I picked up the game after work yesterday and got to play for a couple of hours. Here are my first impressions.
PLAY SETS
I only played the intro to the Avengers play set so I don't have a lot to go on. I enjoyed the opening scene and completing the first mission. A lot of the reviews talk about how monotonous it becomes performing the same tasks over and over, but that was the way 1.0 was. The major difference being in 1.0 there were a wide variety of game play types as each play set property was so distinct. So there will undoubtedly be similarities between the Marvel play sets since they are all basically combat oriented. In 1.0 I never minded the repetitive missions because I was playing as beloved characters inside their world, I expect the same will hold true for me with 1.0.
TOY BOX
After last years opening, I thought they would have their work cut out for them, but the Disney Treasure Hunt is another great introduction to the game. The Introduction to the Toy Box is where I spent most of my time last night, completing tasks and earning toys and sparks. I also ventured into the INterior and completed some of those tasks as well. This is much improved from the introductory toy box from last year. It was fairly easy to earn sparks and buy toys, although there are A LOT of toys to buy. The one thing I didn't like about buying toys was the tree. Some of the toys I wanted I have to wait to get until I buy the toys before it in the tree. THIS IS NOT A BAD FEATURE because it teaches management of resources, my issue with it is that I AM IMPATIENT. So the fault is mine not the game's. I leveled the 9 figures I got up to level 1 and some of them much more, and then took ownership of all my 1.0 figures. I also used all my 1.0 Power Discs and the 8 2.0 discs I got (no dupes) so when I went to the Halls of Heroes and Super Heroes they were all present. I like how they were kept separate and how the Hall of Heroes was an expansion on last years version.
OVERALL
I think DI 2.0 took almost everything that made 1.0 a success and improved on it. While the play sets might not be an improvement, they are certainly not a step backwards, delivering the same (albeit repetitive) play as 1.0 only set in the Marvel universe instead of the various Disney ones. I am excited by the new toys to unlock in the toy box (especially the creativitoys), and look forward to creating my own toy boxes, which will be my next step if I hope to have my Avengers toy box ready by 10-8.