Blackout: Skylanders Trap Team Dark Element with Bio

What: Blackout, Dark Element Skylander (Doesn't look like a Trap Master)
Any Other Details: No, sorry.
Skylander Club Link: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=262

First Look at Blackout, Dark Element Skylander with Bio

Blackout Illustration

Blackout Figure

Blackout Screenshots

Dark Element Expansion Pack Midnight Museum with Knight Mare and Her Bio

What: Dark Element Expansion Pack

What is Included: 

-Location Piece/Magic Item: Midnight Museum

-Trap: Dark Spider Trap

-Trap Master: Knight Mare (Female), Light Element

MSRP: $29.99

Street Date: 12/21/2014 at Toys'R'Us and 12/26/2014 at EBGames

SkylanderClub.com Link: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=261

First Look

Skylanders Trap Team Dark Element Expansion Pack

This video provides you with a lot of information.  We showcase the Dark Element Expansion Pack that features the Midnight Museum Location Piece, Dark Spider Trap, and Knight Mare, a female Trap Master from the Dark Element!

In addition to some great artwork and screen caps, I also cover Knight Mare's background story....something you don't find other places.

Here are a few shots for your enjoyment:

Midnight Museum, Dark Element Expansion Pack

Knight Mare Illustration

Knight Mare Figure

Knight Mare Screen Shot

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Tuff Luck

What:  Tuff Luck, Life Element, Trap Master

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $14.99 plus tax

What Is Included: Tuff Luck, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Tuff Luck

Tuff Luck

Life Element, Trap Master

Slogan: “It’s Your Lucky Day!”

Card Stats

 Power: 90/250

Armor: 100/250

Agility: 100/250

Luck: 250/250

Total: 540/1000

In-Game Stats

Health: 310

Speed: 85

Armor: 48

Critical Hit: 80

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 548

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Ka-Boom

What: Ka-Boom, Fire Element Trap Master

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $14.99 plus tax

What is Included: Ka-Boom, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Ka-Boom

Ka-Boom

Fire Element, Trap Master

Slogan: “Boom Time!”

Card Stats

 Power: 240/250

Armor: 50/250

Agility: 90/250

Luck: 160/250

Totals: 540/1000

In-Game Stats

Maximum Health: 250

Speed: 60

Armor: 12

Critical Hit: 80

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 427

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Trail Blazer

What: Trail Blazer, Fire Element, Newlander

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $9.99 plus tax

What is Included: Trail Blazer, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Trail Blazer

Trail Blazer

Fire Element, Newlander

Slogan: “The Mane Event!”

Card Stats

Power: 100/250

Armor: 100/250

Agility: 140/250

Luck: 40/250

Totals: 380/1000

In-Game Stats

Maximum Health: 270

Speed: 85

Armor: 18

Critical Hit: 30

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 428

Skylanders Trap Team Unboxing Cobra Cadabra

What: Cobra Cadabra

Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery

What Does It Cost: $9.99 plus tax

What is Included: Cobra Cadabra, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing Cobra Cadabra

Cobra Cadabra

Magic Element, Newlander

Slogan: “Charmed and Ready!”

Card Stats

 Power: 60/250

Armor: 120/250

Agility: 70/250

Luck: 130/250

Totals: 380/1000

In-Game Stats

 Maximum Health: 290

Speed: 70

Armor: 36

Critical Hit: 40

Elemental Power: 25

Total: 482

Skylanders Trap Team Light and Dark Expansion Packs Revealed!

Skylander Club Link for More Info: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=34&t=249

So, you know all those Question Mark Gates you can't open in Trap Team?  And all those Question Marks and Blanks on your Starter Pack Poster and Trap Tray?  Well, you will FINALLY be able to fill those in correctly!

Activision has teased the reveal of the expansion packs, which most hardcore fans have known of for quite some time. There are a few glitches in the game that allow players to access those "off limit" areas beyond the ? Gates that exposed the characters and villains to a greater extent.

Anyway, here is the teaser image from today (12/16):

And here is the final packaging to fully reveal the mystery additions:

Sunscraper Spire: Light Element Expansion Pack
-Location Piece: Sunscraper Spire
-Character: Knight Light, Light Element
-Light Trap
Midnight Museum: Dark Element Expansion Pack
-Location Piece: Midnight Museum
-Character: Knight Mare, Dark Element
-Dark Trap


These are significant for several reasons.  First, these are Expansion Packs.  We are gaining much needed playable content to the game.  Second, we can finally open the ? Gates and Trap the villains.  Third, we are getting new, playable characters.  And lastly, we get 2 NEW ELEMENTS!

This adds an element (no pun intended) of suspense for future releases.  We will now have 10 Elements.  Will Light and Dark remain as Expansion Packs?  Will they fade away into Trap Team only status, but with having paved the path for 2 more New Elements in the next installment?  There are a lot of unknowns that these additions bring to the franchise.

For those of you "completionists" out there, these 2 EPs and the Wave 3 arrival of Blaster Mind will allow you to 100% the game if you are so inclined.  Similarly, the packs apparently include stickers for your Starter Pack Poster and Trap Trays!

For everyone else, these add another option to the table and might make players budget their Skylander funds accordingly.

Speaking of that, the very few folks who have acquired these via US based transactions have all gotten them from TRU for $31.99.  Yep, not making that up.  There is always that TRU markup, but I have no way of knowing if it is the usual $1, or something steeper on these EPs.  I was told someone found the Light EP at Walmart and was told they couldn't buy it, but they person claimed it was shelved with the Mirror of Mystery and didn't have a special tag, or price point for comparison.

I have had a few people tell me they found them today (12/16), but they were register locked.  I have also been told that those finding these in store are reporting solid stock on the Light Expansion Packs and minimal quantities on the Dark Expansion Packs.

These will no doubt be hot commodities for Day 1 players, and a big item of desire for those requesting Trap Team this holiday season (keep in mind, a much larger percentage of the actual target audience doesn't even have the game yet).  My advice, as always, is to buy this when you see it, provided you want it.

One person who told me their finding was register locked was told to come back this Sunday (12/21) and pick it up then.  Assuming that is accurate, I imagine those of us on the TRU mailing list will be getting a Hot Toy Alert e-mail later this week.  I have no confirmation on this, but I would not at all be surprised if this didn't coincide with a few Wave 3 arrivals in their store as well.

I will do my best to acquire these ASAP, but I will not pay more than retail for anything, and I advise you to do the same.  I'm not a huge fan of Sunday releases, so we will see how it plays out.

That said, did you know that December 21st, 2014 is the Winter Solstice?  That is the first day of Winter AND the shortest day of the year, at least in terms of daylight hours.  So, that means that the days will progressively begin getting longer right after that.  Does this play in to the Light an Dark concepts, or is it just a calendar coincidence?  It is likely the later, but if I didn't over analyze things like this, who would?

As always, stay tuned for any updates and be sure to frequent the Skylaner Club Forum for all the latest news: http://www.skylanderclub.com

Unboxing Rocksmith 2014 Xbox One

What: Rocksmith 2014 Edition for Xbox One
Where Did You Get It: Amazon.com
What Did It Cost: $39.99 plus tax

Unboxing Rocksmith 2014

Well, I had been interested in Rocksmith for awhile, and with a 50% sale spotted on Amazon around Cyber Monday I went for it...

I figure $39.99 (vs $79.99) was a pretty legit value given the cable was included and most people I know shell out more than that for lessons.

After unboxing I immediately loaded the disc and started playing.

I obviously haven't played enough to tell you "Yes, it works" or, "Do NOT buy this!" but I did have fun and managed to get the guitar tuned, strum along to the Stones and Tom Petty AND try out a few mini games all in about an hour of play time.

I think if you are really wanting to learn guitar, this would be a decent place to start.  It should teach you the basics and the lessons (at least that I did, roughly 5-6) REALLY DO make you get things right, at your own pace, and then a real world pace before you can advance.

Like most things, repetition is key.

I'm not sure I'll do any gameplay of this, but I will try to keep you updated as I progress.  I'm not sure I'd want to gamble the $80 if I was just on the fence...However, $40 and I was willing to roll the dice, and glad I did.

And, just for the record, the game seemed to have very little trouble picking up the notes with my setup.  I had a few instances where I was hitting the notes and it would tell me to move a fret etc, but it was thankfully not the norm.

Overall, for $40 I am fairly happy.

Official Skylanders Trap Team: 12 Days of Christmas

Skylanders Hot Dog Christmas Ornament

What: Hot Dog Christmas Ornament
Where Did You Get It:  Toys'R'Us
What Did It Cost:   Pretty sure it was $7.99 plus tax
What Was Stock Like: 1 Peg, but this was in late September

Hey Everyone, I've been meaning to showcase this little guy for awhile...Back when I went to pick up Green Metallic Shroomboom, I stumbled upon this Hot Dog Christmas ornament!

Skylanders Showcase: Hot Dog Christmas Ornament

The detail is actually very nice and the colors are even more vibrant than the S1 Hot Dog from Giants.  It is light weight and can both hang, or sit on flat surfaces.

If you are a fan of Hot Dog, or need some Skylanders flare for your Christmas, I suggest you try to find it!

I believe I paid $7.99 for it.  Toys'R'Us.com now lists it for $5.99 on sale (originally $9.99), but it is out of stock.  I would not pay more than $10 for it.  It is very well executed, but you are better off putting things under your tree, or making donations than paying some scalper 3x retail to obtain this.

That said, it is pretty cool and will definitely heat up your Christmas decor!

Skylanders Trap Team: Lob-Star Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage

Lob-Star Base Upgrades

Lob-Star Shooting Star Upgrade Path

Winterfest Lob-Star Hard Boiled Upgrade Path

Attack Damage Numbers

-Click to Enlarge-

Lob-Star Upgrade Path Analysis 

Lob-Star is another fairly complex character to document.  This is because so many of his attacks have dual damage outputs hinging upon his "Boiled" state.

I really like the box-stock aesthetics of Lob-Star, but when he is "boiled" he turns red.  As such, I thought it would be cool to take Winterfet down the Hard Boiled Path.  For better or worse, Winterfest has a unique attribute.  Instead of maintaining the red, or having a tone change, Winterfest turns gold when boiled.  Some will love this, everyone can appreciate it, but others, like myself, will not be huge fans of the "golden" boiled state.  That said, let's take a look at things.

Starshooter is a nice base attack that offers a singular star with quick fire capabilities.  It deals out 25-37 damage.  However, the stars will do 30-45 when he is boiled.  To achieve this state, Lob-Star has to let off steam by holding Attack 2 for roughly 7 seconds.  He can do 3x of 10-15 at the start, and then sits vulnerable while charging.  Once boiled, he can stay in that state seemingly forever as long as you are idle...it also lasts a LONG time if you are just running around (he is significantly quicker while boiled).  When you execute Attack 2 while boiled you can jump the damage from 10-15 to 40-60 3x.

The base upgrades are pretty straight forward.  Interestingly, Sharp Shot not only increases the throwing stars damage, but it also takes the "steam" release from 40-60 to 52-78.  I prefer to call it a "Star Clap" since it seems to be more noticeable than the steam it shoots out.  Boiling Over provides some defense while charging up to boil, but offers no other benefit.  Lob-Star Express takes Lob-Star Roll from 50-75 to 65-97 in standard mode, or offers an increase from 61-91 to 79-118 while boiled.  Executing Lob-Star Express also deals some steam damage at the end of the charge, but it appears to be minimal.

Shooting Star

This is my preferred path for Lob-Star.  It is more simplistic and easy to execute.  Twice the Starpower takes roughly 4-5 seconds to charge and then deals 231-446 2x!!  This was thoroughly unexpected.  Star Defense activates right before Twice the Starpower and runs 20-25 seconds with 3 Stars that deal 33-49 damage each!  I have gotten it up to 27 hits before it terminates.  Oddly enough, Super Stars, the first upgrade down the path, grants increased damage to the base throwing star attack (40-60, 49-73), but only while boiled.  Twice the Starpower and Star Defense do not require being in the boiled state and they do not offer increased damage when boiled.  If you are not "boiled" the throwing stars are capped at 33-49 from Sharp Shot.

I personally would have loved to see Super Stars damage increase apply without having to be boiled.  I also think it would have been nice to possibly just replace Super Stars with 2 standard throwing stars.  I also would have been happy with +40 Armor somewhere down this path.  As is, Star Defense is a very capable defense system.

Hard Boiled

This path is a MUST if you have a strong affinity toward using the Lob-Star Express.  Full Steam Ahead will leave a trail of steam that deals 40-60 damage.  More importantly, this doesn't just impact enemies you are retreating from, but rather you can time the dashes and set up defensive walls to either throw stars behind, set up another dash, or provide a slight barrier to Boiling Over.  Getting Steamed automatically releases steam to damage enemies that hit you, but I could NEVER get a solid damage number from it.  Whatever it is, I don't think it is proportional, and I am inclined to believe it would be minimal at best.  That said, Self-E Steam makes up for it offering increases to the throwing stars (49-73, Clap (78-117), and gives an initial increase to letting off steam and boiling over (10-15 vs 20-30).  Perhaps most importantly, this consumes less boiling power.

If you do not like the throwing stars, prefer the Lob-Star Express take Hard Boiled.  If you are indifferent between the primary and tertiary, be weary that you will want to be boiled at all times with Hard Boiled. If you have a hard time getting boiled without taking damage, I would consider taking Shooting Star.

The Boiler, Lob-Star's Soul Gem can basically go down every time you boil...just hold it for another second and he will jump off screen and then slam down a devastating 400-600!

Conclusion

Personally, for me, Shooting Star just makes more sense.  It is mind boggling why you don't get a non-boiled increase to the throwing star damage with Super Stars, but Twice the Starpower's massive damage output and the sheer (ha, punny!) functionality of Star Defense makes it a moot point.  The way I view Super Stars at that point is simply an added benefit to taking advantage of the speed increase that comes with being boiled.  I will, once again, say that if you like Lob-Star Express, or just find yourself using it the most, take Hard Boiled.  I really would have liked to see an Armor Increase on one of the paths and I truly think Super Stars would be better off not involving the boiled state, or simply granting 2 throwing stars.  That said, either path should make for a solid experience and they are quite different.  Rookies would definitely be better off with Shooting Star and Hard Boiled won't be hard to master...just stay boiled and dash a lot.

Winterfest Lob-Star: Unboxing and Review

What: Winterfest Lob-Star
Where Did You Get It: Special Delivery
What Did It Cost: $14.99
What is Included: Winterfest Lob-Star, Stat Card, and Sticker Sheet

Unboxing and Review of Winterfest Lob-Star

Slogan: "Star Bright, Star Fight!"

Card Stats

Power 110/250 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Armor 90/250 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Agility 240/250 (+40 vs Lob-Star)
Luck 180/250 (+40 vs Lob-Star)
Totals 620/1000 (+100 vs Lob-Star)

In-Game Stats
Health 270 (+30 vs Lob-Star)
Armor 42 (+12 vs Lob-Star)
Speed 70 (+10 vs Lob-Star)
Critical Hit 60 (+20 vs Lob-Star)
Totals +72 over Lob-Star

Pictures
-Coming Soon

Upgrades
-Coming Soon

SkylanderClub Link: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=229

Animal Crossing New Leaf Dream Address List

Hey Everyone,

In my quest to wrap up a few more badges in Animal Crossing New Leaf, I need to make my Dream Address Public so you can actually visit my town.

While I appreciate your help, the best way I can thank you is to visit YOUR TOWN as well.  If you would like, you can leave your Dream Address as a comment on this post, or on my video linked below.

Dreamer: Visit 50 Dream Towns
Big Dreamer: Visit 200 Dream Towns
Eternal Dreamer: Visit 500 Dream Towns

ACNL: Town Tour

Skylander Club Link: http://www.skylanderclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=226

Dream Address List

1ofWiisdom: 5200-3152-5724