Video Game Recommendation #3: Epic Mickey 

Game Stats:

Console: Wii

Release Date: 11/25/2010

Rating: Everyone

Genre: Adventure

My Rating: ⅘ stars

Why Am I recommending This game? 2010 was a fantastic year for Disney. Why? Well, because they got the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit back, that’s why! Here’s some background information for novice Disney fans; Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a cartoon made by Walt Disney before he was Disney. The company Walt worked for at the time, as Walt was leaving, held onto the rights for Oswald and would sue if Walt tried to use the character. Not wanting to risk it all on a so-called lucky rabbit, Walt created the character we all know and love today–Mickey Mouse–under his own studio, which would be the foundation of an empire. So again, why was 2010 a fantastic year for Disney? They got the rights back to Oswald! Which meant that he could be the disgruntled, estranged rabbit cousin of Mickey that acts as the perfect, comedic-relief antagonist to a video game.

There are two outcomes of the game, which you determine in the beginning by either thinning or painting a treasure chest. Thinning paint refers to removing it off a canvas, or erasing it, while painting is adding more to the item. Can you guess which leads to a good ending or a bad ending? (Hint, if you’re making things disappear, it can be bad!) There are cyborg counter-parts to beloved characters such as Goofy and Donald Duck, confused about where and who they are, who Mickey must to help. Along the way, you gain allies and learn more about why Oswald has it out for Mickey–there is one, glaringly obvious reason.

You learn a bit about Disney’s history and there are hidden Easter Eggs (or mouse ears!) throughout the game for the player’s enjoyment. If you like this game, you can also check out the sequel “Epic Mickey, the Power of Two”, or the 3DS counterpart, “Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion”. I’ve played both and really enjoyed Power of Illusion, since you can take it with you anywhere!

Using Kathryn’s rating system, I gave this game 4 out of 5 stars because sometimes the prompts and what gestures I needed to use weren’t clear. Since this is a Wii game, you need both the controller and nunchuck in order to play properly. There was a super cool add-on that made your remote look like the paintbrush Mickey uses in the game, but it made it more difficult for the action bar to pick up on what gestures you’re making. (Yes, I took the fancy paint brush off my controllers but sometimes the game still wouldn’t register which clockwise or counter clockwise gesture I was making with the Wii remote.)  Also, I ended up choosing the bad ending the first time around…

NOTE: This recommendation was brought to you by our guest reviewer Lauren.  Want to write a review of a video game you love (or of one you hated)? Email Kathryn at kathryn.ennist@hillsdale.bccls.org