darkSpyro

Hmm. One thing that isn't clear is whether there is a programmatic difference between minis of yesterday and the minis of trap team.

I have a theory that the original minis behave more like "magic items", which only have a sustained effect when placed on the PoP. (Therefore the original minis don't have the ability to "remember" things like character upgrades, moves, level, etc.). It was this reason why the platinum treasure chest issue in SF could never be fixed. No way to update the platinum treasure chest with the "special" tag. Simply re-releasing all of the minis as reposes with red bases is a terrific way to save a few $$$ while offering most players not lucky enough to get their hands on the original sidekicks a chance to have entirely new characters.

The new minis will likely be programmed to level up and accept information. So whether we want to or not, my guess is that if we want to play as our minis, we will be buying them new again.

Which brings me to my next point. I noticed that Gill runt has a "buddy pack" exclusive with Wal-Mart in which Gill Grunt s4 / Runt are packaged together. As far as I remember there is no stealth elf series 4, so I don't see there being a similar option to get whisper elf separately so that when I purchase the 3DS starter I don't end up with 2 Barkleys.

Well we do have confirmation that the old sidekicks will be playable and remember their upgrades. I am just going on a hunch that in earlier games the minis were being treated as magic items because the game read them as such. Making it not give really any data back, but now it is

Quote: temperedreason

I noticed that Gill runt has a "buddy pack" exclusive with Wal-Mart in which Gill Grunt s4 / Runt are packaged together. As far as I remember there is no stealth elf series 4, so I don't see there being a similar option to get whisper elf separately so that when I purchase the 3DS starter I don't end up with 2 Barkleys.

And that is exactly why they should've used Weeruptor, Breeze or Thumpling in the 3DS starter; Small Fry, Pet-Vac and Gill Runt all have potential for buddy packs (one of which already confirmed, as you said yourself).