Fortunately, Disney didn't turn up with this announcement empty handed. A considerable bucketload of artwork and screenshots have been revealed for the game, which has been officially slated for a Fall 2010 release. I personally really like the retro-styled Mickey the general look of the whole thing. It's certainly very striking and original, if nothing else.
There has been some skepticism since the first screens were revealed, but what do you think? Has finally seeing the game in the flesh turned you off or made you more excited?
BURBANK, Calif. - (October 28, 2009) - Disney Interactive Studios today announced the development of Disney Epic Mickey, an adventure-platforming game with light role-playing elements for the WiiTM home video game console. The game stars Mickey Mouse who has been re-imagined for videogames by luminary game designer Warren Spector and his Junction Point game development studio. In Disney Epic Mickey, Spector, a life-long Disney fan, taps into Mickey Mouse's rich history along with the characters and worlds brought to life by Walt Disney to create an edgy and unexpected cartoon adventure.
"Mickey is an adventurous and rambunctious mouse," said Warren Spector, creative director and vice president, Junction Point. "I want to bring his personality to the forefront, place him in a daunting world and connect his spirited character with video game players worldwide. Ultimately, each player decides for him- or herself what makes Mickey cool."
In the game's fiction, a sorcerer named Yen Sid creates a beautiful, whimsically-twisted world where Disney's forgotten and retired creations thrive. Originally, the powerful sorcerer from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" in Walt Disney's 1940 film "Fantasia" was nicknamed "Yen Sid" by Disney animators, although never named as such on screen. In Spector's game, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit - Walt Disney's first cartoon star created in 1927 - becomes the earliest inhabitant of Yen Sid's Cartoon Wasteland after Mickey Mouse is created. Oswald makes the Cartoon Wasteland comfortable for other retired characters as they join him in this magical land. Years pass, and as Oswald dwells in the Cartoon Wasteland, he becomes resentful watching Mickey's popularity swell. When Mickey curiously stumbles upon Yen Sid's map, he makes an innocent yet terrible mistake and inadvertently devastates Oswald's comfortable world. Eventually, Mickey's mistake pulls him deep into the mysterious Cartoon Wasteland to face the destruction he unknowingly created.
"Having Warren combine creativity and innovation with one of the world's most famous characters takes Mickey back to his creative roots and allows fans to deepen their engagement with him as a character - especially in video games," said Graham Hopper, executive vice president and general manager of Disney Interactive Studios. "In addition to Warren's lifelong love of cartoons, films and comics, his visionary approach to game design and storytelling will make certain that this heroic tale of discovery and redemption resonates with Disney fans and gamers alike."
Players use the Wii RemoteTM to wield magical paint and thinner to re-shape the world around them. Paint's creativity and thinner's damaging effect give the player robust tools and empowers them to make choices about how they move through the world. Each player's decisions to use paint, thinner or both dynamically changes the world with consequences that affect the environment, interactions with other characters, and even Mickey's appearance and abilities.
"The core of this game is the idea of choice and consequence, and how that defines both the character and the player," says Spector. "By putting the mischievous Mickey in an unfamiliar place and asking him to make choices - to help other cartoon characters or choose his own path - the game forces players to deal with the consequences of their actions. Ultimately, players must ask themselves, ‘What kind of hero am I?' Each player will come up with a different answer."
Blurring reality and fantasy, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit's role is as significant in the game as it was in real life. The Walt Disney-created Oswald appeared in 26 silent cartoons between 1927 and 1928 for Charles Mintz, who contracted with Universal for distribution. At this time, Oswald was primed to be Walt's first big animated star. When faced with daunting production costs, Walt asked for more money to ensure the quality of the Oswald cartoons. When a deal could not be reached, Walt lost the rights to Oswald and with the rabbit went much of Walt's staff. Among those who remained with Walt was animator, cartoonist and long-time friend Ub Iwerks, and together they created a new character named Mickey Mouse.
The initial concept behind Disney Epic Mickey originated within the Disney Interactive Studios' Think Tank. The Think Tank conceptualized Mickey as a cartoon character thrown into turmoil. Spector expanded and refined Disney Epic Mickey's concept and built the game for a broad audience fully utilizing the Wii and Wii Remote for accessibility and engaging gameplay.
Developed by Junction Point in Austin, TX, Disney Epic Mickey is slated for a fall 2010 release. The game currently is unrated by the ESRB. For more information, go to www.disney.com/disneyepicmickey.
Contest:
1:40 PM on 10.28.2009
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Yeah, because licensed Disney Games MUST adhere to fanboy douchebags "wish lists of awesomeness."
Grow the fuck up.
Super Mario Galaxy was way prettier than this, this looks kind of crappy to me. Still, I'll need to see it in motion before I really go judging it.
When we heard the words "epic" and saw the concept art, we imagined eviroments as big as the ones in mario galaxy...
And then THIS? No thank you!!!!
Are you listening, Disney? GIVE ME YOUR CHROMAS!!!
Let's brown this motherfucker up! Get some lens flare on those screens too. REALISM!
@AlLeBlanc
What exactly does changing the art style have to do with the wii? They had always planned on it being on the wii so this has nothing to do system and I also would like to know where you got the idea that there was waggle in the game without any gameplay videos and with it not even finished.
Are you pissed off because
actually this game started as a 360, ps3 title. it was only switched over to wii exclusive after they figured out that they couldn't just do a cheesy port to wii and expect it to sell. the reason for it being on wii is purely a marketing decision as far as i can tell.
oh, and as a bonafide wii gamer, i couldn't be more excited for a high profile game to come to wii that isn't first party. lastly, all of you who are posting about graphic flaws, keep in mind that these are screens from a game that is in early development. and also, eat a fat one, gameplay is king!
The game is turning out pretty well so far IMO. I'd be satisfied with these graphics if that was the final product. But of course we'll need to see some gamplay to know if it will actually be fun to play.
It's just not what I expected. And for some reason i have this image in my head of Mickey's animation just being really choppy and stiff. The 3d model looks really rigid. Yeah, I know its an early still of the character. It's still the impression I get.
I'm not making any judgements on this game yet and I probably never will since I don't have a Wii to play the game.
I hope it turns out well.
Really? I just remember the non wii thing being a rumor made up by game informer to piss people off.
But yeah. It could be really early (I hope), these are only a handful of screens, and we haven't seen it in motion or seen the game play so I'm reserving judgment.
-__-;;
Just reading the Game Informer article practically shows you the high potential for this game. It's like all of you expected some sort of Almost HD Level, Mega Gothic "American McGee's Mickey"-type game. This game is trying for a more retro style in both style and character portrayal. All of you saying "This was the best thing ever but now, without really knowing anything about it, it's the WORST SHIT EVER!!!!!!111!!!1!" are judging it too quickly, holding it to impossibly high standards, or were against it from the start for reasons unknown.
That last bit was a little cynical....apologies
The point of the game is to get away from the Mickey who is on the Sweaters of Fatties and return to his more mischievous roots. But even then, I do wonder how much one game can do to escape this sort of reputation. It was never intended as a dark reimagining, but as a clean slate.
yes, i'm positive on that. i read an interview with Mr. Spector this morning on GoNintendo, in which he said so point blank.
as for the images above, i think the gameplay pics look really good. i like games that aren't covered in black and brown to look hardcore. please do put bright colors in wii games! make this thing like the best disney movies, done in technicolor acid graphics. fuck the naysayers, they aren't ever going to buy the game anyway. oh, and how the hell can you judge the quality of a game by the initial SCREENSHOTS! it's not even moving video, guys! lastly, it already has better graphics than No More Heroes, and there's a year left in development.