Skylanders Giants<\/em> is the videogame equivalent of one of those hustlers fronting a three-card monte operation on a New York street corner. As you stand there watching exactly how you\u2019re totally being taken, you can\u2019t help but admire the speed and expert design by which it\u2019s all happening. <\/p>\n

The difference is that Giants<\/em> doesn\u2019t deal in quickly flipped cards and your spare five-dollar bills; it offers cute collectible figures at $10-15 a pop and then serves up a game that all but forces you to buy a stack of them to enjoy the full experience. <\/p>\n

Because of that irresistible collect-\u2018em-all vibe, Skylanders: Spyro\u2019s Adventure<\/em> was at once a colorful wonderland for tech-loving kids, the bane of some parents\u2019 existence and one of 2011\u2019s surprise sales-figure champions. Given that Activision never met a franchise it didn\u2019t want to ride into the ground like the second coming of Secretariat, it\u2019s not at all surprising to see the sequel appearing a mere year later. Hell, the massive surplus of original Skylanders<\/em> figures hasn\u2019t even been discounted out of your local Target and Toys R Us yet. <\/p>\n

And that\u2019s okay, because the figures you amassed last year are fortunately compatible with the new 16-chapter adventure offered up in Skylanders Giants<\/em>. (The Giants, obviously, aren\u2019t compatible with Spyro\u2019s Adventure<\/em>.) The action revolves around the history of how the new Giants, eight new oversized and powerful figures, were separated from their teenier brethren by the mists of time. Mostly, it\u2019s just a new and inviting excuse to tool around a new set of colorful environments, smashing everything in sight and pummeling on Kaos some more. Four of the eight Giants have yet to debut at retail. <\/p>\n

They certainly look impressive, with their \u201clightcore\u201d technology that filters the light from the no-longer wireless Portal of Power up through the figure, illuminating eyes, jewels and weaponry. They play pretty well, too. As you\u2019d expect, they\u2019re more powerful than your standard Skylander in the game\u2014they can heft and hurl boulders, reveal hidden areas by pounding the ground and pummel boss monsters in ten seconds or less. Appropriately, they\u2019re also plodding as hell. Don\u2019t make the mistake of thinking you\u2019re going to ace a timed hero challenge with T.Rex, the woodsy Giant who comes packed in the starter set. <\/p>\n

The Portal of Power mechanic is as amazing as it ever was. I\u2019m still awed that Activision managed to make these collectible figures non-platform specific\u2014that\u2019 a stroke of genius that ensures Wii and 360 kids can always play co-op or versus together. It seems to work smoother with Giants<\/em> as well\u2014none of the jerks and hiccups in gameplay that sometimes accompanied rapid character switches in Spyro\u2019s Adventure<\/em>. Even with copious amounts of jump pads sprinkled throughout the game\u2019s environment, it\u2019s still jarring that none of the Skylanders can jump. (Shades of the original GoldenEye<\/em>!)<\/p>\n

Other touches seem baldly capitalistic, like the fact that more than half of the 48 \u201cnew\u201d figures are actually familiar characters with new poses. Sure, the lightcore versions of these figures look extra cool when they\u2019re camped on the Portal of Power, but if you already own Stealth Elf, it\u2019s not like her lightcore variant unlocks a new section of gameplay\u2014it\u2019s just another version for completists to add to the shelf alongside your basic and legendary versions. It\u2019s easy to imagine how another 6-10 months of development could have yielded a full roster of new and interesting Skylanders. Clearly, that didn\u2019t fit the Holiday 2012 business plan. <\/p>\n

The game\u2019s soul gems, meanwhile, are just plain insidious. As before, every one you find unlocks an in-game commercial for a character you probably don\u2019t yet own. And just like that, ShroomBoom isn\u2019t a dopey dude with a slingshot; he\u2019s a gotta-have addition to your collection. Cha-ching.<\/p>\n

Younger gamers, the ones who make up Giants<\/em> primary target audience, aren\u2019t likely to care about these things. Neither will the parents who sit down and play a few co-op levels with them\u2014when you get right down to it, Skylanders<\/em> remains one of the best ways to experience that addictive Diablo<\/em> vibe with your children (or on your own) sans splashes of blood and half-clad demonic succubi. <\/p>\n

Still, every one of Activision\u2019s franchises eventually hits a tipping point, that magic moment where it either has to evolve and offer something different (think Call of Duty: Black Ops II<\/em>) or face inevitable development extinction (think Guitar<\/em> and DJ Hero<\/em>). Skylanders Giants<\/em> doesn\u2019t quite reach that point, but unless there\u2019s a major overhaul of the gameplay and presentation, the next entry in the series likely will. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ RPG-lite gameplay formula remains entertaining
\n+ New Giant figures add an entertaining new wrinkle to the mix
\n+ Lightcore figures look awesome <\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Not a lot of innovation
\n– New figure series features a ton of new poses for figures you probably already own
\n– Um, why can\u2019t we jump? <\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: Reviewed on Xbox 360, also available for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii\/Wii U and PS3
\nPublisher: Activision
\nDeveloper: Toys for Bob\/Vicarious Visions\/n-Space
\nRelease Date: 10\/21\/2012
\nGenre: RPG
\nESRB Rating: E10+
\nPlayers: 1-2
\nSource: Review copy provided by publisher<\/p>\n