| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Wii | 7.20 |
| Overall | 7.20 |
|
Epic Mickey could have been epic, it could have been one hell of a platformer but it stays safe from start to finish. This game has more in common with the 3D platformers of old than the awesome ones since Galaxy. I don't even know why I am calling it a platformer cause a lot of the time you are running around hub worlds doing mini quests in a Deus Ex kind of way. The game is structured where you have hub worlds to get quests, then you have the "levels" where you collect stuff, fight enemies, solve basic puzzles and do basic platforming. You have your paint and thinner which allows to create or dissolve pieces of the environment at will. You know how awesome of a platformer this game would be if you had full levels made around erasing and creating obstacles while platforming, sadly that only happens at the very end. For the most part the paint and thinner mechanic only serves as a way to find stuff in the environment and maybe activate some switches. The game promises an open adventure where you can play as nice Mickey or mischievous Mickey. Most of the choices come down to simply choosing one thing over another. One example is a pirate wants to impress a cow lady so he asks you to find out what she likes. Well you find out she is lactose intolerant so she cant have ice cream. Now you can tell the pirate to get her a gift like roses or be an ass and tell him to get her ice cream knowing it would mess up his chances. And that is the extent of the good bad mechanic in the game, the results have little impact on the game, it just determines what prize you get. The only time the paint vs thinner mechanic shines is during certain boss fights where they play out differently depending on how you fight them. Sadly this does not happen on all bosses. The game is full of these little disappointments, glimmers of greatness that could have been. By far the best aspect of the game is its theme and world. For Disney fans this game takes you on a trip through Disney's past in a way its never been shown. Lots of the levels are based on Disneyland rides which are full of easter eggs for the fans. Sadly none of the characters speak so no iconic Mickey voice, or Goofy, or Donald, or anyone. Spector gives a moronic reason for this which I don't buy, for a game like this it's unacceptable, that is a huge part of what makes it Disney. Also for a game that uses the Disney license there is almost no Disney music. You kind of get a mutated version of It's a Small World, that is about it. Oh and the music from the old mickey cartoons during the 2D segments (which are very short, very easy and repeat a million times). No "Yo ho ho ho, a pirates life for me", come on! The music is random boring mood music for the most part. While I did focus on the negative for this review I will say the game is harmless, its never so bad that you are bored out of your mind and its never great where you are going "WOW". Its just there, in the middle. I enjoyed it as a fun romp through the world of Disney and as a long lost N64 game I never played. It's got the right amount of length and some incentive to go back and play it again. They have a lot of work to do for the sequel so that it may match up with the best platformers of this gen. |
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Posted by Dvader Tue, 20 Sep 2011 23:39:25
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travo (1m)
That's why I enjoyed it, along with the Disney trappings. It's a solid game and I found it very enjoyable. I do think there are some mechanical improvements that could be done and it's more of a an adventure than a platform game.
I guess it needs voice acting. Other than that I'm not sure what people want out of it? Do they want a more clever gameplay based title like Mario Galaxy with unique puzzles and layouts rather than the more adventurish style of Epic Mickey?