E3 2014: Hands-On With ‘Disney Infinity 2.0’
The original Disney Infinity left a big impression on me, so much so that I considered it my game of show at last year’s E3. With the promise of multiple single player campaigns in the form of play sets combined with a nearly limitless level designing tool in the toy box, the possibilities seemed to echo the title. Much of these impressions carried over to the actual release, although my expectations fell short in certain areas, namely the same-ness of many of the characters, how bare bones some of the play sets felt and how the game initially promised to not need sequels while possibly replacing movie tie in games with Infinity content, (which was quickly proven wrong by the 3DS’s Olaf’s Adventure and the very game we’re talking about).
Still, the game had a ton of untapped potential that a sequel could capitalize on, especially because of Disney’s acquisition of giant properties like the Marvel universe. With that in mind, playing 2.0 was a top priority for me this year, both as a fan of the original and someone who was eager to see if Disney Interactive would adapt to the comic book universe or perish in a sea of broken promises and failure to improve. After an in depth playthrough of the game’s two play sets, I’m happy to say I’m leaning towards the former.
To me, the biggest problem with Disney Infinity was that the campaign style play sets mostly felt like samples of what could be done in the toy box as opposed to fully fleshed out games, (aside from the Pirates set, most of what each was built from was ripped straight from Toy Box). With 2.0, this criticism has been fully addressed, giving us a huge open world city to explore as our favorite characters. The Avengers version of New York is promising to be more than twice as big as The Incredibles, with capsule toys, side quests and story missions still waiting to be found, all put into context by a full story penned by longtime Marvel scribe, Brian Michael Bendis. It’s a huge improvement from the opening and ending cutscene that greeted us at the end of the first game’s stories.
On top of that, the increased level cap of 20 allows us to unlock between 20 and 30 skills per character, which is a huge improvement compared to the original’s puzzling decision for level ups to mean absolutely nothing aside from unlocking new Toy Box parts. Making this even sweeter was how different each character felt. Firing off trick shots with Hawkeye, throwing down with Captain America, web slinging between buildings as Spider-Man or flying through the city at top speed with Iron Man felt distinctive, as opposed to many of the first game’s characters playing or feeling exactly the same. To top it off, the heroes each have a unique super move with varying in levels of awesomeness, (like Iron Man’s missile barrage vs Black Widow’s… invisibility turning? I know who I’m not playing as…)
Even the original game’s characters are getting skill trees when they’re transferred into the new games, although theirs won’t be as robust as the new characters being brought in. Still, the fact that they’re getting upgraded at all is a great way to reward players who maxed out their figures despite their lackluster move sets. Plus, maybe some characters can be more fleshed out this time, specifically Anna and Elsa. The developers obviously knew very little about since they were developed before Frozen was released, so let’s hope they can be done justice the second time around.
Joining the heroes will be new power discs that were on display for the E3 demo. Aside from the Toy Box backgrounds, perks and weapons that came with the blind pack DLC of the original, Marvel’s version will also include sidekicks who fight at your side for a limited time, and costumes for specific characters. Ever get the feeling that you want to play as Captain America in his First Avenger gear? Or how about black suit Spidey? Ever wanted to fight side by side with The Winter Soldier after he blew us away in the latest Phase 2 film? Now’s your chance, with these discs that feel like a lot more than just fluff. My wallet is going to hurt.
On the mission front, both the side and story missions felt more involved, forcing me to travel through more of the city to accomplish whatever the goal was. Whether it was racing on Nick Fury’s bike to escorting a scientist to key points in the city as symbiotes were viciously attacking us, these missions made the game feel like a full fledged experience. And while some of the bonus quests I played were still ridiculously easy, some of them presented a nice challenge, like the web slinging missions that I couldn’t get better than a bronze in.
If someone would have told me I was playing the new kid friendly Marvel game and not one that’s attached to a world building simulator, I would have completely bought it. But to think that a game where the single player content is more of the side dish to the Toy Box’s entree plays so well surpassed what I expected after playing the first game. I’m not sure if it’s a testament to Infinity’s developers or a knock at the other guys when web slinging feels more fun in this spinoff than it does in a core Spidey title. My only complaints are that there were some massive bugs, causing mission sensitive enemies to teleport across the map, and that traveling with non-flying or swinging characters felt like a chore. Having to drive as Black Widow when Thor can zip from one end of the map to another in minutes leaves an unbalanced feeling.
Both areas are said to still be in development, so let’s hope these get patched up come September.
http://youtu.be/W1P3b4YU8so
