Epic Mickey

                                                

Epic Mickey is a plat....RPG...well, it's a lot of things put into one game. Best way I can describe it is the choices that effect your story line, remind me of Mass Effect and the platforming was kinda like Banjo. Never the less it's an amazing game that I admire a lot. Warren Spector did a fantastic job with this great use of Disney license. After reading some poor reviews I was a little disappointed, but I gave it a try anyways, and I could not believe how much fun I had playing this game, from the soundtrack to the gameplay to the level design I was blown away.


Story - The story starts out with Mickey getting out of bed and jumping through his mirror which acts like a portal, he finds himself in the quarters of Yen Sid, who is working on a world for forgotten characters called "Wasteland". Yen Sid decides to call it a night, so Mickey snoops on over to Yen Sid's work, and ends up spilling thinner all over the world, not only destroying Yen Sid's creation but created a monster known as "The Blot", Mickey is pulled into Wasteland by The Blot and that's where the adventure begins. The story was pretty deep for a Disney game, it had some deep moments that really pulled you into the game, it also truly shows who this characters are and really makes you feel for them. While you choose which way the story will pan out, every decision you make changes everything, I was actually surprised on how much a simple choice changed the way the game played out, and really changed the ending. It was a very need concept, and I really enjoy games with morality choices and Epic Mickey is one of the best at it. You'll come along many forgotten characters such as Oswald, but also some familiar faces. Wasn't the best written story I ever witnessed but it was for sure a goody, I had a great time with it.

Gameplay - A lot of people seemed to have some trouble, on which genre this game falls under. The best way to describe it is what I said early, it's an Open-world, platforming game with some RPG elements. The gameplay itself was a lot of fun, only downside was the camera. You use the d-pad to change the angle of the camera and it just feels clunky, the camera does its best to follow Mickey but falls short of a "good camera". But the bad camera didn't suck the fun out of the game at all. The use of Paint and Thinner was such a creative idea and was so much fun to mess around with. I was very surprised on how much you could destroy with the thinner, you can basically use it anytime, now there are some things you can't erase but not too worry because there are plenty of things to destroy and re-create once again which felt very original and very addicting. Platforming was great but not perfect due to camera issues but, to be honest I really did not have too much trouble with the camera. Bottom line for the gameplay is that it's great and very addictive.


Sound - Whether you're talking about the sound effects or soundtrack, they were both very well done, sound effects suited the game for what it was (A Mickey Mouse game). The soundtrack was actually one of my favorites of the year, I really enjoyed it, and I'm dying to own a copy, it was very original and each track was perfect for each level and story element that occurred in the game.

Graphics - Epic Mickey is a beautifully designed game, the art design in this world is just outstanding. They did a great job with the dark and depressing atmosphere, with a nice addition to some happy colorful side-scrolling levels. All side-scrolling takes place when Mickey jumps inside an old cartoon like Steam Boat Willy for example, and it looks amazing. The levels really caught my interest, I just love the way they were designed. The graphics, although SD and not as "shiny" as PS3/360, it looks very good especially for a Wii title. I played with the Wii HD cables and it looked sharp, graphics are not anything that will rock your socks off, but the very well done artistic level design and characters is just very cool, and I was very impressed with the look of this game.

Final Rundown - Although the platforming may get on your bad side, due too a clunky camera and the Wii with it's no HD and achievements is always a downer for Wii games. But this game was so much fun and so gripping that I did not mind one bit. I was so glad I purchased it, because I intend on playing it many more times.

+Pro's:

• Choices have a great effect on the world.
• Paint & Thinner are an excellent new game mechanic.
• Many familiar and lovable Disney characters and worlds.
• Side-scrolling through old cartoons was a blast!.
• Great Soundtrack.

-Con's:

• Horrible camera.
• no HD for this beautiful game.

Review Score: 8.5