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Disney Epic Mickey |OT|

It's not really a discrete "tutorial level", anyway, it's just the first two hours of the game, and like most games today it explains new features and mechanics as you progress. But it's a slow, tedious beginning to the game. It does seem to be stretching its legs a bit now, at least.
 

ASIS

Member
So what's the status on this game? Buy, rent, or ditch? (And yes, I love disney and 3D platformers if that helps my decision). The polarizing reviews aren't helping me at all.
 

markatisu

Member
Nintendo-4Life said:
So what's the status on this game? Buy, rent, or ditch? (And yes, I love disney and 3D platformers if that helps my decision). The polarizing reviews aren't helping me at all.

Love Disney = Buy
Money is an issue = Rent
 

Spike

Member
JetBlackPanda said:
I am so torn on this game, I can only afford one game right now and I cant decide between Epic Mickey or Epic Yarn.. a lot of Epic going on with the Wii right now.

Well whichever one you choose, it will be...Epic.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I saw an ad for this in the NY Subway today. It said UNLEASH the POWER of the BRUSH or something.
 
Man, Ive felt asleep twice playing this game out of boredom. I dont know how someone can stand this without being a huge fan of Disney so it can overlook the huge flaws this game has.

Gameplay is medicore, level design is boring, the camera just sucks but the art and Disney assets are fantastic. Im done with it after 5 hours.
 

Hiltz

Member
Toys R Us is having that awesome video game sale " Buy 1 get 1 50% all video games, accessories, guides and t-shirts" deal .I was thinking about getting Epic Mickey but I'd rather get GoldenEye 007 and perhaps Sonic Colors or something else.
 
NTom64 said:
Ah, I thought they were the actual characters.

Still doesn't make sense how Mickey can't recognise them, though. He must be a bit of a dick, I guess :lol

I'll have to check out those interactive comics, they sound interesting.

markatisu said:
Yeah the comics that were in the iPad app did a better job at explaining, a lot of these characters you are encountering are the animatronic versions of the real ones that Oswald uses as his friends. I do not think the game made that clear, so they are like alternate world versions and therefore also forgotten...if that makes any sense



I agree with this 100%, even if they had started the game from say Mean Streets or OsTown I think people might have a better feeling overall

Nope, they are the real characters, the only ones that are not are Donald, Daisy and Goofy animatronics.
Clarabelle and Horace are forgotten characters in their black and white versions, their original ones, not the destilled used in house of mouse (and of course not in kingdom hearts, I cant even think how can that game count). Thats why, when they encouter Mickey, Mickey doesnt remember them.

At one point Horace was Mickey's best friend, and Clabrabelle was Minnie's, even before donald or goofy appeared, when those came along, PUF! they started to dissapear slowly from the mickey short until they were gone. Thats why Mickey dont remembers them.
Also theres an inteview where Warren Spector explains just this. And that the versions of House of Mouse doesnt count.

If you are going to argue of forgotten characters that are really not forgot, point
the peter pan pirates, maybe kids will not know who smee is, but most of the people sure do
 

markatisu

Member
SpacePirate Ridley said:
Nope, they are the real characters, the only ones that are not are Donald, Daisy and Goofy animatronics.

Clarabelle and Horace are forgotten characters in their black and white versions, their original ones, not the destilled used in house of mouse (and of course not in kingdom hearts, I cant even think how can that game count). Thats why, when they encouter Mickey, Mickey doesnt remember them.

That makes sense, the 1st comic talks about how Donald and Goofy are animatronic so I guess I figured it was implied Pete, Horace, Clarabelle, etc were all the same and only created for that world.

But it makes sense because as Mickey forgot them they moved to this world where Oswald welcomed them with open arms.
 
So I'm going to try and keep my composure ....ah fuck it.

This game is a fucking BORE!

Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the art, the director (obviously) and the concept.
The actual gameplay is almost insultingly basic and bland.

NPCs are lifeless chore givers with almost no flavor. "Hey Mickey!, remeber me? Now go paint my house!"

Finding gratification in almost everything just produces lethargy.

Mechinically, things really tax your paitence as you clumsly stare at the environment trying to find what you're supposed to do next or where the piss it is. Painting is like ...well it's just really not fun. Mostly because it feels like shit when you're constantly trying to reorient yourself to do it.

The level layouts just don't come off as needing to be the way they are. Amatuerish is what comes to mind and this is made even worse with the platforming that goes from tolerable to just embaressing.

The music is merely okay. Sometimes almost sleep inducing as you meander about like in OsTown.

I mean shit, man I really wanna like this (gave up on loving it) but I just don't know. I've just gotten past Meanstreet and still feel a sense of what the hell is the point? Sure I get some satisfaction knowing I took a paticular path when reaching a goal, but everything in between is just ...hollow like the cardboard cut outs you wander about in =/
 
FoneBone said:
From what I've heard (which is pretty much third hand so who knows) Disney insisted that it had to ship in time for the 2010 holiday season, which led to large parts being outsourced and to the final product not being nearly as polished as it should've been. :-/

holy shit, this makes complete sense if true =(
 

MYE

Member
markatisu said:
Yeah the comics that were in the iPad app did a better job at explaining, a lot of these characters you are encountering are the animatronic versions of the real ones that Oswald uses as his friends. I do not think the game made that clear, so they are like alternate world versions and therefore also forgotten...if that makes any sense

huh? This was explained in the game more than once.
 
I think is suprising that in other forums that I read, this game is praised unanimously, but in neogad the game is praised by half and shit by the other.

Maybe people here wanted another thing, but I really liked the level design (and NPCs), it reminds me a lot of Conker's bad fur day in the n64, and it has been so many time without playing a game that felt the same.
And much less its putting me this game to sleep, really? to sleep? I can understand if you find the game boring, but putting someone to sleep while playing?

It seems it clicks or not. Thank god gaf is not the majority this time.
 
SpacePirate Ridley said:
I think is suprising that in other forums that I read, this game is praised unanimously, but in neogad the game is praised by half and shit by the other.

Maybe people here wanted another thing, but I really liked the level design (and NPCs), it reminds me a lot of Conker's bad fur day in the n64, and it has been so many time without playing a game that felt the same.
And much less its putting me this game to sleep, really? to sleep? I can understand if you find the game boring, but putting someone to sleep while playing?

It seems it clicks or not. Thank god gaf is not the majority this time.

From what I'm reading it seems that great great great concept (Wasteland having all the forgotten Disney characters) cannot push through average/mediocre gameplay. Kinda like Fragile perhaps?
 

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
SpacePirate Ridley said:
I think is suprising that in other forums that I read, this game is praised unanimously, but in neogad the game is praised by half and shit by the other.

Maybe people here wanted another thing, but I really liked the level design (and NPCs), it reminds me a lot of Conker's bad fur day in the n64, and it has been so many time without playing a game that felt the same.
And much less its putting me this game to sleep, really? to sleep? I can understand if you find the game boring, but putting someone to sleep while playing?

It seems it clicks or not. Thank god gaf is not the majority this time.
Most of GAFs arguments have been very reasonable and posted by people who were really trying to enjoy the game. Honestly, I feel that a lot of other forums tend to be overly positive on just about everything. I simply don't trust many of them for that reason. They seem to be completely unable to post anything negative about something they've purchased.

GAF may seem negative sometimes, but good information is generally found within those posts. It's not as if people here are simply saying "I HATE THIS GAME LOLOLOL" or something. They are providing legitimate reasons and I'm thankful for that as many of those reasons are things that I would not be able to deal with.
 

JRW

Member
JetBlackPanda said:
I am so torn on this game, I can only afford one game right now and I cant decide between Epic Mickey or Epic Yarn.. a lot of Epic going on with the Wii right now.

Epic Yarn looked and ran great (solid 60fps) and was pretty addictive.. but it wasnt very challenging.

I had a lot more fun with Epic Mickey despite its issues. Personally I don't understand a lot of the hate towards it in this thread. Ive always thought I had pretty good taste in games (Im pretty picky) and epic mickey is one of my favorite overall Wii titles.
 

MYE

Member
JRW said:
Ive always thought I had pretty good taste in games (Im pretty picky) and epic mickey is one of my favorite overall Wii titles.

Dont question your tastes.
I have good taste and i'm loving it too :D
 
Castor Krieg said:
From what I'm reading it seems that great great great concept (Wasteland having all the forgotten Disney characters) cannot push through average/mediocre gameplay. Kinda like Fragile perhaps?

Pretty much.

At any rate, I'm done with it. Too much other things to play before shipping out for deployment. Not gonna force myself to enjoy.
 

JohngPR

Member
I'm really put off by 1up's Epic Mickey Review. First off, his main issue is that the game doesn't have a lock on system which it actually does, and then he complains that the choices in the game are binary although he did all of the paint aka "good" choices. So how the hell does he know if they are binary if he never choice the thinner choice?

I heard the 1up podcast with Justin Heywald (the guy that reviewed the game) talking about it and the first words that came out of his mouth were "It's not as good as Mario."

:-/

PS: Reviewers always complain that we should read the text and not worry about the score when they rate a game low and people complain. In this case, he rated it too high for how many negative things he had to say about it.
 
JohngPR said:
I heard the 1up podcast of Justin Heywald (the guy that reviewed the game) talking about it and the first words that came out of his mouth were "It's not as good as Mario."
:-/

PS: Reviewers always complain that we should read the text and not worry about the score when they rate a game low and people complain. In this case, he rated it too high for how many negative things he had to say about it.

Yeah, that's pretty stupid.
 
dark10x said:
Most of GAFs arguments have been very reasonable and posted by people who were really trying to enjoy the game. Honestly, I feel that a lot of other forums tend to be overly positive on just about everything. I simply don't trust many of them for that reason. They seem to be completely unable to post anything negative about something they've purchased.

GAF may seem negative sometimes, but good information is generally found within those posts. It's not as if people here are simply saying "I HATE THIS GAME LOLOLOL" or something. They are providing legitimate reasons and I'm thankful for that as many of those reasons are things that I would not be able to deal with.

No, im not saying that they arguments are not valid, because they are, and yes, this game has some faults (the camera is bad, etc...), but some are also complaining things that other people are liking, and thats only a matter of opinion, and not that the game is bad or good.

Not only other forums im seeing praise, people in real life I have talk, friends... they are also liking a lot the game. And some of there are not super fans of disney (obviously the dont dislike it), but they are enjoying it, and the most said thing is that they are reminded of their good old days with the n64, that when thay are in work or in college for example, they cant wait to arrive home and conitnue playing, just as when they were kids in school playing banjoo kazooie in the afternoon after a snack watching cartoons on the tv.

Obviously, they know that Mario Galaxy is the MUCH better platformer, but that doenst mean they dislike the type of n64 platforming Epic Mickey has, on the contrary, they are embracing it, as they are reminded of the older days.

But I also can understand where the people that dont like it are coming from, as the game has faults amd it could have been better with 6 more months.

At this time, I think the two sides are right. People that love it are not idiots nor they dont have bad taste in games, and people that dont like it are nott wrong complaining of some of the aspects of the game.
 

gamingeek

Member
SpacePirate Ridley said:
No, im not saying that they arguments are not valid, because they are, and yes, this game has some faults (the camera is bad, etc...), but some are also complaining things that other people are liking, and thats only a matter of opinion, and not that the game is bad or good.

Not only other forums im seeing praise, people in real life I have talk, friends... they are also liking a lot the game. And some of there are not super fans of disney (obviously the dont dislike it), but they are enjoying it, and the most said thing is that they are reminded of their good old days with the n64, that when thay are in work or in college for example, they cant wait to arrive home and conitnue playing, just as when they were kids in school playing banjoo kazooie in the afternoon after a snack watching cartoons on the tv.

Obviously, they know that Mario Galaxy is the MUCH better platformer, but that doenst mean they dislike the type of n64 platforming Epic Mickey has, on the contrary, they are embracing it, as they are reminded of the older days.

But I also can understand where the people that dont like it are coming from, as the game has faults amd it could have been better with 6 more months.

At this time, I think the two sides are right. People that love it are not idiots nor they dont have taste in games, and people that dont like it are nott wrong complaining of some of the aspects of the game.

Well put, that is what I think.
 

KevinCow

Banned
On Skull Island:
Pete Pan says something about a sprite attached to the mast, but I don't see one on any of the masts throughout the area. Is this important now, or should I just move on?
 

gamingeek

Member
KevinCow said:
On Skull Island:
Pete Pan says something about a sprite attached to the mast, but I don't see one on any of the masts throughout the area. Is this important now, or should I just move on?

It's not on Skull Island. It's during the Hook boss fight and they clearly tell you about it and show you. Move on.
 

RobbieNick

Junior Member
AgentOtaku said:
So I'm going to try and keep my composure ....ah fuck it.

This game is a fucking BORE!

Don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the art, the director (obviously) and the concept.
The actual gameplay is almost insultingly basic and bland.

NPCs are lifeless chore givers with almost no flavor. "Hey Mickey!, remeber me? Now go paint my house!"

Finding gratification in almost everything just produces lethargy.

Mechinically, things really tax your paitence as you clumsly stare at the environment trying to find what you're supposed to do next or where the piss it is. Painting is like ...well it's just really not fun. Mostly because it feels like shit when you're constantly trying to reorient yourself to do it.

The level layouts just don't come off as needing to be the way they are. Amatuerish is what comes to mind and this is made even worse with the platforming that goes from tolerable to just embaressing.

The music is merely okay. Sometimes almost sleep inducing as you meander about like in OsTown.

I mean shit, man I really wanna like this (gave up on loving it) but I just don't know. I've just gotten past Meanstreet and still feel a sense of what the hell is the point? Sure I get some satisfaction knowing I took a paticular path when reaching a goal, but everything in between is just ...hollow like the cardboard cut outs you wander about in =/

I hate Ostown. Stupid boring fetchquests.

I'm still enjoying the game, but there are many parts where it feels like a sub-par 3rd party platformer.........on N64. XP It's sad cuz this could have been so much better.
 
I just got to the arena battle in the colliseum....and wow. This game's AWFUL. The controls are sub par (namely the janky pointer which is the worst I've seen; understandable in shovelware like Ninjabread man but COME. ON.), the lock on is also the worst I've seen, the 2d levels are totally uninspired and 30 seconds long, the environments are drab and samey, there's no personality (though I like small Pete:lol ).......I know people say it gets better, but when you start your game out with such crap, it's hard to say how many people will stick with it to see the rest!

Any tips for this wave of enemies I'm fighting in the colliseum? I can't see shit with the lousy camera in this game, and I keep getting the floor erased from under me by an offscreen enemy.
 

markatisu

Member
Mega Man's Electric Sheep said:
Any tips for this wave of enemies I'm fighting in the colliseum? I can't see shit with the lousy camera in this game, and I keep getting the floor erased from under me by an offscreen enemy.

Do you realize you can jump up to the higher levels and just shoot the floor out from under them?
 

Amir0x

Banned
SpacePirate Ridley said:
No, im not saying that they arguments are not valid, because they are, and yes, this game has some faults (the camera is bad, etc...), but some are also complaining things that other people are liking, and thats only a matter of opinion, and not that the game is bad or good.

Not only other forums im seeing praise, people in real life I have talk, friends... they are also liking a lot the game. And some of there are not super fans of disney (obviously the dont dislike it), but they are enjoying it, and the most said thing is that they are reminded of their good old days with the n64, that when thay are in work or in college for example, they cant wait to arrive home and conitnue playing, just as when they were kids in school playing banjoo kazooie in the afternoon after a snack watching cartoons on the tv.

Obviously, they know that Mario Galaxy is the MUCH better platformer, but that doenst mean they dislike the type of n64 platforming Epic Mickey has, on the contrary, they are embracing it, as they are reminded of the older days.

But I also can understand where the people that dont like it are coming from, as the game has faults amd it could have been better with 6 more months.

At this time, I think the two sides are right. People that love it are not idiots nor they dont have bad taste in games, and people that dont like it are nott wrong complaining of some of the aspects of the game.

Everything related to this game is a matter of opinion. it seems you are taking it personally that people are criticizing a game you may like. People who buy something get invested in it and then cry about topics where to have to hear people be negative about something they like.

Epic Mickey is a game of massive flaws. Really, seriously gigantic flaws. You may like it, but it's not some game elevated beyond criticism and neoGAF is not being overly harsh on it. I was super hyped for the game and it is a crushing disappointment, and I love Disney and Warren Spector and even dig the art style and concept.

Epic Mickey is an N64 game. I mean that seriously, and I don't mean in terms of graphics. It's giving me all the nightmares I had when I had to suffer that awful platform. The camera is frequently atrocious. It feels like a the meat and bones of the platforming is a pale reflection of platformers who are helmed by developers who know what they're doing... a hallmark of the mass of N64 era platform mediocrity.

The game has a neat idea, marrying its gameplay (paint/thinner) to the ideals of the black/white morality, but everything that ties it together is simply a mess. The platforming is just sloppy as fuck. There are like a dozen platformers this year that feel better to play, it's not just comparing it to Super Mario Galaxy. And the type of "N64-era platformer" that this wishes it could be have been done better countless times over.... on the N64. It's the year 2010 and we're getting inferior exploration platformers to crap that came out on N64?

It's tied together by awful collectathoning, the crutch of developers who feel they need to pad out their mediocre package by endless fetch quests. Instead of having to design compelling levels with precise jumping requirements, they simply have you search every nook and cranny lazily for some stupid fucking garbage some character needs. It's terrible game design. Give this shit up developers PLEASE.

God all the quests characters give you are so mundane. I've found maybe a handful of compelling quests the entire six hours I've played so far. The core concept is there... it's all in the execution. I like the animated cutscenes, the whole art direction. I love the idea of the paint/thinner tied to the morality. I really like the way they animated Mickey and friends, good stuff.

But it's all sloppily executed mess.
 

KevinCow

Banned
Any tips on the Mad Doctor? I saved two gremlins who got in the first two hits for me, but now I can't figure out how to do the third.
 

Peff

Member
KevinCow said:
Any tips on the Mad Doctor? I saved two gremlins who got in the first two hits for me, but now I can't figure out how to do the third.

Kill the enemies near him. When the machine that is to the right opens up and starts respawning them, thin the red eye thingy.
 
KevinCow said:
Any tips on the Mad Doctor? I saved two gremlins who got in the first two hits for me, but now I can't figure out how to do the third.

there's a third beetkewrox generator to the right of where the doctor is hovering, guarded by a bunch of enemies.
 

TimmiT

Member
2010-12-03-295-HappiestPlaceOnEarth.jpg

Never thought of this similarity between the two games.
 

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
SpacePirate Ridley said:
I think is suprising that in other forums that I read, this game is praised unanimously, but in neogad the game is praised by half and shit by the other.

Maybe people here wanted another thing, but I really liked the level design (and NPCs), it reminds me a lot of Conker's bad fur day in the n64, and it has been so many time without playing a game that felt the same.
And much less its putting me this game to sleep, really? to sleep? I can understand if you find the game boring, but putting someone to sleep while playing?

It seems it clicks or not. Thank god gaf is not the majority this time.
I hear a lot people describe this game as being like a good N64 platformer but that seems like a backhanded complement to me.
 
At about the same point as Amirox right now and can't say I disagree, although I loved the N64 platformers and so I'm at least coasting on nostalgia fuel right now. I mean, it's been ten years, more or less.

But the game pausing every other step for mundane quest additions/completions, pin collections, character dialog, cutscenes, or a couple of useless camera pans across the level is just one (or six) of several maddening decisions. I'm 5+ hours in and have apparently seen 30 "quests" already. It looks like an Xbox Notification system gone haywire.

The paint/thinner mechanic is unwieldy, especially when trying to aim towards the floor unless you're on higher ground.

It's got Disney charm up the wazoo, but I have a feeling this game received very little external playtesting.
 

Hiltz

Member
That comic strip is awesome.


I went to Toys R Us today and noticed that it had absolutely no good Wii games on the shelves except Little King's Story (in a clearance bin). Everything else was literally shovelware. Not even Epic Mickey or DKCR were there or even Golden Eye, Mario Galaxy, Mario Kart, Kirby's Epic Yarn, or New SMB Wii. Although, they probably had a few games in the storage room for all I know.I don't know what the store was thinking, but it had turned every video game box sideways so you only see the spine of the box cover, making it very inconvenient to for costumers to see what games are available.

Oh, and some poor lady bought Kinect and a copy of Kinectimals ... for her 15 year old son. I did see the Epic Mickey box that comes with the crappy looking Wii remote skin and an equally crappy looking Mickey Mouse figurine (the creepy modern version except its eyeballs weren't white, just the same peach color of its skin.).

The whole experience brought tears to my eyes.
 

Amir0x

Banned
SapientWolf said:
I hear a lot people describe this game as being like a good N64 platformer but that seems like a backhanded complement to me.

I'm no fan of Banjo-style exploration platformers (typically because the platforming design takes a massive step back in favor of mindless collectathoning), but I don't even think the design we see in Mickey would be considered a "good" N64 era exploration platformer. I think it may be better than Donkey Kong 64 but that's about as far as I'd go.

I mean, the fundamental platforming feel/momentum and level design is completely awry here. That's kiiiiiinda major when discussing a platformer of any kind.
 

Amir0x

Banned
I'm mixed. I want Junction Point to succeed because they got ideas, but not sure if I want them to get the message that this sort of product is acceptable

well i just hope they don't close down :lol

SideNote: Amazon top game sales list means nothing
 
Hiltz said:
I did see the Epic Mickey box that comes with the crappy looking Wii remote skin and an equally crappy looking Mickey Mouse figurine.
Hey! The skins suck, but the figure is awesome. >:[

I love Disney and I'm really loving this game. The tutorial area was kinda slow, but I think things pick up when you get to OsTown.

It really does feel like a N64 Rare platformer. Which is funny cause I really didn't like Rare N64 platformers. :lol
 

Lijik

Member
I guess the n64 era is when people played the most mediocre platformers? There were still subpar-terrible exploration style platformers the next generation over like Dr. Muto (even though I love it), Ty 1, Vexx, portions of Frogger: The Great Quest etc.
 

markatisu

Member
Amir0x said:
I'm mixed. I want Junction Point to succeed because they got ideas, but not sure if I want them to get the message that this sort of product is acceptable

well i just hope they don't close down :lol

SideNote: Amazon top game sales list means nothing

Well to be honest they really do not have a choice, if Disney says get the game out it goes :lol

I wonder what 6 more months would have done, I mean you can see even in its problems how just a bit more time would have paid off
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Warren has been talking about this game since early 2007. Calling it rushed seems a bit farfetched. Poorly managed? It seems more likely.
 

markatisu

Member
Rez said:
Warren has been talking about this game since early 2007. Calling it rushed seems a bit farfetched. Poorly managed? It seems more likely.

If it was released before they had ample time to get the bugs out then its rushed

The game was not ready in 2007 so what difference does it make if they were talking about it back then, he had ideas where the game was going to go and what it was going to do but its not like the development team was near launch then

Just look at the Game Informer reveal, did that look like a game that had been fully in development for 3 years?
 

JohngPR

Member
Got to Mean Street.

This game definitely stretches out the tutorial stuff for way too long. It's not as bad as Final Fantasy XIII, but seriously, I've done like 15 quests and you are now just telling about them?

I know they have to assume that children will be playing the game seeing as it's a tent pole Mickey Mouse release, but still.

Other than that, I'm really enjoying the game. I like the adventure/platforming vibe it gives off and the story is getting interesting with
Oswald basically taking in all of these rejected characters and giving them a home. Makes Mickey look like a douche for messing things up LOL
 
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