darkSpyro

For some reason, the new portal looks kinda bad and cheaply made. This seems especially true when comparing it to our last portal. To me, it looks like some cheap solid color plastic...no cool paint really, an awkward design, no lights, no cool looking transparent stuff. Overall I think it was poorly designed and cheaply made.
Any thoughts on the new one? Opinions?

I couldn't find any topics about this, so please don't don't get at me if there already is one. (That's one of my pet-peeves)

Feels kinda poorly designed,dunno about cheaply made since no one was holding it or moving it around. Happy that the Traptanium one can be used and will stick with that.
(If you actually looked for topics it's one thing, but don't be mad if someone calls you out for a subject with a thread right below; but this isn't the case thankfully)

Quote: Echo2VX

For some reason, the new portal looks kinda bad and cheaply made. This seems especially true when comparing it to our last portal. To me, it looks like some cheap solid color plastic...no cool paint really, an awkward design, no lights, no cool looking transparent stuff. Overall I think it was poorly designed and cheaply made.
Any thoughts on the new one? Opinions?

I couldn't find any topics about this, so please don't don't get at me if there already is one. (That's one of my pet-peeves)

Yeh I agree. I loved trap teams portal. I guess that's why they said you can use your old ones. I guess since some people didn't like it.

I will buy the Starter Pack, but I'm going to be using the Trap Team portal.

[quote=[url=http://forum.darkspyro.net/spyro/viewposts.php?topic=118636&post=5618527]LoveProfusion15[/url]]I will buy the Starter Pack, but I'm going to be using the Trap Team portal.[/quote]


Probably what in going to do

I am waiting to see a picture with vehicles on the trap team portal. I am only worried about how much I can fit on the portal.

It's in some of the interviews(if not all with footage of the portal) and the Skyfamily videos. Plenty of space for a vehicle,two skylanders,and the odd magic item.

I prefer the Traptanium portal rather than this. I could buy the digital copy, but I hate it and want to go for the physical figures.

Maybe the fire will light up with all the different Elements' colors?

Even then... I'll stick to the Traptanium Portal.

This one doesn't feel Skylander-ish at all.

I don't know why they made the cars so big.

Quote:

I will buy the Starter Pack, but I'm going to be using the Trap Team portal.

+1

Right on the money there Echo. Why couldn't they have kept the sounds and lights for each vehicle to do different sounds when used or summoned on the portal? I definitely believe they used their budget on everything else over the portal this time around.

The appeal with the previous portals is that they looked more "magical." This one is just a pit stop-looking thing.

It also doesn't help that the rim of the Supercharge one is flat blue without any kind of weathering/dimension like the bricks of past portals.

Even though I like the Traptanium Portal, I will use the SuperCharger Portal for the fifth game.

They have until September to edit the game, so they may change it by release.

Well, it is only a model. It's made of cheaper materials so it won't cost too much to present the actual portal. As an example, the new portal in the image may be made from hollow plastic, isn't completely painted, but works for the developers.

Quote: Okaps

The appeal with the previous portals is that they looked more "magical." This one is just a pit stop-looking thing.

It also doesn't help that the rim of the Supercharge one is flat blue without any kind of weathering/dimension like the bricks of past portals.

Well... the gimmick is racing, so the pit stop appearance does make sense. To me, anyway.

Quote: goldenrushducks

Well, it is only a model. It's made of cheaper materials so it won't cost too much to present the actual portal. As an example, the new portal in the image may be made from hollow plastic, isn't completely painted, but works for the developers.

Keep dreaming, this is the portal. There's pretty strong consensus that this year's portal is a dog.

I have to agree, this year's portal is my least favorite. I really liked the Trap Team design and the SWAP Force portal was pretty sweet too. I even liked the original portal design... this one isn't doing it for me...

SCC's portal looks like it could have been one of McDonalds' SkyLanders toys. : /

Agreed..i don't like the look of it at all...i liked how the older portals lit up...even if the blue flames light..i still don't like the look of it. If they made the black platform part clear and have LED's in the blue ring glowing into it, that would make it look much better.

Edit:...(thinking i might modify it so mine looks like that)

Quote: goldenrushducks

Well, it is only a model. It's made of cheaper materials so it won't cost too much to present the actual portal. As an example, the new portal in the image may be made from hollow plastic, isn't completely painted, but works for the developers.

While I strongly doubt they will change its main appareance they might tweak color and maybe also materials a bit.
But I doubt it would look much better.

This year's Portal is perfect for the theme of the game, though... Which further confirms why I don't like this concept that much...

i dont have any problem with this year portal, in fact i think it looks great and well designed.

I don't care that much, but yes, I would agree that it's the least physically appealing. I really like the size though and the fact that there is no 'lip' edge. If you plan on using the TT portal, I think you'll quickly get annoyed with trying to balance a car and figure (or 2) on there. Trying to fit a figure and and in-box elite on the TT portal was annoying. It won't be an issue this time.

I will need to consider the required real estate though. I have a sort of shelf setup for the portal, DI portal, and controller charging stations. It will not handle a bigger portal plus the additional lego dimension portal (if we get it). Has anyone heard what the dimensions of the supercharger portal is?

Quote: CountMoneyBone

i dont have any problem with this year portal, in fact i think it looks great and well designed.

Me too.

I hate the Portal. It looks like it was made together using leftover Hot Wheels track parts, slapped the traditional Skylanders runes on it, put an NFC reader and DONE. Geez, you couldn't even add lights? For shame Activision, for shame.


I need the extra space the portal provides however...

For me, the cheap looking blue plastic turns me off as compared to the ring of glow that was last year's portal.

Can you even fit a vehicle and a giant on the old portal?
If not I'll be using the new one but that would still be using up space on my collection crate/car/thing

Overall I think I do like Trap Team's portal a bit more, but I'm not against the new portal. It fits the game's theme, and I'll pretty much o ly use the new portals they give for each game.

Yeah, I have a tradition of using the new portal for each game. Besides, I've recently had some problems using the Swap Force portal on the original, even though it should work, so I'll stick with the one guaranteed to work

It's.. growing on me. The rubber feel adds a nice touch, but makes the design quite bland. The Trap Team Portal looked better than this, to be honest. But.. we'll just have to see what changes around launch time.

TT portal....the best of the whole series so far.
The lights and sound, especially the speaker in the Villain's Vault, was ingenious despite being somewhat repetitive.
Interested in seeing what the traps can do for the game, since there's a slot for them. Hope to be able trap the new villains as well.
It's early, so we'll have to wait and see.
After all, September's not that far away.

^ We already know what the traps do. It's a done deal.

Traps add a limited time elemental weapon to the vehicle based on trap element, as well as add a skystone for any trapped villain for the new Skystones Overdrive card game.

You do not play as villains, nor do you trap them.

I'm not a big fan of this year's console portal either, but I would like to see the changes with the tablet portal.

^No flashy lights to preserve battery and/or built in AC adapter.

I don't care what the portal looks like. PLEASE, just give us (back) the option to use batteries. Someone is always tripping over the cord. Why can't it have both options: plug-in and batteries???

this new portal looks nice actually

Quote: CynderFanatic

I don't care what the portal looks like. PLEASE, just give us (back) the option to use batteries. Someone is always tripping over the cord. Why can't it have both options: plug-in and batteries???

I do not ever want batteries back again....they eat batteries like crazy...i had to constantly keep changing them out...even using rechargables. Just lay a throw rug over the cord.

Why not just have a rechargeable portal? That would solve so much.

It does look a little cheap.

I think it looks a bit bland. I reckon the blue flames might light up but that's it.

TT had the best portal IMO. Makes me think of some sort of iner-dimensional rip that you could just jump throught.

Quote: Angry Rage Quit

I think it looks a bit bland. I reckon the blue flames might light up but that's it.

TT had the best portal IMO. Makes me think of some sort of iner-dimensional rip that you could just jump throught.

Oh, man, that would have been AWESOME!

A trasparent Portal like the Traptanium one but wit metallic colored parts around it and a swirl in the middle to represents the dimensional rift, which would light up.
Would have gone well with the game, preserving the fantasy Skylander-ish look and avoiding looking like something out of an Hot Wheels playset.

I'm gonna jump in and say what 10 other people have already said: TT had the best looking portal and I'll keep using that one when SSC comes out, even though I'll be getting the physical starter pack for the figures and disc.

Trap Team's portal was great because it had one thing the others were missing: sides. I often play on my bed in my room, so having the portal next to me was difficult before since the figures would slide off if i moved around. With Trap Team, i didn't have to worry about that much at all.

This looks like it'll be a nightmare with the figures sliding off and the vehicles just rolling right off it. First World Problems sure, but...dang man. How can we go back to a portal with no sides?

The original/Giants portals hd sides as well. No where near as pronounced as the ones on Trap Team's - but I do recall a few complaints about the figures sliding off when SWAP Force's portal was released.

Quote: UncleBob

The original/Giants portals hd sides as well. No where near as pronounced as the ones on Trap Team's - but I do recall a few complaints about the figures sliding off when SWAP Force's portal was released.

The tablet version is horrible about sliding off. Newtons laws should have tipped them off when they made the portal since, as everyone knows, an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. What I'm getting at for those of you that don't share my experience, is that if you are playing in the car, and the car has to turn/speed up/slow down, the figures fall over or slide off.

Quote: TakeYourLemons

Quote: goldenrushducks

Well, it is only a model. It's made of cheaper materials so it won't cost too much to present the actual portal. As an example, the new portal in the image may be made from hollow plastic, isn't completely painted, but works for the developers.

Keep dreaming, this is the portal. There's pretty strong consensus that this year's portal is a dog.

No, it isn't.

The Trap Team portal gets scratched up easily, but I love it.

That thing does not deserve to even be called a Portal.....there is NOTHING about that that even resembles anything like a portal.

It looks like the perfect item for pulling your pizza pockets out of the oven with, however!

Quote: TOlofter

That thing does not deserve to even be called a Portal.....there is NOTHING about that that even resembles anything like a portal.

It looks like the perfect item for pulling your pizza pockets out of the oven with, however!

That is probably the best observation I have heard yet. It really isn't even a portal anymore. It is just a platform that reads our figures...
Personally, I loved the original portal from SSA, the most. It gives us the feeling that it is actually like a portal. Every portal until now succeeded with that concept.

Maybe I will just get it for the sake of having another object for decoration in my Skylanders display area. I always loved using unused portals to make platforms for my Skylanders. Especially making towers out of SSA and SF portals!! (I can't even stack this one...)

At least we can use the Traptanium Portal with this game.

They probably didn't bother to create a SUPER AWESOME Portal this time since we have that option.
Just create something out of a toy-cars playset and you are done!

I agree the SA/Giants Portal is still my favorite one.
Would really like a 2.0 version of it maybe slightly bigger and with 10 symbols instead of 8.