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Skylanders: Giants is an upcoming 2012 video game in the Skylanders series and it is going to be the direct sequel to the 2011 game Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. As the title suggests, it features larger Skylanders known as "Giants", along with other new gameplay mechanics. It is due to be released on October 17, 2012 in Australia, October 19, 2012 in Europe, October 21, 2012 in North America and 2013 in Japan.[5]

It was shown on E3's Electronic Entertainment Expo of 2012.[6] Despite not containing "Spyro" in the game's title, he will still be playable in the game.[7]

[edit]Gameplay

Skylanders: Giants utilizes the first game's engine by building upon the fundamentals of the first game: merging a line of cross-platform toy figures with the video game world itself. The game will introduce over 40 new collectible figures, some of which are more than twice the size of the original Skylanders cast in both physical and virtual form. Their in-game powers and abilities reflect their colossal scale.[8] It will also include a set of interactive characters that feature new light technology integrated into the toys. This allows the interactive figures' base to light up on contact with the "Portal of Power".[9] Players will also be able to import characters and their progress from the first game, since they are 100% backwards compatible with this title.[8]

The game will feature new arenas and more gameplay options in Battle Mode for head-to-head play, as well as enhanced Elemental Zones, new Hero Challenges, and other features that encourage players to collect and level up every character.[citation needed]

[edit]Figures

There are 8 giants from each of the 8 elements and 8 new regular Skylanders as well. The most well-known giant is Tree Rex (Life). Others include Bouncer (Tech), Crusher (Earth), Swarm (Air), Hot Head (Fire), Eye Brawl (Undead), Ninjini (Magic) and Thumpback (Water). The regualar skylanders are: Shroomboom (Life), Sprocket (Tech), Flashwing (Earth), Jet-Vac (Air), Hot Dog (Fire), Fright Rider (Undead), Pop Fizz (Magic) and Chill (Water)Also, 24 of the Skylanders from the first installment are going to be re-released with a different pose and a new power in what Activision calls "Series 2" figures. Activision also announced "Light Core" figures. These figures such as Prism Break, Drobot, Hex, Chill, Pop Fizz, Jet-Vac, Shroomboom and Eruptor will have spots in them that light up when they are near the portal, no batteries! Most if not all giants are equipped with this technology as well. Official game logo. Developer(s)	Toys For Bob n-Space (Nintendo 3DS)[1] Publisher(s)	Activision Square Enix (Japan) Distributor(s)	XPEC Entertainment Series	Spyro the Dragon Engine	Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Platform(s)	Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS,[2] PlayStation 3, Wii,[3] Wii U, Xbox 360 Release date(s)	AU October 17, 2012 EU October 19, 2012[4] NA October 21, 2012 JP 2013 Genre(s)	Platform Mode(s)	Single-player, Cooperative Multi-player, Competitive PvP Media/distribution	Blu-ray Disc, 3DS Game Card, Nintendo Optical Disc Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is a video game that was published by Activision and developed by Toys for Bob. Vicarious Visions developed the Nintendo 3DS release. It was released on October 12, 2011 in Australia for the PC and October 13, 2011 on other consoles. The game was released on October 14, 2011 in Europe and October 16, 2011 in North America. Frima Studio developed the Web, iPhone and iPad version of Skylanders.[2] Square Enix is supposed to be scheduled to release a Japanese version of this game, later of 2012.[3][4]

Activision announced that as of June 3, 2012, the game had been the top selling console and handheld video game worldwide for 2012.[5][6] As of March 31, 2012, Activision has sold over 30 million Skylanders toys, and sales are expected to exceed $500 million by the end of the year.[7][8]

Contents [hide] 1 Characters 1.1 3DS version 2 Development 3 Reception 4 Sales 5 Legacy 6 References 7 External links [edit]Characters

Main article: Characters of Spyro the Dragon There are 32 standard characters,[9] and 8 different elements under which characters are classified. The 8 elements are Magic, Water, Tech, Fire, Earth, Life, Wind and Undead. When the characters are placed on the "Portal of Power", they appear in the game. The "Starter Pack" has three characters to start with – Spyro, Trigger Happy, and Gill Grunt. Each character has specialized statistics in areas such as luck, strength, agility, defense, health, speed, armor, and critical hit.[citation needed] The player can also find hats for the characters, which further affect statistics.[citation needed]

In addition to the standard character figures that are available for purchase there are also limited edition Gold, Silver, Crystal, and Glow-in-the-Dark versions of certain characters.

[edit]3DS version This version of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is more of an action platformer than its console counterparts. Players have to complete levels by gathering crystals, which lets them unlock more levels. Each level is littered with crystals, obtained by going towards the end of the level, or by completing a variety of tasks, such as defeating a certain number of enemies, or finding items. Whenever the player finds a crystal, an enemy awakens and a time limit starts. They have to defeat enemies, and get clocks in the level to get more time to ward off the chasing enemy. Unlike other versions, characters can make a jump, and a double jump.[10] This version of the game is set in a different realm in Skylands called the Radiant Isles, and a different force of darkness is faced under the command of Hektore.[11]

[edit]Development

Toys for Bob was given the opportunity to revive a Vivendi franchise, and they chose the Spyro the Dragon franchise. Paul Reiche III noted: "attempts to revive broad-audience mascot franchises haven't seen predictable success in the game industry. Just creating a new Spyro game after the traditional fashion was unlikely to work" and reinventing the character as a "really gritty, strange otherworldly Spyro" didn't seem like a promising idea. Reiche says he had considered integrating technology with toys and games for a while, and it was the kind of concept that was so outlandish that it was the most promising idea the team sketched out for the brand.[12]

A Spyro Skylanders Adventure Stand at the Sydney Royal Easter Show The game's original working title was Spyro's Kingdom from June 2009. The game was originally going to be a mature Spyro game with a much darker tone, that also included blood, but the developers of Toys for Bob lost their enthusiasm and felt that this direction did not feel like "Spyro".[13] They spent six months on a variety of different directions with Spyro, and with the time and budget given by Activision.

Executive producer Jeff Poffenbarger stated that the game is geared more towards younger gamers who have no prior knowledge of the Spyro character.[14]

A screenshot from the game. To enable the game to work with the toys, the base of each toy contains an RFID chip [15][16] which communicates wirelessly with the portal when in near proximity to inform the game which toy is currently active. The RFID chip also retains several key stats including gold, level and upgrades purchased and won through gameplay. Due to the use of RFID, the toys are portable between supported platforms while retaining their stats, allowing players to use their characters in other player's games with all upgrades in place.[17] Additionally, two figures can be placed on the portal simultaneously, for cooperative or versus play.

The games music was composed by the well known Hans Zimmer, who composed music for well known movies such as the academy award winning animated film, The Lion King, Inception, and the Batman trilogy.

The game's main story was penned by Alec Sokolow and Joel Cohen, both of whom worked on Pixar's original Toy Story film.[18] The game was originally revealed to be exclusive for the Wii,[2] but was eventually released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, iPad, iPhone, the Web, Microsoft Windows and Macintosh computers.

According to the Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bathia, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure "is testing apparently very well with kids", who are the game's target audience.[19]

Nickelodeon of Europe and Activision had worked together to help sponsor a tour called Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Live to help promote the game, ranging from September 10–11 at Liverpool, Williamson Square to September 17–18 at London, Westfield Stratford.[20]

[edit]Reception

[hide] Reception Aggregate scores Aggregator	Score GameRankings	(PC) 93.00%[21] (3DS) 84.29%[22] (X360) 80.95%[23] (Wii) 80.18%[24] (PS3) 79.23%[25] Metacritic	(3DS) 82/100[26] (Wii) 81/100[27] (X360) 78/100[28] (PS3) 77/100[29] Review scores Publication	Score GameSpot	7.5/10[30] IGN	8.0/10[31] Nintendo World Report	9/10[32] Gaming Nexus	B+[33] Destructoid	8/10[34] GiantBomb	4/5[35] The game has received generally favorable reviews. GameSpot gave it a 7.5 out of 10, praising its family-friendly gameplay and role-playing-style character progression, but criticized the lack of online multiplayer, the cost of buying a complete set of figures, slapping Spyro into the game, and for finding the Portal of Power peripheral to be temperamental.[30] Nintendo World Report gave the game a 9 out of 10, praising the Wii version for its gameplay and production values, and the 3DS version for its accessibility to younger gamers and overall design.[32] Gaming Nexus gave Skylanders a B+ and praised the game for taking the Spyro franchise to a younger audience once more, though noted that the game has a few flaws.[33]

Destructoid gave the game a 8 out of 10 saying, "It's not the most complex game on the market, but the innovative gadgetry and authentic thoughtfulness on the part of the developer stands out in a market so used to churning out the same old crap."[34] IGN gave Skylanders an 8.0 out of 10.[31] Skylanders was nominated for two Toy Industry Association awards: 'Game of the Year' and 'Innovative Toy of the Year'.[36]

ZTDG gave the game 8.7 /10 in a positive initial review (October 2011)[37] and their followup article on 4 January 2012 [38] noted a worldwide shortage of additional toys to the starter pack trio, an issue the manufacturer, Activision, warned of in November 2011 due to the significantly higher-than-expected demand.[39]

Giant Bomb reviewer Jeff Gerstmann gave the game four out of five stars, stating "Skylanders is probably aimed at kids, but whatever. I am a legal adult...and I think it's still pretty cool."[40]

[edit]Sales

During the first quarter of 2012, Skylanders was the third most profitable game in North America and Europe, including sales of accessories and figures. According to Activision's internal estimates, sales of Skylanders toys exceeded those of the number one action figure line at the time, Star Wars.[41]

Over 30 million Skylanders toys have been sold worldwide. Toy sales were two to three times higher than Activision had originally expected.[42]

[edit]Legacy

Activision announced a sequel, Skylanders: Giants, which is scheduled to be released in fall 2012.[43] A Web game called Skylanders: Spyro's Universe has been created as well, and is currently in beta phase.[citation needed]

On May 3, 2012, An illustrated novel titled: Skylanders: The Machine of Doom has been released on eBook applications, that is set as a canon prequel to the first Skylanders game. It was written by Cavan Scott under the pen name, "Onk Beakman".[citation needed] It was published by Grosset & Dunlap and released as Paperback on August 3, 2012 in the United Kingdom and will be released on September 6, 2012 in North America.[44][45]

A second illustrated novel titled: Skylanders: Spyro versus the Mega Monsters, will not only be a sequel, but it is to be the first of a Mask of Power series of the Skylanders novel brand franchise. It is to be released on January 10, 2013. [46] [47]

Activison has commented on the possibility of a Skylanders movie and TV series as something that they could see themselves looking into in the future.[48]

[edit]References

^ Game Music :: Video Game Music News. Squareenixmusic.com (2011-02-15). Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ a b Dean Takahashi (September 30, 2011). "The DeanBeat: Skylanders is massive, innovative gamble for Activision Blizzard". The DeanBeat. Retrieved 2011-09-30. ^ Blog » Activision’s Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. ShaunChng.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ Dragon Years: The History and Evolution of Spyro – Part Two | Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Editorial. GameZone. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ http://www.gameindustry.com/ih/item.asp?id=4021 ^ http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_20006/Skylanders_Spyros_Adventure_is_Best-Selling_Game_of_the_Year_So_Far ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/09/skylanders-toy-sales-exceed-30-million.aspx ^ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2012-05-09-skylanders-tracking-past-USD500-million-sales-for-skylanders-by-years-end ^ Game Features – Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Skylanders. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure 3DS Impressions". Nintendo World Report. ^ Owen Good. "Pulling Action Figures Into a 3DS with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure". Kotaku. ^ Alexander, Leigh. "Toys For Bob's Rewarding Skylanders Flight". Gamasutra. ^ Mike Schramm (June 7, 2011). "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure preview: Babes in toyland". Joystiq. Retrieved 2011-06-07. ^ Cacho, Gieson. "Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure adds toys to video game equation". Mercury News. ^ Activision delivers cease and desist to Skylanders tinkerer – Video Games Reviews, Cheats. Geek.com (2011-12-28). Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ RFID Enabled Toys | ThingMagic's RFID Blog – Radio Frequency Identification Company and Industry News – ThingMagic.com. Rfid.thingmagic.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ RFID Breaks into the Video Game Industry. Matrixpd.com (2011-10-24). Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ Griffin McElroy (February 11, 2011). "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure announced, incorporates augmented reality". Joystiq. Retrieved 2011-02-12. ^ Orland, Kyle. "Analyst Sees Encouraging Diversification At Activision Blizzard". Gamasutra. ^ Tyler, Lewis. "Skylanders goes on tour with ylanders-goes-on-tour-with-with-Nickelodeon". Toys News Online. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (PC) reviews at". GameRankings. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Nintendo 3DS) reviews at". GameRankings. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Xbox 360) reviews at". GameRankings. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Wii) reviews at". GameRankings. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (PlayStation 3) reviews at". GameRankings. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Nintendo 3DS) reviews at". Metacritic. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Wii) reviews at". Metacritic. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Xbox 360) reviews at". Metacritic. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (PlayStation 3) reviews at". Metacritic. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ a b "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure reviews at". GameSpot. 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-12-03. ^ a b DeVries, Dave. "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Review". IGN. ^ a b Nintendo World Report, Wii Review: Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure ^ a b Keener, Dan. "Review". Gaming Nexus. ^ a b Sterling, Jim. "Review". Destructoid. ^ Gesrtmann, Jeff. "Review". ^ Appell, Adrienne. "Toy Industry Unveils Nominees for 2012 Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards; Announces Inductees into Toy Industry Hall of Fame". Toy Industry Association. ^ Michael "PaladinXII" Futter Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Review. ztgd.com. October 21, 2011 ^ The Sky is Limited... Where Are the Skylanders? | Articles | ZTGD: Play Games, Not Consoles. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ Activision's Skylanders may face retail shortage. Reuters (2011-11-28). Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Review. Giant Bomb (2011-12-07). Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/05/09/skylanders-toy-sales-exceed-30-million.aspx ^ http://www.vg247.com/2012/06/26/skylanders-toy-sales-two-or-three-times-activisions-expectations/ ^ Furfari, Paul. (2012-02-07) Skylanders Giants Announced – Skylanders. UGO.com. Retrieved on 2012-05-22. ^ http://www.bookdepository.com/Skylanders-Machine-Doom/9781409391180 ^ http://www.amazon.com/Skylanders-the-Machine-of-Doom/dp/1409391183 ^ http://www.amazon.com/Mask-Power-Monsters-Skylanders-Adventure/dp/0448463555/ref=sr_1_17?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342417517&sr=1-17&keywords=Skylanders ^ http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9781409391456,00.html ^ http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/skylanders_giants/news/skylanders_movie_and_tv_series_is_a_possibility_says_activision.html [edit]External links

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Submit ratings ^ "We’re developing Skylanders Giants for Nintendo 3DS". n-Space. ^ "Skylanders Giants Confirmed for 3DS, Vicarious Visions Developing". Activision. ^ Nintendo Power, Volume 276, Page 42 ^ http://www.computerandvideogames.com/360052/skylanders-giants-release-date-october-19/ ^ 'Skylanders Giants' domains registered - Video Game News, Videos and File Downloads for PC and Console Games at Shacknews.com ^ Industry Happening: Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Was Top Selling Console Game - Game Industry News ^ http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/37230/features/skylanders-giants-interview-spyro-still-has-a-role-to-play/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=ONM-General-RSS ^ a b "Skylanders Giants™ Revealed at the 2012 American International Toy Fair". Activision. ^ "Skylanders Giants™ Revealed at the 2012 American International Toy Fair". Activision.