Game #986: Disney Epic Mickey 2 - The Power of Two

  They keep saying Epic. I don't think it means what they think it means.

 Despite it's many flaws, Epic Mickey managed to be more than the sum of its parts. I think in no small part due to how ambitious it was, even it fell a bit short of its mark. Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two could've been something else, but they went for mass appeal, with a tacked-on multiplayer focus and ports to every console under the sun, instead of focusing on what made the first one good.

 The first thing you'll notice is that the game is beautiful. It's very colorful and now it's fully voiced acted. Mickey having a voice adds a whole new dimension to him, and Oswald's voice fits him very well. I'll be honest, I liked the relationship between Mickey and Oswald in the first game, so I like how Oswald gets a bigger role in this one. Regardless, the game being so pretty means it lost some of its edge. Epic Mickey 1 wasn't half as dark as people would think, but this game has an entirely different tone. I wouldn't say it's better or worse, but it's different and thus feels a bit disconnected from the original game.

 Player 1 plays as Mickey, who plays exactly like he did in the first game: Paint and Thinner, a useless spin attack and a double jump. Player 2 plays as Oswald who can throw his arm(!!!) like a boomerang and gets some electric gizmos. If you play by yourself you're stuck with a braindead Oswald. I mean, sure, when it comes to mandatory stuff the AI will perform, but playing by yourself means Oswald will refuse to help you get any collectible. It's INCREDIBLY annoying. You need Oswald cooperation to get most collectibles, but he can't be forced to do ANYTHING. And you NEED him to help you in combat too, but he'll help you when he feels like it. Building this game around co-operative play means that playing by yourself turns into a chore. And it needn't be so bad, if only the CPU would help you. If only you could swap into Oswald with the Select button. But nope, you are stuck playing a game with stuff forever tucked away from you unless you get another player to join in.

 The rest of the game is just standard platforming affairs. Puzzles feel way simpler than before, and the 'morality' system isn't as prevalent. Not to say it isn't there, but there are fewer instances of having to make choices. There are sidequests too if you can find them. While the paint and thinner system wasn't ground breaking, it felt creative, in this game it didn't. It probably has to do with having to make it easier to play with another player. Oswald's mechanics aren't as interesting either, just find an electric panel and press a button. They should've explored the paint/thinner mechanic further, it's such wasted potential....

 Speaking of interesting, what about the lost and forgotten toons? I don't remember the game adding any old Disney character into the mix, and most of the locations you visit in this game... are retreads of the previous game. At least the areas are different enough, but they could have added new zones or worlds. Another instance of failing to capitalize on what made the first game good.

 I came across a couple of bugs when playing the game too. One time a ghost, Ian, had to open a gate for me... but he wouldn't do it. I had to reload the checkpoint. Another time Mickey and Oswald had to hit switches at the same time, but my ever-so-useless Oswald refused to hit it... until I reloaded the area again.

 If this game did anything better than the first... it'd be costumes! You can unlock costumes both for Mickey and Oswald, which I found to be a nice little treat. The previous game included a Mickey and an Oswald cartoon, pretty cool little extras, this game has... 'Skeleton Dance', featuring neither! They shouldn't even have bothered.

 The most surprising thing about this game is that it was made by the same people that made the original. But the way they went out of their way to ignore what worked well about the first one makes it feel as if a completely new team had tackled the project. If anything, at least the first Epic Mickey happened, right?

 4.5