darkSpyro

Maybe y'all can help me out on this one.

I haven't played any Skylanders since Spyro's Adventure (outside of about five minutes of Giants). The gameplay was alright but not entirely engaging for me, and I loathe Eon constantly telling me I need to use (read: buy) another Skylander every five minutes. But Splat having come out has made me reconsider and I do still have a bunch of figures I liked from all of the previous games to play with. But I'm on the fence. I don't know if it's actually worth spending $50 - $80 on Superchargers (not counting the extra $$ for the few figures I'd like to get).

Has the series changed much in terms of play from the first couple of games? Can one follow the story without needing to have played the other games (are there references to/jokes about the older games I'd miss without playing them)? Is Cali still around? Can I freaking murder Flynn yet (I know that's a "no" but a person can dream :D)? Is it fun to play for someone who is a general platformer/puzzle game fan (but who likes Mario Kart)?

I'd like to get it this weekend since GameStop is having a huge sale, but I only want it if it'd be worthwhile.

Thanks for any help, folks!

I don't think anyone here is going to be able to sway you one way or another. I'd simply gather intel from comments already said (many times here), check out youtube videos, and perform an assessment. Good news is price wise these things always get cheap, and you can always stay 2-3 years behind the curve to get all of this rather cheaply if cost is a factor.

Thanks for the info so far!

If I get the game, my plan is to just get Splat, her vehicle, and Stealth Elf's helicopter and call it good. Since I still have a bunch of figures I'd like to play with from older games, I'd just use them as needed.

It's kind of disappointing to have all the figures I have and no game to play them on. I'm not interested in rebuying SSA or Giants, the talking traps in TT put me off that one completely, and there was nothing about SF that ever caught my eye. Maybe I'll just get Splat, buy a Stealth Elf from the starter kit for cheap somewhere (I kind of collect her figures), and hope the next game is more interesting.

You can actually turn the trap speaker off completely in the settings. I recommend Trap Team if you aren't interested in the vehicles. Plus, Gamestop is doing a deal this weekend where you get a free starter pack of any previous game if you buy Superchargers (which is also on sale for Skylanders Day)

Quote: Razz

Thanks for the info so far!

If I get the game, my plan is to just get Splat, her vehicle, and Stealth Elf's helicopter and call it good. Since I still have a bunch of figures I'd like to play with from older games, I'd just use them as needed.

It's kind of disappointing to have all the figures I have and no game to play them on. I'm not interested in rebuying SSA or Giants, the talking traps in TT put me off that one completely, and there was nothing about SF that ever caught my eye. Maybe I'll just get Splat, buy a Stealth Elf from the starter kit for cheap somewhere (I kind of collect her figures), and hope the next game is more interesting.

I'm kind of interested in what you need for games to be engaging but honestly if you didn't care for SSA or Giants gameplay, then you probably are not going to be a Skylanders fan as it's mostly more of the same year after year, but with different gimmicks. Basic gameplay has not changed other than this year where it's like 60% racing and 40% like the old (except the old stuff feels a little rushed and under developed as they put more effort into making a racing game).

I can sorta tell that female characters holds your interest more (like many of us here) because you like Splat and asked about Kali. Perhaps you need stronger character developement for engaging game play? Swap Force focuses fairly heavily on a new girl named Tessa. Tessa is very much a cross between the serious Kali and goofy Flynn and she causes a romantic triangle to develop over the next two games and in the comics. You'll see a very different Kali in SC compared to SSA. She's tsundere as ever but is starting to loosen up towards Flynn and she's starting to act a little goofy herself. It's obviously happening because Tessa is more outward with her feelings towards Flynn and well, you know how competitive women are even towards jerks they have no real interest in. It's minor slow progression stuff like this which I really love to see but it's so small and quick that most people wouldn't even notice it.

In addition to that, you'll see a lot of other characters from the last two games whom are major characters in SC. Returning villians, etc, etc. And there is one section in the game that is a pure tribute to fans in general. Of course you don't really have to know who these people are, but it's like watching Star Wars in any random order where you wouldn't really appreciate things as much as if you had done it in the correct order.

But if storyline doesn't matter at all, then I honestly would have to have a game to play my characters on as it would bother me to no end to have figures and never be able to play them nor see them in action. Luckily the older games by themselves (just the discs) can be had for next to nothing so if they do indeed suck to you, then it's not a biggie as you probably only spent $3 each on them. Play them just a little to see your guys in action.

But to play as the wonderful Splat, you do need a SuperChargers disc. You can get a Trap Team portal for about $10 and a SuperCharged disc for $15ish and use them together. They have instant Spitfire and Hot Streak which pops up when you use the TT portal and that's basically how I cheaped out this year, spending about $70 total for various characters and a cheap disc. Or for just a little more money you can get a SuperCharged starter for $40 which is currently the new MSRP on the starters (assuming that the rumors are true about that on the other threads here).

Honestly for a causal fan, I wouldn't recommend getting a SuperCharged starter unless really REALLY cheap. I am a huge Skylanders fan yet I was only excited for Splat and I was considering taking a pass this year, but I really REALLY wanted to play as her, so I had to buy the game. As a fan, it was an OK game and it offered some interesting minor progression to the characters but the racing killed it for me. I think it would have been a really interesting game had they done away with the racing and focused more on the newish parts in the game and expanded on that (basically doing the same thing as always but doing it better! LOL).

I think if you wanted to try to get into Skylanders as a series, you may do better getting Swap Force and just ignore the gimmick gates (which you can totally do) and play the game for the story as that introduces a lot of characters you'll see later on. If that sucks, then the much shorter levels of SC could be more to your taste but honestly most of them were so short that it didn't please the platformer/puzzle game fan in me. Oh and SC is WAY easier than any of the other games. If you like your games challenging, then SC really wouldn't be for you as it's a cake walk with certain characters even on nightmare. I was a little insulted at how easy it was and how it hands everything to you with minimal effort. SF makes you work for stuff and is much more fulfilling. Honestly that was probably worse than the entire racing aspect for me as it seems that someone determined Skylanders was too hard and they dumbed it down a ton for SC.

Agree with TrapShadowFan.
I'd definitely recommend you Trap Team over SuperChargers since it's more in line with what SA was.

It's probably the best Skylanders experience I've had so far.
Just turn off the Portal's speaker and you are done!

SuperChargers is a great game but it definitely focuses on vehicles more than it should.
If you are a Mario Kart fan I'd suggest you to simply buy the 3DS version if possible.
Otherwise you might not enjoy the platforming part nor the vehicles one.

Just for Splat, not sure if I recommend it. She'll be playable next game,almost sure of it,and Superchargers just doesn't seem worth it unless it's at a really good sale or used. Trap Team seems like a better deal for now(you don't actually need to use traps,the game will just be harder that way) because everything but Light and Dark figures are cheap enough for the Traptanium Gates not be such a stab in the wallet. Cali is in both TT and SC too, though she doesn't really do a whole lot outside of the story because in SC she just manages the friends list, which you can acess in the pause menu anyway.

Honestly?

Yes. But I wouldn't necessarily jump to SuperChargers. If you are unsure, you can go on eBay and search "Skylanders Lot" and most likely find a bunch of figures AND the game for SUPER cheap for older entries. You can get Giants for Wii U at 5 Below now as well as an abundance of figures...they have a crazy stock of TRIPLE packs for a dollar now.

In general/overall - the games themselves are good and worth the base cost, the question is how deep into your pockets you should go...and frankly I don't recommend you go deep.
- Unreall

Well, Superchargers is a pretty good game, but I wouldn't recommend buying it as the first Skylanders game you play. Even though Trap Team is the most flawed game in the series, I recommend you probably play that one first.

Quote: Drawdler

^ Agreed, but no harm collecting some opinions. Sooo here are mine.

ookkkaaayyy, well then Razz....no you should not get this game. Not just for the few female characters you have. It's gimmick friendly, and you probably want to concentrate more on the characters. The vehicles feel more masculine, which is probably offensive if you want female character immersion. There are no rainbow ponies or anything remotely feminine for the vehicles which are required (land at least). Sky Slicer and Sea Shadow may be exceptions.

If you like the idea of using vehicles, or racing online with others, re-consider. But the vehicle thing is not optional. You need to know that going in.

That being said Splat is very colorful and I like playing her a lot.

There you go.

Thanks so much everyone! :)

I think I've decided to not bother with buying this game or any other ones for now, but I'll still get the last few figures I've wanted that are on sale this weekend. In case anyone was curious, I've been following Skylanders since it was announced (and was essentially the only "classic" Spyro fan to support it from the start). It's a neat series in general, but I think it's just not my style of gaming, especially since it hasn't changed much from the first two games (which look cool, have good music, are fun to explore, but aren't very fun to play for me). Maybe a future game will be more my style of play, so I'll hold out for that and keep watching this franchise from the sidelines. Thanks again for all the info and help, folks!