Hey Everybody,

If you missed the Twitter feeds I am back to making progress with new content on the Skylanders playthrough.

This past weekend I was given Skylanders 3DS!  In addition to the stand-alone and unique game, this pack contains Dark Spyro and Ignitor!  I recorded an unboxing I will have up soon and then I got both of them on the Wii immediately to check out their Heroic Challenges!

Before I continue along these lines I would like to ask those of you who read this and have gotten any Wave 3 Characters (Double Trouble, Cynder, Slam Bam via Empire of Ice) where you got them?  
Was it GameStop, Walmart, Target, online, or elsewhere?


I have found it very odd that Toys'R'Us...Who usually has the LARGEST stock of Skylanders and stocks new releases 2-4 racks deep has never had any of wave 3 here locally yet.  It was just yesterday that they finally added Empire of Ice online.  I am wondering if activision didn't help build  early hype around Wave 3 by not releasing them to Toys'R'Us as early as the other stores which seem to get smaller shipments.


I'm not saying that is the case, I am just curious.  You can leave a comment here or respond on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc...I'd just kind of like to know for the sake of my curiosity.

Part 63 will be a rant vs activision (basically what you read in the blog) and then Double Trouble's intro and Heroic Challenge.

Part 64 (which is being edited right now) will be Dark Spyro and Ignitor's introductions and Heroic Challenges.  I also made a point to emphasize the discrepancies between the card's stats and the in-game stats...I'll use these two Skylanders as references.

Parts 65-66 are actually just upgrading different Skylanders.  As promised I did not upgrade any of them during my 2nd Save File playthrough...That way it is like you didn't miss anything.

Parts 67-68 will believe it or not be Chapter 21: The Arkeyan Armory.

That is right...I finally had the free time to get back to Ch 21 and avoid the weapon master glitch!

I've checked it out and each time I re-enter I prompted to go battle Kaos...luckily Hugo doesn't have a glitch!

Before I just rush into the battle I think I will go back and pick up stuff we missed in the original (now corrupt thanks to the weapon master glitch) save file.  This will give me more time to level up the newer Skylanders and get cash for upgrades.
I will then transfer them over to the 2nd save file to get the elemental power increases etc.

And if all goes well I managed to land the Empire of Ice online for $19.99 it should be heading my way as we speak.  As soon as I get it I will unbox it and likely record the playthrough as my next objective (it is Chapter 23 by the way).

My next goal is to land Cynder and unbox her and Double Trouble.

Once I have gotten what we missed in the blind playthrough and leveled up the Skylanders a bit more I will go ahead and battle Kaos!

After that is complete I will just play casually and try to work on a few of my favorite character's getting all 32 (or what is available) done with the Heroic Challenges.  I'll also build up newer Skylanders like Dark Spyro etc.

Somewhere in this mess of plans I will also upload a few HD recordings from my 3DS to see what ya'll think of them.  I'm not sure how hard it would be to record Skylanders 3DS, but I can't capture it like I do on the Wii...it would be me with a 3DS and video camera...the quality won't be top notch and it might be more trouble than it is worth, but I may try it from time-to-time.  I'm excited to see how the story line in the 3DS version transpires...plus it will be nice to JUMP, haha.

Well sorry if that is sporadic...I am pretty tired and need to get some sleep.  Part 63 should be processing now and 64 will go up soon.  Whatever isn't live in the morning should get uploaded tomorrow night.  I hope you enjoy it.

I will also work on the Skylanders 3DS unboxing vid and will do the same when Empire of Ice arrives!

Well, this is just an overall "Stock Update' for everyone...as well as me venting some frustration on behalf of myself and others regarding some questionable business practices.

As of right now, GameStop, Walmart, and Target have all received new shipments containing Wave 3 (Double Trouble, Cynder, Empire of Ice).

GameStop seems to stock the most often with Walmart coming in just behind them.  Both have had Empire of Ice and Double Trouble...I have heard from an employee at GameStop he has seen 1 Cynder (he was a manager btw).

Toys'R'Us has yet to have anything from Wave 3 here locally...I've checked with several employees and a manager and found that none have seen Empire of Ice or the new characters.

As I mentioned several times, we seem to be 7-10 days behind where I am at...While folks on the east coast landed Empire of Ice as early as January 12th, it took a bit longer to get here.

Target and Walmart have both restocked on Prism Break, Flameslinger, and Drobot.  I suspect GameStop does too, but sells out.  I have seen a few Sonic Booms someone didn't snatch up.  Toys'R'Us is basically down to Bash single packs, and triple packs of Hex, Dino-Rang, and Zap...which I'm shocked are still there...

I noted that someone from the town I purchase Skylanders in has an e-bay account...and usually has several Empire of Ice sets.  Last night when I was talking to the manager at a GameStop he told me about this person.  A lady and a few friends basically wait until the stores open and then go buy everything...they will even occasionally rotate the stores they buy from...The manager told me he wanted to put a limit of 2 per customer to help alleviate this.  I'm going to check back next week and see if that managed to happen.

What this basically means for kids and those of us with jobs is unless you are an employee at a mentioned store or don't have an AM job is you are screwed.  There is really no better way to put it.  Where a mother might pick her kids up from school and run to a store to land Empire of Ice, she instead heads to a store that was ransacked by a group of flippers.

I, like most of you, refuse to pay more than msrp for the characters.

Earlier this week I suggested to @SkylandersGame on Twitter that they consider selling them direct through Activision...Naturally I got NO RESPONSE.  I suppose they are too busy posting questions about "Grudge Matches" that no one can answer since they seem to be unaware that so many of their pairings contain Skylanders that are not released yet (I'd say something here, but after dealing with Activision Customer Support I will never be surprised again).

Now to their credit, I'm sure had they have decided to respond to someone who enjoys the game, has introduced a lot of others to the game, and helps folks out with glitches and other flaws in their game I would have just heard, "Skylanders is very popular, we are shipping toys out as fast as we can" since they occasionally tweet that.

However, when I finally hit a store that must have stocked late and saw the new triple pack with Whirlwind, Double Trouble, and Drill Sergeant I bought it.  I never wanted to buy this pack because it shouldn't exist.  The issue I have is I've never seen Double Trouble in a single pack and with bands of people running around town to flip characters on e-bay,  I thought it might be my only chance.

I had a viewer on YouTube mention this pack long ago...myself and others brushed it off, and then a reliable source posted the same thing...I was very ticked about it given the situation.  I know countless others who feel the same way.

I spent a lot of time trying to track down Drill Sergeant...I know some people say they have racks of 20 at their Walmart, but I did not.  I got him just in time for Chapter 20 and 21...which I have still not gotten to play thanks to the WEAPON MASTER GLITCH.  Whirlwind I landed early on...prob early-mid November.

Now both of these Skylanders were labelled EXCLUSIVE.  Drill Sergeant was at Sam's Club/Walmart and Whirlwind was at Target...PERIOD.  You couldn't go to GameStop for either and Walmart never had Whirlwind...until now.

The new triple pack contains both of the exclusives...and it is available everywhere.  In addition to that, GameStop will sell you single packs of both characters!

So for folks like myself who had so much trouble track them down...is this our slap in the face for being loyal and diligent?  Thanks Activision...we really deserve that!

I may be the only person who cares enough  to go this route...I'm not going to cuss them and garner thumbs-up on YouTube, instead I'm going to keep it legal...very legal.

You see Activision as a company, you might want to know about laws.  I know you don't have a lot of business sense being unable to orchestrate the supply to your favor and loosing out on $20 here and there to flippers, but this is very applicable to you...

It is the Federal Trade Commission Act...you might want to read it.  And just to be nice on behalf of myself and other Portal Masters, pay attention to section 5.  It is titled, "Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices."

Do you have the common sense or conscience for this to phase you, or will this fall on deaf ears?

You can not misrepresent a product (self-proclaimed "Exclusive Skylanders" figures if you needed the help) to increase sales.  While a Bash or Eruptor single pack would sell on e-bay or amazon for $7.99, Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind would bring a big sum of cash...often $50-$150.  Now do you control what people pay on the side, after the fact?  No...you've done no wrong there.

But your deceptive practices are at the root of this problem!  I never bought Skylanders to "flip" them...I buy to have one for each upgrade path and to collect.  Given the fact these were "exclusive" I didn't just buy 1 of them...I picked up 2-3 (which is about all I could find).  I know of many other players and collectors who did the same.  Now their investment in an "exclusive" Skylander has been lost as you are reintroducing the characters not only together in a triple pack with an unreleased Character, but as the same single-pack configuration you just a few weeks ago could only land with the "exclusive sticker" on the pack.

So how do you justify this?  I tweeted this to @SkylandersGame, but I'm pretty confident you'll delete it, or just not respond.  I know this is a benefit for newcomers to pick up two characters that use to fetch $80 with ease WITH a new Skylander, but what about the people that were there from the start?  Does it even phase you what you have done?  Are you not aware that you can not engage in these business practices without repercussions?

Again, I expect most to just call or email complaints with a few cussing you.  I myself travel a different road.  I know the difference between right and wrong, and I can't say the same for you Activision.  It is unfortunate that you have created a great game (minus the few glitches), figures that folks really like collecting, and can't seem to correlate those two positives into a business practice of competence.  You can blame overseas production issues all you want, but the fact of the matter is there is demand and you can't keep up with the supply...unless you are pulling puppet strings to try and keep things "hot" till your final release.  In that case, your even more disgusting than I thought.

I love the game, enjoy trying to find new characters (although it is insanely difficult thanks to the black market you create with your own shortcomings), and have met a lot of great people who are equally big fans of the game.

What you have done with the "formerly exclusive" Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind is shameful at face value, but dig a little deeper and I believe it to be shady, deceptive, and a blatant misrepresentation of the product given the fact you are now shipping not only the new Triple Packs everywhere, but also the single packs...to me that has crushed your loop-hole exit.

I, and thousands of other Skylander fans, would love to see how you justify this.  Are you going to step-up to the plate and explain it, or just laugh at those of us who don't cuss you as most would and keep counting your "hard-earned" money?  The ball is in your court at this time.

And just so you know Activision...I plan to send this information on your business practices to folks who are more interested in it than you seem to be...I am nice enough to disclose that to you in advance...Something that if you did with Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind months ago (that they'd be available everywhere in 2012 or packaged together with Double Trouble) you might have not stuck an "exclusive" tag on them and I wouldn't be having to make this blog post right now.

On behalf of Portal Masters everywhere, I look forward to hearing from you...and I'm sorry, but we won't buy the line that "Trolls working for Kaos handled marketing for Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind."

Wiisdom Blog Poll #9: Who is Your Favorite Air Element Skylander?

-Lightning Rod
-Sonic Boom
-Warnado
-Whirlwind

Air Elements finished just behind Water and tied with Life Element Skylanders (default by alphabet, lol) so they are up next in our Skylanders poll.  The only 2 Air Elements that are out are Sonic Boom and Whirlwind.

Whirlwind was supposed to be an exclusive, but of course Activision and Toys for Bob decided to default on that advertisment and release Whirlwind with fellow former "exclusive" Drill Sergeant in a triple pack with Double Trouble.  For what it is worth I have not seen any of the new releases in town, but I know many of you have seen them and bought them.  With that said I think the big Whirlwind fanatics will have found a way to land her by now. 

As for upcoming releases, I am most excited for Slam Bam (who I include here because I have yet to find Empire of Ice) and then Warnado, and Lightning Rod.  It is speculated they will not be out for quite some time, so there is really no point in me waiting this poll out.  If you think you might be into either of these Skylanders just go with their Soul Gem preview or something you find on the net.

You can find the poll on the right side of the blog, just below the Twitter feed.  The poll will run 10 days so cast your vote and tell your friends to do the same.  I hope the fact 2 Air Skylanders are not out won't skew the results too bad.

Wiisdom Blog Poll #8: Who is Your Favorite Water Element Skylander?

-Gill Grunt
-Slam Bam
-Wham-Shell
-Zap

This is next up on the list thanks to your votes in "What is Your Favorite Skylanders Element?"  I know this one might be tough due to Wham-Shell not being out and particularly because how hard it is to get your hands on Slam Bam, who I have still yet to track down either.  Nonetheless we will make the most of it..this poll will run for 10 days so cast your vote and spread the word!

You can find the poll on the right hand side of the blog, just below the Twitter feed.

Just as Poll #6 on Your Favorite Undead Element Skylander (Chop Chop btw) closed so did Poll #7: Who is Your Favoite Earth Element Skylander?

Just like with Magic and Tech, we saw a small difference in the number of overall votes.  We had 4 fewer cast their call for their favorite Earth Element Skylander than with the favorite Undead Element Skylander.  Nonetheless 149 votes is nothing to sneeze at and should give us a very nice sampling to make projections from...let's take a look:

1.  Terrafin 58 Votes (38%)
2.  Prism Break 36 Votes (24%)
3.  Bash 28 Votes (18%)
4.  Dino-Rang 27 Votes (18%)

I have to wonder what the 4 other voters might have done...as you can see it could have totally changed fates for Bash and Dino-Rang.

So the good news...congrats to Terrafin and his dirtshark followers!  I was surprised a Skylander from an adventure pack would get so many votes, but I suppose a lot of folks picked up Pirate Seas.  Terrafin is an awesome character...his look is classic and the way he burrows is another totally unique trait (much like Chop Chop's shield).

I was also pretty surprised to see Prism Break in 2nd Place that much ahead of everyone else.  In the YouTube comments in seemed like there was just the occassional supporter and a rare die-hard.  I defended Prism Break a few times and really kind of took a liking to him and Stump Smash based on their unique looks and stoires.  All of you who worried about the lowly Prism Break need not do so...he came in a very solid 2nd Place and proved that he has as many fans as anyone.

I have to say I was shocked that Dino-Rang got beat out by Bash.  Bash has been around much longer, is offered in Legendary form, and likely has many players who have maxed him out.  I haven't done much with Bash yet, but do know that he can eventually roll at will...so I could see that coming into play for speed runs. 

Dino-Rang is someone I really like...I just think he looks cool and the fact I have him as a Silver doesn't hurt either, lol.  I know not as many may have him and that is my best explanation for his lower than expected finish. 

I will say though that the Earth Element Skylanders are one of my favorite groupings.  I actually kind of like Bash too, but between Prism Break, Dino-Rang, and Terrafin you have one heck of a trio...Bash doesn't do any harm as the 4th component to the group.

Thanks again to everyone who voted and I hope you are happy with the results!  I'll get a full synopsis up after the playthrough is complete and all are maxed out.

With this poll wrapping up, I will open Blog Poll #9 which covers "Who is Your Favorite Air Element Skylander?"  I think it will be another tight race.  Thanks again for voting and check back for the new polls!

Blog Poll #6, "Who is Your Favorite Undead Element Skylander?" has officially closed.

We had a very impressive 153 votes and things were pretty tight.  I know not everyone has found or played Cynder yet, but that doesn't seen to have impacted the voting too much.  Let's take a look at how things panned out:

1. Chop Chop 56 Votes (36%)
2.  Ghost Roaster 36 Votes (23%)
3.  Cynder 34 Votes (22%)
4.  Hex 27 Votes (17%)

I have to say I am very surprised at the results...this does line up with how I would vote, but I didn't expect that to pan out over the course of 150+ other people.  One of the most clammored for Skylanders during the playthrough was Hex.  I had a lot of e-mails where people requested I used her more.  I honestly figured she would take home top honors.

Going more into my personal opinions, I like where she wound up.  Keep in mind I have not found Cynder (or Double Trouble or the Empire of Ice (can you tell I'm miffed about that?)), but I can not see Cynder being worse than Hex.  Hex's secondary attack just takes so long to come around it gets annoying.  I thought the upgrdes would address that, but so far they have not.

I also figure Cynder got a lot of these votes on speculation, but for those leaning that way, I feel they would have likely voted for her regardless of how she plays.  Personally, I like Ghost Roaster so well I couldn't imagine Cynder bumping him from my ranks.

Ghost Roaster, to his credit, may not be owned by a lot of folks due to the fact he is available only in Darklight Crypt.  That said, Chop Chop has been out the longest.

Some of you that follow the playthrough will recall I didn't use him for a long time because the collector side of me didn't want to open his triple pack (with Eruptor and Bash).  His secondary attack, out of the box anyway, is simply a shielfd.  That is, however, an understatement.  Chop Chop's shield is very unique and offers great protection from enemies.  I have still not upgraded him, but I have really enjoyed playing him.  Factor in his availability, uniqueness, and overall look and I think you can see why he came in First.

Personally I will reserve judgment until I've upgraded Chop Chop to the same level as Ghost Roaster (and to be fair if I ever find Cynder (I refuse to pay more than $7.99 btw)) I'll play her to the same point.  I still can't see Cynder topping Chop Chop or Ghost Roaster for my personal liking. 

I have had a few requests to make my personal favorite list and will get on that as soon as I've wraped up the playthrough...I'll also have it open so you can post up your favorites etc.

So there you have it...Chop Chop is the hands down winner for Your Favorite Undead Element Skylander.  Thanks to everyone who voted, and with the closing of this poll you will find Blog Poll #8 regarding Your Favorite Water Element Skylander!

Well, as folks have been clammoring to Activsion and Toys for Bob telling them, "There are no Skylanders!" only to get the ubiquitous response, "They are coming soon!" I thought I would substantiate that claim.

As most of you know, I check Skylander stock at least once a week...

First up is Toys'R'Us.  This shot is of the "second" section...The one most people didn't ever pay attention to, but I combed to find Skylanders that were ravaged in the "main" area.  I don't know if all Toys'R'Us stores do this, but ours did.  I imagine Activision is paying for the shelf space, so you might explore it at your location next time (however, don't buy from there is possible....they are charging more than they should be and I think it is bogus):

And note that the Starter Packs are even low on stock! 

Following this up I ran to a smaller store that carries Skylanders. They had 3 mini-racks full...and they were all Boomer.

I referenced this in the poll results last night, but locally Voodood was the one that was always left behind.  Now it seems Voodood is even out and there are just a few Boomers here and there (I think both are good characters btw).

I will mention that Toys'R'Us had stock in their main section, but it was very picked over.  For the first time in a long time I only saw 1 or 2 Dark Light Crypts.  There were no Pirate Seas Adventure Packs and outside of Boomer, the rest was held to recent releases (Zap, Stealth Elf, Wrecking Ball, Hex, Dino-Rang, etc).  I didn't snap a picture because there were 4-5 kids in front of me at all times, lol.

I have to say I'm glad I got the game when I did...Legendary Triple Packs were stacked deep on 4 racks at one point. Whirlwind was once pretty common at my Target...I did have a hard time finding Drill Sergeant, in part to the screwy way Wal-Mart deems their stores "large" and "small" market...plus I just generally try to avoid that place.


I have been fortunate enough to snag the new Skylanders almost as soon as they were released (Hex, Dino-Rang, Wrecking Ball etc). And amazingly, they were about the only ones left this week.

As most of you know, the next wave is "supposed" to hit Monday, January 16th, 2012.  I have noticed in the past that when other folks were telling me they just got "Hex" or "Dino-Rang is in stock" etc...there was about a week to 10 day delay until I saw any at my local stores...and I was making regular checks.  So, it is very possible (assuming they relase on schedule) that I won't have Double Trouble until later on in the month.

Rest assured, I will pick Double Trouble and the Empire of Ice up ASAP!  I am most excited about Slam Bam and the Empire of Ice personally...even including later releases.

 I am pretty ticked that activision would release Double Trouble in a triple pack with what were to be EXCLUSIVE characters, namely Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind.  I've gotten a lot of feedback on this and it is just a bad pr move on Activision's part.  It isn't too hard to find a Target or Wal-Mart here in the US and if you have to have them and come up empty find a friend or relative that can look.  The prices some people have given for them is insane!  I am sure the person who coughed up $150 online for Whirlwind will kill over when she is in a triple pack with a new character AND Drill Sergeant for $19.99.

On that note, I also saw Double Trouble, Cynder, and the Empire of Ice on sale via Amazon....for crazy money.  DO NOT rush out and buy them...in addition to the fact that you prob won't get them any sooner than if you waited, they are a rip off.  Single Packs should be $8 US and Triple Packs/Adventure Packs are $20...Don't pay more than that unless your situation requires it.

I hope to check stock for the new characters as close to the 16th as possible, and then when I run errands.  I will pick up Empire of Ice and Double Trouble if he is in a single pack.  I might wait on Cynder...it would be incredibly stupid for Activision to drag out Camo until June, but the way things are going and the responses I got from their tech dept. I would have to say that would be typical.

This is a great game, it has the one huge glitch, but the way they have chosen to (or even mismanaged things) just plays into the skeptic hand that it was a huge money grab.  June shouldn't be when you get the last character to round out a game from October...it should be when we see screen shots for Skylanders II....that had better utilize the same character line-up!

Anyway, enough on that for now...I know many of you were asking me about stock here, or if I could pick up a character for you etc...this pretty well takes care of that, lol.  I would advise anyone reading this and looking for a certain Skylander to monitor the stock carefully this week and try to catch the new characters and hopefully a re-stocking off the older releases you might be after.

Good luck!  Chime in here, Twitter, Facebook, or post up a comment when you snag the new releases...we'll see if we can establish a patter (east to west, west to east, etc).

Wiisdom Blog Poll #7: Who is Your Favorite Earth Element Skylander?
-Bash
-Dino-Rang
-Prism Break
-Terrafin

This poll will be open 10 days just like the Magic and Tech Element Skylander Polls.  Make your pick, tell you friends, and do your best to help your favorite Earth Element Skylander come out on top!  You can find the poll on the right-hand side of the blog just below the Twitter feed.  Note that all 4 are available so things could be close!

Wiisdom Blog Poll #6: Who is Your Favorite Undead Element Skylander?

-Chop Chop
-Cynder
-Ghost Roaster
-Hex

This poll will be open 10 days just like the Magic and Tech Element Skylander Polls.  Make your pick, tell you friends, and do your best to help your favorite Undead Element Skylander come out on top!  You can find the poll on the right-hand side of the blog just below the Twitter feed.

Blog Poll #5: "Who is Your Favorite Tech Element Skylander" has now closed.  Interestingly we had 4 fewer votes here than on the "Magic Element" poll.  However, with all 4 Skylanders out, the results were much closer.  Let's take a look:

1.  Trigger Happy 73 Votes (46%)
2.  Drobot 51 Votes (32%)
3.  Drill Sergeant 17 Votes (10%)
4.  Boomer 15 Votes (9%)

Fairly predicatble from my vantage point...let's break it down.

First off, you can't go wrong with Trigger Happy.  He is a great character out-of-the-box...and he comes with every Starter Pack except the 3DS version so there is a ton of exposure.  The best thing about him at start up is how quick he can fire his guns...there isn't a the excessive lag or delay like some Skylanders have until they are upgraded.  Plus, let's face it...running around with your tongue hanging out toting two guns is just pretty awesome!

Drobot was a very close Second Place.  My logic is that not as many people have Drobot as compared to Trigger Happy, but he really makes an impression for so many to have him, and pick him over Trigger Happy.  He is a great character and plays very well.

Drill Sergeant took home Third Place and this is despite being an exclusive (as of now) and often times very hard to find.  Those of you that have followed the blog and the blind playthrough know how long it took me to track him down.  Many others had this issue, but for others Drill Sergeant seemed to be on the shelf at all times.  Strange how that works, lol.
Drill Sergeant is a great character and very cool looking.  He lacks the punch and agressive appeal that Trigger Happy and Drobot have though...that coupled with the fact he is harder to find doesn't make it all that hard to believe he placed Third with everything working against him.

Boomer, despite being out and very readily avaiable drug-up the rear.  If you monitor things online, or check the forums and message boards you know that virtually everywhere seems to have Boomer...and people just don't seem to be buying Boomer.  I don't think Activision and Toys for Bob cranked out an extra 10,000 Boomers either.  I'm not quite sure why he would be left on the shelf so much...Around here it WAS Voodood left behind...tonight there were so few Skylanders it is hard to judge.  That said, one store I checked only had Boomer left...a popular finding.

To be fair, Boomer isn't really a bad character...and he is likeable as he carries around sticks of dynamite, lol.  I have had several people gripe to me about him in the stores actually.  He isn't the quickest and the redneck vibe was somewhat unexpected in a troll, but when you power him up, he is enjoyable to play with.  But, the numbers don't lie.  Trigger Happy is clearly the top-gun in the Tech Element!

I will pit him and Spyro against the other 6 Elemental Winners in a final showdown once the other polls close.  With you selecting Trigger Happy as your favorite Tech Element Skylander we will open up Blog Poll #7 "Who is Your Favorite Earth Element Skylander?"

Thanks to everyone who voted in this poll and I invite you back to do the same in the following Skylander polls!

Blog Poll #4 "Who is Your Favorite Magic Element Skylander" has now closed.  We had a very impressive 160 votes!  Thanks to everyone who took the time to make their choice.  Now let's take a look at the results:

1.  Spyro 81 Votes (50%)
2.  Wrecking Ball 39 Votes (24%)
3.  Voodood 28 Votes (17%)
4.  Double Trouble 12 Votes (7%)

So, let's analyze things a bit.

Spyro clearly dominated this ballot.  As the namesake of the series that is kind of expected.  Granted, a few hard-core old-time fans might be disgruntled with the direction Skylanders took the series, but it is very clear he is the favorite from the elment winning an impressive 50% of the vote.

A likely reason, aside from the very obvious, is the simple fact Spyro, in some form, come with every Starter Pack.  The same can not be said for the other Skylanders (let alone Double Trouble).

I was honestly surprised Wrecking Ball took home 2nd Place.  He is a relatively "recent" addition and I have not had many people comment or clamor about him...especially compared to the others.

Voodood is kind of an underdog.  He has been out since the beginning, but isn't followed as devoutly.  I personally think he is a great character.  One thing I will share is that here locally, at least prior to Christmas, Voodood was always the one left on the shelf.  I know for most of you that is Bomber, but here where I am at it was Vodood.  I don't know if the name was a turn off to parents, or people just picked the other Skylanders over him....but it is a worthwhile observation seeing how it relates to this poll.

I also kind of figured Double Trouble would bring up the bottom of the results...Why?  He isn't even out yet!  That was the one issue with the poll, but with some Skylanders not slated till a June release, I didn't feel like waiting 6 months (seriously, what the heck is Activision thinking waiting that long?  They just as well release Camo with a sequel to Skylanders). 

That said, Double Trouble does look like an interesting character and I have gotten many more questions regarding him than Voodood or Wrecking Ball.  I think, naturally, if Double Trouble was also out the results might have been different.  I could see him pulling into 2nd if he has some good base attacks.

So with that said Spyro, as you likely expected, was the clear winner for your favorite Magic Element Skylander.  I will pit him in a no-holds-barred showdown with the other 7 elemental winners one all the polls close...That will be one heck of a poll!

With this poll closing we will open up Blog Poll #6: Who is Your Favorite Undead Element Skylander?

Again, thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to do the same for the upcoming polls....You don't want to miss what will be an epic showdown in the end!

Technically it is 1/3/12, but hey...until I got to bed it isn't "tomorrow."

Just wanted to let everyone know that I will try my best to get to questions/comments tomorrow during lunch at work (if possible).  If not I'll try and hit it later on afterwards.  I get a crud ton of questions/comments and do my best to help out so my apologies if you've been waiting.  It takes a long time to go thru them all and I have to do that to find out which ones need help etc.

That aside I was very busy the last 2 days.  I hope to make it to Chapter 8 on the 2nd save file tonight and then attempt to do at least 2 chapters the next couple of days.  I've been helping folks get caught up on some stuff outside of Skylands so it kind of eats up time, lol.

And speaking of that...thru YouTube, the blog ,and Twitter there is a great group of people following along on the vids and offering their insights.  I am pretty confident with the "release schedule" posted by vascomi in respons to the "collection vid blog post."  I never like to commit to anything in the vids until it is solid as I'm trying not to disappoint folks.  The schedule provided by Vascomi matches Activision's release patters...All I can say is let's see what comes this month and if it matches that schedule we can start to bank on it...

I will do my best to get the Empire of Ice as soon as possible.  I've noticed that with past releases (Wrecking Ball, DinoRang, Hex etc) that some folks had them 7-10 days before my local stores even had them on the shelves.  I'll unbox it and play it immediately!  I'm really looking forward to that and Slam Bam.

And thanks to a few viewers and a fellow Skylaner fan on Twitter (Daphtaru) I have found that you can get your Skylanders back if you have to start a 2nd save file!

The sad thing is that Activision didn't provide this info in their correspondence with me, lol.

All you have to is hit the (-) button (Wii) in your new save file, select manage, and then click Ownership...From here you can "Take ownership of this Skylander" and have your new save file register them.

I'll make a blog post on that with some screen caps I took the last time I played.  I tested it once and it does not take away your progress, heroic level, or any other stats!  This is a great perk for those of us who have to start over after the glitch...

I know this is scattered, but I'm very tired. 

I'll do my best to hit questions/comments tomorrow and then resume save file 2.

Hope everyone is enjoying 2012 and having fun with Skylanders! 

Wiisdom Blog Poll #5: Who is Your Favorite Tech Element Skylander?


-Boomer
-Drill Sergeant
-Drobot
-Trigger Happy

Hey, by now you know the drill...You voted and picked the Tech Element Skylanders as  your 2nd Favorite Elemental class.  Now we want to know how it breaks down between the four of them.  Luckily, all Tech Element Skylanders are out so you know what to expect.
 
Spread the word, cast your vote, and stay tuned for the results!  This poll will run 10 days along side Poll #4 regarding your favorite Magic Element Skylander.

Wiisdom Blog Poll #4: Who is Your Favorite Magic Element Skylander?


-Double Trouble
-Spyro
-Voodood
-Wrecking Ball

Simple enough right?  You voted in Blog Poll #3 and selected Sklyanders of the Magic Element as your favorite...now it is time to see how those Magic Element Skylanders stack up against each other!  I know Double Trouble isn't out yet (although he is anticipated to come out sometime this month!)...You can find preview vids on the Skylanders website etc.  I'll leave the poll open 10 days, so act fast and spread the word!

Wow, we had a ton of votes for this poll and tthere were some very close elements!

I checked a few hours before the end and the Magic Element was only 1 up on the Tech Element.  They got a list minute vote and bumped up to take the win!

That said, let's take a look at the poll results:

Q#3: What is Your Favorite Skylanders Element?

1.  Magic: 23 Votes for 17%
2.  Tech: 21 Votes for 16%
3.  Undead: 20 Votes for 15%
4.  Earth: 17 Votes for 13%
5.  Water: 14 Votes for 10%
6.  Air: 13 Votes for 10% 
7.  Life: 13 Votes for 10%
8.  Fire: 9 Votes for 6%

As you can see, EVERY VOTE COUNTS!  There was a mere 3 votes between 1st and 3rd place!  Water edged out Air and Life by one vote, and Air and Life were left in a dead-heat with Fire on their tales.

I'm not too shocked Magic one as after all this Skylanders series is a spin-off from the Spyro the Dragon franchise...and hey, he comes with EVERY Starter Pack in some form.  Tech and Earth have an edge with all 4 Skylanders out.  I am interested to see how things break down with the "favorites" in that and the Undead Elment though...

So, as promised what we will do is take these results for the next poll and break it down into "Your Favorite ______ Element Skylander"

Spread the word and cast your vote...if you thought this broad question was intense, just imagine how heated it will be between the individual Skylanders.  Following that round of 8 we will go into a "versus" mode between the top Skylanders!

I think in order to keep this from dragging on for a long time I'll post 2 at a time...

Wiisdom Blog Poll #4: Who is Your Favorite Magic Element Skylander?
-Double Trouble
-Spyro
-Voodood
-Wrecking Ball

Wiisdom Blog Poll #5: Who is Your Favorite Tech Element Skylander?
-Boomer
-Drill Sergeant
-Drobot
-Trigger Happy

Cast your votes now, I'll keep this one open about 10 days...Many thanks to those of you who voted...hopefully this round isn't too hard on you!