Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

A great game for parents that would like to have their kids play something nice, colorful and without violence or controversies. Of course - adult gamers may remain indifferent to this game, but if you're one of them and have fond memories of Disney's cartoons and you have an inner child, you could be seduced by the duo of heroes. Who wouldn't want to help save such an interesting and pleasant world?

With solid single-player and outstanding co-op play, the game will provide about 25 hours of exploration during the first playthrough. Wield the power of paint and thinner and choose your path. But remember, choices have their consequences.

It's far from perfect, but it offers a great and fresh experience. If you accept it as it is it'll become and adventure worth enjoying. Absolutely recommended for those who miss the classic 3D platform games.

Except for a still-finicky camera (and Oswald being an adorable pain in the ass), I really enjoyed Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. The Rainbow Caverns stage is one of the prettiest I've ever seen, the animation style for the cut-scenes is simply beautiful FMV, and the puzzles-while not terribly difficult-are fun to solve.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is not the leap forward that many would have hoped and, in truth, feels like it steps back into safer territory for the most part. Having a second character is also held back by the unreliability of the AI and most of the levels feel like they have been designed to look great rather than play well. Good and bad then, rather like a lot of the recent Disney output, but still worth a look.

Mickey's world-shaping brush is slightly sexier than Oswald's electro-ray, but both cause Goofy an equal amount of pain, so it's hard to complain. Niche then, but nice.

Despite its new cooperative gameplay, Epic Mickey 2 is not the epic sequel we were waiting for. The title developed by Junction Point studios lacks real ambition, especially regarding its technical innovations compared to the previous episode on Wii. And yet, Epic Mickey 2 offers enough hints to famous Disney productions and beautiful landscapes to satisfy players, and it will occupy them for hours thanks to its great game length and a amazing world to paint just as you like.

It's one of those perfectly imperfect games you'll grow to love, even with its annoyances.

Nice co-op and Disney mood, but the A.I. isn't really up to par.

The thing to remember though, is that Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two doesn't quite innovate as much as you would expect a sequel to but it's still built on an incredibly stable base of the original game. For this much, anyone into an old school platformer that you would only experience last generation should definitely give this a shot, or any Disney aficionado who wants to be reminded why they love the production company so much.

Epic Mickey 2's new features bring plenty of content and side quest that enrich the original structure but also strengthen many flaws in the gameplay. The Disney universe, however, finds in this game one of the most powerful and charming expressions.

Despite the new additions, Epic Mickey 2 feels phoned in. The charm and novelty of the paint mechanics are starting to fade, and it lacks the ambitious decision making that helped to distinguish the original. What's left is a mediocre platformer, and all its allusions to Disney's rich history can only help it so much.

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of two is a real mixed bag. While some of the original's problems have been addressed many of the issues still remain making for a somewhat frustrating experience. The look and feel is back, as are the great characters and locations with some great new content thrown in. Unfortunately however for every step forward Epic Mickey 2 takes, it also takes a step back with issues both new and old. Add to this a flawed co-op AI system and you end up with a competent sequel if not a great one.

While Epic Mickey is a treat to look at and provides some delight - mostly in the visual nods to older, more forgotten Disney character and environmental design - it finally falls far short of the wondrous, creative, simply magical experience it promises.

Epic Mickey 2 is a good platform but not the ideal sequel for the first chapter. Great level design returns in this second chapter, but many problems in control mechanics and AI programming ruin every piece of the structure.

The world of Epic Mickey 2 has this new kind of Mickey-charm without having forgotten about the nostalgic past and everything fits naturally in the game's world. Unfortunately it doesn't translate this sensation as successfully to a charming experience. The story starts of slowly and there is little opportunity to get to know all of the colorful characters. Epic Mickey 2's gameplay is also double edged. It's challenging and interesting in some spots, but too little is done with the different options you're given.

Sequel blazes with colors but any significant advancements since the previous game are hardly noticeable. [Christmas 2012]

Other than for the great charisma of Disney's characters and a very good soundtrack, Epic Mickey 2 doesn't shine any more: some inscrutable puzzles and a very bad friend AI management make it a frustrating experience, unsuited both to young and grown up players.

Epic Mickey 2 feels like a rushed job, hurried to catch upon the relative fame of its predecessor. It fixes a couple problems from the past and introduces a wonderful co-op system, but falls short in many departments, both story wise and gameplay wise.

No matter if you're six, 26 or 66 years old: Nobody likes a solo mode that's being sabotaged by the co-op game, and everyone can appreciate tight controls and a competent camera. It's basic things that this game just doesn't seem to be able to succeed at. Which is a shame, because creatively Epic Mickey 2 is a small wonder, be it in its imaginatively designed characters, its songs or its world designs.

Seeing the Warren Spector name on such a mediocre title breaks the heart. Epic Mickey 2 has a solid nucleus, one with potential, but everything crashes to the ground in the end, due to the bad A.I. and the not-so-great gameplay mechanics.

Visually, Epic Mickey 2 is a gift to be savored. Practically, it's plagued with issues.

I'm genuinely sad that a game rooted in the joy of Disney failed to evoke any in me, but Epic Mickey 2 is so disjointed and rambling, I was ready to escape Wasteland when the time came.

Epic Mickey 2 is disappointing. There is no other way to put it. For a game I was genuinely excited to play, I found myself constantly forcing play sessions.

Epic Mickey 2 is like a wonderful celebratory book of Disney lore where 80% of the pages have been torn, ripped, doodled over or spilled coffee on. On a base level there are numerous things to love, but the actual playing of the game turns that joy into hard, bitter anger.

Such is the disappointment of Epic Mickey 2 that fans of the original will feel that the entire soul of the game has been ripped out and replaced with a cheerier but gormless imposter, while anyone who didn't rate it will find even less to enjoy here.

A charming platformer with lots of references to the Disney universe. Gameplay-wise it's badly flawed though. The camera, controls and AI are below acceptable levels.

Epic Mickey 2 doesn't live up to the enormous Disney's legacy and atmospheres. The game simply doesn't have enough points of interest to keep the player attracted until the end of the game.

The gap between concept and execution has rarely felt as wide, and the Mad Doc's redemption has only come closer by a smidge.

Poor controls. [Issue#92, p.88]

Epic Mickey 2 is a textbook example of a bad game made by highly experienced author like Warren Spector. Very bad level design, an incoherent storyline, technical issues, boring cooperative gameplay and a dull AI resulting in fail. The only truly positive thing about the game is its Czech localization, including the Czech voice acting on the PC version.

It loses a lot of the adult tone of the original, but it's far too frustrating and convoluted for kids (or all but the most patient of adults). It looks great, and there are some nice ideas, and a few great puzzles, but it's all let down by sloppy execution. Even the songs are miserably bland, which for a Disney title is especially disappointing.

Fascinating and frustrating by turn, there's just enough to make you cling to the hope that one day the development team will actually find him. For now, I'd love the big, glossy, elephant folio art book of the Epic Mickey series, but I can probably do without the games themselves.