Support for older characters
If you’re considering either of these games for your children, you’ve probably already made an investment. Skylanders alone has sold more than 176 million figures in the past few years. So how much will they get out of those past toys in these new titles?
Disney offers the capability to use other characters only in very limited ways, and primarily in the Toy Box mode.
You can only play the main adventures with the characters associated with those Play Sets. If you work to collect crossover coins in-game, you can play with some limited heroes from other Play Sets, but those are still all new figures you have to buy.
Skylanders offers the capability to use old friends to play through the adventures. But because so much of the game relies on the new, larger Trapmaster characters to unlock, you’ll typically find yourself sticking with those characters over time to play through all the adventures.
The best arrangement is to have two people playing co-op, one using a Trapmaster, and the other using a favorite older character.
Advantage: Skylanders
Above: This is about as violent as Skylanders: Trap Team gets.
Both titles are appropriate for young gamers
The ESRB rated both games Everyone 10+ (E10+) for cartoon violence. But I’ve played through both and saw nothing but afternoon-cartoon level, blood free, bopped on the head-style combat.
In my house, they’d feel appropriate for 5 to 10 year olds, and honestly, that’s who they’re best for. My 13-year-old daughter was too old for both, and the controls were too simple and easy to manage for her. Of the two, Skylanders feels friendliest to the youngest set.
Above: Caution: The Skylanders villain Short Cut rewards players for running with scissors.
At least you’ll know what to buy for your kids’ presents
Both Disney Infinity 2.0 and Skylanders: Trap Team have high production values and offer a relatively bug-free playing experience. They’re best when played with lots of figures, which you can swap on the fly during adventures if you get bored (or if the characters get tired, due to damage from fighting).
That means your wallet will take a hit from more than just the $75 starter packs. If you buy these, plan on spending a ton over time on new figures, traps, and/or Play Sets to keep the entertainment going.
Neither offers the kind of clever story or unique gameplay that would make them top-shelf titles overall. Skylanders’ boss traps comes the closest to breaking new ground, but the game suffers due to a simplistic story and lack of surprises.
Between the two games, I give Disney the slight edge due to its Toy Box mode, which offers more ways to keep playing once you’ve finished the short main adventures. But either will likely entertain your school-age child for long enough to feel like a worthwhile purchase.
GamesBeat received copies of both games, including figures, traps, and Play Sets, from the publishers for this comparison and the earlier Disney Infinity 2.0 review.