Second Look - Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure + Adventure Packs

Following the end of the Legend of Spyro trilogy with Dawn of the Dragon in 2008, a second reboot of the Spyro the Dragon series was announced for 2010, known as Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, which utilized physical toys that you could place on a Portal of Power to summon it in-game. “Toys to life” was in fact one of the slogans on the box, which was quickly adopted as the Toys-to-life genre to describe other, similar games. I wasn’t fully aware of the game until its launch and at first ignored it, though I quickly became curious about it and found the toy concept interesting, enough to get the Starter Pack as a gift. I ended up liking it enough to try and complete as much of my collection as I could, and later ended up playing the other main games in the Skylanders series while noticing how little Spyro was actually part of it.

After Skylanders: Imaginators, I began to lose interest in the series, eventually selling off a bulk of my collection due to how much space it was taking up, with some harder-to-find toys among them. However, one collection I still held on to was my Spyro’s Adventure collection due to having more sentimental value to me, plus I knew that one day I wanted to revisit the game to see what about the concept made it so magical to me in the first place. After deciding to look back on it for the franchise’s 10^th anniversary, I found that spark was still there, despite showing its age and having a handful of technical issues.

2016 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

This year turned out to be a bigger year than in the last few years for me for both games and movies, though mostly movies, as there were more that I happened to be interested in seeing. As such, the following list is much longer than in previous years, to the point where I liked so many movies I split the ones I liked the most between live-action and animation. That aside, the way in which the list is presented is as normal, in that it is a collection of my favorites and disappointments of the movies and games I watched/played this year, presented in no particular order and with review links where applicable.

Top Live-Action Movies of 2016

Deadpool

To put it simply, Deadpool is one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen, and its timing was perfect as it takes jabs at the recent trends in superhero movies, primarily the type of movies seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Note: As a 20^th Century Fox movie, Deadpool takes place in Fox’s X-Men universe, which gets a number of shout-outs). What sets this movie apart and makes it seem fresh is that it was a smaller movie, leading it to be a scaled-down, more personal story, plus it stays extremely faithful to the source material in terms of character traits and personalities while also giving it its own identity separate from the comics. The jokes in the movie also manage to stay funny upon multiple viewings, though to prevent it from losing its humor value, it is recommended that one savor the experience like a fine wine.

10 Cloverfield Lane

As a sequel to the 2008 movie Cloverfield, I wasn’t sure what to expect since the trailers made it appear like a movie that had nothing to do with the first. What I did get out of it is a very intense psychological thriller fueled by the superb acting ability of John Goodman, which left me thinking about it for at least a week after initial viewing as I tried to grasp the nuances of the narrative. The ending promises a third Cloverfield movie, though unlike the original, this movie actually made me want to see more.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

As a prequel to the original Star Wars movie (retroactively labeled A New Hope), Rogue One achieves what the so-called Prequel Trilogy could not do entirely well and actually tell a meaningful story that ties directly to the events of the Original Trilogy. The new characters introduced in this movie are given just enough of a personality and history for the viewer to become invested in them, and the plot of obtaining the Death Star plans ultimately creates a very nicely-executed transition point to the original Star Wars that makes the two movies prime material for a double feature.

Keanu

Though I had not watched the Comedy Central series Key and Peele before seeing this movie, I thought the two actors were really funny in Keanu, where they play cousins Clarence and Rel, who end up having to pretend to be gangsters while attempting to recover a kitten that happened to previously belong to a drug lord. If, like me, the adorable kitten Keanu attracted you to watch this movie, you should stay for the laughs.

Top Animated Movies of 2016

Zootopia

When I first heard about this movie, I became intrigued by its premise and wanted to see what Disney could do with it. As it turns out, I found myself becoming very invested in its two main characters, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, as well as what I saw as infinite potential for storytelling with its setting and premise. The movie notably deals with racism in its plot, however this movie was better at addressing the subject since it did not base itself on any real-world events and the usage of anthropomorphic animals (with the racism angle being between “predator” and “prey”) helped the message it was sending be more universal without feeling forced. The movie's tie-in material helps to expand on the unique setting of the movie, and is something I really wish to see more of in the future.

Ratchet & Clank

As a fan of the Ratchet & Clank series, I was really looking forward to this movie when it was first announced. I found this movie to have delivered a solid Ratchet & Clank story, re-imagining the basic events of the original game with some interesting twists and a good amount of well-executed humor. The only problem I had with this movie was the fact that I ended up watching it in a mostly empty theater upon release, since I found this to be a good introduction to the world of Ratchet & Clank and a great animated movie in general. Hopefully it sees success through the home video market.

Kubo and the Two Strings

In terms of animation, this is Laika’s best effort to date, with many effects that will leave you wondering how they managed to pull it all off in stop motion. In terms of story, it is one that is very well-written and can actually get rather emotional at certain points. A must-see for fans of stop motion and of animation in general.

Top Games of 2016

Ratchet & Clank (2016)

In relation to the movie mentioned above, this PS4 re-imagining of the original game takes Ratchet and Clank’s origin story in an interesting new direction, both in terms of plot and gameplay. The game takes the basic mechanics introduced in the original game and combines them with all the best parts of more recent games, plus it has added replay value with the introduction of card collecting. Overall, I found this game to be far superior to the original and any prospective fan can use this game as a good jumping-on point.

Skylanders: Imaginators

In this year’s installment of the annual Skylanders game series, the ability to pilot Vehicles in SuperChargers is followed up with the highly-requested ability to create your very own Skylanders, known as Imaginators, achieved via special Creation Crystals. While this sounds really amazing, my only hesitation with actually creating a Skylander in the game is the fact that, while you have to select 1 of 10 Battle Classes before creating an Imaginator, the choice of Battle Class is applied permanently and cannot be undone without somehow resetting the Crystal (thankfully, the internet has found workarounds that don’t require buying a whole other Crystal). That aside, the game is a great improvement over previous entries, with a huge world to explore and a great deal of replay value in the collectible Imaginator Parts and Chests, in addition to the amount of customization options presented in creating Imaginators. The creation option is, at the time of this writing, also available as its own app, Skylanders Creator, allowing you to experiment freely with the customization options available and also purchase 3-D printed figures, trading cards, and T-shirts displaying your custom Imaginator. Hopefully the future of Skylanders shines bright.

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Admittedly, what got me curious about this game was the art direction, as well as the praise that it had gotten. Sometime after its initial release, I heard about a physical edition, released as the Definitive Edition, and so waited until then (partially so I could have an excuse to use my Xbox One). While this was one of a handful of Metroidvania titles that I ended up playing this year, I found the gameplay to be interesting, though I learned the hard way that certain abilities were required in certain sections of the world, and I was well invested in the story until the end. From my understanding, the Definitive Edition includes some additional features to the base game that make it easier to play through, although the original release is also included with the Definitive Edition for those that are curious (plus it comes with a physical CD of the soundtrack).

Yo-kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls

I became a fan of Yo-kai Watch, about spirits that affect people’s lives by inspiriting them, through the anime airing on Disney XD (at the time of this writing), and so became somewhat interested in the game. Though I have not completed the main story at the time of this writing (I have gone through a good majority of it), I was able to get into it since I had previously seen Yo-kai Watch: The Movie, for which this game and its counterpart, Bony Spirits, are the source material. That aside, the game has an interesting combat system, involving a party of 6 Yo-kai split between front and back rows, and the Yo-kai themselves are fairly memorable due to each one having their own personality.

Top Disappointments of 2016

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

This movie is what you get when you hype up a sequel to Man of Steel and take too long to get it off the ground. The pacing was extremely slow to the point where I was constantly checking my watch every 10 minutes, plus it was difficult to follow along with what was happening since it seemed like the plots of 2 or 3 other movies were crammed into one in an attempt to establish the idea of the DC Extended Universe. Incidentally, the actual fight that was hyped up all this time only lasts for 10 minutes within the last 30 minutes of the movie and with absolutely no payoff, making me feel like I had essentially wasted my time. There are hints of what’s to come in the DC Extended Universe, which I want to all be better than this movie.

Suicide Squad

While certainly an improvement over Batman v Superman, it’s really not saying that much in the grand scheme of things. This movie felt as though DC and Warner Brothers were trying to copy the successful Guardians of the Galaxy, by developing a more ragtag group of characters to the tune of older music against a theoretically more light-hearted story, and falling short of that endeavor. Whereas Guardians succeeded in developing all five of its main characters enough to where you understood who those characters were, Suicide Squad only really focused on Harley Quinn and Deadshot most of the time, plus the editing of the movie makes its events really hard to follow (not to mention scenes involving the Joker don’t really have much of a payoff). My only hope is that the first 3 installments of the DC Extended Universe so far, including this one, do not set a permanent precedent of the rest of the franchise.

Warcraft

Unlike Ratchet & Clank, I came into this movie as a non-fan hoping the story would be able to stand on its own, and also because it was directed by Duncan Jones (son of the late David Bowie), and I left rather disappointed. While I can agree that it looks accurate to the games (from what I have seen of them), the plot requires you to have prior knowledge of Warcraft lore to able to follow along, plus I found myself getting lost with all the unusual character names (some of which get somewhat obscured by prop Orc teeth) as well as the Orcs generally looking rather similar to each other. In short, if you are looking for a good introduction to Warcraft lore that doesn’t just drop you in the middle of everything, look elsewhere.

Ice Age: Collision Course

If you ever needed evidence that the Ice Age franchise has been running for too long, this movie would be it. I will admit I felt a little confused by a sudden increase in characters because I managed to skip the fourth installment, Continental Drift, however even with that, I could not get into the inherent wackiness of this particular movie, partially because of its odd pacing and the out-of-place references to modern times, as though there wasn’t much thought put into delivering a good story (not to mention the weird focus on jokes involving male nipples). The only reason to watch this movie is for Scrat, and even then, it still had me wishing the plot-important meteor would actually hit the Earth and finally end the Ice Age.

The Secret Life of Pets

Since animation studio Illumination made the great Despicable Me, the original movie so far being the best the franchise, I wanted to like this movie despite what the trailers had shown (not to mention their overuse of “Bounce” by System of a Down). Rather disappointingly, all of the potentially good moments in the movie were in said trailers, and my enthusiasm for those moments waned due to overuse in advertising, plus the story is essentially a rehash of Toy Story, except with animals in place of children’s toys (Toy Story also did it better). Not seen in the trailers, the movie also gets surprisingly dark at times, which justifies (and possibly stretches) the PG rating. I want success for the studio’s upcoming Despicable Me 3, though I’m also a bit on the fence about watching Sing after having seen Pets.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutants in Manhattan

As a recent convert to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles via the IDW Publishing comic, it was really nice to see how well TMNT artist Mateus Santalouco’s art style was able to translate to 3D, and combined with the writing and voice acting felt like seeing the comic come to life. While the gameplay itself was actually pretty interesting, including the ability to switch between the four turtles at will, the main thing that makes this a disappointment is that, compared to the prior Platinum game Transformers: Devastation, this game felt like it was a bit short on the story side and it didn’t feel like it had much replay value outside the main story and the ability to collect comic book covers. For what it is though, the ride is fun while it lasts.

Honorable Mentions

Seasons after Fall

As with Ori and the Blind Forest, this is a game where the main draw for me was the art direction, as well as, in this case, the core gameplay mechanic of being able to control the four Seasons to solve puzzles. Not only did this game deliver on both fronts, it also presented a rather interesting mythos involving the way the Seasons work in-universe. Though it did get a little difficult at times, mainly in finding whatever was required for 100% story completion, I still had a good time playing this game.

Stories: The Path of Destinies

Another game where I was attracted to the art direction, what I got was a hack-and-slash containing elements of a choose-your-own adventure book, where you have to play through the game enough times to figure out the Truths within the narrative and be able to get the best ending. The gameplay does admittedly get a bit repetitive after a while, however it is worth exploring each level as much as you can, plus I got very invested in the story and wanted to see how it would all actually play out. For those like me that prefer physical media, it has been released as a physical game disc for PC by way of a partnership between Indiebox and GameTrust, GameStop’s new game publishing arm.

2015 - The Highlights (Tetris_King)

Another year, another time to reflect on what we did and did not like about it. Though my output on this blog has slowed significantly, you will still find my thoughts on my favorites and disappointments of the year (out of the handful of new movies and games I watched/played this year), with review links where applicable, presented in no particular order.

Top Movies of 2015

Inside Out

This is truly Pixar’s best effort in a while, especially after the awful Cars 2 and disappointing Brave. Without giving anything away, this movie about emotions manages multiple times to tug at the heartstrings (and when it does, it hits hard); it nearly got me to cry in a public theater, and after a second viewing at home it still managed to get to me. I would encourage anyone who hasn’t seen this movie yet to do so as soon as they can, and if you’re a Pixar fan you will not be disappointed.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

I was nervous about what to expect from this movie going in, especially after factoring in the massive hype as well as the Prequel Trilogy, but my fears were alleviated upon my initial viewing, surpassing my expectations to where I feel like watching it again. Without delving into spoilers, though it’s not perfect, the writing was really good, especially in regards to character dialogue, and the story took some interesting turns that I really was not expecting. It doesn’t live up to the sheer amount of hype in the months preceding the movie’s release, but it is definitely worth seeing as soon as possible, especially if you’re a Star Wars fan and have managed to avoid spoilers up to this point.

Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’

In this canon Dragon Ball movie, the almighty Frieza is brought back to life and, after he decides to train for the first time in his life, the ensuing battle against Goku and Vegeta is nothing short of glorious. There is also a healthy dose of comedy mixed in with all the action, with humorous situations coming from smaller moments. The animation is also amazing, doing justice to the style of action present in the series. This movie is a must-see for Dragon Ball fans, especially after you’ve seen the other canon movie, Battle of Gods (and/or have read the 9-chapter manga, Jaco the Galactic Patrolman). It may be a bit harder to go into this movie without any prior knowledge of Dragon Ball, though Mega64’s (sweded) companion video serves as a humorous summary on some of the major events of the Frieza Saga.

Top Games of 2015

Transformers: Devastation

Platinum Games did an amazing job with this Transformers game, especially with how it goes all out in matching the 80’s cartoon’s look, style, and sound (they even got a number of surviving voice actors from the original cartoon, meaning Dan Gilvezan gets to play Bumblebee again after all these years). I haven’t actually played Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Platinum’s ever-popular entry in the Metal Gear series), but from what I’ve seen of Rising’s gameplay, I thought that the gameplay style translated perfectly to Transformers, including the way they incorporated the ability to transform. There are five playable Autobot characters in the game: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, and Grimlock; I only played through the game once as Optimus Prime, though I am interested in playing it again later as each of the other characters, as well as trying to get all those oft-elusive collectibles.

Skylanders: SuperChargers

Having played the Skylanders games annually for the past 5 years, I think this is perhaps the best one yet (though it did come out about a month earlier than usual). The gimmick this time is Vehicles, and while said gimmick admittedly has one or two shortcomings, the game seems to require less to get 100% (which is good for me) and items are made easier to get with the addition of a wishing well in the hub world and chests in each level randomizing what you get (this includes Soul Gems and Story Scrolls, the latter of which is presented as pieces of Kaos’ Diary recorded on vinyl). I have not bothered with the new Online Multiplayer option, but I can definitely say that the game is more fun with a second local player.

Top Disappointments of 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron

This is not to say that Age of Ultron is a terrible movie; I thought it was actually enjoyable and it still had some good humor in it. However, I found that there seemed to be too much going on within the overall story and that it could have been either cut down to speed up the pacing or presented as a longer feature to give the full story. In any case, while I loved Marvel’s first Avengers movie (I rank it up there with Spider-Man 2), this one did not feel like it lived up to its predecessor.

[OLD] Skylanders: Trap Team

As part of this blog’s semi-tradition of reviewing the next Skylanders game in early January after receiving it at Christmas, I present to you a review of the latest installment in the series, Skylanders: Trap Team. Because of the series’ annual release schedule, it’s gotten somewhat difficult to keep up with, especially in regards to the toys and gimmicks (at the time of this writing, I still haven’t gotten every character introduced in Swap Force, let alone Giants, due to budgetary reasons). Regardless, when I heard about the new game, I found out it had a rather interesting new gimmick wherein you could trap villains from within the game and play as them with the push of a button, as well as introducing Trap Masters and Toys for Bob returning as the developer, which caught my attention. This, of course, required the purchase of yet another Portal of Power, but I decided to give it a whirl since I had become a fan of the series and I wanted to see how well the gimmick was pulled off. The price of admission is admittedly expensive (I received the Dark Edition Starter Pack), but I still found the new installment to be well worth it.

In the past, the Doom Raiders brought evil to Skylands until they were sealed in Traptanium by a special group of Skylanders called the Trap Masters, who utilize weapons made from the material. Years later, presumably after the events of Swap Force, Kaos infiltrates Cloudcracker Prison and frees them, hoping to use them to reign over all of Skylands. However, things quickly get out of hand as they, under the Golden Queen (one of the Doom Raiders), quickly overtake Kaos and form their own plan, leading Kaos to become desperate in wresting control back from the Doom Raiders.

The Trap Masters in action (from left: Lob-Star, Gearshift, Jawbreaker (back),
Wallop (front), Wildfire (back), Snap Shot (front)).

Having played the PlayStation 4 version of this game, I think the graphics look really amazing, keeping with the art style and color palette of previous entries while having great amounts of detail. The game also has some impressive physics, especially in the animation of water, as well as some really great lighting to boot. There is also some good music, some of which is actually fairly memorable. What I like is that each villain you capture (more on that later) has their own unique theme, each one orchestrated to suit them and made such that they don’t really become tiring. The voice acting is also as good as ever, with great performances from Patrick Warburton, Kare Wahlgren, and Richard Horvitz returning as Flynn, Tessa, and Kaos respectively. Some characters make surprising returns from previous games as well, with Sumalee Montano returning to voice Cali and Steve Blum as Auric (the equivalent to Moneybags from previous Spyro games), both from the first two games. The Doom Raiders also have good performances from their respective voice actors that give each one a unique identity. However, some dialogue can get really repetitive at times, so be prepared for that.

A high point of praise I give to the gameplay is how streamlined it is. The only special mechanic to remain from previous games is the Portal Master Rank and the occasional support for a Giant, but you otherwise only have to worry about having a Trap Master of the right Element to open an Elemental Gate or one of any Element to destroy Traptanium deposits to either advance or unlock secret areas/treasure; you no longer have to worry about Accolades or Swap Zones and Legendary Treasures you collect and the day of the week no longer offer you an in-game boost. Also, the Level cap for a Skylander remains at 20 like in Swap Force, so you don’t have to worry so much about maxing out your Skylanders.

I'm required to explore the game!
(Trap Master Snap Shot pictured, included in most Starter Packs.)

Increasing your Portal Master Rank doesn’t require you to buy as many toys (more on that later), but it does necessitate completing certain gameplay modes. For example, you can gain up to four stars for each chapter of the Story Mode and you automatically get twelve for completing it (totaling 100 if you include two Adventure Packs; again, more in a bit). An additional gameplay mode is the Kaos Doom Challenge, in which you have to go through a 100-Round gauntlet (divided into chunks) in which you must protect a Mystery Box of Doom, for which you gain lots of money and experience for your Skylander(s), making this a perfect way to upgrade your toys faster (I recommend doing this with another player for faster rewards and easier play; it can get pretty difficult later on even on the Easy difficulty). There’re also different Arenas, unlocked during Story Mode, for which you gain one star and some money for each one you beat. No matter which Mode you pick, you cannot regain stars, but you can regain the other rewards that come with them. Though you don’t gain stars for this, there’s also an extra rhythm-based mini-game that you can play in the hub world to gain extra cash, though the enjoyment factor depends entirely on the player.

As mentioned earlier, a new gameplay feature introduced for this game is the ability to capture specific enemies (of which there are 46, 10 Doom Raiders among them) within Traps and use them in battle. This is where the new Portal of Power comes in, which I must say is constructed pretty well; I’m especially amazed at how it can read the figures despite having a clear surface. This new Portal has a special slot to place the Traps in, which is connected to a small speaker where the villain can talk to you in response to certain on-screen events. When playing as a villain, any experience or money you gain goes directly to the Skylander you switched it out for, although the Skylander cannot gain extra health unless you switch them back out. The villain has sort of a health bar, represented by a timer, and returning the villain to the Trap slowly increases the time back to its maximum (there’s also a varying window of time where you can’t switch back to the villain if it’s replenishing an empty timer). Said time limit can also be increased by completing side missions within Story levels that make the villain generally stronger as well as permanently switching their moral alignment; it seems this process can be repeated by capturing and reforming villains multiple times, but fortunately you don’t have to capture the villain or put them in the Trap, plus the villains automatically get sent to the prison in the hub world if you decide not to contain them inside the trap (you also get their Bounty).

Wolfgang (the pictured Doom Raider) is awesome.

One thing I like about the speaker function is that the sound travels seamlessly between the Portal and the TV, since audio comes from the Portal when the villain is in the Trap and from the TV when out (tolerance level for each captured villain’s voice also depends on the player); this also provides a rather interesting experience for the final level against Kaos, since I was genuinely freaked out when the un-captured Kaos spoke directly to me through the Portal and the experience prompted me to make comparisons to Psycho Mantis. Traps also come in a variety of shapes, though (to me at least) their appearance causes them to look almost like hard candy, so I would exercise some caution with children.

One interesting development is that your Sidekicks (now Mini Skylanders) now act as full-on Skylanders rather than as some sort of pet for a Skylander. This means that, for example, Trigger Snappy now has the same upgrades as the normal Trigger Happy and has a higher-pitched voice (Trigger Snappy is, at the time of this review, the only one I have). This adds a lot more versatility to gameplay while also making these toys more useful than they originally were. Fortunately, if you don’t have one lying around, these are available in 2-packs that also introduce eight new ones, though there is the caveat that these seem to only work with Trap Team (based on one look at the packaging).

We have a use now!

At this point, I would like to address how compatibility works between games. Of course, Trap Team toys are incompatible with previous games (presumably unless they are Series 2-4, like previous installments), but all figures from previous games are forwards-compatible with Trap Team. Location Pieces also work here, but instead work similarly to the Anvil Rain Magic Item in that they rain down stuff onto the area to deal damage to enemies (this can also apply to figures that unlocked Battle Arenas, such as the Volcanic Vault, though items like the Dragonfire Cannon work as actual weapons). Magic Items from previous games also work here, but their timers and abilities may have changed depending on the item in question. The Portal also works between not only previous games but also systems, since both the PS3 and PS4 are USB-compatible, though Traps likely won’t work since their data would not be present on the game disc.

This is probably pointless considering the franchise’s success being built upon it, but a point of criticism I still have is how, in spite of how easy it is to increase the Portal Master Rank and how streamlined the experience is, you still have to pay exorbitant amounts of cash on toys to be able to explore the entire game. Taking into account current, non-Sale prices from most retailers: The regular Starter Pack for home consoles (1 Trap Master, 1 Skylander, 2 Traps) costs $75, which will get you so far in terms of exploration. Trap Masters cost $16 each; there are 16, but the bare minimum is 8. Traps cost $6 each, though since you can get by on only 1 for each Element, there is a 9-Trap minimum (there is 1 specifically made for Kaos). There are 2 Adventure Packs that cost $25 each, of which you need both to be able to capture and redeem additional villains not found in the main Story Mode. On top of this, the game also introduces 2 new Elements into the mix, Light and Dark, for which there are 2 Expansion Packs (1 Trap Master, 1 Trap, 1 Location Piece) that cost $30 each, and both are required to be able to 100% the game. Adding this up (minus a toy container and the Kaos Trap since I have not seen the latter in retail outside the Dark Starter at the time of this writing), being able to fully explore the main game costs ~$333 USD. If you start with the $100 Dark Edition Starter Pack (2 Trap Masters, 1 Skylander, 2 Traps, 1 Ultimate Kaos Trap), then the total becomes ~$342 USD. Keep in mind this is only the bare minimum to explore the game in full and your collection can expand however you wish, although I would not recommend spending all of that at once depending on your budget.

You will need this.
(Kaos Trap pictured.)

If not for continuity present between games (though the IDW comics attempt to address this), I would consider Skylanders: Trap Team to be an excellent jumping-on point for newer fans, but it’s still an excellent installment nonetheless due to making some vast improvements from previous versions. This is also my favorite game in the series so far, since it’s much easier to gauge progress to getting 100% completion and I’ve actually been more determined to reach that goal. The graphics are amazing, the new gimmick works surprisingly well, and the gameplay has been heavily streamlined for a better experience. Though what I typed in the preceding paragraph sounds expensive, I would highly encourage taking advantage of Sales (Toys ‘R’ Us in particular seems to have one constantly) in order to lessen the strain on your wallet. I would also suggest playing Co-Op with someone else (even on lower difficulties), since this allows for faster Skylander upgrading and can make some stages much easier (fortunately, Skylanders share gained money and experience, the former of which is somewhat easier to come by in this game). Even though I’m still behind on my collecting, if there is a new game this year (hopefully there’s more time until then but I doubt it), I look forward to seeing what happens next.

[OLD] Skylanders #2 (Comic)

Though I’m not used to reviewing comics as they come out, the reason this review is delayed is due to Finals hitting in college as well as a delay in acquiring this issue. With that out of the way, I’m going to discuss the second issue of IDW Publishing’s Skylanders comic, based on the popular game series from Activision. As with issue #1, it seems to be a reprint of a mini-comic, but it still advances the current arc.

Like the first issue, there are two stories, “Mini But Mighty” and “Dark Night”, and they each share a creative team of Ron Marz and David A. Rodriguez as writers with David Baldeón as the artist. “Mini But Mighty”, colored by David Garcia Cruz, continues the story from “Forgetting Flynn” in issue #1, beginning with a celebration of the opening of a new Skylanders Academy. However, Cali (from Spyro’s Adventure, Giants) notices that Flynn isn’t there yet, at which point Tessa (from Swap Force) spots the Dreadyacht is out of control, as it is piloted by the Mini Skylanders. After landing it, Tessa goes to search for Flynn, finding Weeruptor, whose Kaos clone is at the Academy. The writing is good here as well, like in the first part, since it provides more character development for returning characters, especially Cali and Tessa (Auric and Wheellock from previous games appear, but they don’t get as much screen time). There’s also a moment that acts as an effective plot summary of the first three games while hinting at the events of Trap Team, which is good for people who have not played those games and only want to know the major events (it’s also good for me because I still have yet been able to play Trap Team). However, as with issue #1, while I understand that this was also available in a smaller format, it still bothers me that the story ends with an “End” rather than a “To Be Continued”, though it’s probably because I’m reading this comic as a monthly release; this is just a minor nitpick, though.

The backup story “Dark Night”, with colors by Ander Zarate, starts with Barkley trying to find a bathroom, but he ends up running into Bouncer, Night Shift, and Trigger Happy as they are leaving for a mission they were called for at the end of “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”. Barkley is thrown off by Night Shift’s appearance, leading to Night Shift expositing his backstory in order to calm him down. It’s essentially a visualization of his character bio, but it’s still presented well and it fleshes out Night Shift’s character more. (I expect next time we’ll see an excuse to tell Bouncer’s backstory in order to round things off.)

Tessa going after an out-of-control Dreadyacht.
(Cali is in the background.)

Both stories in this issue, as mentioned previously, are drawn by David Baldeón, whom I think is a really good fit for the Skylanders series. The respective colorists for both series also do justice to Baldeón’s style, which I discussed in my review of the preceding issue. While Mike Bowden’s art has some merits to it, I personally so far like Baldeón’s style a little better in regards to Skylanders and I wouldn’t mind seeing him contribute more to the book.

As with previous issues, the comic contains a set of four character bios at the back. For reference, they are Trigger Happy, Eruptor, Gill Grunt, and Krypt King. If you want to know Trigger Happy’s origin after having read “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, you’ve come to the wrong place.

Skylanders #2 is a good continuation of the events of the first issue in both its main and backup stories. It does a good job with fleshing out the characters in the Skylanders universe and the art is really well executed. Again, I am glad that I have yet to be spoiled on the events of Trap Team and I would still recommend this comic to new and existing Skylanders fans, though it helps greatly if you read issue #1 first. Considering how well this issue turned out, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for issue #3.

[OLD] Skylanders #1 (Comic)

Quite recently, IDW Publishing has begun releasing a comic book series based on the ever-popular Skylanders property, having released an exclusive issue #0 at San Diego Comic-Con to build interest in both this venture and the then-upcoming Skylanders: Trap Team. Thankfully, this first issue is not just a reprint of the #0 comic, beginning to tell new stories in the Skylanders universe to flesh out its world. Though it is obviously meant as a way to further advertise the toys (see: Transformers), this first issue does manage to expand on the games’ characters, even if it is a little rough around the edges.

This issue features a main story, “Forgetting Flynn”, and a back-up story, “The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, both written by Ron Marz and David A. Rodriguez. “Forgetting Flynn”, drawn by Mike Bowden and colored by Fernando Peniche, follows Flynn as he tries to transport the Mini Skylanders to Skylanders Academy. On the way, Flynn sees Kaos has disguised himself as Weeruptor (one of the Mini Skylanders) to infiltrate the Academy. In response, Kaos casts an amnesia spell on Flynn and a Skylander, Chopper, tries to snap him out of it. I thought the story was written fairly decently, since it does good at highlighting Chopper and Flynn’s dialogue was written such that it sounded like things he would say, especially when delirious (and of course it’s hard to un-hear Kaos with his dialogue). However, the whole business about Kaos taking the form of Weeruptor goes unresolved, and on top of this the story just says “End” at the end. Looking at an ad in the comic for the Skylanders Micro Fun Packs (micro comics plus extra goodies), it appears the story will continue in the next issue and this is part of a 3+-issue arc, so the “End” was probably included due to it being released as a separate micro comic. However, it was a little confusing for me, since I’m used to seeing a “To Be Continued…” or some other variant when a comic has a running story (the Adventure Time comic from Boom’s Kaboom! imprint does this with bigger arcs and it usually also has a back-up story). As far as the writing goes, however, this was my only real hang-up about it; also, “enchilada” eventually becomes a weird word, but that’s beside the point.

Buy our toys!

Mike Bowden’s art works pretty well for the main story, as it did for the Comic-Con comic, bringing his own style to the Skylanders characters while still drawing them accurately and expressively. Fernando Peniche’s colors compliment this style, adding extra life to the characters and helping to match the tone of the situation. An interesting thing about the art is that, while the characters themselves and other important objects use definitive outlines, the backgrounds go without outlines, which I think gives the comic a certain feel to it and helps the characters not blend into their brightly-colored backgrounds.

“The Secret Origin of Trigger Happy”, drawn by David Baldeón and colored by Ander Zarate, sees the Skylanders Trigger Happy, Night Shift (a SWAP Force member) and Bouncer (a Giant) at Skylanders Academy training out of boredom while they wait for Blades to show up, and in this boredom Trigger Happy tries to relay his backstory. This story was an interesting read, as it gives some insight into what Skylanders do when not trying to stop any villains (of which the new game contains a plethora), and it was kind of funny to see references to some known Marvel and DC heroes as Trigger Happy explains his origin. The story ends up being kind of a big tease, but it was still nice to see the Skylanders in their off-hours; it makes you wonder what others do with their spare time. I liked David Baldeón’s art here, since it was very energetic and expressive, and Ander Zarate’s coloring work only adds to this energy (in addition to some rather impressive lighting work that really adds some depth to everything, as well as some glow effects on places where there would be on Bouncer’s toy). It would be very interesting to see more from this art team in the future.

The artwork for the back-up story is very energetic.
(Page shown without its dialogue.)

Also, as with the #0, this comic contains character bios at the back, so it can be assumed that this will be a running feature. I like to make a point of reading stuff like this, as it gives me more background on the characters and helps me to appreciate them more (and I’m sure the same can be said for any hardcore fan). In case anyone is wondering, the bios in this issue are for the Skylanders Spyro, Jet-Vac, Prism Break, and Food Fight.

Skylanders #1 is a decent start for the Skylanders comic, even if it does have a couple of rough patches. The writing isn’t terrible, the art is nice to look at (especially in the back-up story), and it does a good job of trying to flesh out the characters (which is a little more than I can say with the games themselves), which I hope to see more of in future issues. This is definitely a comic that any Skylanders fan should pick up, and anyone interested in playing the games but does not have the money or resources to do so can use this as a more cost-effective jump-on point to understanding the game’s world (the main story even offers a brief and concise summary of the overall backstory for newcomers). As someone who has not been able to play Skylanders: Trap Team yet, I’m glad to see that there aren’t any spoilers for that game anywhere, so anyone in a similar situation can pick up this comic without worry.

[OLD] Skylanders #0 (Comic) - Zero Toys Required, Still A Good Start

While the Skylanders franchise has proven itself to be a very profitable/successful Spyro reboot and toy seller (even if Spyro himself isn’t really in the spotlight), it doesn’t seem to have much in the way of supplementary material, aside from a few spin-off games and a handful of books. To rectify this, IDW Publishing has recently announced a Skylanders comic book series, which more recently made its debut with an exclusive issue #0 at San Diego Comic-Con, its own story serving as a prequel to the upcoming Skylanders: Trap Team. As a Skylanders player myself, I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but as the Con drew closer I decided to give the comic a shot so as to invest myself further in the series lore; to this end, I ended up (unintentionally) getting two copies of the comic at the IDW Booth (I was aiming for one), as well as copies of the variant cover after attending the Skylanders panel at the Con (this seems to be the only way to get this particular variant) and getting each copy of the comic signed by the issue’s writer, David A. Rodriguez (he had a signing each day at IDW throughout the Con). After reading the series’ debut issue, I would say that this new comic series is off to a good start, though it’s much too early to tell how good it is at transitioning into the story of Trap Team (since, you know, the game’s not out just yet).

When Lord Kaos makes a discovery, he explains to his servant Glumshanks about a prison in Skylands known as Cloudcracker Prison, wherein Skylands’ biggest villains are encased in a material known as Traptanium, the most durable substance in all of Skylands. When Glumshanks asks what this has to do with anything, Kaos explains that he has a plan that will eventually grant him total control over all of Skylands. Later, The Skylanders Pop Fizz, Stealth Elf, and Wash Buckler are flying with Flynn as Stealth Elf practices, but no sooner do they have to join other Skylanders in fending off an army of Trolls attacking a supply of Radiance Crystals, the element used to make Traptanium. If that’s not enough, a Doom Raider named Wolfgang appears to overwhelm the Skylanders.

David A. Rodriguez, the aforementioned writer of this issue, does an amazing job of capturing the spirit of the characters Kaos, Glumshanks, and Flynn, as their personalities and actions lined up with what they would normally do in the games (I have not really played or read any supplementary material), to the point where I could hear the characters saying their respective lines. I personally don’t know much about the personalities of the Skylanders themselves, since I haven’t read many character bios and any personality I have seen from them comes mainly from whatever they say in toy form, commercials, and a handful of cutscenes. However, the actions of the Skylanders present in the story, especially those that got the most screen time (Spyro himself appearing in only a single panel), felt like things they would do in the situations they were presented with. Again, it’s too early to tell how well this comic lines up with the plot of Trap Team, but I would nonetheless say it was well-written as it seems to set up plot points present in said game.

The Doom Raider Wolfgang shows up in this comic.

Mike Bowden’s art on the comic does well with capturing the general art style of the game, as well as having each character looking accurate to how they look in-game (and on-toy). The colors by David Garcia Cruz suit Bowden’s art well and help each character pop out in their respective surroundings, helped by the use of a generally bright color palette. There is one gripe I have with the art through, but this isn’t a mistake original to the book: the Trap Master Snap Shot uses a bow-and-arrow as his oversized weapon (a visual gimmick of the Trap Masters), but, as with his toy and official artwork, the bow lacks a bowstring (which is, you know, an important part of a bow’s anatomy), so even in the context of a comic it looks like Snap Shot is holding some weird-looking object rather than a proper weapon. Aside from this one thing, I don’t really have any complaints about the artwork.

There is also a set of four character bios in the back, namely for four of the Trap Masters introduced in Trap Team (Jawbreaker, Wildfire, Snap Shot, and Wallop). I find this feature to be interesting, since it allows the reader to know more about characters from the game series without having to look them up online. Though laid out much differently, this reminds me of a similar feature that was included within the issues of IDW’s Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers mini-series, as well as the bios included in Fun Publications’ Transformers material. In any case, I find that these bios aid in adding more depth to the universe and fleshing out the characters more.

So far, I would say the Skylanders comic is off to a good start. I would have to read more issues once the comic officially debuts in October to get a better idea of the comic’s general quality, but I would still say that this issue from Comic-Con was really well-executed. As a prequel, it seems to set up the plot of Trap Team well, though again I can’t judge that fully until I get to play the game. The writing and art are both executed well and the story gives potential players a glimpse of what Trap Team will be like in terms of new characters and plot. This comic is a must-have for Skylanders fans, and if you didn’t attend Comic-Con, I would suggest trying to seek this one out if you are interested. Hopefully this issue becomes reprinted in the future, perhaps in a trade paperback of some sort, so that those who didn’t attend the show will be able to read this story, but for now eBay is probably your best bet if you don’t have a copy already.