News Archive
News Archive - August 2013
New Toy Boxes and an Incredible Walkthrough
Five new Disney Toy Boxes hit Disney Infinity earlier today. There's a Wrestling Arena with all sorts of gadgets to help you fight, a Hot Lava level filled with some hot lava, an ESPN Speedway which you can race around, one called Super Sidescroll which may seem familiar, and a Cave of Wonders to race through.
The beginnings of the Infinity Guru Walkthrough for Disney Infinity is up, it so far covers the Incredibles Play Set and tells you how to complete all of the missions as well as where to find the Chests and Challenges that are hidden throughout Metroville.
Next up will be Monsters University followed by Pirates of the Caribbean before moving onto the separate Cars and The Lone Ranger Play Sets, be sure to check back soon for them.
Woody and Jack Skellington Due in October
The game's not even out everywhere yet but steps are already being taken to prepare for the second wave of toy releases later in the year for Disney Infinity.
First up is Walmart who are going to have a short exclusive on Woody from Toy Story, you can already pre-order him from them for a release date of October 1st (or 3rd?). Three weeks after that other retailers will be able to start selling him. Woody can be used in the Toy Story Play Set that is also due out around the same time.
Another short exclusivity goes to GameStop who will have Jack Skellington exclusive for almost the whole of October, so if you want him in time for Halloween you'll probably need to buy him from them. Jack Skellington is a Toy Box only toy so does not have a corresponding Play Set and can therefore only be used in the Toy Box mode.
And that's not all, Vinylmation Kingdom has the boxart for a lot of the other remaining announced figures including Anna, Elsa, Rapunzel, Vanellope, Wreck-it Ralph, Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey, the Toy Story Play Set with Buzz Lightyear and Jessie, a triple "Girl Power" pack with Vanellope, Violet and Rapunzel (so maybe hold off on that Violet purchase!), as well as a new type of double pack with both of the Frozen characters along with the two Frozen texture Power Discs.
It is worth taking note of the blue Toy Box icon in the corner of a lot of those packages, that means the characters are Toy Box only and will not have a Play Set to go through. So unfortunately that confirms no Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, Tangled, Mickey Mouse or Nightmare Before Christmas Play Sets in Disney Infinity.
The Disney Infinity Reviews Are In
With the embargo up the reviews for Disney Infinity have begun to roll in, and while the majority appear to be quite positive and have shown a distinct liking to the whole concept of the game a few outlets haven't been as favourable.
The games for all the characters that we've played with are fun and easy to master, as they're aimed at a younger audience - although we've enjoyed having a little play too. There's wide-spread appeal here for collectors and gamers alike.
But where it matters, for my family, Disney Infinity has done things right. It’s focused on why we love Disney films and toys rather than obsessing too much over its video-game competitors. It’s a brave and risky move that could have diluted their franchises but has, in fact, reignited our appreciation of how long a history with have with the house of Mouse in our family — long may that continue.
Disney Infinity is off to a great start and will hopefully be supported for years to come. The thought of Avalanche Software potentially tapping Star Wars, Marvel Comics, and other properties in Disney’s vault for upcoming sets makes this game’s future just as exciting as spending an afternoon creating adventures with friends.
The toys themselves are well-made statues; they’re not poseable, but each one really captures the personality of that character with a charismatic stance. The toys have their own unique style that sparked desire in my inner Disney fan.
Disney Infinity makes a lot of promises, boasting gameplay that takes cues from big-name hits like Minecraft and LittleBigPlanet. The finished product is a rousing success, offering lightweight but solid co-op gameplay built on a foundation of undiluted nostalgia.
Add-on costs aside, Disney Infinity is a treat. It is blanketed with ideas and Disney references that will keep older and younger gamers busy for far longer than the more linear Skylanders could, and while the Toy Box mode isn't exactly going to have Minecraft shaking in its cuboid boots, its sillier nature (does Minecraft have a toilet paper gun?) makes it just as entertaining at times.
Disney Infinity is a wonderful game that mashes together the best of collectables, cherished childhood memories of playing with toys and Minecraft-esque creation into a beautiful package, and then locks it up behind what I found to be an aggravatingly vague system of luck and grinding — and what my son found an exciting and rewarding game of chance.
Even as additional play sets and figures are released in the coming months, it'll be the Toy Box that keeps us hooked, and it's how Disney Infinity remains so endearing even as it commands ample cash.
Don’t bet against this becoming the latest playground must-have come Christmas. It’s a clever use of Disney licences that kids will absolutely adore, even if grown-ups will be less enamoured by the mission – and merchandise – structure.
But not everyone has had such an encouraging view of the game:
What Disney Infinity ultimately represents is the potential of a fantastic platform. It’s incredibly rough around the edges, and it will make your wallet beg for mercy, but there is a massive wealth of content for Disney to cull from. And as buggy and unintuitive as the game can be at times, I’m still intrigued enough to see this one through.
And that’s the sad truth of Disney Infinity, it’s so very obviously been designed by accountants and marketing people rather than game designers. Where Toy Story 3 delighted with the unexpected generosity of its content, here you can sense that every corner of the game has been scrutinised to see what can be cut out and sold separately.
There’s some entertainment in completing these levels, but they all suffer from a bloat of filler content. Each four-hour campaign has only a handful of exciting segments (Pirates of the Caribbean's ship combat, in particular, is pure fun), while the other three-and-a-half hours are spent completing what amounts to basic fetch quests.
Though they are well-designed and crafted, the figures themselves don't feel essential to the actual gameplay, certainly not in the same way the Skylanders toys are.
Add to that dull core mechanics and some clumsily-designed campaigns and you have a largely forgettable game that, Toy Box mode aside, doesn't do the esteemed Disney name justice.
Now it's your turn to make up your own mind about Disney Infinity, it's now available in North America and releasing elsewhere in just a few short days.
3DS Version Seen At Last
As Disney prepares for the launch tomorrow the first glimpses of the 3DS version of Disney Infinity: Toy Box Challenge have appeared on Nintendo.com where you can now see a few screenshots of the game itself. Aside from a brief description by the ESRB the 3DS version of Disney Infinity had until now remained a complete mystery, but with these showing up just in time for the North American release tomorrow you've finally got some help to decide whether or not it's actually something you'll want to play.
The game looks to be a completely different experience to that of the console games and is being made by a different developer (Altron) so it is definitely worth taking a moment to check out what it is that you're actually buying.
Toys R Us have unveiled the first of their exclusive figures in the Infinite Crystal range.
The Crystal variants look different in-game and have bonus experience and health points over their regular counterparts. They also unlock a special area where you can showcase your collection of Crystal figures. Lightning McQueen is just the first of the set so expect more to appear over the coming months.
The first of the two announced mobile apps has gone live, Disney Infinity: Action features Mr Incredible, Sulley, and Jack Sparrow and lets you record a short video with the characters laid over the top. At this stage it doesn't seem to be much more extensive than that but you can unlock extra poses to record the videos with. The app is free but contains microtransactions to help unlock all of the poses.
The second app, Disney Infinity: Toy Box, which allows you to edit Toy Box levels and then use them in the console game sounds like a more comprehensive tool but it is not yet available (and will be an iPad exclusive when it is). Toy Box will also be a free app and you will be able to use the webcodes included with your toys to unlock more content.
And finally, here is an early and massive two hour long look at the console game by Console Creatures:
D23 Reveals Hidden Mickey
Earlier today Disney held a presentation at the D23 expo where they revealed some new information and characters for the release of Disney Infinity next Sunday.
With this they have officially announced nearly all of the remaining rumoured playable characters including Wreck-it Ralph, Vanellope, Phineas, Agent P, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, Rapunzel, Anna, Elsa, Jack Skellington, and of course Sorcerer Mickey himself. They also gave out pre-release toys of Mickey to the attendees, he won't be available to buy until much later.
Along with the characters they have announced the Toy Story Play Set that we've previously seen glimpses of as well as details for the mobile app that will be accompanying the game at launch.
A Disney Infinity Youtube Roundup
Disney Infinity launches in North America in just over one week so Disney have been in overdrive posting new videos to Youtube.
Most recent is an advert featuring a few kids talking about their experiences with the game:
Then there's a video showing off the combat in the Toy Box:
A behind the scenes video focusing on Designing the Figures:
And a whole set of brief tutorials on how to use some of the Toy Box items and features:
Themes
Enemy Spawns
Party Cannon
Super Cannon
Repeater
The D23 Expo is now on but the main draw for Disney Infinity will be a presentation on Sunday where they'll be making some brand new reveals as well as a giveaway of an unannounced figure...
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