Skylander's Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $30.21
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My two kids (8 and 6) are in love with this game. It is a great two-player game.

The technology is great.

If you loved the Lego-type games but want something a "little more",

this might be it.

Fun co-op as well.

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After seeing the displays in every store I went into, i finally decided to break down and buy this game, and boy am i glad i did. This game is super simple to play with really only two buttons used (triangle and square on the PS3) and no jumping makes this game really easy to play for the younger players and i think fans of the old school platform games will really enjoy this one as well.

The game comes with three characters (Gill Grunt, Spyro, and Trigger Happy) These three are a great trio to start with, (Trigger Happy is my favorite) however you will need to buy more characters to access certain parts of the game. I bought one of each elements so that i could go everywhere and do everything. This can get expensive, but it is well worth it for the quick changing that can be done via the portal of power. If you need a different Skylander, just remove the one that you are using and replace it with a different one.

The game play is simple with very little reading for the little ones that still have trouble reading, however the speech is audible and the kids can just listen.

All in all i would recommend this game to anyone who has little ones or is a fan of the platform games. The game offers a two player co-op mode so parents can play along. The game also offers a few mini games including battle mode, a football type game and grab the gems. These games are fun and a good way to test drive new characters.

One of the most amazing features is the fact that the figures are cross platform compatible. For instance, if i want to take my figures for PS3 over to a friends house who has an XBOX 360 or Wii, then its no problem all of the information is stored in the figure.

(Updated Review 28 October 2012)

Having owned the game now for about a year I have the following comments about the game now.

1) I now have 20 different Skylanders. I am one of those guys who has to get all of them. However, some of them are just no good. Wrecking Ball so far i have used the least with others i personally don't care for are Sonic Boom, Warnado, and Lighting Rod.

2) The game looses some of its play value over time. It gets to the point after you have beaten the game you find yourself replaying the levels trying to earn money and level up the Skylanders you don't use as much (The Quick Silver Vault is the best level for this you can usually gain at least two levels and earn about 1500 "dollars" in the level.)

3) I found my "dream team" when it comes to skylanders. They are as follows: Trigger Happy (This guy just throws lead everywhere), Zook (He gets super powerful by level 10), Gilgrunt (He shoots harpoons three at a time), Ghost Roaster (When he turns into a giant flaming skull he can't be stopped), Drobot and Double Trouble.

4) Finding the remaining Skylanders i need to complete the collection is the hardest thing EVER! And no way am i buying them on the secondary market. No skylander is worth 45 dollars.

Skylanders is still a really fun game. I can't wait to play Skylanders Giants.

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After reading the solitary '1 star' review above, I had to jump in and write my own review.

I bought Skylanders and sure, the initial $70 was a bit much but it was for my kid, although as my wife says 'yeah, right'. Anyway! He has so much fun with this game! He takes Spyro around everywhere with him and has Trigger Happy proudly positioned on top of my Monitor (which looks weird) and Gill Grunt is guarding the bathroom. Kids eh? But, whenever he fires the game up, there's a blur and the toys are gone.

When he plays, he collects everything and just has a lot of fun playing it. He loves when Spyro does the charge attack but when he saw Trigger Happy's mini-gun attack, I'm sure his eyes almost burst out of his head.

Anyway, if you have kids (or you want to buy it 'for your kid') then this game is a must! Its fun. In fact, i'm going to say it's GREAT fun and, after all, isn't that the important thing?

Oh, you don't need to buy any other toy to play the game but I just ordered Prism Break and Chop-Chop because, well, they look so cool! Oh, yeah, and my kid likes them too. Sigh, I wonder where Chop-Chop will end up 'guarding'.

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If you're reading this you're probably already familiar with this games gimmick, but I'll explain it anyway. It comes with a "Portal of power" and three figurines that you put on the portal, and in turn, they are "transported" into the game. There are, from what I understand,30 some toys in all, which can be bought separately, or there are some three character packs available, as well as some "Adventure packs" which Include one new character, a new level, and a couple of items that can be placed on the portal to help you, such as a potion, or defensive swords that circle you. A full collection of all the toys, and the game itself, will probably run you upwards of 300 dollars. Is it worth it? That all depends on whether you like the game or not, and your fiscal state. If you are a parent you should be warned that your children will not be satisfied with the three toys that come with the game, as there are eight character elements, and you need at least one character of each element to unlock all the areas in the game.That aside they will probably want as many toys as they can get their hands on, so if you just plan on getting them a starter pack and nothing more they will probably be sorely disappointed and frustrated. It IS alot of money for a game, but really, the toys are half the fun. I admit it is a gimmick, but it is a very clever gimmick and one that appeals to me.

The story in the game is pretty basic stuff, probably geared towards between 6-10.You're the chosen portal master, and it's up to you to save Skylands, or something like that.The voice acting is well done,even if what is being said is somewhat corny at times. However there is a good amount of humor in the game,and like a good family film, there are some "risque" jokes that are cleverly worded in such a way will fly over the heads,not corrupting their innocent young minds, while at the same time getting a laugh from the adults.

The game itself is admittedly fairly simplistic, walk around shooting/attacking enemies, collecting keys, and solving some basic puzzles.It's simplicity is overcome by the quality with which it is made. Controls are excellent and it is very easy and intuitive to aim your weapons.You earn cash in the game which you can then in turn use to purchase new abilities for your character, and at a certain point you can choose one of two paths, determining which ability you want to master,as well as a basic leveling up system, so there is a small, albeit well implemented RPG element to the game.Each level has a different Hat to collect, which can be worn by any skylander, aside from altering their appearance, each hat increased a particular stat in some way. If at any time you regret your decision, or if you just want to start over for the heck of it, you can reset a character at any given time.(Don't worry though, it will never happen by accident.)Despite it's ease and simple nature, it is alot of fun to play, especially in a time where the hardcore game is kind, and games seemed to be designed to test ones sanity.A welcome change of pace for those looking for something new. Each character actually feels very unique, I have about 14 of them and they all have a unique feel to them. Some of them are more suited to certain areas than others, so when that happens just switch out a toy. There are no button presses required and you pick up exactly where you left off with your last guy, in a matter of 2-3 seconds.i haven't tried the co-op mode but I imagine kids would have a blast with it.Your skylanders stats(abilities, level, hat) is saved instantly to the toy itself, so if you have a pal with the game, you can take your skylander over to his place.

The graphics, while they certainly wont be winning any awards, get the job done. They have a pleasant quality to them, my only complaint is that there is some slight screen tearing. Music, while not overly catchy,it isn't bad either, and never becomes annoying.

The toys are half the fun though, and for collection minded individuals, look no further. They are well made and sturdy with a good amount of details, and are of a rather original design and style.

Skylanders is a great game for children of the right age bracket, or for those who just want something new and refreshing.It makes no qualms about what it is meant to be, nor should it.Yes it will cost a fair bit of change if your kid(or you) goes gung ho over it, but there is something to be said for owning a physical product for your investment rather than the same old soulless DLC.

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First of all, I was very much excited about this game...especially buying the characters. They are only expensive if you try to order them. ($8 at walmart) Upon beginning the game, the intro movie bothered me a bit...even using the words "and now we have come to your planet so you can buy us."

Upon playing the game once, I decided I wanted the "hex" character. I tried not to play it until I had it...and yet the stores were ALWAYS out..(as everyone else has said.) I looked for it every day for about two weeks, and eventually had to settle for a "sonic boom," because it was the first one I found. I sat down for another good playing session, and a couple hours later, the game ended. I literally played this game twice, and it was over.

THE GOOD: Very innovative. The portal is awesome, and I experienced no glitches with it...(like I thought I would.) I love the divisions of characters, and how they are different "types" like Pokemon. Also like that its a 2-player story type game.(never played one of those.)

THE BAD: Never got to use all the different characters(which is the games best aspect) due to not being able to find them, and the game being SO short. Also...EASY EASY EASY. You basically walk down a path, beat some monsters, get a key, open a door, and repeat. Also, its pricey, but you spend what you want. Very childish in its dialogue as well...(If Flynn had mentioned ladies, or if Kaos had used the word "evil" one more time, I would have lost my mind.)

THE END RESULT: I give this game three stars for its innovativeness and for its awesome characters. It loses two stars for the shortness of it, the price for what you get, and the fact that the storyline and different worlds within it are just "okay." (especially compared to the previous spyro games.

SHOULD YOU BUY THIS? If it is for a child 12 and under, YES. They will love it, and perhaps it will take them longer to beat it. If not, perhaps you should just wait a while for the cost to come down and for more characters to come out.