Tech Tuesday: Video game review – Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two and Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion #giveaway (closed)

      Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Rated E

Wow! The Epic Mickey 2 graphics are fantastic! This game truly looks amazing! Players can play as Mickey Mouse or as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. If you’re not familiar with Oswald, he’s one of Disney’s first cartoon characters! The game soundtrack is unique and we actually hear character voices this time around. The original game was available only for the Wii platform. The sequel is also available to Playstation 3, XBox 360, PC as well as Wii and the new WiiU.

Junction Point’s Epic Mickey 2 picks up where the last game left off. This time around Mickey and Oswald are friends and they partner up for battle! The graphics are artistic and gamers can expect short musical numbers from the Mad Doctor! Players are taken back to Wasteland but this time around there could be consequences for your decisions.

One of my biggest complaints with the first Epic Mickey game was the camera angle. There was some improvement in that area but game play is still a little hard to navigate in the sequel. The drop in feature was tricky. Oswald can either be controlled by AI or by a second player. Oswald has his own abilities but they didn’t seem to work when the computer took over. Definitely grab a family member or friend and take advantage of the cooperative play. That’s when things get exciting!

I love exploring the different lands in this game and collecting items is an obsession for Disney fans. There are 40 hidden Mickeys, 50 speaking Disney characters and over 100 collectable pins in this game! Head to Mean Street North where Mickey can view the pins he has collected! Players will also enjoy the different game levels, which are based on Disney favorites such as “Peter Pan”. I know I appreciated all the references of classic Disney movies and Disneyland properties. Speaking of Disneyland. Creators of the game visited Disneyland 22 times to make sure that they had every detail down for the game!

As a parent I appreciate that there isn’t any violence in this game, which is good for children. The game is creative and fun. I love this game even with the glitches. It’s creative and fun. Players journey through the game and create their own “epic” adventures!

Make sure to pick up the PDP Epic Mickey 2 Mickey’s Paintbrush for Wii and PDP Epic Mickey 2 Oswald’s Clicker for Wii. Super cute for the kids!

– That’s IT Mommy, Tee

Disney Epic Mickey Power of Illusion for 3DS

Mickey Mouse is called back to Wasteland once more in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for the Nintendo 3DS, a sequel to classic Sega Genesis game Castle of Illusion. With paintbrush in hand our hero must rescue his fellow Disney friends, with the help of Oswald the Rabbit and Jiminy Cricket, from the evil witch Mizrabel in her Castle of Illusions.

Mizrabel, who resembles Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, is not the only Disney character Mickey will find in the game. From Rapunzel to Uncle Scrooge, Captain Hook to Ariel and more show up scattered throughout the levels. Even the Lost Boys from Neverland make an appearance and lend you a hand.

Once rescued, these characters are transported to the Fortress. Upgrade Uncle Scrooge’s room and he will build a shop in the Fortress where you can purchase more power-ups with the E-Tickets you collect throughout the game. You will gain quests from the other Disney characters in the Fortress to complete for upgrades, like sketches. Sketches can be equipped before starting a level. These can be drawn at any time as long as you have enough paint to use to draw them.

Unlike the first-person game play of Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2, this one on the 3DS is a side-scrolling platformer. Just like the other Epic Mickey games, you are armed with your paint brush of paint and thinner to attack your foes, and reveal or erase objects. When an object is selected on the touch-screen, a shape or object will appear that you must either trace to paint or paint to erase. Depending on how well of a grade you get after painting the object will alter it’s effectiveness.

The touch-screen map can become a distraction at times, since you have to turn your attention away from the top screen to check it for hidden objects to paint. During game play in the higher levels, you’ll have to do some quick switching between controlling Mickey and painting/erasing objects to get past areas. Which can be a little awkward when you are holding the stylus in your fingers while controlling Mickey. The action can become repetitive, as you have to revisit previously completed levels to go on quests by Disney characters.

The biggest problem with the game is that it is way too short. There are only 3 worlds to explore: Peter Pan, Aladdin and The Little Mermaid. Each world has 4 levels (The Little Mermaid only has 3 levels) to complete before you get to the final battle with Mizrabel.

The graphics and music in this game are great. Background and artwork are beautifully rendered in 3D. The game controls wonderfully as you jump and use your spin attack on your enemies. Interacting and finding the many familiar Disney characters throughout the game is one of the more memorable moments of Epic Mickey: Castle of Illusion.

– Guest Writer, Dean Gojobori. He’s an avid collector of all plastic and plush.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. Tee received games from Disney Interactive free of charge to facilitate this review. Giveaway item will be provided by sponsor. Sponsor has the right to refuse filling prize for duplicate winners from other blogs. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.