E3 2012: Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two PS3 Hands-On

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a sequel to 2009's (mostly) critically acclaimed game. In the Power of Two, Mickey returns to the Wasteland with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to save the land. The game can be played cooperatively offline with a friend. You can have a friend drop in and drop out of the game at anytime. In addition to that, co-op is handled through split screen play, so you don't have to worry about your buddy falling behind. Both Mickey and Oswald have their own unique abilities. Mickey can use paint or thinner to draw in pathways and walls or defeat enemies. Oswald can use electricity against enemies.

Three levels were shown off at E3. The first began in Mickey's home where Gus the Gremlin informs Mickey of the latest happenings in Wasteland.

The first level shown was a throwback to the Disney Classic Fantasia where Mickey dons a wizard hat and broom sticks come to life. In the first level you travel to the wizard Yen Sid's laboratory which is being filled with water by brooms. Mickey must stop the brooms from filling up the laboratory with water and this is where his paint brush and thinner come in handy as you'll need to paint in pathways and paintings throughout the level.

The first thing I noticed is that the camera is handled using the D-pad rather than the right analog stick. The right analog stick controls your aiming reticle. This created a problem for me as I was always losing track of my aiming reticle because I kept trying to use the right analog stick to direct the camera.

The next part of the demo showed off a 2D side scrolling level. Both Mickey and Oswald have a similar skill set in the side scrolling portions of the game.

The last part of the demo finished with a boss fight against a Dragon. Teamwork was essential to defeating the Dragon. Oswald needs to shock the Dragon and Mickey can either paint in the Dragon's missing armor or use paint thinner to remove segments of the armor. The boss fight was challenging and fun, although the camera hindered the experience a bit.

Prior to playing the title I was speaking with one of our writers who had an opportunity to play the game and walked away impressed. To be honest, I had some preconceived notions about Epic Mickey 2, not having played the first game, but I walked away also quite impressed. Even though the controls and camera may take some time to get used to, the Developers have stayed faithful to the Disney movies and have created an overall fun experience.

- Siddharth Masand