rss feeds
@gamegrep
Facebook
The Spike Video Game Awards are always good for a certain level of hilarity, only not the kind you want. Disney's Epic Mickey? Need for Speed: The Run? L.A. Noire being up for best graphics over Battlefield 3?
What were they thinking?
Gamefly is having an under $20 used game blowout. The big question is what games should gamers pick up now? Some of the better games include Duke Nukem Forever for $10, Brink for $10, Epic Mickey for $12.99, and Red Faction Armageddon for $12.99. La Noire for $19.99 and Shadows of the Damned for $17.99 are too good to pass up on. The biggest question is when will gamers have time to play all these games?
The Nintendo Wii has numerous titles that are taking up the market. We attempt to give you the five best titles for the Wii that are made for the kid audience. Check out the full story for all the details.
Amazon has started a new “Buy Two Games, Get a Third Free” sale for select titles on multiple platforms. The list includes Donkey Kong Country Returns, Gran Turismo 5, LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3 and more.
Check out GameZone's interview with Jim Dooley, the composer of many video games and movies. He talks to us about his most recent work and his experiences working as a composer.
"Before all the drama went down with Disney Interactive laying people off and reportedly changing their focus as a publisher, the studio was prepping an Epic Mickey spin-off for the Nintendo 3DS. The news of the Epic Mickey franchise expanding to Nintendo’s hotly awaited handheld comes from a source who tipped us about the situation, but given the recent events that have transpired with Disney Interactive, it remains to be seen if such a project is still on the cards."
"Sometimes even great games don’t live up to the hype. All the positive previews and hands-on impressions can sometimes hide the fact that, once the game is released, there are some serious issues with the resulting product. It’s a shame, as many of these games might be pretty good, but some core problems mean these game disappoint. The Wii is no different than any other gaming device, and Nintendo has seen it’s fair share of letdowns. Between games to peripherals, the Wii has stumbled along t..."
"Disney Epic Mickey always sounded too good to be true. Obviously, a Warren Spector project featuring a paintbrush-wielding Mickey Mouse had a lot of appeal for gamers and Disney fans alike. Unfortunately, the final product turned out to be notably flawed, with some basic gameplay elements not working as well as they should. However, the charming characters, intriguing story, and excellent use of Disney’s extensive history make it easy to forgive some of Disney Epic Mickey’s imperfections."
"Rather than flowing organically from one area to the next, Epic Mickey had me leaping back and forth between action zones through side-scrolling passages based on classic Disney cartoons - but these sections of the game were out-of-place and unwanted. The result was a hodgepodge of unmemorable stages and a game that, all things considered, felt way too small and undeserving of the Epic name."
"Everybody knows Mickey Mouse. You, your grandma, your neighbour; everybody. You’d be hard pressed to find a soul on earth who hasn’t heard of the beloved Disney icon. But what about Oswald? You know, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit? Not many remember Oswald, despite coming before the mouse. What about Horace Horsecollar? Or Clarabelle Cow? No? Shame on you! Shame on all of you! So many characters make up Disney’s legacy, and all of them are forgotten, lost into the archives by newer flasher character..."
"For animation nerds, it’s going to be nothing short of a godsend. Epic Mickey tells a sorta true story about very real Disney characters and what happens to them once they’re forgotten. The game takes place in Wasteland, a warped, scuffed re-envisioning of Disneyland that is essentially an afterlife refuge, where cultural castaways can live on in peace eternally. And it’s overseen by the granddaddy of tragically squandered potential, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Never heard of him? He was – make ..."
"'Disney, huh. That's for kids.' - You may have heard friends say this statement (or something similar) or even said it yourself. Yes, on paper Disney looks like its for kids. The cartoon characters and cutesy plot elements seem far too kiddiefied for many people. The thing is though, in my experience those who disregard Disney as being for kids will still probably be able to hum the classic tunes from memory of recall important plot points in the movies. Let's face it, Disney is a bit of a gu..."
"Spector was quick to state that it wasn’t Mickey Mouse that was dark - it was the world that he was in. It was that world that created the foil he was looking for, the darkness to the light. In a sense, Spector feels all gaming heroes from Mario to Master Chief go through this struggle. In doing so, he is making a hero out of Mickey."
Steve Schardein has put up a phone call interview with Warren Spector, the creative director for the upcoming Wii-exclusive title Epic Mickey. A paraphrased set of notes taken during the interview, it sets out a number of questions about the production process and his feelings about the game.
Russ Frushtick has posted up a blog detailing a list of games which are hot favourites to buy your friend or family member this holiday season, including a subtle question for each one to try and bring it into conversation to see if they'll like it. Does this list cater to your festive wants, or are you hoping for something else this season?
"The Nintendo Concept Store and THQ Australasia hosted a hands-on Epic Mickey experience in Melbourne this weekend. On show was the soon-to-be release Wii game: 'Epic Mickey', accompanied by Disney's Epic Mickey Show Bag (valued at over $100) to the first 100 participants on each day of attendance. Upon entering the store, I was pleased with the expected lack of public attendance for a Sunday morning. With lines at a minimum and expectations high, it wasn't long before I had the Wii-mote in my..."
"There is so much that I'm leaving out here: the surprisingly evocative storyline (complete with hearts being ripped out of people's chests), the hundreds of collectibles, the 2D levels, the recreation of famous Disney cartoons and rides, but I really should save something for the review. As for now, I'll end by saying that Epic Mickey has a lot to offer for people who love the study of game design, classic Disney, or just anyone who worships at the alter of imagination."
"This adventure was quite like Epic Mickey in the fact that the levels were made up of elements of Mickey's past. For example, Mickey's first cartoon Steamboat Willy was the backdrop for the first level in the game, presented in black and white, just like the cartoon used to be. The art style of this game was absolutely top-notch, the many vibrant colours popping off the screen like the most colourful of any of the Disney films. The art style changed with each level as well, with the early bla..."
Nintendo's current home console had quite a showing at this year's E3. With games like Goldeneye 007, Kirby's Epic Yarn, and more launching before the end of 2010, Wii owners are in store for some good gaming within the coming months. These are the top 5 Nintendo Wii games worthy of your preorder deposit right now.
Warren Spector talks about his conception of Epic Mickey and how it evolved over time, as well as talking about bringing back the lost Disney characters such as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
In this lengthy interview, legendary game creator Warren Spector talks Epic Mickey, game design theory, and the challenge of making Mickey Mouse more than ust "Mario with ears."
Disney Epic Mickey is a new direction for the iconic cartoon mouse. Featuring 3D and side-scrolling platforming, the ability to turn Mickey into a hero or a "scrapper", and a dark, artsy atmosphere, Disney Epic Mickey looks to turn heads when it launches this holiday season on the Wii.
"Warren Spector, who knows more about Mickey Mouse's ears and video game creation than I do, thinks Epic Mickey has a shot.
"My goal is always to make the best game ever made," he told me last week in Los Angeles. He was sitting backstage at Disney's massive E3 booth, proud of the Mickey Mouse game his team is making, a little embarrassed that when I walked in there on a table was a magazine turned open to a big photo of himself and an article that surely argued that Warren Spector is again..."
SideQuesting - Epic Mickey's paint thinner/paint brush gameplay mechanic moves beyond simply affecting the environment. It is simply the the tool for emphasizing the moral decisions that are underly the game's premise.
"Performance Designed Products (PDP) has announced today that it has partnered with Disney Consumer Products to create some very unique controllers for Disney Interactive’s upcoming titles Epic Mickey and TRON: Evolution. PDP will be releasing TRON controllers for the Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. For Epic Mickey PDP will be releasing a special paintbrush controller and charge station. Both TRON and Epic Mickey controllers will be available on launch date for the respective games."
Disney Epic Mickey is an intriguing title to say the least. With a lengthy playable demo at both Nintendo's booth and Disney Interactive's booth at this year's E3, critics and fans got a good feel for what the game has to offer.
While Epic Mickey isn't as dark or mature as many were led to believe it does present a slightly more "jerkish" side to our beloved, typically happy-go-lucky, mouse friend.
"The Nintendo Wii is currently the top console on the market this generation, and Nintendo and its third-party publishers are going to make sure that it stays on top of the game. There will be plenty of new titles to play this year -- sequels to popular franchises as well as new IPs, both on retail disk as well as digital download -- so don't think for a second that it'll be a "sparse" and "light" 2010 when it comes to Wii gaming.
Here's a quick look at the games we're most looking forward ..."
"UK, October 30, 2009 - Mickey Mouse might be one of the world's most recognisable icons but, these days, he's more corporate figurehead than lovable rogue. Putting the personality back into Disney's most beloved mascot has been top of the company's To-Do list in recent years and, it transpires, the reason we finally found ourselves in an East London warehouse for the grand unveiling of the hugely ambitious Epic Mickey.
When you've got such grand designs, you need some serious talent to tu..."
![Box shot of Disney Epic Mickey [North America]](http://i.neoseeker.com/boxshots/R2FtZXMvTmludGVuZG9fV2lpL0FjdGlvbi9BZHZlbnR1cmU=/disney_epic_mickey_frontcover_small_PTT41mJhH1ZBlYw.png)