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batshit rumor time: Epic Mickey brought to you by Warren Specter
Couscous
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http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=21537
Yeah... o_O I don't care if the project is real. I just want to see a sketch like that.Could Warren Spector's Junction Point Studios be at work on a title about Disney's seminal Mickey Mouse?
Gamasutra has seen concept art and information that indicates a title codenamed "Epic Mickey" may be in development at the Austin-based, Disney-owned developer.
Concept art from early versions of the game that we viewed showed mockups of the potential game's environment, including pencil sketches of cities assembled from junk.
Another sketch included a surreal seashore invasion scene, in which machines wearing the faces of the Seven Dwarfs deposit old-fashioned renditions of Disney characters onto the beach with mechanical hands.
Though the kooky environmental concepts, with visible large cogs, gears and even a large fork that serves as a building's awning, are somewhat reminiscent of Disney's Toontown Online MMO, the images -- particularly the cloud-stained seaside painting -- have a distinctly shadowed, steampunk vibe.
This information ties up with an early 2008 report from EGM Magazine columnist Quartermann that noted: "Word is that Spector's new Disney project will be a platformer looking to compete with a certain pesky plumber. And who's big enough to take on Nintendo's star? Only the mouse himself!"
Providing more background, this summer, Spector mentioned on his own Junction Point weblog: "My team and I have been working hard on our own and (get ready for the cool factor to go way up) in collaboration with folks from Disney Feature Animation and Pixar."
Junction Point itself is wholly owned by Disney since its acquisition in 2007, giving it the potential to use leading in-house IP in its games, including that of Mickey Mouse.
Deus Ex co-creator Spector has never provided further information on his current project. But around the same time as the summer's weblog comments, Spector noted at the Game Education Summit that "one hundred hour games are on the way out", and that he was "so tired of making games about guys in black leather carrying guns."
However, it's unclear whether the style of the concept art or the game's working title will fully carry through to this Junction Point project's conclusion -- or, indeed, exactly how far into development it is. Gamasutra will update with more information as it becomes available.
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This sounds almost... creepy.
1) Disney properties being presented in different ways in video games (like KH, for example)
2) Warren Spector and the masses of Deus Ex fans
3) Steampunk
They need to leak the sketches already.
not saying it'll be a bad game, i'm just not sure who they'd be trying to market towards.
Seems a little too good to be true, seeing as this are the three things people seem to want most, it's kinda unbelievable.
I want those sketches too though, sounds kickass.
I'm certainly interested to see it even if it doesn't turn out to be this.
Not necessarily. It depends on how talented the team is, and how the game is structured. I don't see why it couldn't theoretically appeal to the exact same people that play Mario games. Remember the 16-bit Disney games and how they were all tremendously awesome? If they get back to that level of quality, the games will speak for themselves.
Not did, is. Well at least according to the hints (that Junction Point Studios is 'classic hollywood cartoon' game) and rumours (which've existed well before this one). Disney bought Junction Point a couple of years back, so it's entirely possible.
As for the new rumour, that sounds pretty awesome. If it turns out to be true, I'd be pretty interested in it (so long as it's on a system that I own; PC, PS3, DS or PSP).
Speaking of Warren Spector, I really should get around to finishing Deus Ex one of these days...
Come on, it's Disney. It's going to be on every platform, even the Gizmondo.
edit: I see this is mentioned anyway. I really should learn to read better.
Is it worth picking it up, x years later?
I'd by that for a dollar.
It'll probably be $60.
I didn't say I'd be buying at launch.
Then again, they had the perfect opportunity to leverage the fuck out of Kingdom Hearts and appeal to boys, but noooo, their "heritage" department or whatever the fuck didn't want Goofy and Donald to fight like they did in the video game and they killed a promising Kingdom Hearts cartoon. Feh.
The author of that article is probably so proud of himself for coming up with that phrasing.
YES
The PC is better off for not having it
Yes it's definitely worth picking up. It's on Steam so there's no excuse.
I wouldn't be alarmed if the rumor was 100% true though. I mean it's not like he's made a secret of his working for Disney on a more casual, cartoony game for a while now.
I believe it is still free on Gametap.