Make 2017 the Year of SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS

 ** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

Ever since  SKYLANDERS® debuted incorporating physical toys into virtual play for the first time it has continued to introduce new fun and innovative features each time a new edition of the popular video game franchise has been released.  Past updates have included allowing players to swap the special abilities of multiple characters, trap villains then play the game as them, and race incredible air, land and sea vehicles through some spectacular courses versus either AI (artificial intelligence) opponents or real life friends.  Now Toys for Bob, the company that develops SKYLANDERS games for distribution by Activision Publishing Inc., has introduced an enhancement that will allow players to unleash their imaginations like never before! In the newest SKYLANDERS installment, IMAGINATORS, players can design and create their very own Skylander that can be played as a primary character in an all-new adventure that features compelling storylines, puzzles, battles, and a new lineup of heroes and villains.

Portal Masters, as SKYLANDERS players are known as, can utilize the game's Skylander Creator option to design their own personalized characters with an  extraordinary amount of options for available powers, abilities, catchphrases, appearances, and much more.  The make your own Skylander characters, which are called Imaginators, can be saved on Creation Crystals.  A Creation Crystal comes with the SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS starter pack and additional ones can be purchased separately.  Players can create one Imaginator character per Creation Crystal.

SKYLANDERS hasn't abandoned its Toys-to-Life figures, that have always been a sensation with fans of the video game franchise, for Creation Crystals though.  The game will also feature a variety of toy-to-life figures for a new character class called Senseis, that like the Creation Crystals, can be purchased separately from the SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS starter pack and incorporated into game play as primary characters.  Each Sensei is a master of one of 10 powerful Battle Classes (e.g., Knight, Sorcerer, Brawler and more). Being the master of these Battle Classes, only Senseis have the ability to unleash Sky-Chi – the ultimate Battle Class super move. Skylanders Senseis have a master-to-apprentice relationship with newly created Imaginator Skylanders. This is supported in-game through the Sensei unlocking of unique Imaginator weapons, the increase of Imaginator level caps, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as the unlocking of new Secret Techniques for Imaginators of the same class.

Skylanders Senseis include 20 new characters and 11 former villains, including Kaos and the return of Crash Bandicoot and Dr. Neo Cortex.  SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS also has an all-new Crash Bandicoot-inspired level -- Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands -- which is steeped in nostalgic gameplay that will be appealing, especially to moms and dads who many were probably kids themselves when Badicoot first appeared in a video game, for getting the whole family interested in playing together.  Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands is packed with TNT boxes, crabs, hazards, temple ruins, Wumpa Fruit, exploding crates and more. It also includes special Crash Zones that bring back the classic massive boulder chases from the original Crash games. The Thumpin’ Wumpa Islands level will be available to players who purchase the SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS Starter Pack featuring Crash Bandicoot for PlayStation consoles and is available as an add-on adventure pack for other game consoles.

SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS is compatible with PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Nintendo Wii U. Parents who have purchased toys-to-life figures for previous editions of the game will also be pleased to know SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS supports the 300+ character toys from all previous Skylanders games -- including Skylanders SuperChargers, Skylanders Trap Team, Skylanders SWAP Force, Skylanders Giants and Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure -- that kids can enjoy both as toys to play with in the real-world as well as characters they can use in the virtual game world.

My kids have been enthralled with crafting their own Skylander characters within the game and have had a blast controlling them as they battle monsters and solve puzzles making their way through the levels of IMAGINATORS.  Combining your own characters with the vibrant graphics and stellar game play that SKYLANDERS know is an exceptional experience making IMAGINATORS one of the best installments in this video game franchise yet! With all the fun my kids have had playing this game, 2017 appears to be the year of SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS when it comes to activities our family will be engaged in.

For more information, please visit skylanders.com

Saturday is SKYLANDERS DAY at Game Stop Stores

If your kids enjoy playing Activision's Skylanders video games as much as mine do or your family is interested in trying out these toy-to-life games for the first time you are going to want to swing by a Game Stop store on Saturday, January 9.  There will be some great deals and savings to be had as Activision brings in the new year with a bang kicking off 2016 with an exclusive "Skylanders Day" at Game Stop.

This Saturday, January 9th participating Game Stop locations across the United States will allow Portal Masters to take advantage of some amazing Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) deals on Skylander products.  Pickup the recently released Skylanders SuperChargers starter pack for only $39.99 (or the Dark Edition for $59.99) and received an additional Skylanders starter pack from a previous edition of the gaming franchise (Skylanders Swap Force, Skylanders Trap Team or Skylanders Giants) for FREE! Also Skylanders SuperChargers characters and vehicles are BOGO during this special event.



Skylanders SuperChargers is also releasing a new character, Birthday Bash Big Bubble Pop Fizz to celebrate the video game franchise's 5th birthday in 2016.  Keep an eye out as this figure who sets a record for having the longest Skylander character name is just beginning to appear on store shelves.

It is customary tradition at the Skylanders Academy for all of the Skylanders to gather around and sing the birthday song to the guest of honor. For fun, any Skylanders that arrives late must sing the birthday song solo in front of the entire Academy. But rather than seeing this as an embarrassment, Pop Fizz continues to see this as an opportunity to show off his new Big Bubble party instruments, and so he arrives late every time.

Skylanders SuperChargers Christmas Carol

With the kids off school for Winter Break, they've been having some fun this week playing their Skylanders SuperChargers video game.  Their game play has had a bit of Christmas spirit added to it with the special holiday edition Skylanders SuperChargers character we recently picked up for them as a reward for doing well on some tests at school.  Missile-Tow (see the holiday themed pun ) Dive Clops has a candy cane themed coloring to the character.  Plus he can slow enemies down with candy-coated missiles in the game.  If you are still looking for stocking stuffers or want to pick up something to add a bit of holiday spirit to your child's Skylander SuperChargers experience, you can find Missile-Tow Dive Clops at Best Buy or Game Stop.

With Christmas just a few days away, I also wanted to share this fun animated Christmas Carol from  Skylanders that has a great 1950's rock and roll, hot rod vibe to it.  SuperCharge your holiday with this high-octane Christmas Carol from the video game's cast of characters in the Skylands!




CLICK HERE for more information about the Skylanders SuperChargers video game.

SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS race onto store shelves TODAY!

Skylanders® fans with a need for speed should look no further -- a brand new version of the popular video game franchise arrived at stored today that provides online multiplayer and racing gameplay for the first time. Available at major North American retailers nationwide beginning Sunday, September 20, 2015,  Skylanders SuperChargers takes kids on a wild ride as they drive the mountainous terrains, dive the deep sea environments and fly the big blue skies of Skylands like never before with amazingly detailed vehicles, many of which feature moving parts that will play in the real world and come to life in the game via the Portal of Power®. While this is a new addition the franchise that needs the purchase of a Starter Pack parents will be pleased to know that Skylanders SuperChargers is forward compatible with all 300+ unique toys from all previous games – Skylanders® SWAP Force^™, Skylanders® Giants, Skylanders® Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders® Trap Team. 

Developed by Vicarious Visions, Skylanders SuperChargers expands upon the franchise’s signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life -- an entirely new way for fans to experience the magic of Skylands. The trailblazing innovation of Skylanders SuperChargers is realized when players take the helm of powerful, tricked-out land, sea and sky vehicles that are playable in both the physical and digital worlds in a high octane action-adventure videogame. Skylanders SuperChargers offers a rich story-driven gameplay experience filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities and platforming, set within a variety of all-new compelling environments. The game features a brand-new class of heroes that is distinct with fresh moves, powerful attacks and all-new weapons.  SuperChargers also have special in-game abilities that help Portal Masters fight Kaos.  Twenty new SuperChargers character toys and 20 new vehicle toys will be available.  Right out of the box, the game also features an all-new Racing Mode that blends high-octane, supercharged racing with combat, accentuated by power-ups, boosts, hazards and more.

 

Players can also purchase Racing Action Packs that unlock additional content. A total of three Racing Action Packs, one for each terrain, will be available for $34.99 MSRP and each will include three special toys -- a SuperCharger, vehicle and villain trophy which unlocks two exclusive racing tracks for the game. The first of the three packs, the Skylanders SuperChargers Sea Racing Action Pack, will be available at launch.

 “Remember when you were a kid and pretended that your toy cars came to life, zooming around your living room on the most epic racetracks of your imagination?” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing in a press release provided to A Geek Daddy. “Well, we are about to bring that fantasy one step closer to life with Skylanders SuperChargers. We are reimagining toys-to-life by bringing race cars to life, along with helicopters, motorcycles, jet planes and submarines, as you race through Skylands and compete against other players for the first time. Our fans are going to love playing this game. I know I do.”

To celebrate the arrival of Skylanders SuperChargers and the addition of racing to the franchise, Skylanders became the official partner of racing champion Max Chilton for the season finale of Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. Chilton, a 24-year-old former Formula 1 driver and fan of the Skylanders franchise, blazed the tracks of Laguna Seca in a Skylanders-themed race car on September 12-13. “SuperCharged” Chilton shattered Tony Kaanan's 1997 track record in the qualifying race, broke the race lap record set by Helio Castroneves in 1996 and ended the season on the Indy Lights podium for Carlin. Skylanders also “SuperCharged” Enea Bastianini from the Gresini Racing Team to take the win at the San Marino and Riviera di Rimini GP in Italy, his first career victory in the Moto 3 World Championship.  Bastianini will take to the track again in his Skylanders SuperChargers-branded race suit at the Aragon Grand Prix in Spain on September 25-27. 

Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Pack will include two new Skylanders characters, a first-of-its-kind Skylanders vehicle, a newly designed Portal of Power® and the full AAA game. Skylanders SuperChargers will be available for the PlayStation^® 3 and PlayStation^® 4 computer entertainment systems, Xbox 360^™ and Xbox One^™ video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, and Nintendo’s Wii U^™ system for $74.99 MSRP.  As a bonus for Nintendo purchasers, that console's game packs some extra star power as it includes two of Nintendo’s iconic characters reimagined as Skylanders -- Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser -- available exclusively in Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs for the Wii U system, and in
Skylanders® SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for the Wii system and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

Skylanders SuperChargers Dark Edition Starter Packs also will be available in North America on September 20 for $99.99 MSRP. All Dark Edition Starter Packs will include Dark Spitfire, Dark Hot Streak and the highly sought after Kaos Trophy which is the only way to unlock special gameplay content, plus a two-sided ultimate collector poster. The Dark versions of the Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and his vehicle, Barrel Blaster, will be available in the Wii U Dark Edition Starter Pack; Dark Hammer Slam Bowser and his vehicle, Dark Clown Cruiser, will be available in the Wii Dark Edition Starter Pack.

Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, a complementary racing experience, will be available on September 20 for Nintendo’s Wii™ system for $74.99 MSRP and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system for $64.99 MSRP. The addition of Donkey Kong and Bowser as guest stars in the new game, along with their specially created vehicles, will be available exclusively in Skylanders SuperChargers and Skylanders SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for the Nintendo platforms. The SuperCharged characters not only work in Skylanders SuperChargers, but will also work with select amiibo-compatible Nintendo games with a simple twist of the character’s base. 

Fans of the Skylanders franchise can also choose to purchase the Digital Portal Owner’s Pack, available on September 21 for $49.99 MSRP for connected consoles, and use the Portal of Power they already own to play Skylanders SuperChargers. The download of the Digital Portal Owner’s Pack provides a great way for returning players to enjoy Skylanders SuperChargers on the platform of their choice. On October 25, the full Skylanders SuperChargers game will also be available on select iOS devices including iPad®, and for the first time ever iPhone® and iPod touch®.  Skylanders SuperChargers will also be available on Apple TV® this fall.

SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS brings Racing & Online Multiplayer to the video game franchise

For the first time in Skylanders history, Activision will bring the online multiplayer experience to the popular kids video game franchise.   The company announced at GamesCom 2015 that its upcoming Skylanders SuperChargers game will allow fans to play the game with friends and family across the globe via online multiplayer on their favorite gaming console.  Skylanders Superchargers will be available on September 20 in North America and September 25 in Europe for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's WiiU. 

Skylanders SuperChargers expands upon the franchise's signature gameplay to introduce a brand-new pattern of play.  For the first time ever, players can explore and navigate the mountainous terrains, deep sea environments and big blue skies of Skylands by going behind the wheel of tricked-out land, sea, and sky vehicles - bringing them from the physical world into the digital world in a high octane action-adventure video game.  Skylanders SuperChargers offers a diverse and dynamic story-driven gameplay experience, filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures featuring combat, puzzles, mini games, and activities -- all set within a variety of new compelling environments.  The new game has 20 land, sea, and sky vehicles that can be played with digitally and physically.  There is also a new class of heroes -- 20 SuperCharger toys that feature all new powerful attacks, moves, upgrades and personalities.  Plus here's some great news for long time players and the parents who have paid out money over the years to buy figures for these video games - in addition to all of the new features and figures being added the new game also supports all 300+ Skylander toys from previous games.

The upcoming Skylanders SuperChargers game will feature an all-new Racing Mode, playable in Land, Sea and Sky environments, features supercharged racing combat, layering in even more depth and excitement to the game’s online multiplayer component.  The high-octane mode is further amplified with all-new time trials, which include three-lap races that take friendly competition up a notch as players battle for the best time score on the leaderboard.  All Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs will come loaded with six dynamic race tracks – two each for Land, Sea and Sky. With hidden routes, power-ups, and diverse locations, Racing Mode offers completely new ways to enjoy the game. Whether played in offline split-screen or online multiplayer, gamers can choose the best route to finish a race, trying to avoid attacks along the way as they navigate through dynamic environments. Voice-chat is available with friends for an added layer of excitement. 

Skylanders SuperChargers delivers these great play features too:

• Single player Adventure Mode
• Online & local co-operative Adventure Mode
• Local 2-player head-to-head racing in split screen
• Online competitive racing with up to 4 players

Fan who really enjou the racing experience can augment it with another racing combat game available for the Wii system and Nintendo 3DS hand-held system called Skylanders SuperChargers Racing.  All-new tracks, augmented with power-ups, boosts, hazards and more, offer up to 50 different and exciting gameplay experiences. On Nintendo 3DS, gamers can go head-to-head with competitive multiplayer via local play or online with up to four players. Iconic Nintendo character Bowser™ and his Sky vehicle, Clown Cruiser are available in the Skylanders SuperChargers Racing Starter Packs for Wii and Nintendo 3DS and can also be played on the Wii U™ system.   The Supercharged character not only works in Skylanders SuperChargers Racing, but also as amiibo in compatible Nintendo games, so players can store their saved data in both modes with a simple twist of the figure’s base. 

Skylanders SuperChargers looks to be a great addition for any kid's holiday gift list though I have a feeling it will be hard to keep it under wraps between its September release date and December because its has such darn cool features and upgrades to it.  For more information and details, visit Skylanders.com