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[KelpPlankton]

The locking crystals thing is a big downside to an otherwise really good game, yeah. From what I understand it was an Activision mandated decision. Which is not terribly surprising. Just disappointing.

That said, there's a lot of good discounts on crystals already and they're likely to be in plentiful supply long-term, so waiting to get things for cheap is pretty reasonable. Especially since Black Friday will probably have some good sales on these.

 

[Mega Man's Electric Sheep]

So I picked up the Crash PS4 edition despite my misgivings about the 10 level campaign....and I think it's fantastic. I've already been playing 9 hours, and I've been messing around with so many different things (like the really long and great Crash level, the elemental levels) that I've only finished 3 levels of the campaign. So it's not as short as I feared. The game itself feels like a back to basics approach, the level design and focus on platforming and combat appeals to me a lot more than Superchargers did. This might end up being my favorite in the franchise.

 

[Stanng243]

I am still incensed about how badly Best Buy screwed this up. I preordered the PS4 crash edition back in August, I called today to find out the status, and after getting disconnected twice, I was told I was basically SOL. They did guarantee that in 14 days my order would be automatically cancelled if it didn't come back into stock.

 

[Kitoro]

Any variants to look out for so far?

 

[KelpPlankton]

Any variants to look out for so far?

Transparent pink Barbella and fully transparent Starcast. Don't seem to be any starter pack chase figures this time.

 

[Jeff Albertson]

You can overwrite it (the battle class)...but you need the 3ds version of one of the older games to reset it...it's dumb...everything else is changeable...

That being said...this might be my favorite game in the series...really really solid and my daughter is LOVING creating her own skylander...

Thanks sounds like my son will love it his favourite by far is trap team but think the creation stuff will appeal to him massively!

 

[Stanng243]

So apparently Best Buy finally got my item. What else should I buy to get the most fun? I have hordes of older skylanders packed away somewhere. I'm getting the crash bundle to start.

 

[Chronospherics]

I personally don't mind the fact that the crystals are locked to a particular class. I don't think i would ever buy another crystal if they weren't, so I understand why it works the way it does. All of the gameplay variance they offer stems from the class selection, not the elemental selection. So the elemental typing alone doesn't incentivise multiple purchases.

I think the game is pretty decent but it doesn't match the quality of any of the titles developed by Vicarious Visions. Toys for Bob are just third rate in comparison. One of the biggest issues with the levels designed by Toys for Bob is their favour of taking control from the player in order to convey the games narrative, or introduce new areas. It gives the gameplay quite a 'stop and start' feel and it really damages the pacing in my opinion. It often feels like you can't play for more than a minute or so without having control taken away from you, and that's just not good game design.

That aside, the user interfaces in the Toys for Bob iterations of the Skylanders games are also inferior, and that's an issue in the Skylanders game that introduces the loot based system. While I get the appeal of wanting to physically show players what every single loot item looks like as they unlock it, having to transfer over to a completely different screen to view and unlock these items (the chest screen) is tedious. Most games that offer a looting system that they want the players to visually digest simply overlay the graphics over the gameplay, but again Toys for Bob aren't opposed to taking control from the player in order to convey information.

Overall though it's pretty fun. I like the level design for the most part, and I enjoy the reorientated focus on combat that was unfortunately missing in Superchargers. Creating your character is a fun process though it's a shame that it doesn't feel as if their powers have quite as much personality as the regular Skylanders.

 

[KelpPlankton]

Been playing a lot, the created characters can be a ton of fun once you get some upgrades on them.

Looking forward to the weekend so I can get the story finished up and start on my Nightmare playthrough.

 

[wrestleman]

Still working on the main game, but finished Thumpin' Wumpa Islands and was blown away by it as a Crash fan. Crash and Cortex are also amazing fun to play as outside of their own level too, which is something I am thankful for.

Activision supplied me with a copy thanks to me having some connections going back to the mid-2000s Crash teams, so I'm going to be posting several in-depth looks at the Crash stuff and then a full game review down the road. I'm unfortunately too busy to do it quickly, as much as I'd love to.

 

[KelpPlankton]

Man I wish there was like a 'face accessory' category with stuff like glasses and eyepatches.

Snapped some video of her in action too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdKX6xtd4Hg'

It's a lot of fun to make things from other things.

 

[Catman]

Man I wish there was like a 'face accessory' category with stuff like glasses and eyepatches.

Snapped some video of her in action too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdKX6xtd4Hg'

It's a lot of fun to make things from other things.

Ha! That's pretty cool.

 

[User 479360]

Is the base wireless yet?

 

[KelpPlankton]

Is the base wireless yet?

The base that came with the first game was wireless, what a weird halfassed troll post

 

[User 479360]

The base that came with the first game was wireless, what a weird halfassed troll post

It wasn't, though. I don't remember any of the bases being wireless.

I just bought the game and am hoping it's wireless. lol.

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

It wasn't, though. I don't remember any of the bases being wireless.

I just bought the game and am hoping it's wireless. lol.

But the first base is wireless, haha.

All the 3DS bases are wireless too.

 

[spyroflame0487]

It wasn't, though. I don't remember any of the bases being wireless.

I just bought the game and am hoping it's wireless. lol.

The Wii version (and I really could have thought 360 and PS3's) portal was wireless. There's a small usb that plugs into the wii, kind of like a wireless mouse. All of the 3DS portals are also wireless because they use the system's bluetooth (or wireless?) tech.

I think they ended up making them all wired because it gave better performance when scanning in characters and such. I kind of remember a bit of a delay usually when using the Wii one.

 

[Dragoshi1]

Got my custom Imaginator card I ordered, came in a fancy Skylanders themed envelope(With a nice gold seal with all the element icons on it), and a letter from "Master Eon", your Imaginator's name mentioned several times, along with the card itself.

And I equipped it with the best gear I could, and in-game, he was wearing it all.

$15 well spent.

 

[fernoca]

The Wii version (and I really could have thought 360 and PS3's) portal was wireless. There's a small usb that plugs into the wii, kind of like a wireless mouse. All of the 3DS portals are also wireless because they use the system's bluetooth (or wireless?) tech.

I think they ended up making them all wired because it gave better performance when scanning in characters and such. I kind of remember a bit of a delay usually when using the Wii one.

http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/c2kAAMXQAoNRIrOY/s-l300.jpg

3DS uses IR (infrared port), so no compatibility with the console versions that way (in the first game you could connect the USB cable in the 3DS portal and use it on Wii) .

The portals stopped been wireless for two reasons: battery life and the dongle. With probably the dongle having the most influece as Activision had a a few problems with kids losing the dongle and parents looking for ways to get replacements... for free.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

OMG, is this out?

I only want this for the Crash stuff.

Like.... am I gonna need to spend a whole lot just to enjoy this game? I've never played a Skylanders game before. Can I just snag the Crash edition and play the whole game without buying another figure?

Spoiler

lord help me if I get hooked on this shit, I just bought a PSVR

edit: Goddamn!! the Crash Edition is $100 bucks!?

 

[BulletBees]

I'm actually using my wireless PS3 portal for Imaginators on PS4. Kinda neat.

 

[spyroflame0487]

Like.... am I gonna need to spend a whole lot just to enjoy this game? I've never played a Skylanders game before. Can I just snag the Crash edition and play the whole game without buying another figure?

Spoiler

lord help me if I get hooked on this shit, I just bought a PSVR

edit: Goddamn!! the Crash Edition is $100 bucks!?

The Crash Edition is for the PS3/PS4 and is exclusive for a little while. If you have a Wii U, I find the Gamepad usually has something nice on the bottom screen and I feel it's probably one of the better versions of the game. The Wii U version also is the only one you can play Bowser/DK on, in addition to the Crash ones (which can be played on any version)

Basically, every Skylanders game can be played all the way through the ending with just a single figure. However, some games, usually the ones with a gimmick will require the gimmick character to be used in mandatory areas, but other than that you can use just one figure to complete it.

The game does though have many, many extra areas that will require you to unlock them with a character of a certain element or presumably in SI, one of a certain battle class probably (Maybe someone with the game can confirm). These areas contain an item, a hat, etc which are needed usually for 100% completion of the game.

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

The Crash Edition is for the PS3/PS4 and is exclusive for a little while. If you have a Wii U, I find the Gamepad usually has something nice on the bottom screen and I feel it's probably one of the better versions of the game. The Wii U version also is the only one you can play Bowser/DK on, in addition to the Crash ones (which can be played on any version)

Basically, every Skylanders game can be played all the way through the ending with just a single figure. However, some games, usually the ones with a gimmick will require the gimmick character to be used in mandatory areas, but other than that you can use just one figure to complete it.

The game does though have many, many extra areas that will require you to unlock them with a character of a certain element or presumably in SI, one of a certain battle class probably (Maybe someone with the game can confirm). These areas contain an item, a hat, etc which are needed usually for 100% completion of the game.

Sounds good! Thanks for the info. I wonder how likely it is I'll find a Crash edition in-store...

 

[KelpPlankton]

Crash Edition on PS3 you might find, the PS4 one is starting to vanish though.

Luckily the standalone Crash 2pack will be part of the November wave of figure releases.

 

[fernoca]

Skylanders Academy is on Netflix.

12 episodes and one of them features (spoiler?) Crash by the way.

 

[pixelation]

Skylanders Academy is on Netflix.

12 episodes and one of them features (spoiler?) Crash by the way.

Cool, thanks!!! *hops on Netflix*

 

[PeakPointMatrix]

Skylanders Academy is on Netflix.

12 episodes and one of them features (spoiler?) Crash by the way.

What! Which episode?

Edit: Found it, it's at the tail end of episode

Spoiler

10 and all of 11.

And holy crap, they actually

Spoiler

gave Crash a voice! And not gonna lie, I sort of prefer this to the Activision brainless gobbledygook, although I would have preferred a voice closer to the original Crash samples from the ND games but eh.

 

[KelpPlankton]

Oh wow, didn't expect Crash to be in the cartoon series too. I'll have to check that out.

They're really getting him out there to see if modern kids like him or not I guess.

 

[Memnoch]

I buy every release to play with the kids and have a great time, and Imaginators is no different. It's the most fun in a platformer I've had since mario. Excellent game.

 

[Tizoc]

So this game autosaves I see.
I decided to play on Hard but the boss was too much for me on single player
I plan on getting Spyro so what's the best (US) Imaginator toy to get for him?

 

[KelpPlankton]

So this game autosaves I see.
I decided to play on Hard but the boss was too much for me on single player
I plan on getting Spyro so what's the best (US) Imaginator toy to get for him?

The Eon's Elite Spyro has the nicest paint job and a 300% boost to all his stats I believe. He's the one I'd go with if you want an iconic Spyro.

There's quite a few versions of him from the various Skylanders games though.

 

[fernoca]

Yeah. Eon's Elite is the best Spyro.

Mega Ram looks cool with the long horns, though outside Eon the other one I like is Spry (i.e. Baby Spyro).

 

[Tizoc]

The Eon's Elite Spyro has the nicest paint job and a 300% boost to all his stats I believe. He's the one I'd go with if you want an iconic Spyro.

There's quite a few versions of him from the various Skylanders games though.

Thanks, but are Skylander toys region free? I have the US ver. of the game so if I get the EU one it'd still work right?

Oh and Eon Elite looks rather derpy

 

[KelpPlankton]

Yeah the toys are all region free. And unfortunately all the Spyro toys are kinda derpy, he hasn't gotten a toy that reflects his better in-game model for a while. The Mega Ram one is maybe the least goofy looking in terms of face but he's got weirdly huge horns that I'm not a fan of.

 

[fernoca]

The first season of Academy is way better than anticipated. Great quality, good humor.

And even though is a prequel to the games, loved all the nods to all the games.

Spyro been the star and even Crash having an episode was cool too.

 

[RK128]

The first season of Academy is way better than anticipated. Great quality, good humor.

And even though is a prequel to the games, loved all the nods to all the games.

Spyro been the star and even Crash having an episode was cool too.

I'm almost done watching it (have a few more episodes left) but it is a great series so far. Will be writing a review on the show but a few things really made me like it.
-Spyro being a main character: Between this & Imaginators, Spyro is now the 'face' of Skylanders and that is wonderful to see. Like his personality growth throughout the series too.
-The usage of elements across the entire Skylanders series: They cover everything (the cast of the show being spread across a number of the games, the SuperChargers rides are what the main Skylanders team uses, the Imaginators elements coming in early in the series, ect) and it felt natural.
-Crash Bandicoot: I honestly didn't expect the bandicoot to have an entire guest episode but that was a really well done one. Even his fully-voiced role was natural and didn't feel uncanny (used to the guy making grunts only).
-Kaos And the Villains: Nice seeing the VA for Zim being in a major cartoon series after Invader Zim honestly and even outside of that, Kaos is such a fun foe. The other villains are also well presented as well.

Like the show and despite some minor nitpicks, it is a very solid show and one of the better Netfix-Only Children's Cartoons.

 

[RobbieNick]

The first season of Academy is way better than anticipated. Great quality, good humor.

And even though is a prequel to the games, loved all the nods to all the games.

Spyro been the star and even Crash having an episode was cool too.

I like that they went with Norm MacDonald as Glumshanks. Gives the character a lot more sarcasm.

Hugo new voice is TOO different. It's jarring.

 

[KelpPlankton]

Finally managed to get an order for a 3D printed Imaginator figure to work in the app. Excited to see that arrive whenever it manages to get here.

Just kept trying every hour or two all day long until it eventually worked

 

[Dandy Crocodile]

Finally managed to get an order for a 3D printed Imaginator figure to work in the app. Excited to see that arrive whenever it manages to get here.

Just kept trying every hour or two all day long until it eventually worked

I want to get mine printed but I dunno what class to make it.
What's the most fun of the creator classes?

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

So it's Swap Force 2.

Cool.

 

[KelpPlankton]

I want to get mine printed but I dunno what class to make it.
What's the most fun of the creator classes?

The ones I think are the most fun are Sentinel, Ninja, and Bazooker. Sentinel's fast and strong and flashy, Ninja is like becoming bullet hell incarnate and making enemies play it, Bazooker is just rapid-fire explosions all day long.

The other classes are pretty fun too though. Honestly there isn't a clunker in the bunch (though there are a few bad abilities, like the sheep disguise that Life gets)

 

[Lucifon]

Picked this up today and stupidly picked the bow class. Not a fan of the way it plays at all, having to run in the direction you're shooting. Now the only option I have is to buy a new crystal to even remotely enjoy the game, and again that's a risk picking another class. Why can't you try a class before committing and locking your crystal in, seems like such a scammy unconsumer friendly move.

 

[spyroflame0487]

Hey guys, I've been checking out the Black Friday deals for Skylanders:

Walmart:
Starters (Imaginators and Lego Dimensions) $39
Sensei's $9
Portal Owner's Pack $25
Lego Level/Team Packs $14

Best Buy:
Starters (Imaginators and Lego Dimensions) $40
Sensei's $10
Imaginator Dual Packs $20

Target:
Starters (Imaginators, Dimensions and Guitar Hero Live) $39.99
Imaginators Figures and Lego Packs $10 each.
Solar Flare Aurora is to be released; is a Target Exclusive.

 

[NeonZ]

I wonder if a portal owner's pack means they'll do another online downloadable version. Due to importing fees in my case it'd be cheaper to get figures separately from the actual game.

 

[KelpPlankton]

If they're selling the game without Golden Queen and King Pen, then those guys must be getting an individual release later on right?

 

[frankie_baby]

hmmmm wii u dark edition for 66 quid (game uk), should I bite for my sons xmas pressie, its not gonna drop more than that is it? I seem to remember game still selling the dark edition at full price much closer to xmas last year

 

[wrestleman]

PS4 Crash Bandicoot Edition is now $39.99 at select retailers. Online at Amazon and Target.com.

EDIT: I finally got around to posting my Crash-centric review here.

 

[cleveridea]

Was at target for something else, happened to walk through the videogame section while woman was putting the crash/neo pack on the shelf. Since all their imaginators stuff is on sale, picked it up for the $23.99 price which seemed reasonable - especially since I really like the look of the new level.

Interestingly, it says it contains the adventure level but you only get 2 figures in the box so presumably that activates the new level versus there being a new NFC model that unlocks it.

 

[KelpPlankton]

Was at target for something else, happened to walk through the videogame section while woman was putting the crash/neo pack on the shelf. Since all their imaginators stuff is on sale, picked it up for the $23.99 price which seemed reasonable - especially since I really like the look of the new level.

Interestingly, it says it contains the adventure level but you only get 2 figures in the box so presumably that activates the new level versus there being a new NFC model that unlocks it.

Yeah for the Wumpa Islands just having Crash or Cortex themselves on the portal will unlock the level.

 

[Orca]

Got this for the kids and they got to open it early yesterday and start playing. 20 minutes later, Tyson comes to ask me if he can buy something.

There's a real-world money store in a game that revolves around buying $15+ figures to unlock the content in the first place? Fuck you, Activision.