Skylanders SuperChargers Launch Day

Well folks, it is finally here!  Skylanders SuperChargers officially launches today in the US!  I figured I would take this time to cover my plans for the video schedule and answer some other FAQs as of late.

Skylanders Trap Team Research

First off, I have frantically been working to complete the Skylanders Trap Team Research Series, see also Upgrades and Attack Damage, lol.  I have actually done it, minus the Minis and a few others.  You can see all of the upgrades here:

Skylanders Trap Team Research - Upgrades

Skylanders Trap Team Research - Villainography

Skylanders SuperChargers Blind Playthrough on YouTube, Coop Playthrough on Twitch

Next up, let's talk about my plans for SuperChargers!

With Trap Team, I did something no one else has done in Skylanders, at least on the YouTube front.  Instead of doing my usual blind playthrough and directly uploading the videos to YouTube, I opted to do a "Blind Stream" of the game.  I literally played thru the game blind via live streams on my Twitch Channel.  The folks who checked it out really enjoyed it, and then of course I exported the videos over to YouTube.  The end quality wasn't as good as usual due to the stream bit-rate restrictions, but it was still a lot of fun.

This year, I am going to go back to my old formula AND maintain the stream concept.

With the introduction of online gameplay (not just racing, but coop) I will do the following:

-Skylanders SuperChargers Blind Playthrough via Xbox One uploading to YouTube

AND

-Skylanders SuperChargers Coop Playthrough via Nintendo Wii U with viewers on Twitch

AND

-Skylanders SuperChargers Online Racing with Friends and Viewers -Stream and Upload

So, as you can see we have a diverse mix and I do indeed plan to play with some of you I have come to know over the past 4 titles in the Skylanders series!

If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to sign up on the Skylander Club Forum...you can connect with other Portal Masters and find friends to race with on your platform!
SkylanderClub.com - Skylanders Fan Forum

Skylanders SuperChagers Purchase Plans

Starter Packs

Now, this gets really interesting.  We have more characters than ever in the Starter Packs, but we have a lot of duplicates.  Here is my tentative plan

I have pre-ordered the Dark Edition for the Wii U.

I will get the 3DS Starter Pack.

I will get the Xbox One Starter Pack.

I really want Dark Bowser, but I'm trying to think of a way to justify the price of another Starter Pack...Ironically, if I had to pick 1 DK and 1 Bowser, I would want Dark Bowser and regular DK...funny how that goes.

If there is a good sale, and stock, I might spring for the Dark Wii Edition.  I could always upload a playthrough of that game, but I honestly haven't seen anything of it...I would like to gauge my purchase on the more immersive 3DS game (you can race online while you can't on the Wii), but with scalpers AND amiibo fanatics on the prowl, this may be a hot commodity.  I remember last year with Trap Team it was difficult to get a Wii U Dark Edition at launch.  Will there be low stock of the Dark Wii Edition, or will it be shelf fodder.  Will scalpers pick it up, or will regular buyers not justify the high price for basically a single character and his vehicle?  At this point, we just don't know.

Official Route

As for Day 1, here is my route:
-TRU: Legendary Hurricane Jet-Vac and possibly Dark Wii Starter Pack
-Target: Nitro Stealth Stinger
-Best Buy: Steel Plated Smash Hit
-GameStop: Frightful Fiesta and Dark Wii U Starter Pack

Skylanders SuperChargers Collection Plans

As always, 2 of each Skylander would be great...I can take both paths and never have to reset and loose precious and time consuming progress.  However, where there are not "specials, or alt-decos" on tap, I will likely not be able to finance a 2nd figure for everyone, let alone vehicle.  This is why I am a fan of having Darks, Nitros, Legendaries, and characters like Frightful Fiesta and Easter Thrillipede...it makes buying that 2nd one much more justifiable.

So, needless to say, I hope to acquire as many as possible, but will restrain myself to my favorites and those that are practical should it become necessary.

Skylanders SuperChargers Storage

This is a serious issue...If you are a seasoned veteran, you probably have Skylanders in your gaming room, on your consoles, strung across the living room, displayed in the kitchen, and some stored away under your bed...The struggle is real!  I am a bit concerned with parking for the vehicles, lol.  My tentative plan is to go the el-cheapo route and score some more of the under $1 "shoe boxes" from Target.  These are simple Sterlite storage containers with a click-lock lid and they get the job done, while leaving max fundage for Skylanders.

Is it Really Blind?

Oh yes, rest assured it is.  While some YouTubers have played a level or two and taken part in some races, others have simply watched some of the footage from Activison or other outlets...but me, all I've done is consume the B-Roll footage the PR team sent out.  This is largely highlight reel type material.  I've not watched the infamous chapter Lou played thru in the summer, I haven't digested any leaks, and I haven't read any descriptions...I'll be going in knowing as little as possible.  The only area I have good intel is the cast of Skylanders.  I personally just enjoy this approach much, much more...If I know the entire cast, plot line, and all the twists the game simply looses some of its appeal.

I plan to put a priority on the blind, solo playthru, but after completing a few chapters I'll hit up some friends and viewers for a coop approach.

Depending on how the game is structured, I will also work upgrades and other game modes that may be present into the mix earlier.  I have yet to find a perfect balance for how to approach things, largely due to so much content being locked, or tucked away (ie you want to fully ugprade someone, but their Soul Gem is in the last chapter etc).

What Does it All Mean?

Well, if you read all of that...thanks, you are who I cater to in this crazy YouTube life.  I do things a bit different than most.  I still prefer to focus on the details and attempt to provide viewers with a more intelligent playthrough.  I have a M-F job with long hours, and other interests.  Video games are an outlet to have fun, relieve stress, and just enjoy some down time.

I have been offered various partnerships, but since I read the contracts, I have never signed off on one...If you were unaware, you can take a partnership and radically grow your channel.  I'm not sure the subscribers gained are legit, and people claim they make more money, but I'm kind of here for fun..and I don't like to Skype with people who have names I can't pronounce that use a CC email to 15 other YouTubers telling each of us how unique we are with the same cut-and-paste compliments to go over any negotiations.

The partnerships, in addition to pumping more subscribers and requisite views to your channel, offer some tangible benefits, namely cross promotion (although they always tout their expansive sound effect database and collaboration tool kit).  No one likes to talk about cross promotion, but it is real, and it sucks for those on the flip side.

Let's say you have a YouTuber you really connect with (maybe me for instance?!).  Let's say they have a playlist of Skylanders SuperChargers that has the complete game and each installment is one chapter.  You caught Ch 1 and had stuff to do, so the next night you come in and watch Chapter 2.  You think, "Oh hey... a short chapter, I'm going to check out Chapter 3 too!"  You scan over to the sidebar with the playlist and instead of seeing Chapter 3, you find a ton of videos from other channels...You think, "Hey, this is supposed to be a playlist for this series, what is the deal?"  Well, that is cross promotion at work.  A lot of times if you use Auto Play you can go straight from the channel you want to watch, to the channel that is cross promoting.  It isn't really "recommended" channels for you, it is channels that are paying to be in another channel's playlists.  Head off to a partnered mega-channel's playlist and tell me if you see any vids lurching in the top slots of their playlists...if you do, they'll only be from larger partnered channels.

Basically, to put it in laymen's terms, partnered channels cross promote to both increase their view share and decrease the view share of their competitors.  It is a vicious cycle and very frustrating to not have videos measured by their own merits.
 
I've come to realize, more and more the past few years, that I could actually have a much larger channel by just yelling, raging at the game, and throwing in ridiculous animations and sound effects...that is simply not my style.  I have my own delivery and feel I have a niche audience that shares my mindset.

Despite the trends others follow, I just keep doing my own thing.  They say it is always best to swim with the current, but I feel like I'm that guy on the bank looking over at the mountain in the distance...I invite you to come with me...especially since that stream leads to the mouth of the cave that the bears hibernate in...

Long story short, SuperChargers is here...I hope it is awesome...I'm not changing my style...Let's have some fun together!!

Skylanders SWAP Force Launch Day Haul Collection Overview

These type of videos are always popular requests, and since Launch Day is only once a year and the Skylanders are only "boxed" once, I figured I would film this to showcase to everyone what I picked up on Launch Day and give some insights as to where I went for what and share some sweet deals you can take advantage of to save a little cash and enhance your personal collection!

What was your strategy for Launch Day?  Any good finds, or problems?  Notice any characters or items being low stock, or hard to find?  Post up your experience!

I will update this and add pics as time allows.

Skylanders SWAP Force Wave Unboxing Preview

As you may have known I was extremely busy this weekend...

That said, I made time to get a lot of Skylander SWAP Force stuff going...Sadly, my internet connection is currently like a square wheel going up a hill.

With that being the case, I went ahead and made this video LIVE to kind of showcase what all was coming up etc.  It is like an unboxing preview of an unboxing!

Fear not, I have the videos lined up to go, they just aren't able to get uploaded due to the connection.  In fact, the featured video here seems to loose audio around the 12 minute mark :(

That said, this is still pretty cool and gives you a first hand look at what to look for today!

I will be heading to town shortly to look for everything else!

Anything in this box catch your eye?

Good luck today and I hope you track down who you are looking for!

If the audio doesn't return here, and the next video takes as long to upload I will re-render the vids in a slightly lower quality to at least get them uploaded for you.

Skylanders SWAP Force Launch Day Press Release

SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE™, THE "MUST-HAVE" KIDS' GAME OF THE YEAR, HITS STORE SHELVES TODAY

Top Selling Kids Video Game Franchise of 20131 Debuts 16 New Swappable Characters, 40 New Characters Overall, Next-Generation Graphics and the Deepest, Most Innovative Game in the Franchise to Date

Franchise that Pioneered the Toys to Life Genre Tops Hot Holidays Lists

for Third Consecutive Year

Skylanders SWAP Force For Nintendo 3DS Introduces Unique Adventure

Santa Monica, CA - Oct. 13, 2013 - Portal Masters can now wield the power of choice as they defend the Cloudbreak Islands and battle the evil Kaos (and his mom) when the magic of Skylanders SWAP Force™ hits store shelves nationwide today. Available now for Nintendo Wii™, Nintendo Wii U™, Nintendo 3DS™, the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system as well as day-and-date for PlayStation®4 and Xbox One, Skylanders SWAP Forceintroduces an all new innovative play pattern - swapability - that lets players freely interchange the top and bottom halves of 16 special characters by mixing and matching their powers and moves into more than 250 unique character combinations*, that are brought to life in the game.

The third installment in the popular franchise from Activision Publishing Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), Skylanders SWAP Force is already positioned to be one of the must-have games this holiday having been named to the 2013 Toys"R"Us® "Fabulous 15" on the company's Holiday Toy List as well as TimeToPlayMag.com's Most Wanted List and Toy Insider's Hot 20 Holiday Toys of 2013 List.

"Skylanders is a brand built on one thing: magic. With each and every Skylanders title, we want to deliver new, delightful innovations to our young fans that continue to blur the lines between physical and digital play," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "With Skylanders SWAP Force, we've taken this genre to a whole new level by giving players the greatest power of all: choice. In a franchise known for breakthrough innovation, I have no doubt that SWAP Force is our most innovativeSkylanders game yet. And we're thrilled to share it with fans of all ages all over the world today."

Building on the franchise's signature gameplay and collectible toy experience,Skylanders SWAP Force pushes the boundaries of innovation and imagination with an all new play pattern - swapability - that gives kids more choice than ever before over how their SWAP Force characters fight and move. Set in a richly detailed next-generation world, the game takes kids on an all-new adventure with 40 new collectible characters each with unique powers and personalities -- 16 new SWAP Force characters, 16 core Skylanders characters and eight new LightCore™ characters. Additionally, fans can play Skylanders SWAP Force with their entire collection of 100+ characters fromSkylanders Spyro's Adventure® and Skylanders Giants™.

Skylanders SWAP Force features a new next generation graphics engine** that brings the game's detailed characters and rich environments to life like never before. The game also features new abilities - such as flying, climbing, and teleporting - which can be used throughout Skylands. Friends and family can join the fun with drop-in/drop-out cooperative play as well as experience action-packed gameplay in various Battle and Survival Modes that feature all new arenas.

Additionally, players can embark on an all new unique Skylanders SWAP Forceadventure on the Nintendo 3DS that features game levels and story that are unique to this platform. The 3DS version also includes three new characters - Rattle Shake, Volcanic Eruptor, and Free Ranger - which are not found in any other SkylandersStarter Pack. All characters introduced in Skylanders SWAP Force will also be playable on Skylanders Lost Islands and Skylanders Battlegrounds mobile games, both of which are available on iOS on October 13 and on Android on November 1.

Skylanders SWAP Force October 2013 Channel Update

Well 5 AM here at the desk...

I am making this video to update you on a few things and cover some popular requests as of late.

Please note the NEW Polls on the Right Hand Side of the Blog, just below the Twitter Feed.

I've had a lot of interest in which characters I am looking forward to etc...This covers a few of them and invites you to share your opinions.

I also highlight my Launch Day Survival Guide with what I have deemed to be the best strategy for what I hope to accomplish.

For anyone interested, I will be getting my first Pokemon game...Pokemon Y that I hope to play with my Nephew.  I do have Rumble U, but Y will be my first "core" game if you will.

Also of note, the Series 2 Upgrade Videos really are ready to go...either late tonight, or Saturday night I will make them ALL live.  It isn't what I wanted to do, but I've honestly been too busy to release them in groups as intended.

I can't stress enough to make sure you look for variants!  We don't know what to expect, if anything, but that means scalpers and employees are at the same disadvantage...Pay close attention and YOU might get LUCKY!!

I will leave it at that for now...Check the video description for more and watch it if you dare.  Things will have slowed down tremendously for me by this time next week.

I've got some really cool stuff planned for the Chanel and Blog and I think you will like my plans for the SWAP Force Playthrough...more on that later!