Just like last year saw Bowser and Donkey Kong revealed as "Skymiibo" for Skylanders SuperChargers, this year's E3 delivered another ground-breaking reveal...the beloved, Crash Bandicoot is coming to Skylanders Imaginators!
Crashing the Skylanders Imaginators Party at E3: Crash Bandicoot Reveal!
Toy Images, Illustrations, Screenshots, and Gameplay!
Reports claiming he will only be available in PS3/PS4 Starter Packs or only be playable on PlayStations are FALSE.
Crash Bandicoot will be playable on both Xbox One and Xbox 360 as well as the Nintendo Wii U.
And while he will be available at launch exclusively in Special PS3/PS4 Starter Packs, he should be headed for a stand-alone release later on...
Also of note, the Crash Bandicoot Starter Packs will run you $99.99. Regular ($74.99) Starter Packs will also be available for both PlayStation consoles.
As seen in the video, they have done a fantastic job integrating Crash as a Skylander and he looks right at home. Just as Bowser and Donkey Kong had faithful movesets, the same applies to Crash Bandicoot.
Crash mega-fans will also be happy to hear that Crash Bandicoot, Crash Bandicoot 2, and Crash Bandicoot: Warped are all slated for release in 2017 as HD remasters for PS4 Owners. Those who fall into that camp are also likely to remember that this is the 20th Anniversary for Crash Bandicoot, so the timeline ties in quite well.
Well, June 1st, 2016...summer is fast approaching and we are a mere 4 months and change from Skylanders Six, or Skylanders Imaginators as we can now call it! Imaginators features two big selling points: new Sensei Skylanders and Imaginite Creation Crystals that will store YOUR CUSTOM SKYLANDERS! Check the video for more information:
Skylanders Imaginators: What You Need to Know
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KIDS CREATE THEIR ULTIMATE SKYLANDERS IN
SKYLANDERS IMAGINATORS
The Only Way to Bring a Gigantic Flaming Chipmunk-Headed Tornado Twisting Dino-Legged Turtle-Shelled Bowslinger with a Robot Voice and a Jet Pack to Life!
Fans to Submit their Skylander Designs for Chance to have
Creations Featured in Game at Launch!
Santa Monica, Calif. - June 1, 2016 - Since the launch of Skylanders®, kids around the world have sent Toys For Bob, the pioneers of the toys-to-life category, hand-drawn Skylanders with one special request - please bring my Skylander to life.This October, Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) will make that wish a reality. For the first time,Skylanders® Imaginators will empower Portal Masters to unleash their imaginations by giving them the freedom to create their own Skylander.
"Since we launched the very first Skylanders game, we have received countless letters and drawings from kids all over the world sharing their vision for their own Skylanders. No matter how in touch with our 'inner kids' we might think we are as adults, nothing comes close to the endless creativity that springs from the mind of an inspired kid," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "We've turned this year's game into the ultimate blank canvas for kids' imaginations so they can create and play their own Skylanders."
Skylanders Imaginators gives players immense possibilities -- including appearance, powers, abilities, names, catchphrases, musical themes and much more -- to create the wildest Skylanders imaginable. The amazing depth of the creation system could allow for more than a googol distinctive characters.
With the evil Kaos on a new quest to take over Skylands, it's up to Portal Masters everywhere to create their own Skylanders - known as Imaginators - using the new elementally-aligned toy type called the Creation Crystal. Creation Crystals allow players to transport their Imaginators to consoles at anytime, anywhere!
Skylanders Imaginators introduces Skylanders Senseis, all-new heroes who represent 10 powerful Battle Classes such as Knight, Sorcerer, Bowslinger, Brawler and more. Skylanders Senseis help train created Imaginators by offering a range of benefits including unlocking super-cool Imaginator weapons, providing access to special areas in the game, as well as bestowing Secret Techniques across the Battle Classes. Senseis also have their own unique benefits including the extraordinary ability to unleash Sky-Chi - the ultimate Battle Class super move. There are a total of 31 Senseis, which include some fan-favorite villains who have been reformed and now fight for good!
"Skylanders consistently delivers on innovative gameplay experiences. With customization a dominant trend in the consumer market, the fact that Skylanders Imaginators will allow kids to bring their own creations to life is a game changer and one our customers will enjoy," said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "We are proud to continue to serve as a marquee Skylanders destination, and look forward to fans' excitement when the new Skylanders Imaginators game arrives this holiday season."
To celebrate imaginations coming to life, Activision is kicking off the
"Skylanders Art-to-Life Contest." Starting today, Portal Masters are invited to submit drawings of their own created Skylanders for a chance to have their characters represented in the Skylanders Imaginators game at launch! To participate, fans simply draw their imagined Skylander and submit it via Instagram or Twitter with the dedicated hashtag#SkylandersArtContest, or to us directly at SkylandersCommunity@Activision.com.
The judging panel will include Toys For Bob who will determine a grand prize winner. For more information, including rules, visit: Skylanders.com/SkylanderArtContest.
Starting today, fans can pre-order Skylanders Imaginators Starter Packs which include two new Skylanders characters, a Creation Crystal, Portal of Power®and the full AAA game. Skylanders Imaginators will be available on Xbox 360™ and Xbox One™video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment systems and Nintendo's Wii U™ system.
Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders Imaginators supports all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous games. The game will be available on October 16 in North America for the suggested retail price of $74.99. For more information, fans can check out the debut of the Skylanders Snapchat channel or watch the story unfold here and here.
Master King Pen: Figure, Illustration, and Screenshots
Golden Queen: Figure, Illustration, and Screenshot
So...heavily requested video and a MASSIVE time constraint. Basically we will have official news on the real Skylanders 6 here in a few hours. Do I know some things already? Yes. Have I seen some things that people weren't supposed to see yet? Yes. Can you find that same info on the net...most certainly. However, out of respect to the people behind the game I won't be posting or discussing any of that here...These are my legitimate "wants" for Skylanders 6.
That said...check back later today as I'll likely have a slew of info up on the next installment! You can also check my site here AND the Skylander Club Forum (http://www.skylanderclub.com) for more info throughout the day (keep in mind I work a real job and this is a side-hobby).
Anyway here is the video...
What I Would Like to See in Skylanders 6
Is it long...yeah, but what did you expect? I have to crank this stuff out late at night (4 AM now) and I am working with a really badly stubbed toe (good news, I don't think I broke it, haha).
So here are some bullet points, obviously the video will expand on these:
SSA Format
-Elemental Areas are Meaningful
-Elemental Levels
-Central Focus on Levels and Boss Battles
-Save Points
-Maintain Training Ground
--Enemy Spawn Button/Simulator
Character Release
-Include Battlecat Card
-1 of Whatever Required available AT LAUNCH
-All Undead Characters available BEFORE Halloween
-Modest Line-up (16-24 maximum)
-Series 2 for Core Skylanders
--Warnado, Dino-Rang, Sunburn, Ghost Roaster/Chopper, Blades, Scorp, Star Strike etc.
-SuperCharger Treatment for any Returning Character
--Ie if we get another Spyro, give him a whole new move set etc.
-If Triple Packs really exist, make them just as available as Singles to help folks save money
-Hidden Chase Variants-Up End Consumer's Chance of Landing Specials
-Legendary, Nitro, Dark, etc all need Stat Boosts
-$9.99 target price, $12.99 max for "Gimmick-Landers"
-Maintain Eon's Elite $19.99 with frequent sales
-LightCore WITH full upgrade tree AND user activated flash bomb
Complete Set Bonus (Not in Video--See, Another Perk to Reading!)
-If you have ALL of a certain character, you should get an accolade, special hat, or stat boost...just a nice token of appreciation. So S1 Terrafin, S2 Terrafin, S3 Terrafin, and SuperCharged Terrafin = Accolades.
--I think this could also apply to full sets of Legendary or Dark Skylanders.
Additional Game Modes
Battle Mode
--Must Have It. If not "in game" than stand alone entry
---Update Character Roster and add new arenas
----Seasonal Updates
--Single Player vs AI, Local, and Online
---Expanding past 2 Skylanders would be a future goal
---Imagine an online 4v4, or pitting the SSA Life vs SSA Undead..EPICNESS!!!!
Heroics or Quests
--Expand on Character's Lore
--Allow users to spend time and train/upgrade (statistically enhance) their favorite Skylanders
Adventure Packs
-Would Love to Play the Levels Again! What a surprise it would be! HD Darklight Crypt!!
Worries
-Traps and Vehicles...Any function?
-Removing established features...never makes people happy
Future Expansion
Battle Mode
--Ultimate Replay Value...Incentive for older characters
---Frequent Updates and DLC for new characters and arenas
Battlecast
--If the game takes off, it needs to be updated regularly by adding in new characters
---It would be okay to do so slowly as to not overwhelm players/collectors
PC Presence
--Battlecast needs to be on PC; tons of kids online (see Minecraft servers)
--Skylanders: Spyro's Universe
---I would love to see this, or something similar relaunched. Endless possibilities. It was a TON of FUN for anyone who missed out...and I had a killer Skylands if you wondered ;)
Conclusion
I could seriously go on...for hours. This is kind of a rushed video despite having been thinking about it for a while now...I added a few points of interest here that were not covered in the video. That said, let me know your thoughts and I will catch you back for insights on the REAL Skylanders 6!!
