Skylanders SuperChargers Launch Day

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

Skylanders Trap Team Research

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

Skylanders Trap Team Research - Upgrades

Skylanders Trap Team Research - Villainography

Skylanders SuperChargers Blind Playthrough on YouTube, Coop Playthrough on Twitch

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

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

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

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

-Skylanders SuperChargers Blind Playthrough via Xbox One uploading to YouTube

AND

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

AND

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

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

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

Skylanders SuperChagers Purchase Plans

Starter Packs

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

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

I will get the 3DS Starter Pack.

I will get the Xbox One Starter Pack.

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

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

Official Route

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

Skylanders SuperChargers Collection Plans

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

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

Skylanders SuperChargers Storage

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

Is it Really Blind?

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

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

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

What Does it All Mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed: Online Matches

For the time being, this will just be a log of my recorded "online" matches in Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed for the Wii U.  Below each installment you will find the description.

The Playlist on YouTube can be found here: Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed Online Races

Match 1: 4 Races Carrier Zone, After Burner

This was my first time online (obviously) and we had a few issues finding the online match on the menu and then joining up in the lobby.  Past that the only real issue was being unsure how to change tracks...I joined the lobby, and thus didn't have full control to explore, so I'll have to wait until the next online round to see if that will take care of it.  We did learn that you can not be the same character.

Racers featured in this round: 1ofWiisdom and thewalkthruking
Characters used: Metal Sonic, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Aiai
Recorded Date: 1-4-2013

Match 2:  1 Race Carrier Zone, After Burner

This was just the next round of recordings and it stopped after one race.

Racers featured in this round: 1ofWiisdom and the walkthruking
Characters used: Metal Sonic and Beat
Recorded Date 1-4-2013

Match 3: 4 Races in Graffiti City (Jet Set Radio)

My Nephew and I resume this series for the first time in OVER A YEAR!  Needless to say, we were both a bit rusty.  We actually recorded a race prior to this where both of us sat at the starting line for quite some time due to not knowing which button accelerates, lol.  Believe it or not, I actually managed to win that one quite handily.  I can upload it if anyone is interested...The whole time I was convinced my Nephew was ahead of me and the game was glitched showing me to be in 1st Place...It was honestly the kind of thing you can only do when you jump back into a game after so long...

Racers featured in this recording: 1ofWiisdom and thewalkthruking
Characters Used: Sonic, Metal Sonic, and Knuckles
Recorded Date 2-1-2014

Skylanders Giants: Unboxing Hot Head

Unboxing Hot Head

What?  Hot Head, Fire Element Giant

Where Did You Get It?  Local Store, Not Sold Online

What Did It Cost?  $14.99 plus tax

What is Included?  Hot Head, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet with Web Code

What Lights Up?  The flame plume on his head...sadly that is it.

What Was Stock Like?  Incredibly hard to find, at least as of me writing this 11/15/12...I got the only one in the store.

Quick Character Info

Slogan: "Hey!  I'm on fire!"

Stats:  

Power/Strength: 150/150

Defense/Armor: 120/150

Agility/Speed: 60/150

Luck: 80/150

Totals:  410/600

Conclusion

Hot Head is currently the hardest Skylander to come by...The last 2-3 weeks I have seen plenty of Sprocket and Flashwing and that even includes their respective Triple Packs.  Tonight was the first time I have ever seen Hot Head in person.

I am looking forward to playing Hot Head and seeing how he stacks up...That said, while he isn't too bad aesthetically the light up display garners him no additional points.  While Drobot was disappointing, Hot Head's light up effect is extremely disappointing.  With Hot Head hailing from the FIRE ELEMENT and his hands serving for what looks like 2 eternal torches it blows my mind that they do not illuminate.  His head fire (not sure how to describe it still) casts a nice, red glow (in person it really is red...not an amber color like we saw with Drobot) but it seems lost in the massive expanse that is his hands-up pose.  Lighting up both the hands AND his head would have been great, but if I had to pick either/or I'd have gone with the hands, "hands down."  Not only would that spread the light up effect, it would have put out a lot more, and I believe served to radiate some to his face anyway.

I want to stress that the light up effect has no impact on the actual game play, but there was once again a lot of potential that was missed here.  And no, I'm not bashing him...I haven't played Hot Head and I am genuinely excited to have found him...it is just a true disappointment things weren't better executed...that said if he conveys that short fuse and infinite supply of fuel and fire in the game I might just reserve a warm place in my portal master heart for him.

The main thing I want to stress with Hot Head (aside from the lackluster lighting) is that you do not need to go overboard and spring $35-$100 for him.  Just be patient and snag him for retail, or better yet...catch him in stock during a sale!  

I am hopeful that stock will hit before Black Friday and if not then, hopefully a nice stock prior to Christmas...That said, here are some useful links (my way of thanking you for reading the blog!)...

Bonus Content for Blog Readers!

Amazon: I'm kind of getting tired of their lackluster shipping efforts, but they have honestly been the best best for finding Hot Head for the last 2 weeks or so.  When they do get stock it tends to go very fast...I would order it immediately.  And just a tip, to get free shipping you can have a few other items (another Skylander perhaps?), or a CD, DS game, etc to push you over the $25 threshold.  That said, if you want it fast it might be smart to pay for shipping.  I've waited 6 days for my Hot Head to leave their warehouse and it has yet to happen...not impressed:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/188-9399385-2628929?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=hot+head

Best Buy:  I am not a fan of this store at all.  That said, I've had several people tell me their local stores have been getting in 3-6 Hot Heads...Might try your luck there or keep refreshing the link:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Skylanders%3A+Giants+Character+Pack+(Hot+Head)+-+Xbox+360%2C+PlayStation+3%2C+Nintendo+Wii%2C+Nintendo+3DS/6925153.p?id=1218814317341&skuId=6925153

GameStop: First off, check with your local store...if they don't have a big demand the associates may very well offer to hold one for you, or put you on a list!  They are almost always the most in-tune to Skylanders and more willing to work with you.  

http://www.gamestop.com/toys/skylanders-giants-hot-head-individual-character-pack/106001

Target: I've yet to see Hot Head there and the person who works in electronics has told me she has yet to see him, and she does seem to keep up with who they've had etc.

http://www.target.com/p/skylander-giants-character-pack-hot-head/-/A-14261779#prodSlot=medium_1_1&term=hot head skylander

Toys'R'Us: You might ask associates here too.  If you are nice and they know you are looking many will alert you to shipments, hold one, or try their best to help you out.  If you've got someone really good they will be on par with GameStop employees.  Their website just had a nice stock of Hot Head (which is now gone), BUT they tend to sell out and then restock as I've seen it since SSA and as recently as Sprocket and Flaswhing...just keep checking their website:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15854546

Walmart: I have never seen Hot Head here either, but they have actually had the best continual stock of new Skylanders, Giants, and the harder to come by Sprocket and Flashwing, particularly the Triple Packs.  

Skylanders Giants: Launch Day Madness

Well, here it is 4 AM and I am still Giant-less...technically speaking anyway.

Earlier in the day I made a run to Walmart just in case they broke street date...no such luck.

I had my plans to trek off at midnight and try to round up the GITD Starter Packs.  That completely got scrapped.

At this point in time, I can't believe all the 24 hour Walmarts have not burned to the ground...and I don't mean that in relation to Giants...Quite contrary this is in relation to the people manning the stores.

Not all my local WMs are 24 hour.  I asked one in the day and the manager was tracked down and she said, "Yes, Giants are coming out at midnight...or at least they should be."

Well, no biggie...I'll just call ahead and double check.

I began calling stores and the problems began.  Several just do not answer...ever.  And I know they are 24 hours because I have been in them.  And just fyi I started calling around 9:30 PM.

I finally got an answer at the store I believe the scalper still works at...The person who answered was very short with me and said she had no clue if it was going to be out at midnight and that everyone in electronics had left at 10 PM.  I'm pretty sure the scalper still works at this store and I am pretty sure that was her.  Here's why.

The only 2 other stores that answered were both clueless on Giants.  This lady acted like she knew just what I was talking about, was not receptive, and steered me away from coming.

To Walmart's credit one store was nice.  And frankly when compared to the ones that don't answer, the one that blesses you out for calling, and the other one that just can't seem to comprehend the scenario...they were great.  That said, they knew nothing.  The employee had to get their superior...they went for the manager...then the real kicker is the manager goes to the back to check stock (and this is the same store I was physically in by the way).  They finally got back to me and said they would be bringing them out, but weren't sure if it would be 12 or a few hours later...BUT that they would be out before 8 AM.

Well color me pink!  Why not drive half an hour, risk being out with drunks, and then plan on hanging out at WallyWorld for a few hours or longer.

I am not a fan of the unknown and the entire ordeal of simply calling around put such a bad tatse in my mouth  I just completely scrapped the plans.  I could see myself hitting up the 24 hour stores and either A-Finding out I was beaten by scalpers, B-Just missing what I hoped to get, or C-Coming across employees that don't plan to bring stuff out till morning.  Granted, I'm not that crazy...I know it would have been a COMBINATION of those thigns.  Gas isn't cheap, I'm backlogged on sleep, and the thought of dealing with the same people in person didn't inspire me to leave the house.

In retrospect that was probably a great decision.

By staying at home I monitored things online to see how stores were...They either seem to be complete chaos, desolate, or something in between.  Several have reported ebay scalpers clearing out virtually everything as they approach etc.

I knew I was taking a big gamble and in all honestly didn't want to get up and deal with more unknowns.  Will I be the only person at TRU when they open, or will I be among 45 enraged people looking to spend $12 to make $50 online?!  I have always been of the mindset there is nothing worth putting yourself thru that and I still am...

I took the necessary measures to get all I could pre-ordered ahead of time, but would really like Granite Crusher...That said, it simply isn't worth it to me to go out at a time I'm not usually running errands, with people hell bent on making money off of something they buy in a retail setting, and thinking I'll enjoy it.

So, what do you do?  How about the internet!

Yep, I had a great time tonight.  No crowd, no kids with flu like symptoms, no zombie-like employees, and no nutty people twice my age that make a living scalping stuff.

I had been skimming the sites all day and much to my surprise GameStop had pretty much everything up and ready to be ordered!  I checked out with what I knew I wanted (S2 Terrafin and Slam Bam, Triple Pack 2, and the 3 Giants.).  I opted for their 2 day shipping since it was only $0.50 more than 3 day and that was only a marginal amount more than standard...

As the night progressed I continued to check out other sites...

Currently the big ones have all added the current offerings.  Target is really dropping the ball not letting you order Granite Crusher imo, but then again they go to the trouble to show everything (including their spiffy LightCore 3 Pack), but won't allow you to order any of it online...not too bright imo.

Walmart finally got the charactes up and say you can have them as early as 10/26 via Site-to-Store.

The cool thing there is what went down when I just decided to pre-order the GITD Wii Starter Pack.  The link was still up and I figured by getting it shipped I'd for sure land it (several reported Starter Pack quantities were minimal).  However, upon clicking the item I had site-to-store pop-up.  Cha-ching!

I decided to simply go this route.  I still have to walk in the store for my stuff, but I can do it anytime, it should be held for me, and I eliminate the headache of going early and the stress of thinking you might miss out etc (right now it would all still be an unknown etc).

About the time I placed that order, I had my confirmation e-mail from TRU on the Lightcore figures I pre-ordered.  It looks like they are shipping Drobot, Eruptor, Hex, and Prism Break and they claim the other 4 are back-ordered.

I have yet to get word on my Legendary Triple Packs I reserved, but I was stoked to find it online (this is the most recent addition)...The only catch is that right now it AND L-Bouncer which surfaced around midnight can't be added to your cart...both have the order online and pick up in store option advertised.  I'll keep trying that.

I now basically have it set up as follows:

Sleep in...

Go to Walmart and pick up the held GITD Wii and 3DS Starter Packs (I may cancel the one I have shipping).

Wait 2-3 days for the GameStop stuff to ship direct to me.

Prepare for the TRU Lightcore stuff to trickle in...

Wait to hear on Legendary Triple Pack (which is not an "add to cart" item on TRU.com, just happened around 4:30 AM).

Continue to monitor for pre-order options on later characters and keep an eye on the status of L-Bouncer.

And that is it!

I feel like I got a lot done without the hassle.  Granted, GS or WM could cancel my orders and throw everything for a loop, but as of right now I am happy.

I have a ton of pics from earlier today and stuff I found tonight (including links to all the Giants, 9 Triple Packs, Lightcores, and more).

Earlier I also picked up two books and a Terrafin stylus!

I'll get the pics related to all of this up soon...

Hope everyone has good luck and gets what they are looking for!

Here are some shots from what I found the last few outings:

GameStop

Bonus:

I'm sure this will get corrected fast, but as of last night I found this listing for Hex, which was oddly not available (my TRU stuff is confirmed with LC Hex), but take a closer look...that is Jet-Vac!

Triple Packs

And Proof of what is to come...Triple Pack #9:

Target

Target Release Day Ad:

Target Lightcore Triple Pack:

Toys'R'Us

TRU L-Bouncer (Still won't let you add to cart):

TRU Release Day Ad

ToyWiz Character Pre-Order Preview (Timeframes etc):

Giants

Lightcore

Triple Packs

Walmart

Giants Portal Master Adventure/Photo-Op

In-Store Display

Hats, Shirts, and Posters:

Dog Tags (You Tell Me):

Umm, Misc. Stretchies?

Books (Best part of Display imo):

Giants Display Awaiting Stock:

Lightcore Tag:

Triple Pack Tag:

Battle Pack Tag: