Epic Mickey 2

[Winston]

This is the first that I've ever heard of a Wii game being the superior version of a multi-platform game.

[buba]

I just hope this time we get more scrapped characters instead of a shit load of Petes/Gremlins and Clarabelles and Horaces wannabes.

[Conando]

It's really not that surprising that they started development on Wii, though, considering the prequel was a Wii exclusive. Not to mention it's way easier to develop something on Wii then scale it to PS3 and 360 rather than vice versa.

[YoshiUnity]

Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion Confirmed for the 3DS. (This was only a preview from the site, this piece of the article doesn't talk about it.)

The 3DS version is being made by Dreamrift, the same guys who made Henry Hatsworth.

[Kuzu]

.....I'm several degrees of want for this game, I skipped the original because I didn't think it was anything special...but now.

[Thigolf]

3DS Version seems to be confirmed

[YoshiUnity]

3DS Version seems to be confirmed

Just beat ya, amigo. (I posted the article on the page before this.)

Still. Cool beans.

Edited March 24, 2012 by Judge Jury YoshiUnity

[Katzii]

I didn't like Henry Hatsworth (surprisingly, given that it squeezed two of my favourite genres together), but I will be getting 3DS Epic Mickey.

That's THREE VERSIONS now :|

[Detective Shadzter]

Can't wait to see what the 3DS version is like.

- Local Co-op only. No online.

WTF? Why? >_< Online co-op should be a standard feature in all co-op games by now.

This is the first that I've ever heard of a Wii game being the superior version of a multi-platform game.

It's happened before. I don't know about the Harry Potter games since, but Wii was the lead platform for Order of the Phoenix.

[Scott]

It's happened before. I don't know about the Harry Potter games since, but Wii was the lead platform for Order of the Phoenix.

It was also the lead platform for Half-Blood Prince too

[Thrippa]

If it is coming to the Wii U and you plan on buying one, I'd wait for that. Then you have one good game for it already and that could be a problem looking at the 3DS's launch.

That is actually the plan, but should something happen to delay the console launch, I doubt I'll be able to wait 6-8 months after the game's release (which appears to be Sept/Oct) to play it. I loved the first one (except for the camera. And the pirate Beetlework in the jungle). Besides, it's easy enough to cancel a preorder as soon as the preferred item appears.

[Winston]

God, I'm glad I pre-ordered this, now I have to pre-order it for 3DS so I can play on the go!

[Dobkeratops]

- Local Co-op only. No online.

-Wii is the lead platform.

[Katzii]

I... Don't see the issues with those two things.

Online gaming isn't the be-all and end-all of gaming with friends, and they've already said that the PS3/360 versions are going to be HD, right?

[Marcello]

Wii being the lead platform holds the game back.

No online-co-op, is a pretty annoying barrier. I don't care about online gaming, but I can see why people would get angry about it not being there.

[Badnik Mechanic]

I... Don't see the issues with those two things.

Because porting down is easier to do and makes the 'lesser' version look and play better than porting up does. /Rockstar, Sumo Digital, Capcom, (insert more developers here who have also said it).

The fact that the Wii version is the lead platform in this day and age is utterly laughable. Co-op but no online co-op mode is again a complete joke. Recently Mod Nation Racers PS Vita was said to not have online co-op, laughed the hell out of that decision and I'm laughing at this one too. Whilst I hate online trophies and most online co-op, if there is to be a two player mode, it's much easier for me to bug someone in playing with me and hope they have half a brain, than it is to hope I can play it with two controllers.

[Dobkeratops]

For the record I don't reaaaally mind that much having the PS360 versions be an upport. But the cartoony look benefits greatly from smoother surfaces and the game could use a bit more polygons all around. Epic Mickey 1's scenarios are angular, barren, very PS2-like. Maybe I've been spoiled with the PS3 Ratchets and Banjo N&B. Maybe.

Still, minor concern I can deal with. Online coop on the other hand is major. Pretty much everything gets better if you're playing with a buddy, this is fact and has led to cash moneis being given to developers (RE5 solo? ew. RE5 coop? moneis well spent). I was already making plans to get this and sing along endure the musicals via headset communication, so the news have hit me pretty hard.

Not everyone has available second players living nearby. Plus setting up a game can be a hassle. Online? Turn on the system and hop on!

If I wanted to get snarky I'd have noted that being the Wii game lead could very well be the reason for no online modes, as that version wouldn't carry them and the HD ports are outsourced (read: the porting dev cannot/isn't allowed to change the features). But let's not open that can of worms O:

[Katzii]

I can maybe give online co-op at the most, but I just kind of get fed up with the whole "the Wii holds games back!" debacle. But then I'm not the type of person to believe that graphics are the be-all and end-all of a game, as long as I enjoy it.

[The Kid]

Usually the Wii ports are severely lacking in comparison to their Xbox 360/PS3 counterparts. But this time it makes sense for Wii to be the leading platform. The first one was a Wii exclusive despite initially being thought of as an Xbox/PS3 title, so it would be alienating the audience of the original to make the experience for the 360/PS3 and then port it over to the Wii.

Also there is the issue of controls. Epic Mickey's controls revolve around pointing at the screen with a rectile to paint, so changing that to either first person or painting strictly ahead of you would feel unnatural and completely different from the first game. I mean so far 360 users and PS3 users (if they don't use the move) have to move the cross hairs with the right analog stick.

"Developer Junction Point obviously had the Wii in mind when developing Epic Mickey 2, since the paint controls feel awkward on the PS3 and 360 versions of the game. Where the Wii's Epic Mickey 2 features an aiming reticle that moves as you point the controller in various directions, this scheme poses a problem for the other consoles; the non-Wii versions of the game force the player to control their crosshairs with the right analog stick, which requires far more precision and coordination than simply pointing and shooting with the Wiimote. Controls in general felt more sluggish and unresponsive when compared to how Mickey 2 plays on the Wii, which may mark the first time Nintendo's console received a superior version of a multi-platform game; admittedly, it's too early to judge definitively this early in development, but Junction Point has a tough road to hoe in making the most basic functions of their game feel as natural as they do with a Wiimote and nunchuck setup."

http://www.1up.com/previews/epic-mickey-two-preview

Also, I don't know if this game was planned early on or later in Epic Mickey 2's life cycle, but the 3DS companion game would make more sense if Epic Mickey 2 wasn't ported down to Wii (Of course Sonic Generations didn't have a Wii title and had a 3DS game so it's just a thought).

Point is that it was originally a Wii game with Wii controls, so it makes plenty of sense to have it as the lead platform. Warren Specter wants to advance upon the first game, and they have enough problems as it is without the added challenges of developing the game on a completely different platform.

Still, only offline co-op is horrible. It means many people won't ever get a chance to play co-op without a second controller.

Edited March 25, 2012 by The Kid

[Thrippa]

This is why I thought it was so odd to have announced the game for the Wii and the HD consoles, between the port issues and the projected release date, and assumed it was a misprint (and thus intended for a Wii U game). Since the Wii U uses the same Wii-mote/nunchuck as the Wii, that would allow not just better graphics but same controls as the original game, while also using a larger-capacity disk which would enable more content than a Wii-based game. (Mind, I have no idea how much of a Wii disk - or any other game disk - is actually full, but I know the HD and Bluray disks can hold more info than the Wii's do.) Downgrades aren't always badly done; I think the All-Stars Racing game compares fairly well between Wii and PS3 except for the DLC. On the other hand, I am glad that the Wii folks will get to play - I hate game series that jump from console to console - and this way you don't get annoying cuts where the content in the larger version you really enjoy doesn't come to your version, while a piece you can't stand plays prominently in your game.

Am not particularly bothered by lack of online co-op. I've tried it twice on two different games and found it incomprehensible (either there is no communication at all or you had to manage to type fast with joysticks and assorted buttons while also not dying in the game? Yes, I know I could pay more money and get a headset but neither of the games I played allowed one). But I'd rather see it in the game as long as it's not required, since a lot of people seem to like it.

[Carbo]

Epic Mickey 2 entered development before most developers even got their Wii U devkits. The most they could do with an engine at this point that runs perfectly on the Wii is merely give it the Twilight Princess treatment and give it an up-port that only adapts the controllers.

The original was also sold to an incredibly marketable user base and went to sell over 2 million copies. It only makes sense to treat a still very-well alive consumer base to a follow-up title that probably wouldn't even be as successful as it is today if it were exclusively on another console. There's also the fact that no one can foresee or guarantee Wii U's success based on mere possibilities and technology alone. Most people already own Wii's, and while you can play a Wii game on a Wii U, the inverse doesn't hold true, effectively limiting it's potential user base.

In other news, Spector has expressed interest to port the original Epic Mickey to 360 and PS3.

[Winston]

You know...I like Warren Spector for some reason, he has some charm to him that just drags me in.

[Katzii]

I'm happy to hear that the interest is there to port the first game. I would love to play it on my PS3.

[Detective Shadzter]

Epic Mickey 2: Warren Spector Explains the Power of Two

http://blog.us.plays...e-power-of-two/

[Katzii]

So, Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion on the 3DS is a follow-up to Castle of Illusion.

Colour me ultra super mega totally interested and consider this a day-one purchase from me.

http://ds.about.com/b/2012/03/26/epic-mickey-power-of-illusion-preview-courtesy-of-nintendo-power.htm