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I'm going to pick this game up for my 4 year old son (yes that's also my excuse to get into it). I told him he could choose this or Disney Infinity and he keeps saying he wants Skylanders. So I just have a few questions. I'm assuming we should start out with Swap Force. We'll buy the starter pack, but should we get the regular or dark edition? Are there any differences besides the number of figures? Do the starter packs come with random figures? I understand that there is a Portal of Power that the figures stand on, but will the old figures work with the swap force PoP? Or maybe I have it wrong and the old figures only work on the old games? (I don't really understand how the levels/world works) Can multiple figures go onto the PoP? I'm pretty sure I read that the PoP and figures are cross-platform, meaning that when we get a ps4/xbox one we would only have to by the disc for the new version? I've never owned any collectible type game so any information is certainly helpful and appreciated.
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Nov 3, 2013 23:10
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The old figures will work on the new PoP. Yes multifigs on the PoP, that is how multiplayer works~! The figures should be cross-platform.
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Nov 4, 2013 00:32
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Toys r us got the legendary version of Zoo Lou in starting today. He is pretty awesome, summoning wolves, birds, and he rides a spirit boar around. I also went ahead and preordered the Xbox one version after playing it a local event. The graphics look MUCH better and the details in the figures is also very improved.
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Nov 4, 2013 01:07
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Herr Tog posted:The old figures will work on the new PoP. Cool thanks! I just went out and bought the Swap Force starter pack for an early Christmas present for my Son. Was going to wait, but eh, we can get him some figures for Christmas instead.
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Nov 4, 2013 01:58
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Essential posted:I've never owned any collectible type game so any information is certainly helpful and appreciated. Every figure works with the new game and the new portal also works with the old games. 360 portals will work on the 360 exclusively but those for other existing platforms are supposedly interchangeable. I've only used the 3DS portal on the PC with the discontinued web games but in theory it'd work with the PS3 or Wii/U, too. Swap-specific dudes will not work in Giants and Spyro's Adventure. Swap and Giants-specific dudes will not work in Spyro's Adventure. Basically as long as the character was in a game it'll work and load as the closest version it has. The Swap Force Warnado, for example, shows up in Spyro and Giants as a Series 1 without access to the Wow Pow as it didn't exist when those games were made. His level will be adjusted, too, since Spyro's Adventure capped at 10, Giants at 15 and Swap at 20. Figures from Spyro's Adventure are the most basic but will take advantage of the new level caps that each game introduced (level 14 Ghost Roaster  ). Giants introduced an additional attack for each character called a Wow Pow which varies in usefulness. I think Swap figures of existing guys get a second weird additional attack?There are also a few types of variant figures which differ from standard figures in stats, often colors and in one case moveset. Most Dark figures are just palette swaps with slightly different stats except for the Series 1 Dark Spyro which had an altered moveset but only in the original 3DS game. He looks different in the console games but spits magical flames like any other Spyro-rear end Spyro. Legendary figures are usually blue and gold colored and have different stats than the normal versions. Special figures don't look any different in-game but can have different stats. Halloween Eyebrawl and the Series 2 golden Flameslinger are prime examples. Stats can be raised via challenges in the console versions and with hats in all versions so there's no particular reason to go nuts over variants unless you dig their aesthetics. Legendary Grim Creeper is just so pretty  !I already mentioned that the Series 3 Dark Mega Ram Spyro that comes with the Dark Edition is loving weird. I still need to see what he shows up as in Spyro's Adventure but in Giants he loads as a Series 2 'Special' Spyro, not as Dark Spyro. I think it was done to allow use of his Wow Pow since the original Dark Spyro was a Series 1 and didn't have it. There was no Series 2 Dark Spyro, so, yeah, it makes sense  .There's a maximum of two guys on a portal at a time plus one magic item. Sidekicks and stage packs count as magic items so you can't have a cute little Gill Runt running around and, say, a cannon or a hammer. It should be noted that sidekicks don't actually do anything so they're not vital to track down. Apart from unlocking the stages in applicable games, the level packs also act as a once-per-stage magical onscreen attack. Pirate Seas drops cannonballs, the ice level drops icicles and the Tower of Time drops mechanical gears everywhere. The levels from Spyro's Adventures also unlock their stages when used in Giants but are only good for magical attacks in Swap Force. I hope that helps  ?Fire Kraken came in the mail a couple of days ago and he's so cute  ! Even with his bouncy tail his figure is the shortest Swap figure I've seen yet... on foot he'd be about the size of a standard character. I'm super happy with Rip Tide although I just had to nickname him 'Fish Gordon' as he's a goddamned cornball. He's now wearing a turkey on his head.
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Nov 4, 2013 02:10
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SassyRobot posted:Tons of good info... Wow, thank you! That was helpful, although there is a lot I still don't understand. Time to just dive in I guess!
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Nov 4, 2013 02:24
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Essential posted:Wow, thank you! That was helpful, although there is a lot I still don't understand. Time to just dive in I guess! If there's anything specific that you'd like to know just ask. I've spent way less time with Swap Force and have only a few guys for it but I've played Adventure and Giants on the 360 and 3DS. The console builds and portable builds tend to share some assets but have entirely different level layouts. Hell, the 3DS games have had jumping since their inception though it's a new feature in Swap Force for the console versions. Instead of using gems to buy skills on an upgrade tree like the console versions the 3DS games just mete out new skills based on a figure's level. Since having a constantly connected portal would be a nightmare for a portable entertainment device the game allows two figures to be registered at once who can be swapped between at will. Any experience or level gain is saved to the toy the next time that it's used on the portal. Character levels are not platform specific- a level 7 Camo figure played on the 3DS will still be level 7 in the console games. If Camo has been used in Giants and is level 14 he'll load into Adventure as level 10 due to the old level cap that game had. In Swap Force he'd still be level 14 and be capable of reaching that game's new cap of level 20 eventually. It works similarly for hats. Hats are saved to the figure and will show up in any game that the specific hat was available in. If the Puma Hat from Swap Force is worn by a character and that character is then played with in Giants or Adventures it won't show up. It'll still be saved to the figure, though. Since a character's special moves are different between the console and the portables they may play a little differently. Boomer, a goblin demolition man, isn't a bad character in the console games but he's a complete beast in the 3DS games. He can fling dynamite sticks downward while jumping and throwing stuff also slows his descent. Everything dies under a hail of explosives. It's magnificent  .Level packs do activate stages in the portable versions. They're not necessarily the most interesting places but it's a nice feature. Giants didn't have additional level packs but the ones from Spyro's Adventure activate in it. They're the same content but damned if Dragon's Peak doesn't look a little nicer rendered in the Giants Engine. So far Swap Force has one available additional level, the Tower of Time. Later they're going to release a second called Sheep Wreck Island. It'll be interesting to see if that one's in-stage magic attack makes it rain exploding sheep... Oh! And the 3DS portals connect to the 3DS via that infrared wireless thingy but it has a mini-usb port for connecting it to other systems like the PC or PS3 and whatnot. It's the same port as the PS3 controllers use to charge.
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Nov 4, 2013 03:55
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SassyRobot posted:More good stuff.. Thank you SassyRobot! My Son played for about 2 hours tonight and he loves the game. I'm surprised by the amount of depth and how fun/beautiful/unique the world is. He had a lot of fun swapping between the figures. Plus he missed a bunch of stuff so have an excuse to replay those levels. I do have a couple questions: 1. Once acquired, are hats available for all characters? 2. He found a fishing lure (can't remember what type of item it is) and I didn't see a way to equip it. Do these items provide passive skills/upgrades/abilities? I wasn't sure if we should activate it or what to do with it. 3. He unlocked some skills for figures we don't have. I wasn't sure if that was just a marketing thing (to show off the other figures) or does that mean we should be looking for skills for the figures we have? 4. The starter pack came with some cards, stickers (with QR Code) and poster. Are the stickers supposed to go on the poster? Or another sticker sheet of sorts? And what are the cards for, just for fun and to show the figure stats? That's all I can of for now, thanks again! Essential fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 06:50
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Essential posted:I do have a couple questions: Once a hat is available anybody can have access to it with one exception. There are three special tophats tied to completing toy quests/challenges that are figure specific. They come in bronze, silver and gold. Most of the 'quests' are easy enough to earn in the normal course of play though some characters have themed challenges like catching x number of fish with Rip Tide or collecting treasure while airborne for air Skylanders like Whirlwind. There's a list of available and completed tasks in the character management menu where you also switch hats and stuff. One hat may be worn by however many characters you wish, they're not limited use or consumable. The fishing lure is a legendary treasure and will grant a passive bonus to all characters when it's activated by placing it on one of the blue-trimmed plinths that are scattered throughout Woodburrow. The loving stupid thing is that the game sort of mentions 'placing the object' but doesn't say anything about how to do that. The plinths will activate at a certain part of the story, around chapter four or five after the Chieftess has been rescued. At the same point the Portal Master rank mechanic is introduced. The stars earned in missions accumulate and increase the player's Portal Master rank. The number of available spots to stick Legendary Treasures are limited by your rank. The items available in the store are also limited by how high a player's rank is. Stars can also be earned in the arena, score attack and time attack modes though those are unlocked pretty late in the game. Having specific toys also grants stars which is kind of scummy but rewards the committed or pre-invested player. There're bonuses granted for having a certain number of one element, using a sidekick or having lots of guys with the same color base. Base color denotes which figures came from which game. Spyro's Adventure figures have a green base, Giants has orange and Swap Force uses blue. No other game has a Portal Master rank but granted passive bonuses for similar reasons through 'accolades'. Giants had some cute accolades like 'faithful trio' for registering the Series 1 Gill Grunt, Spyro and Trigger Happy. Those three were from the console starter sets .The skill unlock things are called Soul Gems and are scattered throughout the game. They appear for the new characters introduced by each game. They're pretty much an excuse for promoting the new figures but the unlocked moves are usually pretty good. The skill still has to be purchased in the upgrade pod, though. No freebies! The stickers are for whatever. Some kids put them on the poster but is there ever a bad place to stick a happy harpoon-wielding fishman? The QR codes are for activating stuff in the iOS version of the game. The actual codes used to work on the old PC browser game, too, and if you didn't have a portal connected to the PC it'd let you add characters and later spit a code back at you to save any treasure or levels earned. It's dead now, though, replaced by some stand-alone flash games that don't grant any benefits at all. Yaay  . The 'hero rank' displayed in Adventures and Giants was tied to the online game. The cards are just cards and an easy way to pull up a figure's base stats, like if you're doing time trials and want to pick your fastest character. There is some kind of card that actually does something on the portal but it was a Target exclusive pre-order bonus for Swap Force.Each figure has two different skill tree paths and only one can be active at a time. Most of the time it's offensive versus defense moves. The game fails to mention that once all the moves for one path are purchased you can switch to the alternate upgrade path and start buying those. You can still only use one group of upgrades at a time but it beats having to buy two of everyone just to see all the moves .Bolts earned from the Spark Locks don't seem to have any value beyond counting as treasure. I was thinking they'd be used in a machine or something but they're not. Bleh. Getting both cubes their colored bolts isn't necessary but earns more treasure. Just stick 'em together and they're good. Earlier in the thread someone brought up that the dual element gates can be opened by having two players, one for each element. They're supposed to encourage combining Swap guys of different elements but it's not required. It might be necessary in the 3DS game, though, as those seem strictly single player  . Can anyone confirm that?
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Nov 4, 2013 18:59
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Some pretty interesting deals in the next few weeks. Swap force starter pack for all systems (including next gen) for $50 at gamestop at Toys r Us (and for $38 from 5pm to 9pm thanksgiving at TRU) A wii u skylanders swap force bundle for $300 / $249 at gamestop / TRU this black friday a coupon for $5 off any $25 or more purchase of skylanders (i think it has to be a single item - the coupon lasts until 11/27) at target b1g1 70% off individual figures at tru on black friday (not worth it with the tru markup, unless target doesn't get any wave 2 or three triple packs in this month). Toys r us had some groupons last week that stacked with the 20% off any toy and made it slightly better than their current b1g1 40% Also legendary Zoo Lou is out. One per person, so it shouldn't be too hard to get. I had to ask for someone to get it out of the back though, as they were already cleared out up front and in r-zone when I got there. Next week should have a legendary night shift, and the next week, a reissue of dinorang (lol) moron izzard fucked around with this message at 19:25 on Nov 4, 2013 |
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Nov 4, 2013 19:20
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I'm thinking about getting this for my 5 year old nephew for x-mas. He has a PS3 and a 3DS. What would I need to buy so he could play back and forth on the two?
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Dec 6, 2013 21:02
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The figures are universal, so you can use them on both 3DS and PS3. The only tricky thing is that the 3DS version syncs the figure instead of it being continuously on the portal, so he'd have to remember to resync the figures after playing on the 3DS version to update his progress.
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Dec 6, 2013 23:09
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Just bought the 2 of the PS3 Spryo starter pack from Best Buy online for $20. One for the nephew and niece for xmas, one for the fiance and me for now. BB has them for other systems as well. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/skyland...nders&lp=7&cp=3 Then picked up some triple packs at Toys R Us, price matching their website. They seem to be having a huge sale. For example: http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=12696540 It's strange though, I went a few hours ago, and I picked up triple packs from Giants, not Spyro. Now the website only has Spyro on sale. I haven't even played this stupid game and I already want to buy more. drat these holiday sales. Thread really helped though. First video game my fiance has agreed to try in a long time. Kids will be stoked at xmas (don't think they even know what Skylanders is). Loan Dusty Road fucked around with this message at 10:06 on Dec 7, 2013 |
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Dec 7, 2013 09:56
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Has anyone even seen the PS4/XBone release of this? Or hell, Infinity for that matter?
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Dec 9, 2013 17:13
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5er posted:Has anyone even seen the PS4/XBone release of this? Or hell, Infinity for that matter? The girlfriend and I have been playing on PS4. Looks fantastic and certainly satisfies the old-school platformer itch for me. We started to play on Hard difficulty, but that was too tough for her (just right for me). Some of the challenges are pretty tough even for me. The voiceovers and dialogue is of course not aimed at adults, but it is tolerable. I really loved the N64 era platformers like Banjo Kazooie etc., and this has so much poo poo to do even the OCD 10 year old in your life would be satisfied. From what I read, you can get a platinum trophy without buying anything more than the starter pack, which is fair. Definitely the sleeper game on the system right now for people who like platformers. It's quite meaty in the same way AC4 is.
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Dec 9, 2013 17:41
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I looked things up on Amazon for Swap Force for next gens, and it looks like it's on sale right now for $54 - that is about 20bux off, not shabby. Nothing for Disney Infinity though... looks like they aren't on time with it. The Skylanders stuff is definitely kid-demographic... I would be very leery of advocating it to just an adult in general. Anyone asking, 'would my 5 year old like this?' the answer is yes... but the question after that is, will your wallet? Getting a minimum enough figures to be capable of hitting all the game content (Swap Force, you can't even do that yet, certain Swap figures with a specific base ability aren't out yet) is quite extortive.
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Dec 9, 2013 19:14
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Cesaro posted:Definitely the sleeper game on the system right now for people who like platformers. It's quite meaty in the same way AC4 is. this made my day, thank you.
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Dec 9, 2013 19:27
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amazon had both for 38 a few times in the past couple of weeks, and TRU has had ridiculous deals for figures (the past week or two had b1g1 SSA and Giants figures, plus a discounted price of like $6 for SSA). You could get enough figures unlock everything but the swap specific stuff for under $30 (or under $20 if you don't care about the giants requirement - all they do is open a chest). I got legendary bouncer and Legendary chill from last year for eight dollars. and the swap specific stuff is really just minigames - to that end you just have to ask yourself how badly you (or your child) wants to max out their portal master level edit: theres also a holiday Jolly bumble blast figure out now. should be easy to find moron izzard fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Dec 9, 2013 |
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Dec 9, 2013 19:31
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A Yolo Wizard posted:theres also a holiday Jolly bumble blast figure out now. should be easy to find I thought I was going to have to beg someone in the States for this as my kid is obsessed with Bumble Blast and this would be the ultimate stocking filler. But they have it in the UK as well (Smyths exclusive if anyone cares) so I'm all set.
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Dec 10, 2013 00:43
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A Yolo Wizard posted:edit: theres also a holiday Jolly bumble blast figure out now. should be easy to find Yeah I just walked into Target this weekend and there it was. Looks to have the colors in-game (haven't had a chance to play lately and my son's earned some grounding). I'm disappointed that the halloween Eye Brawl wasn't textured in-game. Oh, something a ToysRUs teller advised me about this past weekend- if you have their 'rewards r us' card and spend 100 on skylander poo poo either at a store or off their website between I think when the game released and Dec31st, you'll get a free exclusive figure of some kind. I think online speculation has it at a die-cast Gill Grunt.
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Dec 10, 2013 00:51
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I don't think speculation is needed, since its right there in the weekly ad. They also mentioned it at release. They send you a coupon in your inbox apparently. edit: has anyone seen the frito lay bag with the chance to win glow in the dark rattleshake? we never got it in my area apparently, just the fright rider one
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Dec 10, 2013 01:29
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Where is the third wave already? This is really messing with my intention to not have to do any last-minute Christmas shopping.
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Dec 11, 2013 18:08
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Fitting that I had the last post. TRU just emailed out that new Skylanders hit their shelves at midnight, tonight. The usual 'select locations, supplies limited' warnings.
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Dec 21, 2013 23:22
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So if I get this game what would the the least skylanders to get, assuming I get all the starters, to have all the elements and movement styles?
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Dec 27, 2013 10:32
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To have every element and swap ability, you would need 6 more swap force figures. Rattle Shake Magna Charge Free Ranger Hoot Loop Stink Bomb Rubble Rouser Stink Bomb and Rubble Rouser are supposed to be unavailable until the 29th at TRU, but people are finding them at walmart (and they will match TRU's b1g1 40% deal atm). The movement abilities are only for minigames though.
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Dec 27, 2013 21:00
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Thank you~!
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Jan 10, 2014 12:11
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Gamestop is having a skylanders day tomorrow, with new sidekicks available. Except they cost $20 in other skylanders purchases each now, and I'm pretty sure the swappers and the newer core skylanders that came out at the end of december are still target / TRU exclusive.
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Jan 10, 2014 16:06
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A Yolo Wizard posted:To have every element and swap ability, you would need 6 more swap force figures. A potential replacement for Rubble Rouser is Grilla Drilla if you're looking for a Digger swap ability if element isn't as big a deal (or if you have toys from previous games). There are two characters of each swap ability, and two swappers for each element, but there are no duplicates of element+swap ability.
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Jan 10, 2014 19:54
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A Yolo Wizard posted:Gamestop is having a skylanders day tomorrow, with new sidekicks available. Except they cost $20 in other skylanders purchases each now, and I'm pretty sure the swappers and the newer core skylanders that came out at the end of december are still target / TRU exclusive. And the hilarious thing about 'Skylanders Day' at my nearest GameStop is that they called me Tuesday to tell me they got 'new figures' in stock. It was the 2nd wave fish guy and scorpion.
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Jan 10, 2014 20:50
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I picked up Giants for my kid today. Am I right in thinking all Spyros Adventure figures will work on it but not on Swap Force and when I eventually get Swap Force, everything I have (SA figures, Giants figures, and the PoP) will work on Swap Force? Will all of this also make the transition from PS3 to PS4?
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Jan 11, 2014 19:45
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omnibobb posted:I picked up Giants for my kid today. Yes. All figures are future compatible but not all are backwards compatible, as obviously they may not have been in the older games. Newer figures tend to "do more" in the newer games to get you to update. Spyros adventure figures, for example, are missing a super power attack thing compared to the giants version when playing giants. And the figures are entirely cross platform. You might or might not need a new portal of power for the ps4 though. Swap force needs a new updated one anyway though.
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Jan 11, 2014 20:22
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So, just to clarify, I CANNOT get just the swap force portal, I will need to buy the starter?
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Jan 11, 2014 22:01
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I can verify on the PS3, the Swap Force portal is backward compatible with PS3 Skylanders o.g. and Giants.
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Jan 11, 2014 22:18
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But is the giants portal compatible with the swap force disk/toys?
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Jan 11, 2014 22:56
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omnibobb posted:But is the giants portal compatible with the swap force disk/toys? I don't know and I'm going to assume no, because there is no 'portal owners' version of swap force I saw.
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Jan 12, 2014 01:41
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omnibobb posted:But is the giants portal compatible with the swap force disk/toys? It's not. They had to come up with the new portal to make the swapping mechanic work, apparently. You can't buy a portal-less version of Swap Force from stores anyway.
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Jan 12, 2014 04:07
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Series 2 and 3 are newer versions of older characters and can be played in the older games (assuming that they had appeared by that game). Are the newer versions of these characters better than the originals? Like is Ninja Stealth Elf better than vanilla Stealth Elf?
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Jan 12, 2014 13:39
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The stats are different, but the character model in the game is exactly the same as it has been for the last two games. Which is kind of lovely; I don't care if it's just a sloppy reskin, I'd like the in-game model to look similar to the figurine.
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Jan 12, 2014 13:57
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Dr. Video Games 0029 posted:The stats are different, but the character model in the game is exactly the same as it has been for the last two games. Which is kind of lovely; I don't care if it's just a sloppy reskin, I'd like the in-game model to look similar to the figurine. So, stats wise, is it better to buy newer/updated characters? Like are they universally better?
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Jan 12, 2014 14:26
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| # ? May 5, 2024 14:21 |
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Dr. Video Games 0029 posted:The stats are different, but the character model in the game is exactly the same as it has been for the last two games. Which is kind of lovely; I don't care if it's just a sloppy reskin, I'd like the in-game model to look similar to the figurine. It does, once you upgrade her fully. A lot of figurines show end of tree upgrades on them; hers just happens to be a full costume now.
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Jan 12, 2014 14:58
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