darkSpyro

Hey guys, so I got into the series recently with Swap Force on PS4 and fell hard for the series. Now as I'm approaching portal master rank 80 and running out of fresh content, I picked up a copy of Skylanders Giants for Wii U.

I'm about halfway through my first Giants story playthrough, and while it's obviously a step down from Swap Force in polish and presentation I'm finding it well worth playing through with strengths of its own. Vicarious Visions did a great job polishing the engine and style of the series with Swap Force, but I have to say even just halfway through Giants it seems like it had a little more personality to it to balance its rougher edges. (And surprisingly not missing jump as much as I thought I would!) Really loved the giant rock em sock em robot level and the heroic speed challenge with the little singing dudes so far Another example is the style of the elemental lock gates, they are a bit gnarlier in Giants but feel a lot more organic and fitting the world than Swap Force's shiny emblem gates that take me a little out of the world. Also prefer how the heroics let you invest in the characters you like the most.

Anyways I've now started thinking about finishing up the series backwards, but I'm a bit bummed about Spyro's Adventure because it's not available for Wii U and I would have to play it in Wii mode and in non-HD. I'm not a huge stickler for HD but I think the uber pixelation might bring the experience down for me. Is it still worth picking up and how does it hold up over Giants? And it's definitely not available for PS Vita is it?

The other question is, I picked up Skylanders Swap Force for 3DS and was kind of disappointed in its style of gameplay and graphics that felt like a lite version of the console Swap Force, but heard the earlier iterations on 3DS had their own more distinct and better gameplay. With that in mind should I give Spyro's Adventure or Giants on 3DS a go if I'm looking to spend some more quality time in the Skylanders universe?

I realize these questions are about the other games in the series, but I was wondering what you guys might recommend in hindsight after having played them all including Swap Force. Thanks in advance!

Spyro's Adventure and Giants on 3DS are great,if you have a disc replay near you could pick up both for $20 total.

If you didn't like SF 3DS, I don't think you will like Giants 3DS much either. The gameplay is pretty much the same. It's less polished than SWAP Force as well.

I'd recommend the first game on 3DS because I think it really does feel distinct from the console versions. At least the first two. I haven't played it for a while so I don't know how different it feels from SF console version, but either way, I do recommend it as it's very, very polished, it's crazier, and it's just fun. It's not going to last as long as the console version to beat it; I'd say it's "short but sweet".
All the Skylanders have drastically different movesets from the console game and the game has a much faster pace. There's also less focus on story, and there are these stages that play kind of like the survival arenas in addition to the platforming stages. Plus the game has more levels! It also offers more challenge than its sequels.

In both cases, just understand the downsides: less Skylanders, plus once you beat them the games are only good for levelling (and the first game only goes to Level 10...) so you may end up just beating them and never touching them again. Also, you can only hold two Skylanders at a time on those games, not your whole collection. However, I'd say it's definetly worth it to go through the first one, at least.

... How Giants and SWAP Force on the 3DS are more popular, I have no idea- if I can be bluntly honest, I think Giants and SF on the 3DS are decent, but way less fun than 3DSSA. >.>

Quote: MegaDozer

Spyro's Adventure and Giants on 3DS are great,if you have a disc replay near you could pick up both for $20 total.

Hmm, never heard of Disc Replay. That would be a crazy deal to find for me though, even for Spyro's Adventure 3DS alone.

Quote: Arc of Archives

If you didn't like SF 3DS, I don't think you will like Giants 3DS much either. The gameplay is pretty much the same. It's less polished than SWAP Force as well.

I'd recommend the first game on 3DS because I think it really does feel distinct from the console versions. At least the first two. I haven't played it for a while so I don't know how different it feels from SF console version, but either way, I do recommend it as it's very, very polished, it's crazier, and it's just fun. It's not going to last as long as the console version to beat it; I'd say it's "short but sweet".
All the Skylanders have drastically different movesets from the console game and the game has a much faster pace. There's also less focus on story, and there are these stages that play kind of like the survival arenas in addition to the platforming stages. Plus the game has more levels! It also offers more challenge than its sequels.

In both cases, just understand the downsides: less Skylanders, plus once you beat them the games are only good for levelling (and the first game only goes to Level 10...) so you may end up just beating them and never touching them again. Also, you can only hold two Skylanders at a time on those games, not your whole collection. However, I'd say it's definetly worth it to go through the first one, at least.

... How Giants and SWAP Force on the 3DS are more popular, I have no idea- if I can be bluntly honest, I think Giants and SF on the 3DS are decent, but way less fun than 3DSSA. >.>

Thanks for this detailed advice! Yeah I think I'll hold on Giants 3DS for now and give Spyro's Adventure on it a try. I like the sound of "very, very polished, crazier, just fun" I can deal with short and sweet.

I have a feeling I'll need to figure out how to dip into Spyro's Adventure on home consoles somehow at some point, either suck it up with the lower resolution on the Wii version or borrow a PS3 to play it on. Skylanders just makes me want to complete it! How does the console version of SA hold up after Giants/SF in your opinion?

3DS Swapforce is worth it just for leveling quickly IMO. If you can get it for cheap, pick it up. You can get a character to 20 in an hour or so grinding the last boss.

I've also enjoyed the 3DS character models. Some Skylanders have a more mature look to them. Less friendly and more ticked off/angry looking. Countdown comes to mind as an example. He looks a lot better on the 3DS.

Get Spyro's Adventure on 3DS. Best 3DS game I have ever played (Which sucks that I lost both Giants and SSA on the 3DS during our move to a new house) Giants I found mediorce. Swap Force is pretty good but the 3DS version of Skylanders was at it's best with VV.

I feel like n-space is under-appreciated. I like the 3ds games because they're fast paced platformers. I can play those when I want fast paced action, and the console versions when I want a dungeon crawler. The graphics may be bad, but the games are good. Heck, I liked giants 3ds better than the console version of giants!

I've been considering trying the 3DS version as well. I can just get the Swap Force Starter Pack, and then buy SSA and SG game-only, correct?

Btw, would you recommend getting the 2DS, 3DS, or 3DS XL? Originally, I was thinking 2DS since I don't know if I care for the 3D gimmick, but the larger screen on the XL sounds appealing.

edit: Actually, it looks like I can get the Swap Force portal and game on eBay for ~$20. I don't need any of the bundled figures (for any of the games), right?

The 3d isn't really a gimmick. Just play with it turned off. the 3ds xl doesn't fit in your pockets but it makes the graphics better. The 2ds doeen't have the convinient clamshell design but it's cheaper. The regular 3ds is balanced so I'd go with that.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

The 3d isn't really a gimmick. Just play with it turned off. the 3ds xl doesn't fit in your pockets but it makes the graphics better. The 2ds doeen't have the convinient clamshell design but it's cheaper. The regular 3ds is balanced so I'd go with that.

You're right. I just did some additional research, and there are a handful of games where the 3D makes a big difference. Although for Skylanders, I'll probably leave it off. Since I don't plan to carry it in my pockets (it will be more of a couch/bed/plane/hotel/etc device), I think the XL is probably the best fit for me. A lot of reviews say that the larger screens are a significant improvement, and that the device is more comfortable as well.

Collect the Swapforce Series 3 characters (Wham Shell, Cynder, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, Spyro, Camo, Warnado, etc) and then use those characters to play the original Spyro's Adventure. You'll love it - and you can take one team through all three games.
Also look at collecting the adventure pack levels to unlock the additional levels.

Quote: Donatron

Quote: TrapShadowFan

The 3d isn't really a gimmick. Just play with it turned off. the 3ds xl doesn't fit in your pockets but it makes the graphics better. The 2ds doeen't have the convinient clamshell design but it's cheaper. The regular 3ds is balanced so I'd go with that.

You're right. I just did some additional research, and there are a handful of games where the 3D makes a big difference. Although for Skylanders, I'll probably leave it off. Since I don't plan to carry it in my pockets (it will be more of a couch/bed/plane/hotel/etc device), I think the XL is probably the best fit for me. A lot of reviews say that the larger screens are a significant improvement, and that the device is more comfortable as well.

The XL is great. I will say the 3DS has a unique "Street Pass" feature that will tempt you to bring it on the go more so more portability factors in there, but otherwise the XL is just better. The larger screen may not add any pixels but the normal 3DS screen feels really tinny if you try to go back.

Quote: HeyitsHotDog

Get Spyro's Adventure on 3DS. Best 3DS game I have ever played (Which sucks that I lost both Giants and SSA on the 3DS during our move to a new house) Giants I found mediorce. Swap Force is pretty good but the 3DS version of Skylanders was at it's best with VV.

Quote: Tel Prydain

Collect the Swapforce Series 3 characters (Wham Shell, Cynder, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, Spyro, Camo, Warnado, etc) and then use those characters to play the original Spyro's Adventure. You'll love it - and you can take one team through all three games.
Also look at collecting the adventure pack levels to unlock the additional levels.

Today I ordered a game-only copy of Spyro's Adventure for 3DS on Ebay based on your recommendations. Super excited for it to come in! I have a few Series 3 characters, Lightcore Wham Shell, Terrafin, Ninja Stealth Elf and Eruptor, plus some Series 2 characters from Giants and SA characters to round it out!

Quote: Cheshiremonkey

3DS Swapforce is worth it just for leveling quickly IMO. If you can get it for cheap, pick it up. You can get a character to 20 in an hour or so grinding the last boss.

I've also enjoyed the 3DS character models. Some Skylanders have a more mature look to them. Less friendly and more ticked off/angry looking. Countdown comes to mind as an example. He looks a lot better on the 3DS.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

I feel like n-space is under-appreciated. I like the 3ds games because they're fast paced platformers. I can play those when I want fast paced action, and the console versions when I want a dungeon crawler. The graphics may be bad, but the games are good. Heck, I liked giants 3ds better than the console version of giants!

Also! I was starting to feel like I hadn't given Swap Force 3DS a real chance and went back to it last night, spending the time to put in all my characters. I'm only a couple levels in now, but things are starting to click and I'm enjoying it a lot more now

Yeah I went from a 3DS to a 3DSXL and I could never go back, my friends screen is so teeny tiny compared. Playing on that big beautiful screen is so wonderful. Also it comes with a larger Memory card (I upgraded to a 64 gb card) and a much longer battery life. It also fits in all my pockets just fine

Well I thought I bought SSA game-only, SG game-only, and SSF game and portal only. Turns out, I accidently bought a 2nd SSA instead of SG. Ugh.. Luckily, it was the same seller. I sent him an email asking to cancel one of the orders. Hopefully, he does so.

Haven't received a response from the seller yet; sent him another message. Hopefully he doesn't decide to ignore me. I have no use for two copies. Can't even give it to my nephew, as he doesn't own a 3DS.