Product Review

The first sequel for Activision's massively successful reboot of the Spyro franchise, Skylanders Giants finds gamers battling the evil forces of Kaos yet again, this time with the aid of more than 40 new characters, including the hugely powerful new Giant Skylanders. Each character is once again also represented by a real-life toy, outfitted with an RFID chip that allows it to appear in the game when placed on the special Portal of Power. As players battle with their uniquely skilled characters they earn experience points that can be used to upgrade weapons and skills. The in-game action mixes elements of melee and ranged combat, platforming, and puzzle solving, with the new Giant Skylanders towering over their smaller cousins, and the new LightCore Skylanders illuminating when placed on the portal. Local co-op multiplayer returns, with each character's progress saved inside the toy itself so Wii U gamers can transport their figurines to a friend's system, and all the characters from Skylanders Spyro's Adventure and Skylanders Giants are cross-compatible. Wii U players can control mini-games, view their character stats, and see their objectives update on the gamepad's screen when playing the main game on the television. Skylanders Giants can also be taken off of the television and played completely on the Wii U GamePad.