Though Epic Mickey is expanding to more platforms for its second go-around (more on that in a bit) developer Junction Point wants to ensure that the Wii version of the game can still compete. As such, the developer has been toying around with a few prototype Wii controllers for Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two that would be recreations of in-game items.

The first, and more obvious Epic Mickey 2 controller prototype is for an updated version of the paintbrush controller that shipped alongside the first iteration of the series. It's a simple design meant to reflect Mickey's paintbrush, only with the necessary Wii controls, and it might be a little too gimmicky for some people's tastes.

The other prototype is a recreation of the remote control that Oswald uses. It appears to only have one button and a glowing bulb on the end of it, but it's quite the clever little addition for Epic Mickey fans.

Also on the Epic Mickey news front comes confirmation that the rumored Epic Mickey 2 side story, Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion, will be coming to the Nintendo 3DS. Obviously the motion control mechanics will be markedly different (most likely they will be touch based but still very similar), but the game's art design should benefit pretty well from the 3D capabilities of the console. There's no word on a release date for the title, but Nintendo Power has the big cover story.

And finally comes Creative Director Warren Spector's musings on the title's new multiplatform status, specifically its newfound friend the PlayStation Move. According to Spector, the team at Junction Point is trying to leverage every ounce of power out of the PS3 just like they did with Epic Mickey on the Wii.

I couldn’t be prouder of the team who worked on the first game; they pushed the limits of what that hardware could do. Our goal is to do the same with PS3. The PS3 is an incredibly powerful piece of hardware…we want to take advantage of its horsepower, so the visual effects will be over the top, the polygon counts higher, the animations smoother.

Spector also discussed Epic Mickey 2's new co-op feature, and how it is markedly different than your typical co-op experience. For Epic Mickey 2, players will have the abilities of Mickey (who controls paint and ink) and Oswald (who uses is aforementioned remote control to take possession of mechanical enemies) at their disposal. It's two unique approaches to the gameplay, and should allow for replayability amongst co-op players.

There's quite a bit of news out there for Epic Mickey fans and plenty more on the horizon to get excited about.

Are you interested in picking up either of the Epic Mickey 2 peripherals for the Wii version? How would you like to see Junction Point use the 3DS to make Epic Mickey: The Power of Illusion a unique experience?

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two is targeting a September release date for the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii.

Source: PlayStation Blog, Nintendo World Report, Joystiq