Epic Mickey

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Official Website
wiki.en | IGN

Disney Epic Mickey (also known as Super Secret Warren Spector Game Project or Junction Point Studios Project #2) is an upcoming Mickey Mouse video game designed by Warren Spector and developed by Junction Point Studios for the Wii console, using Emergent Game Technologies' Gamebryo Engine. Epic Mickey is part of an effort by The Walt Disney Company to re-brand the Mickey Mouse character by moving away from his current squeaky clean image and reintroducing the mischievous side of his personality. Spector has been collaborating with Walt Disney Feature Animation and Pixar in conjunction with the project. A long time ago, the sorcerer Yen Sid created a Disney theme park themed pen-and-paper world called the Cartoon Wasteland for his forgotten and rejected creations, held in an intricate model on a table, and accessible through a mirror. Mickey, who steps through a mirror from his home and finds himself inside Yen Sid's study, sees the model, and waits until Yen Sid is gone before going back to take another look at it. Fiddling with it, Mickey accidentally spills paint and paint thinner onto the model. Hearing Yen Sid approaching, Mickey quickly cleans up and flees back to his home. However, the spill of paint and paint thinner creates a being called the Phantom Blot, who attempts to take control of the Wasteland from its first resident and Mickey's older half-brother - Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald and the other residents of the Cartoon Wasteland fight against the Phantom Blot, but he eventually overwhelms them and twists their world into a dark and sinister version of itself, forcing Oswald into hiding. Years later, Mickey has forgotten his past transgression until the mirror in his home comes to life and pulls him into the Cartoon Wasteland. Oswald, his will lost and twisted by his jealousy of Mickey's rise to fame, has formulated a plan to destroy Mickey. The Mad Doctor works closely with the Blot, creating robotic "Beetleworx", which are strange creatures that consist of combinations of various Disney cartoon characters. He also creates animatronic "buddies" for Oswald, looking like decrepit robotic versions of Mickey's friends, as Oswald wants Mickey's life and popularity for himself. Armed with a magical paintbrush that he managed to pull into the world with him, Mickey must stop the Phantom Blot, gain Oswald's trust and save the Cartoon Wasteland.

The game is primarily a platform game with some RPG elements and allows players to use their own solutions for getting through the levels. Epic Mickey features a morality system similar to games like inFAMOUS and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and the paths are "the Hero, or the Scrapper". The player's actions can either have Mickey hailed as a Hero, or feared as a Scrapper, changing his appearance and opening up different alliances, side-quests and power-ups depending on the path taken. It is even possible to avoid a boss battle if specific actions are taken. Mickey uses a magic paintbrush that can be used on enemies and painted parts of the environment. He can either use paint to paint areas into the level, such as a bridge, or use paint thinner to destroy obstacles and enemies. Both have limited reserves and share a meter, letting players decide whether to use more of something to be safe, or save some and take a riskier approach. However, the meter recharges slowly over time and powerups that instantly restore portions of the meter can be found. Mickey is also able to create objects from sketches, which have various effects. Two confirmed sketches, the clock and the television, slow down time and distract enemies, respectively. ... To travel between sections of the Cartoon Wasteland, Mickey must traverse 2D side-scrolling levels based on his classic cartoon shorts, such as Steamboat Willie and Clock Cleaners.

E3 Teaser Trailer

Behind The Scenes:

E3 Gameplay Demonstration: Many more gameplay videos are available at: GameTrailers

[adventwriter]

This actually sounds kinda cool - wish I had a Wii..... that's something else on my list.

[twissie]

dshkjfdhsjakfds I'm so excited about this game! Holy~ I couldn't believe what I was reading when I first found out that the amazing concept art I'd found online was actually for a real upcoming Wii game @_@

My Disney heart bounces with joy

Here is the first concept art I saw, back in July 2009.

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[twissie]

Oh my gosh, the Steamboat Willie sequence! Okay, so the game isn't a dystopic point-and-click game (like I first pictured a year ago when I saw the concept art), but it's still looking pretty darn awesome

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Custom, third-party controllers can often be a disaster of cheap plastic and tacky design, but these peripherals for upcoming Disney games, manufactured by Performance Designed Products, are an exception to that sorry rule.

For Wii title Epic Mickey, this paintbrush and charging station are perfect for old-school Disney fans (if not discerning gamers), while for older, perhaps more serious types there are these Tron controllers for the 360, PS3 and Wii that are about as perfect for the franchise as you could hope for.

The Tron stuff will be out later this Fall, and they're $50 each. The Epic Mickey Gear doesn't yet have a release date or price.

Source: http://kotaku.com/5568556/disney-these-are-amazing-controllers

[winner]

^That totally makes me want to create anime battle-scene holders, with those cheap DBZ figures, for all my video game controllers and tv remotes.

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Not quite so Epic anymore

GLENDALE, California (AP) -- Mickey Mouse will not be bad in the coming "Epic Mickey" video game. He was just drawn that way.

Warren Spector, creative director of Disney Interactive Studios' Junction Point, said the beloved international icon will not transform into a snarling rat as originally planned for the game when players make mischievous choices, such as pilfering treasures from a store or erasing characters with thinner. Instead, Mickey will take on a smudgy look if he does something naughty.

During a recent demonstration of the latest iteration of the upcoming Wii game that has been on display at this week's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, Spector said the decision to scrap the malevolent-looking Mickey was made because of negative feedback during focus testing of the game, which features Mickey trekking through a cartoon wasteland.

Continued + Source: Mainichi via Joystiq

This sounds pretty silly to me, in all honesty.

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Gamasutra has posted a lengthy interview with Warren Spector (designer behind both this game, Deus Ex, among others): http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/5928/putting_the_epic_in_epic_mickey.php

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Disney Epic Mickey Collector's Edition includes:

• Special packaging
• Disney Epic Mickey Game
• Exclusive 5 inch Collectible Vinyl Epic Mickey Figure
• Special Edition DVD with behind the scenes footage and additional marketing assets and videos
• Epic Mickey Stylized Wii Remote Faceplate
• 2 Epic Mickey Stylized Wii Console skins

Source: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4452560

Estimated Ship date: 11/15/2010

[twissie]

Oh my I wonder if we'll get collectible sets like that here @___@;; and even if we do, they'll probably cost and arm and a leg. Aaaaah. Do want, though xD;;;

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http://www.gameswelt.tv/17188/disney-micky-epic/staaart-die-ersten-10-minuten.html

[Tuffty]

Thanks to the Giant Bomb crew I can no longer hear the term Epic Mickey without thinking it's some kind of forbidden sex act

[Hart]

I just bought Epic Mickey today at the Nintendo Store in Rockefeller Center. There was just a $20 difference between the Regular edition and the Collector's Edition. So far I'm trying to get use to the controls (have to keep reminding myself Z is thiner and B is paint). The camera is a bit tricky to work with. Sometimes the 1st person POV and centering the camera don't work at certain camera angles.

Now I have to decide whether to have Mickey be nice and helpful to all the NPCs, or be a complete douchebag, wreaking havoc along the way.