
	Platform Playstation 3 Genre Role-Playing / Toys Publisher Activision Developer Toys4 Bob ESRB E +10 (Everyone) Released October 16, 2011

- Kids love the collectibles - Really easy to understand - Pleasant

- Geez, those extra figures cost a lot

Review: Spyro: A Hero's Tail (PS2) Review: Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon (XB) Review: Spider-Man: Edge of Time (360)
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Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure

Score: 8.5 / 10

I'm not sure how Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure has performed at retail but it was certainly a hit at my house, which I anticipated after seeing the Toys for Bob logo appear during the first boot-up.

Back in 2003 when Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure was released it was in constant rotation for the kids for years. Developer Toys for Bob managed this with a

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- Playstation 3 Game Reviews
- Role-Playing Game Reviews
- Games Published by Activision

balance of an accessible trick system and some favorite Disney characters. And they've managed to capture that again with Skylanders.

Everything's big and bright and easy to understand -- I never had to step in a offer guidance on either navigation of the world or the battle system -- but the company has added a real-world

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layer to their formula in the form of the "Portal of Power" and a relatively expansive roster of 34 different characters that can be placed on the portal.

The "starter set" comes with 3 figures and dropping them into the game along with their stored stats and scores is done by simply putting them on the portal. There's co-op and versus play, as up to two figures can occupy the portal, but the unspoken co-op feature is harder to sell on a box. My kids would take turns playing through the story and swapping the figures on the portal. There were arguments but not many.

My three-year old was fascinated by the way he could make the characters appear on-screen, but he was also took a shine to the figures away from the den and they were suddenly fighting dinosaurs and crushing block houses.

All told, Skylanders is responsible for hours and hours of enjoyment in my house. With Christmas just around the corner, there might be a Skylander figure or two under the tree, but only one or two. The figures themselves are pricey. A three-pack will set you back about $20. I know there's a lot of technology packed into them but if you were to buy only a few packs you'd be looking at plunking down more money than it cost for the game. And if you were going to get them all, that could potentially set you back more than $200. And on the resale market that number could easily eclipse $350. For that kind of money I'd be buying something from Sideshow Collectibles rather than small action figures that I find in the fridge "because they were hot."

- Aaron Simmer

(December 28, 2011)