Disney Infinity 2.0 Preview - E3 2014

With Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, also dubbed the 2.0 edition, Disney Interactive hopes to expand on their moderately successful first outing as a toy and game hybrid. Thanks to the sheer brand power of Marvel, the sequel aims to take full advantage by using many fan favorite superheroes and bringing these iconic comic franchises into the game. At E3 this year, we got a first look at the brand new starter Play Set and some of the new gameplay features.

When Marvel Super Heroes ships this fall, the starter bundle will include a copy of the game, Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow figures, along with a base, 2 Toy Box discs, and The Avengers Play Set. All in all, it is a similar offer to the original game from last year. We had a chance to check out some of these new Marvel toys up close, and they look just as detailed and impressive as the original lineup. Speaking of which, players will of course be able to use all their currently owned figures, toys and power discs with the new game. Your characters and progression will carry over, as well.

As we watched Iron Man float around the city and shoot at bad guys, we chatted with the developers about what’s new in this sequel. The heroes will now have a skill tree that players will be able to level up through, all the way to the raised cap of 30. The game will also feature new customization disks that let you swap outfits, such as Spider-Man’s classic Venom costume, and so forth. And yes, characters from the previous game will be automatically updated to also have skill trees and utilize the new level cap.

New Toy Box discs are pyramid shaped, and promise to bring structured, franchise-themed games to the Toy Box. One of the most common complaints in the original Disney Infinity was the fact that the Toy Box, an area where players can create custom worlds using building tools, simply didn’t offer much to do beyond the build process. So with the Toy Box discs, the developers hope to offer a variety of activities and challenges for players Much as before, Toy Box worlds can be saved and then shared online, and can even be transferred between game platforms. The creator tool has also been improved to be more accessible, and let users create worlds faster by using procedural elements. No longer will you be forced to place every little detail within a Toy Box. Also for the first time, users can now create indoor environments.

Disney Infinity 2.0 story mode will follow original stories written by Marvel comic writer, Brian Michael Bendis. To solidify a bigger commitment to the narrative, longer cutscenes will be used in the game. The heroes will be able to cross between Play Sets, all said to be set in iconic Marvel locations. The levels we saw took place in a frozen Manhattan, as The Avengers attempt to stop the evil forces trying to take over the city. Our gameplay featured Iron Man and The Hulk, both with different skills thanks to the new upgrade tree, and the action looked both colorful and accessible – much like the original Infinity. Players will be able to take on missions, explore the big city and partake in various side activities, again similarly to the first game but with more content this time around.

Power Disks also return, this time in two varieties. Circular discs will add costumes, Area of Effect attacks and team-ups with other Marvel heroes, while hexagonal discs will add new weapons, vehicles and environment customizations. For example you could use a disk to turn the sky green, or make the game world look as if it’s been destroyed by Hulk. Or you could deploy one of the new controllable vehicles like the Hydra Motorcycle, Falcon’s Wings, S.H.I.E.L.D. Containment Truck and more. Finally, team-ups allow players to call in another hero for help during combat, such as the Winter Solder or Iron Patriot.

Thanks to the collaboration with Marvel, Disney Interactive likely has another hit on their hands. The original game did well in sales, and the sequel aims to correct many of the shortfalls to make for a better overall experience. As mentioned, players will be able to take on the role of more than 20 comic book heroes to battle enemies, complete missions, solve puzzles and play around with the new Toy Box. With what we saw at E3, Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes looks to be a promising sequel boosted by the Marvel brand. Look for the game on store shelves this Fall.