Ever since Activision's Skylanders burst onto the scene in 2011, toy-video game hybrids have become all the rage with kids at Christmas time. Not content to let Activision have the market to itself, the House of Mouse got in on the action last year with its own toy-game effort, Disney Infinity.
That game let players zap toy models of some of the company's most popular cartoon and movie characters, including Mickey and Captain Jack Sparrow, into virtual on-screen adventures.
Mickey and crew are back this year with Disney Infinity 2.0, a new version featuring what is quickly becoming the venerable entertainment company's crown jewel: Marvel superheroes.
The $74.99 starter pack, for all current game consoles, features the game disc and three Avengers heroes – Iron Man, Thor and Black Widow. The pack also comes with a plastic base that connects to the game console. When a toy is placed on it, the character comes alive in the game.
Each character has different abilities and powers, all of which can be upgraded in the game by collecting experience points in the form of orbs. The individual characters sell for $14 each, while two additional playsets (which include new levels of the game you unlock when you buy) based on Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy retail for $35 apiece.
On top of that, there are also power disc packs ranging from $5 to $10, which confer additional in-game abilities to characters. All told, this is a game that can get expensive quickly.
We've done the hard work of playing with all these toys and have collected below a guide to the most useful characters – and to the ones that kids can likely do without.
Iron Man
Where can you play: Avengers, crossover into Guardians of the Galaxy and Spider-Man.
Key powers: Flight, repulsor blasts, Missile Barrage.
Personality: In the movies, Iron Man is egotistical and smarmy, but ultimately charming thanks to Robert Downey Jr.’s acting. In the cartoon and this game, he lacks that charm.
Sample quote: “Party with Iron Man and you’re invited.”
Iron Man is one of just a few characters that can be used in all three Marvel playsets. But his relatively weak combat ability and Missile Barrage special move are drawbacks. Still, a character that flies is automatically more valuable than one who doesn’t in this game.
Score: A
Thor
Where can you play: Avengers.
Key powers: Flight, hammer throw, Lightning Strike.
Personality: As in the movies and TV cartoons, the Thunder God is brash and provocative.
Sample quote: “You won’t taste victory this night!”
Like Iron Man, Thor is a flier. Without this ability, players have to run around their environments on foot, drive one of SHIELD’s wonky vehicles or purchase an extra power-up disc. Unlike the other two heroes, however, Thor kicks butt in both melee and ranged combat and his Lightning Strike special move is devastating. He’s the complete package. Fortunately he comes with the starter set. It’s just too bad he can only be used in the Avengers playset and in the general Toy Box, where players can create their own games.
Score: A
Black Widow
Where can you play: Avengers.
Key powers: Pistols, fighting prowess, Widow’s Veil invisibility.
Personality: As in the movies and TV, the Widow is unfortunately a bit player. She doesn’t say much and what she does say isn’t that interesting.
Sample quote: “Bring on the bad guys!”
As in the movies, the Widow feels very much like a token female character. She doesn’t get much to say or do, nor do her abilities stand up to her male colleagues, although her invisibility power does let her attack opponents without their knowing. She’s included with the starter set, but players are more likely to gravitate toward Thor and Iron Man, the other included characters.
Score: C
Captain America
Where can you play: Avengers.
Key powers: Fighting prowess, shield throw.
Personality: His generic enthusiasm is a little dull, but befitting of his status as a leader of heroes.
Sample quote: “Here we go, let’s move!”
The star-spangled Avenger is great in up-close-and-personal melee combat and his shield throw does decent damage from a distance, but he’s an otherwise unremarkable character without any formidable powers. Even his Shield Assault special move lacks pizzazz when compared to some of his flashier colleagues.
Score: C
Hulk
Where can you play: Avengers, crossover into Spider-Man.
Key powers: Strength, healing, Raging Roar.
Personality: Hulk smash! What more needs to be said?
Sample quote: “Hulk ready to smash! Where’s the bad guys?”
The Hulk is your go-to guy when fighting big swarms of enemies, which is often. His massive punches can take out several at a time and, at higher levels, he can gain a healing power and wall-crawling abilities. His Raging Roar and Rampaging Rush are both good special abilities for clearing out large groups of opponents.
Score: B
Spider-Man
Where can you play: Spider-Man.
Key powers: Fighting prowess, web-swinging, wall crawling.
Personality: The friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is always ready with a good quip or two.
Sample quote: “This’ll be no problem, but you probably knew that already.”
He may not be able to fly, but web-swinging is almost as good a way to get around New York quickly. Spidey is also very capable in combat, bounding and springing from one opponent to another in melee. His Web Barrage special move is also great for gumming up bad guys long enough to pound them. Spider-Man, along with Nova, is included with his eponymous playset.
Score: B
Nova
Where can you play: Spider-Man, crossover into Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Key powers: Flight, energy blasts, Nova Core explosion.
Personality: Acts and sounds like a teenager playing at being a superhero.
Sample quote: “Human rocket, at your service.”
Nova may not be the most impressive-looking toy in the virtual box and his in-game persona can be a little grating, but there’s no doubt he’s the must-have character in Disney Infinity 2.0. Besides Iron Man, he’s the only character that can be played in all three playsets (he comes with the Spider-Man expansion). More importantly, he flies – a key ability for traversing New York City and the Guardians’ Knowhere base. In battle, his energy blasts are formidable and his Nova Core special move is one of the most effective in dealing with lots of opponents.
Score: A
Venom
Where can you play: Spider-Man.
Key powers: Strength, wall-crawling, web-swinging.
Personality: There’s no question the sometimes-villain, sometimes-hero stands out from the rest of the otherwise squeaky clean good guys. During the main Spider-Man campaign, he Green Goblin even laments how Venom used to be on his side.
Sample quote: “Venom is the party and you’re the host!”
Venom is the most unique character in the game, with strength nearing the Hulk’s but also the movement abilities of Spider-Man. He’s also slightly villainous, which is fun to play. He’s as good as the Hulk in clearing out groups of enemies, but his ranged web attack and Symbiote Storm special move, which launches a host of snaking tentacles to attack, are relatively weak. But he does run like a dog on all fours while dodging.
Score: B
Iron Fist
Where can you play: Spider-Man.
Key powers: Fighting prowess, Shou-Lao the Undying dragon punch.
Personality: One of Marvel’s lesser-known heroes, Iron Fist differentiates himself somewhat by inserting martial arts wisdom into otherwise run-of-the-mill heroic bluster.
Sample quote: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a KIAAA!”
He’s one of the more formidable hand-to-hand combat characters in the game, but without any sort of ranged attack or special movement ability, he’s one of the weaker ones overall. His dragon punch special ability, while powerful, is also directional rather that area-focused, which isn’t as useful against a large number of enemies.
Score: C
Star-Lord
Where can you play: Guardians of the Galaxy.
Key powers: Elemental guns, mines, turrets.
Personality: The video game version of the Guardians’ leader follows Chris Pratt’s movie take pretty closely, with all the narcissism and wise-cracking that entails.
Sample quote: “If I had a theme song, I’d be singing it about now.”
With no true powers of his own, Star-Lord relies on a bevy of gadgets to combat Ronan the Accuser and his minions. Among them: elemental guns, shock mines and a plasma turret, which counts as one of the best special moves in the game. Once deployed, the turret tracks incoming enemies and acts as a secondary attacker. It can also be upgraded to have more health, or to fire faster. All told, Star-Lord – who comes with the Guardians’ playset – is the team’s most useful character.
Score: B
Rocket Raccoon
Where can you play: Guardians of the Galaxy, crossover into Avengers.
Key powers: Guns.
Personality: Wise-cracking and ornery, Rocket is also the most fun of the Guardians.
Sample quote: “Chalk one up for the genetically enhanced hero.”
Rocket makes up for his weak combat ability with stellar ranged attacks, courtesy of his twin Quantum Cannons. His Big Guns special move, a flurry of explosive shots, is fun to watch too. He doesn’t have much going for him in the action department otherwise, but he is playable in the Avengers playset. That, combined with a great toy and fun personality, make him the most desirable of the Guardians to own.
Score: B
Groot
Where can you play: Guardians of the Galaxy.
Key powers: Strength, growth, root tentacles, wall crawling.
Personality: Being a tree creature, he’s the strong and silent type.
Sample quote: What else – “I am Groot.”
Groot comes from the same family of strong brawlers as the Hulk and Venom, except his attacks are plant-based. He has a surprisingly strong distance attack in that he snakes his fist into the ground, only to burrow out at enemies. His special “I am Groot” move is disappointing, however, as he grows in size for a only few seconds and pounds those around him. There’s unfortunately little flash to what is potentially the Guardians’ most interesting character over all.
Score: C
Drax
Where can you play: Guardians of the Galaxy.
Key powers: Fighting prowess, rage boost, wall crawling.
Personality: He’s not as literal as his movie counterpart, but Drax is still brusque and quick-tempered.
Sample quote: “We shall rest no more. Let us fight!”
Drax is a nearly unstoppable force in melee combat, especially with his whirlwind knife move where he spins like the Tasmanian Devil from the Bugs Bunny cartoons. However, his lack of a proper ranged attack makes him vulnerable to flying enemies. His “Destroyer” rage, which boosts his attacks, is also the least visually impressive special moves in the game.
Score: C
Gamora
Where can you play: Guardians of the Galaxy.
Key powers: Fighting prowess, strength, energy rifle.
Personality: She loves fighting and she doesn’t care who knows it. That’s about all we know about her.
Sample quote: “This is fun!”
Almost as fearsome as Drax in hand-to-hand, Gamora also has the advantage of packing a rifle so she’s not defenceless in ranged situations. Her special move, a powered-up rush, is weak and difficult to use effectively.
Score: C
Hawkeye
Where can you play: Avengers.
Key powers: Arrow attacks.
Personality: Not quite as cocky as Spider-Man or Iron Man, but he’s certainly not lacking in confidence.
Sample quote: “Tell your friends Hawkeye doesn’t back down.”
Despite needing a bow to access his various arrows, Hawkeye isn’t a one-trick pony in the comic books. Unfortunately, he is in this game. His skill advancement is exclusively devoted to building up either his hand-to-hand abilities or the strength of his arrow attacks. Hawkeye is definitely a character that can be done without.
Score: D
Nick Fury
Where can you play: Spider-Man.
Key powers: Pistols, force field, Life Model Decoy.
Personality: Voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, the SHIELD director gets some of the best lines in the game. He’s playable in the Spider-Man set, but he’s also the main non-player character in the Avengers playset.
Sample quote: “Director Fury here, ready for action.”
Just as with the toy itself, the in-game Nick Fury is pretty boring. Aside from pistols and a force field, he has no abilities to distinguish himself. Even his Life Model Decoy special move, which gives him a form of invisibility, is similar to Black Widow’s key ability. All told, the master super spy is the least necessary character in the game.
Score: D