modeps
10-12-2010, 06:27 AM
Title: Disney's Epic Mickey
Platform: Wii
Platform Previewed: Wii
Developer: Junction Point Studios (http://www.junctionpoint.com/)
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios (http://disney.go.com/disneyinteractivestudios/)
MSRP: $49.99
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Writer: James 'modeps' Hunter
Disney's Epic Mickey NYCC Preview
This isn't Playhouse Disney.
Disney's Epic Mickey was being shown off at New York Comic Con on a single screen near one of the many intersections that peppered the convention floor. A throng of people were crowded around this television, and when I walked up for my appointment, a 7-year-old boy was putting Mickey through its platforming paces. Without an appointment I doubt I would have gotten any hands-on time, but thankfully after the boy had finished his level, Chase Jones, Lead Designer on the game gave me a chance to play through the tutorial section while describing the world you'll be playing through and answering some questions.
They're the lost; the forgotten characters of Walt Disney's hand. No longer do they, or will they appear in a movie so instead, they hang out in their own world resigned to this reality. After an unfortunate mishap regarding some paint and paint thinner, Disney's biggest star Mickey Mouse, get dragged onto their turf by an ill-willed inkblot monster, and you'll start off the game like most others learning the controls and how things work in the game.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/epicmickey-p1.jpg
Movement is done in a fairly standard, 3D platforming way and feels solid. You'll control it with both Wiimote and Nunchuk attachment, analog stick moves around while A will jump. A shake of the remote performs a spin attack used to open some chests and break some objects. In the tutorial, I was tasked with disabling a mechanical claw which in the intro movie, was trying to extract Mickey's heart with a plunger. Yep, I think that's the biggest and most apparent departure from "typical" Disney. While in the movies there's almost always a malevolent force targeting the protagonists, they're rarely at the forefront. This game certainly has an overall brooding vibe that makes itself apparent immediately and if you let yourself get into it is quite a sad world to be a part of. "Will it make you cry," I asked. "It's possible."
Complementing the standard platforming elements, with each trigger you've got access to both paint and paint thinner, both having a finite amount of 'ammo' and is aimed using the remote as a pointer. Each will interact with the same, specific things throughout the world in certain ways. Brightly lit walls, doors, and floors may be thinned to bust holes in them, or if they're absent, the paint will fill them in. Throughout my playtime these seemed like they were set puzzle aspects and you had to go through certain motions to progress, whether it be climb a staircase that doesn't exist, or remove some rocks that are blocking your path. Additionally, if there are enemies in the environment thinning them will make them disappear, but painting them will make them your friends. In their "friend mode" they'll let you walk around without a problem, and if they're additional enemies around, they'll protect you.
http://evavhost.com/i/news/epicmickey-nycc2.jpg
The thing here though is that the game, and Mickey's appearance will change depending on your actions and which method you use. Thinner focused players may get rewarded immediately but lose out on something further down the path, while painters will likely run out of resources more often and not get rewarded up front. This mechanic isn't just built into the attack method, but also decision points within the game. The first example in the game has you wind up a catapult with a cute imp imprisoned in the scoop. In winding it up, you'll also open a door which reveals a treasure chest on a pressure plate. If you go for the treasure chest, the little guy is going for a trip when the catapult releases but if you free him, you don't get the treasure chest. I was informed that you'd be meeting up with him later on if you took the nice route... but I didn't. I grabbed the treasure and watched in horror (and glee) as the catapult released.
On the subject of unlockables and extras, I was informed that there will be a bunch of stuff you'll open up through playing the game, including concept artwork. This reminded me of the now famous "shambling Goofy" concept art, so I asked where he went, relaying how much positive feedback was sent when those surfaced. The response given was one that I almost didn't expect. While they did not confirm that shambling Goofy would make an appearance in the game, the implication was made that we'll be seeing some version of those early concept characters later on in the game. They didn't say who specifically, but there's still hope for sure. This made me very happy.
The last question I asked was regarding rumors of Disney's Epic Mickey being ported to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Chase relayed that he hasn't heard anything regarding any ports, and they've been purely focused on delivering the title as a Nintendo Wii title. While I only played the tutorial section, Epic Mickey is looking really solid and I found myself wanting to continue the journey. It will be released on November 30, 2010 for $49.99.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/epicmickey-p2.jpg
http://evavhost.com/i/news/epicmickey-p3.jpg
Platform: Wii
Platform Previewed: Wii
Developer: Junction Point Studios (http://www.junctionpoint.com/)
Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios (http://disney.go.com/disneyinteractivestudios/)
MSRP: $49.99
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Writer: James 'modeps' Hunter
Disney's Epic Mickey NYCC Preview
This isn't Playhouse Disney.
Disney's Epic Mickey was being shown off at New York Comic Con on a single screen near one of the many intersections that peppered the convention floor. A throng of people were crowded around this television, and when I walked up for my appointment, a 7-year-old boy was putting Mickey through its platforming paces. Without an appointment I doubt I would have gotten any hands-on time, but thankfully after the boy had finished his level, Chase Jones, Lead Designer on the game gave me a chance to play through the tutorial section while describing the world you'll be playing through and answering some questions.
They're the lost; the forgotten characters of Walt Disney's hand. No longer do they, or will they appear in a movie so instead, they hang out in their own world resigned to this reality. After an unfortunate mishap regarding some paint and paint thinner, Disney's biggest star Mickey Mouse, get dragged onto their turf by an ill-willed inkblot monster, and you'll start off the game like most others learning the controls and how things work in the game.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/epicmickey-p1.jpg
Movement is done in a fairly standard, 3D platforming way and feels solid. You'll control it with both Wiimote and Nunchuk attachment, analog stick moves around while A will jump. A shake of the remote performs a spin attack used to open some chests and break some objects. In the tutorial, I was tasked with disabling a mechanical claw which in the intro movie, was trying to extract Mickey's heart with a plunger. Yep, I think that's the biggest and most apparent departure from "typical" Disney. While in the movies there's almost always a malevolent force targeting the protagonists, they're rarely at the forefront. This game certainly has an overall brooding vibe that makes itself apparent immediately and if you let yourself get into it is quite a sad world to be a part of. "Will it make you cry," I asked. "It's possible."
Complementing the standard platforming elements, with each trigger you've got access to both paint and paint thinner, both having a finite amount of 'ammo' and is aimed using the remote as a pointer. Each will interact with the same, specific things throughout the world in certain ways. Brightly lit walls, doors, and floors may be thinned to bust holes in them, or if they're absent, the paint will fill them in. Throughout my playtime these seemed like they were set puzzle aspects and you had to go through certain motions to progress, whether it be climb a staircase that doesn't exist, or remove some rocks that are blocking your path. Additionally, if there are enemies in the environment thinning them will make them disappear, but painting them will make them your friends. In their "friend mode" they'll let you walk around without a problem, and if they're additional enemies around, they'll protect you.
http://evavhost.com/i/news/epicmickey-nycc2.jpg
The thing here though is that the game, and Mickey's appearance will change depending on your actions and which method you use. Thinner focused players may get rewarded immediately but lose out on something further down the path, while painters will likely run out of resources more often and not get rewarded up front. This mechanic isn't just built into the attack method, but also decision points within the game. The first example in the game has you wind up a catapult with a cute imp imprisoned in the scoop. In winding it up, you'll also open a door which reveals a treasure chest on a pressure plate. If you go for the treasure chest, the little guy is going for a trip when the catapult releases but if you free him, you don't get the treasure chest. I was informed that you'd be meeting up with him later on if you took the nice route... but I didn't. I grabbed the treasure and watched in horror (and glee) as the catapult released.
On the subject of unlockables and extras, I was informed that there will be a bunch of stuff you'll open up through playing the game, including concept artwork. This reminded me of the now famous "shambling Goofy" concept art, so I asked where he went, relaying how much positive feedback was sent when those surfaced. The response given was one that I almost didn't expect. While they did not confirm that shambling Goofy would make an appearance in the game, the implication was made that we'll be seeing some version of those early concept characters later on in the game. They didn't say who specifically, but there's still hope for sure. This made me very happy.
The last question I asked was regarding rumors of Disney's Epic Mickey being ported to the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3. Chase relayed that he hasn't heard anything regarding any ports, and they've been purely focused on delivering the title as a Nintendo Wii title. While I only played the tutorial section, Epic Mickey is looking really solid and I found myself wanting to continue the journey. It will be released on November 30, 2010 for $49.99.
http://evavhost.com/i/reviews/epicmickey-p2.jpg
http://evavhost.com/i/news/epicmickey-p3.jpg