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guest review

REVIEW: Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two for Xbox360

30 November 2012 by Suzannah Otis 2 Comments

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Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two For this review, I enlisted the help of the gamers in my household, my husband and son, to get some more official opinions from those that know what they are doing with a controller. Below are their thoughts, and then head over to read my reaction after playing the Power of Illusion version on Nintendo 3DS back in September. Happy playing!

If you hadn’t heard about Epic Mickey 2 – here is a synopsis of the game: In “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two,” gamers will play as Mickey Mouse and for the first time ever, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first cartoon star, in an all-new adventure of creativity and discovery.  Created by industry luminary Warren Spector and Disney Interactive’s Junction Point game development studio, “Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” returns Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Wasteland, an alternate world filled with 80 years of forgotten Disney characters and theme park attractions.  But for the first time, Mickey and Oswald will join forces as true partners – Mickey with his magical paint brush that wields paint and thinner, and Oswald with his powerful remote control that allows him to command electricity.

 

My 13 year-old had this succinct review of his time playing: The art design was really cool and the scenery and backgrounds were really fun to play through and walk around in. Overall gameplay was really fun, with lots of items to collect and lots to keep you entertained. Playing as a single player was a bit frustrating as you had to wait for Oswald to come over and do his parts of the game, but that was the only downside.

Whereas my husband had a bit more to say:

The much anticipated followup to Epic Mickey is a great game on the Xbox360.  Dazzling graphics highlight the game, and fans of the original game will not be disappointed.  However, Epic Mickey 2 is not without its problems, minor as they are.

Although they are rare, there are still some camera issues left over from the first game.  You will find yourself cursing the camera as it auto-zooms to awkward angles while you are climbing rock piles or running into rooms.

Unfortunately the story seems to get in the way of the game.  The graphics and game-play draw you in and really make you want to play.  Just as you get into a groove running around Mean Street, you realize that you are stuck having to go back collect an item, or take a picture, or complete a task that you overlooked.  A little bit of “free play” would have made this game perfect.  The story is not linear, even though it seems like it would have been easy enough to make it so.  When you first enter the game you are bombarded with side-quests and story details that are hard to remember and juggle.

Now for the good news.  Many of the control issues that plagued the first game have been taken care of in Epic Mickey 2.  You will no longer find yourself losing at critical points because Mickey does not move or paint in the directions you expect him to.  The movement is smooth, and game-play is very enjoyable.

Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two

Also, the developers did a good job of interweaving side-scrolling platform levels into the game.  They do so in a way that is not obtrusive to player and does not have you stalling to remember how to control the game.  You can effortlessly move from the 3D, third-person view of Mean Street, to the side-scrolling of the D.E.C. without losing a beat.

But, by far, the biggest plus to this game is the two player action using Oswald.  A second player can control Oswald and join in the game, helping Mickey along in his adventure.  Oswald has his own powers and his own part to play in completing puzzles and tasks.  This makes the game a far more rewarding, fun, and collaborative experience for two players.

Single people; fear not – if you play the game on single play, the computer controls Oswald, completing his tasks for you automatically. This leaves single players open to worry about the unfolding story tasks.

 Epic Mickey 2: Power of Two

 

“Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two” is rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the ESRB, and is now available for the Playstation 3
computer entertainment system, Xbox 360 and Wii U for a suggested retail price of $59.99 and Wii for a suggested retail price of $49.99. “Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion” is also rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the ESRB and is now available on the Nintendo 3DS for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

 

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary Xbox360 and Nintendo 3DS game for review purposes. Thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the authors. Links included are affiliate links.

 

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Filed Under: Disney Merchandise, Disney Movie News & Reviews, Reviews, Video Games and Apps Tagged With: disney interactive, Epic Mickey, Epic Mickey 2, Epic Mickey 2 trailer, Epic Mickey 2: Power of Illusion, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Game review, guest review, Mickey Mouse, Nintendo, Nintendo 3DS, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, paint brush, Power of Illusion, Warren Spector, wasteland, xbox, xbox 360, xbox360

Guest MOVIE REVIEW: The Bourne Legacy

22 August 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

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A few weeks back, my husband had the opportunity to attend a screening of Universal Pictures The Bourne Legacy – here’s his review of the film:

The Bourne Legacy is a good movie, and good addition to the Bourne franchise.  It can best be reviewed by breaking the movie down into…The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. WARNING: The Ugly contains spoilers.

Bourne Legacy The Good:
Tony and Dan Gilroy do a great job of working the story seamlessly into the previous Bourne trilogy of movies; fitting the story into the events of the third movie.  Jeremy Renner and Ed Norton are amazing in their roles and really stand out in an amazing cast.  Renner, in particular, is very believable as Aaron Cross and pulls off the roll with ease.

The Bad
Tony Gilroy directing was just…bad. In one of the opening scenes of the film, two people are talking in a small office. The camera, for some inexplicable reason, “helicopters” around them as they are talking, producing a motion sick feeling that will leaving you needing Dramamine.  The rest of the movie is okay directorally until the climatic car chase at the end.  This scene looks and feels like it was directed by my 4yo, with my 92yo grandfather working the camera.  There is a lot of fast action, but the camera always seems to be zoomed in on a random car bumper, or unaware passenger.

The Ugly
I really liked the movie, and the storyline of a failed government project that is trying to swept under the carpet is riveting.  However, toward the middle of the movie you realize that Aaron Cross doesn’t know he’s being hunted down, in fact all he is looking for is more “chems” (the government supplied drugs that make you stronger and faster).  The movie proceeds with Aaron trying to save the life of a doctor in order to obtain more drugs, not realizing he is the one being hunted.  Then the bomb drops…figuratively.  It is revealed that Aaron is only looking for the “smart” drug because his iq test results on his entrance exams were pumped up by his recruiter, thus making him, in his pre-drug state, 12 iq points below normal…and he doesn’t want to go back to that.  So basically the moral of Aaron’s crisis is, it’s not good to be…well…not smart.  I felt not smart after realizing that was the guiding force behind the plot; he didn’t know he was trying to stay alive, he just didn’t want to be dumb.

All together, the movie was a great addition to the Bourne franchise and very fun to watch…it just won’t make you smarter. – J.F. DiMarzio

 

The Bourne Legacy opened in theatres August 10

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Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Movie Reviews, Movies & Books, Reviews Tagged With: bourne legacy, Bourne Legacy movie review, bourne trilogy, ed norton, Guest author, guest post, guest review, J.F. DiMarzio, Jeremy Renner, movie review, review, tony gilroy

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