Despite its obvious flaws, I’ve always been a vocal defender of Super Mario Sunshine. Lately, it seems I’ve taken the same role for Wii’s Epic Mickey, but my support isn’t the only thing these two games have in common. This interesting video feature outlines the surprising similarities between these two games released nearly a decade apart.

The Epic Mickey soundtrack is now on iTunes, joining World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy on the list of games fortunate enough to have powers-that-be who realize there are people willing to pay for this material.

Mickey’s $9.99 soundtrack gives you 20 tracks of James Dooley’s excellent score, including the demented take on It’s a Small World, Oswald’s Theme and—my favorite—a terrific medley of the game’s side-scrolling levels. It’s a great way to enjoy some first-class aural landscapes without the bother of fetch quests.

Which soundtrack would like you see get an official release? I’d pay $50 for a 100-track Mario set. Anytime, Nintendo!

If you stick with it, Epic Mickey’s flawed-but-amazing journey leads to a spectacular gauntlet of boss battles and platform challenges where all the pieces finally fall together for a satisfying and (big sigh of relief) epic finale.

If you’ve bought the game and find yourself stuck in the fetch-quest quagmire that plagues its midsection, keep going; Epic Mickey gets far better in its second half.

If you’re still on the fence about purchasing this crazy, kaleidoscopic fever dream of mixed-bag gameplay, read on. Because Epic Mickey is…unique. (more…)

Minor spoilers ahead.

I originally jumped into Epic Mickey without reading any reviews or recent comments; I still don’t really know what the rest of the Infendo crew thinks of the game (according to post comments, I’m on one side of a rift. Really?) The first hours of of Epic Mickey were amazing: As a Disney geek, I got my money’s worth by the time I hit Mean Street.

Many more hours into Wasteland and nowhere near finishing (this game is huge), here’s a quick update before a final review.

I still like Epic Mickey—A lot. But, a few worlds later…and considering the near-infinite possibilities of a toon-based world…I’m getting a wee bit tired of fixing machines. (more…)

I know beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, but…wow. This game is freaking gorgeous. Screen shots don’t do it justice; You have to see it in motion on your own tv. It’s like a finely detailed chalk pastel painting come to life. I kept stopping to simply stare at the living artwork on my television screen.

And the visuals are really solid—not a glitch or tear to be seen yet. The frame rate’s great 99% of the time. (more…)