Epic 2D

Hey hey. Sorry I've been slow again; now that the radio show is back on (Tuesdays 5-6 PM), I should have more to post, but I've been busy with school.

In any case, by now you've probably heard about Epic Mickey. Back when the concept art was first leaked, a bit of Wikipedia looping led to me learning about a forgotten character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Based on what little I knew about the game's plot (that it was about forgotten characters rising up against Mickey), I had a hunch that Oswald was going to be the Big Bad. And Disney had just recently reobtained the rights to Oswald.

So now the game has been officially announced, and it turns out I was right: Oswald is going to be the Big Bad in Epic Mickey. To be fair, I wasn't the only person to guess this, but still, I was right. In any case, what I didn't guess is that Disney specifically reobtained the rights so they could use him in the game. That tells me they're putting a lot of effort into this game, and I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Recent concept art has suggested the game might be a 2D side-scroller. Whether or not that is the case, 2D games for non-handhelds have made a major comeback this generation. XBLA, PSN, and WiiWare have allowed developers to make cheaper games, many of which fit the bill. Some are completely 2D, and others use polygons but limit to 2D movement. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is sure to be a breakthrough hit in that genre. But there are also a lot of excellent 2D games, such as Wario Land: Shake It, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, and Megaman 9.

It's true that the last two generations had a few excellent 2D games (Odin Sphere comes to mind), they dropped off significantly. Even in the 32/64 bit generation, there were a few excellent ones (Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Yoshi's Story are good examples), but most games were switching to some form of 3D. Now, thanks to broader audiences and new methods of deployment, 2D games are cpming back for real.