Okay… I was typing up the big schedule for Disney’s D23 Expo. Nothing too difficult, mostly formatting and pasting.
In the big “Hall D23” (7500 seats), there will be a Disney Interactive presentation on Sunday, at 11 AM.
Now, yeah, there’s Kingdom Hearts and Infinity 3.0 (now with Wookies!) and Star Wars Battlefront. A lot of it has been announced at E3, except the D23 Expo allows the fans to get their hands on hands-on play demos.
But here’s something I heard tangentially via all the E3 hoopla last month:
Disney has this setup called Playmation, launching this October in partnership with Hasbro. (PR is here.) Basically, you’ve got wearable toys, like Iron Man’s repulsor or Hulk’s fists. It communicates with figure bases (similar to what you get with Infinity) which can host superheroes (for training) or villains (for beating the crap out of). In a nutshell, it’s like playing Cowboys and Indians with Lazer Tag by way of HeroClix.
Playmation Marvel’s Avengers uses familiar technologies including smart toys, wearables, wireless technology, motion sensors, and more, but applies them in ways that are completely new to create an experience that’s never been possible before. Playmation is purposely not tethered to an Internet connection so players can run around and explore each adventure from anywhere they want—a bedroom, living room, or yard. With multiplayer modes, recruits can sync their Avenger Gear to tackle missions and combat arenas together, or face off in competitive play.
No CGI, it’s all in the player’s imagination.
So yeah, pretty dang cool, right? Joe Quesada thinks so.
“With Playmation Marvel’s Avengers, the very best of Marvel storytelling is infused into every aspect of the system to further spark imaginative, active play,” said Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer, Marvel. “Playmation offers kids a dynamic way to interact with their favorite Super Heroes – I wish it was around when I was a kid!”
It. Gets. Better.
Oh… you have no idea…
No, I’m not talking about the Frozen and Star Wars systems in development for 2017 and 2016. (Yeah… no more “pew pew” or using Christmas wrapping paper rolls as lightsabers.) Nor the possibility of a Google Glass eyepiece display which adds extra data to the gameplay.
Take a look at this image I managed to find on the home page:
One of the locales is A LIVING PLANET. Ego. There’s also “Dino World” and the Moon, and Hulk’s hometown, and Kirby only knows who’s incarcerated on The Raft…
[Oh, please, Marvel Studios, PLEASE have Ego be the villain in the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel… and have Thor show up, if you can manage…]
So, what comes in the $120 starter pack? Oh, nothing that amazing really…
Includes Repulsor Gear, 2 Power Activators, 2 Smart Figures (Captain America and Iron Skull), instructions, and 25 embedded missions
That is not a typo. Iron Skull. Here’s his dossier:
Red Skull leads the evil organization Hydra seeking to conquer and rule all of humanity. After stealing one of Tony Stark’s suits, he evolved into the super-powered Iron Skull. Until the Avengers can neutralize his devastating Hydra Moon Laser, no human on Earth is safe.
(Oh, Marvel, why haven’t you crossed Captain America’s clone with Iron Man’s tech before? Maybe in the next Captain America movie?) As if the character isn’t cool enough, he has a freakin’ “Hydra Moon Laser”!
Wondering what other villains are available? Utron. Ultron Bot (hacked Iron Legion soldiers). M.O.D.O.K.
YUP. Mother lovin’ MODOK. Leader of AIM.
Myself, what with MODOK, Iron Skull, Ultron, and Ego… it seems all downhill from here. Those are some mean mother lovin’ villains …unless they add other franchises and characters from the Cinematic Universe, or from Avengers Assemble (the origin of the Iron Skull) and other cartoons. Can they use Galactus? X-Men? The Celestials?
Meanwhile, if you prefer to stay indoors in front of a computer all day long, Disney Infinity is adding more Marvel characters, and allowing universes to interact in certain modules.
You can preorder everything now by visiting Disney’s store. Select Disney stores will also be hosting demos across the country!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to process some XML files for work. “We did dig dig dig dig dig dig dig / In our Mine the whole day through…”
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