PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Skylanders: Giants uses the exact same technology as Spyro's Adventure, therefore, if you have the original game, you can opt to purchase the "Portal Owner's Pack" which is slightly cheaper but only comes with the game and one figure.
Although I got the Portal's Owner's Pack, it is highly recommended you obtain the Starter Pack instead as it provides more value for money. Not only do you get two extra figures, the Portal of Power is wired as well, which means no more pesky batteries. Plus, you need the two extra figures in order to get the Platinum Trophy if you didn't purchase any additional ones.
The figure that it provided is the Giant Tree Rex. He is in a grabbing pose and he looks amazing. The attention to detail to these figures remain outstanding, with a lot of paint applications and sculpted details.
I love the way the figure has elements of trees in its design, it really sells the concept of the figure (and the name is appropriate).
In the game, giants are larger than normal Skylanders and the same holds true for the toys, they are roughly twice the size of normal Skylanders.
Lastly, Tree Rex is also a "Lightcore" figure, the spike on his right arm and his eyes light up when you place him on the Portal, this creates a really cool effect.
In terms of additional items you get, there is a collector's card and some stickers.
Lastly, you get a fold out poster showing all the available toys in the Skylanders: Giants line.
THE GAME:
Skylanders: Giants is the sequel to the smash hit Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. Released just one year later in 2012, it retains the same concept of a computer game merged with physical toys. Skylanders: Giants retain the same action platform play which is still a blast. What's even better is that you are able to use all the Series 1 characters from Spyro's Adventure. Yes, all those original toy figures you bought are forward compatible with this new game. The same goes for the Portal of Power. Plus, there are "Series 2" toys which are reposed characters from the original game. As an incentive to buy these new toys, they contain an additional power. As a bonus, you can use these new Series 2 figures on Spyro's Adventure too. Furthermore, all your original toys retain their upgrades, levels and money; you do not need to level them up from the beginning. Another incentive of using your old figures is the fact that the level cap has increased from 10 to 15. That said, it takes a long time to level up to 15. If you just use on character throughout the game, you will reach level 15 near the end of the game, which actually discourages the swapping of characters. Unfortunately, characters still cannot jump, which feels weird. Instead, characters have two main types of attacks, which can be upgrade and modified as the game goes on. Some characters have additional powers.
Swapping of characters is as simple as taking the off the Portal and placing another on. However, it now takes longer as the game searches for the right code to figure out which character you just placed on the Portal. Of course, new game also equal new characters. These include eight "Giants" and eight new "Skylanders". These are also eight additional "Lightcore" versions of existing characters who have various parts light up when you place them on the Portal. The Starter Pack contains the giant Tree Rex and two Skylanders: Jet-Vac and Cinder. While the Portal Owner's Pack only provides Tree Rex. Roughly, there are 48 new toys to collect, excluding recolors, exclusives and adventure packs. Giants are larger than your typical Skylanders, they are slow but also much more powerful, both in terms of damage and health. The game's story doesn't dive too deeply into the lore of the Giants; they're introduced and then never really mentioned again. In terms of gameplay, it is basically more of the same. The core gameplay remains the same in that you traverse around areas, fighting bad guys and collecting stuff. The level designs however are a step up from the first game, providing more variety such as using switches to swap between dimensions. There are also some noticeable changes such as more lock puzzles, more combat and the difficulty being pushed up a notch. This could be a good or bad thing but it does get overbearing with the amount of enemies the game chucks at you.
During the more intense combat sections, you will be sealed off in an area, which requires you to defeat a huge amount of enemies before allowing you to continue on. It just seems to happen way too much. The game is still fairly easy but it has four difficulty levels: your standard Easy, Normal and Hard, with an additional unlockable difficulty of Nightmare, where enemies can kill you within one to two hits. The game only has 16 chapters, which, while it is less than the 22 chapters of the original, these levels take longer, easily 20 minutes the first time around, and that it is without obtaining everything. This means the story takes around 10 hours to finish but most likely, it'll take you less. The longevity of the game comes from all the collectibles: legendary treasures, story scrolls, soul gems, hats, winged sapphires and luck-o-tron wheels. You also would want to replay levels to earn three stars, which require obtaining all collectibles, defeating a certain number of enemies, exploring all areas and finishing within a time limit. Levels are less linear than before and encourage exploration. There are a lot of well hidden areas. The level designs are good with puzzles that aren't too hard but not too easy either. The graphics are a step up from the first game but still very average.
There is a minigame called Skystones in which it is played on a 3 by 3 grid. The aim is to capture as many as of the enemy's pieces as possible. You can collect more skystones within the game to build u your deck and it is a nice side distraction. If you've ever played Final Fantasy VIII, Skystones is basically Triple Triad. Finally, there are 21 arena challenges, which are a set of challenges such as defeating all enemies, knocking enemies off the edge or stopping enemies from entering a certain area. They are fun and are the perfect difficulty, not easy to the point of being boring but very achievable. The Hub is now a flying ship, it is not as big as the Ruins in Spyro's Adventure but there are still a decent amount of rooms to explore. In addition, there are shops where you can purchase additional items such as hats, power-ups and skystones. The game continues to encourage purchasing more Skylanders to enjoy all the game has to offer. There are locked areas which require a specific element to enter (all Skylanders are one of eight elements, plus whether they are Giants or not). These areas are more elaborate than the first game, often including some intricate puzzle and general rewards. As well as that, certain elements are more powerful in certain areas. However, due to the slow leveling and difficulty in later levels where you're swarmed with enemies, it actually discourages swapping Skylanders as you need the stat boost from higher levels to survive.
Once a Skylander loses all their health, you can either restart the chapter or place another Skylander onto the Portal to use. To easily complete the game though, you really need to stick with one or two Skylanders for the duration of the game. Enemies are more diverse and harder to kill. They require more running around to dodge attacks as a lot of them have shields. You need to wait until tey finish their attacks before you can defeat them. The story picks up where the first one left off; Kaos manages to find a way to return to Skylands and finds a giant robot in the process. He is searchign for a powerful ultimate weapon which is located in a lost city. In the process, the ancient Arkeyans are awakened and the Skylanders must stop them all. The story is basic but effective. It is told through pre-rendered cutscenes which looks great while in-game cutscenes will have textboxes. The game is entertaining with the humor, both in terms of dialogue and character actions. Boss battles aren't as numerous but they are much more fun and less repetitive compared to the first game. My personal favorite is the drill robot who sings while fighting, it was hilarious. Overall, Skylanders: Giants is every bit as fun as the original game. It improves on a lot of aspects and doesn't have many flaws. The bright colorful visuals along with the fun make this a fantastic game.
OVERALL:
Skylanders: Giants provides even more value in its package than Spyro's Adventure. Even if you don't purchase any additional characters, the game contains a huge amount of content and provides hours of fun. The combat is simple yet fun, and the puzzles do not ever degrade to being boring filler material. Skylanders: Giants is highly recommended, especially if you enjoyed the first game.
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