Disney Infinity 2.0 (PC, X360, PS3, Wii) (2014)
Developer: Avalanche, Heavy Iron Studios, Ninja Theory, Studio Gobo, Panic Button, and Blind Squirrel Games

Review by Faididi and Co.

Princess Jasmine is mightier than The Incredible Hulk, lol

Gameplay: Average

Developed by Avalanche and several other companies, Disney Infinity 2.0 is the second edition of the toy figure-based, open-ended crossover action game. It's a virtual toy box featuring characters, scenery, and other elements from Disney's properties. The heroes you play are determined by which figures are placed on the accessory base plate that, in turn, is connected via USB cable to the console or PC. 2 Players may enjoy the game together on a single console, or up to 4 Players can join online. There is zero story outside the simple scenarios accessed via the toy set pieces and the Player-created levels. Regarding compatibility, the first edition's toy figures (plus any character progress under your Player profile) can be used here in Disney Infinity 2.0, but not the first edition's toy set pieces.

Although the main draw of the second edition is the introduction of the Marvel content, it also brings in a few more of Disney's and Pixar's own characters (Tinker Bell, Donald Duck, Maleficent, Jasmine, Aladdin, Stitch, and Merida), along with a greater amount of level-customization options. (There are two starter packs. The Marvel Super Heroes pack focuses on the comic book universe, while the Originals pack puts the spotlight back on Disney's and Pixar's movies.)

The new options are certainly attractive, even if their demands on the game's inner workings break compatibility with the first edition's toy set pieces. Things like the now-resizeable trigger boxes and the tower-defense elements open up many more possibilities, and the tutorials' example of a giant pinball minigame neatly demonstrates the level editor's versatility. The addition of indoor-type worlds allows for dungeon-style levels not possible before, and there's also a special indoor area serving as a permanent home space that may be decorated as desired.

Unfortunately, the game still suffers from an overall sluggishness caused by old problems in the controls. Worse yet, the playable heroes between the editions are very imbalanced. Compared to their simplistic 1.0 counterparts, the 2.0 characters have far more potent and versatile sets of moves, including additional support skills and special attacks that can quickly mow down several enemies at once. For example, Queen Elsa is limited to a rudimentary pushing attack, a single-shot attack, and a self-healing ability, while Tinker Bell possesses variable combo strikes, chargeable multi-target blasts, a group-healing ability, a flying ability, a far-reaching chain-killing special attack, and even better idling phrases. (Poor Vidia, lol.) Being able to continue with the 1.0 characters is nice, but they don't play any better fundamentally, and Disney Infinity 2.0 fails to expand on their sorely underdeveloped skills to keep them on par with the newly added heroes.

Controls: Below Average

The controls need a lot more improvement. The characters turn and attack slowly, the auto-aiming is unreliable, and a manual-aiming glitch can temporarily lock the pitch movement. The inconsistent flying controls allow flight-capable heroes to ascend in some levels but not in others. Another glitch can prevent the lobby's texture settings in the home area from being saved, and the game crashes if certain furniture decorations are moved into the smallest connector-type rooms.

Graphics: Above Average

Disney Infinity 2.0 shows off the same high-quality visuals. The characters are fluidly animated, while the pretty textures and the rich lighting effects make everything look as colorful as possible. Lag remains a major issue, however. Cycling through the objects in the level editor takes increasingly longer as more of them are acquired, and the characters' demonstration videos often stutter. Despite the editor's safeguards, the game can crash if you trigger too many effects at once in the Player-made levels.

Audio: Above Average

The audio work is generally fine, with two or so awful bits being the only exceptions. One type of computer-controlled ally sounds incredibly fucking annoying, and at least one of the home area guests is given a voice of the opposite gender. Luckily, the playable heroes and the important supporting characters are all smoothly voiced by a combination of the original actors and substitutes. The 2.0 heroes seem to have lots more to say, and Pleakley is a hilarious highlight in the Tropical Rescue levels. The sound effects are loud and plentiful, though they don't always recreate the iconic noises heard in the movies. The music brings back the material from the films, and it also features a few memorable new pieces, such as the home area's peaceful tunes and Quorra's awesome deep house theme (for the object interaction logic tutorial).

Overall: Average

Disney Infinity 2.0 may be a bigger, fancier version of its predecessor, but it's hampered by still-sluggish controls and a lack of ability updates for the first edition's heroes. Those unimpressed by the original Disney Infinity won't find much more to like in this crossover action game, unless they get a thrill out of seeing Tinker Bell and The Incredible Hulk riding in assault helicopters and murdering pirate monsters to the tune of It's a Small World before hearing Elsa laughing maniacally at the end of a survival wave.