Originally developed by Disney Interactive and released by Buena Vista Interactive in 1995 for the Sega Genesis, Gargoyles is a platformer based on the cult classic animated series of the same name. It consists of five levels and features Goliath as the protagonist, seeking to destroy the Eye of Odin. Though planned to release for the Super NES, this version was ultimately cancelled.

Gargoyles received critical praise, though some criticized the controls. Despite this, it’s one of the less known 2D platformers of its time. It should be interesting to see how the remaster further improves the graphics and gameplay. Stay tuned for more details on the same in the coming months.

Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass continues to expand with even more Xbox One games added to the service. Starting today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s Batman: Return to Arkham, Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two! and Double Fine’s Headlander are available for subscribers. On February 28th, Telltale’s The Walking Dead: Season 2 and The Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation will also be available.

Batman: Return to Arkham is arguably the highlight of this month’s launches. It includes remastered versions of Batman: Arkham Asylum and Batman: Arkham City, complete with all of the downloadable content for both. As for Headlander from Double Fine Productions, it’s a retro-futuristic Metroidvania-type game where you play as a disembodied head. Ripping off robot heads and attaching yours to their bodies is important for success.

Disney’s Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two! was designed by Warren Spector (who’s currently working on System Shock 3). It features Mickey and Oswald as they work to save the Wasteland. Various Disney characters and attractions will be encountered, further adding to the charm- even if the sequel isn’t as good as its predecessor.

Good news, fans of Disney Infinity 3.0 – Avalanche Software revealed that it will be supporting the game throughout the year rather than releasing a new sequel. That means there won’t be a fourth Disney Infinity this year.

Disney Interactive general manager John Blackburn stated in a blog post that, “We value our fans and your feedback, and we’ve heard your requests to extend the life of our Starter Packs loud and clear.

“You’ve asked for a wider variety of content, across a wide variety of brands with each Play Set, and that’s what we’re committed to delivering. So, in 2016, we are focusing our development efforts on adding more Play Sets and characters – based on the biggest events coming from Disney this year – to the 3.0 Edition.”

Disney Infinity has seen a great measure of success in the past two years, becoming the best-selling game in the toys-to-life category. However, year-on-year sales had declined in 2015. Regardless, this should be a good way to ensure more content to Disney Infinity 3.0 fans.

The PS4 will be getting yet another limited edition variant when the Star Wars themed PS4 system launches this holiday season, to commemorate the launch of Star Wars: Episode VII, as well as the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront game. This limited edition system will be available as part of not one, but two bundles.

The Limited Edition Star Wars Battlefront PS4 Bundle will include a custom 500GB limited edition PS4 system (CUH-1200 series) and DualShock 4 Wireless Controller inspired by Darth Vader. The fully customized PS4 features an image of Darth Vader, as well as a repeated Star Wars logo across the top of the system. The Darth Vader edition DualShock 4 is inspired by Darth Vader’s chest panel and features the repeated Star Wars logo on its touchpad.

The bundle will include a digital copy of Star Wars: Battlefront, as well as a voucher to download four classic Star Wars games- Super Star Wars, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter and Star Wars Bounty Hunter. These games will all feature cleaned up graphics, and they will also feature support for Trophies.

And while this bundle by itself is a whole lot of awesome, that is not the only way you can get the limited edition PS4. For more family friendly fare, Sony will also be launching a Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars PS4 Bundle available exclusively at Wal-mart on November 17th.

The package will include the Darth Vader-inspired 500GB PS4 system (CUH-1200 series) and DualShock 4 Wireless Controller, as well as a physical copy of Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition, the Disney Infinity Base, the Rise Against the Empire Play Set Pack (featuring Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa figures, as well the Rise Against the Empire Play Set piece), and the Boba Fett figure, exclusive to PlayStation through this holiday. The Limited Edition Disney Infinity 3.0: Star Wars PS4 Bundle will also include a digital voucher for the four classic Star Wars games mentioned above.

But, that’s not all, either- there will be a third Star Wars bundle that will be available, although this one won’t feature the limited edition PS4. This bundle will have the regular black system and controller, a digital copy of Star Wars: Battlefront, and the voucher for the four classic Star Wars games.

So… if you’re a Star Wars fan, looks like PlayStation is the place to be this holiday.

Everyone who has ever seen that sequence has thought about how cool it would be to do what Mickey’s doing. Well, someone at Harmonix must’ve thought that it was crazy that there was no video game that would let you do that, and someone at Disney must have agreed with them, because that’s exactly what Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved allows you to do. Seems like a match made in heaven, right? The creators of Guitar Hero and Rock Band teaming up with the most beloved entertainment company of all time – sounds like a win-win to me. This time, though, Harmonix has ditched the plastic guitars, microphones, and drum sets and is asking you to use your arms.

Basically, this amounts to waving, pushing, and drawing patterns in time to some licensed tracks playing over cool backgrounds as Kinect tracks your movements. Wax on, wax off, Daniel-san. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? Surprisingly, it isn’t. Fantasia tracks your movements pretty accurately, which means that any mistakes are on you. Hit your notes accurately, and the music grows louder and you’ll earn points, multipliers, add new instruments to the tune you’re playing, and all will be right in the world. Mess up, and the song will gradually fade out until you manage to get back into rhythm. Admittedly, the motion tracking isn’t perfect, and you’ll notice the odd inconsistency, but more often than not, you’ll feel like any mistakes you made were your fault, not the hardware’s, and that’s a good thing.

"The first thing you’ll get the ability to do is remix songs on the fly, with the player having the ability to swipe and select different instruments at key points during the song, allowing you to mix and match different instrument and vocal tracks together to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a song."

If you were just conducting some good tunes over some cool backgrounds, ranging from space, to the sea, and even a peaceful forest, Fantasia would still be a pretty good game. The music choices, which include both classics like The Police’s Message in a Bottle, Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and even Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain (because how could they not?) and newer tunes like Lorde’s Royals, Drake’s Take Care and Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass are well-chosen and impressively choreographed, and fit the game’s various backgrounds well, and it’s incredibly fun to bring them to life.

But that’s not all Fantasia offers. Just as the game will introduce more complex motions as things progress, so too do you unlock abilities that allow you to change the songs as you play them. The first thing you’ll get the ability to do is remix songs on the fly, with the player having the ability to swipe and select different instruments at key points during the song, allowing you to mix and match different instrument and vocal tracks together to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a song. Have you ever wanted to add violins and cellos to Jimi Hendrix’s Fire, or a guitar and drums to Night on Bald Mountain? Well, you can, and almost all of it sounds good. It’s a lot of fun, and it adds an air of replayability to every song.

Get a little further, and you’ll get the ability to record loops of music by moving an on-screen icon around in a circle or over a set of “keys” that creates a symbiotic melody for the song. Once you’re satisfied, you can key it into the song and incorporate it into the main tune. It adds a new level of customization to the game, and makes you feel like a consummate musician to boot.

"Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is the best kind of Kinect game: one that shows off the potential of Microsoft’s peripheral and gets you up and moving in a meaningful way to play something that wouldn’t be nearly as engaging if played with a traditional controller."

All of this comes together with some incredible choreography that brings the music to life, and will get you up and moving. There’s a distinct ebb and flow to the action, and once you get into it, you won’t want to stop. If a music game could ever be said to be well-paced, Fantasia is that game. The upside to this is that the game will get you animated and into the music far more than a traditional control scheme. The downside is that the game can be tiring. You have to make a wide range of motions in Fantasia, and it will take its toll on you after a while, even if you do decide to play sitting down (which is absolutely the wrong way to play, by the by).

All of this is anchored by a rather simple, but charming tale as you become the apprentice of one Yen Sid (the sorcerer from Fantasia; also Disney spelled backwards), and the game follows you as you earn your sorcerer’s hat and visit the various worlds that contain the songs. Some will no doubt find this part boring or childish, but I have to say that, as a fan of Disney and Fantasia, I was enjoying myself, and thought it fit the game rather well. Maybe that’s just me.

Regardless, Disney Fantasia: Music Evolved is the best kind of Kinect game: one that shows off the potential of Microsoft’s peripheral and gets you up and moving in a meaningful way to play something that wouldn’t be nearly as engaging if played with a traditional controller. Like Fantasia itself, it’s somewhat before it’s time. Like Fantasia, it also looks to be the last of its kind, as Microsoft has shifted as much focus from Kinect as possible in recent months. It’s a shame, then, that this may be the peripheral’s best game, and if there were more like it, people would probably be more excited about the platform. As it is now, however, it serves as a respectful ode to a great movie and a great moment, and an encore performance to one of the finest animated films of all time. Well done, Mickey.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

Disney Infinity 2.0 continues to grow in size and after announcing all of the characters from the previous game and Marvel Super Heroes, along with Merida and Maleficent, Disney Interactive has announced that Tinker Bell and Stitch are coming to the game as well this Fall.

Arguably two of Disney’s most popular characters of all time, Tinker Bell comes the Peter Pan franchise and can both fly as well as use Pixie Dust to heal. Stitch on the other hand will come with a super jump ability and use his cosmic blaster to take on foes. He’s also annoying but in that awesomely loveable way that defines none of the characters from Frozen (you hear us Pixar? None of them!).

Stitch and Tinker Bell will be available this Fall for Disney Infinity 2.0 and Disney Interactive will announce more play sets and characters in the next few months so stay tuned for more information.

Disney Interactive and Harmonix Music Systems have showcased some new aspects for Fantasia: Music Evolved, which include “The Hollow” realm, multiplayer details and details on new songs. Check out “The Hollow” above.

Players will be able to play cooperatively and competitively in Fantasia, with some of the newer songs including David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust”, Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9 from the New World”, Lorde’s “Royals”, Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” and White Stripes’s “Seven Nation Army”. Players will be able to create new melodies and use remix paths to have the upper hand.

As for The Hollow, it’s essentially a forest with your own melodies serving to create musical mushrooms and guide fairies. It’s whimsical for sure and we’re curious how hard these fairies would be rocking to Seven Nation Army.

Fantasia: Music Evolved will be out this year for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey, the wildly popular incarnation of the world’s first (and most popular) mascot, is finally coming to Disney Infinity, Disney Interactive’s own take on Activision’s wildly successful Skylanders franchise, it was confirmed today.

This incidentally marks the first appearance of Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey… ever. The toy figure will be available at stores nationwide starting this coming Saturday, February 8, for $12.99, and this will allow players to not only unlock the character in game, but also unlock Sorcerer Apprentice Mickey’s Toy Box, which will bring quirky, unique, fantasic adventures to the Toy Box mode.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey joins other popular and enduring Disney and Pixar characters in Disney Infinity; curiously enough, characters from Marvel and LucasArts, both recent acquisitions by Disney, have remained absent from the game thus far. Maybe they will be coming up in a future update when sales start sagging, or in the inevitable sequel? We’ll see.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.

This week’s new Toy Boxes include Tower of Terror (a door opening to a tower full of nightmares), FantasyLand (essentially allowing you to ride the rides of FantasyLand), Fantasmic! (save Mickey’s imagination by finding all the hidden Mickeys), and perhaps most importantly, Indiana Jones (as you help him escape from the wrath of Mara in the Temple of the Forbidden Eye).

The first episode of Disney Infinity Toy Box TV: The Official Weekly Web Show also debuts today, that has the weekly top five Toy Box countdown, tips and tricks and a special shout-out to some very special fans- you can find it above.

Stay tuned to GamingBolt for more coverage.

Disney Interactive has announced five new toy boxes for Disney Infinity, which are all based on user submitted creations- the five best submissions in a contest were selected for this purpose.

The toy boxes selected include:

• Blast From The Past – Use the time machines to retrieve the missing fireworks hidden throughout history! The New Year depends on it.
• Paris Fireworks – Take a stroll through Paris and admire a brilliant fireworks display.
• COUNTDOWN – Enjoy street parties and race around whilst launching the fireworks in preparation for the New Year countdown!
• Sydney Fireworks – Race around Sydney on New Years’ Eve and watch the fireworks at the Sydney Opera House. Also, find the five hidden fireworks.
• Fireworks Blast – Happy 2014! Blast off fireworks and admire a fireworks display!

In addition to these, three new Disney created toy boxes will also be made available for the community to download by the end of January 2014.