Disney Infinity Wave 2
Developer: Disney
Publisher: Disney
Platform: Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PS3, Wii U, 3DS, iPad (Reviewed)
Release Date: November 28th

Disney Infinity is a powerhouse franchise. Months after its launch and store shelves are still absolutely flooded with Infinity figures, power discs and accessories. Well now we have reached the real beginning of Disney Infinity’s Wave 2. This means there are brand new figures, and a whole other collection of Power Discs for players to find and slap down onto their Infinity Bases.

Disney Infinity’s Second Wave definitely relates to the here and now of the Disney brand. Instead of reaching back into the Vault and pulling out famous characters and stories gone by, they are all drawn from the past few years, with Wreck-It Ralph, Tangled and Frozen all being represented. While many players still want older characters from Disney Animation, these figures are all great and perfectly represent where the company is today. Lets take a closer look at them all:

Toy Story Figures

The previous two Toy Story figures; Buzz Lightyear and Jesse were available together, bundled with the Toy Story in Space Play Set, but one character was clearly absent. Luckily he is here and ready to join the party:

Woody
Price: $17.95 Available Here
Sheriff Woody. The rootenest-tootenest cowboy in the Wild, Wild West and also the leader of Andy’s bedroom has finally made his way to Disney Infinity. Woody is unique among the Wave 2 figures in that he is also usable in the Toy Story in Space Play Set as well as the Toy Box.

Much like Jessie and Buzz, Woody comes equipped with the “Pixar Ball” special ability. Here, Woody can throw the infamous blue/yellow/red-starred ball that sits proudly in Andy’s room, and in various other Pixar films. The Pixar Ball will bounce around and do a fair amount of damage to any enemy it collides with.

As a figure, Woody probably looks the most different from his movie counterpart than anyone else in the game. His features are all far more elongated and squared than the Woody we know and love. He still looks like Woody and retains all of his familiar visual identifiers – his leather boots, cowboy hat, badge and even his pull string, but he just looks off. As someone who grew up on Toy Story and still considers it to be one of my favourite films, this was slightly disappointing.

Wreck-It Ralph Toy Box Set
Price: $29.99 Currently Unavailable

Leaping out of their arcade games and onto home consoles are Wreck-It Ralph and Vanellope Von Schweetz. These two figures look absolutely great both in-game and in real life, retaining so much of their personality and appearance from the film that it is hard to spot the differences. They are available individually, or as part of the new Wreck-It Ralph Toy Box Pack, which also includes Power Discs to change the appearance of your Toy Box to that of Sugar Rush.

Ralph
Price: $17.95 Available Here

The Big Man himself has stepped out of Fix-It Felix Jr. once again and into our Toy Boxes. Alongside Vanellope, Ralph has had the fewest visual changes from his film appearance – looking almost identical. The figure itself is much larger than any others, and is quite solidly built. Ralph is heavy as far as these figures go, but that just adds a sense of authenticity to it. He SHOULD be heavier and larger than everyone around him.

Ralph’s main attack is taken straight from the movie, where he rapidly punches the ground while rushing forwards. It is an awesome little animation, and one that fans of the film will take great glee in performing over and over again. In addition, he has an 8-bit cherry bomb. The bomb is pixellated and explodes in a retro-style pixellated explosion.

Vanellope Von Schweetz
Price: $17.95 Available Here

Vanellope, much like Ralph has had hardly any changes to her visual style in her transition from Sugar Rush to Disney Infinity Toy Box. Even when matching up the figure and her in-game appearance with screenshots from the movie, there are close to no visual differences. Yet, somehow she still fits in perfectly.

Vanellope’s figurine is about average for the Disney Infinity Crew. she stands taller than the Cars figures, but shorter than the Pirates of the Caribbean ones. However, her height is more accurately presented in-game, where she retains the diminutive stature that she is known for. Her attacks include a Cherry Bomb much like Ralph’s, but in nice HD modern visuals. This really helps to separate the two as characters, while providing a sense of uniqueness between them.

Vanellope also has her trademark ‘glitching’ ability from the movie. This glitching is a really impressive attack and by far one of my favourite from the whole game. As she glitches into or through any enemy, they too will glitch out as they take damage. A lot of careful animation went into making this effect look great, and it shows.

Frozen Toy Box Set
Price: $29.99 Available Here

Disney’s upcoming animated film, Frozen, based on the old fairy tale – The Snow Queen is soon to hit theaters, and the two main characters; Anna and Elsa are taking time off from making snowmen to play in the Toy Box. Much like the Wreck-It Ralph figures, Anna and Elsa can be purchased separately, or together in the Frozen Toy Box Pack; this includes the two future Disney Princesses, as well as two Power Discs to change your Toy Box into a frozen wonderland.

Anna
Price: $17.95 Available Here

Anna is the star of the upcoming movie Frozen, where she shows us all the power of family is stronger than anything else in the world. Here she is presented as she appears mid-way throught he movie, right as her hair begins to turn white. She is wearing a really well painted dress that features all the small details like her flower design and gold outlining on her boots (as well as the white streak through her hair).

In-Game, Anna has a shovel to attack which (much the same way that Rapunzel uses her frying pan) and a grappling hook to latch onto things. With these two abilities, she plays like a cross between Rapunzel and Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible), and is a lot of fun. Her grappling hook makes me think of her kind of like Mortal Kombat’s Scorpion (especially since Elsa is an ice wielder like Sub Zero) able to bring enemies close to her before she finishes them off with a well placed shovel slap.

Elsa
Price: $17.95 Available Here

Elsa is without a doubt the most unique figure of any of the Disney Infinity crew. No one has powers like hers, and it is awesome. Elsa has control over ice and snow, which translates really well into the game. Her normal attack is a blizzard-style move that travels in a straight line, freezing anything it touches, while her special pack is an Ice Ball. Ice ball is fired like Woody’s Pixar Ball or The Lone Rangers Six-Shooter, able to be aimed and fired repeatedly. Not only does it freeze enemies it touches, but it can also be controlled. After firing off an Ice Ball, a quick flick of your left thumb stick will fling the ball in that direction.

I was really impressed with Elsa’s figure, and is easily second on my list of favourite wave two figures. Elsa has a very minimalist design, not having an overly elegant dress, instead opting for a pale ice-blue which contrasts with her white hair. Her attire being so simple in contrast to the other characters really makes her stand out, but what impressed me more are the minor features – her hands are tinted in a light blue colour, making it look like she is using her ice magic. I’m not sure if this is intentional or an artistic mishap, but either way I really like it.

Tangled Figures
Only one character from the hugely popular Tangled has made their way to Disney Infinity, but she more than makes up for it.

Rapunzel
Price: $17.95 Available Here

So far, Rapunzel is the only official Disney Princess to make her way into the game as a playable character (Anna and Elsa will be recognised as official Disney Princesses next year), and the care and attention to detail that Disney offer their princesses really shines through here. Rapunzel looks amazing and is filled with so much detail that it is hard to imagine she is just a figure for a video game instead of a collectible stature. Her golden locks are woven with flowers, and her purple dress is painted with a wide array of detail. The lace on the edging, the string holding it together and the elegant patterns along her dress skirt are all here.

While as a figure she looks fantastic, she is not as great in-game. She uses her trademark Fry Pan to wail on enemies, and can also throw it a great distance to finish them off. However, the way she attacks people with her Fry Pan is almost identical to the animations that Anna use when attacking her shovel. Still, the sound effect that the pan makes as it slams into an enemy is always good for a laugh, and it is good to see a member of the Disney Princesses make her way to the game.

Infinity Crystal Series Figures

The Crystal Figures. Elusive, rare and awesome to look at are crystal-coloured variants of a few of the game’s major characters. They are available only through select retailers, and have an incredibly limited stock, meaning that once they have sold out you wont be able to get any more. Aside from being collectible, they offer unique in-game bonuses, including faster experience gain. This faster experience gain really helps you rack up spins for the Toy Box Vault, allowing you to get your hands on more of those hard to get toys. Currently there is one Crystal Figure available for each Play Set, with the 6th – Crystal Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey coming in the future.

One thing that is really awesome about these figures is the way they light up and glow when a light (like the one of the Disney Infinity Base) is put under them. This is especially visible in a dark room, and makes the characters look fantastic.

Mr. Incredible
Price: $17.95 Available Here (EB Games Exclusive)

Crystal Mr. Incredible is probably my favourite from the bunch, turning his traditional red suit crystal clear. while his boots and gloves, as well as his Incredibles chest symbol and his head remain their normal colour. This translates really well into the game where he glows an angelic white while playing. I can’t tell for sure, but Crystal Mr. Incredible felt like he hit enemies harder than the other Incredibles.

Jack Sparrow
Price: $17.95 Available Here (EB Games Exclusive)

Today is the day you almost caught Crystal Captain Jack Sparrow. Good Ole Captain’ Jack is back, and his clothing and accessories have all been turned crystal clear. He really stands out from his counterparts in the Pirates of the Caribbean Play Set, and yet it seems to perfectly embody the magic and wonder that the Pirates franchise is known for.

Sulley
Price: $17.95 Available Here (EB Games Exclusive)

Honestly, looking at Sulley I wasn’t a fan. His blue fur is replaced with the crystal see-through colouring, but his purple spots remain. This gives his figure a sickly, drab look in comparison to the other Crystal Figures. However, since the see-through areas of the figures become an angelic white colour in-game, he looks much better there. Crystal Sulley’s scream ability fires a wider-radius than the other monsters so you can blast through some of the Monsters Inc. Play Set missions with no hassle.

Buzz Lightyear
Price: $17.00 Available Here (JB HiFi Exclusive)

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger suit is what gets the Crystal treatment, leaving the green highlights the way they are. In-game this somewhat makes him look like he is glowing in the dark, a feature that often comes into play during the Toy Story movies. Aside from the glowing though, he is still pretty much the same colour as he normally is.

Lone Ranger
Price: $17.00 Currently Unavailable (JB HiFi Exclusive)

You know what was awesome about the Lone Ranger Play Set? Unlocking that ghostly/phantom horse. You know what is even cooler? Putting a glowing Lone Ranger on top of that ghostly glowing horse and riding around Shelby taking out thugs. Lone Ranger is a lot like Jack Sparrow here, where his clothes have been turned crystal, leaving his flesh, boots, undershirt and mask their normal colour. I would have liked to see the mask turn white as well, but he still looks cool none the less.

Lightning McQueen
Price: $17.00 Available Here (JB HiFi Exclusive)

Crystal Lightning McQueen gets probably the best boost of any of the Crystal Figures –  an additional bar of speed boost than any other vehicle(either from the Cars Play Set, or rideable cars), giving him a supreme advantage in race-tracks. His body turns from cherry red into the crystal white, leaving his stickers and decals in place.

Series 2 Power Discs
Price: $4.99 Available Here

The Series 2 Power Discs add a lot more versatility to the game. Not only are there more Toy Box patterns like Tron and Frozen – but more weapons, and vehicles make their way into the game. The most suprising of these is without a doubt Condorman’s Wing Pack. Condorman was from 1981 and feels like all but a distant, forgotten memory to most people. With the wing-pack’s inclusion into Disney Infinity, it is great to see that Disney still care a tonne about their older franchises (especially since Wave 2 is filled to the brim with new and upcoming characters).

So that’s the Second Wave of Disney Infinity, and it brings with us some of the most colourful and downright best figures so far. My personal favourites are Rapunzel and Elsa, but all of them are great in their own right. You don’t even need the Disney Infinity game to put these on your shelf and happily enjoy them. Even though all but one of these figures can only be used in the Toy Box, I still feel that they are the best and will offer a lot of versatility to the game.

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