Skylanders SuperChargers Everything We Know

Skylanders SuperChargers Reveal: Everything We Know

Spitfire and Hot Streak: Leaders of the SuperChargers 

Stormblade and Sky Slicer: Skylanders Adventure Team

Skylanders Superchargers Announced!

Hey Everyone!  Very exciting news...Skylanders Superchargers has officially been announced and the release date is sooner than previous games!  You can check out some official release material down below...I also encourage you to sign up on the SkylanderClub.com Forum!

Skylanders Superchargers Official Reveal Trailer

Skylanders Superchargers Official Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS BRINGS VEHICLES-TO-LIFE

ON SEPTEMBER 20!

New Video Game Puts Players in the Driver's Seat by Introducing an Entirely New Way to Play Skylanders with Land, Sea and Sky Vehicles

Santa Monica, Calif. - June 3, 2015 - Skylanders® is bringing another trailblazing innovation to the #1 kids console franchise(1) with the launch of Skylanders® SuperChargers on September 20, 2015 in North America. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI) and the leaders of the toys-to-life category it created, expands upon the franchise's signature gameplay to introduce vehicles-to-life -- an entirely new way for fans to experience the magic of Skylands.

At the helm of powerful, tricked-out land, sea and sky vehicles, Portal Masters can engage in a high-octane action-adventure videogame like never before. Kids can speed across Skylands' roads in vehicular combat, race down roaring rapids and engage in aerial dogfights as they barrel-roll through enemy swarms for the first time. Developed by Vicarious Visions, Skylanders SuperChargers offers a rich story-driven gameplay experience, filled with vehicle-based and on-foot adventures, combat, puzzles, mini games, activities and platforming, set within a variety of all-new compelling environments.

"We created the toys-to-life category and have continued to lead it by bringing new innovations and new magic to the genre with each and every game. First we brought action figures to life, and now we're bringing vehicles to life with Skylanders SuperChargers," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing, Inc. "We love making these games because in order to do it well, you have to constantly tap into your inner kid. What kid hasn't imagined epic vehicles with amazing powers and dreamed about the adventures they could have with them? Skylanders SuperChargers makes those dreams real."

Skylanders SuperChargers features a brand-new class of heroes, called SuperChargers who are distinct with fresh moves, powerful attacks and all-new weapons.  These SuperChargers also have special in-game abilities that help Portal Masters fight Kaos.  Twenty new SuperChargers character toys and 20 new vehicle toys will be available. 

Players will have the ability to customize all vehicles in-game with super cool modifications and upgradeable weapons. For the ultimate gameplay experience, players can pair a SuperCharger Skylander with its signature vehicle to create a SuperCharged combination, unlocking an exclusive mod that revs up the performance of both the vehicle and character. Not only are the vehicles playable in the game, but also many feature moving parts, making them fun to play with outside of the game.  Additionally, Skylanders SuperChargers supports all 300+ Skylanders toys from previous games, enabling all Skylanders characters to pilot land, sea or sky-based vehicles.

"Since first partnering with Activision to bring the original Skylanders® Spyro's Adventure to our stores, we have believed whole-heartedly in the magic and innovation of this brand, as well as the company's ability to reimagine and redefine play experiences with the toys-to-life concept," said Richard Barry, Global Chief Merchandising Officer, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "With each new introduction, Activision never disappoints its highly loyal fans of the franchise, and we are thrilled to continue to offer the broadest assortment of all Skylanders® merchandise, including the newly introduced Skylanders SuperChargers."

The game's storyline focuses on Kaos' latest attempt to rule Skylands. In his efforts to take down the Skylanders, Kaos has unleashed his most sinister weapon ever - a massive "Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction" capable of eating the sky itself!  Fortunately, Master Eon has seen the warning signs and assembled a special team of Skylanders to pilot an unstoppable fleet of land, sea and sky vehicles with the power to travel through the reign of destruction to stop Kaos!

To support the game's announcement, motorsports champion Travis Pastrana stars in the Skylanders SuperChargers trailer. Check out Pastrana having a blast with the Skylanders! Fans can pre-order Skylanders SuperChargers Starter Packs beginning on June 3 at select retail destinations worldwide for the suggested retail price of $74.99 in North America, which includes two new Skylanders characters, a first-of-its kind Skylanders vehicle, newly designed Portal of Power®+ and the full AAA game. Skylanders SuperChargers will be available on Xbox 360™ and  Xbox One™video game and entertainment systems from Microsoft, PlayStation® 3 and PlayStation® 4 computer entertainment systems, Nintendo's Wii U™ system, and a different, unique adventure will be made available on Nintendo's Wii™ system and the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system. Additionally, the complete Skylanders SuperChargers experience will be available on iPad®. The game will be available on September 20 in North America, September 24 in Australia/New Zealand; and on September 25 in Europe.

About the Skylanders® Franchise

The award-winning, $3 billion Skylanders franchise has sold through more than 250 million action figures since pioneering the toys-to-life category in 2011 with the debut of Skylanders® Spyro's Adventure. The game originated a play pattern that seamlessly bridged physical and virtual worlds across multiple platforms. In 2012, Skylanders® Giants further evolved the genre and added LightCore® characters to the collection of interaction figures.  Skylanders® SWAP Force™, which launched in 2013, introduced an all new play pattern - swapability. In 2014, Skylanders® Trap Team reversed the magic of bringing toys to life by allowing players to pull characters out of the digital world into the physical world and became the number 1 kids' console game globally(2). The game was also the first console game to simultaneously bring the entire AAA experience to tablets. 

About Activision Publishing

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading global producer and publisher of interactive entertainment. Activision maintains operations throughout the world. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com or by following @Activision.

# # #

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including statements about the expected release dates of Skylanders SuperChargers, are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

©2015 Activision Publishing, Inc., SKYLANDERS, SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS, SKYLANDERS TRAP TEAM, SKYLANDERS SPYRO'S ADVENTURE,  SKYLANDERS GIANTS, SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE, LIGHTCORE, PORTAL OF POWER and ACTIVISION are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc.

(1)(2)The NPD Group, GfK Chart-track, Activision Blizzard internal estimates, including toys and accessories

*The newly designed Portal of Power will not be available in the Nintendo 3DS and iPad versions

Skylanders Superchargers Starter Pack Bundle

What are your thoughts on the newly announced Skylanders Superchargers?  Are you surprised by the early release date?  Let me know your thoughts here, or on the SkylanderClub.com Forum!

You can sign up here: http://www.skylanderclub.com

Skylanders Research: Eon's Elite Gill Grunt Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Elite Gill Grunt Base Upgrades

Elite Gill Grunt Harpooner Upgrade Path

Elite Gill Grunt Water Weaver Upgrade Path

Elite Gill Grunt Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Research: Eon's Elite Eruptor Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Elite Eruptor Base Upgrades

Elite Eruptor Magmantor Upgrade Path

Elite Eruptor Volcanor Upgrade Path

Elite Eruptor Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Trap Team Eon's Elite Complete Set and Bonus PanoramicBackgrounds

Skylanders Trap Team Eon's Elite Complete Set

Eon's Elite Panoramic Picture via 3D Lenticular Backgrounds

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?

Skylanders Trap Team Research: Enigma Upgrade Paths and Attack Damage Numbers

Enigma Base Upgrades

Enigma Chief of Staff

Enigma Invisible Invader

Enigma Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Trap Team Research: Flip Wreck Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Flip Wreck Base Upgrades

Flip Wreck Sword Specialist Upgrade Path

Flip Wreck Fish Commander Upgrade Path

Flip Wreck Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Trap Team Research: Fling Kong Upgrades and Attack Damage

Fling Kong Base Upgrades

Fling Kong Disc Jockey Upgrade Path

Fling Kong Carpet Captain Upgrade Path

Fling Kong Attack Damage Numbers

Skylanders Trap Team Wave 5 Introductions: Enigma, Fling Kong, and Flip Wreck

Skylanders Trap Team Introduction #58 Enigma

Skylanders Trap Team Introduction #59 Fling Kong

Skylanders Trap Team Introduction #60 Flip Wreck

Skylanders Trap Team Wave 5 Unboxing Videos: Enigma, Fling Kong, and Flip Wreck

Skylanders Trap Team: Unboxing Enigma

Skylanders Trap Team: Unboxing Fling Kong

Skylanders Trap Team: Unboxing Flip Wreck

Skylanders Research: Wallop Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Wallop Base Upgrades

Wallop Tantrum Thrower Upgrade Path

Wallop Hammer Handler Upgrade Path

Wallop Attack Damage Numbers

Conclusion

I opted not to write out my usual detailed analysis for several reasons.  First off, I am super tired,  Second, I'm not sure who all takes the time to read them (now is a great time to comment if you do, or if you prefer the write-ups OVER the videos).  And lastly and most importantly, Wallop's upgrades are just really, really straight forward.

I will offer my personal opinion though....Tantrum Thrower is in my opinion the better path.  The damage numbers are better and the fact that they occur in such rapid succession makes it a no brainer.  Toss in (ha, literally toss in) the Soul Gem and how it upgrades the Hammer Toss that is addressed by Hammer Handler and all the stars align to take Tantrum Thrower.  It is simple, plays easy, and will be an asset to both veterans and rookie players.

The only real reason to take Hammer Handler is if you either A-love the Hammer Toss (or equally hate the base hammer attack), or B-prefer long range combat.  Obviously, this path is geared to keeping a long range, at least if you play the path to it's full potential.  However, what I have seen in Trap Team rarely lends you to a true "distance" battle.  You almost always have multiple enemies at varying distances.  The other weakness with this path is that Wallop is simply not quick enough to retreat from said enemies to re-establish the path's benefits.  It seems to always evolve into a scenario where Tantrum Thrower would be your best option.

Skylanders Research: Fist Bump Upgrades and Attack Damage Numbers

Fist Bump seems to fly under everyone’s radar, and after upgrading him I have no clue why there hasn’t been more chatter about him!  Great story, unique abilities, and an awesome upgrade tree!

Box Stock

Fist Bump is one of those classic, “Eh, not that great” characters box stock.  While I appreciate the proficiency of the primary attack and found a nice tie in with the primary and secondary, most seem to see the numbers and be unimpressed.  The Panda Pound does 50-75 and the Fault Line Slam deals 32-48 when up close on impact, or 35-52 from a distance with a nice 44-66 uprising when a fault line is hit with Panda Pound.  However, it is important to note Fist Bump has a nice jump slam attack from the get-go with a 175-262 hit!  There is also a 1-2-3 Combo that deals 50-75, 50-75, 140-210 you have to factor in…Since a lot of people overlook the jump slams and combos, it is very important to make note of them.

Base Upgrades

Seismic Slide is the tertiary attack and it deals 72-108 on impact and actually generates a fault line…The fault line remains the same as the standard secondary attack and will deal 44-66.  Panquake is up next and while it keeps the Panda Pound at 50-75, it also makes mini fault cracks that come in handy later.  If you jump attack it, you now create instant fault lines to go with the powerful 175-262.  Hold the Line simply extends the reach of the fault lines, which is always nice.  Don’t Bump Fist Bump is almost like armor, but falls more in the self-defense field.  When you are hit by an enemy and have fault lines on the field you will see the faults are triggered and generate the 44-66 uprising damage.

Rowdy Richter Upgrade Path

This is a pretty solid path, particularly because of A Bolder Boulder (doesn’t that sound like a Rocky Roll Upgrade?).  Fault Lines in Glass Houses adds small stones that can shoot up from pounded fault lines…they are more visual than anything as they only deal 10-15 damage.  Quake’N’Bake is a two-fold increase of the standard fault line.  The usual 35-52 impact damage is now 49-73 and the 44-66 uprise damage is bumped to a very nice 62-93.  A Bolder Boulder wraps up the path and it interjects the possibility of having a spiked boulder.  You still have the small stones that deal 10-15 damage, but every 4-6 small stones you will see one of the spiked boulders…the spiked boulders do an incredible 100-150!  It is also worth noting that this looks really cool…The most functional way I saw to play this path was to fire off a few fault lines and then start Panquake.  In addition to getting the 62-93 from the risers and additional damage from the small stones and spiked boulders, if an enemies are left after the fault lines expire you can keep spamming Panquake and take advantage of the small fault cracks generating the stones and spiked boulders…You will miss out on the uprising damage, but that is easy to offset with a moderate ground pound coupled with the stone projectiles.

Bamboo Bonanza Upgrade Path

Man, what a path!  I had the pre-drawn conclusion that Rowdy Richter would be the hard hitting path and was simply holding hope that the bamboo explosions did more than 16 damage and the health regen was more than +5 at a time…Both fears were put to rest!  Healing Bamboo is up first and it spawns within fault lines you create…The bamboo deals a very respectable +15 Health!  The game stays you have to “slide into it” which would imply the tertiary attack, Seismic Slide must be used but that is no the case.  You can simply walk into it, or I found that often times the bamboo spawns so close to you, you just auto absorb the health increase!  Sliding into it is advantageous though as it will generate even more fault lines with bamboo!  So what if you are at full health, or need the damage output more than gaining a little back?  Well, Bamboo Harvest takes that into consideration.  If you have created a few fault lines and have bamboo all across the screen, you can do your jump slam attack and create bamboo explosions to the tune of 80-120 damage with each go around!  Lastly, “Jump For It!” makes the jump slam attack much quicker and generates 2 fault lines, which yes…have bamboo!!  Overall this is an awesome combination of offense and defense and a path I can’t help but prefer!

Soul Gem

Riding the Rails transforms Fist Bump into quite the juggernaut.  It is quite possible you could take out hordes of garden variety enemies like Chompies and some mid-tier enemies without actually doing anything aside from moving!  You might think that this Soul Gem would suit Rowdy Richter better, but I would gladly debate that.  While Rowdy Richter will get more results from the uprisings and stones and boulders launching, Bamboo Bonanza lets you cash in on +15 Health, or great access to ready made bamboo to detonate with an Air Panda Pound!  The Soul Gem plays beautifully into either path and truly does make Fist Bump a force to be reckoned with!

Attack Damage

Conclusion

Fist Bump upgrades very well down either path.  Personally, I would have to rate Bamboo Bonanza as the better option.  Rowdy Richter is great for those who want to spam the primary attack, or simply approach enemies with a base skill (Seismic Slide or firing off a few fault lines) and the revert back to the tandem compatibility of using Panda Pound.  The spiked boulders are lethal and you can make quite a dent on most enemies before they are up close for melee combat.  Bamboo Bonanza really isn’t that far behind Rowdy Richter’s damage output and offers health regeneration!  The versatility of Bamboo Harvest, which lets you blow up the bamboo if it will better function in that manner than in regenerative fashion really seals the deal.  Having the jump slam sped up and spawning fault lines with bamboo encourages you to utilize Fist Bump’s most powerful attack AND make use of his tertiary attack for quick recovery.  It is one of the better paths I have seen in Trap Team and I truly believe he is in the running for being the most versatile of all the core Skylanders in this game!