{"id":15758,"date":"2016-12-02T00:01:19","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T00:01:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=15758"},"modified":"2016-11-08T02:22:02","modified_gmt":"2016-11-08T02:22:02","slug":"skylanders-imaginators-ps3-ps4-wii-u-xbox-one-360","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/02\/skylanders-imaginators-ps3-ps4-wii-u-xbox-one-360\/","title":{"rendered":"Skylanders Imaginators (PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox One, 360)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SKYLAND_BOX\"<\/a>Skylanders is super huge here at GamerDad.com, as it is the first of the \u2018toys to life\u2019 games to come out. \u00a0The game series is extremely popular, with a Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and now a new cartoon on Netflix.\u00a0 And now they\u2019ve released the sixth main game in the series!\u00a0 Have you ever wanted to create your own Skylander?\u00a0 Nah, me neither.\u00a0 But when I was a kid, I doodled all sorts of Pac-Man mazes in my school notebook, and created all sorts of imaginary Mega Man bosses.\u00a0 So I imagine kids today would definitely be into creating their own Skylanders.\u00a0 And that\u2019s just what you do in Skylanders Imaginators.\u00a0 It\u2019s available for nearly all the current home game consoles, but reviewed on PS3 here.<\/p>\n

The evil Kaos is at it again, and this time he\u2019s discovered Mind Magic and is creating his own Doomlanders to wreak havoc on the Skylands!\u00a0 It\u2019s up to you and the Skylanders to stop him.\u00a0 In this one, you can even create your own Skylanders!\u00a0 Here\u2019s a shot of the front of the box:<\/p>\n

\"SKYLAND1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And here\u2019s everything you get in the box.\u00a0 The game comes with two Skylander Sensei figures: King Pen and Golden Queen (wasn\u2019t she the villain in Trap Team?).\u00a0 You also get a Fire Creation Crystal, which is the Skylander figure you\u2019ll use to create your own fire type Skylander.\u00a0 You also get the game, of course, as well as a basic Portal of Power, which you use to place the figures on when you want to play as them in the game.\u00a0 You also get a poster which shows you all the new Skylanders you can collect, as well as instructions and stickers.<\/p>\n

\"SKYLAND2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Skylanders Imaginators plays a lot like the old arcade game Gauntlet (with a little bit of the LEGO gameplay thrown in), and it\u2019s also pretty much exactly like the other Skylanders games, too. You move the Skylanders around various areas and mazes, defeating hordes of enemies, solving basic block pushing puzzles, and collecting hidden rare treasures (two can play at the same time, too). Each character has different attacks, and they are based on elements like fire, water, earth, wind, magic, undead, and so on. As you defeat enemies, you\u2019ll earn experience points that will help you gain levels and increase your stats. Collect treasures to buy upgrades and new attacks and moves.\u00a0 Tons of mini-games to tackle, too!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the really cool part: Any gold and experience points you collect during the game is saved onto the figure. Then you can take it to a friend\u2019s house and play on their console. It doesn\u2019t matter if they have a different game system, your figure will work on any of them (with a couple of exceptions). \u00a0Note that new figures and vehicles won\u2019t work with the first five games, but old figures will work with the new sequel. There is a separate racing mode in Imaginators that lets you use your vehicles from the last game, but I didn\u2019t get a chance to try it because all the vehicles I have are from Nintendo characters, and the version of Imaginators I\u2019m reviewing is on the PS3.<\/p>\n

There are two new additions to Skylanders Imaginators.\u00a0 The first is, of course, being able to create your own Skylander.\u00a0 Just place the Creation Crystal on the Portal of Power pedestal and you can press select to bring up a menu where you can edit your Skylander.\u00a0 What\u2019s cool is when you put it on the pedestal, the crystal lights up and pulses.\u00a0 I tried to take a picture of it:<\/p>\n

\"SKYLAND3\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The creation mode isn\u2019t as robust as say, Soul Calibur V\u2019s character creation mode, but it\u2019s still pretty meaty.\u00a0 When you start, you\u2019ll choose the fighting style of your Skylander (brawler, sorcerer, archer, etc.).\u00a0 This and the element are the only permanent things that you can\u2019t edit later.\u00a0 After that, you can choose your Skylander\u2019s head, ears, armor, arms, legs, body, tail, voice, music, sound effects, color, and more!\u00a0 As you play the game and complete missions, you\u2019ll earn special treasure chests that have new parts you can use to create your Skylander.<\/p>\n

The other new aspect in Imaginators are the Sensei Skylanders.\u00a0 This game comes with two, and they have both an element affiliation and a fighting style, just like the Imaginators do.\u00a0 The figures are also a bit bigger in size, almost as big as the Giants figures.\u00a0 Senseis can unlock special elemental shrines and strike gongs which can start battles.\u00a0 When you complete an adventure or battle in these places, you can earn special moves and other parts to create your Imaginator with.\u00a0 The more Senseis you have, the higher level your Imaginator can reach, too.<\/p>\n

One other interesting thing about the Sensei Skylanders.\u00a0 In the last game, if you owned a Nintendo version of Skylanders Superchargers, you could play with figures based on Donkey Kong and Bowser.\u00a0 In this game, it looks like Sony players get the better deal, as you can get Sensei figures based on Crash Bandicoot and Dr. Neo Cortex.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen these figures in stores, and I can\u2019t find them online, so I don\u2019t know if they were part of a special edition, if they\u2019re really rare, or even if they\u2019re out yet.\u00a0 But I just thought it was kind of interesting.<\/p>\n

I do have a few problems with the game, though.\u00a0 I don\u2019t like that you have to buy separate creation crystals for each of the elements in the game, and that you have to pick a fighting style for your Imaginator and can\u2019t change it later.\u00a0 Also, the starter pack comes with a basic Portal of Power pedestal, but it doesn\u2019t have a place to put the Trap Team figures.\u00a0 The instructions say you have to use an old Trap Team pedestal if you want to use them.\u00a0 Which is disappointing.\u00a0 Heck, even the Superchargers pedestal had a Trap Team slot.\u00a0 Also, you can go to the PlayStation Store very easily from this game to buy more parts for your Imaginator.\u00a0 It\u2019s disappointing to me that even Skylanders has sunk to having in-game purchases.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be adding a bit about that in the Kid Factor.<\/p>\n

One last little minor quibble that really doesn\u2019t affect the game is that in past entries in the series, you were guided around by Flynn, who was voiced by the talented Patrick Warburton (The Emperor\u2019s New Groove).\u00a0 Flynn is still in the game and voiced by the same actor, but he has a smaller role here.\u00a0 I wonder if they\u2019re trying to phase him out?\u00a0 Anyway, most of the time in this game, you are guided around by other Skylander characters.\u00a0 Which is fine, but if you are playing as Spyro and Spyro is also telling you where to go, it\u2019s a little weird.\u00a0 But the game is still a lot of fun for kids and Skylanders fans.<\/p>\n

\"SKYLAND_SCREEN\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Kid Factor:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Skylanders Imaginators is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Cartoon Violence and Comic Mischief.\u00a0 While you do smack around monsters and bad guys with punches and weapons, and blast them with fireballs, water, and other projectiles, enemies just disappear when defeated. Reading skill isn\u2019t totally necessary as everyone has spoken voices. Parents may need to help set everything up initially.\u00a0 And parental supervision is recommended for the in-game purchases, as mentioned earlier.\u00a0 Or at least you\u2019ll have to learn how to set up the parental controls on your console.<\/p>\n

But the real question about if this game is suitable for your kids has nothing to do with the gameplay. These games require the Portal of Power pedestal and the figures to play. If your kids break or lose any of these items, they won\u2019t be able to play the game. So ask yourself this question: Are your kids good at keeping up with, taking care of, and not losing their toys? If the answer is yes, then they are ready for this game.<\/p>\n

Aside from that, kids can play it together with their friends, siblings, and even parents! Sure the Skylanders games are a bit of a money-sink and the gameplay isn\u2019t totally original. But I still think this is one of the best kids\u2019 game franchises out there today. I think it would make a great birthday present or a surprise under the Christmas tree this year.\u00a0 And being able to create your own Skylander encourages creativity, which makes the game almost educational.<\/p>\n

Skylanders Academy<\/strong><\/p>\n

While we\u2019re on the subject of Skylanders, I\u2019ll just cram this piece of news in here as well.\u00a0 Skylanders has its own cartoon now!\u00a0 It\u2019s about time, right?\u00a0 I figured they\u2019d have a cartoon much sooner.\u00a0 Anyway, it\u2019s on Netflix, and features popular Skylanders characters as they learn at the Academy while trying to stop Kaos\u2019 evil plans.\u00a0 It\u2019s a pretty decent computer animated series, but I don\u2019t like how cocky Spyro is in this show, and Patrick Warburton\u2019s character Flynn is nowhere to be found (maybe they really are trying to phase him out).\u00a0 But the cartoon still stays true to the game.\u00a0 Heck, there\u2019s even an episode based on the Imaginators, and Crash Bandicoot makes a guest appearance on another one.\u00a0 I wonder if that\u2019s Crash\u2019s first appearance in an animated cartoon?<\/p>\n

Skylanders Museum<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been lucky enough to be able to review all the main games in the Skylanders series.\u00a0 I\u2019m honored that Activision has sent me review copies of every game, including this one.\u00a0 Be sure to check out my other Skylanders reviews.\u00a0 If anything, it\u2019ll give you a better understanding of what the series is about if you\u2019re not as familiar with it.<\/p>\n

Skylanders Superchargers<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Skylanders Trap Team<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Skylanders Swap Force<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Skylanders Giants<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Skylanders: Spyro\u2019s Adventure<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Skylanders is super huge here at GamerDad.com, as it is the first of the \u2018toys to life\u2019 games to come out. \u00a0The game series is extremely popular, with a Macy\u2019s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and now a new cartoon on Netflix.\u00a0 And now they\u2019ve released the sixth main game in the series!\u00a0 Have you ever […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15758","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-reviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15758","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15758"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15758\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15760,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15758\/revisions\/15760"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15758"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15758"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15758"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}