and storytelling. Spector’s love letter to Disney’s origins was a dark, ambitious vision that stood out despite attached labels like “Wii game” and “kid-friendly.” Spector proved himself, once again, to be a master in world building and orchestrating a journ??ey that becomes personal through decision-making and character investment.

On the other hand, Spector and his then-freshly-faced studio managed to partially fail at problems that 3D platformers overcame a decade before Disney Epic Mickey’s release. Our own Jonathan Holmes said it best in his review:

It's i??ronic that the game's writing does such a great job of showing off its characters from multiple ?angles, while the in-game camera has the horrid tendency to auto-adjust to the most unhelpful positions.

A New Coat of Paint

When you mention Epic Mickey’s sore points, Spector doesn’t talk around those issues. He talks directly about them. Or, more specifically, how they are being addressed in The Power of Two.

The biggest improvement in the sequel is the camera. In the original, players struggled to find a proper angle after fiddling with the controls. In Epic Mickey 2, players won&rsqu??o;t even have to manual?ly adjust the camera if they wish to follow only the main path.

Junction Point wants players to always h?ave a perfect view of the world and action without laying a finger on the camera buttons. With a dedicated team making 1,000+ changes to the camera, the ?results need to be seen in action to be appreciated.

Most players will still adjust the camera in orde?r to explore and discover hidden items, but it never is a necessity. Outside the larger hub areas, I didn’t feel a need to use the D-pad camera controls. The demo lacked any intensive platforming or combat segments, so it’s hard to say that the new system will work flawlessly under pressure. At the very least, Junction Point is taking this concern seriously.

A new camera is nice, but you know what’s better? Color. HD color! I liked Epic Mickey’s art direction in concept more than execution. The scale of Epic Mickey was impressive for a Wii title, but the g??ame had a murky, dull look to it that soured the immersion. The sequel, in contrast, is a cheerful, primary-colored world that is a joy to explore. The 2D sections return with more depth in the backgro??und, and the 3D sections are populated with the nostalgic architecture found in old Disney films.

The lighting effects and new models are a step up from the original, but Epic Mickey 2 doesn’t look up to par with modern current-gen offerings. Its origins as a Wii title ??are pretty transparent. However, other modern platformers don’t have worlds ??as lively, detailed, and inviting as this. Let’s just hope the nasty lag in the demo is a temporary bump in the road and not a long-term challenge.

Partners in Crime

??How do you make a game better? More stuff, of course! More challenge! More places! More players? Why not?

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, ruler of the Wasteland, was a big part of Epic Mickey, and he plays an even larger role in the? sequel. Oswald will accompany you throughout your adventure and use his electric remote to paralyze enemies and operate machinery. The character is controlled by an advanced A.I. system that works without player direction.

However, at any time, a second player can take the computer’s role and control Oswald. Along with doing some basic moves, Oswald can also help Mickey with co-op specific abilities, such as a vertical toss that helps Mickey reach high places and a Banjo-Kazooie-esque propeller spin to glide across a gap.

It’s nice to have some help in combat, but I don’t see why Oswald needs to be gimped. Though the rabbit can par?alyze enemies, it’s up to Mickey to defeat or save them with his own devices. No matter how you play, it will be Mickey’s decision??s that make up the adventure; Oswald is just along for the ride. Hopefully, he won’t get in our way while we make the tough calls as Mickey.

A Musical Journey

As if the original didn’t have enough genres attached to it (RPG, platformer, action-adventure), Epic Mickey adds one more: musical.

Throughout the game, players will be serenaded by songs from a notable cast singing tunes by returning series composer Jim Dooley and songwriter Mike Himelstein (Shrek, Dorothy of Oz). The developer and publisher claim that Epic Mickey 2 is the f?irst videogame mus??ical, but it’s a tough call to make until we see the context and frequency of these songs.

There ??wasn’t any singing to be found in the demo. However, the opening cinematic finds The Mad Doctor returning to sing a song (“Help Me Help You,” he repeats). It’s no instant cl??assic, but it’s not grating, either. Spector has professed his love of musicals before, so I expect these scenes will be made with a lot of heart and musical history in mind.

What's more exciting to me is that the game will have a full voice cast. No longer will characters’ words be paired with N64-era sound loops. Now, each character -- even those who never had a voice in Disney’s history -- will speak their dialog. The full voice cast hasn’t been announced at this time, but we do know that Frank Welker (Transformers) will be playing the role of Oswald. Along with the jump to HD, voice acting can go a long way in making the world of Epic Mickey more contemporary and inviting.

Hitting the Right Notes

The demo I played was a brief taste of what’s to come. ??As a result, it’s hard to get a good impression of just how far the?se improvements will go in making a superior sequel.

The demo consisted of three segments: a tutorial, a 2D side-scrolling stage, and an open area filled with characters with conflicting requests for the player. The tutorial stage left the strongest impression, showing off the revamped art direction (in HD) and camera. The camera turned smoothly by itself (think Uncharted) while I climbed up into the stars, as the game recreated a memorable scene from Fantasia.

This soon led into a brick cellar area where lovingly animated personified mops flung water from high above (à la The Sorcerer's Apprentice). It was a beautiful moment that spoke to me more than any of the Steamboat Willie sections of the previous game. Then again, I fell asleep to Fantasia every night as a kid!

Speaking of the 2D Steamboat Willie sections, Epic Mickey 2’s side-scrolling section in the demo was a step ??forward in both visuals and design. The following open-world segment, however, was a bit less impressive. The combat of the first, love it or hate it, didn’t seem to have undergone any significant changes. Within a small hub in Frontierland, Mickey and Oswald could take on a few different objectives. I found the camera problematic in this area, when played in split-screen co-op. With half a screen, it was hard to get a good view of the action. It may be unfair to expect the camera to work as well in co-op as it does in single-player, but ... it sure would be nice, wouldn't it?

Junction Point may have jumped the gun in showing off Epic Mickey 2 a little bit early, but it still has a lot of promise in being a brighter, bolder, and bigger sequel. Between its beautiful HD colors and lively setting, The Power of Two prese?nts a? joyful world that I can’t wait to jump into and explore.

Here’s hoping Epic Mickey 2 has us singing its praises when it arri??ves this fall.

The post Preview: Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two appeared first on Destructoid.

Talk of a sequel to Epic Mickey has been going around for what feels like quite a while -- I was almost starting to get worried. This week, the game was shown off to media. We'll have a full preview for Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two on Fr??iday, but for now, The As?sociated Press has the first details.

Perhaps most importantly, Junction Point Studios has focused on improving the camera for Epic Mickey 2. In addition to giving the characters voices -- including Oswald, a first for th??e rabbit -- the team is making the game a musical. Yes, a musical! Can't say I saw that one coming.

Expanding this to a wider audience with PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions is goo??d news, as is the? sound of drop-in/drop-out cooperative play.

Disney sketches sequel to '??Epic Mickey' video game [AP via Joystiq]

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