In the early 2010s game companies wanted to mix collectible toys with a gaming experience. Activision created Skylanders, Lego created Dimensions, and Disney created Infinity, The idea was that your playable character was based on which toys you bought.

Disney made three versions of their Infinity Toy Box engine. The second iteration included Marvel characters. Players could take Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Captain America and play alongside Sully, Princess Ariel, Gaston, The Beast, or Jack Sparrow.

The main difference is that Disney 2.0 is more limited than Skylanders. In Skylanders, any character can be used in any part of the game. Spyro and Crash can play story mode. Such is not the case for Disney Infinity. Every Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm franchise is its own story. Only Marvel characters are allowed in Marvel stories. Only Pirates of the Caribbean belong in the Pirate set. This means you can’t do mixing and matching. My dream to have Lumiere team up with Rocket Raccoon to face off against Ronan was dashed.

Disney’s base game is the Toy Box, which is an open world to add your own buildings, characters, and missions. Any player can be used. If you want the story mode you need to purchase a playset crystal. This also means if you are buying these at a used game shop, you need to make sure your playset crystal has compatible characters, otherwise you are stuck in Toy Box mode. This hampers the customization you would normally get in Lego Dimensions and Skylanders, but Disney truly intended the player to burn the bulk of your time in Toy Box mode. Players can create full landscapes, missions, and platformer levels if they understand all the tips and tricks of the creator.

Keep in mind, the game only lets you get enemies, assets, and props based on what characters you buy. Lots of things are locked within the game until you cough up the cash to get the playset.

Skylanders and Lego Dimensions are much more accessible for a full game experience, but Disney Infinity gives you a huge editor for those who dreamed of playing with endless virtual toys. Keep in mind, the game takes a long time to load on the Xbox 360 so patience is a must. If you ever wanted Buzz Lightyear to save New York City from Maleficent, then this is the game to play.

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