Wee Wii whee all the way home

My wee Wii remote is poised and ready.

"Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two" finds Mickey Mouse back in Wasteland, a twisted take on Disneyland filled with forgotten characters and theme park attractions. Mickey will return to a few places he visited during his first trip, but earthquakes and other disasters have changed their appearance and he might explore previously unseen Wasteland realms.

"Epic Mickey" was a Wii game that sent Mickey Mouse on a journey of creativity and discovery. As Mickey, the player was propelled into Wasteland, an alternate world made up of Disney’s forgotten creative efforts, and was given the power to wield paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world while determining Mickey’s path to becoming an epic hero.

"Epic Mickey" had a respectable but not spectacular debut when Disney released it two years ago. Despite its original homage to silent cartoons, the characters will speak in "Epic Mickey 2."

That includes Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, the zany predecessor to Mickey Mouse lost in a 1928 contract dispute. Oswald, who never uttered a word in a Disney cartoon, returned to Disney's control in 2006 and had a starring role in the "Epic Mickey."

Oswald is now a playable character who joins the mouse's side in a new cooperative mode. Mickey will again wield a brush powered by magical paint and thinner, while Oswald is armed with a remote control that has the power to command electricity. The pair will have to work together to overcome obstacles.

As with the first outing, players' choices will affect what happens throughout the second installment, which is set for release this fall. The songs and music in "Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two" will change based on whether gamers prompt Mickey to be well-mannered or mischievous.

Quite the deux et machine, eh?

(A deus ex machine,  Latin for "god out of the machine," is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object.)

I can't wait.