darkSpyro

Yes-ish, a change is needed. But Imaginators showed that gameplay mechanics are on the bag - but without varied content to support it, it doesn't matter as much. A Giants-like game would work with no new releases dragging them down(maybe just shove some new Crystal molds out of the door and call it a day, no work from the devs to waste time) and mostly just making new things in thr same engine, but too little too late.

I would say that yes, changing is needed. Many franchises suffer big changes between games. I wouldn't say that Skylanders needs drastic changes, but some would be interesting.

I'm all in for a new game with no figures. Activision could use this to sell stuff collecting dust and the producers could focus on the game itself.

[Fan stuff ahead].

Quote: Crash10

I would say that yes, changing is needed. Many franchises suffer big changes between games. I wouldn't say that Skylanders needs drastic changes, but some would be interesting.

I'm all in for a new game with no figures. Activision could use this to sell stuff collecting dust and the producers could focus on the game itself.

[Fan stuff ahead].

Reveal Spoiler

Actually, I always thought of a game where each set of characters would unlock a stage. You know, like Crash and Cortex did. Imagine like... For example, Bumble Blast, Swarm, Scorp and Thrillipede would unlock a bug-themed stage. Fiesta and Pain-Yatta could unlock a on-foot version of The After Party. Vehicles could unlock racing tracks. That would be interesting. It would allow for some interesting possibilities. Like, imagine if Spyro unlocked a stage set in Avalar, or Cynder and Hex unlocked a stage set in the plot of Return of the Dragon King. Even Bowser and Donkey Kong could unlock stages based on their games, while their Vehicles could unlock themed tracks. Heck, if the producers feel lazy, just port/remaster some old stages. Then we would kinda have a remaster. Like, Ghost Roaster, Grim Creeper and Crypt King could unlock a remaster of Darklight Crypt. Or maybe Golden Queen, Bad JuJu or Grave Cobbler could unlock a port of Lair of the Golden Queen. Can you get the idea?

not a bad idea, infact this can be a decent gimmik.
i know thats not what you ment but i'm cool with this idea with or witout the gimmik.
but if it will be a gimmik i can even think on the gimmiklanders names "the gatekeepers".

I'd be all for a change, even if it's only just to the schedule. Honestly, if people really are just burned out on Skylanders, I think changing the yearly release aspect could prove beneficial (or bite them in the ass). I don't think they'll drop the toys to life aspect since that's what the entire series was founded on.

Yeah omer, as I said, no need of new dudes. Just use the old ones, don't make a general plot (make individual plots for each stage, or maybe even two-stage plots to make people buy more figures) and they got it.

I'm not sure Activision is interested in keeping the series if there's no new plastic. We all warned they were burning us out. The problem for me is people don't want too much change and then when they go back to the "classic" style of gameplay we complain there too. It's a loose loose.

In my opinion, PvP online was a huge miss we asked for years and never got. Activities like quests / heroics I loved but needed some tweaking, but kept me busy for HOURS in Giants---now with over 300 characters not sure that would work out. Not allowing a mechanic that remembers these things and carry it forward to each game was another huge miss.

The kids that played this have grown up...it's not enamoring the new kids coming up. I'm guessing the game itself needs to also get more sophisticated.

It still has value as their kid franchise - and with so many characters, they pretty much have a menu of genres to make games out of.

But yeah, first things first, they meed to drop the "reintroduce every time" bull****. Brand recognition has been achieved, parents won't come crying that their kids' portal doesn't do anything with the new games. Buuut that requires not being super short sighted to profits and actually trying to take risks.

I would say that the campaign/story mode is still solid. It's been the gimmick and end game that they trip on lately. It needs to be like Swap Force in that there is still tons of meaningful content to get you to play. Anything that provides a global benefit to the troops is fun and meaningful for me to go out and complete. The toys needs to play second fiddle to the game itself if this franchise is to survive (I believe). To see the evidence of this simply go out to any retailer and look at the mostly full pegs of Skylander figs. on the shelf (I have to admit it might be sparse right now due to last minute X-mas sales). My Walmart and TRU can't stock anything new because there is no available real estate for them to be displayed on. Between Skylanders, Amiibo, Infinity (f-ing Disney) and Dimensions Parents and kids are losing interest. It's too much. Then there's Skylanders yearly approach with a new release slate. I personally can't keep up anymore. Plus this latest entry has diminished any value in Legacy Skylanders so that value perk that has been a franchise staple is gone.

In regards to possible franchise changes I'd like to see:

Minimum 2 year release cycle. The toy purchases need to be more meaningful and impactful on the game. I know the formula is "oh shinny new plastic, go get it kids" has been about it but I feel at this point it's something that can change. Previously I would have been in the "If it ain't broke..." camp, but it's clearly starting to brake.

More varied and involved levels. Let's look at Mario as an example. I'm not saying we need to repeat the formula but it's a proven example of a successful game franchise with little to no story that has the same core formula but still manages to have a varied level design.

I wouldn't mind seeing vehicle themed levels (sparingly used).

Siege levels (attacking a troll base in a top down RTS mode using your Skylanders).

Varied modes of movement (Swimming under water, Flying in the sky, digging underground, lava surfing, etc.).

LORE!!!!! Come on this game franchise needs more lore. It's such a rich world it can't be too hard to come up with some good lore (use the comic book stuff, it's already there man (those story book levels in Super Chargers are a good start). If there going to keep pushing the plastic have this in game impact be more meaningful. At least in SSA each new Skylander unlocked a new Heroic Challenge.

Release content patches. Why is this so hard. These games are basically sent out "as is" at launch (maybe a few maintenance patches) with no thought other than an adventure pack and these are priced like an actual expansion. Why not have a 2 year release cycle with planned content releases. They could even monetize it but they wouldn't have to. Since the investment perk of knowing Legacy Skylanders would be viable is gone there needs to be something else. If I can beat the game with everything that's available (not even everything) at launch, why would I buy more plastic with it having zero impact on the game itself (now I know this has been kind of a question that's been viable since Trap Team (or a little before if you want to get technical) but it needs to be reinforced). I want Story based levels for the Skylanders. Some meaningful reason to add them to the roster when I've already done everything. Not just another freaking Elemental Zone/Gate, I mean real content.

Before this devolves into a "This is a kids game franchise (which I have been on the side of) and it doesn't need to be deep", I believe it's the perfect time to want/demand more for our money. The purchase expectation for this franchise has always been high but what you get for that loyalty has steadily diminished to the point of being non-existent. Plus let's grow the franchise a little. Let's see a Super Mario RPG type game. Let's see those D & D roots. Or an open world Skylanders in the vein of Skyrim or W.o.W. Or a RTS similar to Starcraft/Warcraft. They are already partnered with Blizzard so I don't think tapping some of that talent will be difficult. I guess I ultimately want this franchise to grow a little. I mean look at the greats like Mario, Pokemon and Zelda (to name a few). They all showed growth and change while still staying true to their core. They've also had years to develop between releases since they weren't reliant on toys to sell. I think Activision would be surprised to see that this franchise could survive if they'd just evolve it a little. Let it grow and expand beyond the limitations of plastic. I know Skylands would not only survive but it would thrive.

Tigorus I hope you are right, this franchise have so much potential and we know it can grow to an unimaginable sizes. Allso they dont need to drop completely the new figures every game thing, just be smarter with it.

Quote: omer1698

Tigorus I hope you are right, this franchise have so much potential and we know it can grow to an unimaginable sizes. Allso they dont need to drop completely the new figures every game thing, just be smarter with it.

Exactly, lower figure count (like Giants), figures have more of an impact on the game, and a more staggered release cycle (at least 2 years or something similar).

They could really hype the release. Example:

"This month is Earth month. The new Earth Skylander has been released with new Earth themed Levels and an in game bonus to all Earth Skylanders" (nothing to break the game just a fun reason to break out those Legacy Earth Skylanders and have them feel powerful again.

The franchise needs a change. Imo the things that I've missed more and should change somehow are:

Replay value: In the last entries, the post game content hasn't been enough. Random generated dungeons, no level cap, pvp, multiplayer missions, endless kaos doom challenges, online global rankings, side missions...all of this would help.

Multiplayer: ONline multiplayer in both pvp an co op would have improved so much the game. Add missions which can only be completed by co op with other players, add pvp tournaments and even dungeons which can only be handled by a party of 2-4 members.

More open/complex world: Allow skylanders to grow a little bit. Add some complexity to it, build a true open world like Zelda and let the player decide how they wanna go through it, give exploration a deeper meaning, go deeper into the rpg element (for instance allow us to assign experience points between the different stats as we wish), add challenging bosses which will leave us with a full reward feeling, use the lore in a less childish way, give the NPCs and the overall arch a bit more of drama and humanity. Let us feel we are not having a walk in the park but rather making something important.

Change the business model: I personally Don't care of how many figures they release with each entry but it seems some poeple are burned out. Reduce a bit the number of characters and focus more in the game quality overall, release a new installment each two years maybe and create a game which lasts and is not easily forgotten.

What you think are the chances that someone from activision is reading this?

So, This Reddit post (which was deleted) said that there's going to be a Skylanders game for the Nintendo Switch. I personally would take this rumor with a giant pinch of salt, since there's some pretty weird stuff, and the post was deleted, but I wouldn't say it's 100% fake.

Quote: Crash10

So, This Reddit post (which was deleted) said that there's going to be a Skylanders game for the Nintendo Switch. I personally would take this rumor with a giant pinch of salt, since there's some pretty weird stuff, and the post was deleted, but I wouldn't say it's 100% fake.

That leak was a weird one over all, from what it's content was (which was awesome) to how the entire situation was handled. Apparently the mods were contacted by Nintendo, telling them to remove it, and then the entire subreddit collapsed for a while. Interesting to say the least.

The reason I bring that is up is because it might actually be real, which is good for us.

Quote: Crash10

So, This Reddit post (which was deleted) said that there's going to be a Skylanders game for the Nintendo Switch. I personally would take this rumor with a giant pinch of salt, since there's some pretty weird stuff, and the post was deleted, but I wouldn't say it's 100% fake.

well it will not be deleted if it was not importent some how...
coulde this be...
a spark of hope?....
or a mirage of cruelty?

(sleping my self to go back to reality) hold up, i know this look tempting and good but we cant raise of hopes up, not yet any way. much like with the death, this is still unconfirmd so the best thing to do right no is keep with playing the waiting game.

Yeah, considering how quickly this was taken down, it goes from the PSVita with glass casing rumor level to Chinese SuMO leak level. Some parts of it feel like bull**** though, like the fightstick.

That said, they did said third party devs would be in an event. After Acti missing out on Toy Fair twice in a row for no reason whatsoever I wouldn't say them not showing up means no game, but there's something to look foward to.

Looking through saved versions of the post, they just offhandedly mention "putting Skylanders on the new device", which could just mean a port.

as i said earlier there would be a game for the switch, this just prove acti is taking a break and will be back with a new skylander game in 2018. with this new leak i would say this is the proof is in the pudding.

Quote: Bifrost

Yeah, considering how quickly this was taken down, it goes from the PSVita with glass casing rumor level to Chinese SuMO leak level. Some parts of it feel like bull**** though, like the fightstick.

That said, they did said third party devs would be in an event. After Acti missing out on Toy Fair twice in a row for no reason whatsoever I wouldn't say them not showing up means no game, but there's something to look foward to.

Looking through saved versions of the post, they just offhandedly mention "putting Skylanders on the new device", which could just mean a port.

Hey, even it's just a port of Imaginators that's a launch title, it's still something and it could mean Sky 7 is coming our way.

i would not scream skylanders 7 confiermd yet, but it is look promising...

"If all goes according to plan", tho. Meaning they might be waiting for good sales on their other stuff.

Quote: HeyitsHotDog

Quote: Bifrost

Yeah, considering how quickly this was taken down, it goes from the PSVita with glass casing rumor level to Chinese SuMO leak level. Some parts of it feel like bull**** though, like the fightstick.

That said, they did said third party devs would be in an event. After Acti missing out on Toy Fair twice in a row for no reason whatsoever I wouldn't say them not showing up means no game, but there's something to look foward to.

Looking through saved versions of the post, they just offhandedly mention "putting Skylanders on the new device", which could just mean a port.

Hey, even it's just a port of Imaginators that's a launch title, it's still something and it could mean Sky 7 is coming our way.

its to late for a switch port, the switch will be release in mars, they are not gonna release new waves of the three first waves that late. also if they do they will make a chaos, for the last remaining waves.

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Splatoon,Smash and MK8 dont have 40+ plastic figures that is a part of the game to go with them.

That doesn't change a thing. Did Acti ever care about having figures readily avaliable for everyone? Wave 1 and 2 will probably still be swamping the stores by that point, for all they care.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Splatoon,Smash and MK8 dont have 40+ plastic figures that is a part of the game to go with them.

ahem.

^
Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Splatoon,Smash and MK8 dont have 40+ plastic figures that is a part of the game to go with them.

Ahahahaha, yea keep telling yourself that, buddy~ X3

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

we don't actually know if Splatoon will be a port, and It's fairly likely that the Mario Kart on Switch is 9 rather than just a port of 8....just a couple more weeks till we finally find out though.

Other good thing about it, is that SI sales figures could increase in a relevant way. NIntendo consoles have traditionally been the platforms where sjylanders sells better (not sure 100% though).

Quote: ChillStealthElf

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

we don't actually know if Splatoon will be a port, and It's fairly likely that the Mario Kart on Switch is 9 rather than just a port of 8....just a couple more weeks till we finally find out though.

I'm just using the rumor as reference, though it's very much too good to be true. It mentioned Splatoon,MK8 enhanced ports and Smash port with minimal enhancements. If those are good to go over a Smash 5 and MK9, then releasing Imaginators again should be fair game.

So basicly if they will made imagnitors for switch it can give them time and money for sky7, this actully not a bad idea.

I wouldn't be that hopeful, but it'd at least keep the franchise alive if it sold well. Maybe even just do Digital Owners again for this one version, and save the production costs of new starter packs.

Still there is a small chunce that mabey sky 7 somehow will happen but once again we gonna havet to wait, again...

Quote: Bifrost

Quote: ChillStealthElf

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

we don't actually know if Splatoon will be a port, and It's fairly likely that the Mario Kart on Switch is 9 rather than just a port of 8....just a couple more weeks till we finally find out though.

I'm just using the rumor as reference, though it's very much too good to be true. It mentioned Splatoon,MK8 enhanced ports and Smash port with minimal enhancements. If those are good to go over a Smash 5 and MK9, then releasing Imaginators again should be fair game.

Though the rumor also said about a new Smash some years later.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: HeyitsHotDog

Quote: Bifrost

Yeah, considering how quickly this was taken down, it goes from the PSVita with glass casing rumor level to Chinese SuMO leak level. Some parts of it feel like bull**** though, like the fightstick.

That said, they did said third party devs would be in an event. After Acti missing out on Toy Fair twice in a row for no reason whatsoever I wouldn't say them not showing up means no game, but there's something to look foward to.

Looking through saved versions of the post, they just offhandedly mention "putting Skylanders on the new device", which could just mean a port.

Hey, even it's just a port of Imaginators that's a launch title, it's still something and it could mean Sky 7 is coming our way.

its to late for a switch port, the switch will be release in mars, they are not gonna release new waves of the three first waves that late. also if they do they will make a chaos, for the last remaining waves.

Giants appeared on the Wii U months after the original release for the other consoles. And if I remember right, it wasn't even a launch title for the Wii U - I believe it came out a month or two later. Everyone was speculating Eye Brawl and Thumpback would have been released to coincide with Giants for the Wii U, but that rumor didn't pan out.

Quote: ZapNorris

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Splatoon,Smash and MK8 dont have 40+ plastic figures that is a part of the game to go with them.

ahem.

you dont need any of them to play these games Splatoon,Smash and MK8.....

I wouldn't mind Imaginators getting ported to the Switch. I probably won't buy it since I already spent money on the Wii U version and I doubt they'd add anything else to the game unlike the other games we know are being ported, but I could see it as a way to get people more interested. Skylanders on a brand new console and all that. Still banking on my Grave Clobber starter pack idea btw.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

Quote: Bifrost

It's not late for a port if Splatoon,Smash and MK8 are getting one. They might have to find something to sweeten the deal though, maybe an extra Imaginator set that's inspired by Nintendo stuff.

Splatoon,Smash and MK8 dont have 40+ plastic figures that is a part of the game to go with them.

First of all, amiibos exist, and most of the rumors state that they are still going to be compatible with the Switch. Sure, they're not necessary to enjoy the games, but they still exist.
Second, that's not really much of an issue because none of the figures are machine-specific, aside from Bowser and DK from Superchargers. The figures are tied to the games, not the consoles. Plus, even if you were to say, spend another 75 bucks on a hypothetical starter pack, all the figures you had would still carry over their data.

you need skylanders figurines to be able to play the skylander games, while amiibos you dont at all for the nintendo games... so pointless comparison.

And yet you ignored me saying that by March there'll be still figures on the shelves, even if not all of them.

Are you 100 pracent sure?

do you have a link to prove it?

Quote: Drawdler

Bahahaha. Oh man I finally got around to reading that Switch "leak" because it was posted on GameFAQs and it's so fake.

"Nintendo plans on partnering with 2K Sports to created a new kid-friendly wrestling game based on the WWE Slam! series using Amiibo of popular wrestlers. Plans to release late 2017, early 2018."

Tenouttaten. Hundredouttahundred. Best leak, best leak.

if this is a thing i'm getting the john cena amiibo

Quote: Drawdler

Bahahaha. Oh man I finally got around to reading that Switch "leak" because it was posted on GameFAQs and it's so fake.

"Nintendo plans on partnering with 2K Sports to created a new kid-friendly wrestling game based on the WWE Slam! series using Amiibo of popular wrestlers. Plans to release late 2017, early 2018."

Tenouttaten. Hundredouttahundred. Best leak, best leak.

when you talk about "this fake leak" you mean this wwe thing and not skylanders right?

Pikmin Wars was the red flag more than that. I didn't stop to read after looking for skylanders, but... Yeah. Real leak is the AMA with the journalist yesterday, but even she said to not trust her since the sources could be saying fake stuff out of spite.

i hope they reach to switch, that way it may confiermd the hitus option.

Quote: CountMoneyBone

you need skylanders figurines to be able to play the skylander games, while amiibos you dont at all for the nintendo games... so pointless comparison.

And... That's a reason for them not to bring it to the Switch... Why?
Again, Skylanders figures aren't machine-specific... And I'm just going to assume you conveniently glossed over that point.

I mean, the games have been around before the Wii U was even a thing. Giants was ported to the Wii U, which came out a month later. And after that Swap Force was then ported to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, which also came out a month later. Why couldn't they do the same thing with the Switch?

And to address your point of "Well it'd be like Wave 4 by the time the Switch comes out"... Wouldn't having more character options alongside it be a good thing?

I think the best idea going forward would be to make the TTL aspect optional. Make all characters unlockable via toys but also include digital versions. I would include a digital version of one core per element free with the game and make the rest purchasable DLC (Maybe have Spyro, Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, Stealth Elf, Eruptor, Hex, Jet Vac, and Flashwing as starting characters while Spotlight and Blackout would be in-game unlockables). This would allow them to incorporate all previous gimmicks (elemental gates, feats of strength, swap zones, traptanium clusters and catchable villains, usable vehicles in the overworld and a few new race tracks, playable Imaginators) without worrying about whether or not kids have access to the older figures.

They should also heavily limit the amount of new toys each game. Bring it down to one new toy per element, with a very mild unifying theme.

Honestly, what I feel Acti should do is let TFB make some new Imaginators stuff to tide us over for a year, seems simple, right? Then they could hire Beenox (they do handle all the ports) to remaster Giants and SA. They could include the new characters in, but a remaster won't happen, they'd have to rerelease all the characters.

The fact that there's a Kirby game to be announced by 2018 according to the rumor is a red flag for me. Really, I don't think it would take that much to make a Kirby game, even if it's made from the ground-up.

I wonder if there will be sky 7 mabey kirby will be a guest star...
I mean if sky 7 will be on switch it can be a good start for t.