Warren Spector discusses Epic Mickey 2 improvements, singing characters, co-op support and more

Warren Spector's next title, Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, is gearing up for release. The revered developer has worked on plenty of classics over the years - from Wing Commander to Deus Ex - but doe his Disney sequel live up to expectation? Spector thinks so.

Speaking on the US PlayStation blog, Spector told gamers exactly what they missed if they didn't bother with the first title.

"What did they miss? Only the greatest game experience of all time! No, okay, seriously… what they missed was the reintroduction of Mickey Mouse as a game hero the equal of Mario, Sonic, Link or any other platforming or adventure star."

"They missed the return of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt Disney’s first cartoon star – a great character who deserves better than to be forgotten. They missed what I hope was and is a unique combination of platforming and adventure game elements – with players getting to decide how the game felt and played."

"They missed the 'Deus Ex' choice and consequence idea applied to completely different genres – in Disney Epic Mickey games, each player is the teller of his or her own story, just as in Deus Ex and all the other games I’ve worked on."

Spector was also keen to discuss Epic Mickey 2's improvements.

"Camera, camera, camera! The team worked really hard to enhance the camera system. And when I say really hard I mean really hard!. I think we did a better job of player direction – knowing where to go and what to do. Games should be about how to do stuff, not figuring out what stuff to do!"

"We’ve added full voice for all characters, some of whom even sing. We’ve taken the idea of choice and consequence to new levels – your play style really matters this time around and your choices may have consequences that last forever and can’t be undone."

Users will also be able to enjoy this outing with a friend. Full two-player co-op is included, as well as PlayStation Move support.

"Oh, and we’ve added a little thing called two-player co-op. Now, one player takes the role of Mickey, with Oswald as an AI-controlled character, but at any point, a second player can sit down next to you and play as Oswald. It’s all about the Power of Two!"

Epic Mickey 2 is available on PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, and Wii U from November 18 in the US. European payers will have to wait until November 23.

Just. The. Two of Us...