Epic Mickey - a twisted/steampunk take on Disney coming to Wii

[CommodoreKong]

Warren Spector, producer of the Wing Commander games, some of the Ultima games, and Deus Ex is currently worked on a game currently only known as Epic Mickey. A little bit of info on this game was posted about half a year back, including a rumor that Mario would be in the game, though today some pieces of concept art have appeared on the Internet.

Kotaku has at least some of the concept art posted, including enemies, environments and at the bottom of the page a sea based invasion.

Looks like an interesting take on the Disney universe. Warren Spector has a pretty good track record, I have really high hopes for this game.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Kingdom Hearts III?

My whole family loves the KH games, so I hope so, or something similar, anyway.

 

[DBR]

I love it so far! However little of it's been revealed, anyway!

 

[CommodoreKong]

Kingdom Hearts III?

My whole family loves the KH games, so I hope so, or something similar, anyway.

Unlikely, this game is coming from Junction Point Studios, which is owned by Disney.

There are upcoming DS and PSP Kingdom Heart games, though I wouldn't expect Kingdom Hearts III for awhile, the team that worked on the first two is working on Final Fantasy XIII Versus, which wont be out until 2010 at the earliest.

 

[CommodoreKong]

A little more rumored info on the game: You can paint levels with the Wiimote, drawing and erasing whole parts of the level. The story apparently has forgotten Disney characters rising up against Mickey.

 

[firehawk12]

Wow, I didn't know that this was the Warren Spector project. I'm not sure what to think now.

 

[MyCylon]

Hmm, the concept art certainly looks interesting. Although I have a Wii I'll go ahead and say: It's a shame it's on the Wii. I'd love to see those visuals adapted to a platform such as the Xbox or the PS3. That would look fantastic.

Naturally, how it plays will be the most important aspect.

But still...

 

[CommodoreKong]

GameInformer has put up a picture of the cover of their next issue with an amazing piece of Epic Mickey artwork, along with confirming that it's a Wii exclusive. It says subscribers should be getting their issues around October 12 so expect more info then. Additionally it says the GameInformer website will have even more on Epic Mickey over the next few weeks.
The art looks a bit different then the leaked concept art but it looks really good. Also the Haunted Mansion is part of the art which is really exciting for me since it's my favorite Disney ride.

 

[MyCylon]

Wow, Mickey looks surprisingly scary there, doesn't he? Definitely looking interesting, I think.

 

[Mistral]

Fascinating-may have to get GI just to check it out.

 

[FordSVT]

Hmm, the concept art certainly looks interesting. Although I have a Wii I'll go ahead and say: It's a shame it's on the Wii. I'd love to see those visuals adapted to a platform such as the Xbox or the PS3. That would look fantastic.

Naturally, how it plays will be the most important aspect.

But still...

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

 

[clint g]

Hmm, the concept art certainly looks interesting. Although I have a Wii I'll go ahead and say: It's a shame it's on the Wii. I'd love to see those visuals adapted to a platform such as the Xbox or the PS3. That would look fantastic.

Naturally, how it plays will be the most important aspect.

But still...

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

 

[Timby]

Warren Spector, producer of the Wing Commander games, some of the Ultima games, and Deus Ex

Point of order: While Warren Spector was generally credited as a producer on almost all of ORIGIN Systems' games during his tenure there, his involvement with Wing Commander (which in and of itself was limited to the first two games, their expansions and the Privateer expansion) was rather minimal. Chris Roberts is the fellow who truly deserves the "producer" title.

 

[ALF]

This is very interesting; albeit somewhat polarizing.

When I lived in Japan, there was a near universal acclaim for Disney, in particular it's cute characters. I marveled at the fact older men in their 60s felt comfortable with a plush mickey doll swinging from their briefcases coming home on the express at 11pm! Cute things like Disney have a never ending demand and the Disney brand was stronger and more visible then I'd ever seen it.

Flash forward to this spring when I moved back to Canadiana and noticed once again the level of contempt, disgust and cynicism aimed at anything Disney. It peaked last month when Disney acquired Marvel. There aren't quite as many people wearing mickey keychains, even though there is still a lot of love here for the brand. Perhaps mostly through children?

Anyway, thanks for that Kotaku link for the steampunk Mickey stuff. I think this could actually work in a North American market because the design appeals to the locals.

Having said that, I can't imagine it would be popular in Japan, since it doesn't look cute enough. I fully intend to show my wife (my personal Japanese expert on cuteness ) some of the artwork later and I'm sure she won't approve. She'll say "kawaii kunai" (not. cute.)!

 

[MyCylon]

Hmm, the concept art certainly looks interesting. Although I have a Wii I'll go ahead and say: It's a shame it's on the Wii. I'd love to see those visuals adapted to a platform such as the Xbox or the PS3. That would look fantastic.

Naturally, how it plays will be the most important aspect.

But still...

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

Well, it's essentially all about working within the restrictions of the system, isn't it? A more stylized approach is certainly better suited to the Wii than very realistic looking games.

Still, even a more stylized game can benefit from more powerful hardware. There are simply less limitations. And the end result is bound to be more impressive.

I also have to say that the fact that the Wii is not HD bothers me more and more over time. If you see a Wii game next to almost any Xbox game, the resolution alone will let it down on a visual level.

Naturally, the game has to be fun to play, first and foremost, as Clint G pointed out.

 

[FordSVT]

Hmm, the concept art certainly looks interesting. Although I have a Wii I'll go ahead and say: It's a shame it's on the Wii. I'd love to see those visuals adapted to a platform such as the Xbox or the PS3. That would look fantastic.

Naturally, how it plays will be the most important aspect.

But still...

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

The SNES had some beautiful games too. Not the point. The Wii is not HD, and there is always the potential that the creator has to reign himself in due to hardware limitations. The Wii is literally a souped-up Gamecube. It can barely outperform the PS2, let alone the PS3 and 360.

But as I said, the end result is what matters. If it's a beautiful game that's fun to play I'll have no complaints.

 

[clint g]

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

The SNES had some beautiful games too. Not the point. The Wii is not HD, and there is always the potential that the creator has to reign himself in due to hardware limitations. The Wii is literally a souped-up Gamecube. It can barely outperform the PS2, let alone the PS3 and 360.

But as I said, the end result is what matters. If it's a beautiful game that's fun to play I'll have no complaints.

Actually that is the point Some of the most impressive looking games I've seen this past decade were on these "limited" systems. Yeah, the PS3 and the 360 are impressive as hell but that doesn't mean you can't make an impressive looking game on the Wii. Hell, to date I have yet to see a game on the PS3 with an art design and look as impressive as that of Persona 4 for the PS2

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

Well, it's essentially all about working within the restrictions of the system, isn't it? A more stylized approach is certainly better suited to the Wii than very realistic looking games.

Still, even a more stylized game can benefit from more powerful hardware. There are simply less limitations. And the end result is bound to be more impressive.

I also have to say that the fact that the Wii is not HD bothers me more and more over time. If you see a Wii game next to almost any Xbox game, the resolution alone will let it down on a visual level.

Naturally, the game has to be fun to play, first and foremost, as Clint G pointed out.

I'll have faith that a seasoned game designer like Warren Spector choose the Wii for a reason. Could the graphics be better on the competition? Sure they can, but that doesn't mean we wont be treated to an amazing looking game. At least we wont have to deal with that annoying ass pop-in textures and plasticy look found in many games on the 360

 

[CommodoreKong]

I know what you mean. I'm a game-play before flash person, but this is going to be a very visual game and it would be nice to see it realized with the best hardware currently on the market which is, unfortunately, not the Wii.

The end result is what matters, we'll have to see.

I suggest you guys take a look at games such as Twilight Princess, Muramasa, and Fragile: Farewell Ruins of the Moon. While the Wii may not be the most powerful system out there, it has proved itself when it comes to stylized art designs.

The SNES had some beautiful games too. Not the point. The Wii is not HD, and there is always the potential that the creator has to reign himself in due to hardware limitations. The Wii is literally a souped-up Gamecube. It can barely outperform the PS2, let alone the PS3 and 360.

But as I said, the end result is what matters. If it's a beautiful game that's fun to play I'll have no complaints.

Actually the Gamecube could out perform the PS2, the Wii has no problem outperforming it, it's just that most developers are lazy and don't try.

This comparison of the Gamecube and PS2 version of Resident Evil 4 shows that Capcom had to make quite a few graphical sacrifices to get RE4 running on the PS2.

 

[MyCylon]

I'll have faith that a seasoned game designer like Warren Spector choose the Wii for a reason.

The Wii might simply be good choice from a business perspective. The installed base is huge. Plus the fact that many families as well as casual gamers feel quite happy there might be a very good thing for a Disney-themed game ('steampunk' or not).

Plus, and please correct me if I'm wrong, I take it's relatively easy to develop for the system compared to the PS3, in particular, meaning you can keep development costs low.

Spector's a businessman as much as he's designer, I think.

Another reason might be that he wants to use the Wii's controls for some reason or other which would be one of the best reasons from a creative perspective. Otherwise IMHO (the business perspective aside) there's really no creative reasons to put the game on the Wii.

Could the graphics be better on the competition? Sure they can, but that doesn't mean we wont be treated to an amazing looking game. At least we wont have to deal with that annoying ass pop-in textures and plasticy look found in many games on the 360

Ok, I could probably list all the Wii's shortcomings compared to Xbox or PS3, starting with the lack of HD I already mentioned, but it's really not worthwhile, is it? The Wii is clearly inferior from a technical point of view.

The fact that even a machine such as the Xbox has obstacles developers have to overcome is beyond the point and also something I hinted at (every system has its limits). A bad developer and/or not enough development time can produce and unattractive game on any system. But the Xbox has IMHO a ton of games that are simply gorgeous to behold, whether it's Assassin's Creed, Halo 3 or Burnout Paradise, for example.

And I, for one, always have a hard time going back to how bad I feel Wii games look in comparison. When I see great art direction on the Wii I usually just feel sad the game was released on that system.

 

[clint g]

I'll have faith that a seasoned game designer like Warren Spector choose the Wii for a reason.

The Wii might simply be good choice from a business perspective. The installed base is huge. Plus the fact that many families as well as casual gamers feel quite happy there might be a very good thing for a Disney-themed game ('steampunk' or not).

Plus, and please correct me if I'm wrong, I take it's relatively easy to develop for the system compared to the PS3, in particular, meaning you can keep development costs low.

Spector's a businessman as much as he's designer, I think.

If it was about the $$$ then the game would most likely be a multi-platform release, not an exclusive. Game exclusives come about due to one of 3 reasons

1-Company X plays a ton of money for it
2-The console is uniquely tailored to the game play experience
3-Fierce loyalty to a particular console (Kojima, i'm looking at you)

No word has come out saying Nintendo paid out the ass for the game and I haven't heard anything about Spectere being ultra loyal to Nintendo so that leaves number 2.

Another reason might be that he wants to use the Wii's controls for some reason or other which would be one of the best reasons from a creative perspective. Otherwise IMHO (the business perspective aside) there's really no creative reasons to put the game on the Wii.

I think that's a decent bet since as of right now its a Wii exclusive. Otherwise, what would be the point?

And I, for one, always have a hard time going back to how bad I feel Wii games look in comparison. When I see great art direction on the Wii I usually just feel sad the game was released on that system.

Well, I guess that sucks for you. I'd rather put each game into its own context but whatever