‘Disney Epic Mickey 2′ New ‘Brief History of Oswald’ Featurette; Game On Shelves November 18

At the 2012 E3, Disney Interactive Studios took the opportunity to share new levels and information on its upcoming multi-platform release, ‘Disney Epic Mickey 2.’ In addition to sharing new levels which include a side-scrolling transition level that pays homage to Disney’s 1937 Silly Symphonies short, The Old Mill, a boss level featuring a blotworx patterned after the Elliott (of Pete’s Dragon) float from the Main Street Electrical Parade was shown, as well as featured in the new trailer below.

In addition, Disney Interactive has provided us with this new behind-the-scenes featurette, titled ‘A Brief History of Oswald’ which features Junction Point VP and Creative Director Warren Spector along with Disney’s chief archivist, Becky Cline, who provide a brief history of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, from his inception to his acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, sharing many of the Disney Archives’ prized Oswald-related artifacts along the way.

‘Disney Epic Mickey 2′ will be released on all major platforms on November 18, 2012, the 84th birthday of Mickey (and Minnie) Mouse.

Multi-Platform ‘Epic Mickey 2′ Possible Titles, Gameplay Released; Domain Names Registered

Destructoid has reported that one of its readers had been offered an online survey which discusses a sequel for Epic Mickey, tentatively titled Epic Mickey 2. Amongst potential box artwork, possible subtitles such as Epic Mickey 2: Return of the Mad Doctor, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Epic Mickey 2: Mystery on Mean Street were offered up. The gist of the game appears to be co-op play between Mickey Mouse and half-brother Oswald, presumably picking up where the first game ended.

One key difference is that this game is being promoted for multi-platform, including Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which did not have their Kinect and Move systems (respectively) available when the original Wii-exclusive title was being developed, which created quite a stir amongst the gaming community. That said, Junction Point, the developer of the original title, never ruled out bringing the game to those platforms and lead developer Warren Spector had said from the beginning that he had more material to bring to the table, hinting at, but never explicitly suggesting a sequel.

The game’s description, as provided in the online survey, is as follows:

‘Disney Epic Mickey 2 is the latest game in the critically acclaimed Disney Epic Mickey videogame series. In this all-new action-platforming game available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii, Mickey embarks on an epic journey and is pulled back into a world filled with Disney’s forgotten characters. Players can choose to play single-player as Mickey or for the first time players can also choose 2-player split screen mode. In the 2 player mode one person can play as Mickey wielding magic paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world and the second player can play as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit – Walt Disney’s first cartoon star – with the power to fly like a helicopter and use electricity to fight or friend enemies and solve challenges. Team-up and choose your path to save this forgotten world because the choices you make will alter the story and change the end of the game!’

Possible box art (lacking a subtitle) included:

Added to the confusion, the series of books based on Epic Mickey, including The Art of Epic Mickey (now slated for an October release), the graphic novel and junior novel, had been initially postponed until summer of 2011, several months after release of the original game, fueling speculation that their release would come alongside an announcement of a sequel.

With the news now in the open, perhaps in just an attempt to foil squatters, Disney has gone ahead and registered domain names which include DISNEYEPICMICKEY2.COM, DISNEYEPICMICKEY2.ORG and DISNEYEPICMICKEY2.NET.

via GameInformer