toystolife
Latest
'Skylanders' learns what Amiibo knew all along: Drop the portal
The paradigm for toys-to-life games is well-established: one part kid-friendly video game, one part expensive, collectible figurines -- and a tethered NFC "portal" that ties them together. When Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure introduced this model in 2011, it sparked a new genre in gaming -- bringing about the rise and fall of Disney Infinity, the nostalgic brand licensing of LEGO Dimensions and even inspired Nintendo to launch its own line of NFC gaming collectibles. In fact, with the exception of Nintendo, all of these brands followed Skylanders' tethered-portal model. On the Nintendo Switch, however, the game that started it all is taking the Amiibo approach.
'LEGO Dimensions' makes me like things I hate
2016 has been a rough year for Ghostbusters fans. After more than a decade of rumors and false starts, the franchise finally got a new film -- but the reboot's cast of leading ladies turned a spotlight on a misogynistic minority within the fandom's community of cosplayers and prop-builders. When the dust settled, we were left with a movie too mediocre to extinguish the hate surrounding it, yet not nearly bad enough to warrant the outrage. For me, this became a personal problem: How was I to reconcile a lackluster film that I just didn't like with my weirdly fervent love of Ghostbusters? The answer, it turns out, was LEGO Dimensions.
Lightseekers brings your video game into the real world
Action figures can look a little staid next to video games where your character can walk, talk and fire all manner of weaponry. But there's still something special about the tactile experience of holding a cool character in your hand, which is why we've seen game developers embrace the world of toys with products like Skylanders, Amiibo and LEGO Dimensions. But, while placing a figure on a base can unlock characters or entire worlds, the interaction between game and toy tends to end there. Lightseekers, launching today on Kickstarter, changes that dynamic by making its action figures a living (and almost breathing) part of its games.
3D print your own 'Skylanders' hero with the Creator app
With Disney Infinity on its way out, it's down to Skylanders and Lego Dimensions to maintain the toys-to-life dream. Skylanders is the oldest of the two and this year, its new gimmick is the ability to create custom "Imaginator" heroes. Which sounds great, except there's an obvious problem -- the point of the franchise is to collect physical figurines too. How is that possible with player-created characters? Well, today Activision Blizzard has the answer: Creator, a mobile app which lets you order 3D-printed versions. They'll be available in "limited quantities," however, so you'll need act fast if you want to immortalise your handiwork.
Amiibo support is coming to 'Animal Crossing: New Leaf'
Animal Crossing and Amiibo seem like a match made in heaven: cute characters, and collectable toys. Sadly, the duo's first pairing turned out to be a shallow, dull board game without much replay value. Fans longed for a full Animal Crossing toys-to-life experience -- and this year, they're going to get it. Sort of. This fall, Nintendo will be updating the 3DS' 4-year-old Animal Crossing: New Leaf with Amiibo support.
It's no surprise that Disney shut down its gaming division
No one should have been surprised by Disney's announcement that it was canceling the Disney Infinity series and shutting down its video game business. However, when the news went live, Twitter immediately lit up with shock. My phone buzzed with questions and incredulity from friends. Hell, even I gasped when I read the blog post. The surprise was justified. Disney Infinity was a respectable and adored franchise in the toys-to-life category, and its developer, Avalanche Software, was held in high regard. Infinity entered the fray in 2013, two years after the original toys-to-life series, Skylanders, debuted. Financially, Infinity single-handedly turned around Disney's gaming division, Disney Interactive.
Playdate: Racing into action with 'Skylanders Superchargers'
If you have an undying love of weird monsters, action-adventure video games, expensive collectible toys and wacky vehicles, you've come to the right place: Tim Seppala and I are about to play Skylanders Superchargers. That's right, the franchise that kicked off the toys-to-life trend is now in its 5th generation, enticing veteran players to dust off their figure collections for an all new gimmick -- planes, boats and automobiles. As for us? This is our first Skylanders game, ever. Come join us at 6 pm ET / 3 pm PT to find out if it's a good starting point for new players. As always, you can watch our broadcast on this very post, the Engadget Gaming homepage or, if you want to chat along with us, head over to Twitch.tv/joystiq. While you're there, hit the heart button below the streaming window to give us a follow.
'Disney Infinity' finally feels like a complete game
Nothing relies on the power of Disney's brand quite like Disney Infinity. It's the licensed game to end all licensed games, a toys-to-life platformer with all the star power of Spider-Man, Frozen, Tron, Star Wars and a dozen other Disney franchises. It's the game's selling point, but also its greatest weakness: The last two versions of the game relied on its brand-power to make up for how mediocre they were as actual video games. That's not the case anymore. With Disney Infinity 3.0, the company finally got it right. That's not to say that the first games in the series were bad, but compared to Disney Infinity 3.0, they felt a little incomplete. All the same elements are here -- the disparate Playsets that offer franchise-exclusive story-based adventures, the open-world sandbox mode that lets you create your own adventures and the adorable, collectible figures -- but they all seem to have evolved in ways that add up to a more cohesive whole.
'Skylanders SuperChargers' takes to the skies, streets and sea
Imagine Mario Kart, Looney Tunes and Top Gear got together to plan a wild, rockin' birthday party for a 9-year-old. The result would probably resemble Skylanders SuperChargers, the latest game from Activision and Vicarious Visions, due to launch in North America on September 20th for PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U and iPad. This is the first Skylanders game to feature vehicles in its toys-to-life lineup -- and we're not just talking cars.
