What started as a humble approach to toys and gaming has blown up to be the ever increasing toys-to-life genre and is becoming more and more competitive as big names throw their hats into the ring. Over the past couple of months, we’ve seen the release of Disney Infinity 3.0, Skylanders Superchargers, and LEGO Dimensions hit store shelves. Each bring a bright, colorful gaming experience along with some neat little toys for fans to collect and use in the many game worlds on offer.
Choosing between the three can be a rather daunting task. Sure each game itself isn’t overly expensive, but when you look at figures on top of that it’s not that crazy to see your gaming bill hit the thousands of dollars. To that effect, we’ve put together a list of categories that are important when choosing toys-to-life games. They each have their own nuances that help to define their respective franchises. So here you’ll find who’s the best of each category so that you can get the toys-to-life game that is perfect for you.
Let’s begin.
Toys
Of course when you think toys-to-life games the first thing that comes to mind is going to be the toys. These are the bits that will drain your wallet the most, and they are the characters you get to play as inside the very games. Let’s be clear from the start, the toys from all three games are pretty awesome. Disney Infinity 3.0 kicks things off with Star Wars figures to let fans take control of the Force (or even Sith powers) as they travel to famous locations. Skylanders Superchargers mixes things up by throwing vehicles into the mix. And LEGO Dimensions takes those painful bricks that everyone loves and builds an entirely new gameplay experience around them.
Choosing which toys you prefer is going to have to come down to preference. While they are all high quality figures and would look wonderful on any shelf/counter, they are different. Disney Infinity’s toys are just plastic statues, while Skylanders Supercharger’s vehicles have moving parts so they can be played with as normal toys when the game’s not on. But LEGO Dimensions toys and sets are actual LEGO sets that can be taken apart and put back together again however you see fit.
Who’s the Best? While each of the games plays to its own strengths very well with the toy selection, LEGO Dimensions is clearly ahead of the curve in terms of providing interactivity as well as quality toys. Having Darth Vader or a neat looking Hot Rod on your shelf is awesome, but there’s just something about the intrigue of a LEGO set that is hard to resist.
Campaign
Believe it or not, each one of these toys-to-life titles has a story you can play through. That sometimes gets drowned out by all of the extra side activities available to players, but they are fully fleshed out experiences that are worth your time. But, it must be said that each game has a very specific focus so that has an effect on each game’s campaign. For instance, Disney Infinity 3.0 has a heavy focus on making your own fun, so the campaign is fun, but a bit light on story. LEGO Dimensions manages to trump previous games in the franchise by combining just about everything you can think of into one seriously fun story that takes players to the root of LEGO’s multiversal power. Then you have Skylanders Superchargers.
Unlike the other toys-to-life competitors, Skylanders Superchargers has much more heavily focused narrative. One that involves recurring characters, a defined world that continues to be expanded on, and lots of different gameplay mechanics. Even the look of Skylanders is different from the other two. It easily offers up the most eye candy as it tugs players along its extensive campaign.
Who’s the Best? If a campaign is something that is really important to you, or whoever you’re buying one of these great games for, then Skylanders Superchargers is the one you want to get your hands on. This meticulously crafted campaign is full of twists and turns, side routes, mechanics that vary by level, and tons of other neat features. It also has a charming, and often times hilarious, story that lasts much longer than you’d expect.
Freedom
Outside of toys and campaign is the freedom offered by toys-to-life games. One thing that all three have in common is the ability to use toys in multiple areas, and in the case of Disney Infinity and Skylanders, use toys from previous releases as well. But there is more to freedom than just having the ability to have Darth Vader run around with Aladdin. It’s what you can do outside of the crafted story that defines freedom, and there is one game in the bunch that definitely encompasses the true meaning of the word.
Skylanders Superchargers and LEGO Dimensions both have engaging stories and some neat side content for fans to get involved in. LEGO Dimensions toys come in different types of packs, some that offer new story levels, and others that offer figures and gadgets to mess around with. Skylanders Superchargers has races, challenges for each Supercharge combo, and collectibles to keep you tied up in its sky based world. But even with all of this both pale in comparison to this category’s true leader.
Who’s the Best? What Disney Infinity 3.0 lacks in story, it more than makes up for in allowing its players to have some serious creative freedom. Players can create simple missions or even entire worlds in the Toy Box. Using everything they’ve collected in game, combining elements from Disney’s many properties, and adding a dash of their own imagination, fans can create, share, and enjoy some truly magical experiences. That is something that no other game currently in the toys-to-life market can boast, and Disney Infinity 3.0 does a darn good job of it.
Available Franchise Options
This is something that was brought into the toys-to-life fold by Disney Infinity, and most recently by LEGO Dimensions. While Skylanders held down the Spyro domain and whatever new characters they could come up with, Disney Infinity and LEGO Dimensions on the other hand can pull from a long line of first party properties and partnerships. Disney Infinity 3.0 may have Star Wars on the box, but players will be able to bring in Marvel characters from 2.0 and all of the classic Disney characters available. LEGO Dimensions pulls from some of its own properties while also using recognizable franchises such as DC Comics, Portal, The Simpsons, and many others.
Who’s the Best? This one is a tough one and will have to come down to how much you’re willing to pass up on Star Wars and Marvel. If you can live without those, then LEGO Dimensions definitely has more variety to offer those looking to broaden their toys-to-life horizons. But, if you or someone within your household has a thing for the Force (even if it’s the dark side, we got your back Anakin), then Disney’s collection of classic characters, comic superheroes, and Jedi warriors are for you.
So what do you think about all of these toys-to-life games taking the market by storm? Have you chosen your game? Still on the fence? Let us know in the comments below.
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