The first question that owners of Disney Infinity had was whether or not the system was backwards compatible with Disney Infinity 2.0. Would the original figures, power disks and playsets work with the new hardware? Disney set up a page to answer those questions; however, the short answer was “no”. The figures and Power Disks for the original Infinity release were still supported, but unfortunately the original Play Sets, the themed environments for each character, could only be played on the original Infinity. It was a shame, too, because many of those Play Sets were very well done. The Pirates of The Caribbean set alone was one of the best Disney games released in the past decade.
For those unfamiliar with how Infinity is different from other video games, let me explain: Disney Infinity is not a specific game but instead a platform on which to play. There are versions of Infinity that work with the Playstation, Xbox and Wii consoles. There are individual expansion packs that a consumer can buy. These expansion packs include two figures and a transparent object that represents a “Play Set.” Players place a figure on the Infinity portal and play as that character within the game. Players can even collect “Power Disks” to enhance their experience. Some Power Disks are vehicles, some are weapons, but they are all unique.
There were several Play Sets released last year. They included virtual versions of the Monsters U campus, the wild west from the Lone Ranger and even Radiator Springs from the Cars universe. Each Play Set featured locations, supporting characters and even music from the films that they were based on. The sets are the parts of Disney Infinity that are experienced like a traditional video game. Players can go through a main mission and even various side missions and explore each gaming world in detail. The Play Sets are not necessarily based on the plot of any film but instead compliment them by providing an original story featuring the main characters. Each Play Set was very well done and highly sought after when they were released. The reward for playing through each Play Set are virtual items that can be unlocked and used within the game. These include pedestrians, vehicles, building supplies, weapons, roads and just about anything that you can imagine. These items are particularly valuable in the “Toy Box” or the second mode that Infinity can be experienced in.
In the Toy Box Mode, players can create their own environments. They can create their own landscapes, roads, buildings and even opponents to fight against. This mode is the closest experience to the more recent Lego games and the always popular Minecraft. Players are able to share their creations online and play with friends. The Toy Box is the only way to cross-over the various IP from Disney, Pixar and now Marvel. Players are welcome to change characters in the middle of the Play Set as long as they are from the same property. Characters from the Incredibles, for example, can not be played within the Monsters U Play Set and vice-versa. In the Toy Box, everything is possible.
Of course, audiences discovered that some movies lent themselves to a game much easier than others. In particular, the Incredibles expansion set was wildly popular. During the San Diego Comic Con 2014 the developers at Avalanche Software revealed that gamers gravitated towards Elastigirl more than any other character in Infinity. Her powers and ability to navigate a city gave audiences a true sense of freedom, very much like a certain Spider-Man. The studio learned that if one well done super-hero could bring audiences into the world of Infinity then an entire group of them would make them stay.
The announcement that Infinity 2.0 would feature the Marvel Universe threw fans into a frenzy. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the announcement came during San Diego Comic Con. Not only was Disney striking while the characters were hot, they appealed to the collectors by offering a special set for the Avengers. The “Frost Giant” was not compatible with Infinity 2.0, it was instead a place to display all of the Avengers. Disney had shown that they were completely behind the platform. The quality of the sculpts and detail found on each figure remained unparalleled. The company planned to dethrone Activision and their Skylanders franchise in the collectible market…and they did. Gamers were happy to see that Disney and Pixar characters would continue to be released for Infinity despite the focus on Marvel.
It was not a straight line to get to Marvel Infinity, however. The platform had tremendous growing pains over the 2013 holiday season. There was not one version of the platform released for the Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo consoles that was bug free. Some of the Play Sets seemed to crash more often than others. The use of certain characters in the Toy Box could result in data becoming corrupt. Players could sometimes lose all of their progress in a game and then have to start all over. It could be infuriating for families that had spent weeks playing through the various Play Sets. The developers were constantly pushing updates and patches to Infinity. They would post known issues online and allow gamers to submit new cases. They remained diligent on closing bug reports in a timely manner.
After a few months the experience of Infinity was much more enjoyable. Stability in the Play Set and Toy Box meant that audiences could experience the game the way it was meant to be. Yet adding the Marvel characters meant that the game engine would have to be re-written. Super heroes after all had super-powers. They could fly, swing on webs, throw cars and shoot beams of energy. These were gameplay features missing in every other Play Set that had been designed, with the exception of the Incredibles. It did not seem that a small tweak to the engine used for the Incredibles would suffice for the rest of the Marvel Universe, nor would another patch. It was decided that Infinity would get a major revision dubbed 2.0. This new game engine would feature the Marvel characters from the comics, television shows and movies. The announcement of the Avengers for Infinity was not the most anticipated news among gamers. The extended universe would become a hot topic on web forums and in comic shops. The next post in this series will look at this in detail.
Are you a Disney Infinity fan? How often to you play and what are your favorite characters and play sets?
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