n-Space has been a veritable force in bringing the Skylanders franchise to the Nintendo 3DS with Skylanders: Giants and Skylanders: Swap Force being the most standout efforts. It now seems to be working on a new “high profile” action RPG for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

This was indicated in a recent listing for a 3D Character Animator which states that the person in question “will be working closely with the Art Director and Designers to create an amazing gameplay experience on an upcoming high‐profile action RPG for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4!”

What’s even more interesting is that the animator will require “expertise in animating all forms of life” but also be required to animate “quadrupeds, and flying creatures.” So there will definitely be a fantasy element not unlike Skylanders.

What are your thoughts on the Skylanders team working on a new console action RPG? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

You see, these are no ordinary toys. Simply by placing these little fellas on a special USB-connected pad, they instantly come to life onscreen, for you to control, upgrade and evolve. The colour-changing “Portal of Power” uses technical wizardry (Near Field Communication) to transport the toys into the game – a concept that was first introduced in Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure in 2011 and has since amassed global sales in excess of $1.5bn!

For children, it’s a truly magical experience that brings toys to life… for an older, slightly more grizzled gamer such as myself, I must admit I’m warming to the little critters too.

"Not only can you place any one of the hundreds of characters already available for the previous games on your Portal, now there are 16 new SWAP Force characters that have interchangeable tops and bottoms – meaning a world of opportunities and over 250 permutations."

The latest addition to Activision’s line up – Skylanders SWAP Force – adds an appealing new facet to the proceedings too. Not only can you place any one of the hundreds of characters already available for the previous games on your Portal, now there are 16 new SWAP Force characters that have interchangeable tops and bottoms – meaning a world of opportunities and over 250 permutations. This cleverly means you can combine their unique powers and abilities – and tiny chips inside each half mean that they have a memory so they retain their individual stats and upgrades too.

For the purpose of this review, I enlisted the help of my young daughter – a very discerning gamer – and clearly Activision’s target audience. Her excitement at being able to physically touch the toys and then control them virtually had her gripped from the outset and she’s been constantly nagging to play ever since.

Despite the cartoony nature of the visuals, bright colours and cheery music, SWAP Force does pack a fair challenge. Although she was initially a little wary of the various baddies heading towards her Skylander like little homing pigeons, any concerns were quickly cast aside when she realised each hero comes with various attack moves that can easily dispatch even the most persistent of foes, leaving glittering treasures on the floor. It also helped that we lowered the difficulty – Hard really does mean hard, so younger players will be grateful for the more forgiving settings.

"There are two game modes on offer: the main campaign and Arena, the latter split into five survival and battle games that can offer single player and co-op horde modes, or the opportunity to compete against a friend."

There are eight elemental categories that a Skylander can be: Earth, Air, Fire, Magic, Water, Life, Tech and Undead. Each allows access to certain areas of the map, and each has different abilities such as flying, climbing, digging, bouncing, or teleporting.

Accessed via the pause menu, the stats screen displays each Skylander’s five main attributes: health, speed, armour, a critical hit rating and Elemental Power – and a score for each, much like Top Trumps. As you progress, these abilities can be powered up to make a very formidable character indeed, with a skill tree allowing some degree of customisation.

At any time you can pluck your Skylander figurine off the Portal and the screen prompts you to add another. In doing so, an animation kicks in with booming voiceover welcoming the new character. Presentation-wise, it’s excellent – a little too good in fact, as my daughter took great enjoyment at constantly switching the figurines over simply to kickstart another cutscene.

There are two game modes on offer: the main campaign and Arena, the latter split into five survival and battle games that can offer single player and co-op horde modes, or the opportunity to compete against a friend.

"Among the many other attractions in Woodburrow is a training area to practice your attacks, a pond for a spot of fishing, and importantly an upgrade area to make use of all the treasures you collect on your travels."

But it’s the story portion that forms the bulk of the game and will eat hours of your time – particularly given the fact that you’ll need to invest in countless new figures to gain access to otherwise locked areas. The plot goes something like this: a magical volcano in the Cloudbreak Islands that erupts every century sees a group of Skylanders caught in the explosion. As a result, each of them is bestowed with the power to swap halves – allowing them to combine powers and make up completely new Skylanders (thus the name SWAP Force). It’s up to these guys and all their friends to thwart the evil plans of bald-headed antagonist, Kaos and his equally malevolent mother.

You’ll spend a lot of time in the town of Woodburrow – the hub that provides access to missions, shops, training and upgrade areas. There’s plenty to explore here, such as Tuk’s Emporium where you can buy new brightly-coloured hats, each providing not only a quirky look for your character but improved attributes such as strength, speed or attacks. Acquiring Legendary Treasures provides similarly useful boosts, while you can also purchase bonus missions should you desire.

Among the many other attractions in Woodburrow is a training area to practice your attacks, a pond for a spot of fishing, and importantly an upgrade area to make use of all the treasures you collect on your travels. As mentioned above, your SWAP Force characters have unique skill trees for both their tops and bottoms so there’s plenty to spend your virtual money on.

"There are numerous challenge areas dotted about each level too – huge elemental gates accessible only to Skylanders with certain abilities, from climbing to flying."

For example, the top half of Wash Buckler, the octopus pirate captain packaged in the Starter Pack, has numerous enhancements available, such as being able to fire bubbles that trap enemies or to create a temporary shield that reduces damage. The bottom portion, meanwhile, can be adjusted to increase the strength of his tentacle attacks or spray deadly ink clouds from range. Not only are these cool skills in their own right but switch either half with another SWAP Force character, and those skills are transferred to the new hybrid creature. It’s all very clever and in no time, you’ll have combined Wash Buckler’s tentacles with the heavily armoured body of Blast Zone – also included in the pack – for a speedy, bomb-wielding, ink squirting creation.

Talk to the various inhabitants of Woodburrow and you’ll soon be directed to the next mission. Each consists of some classic platforming fun and typically includes a couple of mini game sections and a few minor skirmishes that culminate in the main boss battle. The cut scenes are funny and progress the story well, so much so that I never felt like skipping through them – a rarity indeed.

There are numerous challenge areas dotted about each level too – huge elemental gates accessible only to Skylanders with certain abilities, from climbing to flying. And there are even some gates that can only be opened by SWAP Force characters sporting two distinct halves such as fire and water.

"SWAP Force is a fantastic introduction to the world of Skylanders for me and I’ve no doubt I’ll now be tempted to pause to look at those shelves of toys when I’m next in my local store, with a possible purchase in mind."

This really is a fantastic game; funny, addictive and great for kids and adults –with plenty to keep everyone occupied. Saying that, the Starter Pack isn’t cheap and you’ll soon realise that there are plenty of sections that can only be accessed if you buy additional characters. You can literally see the paths and treasures that lay beyond the gate but unless you have the required type of Skylander, it will remain firmly locked. It’s a clever ploy and I now fully understand how Activision has amassed such significant sales.

SWAP Force is a fantastic introduction to the world of Skylanders for me and I’ve no doubt I’ll now be tempted to pause to look at those shelves of toys when I’m next in my local store, with a possible purchase in mind. This is a game that provides great entertainment, longevity and oodles of replayability… but be prepared for some incessant nagging from your children to buy more figures!

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Activision also stated that there will be “an all new graphics engine that delivers high-resolution visuals that bring to life amazingly detailed characters and richer environments to deliver a high level of visual fidelity that immerse players in the game like never before” with Swap Force playing out in 1080p resolution.

It’s interesting decision. Will consumers take the time to buy the game in preparation for the console release? Does this assume an overwhelming popularity for Skylanders, more than Call of Duty which rumours indicated would release worldwide for all versions on November 5th?

Regardless, the PlayStation 4 will be launching on November 15th in North America with the Xbox One out on November 22nd. Skylanders: Swap Force is currently out on 3DS, PS3, Wii, Wii U and Xbox 360.

It’s currently the third entry in the Skylanders franchise which started with Skylanders: Spyros Adventure, although it serves as a video game entity the Skylanders franchise shares the stage with a line of toys that are required to fully experience the game. It’s also going to be the first game in the franchise that’s going to drop in North America before it arrives in other regions. The previous two instalments of the game arrived in Australia before all other territories.

The game is already available on the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii-U and Xbox 360 as of October 13^th 2013 in North America, October 16^th 2013 in Australia and October 18^th 2013 in Europe. The game will also be launching on PlayStation 4 on November 15^th 2013 in North America and November 29^th 2013 in Europe. It will arrive to a worldwide release for the Xbox One on November 22^nd 2013.

• 1. Development
• 2. Gameplay
• 3. Story
• 3. Characters
• 4. Levels

Development

The development of Skylanders: Swap Force relies heavily on technology and gameplay mechanics that have already been employed in the previous two entries in the franchise, Skylanders: Spyros Adventure and Skylanders Giants. One of the key features of the Skylanders games is their implementation of real world objects that come in the form of ‘Skylanders Action Figures’, small models that are designed to look like in game characters. These small figures could be purchased separately or bundled in with the game.

The way the models worked alongside the game was a stroke of genius, but at the same time it relied on basic technology that was used to good effect. It relied on a form of NFC (near field communication) that worked alongside a RFID chip (radio frequency identification) that was placed inside each model. The players placed the model next to a portal that communicated wirelessly with the RFID chip inside, this would relay the appropriate information to the console and bring the corresponding character into the game.

The game even goes as far as to allow for two models to be used simultaneously, this enabled both versus modes and co-operative gameplay modes. Something that angered fans (and rightly so) was that although their beloved purple dragons name and likeness were being used as the games driving force, the game was actually designed for a younger audience that had no idea that Spyro the Dragon was in fact his own video game entity, thus dividing the fan base.

The developers managed to bring aboard the legendary composer Hans Zimmer who had previously worked on critically acclaimed, academy award winning films such as Disney’s The Lion King, Inception and even the Batman’s ‘The Dark Knight’ Trilogy of movies. The game is nearly always sold with a couple of heroes, but it’s one of the first games to go to retail with starter sets, similar to how trading card games get starter (booster) sets.

These starter kits include a copy of the game, a handful of the game’s characters and portal of power that brings them to life for you. Also included is a poster that would show the entire swap force (the game’s characters) trading cards and internet codes for extra content. Developers shipped different versions of these starter sets to various retailers giving players and parents alike the option of shopping at their preferred retailer, or elsewhere depending on what they were looking for.

Gameplay

Skylanders: Swap Force relies very heavily on the same gameplay mechanics of its predecessors. Players use the portal and the models NFC/RFID capabilities to bring their characters to life, the main change this time though is the manner in which they interact with the game. Each Skylander hero now came in two parts, a top and a bottom half.

These halves can be separated and joined in different combinations with other heroes, thus changing the manner in which that character can be used. All in all, these combinations number 256. Each character has one of the 8 modes of transport, be it wings or legs for example, this further affects the gameplay because only the right bottom half can enter a specific area of the game. Each character has specific abilities that allow them to both tackle the game differently thanks to different combat styles as well as opening up new paths thanks to the different means of getting around.

Story

The story is something that has never been the central focus of the Skylanders games and in Skylanders: Swap Force that is no different. The game opens up with the Skylanders home world being seized and assaulted by the bad guys going by the name of Evil Kaos and it’s up to the Swap Force to get it back. The story is mainly told through a series of cut scenes, and from there its standard platforming goodness.

Characters

The list of Skylanders does nothing but grow larger and more diverse with each iteration, so you can expect more characters to arrive further down the line.

• Dark Wash Buckler
• Dark Blast Zone
• Dark Slobber Tooth
• Dark Ninja Stealth Elf
• Dark Mega Ram Spyro
• Battle / Adventure Packs
• Wham-Shell
• Smolderdash
• Bumble Blast
• Flashwing
• Countdown
• Warnado
• Grim Creeper
• Star Strike
• Core
• Roller Brawl
• Grim Creeper
• Scorp
• Slobber Tooth
• Star Strike
• Dune Bug
• Bumble Blast
• Zoo Lou
• Fryno
• Smolderdash
• Wind Up
• Countdown
• Punk Shock
• Rip Tide
• Scratch
• Pop Thorn
• Swappable
• Wash Buckler
• Freeze Blade
• Magna Charge
• Spy Rise
• Free Ranger
• Boom Jet
• Blast Zone
• Fire Kraken
• Rattle Shake
• Night Shift
• Hoot Loop
• Trap Shadow
• Stink Bomb
• Grilla Drilla
• Rubble Rouser
• Doom Stone

Levels

The levels in Skylanders Swap Force take on their usual visually pleasing and lovingly designed aesthetics this time around, but are somewhat more varied than previous entries.

• Mount Mighty
• Cascade Castle
• Mudwater Maze
• Rampant Ruins
• Jungle Rumble
• Iron Jaw Island
• Molteyville Mansion
• Twisty Tunnels
• Serpant’s Seashore
• Boney Beach
• Winter Windmills
• Frostfest Forest
• Mesmeralda’s Manor
• Fantasm Fortress
• Kaos’ Kingdom
• Motherly Mayhem
• Cloudbreak Core

Activision’s Skylanders Swap Force recently debuted in third place, as Nintendo’s Pokemon X & Y dropped to fourth and fifth place respectively. That hasn’t stopped the 3DS adventure from becoming the fastest selling 3DS title of all time though, and it’s safe to say that it’ll be in the top 10 for a while.

Quantic Dream’s Beyond: Two Souls is in at sixth place, while Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is at seventh. F1 2013 is in at eight place despite a strong debut last week, with Just Dance 2014 in at ninth and Disney Infinity at tenth place to round out the top 10.

Skylanders: Swap Force, the newest entry in Activision’s genius money printing franchise that mixes toys with video games, is now out; this newest installment sees players gaining the ability to ‘swap,’ allowing them to mix the top and bottom halves of their toys and get a unique mix of powers hitherto inaccessible.

“Skylanders is a brand built on one thing: magic. With each and every Skylanders title, we want to deliver new, delightful innovations to our young fans that continue to blur the lines between physical and digital play,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. “With Skylanders Swap Force, we’ve taken this genre to a whole new level by giving players the greatest power of all: choice. In a franchise known for breakthrough innovation, I have no doubt that SWAP Force is our most innovative Skylanders game yet. And we’re thrilled to share it with fans of all ages today.”

Skylanders: Swap Force is now available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS; it will also be available for PS4 and Xbox One at launch.

Earlier today, The Highland Council, Visit Scotland, and Activision Publishing teamed up to announce the first ever virtual twinning of a real world location and a gaming environment. In celebration of the release of the upcoming game, Skylanders SWAP Force – SWAPtober – the Isle of Sky in the Scottish Highlands has been incorporated into the virtual realm of Skylands.

Alan Mackenzie of VisitScotland commented:

“The Isle of Skye is renowned for its stunning landscapes, which possess an almost ethereal quality, and its abundance of wildlife, making it the perfect place to virtually twin with Skylands, home to Skylanders SWAP Force. We’re thrilled to be teaming up with the SkylandersTM franchise for this unique partnership, which will help raise the profile of this beautiful part of the world, encouraging families to enjoy a real-life adventure on the Isle of Skye – nowhere else on Earth comes close!”

Skylanders SWAP Force hopes to continue the virtual-real world crossover legacy that has become a staple of the Skylanders franchise.

“We’re thrilled to continue to combine physical and virtual experiences through the Skylanders franchise, and what better way to do so than making the Skylands the first video game world to twin with a real destination,” said Michael Sportouch, Vice President and General Manager, Activision Publishing. “With the launch of Skylanders SWAP Force around the corner, it was perfect timing to merge the magical world of Skylands with the beautiful Isle of Skye. We’re sure this partnership is going to spark the imaginations of families whenever they visit the Highlands, but fortunately they don’t have to worry about seeing any Chompies[1] on Earth.”

Skylanders SWAP Force hits shelves Friday, October 18th.

“Nintendo has been a great partner for us. It’s had hardware hits and misses in the past, but it has always found ways to remain completely relevant. It has some of the best game-makers in the world, and I wouldn’t count them out. Nintendo is a very successful company but obviously having a rough go with the Wii U launch thus far. I’m sure Nintendo and the rest of the industry wanted a different result for the Wii U, but if we can add to the appeal of the platform then we absolutely will.”

Hirshberg also felt that success for Nintendo meant success for the industry all around. “I want all of the great games in this industry to succeed because more people will be playing games and that’s better for all of us.”

Activision will be releasing Skylanders: Swap Force on Nintendo platforms this October, while Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty: Ghosts releases on November 5th.

(Source)

Skylanders: Swap Force, the newest installment in Activision’s latest (albeit awesome) money making scheme, is making its way to the Nintendo 3DS this fall.

The Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders: Swap Force will be, much like previous Skylanders games for the handheld, a completely distinct and unique game, and it will have its own story, characters, and its own starter and booster packs.

“Skylanders fans have been very supportive in expressing what they’d like to experience in the Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders: Swap Force, and we really took their input to heart,” said Alex Peters, Vice President of Activision Production. “The game plays smoother and crisper than ever before, and with kids’ collections becoming larger and larger, we were able to add more depth and gameplay variety than any other hand-held version of Skylanders.”

Like the console versions, the 3DS edition of the game has been substantially improved from the previous entries too. The level cap of the characters has been raised from Level 15 to 20, for example; in addition, Swap Force is fully compatible with all the toys from the previous games in the series, which should save parents a lot of headaches (and money).

Skylanders was Activision’s revolutionary NFC enabled reinvention of the Spyro franchise, which saw them mix money and video games with great ingenuity. It has consistently topped charts worldwide, and is now worth $1.5 billion, earning its status as Activision’s most valuable property.

Interestingly, all the games will be showcased via a panoramic 190 degree “Show Mode” for a more cinematic experience.

CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg stated that,,“With the next-generation of consoles on the horizon, this is obviously an exciting time for gamers.

“And there’s no better place to share the incredible slate of games we have coming than Gamescom, where our fans can get hands on with the games and really experience them. With Call of Duty: Ghosts, Destiny and Skylanders Swap Force on our slate, we think we’re going to have some of the most talked about and anticipated games at the show.”

Call of Duty: Ghosts will be releasing on November 5th worldwide while Destiny will be out in 2014.