darkSpyro

I have Spyro's Adventure for 3DS (might get Giants) and am trying to determine what the best way is to access as much of the game without breaking the bank. How much more of the game and gameplay time do you really get from an adventure pack and extra figures besides repeating levels with a different character? From a purely gameplay perspective are the additional packs/figures worth it?

Get one of each element, and the Adventure Packs.

If you only have the 3DS game, don't bother with the adventure packs. The only worthwhile adventure pack is Darklight Crypt, and only if you have the console game. In the 3DS game the adventure packs give you one regular level, and one battle level, none of which are really that noteworthy.

If you liked the original 3DS game, you'll hate the 3DS version of Giants. It has MASSIVE slowdown issues that literally makes the game nauseating to play. There's also a lot of unskippable scenes that ruin the fun fast paced flow the original game had. You can skip cutscenes, but moments where you have to talk to people, and those little scenes that pan across the level to show you where to grab something or where to go next frequently interrupt the game in ways the original 3DS game never would have done. Avoid the 3DS version of Giants. It's awful.

Basically all you need to get your money's worth on the 3DS version of Spyro's Adventure is two characters, and the game comes with three. The extra elemental areas don't really offer anything that noteworthy, and for the 50 dollars you might end up paying for those extra elemental characters, you'd probably get about 5 minutes worth of bland content you otherwise wouldn't see. I have all the characters from the original game, and I still never bother going into those gates unless I happen to have the correct element with me.

Thanks to both of you! I was considering Matteomax's suggestion before, but I was ultimately trying to figure out if even those were worthwhile. Although with some of the Black Friday deals, it's not so much money. I appreciate the details you provided, DinoHex. We have a Wii, so I was considering getting the Wii version as well, although I play the DS much more than the Wii, so I don't want to get the game to have it just sit there.

Would you say the expansions are worthwhile for the Wii version? I understand they also work with Giants, is that correct?

The Adventure packs are just okay on the console versions, in my opinion. Darklight Crypt is easily the best level in the first game and still one of the great ones in the second, but I don't think the others are that notable(even though Slam Bam is a really cool Skylander- BA DUM TISS!). If you can, try to nab Dragon's Peak as Sunburn is totally exclusive to that pack and won't get rereleased any time soon. Simply the rarity he will soon be borne is worth considering the whole Pack. Empire of Ice is good but it lacks action and is iffy on length, while Pirate Seas is simply awful because you get bombarded with having to play a ton of boring card games to continue. If you plan to play both a lot, it MIGHT be worth considering the other two Packs, but unless you're a true completionist you can pass safely. Keep in mind, any future releases of the packs will become Toys"R"Us exclusive. In the end though, the levels are nothing outstanding and don't add epic length to the main game.

Thanks, Nibelilt! I'm more of an occasional gamer who just wants to have fun with it and get the most bang for my buck, not necessarily a completionist. So that makes a lot of sense and is helpful!

You should know though that without the console game, you can't reset your character's data. If you only have the 3DS game, it's going to be stuck at the level it's at forever. I know, it makes no sense. : (