Skylanders Giants took up a large portion of Activision’s E3 2012 booth, a far cry from the small room Spyro’s Adventure debuted in at the big video game trade show last year. Activision used the show to release a lot of new information about the game, announce new characters, and release new gameplay footage.
I’ve cobbled together what we learned from our time with Activision and developer Toys for Bob at E3, as well as some additional tidbits other outlets managed to learn, into a fairly comprehensive list of frequently asked questions and their answers, ready for you to peruse below. There is still much we don’t know about Skylanders Giants, but the following information should get you up to speed on what we do.
I’ll update the Skylanders Giants FAQ as new information becomes available, as well as share some more images and video from E3 in a forthcoming new post.
Was there an exclusive Skylander variation distributed at E3 2012?
Activision handed out an exclusive E3 2012 “chrome” Spyro on a one-of-a-kind card back to members of the media or industry who participated in a behind-closed-doors Giants demo with Toys for Bob. There are reportedly only 2,000 of these E3 Spyro’s in existence. I will post a separate article with photos of mine in the near future.
How many new Skylanders are there?
E3 finally provided some clarification to this question. There are 8 all-new Giants characters, one for each element. In addition, there are 8 all-new standard Skylanders, again one for each element. So the roster for each element group is expanding from 4 to 6.
In addition, there are 8 new LightCore Skylanders figures that light up when they near the Portal of Power (the effect begins about an inch above its surface). These will be a mix of all-new characters and existing characters. For example, there will be a LightCore Shroomboom (a new character) as well as a regular release of the same figure in a different pose without the LightCore feature. All 8 LightCore figures will be available in non-LightCore versions.
Lastly there are 24 “Series 2” figures, all of which are resculpts of existing Skylanders you can go buy right now. Each of these will include slightly improved stats from their existing versions as well as one new attack being referred to as their “Wow Pow” ability.
Will new Skylanders Giants characters work on Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure?
The 8 new Giants characters and 8 new standard Skylanders will not work with Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. It is unclear whether the new LightCore versions of existing characters such as Eruptor or Prism Break will work with Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure, but if I had to guess, the answer would be no. All large Giants characters will utilize LightCore technology.
The 24 Series 2 releases will work in both Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants.
All the currently released Skylanders characters will work in Giants.
Will the new and/or old Skylanders level up beyond 10?
The good news is all Skylanders, new and old, will now level up. You will be able to take an existing Skylander like Hex into Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and level her up more. I assume this is done via a software upgrade but am unsure.
The bad news is the new level is 15 so it’s not that much further than level 10. Hopefully the 5 additional levels will be harder to achieve than the first 10.
What will happen when you place a new Giant or new Skylander on the Portal when Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure is turned on?
Absolutely nothing, as confirmed by Toys for Bob.
Will there be new Adventure Packs?
Toys for Bob avoided this question with a “no comment” response. My guess would be yes considering the added play value and revenue stream they offer post-release of the main game.
Will the four existing Adventure Packs work with Skylanders Giants?
Again, Toys for Bob was not willing to discuss Adventure Packs at the time of E3. My guess would be no as those Adventure Pack levels are coded into Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure. I would expect all-new Adventure Packs that work exclusively with Skylanders Giants.
Considering how Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure ended, will we get a Kaos figure?
I received a “no comment’ answer to this question. My gut instinct says yes, Kaos is on the way.
Is Skylanders Giants a true sequel to Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure?
According to Toys for Bob, the answer is yes, Skylanders Giants picks up the story where Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure left off. This confirmation plays into my reasoning for the answer to the previous question.
What is the plot of Skylanders Giants?
Kaos is somehow back, and he’s enlisted the help of the ancient Arkeyan Army to help seek revenge on the Skylanders and their new Giant friends.
Is there a new adversarial mode in Skylanders Giants?
Yes, there is. The name is unknown, but it will play like Sumo Wrestling where opponents have to knock each other out of a ring to win.
Are Heroic Challenges returning in Skylanders Giants?
Are puzzles returning in Skylanders Giants?
All your favorite puzzles are returning along with a new one that resembles a tic-tac-toe board. The object is to get the most number of tiles on the board to match your symbol. During the course of the game, you or your opponent (the CPU) can steal tiles from one another.
They are, but they have been renamed Arena Challenges. It’s unclear at this time if they will work similarly to Arena Challenges.
Are collectibles returning in Skylanders Giants?
Collectibles will be out in force in Giants and some will require more effort to locate than others. Story Scrolls are confirmed to be back, though the fate of Soul Gems remains to be seen.
Will the Spyro’s Adventure voice cast return for Giants?
All of the Spyro’s Adventure actors are returning for Giants including Patrick Warburton (Flynn the Balloonist) and Richard Steven Horvitz (Kaos).
What are the confirmed new Giants and Skylanders?
Information is a little sketchy at this time regarding the new Skylanders. Some have been formally announced with names, while others have appeared in picture form only. Here’s what I know of so far:
New Giants: Tree Rex (Life), Bouncer (Tech), Crusher (Earth), and a Water Element Giant resembling a Whale
New Skylanders: Pop Fizz (Magic), Jet-Fac (Air), Shroomboom (Life), Skylander resembling a Bumble Bee/Wasp, and an Undead Element Drow riding a skeletal creature
New LightCore: Shroomboom (Life), Eruptor (Fire), Prism Break (Earth)
What is the Skylanders Giants release date?
Activision has not yet announced a firm release date. However, the game is widely expected to be delivered in mid-to-late October, the same as Spyro’s Adventure.
Is Skylanders Giants coming to Wii U?
Yes it is, and is already available for pre-order.
Is Skylanders Giants coming to 3DS?
Yes, and like Spyro’s Adventure, it will be a different game. Development duties have switched from Vicarious Visions to n-Space.
Is Skylanders Giants coming to PS Vita?
It is not, unless Activision has a change of heart.
How much will Skylanders Giants cost?
Skylanders Giants will be available in two different configurations. The cheaper option, the Portal Owners Pack, is priced at $59.99 and includes the game, Tree Rex Giant, and goodies (likely a poster or something similar). It will be available for Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, and Playstation 3.
The Starter Pack is priced at $74.99 and includes the game, Portal of Power, Tree Rex Giant, Series 2 Skylander (likely Cynder), New Skylander (likely Jet-Vac), and goodies. The 3DS Starter Pack will include Pop Fizz. The Wii U version will be available as a Starter Pack only, though it’s unclear what the configuration will be considering Wii U’s tablet controller has the same NFC technology as the Portal of Power that comes with the other Starter Packs.
Where can I pre-order Skylanders Giants?
Pre-orders are already available at numerous outlets including GameStop, Toys R Us, and Amazon.com (with free shipping).
New Skylanders Giants information will be added as it becomes available.
