The next major update for Disney Infinity has come and now we have Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes to look forward to as the Marvel IPs get added into the toy box universe that has been slowly building steam in the collectible toy video game genre that has been booming for the kiddies. In the mix of Marvel's popularity it makes perfect sense for Disney and Avalanche Software to capitalize. The big question though is does Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes succeed at giving us all a fun adventure or just turn into an extremely expensive game to keep the wallets with pigtails dropping cash. Let me give you the thoughts on the matter that count.
Story
This of course depends on the adventure disc you have but as far as the starter disc goes… It looks like it is shortly after the events of Avengers, the film, and Loki with the help of M.O.D.O.K. is trying to freeze the planet to make everything nice for the Ice Giants to invade. Lucky for us we still have S.H.E.I.L.D. and the Avengers to prevent and stop this from happening. The team we all know and all of the additional characters that aren't well known for being on the Avengers team are now banding together to keep us all warm and cozy.
Hated
While I know this is all part of the grand scheme of things for Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes and making the most amount of money based on the toys, the core game that is packaged in is short. Too short. I'm talking about 20 easy missions short before you are left wandering the game space with no goal or moving on to the Toy Box mode of the game to keep playing. This can all be expanded upon based on the game discs that can be purchased but for what comes in the starter pack it can all be beaten in under a three hours of solid gameplay. From there your only options are to build your own little games in the toy box or to play the repetitive extra missions that are just a recycling of the same game just with different locations for the objectives on the maps.
Since the base game for Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes was so short I did manage to spend a bit of time in the Toy Box trying to build and experience what others have built. This led to a couple more irritations that I couldn't seem to get around without the option to drop a whole lot of money or time into. For starters, no matter how many times I did everything the tutorials asked me to do, they never seemed to get marked off as completed so I could move on to the next. Almost all of them still currently tell me I have more to do even though I've completed each task multiple times just to try and clear them all off the list. There is no explanation as to why this is either and I don't have the time to explore the infinite world that Disney Infinity is trying to give us.
You may be thinking that the exploration mentioned above is part of the game and in general I would agree. Except for the fact that if you have not unlocked specific items during your core gameplay or own the expansion packs you can't experience everything that others have for you to explore. Case in point here would be that I tried to play another user's Toy Box game that used many of the assets that came with the Guardians Of The Galaxy sets. I have no clue what wasn't shown to me but I know I received multiple messages telling me that I will not be experiencing everything as I have not unlocked the Guardians Play Set on my system. So because I have fewer toys and sets I miss out on the fun someone else took the time to create? Seems odd and not a good selling point for me with Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes.
Loved
So, for how short Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes' core was, I can't complain at how entertained I was during the gameplay. The missions were fun and the story thought out well to make me feel like I was part of the cinematic or comic universe that I was playing out. Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes wasn't just some form of tag on to try and fully cash in on the popularity like a film tie-in game or the like. Even without the well-known films in the mix you could fully enjoy everything and feel a part with rudimentary knowledge of the comics that all of the characters are part of. That is even in terms of the obscure or less known characters that are in the story or game space. This was done so well that I didn't even need to explain some characters to others who have never heard of them as they have not been featured in a film or TV to date.
I am also fairly new to the whole Disney Infinity thing as well but I do know that the power discs that can be added on to the game also add a great kick to the whole gameplay. These are little additions that add a team up power or another hero to add something to your core character. For me I found it insanely fun to have the Iron Patriot team up for Iron Man as well as Doctor Strange casting magic on me while playing just by having the discs under my physical character. At some points it was almost needed to make a battle beatable to move along but that was just for those who like to hammer through the core of a game's story to see what happens next. Yes, they are extra purchases but just like the toys they add a whole lot to the game and are not just a cash in.
Overview
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes at the core is short. Really short given the startup price that is asked just to get the ball rolling for new players. It does have the advantage that there are very few limitations to expand but of course that comes at an extra cost. While the characters and story was fun and amazing to play through Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes is going to be an investment just as Disney Infinity and Skylanders. If you have the ability to drop a lot of cash upfront or willing to over a period of time that Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes is just the game Disney and Marvel fans will want. In some cases it is probably the best as most others are film tie-ins that should never be made in the first place.
Unfortunately if you don't have the disposable income Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes is not worth the price of starting up. Yes you get some toys that you need to be careful with but only a few hours of gameplay for the full price of a game. If there was more substance to the starter pack so that you could use the same toys and discs for the time in between birthdays and Christmas I would recommend it. Unless you have some reason for people to be doting figures and expansions to keep Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes going you are going to be regretting the purchase. Especially since you won't be able to experience all that others have created because they happen to be able to afford an expansive collection and you can't.
Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes was developed by Avalanche Software and published by Disney Interactive Studios for the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii, Wii U, iOS, and PC. Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes released on September 23rd, 2014. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for reviewing purposes.
