Destiny 2 – The Dreaming City Curse, Uldren’s Revival, etc

You could write a book on the number of unresolved plot points in Destiny 2. The Dreaming City curse, Uldren’s revival as a Guardian, Mara Sov’s disappearance, the Nine, the Dredgen, Mithrax – the list goes on and on. Heck, we’re only now seeing some plot progression regarding the Darkness aka the giant pyramid ships, but that’s at a venerable snail’s pace. Don’t even get us started on all the threads from Destiny 1 that are still yet to be resolved (like what the Traveler even is).

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass continues to expand with even more Xbox One games added to the service. Starting today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Batman: Return to Arkham, Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two! and Double Fine’s Headlander are available for subscribers. On February 28th, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season 2 and The Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation will also be available.

Batman: Return to Arkham is arguably the highlight of this month’s launches. It includes remastered versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, complete with all of the downloadable content for both. As for Headlander from Double Fine Productions, it’s a retro-futuristic Metroidvania-type game where you play as a disembodied head. Ripping off robot heads and attaching yours to their bodies is important for success.

Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two! was designed by Warren Spector (who’s currently working on System Shock 3). It features Mickey and Oswald as they work to save the Wasteland. Various Disney characters and attractions will be encountered, further adding to the charm- even if the sequel isn’t as good as its predecessor.

Of course, it’s coming to the PlayStation Vita and Sony will be assisting in the porting work. So there is hope that it could turn out better than we thought. A new trailer for the game was showcased at Sony’s E3 press conference, which you can see above, along with some new screenshots.

Epic Mickey 2 starts off from the previous game, and see Mickey Mouse returning to Wasteland to help out Disney’s first animated character Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Help with what you ask? Why to clean up the streets of Wasteland of course. In the name of JUSTICE. The game releases on June 18th in North America.

Sony itself has answered that question and unveiled a whole lot more concerning the game’s handheld version.

SCEE’s Alex Moyet stated the game would be a port of the PS3 version and in the comments for the PS Blog post, stated that it “will be optimised for the Vita hardware”. There will also be a new two player mode via Wi-Fi, and that the Vita version n “will definitely fix some of those technical issues previously experienced such as framerate and AI”.

It’s also been revealed that Blitz Games Studios, who handled the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, is working with Sony on porting duties. As of now, there’s no news on whether that Vita and PS3 versions will have cross-play or cross-save support.

We’re pleased to announce that Disney Epic Mickey 2 is coming to the Playstation Vita later this year! twitter.com/DisneyMoviesUK…

— Disney Movies UK (@DisneyMoviesUK) March 18, 2013

It’s not clear who will be porting the project, but it will be releasing later this year. Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two follows the tale of Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit as they take on the Mad Doctor from the first game and attempt to thwart his evil plans.

Following the release and overall disappointing sales, in which the sequel sold much less than its predecessor in the same time period, designer Warren Spector expressed doubt over the future of the series. At the very least, it seems Disney wants to try and push it onto handheld gamers, but we doubt it’ll be any better than the home console versions.

It began with a tweet from Chris Robert’s Roberts Space Industries earlier today that went: “Second 21 gun salute for a studio in 7 days. Fare-the-well Junction Point! We hope that you all find new studios soon!”

The tweet has been deleted but when probed further, the developer tweeted that “Our posting about Junction Point was based on a story by http://mynintendonews.com this AM. CIG has no inside info on their status.”

But if you head to My Nintendo News, they cite the developer’s tweet as the main source. So did RSI really know and let it slip, or was there really no actual source?

It gets even more confusing as 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard, of all people, tweeted that “the Junction Point rumors have been circulating a while. Warning signs when you give employees 2 months off after shipping”.

Considering that Epic Mickey 2 bombed on both the critical and commercial front, selling one-fourth of the original in the same release period, it wouldn’t be unbelievable. Where to next, in that case, for Warren Spector?

Source: GIBiz

Some more so than others with their overall quality (which did nothing to impede their sales); some by the annoying amount of bugs that, weeks after release, still haven’t been cleared up; and some for the most juvenile, inane reasons possible. Oh, and there were those “purists” who found fault with Halo 4 initially but have since come around (regardless, “multiplayer brah!”). Plus, Diablo 3, which makes EA look like a cuddly koala when it comes to dealing with customers (among other issues pre- and post-release).

Let’s start with the inane: Mass Effect 3’s ending controversy. Essentially, gamers were disappointed that Mass Effect 3 didn’t have a cookie cutter, “happy ending”. This, despite Bioware leaving clues throughout the series indicating it would be anything but. Otherwise, Mass Effect 3 is a stellar game, and arguably one that deserves the mantle of “Game of the Year” more than its immediate contenders.

And now on to the guilty ones: Resident Evil 6. Seriously, Capcom? You try to shove every single gameplay aspect and action-packed sequence into the game, with cut scenes after every few seconds, saddle it with a needlessly complicated control scheme, pad the game till it’s fluffier than a fluffer on a seedy 80’s film set, cook up a stupid story that effectively retcons every virus out there while somehow creating one that does it all, and you expect people to buy it? Well, hell, were you right as RE6 shipped 4.5 million copies worldwide three days after release.

Not that they were the only ones to pad their games with weary mechanics and awful pacing, interspersed with ho-hum shooting. Medal of Honor: Warfighter, developed by Danger Close and published by EA, finally showed us what happened when the Call of Duty formula became too stale (honestly though, they didn’t do as great a job as Black Ops 2). Yet somehow, Danger Close created not only a terrible game but one that was worse than RE6. How, in the name of the Lord, do you do THAT?

Surprisingly enough, despite just being released, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is receiving a fair amount of critical backlash. The game itself has been criticized for an overall lack of fun, despite the attention to detail. Seriously, who saw that coming?

While the there have been some terrible games released in the year, they arguably pale in comparison to the buggy ones. Hitman: Absolution, Assassin’s Creed 3 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 are some of the worst offenders. Look for the number of fixes on AC3’s recent Thanksgiving patch, and you’ll be shocked to discover just how many things have been fixed for multi-player alone. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 continues the series infamous run of only working on the Xbox 360, delivering near unplayable experiences to both PS3 and PC gamers. Hell, even with fixes, the game looked horrible on PS3, clipping extensively and bugging out to no end. At least Hitman: Absolution’s major crimes were a few clipping bugs and disguises being seen through too quickly. It still delivered an awesome experience in stealth and action – though a lot of critics say otherwise.

Darksiders 2 is perhaps the most intriguing case. Despite being bigger and more expansive than the first game, it didn’t live up to expectations. Truth be told, its multitude of elements just failed to click together – and it turned previous Darksiders fans away with its emphasis on “Zelda meets Prince of Persia meets Devil May Cry”. Not the worst game in the world by a long shot, but still one that fell short in its vision and sales.

There’s not really much to say about Diablo 3. Honestly, nothing at all. We swear.

It’s hard to say which the most disappointing game of the year was (though we know the most forgettable – Final Fantasy XIII-2. Zing!). Nearly every big name disappointed in its own way, whether by design or public backlash. What else can you say but “better luck next year”, “play test your games, please” and “Go away forever, Capcom”?

The failure of such big names coincided with the ever-increased pressure AAA developers are under to deliver. Even if it’s buggy, even in the name of simplifying a major franchise for the masses, even if your fans might not like the ending and even if you’ve really got nothing worthy to deliver, you must ship. Under-deliver or over-deliver – just ship on time and cater to the lowest common denominator. We’ll see how well that pans out in the coming year where many of the big names release in the first half of the year itself.

Epic Mickey 2 returns the seminal Disney Mascot to the toon Wasteland, now in a state of disrepair after a mysterious earthquake. The Mad Doctor, now apparently a good guy, warns of a new evil fast approaching and Oswald the lucky rabbit teams up with the doctor and summons Mickey to help out with restoring the Wasteland to its former glory. The plot is delightfully told through classic Disney sing-alongs, with the full voice acting really adding to the Disney magic. The cut-scenes are a bit lifeless and static in comparison to the in-engine action, but the quality of the visuals more than makes up for this, with an elegant and attractive drawing style conveying the story throughout.

Mickey’s brush powers are back, but Oswald’s electricity doesn’t quite match up.

Much like the original, Epic Mickey 2 is a game that hinges around nostalgia. There are so many Disney characters involved, and in such creative forms, that it hits the soft spots with ease. That said, things get sloppy in the plot department when compared to the original Epic Mickey. The first game took a self-aware look into the occasionally questionable history of Disney, as typified by the often antagonistic relationship between Mickey and Disney’s first creation, Oswald the lucky rabbit. All of that self-awareness and brooding insight is gone the moment the game starts up, with Oswald and Mickey now the best of friends. In some sense the sequel offers a more positive tale of reconciliation as a result, but it certainly feels less creative and original in comparison to the themes of Epic Mickey 1.

Booting the game up as a single player, you’d be excused for thinking things haven’t changed, as Mickey returns with magical brush in hand once more. You can use paint to fill out the environment or paint thinner to destroy your surroundings, as in the previous game, with each type of action often being linked to a binary moral decision. Do you take the easy way out and destroy your obstacles, or labour to help re-create the Wasteland completely? The choices are never particularly insightful, and aren’t likely to warrant an extra playthrough, but it’s a neat feature all the same, and the effects of distorting your environment are as cool to watch as when the original Epic Mickey released back in 2010.

No matter how cool the enemies look, fighting them becomes a real chore.

It’s the now buddy-buddy relationship between Oswald and Mickey that sets up the game’s cooperative gameplay, arguably the biggest new feature in the aptly named Power of Two. A second player can jump in at any time to take control of Oswald, complete with a remote that grants him the power to generate small electric shocks. It’s a drop in and out affair that allows a partner to join or leave at any time, a real boon to encouraging your friends to join in the fray. The lack of online co-op is a bit frustrating, but it offers the kind of experience that works better in a split-screen scenario anyway. Problems are created by Oswald’s inclusion though. His remote controlled electricity just doesn’t appeal in the same way that Mickey’s magic paintbrush does, and his inclusion in single player games highlights some issues with the game’s artificial intelligence. Oswald just doesn’t quite always do what you want him to do. In all honesty it’s impressive how reliable he is in most situations, but his presence throughout the whole game to accommodate co-op play means the single player will find plenty of scenarios during the campaign that will see Oswald cause problems. It’s unavoidable with this kind of game structure.

At least you can’t fault the commitment to the co-op mechanics, as Oswald’s inclusion is factored into all aspects of the game. From combat, to platforming, to puzzle solving, Oswald must work in tandem with Mickey constantly, but it fails to curb the many issues within the game. Whilst combating the oncoming hordes of Blotworx, you must use certain combinations of powers to defeat your foes. Whilst this forces cooperation initially, it soon becomes a repetitive and tedious source of frustration, one that dogs every single encounter. Boss fights serve as a mild highlight, but encountering regular enemies is never a good thing when playing Epic Mickey 2.

Smaller levels are fine, but the larger sections are poorly laid out and frustrating.

The basic platforming is also an element that, despite some cool tag team moves with Oswald, is a largely unsatisfying part of Epic Mickey 2. Jump heights feel lofty and imprecise, and that blooming camera from the original Epic Mickey is back causing issues once more. Granted, it’s a mile better than it was back in 2010, but it still has a ways to go. The default level of camera pan and zoom often gives a false sense of depth on basic jumps, leading to a lot of frustrating falls. There’s also an issue with the dead zone when using a conventional controller set up that makes firing Mickey’s brush a trying task indeed. Those using Wii remotes or PS Move wands with their respective editions need not worry, but a dual analogue stick set up on Xbox 360 or PS3 means there is an uncomfortable dead zone in the screen center that allows you to move the on-screen cursor before the camera begins to shift. It doesn’t work as well as it sounds, creating a slow and sluggish camera response. You can lock the cursor in place with the select/back button, but it still defaults back to having that same dead zone when you’re firing your paint or thinner. It was a constant source of angst during my play time with Epic Mickey 2, and I was amazed that none of the designers picked up on this during development.

If you can fight against the myriad frustrations and unsatisfying elements of Epic Mickey 2, there is plenty of content to be had. The charm is just about able to sustain your interest throughout, and there is no doubt that the lavish worlds are part of this. The problem is how the content all links together, as the level design is outright poor. Individual chunks of levels offer some decent challenges and gameplay possibilities, but there are several awkward moments throughout The Power of Two where you are left largely unaware of where you should be going next. Good level design funnels players towards their goal without condescending to them, whilst Epic Mickey 2 just gives you voice overs with cryptic and poorly explained directions instead. It’s a poor effort, one that severely harms the gameplay pacing at various points in the game’s reasonably sized campaign.

The original Epic Mickey, though a flawed slice of gameplay, offered a dark and insightful critique of the commercialisation of Disney over the years. Epic Mickey 2 defines exactly what the original was trying so hard to bring to the fore for harsh analysis. Despite some truly captivating sing-alongs and an unmatched nostalgia factor, it’s hard to see Epic Mickey 2 as anything more than a cynical continuation of a franchise that only needed one game to convey its message. If you’re a Disney fanatic, you’ll probably find the thematic elements overcome the gameplay shortcomings, but the average gamer should only try Epic Mickey 2 if they’re truly desperate for a new game with local co-op.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Disney has announced that Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is now available worldwide. The game put you in the shoes of Mickey Mouse for the first time ever, and is created by Warren Spector, who created wonderful games like Deus Ex and System Shock 2.

The Nintendo Wii U comes out on November 30 in the EU, and that’s when the game will be released for the system. We had interviewed Warren Spector and he had a lot of things to say to us regarding this game.

The game also features a co-op mechanic where Mickey and Oswald can join forces and use their respective powers for each others benefit.

“Mickey Mouse is one of the most beloved characters of all time,” said Warren Spector, vice president and creative director, Disney Interactive’s Junction Point.

“I feel incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to once again help craft his latest journey and at the same time bring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit back in such an amazing and innovative way, by allowing this once forgotten silent cartoon star to get a voice for the first time in history.”

The game is co-written by award-winning comic book writer, Marv Wolfman and the game also features a unique soundtrack created by Emmy award-winning composer, Jum Dooley and songwriter Mike Himelstein.

“We continually strive to develop interactive content that resonates across Disney’s broad fan base,” said John Pleasants, co-president, Disney Interactive. “Our goal was to capture the nostalgic feeling that makes the Disney experience so magical, and it is clear that we’ve accomplished that with ‘Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two’ exceptionally well.”

Check out the launch trailer below.

In fact, it could ironically be the first example of something that the Western RPG gaming industry loves these days: Player choice.

Spector states, “Without going into too much geeky detail, there are two moments in Suikoden where you are confronted with a choice. You are in the game world, and then a little box shows up in the corner that gives you a Yes/No choice. It’s ‘Do you leave your friend here to die or do you help him?’ And then at the end there is a ‘Do you fight your father? Yes/No.’ And, the thing was, in both cases it was a false choice.

“But I remember how powerful it was. I remember playing Suikoden, putting the controller down and going ‘Holy Cow, this has nothing to do with what the character would do, or the story, it’s who am I as a human being? Me? If that was a real choice, it would be the most amazing moment in the history of videogames, and I said ‘I’m going to make a game that has the most amazing moment in the history of videogames!’”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Source: Siliconera