Disney Infinity Announces Power Discs

 So, maybe it's the Disney fan in me, (I go to Disneyland at least once a month), but I'm super-excited for the upcoming Disney Infinity title coming out in just a few weeks!  I already collected a few extra characters from E3 that I can't wait to drop into the universe.

Today, Disney unveiled a new trailer focusing on the Power Discs feature.  The Power Discs are additional "discs" that you can place on your base station under a character to grant them special abilities in-game.  The idea behind enhancing game-play with powers from other characters/worlds is especially intriguing given the range of Disney/Pixar titles to choose from.

To make things more interesting, the Power Discs will be handled like trading cards.  Sealed in mystery packaging, you never know which discs you will get.  With 3-series currently planned and about 20 discs (and a few "rare" discs) in each set, they're trying to invoke a sense of sharing/trading amongst friends.  In concept, that sounds cool, but since I don't have any friends at my age, and I wouldn't let my 4 year old son give away his stuff, I will end up just buying them all.

Come explore the Disney Universe with me | Review

So I just recently received a review copy of Disney Interactive's latest title, Disney Universe.  If you know anything about me at all, I'm a huge Disney fan/nut.  In fact, my review is only slightly delayed since I just spent the last 4 days in Disneyland.  So yes, my last week was full of Walt's legacy.



But in this forum, I'll only be speaking of the latest platformer, Disney Universe.  This is a wholly new IP that is in the vein of the LEGO franchises, with a great focus on the worlds inhabited by Disney Characters.  In the title, you begin by only having access to the Pirates of the Caribbean (also a game already in LEGO form), and it plays very similar to those titles.  However, the difference is you don't play as characters from, you play as a unique character, who wears caricature versions of Disney Characters.  It's like a non-descript character wearing costumes of Disney Characters.  This is where I bring in the similarities to Little Big Planet.  Though your avatar isn't quite as cute as a Sackboy by itself, the fun combinations of famous Disney staples are fun in their own right to mix and match.  Running around with a Stitch costume, playing through Pirates of the Caribbean scenario's is quite the juxtaposition.

Continue Reading...

Phineas & Ferb: Across the Second Dimension "Gelatin World" Trailer

So a game based off a Disney cartoon, huh?  And one that I'm actually excited about?  Yes, it's actually happening!

Aren't I a little bit old to be watching a Disney cartoon?  Why no, no I'm not.  I guess it helps that I have a young son, who also loves Phineas and Ferb; it's just a great program filled with clever references, topical jokes, and over-the-top scenarios.  A perfect fit for a game!  That being said, it's launching NEXT WEEK, on PlayStation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS (no love for Xbox I guess), but of course, you'll want to get it on the PS3 for the HD graphics.

Anyhow, here's a final trailer showcasing the "Gelatin World" as part of the title.  We have to bring you an official review sometime next week.

Enjoy

Disney Universe Trailer and Screens | E3 2011

As promised, we'd be back with more individual posts about the unique line-up of games from the Disney camp this year. Three specifically are high up on our radar, but we've saved the next few lines of white-space for the likes of Disney Universe.  Unveiled at E3 2011, this all new property, at first glance, sounds like some sort of casual MMO or something along those lines. But in reality, it feels more like Disney versions of the ever-popular LEGO series of family-friendly titles.  In fact, I believe players will feel right at home in the easily approachable genre, that's also good pull for more mature gamers.  I'm a huge Disney fan, and after playing through with some quick drop-in coop (same screen); with the Disney folks, I immediately added it to my wishlist.  I love when a game comes out o left-field that you just didn't expect, and quickly finds a place atop the (ever growing) list of titles upcoming.

Disney Universe mixes Characters and worlds from various animated and live-action Disney movies, such as The Lion King, Tron, Monsters Inc, and others as you explore their unique themed worlds.  You can collect and be different characters throughout as well and pull from their respective repertoire of special moves and animations, all infused with that trademark Disney fun and life.

Embedded below is the launch trailer of the new series from Disney Interactive Studios.  The title will be available this Fall for Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, and PC/Mac. 



See after the break for more screenshots and artwork

360 degree tour of the Disney E3 Booth | E3 2011

Phineas and Ferb in Across the 2nd Dimension

One of my favorite booths of E3 was the large and in-charge Disney booth.  This year, they truly commanded some massive square-footage!  Complete with a coffee bar, all the latest titles from Disney (and the list is as big as it ever has been), and even Disney sketch artists on hand to whip up your favorite character for your E3 souvenir.

Coffee Bar and Swank Lounge

Disney Sketch artists whipping up a hand-made sketch of choice for Disney fans

So in the interest of showing you all what's what, I took a quick 60 second 360 degree shot of the booth from atop their second floor.  Check it out.  Oh, and we'll have more posts with our impressions of all their games.



Find even more pics after the break

LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game

Just in time before this summer's 5th most-anticipated movie, Pirates of the Caribbean, comes the video game counter-part to be released on May 10th.  Well, if that's still too long to wait to see some swashbuckling action; starting today you can play the demo of said new Lego game on Xbox Live (I hear the PSN is having some issues, so they won't have the demo available).

If you've played any of the LEGO games, they're a fun time for all ages, I always get a kick out of the simple gameplay, and the quirky telling of the source material, it's always fun.  In many cases, these games are better than most serious video-game adaptations of a summer blockbuster (Matrix, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, you get the idea).

Check it out, LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game will be available on May 10th, on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS and Sony PSP.  Whew.

In other news, the movie will be in theatres on May 20th.

Kingdom Hearts Re: coded | Review

Synopsis: First off, thank you Square Enix for sending me a review copy of Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for the Nintendo DS. This new entry to the Kingdom Hearts series is a remake of the mobile title Kingdom Hearts Coded for mobile phones, with improved controls, revamped combat system, and new gameplay mechanics. The premise of the story behind Re:coded is that you once again take on the role of Sora in the “datascape”, called upon by King Mickey to find out how a mysterious message was placed in Jiminy’s journal used to hold the story of the first adventure against the heartless. Will this hold a torch to the console titles that I played through multiple times and even saw its debut announcement at my first trip to E3?

Praise: Gameplay, I can stop there but I am sure you would like me to elaborate. It is fast and action packed with massive, and I mean massive amounts of character development, in which you acquire chips to place on a circuit board to unlock boosts to your abilities. Throughout the story, Sora will also acquire new equipment and keyblades, along with skills that can be mixed to make bigger and stronger abilities and magic. In the beginning of the game you also get to choose your primary and secondary abilities whether it be magic, strength, or defense. The cut scenes look great for a DS title and the boss fights are pretty epic, making it feel as big as the consoles versions.

Gripes: The bad, well I think that would be the story. I wouldn’t say bad is the word to describe it, but it did feel a lot like a Kingdom Hearts 2.5. the reason I say this is because it is a lot of the same worlds and enemies, and the story doesn’t differ much aside from the “datascape” element where you use a radar to locate rifts in the world to enter a matrix like mini level where you have to take out a set amount of enemies per floor to clear it, earning currency, experience, abilities, and chips for the circuitboard. The worlds are also pretty long taking me about two hours on average to complete each, and like the first and second Kingdom Hearts, some of them aren’t so much fun, making it harder to work your way through.

Overall, I had fun with the gameplay and since there is a good recap to the original games, newcomers can pick up this title and start where the previous games left off. Though I did say that the story is a little bland for me since I am still pretty familiar with the events of the last, it does not get old due to the fun and engaging gameplay along with the in depth character development. Whether you are an adult or a child it is still a blast to play through Disney’s bright and colorful worlds with the mechanics that Square Enix has always been great at providing.

Mashbuttons.com gives Kingdom Hearts Re: coded a 7 out of 10.

Kingdom Hearts Re: coded is available now for the Nintendo DS.