Epic Mickey scratches the itch that Kingdom Hearts never could.

To preface this review- let me state that I was a child of the Disney channel. And while I liked the modern era films in the 80′s, my love for the characters was mostly geared towards the “classic” cartoons of our parents/grandparents generations. My favorite times of the year were when the Halloween and Xmas collections of the old timer toons came onto the schedule. Old school Donald with his nephews, Goofy riding the mountains in his RV, or Mickey jumping through the looking glass.

I also have many memories of heading to Disney World in winter. Riding Space Mountain, Epcot’s future tour, and the original Pirates of the Carribean rides were among my favorites. If you enjoyed this type of Disney lineage, as opposed to the shitty “3′s & 4′s” animations from the 70′s, or the craptastic Princess fairytale whirlpool they fell into the last couple decades- then Epic Mickey is for you.

Where EM differs from Kingdom Hearts, is this: KH brought your mysterious (non disney, japanese RPG) character into very specific worlds, based on their films. You  were allowed to observe and sometimes interact with some of the scenes from these films. And while at first glance, it had fans like me excited to roam free in Alice’s Wonderland- I soon was disappointed to find out it was only a familiar background, scattered with Heartless villains dressing the part of each world’s theme.

Kingdom Hearts sparked interest in us by giving the illusion we could re-tap into these childhood memories, and play along…when really, we were just playing with something that looked like it. It lacked empathy, emotion, and any real sense of immersion. We were just visitors in familiar surroundings, grinding out enemies like any old action RPG. It was a gimmick.

One of Epic Mickey’s greatest achievement is that the Wasteland world we’re in- is actually a twisted version of Mickey’s life. It mirrors the Magic Kingdom, and several of his cartoons- but everything feels…wrong. Its a broken world, depressing, and dark- and Mickey is to blame. I have to give credit to Disney for allowing their star icon to be viewed in a not-so-nice light. He is the cause for all of the pain and suffering in this world (which suffered for several decades after the Mouse knowingly chose to run away from his mistake). Not only is Mickey to blame, he has the option of NOT fixing it. You can still be an asshole to the survivors if you want to, and this changes the story dramatically. The empathy is real, and I cant remember another game that had me filled with actual regret for making “decisions”. I quickly learned that once you decide to try making a bad (aka more fun) decision, it autosaves the game and you’re stuck with what you’ve done. I finished the game without saving a handful of characters. I left Donald, Daisy, and Goofy to suffer eternally. Thats fucked up…but kind of awesome that Disney let it fly.

But I digress- what I loved MOST about this game, is that they chose NOT TO focus on the already successful franchises like Aladdin, but rather payed tribute to what I see as the BEST of the real childhood experiences I loved. They also dont make it as segregated as KingdomHearts where you clearly enter one world and are solely submersed in everything JungleBook for the next few hours. Epic Mickey blurs the lines between these films, cartoons, and amusement rides. You can start off in a world that seems like Tomorrowland, and end up fighting Pete in a Tron battle on top of Space Mountain. Or maybe you’ll find yourself in a swamp infested with the OLD green ghosts from a classic cartoon, and the level finishes in the Haunted Mansion ride, complete with floating heads, candelabras, and talking grave stones. Or maybe you’ve wandered into a level that is nondescript at first- only to realize youre in the heart of the (pre-Depp) Pirates ride. I loved working through one level to hear a snippet of a twisted “Its a Small World” jingle, but sounding in a dark minor key.

Without a doubt the 2D “travel” levels connecting the 3D realms are my favorites as you literally have to run through some of the best classic animations from the 30′s, 40′s and 50′s. I wish this was a standalone game (albeit an easy one) just because I love the art direction and level design that somehow recaptured the essence of the originals. Another note on the art direction, is that they chose not to use 3D rendered cut scenes (although they could have easily..I still am delighted every time I see the 3D mouse running around with his vintage design. THANK YOU FOR NOT USING MODERN MICKEY, WARREN – but instead use an animated storyboard approach. At first glance this decision seems like a cheap time saver, but I think it allowed them to give more of the classic “cartoon” feel by sticking to a 2D medium.

Which brings me back to the meat of this review. Epic Mickey dominates KH in the artistic direction, and emotional connection factors..by a LOT. For these two things alone, I will gladly replay the game again- and probably watch a friend play it his own way (you’d be surprised how much of the game you will miss based on your decisions). For old school Disney fans like me, this is what Ive been looking for and it was one of the most satisfying games Ive played in years. Back when we first previewed this title, Steve mentioned that (like other games) the concept art getting people riled with excitement was going to set folks up for disappointment. I think most of us know that concept art rarely translates into an actual game, and he was right that this was the case- technically…but in terms of making a dark, sometimes disturbing, thought evoking, emotion reacting, beautiful game that reeks of old school Mickey magic- they succeed. This is what I wanted from it, and they delivered.

Now on to the bad stuff:

The controls are totally fine, but the camera system IS broken. It works great 85% of the time, but that 15% remaining really fucking sucks. They are brief moments of frustration, so nothing worth skipping the game for- but it is a disappointment. Most of the reviews on Metacritic give this game great marks, but the common complaint is that of the camera and it brought down many scores- deservedly so. After playing Mario Galaxy, its a really tough pill to swallow.

And on that note..the main 3D action is kind of forgettable. As awesome as the story is, and the character animations etc…the game is simply “kill/friend the bad guys in this area. Find the magic chest. Move onto the next level.” Now I need to clarify that HOW you play the game is really cool..like being good and doing some quests yields a better ending or new level, but the level grinding itself is on par with Kindgom Hearts in that respect. Enter room, kill, exit room, repeat.
Speaking of forgettable- the game itself is REALLY slow and dry for the first couple hours as you painfully move through the tutorial introductory stages. In all honesty, it doesnt get good until you’ve put in this time..so just bare with it. Trust me, it gets better..and then it gets great.

Despite these few downfalls, I highly recommend this game to Classic Disney fans like me (and thats the key thing)…if you can put aside your disdain for the last few decades of corporate Disney bullshit, and give this a try, I think you’ll like what it has to offer. A little from our fragmented childhood memories, and a little bit from our dark adult imaginations. Well done, Spector.

The Last Story

From the father of Final Fantasy comes the Wii-exclusive (aka poor seller) that we’ve all been waiting for.

A cross between GearsOfWar and Fable it seems….Ive been cautiously optimistic as we’ve really seen nothing more than concept work..but HOLY FUCKING SHIT THIS LOOKS GOOD!!!

http://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/slsj/trailer/

Soooo….what happened to MH3?

Was it the Captial One Viking comercials? Or the sub-par WiiSpeak chat? Maybe you just spent countless hours with the PSP game and feel too burned out to start all over again (Animal X-ing, Im thinking of you). What happened to turn you guys off from this game? The lack of a Lego’s version?

I was browsing through our old posts from the last couple years (looking for something else) when I saw Steve, Chad, & Peter getting pumped about Tri. For some reason it seems to have fallen off of everyones radar. And I dont mean just you guys, I mean pretty much everyone.

Its well deserved silent treatment from the “real” gamers who have been disappointed in Wii’s catalog, but at the same time I feel bad that we finally get a AAA title from a major 3rd party dev, who gave us deep game with a robust online multiplayer (with no friend codes…sort of), and Im getting ready to watch the sales numbers come in…probably really low. Again.

I really tried to give Wiispeak a chance on this, and Im glad they took the time to put it in the US version..but it sucks. And I dont think WiiSpeak sucks in general, it was awesome on Endless Ocean 2. Maybe there is a correlation between chaotic action on screen to quality of voice compression? Who knows. Skype is the way to go for the guys Ive been playing this with.

Despite that flaw, the game has been a blast for me. Ive worked offline when I havent been able to get on with friends (who are just 2 others, Mike and Aaron..and even then its been an every other week event). Going online to group up with buddies, and even strangers has been awesome. I praise the game, and look forward to probably a hundred more hours of this before I move on.

That said…Id like to re-extend the invitation back to you folks. If I do reach a large number like 100 hrs, and fail to play one game with a total war party with three of my friends- I will be sorely disappointed.

Lets suit up, and lets do it soon. Don your Tharkwad armor. Load that Mythril PuhperChute gun with some Crag ammo and lets go take on the giant gila monster looking thing in the Degobah-ish swamp map.

Ernie Harwell (1918-2010)

First off, let me preempt this post with the following suggestion: DONT GROAN AND ROLL YOUR EYES (just yet). You seriously need to give this story a chance.

Its about someone you’ve never heard of before, who worked for a team you probably don’t care about , that played a sport you likely find rather boring.

Well…

….too fucking bad. Its time for you to meet Ernie.

To qualify (or quantify) my opinion, let me start by saying I don’t recall ever hearing a game called by Ernie.

Although I grew up in SE Michigan, I was never really a dedicated fan for the Detroit Tigers as a child. I liked them to say the least, and have some great memories of my late father taking me to games at the old Tiger Stadium. However, I was never interested enough to follow them on television or radio until years after Ernie Harwell had retired.

What a shame.

Paul Carey, his broadcast partner of many years, said recently after a memorial service, “He was the greatest man I have ever known”.

Another broadcaster replies, “I’ve heard that recently from many, many people.”

Mr. Harwell has the distinct  honor of being the only broadcaster to be traded from one team to another. This isn’t what makes him memorable, but is a great example of how unique his career was. In many ways, he was the Forest Gump of broadcasting.

In 1923 Ernie got a job as the visitor “Bat Boy” for the Atlanta Crackers (seriously). He was 5 years old.

Nine years later, he is a regional correspondent for the Sporting News. After college, he returned to reporting for the Atlanta Constitution as a sportswriter, then made the move to radio game calling for the Crackers in 1943. Soon after he joined the Marines Corps and served for four years.

Fast forward a few more years and we find Ernie broadcasting for the Crackers again. One day they receive a call from Brooklyn Dodger’s GM. They were frantic to find a replacement announcer for Red Barber, who was thought to be dying from a bleeding ulcer. They made an unprecedented trade, a transaction that has yet to be replicated. Ernie’s broadcasting contract was traded for a major league catcher.

Turns out Red didnt die, and Ernie left the next year for other baseball teams (the Giants, and Orioles), along with some golf and pro/college football games. During this time, Ernie broadcasts the very first nationally televised (coast to coast) game for the 1951 National League playoffs.  This wasn’t a division playoff that we think of today with several games deciding the fate of the champions. The team with the best record at the end of the season were the league champs..plain and simple. They would go on to face the American League champs for the ultimate title. In 1951, the Dodgers and their crosstown (NY) Giants ended the season with matching records of 96 wins and 58 losses. We had a 1 game playoff for the league honors. Tension was high, and fans were going crazy across Manhattan as well as the nation. Ernie gets the nod to be the only broadcaster for the television feed.

In the bottom of the 9th inning, with the Giants losing by a score of 4-2, outfielder Bobby Thomson hits a walk-off 3-run homer to win the game. It went down in history as “The Shot Heard Round the World”. As soon as he hears the crack of the bat, Ernie says a simple “Its gone!”. He later reflected that he probably called it too soon, but it was just an instinctual call of confidence, and sure enough the ball left the field. Not an elaborate exclamation of his excitement. He just says “Its gone”, and leans back to let the noises of the stadium’s erupting crowd do the rest for his televised viewers. Classic Ernie.

Oddly enough, no one recorded Ernie calling one of the most famous events of US sports history. Someone did capture the sounds for one of the radio feeds called by another commentator- but Ernie’s entire game has been lost forever. When asked about it, he replies “Lulu was watching the game…so that makes two of us, and I suppose thats all that matters.” He gives a golden smile after referring to his wife, then asks how your family is doing. Again, classic Ernie.

Ernie was known for remembering every person he met. Names, faces, quotes- he had an incredible memory for details. He would ask questions from random rookies at batting practice and then recite their conversations verbatim during the broadcast. He would read paperback books in the 4 hours it took to fly from Detroit to LA. This made him an intelligent, and compassionate legend amongst the people who worked with him everyday.

Ironically, one of the things that made him popular with the audience was his trademark of making shit up on the air.
“There’s a fly ball, deep into right field…and its going foul. A man named Harry Grimson from Dexter, Michigan caught that ball.”

The listeners would wonder, Did this man really know the name of every person in the stadium?

“Sitting along the 3rd base line is the Swanson family from the great city of Cleveland Ohio. They came straight from church!”

Another favorite move was to simply turn the microphone around so that his audience could listen to the crowd’s enthusiasm for 20-30 seconds at a time. Thats a long time for radio silence.

Ernie Harwell ends up working for the Detroit Tigers for 42 years. He won several awards over the decades, including recognition in the Radio Hall of Fame as well as the Baseball Hall of Fame (something Dave Niehaus did a couple years ago, Mariner fans).
He goes down in history for creating some of the most used, or interesting catch phrases in baseball announcing:

“That ball is LONG GONE!”  (homerun)

“Two for the price of one!”  (double play)

“He stood there like the house at the side of the road, and watched it go by.”   (striking out while looking)

The last one I admit, isnt very catchy…but its another great example of the twist Ernie brought to the game. He always did his best to intertwine humanity, childish fantasy, and poetic imagery with his love for baseball.

Last year, Bob Costas did an interview with Ernie after he revealed he was dying from inoperable cancer. Bob asks the 92 year old if he can recall any part of his 1981 Hall of Fame speech. Ernie recites the entire speech...by memory.

Whenever someone would tell him he was a living legend, the response was more often than not, “Im nothing more than a failed newspaper journalist.”

Rest in peace, Ernie. You were truly one of the greatest failures we’ve ever loved.

And now….a taste of things to come.

By Ian

I have to make a list like this for myself every 6 months or so, to remind what games are in the pipeline. I have to do this because (quality) Wii games for my tastes are far and few in between, and this gives me just a little hope.

Xenoblade: Baten Kaitos studio (awesome level design, terrible battle system) comes back to Wii with an intriguing name suggesting a revisit to the Xeno franchise.

Metroid- Other M: Nintendo teams up with the Team Ninja team. Team team. Team. I chose a 1st person image, but most of the shots are 3rd person..so the game will likely be a jump from the previous 3. Which brings up a good point. What the hell is Retro studio doing nowadays…?

Epic Mickey: The creator of Deus Ex tackles a Disney think tank project first conceived loooong ago (in the 80′s, I believe). Disney actually traded the rights of Al Michaels to get back Walt’s first character- Oswald the Rabbit, which he lost early on in his career. The story of the game is that Oswald, and all the other forgotten/bad characters have their own little twisted world based on the Disney universe. Micky has fallen into that world, and can either help them…or fuck them over and become EVIL MICKEY.

Monster Hunter Tri: 4 player online co-op, and Wii Speak being added as we speak (2pts, Jones). Im looking forward to my first MH game, and hopefully a first REAL rich online experience on the console.

RedSteel 2: Im probably one of only a few that liked the first game. Many people tried it, felt the controls were weak in the first hour or so of the game and never tried it again. Unfortunately your character got better with training and added not only more moves, but better accuracy/speed and other attributes. The art was a little lacking, but I dug the experience. The sequel uses MotionPlus and boasts to correct any wrist flicking or bi-directional shortcomings from the first game. It also has a nifty Borderline-ish cell shade look and a new art direction.

Sin & Punishment 2: Already out in Japan, and set to come stateside soon. Sequel to a game that Nintendo refused to bring to the US (originally) because it was too violent. This was around the time they made Rare change Jet Force Gemini because it was also too mature. I tried the first one on VC and its a fun shooter. I only wish I had played it when it was current as old 3D games seem to age less graceful than their 2D siblings.

Endless Ocean2: I dont care what you say- I loved the first one. It was one of the most peaceful and relaxing experiences Ive had on a gaming system. It actually is VERY similar looking & sounding to real life snorkeling/diving and the exploration is surprisingly deep. It can be much darker than the “SeaWorld” aura it gives off, to the point some freaking looking creatures in the black deep waters are almost scary when you find them far below where the sun ceases to penetrate. The sequel boasts wiispeak support for the coop online mode, and for a limited time will be bundled together for only $30. A few of us have already pre-ordered it.

The Last Story: The creator of Final Fantasy left to make his own studio with 2 games in mind. One for the iphone, and apparently the other is for Wii. Final Fantasy…Last Story. Sounds similar…heres hoping for something familiar, yet new & refreshing on this JRPG.

And of course there is Mario Galaxy2 and the next Legend of Zelda..but neither have a site, nor any images worth showing. So we’ll keep quiet on them until after E3.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

By Ian

If you didnt play the first one, then you missed out on some serious humor, excessive sexual themes, gratuitous profanity, retro gaming tributes, masturbation-required weapon reloads, bloody button mashing sword fighting coupled with extremely satisfying motion controlled light saber or luchador death moves triggering a random slot machine payout of Killer7-ish combo moves named after the character’s favorite confectioneries. Seriously.

Apparently the sequel is a refined version of the best of the above features, and now also comes with GIANT ROBOT BATTLES!

IGN Video: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Nintendo Wii Series – Video Review.

The original, while not flawless by any definition- remains one of my favorite games of all times. Gotta love the Suda51.

Is that Red Hot Rumble 2???!!!!!

Nope, its Tatsunoko Vs Capcom.

Anyone planning on picking this up…? I know you guys are probably still smitten/sick of that sweet-ass HD SF game but Ive heard good things about this game….has online play, I believe. 

Eat Level 3 Blizzaraga, Jesus!!

Happy holidays from my Final Fantasy Squadron.

(clockwise from left) Devout, Dark Knight, Jesus Christ of Nazereth, Red Mage, Magus

Calling all Dorks!

I need your help.

Im one of the elite (nerds) that dropped a ton of cash on registration eligible Nintendo products to achieve PLATINUM status on club Nintendo.

Not only have I amassed well over 1,000 pts- I get a free “Thankyou!” gift from the boys at NOA. And by “Free”, I mean I paid for this shit 100 fold in my previous purchases.

Anyways, the official email went out this morning and I get to choose from:

A special edition of Punchout (wiiware) offering a fight with Doc, the trainer or a Mario cap.

Im pretty disappointed with both options…if the game was at least a hard copy with a case, manual and collectable disc- Id be pumped..but making it DLC burns me in the pooper.

Im not really into the hat either, other than the fact I can Ebay it to other nerds…help me pick the best (lame) choice

Wii Motion Plus makes its Debut (in my house)

So after reading all the STELLAR reviews for Tiger Woods 10 (wii), claiming its the BEST golf game on any system, ever- I had to try it.

Now I was (still am, actually) a professional golf instructor, and have a pretty damn good swing, mechanically speaking…so I went right to the Advance Control scheme which takes out all the typical TW shortcuts and ball spin controls..completely reliant on the wiimote & the new addon for speed & accuracy.

Wow.

First hole I experimented with hooking/slicing/drawing/fading the ball on purpose, and everything worked just like I was at the range! Only thing I couldnt pull off was a flop shot or other trick shots that really should be impossible- even in real life, let alone through a motion controller.

The only thing Im finding thats still tough, is the short game. Without the weight of a real club and knowing the wetness of the grass (and type of grass it is) its still a bit tough to gauge how fast my putting meter is, but that said its WAAAAAAY better than other tiger games, SuperSwing golf, We love golf, Mario Golf etc..and the longer I tried it, the more dialed in I got- but I digress…

the real story is the motion+ and how much f*cking better its made the gesture controls. I swear on my father’s grave I had the SAME shot projection and draw (actually a strong draw..too strong) that I play in real life. Its truly amazing!! by the 5th hole, I was birdy-ing and parring pretty much everything, which is a LITTLE better than my game in real life…ok a lot better ;P

I havent tried the frisbee golf game (which I also love in real life) but this first experience has me VERY HOPEFUL for the other games taking advantage of the addon..tennis, shooting game, and swordplay are going to FREAKIN SWEET.

and no I havent started drinking yet, so my enthusiasm is not completely blinded by chemicals.