The lights are on
Disney is calling its Skylanders-like Infinity more than just a game, but a platform for its entire list of intellectual properties.
Project Infinity has been rumored for awhile, but Disney finally announced the game at a press event in Hollywood earlier today. The game is being developed by Avalanche Software, which has developed other games for Disney, including adaptations of Toy Story 3 and Cars 2. This new game sprung from Toy Story 3's toy box mode, which allowed players to explore a customizable sandbox-style environment.
The first three play sets Disney has announced for Disney Infinity are based on the Pirates of the Caribbean, Monsters Inc, and Incredibles properties, and they're included with the game's starter set. Each game, or "play set," comes with a set of toys that players will be able to bring into their games a la Activision's Skylanders.
Each play set has a traditional story-mode component that stays faithful to the individual license. In the Monster's University game, Sully and Mike end up in a battle with a rival monster university called Fear Tech. The Pirates game allows your to build and manage your own pirate ship. The game's Toy Box mode is where players will have a lot of freedom to really play around with their toys. Players can bring Pirates characters and have them interact with the cast of Monsters Inc., the Incredibles, and many others.
Toy Box mode allows you to unlock hundreds of new toys such as vehicles, which you can use to explore a large open world. You'll also have missions to complete during Toy Box mode, which will teach you many of the game's mechanics. Toy Box mode is really a toy box, because you'll be able to build your own worlds and levels to create your own experience. In this mode you can also also link objects so that you can create buttons that open doors or raise elevators, for example. You can also create race gates, add enemy spawn points, or change the placement of the camera. In a lot of ways, Toy Box mode sound like an interesting cross between Minecraft and LittleBigPlanet.
Disney also briefly talked about Power Discs, which are physical flat discs that you place on your portal base just like one of the figures. These Power Discs will add additional items to your game world, such as dropping in Cinderella's carriage or Abu from Aladdin in elephant form.
We can't wait to get our hands on Infinity, because it looks awesome. Infinity launches in June and further playsets and figures will continue to roll out down the pipe. Here's the pricing info:
Check out the trailer below.
Email the author Ben Reeves, or follow on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Game Informer.
I might've wanted to buy this if not for the FREAKIN ACTION FIGURES!!!
I know they want to make money, but come on. I'm sure it would still sell like hotcakes if it didn't.
Cool, BUT, not into the skylanders type of game thing.
No spoken dialogue in the trailer??? I hope the game play is good. I was intrigued by Skylander but I feel the price point is way to high. it looks like this is following in that vein as being expensive if you want to collect them all. What happened to getting the full experience of the game by making the initial purchase of a game. Now there are add ons and DLC. When will it end?
if disney makes are star wars games lets hope they dont make it to childish.
i wish this were just a game and not a figurine skylanders thing.
would be much better
hmm trying to watch the video but the stupid outlook add before the video is all bugged.
I feel like Nintendo could do this with SSB. The characters are already trophy/figures.
I really like this idea though.
so it's a game, but with a lot of pretentious hype surrounding it
I do wish they would include one female character in the starter pack. They should be marketing to all kids, especially coming from Disney.
The prices though similar to Skylanders, are notably higher overall. All I can say is, "ouch."
The idea is great, but from what I see of the trailer it's probably going to blow. I know it's a kids game, trying to be the next Skylanders, but the action looks really simplistic and the graphics are very...plasticy. Like they were trying to make everything look like a toy in its own art style, but these are already established properties with their own unique looks and feels; what was wrong with that? I like that it looks like one can create their own world by mashing different disney worlds together and being able to run around in them, but it looks like there isn't much to do outside the creative mode and repetitively smashing bad guys.
Looks like we got ourselves a new genre...
Actually sounds interesting. A bit more than just a Skylanders rip-off.
Well, dang. I may just have to buy it just for the Pixar figures
This may be a cash grab, but the element of childhood nostalgia and the level customization may force my hand (to reach into my wallet, that is). Also, the sheer amount of characters.
Yeah... I'll pass.
I saw Stitch I saw Stitch!
Sounds like another money-sucking pain in the ass...
I just stated playing Skylanders Giants. *sigh* Why do I have to love you so much, Disney?