Skylanders Update 3/29/2012

Well, quite a bit went down this week.  We'll get started with some highlights from Nintendo and then check out the Skylanders updates including some insight on the Blue Bash release this weekend.


Nintendo 3DS Birthday

First off, let me say, Happy Birthday 3DS!  March, 27th, 2012 marked the 1 Year Anniversary of the North American launch of the Nintendo 3DS.

If you haven't been to Mii Plaza lately you might want to check that out...

You just might get a Special Mii in the form of....Reggie from Nintendo!
Pretty cool in my opinion and I hope this is a trend they will continue.

Nintendo Week

If you read the blog, you might have noticed I was pretty said when Alison was cut/left the show a few weeks ago.  Dark Gary filled in great, but when I watched the show tonight Gary signed off...then Dark Gary disappeared.

I really enjoyed the show, and I know it helped move products.

I have commented before I thought they might continue it with a first-hand fan base...I think it would be cool to see them send scripts or agendas to someone like NintendoFanGirl who can use YouTube to say alternate a co-host every week.  There are a lot of die-hard Nintendo fans, myself included, and this would be an inexpensive option that might even expand the out reach of the show.  It is worth considering, all Nintendo would be out is the time to prepare the agenda etc and email it out...If they went a step further sending new releases or sponsored games out it would likely suffice as payment to the grassroots movement.

I hope that Nintendo will continue the show in some form...I think my idea would work, but in all honesty, anything is better than nothing.

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Gameplay Update

I'll cover this before getting into anything else.  As of last night I finished recording the time goals for Chapters 1-22, which netted me 100% Completion.  Note that you can get the 100% without having any of the 3-Star Ranks wrapped up on Chapters 23-26.

I plan to start editing those videos ASAP and should have some uploaded soon.

I also have Dragon's Peak headed this way from TRU.  I ordered it when they had them in stock online and I should get it Monday, April 2nd.  As soon as I get it, I will record the unboxing and then the blind playthrough.  I have heard it is pretty tough, so I am looking forward to that.

Weekly Skylander Hunt

Well, this was an odd week...Sunday I just missed getting Dragon's Peak at TRU and there were no Lightning Rods or Zooks to be found.

Tonight was no different.  My expectation of TRU having Dragon's Peak stocked to the brim at all times during these 30 days doesn't look to be panning out.  Maybe some stores do, but mine does not.  Very strange and yet another blunder on the part of Activision and Toys'R'Us.

I did finally see an Empire of Ice and Cynder single pack locally, although both were in back-rooms...creepy and unethical, yeah kind of...but it was nice to finally see them in this zip code at a retailer.

Toys'R'Us

That said, my TRU had a ton of Skylanders.  The shelves were full and that new display was spilling out with a mix of everything.  There was still a seemingly infinite supply of Legendary Trigger Happy.  If you pay more than retail for LTH I really have to question your sanity.

As I combed the racks looking for a stashed away Lightning Rod an employee I've gotten to know approached me.  He let me know that Sunday they would be releasing Blue Bash...all 12 of them.  Yeah, that is right, 12.  Come early if you want him.  I know I will be passing this expedition up.  I'd like to have Blue Bash just from the collection purpose side of things, but in all honesty, despite inflicting massive damage with his box-stock attacks, I'm just not a big fan.  I still haven't upgraded him, but Terrafin, Dino-Rang, and Prism Break just all suit me better.  Plus, I've got Legendary Bash in the mix as well.

If I'm ever there and he is on the shelf, you bet I'll take him.  If they are going to get 12 every other Sunday, I doubt it.  Now say he had told me they had 100 or something like that, then yes, I'd try my luck.  I have better things to do than stand outside a store and deal with people looking to grab something to put on ebay to fund their other vices.  I'd say we'd be lucky if 2 of them go to people who actually play the game or just want him for display.

I am wondering if all TRUs got 12, and if there will be any subsequent shipments.  I've said it before, but numbers on the Silver, Gold, and now Blue would be very nice for collectors and setting values.

Also of note was that my TRU hasn't had a Lightning Rod or Zook come in since they sold, I'm guessing 12 each, on the 3/21 or 3/25 events.  He also confirmed they hadn't gotten Dragon's Peak in since I narrowly missed one on Sunday and that they didn't expect to have any for this coming weekend's Blue Bash event.

Target

Next up was Target...note I went to TRU first in hopes they'd have gotten Wave 4 Skylanders in since the weekend to fill the shelves.

Target actually had the pegs full...I was shocked, I haven't seen them have any since roughly mid-January.  It was mainly Eruptor and Drobot with a few Wrecking Balls and one Stealth Elf:

Best Buy

Now on to Best Buy.  Yep, I said it, 1ofWiisdom heading to the hell hole known as Best Buy.  I really can't stand that place.  In fact, I have only been in there 3 or 4 times during the whole Skylander craze.  I think the last time I bought something from the store was back before the iPod Nano first came out if that tells you anything.  Sadly, they didn't have anything new, but oddly enough I found a Cynder in their display case.

Wal-Mart

I then hit up Wal-Mart since so many people had claimed their Wal-Marts were stocking TONS of Skylanders, inlcuding 12 or so Lightning Rods and Zooks pretty much daily.  This store had some stock left, namely Eruptor, Drobot, the Dino-Rang Triple Pack, Pirate Seas, and Darklight Crypt which was a bit of a surprise, but nothing new:

GameStop

Last up was GameStop.  I walked in, and as with all super-cool, 20 something gamers I got the instant recognition treatment.  Turns out they just got a shipment.  Keep in mind, this store had been dry since early February.  I got to right to the edge of the stock room, as per company policy, and saw the whole stash on the counter.  They had singles of pretty much everyone but Hex and Voodood and get this, 1 of each Adventure Pack (sans Dragon's Peak).  So yeah, that Empire of Ice I'd been trying to land for a friend and just got on Amazon this past weekend...right there, 2 days before my shipment is due to arrive.  Funny how things tend to work that way isn't it?

I thanked the guy for letting me check everything out, and then spent about 20 minutes talking to the manager, who is also into Skylanders.  She told me they had Lightning Rod and Zook earlier in the week and that they sat on the shelf for 2 days before an employee bought them as fair game.  I guess their first shipment in forever came Monday or Tuesday and had the new Wave 4 singles.  Timing is everything, even when it is off.

So yeah, there you go, my night in a nut-shell.  I am basically 90% sure I am going to have to order in Lightning Rod and Zook.  Currently, GameStop.com, where I sourced my Wave 3s, and Toys'R'Us.com, where I got Dragon's Peak, have yet to add either to inventory.  That leaves me with Amazon and they seem to randomly stock.  The Wave 4s they add to inventory are done in what must be quantities under 20 (probably 12, lol) as they go fast.  There have literally been people that find them, add them to the cart, log-in, and find that they just sold out.

Of the two I am most looking forward to Lightning Rod...I'd actually like him more than Sunburn, although that may not be the popular option.  I am excited after hearing Dragon's Peak was hard though.

Hopefully I can land Lightning Rod and Zook soon and introduce them to you...I know several people on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have told me they've been lucky enough to snag them and/or the Ignitor single pack.

So on that note, happy hunting!  If you plan to go for Blue Bash you now know what I was told.  Your store could have 120 on hand, or it could be 12 like mine.  If you want him, you better get there.  No one will want to source him from the ebay pirates.

3/25 at Toys'R'Us

Once again keep in mind that I am in the US...that means what I post applies to the US.  I do not know how it goes down in other countries etc.  Although I do know several in Australia and a few in Western Europe have told me they've landed Dragon's Peak and some Wave 4...

Nonetheless, Toys'R'Us and their month long "exclusive" window to sell Dragon's Peak technically began today. I know some of you had stores that sold it on 3/21 and the fact of the matter is they shouldn't.  Think of it is Madden releasing nation wide...it almost always goes down on a Tuesday.  Any store that were to sell copies Sunday or Monday can get in some pretty serious trouble...So if you got it, your TRU is pretty negligent, lacks management that comprehends how things are supposed to be, and in all honesty the bottom line is you got very lucky.

Several of you HAD Dragon's Peak on 3/21 only to have it taken back or held when the store told you they couldn't sell (pretty big mistake, but at least they caught it).  Some of them handled it well by letting you put your name on it and promising to hold it for you on Sunday.

The rest of us just had to wait...

Well, I went in today and despite my hope that Dragon's Peak would be stocked deep on 8 pegs with boxes waiting in the back I came up empty.  I'm in a relatively small market so as opposed to thinking 250 people stormed thru purchasing Dragon's Peak, I'm just thinking they probably had like 20 of them.  When I asked an employee if they had any she seemed to think so, went over to the Skylanders section with me, and said she guesses they sold out.

Keep in mind my store enforces the 1 per customer AND they supposedly sold them on 3/21.  That means that since Wednesday they got in Dragon's Peak in a decent quantity.  That should suffice to support my theory that DP will be stocked in abundance.  I can not see TRU being dumb enough to not have mandated "X" units to satisfy demand for their exclusive window.  I mean once GameStop, Walmart, and Target all have it and are selling it for $5 less who is really going to beat down the doors at TRU to pay more?

I did see two Dragon's Peaks behind the counter with names on them...I have no idea how that works...If I could just call at opening and say "Hold me one" I would have...seems like if someone is there cash in hand, they should make the sale.

Sadly my store had NO other adventure packs, no legendary three packs, and in all honesty no triple packs (which basically made 80% of the sales circular pointless).  I had really hoped to walk in and find Wave 4 Triple Packs left over from people who opted for the Dragon's Peak AP...something just isn't adding up in that scenario.

What we did have was a lot of singles from the early characters: Drobot, Stump Smash, Prism Break, and then a few newcomers like Whirlwind and Drill Sergeant (which still ticks me off):

Also of note is the INSANE NUMBER of Legendary Trigger Happy packs in the store.  A brand new "aisle" display was stocked deep with them...it also looks like the bottom would hold triple packs or adventure packs:

So, it looks like activision literally shipped a new display unit (just picture a box covering the display and stapled to the pallet), but can not make Empire of Ice, Lightning Rod, Zook, and even the 30 Day TRU Exclusive Dragon's Peak in large enough quantities to satisfy demand...way to go guys, keep the priorities in line!

The other thing noteworthy is that I have still NEVER SEEN Empire of Ice or Cynder single packs in any of my local stores, and you all know how often I look.  I really think Empire of Ice is the toughest AP to find.

The good news is I ordered Dragon's Peak online from TRU, they have the nuttiest estimated delivery date of 3/30-4/8.  So if I can't land it locally, there is one on the way...I felt like I had to do that as insurance over yet another blunder between Activision and TRU.  I am fine paying shipping (saves me time and fuel), and more importantly I won't be left with my only option being a scalper (which means I wouldn't have it...I'll never pay more than retail for anything like this).

I'm sure about the time I get it delivered I'll walk in and find 40 Dragon's Peak APs just sitting around, but such is life.

I'm really hoping to land Lightning Rod and would just assume do it via the Triple Pack.

Hope some of ya'll had a better time than I did.

Skylanders Update 3-22-2012

So, another night and another hunt for Skylanders.

I didn't even deem it worth to take pics as most of you know what my bare Skylander shelves look like at this point.

Let me first say that my local TRU must have not gotten jack in...

They had about 5 Drobots strung out across the display area and that was it.

I asked one associate I know if they had Empire of Ice yesterday and he said no, but they HAD the new one.  He didn't seem to think there were any "new" ones as in Lightning Rod or Zook.

So that means that my local TRU not only had Dragon's Peak, but sold it.  Does this mean they will not have this Sunday when it is suppose to "release?" Great question...How about Lightning Rod or Zook?  Who knows.

I find it hard to believe that they had Dragon's Peak and sold all of them with the 1 per customer limit.  I have said for quite some time that I think it should be easy to get Dragon's Peak given that TRU will have the 30 day window and should have mandated "X" quantity from Activision to cash-in on it.

However, I tend to forget we are dealing with Activision and Toys'R'Us here...I've probably given them too much credit.

Just as I anticipated 4 always full racks of Dragon's Peak I could easily see it being done with this initial batch and maybe 2-3 more small shipments over the next 30 days.  It would be on par for this less than dynamic duo.

As bad as TRU missed the mark yesterday, I still think the blame should be up top with Activision.  They are the ones responsible for producing and importing the Skylanders....If you are told months in advance to get ready for "x" release date and you promote it, you really haven't done much wrong...

When Nintendo releases a new game we know a date.  People that want it really bad pre-order it to ensure they get a copy.  The rest of us head in on the release date and pick one up.  The game has to be HUGE to sell out.  And even if that happens, a truck comes later in the week with the next round.  Within another 3-5 days you will have not only landed your new game, but found it in stock everywhere it is sold.

Nintendo doesn't just send 4 copies of the newest Mario game and EA Sports doesn't randomly ship Madden to different stores.  And when they say 3/21, the game is out 3/21.

I'm not sure how Activision continues to make these catastrophic blunders.

I once thought it was to keep hype up as they drug out the release of all 37 Skylanders.  Now, I just think they have no clue how to manage things.  Like I've said before, when you go to ebay and pay $75 for Lightning Rod, all Activision sees from that gouging is the initial retail price.  They aren't making $66 over their usual profit margin off the $9.99.

That means they really aren't cashing in on the hype.

I assure you, they could have sent 100 of each Wave 4 Skylander to every TRU and sold them all...even the small markets would go quickly.  Do you honestly think that having the initial "big day" sales event and leaving a stock of 15 for the coming days is bad?  No!  If it is on the shelf, it can sell.

If it is backlogged overseas and you can't get it to market you have failed.  This isn't like they rushed these to the table.  The game has been out since October.  Sure some are just getting into it, but if you are like me, you enjoyed the game, but find the current state of things a bit annoying.

Go online and read about the 3/21 debacle.  What should have been people hanging out with other die hards and enjoying playing with the new Skylanders turned into more people questioning why "nothing new" was sent to their store, or in other cases (and this would be on TRU) why they had Dragon's Peak taken away and the store 20 miles to the north sold it to customers.

Between Activision's inability to produce enough Skylanders to satisfy demand and Toys'R'Us being radically inconsistent from store to store, you have the perfect storm.

I will say it again, I really enjoy Skylanders.  The game is actually really good.  However, I do not enjoy being strung around with misinformation and lead by puppet strings...I would like Lightning Rod and Dragon's Peak, I'll give you the $35 to purchase them.  I won't give up all my free time and burn gallons of gas going on a wild goose chase just to find I've been beaten out by scalpers.

There can still be the hype and hysteria over the "collectible" Skylanders...but do not drag the basic characters into the mix.

I haven't mentioned in this post that I have still never seen a Cynder or Empire of Ice in my local area...and they've been out for months.  Am I going to suffer the same fate with Dragon's Peak and Lightning Rod?  Keep in mind that I had to order my Wave 3 stuff in from GameStop.

This is just piss poor management on Activision's part and I am not the only one growing tired of it.  Their inability to perform the most basic functions of being in business really start to suck the joy out of playing the game, or having the desire to purchase more characters etc.

Make Skylanders....ship them to your retailers...let the retailers sell them...keep your retailers stocked.  How is that complicated?  The excuse paraded around on their facebook of "Skylanders is very popular at the moment, we can't keep up" doesn't cut it.  I'll let you apply it to Wave 3, but you HAD TO KNOW that when you produced Wave 4.  And some stores didn't even get stock on Wave 4 which is more baffling.

It just blows my mind that there could be something so popular and the company has had 3+ months to adjust and has completely failed...especially when there is money on the line!  The people turning to ebay and paying 2-10x retail aren't going to do that and then 3 weeks later pick up their 3rd Zook locally.  The black market, as much as I hate it, does nothing for activision...they are loosing a ton of money and are still unable to adjust accordingly.

I'll say it again, but DO NOT BUY FROM SCALPERS!  As soon as you quit paying those ridiculous prices, the sooner they will quit raiding the shelves.  If they could sell Zook for $9.99 like TRU they wouldn't make any money and thus they will quit scalping.

The sad thing in that scenario is the scalpers understand the basic fundamentals and a giant company like Activision is either genuinely oblivious to it, or just lacks the leadership and intellect at the top to increase production.

Well, I will quit rambling.  I know I'm not the only one who has to feel this way and is growing tired of the circus of blunders.

In case you cared for the rest of the update, here it is:

Target had...NOTHING.

GameStop had...NOTHING.

Wal-Mart had...NOTHING.

Are you seeing the pattern here?

Well, I'm going to call it a night.  I might replay the T-Bone levels to prepare for recording the time goals.  Like I've said, Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure is a great game.  I'll gladly pay to enjoy new Skylanders and adventure packs, but I won't jump thru hoops to do it...that isn't asking for much.

Skylanders Updates A'Coming

A'Coming...

I like that, I'm publishing...that practically makes it legit, no?
Oh well, I digress.

I just wanted to take the time to say I am working on some tweaks to the blog.

I plan to do several things:

1). Update the Older Skylander Posts (the big ones anyway) to reflect current info.

And more importantly...

2). Add the "in-game" stats to some of the posts, and yes that means I will be going thru and manually doing all of it.  I really wish there was a "Table" feature in blogger as this would make things so easy.  This will be a far better representation given how the cars tend to be pretty aloof from any real pertinence to the game itself.

This will help you see the Skylanders from top to bottom and if I get the time I'll do it by each stat (which again, this would all be a resort, copy, and paste from the same spreadsheet if the table feature existed).

3). I might finally clear out some of the older blogs...I'll likely keep the early ones and those of high interest, but stuff like upgrade paths will hit the can.  Fear not, I'll take screen caps and add them to the respective results posts.

I've really been wanting to record, but to be honest I haven't had time and I can't breathe very well...I guess the whole "loosing your voice" is phase 1 (hopefully of 2).  I am still at the T-Bone levels waiting to wrap up times goals.

I think I will make the blog changes a priority (targeting early-to-mid next week), and then go from there.  I've wanted to do that for a LONG time and since it doesn't involve talking I'll try to crank it out.

Oh and it is now 7 days until the impending 3/21 date at TRU...The ebay pirates are probably calling in ringers to fill up on the loot.

Anyway, it is 4 AM and I'm beat...although I'm sure I won't be able to sleep...that whole breathing thing turns out to kind of be important in that process, who knew?

Thanks to those of you who have already voted in the new polls...I haven't posted the links on YouTube, just Twitter and Facebook.  I'm also aware of the whole Wham-Shell not being out issue, just abstain, or read about the upgrades and see what you think you'd like.

As soon as Dragon's Peak has been out a while (and hopefully that will be 3/21 with a deep stock at TRUs everywhere, I'll get the much anticipated "Favorite Adventure Pack Character Poll" up...that one should be super intense!

Feel free to post up anything you find, or updates you get from your store...I like to cite input from readers/followers if you haven't noticed, lol.

Skylanders Update 3-8-2012 and No, I am NOT Sponsored by Activision

Well another week and another stock update.  Let me start by saying I once again traversed the streets with my 3DS on hoping for some Street Pass Tags, particularly from a yellow-shirted Mii, but came up empty once more.  I am really starting to think I'm the only person cool enough to drive around town looking for Skylanders with a 3DS on...

***
I also feel like I need to address something else as it repeatedly comes in messages to me...

I am not, nor have I ever been "sponsored" by Activision.  If that was the case I wouldn't gripe about the Weapon Master glitch like I did, complain of poor stock management/manipulating interest, and I sure wouldn't make allegations they engaged in deceptive trade practices and misrepresented their products when it comes to Whirlwind and Drill Sergeant Single Packs.

And I would hope they would ship me new Skylanders right before release.  Have you read how I still haven't seen Empire of Ice or Cynder at a local store?  That's right, I actually go out and buy these...I just got into the game right at the release and have gotten lucky tracking down Wave 3.

That said, if Activision reads this and somehow isn't scared off by my first set of points, I would gladly accept info on Giants and Skylanders just before their release date to showcase them to Skylander fans.

The chances of that happening are about as good as not getting bumped off the track in Rainbow Road...
***

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.  First up was Target...

Before you see the picture let me say, I was shocked to see any on the shelf too!  Sometimes this store stocks late (ie not 8-9 AM when only ravenous ebay raiders can ransack the shelves) and I'll see something cool:

Yep, (2) Boomers, Eruptor, and Hex...haven't seen her around in awhile.  As I type this I know realize that Jon (octaneblue) needed 2 of them, lol...if you have trouble finding them locally let me know and I'll see if they are still in place.

But, we are not done.   Daphney requested a close-up of the Whirlwind sign with the "Only at Target" below it for use on a Spyro Wiki site.  I will say it took my phone 4 attempts to take AND SAVE the picture, but I got it...Only about 12-15 people went by staring at me like I was crazy:

Next up was Toys'R'Us...they had NOTHING.  I mean NOTHING.  Not a single, not a triple, just the hand made signs.  My theory is that on March 21st, 2012 the Mayan Prophecy will ring true...oh wait, that is December.  Anyway, there have been reports from across the US that 3-21 will be the next stocking point for TRU.  My hypothesis is that not only will early Skylanders reappear, but I predict we will see Dragon's Peak, Lightning Rod, and Zook.

If anything is missing 10:1 it will be Triple Pack G (Cynder, Lightning Rod, and Zook).  Why do I think this?  MONEY!  If that Triple Pack is out on 3/21 people that want Lightning Rod and Zook probably wouldn't hesitate to buy it and have an extra Cynder to trade/sell/go on a different upgrade path.  Furthermore, keep in mind a ton of people still don't have Cynder.  The triple pack would cut into profits.  By just keeping singles of Cynder, Lightning Rod, and Zook they will make $30 as opposed to $25, and they clearly need the cash...

Again, that is all just me speculating, but I wouldn't be shocked.

I would, however, be shocked if Dragon's Peak wasn't in stock for the full 30 days...If you read the blog regularly you will know that TRU has a 30 Day window to be the only retailer to sell Dragon's Peak.  APs go for $19.99 everywhere but TRU.  I figure they will cash in on this big time...selling out in 2-3 days and then getting 5-6 of them in every week would be completely pointless...I am sure TRU mandated that they have "X" quantity on hand, which is why you see stores holding back stock...they'll use the launch of Dragon's Peak to put out a nice array of Skylanders.

If that isn't the case, I will simply wait till day 31 and save $5.

But hey, griping aside, Toys'R'Us did have these:

Yep, that blurry, un-priced, cell-phone pic is the highly-touted, seldom known Skylanders Stylus...which is kind of funny since you don't really even need the stylus for the 3DS version (ie you don't use it often as you do with say Mario Party DS or something similar).  

At my TRU they are kept with the DS cases and other stylus sets, not with the Skylanders display as I have seen others report.  They currently have Spyro, Gill Grunt, and Chop Chop.  I was going to get a Spyro and Chop Chop (Gill Grunt doesn't look too good in stylus form), but when I went to checkout and saw they were $11.99 each I said forget it...I just took home Chop Chop.  My logic is that I have wanted a "big" stylus for awhile, and despite the price it is pretty cool.  I think I will finally be able to draw/write a little better with Chop Chop bobbling atop the long stylus.  My hands are fairly large so the "stock" stylus leaves a bit to be desired for actually writing.

I would have gotten a Mario one long ago, but all they have anymore are the "Baby Mario" ones and I'd prefer something else....I remember a few years ago there were some sweet styluses out there...oh well.

But yeah, you read right $12 for a stylus.  I think $12 for the set of three would have been a fair price, or $5 for a single.  Still, I will now be able to comfortably write and Chop Chop will be there with me, lol.  Should this one wear out I'll hope some cool Mario ones are readily available next time I'm in need.

When I ran to GameStop I was told they hadn't had a single shipment in 4 weeks...maybe that is why GameStop.com has stock, lol.

As a bonus run and an attempt to get Empire of Ice, I hit up Walmart.  They had...

Nothing!  Well, aside from a few Starter Packs.  The tags up top were for a 3 Pack and Pirate Seas, no mention of Empire of Ice despite people telling me they had a tab for it...oh well.

So I am kind of anticipating a dull adventure next time, but I suppose 3/21-22 should be exciting.  Again, I truly believe Dragon's Peak is going to be out and out in full force.

I also recorded a video on Legendary Trigger Happy and went over the stats comparing him to Trigger Happy.  I think it'll work and hopefully the people that don't read the blog will then know I have LTH, which is another question that pops up quite frequently.

Well that is it for now.  I'll get the LTH video up soon...I also shot one of the Chop Chop stylus, but I'm not sure it is worth posting....guess I"ll sleep on it.

My voice is finally back, so if I get time I will work towards wrapping up the Time Goals this weekend.

Hope everyone is having a good week and feel free to chime in with your take on "3/21" and what your local stores have or more likely don't have.

1ofWiisdom

Skylanders Update 2-23-2012 and Street Pass "Inaction"

Well, I made my weekly pilgrimage into town tonight.

I use to run around more often, but the local stores were either raided by the pirates of ebay, or just don't have stock (cough, have employees holding stuff back to hock themselves, cough).  Since I've got everything I am not as vigilant...I would like to find an Empire of Ice for a friend, but I think it will have to be ordered online.

I have to say it is pretty strange that Toys'R'Us in my area has NEVER had Empire of Ice.  In addition to me not seeing it, I ask (usually 2 employees) every time I'm in and have never known of it to be in the store.  Tonight there wasn't anyone too nice or that into Skylanders, but the answer of "I have no way of knowing that" basically meant I was better off just leaving than asking them to check...the store really wasn't crowded tonight.  I believe most people raid things in the morning and afternoon, which for me isn't an option because I'm at work.

I'm sure most of you know activision and tru are "buddy-buddy" and plan to continue "exclusives" with Giants this fall and even have the 30 day window on Dragon's Peak.  I have to wonder, since I've never seen Empire of Ice at my local tru: A): Does someone in the back just hold onto them for "friends" or to hock online, or B): Has activision just not shipped them any?

Toys'R'Us was way behind GameStop, Walmart, and Target in terms of listing it online...And honestly, people on the east coast were buying Empire of Ice about 6 weeks ago (January 12th if I remember right).  It seems very odd to me...which is why I'm again asking if anyone has bought or seen Empire of Ice at their Toys'R'Us and if so, what state or region of the country do you live in?

That aside, what YOU probably care about is what they had...

Well there were NO Legendary Triple Packs, NO Pirate Seas APs, and NO Darklight Crypt APs like there were last week.  For the first time at this store I saw the Whirlwind+Double Trouble+Drill Sergeant Triple Pack.  They also had the Stealth Elf Triple Pack and Stump Smash Triple Pack (I took a picture, but apparently my phone decided not to store it...sorry).

As far as singles there was Chop Chop, Drill Sergeant, and Flame Slinger....oh, and Whirlwind:

Target had absolutely nothing, but did have a nice selection of Starter Packs for a change:

It was cold, especially with the 50 mph N wind so I didn't even try Walmart or Gamestop.

And on a side note, I ran all over town with my 3DS and got ZERO Street Pass tags.  I'm not exactly trying to social network my way into anything, but I would like to have a nice arsenal to help with Find Mii.  Alas, a guy can dream.  You do always wonder if there is some really awesome chick your age with a 3DS trying to do the same thing, haha.  If I do get any tags it will likely be from the 6-12 year old bracket...

Prices on the Legendary Triple Pack have dropped from $200+ just a few weeks ago to about $50 online.  The prices for singles has come down a lot too.  I think activision is finally shipping out enough to subdue the market a bit...which is good...I don't want anyone having to pay more than retail for any figure in particular.  Cynder still seems to be the toughest to find.

I have still never seen a Cynder or Empire of Ice at a local store for what it is worth.

I'll have a few more updates to post tonight or early this weekend related to gameplay etc.

Skylanders Stock Update 2-16-2012

Well, this is a few days later than I intended to post, but oh well.

My local stores have been desolate.  The Drobots and Prism Breaks adorning the racks were even getting picked up.  When I ran to town, Target had....NOTHING.

Walmart had this sign:

Which just really ticks me off given the fact Whrilwind is on it...Sadly, Target didn't have a sign promoting Drill Sergeant.  I still call BS on activision for this "exclusive" status.  They seem to comprehend what that means when they release "exclusives" like this metallic Cynder to those attending the big toy conventions:

Note the "exclusive" sticker...just like Whirlwind and Drill Sergeant Single Packs used to wear.  They really need to be reprimanded for this shady tactic.

Not vesting too much time in that, Toys'R'Us finally had some new stuff.  And I see why.  You can't read it well in the picture, but all those "handmade" signs that look like an employee was tasked with printing from Microsoft Paint read, "All Skylanders, Limit 1 per Customer."  I guess they FINALLY got the clue that the ladies who come in the store and buy up all the Skylanders probably don't have 250 nieces and nephews.  I'm sure if not for that policy change the racks would have been desolate.

But alas, a welcome sight...one which newcomers often doubted me on:

Not only are there racks of Dark Light Crypt and Pirate Seas (which have been out since Day 1 btw), there are FOUR ROWS STOCKED DEEP OF THE LEGENDARY TRIPLE PACKS.

I didn't even bother to buy one (I got 3 back on the first release, again primarly based on their "exclusive" status...and realax, one was for me to use, one was for a gift, and the other was just to keep boxed in case they were ever worth something).  This game is going to be so expensive to "complete" I didn't feel like shelling out another $25...especially when I got the same triple pack for $19.99 back in October.

But, nonetheless the stock returned...

The real kicker though is this...

My local Toys'R'Us has still not gotten ANY Wave 3 Skylanders or Empire of Ice.  I have a few employees I trust and 2 that I trust and know are familiar with the game etc.  It blows my mind how activision is handling this...I assure you they are simply structuring shipments and what not to do their best to keep they hype going all the way until Wham-Shell precedes Skylanders Giants.

The entire process is actually starting to take away from the game.  I don't mind having a hard time tracking down Silver/Gold/Blue Skylanders...but when casual players feel like they need to shell out $50 to some scalper nested in the coves of ebay I start to get a sour taste in my mouth.

Playing the game helps a bit, and I am hoping more stores adopt the "1 per customer" rule to prevent these pirates from influencing so many of us to resort to buying their plundered loot.

I really enjoy the game, and am looking forward to wrapping it up, but the prospect of chasing tail and burning hours of time and cash on gas to put around town for the next wave of releases doesn't really interest me as much as it once did.  It was fun for awhile, but the same antics grow old quick when you begin to view them as more of a patter of choice than chance.

I still plan to pick up all 37 Skylanders, but I sure as heck won't give more than retail for any of them.  I don't have that kind of money or time.  Maybe by the time Giants comes out I will have regained the enthusiasm behind it all, but that remains to be seen...a large part of it will have to do with the "frenzy" and how it pans out.

Nonetheless, I've been busy...I just got 3 New Polls opened up on the blog and I hope to play Pirate Seas and Dark Light Crypt on my "new" Save File to see how the progress looks...I'll then record Chapter 22 and call it good until new Skylanders or Dragon's Peak is available.  I might progress with getting some favorites up on their Heroic Challenges, or simply start recording a new game.

See you on the flipside...

Finally....Cynder and Double Trouble Single Packs

Well, good things come to those who wait...

I was finally able to score Cynder and Double Trouble, both in Single Pack form, today on GameStop.com.

I know I could have saved a buck or two at Target or Walmart, but the fact of the matter is with both of these being Wave 3 the scalpers will keep raiding stores every morning while normal people are at work, at school, or sleeping to head to a PM shift.

I have spent so much time and gas money putting around town once or twice a week it is ridiculous.  I do that because a lot of times employees will just say, "We are sold out" and then you can walk in and find a full shelf of Drobot, Prism Break, and Flameslinger.  It is kind of sad really.

GameStop upped single packs to $9.99 a while back (and I was told it is just to match Toys'R'Us), but despite paying the extra $1-2 the fact I don't have to worry about it, track it down, or spend more fuel trying to make it happen some random night is well worth the time and money.

There is no real rule of thumb to catching stock on GameStop.com.  If you recall, Empire of Ice had been "unavailable" all day and then at 3 AM it was magically "in stock."  I clicked "buy" and it headed my way...within 10 minutes it was "unavailable" again.

Today it was my lunch break when Cynder was available, something I'd only seen once 2 weeks ago.  I figured I should just cash in and pay freight (which is cheaper than gas, lol).  I also got Double Trouble in single pack form because I'm still irate that they deceptively labelled Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind "exclusives."  (The Heroic Challenge I did was recorded "thru the pack" lol...I"ll just keep that one boxed for "evidence").

Cynder was available about till 1:20 my time...I ordered around 12:30 or so...Double Trouble stayed up until my afternoon break, which was 3:30ish.  I checked all last week and never saw either available in Single Pack form.

I still think Toys'R'Us should be releasing Wave 3 soon...my local store has not had ANYTHING Wave 3.  I know some of you on the east coast have told me you found Empire of Ice at your local TRU...not the case here.  I will keep checking stock at a few places just to update everyone, and I do want another Empire of Ice for a friend's birthday...I was bummed I couldn't just order it online today with Cynder and Double Trouble, but you guessed it...it wasn't available!

Anyway, the good news is I ordered them and they have already shipped since it happened early.  I *think I will wind up with them Wednesday or Thursday.  I will try and get the unboxings and Heroic Challenges up ASAP (well Cynder's HC anyway...already did DT's!).

Oh, and I have not forgotten the 3DS unboxing...I'll work on that this week.

As of right now I am going go introduce Slam Bam, play the Heroic Challenge, and maybe take on Empire of Ice!!!

I will try to get to comments later this week...I didn't get notice on the blog ones, which I try to hit before YouTube, so I might shoot for those tomorrow.

See you on the ice!

Skylanders Update and Wave 3 Questions

Hey Everybody,

If you missed the Twitter feeds I am back to making progress with new content on the Skylanders playthrough.

This past weekend I was given Skylanders 3DS!  In addition to the stand-alone and unique game, this pack contains Dark Spyro and Ignitor!  I recorded an unboxing I will have up soon and then I got both of them on the Wii immediately to check out their Heroic Challenges!

Before I continue along these lines I would like to ask those of you who read this and have gotten any Wave 3 Characters (Double Trouble, Cynder, Slam Bam via Empire of Ice) where you got them?  
Was it GameStop, Walmart, Target, online, or elsewhere?


I have found it very odd that Toys'R'Us...Who usually has the LARGEST stock of Skylanders and stocks new releases 2-4 racks deep has never had any of wave 3 here locally yet.  It was just yesterday that they finally added Empire of Ice online.  I am wondering if activision didn't help build  early hype around Wave 3 by not releasing them to Toys'R'Us as early as the other stores which seem to get smaller shipments.


I'm not saying that is the case, I am just curious.  You can leave a comment here or respond on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc...I'd just kind of like to know for the sake of my curiosity.

Part 63 will be a rant vs activision (basically what you read in the blog) and then Double Trouble's intro and Heroic Challenge.

Part 64 (which is being edited right now) will be Dark Spyro and Ignitor's introductions and Heroic Challenges.  I also made a point to emphasize the discrepancies between the card's stats and the in-game stats...I'll use these two Skylanders as references.

Parts 65-66 are actually just upgrading different Skylanders.  As promised I did not upgrade any of them during my 2nd Save File playthrough...That way it is like you didn't miss anything.

Parts 67-68 will believe it or not be Chapter 21: The Arkeyan Armory.

That is right...I finally had the free time to get back to Ch 21 and avoid the weapon master glitch!

I've checked it out and each time I re-enter I prompted to go battle Kaos...luckily Hugo doesn't have a glitch!

Before I just rush into the battle I think I will go back and pick up stuff we missed in the original (now corrupt thanks to the weapon master glitch) save file.  This will give me more time to level up the newer Skylanders and get cash for upgrades.
I will then transfer them over to the 2nd save file to get the elemental power increases etc.

And if all goes well I managed to land the Empire of Ice online for $19.99 it should be heading my way as we speak.  As soon as I get it I will unbox it and likely record the playthrough as my next objective (it is Chapter 23 by the way).

My next goal is to land Cynder and unbox her and Double Trouble.

Once I have gotten what we missed in the blind playthrough and leveled up the Skylanders a bit more I will go ahead and battle Kaos!

After that is complete I will just play casually and try to work on a few of my favorite character's getting all 32 (or what is available) done with the Heroic Challenges.  I'll also build up newer Skylanders like Dark Spyro etc.

Somewhere in this mess of plans I will also upload a few HD recordings from my 3DS to see what ya'll think of them.  I'm not sure how hard it would be to record Skylanders 3DS, but I can't capture it like I do on the Wii...it would be me with a 3DS and video camera...the quality won't be top notch and it might be more trouble than it is worth, but I may try it from time-to-time.  I'm excited to see how the story line in the 3DS version transpires...plus it will be nice to JUMP, haha.

Well sorry if that is sporadic...I am pretty tired and need to get some sleep.  Part 63 should be processing now and 64 will go up soon.  Whatever isn't live in the morning should get uploaded tomorrow night.  I hope you enjoy it.

I will also work on the Skylanders 3DS unboxing vid and will do the same when Empire of Ice arrives!

1/2/2012 Update

Technically it is 1/3/12, but hey...until I got to bed it isn't "tomorrow."

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will try my best to get to questions/comments tomorrow during lunch at work (if possible).  If not I'll try and hit it later on afterwards.  I get a crud ton of questions/comments and do my best to help out so my apologies if you've been waiting.  It takes a long time to go thru them all and I have to do that to find out which ones need help etc.

That aside I was very busy the last 2 days.  I hope to make it to Chapter 8 on the 2nd save file tonight and then attempt to do at least 2 chapters the next couple of days.  I've been helping folks get caught up on some stuff outside of Skylands so it kind of eats up time, lol.

And speaking of that...thru YouTube, the blog ,and Twitter there is a great group of people following along on the vids and offering their insights.  I am pretty confident with the "release schedule" posted by vascomi in respons to the "collection vid blog post."  I never like to commit to anything in the vids until it is solid as I'm trying not to disappoint folks.  The schedule provided by Vascomi matches Activision's release patters...All I can say is let's see what comes this month and if it matches that schedule we can start to bank on it...

I will do my best to get the Empire of Ice as soon as possible.  I've noticed that with past releases (Wrecking Ball, DinoRang, Hex etc) that some folks had them 7-10 days before my local stores even had them on the shelves.  I'll unbox it and play it immediately!  I'm really looking forward to that and Slam Bam.

And thanks to a few viewers and a fellow Skylaner fan on Twitter (Daphtaru) I have found that you can get your Skylanders back if you have to start a 2nd save file!

The sad thing is that Activision didn't provide this info in their correspondence with me, lol.

All you have to is hit the (-) button (Wii) in your new save file, select manage, and then click Ownership...From here you can "Take ownership of this Skylander" and have your new save file register them.

I'll make a blog post on that with some screen caps I took the last time I played.  I tested it once and it does not take away your progress, heroic level, or any other stats!  This is a great perk for those of us who have to start over after the glitch...

I know this is scattered, but I'm very tired. 

I'll do my best to hit questions/comments tomorrow and then resume save file 2.

Hope everyone is enjoying 2012 and having fun with Skylanders! 

Skylanders Update: Glitch, New Save FIle, Adventure Packs, and Chapter 21

Well, it is 6:15 AM and I am beat.  I have uploaded Chapter 24: Pirate Seas and Chapter 25: Darklight Crypt and included a nice description for both of them.

Part 63 will be a long time coming since I have to go back thru the game on a new save file to get to Chapter 21: The Arkeyan Armory.  I wanted to replay the game, just not under these circumstances.
In order to expedite this I won’t record this new save file…I will play through with the newer Skylanders and work towards getting them up to Level 10 and with good upgrades.  Don't worry though, I have everything planned out.

*I will try to upgrade the Skylanders in this “unexpected playthrough” in bulk groups…I will do this so I can record it easier and show everyone the different upgrades and upgrade paths that so many of you have requested.  

Basically what that means is I'll play thru a few levels, build up some cash with several Skylanders and then come in and record upgrades on 4-5 Skylanders.  I'll then archive the video, repeat it a few times, and then combine it all into a video to upload. 

I get a lot of requests for "upgrades" so this may not be a bad idea.  This is not how I planned or wanted to do it, and proably not the way most of you would like it to be done, but under the circumstances I guess it is best.
**Should any new Skylanders come out or Adventure Packs get released I will pick them up ASAP, upload the unboxing, and record the intros. I’m pretty sure that won’t happen before I’m back for Chapter 21, but you never know.

Thanks to everyone who has watched the playthrough and enjoyed it. Keep in mind this is my virgin run thru on the game (blind playthrough) so I was learning as I played. I will try to come back with Chapter 21 and 22 in the new save file and then go back and land everything I missed in Parts 1-62, which will also be slowed down by this glitch.

Again, I am sorry about not being able to make Chapter 21 happen overnight, but I’ll get there as quick as I can…All I can say is DO NOT BOMB THE HOLE WITH THE AIR STREAM UNTIL AFTER Chapter 21 (or maybe before Chapter 20)…best advice is to avoid it entirely till you have access to all the chapters.

You can come here to the blog to check the Twitter feed...I mainly play/record at night so keep that in mind...I'll do my best to tweet where I'm at in the new save file once or twice a play.
I wanted Pirate Seas and Darklight Crypt up to cover the down time and for everyone who has followed to enjoy.  Both are a lot of fun, but very distinct.  I think you will like them.

I appreciate all the nice comments and support. Good luck with your playthrough and enjoy beating Kaos for me!

Oh and don’t forget the blog polls…I’ll keep updating those as planned.

1ofWiisdom

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure Playthrough Update

Well, I am closing in on the end of the game...story mode at least.

You basically have Chapter 21 and Chapter 22 as the "final."

Chapters 23-26 are reserved for the Adventure Packs. 
-Dragon's Peak
-Pirate Seas
-Empire of Ice
-Dark Light Crypt

Obviously, "Dragon's Peak" and "Empire of Iec" are not out yet (still not out yet for diehard Skylander fanatics).  I am debating between tackling Pirate Seas and Dark Light Crypt BEFORE Chapter 22, but I might just go ahead and execute them in order...that is take out Kaos in Chapter 22 and then proceed on to the adventure packs I have that are currently released.

I will try and pick up Dragon's Peak and Empire of Ice when they are released.

During the potential down time I plan to go back to all the Chapters and pick up whatever I might have missed (hat, legendary treasure, etc).  I will likely use newer characters or Skylanders I didn't play with much in pursuit of the goal of having all of them on Level 10.

All of this will be recorded...

I am not sure if it would be worth recording the Skylanders going thru each of the heroic challenges.  I obviously record Skylander A on Skylander A's Heroic Challenge, but it might be overkill to have 32+ Skylanders running around each doing 37...it would take a long time to record that playthrough.  I will likely pick my favorite Skylanders and have them progress through, then just kind of highlight their progress with a quick video.

I also want to mention that not all of the Skylanders are out yet (Lightning Rod, Warnado, Double Trouble, Slam Bam, Wham-Shell, Camo, Zook, Cynder, and Sunburn off the top of my head).  Interestingly, most of these are "high-ranking" Skylanders if you go by my "Skylanders Rankings" post.  Obviously I will have an interest in completing my set and getting more accolades in the game.

We were projected to get a huge snow storm today/tonight, but it didn't come to fruition...My plan was to finish the main story mode, edit, and upload it to YouTube.  Now, that will be pushed back a bit till I have free time to record again. 

Once I wrap up Chapters 21 & 22 I will edit and upload asap. 

Following that I will tackle Pirate Seas and Dark Light Crypt in that order.

Thanks for watching and commenting on all the vids...like I've said, I try to respond to questions and offer help when possible.  This is a blind playthrough for me so I am really just learning as I go.

As I've mentioned several times in comments, I will try and pick up "new" Skylanders as soon as I can...If and when that happens, I will have unboxing videos up ASAP, so be on the lookout for those.

And to answer the most asked question I get...I do not know when the new characters will be released.  Most of us speculated before Christmas, but it looks like that will be limited to Zap, Hex, Dino-Rang etc.

I have read online where some folks were guessing mid-January.  In all honesty, no one seems to know for sure.  I have spoken with 3 folks running Skylanders demos both during launch week and then the crews that were sent out with the portable set-ups and they are completely in the dark.

Check here, Twitter, and of course YouTube and I'll keep you in the know as best I can.

As for now, I'm going to try and get some sleep...

Happy Halloween!

Hey Everyone!

First off, I am not sure how many "devout" follwers there are of this blog, if any lol, but regardless I feel obligated to provide a few updates.

It has been 25 days since the last blog post (SSE Part 36).  I have actually recorded SSE 37-41, which is putting me very close to being ready for Tabbu...The Great Maze is really something you need to do consecutively, or at least just a day or two between sessions.  When you wind up going 2-3+ weeks from your last save to just "jumping back in" it is really cumbersome to remember where you had been, and perhaps more importantly where to go. 

The irony is how much I stressed that in at least 2 different recording sessions, but alas things have not lined up as one might have hoped for this playthrough.  I do enjoy it, but finding the time here lately has been tough.  I basically have been forced to pick between x hours of sleep, or y hours for SSE, where x is a number less than 6 and any input on y results in z, a total deficit resulting in complete infeffectiveness for the next day....very rough to say the least.  I'm actually strapped with time before factoring in SSE here lately.  I will get it done, just not going to rush it.  I'm pretty sure if anyone was relying on me to guide them through the Great Maze or SSE they would have commented by now, lol.

On the bright side, I have been trying to get back to playing 30+ mins of Wii Fit Plus every night...I like to workout anyway and with it getting colder it is easy to plug-in...after the wrap-up of the complete playthough I got off on NFL Training Camp, which was great aside from random exercises not registering.  I actually quit that a few weeks ago for the simple issue of not having AAA batteries on hand...bummer.  I got some, just haven't put them in...I think I'll upload the "cool" parts of that game and then gauge interest in any team workouts.  I believe there would be more viewers for other games than a "60 Day Challenge" on NFL Training Camp. 

(Side note: Wii Fit Plus just never gets old to me...I've even been breaking some records, setting new personal bests, and playing a few I don't spend much time with!).

So, as things settle down (hopefully, I think...maybe?!) I hope to work back into 30+ mins of WFP and 30-60 mins for SSE.  It shouldn't take long to complete, unless Tabbu requires a ton of replays.  Then it is just a matter of editing and uploading (which I am behind on anyway).

I have/had my next playthrough lined up...I got it new with Training Camp, but have yet to even play it :(  I might try it out and then sort out doing a blind playthrough on it or Spyro's Adventure...

Which brings me to the big news as of late (ie Saturday).  I picked up a copy of Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure for the Wii!  I didn't stop there, I also got a few of the expansion packs...it looks like a great game. I'm actually uploading some gameplay footage from the Battle Arena end of things.  Adventure Mode looks great...and is going to be a big reason to wrap up SSE (if I can resist the temptation to put it on the backburner).

I also picked up another "big" item Saturday...it was a good deal (best I've seen on it) and will no doubt come in handy for the future!  More to come on that one...

Lastly, I will finally post the poll results for Wii Fit Plus vs Wii Sports Resort and then make a new one...check it out and vote!

If you miss the blogs, I do provide quite a few updates in the sidebar via Twitter.  Not as detailed, obviously, but it kind of keeps you up to the minute.

And in closing...Happy Halloween!  Halloween has always been one of my favorite "holidays."  It is just nice to have something totally different that is so widely known and practiced...I won't bore folks with the history, or debate the intent etc...It is really just a chance for kids to get a costume and some candy...and for some adults a costume and a night out.  I hope you all have a great Halloween!