darkSpyro

Is there an alive and family friendly mascot character for Xbox? Playstation?



Nintendo has an advantage in the fact that it keeps it's (family friendly) characters (at least the main ones) alive one way or another. Xbox never had one, and Sony killed all of it's off, save for guest characterizing Spyro, and just now making a remake of Crash.



And finally, the poor Wii users who are seemingly only getting a racing game; do they not deserve a special character (or two)?

Sony has Rachet and Clank, Jak and Daxter,and a bunch of other ones I've never paid much attention to.
MS has Battletoads, Banjo-Kazooie, and whatever indie they can find at the moment(and if we raise the bar a bit from family friendly to 'most kids won't get this', just get the Behemoth games). The first two are not exactly alive but the IP is around to use.


No idea where you're getting Crash getting a remake from. He's still in limbo.

I'm not even an xbox fan and I can think of one big one Banjo-Kazooie.

Sony has plenty... Rachet and Clank, and Jak and Daxter just to name some.

Sony and (especially) Microsoft don't really do mascot characters, period, let alone family friendly ones. Just look at what a terrible mess Sony's Smash Bros. clone was...

Many of Nintendo's characters have kept their popularity for several decades. The only one that could ever compete would probably be Sega with their Sonic characters, but if they became Skylanders guest stars they obviously wouldn't be PlayStation or XBox exclusives.

Activision obviously wanted to do a crossover with Nintendo because (most) Nintendo fans are extremely loyal. And making the figurines double up as amiibo is even more genius, appealing to the amiibo collectors and hoping to draw them over to the side of Skylanders collecting. Appealing to Sony and Microsoft fans wouldn't have anywhere near as huge an effect.

Playstation All-Stars was a mess because of its own gameplay, the characters themselves didn't lose their credibility over that. Some are family friendly as well, though I don't recall if Parappa the Rapper is the case, but there's an example there with the Ape Escape protagonist.

I'm sure kids with Xboxes play Halo just as much as they do Skylanders. So why not give them a chibified Master Chief Skylander!? They'd love it!

Sony and Microsoft could easily come up with an exclusive figure if they wanted. Master Chief would be perfect for Skylanders. As mentioned previously, Sony could do Rachet/Clank, Jak/Daxter, or even Crash Bandicoot.

Quote: GamerDrone

Sony and Microsoft could easily come up with an exclusive figure if they wanted. Master Chief would be perfect for Skylanders. As mentioned previously, Sony could do Rachet/Clank, Jak/Daxter, or even Crash Bandicoot.

Well said.

"Do they not deserve a special character or two?"
Yes, they don't.

If they were PlayStation mascots (Sackboy, Parappa the Rapper, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Crash, Iota) it would still be unfair because Microsoft and Nintendo users would never have the possibility to play them.

Seriously, if you like the idea and the characters (which I really like too) it's not a problem but this was a bad, bad, bad decision which partially ruined one of the core concepts of the series: ALL Skylanders playable EVERYWHERE on ANY console.

People keep bringing up the idea of Crash being Sony exclusive, but why would be be? He's owned by Activision just like Spyro. He would be able to be a full fledged Skylander that works in every version of the game, again just like Spyro.


Anyway, the main thing in the way of Sony or Microsoft getting exclusive Skylanders isn't a lack of mascots. It's the fact that they don't have their own toys-to-life product that they want to cross promote with Skylanders. The only reason we're getting Nintendo exclusive Skylanders is because Nintendo is trying to build their amiibo brand and stick amiibo support in as many games as possible.

Quote: GamerDrone

Master Chief would be perfect for Skylanders.

Marcus Fenix from Gears of War .

MS has a few mascots, but not so much for a family-friendly franchise.

If there weren't DK/Bowser Skylanders figures at all, PlayStation and XBox users wouldn't be able to play them.

Having them for Nintendo systems changes nothing for PlayStation and XBox users. At all. People who are upset that Nintendo owners get to play them are really just trying to screw Nintendo owners out of a chance to have some fun.

Quote: UncleBob

If there weren't DK/Bowser Skylanders figures at all, PlayStation and XBox users wouldn't be able to play them.

Having them for Nintendo systems changes nothing for PlayStation and XBox users. At all. People who are upset that Nintendo owners get to play them are really just trying to screw Nintendo owners out of a chance to have some fun.

Excuse me if I'm thinking about people who only own a Wii U and yet will HAVE to buy a Wii/3DS Starter Pack to also play with Bowser.
Oh, of course they might simply buy them on eBay, making Activision loose a lot of money; hopefully this will make them understand the mistake they made (99% sure V.V. has nothing to do with it).

And again, first time two Skylanders aren't universal.
I don't care if they are guest stars and if I'm personally not interested in them, they just ditched their original concept.
I'm actually really happy for multiple Nintendo owners because they look super fun to play as.

3DS has had exclusives in every iteration. Nothing has changed.

Quote: mantez

3DS has had exclusives in every iteration. Nothing has changed.

An exclusive which can be found outside of that Starter Pack and can be played regularly on other systems.

Yep, nothing has changed.

To me, this is just like when fighting games have console-exclusive characters. Like how for Mortal Kombat 9, PS3 had Kratos and Xbox had Freddy Kreuger (which I don't really get). The only difference here is that the console-exclusive characters have a figure you need to play as them. I still understand where the negativity concerning them is coming from, and I don't get why Nintendo is doing this myself, but it's their decision and we should just let bygons be bygons.

Quote: Jeriba

Quote: GamerDrone

Master Chief would be perfect for Skylanders.

Marcus Fenix from Gears of War .

MS has a few mascots, but not so much for a family-friendly franchise.

All MS needs is one and why is family-friendly a requirement? All Skylanders have various forms of attacks with Ka-Boom, Trigger Happy, and Sprocket using munitions (cannon, gun/gatlin gun, and tank). I'm sure there are others that use munitions, but those are the three that immediately come to mind.

I think (hope) most people understand that Nintendo can't allow their characters to be on competitors' consoles. From what I've seen, people are more annoyed at Activision for initiating the crossover in the first place.

Which is just as stupid, really.

Quote:

I think (hope) most people understand that Nintendo can't allow their characters to be on competitors' consoles.

Even if Nintendo did. I'd doubt Sony or MS would allow it.

Quote: Drek95

Excuse me if I'm thinking about people who only own a Wii U and yet will HAVE to buy a Wii/3DS Starter Pack to also play with Bowser.

A.) I'm sure Wii U-only owners everywhere appreciate you looking out for them.
B.) I seriously doubt there are a significant number of people who own a Wii U and don't own a 3DS. The reverse of that is far more likely.
C.) A Wii U-only owner can still play Wii games, as the Wii U is 100% backwards compatible with Wii games since Day One. If the Wii title is significantly different from the Wii U title, it might be worth getting both beyond the extra figure.

You are actually right about Wii U backwards compatibility, I kinda forgot it since it's a rather uncommon feature these days.

Let me change my sentence: what if I'm a Wii only owner?
I myself am Wii and 3DS owner but would still "have to" buy a Wii U to play as Donkey Kong.
Or simply put, to play as them properly since I doubt there will be much for them to do in a racing game.

My point is, Nintendo gets the best deal and this shouldn't happen.
Nor should with Sony or Microsoft of course.
Not with characters.
Console exclusive features are more than welcomed (think about Wii U GamePad with Trap Team which allowed you to see your trapped villains) but characters...?
I only hope this will remain a guest stars' exclusive thing, because if this idea starts affecting the regular Skylanders... I don't see things ending up well...

Quote: Drek95

You are actually right about Wii U backwards compatibility, I kinda forgot it since it's a rather uncommon feature these days.

Let me change my sentence: what if I'm a Wii only owner?
I myself am Wii and 3DS owner but would still "have to" buy a Wii U to play as Donkey Kong.
Or simply put, to play as them properly since I doubt there will be much for them to do in a racing game.

Considering most the folks on this forum were sure that the Wii wasn't even going to get a game at all, if you're a Wii-only owner, I don't see how you could legitimately complain about getting anything at all at this point. If you don't want a racing game, don't buy it. You're no worse off than if they hadn't released it and it'll help keep Activision from releasing another half-game for the Wii next year. Oh, and if you're a Wii-only gamer, it's time to upgrade. Look, the Wii is a great system. I own four of them (White, Black, Red, Blue) and a ton of great games - but if you seriously only have a Wii at this point, you don't really have a right to complain about what you're offered. Every major publisher, even Nintendo, has abandoned the Wii. You're lucky at this point to get *anything* new. Go forth and upgrade., my brothers and sisters. I'm not saying you *have* to get a Wii U (although it is a great system) - you can go PS4 or XBox One. Hell, get a 360 or PS3 (although you're still going to get stuck in that "no new games" rut in a year or two if you do that).

Quote:

B.) I seriously doubt there are a significant number of people who own a Wii U and don't own a 3DS. The reverse of that is far more likely.

I'm in this category. My son has the 3DS, but no Wii or Wii U. I don't intend on buying either console, even though I do want the Donkey Kong figures. I'm hoping for a really good B1G1% off deal to get the 3DS and Wii U starter packs. The bad thing will be all the Super Shot Stealth Elf figures. EBay will be inundated with those figures.

I'm not sure that Sony or Microsoft has their own IPs. Nintendo does because they made the games themselves. Sony & Microsoft may have had exclusive games, but I'm sure the IPs are owned by another company. Everyone keeps mentioning Banjo-Kazzoie. I didn't even know he was on another console. I remember playing that game on the Nintendo 64 years ago and never knew they kept continuing the series on another system. For that, alone, I doubt Sony has any rights to that character. The same goes for the other characters that may be exclusive to those systems. The permissions would have to come from the game studios themselves instead of Sony/Microsoft.

Quote: GamerDrone

Quote:

B.) I seriously doubt there are a significant number of people who own a Wii U and don't own a 3DS. The reverse of that is far more likely.

I'm in this category.

No, you're not. re-read my post. Wii U owners without a 3DS, not the other way around. I'm sure there are a lot of 3DS owners without a Wii U. :D

I only have a Wii (and an original playstation to play Spyro on ) I was planning on buying a new console for Superchargers. I almost had my heart set on PS4, but then the PS3 is much cheaper. But if Sky6 is not available for PS3, I'm buying another console next year. If I want a nintendo critter, I oughta get a Wii U, but I've read the PS4 is superior. The Wii U will play my Wii games, but has weaker graphics from what I hear tell. I could buy the Wii version and PS4 version, but that's a lot of money. Now I'm just confused. Xbox? PS3? PS4? WiiU? Good Grief.

I miss my Commodore64.

Quote: UncleBob

Quote: Drek95

You are actually right about Wii U backwards compatibility, I kinda forgot it since it's a rather uncommon feature these days.

Let me change my sentence: what if I'm a Wii only owner?
I myself am Wii and 3DS owner but would still "have to" buy a Wii U to play as Donkey Kong.
Or simply put, to play as them properly since I doubt there will be much for them to do in a racing game.

Considering most the folks on this forum were sure that the Wii wasn't even going to get a game at all, if you're a Wii-only owner, I don't see how you could legitimately complain about getting anything at all at this point. If you don't want a racing game, don't buy it. You're no worse off than if they hadn't released it and it'll help keep Activision from releasing another half-game for the Wii next year. Oh, and if you're a Wii-only gamer, it's time to upgrade. Look, the Wii is a great system. I own four of them (White, Black, Red, Blue) and a ton of great games - but if you seriously only have a Wii at this point, you don't really have a right to complain about what you're offered. Every major publisher, even Nintendo, has abandoned the Wii. You're lucky at this point to get *anything* new. Go forth and upgrade., my brothers and sisters. I'm not saying you *have* to get a Wii U (although it is a great system) - you can go PS4 or XBox One. Hell, get a 360 or PS3 (although you're still going to get stuck in that "no new games" rut in a year or two if you do that).

I would happily buy a Wii U if I could, but I bought the PS4 on day one and I'm happy with it.
This still doesn't change that if Activision isn't going to sell Donkey Kong and Bowser separately it's going to lose A LOT of money as people would most likely buy a good portion of those Starter Packs only for those two Skylanders and thus most likely choose to get them on eBay.

And Activision won't see a single penny of that money.

And my original point still remains: platform exclusive figures (which works exclusively on them not exclusive because of the Starter Pack content) are not a good idea and I sincerely hope they will either stop here or just keep it a Skymiibos' thing.

Quote: CookieCutter

I only have a Wii (and an original playstation to play Spyro on ) I was planning on buying a new console for Superchargers. I almost had my heart set on PS4, but then the PS3 is much cheaper. But if Sky6 is not available for PS3, I'm buying another console next year. If I want a nintendo critter, I oughta get a Wii U, but I've read the PS4 is superior. The Wii U will play my Wii games, but has weaker graphics from what I hear tell. I could buy the Wii version and PS4 version, but that's a lot of money. Now I'm just confused. Xbox? PS3? PS4? WiiU? Good Grief.

I miss my Commodore64.

get the wiiu you will not regret it.

Quote: Drek95

This still doesn't change that if Activision isn't going to sell Donkey Kong and Bowser separately it's going to lose A LOT of money as people would most likely buy a good portion of those Starter Packs only for those two Skylanders and thus most likely choose to get them on eBay.

And Activision won't see a single penny of that money.

Someone is buying the starter packs either way - Activision still sees the sale of the starter pack, regardless if it gets pieced out on eBay or not.

Truth be told, for folks willing to wait, buying an extra starter pack will probably end up being a better deal. The figures are $13 each and the vehicles are $15 each - $28 before any kind of sale. Presuming BOGO 40% Off (which seems to be TRU's go-to for launch), that's roughly $22 for the pair. Starter packs often go on sale cheap. I got the tablet starter befcore Christmas for $15. I'm looking at picking up another starter at GameStop this weekend for $29.99-$10 off coupon - and it's going to come with 4 additional bonus figures. This is why I'm not concerned in the least about SpitFire and Hot Steak. I'll get 'em, on the cheap, eventually.

Quote: UncleBob

No, you're not. re-read my post. Wii U owners without a 3DS, not the other way around. I'm sure there are a lot of 3DS owners without a Wii U.

You mentioned both. And with the explanation given, they're in the latter category, not the former. (Took the liberty of illustrating it, hope that's okay ;3)

As for the topic, I don't have a problem with DK/Bowser being Nintendo-exclusive, since they are indeed Nintendo characters.

Quote: Nightmoon

You mentioned both. And with the explanation given, they're in the latter category, not the former. (Took the liberty of illustrating it, hope that's okay ;3)

Ah, gotcha now. Sorry. He had mentioned feeling for Wii U-only folks, so I had my mind set with that. ;)

Quote: TTD

You've got to risk the graphics for gameplay!

Not a huge risk anyways - the difference in graphics isn't really that huge anymore. It's not like we're looking at another Wii vs PS3/360 leap here (and even then many people seemed to do just fine with the Wii, so...).

And really, given the wonderful art styles of Nintendo games, I'd say the most graphically stunning games of this generation are all Wii U exclusives so far. :)

Quote: Drek95

Quote: UncleBob

If there weren't DK/Bowser Skylanders figures at all, PlayStation and XBox users wouldn't be able to play them.

Having them for Nintendo systems changes nothing for PlayStation and XBox users. At all. People who are upset that Nintendo owners get to play them are really just trying to screw Nintendo owners out of a chance to have some fun.

Excuse me if I'm thinking about people who only own a Wii U and yet will HAVE to buy a Wii/3DS Starter Pack to also play with Bowser.
Oh, of course they might simply buy them on eBay, making Activision loose a lot of money; hopefully this will make them understand the mistake they made (99% sure V.V. has nothing to do with it).

And again, first time two Skylanders aren't universal.
I don't care if they are guest stars and if I'm personally not interested in them, they just ditched their original concept.
I'm actually really happy for multiple Nintendo owners because they look super fun to play as.

And again, not for the first time, Skylanders isn't in Japan. Activision has been ignoring a MAJOR gaming country about Skylanders for 3 games, but it looks like SuperChargers is coming to them. *us* Since Nintendo is really big there, why not give two exclusive figures to people who have missed 3 games?

The franchise has officially jumped the shark if any old IP can stomp into Skylands. I won't support it. Call me a fuddy duddy or whatever, it matters not.

Also, for what it's worth, the Volcanic Vault was incompatible with Spyro's Adventure and Giants for the 3DS. They finally added support for it in the 3DS version of SWAP Force.

Quote: The Bone Chompy

Quote: Drek95

Quote: UncleBob

If there weren't DK/Bowser Skylanders figures at all, PlayStation and XBox users wouldn't be able to play them.

Having them for Nintendo systems changes nothing for PlayStation and XBox users. At all. People who are upset that Nintendo owners get to play them are really just trying to screw Nintendo owners out of a chance to have some fun.

Excuse me if I'm thinking about people who only own a Wii U and yet will HAVE to buy a Wii/3DS Starter Pack to also play with Bowser.
Oh, of course they might simply buy them on eBay, making Activision loose a lot of money; hopefully this will make them understand the mistake they made (99% sure V.V. has nothing to do with it).

And again, first time two Skylanders aren't universal.
I don't care if they are guest stars and if I'm personally not interested in them, they just ditched their original concept.
I'm actually really happy for multiple Nintendo owners because they look super fun to play as.

And again, not for the first time, Skylanders isn't in Japan. Activision has been ignoring a MAJOR gaming country about Skylanders for 3 games, but it looks like SuperChargers is coming to them. *us* Since Nintendo is really big there, why not give two exclusive figures to people who have missed 3 games?

Universal in terms of platforms.

Can I play my Spitfire on your Wii U?
Yes!

Can you play your Donkey Kong on my PS4?
No!

End of the story.
All the characters bought online will work on the japanese release of SuperChargers, and Activision might even decide to release all the previous figures to boost sales.

^darkchylde's comment on the podcast was puzzling to me. For example, he mentioned he was ok with the exclusivity but not the fact that you have to buy multiple starters. Well, didn't we do that for GITD Cynder? Punch Pop Fizz? Royal Double Trouble? Gnarly Tree Rex when he first appeared? That ship has already sailed. For me the big thing is being UNIVERSAL, and they've royally pissed off a ton of fans with this move. From a business standpoint, it will probably go great with both increased Activision Starter sales and Nintendo a small bump in system sales, but it's a net loser for the true Skylander fan. It's a slap in the face for everyone NOT running a Nintendo platform. No one considers Wii U next gen. So, they're expecting the true collector to shell out 3x starter prices if running something other than Nintendo, and they've alienated fans that want all figures but run another platform.

Quote: TakeYourLemons

^darkchylde's comment on the podcast was puzzling to me. For example, he mentioned he was ok with the exclusivity but not the fact that you have to buy multiple starters. Well, didn't we do that for GITD Cynder? Punch Pop Fizz? Royal Double Trouble? Gnarly Tree Rex when he first appeared? That ship has already sailed. For me the big thing is being UNIVERSAL, and they've royally pissed off a ton of fans with this move. From a business standpoint, it will probably go great with both increased Activision Starter sales and Nintendo a small bump in system sales, but it's a net loser for the true Skylander fan. It's a slap in the face for everyone NOT running a Nintendo platform. No one considers Wii U next gen. So, they're expecting the true collector to shell out 3x starter prices if running something other than Nintendo, and they've alienated fans that want all figures but run another platform.

Agree.
They Royally Double Troubled a lot of fans actually.

Ok, sorry.
Won't do it again.

But yes, I can get over Starter Pack exclusiveness and rarity.
What I can't and won't get over is universal compatibility.
Not as it is, actually but as it could become

Fearing for console exclusive brand new original Skylanders in the future...

I don't see the big deal about universal compatibility. If you're a big enough fan of Nintendo's characters that they really matter to you, you're best off buying a Nintendo console anyway. And if a kid tries to use DK on his friend's PS4, well, he'll be just as disappointed as a kid who tries to play with his Knight Light on his friend's copy of Swap Force. Kids learn about compatibility the hard way sometimes, but they get over it.


I think people are making up a problem in their heads when there is none. If you don't have a Wii U and don't intend to buy a Wii U...then just pretend that the DK and Bowser skymiibos don't exist. Suddenly you'll realize that your life and your experience playing Skylanders is exactly the same as it would have been if they really didn't exist.

There is no big deal right now (except for a certain disrespect towards PlayStation and XBOX only owners) but I fear there might be in the future.

One day I might not be able to play as a new Core or Gimmicklander just because it is exclusive to a console I don't own.
Tell me how this could be a good thing.

I just wish they never had this idea to begin with.

Let's talk about having to buy multiple starter packs to get everything. This seems to be a point of contention amongst some folks and while it's been touched upon a few times, I'd like to delve deeper into it.

For the long time fans of the series, you'll remember Spyro's Adventure. AHH, those sweet and innocent days. You bought a single starter pack and you were good to go, right?

Nope. The main console packs had Spyro, Gill Grunt and Trigger Happy, all three exclusive to these packs. #1.
The 3DS had Dark Spyro as an exclusive. Now, he was released solo down the road, but it was limited distribution (some events, a UK retailer sold him, and I don't know what happened with Target exclusivity - something I'd still love to hear the story behind) - but this was all well after the starter pack was released and he was touted to be exclusive to the 3DS bundle. #2.
Now, if you were lucky and bought your starter pack at Best Buy, you got your Volcanic Vault. Also released later as a bonus, it wasn't advertised really well at first and many folks bought our starters at Toys R Us (for their great sale prices and selection) and found out about the Volcanic Vault later. I bought mine off eBay, but some folks resorted to buying another Starter. I won't count this one, as you *could* have just started with it.
Then you had the 360 system bundle... Walmart exclusive. System + game. Yeah, a Microsoft system at that. You had to get one of these if you wanted the translucent Green Gill Grunt. #3.

Three bundles required. We could throw in the LG version of BattleGrounds, as it was packaged with random figures from Spyro's Adventure (including two randomly-inserted super-rare chase figures) - but we won't count it. You have Two Spyros, a Gill Grunt, a Green Gill Grunt, a Dark Spyro, a Stealth Elf, an Ignitor, two Trigger Happies, maybe a Volcanic Vault, an XBox 360 and three games (3DS, whatever console version you started with and 360 Console version)

Next up, Giants. Right off the bat, you had the Walmart-exclusive Glow-in-the-Dark bundles. GitD Cynder and a special GitD portal. To minimize the overlap, let's say you picked up the GitD version of the 3DS starter to also get the exclusive (at the time) Punch Pop Fizz. Sure, he was released solo later (even in the US, as a GameStop promo figure), but, again, at the time, there was no reason to believe he'd get a solo release. There's #1.
Then, most folks are going to buy a console starter pack. In reality, you don't *need* it, if you know what's being released down the line, but as this is the only way to get Jet-Vac and a regular Cynder at this time, most folks would. But we won't count it, since it isn't *required*.
Next up, Battlegrounds. Buying this gets you a regular Cynder and Jet-Vac. Buy the regular version to get the Platinum Treasure Chest (which does nothing special in the game) and the Series 1.5 Double Trouble figure, which is only in this bundle. #2.
Next up, Battlegrounds. Buying this gets you a regular Cynder and a Jet-Vac. Buy the GameStop-exclusive version to get the Platinum Treasure Chest and Royal Double Trouble, only in this bundle. #3.
Finally, throw down all your monies for your second system bundle you're required to buy - the Blue Wii bundled with Gnarly Tree Rex (or the PS3 bundle, if you're in Europe - but then, you don't get to get Royal Double Trouble. Poor Europeans). Exclusive to this bundle for all evidence we had at the time. Eventually released solo, but we had no reason to believe he would be. Hey, you also get an extra Jet-Vac and Cynder. Congrats. #4.

Four Starter Packs (assuming you didn't buy a console starter at launch). You get a GitD Cynder, three regular Cynders, three regular Jet-Vacs, a Punch Pop Fizz, a Tree Rex, a Gnarly Tree Rex, two Platinum Treasure Chests, a Royal Double Trouble and a Series 1.5 Double Trouble. If you bought a starter at launch, add in another regular Cynder, another Regular Jet-Vac and another Tree Rex. And you have a Blue Wii too. You bought two actual games (3DS and Wii, and probably a third console game at launch) and two download codes for the iOS game. Hope you have an iOS Platform. I don't. I have some iOS download codes I can't use.)

Next up, SWAP Force. Get your Console Version, as Wash Buckler is only in here. Blast Zone and Ninja Stealth Elf as well. #1
Get your 3DS version. The two swappers aren't exclusive, but Volcanic Eruptor was (although he, also, got a promotional release at Best Buy - but we had no way of knowing). - #2.
Get your Dark Edition. GameStop exclusive. Dark Wash Buckler, Dark Blast Zone, Dark Ninja Stealth Elf, Dark Mega Ram Spyro and Dark Slobbertooth. #3.
Think you're done? Think again, my friend. Go buy your Wii U bundle! White, "Basic" Wii U with exclusive Color-shifting Wash Buckler. #4.

So, you've got a Wash Buckler, a Dark Wash Buckler, a Color Shifting Wash Buckler, two Blast Zones, a Dark Blast Zone, a Ninja Stealth Elf, a Dark Ninja Stealth Elf, a Dark Mega Ram Spyro, a Dark Slobbertooth, a Rattle Shake, a Free Ranger, a Volcanic Eruptor, four games (a 3DS version, two console versions, a Wii U version) and a Wii U system.

They got generous with Trap Team. The non-exclusive Dark Starter (for your choice of console) gave you those three exclusives (and three exclusive traps), the regular starter gave you two exclusive figures and two duplicate traps. No need to buy the 3DS version, as both figures in here were released solo and no system bundles this game.

So, two console games, no duplicate characters (unless you *want* to buy the 3DS version), three unique traps and two additional duplicate traps.

This time around, you're looking at getting the Wii U version, the Wii version (or the 3DS version, if you prefer) and one other console version. You end up with two copies of the standard game, one copy of the Racing title, a Bowser and his vehicle, a DK and his vehicle, Spitfire and his vehicle and three Supercharged Stealth Elfs. And, if you're a completeist, then you already have a 360, a Wii and a Wii U system to play each of these games on, so you're set to go there - and you're used to having extra duplicate figures, since every game in the series so far has required you to acquire duplicates to get everyone anyway. Three Stealth Elves are pretty nice, considering, you could have three Jet-Vacs and three Cynders. Of course, we don't know if there will be single packs of Spitfire/Hot Steak released, dark versions, console bundles, etc.

Hope this recap of history helps some folks regain some rationality in their anger process.

Quote: Drek95

One day I might not be able to play as a new Core or Gimmicklander just because it is exclusive to a console I don't own.
Tell me how this could be a good thing.

I seriously, seriously doubt Activision would make a new character that they own the rights to console exclusive. There's NO reason they'd box themselves in like that. With Nintendo's characters, the only options were to either not have them or only have them on Nintendo's system. They're not locked into any kind of system with their own original characters. I agree, this would be a bad thing, but there's absolutely no reason to jump to this conclusion.

I'm okay with this.

One thing I just don't understand is why they included Stealth Elf in both the Wii U and 3DS versions. Surely they must've anticipated that people would buy both since they are two different games and both are on Nintendo hardware, not to mention they both have an exclusive Skymiibo. So why not include someone other than Stealth Elf with the 3DS version? Heck, a random Stealth Elf repaint would've been better than getting the exact same figure twice. What do they expect people to do with two Stealth Elfs?

Same thing they expected folks to do with their multiple Jet-Vacs, Cynders, Tree Rexes, Blast Zones, Spyros, and Trigger Happies... Long story short, Activision thanks you for buying extra figures. :D

Actually, out of all of those characters, Tree Rex and Cynder are the only ones you had to buy twice if you wanted both the console and handheld versions of the game (while you did technically have to buy two Spyros, at least one of them was Dark Spyro). Here's how it breaks down:


Spyro's Adventure on Wii U included Spyro, Trigger Happy, and Gill Grunt, while the 3DS version included Dark Spyro, Ignitor, and Stealth Elf.

Giants on Wii U included Tree Rex, Cynder, and Jet Vac, while the 3DS version included Tree Rex, Cynder, and Punch Pop Fizz.

Swap Force included Blast Zone, Wash Buckler, and Ninja Stealth Elf, while the 3DS version included Rattle Shake, Free Ranger, and Volcanic Eruptor.

Trap Team included Snap Shot and Food Fight, while the 3DS version included Gusto and Barkley.


Basically, for the last two games we've been able to buy both versions without having any duplicate figures. I mean did anyone need two Tree Rexes? No, and it seemed as though they had learned not to do that anymore. But now we're back with the same problem. It just looks sloppy, and it gives Nintendo owners less value for their purchase when they get both versions.

I just detailed everything above on what duplicate figures/games you had to buy to get "all" the figures. You can scroll up if you want to read it.

You are correct, if all you want is one console and one handheld version, you'll have a duplicate Tree Rex (you could avoid a duplicate Cynder by picking up one of your two games at Walmart and getting the Glow-in-the-Dark version). However, if you want *everything*, it requires many other duplicates.

What I left out in my whole spiel above, to get Volcanic Eruptor, you had to buy the 3DS pack, which came with Rattle Shake and Free Ranger. Then, at launch, if you wanted Nitro Magna Charge, you had to buy him in a two pack (exclusive to Target) with either Rattle Shake or Free Ranger.

Oh, and Barkley - either you likely already had him (from Frito Lay's promotion or the various Game Stop/Toys R Us promotions) or you wanted the new version of him, which would likely mean you'd want the new version of Whisper Elf, which was only in a two-pack with... Barkley!

Activision isn't ashamed of making you get duplicates.