However, to say that Skylanders is successful solely due to this mechanic wouldn't be fair. The physical sensation of moving the statue onto a pedestal and then seeing that it spring to life on-screen is utterly novel, and quite unlike anything else I can think of. (Fair warning, each character apart from the game's pack-ins are around $10, and the four add-on levels are $20.) Although it's tough to grasp the appeal of this toy/game hybridization without laying hands on it, once a player does, the magic of the concept is clear as day.Īfter placing one of the game's 32 figurines atop a small, circular 'portal' peripheral, this hardware then reads which character is present and instantly inserts it into the game for use. As such, when a game like Skylanders comes along and satisfies every member of the house, it's time to celebrate.Īt its core, Skylander's Spyro's Adventure is a simplistic third-person dungeon crawler built for one or two players (couch co-op only) that wouldn't be especially memorable if not for the brilliant twist that makes it what it is: the inclusion of action figures which represent playable characters.

More often than not, my sons have to play titles designed for older folks-there's just too much kid-oriented garbage out there that mommy and daddy can't put up with. Even harder? Making one that satisfies kids and their parents.Īs a father who supports video games as a family pastime, finding titles everyone can enjoy is a huge challenge. I'm not a developer, but I don't need to be one to know that it's damned difficult to make a good kids' game.

WTF Who thought the separate-purchase add-on levels were fun? LOW Trying to platform with two people and failing miserably. HIGH Discovering how much each character can evolve.

Spyro's adventure