Skylanders: Giants

Skylanders: Giants

A direct sequel to Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure.

Skylanders: Giants
Platform Developer Age Rating Release Date
EU NA Europe North America
PlayStation 3WiiXbox 360
Toys for Bob
7+ E10+ - Everyone 10+ Oct 19th 2012 Oct 21st 2012
Wii U
Vicarious Visions
Nov 30th 2012 Nov 18th 2012
Nintendo 3DS
n-Space
Oct 19th 2012 Oct 21st 2012

Story

As a direct sequel the story picks up shortly after the events of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. The very basic premise of the game as told by a press release:

Players will resume their role as a powerful Portal Master, who controls their a team of Skylanders, including Giants, mythical and powerful heroes that play a pivotal role in the quest to save the Skylands from Kaos, who is back with another plan to rule over Skylands. Players will navigate perilous lands, battle powerful enemies, collect treasures and solve interesting puzzles.

Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow have returned to help write the story.

Characters

As well as being able to use all of the Skylanders from the original game, Skylanders Giants introduced 16 brand new characters to play as. This new lineup was made up of eight regular sized Skylanders and eight Giants who were about twice the size of the other characters.

Here are pictures of all of the Skylanders new to Skylanders Giants:

Life
Tree Rex
Tree Rex
Shroomboom
Shroomboom
Gnarly Tree Rex
Gnarly Tree Rex
Legendary Stealth Elf
Legendary Stealth Elf
Lightcore Shroomboom
Lightcore Shroomboom
Series 2 Stealth Elf
Stealth Elf
Series 2 Stump Smash
Stump Smash
Series 2 Zook
Zook
Tech
Bouncer
Bouncer
Sprocket
Sprocket
Legendary Bouncer
Legendary Bouncer
Lightcore Drobot
Lightcore Drobot
Series 2 Drill Sergeant
Drill Sergeant
Series 2 Drobot
Drobot
Series 2 Trigger Happy
Trigger Happy
Magic
Ninjini
Ninjini
Pop Fizz
Pop Fizz
Scarlet Ninjini
Scarlet Ninjini
Punch Pop Fizz
Punch Pop Fizz
Royal Double Trouble
Royal Double Trouble
Lightcore Pop Fizz
Lightcore Pop Fizz
Series 2 Double Trouble
Double Trouble
Series 2 Spyro
Spyro
Series 2 Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball
Air
Swarm
Swarm
Jet-Vac
Jet-Vac
Legendary Jet-Vac
Legendary Jet-Vac
Polar Whirlwind
Polar Whirlwind
Lightcore Jet-Vac
Lightcore Jet-Vac
Series 2 Lightning Rod
Lightning Rod
Series 2 Sonic Boom
Sonic Boom
Series 2 Whirlwind
Whirlwind
Earth
Crusher
Crusher
Flashwing
Flashwing
Granite Crusher
Granite Crusher
Jade Flashwing
Jade Flashwing
Lightcore Prism Break
Lightcore Prism Break
Series 2 Bash
Bash
Series 2 Prism Break
Prism Break
Series 2 Terrafin
Terrafin
Water
Thumpback
Thumpback
Chill
Chill
Legendary Chill
Legendary Chill
Legendary Slam Bam
Legendary Slam Bam
Lightcore Chill
Lightcore Chill
Series 2 Gill Grunt
Gill Grunt
Series 2 Slam Bam
Slam Bam
Series 2 Zap
Zap
Fire
Hot Head
Hot Head
Hot Dog
Hot Dog
Molten Hot Dog
Molten Hot Dog
Legendary Ignitor
Legendary Ignitor
Lightcore Eruptor
Lightcore Eruptor
Series 2 Eruptor
Eruptor
Series 2 Flameslinger
Flameslinger
Series 2 Ignitor
Ignitor
Undead
Eye-Brawl
Eye-Brawl
Fright Rider
Fright Rider
Lightcore Hex
Lightcore Hex
Series 2 Chop Chop
Chop Chop
Series 2 Cynder
Cynder
Series 2 Hex
Hex

Along with the brand new Skylanders and variants there will also be new "Series 2" poses for 24 characters from the first game (compared to the original characters they have a special "Wow Pow" upgrade and the ability to switch paths at will - you can use these toys in the first game but you won't have access to that extra power there) and eight LightCore characters (versions of characters who light up when placed on the portal and cause a massive in-game explosion of light when they first enter) who are made up of four of the new Skylanders and four of the old (they are not Series 2 so do not have a Wow Pow - you can also use these toys in the first game but again do not have any sort of extra power).

Altogether that brings the total number of new toys to 62. Combine that with the 37 playable toys from Skylanders Spyro's Adventure and you have a grand total of 99 different playable Skylander toys.

In the Starter Pack you get three Skylanders (on console Jet-Vac, Cynder (Series 2) and Tree Rex, on 3DS Punch Pop Fizz, Cynder (Series 2) and Tree Rex), a Portal of Power, Trading Cards, a Poster, and the game. The Starter Pack was also available without the Portal of Power for those who already had one but it only had one Skylander: Tree Rex.

To help differentiate between the old and new sets, the base of the Skylanders for Skylanders: Giants are orange instead of the green that is seen on the bottom of the Spyro's Adventure toys.

Here's a table to show the compatibility and features of the characters:

Type of Skylander Wow Pow Path Switch LightCore Blast Spyro's Adventure Heroic Challenge
Giant No No No No Yes
Legendary Giant No No No No Yes
New Skylander No No No No Yes
LightCore New Skylander No No Yes No Yes
Legendary New Skylander No No No No Yes
Series 2 Yes Yes No Yes Yes
LightCore Series 2 No No Yes Yes Yes
Legendary Series 2 Yes Yes No Yes Yes
Series 1 No No No Yes No

All toys were compatible with the online world of Skylanders: Universe but it is no longer running.

Portal of Power

Portal of Power

Once again the game uses a Portal of Power, the technology inside has not changed so you can still use the portal that you got with Spyro's Adventure, there is however also a version of the game sold without a portal.

The portal included with the Starter Pack for Giants has a slightly different appearance to the old one; the base of the portal (previously green) now glows the same colour as the top but the runes on the side no longer glow at all. All console portals were wired this time to combat the issues with battery consumption that plagued the first game.

The new large "Giants" are sized so that you can still fit two of them onto the portal at the same time for co-op play.

The Portals (both new and old) also power the brand new LightCore features of certain special Skylanders. When brought near the Portal of Power they start glowing! All of the Giant Skylanders contain this LightCore feature but only a select few of the normal sized Skylanders have a LightCore variant. Those that have an additional LightCore edition are Jet-Vac, Pop Fizz, Chill, Shroomboom, Drobot, Hex, Eruptor, and Prism Break. The LightCore versions of these characters cost slightly more than the regular versions (and the ones in the Starter Pack are not the LightCore versions).

Platforms

The game was released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, and 3DS. There was not a PC/Mac version this time.

Music

The theme music was again by Academy Award Winning film composer Hans Zimmer and is a brand new score by returning composer, Lorne Balfe.

Exclusives

Toys R Us again had several Skylanders exclusives, including a Legendary Triple Pack containing Legendary Ignitor, Legendary Slam Bam and Legendary Jet-Vac. At launch they also had a single of the giant Legendary Bouncer.

Target in the US had a special darker version of Crusher, "Granite Crusher", as an exclusive.

At launch GameStop had an exclusive Golden version of the "Dragonfire Cannon Battle Pack", a normal version was also available elsewhere at launch.

GAME/Gamestation in the UK and Walmart in the US had an exclusive Glow in the Dark variant of the Series 2 Cynder and a Glow in the Dark Portal of Power in their console Starter Packs.


Comments
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#6435 ThomasWolf 01:20:36 20/09/2012
Hot Dog Story

Hot Dog was born in the belly of the Popcorn Volcano. While on a nearby mission, a team of Skylanders had come across the stray fire pup when the volcano erupted and Hot Dog came rocketing straight into their camp, accidentally setting Gill Grunt's tent on fire. Using his nose for danger, he helped the Skylanders complete their mission - even pouncing on a lava golem like a blazing comet when it threatened his new friends. After displaying such loyalty and bravery, Hot Dog was brought back to Eon's Citadel where he became a Skylander - and then he proceeded to bury Eon's staff.


Ninjini Story

Ninjini was the most renowned magical ninja from ancient times, long before the Arkeyans ever rose to power. But a dark sorceress, who was jealous of Ninjini's skill as a warrior, trapped her within an enchanted bottle to be imprisoned for all of eternity. Time stretched on, yet Ninjini remained steadfast and determined to escape - even mastering the dual sword technique within the solitude of her bottle. Over the years, her strength continued to grow until alas, through sheer force of will, she broke free! From that moment on, Ninjini made it her mission to help those in need as one of the first Skylanders, always carrying that enchanted bottle as a reminder of her own resilience.
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#6434 ThomasWolf 01:15:23 20/09/2012
Hot Head had always been a short tempered fire giant. But it was when magical oil was discovered in Skylands that fuel was really added to the fire. As exciting as the discovery was, the celebration lasted only 5 minutes - coming to an abrupt halt when Hot Head needed to cool off and plunged into the thick black pool, causing the entire island to explode! Though it would be another 2,000 years before magical oil was discovered again, the impact that it had on Hot Head was immediate. He was instantly infused with magical oil, giving him the ability to generate an infinite supply of fuel - making him incredibly volatile, highly combustible, and ready to torch anything that got in his way.
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#6433 ThomasWolf 01:14:48 20/09/2012
Lightcore Shroomboom Story

Shroomboom was most unfortunate to have been born in a pizza topping garden belonging to Kaos. Growing up among his fellow fungi, he knew it was only a matter of time before a late night craving would bring about their demise. So Shroomboom took a twig and a strand of spider web and made a slingshot. One by one, he launched all of his friends over the garden fence before flinging himself over to join them. Then he guided them all to the edge of the island and leapt to freedom, using his mushroom cap to catch a friendly breeze. Now as a member of the Skylanders, Shroomboom continues to perform courageous deeds... but he can be hard to find on pizza night.
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#6432 ThomasWolf 01:12:59 20/09/2012
Flashwing Story

Flashwing's true origins are a mystery. But her first appearance came when Bash made a wish that he could fly and looked up to see a shooting star streak across the sky and land in a valley below. In the center of the glowing impact crater was a large, brilliant geode - which suddenly cracked open to reveal Flashwing. Bash may not have soared that day, but his heart sure did, because Flashwing was beautifuL... and lethal. As soon as Bash stepped closer, the gem dragon turned towards him. Not knowing if he was friend or foe, she blasted him off of the cliff with a full force laser pulse from her tail! Perhaps Bash flew that day after all.
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#6431 LegendWolf 01:07:02 20/09/2012
Thumpback Story

Thumpback was once a crew member of The Phantom Tide, the most fearsome pirate ship in all of Skylands. But the actual pirating part about being a pirate didn't interest Thumpback so much as the benefits that came with traveling on a large ship. After all, his real passion was fishing. But when his chance came to finally ensnare the most elusive creature in the sky - the Leviathan Cloud Crab - he was pulled over board and carried off into the horizon. This was actually quite fortunate, because sometime later The Phantom Tide and its entire crew were banished to the Chest of Exile. Thumpback’s pirating days were over, but his legend as one of the first Skylanders had only just begun.
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#6430 bugy427 00:51:21 20/09/2012
looks like alot of people underestimated sprocket
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#6429 mastereon909 00:43:10 20/09/2012
I commented and subed!
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#6428 bugy427 00:43:01 20/09/2012
that is dumb
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#6427 Bash21 00:36:07 20/09/2012
Her's my song about how much I want skylanders Giants to come out

Let's go Giants, Let's go

Cha Cha

Let's go Giants Let's go

Cha Cha Cha

Come on Giants, Lets go

Cha Cha, Cha Cha Cha

Giants!
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#6426 Furry360 00:35:09 20/09/2012
posting all the charcter videos released the main page skylanders giants website

http://www.skylanders.com/giants
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#6425 frightrider64 00:34:40 20/09/2012
i must SUBSCRIBE
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#6424 Furry360 00:20:53 20/09/2012
SYLANDERS GIANTS

pop fizz unboxing serious

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAWPmsnJi_c
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#6423 flashwingftw 00:17:35 20/09/2012
HAHAHA!!!! I TOLD YOU PEOPLE THERE IS A LEGENDARY JET VAC!!!!
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#6422 dragondude1 00:12:27 20/09/2012
sorry for double post but just to be more clear my mom is getting the tree rex for christmas
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#6421 dragondude1 00:11:34 20/09/2012
im getting the 3ds starter pack so im cool smilie but rly my mom is getting me it for christmas so im a desprate child though

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