Skylanders... or what the hell have I gotten myself into.

[justin8301]

So with all the awesome holiday deals going on I managed to snag a copy of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack for $19 and Skylanders Giants Portal Owners Pack for $18; both for PS3. Before this I really had no interest in the franchise and haven't been following it that much. I understand the game is played by placing the figures on the portal and that the characters stats are stored directly on the figure's NFC chip but not much more. I have so many questions and I'm not sure where to start; like is the game worth playing? are the figures compatible with the different versions? Do I need to buy more figures to really get the best experience. Its all kinda overwhelming so I just wanted to see what our community thinks about this interesting game. Thanks guys (and ladies)!!!

[soera]

I seem to be one of the resident Skylander people on the forums (pretty sure 90% of the figures have been uploaded by me). Here goes

is the game worth playing? Yes. Its a decent game even if the targeted audience is around 10 years old. Only complaint Ive had is the shortness of the game and the replay of each level after you get all the stars is low.
are the figures compatible with the different versions? The figures are compatible forward 100% but not backwards at all.
Do I need to buy more figures to really get the best experience? For each game, you need a certain minimum to enjoy all the game has to offer. Spyro's - one of each of the 8 elements, Giants - Previous plus at least 1 giant, Swap force - Previous plus one of each of the 8 additional bonus swappable characters. The bonuses include sneaking, climbing, speed, etc.

If you have any other questions, let me know.

[justin8301]

Do you know of any good places to get some cheap figures? I'm not a big fan of paying full price for anything. 

[turf]

Do you know of any good places to get some cheap figures? I'm not a big fan of paying full price for anything. 

Used game stores have tons of figures. We've bought a ton of these things for The Boy.  That's a good place to start looking.
As for the game, it's fun. It's not going to change your life, unless you're a little boy. My son loves it. He likes to get a new character for no reason when we get groceries. $10 isn't that big of a deal.  I think the most fun for kids is leveling up a new character and seeing the new abilities.
Have fun. It's a neat idea and kids love it.

[justin8301]

Can you delete the data on a figure if you buy it used?

[turf]

Can you delete the data on a figure if you buy it used?

You bet. You can start any of them fresh. You can also change ownership of them. That way they show up in your collection on the game.

[karyann]

For that price, it was definitely a great buy! The game has low replayability as Soera pointed out, but you can extand it a little if you want to complete all of the trophies/achievements, like I did. It adds a little more challenge!

[libernullmal]

I currently almost have the spyro adventure collection and was about to move on to collecting the giants. Do I need to buy the giants portal of power or can I use the same portal I currently have? Is this the case with swaping one?

[soera]

If you plan to also get Swap force, do not bother buying a new portal. A new one is required for Swap force. If you are not going to bother with it, then you will not need a new portal from Spyro's to Giants.

[mkarasch]

Not to threadjack, but has anyone played Disney Infinity?  Is it the same kind of thing?

[soera]

It is kind of the same thing but from what I know it has micro transactions.

[karyann]

It is kind of the same thing but from what I know it has micro transactions.

It does? Ugh, and it's already pricier...I don't think I'll be getting it then, except if I find someone in a few years who's desperate to get rid of everything and happens to sell it for very cheap 

[soera]

They figure with the known characters instead of made up characters like Skylanders, they would sell fast. But kids just want to have fun and parents want to do it as cheap as possible.

[karyann]

Another point that I dislike about Infinity is that characters cannot be played outside of their own world... I don't know if most parents get informed before buying such a pricey game, but it's probably something that would put them off too. My bet is that Skylanders will stay, while I'm still unsure about Infinity's future.

[justin8301]

Here's another question about skylanders. Whats the deal with all the legionaries and other variants. Do they effect gameplay, or is it just a cosmetic thing?