Review: Taking Disney’s Infinity 3.0 for a Joyride

Game Name: Disney Infinity 3.0
Platform(s): PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox one, Wii U
Publisher(s): Disney Interactive Studios
Developer(s): Avalanche Software
Release Date: August 30, 2015
Price: $64.99 / PlayStation Exclusive Star Wars Saga Bundle $119.99

I’ll be honest here, after picking up and playing both Disney Infinity 1.0 and 2.0, on multiple systems, I wasn’t impressed. Sure this was mostly due to the lack of interesting quests, while the game mostly relied on the Toy Box mode of the games to keep gamers interested. A noble attempt for sure, but in an age where you have games of similar gameplay and structure, such as Skylanders. Thankfully, Disney has listened to the complaints and has addressed many of those with Infinity 3.0, but is this a case of too little to late?

If you’re new to the Disney Infinity 3.0 world and are just starting off, then you’ll have an easier time on deciding which version is for you. The PS3, Ps4, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Wii U all have their Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Packs for the game and provide you with an Infinity base which is used to bring your characters to live, as well as a copy of the game,  characters Ahsoka Tanoa and Anakin Skywalker, as well as one Star Wars Twilight of the Republic play set.

However, there is also an exclusive version of the bundles, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars Saga Bundle, which is strictly for the PlayStation 3 and 4. If you’re a PlayStation owner then this is the bundle I recommend you pick up as it not only includes everything from the 3.0 Starter Packs, but also three additional characters from the original Star Wars universe, Luke Skywalker figure, Princess Leia figure and the infamous Boba Fett, but you also gain access to the Star Wars Rise Against the Empire play set which has you visiting planets that were also from the original Star Wars universe, such as Hoth and Tatooine.

For an additional $50 dollars ($119.99), you get access to 3 figures and a new play set. I thought that was a good deal and picked that up instead. Besides I couldn’t get over the nostalgia that kept slapping me in the face, telling me that “You want this”. However since this isn’t available to all consoles, I won’t be reviewing that play set, however if you’re a Star Wars fan, you may want to also pick up this version as well, if you own a PlayStation 3 or 4.

Going into Infintiy 3.0, the biggest news regarding the updated series is that Ninja Theory, yes the same company the worked on the new Devil May Cry, was tapped to revamp the combat system and revamp they did. Star Wars and it’s universe was the draw of Infinity 3.0 and you can’t have a Star Wars game without the ironic Light Sabers, which is why Ninja Theory was called to help out with. That said there are multiple characters that have been released for the title, all of which feature a lightsaber and thankfully each of them play different and have their own set of moves. Ahsoka for example, uses dual lightsabers and while she doesn’t hit as hard as Anakin, she has a speed and grace to her moves, on top of which she has a unlockable move that acts like an AOE / Area of Effect, damaging anything in small radius of her. The combat feels pretty good with every slash that is produced while in combat and that’s not all of it. Jedis have a connection to the force, which also differs for specific characters. Where one character can use the force to push away enemies, others can use to grip them towards them, which allows you to juggle enemies for periods of time in the air.

I actually preferred Anakin as he has the latter ability and there has been times where I’ve juggled a enemy in the air for several seconds, force grabbing them as they start to head to the ground. However combat doesn’t merely revolve around melee combat and other characters can rely on their trusty sidearm to do damage as well. It’s not as satisfying as a lightsaber, but it gets the job done.

But it didn’t stop there as the game also features space ship combat. At any given time, once you have access to the space maps that is, you can take off and do battle about any planet, in which the game will toss a random objective at you, ranging from taking out a squadron of fighters or saving a larger ship who is being attacked. Thankfully there’s a large number of ships to choose from, including the Millennium Falcon, X-Wing and other Star Wars iconic ships. And while the combat there is relatively simple, it’s nice to see that it was at least included and done in a decent fashion instead of just being tacked on with no substance.

Kudos to Avalanche Interaction and Ninja Theory for making the combat in Infinity 3.0 as much fun as it is.

Oh and there’s no friendly fire, so you and another person can relive your own moments, slashing or blasting away at each other.

But there’s more to the game than combat and as similar fashion, the game places you in quests across different planets and forcing you to do a number of smaller jobs in order to unlock or gain access to larger quests. And while I understand this is how they build the story in the game, it did get quite boring, forcing me to save X of people, blow up X amount of items and so forth. I just wanted to get back to the combat. Yes friends, there is quite a bit of grinding, but at the very least it does provide you with points, allowing you to level up your character.

And while we’re on the subject of leveling up, every playable character has a skill tree that you can work on to give your character certain abilities and attributes, all of which allow you a level of customization. This is the same system that was introduced in Infinity 2.0, just with some more tweaking done to it. It’s not forced, so if you can’t bother to work on the development of your character, it doesn’t detract from your playable ability, but for those who do want to do so will be rewarded. From being able to deflect laser fire with a lightsaber, to getting more health and so forth. However don’t plan on maxing out your character as you only have an finite amount of points that you’ll be able to allocate, so you’ll have to decided which skill upgrades will benefit you.

I picked up the PlayStation 4 version as I wanted to skip the past generation versions of the game and I wasn’t too disappointed. The graphics were vivid and colorful and the frame rate, maintaining a some what consistant 1080p @ 60fps, which is a step above what either the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or even the Wii U versions could produce. It still had that cartoon-ish look to it but it looked amazing, however I did experience some slow down here and there which was more noticeable when I played in co-op mode. Speaking of co-op more, I am not a fan of how it splits the screen vertically and would have preferred an option to change to to horizontal or even how the Lego games do it and having it merge when the characters are in the same location.

In terms of sound, this is where this game really shines. Themes from classics such as Star Wars and other Disney properties are incredibly done and I found myself at times just standing around listening to the music. It’s a shame that there isn’t a soundtrack available for the game, as it would be a perfect addition for any fans of the in-game music. I’m not sure how was tapped on to handle the music and sounds but whoever it was, they did a bang up job.

Check out the short video I provided below for an example of what to expect in-game.

 

However, here’s where Infinity 3.0 gets it correctly this time around, the Toy Box hub! There’s even secrets that can be found, some of which trigger events such as spawning Star Destroyers from Star Wars or random characters appearing inside of your INterior. It’s also a lot more organized that previously before and also has new elements such as the custom patch creator, new buildings, a musical creation feature and vehicles from other properties such as Tron. Even the Ice Palace from Frozen was included, which my daughter was more than eager to point out to me as we played together.

The Sidekicks are also a nice touch, which are bite-sized Disney characters that are within the Toy Box world and are used as companions that can accompany you during your time there. In addition you an upgrade them and assign them equipment which can grant them the ability to attack enemies, heal you and various other functions. You’ll have to understand how they work as you will not be able to progress throughout the Toy Box world without them as they are used to solve puzzles, such as opening doors and accessing areas where you normally could not. It’s a nice touch and while it seems like it may be forced on you, its not as bad as it seems.

Besides there are other means of using them, especially since you can pick them up and toss them, sometimes into your co-op buddy who’s playing with you or even that ledge over yonder. Makes for some hilarious times and relieves stress buildup. 

However, if there was  a down side with this game, that would be the amount of money this game is going to consume. At $13.99 for one Infinity character and $34.99 for a play set, it does start to take a toll on you. However this is what Disney is banking on, especially since they’ve included iconic models that they know will sell. From Han Solo, Hulk Buster, Darth Vader, characters from the upcoming movies Zootopia and The Good Dinosaur, as well as stuff they haven’t even announced yet.

See where I’m going with this? It’s a money pit and we’ll all going to end up falling down that pit, some sooner than others it would see. For example, I simply had to have both of the Tron 2.0 characters and my children waited the Inside Out play set, Yoda and Mulan, on top of the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition: Star Wars Saga Bundle for the PlayStation 4. Let me tell you that release day was not kind to my wallet.

Take a look at our Disney Infinity 3.0 article here to see what’s available now, whats been announced and how much they’re going for.