 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Disney Epic Mickey
- Nintendo Wii
- Price: $39.99
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Common Sense Media says
Grand, imaginative, heartfelt adventure in dark 'toon world.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Disney Epic Mickey is a dark and often scary adventure story that brings the Mickey Mouse character back into the Disney spotlight. While there's nothing resembling real violence, Mickey does fight inkblot enemies with splashes of paint and thinner. While the tale has dark and spooky overtones, though, it is in the end a story of redemption, with a powerful emotional climax. If young kids can handle the spookiness, they will probably love the story.
What's it about?
DISNEY EPIC MICKEY is epic indeed. The story starts with a curious Mickey Mouse venturing into a magic mirror, where a sorcerer has created a miniature model of Disneyland (though the park isn't named). With the wizard out of the room, Mickey starts messing around and spills paint and thinner into the magical model. Years later, Mickey ends up sucked into the dark and dismal world of that model. It is known as Wasteland and serves as home to the forgotten Disney characters, including Oswald the Rabbit, who runs the place. Wasteland has also been plagued by the evil Shadow Blot, which Mickey himself spilled into the land years earlier. Now, Mickey must explore and restore this ersatz Disneyland to rid it of its blotster invaders and bring life and color back to its inhabitants. He travels through this land using paint to fix things and thinner to erase as he (or rather as the player) sees fit. The game offers many different locations, numerous platform puzzles, tons of collectibles, and a large cast of characters to meet and help.
Is it any good?
When it comes to story and presentation, Disney Epic Mickey is a phenomenal piece of work. The rich and imaginative tale is full of depth and emotion, and it unfolds masterfully. The animated sequences are brilliant, and one might almost wish Epic Mickey were just a movie he or she could sit back and enjoy. The paint/thinner concept is a great one as well, and there's a nice bit of strategy involved in deciding when to eliminate an obstacle using thinner or to fix it up with a coat of paint. The level designs are delightfully complicated with plenty of hidden nooks and passages to explore, and the many allusions to real-world Disney attractions are fun to spot. Even with some glitchy camera work, Epic Mickey is still one of the best Wii games of the year. Its many innovations certainly outweigh any negative points in the play control. Most players will likely be so enthralled by the adventure that they'll be willing to put up with a few frustrating moments.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Mickey's character development throughout the course of the story. Is Mickey a good role model in the beginning of the tale? Is curiosity a trait to be praised or a character flaw? How does Mickey change by the end of the story? Is he a better or worse role model by that point?
And what about Oswald, the forgotten toon rabbit who rules Wasteland? How does his character change by the end of the story?
Do you like games in which the hero's moral choices are put in the
players' hands? When you play a game like that, do you tend to make
honorable choices, or do you enjoy the chance to be bad? Why do you
choose one or the other?Parents can also ask their kids if they think commercialism is
at work here. While Disneyland is not specifically named or depicted in
the game, Wasteland is undoubtedly meant to evoke that theme park. Does
playing the game give you any desire to visit a Disney amusement park?
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- Teens & kids
AGE
Awesome game but not for little Mickey fans.
I am enjoying this game. I heard about how it focused on the history of Disney and thought it would be a fun way to experience some nostalgia and share the story with my children. I did, however learn during the opening sequence that the game isn't meant for small children. Though Disney focuses on pre-schoolers with their Mickey Mouse show, this game DOES NOT. My three year old and one year old were quite frightened by the ink monster and his blob minions. I should have read this review first. It is, however an fun game with what seems like a lot of depth and rewarding gameplay. Just wait until the pre-schoolers are in bed.
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AGE
is not the game to play if you are a huge mickey mouse fan
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AGE
Depressing, But Epic
This game in my case should not be E. It contains too much violence and depressing themes. Other than that, it is a fun game that can't be turned down.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 11, 2011
AGE
Very good
Very good game but the middle is very hard, did not even give me any instructions when I went to the magic kingdom level in this game.
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Kid, 11 years old
April 12, 2011
AGE
A beutiful,lovley adventure
Epic mickey is a hard game to review.there are many faults involing camra,controls and design.but thre are many postive things such as a great story and chracters,graphics,a brillent soundtrack,loads of replay factor and unique boss fights and morality system.one fav level is mickey junk mountin which is stuffed with screats despite loads of mickey merchendise.its story is dark at times and thre are some spokky imagery but nothihing that bad.The camra is wonkey at times so is the camra which is annoying and whre you need to go is unclear at times.mickey and my fav disney chracter oswald are great role modles,thre are good messages such as helping people and the game is relativly easy to play.ignore the flaws for an involing, touching and epic adventure!
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Kid, 9 years old
April 11, 2011
AGE
exciting adventure
It is a great game but its very tough to get everything because unlike the hubs of the game you cant go back in stuff like cartoons so its important to get all the film reels while you still can.
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AGE
Great game if you liked super mario sunshine
Some of the splatters are creepy but you can make them your friends. I like the fact that mickey realizes that he made wasteland and is trying to restore it. The camera hooks on surroundings.
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AGE
perfect for kids 8+
Love it play it twice a week maybe three or four
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AGE
Fun Mickey game
This a vey good game that is the best wii game of the year due to it's replayability and its overall creativness. The replayibility is insane! There are so many quests and extras to unlock, I know ill be playing this again. The game has a not so good camera which can be fixed with the controls and the lack of voice dubs is kind of sad but can be looked over. The enviorments is what you should buy the game for. Overall and truly great game!
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AGE
Cinematic, enjoyable game marred by a few glitches
I've anticipated this game since its reveal in Game Informer, and while Disney: Epic Mickey isn't really all that polished, it's still a great debut game from developer Junction Point and one of the best games on the Wii this year (and considering that Monster Hunter Tri, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, Goldeneye, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Kirby's Epic Yarn were all released this year, that isn't a small feat). Like Goldeneye before it, this is yet another game that plays out like a film. The animation and level design are both fantastic, and the dialogue, while corny at times, is Disney-level good. There are quite a few characters you run into from past Disney, but I'm a little disappointed that Oliver and Company (the most underrated Disney film of all time) isn't represented at least a little bit. That's a subjective complaint, I know, but still worth mentioning. Also, the only other nitpicks I have all have to do with the sometimes godawful camera. Many a time I've fallen into the pool of thinner in the opening boat ride level when a really bad camera angle comes in. However, it's not bad enough to warrant the complaints this game's gotten. Epic Mickey is just one of those games that will get a love-it-or-hate-it reception, whether you like it or not. In terms of content, this is certainly a dark game, but it's Disney-dark. A few diabolical villains do appear, but, again, this is Disney; they're cartoonishly presented and even downright silly at times. And you're just painting them or spraying them with paint thinner, for crying out loud. Overall, Epic Mickey is a rare gem in a sea of licensed Wii titles. It doesn't deserve the flak that it's been getting over trivial things such as the camera and control scheme. It's all quite intuitive, and I commend Warren Spector for creating this masterpiece. Bring on Epic Mickey 2!
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| Platforms: | Nintendo Wii |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Action/Adventure |
| Developer: | Disney Interactive |
| Release date: | November 30, 2010 |
| Price: | $39.99 |
| ESRB rating: | E for Cartoon Violence |
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