darkSpyro

This might be in the wrong place, sorry.

What's your favorite Skylander game and why?

Mine has to be Trap Team. I really loved the hunt for this game. The figures and characters were great, and I really loved the level design and story as well. The trapping villains thing appealed to my Pokemon-loving mentality. This was also the last game that I thought that truly felt like Skylanders. Superchargers and Imaginators are great, but I don't think they quite capture the Skylanders feel.

It was Trap Team but now it's Imaginators.

This might be out of nostalgia, but my favorite is still the original. SSA just had so many special things, from some Skylanders speaking gibberish, to the display screen for the collection being really beautiful, to water containing areas that only certain characters could access. All characters had their clear benefits and detriments, with flying often removing a third skill but giving the ability to access water. Elements had a clear separation in access and aesthetics - Fire allowed lighting areas up and killing zombies, Earth allowed destroying rocks that normally required a pickax, and Water allowed you to go over water. Prism Break and Whirlwind also had a special thing in that only they could destroy the giant purple crystals without bombs. The story was quite good and made sense, and it always felt like an achievement to complete the missions.

Giants took the formula from the first but just didn't quite have the magic. It also reused quite a few assets throughout many of the side areas, and using the elemental zones as barriers rather than gates I didn't really like. I liked some of the things the Giants allowed for, but as a whole it just didn't seem quite as good as the original.

Swap Force ruined the formula, idk what it was but I just didn't like it, not to mention the replay value was hardly replay value but more a grind. It might have been the addition of a jump button that made me not like it, it just seemed out of place and overall unnecessary. However, Swap Force was by far the best gimmick.

Trap Team was good, had some of the magic back, but not nearly on the level as SSA. I didn't really like the trapping feature, and most of the boss fights were pretty boring. I did love how reminiscent its boss fight was of the original though.

Superchargers had some really nice parts, also having a boss fight reminiscent of the original though not quite as much. However, it had too much emphasis on the vehicles, and not enough pure Skylanders, as most people tend to say. I did not share this opinion until recently going back to the game, but now I wholeheartedly agree with it.

Imaginators it brings back the villans and has the best roster so far with colorful graphics and having the skylanders be your guides in the story is a nice touch

Swap Force. It was the only time the series really felt like it took a major step.

For characters and figures, Trap Team (or Spyro's adventure; tough decision). For gameplay and action, Swap Force. For overall concept/broadness, Imaginators.

I've said it a few times before, but Swap Force is currently my favorite. I loved the gimmick, the gameplay, the amount of content, and it was generally the game I enjoyed the most.

I think Trap Team's characters are better, but SF is the best game in general. I'll let you know if this changes once I play Imaginators

Giants. This was my first game, and I've been obsessed with Skylanders ever since. The giants were big and powerful with lots of health. The green-based ones were cheaper, but then I discovered the wow-pows and unlocking heroic challenges and got into the hunt. the chapters were great, the characters had strengths and weaknesses and I learned to play strategically. ...and play and play. ...find all the soul gems, chests, etc.
Swap Force had some great characters, but it lost the magic and no game has been the as good since. Except maybe Imaginators. If it is the last game, they are definitely going out on a high note.
Spyro's Adventures was about as good, but maybe since I went backwards as a newcomer in 2012, it wasn't as thrilling for me as Giants. I recently did a replay challenge on nightmare mode and confirmed my choice. It's just my opinion, but I'm loyal to Giants.

I have to decide between Spyro's Adventure or Imaginators. Spyro's Adventure was so much fun and my favorite skylander, Wrecking Ball was in it. I also like that when you placed the characters on the portal they just appeared there on the screen the second you did so. From Swap Force and up you needed it to take a few seconds and they changed the art of the characters, some for the better of them while others were destroyed. Imaginators does give me the same feel as Spyro's adventure with story, even though it doesn't go well with the skylander time line. I think it is also good because it was made by Toys for Bob, which was the creator of the original game.

Now that I have played Imaginators, I feel that I must change my answer. While I am not a creative person, the gimmick is quite fun and enjoyable, even considering that. The game plays on nostalgia with plenty of music from the fort game, even with color schemes for Imaginators named some of the original levels. For the first time I feel like the new music is a welcome addition as well, blending new and old wonderfully. The jump button actually feels useful, being needed but not overplayed. The elemental realms really feel like their elements, and even the area she where certain elements are stronger sometimes feel like they belong that way. SSA will always have a nostalgic place, but now I think I finally have a new favorite after all these years.

So my final ranking would be:
SI
SSA
SG
SSF
STT
SSC
After revisiting the others and playing SI.

Either Trap Team or Imaginators. After I'm done with Imaginators, I will do a 100% of Trap Team, then I can determine which game I like the most.

Imaginators because of the character creation, the M.A.P, the replay value and the fact that Spyro plays a role in the story as an NPC.

My favorite has always been Spyro's Adventure. I have the most good memories of that game, and it was, all around, a magical experience I'll never forget. I can't think of any other way to describe it.

Also, back then was the only time that waiting for wave releases was actually exciting instead of annoying, in my opinion.