Everyone knows what a Mickey is. It’s something you slip into someones drink, and it knocks them out. This latest offering from Disney could be a knockout too. That secret Mickey Mouse project has finally been confirmed in the form of a video game promising gamers “Mickey as you’ve never seen him”. More info, and extended cover art after the jump.
Last night I had the chance to discuss Disney Interactive Studios’ Ultimate Band with Tim Huntsman (senior producer), Mark McArthur (development director) and Mike Thompson (art director) from Fall Line Studio. The game is launching November 25th on the Wii and DS. In case you don’t know, it’s a rhythm game with no peripherals but with actual songs to play.
The team at Fall Line Studio set out to make a performance based game to take advantage of the unique controls schemes offered on Nintendo’s platforms. Development began back when the Wii was still called the Revolution, Rock Band didn’t exist, and Wii Music was still a budding idea in Shigeru Miyamoto’s head. The game was designed for tweens and teens in mind, especially boys, so this appeals more to the younger generation.
ATV racing games took a prominent spot in many people’s gaming libraries around the the PS2 days with ATV Offroad Fury. Motorstorm took everything to the next level this generation on the PS3, and now Disney looks to enter the foray with Pure. With some nice controls, cool graphics, and customization options for your ride, Pure provides a good racing game for your Xbox 360.
The graphics in Pure are pretty darn good. Backgrounds looks terrific and the tracks themselves are nice. Characters are okay and the ATV’s are very detailed. I expected a bit more in terms of mud splatters and such, however the track deformation with tire tracks looks good. I also noticed a big of screen tearing during a few races and in cut-scenes. On the sound front, Pure does a pretty good job with ATV effects and a solid soundtrack that matches the game’s style. Character voice-overs are decent, but they get repetitive when you pass people or pull off a good trick.
In an already crowed rhythm game market, Disney looks to capitalize on the family friendly and younger gamer segments with Ultimate Band. Coming this Holiday for the Wii and DS, the game looks to simplify the genre to get everyone involved and keep things a little safer for the young ones.
Ultimate Band for Wii allows players to live the life of a rock star, by advancing their music careers and popularity from playing in a neighborhood garage to performing in front of an international audience at a world famous venue. Ultimate Band utilizes the innovative Wii Remote and Nunchuk™ to give fans the ability to play the drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, or take on the role of the front man. Players can also create and customize characters that reflect their own unique personalities and attributes. Along the way, players will unlock new songs, venues, and accessories that can be used to customize their band members.
Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS is a rhythm-based music game with a built-in recording studio. Players can jam to current and classic songs using the drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, or rhythm guitar. Players can also create their own original songs using the DS touchscreen and stylus to lay down tracks for each instrument and apply creative mixing effects. Ultimate Band for Nintendo DS will also include DGamer functionality which will allow players to engage with others in a secure online community via their DS (Wi-Fi or ad hoc) or computer.
No word yet on how exactly the gameplay mechanic will work on both platforms or what songs we can expect in the game. I’m interested to see how this all plays out with only using the Wii-mote and Nunchuk or the DS stylus.
Disney is celebrating the 25th anniversary to Tron by dropping the original titles, Tron and Discs of Tron, on the Xbox Live Arcade this summer.
If you’re too young to remember, Tron pretty much took the geek world by storm back in the day.
Both games will feature the original version as well as an enhanced HD version. Oh yeah, there’s online multiplayer too.
Full press release after the jump.
Coming Soon!
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