Skylanders SWAP Force Night Shift Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage

Night Shift Base Upgrades

Night Shift Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

Legendary Night Shift Base Upgrades

Night Shift Proper Vampire (Top) Upgrade Path

Legendary Night Shift Champion Fighter (Top) Upgrade Path

Night Shift Warping Vortex (Bottom) Upgrade Path

Legendary Night Shift Underbat (Bottom) Upgrade Path

Night Shift is a very cool character and was my most anticipated swapper to upgrade.  There is a reason I tout he and Boom Jet's Double Pack so much.  I also have to say that I think the Teleport Ability is the best of all the Swappers, so that puts Night Shift and Hoot Loop in high regard.

That said, what about his upgrades?  Night Shift is one of those characters that really doesn't have to have anything past his base upgrades...they are that good.

Up top the Base Upgrades touch on the primary attack bumping damage output +4/+6 to 28-42.  The punches are quick and have a very nice range.  Don't Move, Just Stick!  is a charged version of the primary attack and offers up one of the best animations in the game as well as delivering a staggering 100-150 damage points, and the charge time for it is minimal.  Rounding the top end out we have Vampire's Bite which is a really vital addition in my opinion.  The one weakness to Night Shift is his low base health (likely to offset the "A Batty Coach" extra life/lives.  However, Vampire's Bite does nice damage (40-60) AND gives you +20 Health each time you use it!  That means you can rattle it off 10 times in a row and garner and 200 HP back in your direction!  This top end trio is really a force to be reckoned with and one of the best base upgrade sets in SWAP Force.

But, then there are the paths.  Proper Vampire is my personal pick.  Why?  It is just super functional.  The first installment, Infections Smile, deals the same 40-60/+20, but adds in enemies taking 10-15 damage 5x afterwards.  The follow up, Healthy Appetite, is what seals it.  Damage jumps to a staggering 60-90 and your health gained jumps 10 points from 20 to 30.  What is not to love?  Inflict major damage, gain +30 Health, and still have a quick, good ranged primary with a powerful primary charged attack!

That said, if you are a fan of hard hitting upgrades, or just need cash, go with Champion Fighter.  I must warn you that the gloves will change appearances here...Prize Fighter give you a chrome glove set that turns 115-173 damage, while Pay Day puts out more cash after each hit and an impressive 130-195.  The only downside (at least for some) is that Pay Day has, somewhat fittingly, replaced the chrome gloves with a high luster gold pair of gloves.  This makes PERFECT sense on Legendary Night Shift imo.

So, you basically have to pick between a super hard hitting path with slight cash bonuses in Champion Fighter and a very formidable path with health incentives in Proper Vampire.

But wait, there is more!  The top end Soul Gem, Gentlemanly, makes ALL ATTACKS do more damage!  You can see the damage numbers in the spreadsheet...very, very nice!  Oh, and by "all" they didn't disappoint or shortchange us this time...it also applies to the bottom end upgrades!

Down low, Night Shift has another near perfect set of base upgrades.  Float Like a Vampire makes up for his teleport not doing any damage by jettisoning a projectile that does 25-38 Damage.  Foggy Movement grants +8 Speed (35-423) and you know how much I love speed upgrades!  A Batty Coach is where Night Shift takes things to a whole new level.  You may have thought the top end with a health incentive Proper Vampire and a cash producing Champion Fighter were hot tickets, but this BASE UPGRADE allows Night Shift to return from the dead...literally.  Let's say you lost your Night Shift in Nightmare Mode...fear not, A Batty Coach, brings him back!  The animation is epic and you literally get that second chance you always wish you had with your other Skylanders!  Oh, but lest we forget...it gets better!

If you are a fan of "A Batty Coach," you will no doubt want to take the Underbat Path.  While nothing flashy like the 195 damage on Pay Day, Underbat just does the usual...you know grant you 2 extra lives...WHAT?  Yep, "Round 2" will puff your health up a bit when you come back with "A Batty Coach," but "Luck of the Underbat" will let you return from death TWICE.  This is something we have never seen before in Skylanders, and regular viewers/readers should know how fond I am of the "unique" abilities of Skylanders.

If you think that is just overkill, or feel once is enough for your superior play style and you desire more damage output, you will want to take the Warping Vortex Path.  I'm not sure many people will ever even take this path because Underbat is so special, and useful, but some Story Mode purists with multiple Night Shifts will likely explore it at some point...

I have to say, it is also pretty good.  "Vortex of Doom" will appear when you teleport and pull enemies in towards the vortex.  The finishing act, "Close to Doom" adds damage to the vortex by way of 18-27 3x.  The greater asset might just be being able to dart around the arena/level, and use the vortex to set up enemies for your charged attack for quick deaths, or to get some health back with Proper Vampire.  You really can manipulate the field to your liking if you are well versed with this upgrade.  Oh, and don't forget that you also have the projectile to work with while teleporting and making vortexes!

Lastly, both paths are aided by the bottom end Soul Gem of "Grand Entrance."  This slows enemies down considerably after you have teleported and appear in front of them.  This may seem lame, or leave you wanting something epic like an explosion etc., but trust me, this is useful.  If you took Warping Vortex you now can further direct the enemies to your liking, and should you ever have incidentally teleported into a bad situation you have time to abort, or set up and adjust.  With Underbat, it lacks the direct interaction, but it will allow you to better utilize all your upgrades to avoid having to rely on Underbat and that should count for something...Not flash at all, but very functional.

All-in-all, Night Shift did not disappoint and is without a doubt one of m favorite Swappers!  He has great aesthetics, incredibly unique upgrades, paths, and abilities, and he offers up a play style all his own that no other Skylander comes close to offering.

My personal choices are Proper Vampire and Underbat.  Proper Vampire does great damage AND boots your health, which is vital with a character like Night Shift who has a lower base health line.  Underbat is just too unique to not suggest.  It is the ultimate offset for the low base health.  It will also be like a 3 strikes set up in PvP.  I will say, that if you don't play much PvP, or are content with one extra go and primarily play Story Mode and Challenges, you would be better off with Warping Vortex, which likely will not get much love due to how unique Underbat is.

For rookie players I would suggest Proper Vampire and Underbat.  It is the ideal combo for surviving.  If you are more inclined to like the flashy, hard hitting paths go with Champion Fighter up top and Warping Vortex down below.

The bottom line with Night Shift is that all his Upgrade Paths are great.  The only one that isn't incredibly unique is Warping Vortex and it is very functional.  Extra Health, Extra Cash, or Extra Lives...Night Shift has it all!

Skylanders SWAP Force Unboxing Legendary Night Shift

What?  Toys'R'Us Exclusive Legendary Night Shift
Where Did You Get It?  Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $16.99 plus tax (BOGO40% Still Going!)
What Was Stock Like?  Well stocked
What Is Included?  Legendary Night Shift, Stat Card, Sticker Sheet with Webcode

Unboxing Legendary Night Shift

Legendary Night Shift
Undead Element, SWAP Force,
-SWAP Zone Power: Teleport

Slogan: "Roll with the Punches!"

Card Stats
Power: 190/200 (+10 over Night Shift)
Armor: 95/200 (-5 under Night Shift)
Agility: 150/200 (+5 over Night Shift)
Luck: 50/200 (+5 over Night Shift)
Totals: 485/800 (+15 over Night Shift)

Legendary Night Shift was released Sunday, November 10th, 2013 here in the US.  I got to my local TRU a little after lunch time and was surprised to see a LOT of stock in terms of Legendary Night Shift.  Similarly, it looked as if the other Legendary figures had been restocked, most notably Legendary Free Ranger, who had been quite slim the last few weeks. 

Legendary SWAP Force Skylanders

I must again stress that if you plan to collect or acquire the Legendary Skylanders, be it a duplicate of your favorite, the Swappers to explore their other paths etc, or just in place of the regular counterparts, I suggest you pick them up now.  The BOGO40% is a good deal and waiting post Black Friday might not result in any better of a deal, but more headaches.  If SWAP Force follows suit with what we have seen with SSA and Giants, stock could start to take a significant hit and those "shelf warmers" you were waiting on, might become tough to find...You never know, but that is the gamble you take in waiting.  I'm more than comfortable with the 40% Off promo and don't think I'll see a better deal outside of close out sales come late next summer.

Undead Element SWAP Force: Rattle Shake, Legendary Night Shift, Night Shift

The good news, however, is that Legendary Night Shift came in just as expected and in ample quantity.  He is a nice addition to any collection and works well for Night Shift fans as he allows you to explore the other top and bottom upgrade paths.  Good luck landing Legendary Night Shift for your collection!

Teleport Skylanders: Enchanted Hoot Loop, Legendary Night Shift, and Hoot Loop

Here is a little bonus video that my Nephew, thewalkthruking, and I shot after initially unboxing Legendary Night Shift...It naturally features Night Shift vs Legendary  Night Shift, and other Legendary matches:

Night Shift vs Legendary Night Shift

Skylanders SWAP Force Unboxing Night Shift

What: Night Shift, Undead Element, SWAP Force, Teleport
Where Did You Get It? Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost? $16.99 plus tax (BOGO40%)
What Was Stock Like? Very Limited. I've seen 1 on the shelf.
What is Included: Night Shift, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Night Shift

Night Shift

Undead Element, SWAP Force, Teleport

Slogan: "Roll with the Punches!"

Card Stats:

Power: 180/200

Armor: 100/200

Agility: 145/200

Luck: 45/200

Totals: 470/800

Night Shift, Front

Night Shift, Rear

Teleport SWAPPERS as of Wave 2

Undead SWAPPERS os of Wave 2

Skylanders SWAP Force Wave 2 Early Release at Toys'R'Us

Hopefully you read the blog daily...If so, you already knew about Toys'R'Us getting Wave 2 Skylanders in before other retailers, although some Sam's Clubs had a few of them out as well.

If you missed the news, now you know.  Here is a video highlighting that news and showcasing the Skylanders I was able to track down:

Part 2: Night Shift and Knockout Terrafin

Part 3: Finally--Fire Kracken

Here is a complete list for what we can tentatively refer to as "Wave 2," although I personally like 1.1, but that is a bit technical.

Skylanders SWAP Force
-Boom Jet
-Fire Kracken
-Grilla Drilla
-Night Shift

Skylanders SWAP Force Newlanders
-Riptide
-Scorp
-Star Strike (non-LightCore)

Skylanders SWAP Force Series 2
-Heavy Duty Sprocket

Skylanders SWAP Force Series 3
-Anchors Away Gill Grunt
-Big Blast Trigger Happy
-Knockout Terrafin (Single Pack, not tied to Fiery Forge Battle Pack)
-Twin Blade Chop Chop

Skylanders SWAP Force Triple Packs
-Triple Pack #3: Heavy Duty Sprocket, Twin Blade Chop Chop, Scorp
-Triple Pack #4: Big Bang Trigger Happy, Star Strike, Anchors Away Gill Grunt





Stock Notes

Obviously, since I don't have Fire Kracken or Night Shift we can assume they were either more popular, arrived in lesser quantities, or some combo of the two.  I got the last Boom Jet in the house, and after I snagged Grilla Drilla there were only three left.

Star Strike was really hard to find...I am lucky I located her.

If I had to pick out two more that were "harder to find" it would be Knockout Terrafin and Twin Blade Chop Chop.  Seemed to be plenty of Trigger Happy, Gill Grunt, Sprocket, Riptide, and Scorp.

Regarding launch day stock there were still plenty of Legendary Free Ranger and Legendary LightCore Grim Creeper...LightCore Smolderdash was fittingly still very hard to locate.

Other Notes

Couple of glaring issues here...

First, with the release of standard, non-LightCore Star Strike the "Walmart Exclusive" Magic Triple Pack is pretty much dead in its tracks to anyone that gets the game near or around launch.  It would be far more cost effective to pick up TP 1 and TP 2, then snag a Single of Star Strike than it would to buy the Magic Triple Pack and then have to snag 4 other singles...

I think it is still neat and will appeal to many, particularly those at Walmart and who are perhaps new to the series, or just really big fans of Spyro and Pop Fizz.  For hard core collectors and even casual collectors, you are probably going to find more cost effective ways around that pack.  Naturally, it will still sell to "completionists," but that is another story.

Knockout Terrafin really surprised me in Single Pack form.  Had this been a LightCore Bumble Blast I would have been surprised but not nearly as much.  With Giants, the Battle Pack Characters remained tied to that pack to encourage sales as opposed to offering folks with an option to forego that BP right off the bat, in particularly this early.

Scorp is also a big surprise.  Given Slober Tooth's appearance in Single, Triple, and Dark Edition Packs it is hard to have envisioned Scorp launching this side of January.  His release makes me wonder if we might wind up having to wait awhile for the Earth SWAP Force Characters...Of similar interest, Air, Fire, and Undead already have all their SWAPPERS on shelves.  It also seems we will see them in groups of 4, unless they scale back with smaller waves.

Your Thoughts

Did you see this coming?  Are you glad they were released early, or would you have preferred a bit down the road?  Which characters from this grouping are you most excited about?  Are you enjoying SWAP Force thus far?

Good luck and happy hunting!

Brand New Skylanders SWAP Force Gameplay Footage

The epic overflow continues!  While at work today I got an e-mail with brand new Skylanders SWAP Force Gameplay!  The good folks that are Activision's PR sent over about 4 minutes of footage and some new screen shots!

The gameplay clip is awesome, super fast paced, and you can catch something you missed every time you watch it.  That said, it had over 40 small, short clips in it...My initial plan was to break them down with title slides, introduce the clips, commentate them, and call it good.  The short length of each individual clip made that tough, but I ultimately felt it would have taken away from the action and excitement.  As deliver, you have 4 minutes of non-stop action that keeps you glued to the screen...I didn't want to take away from that, so I opted for something different:



I took screen caps from each of the 42 (by my count) scenes and spanned them for 10 seconds...This allowed me to highlight the character, scene, more, enemy, or item etc and prepare you for the frenzy that is the 4 minute highlight reel...I think it turned out pretty well given the options.  This lets you take in the still shot from the clip, learn what to look for, and then see the action just like I saw it as a straight, continuous clip.  With that said, let's take a look:

We've got tons of SWAP Force combinations on hand, some SF Newlanders, and an incredible amount of detail to take in...

That said, I did mention we had some Official Screen Shots as well...let's check them out:

Skylanders SWAP Force Starter Packs: Final Renderings:

Nintendo 3DS Screen Shots

Grilla Drilla and Inventory 

Grilla Bomb (Grilla Drilla + Stink Bomb)

Night Shift

Zoo Lou

Free Ranger's Vortex Move + Rattle Jet

Grilla Shift (Grilla Drilla + Night Shift)

Night Loop (Night Shift + Hoot Loop)

Stink Charge (Stink Bomb + Magna Charge)

Hoot Bomb (Hoot Loop + Stink Bomb) and Stink Loop (Stink Bomb + Hoot Loop)

in Survival Mode

Roller Brawl and Zoo Lou in Survival Mode

Skylanders Swap Force New Character Art and Gameplay: Fryno, Rattle Shake, Night Shift, Magna Charge, Free Ranger

Late last week I got access to some BRAND NEW, NEVER BEFORE SEEN Skylanders Swap Force content!  This ranged from a quick Swap Force Fact Sheet (copied at the bottom), to brand new screen shots, all the way up to a 4 minute or so clip of never before seen gameplay!

As of Noon CST Monday, July 29th, 2013, you should be seeing this!  We got some great shots of Free Ranger, Magna Charge, Night Shift, and Rattle Shake (in various different formats).

Then, the folks at Activision treated us to some brand new gameplay footage.  If you scroll down below you can see the stand alone pictures as well as some of my thoughts on things...I'll end off with the attached Skylander Swap Force fact sheet straight from Activison.  Here is the video:

Leave a comment to let me know what you thought about this reveal.  What character looked the best?  Which powers caught your eye?  How do you feel about the voice acting, characters in general, and enemies?  How about the graphics....can you tell how much better they are?

We start off with Fryno ("Crash and Burn") a brand new, Fire Element Skylander.  He is shown taking down a few enemies with bralwer punches (36) and a hot rod dash (40).

Free Ranger ("Whip up a Storm") an Air Element Swap Force character then came into view and took out several enemies with some powers ranging from punches (45), some sort of finishing move (78), a projectile lightning bolt (13), and then some sort of a tornado like move that not only damaged the enemy (20), but disoriented AND moved him!

Hoot Loop ("Let's Ruffle Some Feathers") a Magic Element Swap Force Skylander then appeared (briefly) and cast some attack that dealt damage (24) and then seemed to chain off into three separate and smaller attacks (8).  The main feature shown was his teleport ability...It served very well to help eliminate the enemies.  If you look close, you will see a Gillman right as Hoot Loop appears and walks forward.  You will also notice that the area is called "Gobblepod Sanctuary."

The next feature went to Rattle Shake ("Go Ahead, Snake My Day") one of the Undead Element Swap Force Skylanders.  He is shown winning a Swap Force Zone challenge that had him use the bouncing ability to pop 3 Kaos Balloons.  This kind of reminded me of the structure of "elemental zones" found in the 3DS version of SSA.

We then saw a combo of Free Ranger and Rattle Shake in the form of...Free Shake!  This is, of course, Free Ranger's top end with Rattle Shake's bottom.  The voice and powers (ie base, secondary, tertiary, and upgraded attacks) all remain Free Ranger...What changes is the bottom half and the subsequent ability.  With "Shake" down below, Free Ranger transforms into Free Shake and can utilize the bouncing ability of Rattle Shake to gather some loot and clear an area.  We also hear one of his lines "For my nest egg!"

The next feature went back to a new, non-Swap Force Skylander in the Undead Element's Roller Brawl.  She looked pretty impressive!  She was against a tough enemy and used her roller skating to circle and speed around an enemy (think Ghost Roaster's Skull Master, or Cynder's Dash).  Once the enemy dropped his guard, she unloaded with a melee of hits, the first dealing 51 damage and subsequent blows landing 34-44.  We then saw her seemingly roll her roller skates, which are a lot like blade gears, toward the enemy...after taking care of all the enemies she used the line "Down and Derby."

Our last highlight came in the form of Swap Force Skylander Freeze Blade.  Actually, the first we saw of him he was Freeze Zone.  Freeze utilized Blast Zone's lower half to blast quickly down a path and to an enemey platform.  It was soon after used to blast thru an enemy on the platform, lol.

The next cut scene brought us to full on Freeze Blade and another Swap Force Zone...This time, it was the speed (?) zone and Freeze Blade was racing against the clock to get to the finish line.  This was eerily similar to what I remember as a kid with Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as I attempted to attain Chaos Emeralds. 

And that was that...all too soon the video came to an end.  That said, we saw a lot of cool stuff, got a feel for some of the character's personalities and powers, and saw a few more enemies and game locations.  If you pay careful attention you will see some Elemental Gates and other Swap Force Zones around the areas in the clips.

Skylanders Swap Force: New Character Illustrations and Screen Shots from Activison

Free Ranger, Air Element Swap Force

Official Character Illustration

Free Ranger Screen Shot

Free Ranger vs Chompies

Magna Charge, Tech Element Swap Force

Official Character Illustration

Magna Charge vs Frigid Chompies

Night Shift, Undead Element Swap Force

Official Character Illustration

Rattle Shake, Undead Element Swap Force

Official Character Illustration

Rattle Shake Screen Shot

Rattle Charge (Rattle Shake + Magna Charge)

Rattle Shift (Rattle Shake + Night Shift)

Skylanders Swap Force Official Fact Sheet (Direct Copy)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION:

Skylanders is “mixing it up” with the newest game in the award-winning, top-selling franchise.   Skylanders SWAP Force builds upon the success of the franchise’s signature gameplay and collectible toy experience, adding an all-new dimension to the “toys to life” innovation.  The game introduces a compelling play pattern -- dynamic swapability -- that lets gamers transform 16 SWAP Force inter-action figures into more than 250 unique characters by swapping the top and bottom halves of the toys.  Now, Portal Masters can mix and match characters’ powers and moves and experience an unprecedented level of choice than ever before seen in a Skylanders game.   Fans also can play Skylanders SWAP Force with their entire collection of 100+ characters from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure^® and Skylanders Giants^TM.

Skylanders SWAP Force features new abilities – such as flying, climbing, digging, bouncing, or teleporting – which can be used in previously unexplored areas of Skylands centered on these play mechanics.  Additionally, the game features 16 new core characters, eight new LightCore™ characters and 16 new versions of fan favorite Skylanders from previous games.  Now kids will have more than 100 characters from which to choose. The game’s high-resolution graphics brings detailed characters and richer environments to life, immersing players in the game like never before.

In Skylanders SWAP Force, Portal Masters embark on an all new adventure in the mysterious Cloudbreak Islands, home to a mystical volcano that erupts every hundred years to replenish the magic in Skylands.  During an epic battle, a brave group of Skylanders were caught in the volcano’s eruption, which blasted them apart and sent them to earth.  But, the magic of the volcano gave these heroes a remarkable new power -- the ability to swap halves – turning them into a special team known as the SWAP Force.  Meanwhile, Kaos is back with a new evil plan.  And now, Portal Masters everywhere must reassemble the SWAP Force -- in their original form or in new combinations -- and send them back to Cloudbreak to save Skylands!

KEY FEATURES:

o   Vast Possibilities for Play – Skylanders SWAP Force features 16 new SWAP Force inter-action figures with new powers and a fresh play pattern – dynamic swapability – that lets kids create more than 250 unique character combinations, giving them more choice than ever before over how they fight and move in the game.  With each new addition to their Skylanders SWAP Force collection, Portal Masters unlock an exciting world of possibilities.  

o   More Play Options – Skylanders SWAP Force delivers a diverse and dynamic, story-driven gameplay experience, filled with adventure, combat, puzzles, mini games, and drop-in/drop-out co-op play -- all set within compelling environments.  With each new addition to their Skylanders SWAP Force collection, Portal Masters unlock exciting new possibilities.  Seasoned fans can play Skylanders SWAP Force with their entire collection of 100+ forward compatible characters from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants.  Plus, the level cap has been raised to 20 for all Skylanders characters, including legacy characters.  Additionally, based on fan demand, all Skylanders now have the ability to jump.

o   All-New Characters – More than 50 collectible characters including 32 never-before-seen Skylanders heroes each with unique powers and personalities::

•       16 new SWAP Force characters

•       16 new Core Skylanders characters

•       8 LightCore™ Skylanders characters

•       16 new versions of fan-favorite Skylanders from the previous games, each featuring an all new “Wow Pow” upgrade power

o   Exciting Adventure – Portal Masters will embark on a brand new adventure, encountering never-before-seen enemies and challenges, as well as meeting memorable non-playable characters who can help the Skylanders defeat Kaos and his minions in the Cloudbreak Islands.

o   Unique Swap Force Zones – Skylanders SWAP Force characters feature new abilities – such as flying, climbing, digging, bouncing, or teleporting – each of which can be explored in new areas of Skylands.

o   Enhanced Graphics Quality – Skylanders SWAP Force high-resolution graphics bring to life amazingly detailed characters and richer environments to deliver a high level of visual fidelity that immerse players in the game like never before.

Publisher:                  Activision Publishing, Inc.

Developers:               Vicarious Visions (Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4)

                                    Beenox (Wii)

                                    n-Space (3DS)

Platforms:                  Nintendo Wii™, Wii U™, 3DS™

Xbox 360™ and Xbox One™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft

PlayStation®3 and PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system

SRP:                            $74.99 - Skylanders SWAP Force starter pack

                                    $14.99 - individual Skylanders SWAP Force action figure

                                    $9.99 - individual core Skylanders action figure

Release Date:                        Oct. 13, 2013 - North America; Oct.16, 2013 - Australia; Oct. 18 - Europe

ESRB Rating:             Rating Pending

E3 Skylanders Swap Force: Notes from the Backroom and Private Game Play Screening Session!

This is just a record of what I wrote shorthand from our ultra cool trip backstage with Activision!

If you prefer video formats, here you go...be warned, it is long:

Going Backstage

We were taken from the E3 floor of the Swap Force booth to a hallway that led to a backroom filled with an assortment of media insiders, high profile figures, Activision staff, and more...It was absolutely bustling and just as crowded as the main floor.  The only difference was the area was like a large oasis (see lounge setup) and had food and water on hand.

Entering the Private Screening Room: No Cameras!

All along the back hall of this room were separate, smaller rooms.  These rooms are the private screening rooms.  Close doors, seats 10-12 comfortably (stadium style for optimal viewing) and no cameras or recording.  Lucky for you, I took short hand notes of the entire thing!

Why so tight?  Quite simply put it is because they are gracious enough to show us (myself and some other Skylander fans) never before seen gameplay elements that are still in what they called an "alpha build."  To put that in laymen's terms, the game will look great, but it could have a few issues etc.

Potential Level Settings and Environments

They covered a few basics and actually began with Crusher.  Giants work just fine in Swap Force.  They mentioned a few locations like the Old West, a snowland, and Lush Jungles (which you will see some gameplay of from others).

Legacy Skylanders: Activision is Honoring Your Past Collection

One of the first things mentioned was how they plan to honor existing collections.  Every Skylander you currently own will work in Swap Force.  It is that simple.  Nothing to argue, no ifs, ands, or butts...they will just work.  Take it for what it is, don't argue with common sense, and accept it.  This is great for fans and collectors of the series and Activision is 100% committed to maintaining this attribute.  They realize we have put in a lot of time and money into acquiring the different characters and upgrading them and they appreciate that.  To prove it, they refer to all returning characters as "Legacy Skylanders."  This is not to be confused with Legendary Skylanders, but is a stand alone term.  If the character has previously existed it has a legacy they are going to preserve.  I know a lot of people will aruge this and mention Activision is a huge company, and makes tons of money.  I will counter that is true, and they have the business sense to know it is smart to keep previous figures active.

Vicarious Visions: New Graphics Engine and Game Play Elements

The next topic was Vicarous Visions and how they created a brand new graphics engine...It truly looks amazing.  If you have followed along on the blog or my YouTube Channel, you know I play games for the gameplay itself, not the graphics.  Great graphics are a bonus to me...Swap Force looked incredible...I've said it many times and I can not stress it enough...I may finally buy an HD TV just to fully enjoy the depth of the scenes.

New Game Element: Jumping--Hey, It Solved a Glitch in the Alpha Build!

What was hilarious and awesome at the same time was a glitch that popped up...keep in mind this is the alpha build.  I've actually had it happen in SSA and Giants.  It is basically where a move (Crusher's Rock Slide in this case) netted the player outside a fence at the edge.  They tried pulling him and placing him back on (ha, same things we do!), but it worked to no avail.  As a last ditch attempt to keep from resetting, they jumped...It worked.  I don't know if they planned this (I truly believe it just happened), but the biggest and most flaunted core improvement (Jumping) saved the day!  After this the Alpha Build performed flawless.

Why Are We Just Now Jumping?

As far as why jumping wasn't included in the first few titles there response was they "wanted each character to feel different."  I assume this means they wanted players to use other moves to get to bounce pads.  For example all characters can walk to the bounce pad, but they each have unique abilities.  Terrafin can burrow, Warnado has the tornado to get around, Stelth Elf has her tertiary move...Zap can slide, Thumpback can slide, Sunburn can teleport etc...You get the general idea.  They really wanted players to USE THE ABILITIES to navigate Skylands, not just walk.

Swap Force Alert!  Undead Element Night Shift: The Vampire Boxer

After this, they pulled Crusher and put on a new Undead Element Swap Force Character named Night Shift.  He was acclaimed as a Vampire Boxer with a killer upper cut (I saw it...I think it must have been fully upgraded..it was along the lines of a Soul Gem to me...just like a charged up attack that released a giant glove cutting up through the screen...very cool!).  I believe it was also mentioned he could teleport, which makes sense given the "Shift" part of his name.

New In-Game Character: Willowbark

We then saw a nice, vivid cut scene where a guy I dubbed Tree Ranger, although I think his name was Willowbark, (just an in-game character, think Arbo) approached and mentioned some crystals had been stolen.  He had  great personality....He is like a Stump Smash looking guy with facial hair and what I equate to a Canadian Royal Mounted Police Officer...very official and a distinct voice.  He has the prototypical army/cop vibe going on...

Drop-In, Drop-Out Coop Game Play

They then highlighted the Drop-In, Drop-Out Gameplay Mechanic...It worked flawlessly and the two helped clear the area...Naturally, to finish the demo the main speaker dropped out.  While in he used the new Air Element Swap Force Skylander Free Ranger...he kind of had lasers that he shot out and got around by way of tornado...looked really good.

Swap Force Alert!  Air Element Free Ranger: Jet-Vac Meet Warnado

Shortly after, Freeze Blade, the new Water Element Swap Force Skylander was introduced.  He has great projectile attacks.

Swap Force Alert!  Water Element: Freeze Blade

To highlight to us the "Swapability" we saw them mention a scenario where you would want Freeze Blade ranged attack coupled with the speed and mobility of Free Ranger's tornado lower half...So, a quick press and the figures are apart....We now were introduced to Freeze Ranger.  They used this swap combo to make quick work of the enemy at hand.

We were then reminded that 16x16=256...As the slogan goes, our new power is choice definitely rings true!

Dual Element Zones: Twice as Nice

The next portion of the level highlighted a brand new game component: Dual Element Zones.  This is NOT YOUR SWAP FORCE AREA.  The Dual Element Zone is basically your garden variety Elemental Gate, but with two elements.  The one we saw was Fire and Magic.

So how do you get in this Dual Element Zone?  There are two ways...First, if you have a SwapForce Character say like Hoot Loop (Magic) and Blast Zone (Fire) you can option them out together and the gate will open.  If you are playing coop you could enter in as one player being Ignitor and the other being Spyro.

The coolest thing to me is not the method of opening the gate, but the look inside.  It is a very visually stimulating look that equally divides the path through conceivably the entire area.  One half looks like your Fire Zone and the other looks like the Magic Zone...just in stunning HD thanks to Vicarious Visions' new graphics engine.

Character Brief

We then got briefed on the 16 Core Characters and 32 New Characters (no names or details, just the numbers).  They again stressed how the 100+ Legacy Toys would all work.

Magic Element LightCore Star Strike: LightCore AND Regular Pose?

We had all seen Star Strike, the highly questioned mystery Magic Element character.  The packaging at the Power A booth indicated her as LightCore.  Someone asked if she would have a regular pose and the answer was something along the lines of "I believe so."  Assuming that is correct, we will likely see the same set up as Giants where the 8 LightCore are reposed characters with light up effects.  I also heard Star Strike will be very cool (more on that later).

The Fate of the 8 Castaways from Spyro's Adventure

While we had some down time, we got to ask some very quick questions.  I jumped at the chance and asked, "Will any of the 8 original Castaways (Warndo, Boomer, Camo, etc) be back for Swap Force.  The answer was YES!!  I didn't get details on which ones, all, 1, 2, 4, 6, etc, but at least "some" should be back...This is big news for a lot of folks, myself included...Many of my favorite characters are amongst the 8 Castaways!!

Swap Force Alert!  Life Element Stink Bomb, The Ninja Skunk

They then got back into the demo and talked about Stink Bomb.  He is basically a Ninja Skunk who will use his musk to hide himself (think along the lines of Steath Elf's Scarecrows).  They said his bottom half combines very well with some of the other characters!

Willowbark and Evilized Sugarbats: New Enemies, New Kaos Plot

The next portion saw Willowbark (think that is his name...the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Stump Smash like character) introduce us to Sugarbats and Evilized Sugarbats...a product of Kaos Magic and attempts to take over the Cloud Break Islands.  You basically have to battle them to break the spell and return them to normal.  The character who took on this task was Stink Shift...and yes, it made for interesting gameplay!

Swap Force Introduces New Game Play Mechanics

We then caught the drill of the 8 New Gameplay Mechanics via the Swap Force bottom ends.  This led us to a very cool demo with Wash Buckler.  His bottom half has the Ladder Image to indicate he can climb.  This opened up the Swap Force area and what we saw was a long, chaotic wall you had to ascend...It reminded me a lot of some of the Super Mario Galaxy upward areas...You climb up while dodging obstacles, navigating blocked paths, and of course dealing with enemy items etc.

Puzzles, Mini Games, Bonus Missons, and More Platforming!

This led into the mention of new Puzzles and Mini Games and the chance to use the jumping ability to make use of more platforming.  They also mentioned the 20 Bonus Missions you can unlock.  They also verified there will be the Individual Screen for objectives to clear and review etc...basically the same thing you are used to seeing after clearing a level.

Battle Packs and Adventure Packs

As we got a little downtime before leaving, I was able to inquire about Battle Packs and Adventure Packs.  There will be two of each.  One is said to involve Cali if I understood correctly.

The End of Our Private Demo: The Fun Was Over All to Soon

This was pretty much it for the "behind closed doors, private screening of gameplay" end of things.  It was a blast and with the low number of people we had a great setting to see and experience the new mechanics and visuals from the team at Vicarious Visions!

E3 Exclusive Copper Metallic Hot Dog

Last but not least, before exiting we were all given the E3 Exclusive Copper Metallic Hot Dog!

Exiting the Screening Room and Private Back Room

I actually got to stay in the doorway a little while longer for my Portal question you wanted to be asked...They made every effort to find out, and they just couldn't confirm anything...Luckily, I got answers later in the evening...And yes, it should work with Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure and Skylanders Giants.

Private Viewing of the E3 Exclusive Swap Force Trailer

At that point I exited the screening room after chatting with the game player a bit, left the backroom, and returned to the main floor for our private screening of the E3 trailer, which you can watch here: http://www.1ofwiisdom.blogspot.com/2013/06/skylanders-swap-force-exclusive-e3.html

Conclusion

It was a killer experience and as much as I wish we could have filmed, all you really need to know is things looked great and there is going to be a lot to like about Swap Force!

More Swap Force Info to Come

Stay tuned for the next post as I'll highlight your questions and their respective answers in greater detail!