With E3 2011 in full force this week, I’ve found it incredibly difficult not to spam tumblr with hundreds of new screenshots, each with their own overzealous interjection. If you know me in person, chances are you’ve been bombarded all week with “DUDE, CHECK THIS OUT” and “OH MY GOODNESS, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS” every time you happen across me in a stroke of total mistfortune; this game, however, is simply too cool to remain level-headed about.
Enter Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure. Developed by Toys for Bob and published by Activision, Skylanders looks to be a co-op-oriented action/adventure game in which you take control of Spyro and a band of sidekicks, some of whom are making their triumphant returns while others are new to the series. While initially a Wii-exclusive title, eventual releases for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 are planned.
Toys for Bob goes on to explain that there will be an experience and level-up system which indicates character progression, and lots of loot for Spyro and his compatriots to grab as they romp around battling evildoers. This is starting to sound more and more like it might be yet another dungeon crawler that’ll completely captivate me. And I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.
What sets Skylanders apart from traditional co-op action/adventure games is the way players will go about obtaining new characters. Toys for Bob is a studio comprised entirely of hobbyists who have utilized some very unique and special skills to bring a completely new innovation to their new game: toy integration.
Skylanders will ship with a device dubbed “the portal” that will connect directly to the console and function as a sort of “reader” for a line of figurines that will be tied into the game. When players acquire new figurines, they can place them atop the portal (which glows in color associated with each character’s respective element) and import them directly into the game, where they will arrive ready and willing to lend their unique individual skillsets to Spyro’s cause. Toys for Bob assures they’ll all play differently enough to warrant purchasing more figurines.
This fall, expect a $70 launch package that contains the game, the portal device, and three figurines to get players started with their Skylanders adventures. More characters will arrive in expansion sets later down the road--their numbers, however, will depend on a variety of variables.
Much to my own chagrin, Skylanders is already under fire and being hailed as “another Activision cash-grab” (*ahem* CoD:Elite). I don’t think that’s fair; players who like the game and are willing to spend the extra money will build a tangible collection of awesome-looking figurines and expand their gameplay with additional characters. Provided the figurines aren’t outrageously expensive (I would be okay with paying about as much as I would for some typical DLC) or spaced so far apart that the game dies before stabilizing after a hopeful groundswell, I think this is a really, really neat idea. As a lifelong fan of both obscure peripherals and nerd-culture figurines, count me in once this launches on Xbox 360—I call the troll-faced earth giant!
Fuck you, let the dragon fight ensue.
