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E3 2015: We Use The Force And Get In Touch With Our Emotions In ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’

by Josh JacksonJuly 21, 2015

When I first played Disney Infinity in 2013, the idea that one game could contain so many different genres was far more ambitious than you would expect from a company that could sell games on name value alone. Each of its five Play Sets and the custom Toy Box mode that accompanied them went on to prove how vastly different characters, worlds and ideas could come together in one comprehensive package. Mechanics would only be improved upon in Disney Infinity 2.0, bringing Marvel’s finest super heroes into a more focused, much larger open world, with refinements made to the combat and creation modes. So where does 3.0 go from here? We sought to find out, so we took some time with the Star Wars and Inside Out sets to see what changes the new game has in store for all us toy collectors out there.

Starting with the Star Wars side of things, it’s clear that Disney is doing their best to create a compelling experience while taking a more lighthearted approach to a galaxy far, far away. While blaster combat with characters like Han and Leia is largely the same as past iterations, (essentially locking on and shooting with some character specific abilities thrown in,) Lightsaber combat is where the game looks to shine. Developed by Ninja Theory, the team behind such action titles as DmC: Devil May Cry, Enslaved, Odyssee to the West, and Heavenly Sword, some of the actions were instantly recognizable. Taking bits of what they included from their past works, melee combat was much more focused this time, allowing the Jedi to combo enemies, launch them in the air, or throw in Force Powers to manipulate the space around their enemies. When it came down to the boss fight against General Grievous, there was never a moment where I felt like I had too few options to take him down.

Considering the steps the combat is taking towards a more focused, refined standard, 3.0 still hopes to keep its playful side intact. Exploring Endor with Darth Vader riding a Speeder Bike looks as ridiculous as it sounds, and the Battle of Hoth is a whole new experience when you have to take down AT-AT’s with Han Solo’s fists. Speaking of Hoth, one of the more interesting aspects of the demo was how tying up their legs was handled. Unlike any Star Wars game I’ve played, speed and height played a role in whether or not tripping it was successful. Fly to fast or too slow, or become misaligned with its moving joints, and your cord will break off, adding more depth to a battle we’ve played many times in the past. Of course, this leads to climbing it and breaking its weak points with your fists, but it wouldn’t be a Toys to Life game if it wasn’t silly.

Moving over to the Inside Out Play Set, playing with our emotions takes a more puzzle/platform approach to the game as opposed to the aggressive nature of the Star Wars stages. Playing as Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust and Fear, each character has specific traits used to navigate the stages, presented as both 2D and 3D stages. For example, Joy can float a’la Princess Peach to reach farther away areas, while Anger can walk through fire without taking damange. Often being presented with light puzzle elements that required delivering orbs to the right doors, this set came off as what you would expect from your typical licensed game. Well designed, but nothing ground breaking, the switch between perspectives and the puzzles added some variety, but these sections are obviously designed with young kids in mind. And trust me, they’ll want all the merchandise they can get once these toys and games start hitting shelves. They just look too nice to resist!

With these two sets, I felt like I was getting a drastically different experience, moreso than in 2.0 and its Play Sets. From what we’ve seen so far, 3.0 is on track to advancing the original concept even further by bringing something for everyone with its final package. Promsing even more accessible Toy Box tools, stand alone Toy Box game modes, more unannounced Play Sets and more to experience in the stages we got to demo, and it’s safe to say that 3.0 will be bigger than ever, with the potential to be even better.

SDCC 2015: Release Date And Details Announced For ‘Disney Infinity 3.0’

by Josh JacksonJuly 15, 2015

Disney Interactive has announced that their upcoming Star Wars themed Toys to Life title, Disney Infinity 3.0, will hit stores on August 30th. Aside from the game itself, the studio plans to release close to a dozen new figures to go with it, so we hope the next month is enough time to get your cash together!

Aside from the Starter Pack, (which includes the Twilight of the Republic Play Set, Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano,) day one will see the release of Yoda and Obi Wan Kenobi’s standalone figures, Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios from Star Wars Rebels, and a set of Star Wars Power Discs. Of course, if you want even more goodness from a galaxy far far away, Playstation owners can also purchase the Star Wars Saga Starter Pack, which gives them early access to Luke, Leia, the Twilight of the Empire Play Set, and Boba Fett.

Outside of the Jedi, Disney won’t leave themselves in the dust. In addition, the Inside Out Play Set will release on day one as well, (which is bundled with Joy and Anger,) with Sadness, Disgust and Fear releasing as standalone toys. If you want your Toy Box characters outside of the Play Sets, Disney also has you covered with the releases of Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn and Quorra, alongside a Tomorrowland power disc pack to customize your Toy Box with.

I know, this is already a huge amount of toys to buy on day one, but the last release can be free of charge! If you pre-order, each person who does walks away with early access to the Toy Box Takeover, a multiplayer expansion normally priced at $19.99. Serving as an action adventure mode supporting 2 players locally and 4 players online, players will be able to take any toy from the previous or current game and travel across multiple Disney, Marvel and Star Wars worlds in their quest to stop Syndrome. Later this Fall, Toy Box Speedway, a Kart racing expansion, will also release, but you’ll have to pay for that one.

Here’s the full press release:

Disney Interactive Announces North American Release Date for Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition,

Offers Toy Box Takeover Expansion Game as Pre-Order Incentive

New Information and Assets Released for Toy Box Expansion Games

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – (July 8, 2015) Disney Interactive today announced that the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack, featuring the Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, will be available in North America on August 30, 2015. The following will also be available at launch:

Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set (Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures included) for players who choose to digitally download the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Software; additional standalone figures (Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi) and Power Disc Pack

Star Wars Rebels™ figures (Kanan Jarrus, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, and Zeb Orrelios)

Star Wars™ Saga Starter Pack

Disney•Pixar’s Inside Out Play Set (Joy and Anger figures included) and additional standalone figures (Sadness, Disgust and Fear)

Disney figures (Mickey, Minnie, Mulan, Olaf, Sam Flynn and Quorra)

Tomorrowland Power Disc Pack

Additional Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Play Sets and figures will be available throughout the fall.

Fans who pre-order a Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack at participating retail stores will receive an early copy of the Toy Box Expansion Game, Toy Box Takeover, an action-adventure valued at $19.99, featuring multiplayer gameplay allowing players to use all of their favorite Disney Infinity characters across Star Wars™, Marvel, Disney and Disney•Pixar.

Toy Box Takeover is one of two new Toy Box Expansion Games available to play in Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition. The second will be Toy Box Speedway, a kart-racing game, also set for release this fall. Toy Box Expansion Games unlock additional hours of gameplay inside Toy Box 3.0. Players place a Toy Box Expansion Game Piece on the Disney Infinity Base to unlock pre-built games that instantly take them into the action, mixing and matching characters from across The Walt Disney Company and using unlocked toys and gadgets to complete missions.

Toy Box Expansion Game Overviews:

Toy Box Takeover

When Syndrome gets his hands on Merlin’s magic wand, it’s up to the player to stop him. Using their favorite characters in Disney Infinity, they must battle across multiple worlds, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Marvel’s Upper Manhattan, The Old West, or The Incredibles Volcano Lair to defeat the bad guys before they ruin the Toy Box forever. Players can complete missions with family and friends via two-player local co-op or four-player online.

Toy Box Speedway

Players can join their favorite Disney, Disney•Pixar, Marvel’s and Star Wars characters and vehicles in an action-packed kart-racer. With nine franchise-themed tracks to choose from – Sugar Rush, Frozen, Tatooine, a classic Star Wars location, San Fransokyo, Agrabah, Monsters Inc., Halloween Town, Gravity Falls or Marvel’s Knowhere – they can choose from three different game modes including Time Trial mode, Race mode and Combat mode. Players put their driving skills to the test as they attack opponents with gadgets and weapons and earn trophies across three challenge cups.

Rated E10+ by the ESRB, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack available in North America on August 30, 2015 for $64.99, includes the Star Wars™ Twilight of the Republic Play Set, the Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Base, Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker character figures, and a web code card that unlocks content for PC and mobile devices.

Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Video Game and Base are required to play the Toy Box Expansion Games. Toy Box Takeover and Toy Box Speedway will be sold separately at the suggested retail price of $19.99 each later this fall.

All figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 editions of Disney Infinity will be compatible with Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition in the enhanced Toy Box 3.0.

We were lucky enough to try out the Play Sets and the Toy Box Speedway between E3 and Comic Con, which you’ll be able to read about really soon! Until then, let us know if Disney has you hooked and what content you’re planning on buying! And don’t forget, follow our Twitter feeds @geekscapedotnet and @geekscapegames to find out how to win a Darth Vader figure in advance!

Cancelled Survival Horror ‘Sadness’ Resurrected, Headed To Wii U!

by Derek KraneveldtMay 20, 2014

This, we did not expect.

Sadness was always an intriguing project. The game was one of the earliest announced for Nintendo’s Wii console (yes, Wii, not Wii U), and was to be a realistic survival/psychological horror title with black and white graphics that was set in pre WWI Ukraine.

The game was initially supposed to launch in Q4 of 2007, and a live-action concept trailer was released to garner excitement for the game. Here’s the trailer:

Oddly enough, the game was cancelled… without any gameplay footage ever being released. The original developer shut down, and Sadness disappeared. Oddly enough, the game has just been resurrected, and is targeting a 2016 for Wii U. NintendoLife caught up with HullBreach Studios’ Randy Freer and Jeremy Kleve of Cthulhi Games about the games resurrection.

You can head to NintendoLife for the full interview, but Randy stated that:

We’re here today to tell you that our two studios — HullBreach Studios and Cthulhi Games — are working together on bringing back the Sadness IP. Your readers are probably looking at their screens in disbelief. Quite understandable! I think we should let them blink a couple more times and let this sink in!

For anybody in your audience who isn’t familiar with us or who I am, surprise! I’m the IGN user Twiilight_Prince, who years ago (before starting HullBreach Studios with my brothers Daniel and Robert Gump) released the only three 100% real screenshots of Sadness thanks to Piotr Bielatowicz. I fought trolls for years, proving the game existed across the internet, while nIBRIS regrettably struggled in development with their Gamebryo programmers at Frontline and their graphics partner Digital Amigos, up until Sadness officially went vapor in 2010. Jeremy Kleve and myself have basically been unofficially involved in Sadness across the last 6 years in the background. I have to admit all those years of excitement is probably the foremost reason for me getting more involved in the video game industry today, without a doubt!

You can take a look at the only real screenshots from the Wii title below, and let us know if you’re interested in Sadness!

SDCC 2012 Wrap up: The Aquabats Super Show!

by Shane O'HareJuly 21, 2012

The legendary group of super powered teenagers return for their 2nd SDCC, this time with an entire season of their hit show “The Aquabats! Super Show!” in the can. Come with me, we’re going to dig into what went on during their panel, roundtable interview and the concert at the House of Blues!

The day started off fantastic, working the booth in my Aquabats! gear feeling pretty much a pimp. Time for the panel and interview and I am walking at a nice pace towards the meeting room. High as a kite, so excited to see what great things will happen, when the absolute worst happens! My SD card in my phone imploded. All my pictures and notes from the week were toast. Gone. POOF! My big Aquabat fanatic heart sank. Then it fell even further into depression when I saw the line. It went down the hall, around the corner and looped back THREE times. I slumped down in the hallway and nursed the dieing battery in my phone. Sadness overcame me. I was defeated even before I started. Then I spied the guys from Toddland. The great group of guys that make the new Aquabats! merchandise! I walked over to say high again and to chat more about their products. I walked up and talked to the head beard himself, Todd Masters.

Shane: “So how did you guys come about making this new merchandise for the Aquabats?”

Todd: “Well we all are the old Paul Frank Kids. We created the original belt for the Aquabats. So we were already fans.”

Shane: “Now all your products I’ve seen on the floor are REALLY cool. Where do the designs come from and what is the logic behind them all?”

Todd: “Well we basically make things we like, we make the shirts and wallets and sweaters for us and like minded people are attracted to us. Also everything kind of goes together, the Aquabats wallet goes with the Adventure Time sweater and so on.”

Todd assured me they were just fans making gear for a group they appreciated. Being able to make the pajamas from the “Floating Eye of Death” episode was really really fun for them.

After our brief chat I returned to my wall charger of despair. Knowing I’d never be able to make it into the panel, I was just going to wait for the press round-table. Then again, my eyes spied another friend. JP from The Hub wandered into view. I ran up to say hello and he recognized me and quickly pushed me into the panel. Then my bad luck with my busted SD card started to balance out when I saw our own Matt Blackwood up front saving a seat for me! PLUS HE HAD A WORKING CAMERA!

The M.C. Bat Commander, Crash McLarson, Ricky Fitness, EagleBones Falconhawk, Jimmy the Robot — Photo Credit Todd Williamson/ Invision for The Hub/ AP Images.

The panel started out with normal ‘bat vigor. The lights went out and the opening from the Super Show! played on screen while the ‘bats ran up and took their places. Also joining them were directors Matt Chapman (AKA Strongbad) and Jason deVilliers. The most surprising guest was the panel moderator. Gerard Way!

The panel went smoothly. Finding out how Matt Chapman met the Aquabats and conversely how they met Gerard Way. Way back when, before MCR, Way was making vinyl figurines in a small shop in New Jersey. One day the Homestarrunner crew came in and wanted some of their own. The rest is history.

We saw some funny bloopers and clips, and even were able to see a commercial that was removed from air just DAYS before the episode went out. It was one directed by Mega64 and it was called “Garage Door Escape”. It was a product that mimics some of Indiana Jones greatest escapes. We see a kid hit his garage door close button, and run through an obstacle course consisting of skeletons, poison darts, boulders and magma. The ultimate goal is to slide under the garage door before it closes, insuring survival. They said The HUB pulled that at the last minute, I’m assuming it’s because if the kid didn’t make it he wouldn’t have “survived”. At the end of it his Dad watering the lawn says “Nice survival son!”. Kind of morbid, but very hilarious.

It also wouldn’t be an Aquabats event if a baddie didn’t show up. This time Snakey walked in from down the hall and caused a ruckus.

_DSC0972 — Photo Credit Shahab Zargari of Verbicide Magazine

The Hub at Comic Con — Photo Credit Todd Williamson/ Invision for The Hub/ AP Images.

As you can see he was a menace. He knocked over an easel and pulled all the mic’s off the table. Shortly thereafter the panel was over and all who were there to interview them stayed in the room preparing for the round table. Mulling around I started talking with a couple of guys. I met Ryan Brunty of Insert Coins 21+ arcade in Las Vegas and Shahab Zargari of Verbicide Magazine. Shahab really saved me with these pics from the interview, my SD card was still fried.

The actual interview was fairly mellow. The Aquabats looked very tired, and The Bat Commander was answering most of the questions. The most crucial piece of information was that the HUB is in talks to get the show renewed for a second season, but nothing is confirmed. When asked about a possible soundtrack for the show the band did say they had full length versions of all the songs either recorded or planned out. My hopes are high for some great music to come out of the show. We all shook hands and the group went and recorded some clips for HUBWORLD. I gathered my things and headed home. The next day called for all my energy as I was going to the concert at the House of Blues!

I arrived at the House of Blues and got my press ticket. Brandishing my entire Cadet Uniform I was ready to have a great night. I got some food and partook in the free bar. Now everyone who told me they would be at the show, WEREN’T! I’m looking at you Ben Dunn and Molly Mahan! I did bump into Matt Blackwood again and he snapped some more pics for me. I walked up to the bar and realized I was standing next to Shawn from Mega64! I said hi and we chatted for a bit and I followed him back to the group.

578837_10151030581479588_2139413832_n — Eric Baudour, Garret Hunter, Shawn Chatfield, Rocco Botte, Lovable-Bill, Bryan Abou Chacra and Derrick Acosta of Mega64

What comes next is stories that are only told in movies and dreams. Eric Baudour and Bryan Abou Chacra and myself, right before the band came on, drank some pretty big shots of tequila and went downstairs into the pit. The second The Aquabats came on stage the crowd erupted into a frenzy. I instantly lost Eric and Bryan for the rest of the show. The ‘bats opened up with “Cat with Two Heads”, a classic from way back when. They played some old, some new and some that wasn’t theirs.

In normal fashion a monster showed up to terrorize the band. A GIANT DINOSAUR!

After he was defeated the Bat Commander shouted “MAN! THAT WAS A TOUGH DINOSAUR DRAGON!”. Then we hear a voice exclaim that this wasn’t a real dragon and he knew who a real dragon is! Out walked Strongbad, from Homestarrunner. In reality it was Matt Chapman in a wrestling mask. Then a childhood dream came true. I witnessed Strongbad sing his hit song Trogdor while the Aquqbats played the tune!

I was having a blast. The show just kept getting better and better. Another great guest was a San Diego local band that had been around forever called Rocket from the Crypt. They played one of their classic songs “Young Livers”. I had never heard of this band before but I was very impressed with their performance. More and more great songs churned out. When the band played “Burger Rain” the crowd from the VIP balcony dropped paper cheeseburgers down in a wonderful rain. It was truly a sight to behold.

The show ended and the crowd dispersed. I was sore, wet and satisfied. The HUB really has a passion for their fans and their shows. They put on a fabulous panel and a one of kind concert.

So you. If you don’t already have the HUB call whoever is your TV provider and demand it. Let’s keep support great people who love to make the world happy.