Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is a sequel to the video game Epic Mickey. It was announced on August 27, 2011, when Disney marketing polls revealed four potential covers and some working titles. The game features co-op, with Mickey and Oswald. The game was officially announced for a Fall 2012 release window on December 29, 2011 and it was announced for multiple consoles and PC. Unlike the first game, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two features full voice-acting and original songs written by Jim Dooley and Mike Himelstein. The PC version was originally cancelled. (However, on October 6, 2014, Epic Mickey 2 was made available on Steam.)
==Story==
The game is set some time after the original Epic Mickey. The Mad Doctor, whom Mickey defeated in the first game, mysteriously returns to the Wasteland, despite having been supposedly blown up in the first game. He claims to have realized the error of his ways and offers to work with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and the other residents of Wasteland to repair the damage recently caused by earthquakes in order to make amends. Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Oswald agrees. However, not long after accepting the Mad Doctor's help, Wasteland begins to suffer even more damage than before. Becoming suspicious that the Mad Doctor is not keeping his part of the bargain, Gremlin Gus, Oswald's friend and adviser, and Ortensia, Oswald's girlfriend, decide to contact Mickey Mouse, who saved Wasteland in the first game, to ask for his help. Gus is able to contact Mickey using Mickey's television and tells Mickey in a very panicked voice that there is trouble in Wasteland. Confused, Mickey then jumps into the TV, where he has to get his paint brush back. Armed with the paintbrush, Mickey then re-paints Wasteland and jumps right in. With Gus' help, Mickey returns to Wasteland to assist in uncovering the truth behind the Mad Doctor's supposed reformation, teaming up with Oswald along the way.
The two later discover that the Mad Doctor has been using his offer of help as a premise to release his new creations, "Blotworx" (a mixture of the Blotlings and Beetleworx from the original Epic Mickey), into the Wasteland. Realizing his mistake, Oswald proceeds to assist Mickey in taking down the Mad Doctor once again.
There is also a boss battle against Elliott the Dragon which is actually a parade float from the Main Street Electrical Parade. In this battle, just like the first game you have two options: to either thin or paint it.
==Gameplay==
In Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Mickey is able to use his paintbrush from the first game, and can still use paint and thinner. Oswald is armed with a remote control that has the power to command electricity. Oswald's other powers are the use of his ears as a helicopter to float and to remove his arm and use it as a boomerang to get items or hit things. The game is like a musical in which songs and music change based on whether gamers prompt Mickey to be well-mannered or mischievous. Oswald is controlled by either another player or running as an NPC. Also, the camera controls are changed.
===Cartoons Featured as Transition Levels===
*The Old Mill
*Night on Bald Mountain
*Music Land
*The Skeleton Dance
*Building a Building
*The Band Concert
*Mickey's Service Station
==Features==
*All in-game characters - most notably Oswald the Lucky Rabbit whose voice is heard for the first time ever - are fully voiced by the official voice actors of those characters.
*Players experience Disney's forgotten characters and attractions in all-new levels (including one based on Frontierland) and further explore levels from the original Disney Epic Mickey (such as OsTown), but now changed, impacted by world-changing events that have shaken Wasteland apart.
*New 2D levels based on classic Disney animated films and shorts offer compelling puzzle-based, platforming gameplay.
*An original game story co-written by award-winning American comic book writer, Marv Wolfman, and Junction Point.
*The storyline features a variety of new and returning characters that further immerses players in Disney's rich history while adversaries familiar and new will challenge players.
*This game has an epilogue after completion, unlike the previous game, where the game cannot be played after completion until a new game is started.
==Voice cast==
*Bret Iwan - Mickey Mouse
*Frank Welker - Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
*Cary Elwes - Gremlin Gus
*Audrey Wasilewski - Ortensia
*Jim Meskimen - The Mad Doctor
*Corey Burton - Yen Sid, The Spirit of Wasteland
*Jim Cummings - Big Bad Pete, Pete Pan, Small Pete, Petetronic
*Bill Farmer - Horace Horsecollar, Animatronic Goofy, Practical Pig
*Tony Anselmo - Animatronic Donald
*Tress MacNeille - Animatronic Daisy
*April Winchell - Clarabelle Cow, Gilda
*Jeff Bennett - Mr. Smee
*Pat Musick - Fiddler Pig
*Dominic Keating - Gremlin Prescott
*Stephen Stanton - Paulie, Scurvy Pat, Blue Gremlin
*Jon Heder - Seth
*Dana Snyder - Gremlin Jamface
*James Patrick Stuart - Gremlin Sparks
*Fred Tatasciore - Barnacle Jones
*Julianne Buescher - Metairie
*Additional Voices - Roger Craig Smith, Melissa Disney, Robin Atkin Downes, Greg Ellis, Brian George, T.J. Ramini, Jason Marsden, Eliza Schneider, André Sogliuzzo
==Production==
===First Announcement===
During a survey, a question was asked. It said this:
:"Now we would like to show you a few more packages for the Disney Epic Mickey 2 video game. Please indicate which package design makes you most interested in purchasing Disney Epic Mickey 2."
==="Secret" Project===
In issue #276 of Nintendo Power Magazine, the game was hinted at in the end of the issue as they said that in the next issue, they would feature a look at "a top-secret title that promises to make your head spin" (Referring to Oswald's "Helicopter Ears"). It was eventually revealed that Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two actually was the "Secret" Project.
===Confirmation===
On March 21, 2012, the game and its official title was confirmed by Warren Spector and acclaimed IGN game unit. It was confirmed that Ortensia, Gremlin Gus, the Mad Doctor, Pete, Animatronic Goofy, Yen Sid, and the Magic Brooms from Fantasia would appear. Frontierland and some other new worlds would also be added to the Wasteland.
In the GameTrailers TV episode that aired March 23, 2012, all new gameplay and story elements were premiered. According to Spector, this story revolves around the return of the Mad Doctor who claims he's reformed and wants to rejoin Oswald's forces. Oswald, overjoyed with the return of his friend, accepts him with open arms. However, the citizens of the Wasteland feel reluctant to the whole thing. To see if the Doctor is legit, they call on Mickey. Strangely, earthquakes begin to occur all over Wasteland, leaving Mickey to feel a lot more suspicious about the Doctor. Also revealed were new areas to be visited including Mickey's room in the real Disney world and Yen Sid's studies which were only seen in the previous game's opening and ending cinematics. The returning areas of Wasteland such as Mean Street and OsTown was revamped.
As said before, the game features full voice acting with Oswald being voiced by Disney veteran Frank Welker who performed Oswald's grunts and sound effects in the first game. The original game's narrator Yen Sid is voiced by Corey Burton, and Mike Himelstein also wrote the lyrics for the game's musical numbers. According to Spector, there will be "at least five songs". There is also a new way to travel through Wasteland alongside the 2D cartoon portals. Players now travel underground where forgotten Disney memorabilia of classic characters like Chip and Dale and Toby Tortoise are stored.
A new army has risen in the Wastelands too, a curious hybrid of Blotlings and Beetleworx known as Blotworx. How exactly this new species came about is all part of the mystery of the Mad Doctor's claims to be reformed.
A confirmed boss was discovered when Warren Spector said that the first boss is an animatronic version of Elliot the Dragon from Pete's Dragon, based on the Ellliot float from the Main Street Electrical Parade. The robot has a Blotling controlling it, making it a Blotworx.
==Reception==
Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two received mixed reviews, with most complaints being the game not fixing issues that were present in the original. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Wii version 67.60% and 64/100, the Xbox 360 version 60.80% and 59/100 the PlayStation 3 version 57.83% and 59/100, the Wii U version 55.42% and 57/100, and the PlayStation Vita version 51.50% and 57/100.
===Sales===
By the end of 2012, Epic Mickey 2 sold 529,000 copies in the United States. By the end of 2010, its predecessor had sold at least 1.3 million. In a recent interview, Warren Spector stated that he was 'in doubt' about the future of the series. Despite heavy advertising and due to gameplay criticism, the game barely sold a quarter of the copies the original did, making it a commercial bomb (its sales were scoped at around 2 million), despite being available on multiple platforms. Following these financial losses, Disney made an official statement on January 29, 2013 that Junction Point Studios was to be closed in order to direct resources to other projects. It is revealed that Disney still owns the Epic Mickey IP, but has no plan for the series. In 2016, concept art was leaked of a cancelled kart racer based on the Epic Mickey franchise, named Epic Disney Racers, which was to include a number of other playable characters from Disney's legacy, including Scrooge McDuck and Cruella De Vil as well as Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Rabbit.https://mynintendonews.com/2016/08/21/disney-cancelled-an-epic-mickey-racing-spin-off/
==Cancelled sequel==
A sequel to Epic Mickey 2 titled Epic Mickey 3 was originally intended to be the final part of the Epic Mickey trilogy. Due to the poor sales of Epic Mickey 2, Junction Point Studios closed on January 29, 2013, therefore cancelling Epic Mickey 3 and resulting in Epic Mickey 2 being the the final part.http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a376874/epic-mickey-planned-as-three-games-by-warren-spector/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/12/warren_spector_hints_at_epic_mickey_3http://www.change.org/p/disney-interactive-studios-epic-mickey-3
==Gallery==
Poster 2.jpg
04 DEM2 NP poster print.jpg
02 DEM2 KA 8 print.jpg
01 DEM2 KA 1B print.jpg
DEM2 Shaking Hands final sm.jpg|Promotional art of Mickey and Oswald teaming up to save the Wasteland.
Oswald Ortensia Mickey and Gus . Epic Mickey 2 art.png
Mickey and Oswald. Epic Mickey 2 art.jpg
Mickey and Oswald flying. Epic Mickey 2 art.jpg
Mickey oswaldgoofin.png
2a67f7aa6bea49c6f594241f6401ca02a5b0079c.jpg|Mickey within his house after getting Yen Sid's brush (during the prologue)
96feacd4-6049-4d30-bb12-6899892bd609.jpg|Mickey and Oswald attacking a blotling.
2286bed5-61ad-40eb-969f-2a7d13a04fbf.jpg|Inside the dimension of paint and thinner where Mickey obtains the brush
Concept art EM2.jpg|A part of Yen Sid's workshop.
Oswald Remote.jpg|Real Oswald Remote.
Oswald remote 2.jpg|Oswald with his remote.
Partners statue EM2.jpg|Concept art showing Walt Disney holding Mickey and Oswald's hands.
Em2 Oswald Mickey.jpg|Mickey and Oswald with their "Weapons".
MS Utilidors Propeller.jpg|The turbines in the Underground beneath Mean Street.
Ostown Em2.jpg|OsTown, as it appears in the game.
Img 2957.jpg|Artwork for the Disney Gulch
Building a Building Projector 001.png
Building a Building Projector 002.png
Building a Building Projector 003.png
Night on Bald Mountain Projector 001.png
Night on Bald Mountain Projector 002.png
Night on Bald Mountain Projector 003.png
Skeleton Dance Projector 002.png
Skeleton Dance Projector 004.png
World of Evil projection.png
Mad Doctor Toon Again.png
==Trivia==
*Just like the first Epic Mickey, there is no trace or mention of Minnie Mouse. But she appears in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion.
*Despite Mickey being shown with part of the Blot inside of him after the last game ended, he does not show any sign of this power in Epic Mickey 2.
*This game released in North America on November 18, 2012, coinciding with Mickey Mouse's 84th birthday.
==References==
==External links==
*Disney sketches sequel to 'Epic Mickey' video game
*Epic Mickey Sequel To Address The “Mistakes” Of The First – And Make Disney History With Frank Welker
*Story opening. (Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Hands On)
*Pre-order for Wii, XBox 360, and PS3
*Eu release date and PC version: 
*The Disney Epic Mickey Video Game Facebook page of the US, UK and Italy. Each featuring artwork, descriptions, info, screenshots, etc.
*Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two on Epic Mickey Wiki
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