Skylanders Trap Team McDonald's Happy Meal Toys

As of today, you can now score some sweet Skylanders Trap Team toys in McDonald's Happy Meals!  The good folks at Activision have sent out a complete set for me to showcase for you.  Each figure has unique articulation...Additionally, as in the past, each toy has a coupon for $10 off a Trap Team Starter Pack, or $1 off a Single Figure.

Here is a numerical list for collectors:

1: Wallop
2: Food Fight
3: Pain Yatta
4: Wolfgang
5: Snap Shot
6: Wildfire

Once I get home from work I will get an unboxing video up...Stay tuned!

Which are your most anticipated figures?  How would you rate them overall?

Wildfire & Dark Wildfire Upgrade Paths

Wildfire Base Upgrades

Wildfire Shield Slasher Upgrade Path

Dark Wildfire Chain Champion

Wildfire Attack Damage Numbers

(Click to Enlarge)

Wildfire is one of those rare characters where one path really seems to be superior to the other.  That is so much so the case with Shield Slasher over Chain Champion, that I think I will reset my Dark Wildfire and take him down Shield Slasher as well.

Shield Slasher is portrayed as a trio of combo moves.  You get a bash, spin, and slam.  However, each one of these upgrades also increases the damage numbers associated with the base Traptanium Shield Bash!  It takes the already potent Shield Bash and elevates it to juggernaut numbers.

Chain Champion is unique, but it begs to question why you would want to "pull in" 5 enemies at the same time that you'll have to work hard to kill with your Shield Bash limited to 1 upgrade "Hotter Heat Shield."  The attack damage increase across this path is so small compared to Extra Chains in the base upgrade tier that you have to question if it is worth taking regardless of your tactics.  Your "wider" area is also taken back some due to the constraint of "only 5 enemies."  But again, why bring in 5 enemies the Chains won't kill on the way only to get overwhelmed by them?  It isn't an issue on easy difficulty settings, but I can imagine it wouldn't be pretty in Nightmare Mode.

It is certainly plausible that you could fend enemies off with Hotter Heat Shield, but comparing it to Shield Slasher will leave you disappointed.  Plus, when you take Shield Slasher you can still pull in 3 enemies if that is your cup of tea, and make quicker work of them.  Blazing Breath (Fire Roar) is cool, but the unidirectional line of fire and inability to move coupled with the slow attack time makes it more of a hindrance than benefit (I still think it is cool though, and really would have liked to see the Soul Gem make use of a final enhancement).

Oh, and speaking of the Soul Gem, it is unique, but not practical.  If you happen to incidentally delve into it you can unleash some significant damage, but it is really more of a "look what Wildfire CAN do" as opposed to, "I'm going to burn thru this field of enemies."  Oh, and just in case you needed more reason to take Shield Slasher, it also grants higher damage to the Soul Gem abilities.

Yep, pretty one sided.  My official endorsement for players of all skill levels is Shield Slasher.  Chain Champion isn't bad, but it is well short of what you get with Shield Slasher.

Skylanders Trap Team E3 Booth Tour: New Skylanders and Traps!

This video is just kind of a quick showcase of the available Skylanders and Traps at the Trap Team after hours event.  I started out booth hopping (each one had slightly different characters), but then one of the really cool ladies working brought in several of the other figures for me, including the illusive Gearshift!  I also got a size comparison between the Trap Team Newlanders and Trap Masters.  Check it out for yourself and stay tuned for more Trap Team E3 Coverage!

Some cool stuff here is just getting a look at each of the featured characters and the Traps on hand.  The hardcore fans will no doubt like that video thumbnail as it shows my size comparison between Chopper + Food Fight vs Krypt King.  Wallop, if you haven't heard, is the heaviest Skylander I believe I've ever laid hands on...Krypt King was rumored to spit out a swarm of beetles, or bees by many, but during the private screening of the game, one of the guys running the demo said it was a swarm of locusts...That makes perfect sense given his name and aesthetics (especially the back side!).

For those interested, I will also have the size comparison up as a still image in the near future...I also "think" I have still shots of each character as well as some group shots.  Stay tuned for so much more from E3!!