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Skylanders Swap Force is the next annual entry in the 'toys to life' gaming franchise, we go hands-on
Three years, three games. Skylanders Swap Force -- the latest crossplatform entry in the mega-successful Skylanders game franchise -- cements Activision's annual approach to its "toys to life" series. The games merge toy figurines with RFID technology to allow in-game avatar representations of the toys to move from game console to game console, all the while storing unique information about that character. It's essentially the equivalent of how fighting games work in Japanese arcades, albeit with children's toys and a relatively simple action game: you level up your character, which is tied to your toy, and it can be used to continue earning experience on a variety of game consoles. The second iteration brought Giants to the world of Skylanders. This year, Activision's in-house studio Vicarious Visions (known for working on powerhouses like Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk Pro Skater previously) is taking the series in another direction, keeping original Skylanders, the second game's Giants, and adding a new twist in swappable characters. Yes, despite the image above of a half-octopus swashbuckler, this year's innovation isn't destructible characters. That sword in his right ... hand and the water pistol in his left can be replaced on another swappable character's bottom half -- its motion component -- creating an altogether new character. With 16 new characters, that means 256 combinations altogether; an enticing proposition to fans, and a potentially comforting thought to parents hounded by kids for new pieces every week. But it's not just swappable characters that are new in Swap Force. Activision's touting this entry as the first Skylanders entry to've been built from the ground up in HD. That's a notable change for the franchise, marking Activision's focus shifting from Nintendo's Wii to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as Nintendo's Wii U. Oh, and there's jumping. You can jump in this one.
Skylanders Swap Force assembles this fall, developed by Vicarious Visions
Skylanders proprietors Toys for Bob will step aside for the latest franchise installment, Skylanders Swap Force. Vicarious Visions is handling development this time, which Activision says will allow Toys for Bob the space and freedom to come up with their next thing.The main toy gimmick of Skylanders Swap Force is simple: 16 new special figures have inter-connecting torsos and bottom halves. Once you've combined two pieces, you place the resulting amalgam on the portal to realize your creation within the game. I replaced the tentacle-laden bottom half of a squid with the electricity wheel of a robotic Skylander, making my new squid-machine hybrid much more agile. Tentacle feet aren't an ideal form of transportation on land.Skylanders Swap Force is still early in development, so I wasn't able to see much in the way of gameplay – there was only one small area and a miniboss encounter, and it was a hands-off demo. Vicarious Visions has added jumping, though, one of the most requested features missing from the last two games.Of course, Skylanders Swap Force is compatible with all the previously released Skylanders figures. Swap Force will also present 32 new core Skylanders figures – 16 are new and the rest are updated versions of older figures. Considering the potential of lost halves, Activision tells me its customer support team will be ready to help replace or otherwise assist with any issues the new figures incur. The Skylanders Swap Force starter pack will come with a copy of Skylanders Swap Force, the new portal, two Swap characters and one standard Skylander. Old portals from Skylanders and Skylanders Giants will be incompatible with Swap Force.Skylanders Swap Force will launch on the Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, Wii and 3DS. The Wii version is being developed by Beenox, while the 3DS version is coming from n-Space.%Gallery-177993%
Disney reaches into the Toy Box with the new Infinity platform
The signs were all there in the rumors leading up to yesterday's big Disney Infinity reveal in Los Angeles. Disney's been working on a new gaming "platform," designed to bring all of its properties together in one IP spanning across multiple consoles and outlets. But the one note we missed was the most important: this game is connected to a series of real toys that interact with Disney's digital worlds, Skylanders-style.There are a few important differences, but the similarities between Activision's enormously popular toys-into-games platform and Disney's new Infinity initiative are quite striking. Both are inspired by smaller developers with big ideas: Toys for Bob on the Activision side, and Avalanche Software on Disney's, which developed the "Toy Box" idea in a much smaller form as part of the Toy Story 3 game. Both are big, expandable product lines with lots of options for console (and eventually mobile) titles, and both take retail-friendly physical toys and tie them directly into engagement-friendly video game experiences.Oh, and both franchises are probably going to make their owners lots and lots of money.%Gallery-176450%
PSA: Skylanders Lost Islands takes to the skies on iOS
Skylanders: Lost Islands, a free-to-play resource management game from Activision's mobile division, is out now for iOS devices on the App Store. As the latest in the Skylanders series, Lost Islands has players building their own villages in the land of Mabu while constrained to the standard limitations of similar free-to-play games.Reduced amounts of resources and energy will encourage players to delve into the game's in-app purchases that will speed up their town's progress. As expected, Skylanders characters are unlockable in the game when using the codes associated with real-life figurines. Skylanders: Battlegrounds is expected to land on iOS in the coming weeks as well, that game being described as a "console-like action RPG."
Skylanders iOS versions officially announced
We've known since the beginning that the enormously popular toy/video game combo of Activision's Skylanders would come to Apple's iOS platform at some point, and now here comes the official announcement that Skylanders fans are getting not one but two different iOS games to play. Skylanders Battlegrounds will be the game that most closely matches the current console versions: It'll be a more standard RPG/action game that will even pair up with a Bluetooth "portal," to let players connect their Skylanders toys up to the in-game action, just like on the PS3, Wii and Xbox versions. The portal will be available at retail stores sometime this November for US$49.99, along with three figures, a code for the downloadable iOS game and a "Platinum Treasure Chest" with codes to redeem for lots of in-app purchases. Even if you don't buy the portal, though, you'll still be able to pick up the game for a price "between $5 and $7" (probably) and play it without figures. But of course the big draw of Skylanders is this combination of physical toys and the digital titles: Players can level up their characters in the game, and then save that progress right onto the physical figurines. And Skylanders: Lost Islands is a free-to-play take on the universe that looks a lot like your standard freemium town-building game. That one is already in beta in Canada, which means it should be available very soon here in the US (possibly within the next few weeks or so). Lost Islands should also work with the buy-it-separately Bluetooth portal, but Activision will also be kicking off its own social network soon, called Activate, that will tie together all of players' little figure data through the cloud as well. Both of these games should be out by next month, and fans of Skylanders (or, more likely, their parents) will have yet another piece of the series to buy and play.
Report: 'Skylanders Battlegrounds' somehow fits Giants on iOS
An image of the Skylanders Battlegrounds mobile starter pack points to the Skylanders series – as we know it, with a portal – coming to iOS devices. The pack includes three Skylanders characters and a treasure chest, along with a connection portal. It's not clear whether the portal uses Bluetooth, which is built-in use across Apple's iOS lineup. Battlegrounds works on iPod, iPhone and iPad, according to the image.With an iOS-connected portal it would be fitting for Battlegrounds to work with all current and coming Skylanders figurines. Giants toys are backward-compatible, after all.Battlegrounds appears to be entirely separate from the Skylanders Cloud Patrol tie-in arcade shooter that launched on iOS in April. Joystiq has contacted Activision for more information regarding the image.
Kindle Fire's Skylanders Cloud Patrol lets you buy toys in-game
The new Kindle Fire (and Kindle Fire HD) version of Skylanders Cloud Patrol has one feature that the iOS version can't match, thanks to the Kindle's inherent Amazon-ness: it can sell you Skylanders toys from within the app.The Kindle Fire version of the shooting game uses the tablet's persistent Amazon login to allow you to buy physical Skylanders toys through 1-Click Purchasing while you're playing the game. The digital version of the character is unlocked immediately, providing both instant and delayed gratification of your desire to possess all Skylanders.Now we see why Amazon priced the Fire line so cheaply – the tablet is simply a convenient distribution method for more toys.
Skylanders Cloud Patrol takes flight on iDevices today
Activision's kid friendly cash cow has arrived on the App Store. Skylanders Cloud Patrol is a new title in the explosively popular Skylanders franchise optimized for Apple's iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch, featuring over 30 different Skylanders to unlock in "arcade shooting gallery-style gameplay." By putting in the code that comes with their skylanders figure, players can unlock them in Cloud Patrol -- just like in Skylanders proper.We've got a pair of galleries below you can check out, one for the iPad and the other for iPhone and iPod Touch users. Skylanders Cloud Patrol is currently available for download in the Apple App store for $.99.%Gallery-152353%%Gallery-152352%
Activision announces Skylanders Giants, featuring giant Skylanders [update: Trailer, screens and figures]
Last month, domains for "Skylanders Giants" appeared, followed by a lot of cryptic teases from a "SkylandersGiant" Twitter account. Today, Activision and developer Toys for Bob have revealed that Skylanders: Giants is actually a full sequel to the game released last year. Alongside the new game come brand new figures to collect and, as the name implies, they are much larger than the toys released so far.Specifically, eight new characters will be released, all of them "more than twice the size" of normal Skylanders both out of the box and inside the game world itself. New figures will also feature integrated lights that illuminate when a character is placed on or near the Portal of Power. Finally, Skylanders Giants will be compatible with previous Skylanders figures and, what's more, figures will retain all the stats earned in Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.Skylanders Giants will officially debut at the American International Toy Fair later this month. Presumably, we'll have more details, including a price and release date, by then. A Skylanders event is about to take place in New York, we should have more details and media shortly.Update: We've added a new trailer and galleries of screenshots and the new figures. Also, according to the trailer, Skylanders Giants is coming this fall.%Gallery-146688%%Gallery-146689%
Go buy more Skylanders toys now
New Skylanders toys are available at retail today, which roughly translates to new DLC for the video game. The "Empire of Ice" Adventure Pack includes a new ice-themed area, along with a new Water-element toy (and character), Slam Bam.Additionally, new standalone figures are available of the undead dragon Cynder, who has a "difficult past," and Double Trouble, an inept wizard. What's that? You want to know more about Cynder? According to Activision, "Cynder is a dragon of the undead element. Dark powers flow through her due to her difficult past, but she's trying to make amends with the other Skylanders."%Gallery-146190%%Gallery-146191%
Wii U controller to pack NFC, says Iwata, create new gameplay options
Aching for more details on Nintendo's elusive Wii U console? Let Satoru Iwata scratch your itch -- quarterly reports aren't just for reporting losses and announcing new networks, after all. Boss hog Iwata told investors that Nintendo is spicing up their next console's tablet-esque controller with a little NFC magic. Nintendo's President briefly entertains the possibilities of a console controller rocking near field communication, suggesting that Skylander-like figurines or NFC enabled cards could be created to present a "new play format in the video game world." He even says the technology might be used to implement micropayments. Sounds neat -- but will you be able to buy DLC with your Google Wallet?
Activision sends cease-and-desist to Skylanders hacker
The very first time we saw Activision's Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure figures at a pre-E3 event earlier this year, it seemed only a matter of time before some enterprising enthusiast cracked open both the toy figures and the "portal" base unit, and figured out how they wirelessly connected. Sure enough, a tinkerer named Brandon Wilson recently did just that, and posted his results on his personal website. In return, he got an official cease-and-desist letter from Activision a few days later, telling him to take the findings down immediately. Wilson wrote a response to point out that most of Activision's accusations against him are inaccurate: He was not intending to share his findings with others (only saved them in a .zip file for his own personal use), and has no intention to circumvent the game at all, either by using the Skylanders hardware with an iOS device (since the technology is based on RFID), or by "tricking" the portal into thinking he owns a Skylanders figure when he doesn't. Despite all of that, however, Wilson has agreed to follow the cease-and-desist order. It seems a shame -- some of the most fun hacks have come out of toys both old and new, and if Wilson wants to dissect toys he's purchased for his own enjoyment, that seems reasonable. We've contacted Activision to try and get an official position; it's likely we haven't heard the last of this just yet.
Kotick: SWTOR better for Lucas than EA, Skylanders could sell out
Next month, Electronic Arts will release its second title this year meant to undermine the hearty foundations of cross-industry rival Activision. Last month Battlefield 3 went "above and beyond the call" – though notably didn't go above and beyond Modern Warfare 3's sales numbers or Xbox Live rankings – and next comes The Old Republic, which hopes to provide lapsing World of Warcraft subscribers with a Star Wars-flavored MMO-ternative. "Lucas is going to be the principal beneficiary of the success of Star Wars," Activision CEO Bobby Kotick said at the Reuters Media Summit, referring to EA publishing partner (and more importantly Star Wars license owner!) LucasArts. "We've been in business with Lucas for a long time and the economics will always accrue to the benefit of Lucas, so I don't really understand how the economics work for Electronic Arts." Earlier this year, EA said half a million subscribers would be all it needed to make the immense investment in The Old Republic a profitable one. With more than 1.1 million players abandoning Azeroth between March and November of this year, EA won't have a hard time hitting that minimum, but longevity is the true sign of a successful MMO and something that WoW has in spades. While analysts and investors worry about Activision's lack of diversity in its portfolio, Kotick points out that Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure has outperformed expectations and the game's superpowered figurines run the risk of selling out. "(Skylanders) are in high demand," Kotick said. "Retailers across the board are concerned that they will be out of inventory well before Christmas." But can't Santa just make more? [Image credit: Flickr user yum9me]
Engadget's holiday gift guide 2011: gaming
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! We're well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties surrounding the seasonal shopping experience, so we're here to help you sort out this year's tech treasures. Below is today's bevy of curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. Ah, the holiday season. That special time of year when we give our loved ones the new hotness of the video game world, and then promptly exploit their over-excited reactions to propel them into unwanted YouTube fame. Even if your familial relations don't have the stuff to become this generation's "N64 kid," you can still kick a few rad toys their way just for the love of it. And if you're having trouble finding the perfect gift for the gamer in your life, we're here to help. Head past the break to take a peek at Engadget's 2011 Holiday Gift Guide for video games. Not finding what you're looking for? Skip on back to our 2011 Back to School Guide for bonus gift ideas.