Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes
Developer: Avalanche Software
Publisher: Disney
Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One (Reviewed), PS3, PS4, Wii U
Release Date: Out Now
Price: US$39.99 – Available Here AU$39.95 – Available Here
Overview
Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest film of the year, so it is no surprise that Star-Lord and his motley crew have traveled all the way from Knowhere to take part in Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Superheroes. In a different change of pace from the other two Play Sets (Avengers and Spider-Man), Guardians is an openish-world platformer. None of the Guardians can fly, so they are forced to use their feet and a bevy of intergalactic vehicles to get around.
Story
The Guardians of the Galaxy Play Set mixes elements from this year’s film with some of the Guardians comic books. The Guardians manage to get their hands on an Infinity Stone and are bringing it to the Collector on Knowhere for safe keeping when they are ambushed by Ronan the Accuser. The story is fun and lighthearted, maintaining a lot of the charm and wackiness that Guardians is now known for. Much like the Avengers Play-Set, Guardians dips into some obscure characters for its storytelling, most notably Cosmo – the telepathic Russian space dog (who had a brief cameo in the Guardians film). Cosmo is your primary mission giver and it is awesome to see more unknown characters getting some limelight in this game.
Gameplay
Guardians of the Galaxy takes a completely different approach to its gameplay than either the Avengers or Spider-Man Play Sets. None of the Guardians can fly, so instead you will find yourself in the midst of an epic space-opera platformer. All of the traditional platforming elements are here, from moving platforms through to exhaust vents that blast you away if you spend too much time in one spot. Not only is it a refreshing change of pace from the rest of the Disney Infinity offerings, but it is probably the most fun.
While platforming is the focus, there is still plenty of combat, and each of the Guardians handles it differently. Star-Lord uses his element guns to blast away enemies, while Gamora takes a more direct approach with her broadsword. The fact that the two included characters play so differently from one another really keeps the game feeling fresh. There are also other mission types, such as fetch-quests (everybody’s favourite…) and even a few where you get to jump into a giant turret and blast away some Sakaraan soldiers.
The Play Set does have one overwhelming downside, and that is the fact that it is over too quickly. I managed to complete the whole campaign, all of the side-missions and find all of the cross over tokens in a little under three hours. The time flew by however and I enjoyed every minute of it, I just wished there was more.
Visuals & Audio
Guardians of the Galaxy looks beautiful. The deep-space backdrop really stands apart from any previous Play Set and the fact that you get to play in two distinct locations only helps that. The Guardians themselves all look great, but as I mentioned above they are a mix of their comic and film counterparts.
The voices are all also completely new for the game. Unlike the Avengers or Spider-Man characters, the Guardians don’t use their Marvel Animated Universe voices (possibly because they have only appeared about four times in the animated universe so far) and instead have a voice team that sounds more akin to the films. While Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel don’t reprise their roles, their replacements do an admirable job of holding down the fort.
Extras
The Guardians of the Galaxy figures are a little unusual. They still have the same care and detail as the rest of the Disney Infinity 2.0 line-up, but the depictions of each of the characters varies from one to the next. Star-Lord looks like he does in the recent film, while Gamora looks like she does in the comic book. This spreads to the team itself, who while still look great together, may irk the more die-hard comic book fans and collectors out there.
Overall
Guardians of the Galaxy is easily the stand-out Play Set of Disney Infinity 2.0. It manages to stand-out from the crowd and offer something completely different. The game’s two settings look absolutely gorgeous and there is enough variety in the missions to make it feel like a full-fledged game. The only thing that lets down this Play Set is its incredibly short length, although the fact that playing through it unlocks all the pieces you need to build your own Star Fox style game makes up for it.
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