darkSpyro

In your opinion who do you think makes better games? I think Toys for Bob makes better games, and they appear slightly more grown up to me. What do you think?

Well TFB have had 3 of the main games and VV has had only one so it is very biased atm. I do agree that TFB are better but for the exact opposite reason to you. I feel the the TFB games are more insane, particularly the characters, and the whole game feels to appeal to kids more. SSF and SSA: 3DS feel more safe and grown up.

I think TFB is more grown up because the characters VV makes look less grown-up. Alreasy you can see TFB has sharp swords little scales and sharp features. In SSF even Wash Bucklers sword is rounded off. Whiskers and her bird seem a lot less grown up then Flynn and Cali to me.

The Skylander games from VV are good, but nothing is better then Toys for Bob (i miss the eating animation tand the dead animation and stuff)

Toys for Bob is the Ultimate Skylanders Creator (that should be their new name) for one reason:

I actually think VV Chompies look better but they are too cute there, they look more evil in the other games

Have you not seen the eyes??

Toys For Bob is definitely better since they made the franchise.

Yes i saw the eyes, but i actually think they look cute that way

I personally think each have their plusses and minuses. In my opinion, TfB looks more grown up but VV's game was imo much more challenging than TfB games. I also think VV has a better graphical/polished look, and I see some of those personal touches I now notice lost in the TfB games. Conversely, TfB also does certain things within their games much better than VV.

IMO, VV is definitely making a case in being equals in this partnership. I think TfB is kinda jelly of VV's accomplishments at this point. I can see some of the TT decision points directly contradicting what VV did, and I even read some negative comments from TfB in regards to jumping. I think they went kicking and screaming on that one. I find VV in MUCH MORE favorable light than I did a year ago. Bravo, VV. If VV can push both technology AND the gaming side, we'll at least push the franchise forward. I have a sneaking suspicion Trap Tram on gameplay is another ho hum other than the villains. Prove me wrong, TfB. Please tell me I don't get to play Arkeyan Ship and Skytones 2.0 in this game. I groaned when I heard the exact same digital "Ahh" that the trolls made in previous entries in the TT demo.

I respect TfB, but both gaming companies need out of the box tihnking on how the game is played. Why must it only be a progressive single path story?

Of course, my opinion matters not because the kids buy this game, right? Just make sure you know where they get their paycheck, Activision.

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

Quote: somePerson

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I can't say because it all has to do with what we are used to. If the first main game had been made by VV then we would all prefer their games. But that was not the case at all so we prefer TFB's games. I bet that people that started with SSF will not like TFB's games nearly as much as we do. It's simple psychology.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: somePerson

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

TFB wins, the plastic atmosphere of Swap Force was, IMO, terrible.

The only thing I truly liked from SWAP Force were the characters. They all are pretty unique.

TFB did perfect with S:SA and Giants. So... yeah.

Toys for Bob is much friendlier.

Quote: bionicle2809

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: somePerson

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

I don't believe there was a single Swap Zone that was mandatory to complete. You had the option to skip any and all of them. I believe there were a few Skystones games that you were forced to play in Giants, and the Pirate Seas Adventure Pack made you play Pirate Cards

Puzzles on the other hand, I hate for the exact reason you stated above. Although I found the shock and bolt puzzles to be less annoying than the lock puzzles. I especially hated the level where you needed to solve several lock puzzles back-to back.

I agree with everyone saying TFB... just, the games look more, interesting.

sP@: I agree, the swap Zones where an Overkill. I realy hated them.

I just didn't like Swap Zones when I was in the lower levels and then they became a chore.

TFB always.

Quote: bionicle2809

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: somePerson

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

You could say that of elemental gates. They are essentially non-essential mini-levels taking you away from the task at hand. So, not getting it. They expanded that a bit...mainly to address content concerns. Now that they delivered, people complained. Can't seem to win I guess.

Quote: Matteomax

The only thing I truly liked from SWAP Force were the characters. They all are pretty unique.

TFB did perfect with S:SA and Giants. So... yeah.

Toys for Bob is much friendlier.

The robot and flying scenes---were terrible. Their entries have plenty of flaws. The TfB entries seems more accessible to me as an adult over VV, but the difference isn't that much at the end of the day. TfB has plenty to prove to me this round. Sorry, they are technical geniuses at an engineering level...now they have to prove they can bring it just like VV did. Much of the credit is given to TfB I think because they were there when the games were "fresh". We'll see how "fresh" TT is.

Keep in mind that TfB did provide input / help on character designs so I think that both teams have collaborative input...it's just that one developer house ultimately makes the decisions.

I prefer TFB. The only thing better about SF to me was jumping...

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: bionicle2809

Quote: GhostRoaster

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

You could say that of elemental gates. They are essentially non-essential mini-levels taking you away from the task at hand. So, not getting it. They expanded that a bit...mainly to address content concerns. Now that they delivered, people complained. Can't seem to win I guess.

Quote: Matteomax

The only thing I truly liked from SWAP Force were the characters. They all are pretty unique.

TFB did perfect with S:SA and Giants. So... yeah.

Toys for Bob is much friendlier.

The robot and flying scenes---were terrible. Their entries have plenty of flaws. The TfB entries seems more accessible to me as an adult over VV, but the difference isn't that much at the end of the day. TfB has plenty to prove to me this round. Sorry, they are technical geniuses at an engineering level...now they have to prove they can bring it just like VV did. Much of the credit is given to TfB I think because they were there when the games were "fresh". We'll see how "fresh" TT is.

Keep in mind that TfB did provide input / help on character designs so I think that both teams have collaborative input...it's just that one developer house ultimately makes the decisions.

In response to the elemental gates, they blended in well with the level and never seemed to break up the gameplay, while the Swap Zones were basically minigames.

Based on Giants and Swap Force, I liked Giants much more and thus I'd absolutely go with TfB! I've already stated my feelings about VV's Swap Force many times so I won't go into it again. It'll be interesting to see if TfB will live up to my expectations and hopes. Me buying Trap Team will depend on what I hear from them and what's added and/or removed. I do have very high hopes for their game though!

TFB writers better plot, has better character designs, and tries to be more varied with just about everything in the game, from theme to PVP balancing. VV favors solid gameplay but for me that's about it and it's not enough to make the team any better.

^ Agreed on writing, BitFrost.

Quote: GoldenCamo

In response to the elemental gates, they blended in well with the level and never seemed to break up the gameplay, while the Swap Zones were basically minigames.

Very Fair

Neither are better than the other but I must comment that VV had to win me back with SF while TfB had instant hype. They're not doing something as well as TfB in the marketing department.

Quote: bionicle2809

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: somePerson

Honestly I like TFB just because they don't spam you with mini-games.

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

Oh come on! It was no different than the Elemental doors that are a staple or the FEATS OF STRENGTH! It gave the Swappers something to do to justify their extraness. Not once did I feel sucked out of a game where I already had been sucked out of it every time I went to switch characters.

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Neither are better than the other but I must comment that VV had to win me back with SF while TfB had instant hype. They're not doing something as well as TfB in the marketing department.

Quote: bionicle2809

Quote: GhostRoaster

I've never been spammed with mini games in Swap Force. Rufus spams me. If it's in regards to VV's tablet and phone entries...that seems to be consistent with the market. That's probably marketing's fault.

I think somePerson is referring to the Swap Zones being mini-games. And I agree, they did kind of take you out of the action of playing the level to shove you in a mini-game and it kind of ruined the flow of it all.

Oh come on! It was no different than the Elemental doors that are a staple or the FEATS OF STRENGTH! It gave the Swappers something to do to justify their extraness. Not once did I feel sucked out of a game where I already had been sucked out of it every time I went to switch characters.

That was kinda my point. Splitting hairs. I will say it feels more contentious in Swap Force...so I "get it"....but it's a weak excuse.

Honestly I didn't feel as though VV actually cared about the characters, at least not the ones made specifically for their game. Giants became useless toys that were only worth leveling up back when they had the Double XP Sunday. They went from characters who could wreck a level to characters that were barely playable anymore. The way VV wrecked all the past characters, which is something that has already been spoken about, was just wrong to me. All my heroic work thrown out the window for a crappy boost from them.

Plus VV already left a bad taste in my mouth when they couldn't just come outright and tell the truth before SF was released. They couldn't be honest and say that variants like the Nitro figures wouldn't actually have any other speed difference. They tried to make it sound like they wouldn't at first but then they'd eventually become different from the normal counterparts. I know there was some other thing they said during an interview that they said that eventually became an "untruth". I'll have to look it up again because I know that one really agitated me a lot more than even keeping the truth slightly ambiguous on the nitro variants. This was a big turn off for me on their part.

Edit: I found what they told us before that really bothered me because it was totally untrue. I'm going to quote what I wrote in an old thread of mine, which is where I found it:

Quote:

Does anyone remember the interview with the guy (can't remember his name). He stated that if you had a character who has a speed of 90, he'll still feel like he's 90 even if his number doesn't say that. Seriously? Having actually booted up the game and seeing that we were basically lied to is just... I don't actually know what words I want to use for that. Does Activision really think so little of us that they'd lie to our faces before launch and we'd never remember it? I have a feeling those cartoon style dollar sign eyes are blinding their vision.

I think the guy was from VV. When I heard that, but saw how slow those characters, like Giants, now moved I felt like they just didn't care anymore. If the guy was from VV then it really sours my disposition on their next iteration of the game. If that was an Activision guy, then they'd better win me over in this one.

At least levels by TFB weren't 45 minutes long.

Quote: somePerson

At least levels by TFB weren't 45 minutes long.

16 45-minute long levels (with a checkpoint in the middle) > 16 10-minute levels

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Quote: somePerson

At least levels by TFB weren't 45 minutes long.

16 45-minute long levels (with a checkpoint in the middle) > 16 10-minute levels

Techically about 10-12 45 minute levels because honestly, who counts the <3 minute boss fights as levels.

This topic is becoming a tl;dr

I agree with everyone who wasn't being a tl;dr

Quote: MagicFizz

This topic is becoming a tl;dr

I agree with everyone who wasn't being a tl;dr

You agree with several different opinions entirely. Don't blame others for the fact you don't want to read.

Quote: GoldenCamo

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Quote: somePerson

At least levels by TFB weren't 45 minutes long.

16 45-minute long levels (with a checkpoint in the middle) > 16 10-minute levels

Techically about 10-12 45 minute levels because honestly, who counts the <3 minute boss fights as levels.

LMAO I completely forgot about that. Also, to answer your question: VV did.

But even without that many levels, that still leaves SF with a longer campaign than Giants even with the four Adventure Packs. For that reason alone, I consider SF the superior game (though it's story pales in comparison to SA).

I liked the shorter levels that TFB did.

Quote: MagicFizz

This topic is becoming a tl;dr

I agree with everyone who wasn't being a tl;dr

Congratulations! You don't have an opinion agreeing with different thoughts.

Quote: Mesuxelf

I liked the shorter levels that TFB did.

Everyone complains about content---so VV fixes it. Now you guys are crying because you have Attention Disorders and can't stand a level that's not more than 10 min.

Don't complain that you beat the game in an hour and you spent $1,000 on figures, mkay?

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: Mesuxelf

I liked the shorter levels that TFB did.

Everyone complains about content---so VV fixes it. Now you guys are crying because you have Attention Disorders and can't stand a level that's not more than 10 min.

Don't complain that you beat the game in an hour and you spent $1,000 on figures, mkay?

Precisely.

Going to differ from popular opinion here, I think SF is the best game by far and that is thanks to VV. Faster gameplay, less crawling and fantastic next gen graphics.

Quote: GoHeels999

Going to differ from popular opinion here, I think SF is the best game by far and that is thanks to VV. Faster gameplay, less crawling and fantastic next gen graphics.

This^

Quote: GoHeels999

Going to differ from popular opinion here, I think SF is the best game by far and that is thanks to VV. Faster gameplay, less crawling and fantastic next gen graphics.

I agree with you completely. Although, I played all the games back-to-back. The first two on PS3 and SSF on Xbox One. So I'm seeing the games from a different perspective; one without the bias of nostalgia or expectation, while also seeing a huge jump in graphics.

Btw, I don't know why everybody says SSA has the best story. IMO, it was the laziest. It was basically an extremely long gathering quest. After the 2nd level, all you did was collect eternal sources, then fought Kaos. During that time, there was no character or story development (aside from learning about the Arkeyans). You learned nothing new about the universe or any of its characters. There were no plot twists or surprises of any kind. After playing the first 10 minutes of the game, you knew exactly how the rest of the game will play out, and you learned nothing new along the way.

I'm also on the VV & Swap Force side. Both the gameplay and the characters/figures. The general consensus seems to be that Swap Force has a slightly more mature design in the new Skylanders, and in my 20's perhaps that's why for me.

TFB are better! Cuz the 1st and 2nd game on the wii were made by TFB and were awesome... No (racism) between other consoles... But VV made swap force on the wii and lots of glitches, really bad graphics and we couldn't go in the Gill's concil... So TFB forever!

Quote: AzureStarline

I'm also on the VV & Swap Force side. Both the gameplay and the characters/figures. The general consensus seems to be that Swap Force has a slightly more mature design in the new Skylanders, and in my 20's perhaps that's why for me.

It'd be interesting to compare people's opinions of the games to their ages. I often forget that many of the people on this forum are extremely young. I wouldn't be surprised if opinions on certain matters had a direct correlation to age groups. Although, there are a couple people on this forum who are older, yet act like bratty little kids. lol

It's not bias/racism. One was designed to utilize superior graphics and then had to adjust down, while the others were made for the inferior system then adjusted up.

It's time to get a new system. It happens every few years, and honestly, the PS360 generation outlasted any other generation of systems. We got spoiled and forgot what it was like to have to upgrade. The Wii U still plays the Wii games, so that one will help you avoid replacements.

I just hate the levels where you were in a vehicle throughout most of a level. Two levels on GIANTS had this huge flaw and it was no fun to replay them at all because no matter what SKYLANDER you were you still played the same way. I really hope TFB does not have levels like these on TT. I want to play as my SKYLANDER not a ROBOT or a Flying Gyro Copter thing.

VV didnt do the wii version Beenox did


Mind this is my own opinion not trying to piss people off, but people on this forum love to take personal issue with stuff.

It seems like VV pushes for more game changes. Now that I think of it what has Tfb. Yes they did invent the series and that was a huge achievement and deserves lots of credit but what have they really done since then. Giants was not a brilliant idea when it comes to the toy side. Was watching one of the interviews and started laughing. Tfb guy was talking and hes like a list of our skylander innovations The trap stuff, the swappers, the lightcores. And then he just ended. So Giants apparently don't even make the cut for them. Story wise giants was better than the first. But still a few chapters were really weak, notably the ghost ship lvl and, I love the Wilkins one of my favorite levels but why where they there? That chapter could have not existed what so ever and how would the storyline have changed. Flynn fixed the ship, or should I say Cali would have fixed the ship. They had a new canon, but they could have that stolen from the troll house lvl. It was really unneeded. The same thing with cuthroat carnival. A lot of filler, little plot.

Donatron has a very valid point. What plot in SSA? it was basically a lure to see if people would buy this. Activision didnt think it was going to do that well. That's why we had that hell for 6 months of nothing on the shelves. VV had a better story line, it was similar to SSA where collect the spirits. But that wasnt all it was about, rescue the chieftess, find a way to get through the blizzard get the shinny thing and help the elves, etc. They also added a lot of new stuff with the missions and score mode etc. What did TFb add to giants? skystones. Thats a game that take no brain to beat once you get you a few good stones. 1 strategy to beat all players. Quigly is the only real difficult player in that game and thats cause hes cheap using the same stone not that the game actually gave him a real strategy.

Yes Tfb only had a year for giants, so tt may be their first real comparison to SF. but without nostalgia and the toys imo kinda SSA sucks. How many people would still play the game if they got rid of all the toys? Without Spyro slapped on? Would people really play it? I heard many complain about the 3ds sf because of the lack of characters.


It makes me uncomfortable that TfB fought the jumping so hard. That means to me they are heavily looking for ways to advance the toys but not the gaming side. The gameplay needs a lot of changes if this series wants to survive the next gen of kids. Skylanders is not perfect. Older gamers will leave if nothing is changed. TFb think they can rely on new kids to replenish the market but kids are understanding technology younger and younger. They are not as stupid as tfb seems to think. Yes in the 90s it was very rare for a young kid to be a computer or game wiz. Now 4 year olds and younger are figuring it out vide ogames. Next gen children will not be amused by this series for long. They will have long past the lvl of difficulty VV might be the savior for this series if they fight for the push in gameplay.


Or what they could do. TFb designs the toys, VV does the games and they have heave interaction with each other. But that would mean swallowing pride and working with somebody else on your baby TFb.

^Thanks! Someone that remotely shares the same view as me. TfB is currently in a "show me" status...we really don't know the gameplay. But help me if the game is just a simple story/chapter format with the same stuff I think VV is the only chance we have of actually extending this series. I think Activision is totally forgetting gameplay and concentrating too much on the gimick. To me they are both a balancing part of an equation in the ecosystem, and one side seems ignored.

Quote: diddy50

I just hate the levels where you were in a vehicle throughout most of a level. Two levels on GIANTS had this huge flaw and it was no fun to replay them at all because no matter what SKYLANDER you were you still played the same way. I really hope TFB does not have levels like these on TT. I want to play as my SKYLANDER not a ROBOT or a Flying Gyro Copter thing.

A-men. Some minor stuff in a larger level like VV did sure...but not an entire level based on this please.