Previews

Disney made good on its promise to introduce a viable new franchise last year with Infinity, built around physical toys that interact in a virtual word, just as Activision did for Skylanders. Both children and avid Disney fans found plenty to like between the pre-set levels offered with each set and the Toy Box, allowing them to build their own creations for their playable characters.

This fall, the Infinity world will expand even further with the addition of the Marvel franchise, introducing such power players as Iron Man, Thor and Hulk. However, developer Avalanche Software did not design Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes as a simple add-on. With this in mind, players will enjoy a wealth of exciting content that will keep them enthralled for months.

A whole new universe

With Marvel Super Heroes, Avalanche will introduce bigger and better levels themed around some of Marvel’s most iconic characters. With the debuting Avengers pack, you'll be able to explore New York City and battle criminals, while also dealing with the likes of Thor's nefarious brother Loki, who considers himself a would-be ruler of this world.

The pre-set levels come with a variety of missions that you can complete with any character in the game. In fact, it's that sort of approach that adds freshness to the formula, as Iron Man finishes objectives differently than Hawkeye or Black Widow. Where they mostly stay on the ground, Iron Man can fly to new heights with his built-in rocket boosters, pelting enemies from afar. Of course, he can still kick butt up close.

Not content to let Iron Man have all the fun, Avalanche Software introduced Spider-Man and his respective universe into the game, including such favourites as Venom, Green Goblin and many others. Like the Avengers characters, they'll add their own spin, not only with diverse play tactics, but also their own special missions to complete. You can bet a few of them will irk J. Jonah Jameson in his newspaper office.

More than just Marvel

All of the figurines from the original Disney Infinity work with this edition of the game, namely the Toy Box content. That means all of their statistics will carry over, so you don't have to worry about losing progress.

New Disney characters will also appear, along with their own special level tweaks. Maleficent, the evil queen introduced years ago from Cinderella (and resurrected in a recent Angelina Jolie movie of the same name), is a playable character with her own special figurine. Merida from the Pixar release, Brave, will also make her series debut, though we don’t know many details surrounding her.

Skill up your characters, then really take them places

With Disney Infinity 2.0, the more you play with a character, the more of the game you'll unlock. This is made possible through a Skill Tree system that branches together special moves and abilities, which opens up once you reach a certain level in the game.

This will motivate players to complete more missions to earn unique abilities for certain characters. For instance, playing with Iron Man long enough will give you the power to unleash a ground pound from above. Hulk, meanwhile, will learn his signature Thunderclap, which can easily send a destructive sonic wave towards enemies.

Better still, Disney Infinity 2.0 will allow Marvel characters to cross over into each other's respective universes. Ever want to pit Hulk against the Green Goblin? Or Venom against Thor? This is your chance.

Build your own levels

Finally, similar to Disney Infinity, 2.0 comes with Toy Box mode built right in, so inventive minds can easily get back to work creating their dream levels. The interface is much easier to use this time around, with the ability to pick and choose items to drop into a stage, as well as modify them with small tweaks.

For good measure, your play space has opened up significantly within the game. The original Infinity featured a decent plot of land to build levels, but 2.0 expands that space three-fold (at least), with even more territory. This presents a better opportunity to create custom levels to share with others, which are then rated by the Infinity community. If you're good enough, you may even see your level become a pick of the week.

A marvel to behold

While Disney remains mum on numerous details about the game, the Marvel Universe and Disney characters that come with it will add to the Disney Infinity lexicon. Bigger levels, more gameplay opportunities and the ability to unlock new missions and items for Toy Box will delight young players and comic book fans. We'll see how far Infinity can go when it debuts on 23rd September 2014.