We were among the early-adopters, going out the Sunday morning of release to pick up our copy of Disney’s newest gaming venture – Disney INFINITY. I was a bit worried because we didn't go very early, and I’d seen reports of some stores being sold out in other areas. We went to Target (my wife’s other obsession, besides our shared Walt Disney World obsession). We rushed to the electronics department in the back of the store, and there it was: A half-aisle with starter packs, extra character figures, power discs and multi-character packs. All were fully stocked and waiting. Currently, Disney INFINITY is available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Free, online, iPad and PC versions that will allow you to load elements from your console copy of the game have been announced for late August and October, 2013 releases respectively.
We bought the Xbox starter pack, which includes: the game disc, a Disney INFINITY powerbase (where you put your figures, power discs, and gadgets), Sully, Captain Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible characters, the gadgets for Incredibles, Pirates, and Monsters U, and one power disc. We also bought a few more power discs (they come in packs of two), and finally we purchased the Lone Ranger play set which included the Lone Ranger, Tonto and the Lone Ranger gadgets.
Power discs are game pieces that allow your character to have the special item or power on that disc or to change the look of your toy box. Round ones can be used with your character throughout, and the hexagon ones can be used in the toy box. Then there are special and rare ones. Currently, it looks like there are 3 Series of power discs coming out. Series one is out and has 20 discs. They are for sale in blind packs of 2 in per package, so you cannot see what you are getting. Like blind pin packs and Vinylmations, you WILL end up with doubles. Disney knows this, and they encourage you to trade them.
There are currently 17 characters in Series 1, and it looks like there is a Series 2 ready to go soon. The designs are actually pretty good, and the figures have some weight to them. However, I can see them breaking easily (some more so than others). It looks as if they are just glued to the base. Without breaking one, I’m not sure yet. Why do I say yet? Did I mention I have to boys?
These figures and the power discs will likely end up pulling double duty. In addition to being game pieces, they will be collected, displayed and traded – probably even by people that have no intention of ever playing the game. Trading locations, dates, and times are already cropping up at Walt Disney World, Disneyland and even at video game stores. A collectible Disney INFINITY market has already cropped up on eBay. An early, limited release figure of Sorcerer Mickey was available at D23 and is already commanding auction prices of over $120. Rare power discs sold with a Sorcerer Mickey boost the asking price to close to $250. Those prices may come down when the Sorcerer Mickey figure becomes available to the general public, though it is unclear whether the figure released to the public will have all of the same in-game features as the special edition version.
The game starts you off “? With just a spark of inspiration ?.” You travel around as a spark and collect other sparks as you begin to transform into a spark character. This beginning spark scene is the intro to the tutorial and when you are done with the tutorial you will be in your toy box. The ending of the tutorial is really awesome. You will see a lot of the characters that are available for use in the game or that will be available in the near future.
Game play in the toy box basically involves world building. As you work through the adventures, you earn spin tokens that you can use to unlock build pieces. Once you have a collection of build pieces, you can go nuts and build whatever you can imagine! One thing I have been disappointed in so far is that you are supposed to be able to play with up to four people in your toy box. So far, I have not been able to connect to any friends online, so I don’t know whether four-player mode is working. If you are not skilled at crafting your own world, there are several worlds available to download, and you can play in those. This mode is very reminiscent of Minecraft. If you have seen some of the worlds people have created there, I can only imagine the possibilities within the Disney universe.
Game play in the play sets is pretty good. There could be a bit more to them. They are essentially scavenger hunts, with a few bad guys here and there. You can take to in-game characters to get mini tasks within the larger task you are working toward completing.
Our release-day purchase decision was pretty last minute, so we didn't do much research before heading to the store. Having looked at others’ purchase experiences as well as mine, here are a few things I wish I had known/done before buying:
Compare Prices
When we purchased the game Target had the Lone Ranger and Cars play sets at half price. Toys-R-Us had characters at buy one get one 50% off and power discs at buy one pack get a pack for $1. I don't know if these prices are still being offered but again keep checking. We just found the Cars playset at Walmart for $19.95 this weekend.
Playing two characters together in regular game mode requires two characters from the same universe.
You can mix-and-match characters from different universes in the Toy Box. But in regular game mode, if you want to play in the Monsters U universe, you will need two characters from that movie. (Mike and Sully will work). You will not be able to play with Jack Sparrow in Monsters U, and you will not be able to have Mike sail a ship in the Pirates adventure. (I was very disappointed by this).
Toys-R-Us has exclusive power discs and characters.
Toys-R-Us exclusives are not available anywhere else. It does not appear that they will ever be made available other than at Toys-R-Us.
Overall Review
I give it a B. My children love it. I like certain aspects of it. In my opinion it left a lot to be desired, but it still gets a B because:
1. It can be played across many platforms. As long as you have characters from the same Disney universe, you can play with friends, even if they use a different gaming system. If you have an XBox 360 and your friend has a PS3, but you both have Monsters U figures, you can bring your Sully figure over to his house and play your Sully with his Mike, even though you use different game systems.
2. The potential of the toy box worlds yet to be built, especially due to the cross-platform nature of the game. The possibilities are immense. The potential for a huge online community sharing designs and elements is amazing.
3. The expandability and flexibility of this system makes it open to the addition of other Disney properties. The rumors have already begun about Star Wars and Marvel figures, worlds and power chips. I can definitely see this getting expensive for me!
What would it need to earn an A?
1. More in-depth game play in the adventures.
2. Allow all characters in all parts of the game. (I kind of get why they didn't. I mean It would be weird to try to get Mater to sail a ship and row a boat and such. But there’s no real reason why it’s not possible).
3. Allow friends to help and assist in Adventure game play online.
What do you think of Disney INFINITY? Are you playing already? Do you plan on playing soon? Tell us about it, and about your Disney INFINITY gaming experiences in the comments
We bought the Xbox starter pack, which includes: the game disc, a Disney INFINITY powerbase (where you put your figures, power discs, and gadgets), Sully, Captain Jack Sparrow and Mr. Incredible characters, the gadgets for Incredibles, Pirates, and Monsters U, and one power disc. We also bought a few more power discs (they come in packs of two), and finally we purchased the Lone Ranger play set which included the Lone Ranger, Tonto and the Lone Ranger gadgets.
Power discs are game pieces that allow your character to have the special item or power on that disc or to change the look of your toy box. Round ones can be used with your character throughout, and the hexagon ones can be used in the toy box. Then there are special and rare ones. Currently, it looks like there are 3 Series of power discs coming out. Series one is out and has 20 discs. They are for sale in blind packs of 2 in per package, so you cannot see what you are getting. Like blind pin packs and Vinylmations, you WILL end up with doubles. Disney knows this, and they encourage you to trade them.
There are currently 17 characters in Series 1, and it looks like there is a Series 2 ready to go soon. The designs are actually pretty good, and the figures have some weight to them. However, I can see them breaking easily (some more so than others). It looks as if they are just glued to the base. Without breaking one, I’m not sure yet. Why do I say yet? Did I mention I have to boys?
These figures and the power discs will likely end up pulling double duty. In addition to being game pieces, they will be collected, displayed and traded – probably even by people that have no intention of ever playing the game. Trading locations, dates, and times are already cropping up at Walt Disney World, Disneyland and even at video game stores. A collectible Disney INFINITY market has already cropped up on eBay. An early, limited release figure of Sorcerer Mickey was available at D23 and is already commanding auction prices of over $120. Rare power discs sold with a Sorcerer Mickey boost the asking price to close to $250. Those prices may come down when the Sorcerer Mickey figure becomes available to the general public, though it is unclear whether the figure released to the public will have all of the same in-game features as the special edition version.
The game starts you off “? With just a spark of inspiration ?.” You travel around as a spark and collect other sparks as you begin to transform into a spark character. This beginning spark scene is the intro to the tutorial and when you are done with the tutorial you will be in your toy box. The ending of the tutorial is really awesome. You will see a lot of the characters that are available for use in the game or that will be available in the near future.
Game play in the toy box basically involves world building. As you work through the adventures, you earn spin tokens that you can use to unlock build pieces. Once you have a collection of build pieces, you can go nuts and build whatever you can imagine! One thing I have been disappointed in so far is that you are supposed to be able to play with up to four people in your toy box. So far, I have not been able to connect to any friends online, so I don’t know whether four-player mode is working. If you are not skilled at crafting your own world, there are several worlds available to download, and you can play in those. This mode is very reminiscent of Minecraft. If you have seen some of the worlds people have created there, I can only imagine the possibilities within the Disney universe.
Game play in the play sets is pretty good. There could be a bit more to them. They are essentially scavenger hunts, with a few bad guys here and there. You can take to in-game characters to get mini tasks within the larger task you are working toward completing.
Our release-day purchase decision was pretty last minute, so we didn't do much research before heading to the store. Having looked at others’ purchase experiences as well as mine, here are a few things I wish I had known/done before buying:
Compare Prices
When we purchased the game Target had the Lone Ranger and Cars play sets at half price. Toys-R-Us had characters at buy one get one 50% off and power discs at buy one pack get a pack for $1. I don't know if these prices are still being offered but again keep checking. We just found the Cars playset at Walmart for $19.95 this weekend.
Playing two characters together in regular game mode requires two characters from the same universe.
You can mix-and-match characters from different universes in the Toy Box. But in regular game mode, if you want to play in the Monsters U universe, you will need two characters from that movie. (Mike and Sully will work). You will not be able to play with Jack Sparrow in Monsters U, and you will not be able to have Mike sail a ship in the Pirates adventure. (I was very disappointed by this).
Toys-R-Us has exclusive power discs and characters.
Toys-R-Us exclusives are not available anywhere else. It does not appear that they will ever be made available other than at Toys-R-Us.
Overall Review
I give it a B. My children love it. I like certain aspects of it. In my opinion it left a lot to be desired, but it still gets a B because:
1. It can be played across many platforms. As long as you have characters from the same Disney universe, you can play with friends, even if they use a different gaming system. If you have an XBox 360 and your friend has a PS3, but you both have Monsters U figures, you can bring your Sully figure over to his house and play your Sully with his Mike, even though you use different game systems.
2. The potential of the toy box worlds yet to be built, especially due to the cross-platform nature of the game. The possibilities are immense. The potential for a huge online community sharing designs and elements is amazing.
3. The expandability and flexibility of this system makes it open to the addition of other Disney properties. The rumors have already begun about Star Wars and Marvel figures, worlds and power chips. I can definitely see this getting expensive for me!
What would it need to earn an A?
1. More in-depth game play in the adventures.
2. Allow all characters in all parts of the game. (I kind of get why they didn't. I mean It would be weird to try to get Mater to sail a ship and row a boat and such. But there’s no real reason why it’s not possible).
3. Allow friends to help and assist in Adventure game play online.
What do you think of Disney INFINITY? Are you playing already? Do you plan on playing soon? Tell us about it, and about your Disney INFINITY gaming experiences in the comments
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