Epic Disney on GameInformer

[thorn]

(Click on picture for full picture, including back cover)

GameInformer November cover story is Epic Disney. In the leadup to that, they will be revealing some web-exclusive stuff on this page, starting with an interview with Warren Spector about his love for Disney.

I can't tell you how much I want this game. But at the same time, I can't help but think that the Wii's graphics won't go near to capturing the vibe of the production designs seen so far.

[JonCole]

Epic Mickey is the most stupid name for a video game that I think I've ever heard.

[Psych]

Epic Mickey sounds like the ultimate way to slip someone a ruffie.

[Chthonic Boom]

There's a little bit more information about the game here: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/first-epic-mickey-details-spilled

Mickey has to draw and scribble his way through levels, mending broken bridges by applying the right colour paint or peering through walls after applying thinner. He can even clear rubble from his path by erasing parts of the world.

Our source told us Epic Mickey is a game about thinking and artwork - laterally considering your environment in order to overcome puzzles.

If they manage to pull this off, I think this may just turn out to be something quite special. Come on Warren, don't fail me now!

[Horticulture Tycoon]

I assume Epic Mickey is just a code name and not the official title of the game. right?

[miffy495]

I dunno, I actually kind of like the name. There's something irresistibly dumb about it, while at the same time it's so very apt for what the game should be. It may be a hard sell for the crowd that wants to take the game more seriously than it probably should be, and for those who don't already know what it is it could be a puzzle as well. For those reasons, I'd understand if they changed it. All the same, a part of me hopes they keep it.

[Nachimir]

I thought it was a drug reference, because kind of fits with the aesthetics...

[Thrik]

Hah, 'Epic Mickey'. I love it!

You can only imagine the meeting full of suits where that came up.

[SoulChicken]

I like the name. I also saw a story on Shack or Joystiq yesterday that suggested it might not be Wii exclusive. I hope so, the art looks amazing. Apart from a few of the concept drawings which look really different from the others.

[baconian]

Hah, 'Epic Mickey'. I love it!

You can only imagine the meeting full of suits where that came up.

With sexy results.

[vimes]

This project is intriguing.

In a way, it feels a bit like Ripper or Dante Inferno, since Junction studio took a iconic property yet brought it miles away from its original tone ... thus could have used an original IP.

To draw a parallel, Toostruck created a cartoon universe from scratch but referencing heavily Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, the Merry Melodies and Sunday Morning cartoons in general.

Because the game distanced itself from lost of well known material, the spoof and criticisms it drew were pretty efficient, smart and even dared to go into 'kinky' territories. If someone made a total skinning for Toonstruck with well known characters and kept all the rest, I don't think any of it would work.

So, I remain sceptical, somewhat convinced that tying the game to such a tightly controlled universe as Disney's might dumb down what Spector and his team could say and do within final game. But Spector is behind it, so my double guessing might be wrong .. and if someone manages to find the right angle on such extreme approach and make a good game out of it, it might be the best surprising thing ever.

[Nachimir]

I think the fact that it's apocalyptic and surreal Disney, rather than just apocalyptic and surreal, is the main hook it has.

[syntheticgerbil]

If they manage to pull this off, I think this may just turn out to be something quite special. Come on Warren, don't fail me now!

It's impossible for anything involving Disney to become special, even with Warren Spector. Ugh, I'm going to barf.

I agree with Vimes on his perception of Toonstruck in comparison to this getting all this hype because of sinister Disney crap ("Disney's iconic mouse as you've never seen him?!" Fuck me! Didn't anyone see Runaway Brain?!), although I think Toonstruck wasn't very well designed and tended to be almost as long-winded as The Longest Journey, although not anywhere near as boring.

In the end I think the only reason anyone is talking much about this is because of Warren Spector, as otherwise it would only be pandering to the Deviant Art crowd and anyone else that thinks Kingdom Hearts is awesome.

[Murdoc]

I remember seeing a brief pitch for this durning my days at Disney a few years ago, I don't know how much it has changed but at the time it was very un-wii(I dont even think the wii was out yet) and the story was actually pretty cool.

It's not going to be this gorefest or even super intelligent, but it had a pretty interesting premise, so I'm hoping good things from it.

Even watching Warren Spectors master classes he did; the man is still on the ball for what makes a good game too.

[lobotomy42]

But at the same time, I can't help but think that the Wii's graphics won't go near to capturing the vibe of the production designs seen so far.

Yeah, because "capturing a vibe" has so much to do with hardware and so little to do with talented artists. That's why all my Sega Genesis, N64 and Playstation 2 games look like shit -- they were completely incapable of rendering images that looked remotely like what the artists intended.

Like

and

and

[toblix]

That last one blew me away.

[lobotomy42]

That last one blew me away.

I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not.

[toblix]

I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not.

No, I was just trying to be funny. The last image is blocked and just says "retro junk.com". I agree that games can look beautiful and awesome and successfully convey the artist's vision even when running on crap hardware.

[juv3nal]

I hope it comes to something other than Wii.

Not because I think it will be awful on Wii, but just because I don't own one.

They could do a lot worse than cribbing from Okami.

[Irishjohn]

Just that cover image is fantastic to look at. I have no interest in Disney in either direction. A lot of people have childhood memories of Disney iconography that gives them a warm fuzzy feeling and a lot of people hate Disney.

I'm in neither camp but you can't escape Mickey Mouse as pretty powerful example of popular culture. South Park had an episode last year that did a great job of playing off that. So, seeing that sample image gets me pretty excited for the game.

[elmuerte]

Yeah, because "capturing a vibe" has so much to do with hardware and so little to do with talented artists. That's why all my Sega Genesis, N64 and Playstation 2 games look like shit -- they were completely incapable of rendering images that looked remotely like what the artists intended.

Like

and

and

there, fixed it for you

[lobotomy42]

(Thanks, elmuerte)

My snarkiness aside, this could be totally rad if they do it right. I like the idea of the old Disney characters ganging up on Mickey, but I'd want to play on their side, not Mickey's.

[thorn]

Yeah, because "capturing a vibe" has so much to do with hardware and so little to do with talented artists. That's why all my Sega Genesis, N64 and Playstation 2 games look like shit -- they were completely incapable of rendering images that looked remotely like what the artists intended.

...

Yeahbut in all those examples the designers worked within the limitations of the consoles to push the games to the limit. And I'm not saying that that isn't possible with Epic Mickey; just that all we've seen so far is production designs with an incredible level of detail or massively large environments, and I'm wondering whether that is beyond the scope of what the Wii is able to render.

[LOPcagney]

My opinion falls somewhere between vimes and syntheticgerbil: I want it to be good so badly but I've developed such a cynical view about how Disney opperates that what initially appealed to me about the screenshots was that it looked as though it didn't twist the Disney metaverse but the Disney merchandise. Disney has too much to lose. I doubt they'll let this game be any more subversive than Mary Poppins. I'd love to see a game set in a crumbling Disney theme-park, and all the crazy escapism/commercialism/decadence/waste etc. associated with it. That's far more interesting to me than "Mickey Mouse, but, like, cooler."

[thorn]

I think Disney would be fine with representing the decaying, crumbling remains of the Disney universe/themeparks simply because the purpose of the game is to restore the world back to its former state. Thus, at the end of the game, everything will be as bright, shiny and nauseating as it ever was.