darkSpyro

As per usual when it comes to Skylanders, I wait until the game's long-since out so I can get it for cheaper. I suspect I'll be getting it this weekend, since it's my belated birthday party and this is the only thing I've asked for. I'm particularly excited about this one since I adore the two Vicarious Visions Skylanders games I've played (SSA 3DS and Swap Force), so I expect their level design to shine through. Also pretty excited because I used to love racing games, and maneuvering vehicles around obstacle courses is certainly fun for me.

But, I realized that I only know pre-release stuff since I stopped paying attention once the game came out! Didn't even look to see how micro transaction-y the game is! I know that's my number one complaint about Trap Team, since I refuse to pay more than $10 for a character I don't even like, and that prevented me from being able to get all the collectables in the game.

As it may be relevant: I do not have a full collection, but I have more characters than I have used. I have a lot of core characters, mainly from SSA, a few Giants, one Swap Force of each movement type, and a few Trap Masters. I have at least one Skylander of each element except for Light. I also have a Trap of each element except for Light.

So my questions:

1. What do I need to get all the collectables? Will I need a Light Skylander? Because the only one I like is Spotlight and I refuse to pay secondary market prices for her.

2. How long is the game in comparison to the earlier titles? Do the vehicle sections being speedy make it go by faster?

3. How do the older characters control? Are they nerfed? Do the TFB characters feel as awkward as they did in Swap Force? (I don't know how to describe it, just that TFB characters like Chill felt more flat in Swap Force's world than VV characters like Scratch. Was particularly apparent when comparing the functionally similar Boomer and Blast Zone, as Boomer's bombs traveled in a flat plane while Blast Zone's traveled in an arc)

4. Is combat back to the knockback mechanics of SF? Or is it like the other games? (Knockback made combat better and Nightmare Mode fun rather than rage-inducing)

5. How far in the release schedule is it? Are there any characters/vehicles that have yet to be released?

6. What's the general consensus on how good the game is? Amongst Vicarious Visions fans if it's split? Is it embarrassingly glitchy like Trap Team?

Quote: ladala

As per usual when it comes to Skylanders, I wait until the game's long-since out so I can get it for cheaper. I suspect I'll be getting it this weekend, since it's my belated birthday party and this is the only thing I've asked for. I'm particularly excited about this one since I adore the two Vicarious Visions Skylanders games I've played (SSA 3DS and Swap Force), so I expect their level design to shine through. Also pretty excited because I used to love racing games, and maneuvering vehicles around obstacle courses is certainly fun for me.

But, I realized that I only know pre-release stuff since I stopped paying attention once the game came out! Didn't even look to see how micro transaction-y the game is! I know that's my number one complaint about Trap Team, since I refuse to pay more than $10 for a character I don't even like, and that prevented me from being able to get all the collectables in the game.

As it may be relevant: I do not have a full collection, but I have more characters than I have used. I have a lot of core characters, mainly from SSA, a few Giants, one Swap Force of each movement type, and a few Trap Masters. I have at least one Skylander of each element except for Light. I also have a Trap of each element except for Light.

So my questions:

1. What do I need to get all the collectables? Will I need a Light Skylander? Because the only one I like is Spotlight and I refuse to pay secondary market prices for her.

2. How long is the game in comparison to the earlier titles? Do the vehicle sections being speedy make it go by faster?

3. How do the older characters control? Are they nerfed? Do the TFB characters feel as awkward as they did in Swap Force? (I don't know how to describe it, just that TFB characters like Chill felt more flat in Swap Force's world than VV characters like Scratch. Was particularly apparent when comparing the functionally similar Boomer and Blast Zone, as Boomer's bombs traveled in a flat plane while Blast Zone's traveled in an arc)

4. Is combat back to the knockback mechanics of SF? Or is it like the other games? (Knockback made combat better and Nightmare Mode fun rather than rage-inducing)

5. How far in the release schedule is it? Are there any characters/vehicles that have yet to be released?

6. What's the general consensus on how good the game is? Amongst Vicarious Visions fans if it's split? Is it embarrassingly glitchy like Trap Team?

1) to get all collectibles you need 1 super charger, 1 land vehicle, 1 sea vehicle, and 1 sky vehicle. There are elemental vehicle areas in the hub, but that's just extra for coins and such. Supercharger challenges, unlocked when you have a matching supercharger and vehicle, are the same thing. Great for level up orbs.

2) Feels about the same I'd say. The vehicle zones don't really make it go by faster due to being a vehicle.

3) I honestly don't jnow, haven't really tried too many of my older people in this game.

4) Physics are like Swap Force.

5) Wave 5, Thrillipede and Buzz Wing, are releasing in the US, after other counties, May 24th. So it's at the end.

6) A lot of people don't like it because of the vehicle parts. I personally didn't mind it. But most people can agree the story was very good.

1. Don't bother with the light element if you can't get Spotlight cheap. I was disappointed in Astroblast. The elements really have no bearing in this game.

2. The chapters are long enough and really have some cool designs that give them a theme that makes them unique. This is the strength of SC. After beating Kaos, though, it gets old quick unless you are really into the online racing. The vehicle sections were something different, but a lot of people complain that it takes away from the true on-foot Skylander experience. Decide for yourself, I haven't raced online so perhaps I can't say. But I would rather some juicy after-game content like they had in Swap Force.

3. Older characters? To be honest, I'm not sure. There is no good coin cheat, and I am still trying to finish upgrading all of my characters. That keeps me too busy enough. Also, I never played Trap Team, and now I bought a few cheap Trap Team figures, so I'm mostly playing new figures in Superchargers. I know what you mean, though. Some of my favorites from Giants sucked in Swap Force. Sorry I don't have a better answer. Ninjini was still great, though!!

4. Not as much knock-back as Swap Force, rapid-fire seems to be the thing. Actually, a lot of the Superchargers seem weak compared to the Trap Masters. Don't bust your wallet, there are a lot of disappointing characters in Superchargers.

5. Everything has been released except Buzz Wing and Thrillipede (although the Easter variant of Thrillipede was released already.)

6. A lot of hating. just read up in the forum. Not glitchy, but driving was just too far off classic game-play, and it lacks after-game content like I said. I still enjoyed the richly artistic and stylistic chapters, but lately, I'm back to playing Swap Force and don't miss Superchargers.

My recommendation is that you spend as little as possible now, wait for more sales. Toys-R-Us is having surprisingly amazing deals on Skylanders like never before. You will probably get them super cheap in a year or two like the used ones at GameStop. My favorites are: Stormlade, Super Shot Stealth Elf, Splat, Bone Bash Roller Brawl, Lava Lance Eruptor, and Smash Hit. And my favorite vehicles are: Hot Streak, Shield Striker, Reef Ripper, and Jet Stream.

Enjoy the game!

Quote: GinjaNinja

1) to get all collectibles you need 1 super charger, 1 land vehicle, 1 sea vehicle, and 1 sky vehicle. There are elemental vehicle areas in the hub, but that's just extra for coins and such. Supercharger challenges, unlocked when you have a matching supercharger and vehicle, are the same thing. Great for level up orbs.

2) Feels about the same I'd say. The vehicle zones don't really make it go by faster due to being a vehicle.

3) I honestly don't jnow, haven't really tried too many of my older people in this game.

4) Physics are like Swap Force.

5) Wave 5, Thrillipede and Buzz Wing, are releasing in the US, after other counties, May 24th. So it's at the end.

6) A lot of people don't like it because of the vehicle parts. I personally didn't mind it. But most people can agree the story was very good.

1. Oh wow! That's a lot less than any predecessors. Nice to know that there's bonuses if I decide to get some of the others, though.

2. Yay! I was concerned because of how fast the sections seemed to go in some of the pre-release videos.

4. Yay!

5. Of course the one vehicle I wanted isn't out yet. Hope it's not like Spotlight where I won't be able to find it for retail once it finally releases.

6. Understandable. I'm weird in that I don't like the main Skylanders gameplay (or at least TFB's take on it). Just a classic Spyro fan who likes having cute figures to collect and use in-game. But yeah, something different is probably annoying if that's not why you like Skylanders.

Quote: Wishblade

1. Don't bother with the light element if you can't get Spotlight cheap. I was disappointed in Astroblast. The elements really have no bearing in this game.

2. The chapters are long enough and really have some cool designs that give them a theme that makes them unique. This is the strength of SC. After beating Kaos, though, it gets old quick unless you are really into the online racing. The vehicle sections were something different, but a lot of people complain that it takes away from the true on-foot Skylander experience. Decide for yourself, I haven't raced online so perhaps I can't say. But I would rather some juicy after-game content like they had in Swap Force.

3. Older characters? To be honest, I'm not sure. There is no good coin cheat, and I am still trying to finish upgrading all of my characters. That keeps me too busy enough. Also, I never played Trap Team, and now I bought a few cheap Trap Team figures, so I'm mostly playing new figures in Superchargers. I know what you mean, though. Some of my favorites from Giants sucked in Swap Force. Sorry I don't have a better answer. Ninjini was still great, though!!

4. Not as much knock-back as Swap Force, rapid-fire seems to be the thing. Actually, a lot of the Superchargers seem weak compared to the Trap Masters. Don't bust your wallet, there are a lot of disappointing characters in Superchargers.

5. Everything has been released except Buzz Wing and Thrillipede (although the Easter variant of Thrillipede was released already.)

6. A lot of hating. just read up in the forum. Not glitchy, but driving was just too far off classic game-play, and it lacks after-game content like I said. I still enjoyed the richly artistic and stylistic chapters, but lately, I'm back to playing Swap Force and don't miss Superchargers.

My recommendation is that you spend as little as possible now, wait for more sales. Toys-R-Us is having surprisingly amazing deals on Skylanders like never before. You will probably get them super cheap in a year or two like the used ones at GameStop. My favorites are: Stormlade, Super Shot Stealth Elf, Splat, Bone Bash Roller Brawl, Lava Lance Eruptor, and Smash Hit. And my favorite vehicles are: Hot Streak, Shield Striker, Reef Ripper, and Jet Stream.

Enjoy the game!

2. Good that they have good themes! But no postgame? That's too bad. I like racing though, so maybe online will be fun (forgot online was a thing, actually).

3. Well, hey, I have Ninjini (and Mini-jini). So at least there's one that's good!

4. Yeah, like question 3 implies, wasn't planning on getting too many Superchargers. As a four-legged animal/dragon fan, the selection is pretty boring this game. Good to know I'm not missing out on much!

6. Yeah, was just looking around and saw the hate. But it's the part of the game cycle where people are hating on the current game anyway, so I wanted to see if maybe fans are quiet. But again, I'm excited for the vehicles, so hope they're fun!

Thanks for the tips! I tend to wait for sales unless it's a super-favorite since I have so many now. Some of the characters you listed are ones I like the looks of, too.

Quote: ladala

5. Of course the one vehicle I wanted isn't out yet. Hope it's not like Spotlight where I won't be able to find it for retail once it finally releases.

Well, you can preorder them on toysrus.com already

Buzz Wing will be easy to find. The only reason spotlight was rare was due to them recovering from the then-recent west coast port strikes, which delayed wave 4 a bit and left a huge dent in Skylanders stock. Every Superchargers figure has been pretty easy to find upon their release.

On 3, everyone's pretty much the same on terms of speed now except for those focused on that, it's weird. Nobody feels slow but outside of dashing you won't feel like you're running much either even with hats for speed - the exception is the Tailwind Portal Master Power which makes Air Skylanders into Speedy Gonzales but for a short amount of time.

1. You may also want to get all the three Racing Action Packs or at least their trophies, and maybe the Kaos Trophy as well.

2. The game itself is more or less the same lenght as the previous ones, the only difference is that there are fewer worlds but longer (just like SWAP Force) and they have a different structure.
Regarding vehicles areas... The mandatory ones make everything feel longer after the first time.
And I don't mean it in a good way.

3. The situation isn't as bad as it was in SWAP Force from what I can tell but yes, a good number of TfB characters suffered from the different engine for various reasons.
Don't think the example you made is valid though: that's a pure matter of gameplay, not physics.
Boomer's bombs are intended to act that way just like Blast Zone's are bouncy: just look at Boomer's other explosives, they travel in arc as well.

4. Same as SWAP Force.

6. Except for the forced gimmick, the disappointing roster, the lack of post-game replayability for Skylanders, the exaggerate focus on vehicles and the nerfing of traps... I think it was a great game.
The plot is awesome, the graphics are gorgeous, there is some good character development, each world has something unique to it both in terms of gameplay and design and the vehicle gameplay itself is quite enjoyable.

Just... Don't expect much else after the first time you have played it.

Also, if you're worried about hats from TT, no big deal - you can get every single hat in the entire series from everywhere you can get otger collectibles with. The exploration aspect suffers a bit but now it's easy to just set hats to everyone for a long time since there are over 150, iirc.

Quote: mega spyro

Well, you can preorder them on toysrus.com already

Really? *Looks* Don't see it there now, but I'll keep an eye out. My closest Toys 'R Us is pretty far away though, so if I go that route I'll have to have it shipped.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

Buzz Wing will be easy to find. The only reason spotlight was rare was due to them recovering from the then-recent west coast port strikes, which delayed wave 4 a bit and left a huge dent in Skylanders stock. Every Superchargers figure has been pretty easy to find upon their release.

Ah, forgot about that. That explains it. Although I do remember Scratch being a late wave that was impossible to find if you didn't get it at the right time too, which is why I'm worried.

Quote: Bifrost

On 3, everyone's pretty much the same on terms of speed now except for those focused on that, it's weird. Nobody feels slow but outside of dashing you won't feel like you're running much either even with hats for speed - the exception is the Tailwind Portal Master Power which makes Air Skylanders into Speedy Gonzales but for a short amount of time.

That's good, after Trap Team where everyone felt really slow. Also hadn't heard of Portal Master Powers before (don't explain it I want to find out myself).

Quote: Drek95

1. You may also want to get all the three Racing Action Packs or at least their trophies, and maybe the Kaos Trophy as well.

2. The game itself is more or less the same lenght as the previous ones, the only difference is that there are fewer worlds but longer (just like SWAP Force) and they have a different structure.
Regarding vehicles areas... The mandatory ones make everything feel longer after the first time.
And I don't mean it in a good way.

3. The situation isn't as bad as it was in SWAP Force from what I can tell but yes, a good number of TfB characters suffered from the different engine for various reasons.
Don't think the example you made is valid though: that's a pure matter of gameplay, not physics.
Boomer's bombs are intended to act that way just like Blast Zone's are bouncy: just look at Boomer's other explosives, they travel in arc as well.

4. Same as SWAP Force.

6. Except for the forced gimmick, the disappointing roster, the lack of post-game replayability for Skylanders, the exaggerate focus on vehicles and the nerfing of traps... I think it was a great game.
The plot is awesome, the graphics are gorgeous, there is some good character development, each world has something unique to it both in terms of gameplay and design and the vehicle gameplay itself is quite enjoyable.

Just... Don't expect much else after the first time you have played it.

1. What do those add? I skipped out on the Adventure Packs in Trap Team because the price->content ratio was bad and had always been bad but it just took that long to put my foot down. Is there more to them? Or are they just Adventure Packs with Races?

2. Ok, good (I think). I liked the Swap Force-style levels myself. I guess I'll see how the mandatory vehicle areas feel.

3. Figured. Good that it's not as bad as Swap Force though. My Boomer/Blast Zone example I know is based on design, but the point is that TFB characters are designed for flat-plane battles rather than the more 3D battles that VV games have.

6. Hehe, "Except for a long list of things, it's good," almost sounds like it's bad! Most of that stuff I already know about though (VV's not as good at character design, traps not doing much) and I think I'll like the gimmick. So sounds like I'll enjoy it at least! Too bad about the lack of post-game, though.

Quote: Bifrost

Also, if you're worried about hats from TT, no big deal - you can get every single hat in the entire series from everywhere you can get otger collectibles with. The exploration aspect suffers a bit but now it's easy to just set hats to everyone for a long time since there are over 150, iirc.

Wasn't too worried about the hats, but good to know! What do you mean about the exploration suffering though, are there less secrets? Or is there just little point in seeking them out? Although, anything's better than playing Trap Team without all the elemental Trap Masters (look a secret passage! I wonder what I'll find? Oh, three paywalls, never mind).

Basically what others have said, but I can offer my own opinion on #6.

At first, I was a little disappointed with the game (The first level was just not my thing) But don't be disheartened if that's the case for you as well. There's some fantastic locations in the game and the plot is probably the best so far! I still have a problem with the forced land vehicle sections (Which IMO disrupt the flow of a level and are really not that interesting) but the sea/sky sections are actually pretty fun.

I'd probably give you the same advice someone gave to me: try the game with just the starter pack and buy any other figures if you like it.

With the Racing packs: As far as I know, they unlock new race tracks with playable villains you can race as. It's not for everyone.

Less secrets. Trap Team had a similar issue, but at least the paywalls had variety - the level collectibles are now randomized(chests and presents give just about anything,pinatas give currency of any kind), so there's little incentive to go looking because you can just farm chests in a location with no unskippable cutscenes(level start cutscenes are loading screens, VV's favorite) with the same results.

I won't need to explain the powers, you get introduced to them very quickly.

Racing Trophies only give 2 new tracks per terrain and villains stuff, but check lists to make sure it has what you want before buying - there are at least 3 unavaliable villains in every terrain that are there just to tease us in Supervillain Cup, no amount of cash can get those playable. Not worth it in my opinion, especially the Kaos Trophy(that just unlocks Kaos, which like before cheats but only usable in races now)

About Portal Master powers, I won't spoil anything but you'll wanna keep the number 74 in mind for a while

Quote: yelvy

Basically what others have said, but I can offer my own opinion on #6.

At first, I was a little disappointed with the game (The first level was just not my thing) But don't be disheartened if that's the case for you as well. There's some fantastic locations in the game and the plot is probably the best so far! I still have a problem with the forced land vehicle sections (Which IMO disrupt the flow of a level and are really not that interesting) but the sea/sky sections are actually pretty fun.

I'd probably give you the same advice someone gave to me: try the game with just the starter pack and buy any other figures if you like it.

With the Racing packs: As far as I know, they unlock new race tracks with playable villains you can race as. It's not for everyone.

Thanks for the tips! I did the try-it-with-just-the-starter-to-see-if-it's-worth-it thing with Swap Force and Trap Team. Probably will do the same here.

Quote: Bifrost

Less secrets. Trap Team had a similar issue, but at least the paywalls had variety - the level collectibles are now randomized(chests and presents give just about anything,pinatas give currency of any kind), so there's little incentive to go looking because you can just farm chests in a location with no unskippable cutscenes(level start cutscenes are loading screens, VV's favorite) with the same results.

I won't need to explain the powers, you get introduced to them very quickly.

Racing Trophies only give 2 new tracks per terrain and villains stuff, but check lists to make sure it has what you want before buying - there are at least 3 unavaliable villains in every terrain that are there just to tease us in Supervillain Cup, no amount of cash can get those playable. Not worth it in my opinion, especially the Kaos Trophy(that just unlocks Kaos, which like before cheats but only usable in races now)

Aww, less secrets huh? That's too bad. And VV's repeating their loading screen cutscene mistake? Yipes!

Kinda taunt-ey that they're letting you use villains... only if you buy new things rather than having traps work similarly. I guess it'll depend on how much I like the racing mode whether I get them or not.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

About Portal Master powers, I won't spoil anything but you'll wanna keep the number 74 in mind for a while

Ok.

Expect an announcement for Sky 6 and a really early release date.

Hope you enjoyed wasting money!

Quote: Iganagor

Expect an announcement for Sky 6 and a really early release date.

Hope you enjoyed wasting money!

What, do all copies of Superchargers stop working when the next game comes out? I still play the earlier games sometimes!

And besides, I haven't gotten a Skylanders game on release day since SSA came out. Lately I've been waiting until the next game is announced so the figures are cheaper lol. Getting it early this time!

I still play Trap Team actively despite Superchargers being out.

I was playing SC until I finally got the Darkness Skystone,but now I'm probably only going to touch it for my replay - if my X360 wasn't so nicely tucked away in a corner where it can't swamp the room with wiring, I'd be completing Doom Challenge and Arena mode on Medium since TT's just so fun in that difficulty.

Quote: ladala

Quote: Iganagor

Expect an announcement for Sky 6 and a really early release date.

Hope you enjoyed wasting money!

What, do all copies of Superchargers stop working when the next game comes out? I still play the earlier games sometimes!

And besides, I haven't gotten a Skylanders game on release day since SSA came out. Lately I've been waiting until the next game is announced so the figures are cheaper lol. Getting it early this time!

The sheep goes moo.

Try find out want I mean.

Tips: to find the rare, final releases just keep checking here for dates. So far I've heard either May 13 or 24. Or if you talk to GameStop or TRU employees, they can check for upcoming releases and confirm the date a week or two before. I hear Amazon is good for that, too, but I don't shop there.
My other tip is: even though I said there is no good coin cheat, the best way to get coins is to put all of your legendary treasures (magic items) in the Academy. They give a good amount of coins if you have a lot of them, but you can only do it once a day. Some people do cheat by going into their game system menu and changing the date. It might not work on all systems. I haven't tried it because I don't like the idea of breaking up my game play by reloading the game.

Quote: Iganagor

The sheep goes moo.

Try find out want I mean.

Lol, you trying to troll? I'm getting this game because I enjoy VV Skylanders games AND racing-type gameplay. Plus, Skylanders fills that collecting urge I always have. If you think that means I'm blindly following the series and lining Activision's pockets, not sure what to tell you.

Quote: Wishblade

Tips: to find the rare, final releases just keep checking here for dates. So far I've heard either May 13 or 24. Or if you talk to GameStop or TRU employees, they can check for upcoming releases and confirm the date a week or two before. I hear Amazon is good for that, too, but I don't shop there.
My other tip is: even though I said there is no good coin cheat, the best way to get coins is to put all of your legendary treasures (magic items) in the Academy. They give a good amount of coins if you have a lot of them, but you can only do it once a day. Some people do cheat by going into their game system menu and changing the date. It might not work on all systems. I haven't tried it because I don't like the idea of breaking up my game play by reloading the game.

Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately, my local stores all seem to have superfans or scalpers as regulars, as I never can find things on release date, or for some time afterwards. And as for the times I have asked employees, they restock during times I don't have access to transportation. Amazon's great though, I'm always stalking the pages of my favorites to see when they have it in stock.

So, for the money cheat thing, does that mean magic items don't do what they used to anymore? Not that I used them often, but still. Sparx and the ghost swords were nice for when I got stuck in Nightmare Mode.

Magic Items are just decoration now. Sparx just follows you around the hub,for example. You can grind them for money but to be honest both TT and SC make money a non-issue with the right...uh... "choices", let's say that while you're not playing.

Quote: Bifrost

Magic Items are just decoration now. Sparx just follows you around the hub,for example. You can grind them for money but to be honest both TT and SC make money a non-issue with the right...uh... "choices", let's say that while you're not playing.

Aww... But at least Sparx follows you rather than just being a statue. But hey, if it's as easy as in TT to get coins without going out of my way, I can use more of my collection!

Quote: ladala

Quote: Iganagor

The sheep goes moo.

Try find out want I mean.

Lol, you trying to troll? I'm getting this game because I enjoy VV Skylanders games AND racing-type gameplay. Plus, Skylanders fills that collecting urge I always have. If you think that means I'm blindly following the series and lining Activision's pockets, not sure what to tell you.

No, it means that the sheep didn't go baaaa this time