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'Crash Bandicoot 4' comes to PC on March 26th
'Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!' is also arriving on iOS and Android in a couple of weeks.
'Crash Bandicoot 4' is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Switch in March
From his glorious origins on the first PlayStation, beloved orange furball Crash Bandicoot has leapt to most major gaming platforms in a nostalgia-fueled revival that shows no signs of slowing down. Now in his 25th year, the zany marsupial is heading to the PS5, the Xbox Series X and S and the Nintendo Switch on March 12th with the release of Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Next-gen console owners can expect more striking visuals when the game is cranked up to native 4K and 60 FPS on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and an upscaled 4K/60 FPS on Xbox Series S. Additional features on the new PlayStation include haptic feedback via the DualSense controllers and extra guidance by way of onscreen Activity Cards.
‘Crash Bandicoot 4’ pretends the PS2-era games never happened
Precision platforming is at the heart of 'It's About Time.'
'Crash Bandicoot 4' will be revealed tomorrow at 11AM ET
'Crash Bandicoot 4' will be announced on June 22nd at 11AM Eastern, although leaks have spilled some of the details.
'Spyro Reignited Trilogy' heads to PC and Switch on September 3rd
You won't have to stick to the living room to play the revamped Spyro Reignited Trilogy. Activision and Toys For Bob are bringing the pint-sized dragon's adventures to both PCs (via Steam) and the Nintendo Switch on September 3rd, 2019. That's nearly a year after the revamped classics came to the PS4 and Xbox One, but you probably won't mind if you've either wanted to play Spyro on the road or take advantage of your custom gaming rig. It's certainly a big leap for a series that was best known as a PlayStation exclusive in its early days.
Skylanders Trap Team Light and Dark expansions hit retail this weekend
Skylanders veterans will soon be able to master in-game elements never previously seen in the series via a pair of new Skylanders Trap Team expansion packs premiering at retail this weekend. Trap Masters Knight Mare and Knight Light join the Skylanders roster as part of Trap Team's new Light and Dark Element Expansion Packs. Each pack includes a character figure, a Trap accessory that allows players to trap and control Light and Dark villains, and a location piece that unlocks new levels featuring Light and Dark element-specific content. Players who ventured through Skylanders Trap Team likely noticed deactivated element gates scattered throughout specific levels. These gates can only be accessed using the new Light and Dark element characters, opening up a significant portion of the game that was locked off since launch. Trap Team's Light and Dark Element Expansion Packs will launch exclusively at Toys"R"Us stores on December 21 at $29.99 apiece. [Image: Activision]
Skylanders Trap Team review: Broccoli Guy's unjust desert
Skylanders' success is borne of equal parts solid game design and marketing savvy. Its central conceit – buy small plastic figurines in order to summon in-game characters – is instantly appealing for kids, and its Gauntlet-styled action-RPG gameplay makes it a guilty pleasure for adults. The franchise's "toys to life" mantra, despite its potential for audience exploitation, rewards dedicated fans with bonus content and unlockables that mirror the size of their toy collections. There are now hundreds of Skylanders toys to collect, but to date, the series has maintained a delicate balance that ensures a fun experience both for hardcore collectors and for casual fans. Skylanders Trap Team, the fourth major entry in the series, is the first Skylanders game to upset this balance. Trap Team still offers a fun journey at its core, but longtime fans will be disappointed to find out that they need to purchase several new figures in addition to an expensive starter set in order to explore the game to its fullest.
Skylanders: Trap Team bridges the gap between console and tablet
Skylanders: Trap Team will be revolutionary, for both the series and potentially for Activision's entire publishing operation, when it releases on October 5th. It doesn't dramatically change the central play of Toys For Bob's popular action figure adventure games. Catching villains in teensy crystal toys like sinister Pokemon isn't, in practice, so different than just using a regular Skylanders action figure even if it is a charming shift in the fiction. What is a dramatic change, however, is that Trap Team will be available on iPad and Android tablets the very same day it hits PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Not a spinoff, either. Activision's bringing the full console game to mobile devices. Playing the game on an iPad Mini, Trap Team is a handy demonstration of just how far mobile game development has come in the past five years. While it may not have the graphical flash of the PlayStation 4 version of the game Activision showed Joystiq shortly before San Diego Comic Con, the exact same level plays just as smooth and looks every bit as nice as a polished Xbox 360 game. New character Snap Shot pops into the stage when you put his figure on the Skylanders portal and fights off a soda-swilling monster with the same aplomb. Developer Vicarious Visions, a studio with a long history of adapting Activision's big console games to portable devices, has brought Trap Team to tablets with no sacrifices to the action. But it's the touchable technology surrounding tablet Trap Team that's most impressive.
Wii version of Skylanders Trap Team includes Wii U digital copy
The Wii edition of Skylanders Trap Team will include a download code for the Wii U version of the game, the series' official Twitter account revealed this week. Fans can pre-order the Wii version (seen above) for $75, which includes a Traptanium portal, two traps, two Skylanders figures and, well, two copies of the game. Activision announced Trap Team in April as a follow-up to last year's successful Skylanders game, Swap Force. Developed by Skylanders Giants lead studio Toys For Bob, Trap Team will launch on October 5 for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Wii U and 3DS. The game has players trapping 40 different enemies into trap crystal, turning them into usable characters. Trap Team will usher in 60 new Skylanders as well, including a new class known as the Trapmasters. The developer showed off a Dark Edition of the game at the San Diego Comic-Con event this week. [Image: Activision]
Skylanders Trap Team Dark Edition debuting at Comic-Con this week
Developer Toys for Bob will showcase the upcoming figure-powered action game Skylanders Trap Team this week at San Diego Comic-Con, giving showgoers an early look at the collector-oriented Dark Edition prior to its launch in October. Skylanders Trap Team's Dark Edition is a special starter bundle that features the Ultimate Kaos Trap, an accessory that allows players to capture and control series antagonist Kaos for the first time. The package also includes two additional trap accessories, a redesigned Portal of Power, a poster, sticker sheets, trading cards, and exclusive black-and-silver variants of new characters Snap Shot, Wildfire and Food Fight. Toys for Bob will additionally host a Skylanders-themed panel discussion and costume contest starting on July 24. The Skylanders Trap Team Dark Edition retails at $99.99, and is set to launch on October 5 for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PS3, Nintendo Wii, Wii U, and 3DS platforms. [Image: Activision Blizzard]
Skylanders Trap Team takes character-driven action to ridiculous extremes
Today, I saw a monstrous piñata who spews candy and bludgeons his enemies with a gigantic lollipop, a tomato-blasting sentient artichoke who eats his own ammo to grow stronger, and an honest-to-god rock'n roll werewolf who shreds on a guitar and slides into his enemies on his knees, Pete Townshend-style. Believe it or not, I have not yet contracted E3 Flu, and my brain is not currently being wracked by fever dreams. These characters are all part of Skylanders Trap Team's playable cast, and developer Toys for Bob is clearly ramping up the creativity for the latest entry in its toy-powered adventure game series with an army of ridiculous characters and outlandish settings. [Image: Activision]
Toys For Bob turns 25, giving away 25 rare Skylanders figures
Toys For Bob, the company behind the Skylanders series of video games, has marked its 25th anniversary, and to celebrate, the company announced via Twitter that it is giving away 25 rare Skylanders figures. To enter the sweepstakes, participants need to first follow the Skylanders Twitter account, which will tweet a call to action every day until May 24. Those seeking a chance to win have until 11:59 Pacific to retweet that day's call to action and include the hashtag #TFB25. It's not clear which Skylanders figures Toys For Bob is offering as part of the sweepstakes - the official rules don't name any particular figures, and it's unknown if the company would give away figures from Skylanders: Swap Force, since they didn't develop that particular Skylanders game. Still, some toys are better than no toys, and you don't even need to be named Bob to get them. Might not hurt your chances, though. [Image: Activision]
Come on feel the toys: What's new in Skylanders Trap Team
Knowing full well that kids love catching them all when there are even more to catch, Activision announced Skylanders Trap Team for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PS3, and Xbox 360. The latest entry in the franchise follows up last year's Skylanders: Swap Force and introduces the ability to not only buy many, many heroic action figures but also the ability to trap the game's enemies and turn them to the light. Developed by Toys For Bob, which hasn't led development since 2012's Skylanders: Giants, Trap Team expands the compulsive collectable nature of the game. The game comes with a brand new NFC portal that reads not just the usual Skylanders toys, but new crystal toys. When fighting specific villains in the game like goofy old man Chompy Mage, plugging a trap crystal into the base actually sucks up the villain making them a usable character. There are 40 trappable villains in the game, and you can switch between one trapped villain and one regular Skylander figure on the fly, adding a tag team element to the Zelda style brawling that's the series' signature. Toys For Bob is adding 60 new Skylanders as well, including the Trapmasters, a new class equipped with giant weapons made of "Traptanium," the same fictional substance the toys for trapping villains are made of.
Nintendo turned down Skylanders exclusivity deal
Nintendo reportedly turned down a deal that would have launched Activision's highly successful toys-come-to-life series Skylanders exclusively for the Wii. A report from Polygon on the Toys for Bob franchise notes that, despite Activision's confidence in the product, it was looking for a partner to spread the risks of the venture. "[Nintendo] spent a long time looking and looking," Toys for Bob co-founder Paul Reiche said. "They were just like 'we have never seen anything like this before.' I've always wondered about the full meaning of that comment [laughs]." Nintendo opted out of making a full commitment to the project, though the two companies did enter a co-marketing agreement for the series. "Clearly, they have got properties well suited to this world," Reiche added. "Why it is that they didn't rush in here will probably haunt them for the rest of their days." Activision's Skylander series has since surpassed $2 billion in sales worldwide. The franchise has found its way to ten different platforms, including the recently launched Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Though Nintendo would later experiment with a similar game in the disappointing Pokemon Rumble, it would be Disney that would eventually invest in the genre with its Disney Infinity series, leveraging the company's multitude of popular characters. "Nintendo could have kicked Disney's ass," Reiche said. "If I was running Nintendo I would have jumped on this." [Image: Activision]
Next Skylanders game coming from series creator Toys for Bob
A new Skylanders game is in development at Toys for Bob, which should come as a pleasant surprise to all those dusty figurines you've been neglecting on your shelf. Skylanders get lonely too. Toys for Bob, acquired by Activision in 2005, created the Skylanders series and took charge of development on the inaugural game as well as its sequel, Skylanders: Giants. As of December 31, 2013, the Skylanders series has grossed $2 billion total worldwide. Vicarious Visions developed the most recent game, Skylanders: Swap Force. Vicarious Visions also spearheaded the 3DS port of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and the Wii U version of Skylanders: Giants. [Image: Activision]
Skylanders surpasses 100 million toys sold
Children everywhere are surrounded by tiny monsters, but there's no cause for alarm – unless you're a parent on a budget, that is. Activison has announced that 100 million Skylanders toys have been sold, reports Destructoid. The news comes from Activision's press conference during Toy Fair 2013. Last month, Activision revealed that the franchise has topped $500 million in sales in the United States alone, with $195 million of that number driven by 2012's Skylanders: Giants.The publisher recently announced its latest assault on parental wallets, Skylanders Swap Force. The new game, which features a new line of figures with interchangeable parts, will land on (and presumably fly off of) retail shelves this fall.
Toys for Bob and Vicarious Visions on keeping annual Skylanders 'magic' alive
Since first launching in 2011, Activision has turned its toy-powered gaming franchise Skylanders into an annual release. The third game in the series, Skylanders: Swap Force, is set to arrive this fall and will allow players to mix-and-match parts of 16 new toys for over 250 in game character combinations. Despite the franchise's success, solidifying it as an annual title in Activision's portfolio, it may not be immune to its new schedule. Activision has walked this road before, with the once-popular Guitar Hero franchise buckling under its own weight of too many releases in too short a time period. But Paul Reiche, Studio President at Toys for Bob [above, left], believes that innovation is the key to growing the franchise; innovation that will keep the "magic" alive for children. "The way that we're going to succeed is by ensuring that every year we have a meaningful innovation both in the toys and in the software as well," Reiche told Joystiq. Though Toys for Bob first developed Skylanders and launched its successor, Skylanders Giants, in 2012, developer Vicarious Visions has taken over to help the third entry in the series – a studio that developed ports and iOS games in the Skylanders universe and, at one time, helped Activision port the Guitar Hero franchise to mobile and Nintendo platforms.
New Skylanders: Giants bundle demands your money a month early at GameStop
What is there to compare to the thrill of opening brand new Skylanders? Opening brand new Skylanders a month early, of course. The Skylanders: Giants Scorpion Striker Battle Pack is now available at GameStop, a month earlier than competing retailers. The pack includes a series 2 Zap, Hot Dog, an in-game catapult, trading cards and – wait for it – stickers! The pack can be had for $25.What's more, spend $29.99 or more on Skylanders figures or packs between January 16 and 31, and you can snag a free sidekick character. Your children will assure you that this is a really good deal.
Skylanders franchise up to $500 million retail sales in the US alone
The United States loves Skylanders to the tune of a whopping $500 million of retail sales, as announced by Activision this morning. Based on recently released NPD data, US boys and girls (and US older boys and girls) can't get enough of the action-RPG games and those oh-so-lucrative accessory packs and figures.$195 million of those retail sales come from Skylanders Giants and its associated retail products alone; the game only arrived on retail shelves just under three months ago. Maybe that figure isn't so startling when you consider the game brought with it an estimated $500 worth of new figures to collect. While Giants certainly did respectably in December's NPDs, coming in 8th on the month's best-sellers chart, it's clearly the accessory packs and figures which have brought in the big bucks.
Toys R Us exclusive: Legendary Skylanders Giants figures, alternate versions of others
Skylanders Giants launches October 21, and if you're in the market for some elite figures, you may want to hit up your local Toys R Us. The retailer has the exclusive rights to sell a limited edition 'Legendary' series of Skylanders Giants figurines with special in-game abilities. Toys R Us is also selling an exclusive three-pack featuring Jet Vac, Series 2 Slam Bam and Series 2 Ignitor – all of which have enhanced in-game powers.Though our own review says it's possible to get through Skylanders Giants without buying any additional figures, it's probably not the most realistic expectation – especially if you've you have kids interested in the franchise. Toys R Us will be open early at 8am on Sunday for your Skylanders Giants purchasing needs.
