Skylanders Giants Starter Kit
Overview -
If you have a kid or know anyone who has them, chances are you've heard of 'Skylanders'. The game, which combines toys and video gaming into one wallet-depleting package, was a huge hit that sold over 30 million copies. The game requires that you purchase figures before you can play with that character. The cynic in me feels like this is nothing but a cash grab. Playing through the new title, 'Skylanders Giants', only reinforces that impression.
Video Review
'Skylanders Giants' takes place in another world, populated by floating islands, which are a neat visual theme. However, the graphics themselves look cheap and rushed. There's not much detail to the characters or the surroundings, and textures look low-res. The characters themselves look mildly grotesque in their attempts to anthropomorphize everything from whales to molten lava. Even compared to other children's games, 'Skylanders' underwhelms in the visual department.
Audio Review
'Skylanders Giants' improves the audio over its predecessor. The biggest change is that many of the Skylanders now get voices, which is a big improvement over the muddled fake language they spoke last time. There are a few surprises on the voice acting list, such as Bobcat Goldthwait and George Takei. Patrick Warburton returns and remains one of the highlights of the game.
If you have a child, and that child liked 'Skylanders', they will also like 'Skylanders Giants', as it's virtually the same game with some minor improvements. As the adult buying all the 'Skylanders' figures, you might be less than thrilled that there are now even more expensive toys to buy. The total cost of ownership is high, with the cost of all the figures coming out to over $500. If 'Skylanders Giants' was a complete blast to play, it might be worth the investment, but as it is, the series can't touch the quality or fun of the Lego series of games. And those cost significantly less, leaving me to wonder why anyone would bother to get 'Skylanders Giants' at all. The one bit of good news is that if you did purchase the last game, you can use all those figures in the new one with their upgrades intact. If you haven't yet gotten into the series, you'd be better off staying away from the money-sink that is 'Skylanders'.