Activision ditches the Spyro moniker but keeps the fun intact
Skylanders was one of the biggest surprises of 2011. Pretty much everyone expected it to be a cheap cash-in of 90s nostalgia to sell toys to unsuspecting kids -- and boy, were we wrong.
It was actually a pretty fun, serviceable action game, and the toy craze took off like wildfire. Now here we are in 2012 with the sequel, featuring even bigger Skylanders and even more toys.
In light of this, I have bad news for you folks: it's time to break out your wallets again.
Skylanders: Giants (3DS, Mac, PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360 [reviewed]) Developer: Toys For Bob (Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, Wii U, 360) / n-Space (3DS) Publisher: Activision Release: October 21, 2012 (3DS, Mac, PC, PS3, Wii, 360) / November 18, 2012 (Wii U) MSRP: $74.99 (Starter Kit) / $59.99 (Portal Owner Pack)
As some of you may know, Skylanders incorporates physical toys -- lots of them! -- that you can pick up at your local brick and mortar store. Using a USB device called the "Portal of Power," you can digitize any number of the eight giants (read: big toys) or the 45+ smaller figures into your game. All the characters have a tiny microchip inside them that captures and saves their data, such as the amount of coins you have, your experience, and what Gamertag/ID they're registered to.
Considering the main hook here is essentially peddling children's toys, I hope you aren't expecting a transcendent Machiavellian narrative of the subjugation of the proletariat. To be blunt, the setup is going to be really familiar with anyone who has ever watched a cartoon aimed at the 16-and-under group.
After the day was saved in the first game, the premise is basically your typical "big bad villain returns" scenario. The eight giants, once thought to be a myth to the citizens of Skylands, have now come out of hiding to band with the rest of the Skylanders and do battle with the evil wizard Kaos.
The tone is completely lighthearted, at times cheesy, but not overly hilarious. Just like the first game, it gets the job done. If you enjoy movies like the criminally under-appreciated The Emperor's New Groove, you'll have a good enough time in Skylands (especially so, as Patrick Warburton reprises his role from the first Skylanders, which is basically Kronk).
When it comes to gameplay, your experience will pretty much mirror any standard dungeon crawler you've tackled before. Obstacles range from simple puzzles to straight-up battles, and there's even a home base of operations with various merchants (like the Diablo series).
Giants themselves offer a new layer to the series, as they're required for traversing certain extra areas and obstacles, most of which are optional. They're large, they're lumbering, and as a result, most of them are slow, which may or may not suit your play style. That's totally fine, as the Skylanders series is built upon giving you the freedom to use just about anyone you want (keep in mind that you will need a Giant on-hand for at least a few required areas, even if you can play 99% of the campaign without them).
As was the case with the previous game, the nuances of combat and exploration are going to be pretty basic, and since most characters don't jump, it probably couldn't even be considered a basic platformer. But it would be criminal to dismiss the game based on that premise, as there is a ton of depth here should you choose to dig further -- and what it does offer, it does very well.
First, the optional challenge missions are back. They're still quasi-difficult and task you with various objectives like "destroy X amount of enemies in a certain amount of time," granting you bonuses should you succeed. These can be done very easily from the main ship at the beginning of every stage, and they're even easier to get sucked into as you try to complete them all.
Challenges aren't the only thing that will test your mettle, however, as there's also a number of arenas to conquer, all of which net you some sort of reward. If you're feeling lonely, local multiplayer is thankfully supported by way of full two-player coop (for the entire campaign), and a fairly meaty versus mode that has a decent number of different game types to choose from.
Add in hundreds of collectibles, a fully fledged Othello-like game called "Skystones," ability gems hidden in each level, stat-boosting hats (hats are all the rage these days, I'll tell ya), and optional in-game achievements that boost your stats and XP, and you have a full game that inherently gives as much back as you put in.
If you're a completionist, you can level up your character to the increased cap of 15 (up from 10 in the first game). Earning XP and gold in multiplayer battles is also a nice touch (provided you have a local partner in crime, as there is sadly no online play support).
This all works well and good within the contained Giants ecosystem, but what about prior adopters? As we all know, Activision isn't the most reliable of folks when it comes to backwards compatibility, so I'm sure a lot of you are concerned whether or not Giants will play nice with your old toys.
Thankfully, I'm happy to report that Activision and Toys For Bob did a solid job of serving both games. Figuring out what works where is fairly simple: look at the bottom of your toy's base. If it's green, it's from the first game (Series 1), and if it's orange, it's from the second game (Series 2). All Series 2 characters that were carried over from the first game will work if you plug them back into the original. All new Series 2 characters (i.e. Giants) will not work with the original game (which is to be expected). These details are also clearly marked on the actual packaging for the toys.
All of this works pretty effortlessly, even without a patch or title update of any kind. For instance, my wife and I were playing coop in Giants and she proceeded to upgrade and level-up a toy she had picked up a year ago. After going back to the original game later that day, all her stats, coins, and abilities/upgrades were still there. So if you're interested in picking up the first game on the cheap some day, you can reap the benefits of re-using select characters.
In terms of length, there are 16 stages, each which take about 30 minutes the first time through, or 10 to 15 minutes for speedruns. If you're looking for more replayability beyond going back to the original game or buying more toys, Giants has you covered with all of the modes and extras I mentioned above.
After playing through both titles, it's clear that a lot of heart went into the franchise. This should please fans both young and old, provided you're willing to go in with an open mind and embrace the simplicity.
Skylanders: Giants is a simple but incredibly enjoyable game, packed with content should you decide to explore every nook and cranny. Despite the fact that a lot of the characters are pay-walled behind what is essentially physical DLC, it's still perfectly serviceable even with just the characters in the standard package.
THE VERDICT
8.0 /10
Great: Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding it back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash. Check out more reviews or the Destructoid score guide.
Put in a preorder at the Microsoft Store for some of the hot upcoming games for Xbox 360 and you'll get 1600 Microsoft Points ($20) for free. Good stuff like Tomb Raider, BioShock Infinite, GTA 5, Metal Gear Rising: Revengean... more
For all of Microsoft's commercial success with Kinect, the device still seems to draw a lot of criticism for its lack of compelling supported games, and rightfully so. Perhaps things will be different with the successor to th... more
Microsoft has, at long last, made account migration an easy, automatic process. For years, folks who moved to new territories, like myself, were stuck with their Xbox Live accounts tied to their old homeland, unable to use an... more
While it's evident that this year's E3 is going to something special, the announcements of the new Xbox and PlayStation could just as reasonably occur before the expo this June. In the mean time, there are plenty of rumors go... more
While Gran Turismo 5 is showing off with their day-after announcement DLC for the awesome looking 2014 Corvette Stingray (see above story), Forza Horizon announces that they'll have a... Civic?
Not hatin'. I'm a huge Honda fa... more
In the minds of most gamers, Bungie is still synonymous with Microsoft and the Xbox. But the studio appears to be broadening its audience with the recent update to its website.
Bungie.net now gives players the option to log i... more
According to the International Data Corporation, the PlayStation 3 has surpassed the Xbox 360 in number of units shipped worldwide. The report, Worldwide Video Game and Entertainment Console Hardware and Packaged Software 201... more
Microsoft has shown off some new Kinect technology at CES that's looking to turn your entire living room into one big interactive space. IllumiRoom uses Kinect for Windows and a projector to augment the area around your tele... more
The biggest achievement in free simulation obstacle course games featuring Xbox Live Avatars, Doritos Crash Course, has received its very own downloadable content today. Doritos Crash Course City Lights adds two new area... more
As tradition would have it, Microsoft is having its massive "Countdown to 2013" Xbox Live Marketplace sale starting today that will run right up until New Year's Day. There are 29 special offers that will run the length of th... more
Hey, Television! Check out Double Fine’s latest game for Xbox Live Arcade: Kinect Party. In fun-loving Double Fine fashion, it was released for free upon launch in mid-December until the New Year. For those of you who d...more
DmC: Devil May Cry is an insult. It insults the fans, who have loyally supported Capcom through thick and thin, and it insults the legacy of a most respected action series. Ninja Theory has spat upon one of the last pure name...more
The original Fire Pro Wrestling was a game specifically for the hardcore fans of pro wrestling. I'm not talking about the male soap-opera that is WWE, but a more brutal version such as some of the Japanese wrestling circuits ...more
Joe Danger was the definition of a perfect downloadable game. It was reasonable priced, it was tons of fun, and it was packed with content.
Naturally, since a lot of other people felt the same, a Special Edition version of th...more
The time has finally come. After numerous delays, and nearly a year of waiting after the Japanese release, Max Anarchy, known internationally as Anarchy Reigns, is finally here.
Conceptually, the game is basically a "Greatest...more
Imagine for a moment that you have the power to make videogames. OK, I guess you don't have to imagine. With tools like Unity, Game Maker, and Flash on the market readily available to anyone who puts their mind towards snaggi...more
Seduce Me is only on our radar because it was developed by folks who worked on the Triple-A Killzone franchise, and later denied a place on Steam's Greenlight project. We likely wouldn't have noticed it, much l...more
Maybe it's just me, but it seems that every once in a while there is a game that comes out that makes a statement about MMORPGs. That the best part of those games is the player-versus-player segments. In 2007, there was the "...more
The Sims series will always have expansion packs. It's part of the experience to slowly add more content to the game. Usually these packs add active content like new town locations, new interactions, or new career paths for y...more
I've just saved the planet, and I couldn't be less enthused about it. A New Beginning is a self-styled eco-thriller with a spot of time travel and science fiction thrown in for good measure. It launched in Europe a couple of ...more
It used to cost ridiculous amounts of money to record video from other sources, especially in HD. But these past few years companies like Hauppague, Pinnacle, AVerMedia and others have released affordable boxes that...more
A game that combines ideas from both Minecraft and Team Fortress 2 sounds like it would be a match made in heaven. The LEGO-style buildings and aesthetics combined with the multi-class gameplay should be right up my alley.
Ye...more
Capcom's treatment of the Mega Man franchise these past couple of years has been atrocious. When Street Fighter kicked off its 25th anniversary, Capcom clearly laid out its plans for the coming year, which included key softwa...more
Pirates and Vikings have a lot of things in common. Pillaging, raiding, exploration, and adventure -- these are their shared loves. One could be forgiven for assuming that they might even be able to get along, but that is mos...more
“How dare you? HOW DARE YOU! How dare you review a Lord of the Rings game without having every film box set in a display case! HOW DARE YOU review a MOBA without having been yelled at and debased by 12-year-olds for m...more
It’s not very often that I get a chance to review something bad. It’s even rarer for me to come across headphones that I just hate. Truth is, most things that you spend $50 or more on are pretty good. Mediocrity c...more
The Guild01 collection is a very special project that I'm glad we could be a part of. Although the last game in the set isn't slated for a release out of Japan, the mere fact that Level-5 decided to take a chance with any of ...more
Within my first thirty minutes of playing Black Knight Sword, I encountered a menu option called "cat head grass," a giant mother eye that eats hearts, and severed skulls in a microwave oven that serve as health power-ups.
Yep, this is definitely a Grasshopper Manufacture joint.more