Our review begins on a magical sort of day...with a magical sort of boy...who’s watching cartoons
at work again.
Sigh.
Hey, Derek...DEREK!
I’m watching Steamboat Willie, it’s my favorite.
I even have the poster framed.
I’m a massive Disney fan.
And today, I have a plan.
It’s time to review Epic Mickey 2.
But don’t you know, they say it’s awful?
Haven’t you heard, they say it sucks?
I heard it’s lame!
I heard it’s clunky.
Go f*ck yourselves, ‘cause Epic Mickey rules!
Look at him.
Poor guy.
He’s was looking forward to this more than any other Wii U launch title.
Sigh...well, someone has to tell him.
Hey, Derek.
Make it quick...voice.
I’m about to start Epic Mickey 2.
Look, I don’t know how else to put this.
They didn’t fix
the camera.
Epic Mickey was an interesting game.
It clearly suffered from faulty mechanics, but the game’s art and concepts were so
strong, they were able to carry the weight.
Part of me wants to say that’s again the case with Epic Mickey 2...but a sequel is
a chance to fix things.
And if you don’t take that chance, old problems seem a lot heavier.
The sequel picks up right after the original.
Mickey has just saved Wasteland, a Tim Burton-like world for forgotten Disney cartoons...many
forgotten because of Mickey’s success.
But once again, Wasteland is in trouble.
And as much as some of them may resent Mickey, its citizens know there’s only one cartoon
brave enough to save them.
So the setup is fine...really, anything to get Mickey back in Wasteland works.
It’s the juxtaposition of Mickey in that dark world that makes the game interesting.
And again, that works great in Epic Mickey 2.
Like the original, it drops classic Disney characters into this cold, mechanical environment,
and the contrast is just fantastic.
Of course, the primary gameplay element is again Mickey’s paintbrush, which sprays
both paint and thinner.
That means the moral dilemma of creating or destroying comes back into play, as well.
But again, the problem is...the developers didn’t use enough thinner on the game itself,
specifically on its clunky camera and floaty physics.
Yes, they’re back from the original.
And that’s a huge disappointment.
But you know, the biggest disappointment is actually its use of the GamePad.
More specifically, its forced use of the GamePad.
One of the best things about the original was using the Wii Remote’s pointer to control
the paintbrush, but Epic Mickey 2 can only be played with the GamePad.
That means no pointing to paint...for a game designed entirely around pointing, that’s
a baffling decision.
And yet, Mickey’s return trip to Wasteland is still worth taking.
Like the first game, technical problems are many...but especially for a Disney fan, they
can’t thin out the game’s charm.
Epic Mickey 2 can be very frustrating, and the fact that it didn’t fix its problems
is even more so.
But just when you’ve given up on its song and dance...
Epic Mickey 2 gets you back into the chorus.