Epic Mickey at PAX

Kubinator

September 7th, 2010

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pic Mickey's showing at PAX was big. Not only were caricatures being drawn for those who wanted them, it seemed fans and non-fans, young and old were drawn to the booth for a chance to play and see what Epic Mickey was about. I knew a little about the game but I got to participate in a roundtable with Warren Spector the creative mind behind Epic Mickey and one of my favorite games of all time, Deus Ex, and now I can see why Epic Mickey is going to be one of those games which forces people to turn on their neglected Wiis.

mickey (22K) Warren Spector mentioned there's a little bit of Zelda and Mario influence in the game, and that's clearly evident with the in game platform and combat options Mickey has throughout the game. Like in Deus Ex there will be moral choices which will affect the game, as Warren put it what kind of hero is Mickey? The game looks good, very Disney-ish it seems to control well and isn't overly difficult from what I saw.

Gamers can take their time and explore everything or as younger games may have a blast doing, running around and using the thinner and the paint to have their way with the environment. To me Epic Mickey is the kind of game that can take older gamers back to the classics such as Castle of Illusion on the Genesis.

Not only will the game appeal to a large audience Warren mentioned that some 3rd party titles don't sell well on the Wii. This is true; many third party titles fall short because they are poorly made games. Not Epic Mickey, the game has it all from the 3D/2D platforming elements, an interesting story, to bringing back some classic faces such as Oswalt and the Phantom Blot.

I'm intrigued and interested to see what Epic Mickey will bring to the Wii this fall. I have a feeling it will be very successful. Warren mentioned something play testers had brought up, the idea this is the kind of game adults will buy for their kids and watch them play, then the same adults will sneak down later and play the game. That is the kind of appeal a game needs. Warren would only speculate about his future, he did mention in passing that a Ducktales game would be something he would be interested in making.