Understanding Infinity Power Discs

Since Marvel is going to be a part of Disney Infinity 2.0, Marvel has been putting out informative blogs in regards to different components.  Today’s, deals with Power Discs by Matt Cabral.

“Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes” dedicated Play Sets and the do-it-yourself Toy Box mode pack plenty of opportunities for fans to dive into standalone stories or author their own adventures, respectively. But Power Discs represent this fan-servicing package’s final piece, one that complements both the Play Sets and Toy Box, while also further ratcheting the game’s comic street cred, collectability factor, and creative potential.

Marvel Infinity

Much like the sprawling cast of iconic Marvel character figures, Power Discs are physical items that can be placed on the “Disney Infinity” base. Coming in two shapes—circle and hexagon—and emblazoned with character, item, or environmental art, the thin, plastic wafers serve a variety of purposes.

Round Power Discs, positioned directly under the figure on the base, are used in Play Sets. They grant the character they’re sitting beneath specific benefits, powers, or abilities; they might, for example, allow them to deal—or absorb—more damage, or increase their chances of scoring sweet loot and other character-progressing perks. These boosters can also be stacked—up to three under a figure—to allow the character to reap all the benefits associated with the trio of discs.

In addition to buffing your characters’ attributes, Power Discs can give them a more obvious edge on the battlefield. The “S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellicarrier Strike,” for example, works pretty much as advertised; place it beneath your figure on the base, take cover with the corresponding in-game character, then rain down pain from above. Looking for a subtler way to teach Loki a lesson? Slap down a “Marvel Team-Up” disc to temporarily spawn in a computer-controlled ally, such as Winter Soldier or Iron Patriot, to fight by your side. Of course, those favoring super hero style over enemy-crushing substance will want to collect all the costume discs; placing these bad boys under specific characters sees them don alternate digs, like Iron Man’s Mark 42 armor or Captain America’s WWII get-up.

While the circular discs augment your Play Set experience in a variety of cool ways, their six-sided counterparts serve a similar purpose in the Toy Box. Placed on the same portal spot where Play Set pieces go, these add-ons open up new ways to play, create, and customize within the virtual toy chest. Environmental discs come in sky and landscape varieties, essentially letting players paint the respective areas with character-based touches; plunk down a pair of “World War Hulk” environment-tweaking discs, for example, and watch the ground turn to rubble as the blue sky goes green. On top of the obvious cosmetic enhancements, these literal world-changers can also add weather effects and familiar background architecture.

In addition to re-painting the air above and ground below, Toy Box discs bring character-based gadgets and vehicles, from Hydra’s motorcycle to Falcon’s wings. In the anything-goes Toy Box, though, anyone can use these items; so, you could, say, place the “LOLA” Power Disc on the base and then cram Hulk into Agent Coulson’s prized Corvette. Toss in the ability to use characters from the original “Disney Infinity” and the possibilities get crazier: Captain Jack Sparrow behind the wheel of a “S.H.I.E.L.D. Containment Truck”? Sure why not. Want to let Sorcerer Mickey learn some new tricks on the “Avenjet”? Go for it!

Power Discs, in all their forms, are purely optional. Fans can enjoy “Marvel Super Heroes’ Play Sets and the Toy Box mode without ever placing one on the base. Based on their cool designs, collectability—some are rarer than others—and game-changing perks though, these fan-pleasing extras will prove pretty hard to resist.

Included with character bundles and sold separately in blind two-packs, the discs will be released on a regular basis. The first “Disney Infinity” was supported by over 50 of them—some of which were retailer exclusives—released in three separate series. If the popularity of the previous line is any indication, hardcore gamers and avid collectors alike can expect to have a new addiction come this fall.

Scott

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