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Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure trailer thrown to Earth
How did the tangible toy components of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure come to be in our world? We were pretty sure they were manufactured in a factory, or perhaps even a lab. According to the trailer above, however, they were teleported here to rot in an inescapable, earthen prison. Fun!
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure preview: Babes in toyland
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is one of those things that's tough to explain in preview text, but easy to understand once you've seen it in action. It starts with a series of real-life plastic toy characters, 32 in all, molded in the style of Spyro the Dragon and his friends, old and new. These real-life toys can be placed on a drum-like device called a "portal," that then connects up to your gaming console (the Wii to start, though Activision promises more later on). Once you're all set up, the action is surprisingly easy: Place the toy on the portal, and instantly that character appears in your game, playable and ready to go. Switch toys, and your character switches, but retains all of the XP and loot it earns on the go. "It's the easiest pitch in the world," says Paul Reiche, studio president of Toys for Bob, the developer behind Activision's new take on Spyro. "It's so emotional and primal. It's what you expect. You have a toy, it's in your imagination, it's alive, and the fact that it isn't is strange. So when you see it instantly come to life, it's a natural, pleasant experience." He's right -- while the actual game behind Skylanders is clearly meant for younger players (we'll get to that in just a second), the technology is pretty amazing to children of all ages. Toys for Bob has made the transition between the real-world toys and the in-game characters almost seamless, and it makes this kids' game worth a look.%Gallery-125347%
Have a look at the heroes of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure
There are 32 different toys-turned-characters in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, and the videos posted after the break will introduce you to seven of them, from the hack-and-slash undead knight Chop Chop to the gemstone brawler Prism Break and the blue dragon caster Zap. Each character, as you'll see, is aligned with a certain element, and various parts of the game (along with the enemies therein) are made to match up with those elements, meaning players will probably have to mix and match with friends to get the most out of the game's stages. Each character can of course be leveled up through 11 ranks (increasing the strength and function of your abilities as you go), and they can grab items and loot while playing along as well, all of which is saved in the actual toy as you play. And players can even pit their heroes against each other in head-to-head arena battles, proving that your Stump Smash can beat anyone's Ignitor. You can check out all of the various real-life toys in the gallery below as well. %Gallery-125347%
What's in a Name: Toys for Bob
Toys for Bob's Paul Reiche III, co-creator of the Star Control series and Pandemonium, lets us in on the thinking behind his studio's name. Whenever you're putting together a studio, right, it's like name, t-shirt, and then let's do the contract. So Fred [Ford] and I had formed a partnership to do Star Control 1. And we had all of these different names laid out, including this Bosco the Bee mascot that didn't work out. And finally my wife -- she's a poet, very interested in psychology -- she said create a name that generates interest, that doesn't distance yourself from people, and that you can reinvent. I love toys, I always have, and she knows that and Fred knows that. And so it was just a perfect fit. Bob is also a universal name -- everyone knows a Bob, I used to listen to the Bill Cosby and he was always talking about Bob the mechanic. And part of my brain is just permanently Bob. We have an official rule, which is that everyone gets their own Bob, whoever you want. "Toys for Bob Kotick" is a fairly good analogy for us, since he's paid for everything we've done. But I'm a sort of a Church of the SubGenius guy myself. Toys for Bob is currently working on Activision's Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, due out later on this year. Like this feature? Be sure to check out the What's In A Name Archives.
Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure announced, incorporates augmented reality
Augmented reality dragons. Have you ever heard such a completely radical combination of words in your entire life? Activision and developer Toys for Bob are banking on the novelty of that concept to make their recently announced franchise reboot, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, a hit. Here's the pitch: The game includes a "Portal" mat, upon which players can place one of over 30 toys modeled after characters, including the titular dragon. This drops the character into the game, where its unique set of skills helps the player ... you know, do platform-y stuff. Though it sounds like a lot of love is going into the actual game -- with a script penned by the writers of Toy Story and a score composed by Hans Zimmer -- the toys actually seem to be the focal point. Each figure includes some sort of internal memory, which saves the experience, gold and improved skills of their in-game counterparts. From there, players can drop their toys on other players' Portals to use their customized characters in one of the game's cooperative or competitive modes. Oh, and to make these little guys even more collectible, each toy adheres to an element (fire, water, earth, etc.), augmenting its abilities and giving it access to exclusive areas of the game. Skylanders is set to launch this fall for $70, which nets you the game itself, a Portal mat, three toys and some trading cards. No platforms have been announced, though the game was demonstrated on Wii during its debut presentation at the 2011 American International Toy Fair today (that's right -- mystery solved). Man, if we were 12 again, we'd go absolutely nuts for these things. Heck, even in our jaded mid-20s, we're having a difficult time tempering our excitement. Check out the galleries below for a look at the game and its importable statuettes. %Gallery-116315% %Gallery-116316%
