Disney Infinity 3.0
Disney Infinity 3.0 is a 2015 action-adventure sandbox video game published by Disney Interactive Studios and LucasArts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Apple TV, and is the third installment in the toys-to-life Disney Infinity series. It was developed by Avalanche Software, with additional help from Ninja Theory, Studio Gobo, Sumo Digital, and United Front Games. In contrast to how Disney Infinity 2.0 focused on Marvel characters and playsets, 3.0 has a focus on the Star Wars franchise. The game was announced on May 5, 2015, and was released on August 28, 2015 in Europe and on August 30, 2015 in North America.
Gameplay
Disney Infinity 3.0 features similar gameplay mechanics to Disney Infinity and Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes. Although sharing many key elements, the game's combat system has been redesigned to become more in-depth and complex.[2] The game's combat system is influenced by the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and its sequel, Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, and most of the Spider-Man's aerial combat-themed video game series (except Ultimate Spider-Man).[2] Lightsabers have been integrated into combat, due to the inclusion of Star Wars characters. Characters who use lightsabers in combat can utilize additional weapons. For instance, playable character Luke Skywalker has the ability to use a blaster and a lightsaber, which used together can juggle enemies in the air.[2] Full combos have been integrated, which allows the player to pause mid-combo and branch off into another variation of the combo.[2] Playable characters with the ability to use the Force, in Star Wars mythology, have the ability to push and pull enemies during combat.[2] Special attacks, which were introduced in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, have returned. Only the bearer of a close-ranged type weapon (such as lightsabers and other blade or staff weapons), including the characters who have their own primary close-ranged weapons (like Mulan, whose primary weapon is a staff, similar to the Jedi and Sith's own primary lightsaber), and characters who can fly are able to perform an aerial combo.[2] Instead of waiting for a progress bar to fill up for a special attack to be performed, a new feature allows the attack to be released early, but the effects of the attack are not as strong.[2] Auto-lock when firing ranged weapons at targets has been enhanced, so players no longer have to move closer to enemies in order to auto-lock on their positions.[2]
Future
In the Disney Infinity NEXT broadcast, Disney revealed that there would be no new entry in the series this year because they will be focusing on making new figures and play sets.[3] This led fans to speculate that this may be the last game in the series and will continue to be updated for free instead of having to buy a new starter pack.
Plot
Twilight of the Republic
The Twilight of the Republic Playset storyline is based on the era of the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Set during the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda and Ahsoka Tano discover a reactivated Droid factory on the planet Geonosis.[2] The four Jedi then decide to find out who is the mastermind behind the newly minted droid army.[4] As the story progresses, the pair cross paths with General Grievous, Jabba the Hutt, Cad Bane, Mace Windu, Sebulba, Padme Amidala and the main antagonist Darth Maul, and travel to planets Coruscant, Naboo and Tatooine.[2]
Rise Against the Empire
The Rise Against the Empire Playset storyline is based on the events of the classic Star Wars trilogy, with some differences. The Playset revolves around Luke Skywalker, his sister Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca finding themselves locked in battle with Darth Vader.[4]
The Force Awakens
A playset based on Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released in December 2015; it was announced at the D23 Expo that the playset would feature Finn and Rey from the film. Kylo Ren and Poe Dameron were later confirmed as playable characters.[5][6]
Inside Out
In the Inside Out playset, Riley falls asleep watching a horror movie and chaos ensues in her subconscious. This scatters some of Riley's memories all over Imagination Land and the five emotions must find and return them to headquarters before Riley awakens.
Marvel Battlegrounds
A play set featuring Marvel characters fighting each other on a series of levels. The story sees Loki working together with Ultron to manipulate all of the universe's heroes into fighting each other using robot duplicates while they steal one of the six Infinity Stones from the Asgardian vault. All Marvel characters from Disney Infinity 2.0 will be playable in this playset, along with the ones introduced in 3.0, such as Hulkbuster, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Vision and Ultron. This is also the first play set to utilize four-player local gameplay.
Toy Box Takeover
When Syndrome gets his hands on Merlin's Wand, he teams up with all the other villains, and it's up to the player to assemble every Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars character to stop him before he destroys the toy box.
Characters
The following is a list of character figurines that have been released and announced for Disney Infinity 3.0. The starter pack, which includes the game and Infinity Base, contains figures for Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, and one playset based on Star Wars. Additional figures and playsets are sold in special packs, while certain figures are sold separately.[7] In addition to these new characters, who were introduced for this game, all previous character figures and Power Discs from previous game series will be compatible with this current game, similar to Disney Infinity 2.0.[8]
| Franchise | Characters | Pack | Release date | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: The Clone Wars | Anakin Skywalker*[4] | Starter Pack / Twilight of the Republic Playset / Twilight of the Republic playset and software bundle Star Wars Saga Bundle (PS3 and PS4 exclusives) | August 30, 2015 | Wave 1 |
| Ahsoka Tano[4] | ||||
| Yoda*[4] | Single Character Pack | |||
| Obi-Wan Kenobi*[4] | ||||
| Darth Maul[4] | November 3, 2015 | Wave 2 | ||
| Star Wars Original Trilogy | Luke Skywalker*[4] | Rise Against the Empire Playset / Star Wars Saga Bundle (PS3 and PS4 exclusives) | August 30 (PS3 and PS4 exclusive) / September 29, 2015 (general retail) | Wave 1 |
| Leia Organa[4] | ||||
| Boba Fett | Single Character Pack / Star Wars Saga Bundle (PS3 and PS4 exclusives) | August 30, 2015 / February 5, 2016 / March 15, 2016 (general retail) | ||
| Han Solo[4] | Single Character Pack | September 29, 2015 | ||
| Chewbacca[4] | ||||
| Darth Vader*[4] | ||||
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Finn | The Force Awakens Playset | December 18, 2015 | Wave 2 |
| Rey | ||||
| Poe Dameron | Single Character Pack | |||
| Kylo Ren* | ||||
| Star Wars Rebels | Ezra Bridgera | August 30, 2015 | Wave 1 | |
| Kanan Jarrus*b | ||||
| Sabine Wren c | ||||
| Zeb Orrelios d | ||||
| Inside Out | Joy | Inside Out Playset | ||
| Anger | ||||
| Sadness | Single Character Pack | |||
| Disgust | ||||
| Feare | ||||
| Marvel Cinematic Universe | Hulkbuster Iron Man | Single Character Pack | November 3, 2015 | Wave 2 |
| Ultron | ||||
| Black Suit Spider-Man | Single Character Packf | |||
| Captain America: The First Avenger | Marvel Battlegrounds Playset | March 15, 2016 | Wave 3 | |
| Ant-Man | Single Character Pack | |||
| Vision | ||||
| Black Panther | ||||
| Disney Originals | Mickey Mouse | Single Character Pack | August 30, 2015 | Wave 1 |
| Minnie Mouse | ||||
| Tron: Legacy | Sam Flynn | |||
| Quorra | ||||
| Mulan | Mulang | |||
| Frozen | Olaf | |||
| The Good Dinosaur | Spot | November 3, 2015 | Wave 2 | |
| Zootopia | Judy Hopps | March 1, 2016 | Wave 3 | |
| Nick Wilde | ||||
| The Jungle Book | Baloo | March 15, 2016 | ||
| Alice Through the Looking Glass | Alice | May 26, 2016 | ||
| Mad Hatter | ||||
| Time | ||||
| Finding Dory | Nemo | June 14, 2016 | ||
| Dory | Finding Dory Playset | |||
| Peter Pan | Single Character Pack | |||
| Peter Pan | August
2016[9] | |||
Non-playable characters that are included within the game include: General Grievous, Jabba the Hutt, Padme Amidala, C-3PO, R2-D2, Admiral Ackbar, Cad Bane, Mace Windu, Lando Calrissian, Aayla Secura, Plo Koon, Jar Jar Binks, BB-8 and Merlin.
^* : Also available as a Light FX Variant.
^a : Timed exclusive at Toys "R" Us.
^b : Timed exclusive at Walmart.
^c : Timed exclusive at Target.
^d : Timed exclusive at GameStop.
^e : Timed exclusive at Amazon.com.
^f : Originally exclusive to PlayStation Vita for Disney Infinity 2.0.
^g : Timed exclusive at Best Buy.
Development
Since Disney Infinity, there have been hints of Star Wars joining the line of games. The "ultimate unlocks" in the first two Infinity games were a lightsaber and a landspeeder, respectively. Prior to the release of Disney Infinity 2.0 in 2014, series producer John Vignocchi hinted that a future installment could have characters from Lucasfilm.[10] The title's existence was first revealed following a leak from Chinese retailer Taobao showing potential character and figure designs for the third installment.[11] German retailer Saturn would later leak images of the game's Starter Pack featuring the characters of Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.[12] The game was officially revealed by Game Informer on May 5, 2015.[13][14]
Studio Gobo and Ninja Theory were among development groups that worked on the game's Playsets.[4] In order to create a more complex combat system, compared to the first two installments, Disney decided to also have Ninja Theory revamp the game's combat, after LucasArts had expressed interest in working with the company.[2]
Release
Disney Infinity 3.0 was released on August 30, 2015 in North America. The Starter Pack, which includes the game disc, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano character figurines, one playset piece (Twilight of the Republic), one web card and the Disney Infinity Base, was released on the game's launch. The game also received a digital download release.[4] Exclusively in Europe, Disney Infinity 3.0 had a game disc only release without the figurines, web cards and Disney Infinity Base, that are included in the Starter Pack.[4]
A Saga Bundle Starter Pack was available at launch for the PS3 and PS4. It contains the basic starter pack, Rise Against the Empire playset, and Boba Fett figure. Boba Fett is a timed exclusive to this pack, and will be available on his own in the first quarter of 2016.
Power Disc Packs, which unlock additional content in the game, are no longer sold in blind packs, contrary to the use of blind packs in the previous two Disney Infinity series games.[4] Instead, power discs will be released in identifiable packaging.[4]
A special Power Disc, based on Mickey Mouse's Kingdom Hearts role, was given out at Disney's 2015 D23 Expo. Controversially, it is an expo exclusive and will not be sold in stores. Despite this, it does not affect a player's chance to get 100% completion. [15]
Reception
| Reception | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Disney Infinity 3.0 received very positive reviews from video game critics who praised the refinements to the Toy Box, Play Sets, combat, and reduced bugs.
Supposed end of non-console support
After the March 2016 release of the Marvel Battlegrounds Play Set and the new Marvel and Baloo figures, players of the Windows, mobile and Apple TV versions noticed that the game was not updated for those platforms to support the new figures or Play Set. In a reply to a user's tweet on Twitter, the official Disney Infinity account confirmed that "[a]t this time, the new content will only be available on console."[22][23][24]
Awards
| List of awards and nominations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
| The Game Awards 2015 | Best Family Game | Nominated | [25] |
| 2016 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Video Game | Nominated | [26] |
| 2016 Toy Of The Year Awards | E-Connected Toy Of The Year | Won | [27] |
Notes
- ↑ Additional work by Ninja Theory, Studio Gobo, Sumo Digital, United Front Games
References
- ↑ Cork, Jeff (July 8, 2015). "Disney Infinity 3.0 Piles Into Living Rooms Late August". Game Informer. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Hilliard, Kyle. "Fighting The Clone Wars: Ninja Theory's Take On Star Wars". Game Informer. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ↑ Blackburn, John (2016-03-01). "What's NEXT for Disney Infinity 3.0" (Press release). The Walt Disney Company. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Robertson, Andy (May 8, 2015). "Everything We Know About 'Disney Infinity 3.0' 'Star Wars'". Forbes. Forbes. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ↑ Robertson, Andy (October 12, 2015). "Disney Infinity: The Force Awakens Dated, Adds Kylo Ren And Poe Dameron". Forbes. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ↑ Valdes, Giancarlo (December 9, 2015). "Disney Infinity’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens lets John Boyega play with himself". VentureBeat. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- ↑ "DISNEY INFINITY 3.0 REVEALED". Disney Infinity. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Our 7 Favorite Things About Disney Infinity 3.0". Disney Lifestyle. Walt Disney. May 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ↑ "Disney Interactive Presentation Reveals". Disney Infinity. August 16, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
- ↑ McMillan, Graeme (August 26, 2012). "Will 'Disney Infinity' Add 'Star Wars' in 2015?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Rumor: Disney Infinity 3.0 character lineup to feature Olaf, Mulan, Inside-Out, and more". Nintendo Everything. April 20, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Rumor: Star Wars figures to be a part of Disney Infinity 3.0". Nintendo Everything. April 20, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ Cork, Jeff (May 5, 2015). "June Cover Revealed – Disney Infinity 3.0". Game Informer. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0 officially confirmed, featured in this month’s Game Informer". Nintendo Everything. May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ↑ http://infinityinquirer.com/2015/08/17/psa-the-king-mickey-power-disc-is-not-in-hall-of-heroes-will-not-affect-100-completion-or-achivements/
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition". gamerankings.com. GameRankings. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition PlayStation 4". metacritic.com. Metacritic. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0". gameinformer.com. Game Informer. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0 Review". gamespot.com. GameSpot. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ Jones, Brandon. "Disney Infinity 3.0 - Review". gametrailers.com. GameTrailers. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
- ↑ "Disney Infinity 3.0 Review". ign.com. IGN. Retrieved August 28, 2015.
- ↑ DisneyInfinity (March 12, 2016). "At this time, the new content will only be available on console. We will certainly make the community aware if that changes!" (Tweet).
- ↑ Seeto, Damian (March 15, 2016). "Disney Infinity 3.0 PC Won’t Be Getting Future Updates Or Content". Attack of the Fanboy. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ↑ Parreno, Ryan (March 15, 2016). "Disney ‘Evaluating’ PC Strategy For Disney Infinity, No New Content For 2016". Gameranx. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Nominees | The Game Awards 2015". The Game Awards. Ola Balola. November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
- ↑ Harrison, Lily. "Kids Choice Awards-2016 Nominations Are In Jennifer Lawrence Chris Pratt Anna Kendrick More Favorites Named". E! Online. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
- ↑ "America Votes for TOTY - E-Connected Toy". TIA's ToyAwards.org. February 12, 2016. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
External links
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