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Disney Epic Mickey 2 demo available on XBLM, PSN
Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is available now for a test drive on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The demo has players taking control of Mickey, experiencing some early levels of the game, along with some Oswald co-op abilities.The game will be available November 18 on all major platforms, including Wii U. The same date goes for the 3DS game, Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion.%Gallery-165274%
Epic Mickey 2 dev diary illustrates the power of characters
Oswald isn't just a lucky rabbit in Epic Mickey 2 – he owns one of the best inventions we've ever seen, a remote control that turns foe into friend. If only we had that back in middle school! We could've avoided so many swirlies.
Disney Interactive is only division running at a loss
The Walt Disney Company saw the largest earnings in the company's history for the quarter ending June 30, which is all sunshine and lollipops until you get down to the interactive (games) division. A year after gutting nearly all its core projects – and shuttering all core studios except Epic Mickey studio Junction Point (under the protection of Warren Spector) – the interactive division is the only part of the conglomerate operating at a loss.Sales during the quarter were down 22 percent from the same period last year to $196 million, with an operating loss of $42 million, which is better than the $86 million loss last year. The improvement is thanks to social games. The company is still in an "ongoing shift from console games to social and other interactive platforms."There is one exception to that: Junction Point's Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, which will be available this November. Hopefully, sales of the sequel will let the House of Mouse continue to show leniency toward Junction Point.
Epic Mickey 2 dev diary expounds on storytelling in a Disney universe
Marv Wolfman – a Marvel and DC comics alumni and not to be confused with an actual wolf man – is working with developer Junction Point Studios as a writing consultant on its upcoming adventure through forgotten nostalgia, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two.From the dev diary above, everyone at the studio seems pretty jazzed about the partnership, which is understandable considering that Wolfman was responsible for creating iconic characters like Black Cat, Blade, Starfire, Cyborg, and Tim Drake. He also helped launch the Crisis on Infinite Earths comic series, which any comic fan will tell you was a pretty big deal.Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii in November.
Epic Mickey 3DS and the power of creation
While Epic Mickey 2 continues to mine Disney film history for its subject matter, Dreamrift Entertainment's Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion aims squarely at video game nostalgia, bringing back the Castle of Illusion from the classic Sega Genesis game, along with its villain, Mizrabel. It refreshes the vintage setting (and its attendant slow-paced platforming) with new designs and new touchscreen tricks.The Castle of Illusion has fallen into Epic Mickey's "Wasteland," Dreamrift creative director Peter Ong explained to me during a meeting at E3. "Mickey's quest actually takes place in the Castle of Illusion in this game, but at the same time it's situated in Wasteland, so you'll see characters familiar to Epic Mickey and Wasteland such as Oswald being involved in Mickey's quest," Ong said.
Play Wreck-It Ralph tie-in game Fix-It Felix Jr. right now
There's a tie-in game for Disney's video game-inspired flick, Wreck-It Ralph. We expected as much, but we didn't expect it to be so good. It's called Fix-it Felix Jr., wherein you play as the titular Felix Jr., neighborhood window repair man and pie stealer. Felix just can't leave a tasty pie cooling on a sill alone, you see.Felix scales the building, repairing the windows that Ralph destroys. People in the apartment high-rise leave pies to cool and Felix grabs them as he ascends the massive tower for extra points, until he eventually gets hit in the head with a brick and you lose the game. Thankfully that last part looks less horrific than it sounds.
Ensemble voice cast returns for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Despite the diminutive size of the 3DS cartridge, Square Enix managed to find space to pack in voice overs for all the established Kingdom Hearts voice actors. Many of the big guns are returning to reprise their roles in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Drop Distance, including Leonard Nimoy, Haley Joel Osment, David Gallagher, Hayden Panetierre, Jesse McCartney and Quinton Flynn.Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance launches on July 31.%Gallery-156546%
Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion returns to the Castle
Disney has officially announced Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion for 3DS, for those of us without Nintendo Power subscriptions. It allows you to draw objects "that magically transform into classic Disney-style 2D illustrations," which then become 3D on the 3DS's top screen.Dreamrift's 3DS sidescroller pays tribute to the Genesis game Castle of Illusion, portraying a future in which that game's title environment has been transported into Epic Mickey's "Wasteland." The witch Mizrabel attempts to drain the cartoon essence from popular Toons to pull herself out.This plot point seems to be a convenient excuse to bring in more Disney characters, as the screenshots are absolutely crawling with them. Power of Illusion will be out this fall alongside Epic Mickey 2.%Gallery-152235%
Report: Epic Mickey 2 making a splash on PC and Mac
In addition to debuts on the Xbox 360 and PS3, and a 3DS spinoff, Epic Mickey: The Power of Two is apparently taking a steamboat ride to the PC and Mac. During a London preview event, Junction Point representatives told GameSpy that PC and Mac versions were planned.We were able to check out the upcoming sequel at a recent Disney event -- all of our coverage can be seen through this handy link. We suggest you check out the prototype Wii controllers because oh man they are so adorable!We've contacted Disney to confirm the PC and Mac ports. Stay tuned.
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion confirmed for 3DS by Nintendo Power
During all the Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two pre-announcement kerfuffle this week, we caught wind of a supposed 3DS version that, until now, has gone unmentioned by Disney Interactive. While we've still yet to receive an official announcement, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion has appeared on the cover of the April issue of Nintendo Power, which is close enough for us.Dreamrift, the studio formed by Henry Hatsworth alumni that brought us Monster Tale, is listed as Power of Illusion's developer in an online preview of the cover story. The article also lists the game's release window as Fall 2012, indicating a concurrent launch with The Power of Two. Nothing else is currently known, but we're hoping Power of Illusion gets some adorable accessories like its console cousin.
Look at these adorable Epic Mickey 2 Wii controller prototypes
You may not get HD graphics if you stick with the Wii for Epic Mickey 2, but you will have the opportunity to experience a more tactile verisimilitude. During a preview event for the sequel, Junction Point showed off prototypes for two new Nunchuk controllers based on in-game items.The first is an updated version of PDP's "Paintbrush Chuk" accessory, designed to mimic Mickey's paintbrush. The new version has the Epic Mickey 2 logo and a glowing blue paint blob at the end of the brush. The second, and inexplicably more desirable of the two, is a Nunchuk based on Oswald's remote device, silver and boxy. It's like a literal "Wii Remote" (except, of course, it's a Nunchuk attached to an existing Wii Remote).Being that these were both prototypes, and the game hadn't even technically been officially announced yet, there weren't any details to be had about pricing or availability. We'll keep you updated, because these silly controllers are fun.%Gallery-151326%
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two's debut trailer is all about togetherness
Wait, there's a second Epic Mickey game? It's got colors! And a second dude (Oswald)! And ... did we mention colors? Go grab a friend and watch this together.
See Epic Mickey 2 in motion and in Warren Spector's words
In the foreground of this video, you see Warren Spector talking about Oswald's role in Epic Mickey 2, and his enthusiasm for musicals; in the background, you can see footage of the new game for the first time. The two elements cooperate, just like Mickey and Oswald.
Rumor: Epic Mickey 2 coming to 3DS, along with 'classic' 2D game
Some kind of "presentation" of Epic Mickey 2 will occur next week, according to a tweet from France's Nintendo Magazine. Being a Nintendo magazine, the publication specifically highlights a 3DS version called "Power of Illusion" – a name that recalls classic Mickey games like World of Illusion and Castle of Illusion. The tweet also points to a "classic" 2D game that will be shown during next week's event, but stops short of providing any actual details.A sequel to 2010's Epic Mickey has been rumored for some time, to the extent that box art for the game has even been bandied about by a marketing survey. Warren Spector's Junction Point Studios, the development house behind Epic Mickey, was hit by layoffs last January after the Wii-exclusive title launched, likely due to massive losses in Disney's interactive (read: games) department.Update: Disney Interactive declined to comment, saying it had "no information to share at this time."
Former Bungie president, Alex Seropian, leaves Disney Interactive
Alex Seropian -- who helped found developer Bungie in the 1990s -- has left Disney Interactive, where he was head of game development. After helping create the Halo franchise at Bungie, Seropian started his own studio, Wideload Games, which was then acquired by Disney when it hired Seropian in 2009 as a creative-development lead.Disney has confirmed Seropian's departure and said he will be replaced by former Blizzard vice president Bill Roper, Game Informer reports. In 2003 Roper left Blizzard and founded Flagship Studios, which busted in 2008, and he was picked up by Cryptic Studios. In 2011, Roper left Cryptic to join Disney Interactive as vice president of the Marvel Franchise, which recently announced Marvel: Avengers Alliance coming to Facebook in Q1 this year.
ESA members asked individually about SOPA, some respond
Rock, Paper, Shotgun collaborated in obtaining responses. The Entertainment Software Association's support of the "Stop Online Piracy Act" has led us to ask every member of the video game industry's lobbying and political group to publicly declare its stance on the bill. The ESA's continued support means every member, by proxy, is a supporter of the bill. Some companies have pulled their logos from supporting SOPA documentation to dodge ire, while others are hiding behind rhetoric, as you'll see below. Joystiq contacted every member of the ESA and requested a declarative statement on SOPA. After the break we've listed the responses we've received, along with others we found. We continue to seek clarity on this issue from every member of the ESA. This will become the page we update as we receive responses and clear declarative statements, so feel free to bookmark. (Joystiq does not support SOPA, nor does our parent company.)
NYT: Disney, YouTube strike new content partnership, will launch kid-friendly channel
Disney is certainly no stranger to YouTube, but the company is looking to strengthen those ties today, with a new video partnership. According to the New York Times, Disney Interactive Media and YouTube have struck a deal that will bring original, kid-friendly content to a new co-branded online channel. Under the agreement, slated to be announced later today, the two parties will devote a combined $10 million to $15 million to video production, in the hopes of helping each other patch up some of their respective holes. From Disney's perspective, the deal could help attract more viewers, while funneling more users to its soon-to-be revamped website, which has seen a marked traffic decline in recent months. YouTube, meanwhile, could use the deal to help boost its reputation among parents, many of whom may have reservations about letting their youngsters loose on a site rife with unwholesome content. It may also signal a move toward those regularly scheduled channels we've been hearing so much about. We're still awaiting official confirmation on this, but we'll update this post as soon as we get it.
Avalanche Software lays off 15 - 20 as Disney continues cuts
Utah-based Avalanche Software, developer of the much-praised Toy Story 3 game adaptation -- and not to be confused with Just Cause developer Avalanche Studios -- let go of 15-20 employees as of September 1. Publisher and parent company Disney Interactive confirmed the layoffs to Gamasutra in a statement: "Avalanche Software has completed a restructuring that resulted in the reduction of a small number of positions." Avalanche Software is the latest studio of Disney's affected in a months-long culling process at the Mouse House's game publishing arm, which has so far seen the closure of Propaganda Games, Black Rock Studios, and the cancelation of a Pirates of the Caribbean game. An unnamed employee affected by the layoffs guessed the current headcount to be around 170 (the company's LinkedIn profile indicates anywhere from 51 to 200 people are employed by the studio), making this month's staff reduction approximately 8 to 11 percent of staff. It's unclear what Avalanche is working on next, and whether this is the end of Disney's bout of "restructuring."
Split/Second, Pure developer Black Rock Studio closes today
Black Rock Studio's former studio director, Nick Baynes, tweeted earlier today, marking the last sunset for the developer of Split/Second and Pure. Disney made the decision to close the talented studio in July, after the house of mouse rejected Black Rock's final pitch, a freemium DOTA-style RTS named Champions Alliance (which Disney never intended to green-light, sources claim). At least two studios have emerged from the ashes of Black Rock: ShortRound and RoundCube Entertainment. If both studios delivers the type of quality we saw from Black Rock, we wish them a long, healthy existence.
The MMO Report: The Force is with you edition
Casey Schreiner needs to play with his new laundry and wash his iPad -- or maybe it was the other way around -- so we must hurry through the description of this week's MMO Report! I'm not joking, he really has to leave quickly. Casey starts with quips about a bearded dragon in the new expansion for Lord of the Rings Online, which is ironic, coming from the Master of Beards himself. Following that, our man of MMO mystery discusses the vehicles, beta, and pre-order for Star Wars: The Old Republic. He says the very thing that is on the mind of every fan: "EA you're doing it wrong." First you announce release date, followed by pre-order, and then beta! On another topic, Casey begs the new VP at Disney Interactive Studios, Bill Roper, to actually release information regarding the Marvel MMO. And lastly, Sir Schreiner lets us in on PvP for Rusty Hearts and explains why America needs to be more like Russia. To catch all of this and dip into Uncle Casey's mailbag, jump past the break and get ready for all the sweetness of the MMO Report.
