Skylander Giants

[soera]

Well, today is release day. I had already pre-ordered at Best Buy cause reward wise, it appeared to be the best. What I have seen so far is :
Portal owner pack (comes with game and tree giant) (Best buy has a backpack with poster, bracelet, keychain, and stickers for pre-order of either pack)
Game pack (comes with full game set and 2 small characters, tree giant)
Series 2 characters : game 1 characters with new look and available new options
Giants : Crusher, Bouncer, and Swarm (Target has an exclusive Crusher called Granite Crusher)
3 pack comes with a cannon an older character and a new one (shroomboom) (Gamestop has an exclusive gold cannon)
New characters : Chill, Pop Fizz, and Fright Rider.

So far, price wise, portal pack 59.99, game pack 74.99, original size characters 8.99, giants 14.99, and 3 pack is 24.99

Game is pretty neat. Chests/hat boxes open a different way, experience bar is easier to read, gold is more available. Difficulty settings are optional now. There is a new type of treasure called a luck o tron. Giants have the ability to do new stuff (break through floors, do feats of strength, etc). All-in-all, its definitely impressive if you liked the original game.

[soera]

Well, after some more searching, Toys R Us has legendary characters again. They are releaseing a 3 pack (Ignitor, Slam Bam, and Jet Vac) a single character (Stealth Elf) and a giant (Bouncer). The 3 pack and the giant are already available. They also had a couple of the Lightcore characters (Drobot, Eruptor, and Prism Break). They are $2 more than the normal characters.

There is also a game in the game called Skystones. Its a weird tic tac toe type of a game.

[soera]

Scoured the town some more. Walmart has 2 exclusives ... one comes with a map instore. You get a password (GLOW) that you can input in the game through the menus. The other one is if you buy any of the starter packs, you get a glow in the dark Cinder.

[jcalder8]

I want to get this once the characters become easy to find, I am not going through what I went through last year with the first game.

[psydswipe]

Well, after some more searching, Toys R Us has legendary characters again. They are releaseing a 3 pack (Ignitor, Slam Bam, and Jet Vac) a single character (Stealth Elf) and a giant (Bouncer). The 3 pack and the giant are already available. They also had a couple of the Lightcore characters (Drobot, Eruptor, and Prism Break). They are $2 more than the normal characters.

There is also a game in the game called Skystones. Its a weird tic tac toe type of a game.

I know you mentioned Target in the first post but if you need any of the details here they are:

In anticipation of the launch, Target has announced the exclusive  Granite Crusher character as well as the upcoming holiday limited-time only  LightCore Triple Pack (available in store and on Target.com on Nov. 27).

The exclusive  Granite Crusher Giant ($14.99), with increased power and level cap, is a deco change character with a unique granite look and feel with blue crystals represented both on the toy and in game.

Guests will also find the limited-edition Target exclusive LightCore Triple Pack ($11.99); the only Light Core Triple Pack on the market with three LightCore characters including Prism Break, Eruptor and Drobot.

[turf]

I need some help.  I don't know the first thing about Skylanders.  My buddy's boys are VERY into this game.  I'm trying to get them something for Christmas that they'll like.  So, help me out.

What's the difference between the $15 ones and the $10 ones? Are the "Giant" ones more badass or something. 

I'll spend $25-$30 on each of them.  What would I be better off doing?  A couple of the Giants or the 3 pack of the other ones?
Which ones should I be on the look out for?  Any particular awesome one?  Help me out. 

[soera]

Which characters do you have? Do you actually have the Skylander Giants game or just Spyro's Adventure? If you just have Spyro, you can not play any of the series 2, the lightcore, the new characters or the giants at all on it. All the old characters play on Giants however. The Giants are definitely more badass as far as options/hps/damage/etc. A lot of the 3 packs are decent deal if you dont have a lot of the initial characters. I can go into more detail in a PM if you want to chat about it.

[darko]

Which characters do you have? Do you actually have the Skylander Giants game or just Spyro's Adventure? If you just have Spyro, you can not play any of the series 2, the lightcore, the new characters or the giants at all on it. All the old characters play on Giants however. The Giants are definitely more badass as far as options/hps/damage/etc. A lot of the 3 packs are decent deal if you dont have a lot of the initial characters. I can go into more detail in a PM if you want to chat about it.

Dude....you know WAAAAAY too much about Skylanders.

[turf]

Their dad is getting them the Giants game.  I don't know which ones they have, so I figure I'll stick to the newer ones.  That way there's not much chance of them already haveing them.

[soera]

I do know a lot about Skylanders ... its weird ... but the game is actually really damn fun. Ive already beaten the game on hard mode and about to restart it again on Nightmare mode soon for the extra ending.

If his kids are actually getting the Giants game, then all the characters are fair game. There are some characters that are stronger than the others. As far as Giants go, they will already have one (Tree Rex - he comes with both the starter set and the portal owner set). The other ones that are out now is Bouncer, Crusher, Swarm, and Hot Head. There is a Legendary version of Bouncer (Only Toys R Us sells legendary characters) and Target has an exclusive version of Crusher called Granite Crusher. Granite Crusher is probably the most powerful Giant out at this time followed by Legendary Bouncer. Swarm is not bad but tough to control as is Tree Rex. Hot Head is pretty cool and one of his moves allows him to turn into a flaming motorcycle sort of like Ghost Rider.

The new characters are Sprocket, Jet Vac (if he gets the starter kit, it comes with Jet Vac), Fright Rider, Chill, Pop Fizz, Flashwing, and Shroomboom (which only comes in a 3 pack battle set). Jet Vac is pretty strong when leveled up as is Chill. Pop Fizz requires a bit of work to play. Flashwing can be good but starts off weak. Sprocket is the same. Fright Rider and Shroomboom are the weakest of the new characters so far. There are also 3 normal Legendary characters : Ignitor, Jet Vac, and Slam Bamm. All 3 are definitely strong if you decide to go that route.

I have not bothered with any of the series 2 characters (the original characters with a bit more boom) or the lightcore (its just a normal character that glows on the portal). Out of all the characters, I like Camo the most. Very versatile and pretty fun. Drobot is really a strong character and easy for kids (his main attack you can just hold the button down to use). Dino Rang is another badass imo once you get him all his powered up attacks.

If you want to know anything else, just let me know.

[turf]

Alright soera, tell me how ole Uncle Turf did. I got the two boys:

Boy 1: Granite Crusher (target) and Glow in the Dark Sonic Boom (Walmart)

Boy 2: Legendary Bouncer (Toys R Us) and Light Core Drobot

[soera]

Glow in the dark Sonic Boom is brand new. Good job on that one. The other 3 you got are 3 of the strongest characters in game when built up. You did good!

[jcalder8]

I just picked up the starter pack yesterday for my son for Christmas. I can't wait to try it out!.... I mean with him.... yeah that's it

[soera]

Havent bumped this in a while but if you guys are looking for the Hot Dog character, the only way to get it is through a Gamestop exclusive 3 pack. I just got it today. It was a pre-order but I sweet talked the cutie behind the counter and she got my name and number yesterday. She already called today and I went and picked it up! My son is so damned happy. All I have heard for weeks is his made up songs about him. Im just glad the songs will be done ... hopefully.