Guru gets Hands-on Disney-fied... Unleashing The Power of Two

He’s gotta be one of the most popular cartoon characters of, well... ever, and he’s back for another round of awesome "paint 'em up, thin 'em down" adventuring, in the spectacular sequel to Epic Mickey. Yes, that radical 'toon rodent with the round ears (a.k.a. Mickey Mouse) returns in Epic Mickey: The Power of Two, joined by Guru's personal fave, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit who actually talks up a storm this time - a great move, as he's just as much fun as Mickey! Together these heroic 'toon titans will battle to save Wasteland, a gloomy world filled with long forgotten Disney characters and attractions...

Guru was stoked to get an "Invo" from his mates at Surprise Attack (thanks Drew & Chris) who look after Disney titles here in OZ. Best of all, this wasn't some lame "sit back and watch, while we show you the best bits of the game"... NNNNOOOOO... this was a fully blown, here you go, grab a PS Move controller and have fun as Mickey, while my best mate Dan (that's actually Danielle, just so you Gamer Gals out there know that Guru's an equal opportunity gamer) tag-teaming with the awesome Ossie!

Needless to say, we had over an hour of serious Hands-on gameplay with our heroic 'toon alter-egos and of course we did a switcheroo at half-time, so each of us could get to experience the best of both worlds. Both characters were already sweet to control and the environments we got to explore had tons more detail and polish than the previous instalment of the game.

Mickey is still lots of fun using his magic paint brush and thinner to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles by "painting/thinning" things "in" and "out" of existence. Oswald is a hoot too, with his funky remote control which gives him mastery over the powers of electricity - as a team, they're pretty hot stuff!

So... how would Guru sum up the game as a whole? Well, I gotta say it's looking pretty epic!!! The game itself is really solid and it's not shy about trying a few things that are a little different. For instance, Guru nearly flipped his lid when he heard that the game would have musical numbers in it, just like some of the Disney cartoons! Say what!!! You've gotta be joking, I thought... who wants to play a musical? Just imagine... characters bursting into song after you solve a puzzle. Toons singing "That mouse has brains", or some other bizarro number - it's a super-sized serving of cheesy, isn't it?

 

Well, surprisingly no! It doesn't happen often (yeah, stick a sock in it Dan!), but Guru had to eat crow on this one! The musical sections do actually work, in fact they give the game another point of difference and lashings of charm, raising it above all that "same-old, same old" gaming we're all used to. It gives the Power of Two a nice theatrical touch and further showcases the characters’ personalities.

 

All in all, Guru was mighty impressed by what he saw of Epic Mickey: The Power of Two. It's shaping up to be one of the best kid's games for 2012. The characters are fun, the "drop-in, drop-out" two player co-op mode is a blast, and the vibrant cartoon visuals make it look like a million dollars. Be sure to pop this one on your X-mas wish lists - trust the Guru, you won't be disappointed!!!