Epic Mickey

Dear friends and readers, have you found yourself down in the dumps lately? Depressed? Saddened by the events in your life? Well, I have the perfect solution for you. The name of this wonderful miracle cure, you ask? Why, it is none other than Epic Mickey! The best Wii game of the year!

Alright, so I suppose it's time for some background. A long time ago in a land called Universal Studios, a man named Walt Disney created a character named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. However, his bosses were cruel masters, and ripped Oswald away from him. So he left this kingdom and created his own. He then invented Mickey Mouse and the rest is history. However, in the game's canon, there is a world made specifically for Disney's forgotten characters, places, and things. Mickey gets sucked into this world, where Oswald is king, and he must set things right. Namely, because he was responsible for a giant thinner disaster that screwed up the world. Anyway, moving on.

OH BOY!

So what makes this game so spectacular? Well sit back and I'll tell you. To be honest, I find it quite impossible to convey just how wonderful the Disney love in the game is. Everything from old Mickey game SNES and NES cartridges to the freaking Nautilus from 20,000 leagues under the sea; from Horace Horsecollar to several incantations of Pete inhabit this land. There are so many homages to wonderful Disney creations I honestly couldn't stop smiling. The amount of love and care put into this game is an achievement in and of itself.

HOMAGE!

Adding to this is the main game mechanic of using paint and thinner to interact with the world around you. You can use paint to rebuild, make friends with enemies, and overall become more liked, and you can use thinner to destroy and look for secrets. There are several choices in the game that ask you to choose between the two and they ultimately have an effect on how people react to you and what missions you can take on. I bet you weren't expecting such depth from a Mickey game, eh? Usually, there are a couple of ways you can deal with situations. You can sometimes take the easy way out, which usually effects another character negatively, or you can work to solve the problem for everyone. Hell, I've sometimes found objects that I could either give to someone who had emotional attachment to them, or I could sell them for E-tickets (money). Like I said, lots of depth, especially for a Mickey game.

Ughhh... Can I help you?

The cut-scenes are amazing and I was honestly always in a hurry to see the next one. The art is wonderful and the dialogue is really charming and funny. Some people have complained about the lack of voice acting, talking is reduced to grunts and noises, but something to take into account is that some of the best Disney cartoons have no talking. So there. On top of that, the animation is honestly some of the best I've ever seen. Mickey scampers and moves likes he should. When he jumps he stretches out, displaying that famous Disney elasticity. Did I mention the game was lovingly made? Even using the Wiimote isn't a pain. I'm serious. It's accurate and hitting your target comes with ease.

Paint time is fun time!

My only complaint (seriously, my only complaint) is the camera. It's not very responsive and sometimes it gives you awful angles that can result in your death. However, I found myself cursing at Assassin's Creed more than this. In fact, I haven't cursed at this game once. It's that charming and amazing. However, the camera is bad enough to keep it from being perfect. Sad face.

In a nutshell, the game is amazing. I hate to be that straightforward, but I can't help it. It's honestly one of the best games you're going to find on the Wii, and I don't mean that negatively at all. It's got something for Disney fans and regular gamers alike. Thank you Warren Spector, for being amazing yet again.

9 out of 10 amazing things!