darkSpyro

The mystery of the missing cards has been solved with the announcement of Skylanders Battlecast, a brand new card battling game for mobile devices that can make use of digital cards you can buy in-game and physical cards that you can purchase at retail.


Quote: Press Release

For Skylanders Battlecast, players can purchase physical card packs at retail, as well as digital card packs in-game. Players will experience a magic moment by scanning cards with their mobile devices and watching them come to life. Additionally, fans can scan two character cards to create animated duels in which players can physically interact with the characters.

The game is due out sometime in 2016 and will be available for "free" from the App Store, Google Play, and the Amazon Appstore. Pricing for the cards has not been revealed.

As retailers are beginning to list pre-orders for the figures so too are they posting pre-orders for their exclusive alternate versions of characters. The first two that have been sighted are Fiesta and Smash Hit.

Spotted by forum member sprocketrocket this Frightful Fiesta is exclusive to GameStop/EBGames	Found by forum member ZapNorris the Steel Plated Smash Hit is a Best Buy exclusive
Legendary Hurricane Jet-Vac, exclusive to Toys R Us naturally	MySkylanders.de has discovered a Nitro Stealth Stinger with Target exclusive markings

There have also been mentions of a few other variants but no images have been found for them just yet.

In other news, the complete Achievement list for the game has been revealed by XboxAchievements, obviously if you wish to avoid spoilers for the story then it's probably not all that wise to read them. In what is a quite sensible move, despite the existence of the recently shown off online mode none of the achievements appear to be related of it (although you can perhaps earn the single co-op achievement using the brand new online co-op mode).

I posted this in the forums just over a week ago but there's not been much other news lately so here it is now on the front page as we continue the wait for gamescom next week (August 5th-9th) and its potential for new information.

Combining a few European retailer listings I have managed to put together what looks to be the lineup of toys for the first few SuperChargers waves (aside from any retailer exclusive alt decos).

Wave One
Starters

Spitfire	Turbo Charge Donkey Kong	Hammer Slam Bowser	Super Shot Stealth Elf
Dark Spitfire	Dark Turbo Charge Donkey Kong	Dark Hammer Slam Bowser	Dark Super Shot Stealth Elf
Hot Streak	Barrel Blaster	Clown Cruiser	Dark Sea Shadow
Dark Hot Streak	Dark Barrel Blaster	Dark Clown Cruiser	Kaos Trophy

Single Pack SuperChargers

Dive-Clops	Fiesta	Stormblade	Shark Shooter Terrafin

Single Pack Vehicles

Dive Bomber	Crypt Crusher	Sky Slicer	Sea Shadow

Racing Action Packs

Sea Racing Action Pack
Deep Dive Gill Grunt + Reef Ripper + Sea Trophy

Combo Packs

Terrafin		Jet-Vac
Shark Shooter Terrafin + Shark Tank		Hurricane Jet-Vac + Jet-Stream

Wave Two
Single Pack SuperChargers

Smash Hit	Nightfall	High Volt

Single Pack Vehicles

Burn-Cycle	Shark Tank	Jet-Stream	Stealth Stinger

Triple Pack

Shark Shooter Terrafin + Shark Tank + Jet Stream

Wave Three
Single Pack SuperChargers

Splat	Big Bubble Pop Fizz	Hurricane Jet-Vac	Lava Lance Eruptor

Single Pack Vehicles

Splatter Splasher	Shield Striker	Thump Truck

Racing Action Packs

Sky Racing Action Pack
Astroblast + Sun Runner + Sky Trophy

Combo Packs

Pop Fizz		Roller Brawl
Big Bubble Pop Fizz + Soda Skimmer		Bone Bash Roller Brawl + Tomb Buggy

Triple Pack

Bone Bash Roller Brawl + Tomb Buggy + Splatter Splasher

But what are these Triple Packs for? Can they save you money? Well... yes, it seems that they can do that (obviously only if you were planning on getting all of the included toys already). At the prices they were listed at you could buy the triple Terrafin+Shark Tank+Jet-Stream and a single Jet-Vac for less than if you bought them in the two Combo Packs (€30+€13 vs. €25+€25).

Dates attached to the listings imply that Waves 1 and 2 will be released at launch with Wave 3 following approximately two months later. As with the prices these are dates for the European markets so the situation may be slightly different in the US.


And if you don't already then make sure to check out the awesome mini KABOOM! Skycast, a dedicated weekly Skylanders podcast which is this week celebrating its 25th episode and announcing the winner of their E3 Hot Streak giveaway.

Earlier today Instagram user ziotec took some photos of the back of a Skylanders SuperChargers pre-order display box which shows off several new Skylanders and vehicles.



So we now know of the new Life SuperCharger "Thrillipede", the returning Magic SuperCharger "Big Bubble Pop Fizz", and the new Light SuperCharger "Astroblast".

There are some new vehicles with Pop Fizz's vehicle "Soda Skimmer", Thrillipede's vehicle "Buzz Wing", and Astroblast's vehicle "Sun Runner". And we have names for Splat's vehicle "Splatter Splasher", Lava Lance Eruptor's vehicle "Burn-Cycle", and Stealth Elf's vehicle "Stealth Stinger".


On the side of the box there is also confirmation of "Racing Action Packs", the example of which contains Deep Dive Gill Grunt, Reef Ripper, and a Sea Trophy shaped like Golden Queen's head. It is likely of a similar function to the Kaos Trophy that comes with the Dark Edition Starter Pack, but we still don't really know what that does yet either. The top corner of the pack does however mention "New Race Tracks" and "Race As Villains" so make of that what you will.

Also worth noting is that in a list of features the box mentions "NEW Online Multiplayer Race & Coop Modes".


In a separate event a product listing on a French retailer's website has outed a possible partial line-up for Wave 1 of SuperChargers along with a potential name of a SuperCharger "Smash It" (by the process of elimination that's either the Earth SuperCharger or the beginning of Roller Brawl's name). If the listings are accurate then (other than the Starter Packs) Wave 1 will be the following:

SuperChargers

• Dive-Clops
  
• Stormblade
  
• Fiesta
  
• High Volt
  
• Nightfall
  
• "Smash It"
  
• Shark Shooter Terrafin

Vehicles

• Dive Bomber
  
• Crypt Crusher
  
• Sky Slicer
  
• Shark Tank
  
• Stealth Stinger
  
• Jet Stream
  
• Sea Shadow
  
• Burn-Cycle

I am sure it's not out of the realms of possibility that there will also be a Racing Action Pack and Combo Packs available at launch in September.

The Dark Editions for Skylanders SuperChargers have been revealed. The PS4/PS3/Xbox One/Xbox 360 versions will contain Dark Spitfire, Dark Super Shot Stealth Elf, Dark Hot Streak, Dark Sea Shadow and a Kaos Trophy that can be used to unlock "special Kaos gameplay content". It'll cost you $99.99 for the Dark Edition.


The Wii U edition will have Dark Spitfire, Dark Hot Streak, Dark Turbo Charge Donkey Kong, Dark Barrel Blaster and the Kaos Trophy.


The Wii edition will have Dark Spitfire, Dark Hot Streak, Dark Hammer Slam Bowser, Dark Clown Cruiser and the Kaos Trophy.


Also revealed are several new entries to the Eon's Elite line of figures. The first wave of them will be available exclusively at Toys R Us in November and is made up of Slam Bam, Zook and Voodood.


A second wave with Ghost Roaster, Boomer and Dino-Rang will be released in December.

Check out a load of screenshots and artwork in the SuperChargers Gallery.

During today's Nintendo E3 "digital event" it was revealed that Donkey Kong and Bowser will be joining the Skylanders, exclusively on Nintendo platforms.

Hammer Slam Bowser	Turbo Charge Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong will be packaged in the Wii U Starter Pack, replacing Spitfire and his vehicle, and Bowser will be in the Wii and 3DS Starter Packs (also replacing Spitfire). The Wii and 3DS Starter Packs actually carry the title Skylanders: SuperChargers Racing, a different experience was mentioned previously but this is the first we've seen of it.

Clown Cruiser	Barrel Blaster

What is quite nifty is that the figures have a dual purpose, if you rotate the base they can also be used as amiibos.

These characters and vehicles will only work on Nintendo platforms, you will not be able to play as Bowser on the PS4 or anything like that.

Check out a load of screenshots and artwork of the characters in the SuperChargers Gallery.

A few other characters have also been revealed, Kotaku have an article showing off Undead SuperCharger Fiesta with his vehicle Crypt Crusher, and the Skylander Boy and Girl have a video unveiling the Dark SuperCharger Nightfall and her vehicle Sea Shadow. And if you look closely at the boxart for the Wii and 3DS versions you can see SuperCharged versions of Eruptor and Rollerbrawl driving vehicles.

Skylanders SuperChargers has been officially revealed. Matching pretty much everything that was rumoured we will be collecting from a set of 20 new SuperCharger Skylanders along with 20 new Vehicles to drive.




There will be 10 brand new SuperCharger characters and 10 reimagined SuperChargers based on existing characters, such as Stealth Elf, Trigger Happy and Terrafin. They each have a matching vehicle which, when used together, they SuperCharge but any Skylander can use any vehicle. The SuperChargers will cost $12.99.


The vehicles will be split into three groups, Land, Sea, and Sky, each being used for a different section of gameplay. Each vehicle can be customised in-game with modifications and weapons but only SuperChargers will be able to utilise this customisation feature. The vehicles will cost $14.99.

Quote:

In Skylanders SuperChargers, Kaos' quest to rule over Skylands reveals his most sinister weapon ever - a massive "Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction" capable of eating the sky itself. Fortunately, Master Eon had seen the warning signs and assembled a special team of Skylanders to pilot an unstoppable fleet of vehicles with the power to destroy the reign of destruction! With Skylands facing its greatest threat, the Skylanders must pilot their supercharged vehicles over land, under sea, and through the sky to stop Kaos!

While there is a new Portal of Power included in the Starter Pack you will be able to purchase and download a digital Portal Owners Pack and use your existing Portals to play the game.


It will again be on all platforms, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Wii U, Wii, and 3DS. The Wii and 3DS versions will have a different experience to the other versions.

The game is set for release on the 20th of September in North America, the 24th of September in Australia, and the 25th of September in Europe.


Check out our Gallery for a few more Skylanders SuperChargers images.

There are loads of previews up around the web on sites such as Polygon, Forbes, Kotaku, GameSpot, TheHDRoom, and Game Informer and plenty of videos on Youtube channels like FamilyGamer TV, TheSkylanderBoy AndGirl, VideoGamerTV, Coin-op TV and many more.

Well, there we have it, Skylanders: SuperChargers confirmed. Thanks to Eurogamer (link now broken) and new forum member BOOMCAKE we have a look at some of the new characters, vehicles, and reposes as well as the logo for the new game.


Backing up the recent Amazon listings there is a reposed version of Stealth Elf along with reposes for Trigger Happy and Terrafin, bringing them each up to Series 4. If the Amazon information is indeed correct then the middle of the three new Skylanders is called Spitfire, no names are known for the other two just yet.

The official embargo is anticipated to be lifted sometime tomorrow so expect more details on Skylanders: SuperChargers very soon!

Forum member skylandersspyro has spotted several barebones listings on Amazon.com for a game called Skylanders: SuperChargers that looks to confirm the recent rumours for the next Skylanders game.

The listings mention the contents of the Starter Pack as being 2 Skylanders SuperChargers figures - a new Skylander named Spitfire and a reposed Super Shot Stealth Elf, and one Skylanders Vehicle called "Hot Steak" "Hot Streak". It also mentions a new portal of power... how many is that now?

A brief plot summary is detailed:

Quote: Amazon.com

Skylands is in peril! Kaos has unleashed his most evil weapon yet - the Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction. With all of Skylands on the verge of collapse, a special team called the SuperChargers has been assembled to pilot an unstoppable fleet of incredible vehicles. Now you and the SuperChargers must embark on epic adventures over land, under sea, and through the sky to stop Kaos and save Skylands!

There are listings for PS3, PS4, Wii U, 3DS, and even a version for the Wii (albeit with a note saying that the "gameplay content, features, and functionality will differ") but no potential release date is given.

It shouldn't be too much longer before we find out whether this is accurate and we get our first proper look at the game, rumours place an official reveal happening on Wednesday, the 3rd of June.

Thanks to the ever eagle-eyed myskylanders.de we now have a detailed arrangement of the new toys that make up Wave 4 of Skylanders: Trap Team. This new selection of toys is apparently scheduled for release in Europe either at the end of February or in the middle of March.

Core Skylanders

Wave 4 will also bring to US retail the singles for Bat Spin and High Five who were a part of Wave 3 elsewhere.

Trap Masters

There are also single releases for the new Dark and Light Trap Masters Knight Mare and Knight Light. This will allow you to access the Dark/Light Elemental Gates without having to buy the full Expansion Packs.

Mini Skylanders


Traps

There will also be two new Trap Triple Packs. One contains Tech, Fire and Kaos traps, and the other contains Air, Undead and Magic traps.

And in other Skylander release news:

Legendary Bushwhack is apparently due for release this very Sunday at Toys R Us. And on the same day Nitro Head Rush is due out as well at Target.


Power Punch Jet-Vac and Eggsellent Weeruptor have been unveiled for an Easter release along with a special looking Earth Handstand trap.


And of course don't forget Love Potion Pop Fizz for Valentine's Day, he's available right now.


For those of you looking for something more than just the in-game toys, from February 14th in the US specially marked boxes of General Mills cereals (including Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese's Puffs, Trix and Lucky Charms) will have a pack of 10 Skystones cards inside that can be used to play a game of Skystones for real! There are four different packs to collect each with two "boss" cards included. See this forum topic for sightings and more details on the cards themselves.

Finally confirming the rumours, Activision today released official information regarding the two new elements, Light and Dark, and giving the Element Expansion Packs a release date. In the United States it'll be on the 21st of December at Toys R Us, that's this Sunday!

And while they're already out in some parts of Europe they won't be arriving in the UK until Boxing Day, the 26th of December. And on the same day in Australia


They also gave us a glimpse at the other two members of the Light and Dark families: Spotlight and Blackout.


Unfortunately there was no accompanying release date for these core Skylanders.

You can check out a load of screenshots screenshots and artwork of all four new Skylanders in the Trap Team Gallery as well as last Friday's news post for images of the Element Expansion Packs themselves.

Thanks to German Skylanders fansite myskylanders.de we now have images of the as yet unannounced Light and Dark Element Expansion Packs and their contents for Skylanders: Trap Team.



The Dark Element Expansion Pack comes with the Dark Trap Master "Knight Mare", a Dark Trap in the shape of a Spider, and the Midnight Museum Location Piece which unlocks the Midnight Museum chapter.





The Light Element Expansion Pack comes with the Light Trap Master "Knight Light", a Light Trap in the shape of a Hawk, and the Sunscraper Spire Location Piece which unlocks the Sunscraper Spire chapter.



The Trap Masters will grant you access to the unknown element gates scattered throughout the game and the traps will let you catch the unknown element villains, which means that, combined with Blastermind from Wave 3, these will finally let you complete Skylanders Trap Team to 100%.

The exact release date of the Element Expansion Packs is still unclear but some European retailers have a date listed as early as the 18th of December.

The third wave of Skylanders Trap Team has been revealed, it will include three new Trap Masters, 4 new Core Skylanders, 3 new Minis and eight new Traps. No specific dates were given.

Trap Masters


Core Skylanders


Triple Packs


Mini Double Packs


Traps


Time for some wild speculation: Unlike the first two waves it is probable that this "wave" will be split apart and have each grouping release at slightly different times. The ongoing Frito-Lay High Five giveaway means that the Core Skylanders are not likely to be released until early next year but the Trap Masters and Traps are under no such restrictions and could be released earlier than that. Check out the full breakdown of what will be in the retailer's boxes including the restocks of already released characters.

And since they haven't been posted to the front page (keep an eye on the forums for the latest goings on!), some reminders about other recent and upcoming releases:


The new Legendary items at Toys R Us, including the Micro Comics with exclusive Legendary Traps, are currently in the middle of being released. Legendary Deja Vu and the Legendary Deja Vu comic were released yesterday, the Legendary Blades comic will be on Sunday, and the Legendary Jawbreaker comic a week later on the 16th of November.


The first two of the Eon's Elite collection, Elite Spyro and Elite Chop Chop, became available at GameStop this past weekend and the next one has been announced as Elite Trigger Happy, he'll go on sale at the end of the month on the 28th.


And finally, the 8 Pack of Traps with the variant villain Steamed Broccoli Guy is apparently due for release very soon at Target (with reports of sightings already coming in).

Skylanders: Trap Team has officially released in Australia and the review embargo has been lifted. The reviews out so far have a generally positive overall feel to them but they aren't without their misgivings.

Quote: Kotaku - Yes

The bright spotlight being shined on its core figures and villains makes Skylanders: Trap Team feel like a fresh start for the franchise. Without completely abandoning the characters and concepts introduced over the past three years, it feels more like a self-contained experience rather than a continuation.

Quote: Gaming Age - A-

What's great about the Skylanders series is that, beyond the humorous story and light action RPG gameplay, the games are so chock full of content that players can spend weeks trying to play through it all.

Quote: BioGamerGirl - 10

Skylanders Trap Team on tablets matches up well with the home console version of the game. While the tablet version doesn't look quite as good as the next generation version of the game, Skylanders Trap Team still packs a whole lot of high quality content for a tablet release that most other mobile games simply can not compare with.

Quote: Nintendo World Report - 9

Skylanders Trap Team is a fantastic, well-made game. The lengthy story mode is filled with excellent gameplay set in gorgeous environments with top-shelf graphics and sound. The bonus modes, while focused mostly on combat, are a lot of fun.

Quote: TheHDRoom - 4.5 Stars

Even with its creative zigzags that shift Kaos' allegiance for a time to provide new enemies for the Skylanders to chase and jokes for Flynn to crack, Trap Team feels more like a standalone reboot ordered from the top of Activision's food chain; a reaction to increasing competition in the Toys to Life genre that shifts the target demographic back a few years.

Quote: The Escapist - 4.5 Stars

But what exquisite pieces of plastic they are! The designs for the Trap Team Skylanders all have a translucent weapon that's undeniably cool. The expressions on the faces and the poses of the figures telegraph movement and style, and the new Mini Skylanders are all cute as hell.

Quote: Canadian Online Gamers - 89

If there are two things that always astonishes me about any Skylanders game it is the creativity that goes into it and how they don’t rely on licensed characters, and Trap Team carries on this heritage. The new Trap Master characters are great.

Quote: Gaming Nexus - 8.8

As with all Skylander games, there is a lot of variety here in the gameplay department. In addition to battling enemies you will do a lot of (simple) puzzle solving. Remember, this is a game designed for the younger gamers in your household so don't expect anything that will truly tax your brain.

Quote: Game Informer - 8.75

Giving Toys for Bob an extra year to work on this sequel paid off, not just with the concept of villains partnering with heroes, but the world they inhabit feeling more alive.

Quote: IGN - 8.2

In most ways, Skylanders Trap Team is the best game in the series. The abundance of inventive and genuinely fun characters, and the inclusion of playable villains, means there's always some amazing new trick to try.

Quote: Joystiq - 3.5 Stars

Gameplay in Trap Team feels distinct from previous series entries as a result. The trap-and-swap mechanic works well, and it makes combat more eventful and strategic than before.

I've only spotted the one 3DS review so far and it is definitely on the negative side.

Quote: Nintendo World Report - 6

Skylanders Trap Team's main gameplay is very mediocre. At its best, it's a passable 3D platformer, and at its worst, it's a stiffly controlled and boring mess. The other gameplay aspects, that is, the focused villain challenges and Skystones card game, are fun, but it's not enough to wash away the tedium of the main game.

Congratulations to the winner of the $100,000 scholarship, Phylicia Nakamoto, who submitted the name "High Five" for the Frito-Lay contest that took place earlier this year. The name will now be the character's official name.


High Five's story has been expanded upon to give further details on his personality:

Quote:

High Five is one of the most skilled sky racers of all the dragonflies. But as the fifth son of the Royal High Flying Dragonflies, he was not allowed to enter any of the racing tournaments that took place each year because of his age. Instead, he was forced to watch from the sidelines as his four older brothers competed for the coveted Trophy of Sparx, which legend has said holds magical properties. One year, during the biggest racing event of the season, High Five learned that the Troll Racing Team had stolen the valuable trophy and were going to use the race to cover their escape. He quickly took action, jumping into the race and using his amazing flying skills to weave and dodge his way to the front of the pack, where he caught up to the trolls and brought them down. For his actions, High Five was given the Trophy of Sparx. Even more importantly, he was made a Skylander, where he now helps protect Skylands from any evildoers.

And in a twist (that forum goers have already spotted on the back of boxes) the other two voted upon names, Flip Wreck and Bat Spin, have also been chosen to be used as the official names for their respective Skylanders.

As for how to get him, starting in mid October Frito-Lay will be running a giveaway of High Five using the Blippar app, you'll just need to scan the back of a specially marked variety pack to enter.