TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

A story written long ago

If you’re a reader of the Dubbs or know me more personally, you know I’m a huge fan of Disney Infi nity. As much as I loved the original game, I loved Disney Infi nity 2.0 even more.

Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the exploits of The Incredibles, but for a true superhero fan like myself, it doesn’t compare to saving Manhattan from Loki and the Frost Giants with the Avengers.

The game missions in 2.0 were more clearly defi ned, and a lot more linear. (I still can’t defeat the Incredibles level because I handle the missions in the incorrect order.) The graphics seemed to improve, and the customization in the ToyBox was almost limitless.

The cherry on top is the actual collectible fi gures themselves. The poses are iconic, the sculpts are playful yet powerful, and are made to crossover for all audiences. My 5-year-old loves the fi gures as much as his comic-obsessed dad does.

DI 2.0 also includes a Spider-Man playset which also takes place in Manhattan, that is vastly different from the Avengers playset. This playset contains two of my favorite 2.0 fi gures, Nova and Venom. Nova may be my favorite character in 2.0. He is sneaky powerful and fast.

The third and fi nal Marvel playset is Guardians of the Galaxy. This game is set on Knowhere and utilizes the powers of each of the characters. Rocket Racoon is a ton of fun to play. Similar to the movie, the game is completely centered in outer space so it’s a nice change from the other two sets which feature NYC.

If 2.0 wasn’t enough, Disney Infi nity 3.0 ventures into a galaxy far, far away to ventures into a galaxy far, far away to incorporate the newest members of the incorporate the newest members of the Disney family—the Star Wars universe.

Initial screenshots and gameplay make this version look like it will be the best yet. Each of the jedi (Luke, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Ahsoka, Kanaan, Ezra, and Anakin) have a unique skill set and fi ghting style. The same is true for the Sith lords (Darth Vader and Darth Maul).

Great attention has been spent on the details of the planets as well. Hoth, Coruscant, Tattoine, and Felucia all look amazing. I can’t wait to load up Han and Chewie and fl y around from planet to planet while having dogfi ghts in outer space.

Star Wars will have two separate playsets when the game launches. One set during the Clone Wars (Twilight of the Republic) and the other set during the original trilogy (Rise Against The Empire). Not only will the gameplay be great within the missions, but I imagine the possibilities will be even more endless in the toy box. I can’t state enough how excited I am for the Fall release of this. It’s going to be epic.

DI 3.0 will also see Marvel and Disney continue to be supported. Marvel will have a whole new playset featuring HulkBuster Iron Man as well as Ultron HulkBuster Iron Man as well as Ultron (with some potential other characters to (with some potential other characters to be announced at a later date). Disney will have an Inside Out playset featuring an all new original story. The fi ve emotions will each get fi gures. Disney will also have a new batch of ToyBox characters that have been high on the want lists of many collectors (Olaf, Mulan, Minnie, Mickey, and Sam and Quorra from Tron).

There will also be a new batch of ToyBox Games similar to Escape from the Klyn and Asgard Tower Defense. The fi rst and most exciting is the ToyBox Speedway. Think Mario Kart except with all of the Disney properties. This has been requested since almost the inception of this game. The advance previews look very promising for this expansion.

The other ToyBox game is ToyBox Takeover which seems to put every villain and every playset in play from every DI playset. I can see this being an extremely popular feature for Infi nity supporters who have built up an impressive roster of characters.

The release of Madden used to be a holiday to me. That’s no longer the case. For me, the most anticipated gaming release of the year (for the second year in a row) is Disney Infinity. ADW

Note: Pre-order the Star Wars saga bundle as it is the only way you will get Boba Fett and the Rise Against the Empire playsets (with Luke and Leia) the fi rst day of release. If you don’t you’ll have to wait at least a month for Luke and Leia and till the holidays for Boba.