Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion - HEEL ReviewMarch 24, 2013 by

Sometimes the best gaming experiences are the unplanned, random ones. You decide you want to play something, you pick it up and dive in, and several hours later, you're blown away, and thankful you made that decision. Well, throw all of those feelings out the window, because after playing Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, I'm rather mad at myself. Three hours of my life I'll never ever get back. Seriously, this game is shit.

l never did get into the console Epic Mickey games, I heard they were sub-par at best, and that's being generous to the sequel, apparently, which had abysmal sales and reviews. For my Sanity, I'm going to refer to the game from this point on as Epic Mickey 3DS, so I don't have to type out the name so often. The story here is that Misrabel, in the form of Maleficent, has created a world of Illusion, and trapped all the Disney characters within the world, and it's up to Mickey, with help from Jiminy Cricket (guess being the conscious of one character wasn't enough for the little bastard), to save the characters and put an end to Misrabel's evilness....and stuff.

​Now, for one, Epic Mickey 3DS is short. When I say short, I mean, you could beat it while waiting for a doctor's appointment short. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it's REALLY short. The game has three worlds, with four levels in each, and then a boss fight at the end of each world. If you avoid side quests in this game, you will beat it in probably two hours, and that's no exaggeration, it's really short. As you explore each level, you'll find other Disney characters, which you'll "save" (talk to) and send them back to the Fortress hub. After you save them, and return to the hub, you'll find that they have quests for you to embark on, from finding a friend of theirs, an item they seek, or painting them something simple on the touch screen. I'll get to the paint aspect in a minute, but these quests are ridiculous. They're meant to add some length to the game, but all result in you playing the SAME levels over again, because they're so few in the game, you have to replay them a lot to find other items, that once you have the quest for, magically appear. It's a cheap way to add length to a title, and it's not appreciated. I started out doing most of the side quests it asked of me, but by the time I was in the third world, I was ready for the pain to stop, and I stopped doing most of them, just ones that would give me upgrades I wanted (NOTE: The game doesn't tell you what quests give what rewards, I had to look it up, and feel bad for the poor soul who played through everything to make that wiki)

Combat in the game revolves mostly around the paint mechanics, which are a lame idea overall, to me. You have paint and you have paint thinner, and depending on which one you attack with, your rewards are different. Killing enemies with paint gives life restores, and killing with paint thinner gives money. You also have the ability to jump on enemies heads, but it's weird how it works. This isn't your typical Mario game where you just pounce their head. No, this game requires you to jump and then press the jump button again to land ass first on an enemy, giving you the ability to kill it. It's stupid, one press of the jump button should suffice.

Painting also has a use in the environment, where the touch screen shows you an item you can alter by either applying paint or thinner to make it appear or disappear, whatever the environment requests at the time. This proved to be a frustrating mechanic, as sometimes when you're platforming, you have to tap the touch screen, make an item disappear by applying thinner so you'll jump past it, and then apply paint to an item beyond that so you can land on it or in it, if it's a cannon. There is too much trial and error required for you to figure out what to do, again, applying that adds length to an extremely short game. It's both frustrating and insulting. Throughout the game you'll also acquire paintings that you can equip before a level to assist you throughout the level. What do they do? I have no idea, I never used ANY of them, they were unnecessary additions to the game, so I didn't bother trying them out. I collected all of them, but barely used them. I think there's a Tinker Bell painting that lets you jump higher for 3 seconds. Real friggin useful, thanks.

The platforming overall is weak, because the game's pace is so slow. Seriously, why does Mickey run so slow? It's like he's just taking his sweet time to save everyone, I guess the mouse figures he's always doing the hard work, so he's gonna take his sweet time. The jumping is also weak, because Mickey can't jump very high. It's really annoying in the end, because some of the items require you to have an enemy neighbor to have a timed jump pulled off just to reach the area. So if you're low on life and trying to kill an enemy to refill it, be mindful of your surroundings or you'll miss a chance at an item. Also, be mindful of this, each level has only one checkpoint, and that's when you go "off screen" to the next area. If you die at anytime, you start back at the beginning of whatever screen you happen to be on. The Little Mermaid level, with its shitty Water mechanics made me really hate the dying and restarting system. This game is targeted towards kids, and if I'm having a hard time, they've probably already told Mom and Dad to take this crap back.

The only positive I can say about the game comes from the Graphics department. The game really shines, has some terrific models, but it being a 2D side scrolling platformer, that is kind of expected. However, it does look sharp, also with the 3D activated, it makes stuff pop out, but I recall the health meter at the top left not looking right and making me really dizzy if I stared at it too long. Just a small warning. The audio of the game has some kind of boring music that I couldn't tell if it was trying to spin off Disney themes or not, at some points it sounded like it was going to, and then completely changed directions on me. There is no voice acting, just grunts/moans/Mickey noises. Speaking of Mickey noises, when he dies, he makes an awful noise that sounds like an old woman falling down or something. It's terrible, and I died quite a bit at the end due to the water mechanics having a bad impact on the platforming, so by the end I had the music turned all the way down. Shame.

Epic Mickey 3DS is a disappointing title all around. Sure the game looks good, but it's so short you won't be around long enough to enjoy the pretty visuals, and the platforming and combat moves are lame, slow and amateur at best. I wanted to like this game, but in the end, I regret wasting my time playing it. Sure, it was a short amount of time, but I went into the game expecting something good and came away extremely disappointed. I expect more from the Disney franchise, and I sure do hope the people working on Disney Infinity manage to create something exceptional. I can only hope...but for now, save your $40 bucks, you can get waaaaay better things for $40 than this game....(Dark Souls is on Steam for 19.99, seriously, #shamelessplug #PCgaming)

Treeter's Score: 4.0

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Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance ReviewSeptember 14, 2012 by

Who here is ready for Kingdom Hearts III? That's one of the most obvious questions I could possibly ask you. Everyone is ready for Kingdom Hearts III. What started out as an interesting and unique concept has evolved....or should I say devolved into a stretched out repetitive experience, because since Kingdom Hearts II, each of the games feels like a step back in the franchise, because you're literally replaying a similar version of the same shit you have already played. Ok, I know diehard Kingdom Hearts fans would disagree with me, but I am tired of the side stories, I am ready for this franchise to move on to the next iteration, and quit confusing the fuck out of me even more...FORTUNATELY, though, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (I am going to call it KH3D for short) refreshes the series with perhaps the most fun combat system to date, and an interesting "drop" concept that keeps you into the game and the story, however repetitive it may be. Kingdom Hearts has recently celebrated it's 10th Anniversary, and to that I say WOW! I can't believe it's been 10 years since this game came out, but when I think back on it, I did play the first one while I was still in high school....Holy shit I am old.

KH3D features Sora and Riku, the familiar and arguably most popular characters of the franchise, attemping to become true keyblade masters. To do so, they most take a series of tests which involve going through the trials of saving seven different worlds. The unique part is they are both saving the same world, but a parallel universe of the same one, so while Sora is doing his thing in Traverse Town, Riku is doing his own thing in the same zone, just a different version of said town. The "exam" to become a Keyblade Master, known as The Mark of Mastery, will test Sora and Riku, and give them the tools they need to combat Xehanort, which is the nobody of somebody, or something like that...

The usual fanfare of Kingdom Hearts + Disney + Square Enix cameos is all here, and it's all beautiful. In my opinion, KH3D is one of the best looking games available on the 3DS. It not make the most of the 3D effects, but it is stunning to look at, in 2D and it features some amazing cutscenes that I think even outclass the PS2 era cutscenes. Pretty impressive stuff for a handheld. The game runs at a fluid 30fps, and looks stunning in action. It's truly one of the best looking games on a handheld, and since I just have recently upgraded to the 3DS XL, it really stands out as a good looking game.

The combat is what you've come to expect from a Kingdom Hearts title, with a major addition this time around: Flowmotion Combat. Flowmotion Combat puts your environment to good use, allowing you to use lightpoles and other fixtures to springboard off of and into your enemies, dealing massive amounts of damage to them. It is a neat concept that makes you rethink your battle plan and adds so much strategy to certain fights. It really is one of the most efficient ways of dealing damage, and is so easy to do, it's a very simple yet engaging addition to an already superb combat system.

The name "Dream Drop Distance" is not only long and unnecessary but provides a hint towards another key addition this game: the ability to "drop in" and "drop out" between Sora and Riku. Each time you start with a character, you have a time limit that can be prolonged depending on your performance with said character. Once the time limit has run out, you "drop out" and take over the other character for a set amount of time. You're awarded points and given a rank once you drop out, and can use those points for temporary stat boosters or munny, giving you an incentive to let the time play it's course, although you can "drop out" and switch to another character at your own command, just don't expect the bonuses to be that great, as opposed to letting time do it's own thing. I personally think the Drop system was a good idea, it's a unique feature that adds variety to a often debated "stale" game franchise. Two parallel stories going on makes for an interesting game, that's for sure.

Also noticeably absent from your side in this game are Donald and Goofy, the main two games partners in crime, in their place are a type of pet, called Dream Eaters, that you can create via materials collected throughout the game. They serve their purpose, allowing you to chain combos together after a certain period of time, and do enough distracting some of the baddies (also dream eaters) to give you an advantage through combat. You can also interact with them via the 3DS' touch screen, earning their affection...it's like Nintendogs...literally, but KH themed. Sigh. Abilities in this game are earned through buying them, and acquiring them throughout the game can be fun and engaging, also adding to the game is the way they are put on cooldown, forcing you to strategize your encounters, and use the right ability at the right time. It really should be noted though that because of the game's overly easy difficulty, I am sure you could blast right through it with no strategy involved.

The voice acting here is the standard fare, and while the Final Fantasy characters are there, they don't play as big of a role, although Moogles bring their annoying asses into the swing being the vendors. Fans of The World Ends with You will be rejoiced to see familiar faces from that game being introduced here, but I haven't played the game myself (don't hate, I don't play a lot of handheld stuff) so I wasn't really moved by them. Still, the game manages give you a sense of feeling due to King Mickey being all about a good heart, and knowing that everyone has some evil in them, amirite?

Also, newcomers to the franchise have a chance to catch up thanks to the journal system, giving you full recounts of the other entries in the series, and fans like me who get totally lost in all the confusion of the franchise a chance to really see what's going on. It's a nice addition, and makes the story start to make a little bit of sense!

KH3D is just fine, but I can't hammer home enough how ready I am for Kingdom Hearts III. Each time I see a new title in the franchise, that turns out to be a prequel or a side story, I get frustrated because I just don't know why they won't work on 3 already. It's almost as annoying as their unwillingness to remake Final Fantasy 7 (Just fucking do it, already), yet they'll churn out more Final Fantasy XIII sequels that no one wants to play....seriously. But KH3D does its job, good passable storytelling, new elements to keep the combat fresh, and surprisingly make it some of the most fun combat in the entire series, and take the 3DS to the limit with it's awesome graphics and cutscenes. If you're fan, and have a 3DS, play this game, if you're a newcomer wanting a good title on the 3DS, check it out, it may entice you to dug up the old consoles or buy a PSP (LOLNO) and try Birth by Sleep...who knows.

  • Presentation: 8 - Still an interesting mesh of characters from two totally different universe, and a story that will confuse the most hardcore of fans. It's all good fun though!
  • Graphics: 9 - Really takes advantage of the 3DS' capabilities, and shows off some good graphics and GORGEOUS cutscenes.
  • Sound: 8 - Voice acting is fine, the soundtrack is good, I enjoy Square Enix soundtracks, myself.
  • Gameplay: 8 - Flowmotion is fun, adding a new depth of combat, the cooldown system is neat, adding a layer of strategy to an already simple game, so is it warranted?
  • Lasting Appeal: 8 - You'll get a good 20-30 hours out of this game, more if you're up for completing it 100% and playing again. It's good enough to warrant more than one playthrough!




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