darkSpyro

Giants certainly seems to be the series' peak, in sales and buzz. I think this game may have hope, it's got that TFB feel to it that was completely absent in Swap Force.

Maybe, maybe not. It really depends if they did anything more than provide us a gimmick and if kids will gravitate to this crystal thing. I have my doubts.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Maybe, maybe not. It really depends if they did anything more than provide us a gimmick and if kids will gravitate to this crystal thing. I have my doubts.

The big doubt I have with this game's success is how the crystal appeals to the main audience (elementary school boys). We'll see, but I have little hope that it will succeed.

Quote: GoldenCamo

Quote: GhostRoaster

Maybe, maybe not. It really depends if they did anything more than provide us a gimmick and if kids will gravitate to this crystal thing. I have my doubts.

The big doubt I have with this game's success is how the crystal appeals to the main audience (elementary school boys). We'll see, but I have little hope that it will succeed.

Is that because it's hard to have a connection to a piece of plastic that just doesn't look very cool? at least the figs LOOK cool.

Quote: GhostRoaster

Quote: GoldenCamo

Quote: GhostRoaster

Maybe, maybe not. It really depends if they did anything more than provide us a gimmick and if kids will gravitate to this crystal thing. I have my doubts.

The big doubt I have with this game's success is how the crystal appeals to the main audience (elementary school boys). We'll see, but I have little hope that it will succeed.

Is that because it's hard to have a connection to a piece of plastic that just doesn't look very cool? at least the figs LOOK cool.

Yes. The whole concept will probably be beyond the super little kids' understanding anyway.

It's one of the reasons why I like the simply concept of choosing between being good or being evil with the same old figure concept. That would open up some pretty cool level designs to fit the characters and story line. I'm having a problem that bad guys are compelled to be good, but I guess they set that precedent in the last game with the evilizer. But I thought the good guys were BETTER than that.

Rarely do game series have definitive uphill slopes then a downhill plummet.

If there are enough rumblings for different types of gameplay and not just gimmicks, they'll budge. Why? This is too valuable of a series to let it tank.

You people act as if SF was a complete flop...

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

You people act as if SF was a complete flop...

I don't know about that, more like it wasn't as good as the TFB games.

Quote: MugoUrth

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

You people act as if SF was a complete flop...

I don't know about that, more like it wasn't as good as the TFB games.

The thread starter was focused more on "sales and buzz" than quality.

Though, honestly, SF is a much better game than Giants. The levels were meaty enough to get a sense of it being an actual game first and not just an excuse to sell a bunch of toys. Paper thin plot has plagued the series since the beginning but Giants was just a retread of SA with a Chapter that introduced the Giants. This was the only game that didn't feel like it was front loaded with a story and then you just went with the flow.

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Quote: MugoUrth

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

You people act as if SF was a complete flop...

I don't know about that, more like it wasn't as good as the TFB games.

The thread starter was focused more on "sales and buzz" than quality.

Though, honestly, SF is a much better game than Giants. The levels were meaty enough to get a sense of it being an actual game first and not just an excuse to sell a bunch of toys. Paper thin plot has plagued the series since the beginning but Giants was just a retread of SA with a Chapter that introduced the Giants. This was the only game that didn't feel like it was front loaded with a story and then you just went with the flow.

Hahahaha NO. SSF's story was SSA's story in a prettier dress and with more sizzle.

I think much mothers don't want to spend their money on Skylanders anymore... but yeh there are lots of new people playing this so i don't know

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

You people act as if SF was a complete flop...

You can thank Disney Infinity for that split in opinion.

Quote: Kevin16

I think much mothers don't want to spend their money on Skylanders anymore... but yeh there are lots of new people playing this so i don't know

But us dad's are cool with it. We're good.

Maybe people bought Giants because they thought it would be as good as the first game, but didn't buy the next game after (Swap force) because giants wasn't as good as they thought it would be? I know quite a few people who:

a) Didn't buy Giants because it didn't look good enough for the money and "Left" the franchise
b) Bought Giants, felt let down by it and didn't buy Swap force (And "Left")

While I think Giants was actually the low for Skylanders (Graphics didn't improve, Giant characters powerful but overrated, no adventure packs, and so on) Swap force wasn't the best either. Though I still can't understand why Giants had the highest sales/"Buzz"

Quote: GoldenCamo

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Quote: MugoUrth

I don't know about that, more like it wasn't as good as the TFB games.

The thread starter was focused more on "sales and buzz" than quality.

Though, honestly, SF is a much better game than Giants. The levels were meaty enough to get a sense of it being an actual game first and not just an excuse to sell a bunch of toys. Paper thin plot has plagued the series since the beginning but Giants was just a retread of SA with a Chapter that introduced the Giants. This was the only game that didn't feel like it was front loaded with a story and then you just went with the flow.

Hahahaha NO. SSF's story was SSA's story in a prettier dress and with more sizzle.

"Prettier dress and with more sizzle" show an improvement in how they deliver the story though. Let's face it, each entry is going to be the same game as long as Kaos is the villain (and even if they change it, I have no faith they'll actually do something interesting storywise). The fact that it had more playtime for my hard earned $$$ puts it right above SA (and Giants is already on the floor).

Quote: yelvy

Maybe people bought Giants because they thought it would be as good as the first game, but didn't buy the next game after (Swap force) because giants wasn't as good as they thought it would be? I know quite a few people who:

a) Didn't buy Giants because it didn't look good enough for the money and "Left" the franchise
b) Bought Giants, felt let down by it and didn't buy Swap force (And "Left")

While I think Giants was actually the low for Skylanders (Graphics didn't improve, Giant characters powerful but overrated, no adventure packs, and so on) Swap force wasn't the best either. Though I still can't understand why Giants had the highest sales/"Buzz"

This is true as well. People forget that people's interest in a series is correlated to the previous installment. I was ready to leave Skylanders behind because Giants was absolutely pathetic as a sequel for those exact reasons you stated and then some more. However, the graphics and the gimmick for Swap Force eventually won me back after watching my niece and nephew play it.

Giants had the most hype and buzz because it was the first sequel. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to that buzz/hype which would have hindered Swap Force. Trap Team seems to have a steady buzz around it.

I personally though Swap Force was a great concept and implementation. The magnets work well, it opens some great flexibility, the designs overall were very good. It's just fun to play around with the figures for kids (and even us adults!) and swap them out for some crazy combinations.

The game itself was also an improvement. The levels are much more "meaty", and the graphics are a huge step forward (the design I understand some do not like). I really like zooming out some to see more, as giants sort of overwhelmed the screen before and they didn't really fit in the levels well (I know that is kinda the point that they are huge lumbering behemoths).

As far as fan interest, yeah Giants definitely generated more excitement and buzz. But, that's less because of gameplay than it is simply not being new and having some competition. Giants was a retread with new levels and "Bigger!" figures.

Trap Team just makes me go "Huh?". I "got it" with Swap Force right off, I didn't know the details (how you would level up halves, what the movement things did, etc.) - but it made me go "Hey, that's a cool idea". The Trap Team thing just seems pointless - you trap villains in crystals and then use them. Like said before, just give us the figure rather than some generic totem to "hold" them. An innovation needs to be easy to understand for parents and kids, and I fear Trap Team just isn't doing that.

I also feel they are blurring the line between "figure to life" and "on disc DLC you unlock". Before we could kind of relate to the figures as they matched what you were playing. Now it is just going to be a "key" to hold/unlock a playable character. I don't think it is a good idea to emphasize that the figures don't actually "add" content so much as "unlock" it. Many people think the figures actually add the character data to the game and don't realize that every character in the game, released or not, is in there waiting for you to drop a figure on the portal that has a code that says "show them character XXX".

I think much of the "swap force hate" comes from Wii users. But I have news for those guys: There is VERY little chance the 5th installment will be on that system. It's replacement will be entering it's third Holiday season coming up. It's time to make the switch.

Evidently, Wii U is the only system that can play the previous Systems games. You don't even have to re-purchase them (please enlighten me if there are problems here. I have more Wii games then Wii U games and they seem to work fine).

I dont get this. I thought the game has only gotten better. SA was new so it was a nice change of pace. Giants was great, a little short, but great and SF was a little long. All in all i think all 3 have been a blast.

Quote: Earth-Dragon

I think much of the "swap force hate" comes from Wii users. But I have news for those guys: There is VERY little chance the 5th installment will be on that system. It's replacement will be entering it's third Holiday season coming up. It's time to make the switch.

Evidently, Wii U is the only system that can play the previous Systems games. You don't even have to re-purchase them (please enlighten me if there are problems here. I have more Wii games then Wii U games and they seem to work fine).

The only thing you lose in upgrading is Gamecube support, and then only if you had an older Wii. You can even keep using your Wii controllers (although the Wii Remote Plus/Motion Plus is required for some WiiU games instead of the regular one). It's a no brainer upgrade for Wii fans over constant grumbling over companies not making games for the Wii, or vastly downgraded/buggy versions. You can get a reasonable price on a WiiU package and if you pick up Mario Kart 8 you even get an extra free game (Pikmin 3, Mario U or Zelda: Wind Waker - don't mess with the Wii Party game). They even have a new Mario Kart bundle where you get the free game as well. Register your games and answer a couple questionnaires and you can even get a Virtual Console games or two for free at Club Nintendo.

Yes, it does require an up front investment of a two to three hundred dollars (depending on your luck with deals), but you can just keep playing your old Wii games as Nintendo is the only next gen console to consider backwards compatibility. You can easily move over your old downloadable games and even upgrade some of them to WiiU versions for cheap to get better (native) features. After you move over your content, then sell the Wii for $50 or so to offset the WiiU cost.

The WiiU is NOT for everyone. But if the only system you have is a Wii (and likely lots of games for it), then a WiiU should be on your radar as the clear upgrade path.

Swap Force was a step back, though it probably doesn't show(and even then it wasn't a big one or the worst possible thing). Graphics and pretty gimmicks don't make a game, otherwise no one would complain about COD's yearly releases or feel like the New SMB series is just the previous game plus a new powerup gimmick. When you make your game around the shiny new thing and the older developers just consider you competent and let you go on, it's going to show the uglier parts, and the story ended up horrid, the character design was rushed into 16 triangle-chested tough guys with stubby legs and huge hands, and comparing it to Trap Team,everything looked like rubber.

The Wii glitches added fuel to the fire, but that's Beenox and not VV's work. VV's work is thinking they did everything described above and thought it could withstand Disney Infinity, when what was needed was something just as strong as Giants.

Same applies to bigger games,which also isn't true. 12/14 levels(don't even count boss levels, that's just trying to push the opinion with little argument even if there are several horribly OP characters to tear the bosses apart) with 30 minutes are pretty much the same as 16/20 with 12 to 15 minutes, which is also around the same as 22/26 levels with 10 minutes. EVEN if they were 30 minutes and maaany levels, that doesn't make it enjoyable,it makes it a chore. Bigger isn't always better, specially when the plot makes you want it to end as soon as possible.

IMO Swap Force is the high water mark as far as game quality. The improved visuals, larger variety of collectible items, and portal master rank are some of my fav things.

As far as sales goes, I think the initial game didnt build its full hype until giants was already out. At that point people were going back to play the first game, but using the more readilly available series 2 poses of figs. So, yeah, Giants will probly be the best selling game in the series

I find the arguments against SF to be so bizarre.

Tthe only thing "plastic" looking things were things like Free Ranger's blades and Freeze Blade's ice hair. The backgrounds were stunning and reminded me a little of an updated Jak & Daxter in terms of beauty.

People complaining that the Swap Force had the same proportions, they're meant to swap with each other you know. It was obviously a conscious practical decision and not laziness. I mean, what would the swap look like if you had creatures with different proportions swapping? How ridiculous would that look? And how would the magnets in the figures work if one has a tiny waist and the other one is humongous? (And let's not pretend the Giants were all so uniquely designed. Another Elf Ninja, another living tree and essentially a bulky Eruptor were far more lazy than any of the Swap Force designs.)

And the story was definitely paced better than the previous installments. The Skylanders series is the WORST when it comes to a story though, they've all been p*ss poor. Giants didn't even have a story, it was just Kaos attempting to bring down Skylands again so I don't see how it's "strong" or has a better story at all. SA/Giants could have essentially been one game.

As stated before, who cares about the Wii versions. They've been ugly since SA and it's not like any entry in the series lacks glitches. Glitches have almost become a gimmick in itself.

The length of Swap Force felt like it was a real game and not simply a cash grab targeted towards toddlers (and the occasional parent with OCD who complains about it not being enough and then complain again when longer levels are introduced).

Also, Trap Team's look is so clearly based on Swap Force since it looks NOTHING like SA/Giants. I guess TfB enjoyed the "rubber"-ness too?

Wii u sales will happen when ppl realize wii u is not an addon. I still know ppl that think the wii u is some gamepad addon for the wii and NOT a new system.

Quote: SlayerX11

Wii u sales will happen when ppl realize wii u is not an addon. I still know ppl that think the wii u is some gamepad addon for the wii and NOT a new system.

Yeah, Nintendo didn't really do a good job marketing the system.

Giants was good but the series keeps getting better. I feel like TFB and VV set out to outdo each other and the system is working. I'm not sure how you top the different 'bottom half' powers, mini-games, and swap mechanic so TFB might be throwing in the towel and not trying so hard with TT but if they're up to the challenge it's going to be amazing.

Trying to out do each other will definitely take the series to the next level.

Quote: SlayerX11

Wii u sales will happen when ppl realize wii u is not an addon. I still know ppl that think the wii u is some gamepad addon for the wii and NOT a new system.

This. My dad actually did think the Wii U was just an add on thing for the Wii before I told him it was a completely new system. Probably explains why I didn't have one yet.

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

You find them bizarre because your arguments are "Swap Force is better than all other games,also Giants sucks and you're wrong". Of course you wouldn't consider the other side of things.
I was going to be nice and just correct a few things until you said Giants has no plot. This screams blind fan so much I can't help but reply to everything you're using as an excuse for Swap Force being better.

Everyone looks like play-doh or rubber, which is a really bad contrast with the overuse of detailed textures in the previous games. I really don't want to look at the Gillman again to remind me why I stopped watching LPs of the game after a while, but if they don't look horrifying,they just look rushed. The scenery is good,but as I said, graphics don't make the game. It's probably one of the few things I'm just going to stop to say 'no,you're wrong' if anyone tells me otherwise, because it's like saying the cherry on top of a delicious cake is the only reason the cake is so good.

As someone who STUDIES(on my own,but eventually I'm going to work with that) character design, it's total bull to say they had to look the same to combine the same. Would it be too much of a hassle to have someone with a normal chest? Someone with smaller hands or at least of different shapes(they don't swap THOSE)? Legs which aren't Spy Rise's which actually would match the buff torso and not just feel like an afterthought? They also don't swap heads, but they also share polygon-shaped chins, angry expressions and almost always lack hair. Is it too much of a hassle to have SOME variety? I wouldn't have, they wouldn't either; they had 2 years to get this stuff done. You can do a lot with 'tiny waist and themed after the Swappability' as the only requirements. Giants didn't have CREATIVE variety,but they had variety when it came to having characters range from thin to sturdy to short to tall.Swappers? Remove the archetype and acessories, they're all the same.

The story was the worst. It was literally VV pushing the older characters aside and showing their new ones like a prized kid, and not stopping for one second while they glorified their changes, their characters, their story, even at the cost of the franchise's canon. Giants had depth, had some awesome twists,felt like you indeed were the only thing between Kaos and Skylands transformed into a mad tyrant's playground once more. Swap Force reduced Kaos to a bumbling fool, and every time,his mom would be totally better,smarter,and more evil and totally better than previous villains,even if she was worse than every single one(except Mesmerelda, which came out of nowhere, went nowhere and I couldn't care about for once second). Her son is too aggressive and unsubtle? She did the same thing,but of course she was smart,subtle and cold because she's obviously the better villain! No. With that, the horrid abomination that's the new Dread-Yacht which is also totally better than any previous means of transportation, and every missions being 'rescue some guy', there's no possible way it's worth of praise, let alone worth of staying in the canon, because 1) Portal Masters don't choose their job, they're called in times of need, 2)Kaos met his mom in Giants, then suddenly met her for the first time again,3)Core of Light says hi to your unstoppable source of evil magic.

Truly,no one cares about the Wii version. But that's because it was Beenox's fault and not the rest of the dev teams'. Making their biggest target audicence mad is never a good idea,however,and those are the ones using the Wii version.

Swap Force's levels had checkpoints,the new characters could tear them apart. Cash grab like the other ones, it's no saint.

Trap Team has the same ENGINE,of course it's going to look like Swap Force! But does it has the horrifying bad looking Chompies, and the rubbery look? No,they bothered to add more than a few colored textures so you could tell things apart aside from what they were made of. Unlike VV.

Oh yeah,and something people often try not to mention, the music! Sure, Motherly Mayhem and Iron Jaw Gulch are awesome,but so were themes from other games. But other games didn't reach a new low instead of a new high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKrLMRaNz8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQ9HSktx-S8
20/30 second songs, that's totally what I want to hear in a boss battle,right? Masterpieces,just like that 6-second Kracko theme from Kirby's Epic Yarn that EVERYONE loves.

Swap Force wasn't the worst game ever,it was decent and looks like it's a load of fun for kids,but by Skylanders standards, and being more expensive than the others(which should then make you expect more quality)? I'm glad I didn't buy it.

Chances are I'm killing the thread with this wall of text,but I don't care. Graphics don't make a game, gimmick doesn't make a game, and using arguments without even researching first just warrants a response like this from me.

To be honest, neither Giants or Swap force were perfect. If you put them together though... How awesome would that be? The good points of Giants and the good points of swap force - Levels would be fun, Graphics (Ok, still arguable) and loads of stuff I can't be bothered to mention. Back to reality though - and as I can see, there are two arguments for which were better:

1. Giants was a bad sequel, Gimmick was rubbish, graphics not as good, storyline bad
Swap force amazing, great graphics and JUMPING!

2. Giants underrated, storyline better than the other two story lines, actually pretty good
Swap force graphics weird, expensive, story line stupid

And so on... And both arguments are valid!

The thing that drives me nuts is that they purposely nerf most prior game's characters to make their new characters more powerful and therefore more desirable. What a crock! Maybe Ghost Roaster will get a series 2 figure in STT and then he'll temporarily return to prior butt kicking status.

Quote: yelvy

To be honest, neither Giants or Swap force were perfect. If you put them together though... How awesome would that be? The good points of Giants and the good points of swap force - Levels would be fun, Graphics (Ok, still arguable) and loads of stuff I can't be bothered to mention. Back to reality though - and as I can see, there are two arguments for which were better:

1. Giants was a bad sequel, Gimmick was rubbish, graphics not as good, storyline bad
Swap force amazing, great graphics and JUMPING!

2. Giants underrated, storyline better than the other two story lines, actually pretty good
Swap force graphics weird, expensive, story line stupid

And so on... And both arguments are valid!

Wait, what?

Sure Giants had a lot of hype and such, but I was very underwhelmed with the game itself. I felt like it didn't innovate much, aside from BIGGER CHARACTERS(Although every Giant aside from Ninjini and Bouncer were awesome). The expansive hub I loved in SA was gone, replaced with a tiny one. To be honest, Giants almost made me skip Swap Force, but I'm definitely glad I didn't. Swap Force felt like a whole new game compared to the past two. I absolutely adored the happier/brighter artstyle, longer levels, jumping, and the new Skylander designs. It actually made me want to play it, while in Giants I felt like I was forcing myself to play. Was also glad to see those slide puzzles gone. They were pretty boring to me, and sometimes frustrating. The new Shock and Bolt puzzles were a lot more enjoyable, despite being easier. I also felt like Swap Force made it a lot easier to get money and upgrade your Skylanders. SA and Giants seemed to take several whole levels just to get enough money for one or two upgrades.

So basically, I find Swap Force to be the best game in the series so far, and I hope Trap Team will exceed my expectations and be even better.

(Also I feel like I'm the only one who loved the new Chompy design. I was heartbroken to see they were back to the original one. I really, really, really hope that the Spell Punks keep their new and superior design)

Quote: Bifrost

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

blah blah blah.

See, the problem here is that you actually believe what you say in your post was objective fact. It wasn't, hence why I responded to you in such a way. The real icing on the cake is this response to my response though.

"I was going to be nice and just correct you" on what exactly? An opinion just like yours? I said I found it bizarre and then countered them with my feelings on the matter. What is there to correct? I clearly know what my argument was and it was not "Swap Force is better than all other games,also Giants sucks and you're wrong" but since you thought Giants had "twists", I guess you wouldn't have understood my post either.

So to keep the spirit of our posts alive: No, to everything you've said. Actually both an "LOL" and an "absolutely no" followed by me actually writing you off with your own projection of "blind fanboy who doesn't see things from other sides" that this response ends...here.

Quote: MugoUrth

Quote: yelvy

To be honest, neither Giants or Swap force were perfect. If you put them together though... How awesome would that be? The good points of Giants and the good points of swap force - Levels would be fun, Graphics (Ok, still arguable) and loads of stuff I can't be bothered to mention. Back to reality though - and as I can see, there are two arguments for which were better:

1. Giants was a bad sequel, Gimmick was rubbish, graphics not as good, storyline bad
Swap force amazing, great graphics and JUMPING!

2. Giants underrated, storyline better than the other two story lines, actually pretty good
Swap force graphics weird, expensive, story line stupid

And so on... And both arguments are valid!

Wait, what?

The poster is talking about the two stances people have in this discussion. Hardly anyone has said they love both equally, someone always goes "X is so much better than Y. NOOO Y is so ~deep~ and X is a playdough playset grrrrrrrrrr".

Giants improved the game storywise by providing some more extensions of the first game. Swap Force improved the series graphically and made levels more meatier. Both are good and both work well, and continue to work well.

I think if there's any negativity in the franchise, its from the way Activision continues to handle the property; Giants was plagued with another drought after the new year, but now with Swap Force we have things shelfwarming. Giants lacked an Adventure Pack and any substance past the main game plot, and while Swap Force provided those, they lacked any sort of true extra bonuses for players (as opposed to the SSA Adventure Packs which felt like they provided more "bang for the buck" so to speak). And don't even get us started on the way they seem to treat customers with "promotions" and things. I'm sure we've all been jaded or hit by those at some point in our time with the franchise.

So, basically,no I don't think Giants was the "peak" unless you can see the end of the franchise. Who knows, maybe Trap Team will be the game that blows us away. Maybe it'll be the next one after that.

^ It's funny that you say there are figures shelf warming up there because here we have a drought. It's made me less interested in actually playing SWAP Force. We aren't getting Trap Shadow or Freeze Blade until the 15th, the rest of Wave 3 until the 29th, and goodness knows when we're getting Quickdraw, Legendary Night Shift, or Nitro Freeze Blade, or LightCore Bumble Blast, or Doom Stone. The last figures we got were the Easter ones around the start of last month, and before I believe that we got the Core characters and reposes from Wave 3 during February, and the swappers and LightCore from Wave 3 in Jan, and Sheep Wreck and Arkeyan Crossbow in December(the best early release we've ever gotten that wasn't for the games themselves, although we had terrible releases afterwards)...

They actually release the holiday figures on-time, though, we're getting Kickoff on the 29th and got Jolly and Springtime only a couple of weeks late. That's both sad and funny.

I can't imagine releasing these is that easy, but getting Wave 4 two months after the US? :s

^ No, AoA! No FDQ exits! Good feedback on figure availability. Frankly we aren't overflowing with figures here either. I think overall supply is "drying up".

Quote: defpally

I personally though Swap Force was a great concept and implementation. The magnets work well, it opens some great flexibility, the designs overall were very good. It's just fun to play around with the figures for kids (and even us adults!) and swap them out for some crazy combinations.

Trap Team just makes me go "Huh?". I "got it" with Swap Force right off, I didn't know the details (how you would level up halves, what the movement things did, etc.) - but it made me go "Hey, that's a cool idea". The Trap Team thing just seems pointless - you trap villains in crystals and then use them. Like said before, just give us the figure rather than some generic totem to "hold" them. An innovation needs to be easy to understand for parents and kids, and I fear Trap Team just isn't doing that.

Reflecting back when Swap Force was announced, I acted pretty much like I was now---skeptical. Swap Force ended being MUCH better of a game than Giants, and a much better gimmick. I could argue that TfB's entry was more fun, but I think Swap Force was better executed...

I fear like you that Trap Team just isn't intuitive enough, and just feels like it doesn't bring much game play wise--it's just a gimmick. At least Swap Force allowed us to interact more with our toys and experiment. Maybe I'm just being an old fuddy duddy, as obviously their kid testing proves this is the bomb. We'll see.

Yay it's my turn to finally add to this monstrosity of a thread. (jk).

So for starters, this is just my oppinion and is to be taken as such. I believe that there are those who enjoy some of the things i will be saying contrast too, and that they'll hate some of the things I enjoy. (feel strange I have to add this but feel like it needs it. UGH an evil Legal contract thing.)

Ok, so let's start with this.

For starters, I do think that Giants had more buzz than swapforce. See as allready stated, most of the 'how anticipated one game is over the next' is alot based on how the previous game was taken. Most people will agree that they really enjoyed S:SA. probally over 50% (of the people who actually are a fan of the series/started then.) Thus with a majorty of people liking the S:SA game, that made Giants all that much more excited to hear about. (granted I believe that's about when I came to this forum... wanted to say some things, or my theories on the games... forgot which . )

So after Giants was out, there was an increase in how many people disliked the game, (remember this is not saying that everyone hated it, but that there was an increase in how many people disliked it compared to S:SA) Thus the 'buzz' or how much people were anticipating the next game to be a good one, decreased.

So yeah. Anyways, with that out of the way, I'm going to say some things about each of the games.

Well, for starters, I've only gotten to play through the Main Story of S:SA once, because my nephew had it.. hasn't brought it back since, due to use playing on the current game more. (so you can bet once I get TT we'll be mainly playing that.) Not that it's because I liked one game over the other, but because it includes all our figures playable... and I just have a nack for wanting to stick with the newest version. but mostly that first part.

But this thread's more talking of Giants Vs SF... so I'll stick to that.

Can I say I prefer one game over the other? Well, not entirely sure. There are some parts that I preferred Giants, as opposed to SF. and vice versa. But i'd like to give my oppinion on some of the biggest topics on here.


1) The Storyline.

So there's a big dispute on rather Giants had a better SL than SF... though tbh I thought most liked SF over Gaints SL... but *shrug* guess I was wrong. Not saying that I hated Giants SL... but I liked SF SL more.

For starters, In Giants, the player constantly had to take on 'side missions'. Meaning, they had to deviate from their goal to deal with another matter. This includes, the 'ghost pirates attack', the 'carnival where you learn about skystones', and 'wilican world. (sorry I don't know the exact Chapter name.) Each of these was a 'side mission' as well the last two was because Flynn's ship was broken. tbh, I thought the deviations were more anoying towards the SL. For I'm sitting there, wanting to get to the next place, when I have to deal with a side mission. (not that it's like that all the time, just it can get annoying.)

as for SF, most of their side missions actually had more merrit towards the SL. In giants, the last two, was only because they had to fix what was broken... twice. Not something cruicial to the continuation of the SL. In SF, the missions were to collect one thing in order to get what you needed for the over all SL. (Though that's not to say all the 'side missions' in giants didn't help the SL)


As for the 'epicness' I thought both of them made Khoas look like a 'clown'. or less evil. or w/e. So can't say one over all SL trumped the other imo... comparing these two games anyways.


2) The hub world

This was mentioned, but I actually liked the 'small' hub world. more because it made it feel more like a real adventure/continued adventure or something.

Though that's not to say I didn't like the other hub worlds either. I just didn't 'hate' the hub world of Giants.


3) Play doh Characters.

I honesly Don't see it. True some of the newlooks looked off, but I don't see playdoh/whatever.


4) Swapforce/giants creativity.

Eh, both could of been worked on. But I still agree that the 'porioning' was fine. But yeah they could of done better with the other desins and things

Quote: MugoUrth

Quote: yelvy

To be honest, neither Giants or Swap force were perfect. If you put them together though... How awesome would that be? The good points of Giants and the good points of swap force - Levels would be fun, Graphics (Ok, still arguable) and loads of stuff I can't be bothered to mention. Back to reality though - and as I can see, there are two arguments for which were better:

1. Giants was a bad sequel, Gimmick was rubbish, graphics not as good, storyline bad
Swap force amazing, great graphics and JUMPING!

2. Giants underrated, storyline better than the other two story lines, actually pretty good
Swap force graphics weird, expensive, story line stupid

And so on... And both arguments are valid!

Wait, what?

Im just referencing a discussion earlier in this thread about how Swap force's graphics had a "Plastic feel" to it and how others (Like me) think it looks pretty good!

Quote: Hexin_Wishes

Noun

plot (plural plots)

1. The course of a story, comprising a series of incidents which are gradually unfolded, sometimes by unexpected means.

Sorry,couldn't hear you over the nitpicking over anything but this argument.I actually bothered to read your post two or three times to make sure I could counter argument some things,but if you're going to laugh at it,so be it. You're wrong about most things you like about Swap Force and hate about Giants, and you're also very rude.
If I wasn't seeing your side of the argument, I wouldn't have even tried to say the game is decent. But you're not seeing the side of someone who is doing the heresy of liking the thing you don't like, meaning I've done my job in replying to what you said and standing by those points and that'll be enough, and hopefully other people who drop by don't have to look at you and think people are really that defensive of SF.
But just for fun,I'll keep replying to people who say crap about Giants without bothering to do some research. I did it in other cases before, I'll just do it again. It's fun talking about something I find fun and good.

Can we close this thread? The topic line assumes the community has a similar starting opinion and it's just harboring animosity at this point.

Thats probably a good idea

i think every single skylander game was the best at its own time! This franchise just keeps growing, there is no peak! We are still going up the rollercoaster!

Quote: Earth-Dragon

Can we close this thread? The topic line assumes the community has a similar starting opinion and it's just harboring animosity at this point.

Like I previously stated, Giants had the most "buzz" and sales. It's not a matter of opinion on those two subjects (maybe buzz) but instead if Trap Team can achieve sale numbers higher than the previous titles.

The biggest thing I liked more in giants was that every time I booted up the game after beating it I didn't have to wait a minute or so for them to tell me something I already knew

The series is showing that wear and tear from the fact of how the games weren't that meaty. Giants though was an extension of spyro's adventure, it wasn't much over dealing with Kaos who is only more annoying in each installment. I started with ps3 for SA and did buy the ps3 version of giants but never opened it. I also bought the wii u version. While i played the wii u version of giants, vv did a great job on the port of it and it was more fun to get through. What version of giants was actually better to me was the 3ds version and that did have the jump button first, all the 3ds versions did.

Now swap force i'm finally playing through part way i did on the wii u version but now also the ps4 version due to the sales. i also have the 3ds version and i like how all the characters in your collection can be changed to on the fly. This feature should be implemented in further installments if they want to improve the series. though some would debate it cheapens the toy's effectiveness if you only have to keep it on the portal for a short amount of time. Personally the peak for me is Swap force and not giants. If you're talking for tfb giants would be their limit and i don't see them doing too much better for trap team. It's too gimmicky compared to the previous entries where your investment gives your game that much more personal immersion to it. You come to care for your skylanders simply from how you use them, though having a full collection of figures now seems pointless due to a new game every year, collecting and using a new figure every time leaves you unable to play with them all. In this case most and like how I am are only going after ones that seem good to play with. (I don't need boom jet if i have nitro magna charge or quickdraw rattle shake over the original and so on) You end up making your own staple and at times won't play with all the characters you own so buying is going to be cut back due to this.

With so many gimmicks 3 times in and they're trying to sell something as less is more here with the crystal keys i'm not really impressed with it. The younger gamers might go crazy for it, but I'm seeing this as an end. They had just enough creativity to squeeze another thing out for the craze before it's killed. I sense a reboot of types after this game in order to keep making a series. BTW with infinity using marvel and most likely star wars seeing the light of day following their first game? i guarantee that skylanders is going to take a big hit due to that. Also the fact of no online play or customization like infinity has done. I think for most it's going to take a leap of faith in seeing how good any characters are to warrant a 4th game purchase this time. I'm waiting for sales again.

I don't see how Swap Force is more immersive than Giants when you're never refered to as PM, and can't even have the joy of affecting the level itself while using Giants,seeing everything rattling or getting crushed under your feet already.. Then again I can't read half of your wall of text,tigerdr, you might want to see if you didn't end some sentences halfway through because it seems that's the case for me.
Also,never doubt creativity when making a cash cow series. Pokémon has what,3 small gimmicks per new generation, yet you could play just the main series and only feel like they're repetive after the second playthrough or so. Let's not even get to the side series which feel like different franchises altogether.

To be quite honest, the game was at its peak during SSA.
The whole concept was interesting, but although there were flaws, we were all amazed at the fun we had.

These flaws still have not been fixed. No 4 Player, no Online, short games, repetitive gameplay, very expensive.

S:G was okay, but it wasn't good enough to make me buy S:SF, and I won't be buying S:TT.