darkSpyro

I've yet to see any topic like this, and if there has been one, forgive me for posting at repeat.

We've seen plenty of comparisons between different aspects of games. We've seen plenty of bashing of different aspects of the games. But have we really reviewed the gamesa as a whole, rather than having level count, roster, gimmick, or post-game content be the only thing to compare?

I'd like to make a collection of six reviews, one for each of the main Skylanders games. What I would like you other reader to do is make a list of aspects that should be reviewed for every game. You can also describe how much of the game is needed to be played to get a full glimpse of what it has to offer.

Here's what I will do as the reviewer: I will reset the collection of Skylanders needed to complete the game until the described point, then play to that exact point, participating in extra content along the way. I do not want to let nostalgia take into account for my reviews, so no personal feelings of particular cast members, levels, or other aspects of each game should apply. This will be done in the hopes I can create a truly unbiased review of each game in the series.

I will first start with SSA, then progress through each of the games, carrying through them two Skylanders from each previous entry to see how they hold up in them. I will try to complete one review a week every Saturday, starting next week. I will accept thoughts for what aspects should be reviewed collectively in each game until then. Please let me know what your thoughts are!

Nice. Looking forward to it. The Imaginators section might as well just be Skylanders in general at this point.

Oh, interesting idea. Can't wait!

Good to hear the support, but if you have any ideas about what aspects to take onto account, please post them; I would rather not forget about them.

Just everything, I'd say.

Hmm...maybe I should make a list of what should be accounted for in my Skylanders reviews then.

Gameplay

I believe this comes down to several key things: Combat, Platforming, and Exploration, as those tend to be what defines the entire genre Skylanders is part of.

Personalization

Throughout the games, there have been diverse means to make your profile look unique. This will come down to Skylander, Hubworld, and Collection Customization. The latter is one that applies to every Skylander at once, such as Portal Master Powers in Superchargers, or the achievement system in SSA and SG.

Style

Music, Graphics, and Difficulty all go under here as they affect the general appearance of the game, as well as the overall feel of the other aspects.

Misc.

Other miscellaneous, yet crucial, aspects are grouped here. This will include Story, Post-Game, and Level Selection. Hubworld will also be considered here.

Figures

The figures themselves are as important as the core game, so they deserve their own section. Quality, Quantity, and Unlockable will be here. The final section is what is unlockable with each new character, whether it be Elemental Gates, or other aspects.

Legacy

This will focus more on first my First-Time Impression, or what I felt when I originally played the game. Then comes my Review Impression, or what I felt after my reviewing time. Finally, my opinion on the Impact it has had on the series. This section will primarily be opinionated, and thus, will not count towards the review.

Overall

This will be the final score of all the sections.

[i]Gameplay, Personalization, Style, Misc. and Figures[i] will be given a score from 1 to 5, then added together to make a final score out of 25. Whichever game has the highest score will be considered the best Skylanders entry. Note that this is merely an opinion, but I will try my best to have it be as unbiased as possible.

Really like this idea, zookinator, and I completely agree with your choices for the various categories.

Would like to make a few suggestions:
- I’d change “Graphics” to “Aesthetic” just for the sake of making easier to understand the intent to discuss about not only the graphic engine but also the stylistic choices, which vary greately especially according to teh developers.
- I’d also talk briefly about the time and context these games came out in, and how they impacted and were influenced by the previous and following entries.
Especially in terms of figures, as there are big differences in terms of roster quantity and quality.

Really curious to read your opinions!

Alright, I can do that. Note that I will play through each game on Expert difficulty. Here's how the review format will look like:

Time Period:

Gameplay—
Combat:

Platforming:

Exploration:

Personalization--
Skylanders:

Hub:

Collection:

Style--
Music:

Aesthetics:

Difficulty:

Miscellaneous--
Story:

Post-Game:

Level Selection:

Hub:

Figures--
Quality:

Quantity:

Unlockable:

Legacy--
First-Time Impression:

Review Impression:

Predecessor Impact:

Successor Impact:

Overall—

On another note, I could use some thoughts on what should be done for the length I play, and what Skylanders I use. While I certainly could play through the entirety of the campaign, it may be difficult to roll out one review every Saturday if I do. Any ideas on how much through the game I should play?

Another question: which Skylanders should I use on my playthroughs? I'd rather not reset my entire collection of Skylanders for each game, but I don't want to feel like I'm making an unfair representation either.

Looking really promising!

For the lenght, I’d say you should at least enter the “core of the action”, kinda the middle of the Story.
Quite after the start, so that you can basically taste what the game has truly has to offer, and after which there isn’t really much else to say at least in terms of gameplay.

As for the characters to use, I recommend at least one Core and one Gimmicklander per category, based on which figures are playable in the various games.
This way you can showcase certain problems, such as Imaginators being fairly easier with Senseis as opposed to any other previous character.
Other than that, no particular preferences or advice for Elements or actual Skylanders; go with your favorites and have fun!

I would probably do half of the levels the game has to offer, as well as one level each of the various post-game activities that are available. I will also try half of any adventure pack levels that are available in the respective game.

As for my roster, I will probably use around half of the collection in each game: 2 from each element in SSA, all the new Skylanders in SG, and one each of the gimmick and core in SF and TT. In SC, I will use one of each elemental Supercharger, and one Vehicle from each element. SI will have one Sensei of each class/element, as well as one Imaginator from each. Each game will carry over one Core and one Gimmick from each of the previous games for sake of seeing how they hold up.

One note on the play through: I believe that one of the most intriguing things each game has to offer is the Final Boss, yet I doubt I will be able to get to the point to face them in each. So, on my personal profile, I will attempt to beat the respective boss with my current collection of Skylanders. Other than that, I think everything will go smoothly.

Sorry if I've missed this, but will you be taking Adventure Packs into account in your reviews?

Either way, this looks amazing, and a little overwhelming too (in the covered-all-bases, definitive and best way). I can't wait to see what you write!

Sounds good! Just try to not get burnt out as you do it - I've only done two reviews and already I'm out of energy! I'm interested in what you have to say though.

As I stated above, I will try to involve at least half the adventure packs from each game. ALthough, given that I have enough time, I will perhaps try to complete the campaign of the game, that way I can make the fairest review on the story and the game as a whole. While that will be fairly easy to accomplish for SSA and SG, SSF will be harder due to the length of each level. We'll see what happens.

As for burning out, I expect that these reviews won't be as difficult as video reviews, as I only have to type text. Still, I haven't really done an in-depth review before, so it will be a challenge. I have been playing Skylanders since it first came out, though, and I want to ensure that the games are all given the best treatment desire what mistakes they may have made.

On a more personal note, I feel like people either heap too much praise onto a certain game (SSF, SI), or gie too much criticism to another (STT, SSC), and I want to see if they are warranted, or if they are biased. Given the fan base at the respective times of each game, it is understandable to see why certain aspects were either forgotten or superfocused. There were even outside factors to each game, such as the Toys to Life market, or prerelease information, that changed people's opinion, and ultimately have little to do with the game itself. We really shouldn't judge a game based on sales alone, as--for sake of comparison--the Wii U sold miserably despite the fact it was a respectable machine. Other factors simply contributed to it not doing so well.

I've gone on for too long, and I nearly forgot one of the main reasons I was posting: I will be reviewing the Wii version of SSA, the Wii U version of Giants, and the Xbox One versions of the last four entries. Several months ago, I discovered that my SSA and SG discs were damaged, to the point that they end up crashing or freezing upon certain circumstances, whether they be in-game events, or even scanning in a Skylander. I meant to order new discs sooner, but it wasn't until now that I acted.

I've already ordered replacement discs, but SSA won't arrive until Thursday. It will hopefully not hamper my review period, but be ready just in case my review day is later than planned.

Unfortunately, I have to delay my review for SSA this week. I got my disc later than expected, and other complications came up, such as schoolwork. I will try to have the first review ready by next week, as things have been too busy for e to try and catch up today. Don't worry: my project is still live!

EDIT: Also, feel free to help out with my Skylanders board game project. I welcome any help I can get!