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  As usual, please put any spoilers behind appropriate tags. Just because it's Disney doesn't mean that an unspoiled first-time experience isn't valuable! MOST RECENT VIDEO (LP COMPLETE):  Introduction Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable and beloved characters in all of Western media, and he hardly needs an introduction. But if I asked you what Mickey's character was, his likes and dislikes, his personality...is there a definitive answer? Mickey's characterization has changed so much over the last 95 years; and at the risk of sounding like a pretentious jackass, here's a game that lets you decide what kind of Mickey you want to be. Epic Mickey (also known as Disney Epic Mickey) is an action-adventure platformer released for the Nintendo Wii on November 25th, 2010. The player guides Mickey Mouse through a mysterious world known as the Wasteland, where forgotten, obsolete, and scrapped cartoon characters call home. With the help of a mysterious gremlin named Gus and a magic paintbrush that creates either life-giving paint or destructive paint thinner, Mickey must save a world he barely knows - and whose residents resent him for his popularity. Epic Mickey's tone is much darker than your typical Disney fare, dealing with themes of loneliness, jealousy, forgiveness, and redemption. The game is full to bursting with loving references to other Disney media, whether they be popular, obscure, or even unmade. It's also a homecoming party for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the first cartoon character created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1927, as he returns to the Disney family. Oh, and it was developed by Junction Point Studios, a team filled with talent from Ion Storm and Looking Glass Studios, including the producer/director of Deus Ex, Warren Spector. As befitting the pedigree of its developers, Epic Mickey lets the player approach objectives as they see fit, make meaningful choices, and interact with the world primarily through gameplay. So, uh, it's kind of understandable that when word first got out of this game's existence, the internet went absolutely crazy. Unfortunately, initial leaks focused more on the grimdark tone of early concept art which, combined with word of Warren Spector's involvement, led to the misconception that this game was some kind of American McGee's Alice-esque reimagining of Disney lore. The truth is far more complicated. We have plenty of time to talk about that though, and don't you worry, we will. How the LP's going to work Joining me on this magical journey are pdPreciousRoy and Blastinus, and as usual they are both going in blind. This is not going to be a completionist playthrough; you need a minimum of three playthroughs for 100%, as many rewards and collectibles are mutually exclusive. Think of it more as a Pletionist playthrough (thanks Mad Goon Elusif for the joke!) This is also an informative LP which will explore the history of the Walt Disney Company and its products. While I will do my best to be as comprehensive as possible, I am only human and will inevitably make mistakes, so feel free to correct any errors in the comments. VIDEOS SERIES PLAYLIST                      
theenglishman fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Dec 27, 2023 |
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Jan 13, 2023 16:49
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Reserving, just in case.
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Jan 13, 2023 16:51
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All I know about the game is that is was supposedly going to be super grimdark, based on people seeing early concept art like you said, and then coming out and not being like that so it'll be interesting to see what the game is actually about.
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Jan 13, 2023 18:08
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I have been waiting ages for an informative Let's Play of Epic Mickey. Do you know why they went the Banjo Kazooie route for the voices? Was it a hardware limitation or a design choice? It's not like Mickey doesn't talk in full sentences.
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Jan 13, 2023 18:30
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Kermit The Grog posted:Do you know why they went the Banjo Kazooie route for the voices? Was it a hardware limitation or a design choice? It's not like Mickey doesn't talk in full sentences. Epic Mickey 2 has full voice acting, so I guess it was an artistic choice.
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Jan 13, 2023 18:37
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Oh cool, I remember reading a lot about this series in Nintendo Power but never cared enough to get it. I think the funniest part of this game's development isn't that it was made by the creative team of Deus Ex (though that is pretty funny), but that Disney didn't have the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at the time. NBC had the rights. Now, obviously, Disney could've probably just bought the rights back if they really wanted them. But ESPN in the mid-2000s was trying to get Al Michaels, an NFL announcer under ABC contract, to join them for Monday Night Football, so the ESPN president called Disney president Bob Iger to see if Michaels was available. Iger said that he'd trade Al Michaels for the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The ESPN president was able to get approval from Universal Pictures who owned the rights because Oswald was designed by Walt Disney for Universal Pictures in the 1920s, and so, for perhaps the first and only time in recorded history, a living person was traded for the rights to a cartoon character. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/12750497/how-espn-traded-al-michaels-oswald-rabbit
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Jan 13, 2023 19:23
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Pungry posted:Oh cool, I remember reading a lot about this series in Nintendo Power but never cared enough to get it. I think the funniest part of this game's development isn't that it was made by the creative team of Deus Ex (though that is pretty funny), but that Disney didn't have the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit at the time. NBC had the rights. Now, obviously, Disney could've probably just bought the rights back if they really wanted them. But ESPN in the mid-2000s was trying to get Al Michaels, an NFL announcer under ABC contract, to join them for Monday Night Football, so the ESPN president called Disney president Bob Iger to see if Michaels was available. Iger said that he'd trade Al Michaels for the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The ESPN president was able to get approval from Universal Pictures who owned the rights because Oswald was designed by Walt Disney for Universal Pictures in the 1920s, and so, for perhaps the first and only time in recorded history, a living person was traded for the rights to a cartoon character. See I always thought that part of the story was exaggerated, that Michaels' contract was part of the deal between Disney and Universal, but from the research I've done, it really does seem to be a one-to-one trade between Al Michaels and Oswald. Such a weird moment in entertainment history. Also, to add a bit more context, when Buena Vista Games first pitched the idea for a game starring Oswald, Disney didn't have the rights to the character. They reacquired the rights in 2004, and work on what became Epic Mickey didn't start until 2007 when Disney purchased Junction Point Studios.
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Jan 13, 2023 19:32
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I had this back in the day but never did finish it. I think I got approximately somewhere in the second or third world and lost interest. So definitely keen to see where it goes.
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Jan 13, 2023 21:42
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Very interesting! Getting some Heart of Darkness vibes from the intro, also I remember hearing a lot about this game while it was in development, and then when it came out it felt like it was just completely forgotten. I never met anyone who actually played it or had anything to say about it. Though I suppose part of that may have been it being aimed at kids, I don't recall seeing or hearing that while it was in dev. Also is there any effect to restoring the "decorative" toon parts? It seems like there are a good few chunks of the world you can restore just for a sense of completeness or your own whims.
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Jan 13, 2023 23:32
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I was mildly interested in this game when it came out, but I didn't have a Wii yet. Once I got one, I had read a lot of lukewarm reviews and didn't really know if I wanted it anymore. Never saw it in bargain bins, so probably other people also didn't want it new. It doesn't look bad so far? Of course, heavy tutorializing, but I like the mechanics of the two liquids, the platforming looks fluid, and I love the 2D interlude! Gonna follow this closely.
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Jan 13, 2023 23:42
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I'm pretty sure I finished this game back in the day, but I remember almost nothing about it. A lot of the references were lost on me at the time, so it'll be nice to have some of those pointed out.
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Jan 13, 2023 23:57
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I had no idea Warren Spector worked on this, should be interesting.
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Jan 14, 2023 01:20
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PurpleXVI posted:Also is there any effect to restoring the "decorative" toon parts? It seems like there are a good few chunks of the world you can restore just for a sense of completeness or your own whims. We will find out what that does next video. Simply Simon posted:It doesn't look bad so far? Of course, heavy tutorializing, but I like the mechanics of the two liquids, the platforming looks fluid, and I love the 2D interlude! Gonna follow this closely. I'd be lying if I said Epic Mickey didn't have serious design problems, but they don't tend to line up with the loudest complaints you heard around the game's launch. There's also a decent amount of jank, mostly because the game was rushed out a year early so it could be out for Black Friday 2010 (which it still missed by over a month). With a bit more time and a spring/summer 2011 release, I think this game would be far more fondly remembered.
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Jan 14, 2023 01:23
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I hope all the other moral choices come across in a way that you can read your helper as trying to convince mickey of either option depending on your read. With the constant warnings I wound up reading that with some serious Gene Wilder Willy Wonka vibes.
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Jan 14, 2023 02:41
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anilEhilated posted:I had no idea Warren Spector worked on this, should be interesting. Next episode: Gus explains progressive taxation to Mickey.
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Jan 14, 2023 10:30
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I remember seeing the introduction video way back when, but never looked at the game. The ink monster grabbing Mickey still reminds me of the tenacles from Dead Space.
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Jan 14, 2023 11:51
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Oh heck yes! *watched*
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Jan 15, 2023 04:29
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I really didn't expect there to be Bioshock-style heavy-handed moral choices in this game.
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Jan 15, 2023 05:37
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Item Getter posted:I really didn't expect there to be Bioshock-style heavy-handed moral choices in this game. Haha yeah no kidding. Looking forward to this series.
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Jan 15, 2023 06:55
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FoolyCharged posted:I hope all the other moral choices come across in a way that you can read your helper as trying to convince mickey of either option depending on your read. With the constant warnings I wound up reading that with some serious Gene Wilder Willy Wonka vibes. If Gus caught Mickey stealing Fizzy Lifting Drinks, he’d say something like “Really now, Mickey! I expected more from you.” and then never mention it again. theenglishman fucked around with this message at 02:29 on Jan 16, 2023 |
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Jan 16, 2023 02:27
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I was really curious about this game due to it being Warren Spector, but I think by the time it came out I'd long since realized I completely despised Wii motion controls and so any game that relied on them was immediately off my wishlist (yes, that meant I hardly played anything on Wii). Will be very interested to see it from a safe, non-waggle remove.
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Jan 17, 2023 06:29
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I'd heard of the interest in this game but then when it died down on release I kinda forgot about it. Deus Ex for kids (with fuckin Mickey Mouse and Disney, no less) is an extremely ambitious goal, so it's not surprising it doesn't quite hit that mark, but drat if I'm not interested to see the results of a solid effort (from the guy who made Deus Ex to boot) anyway.
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Jan 17, 2023 10:31
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I think the only thing I know about this was that Warren Spector worked on it, I didn't know other members of Ion Storm and Looking Glass worked on it too. So far it's reminding a lot of the Sega Genesis game Micky Mania, where you also played as Mickey Mouse going through old iterations of Micky Mouse cartoons.
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Jan 17, 2023 14:08
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Zeniel posted:I think the only thing I know about this was that Warren Spector worked on it, I didn't know other members of Ion Storm and Looking Glass worked on it too. I sat down and made a list of as many connections between Epic Mickey's development team (Junction Point Studios) and Ion Storm / Looking Glass as I could find (and a few connections to Origin Systems as well, since Warren Spector worked on Ultima and Wing Commander). Spector himself is not on this list because my hands are tired and I have to stop somewhere.
An interesting note: after the dissolution of Junction Point, a number of these people went to Arkane Studios. I'm seeing a lot of connections between Epic Mickey and Prey, and a few on Dishonoured 1's DLC and Dishonoured 2.
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Jan 17, 2023 18:14
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I hope this makes like Earthworm Jim and for every gremlin you launch into the sky for money they came crashing down on top of you at the end of the game.
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Jan 18, 2023 07:23
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Oh. For some reason I thought this game was proposed but was never made.
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Jan 18, 2023 08:05
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See the sights! Ride the rides! And can someone please get that song out of my head....
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Jan 20, 2023 18:37
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Find some time and go watch Gremlins. Both movies are on HBO Max
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Jan 20, 2023 22:44
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Fun fact: While the Gremlins never appeared in a Disney film; a group of Gremlins were the protagonists of a 1944 Merrie Melodies short Russian Rhapsody, directed by Bob Clampett, that was even originally going to be titled "Gremlins from the Kremlin" until Disney asked them to not use the name as the adaptation of The Gremlins was in production at the time, despite the fact that the adaptation ended up never getting made.
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Jan 21, 2023 02:34
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CzarChasm posted:Find some time and go watch Gremlins. Both movies are on HBO Max We don’t get HBO Max in Canada (Crave doesn’t count) but it is on Prime Video, so I’ll check it out there.
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Jan 21, 2023 20:44
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Also don't forget to watch Gremlins 2 while you're at it. Also we attracted a Guardian... watch out for Black Moongates, I guess. 
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Jan 21, 2023 23:31
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PurpleXVI posted:Also don't forget to watch Gremlins 2 while you're at it. Also we attracted a Guardian... watch out for Black Moongates, I guess. The Guardian's most muppet-like face would fit right into a Disney game
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Jan 22, 2023 03:34
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I really like the effect they put on his ears, having them face the camera at all times.
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Jan 22, 2023 07:15
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You mentioned in the video that you used to speedrun this game; would it be possible for you to do a speedrun at the end of the LP? Or are you planning on showing off the exploits and routing you'd use in a speedrun over the course of the LP?
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Jan 22, 2023 13:05
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Commander Keene posted:You mentioned in the video that you used to speedrun this game; would it be possible for you to do a speedrun at the end of the LP? Or are you planning on showing off the exploits and routing you'd use in a speedrun over the course of the LP? I’d love to, but unfortunately, my arms aren’t what they used to be. I need to keep recording sessions under an hour for medical reasons. At the end of the LP however, I will link to some newer speedruns from a whole new community that’s taken up the game since I stopped. Their stuff is really good!
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Jan 23, 2023 04:51
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I think killing is killing in Deus Ex, whether by you or otherwise, but Agent 47 on the other hand would approve of the clean hands approach.
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Jan 24, 2023 05:58
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Looks like Mickey won't be getting the good ending (the same ending but with a rainbow).
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Jan 26, 2023 03:41
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We're wrapping up the intro section, and it's going out with a bang.
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Jan 27, 2023 17:37
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Why does there need to be a Toronto disaster movie when the Blue Jays exist? EDIT!: I've been informed that this is also appropriate for the Maple Leafs and possibly the Raptors. Miz Kriss fucked around with this message at 03:44 on Jan 28, 2023 |
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Jan 28, 2023 00:48
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There was an Epic Mickey 2???
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Jan 28, 2023 14:19
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