darkSpyro

What I hate is that making new games without seeming too similar than an older title and not relying on a new gimmick is extremely hard nowadays in the gaming community. I have had to see way too many of my beloved video game mascots and franchises go down in flames and I ain't gonna stand for it no more. I am not letting this series end up like the rest of them.

Yeah, I miss the times where sequels could look similar to the first games without anyone shouting "SAME OLD STUFF" or whining about the lack of creativity.

Spyro Ripto's Rage and Year of the Dragon were basically Spyro the Dragon... But better.
Just like the first three Crash and the first three Ratchet and Clank.
Even LittleBigPlanet 2 is LittleBigPlanet but a thousands times better.

And just to make it clear I think all the following games of those series are at least enjoyable but they changed quite a bit from their initial concept and that's why I didn't mentioned them.

But no, now you either rely on cheap gimmicks ending up losing what your series was in the first place or everyone say you are just reheating an old meal, even if you actually try to add new things.

Is it really that hard to not fix something which isn't broken...?
Like... Really...?

Quote: Drek95

Yeah, I miss the times where sequels could look similar to the first games without anyone shouting "SAME OLD STUFF" or whining about the lack of creativity.

Spyro Ripto's Rage and Year of the Dragon were basically Spyro the Dragon... But better.
Just like the first three Crash and the first three Ratchet and Clank.
Even LittleBigPlanet 2 is LittleBigPlanet but a thousands times better.

And just to make it clear I think all the following games of those series are at least enjoyable but they changed quite a bit from their initial concept and that's why I didn't mentioned them.

But no, now you either rely on cheap gimmicks ending up losing what your series was in the first place or everyone say you are just reheating an old meal, even if you actually try to add new things.

Is it really that hard to not fix something which isn't broken...?
Like... Really...?

Oh wow I am actually impressed by this very sympathetic and true statement. I didn't expect a response like that, but I am glad you said that cause it is seriously sad, but true nowadays. The worst thing is there are certain franchises I can't say, but they do just that they rehash the same thing over and over again yet still sell well. This only proves that you can stick to the same formula and have some slight modifications to the newer titles. Here's to hoping for a brighter future to not just Skylanders, but to all gaming period.

It's harsh on Activision to call them gimmicks, they're trying to innovate to grow and bring in more customers. Each innovation is a risk, just like the original game was, but they need to do it to differentiate themselves from the competition. The power of marketing is hugely important here and if all you're bringing to the table is new characters and nothing else, you're going drown against the marketing tide of the competition. If Sky 5 had followed four other Skylanders games that just added new characters and a new story, it's sales would be worse today than they are, regardless of what the fans (and I count myself among them) might have thought. In a world this competitive, you can't stand still, you have to keep innovating. Maybe Superchargers was a step too far or maybe they just didn't do a good enough job, but I'm glad they're taking those risks.

Well, my neighbor came over the other day. He never really watched me play Superchargers, but he's a fan of Skylanders.

So he comes over and watches me play through a level. He sees me walk on foot for a few minutes, then get in a car, then on foot, then in a car. He says, "is it like this in all levels?" I asked, "what do you mean?" He says, "walk, drive, walk, drive." I said, "yeah, all but a couple of levels and those levels are short and boring with no exploration." (Battle Island and the train).

He just up and said, "well, I won't be buying this game." I said, "you know you can get it for like 40 bucks now," he said the gameplay looked too boring. Not enough on foot. Sad thing is, this dude is a huge racing fan. His idea of fun is playing Gran Turismo 6 for hours upon hours. Huge NASCAR fan. I guess he likes Skylanders to be Skylanders. I sympathize with him, though.

They could have kept the car aspect of this game, but not force it on people. They could have been side areas, that way you don't alienate the collection you spent thousands on. The characters they say they value from past games were either busted down to vanity items with a once a day function (Magic Items), or were only allowed to be on foot for a brief period of time. Whether you're playing Ignitor, Crusher, Wash Buckler, Blastermind, or Astroblast, they didn't do anything in this game but drive the real characters, vehicles, which you even had to fight bosses in.

I just think this years mechanic was forced, instead of put to the side, while at the same time they keep removing what makes Skylanders games, Skylanders games, and fun. Things like elemental gates where the value of past purchases could show in the unlocking of gates. Where they could fight on foot through an entire level, not be forced to drive a car.

I just really hope TFB gets it right this year.

Quote: GameMaster78

Well, my neighbor came over the other day. He never really watched me play Superchargers, but he's a fan of Skylanders.

So he comes over and watches me play through a level. He sees me walk on foot for a few minutes, then get in a car, then on foot, then in a car. He says, "is it like this in all levels?" I asked, "what do you mean?" He says, "walk, drive, walk, drive." I said, "yeah, all but a couple of levels and those levels are short and boring with no exploration." (Battle Island and the train).

He just up and said, "well, I won't be buying this game." I said, "you know you can get it for like 40 bucks now," he said the gameplay looked too boring. Not enough on foot. Sad thing is, this dude is a huge racing fan. His idea of fun is playing Gran Turismo 6 for hours upon hours. Huge NASCAR fan. I guess he likes Skylanders to be Skylanders. I sympathize with him, though.

They could have kept the car aspect of this game, but not force it on people. They could have been side areas, that way you don't alienate the collection you spent thousands on. The characters they say they value from past games were either busted down to vanity items with a once a day function (Magic Items), or were only allowed to be on foot for a brief period of time. Whether you're playing Ignitor, Crusher, Wash Buckler, Blastermind, or Astroblast, they didn't do anything in this game but drive the real characters, vehicles, which you even had to fight bosses in.

I just think this years mechanic was forced, instead of put to the side, while at the same time they keep removing what makes Skylanders games, Skylanders games, and fun. Things like elemental gates where the value of past purchases could show in the unlocking of gates. Where they could fight on foot through an entire level, not be forced to drive a car.

I just really hope TFB gets it right this year.

Yes, yes and yes.
I happened to like traps a lot but they would have probably became annoying if they were as forced as vehicles are.
As I said multiple times, it's not because of vehicles but how they implemented them.

But I'm indeed glad they took a risk and tried to come up with something new anyway.
Sure, to me they missed the point but at least they tried and showed dedication, passion and the will to keep this series alive.
Not sure risks are really as needed as many companies want them to appear but I'm still convinced it is a positive sign.

People don't realize that had they just released another game without the vehicle gimmick it might have been even worse sales-wise. At least with vehicles, it stands out a bit against the competition. Many people stuck with the franchise just to see where it went with this who might have just let it go figuring it was just more of the same. Many people are losing interest in Skylanders in general, I think vehicles are just a convenient scapegoat. And new people to TTL now have a three very competent options to select from.

I still think Infinity is the weakest of the three, but I appreciate the fact all characters are still usable in Toy Box. They don't cram a mechanic down my throat and say, this is how you will play with said characters. I still don't like that characters are tied to the play sets they come from, which is why it's weak to me. I appreciate the fact that Infinity gives solid release dates for figures and even allows you to preorder them. It's going to help the brand more than hinder it.

Lego Dimensions is the same. They actually one up the competition by stating on the box what waves there are. Then a short bit of digging shows you can preorder all waves as far back as Starter Pack release. TT Games sticks to a formula that works but builds upon it in Dimensions. They don't remove the things I like about the Lego games, but they just add to it.

That is what they should do with Skylanders. Add to the core mechanics started in SSA, but add to it. Instead, they remove functions while adding mechanics, or forcing in SC case, that may be hit or miss. Stick to the core gameplay of Skylanders, build around it. Don't remove what made past games fun, rather, add to it.

I think that many of you are basing your predictions based on personal bias, and not on facts. Let me get into it:

1) A good game doesn't mean it's gonna sell. So, you know, SuperChargers was very well received by critics, and it looks like a mixed-to-good reaction by fans. I think that the quality of the game was not the reason behind the low sales.

2) The distribution problems may be a reason, but I doubt it's the main one. You know, I don't expect a random buyer know about release dates, street dates, and those things. He simply buys what he wants, without whoring about that.

3) I think that the main reason is the competition. You know, people know Disney/Marvel/Star Wars/Nintendo/Whatever Lego Has characters. And this attracts people more than unknown characters (even Spyro counts in this, since he's not much popular outside of the old school gamer crowd). The majority of parents don't really care for the quality of the game they're buying for the children, as long as the kid have fun. So yeah... Kids don't really need a big quality game to have fun, just make some things (that strangely SuperChargers failed), very simple things by the way, that you get attention. That's the thing with using popular characters. I'm against many crossovers in Skylanders, but I think it's the best solution (DK and Bowser seems to have helped SuperChargers sales).

I think it's quite debatable whether kids prefer famous characters or original ones.
I'm sure that's something which may vary a lot from person to person.

Regarding the game's quality and target I think Activision has yet to understand what to do with this series: they can keep it enjoyable for both kids and adults or simply turn it into a pure kid's thing with no lore and world-building whatsoever so they can throw in all the gimmicks they want and not worry about continuity.

I still think SuperChargers didn't do well because of three factors: vehicles, distribution and Racing.
Yeah, Racing.
And that's definitely not Activision's fault since apparently certain customers buy things without even knowing what they are purchasing.
Competitors played an important role as well of course.

Yeah, competitors do a good job at giving new info. In fact, in March, the Infinity brand is holding a big press conference called Disney Infinity Next. Probably to officially reveal Ant Man, Black Panther, Vision, BS Spider Man single, as well as Baloo, and some are theorizing the X-Men.

Used to be, Skylanders would hold press conferences, then just fell off the map. Nothing to hype people up, nothing to show they're making any strides to keep customers spending on the brand, it's basically, "oh let's just do what we can until it dies."

At one time, I think this brand was cared for. Who knows honestly, anymore.

Quote: GameMaster78

Yeah, competitors do a good job at giving new info. In fact, in March, the Infinity brand is holding a big press conference called Disney Infinity Next. Probably to officially reveal Ant Man, Black Panther, Vision, BS Spider Man single, as well as Baloo, and some are theorizing the X-Men.

Used to be, Skylanders would hold press conferences, then just fell off the map. Nothing to hype people up, nothing to show they're making any strides to keep customers spending on the brand, it's basically, "oh let's just do what we can until it dies."

At one time, I think this brand was cared for. Who knows honestly, anymore.

I'm pretty hyped for DI this time around. I'm excited for Ant Man, Vision, Black Panther and most importantly, Baloo. Jungle Book is one of my favorite childhood movies.


I preordered Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps and Marvel Battlegrounds today, along with getting Sam Flynn, Corra (One of my favorites now) and Captain America. Suuuure wish I could preorder Skylanders along with knowing their release dates. I have to agree on the majority this time around. I'm actually kinda glad I'm finishing SSC early (I just need Buzz Wing, Soda Skimmer, Tomb Buggy and regular Thrillipede), that way I can focus on DI for the rest of the year until Sky 6 comes out.

I also got BB Roller Brawl. Her toy looks great, colors go together beautifully.


Funny, I got DI 3.0 saying I'd only get Star Wars characters and select Marvel and OG Disney ones, but ended up getting all SW and Marvel Characters with all Disney OGs for this game.

Still, I think that Skylanders>>Disney Infinity.

End the series after 6, they are just milking it now. I want to have a wallet again

Quote: Dark Snap Shot

End the series after 6, they are just milking it now. I want to have a wallet again

Stop buying it then, Acti shouldn't have to hold your hand and give you self-control. 'Milking' is a blanket term nowadays for 'I don't like it' anyway.

Yep.

The moment this series stops delivering something I'm interested in will be the moment I drop it.

I absolutely don't regret buying SuperChargers even if I didn't like the toyline: I would have missed out on the great plot, awesome character interactions and development and creative levels' gimmicks.

In my opinion you start milking something when you just keep delivering the exact same thing over and over again without really caring or putting effort just for the sake of money.
I still see a lot of passion and efforts in Skylanders and that's what matters, whether I like the overall game or not.

Quote: Bifrost

Quote: Dark Snap Shot

End the series after 6, they are just milking it now. I want to have a wallet again

Stop buying it then, Acti shouldn't have to hold your hand and give you self-control. 'Milking' is a blanket term nowadays for 'I don't like it' anyway.

Exactly. People saying "they shouldn't make another Skylanders because I don't want to buy it" are honestly stupider than the people who say "Spyro is dead because he didn't get a new figure".

Definately don't regret buying it either,because I had self-control. I won't put myself in debt? Will I have fun with this more than buying ? Yes and yes, and I decided to get it. On the other hand, is pursuing more Trap Masters and Spitfire going to currently put myself in debt, and can I get more fun by saving up for WiiU controllers to play with friends? Yes to both, I'll wait for them to drop or pursue that controller later on.

I'll do the same for 6. Is it worth it to buy it at the start,or wait to drop? Will it be too expensive 8 months from now? Am I going to have fun? Videos and interviews should answer this over time.

I don't need to beg for a company to shut down something others like so I can control my money. I'll control myself like a decent person should. It's honestly upsetting to see that it's not just one person doing this like the issue isn't with them but they can't bring themselves to be honest.

Superchargers sucked. Activisions just gonna have to do CoD and stuff

I don't think Superchargers sucked. It ain't great, but it didn't suck. I would say any where in the C range (C+ to C-).
It could've been a hell of a lot worse. Massive bugs/glitches, console crashes, etc.
Be thankful that didn't happen.

Quote: Insane01

I don't think Superchargers sucked. It ain't great, but it didn't suck. I would say any where in the C range (C+ to C-).
It could've been a hell of a lot worse. Massive bugs/glitches, console crashes, etc.
Be thankful that didn't happen.

Agree, in my opinion it missed the point of being a proper Skylanders experience but the game is nowhere near bad.
Just not what I expect from this series.

It's like one day Nintendo decided to develop an FPS The Legend of Zelda game, with no puzzles and no quests but only on-rail shooting.
It wouldn't be what fans were expecting but that doesn't mean that it would be bad per se.

Honestly I'm more excited for Pokemon Sun and Moon information than Skylanders 6. Sky 6 was my main focus, but ever since yesterday I've switched my attention to Sun and Moon. Activision, try and prove me wrong.

Apples and oranges tho. Also there's Serebii for easily found news; while in here there'll probably be a news topic as soon as the name is revealed.

Speaking of BOTH though, we gotta watch out for the trademark registering as well; Acti probably learned after Swap Force to take their time but who knows.

In a way, I kinda hope Sky 6 is the last one.

You guys keep asking for that but never really give actual reason as to why other than 'they'll milk it to death' or 'I don't want to buy it'. Plot hasn't been fully realized, there's plenty of potential, the spinoffs are still a possibility, what's with stopping now?

Of course, SC jumped the shark unironically for some, but I'm not asking that.