With E3, the big yearly Electronic Entertainment Expo in LA, fast approaching along with all manner of video-game news, rumors and announcements I thought it would be a good chance to look at two big contenders this year.
As you’ll be aware if you follow GeekDad regularly, Activision has some fresh competition for their new Skylanders Swap Force game this year in the shape of Disney Infinity. Both games make use of collectable toy figures to access in-game characters and items.
By way of recapping what to expect from the two games I thought I’d pull a set of videos here about what has been announced so far, which you can see below.
The real challenge for these two products is to find creative ways to play to their different strengths at E3, and then at retail later in the year. This message about the differences rather than similarities is easily forgotten when you see the products beside each other. Both have a USB wired peripheral and come with a set of toy figures and game disc.
The experience itself, as Dan Donahoo outlined previously, is actually very different in each game. While Skylanders may hold sway with the ability to leverage your existing figures from Giants as well as their new mix and match technology, Disney Infinity offers a more creative experience in its Toy Box mode and more varied Toy Set missions. For some the draw of this game maker mode, along with the four player campaign, will draw the eye away from Spyro and his chums.
Perhaps most interesting here is to see how two very different franchises do against each other. Disney undoubtedly have the more established set of characters that will chime more strongly with mums and dads. Activision’s growing set of newcomers shouldn’t be underestimated though, particularly in the minds of younger gamers.
With the battle lines drawn in a number of directions it will be interesting to see how the strategy and tactics shake down for both games at E3 and the coming months. I’ll be keeping my Disney Infinity and Skylanders playlists updated throughout and of course posting on GeekDad.com.
Disney Infinity
Skylanders Swap Force
I’m glad to see that you’re still contributing to GeekDad! I really enjoy all of your posts and was concerned that you weren’t going to follow the site when it left Wired.
Keep up the great work… and make GeekDad buy you some lavalier mics.
Will you be doing coverage at the events for both games? If you are, please take lots of video to show us viewers. I know we are highly anticipating what the games hold and it would be great for us to see hat they are like.