Blog Poll #17 could get interesting...it asks, "What Would You Like to See Next?" in reference to what game you would like to see me record next.

I will say right now, I may or may not do what is decided in the poll.  I had a few in mind, and then figured what the heck..I want to know what YOU would like to see.

Note that I do not list Skylanders 3DS...I think it would likely win in a land slide at this point...I am not ruling out recording it...in fact, once this poll closes, I might take the top 3-4 and toss in Skylanders 3DS to see how it fairs.  The big issue is I will have to record it with a camera, there is no way for me to capture 3DS gameplay.  Not only is that awkward, but there could be moments where you see more of a glare than the gameplay etc.  But we will cross that bridge when we get there.

Here is a quick run down on the 10 nominees:

Kirby's Epic Yarn: I've done 2P up to maybe level 2...so it would basically be a blind playthrough...it is fun, has unique graphics, and I know several of you are fans of the series.

Mario Kart Wii: This is something I intended to already have done...some of my first posted videos were hand held cameras filming victory scenes on MKWii.  I just played it again this past weekend for the first time in months.

Mario Strikers Charged: Something different, and something a few might enjoy.  I've played 2P, WiFi, and solo matches...should be easy to get back i the groove.

Nerf N-Strike.  I ordered this in right before Skylanders came.  I've heard it is horrible, but I got it for $15 or so...This would be totally blind and from what I hear the game goes pretty quick.

Paper Mario: A friend downloaded this and had me help on a level...it is a classic and will never get old.  It would be 99% Blind.

Skyward Sword: I got it on release day and have yet to really play it.  A friend and I went thru the opening scene and got to where we are looking for the missing Loftwing...which is probably about 0.25% complete...consider it a BLIND playthrough.  I think this game will be a lot of fun, bu some hard core Zelda fans might not like the blind approach.

Super Mario All Stars (Wii): Pure Nostalgia.  I know this would prob get the fewest hits/views, but man I'd enjoy it.  This is what  I grew up with...and now it has remastered graphics and you can SAVE your progress.  You have no clue what life was like as a gamer back in the day...got to World 8?  Screw it up and you are done my friend.  Bed time?  Leave the console on overnight and you'll wake up to a buzz at 3 AM from your frozen console.  Oh the memories...the agonizing memories...

Super Mario World: Possibly my favorite game and most certainly one of legendary status.  I haven't played it in about 2 years, but I once knew the terrain like the back of my hand.  I was the 7 year old that everyone had come over to "find the other exit" etc.  I could literally play this game 20 years from now and it would be like the early 90s...good times!

Wii Sports Resort: Island Flyover: I love this segment of the game. I would basically come in on a new save file and go for all the stamps.  This game is one of the reasons I wanted to start recording/uploading.

Wii Sports Resort: Swordplay: I would start this with the Swordplay Showdown...quite frankly because it is awesome.  Where else can you slice and dice your way thru thousands of Miis?  I am not sure if I'd record the other modes, but does it matter?  Showdown is where it is at!

Well that about wraps it up...a little snip-it on each of the nominees if it helps you decide.  I'm a big fan of walkthrus, but in all honesty, I also like recording "blind" playthroughs.  There is something about a new game and experiencing it all first hand as you see it unfold.  You might look like an idiot once a few people have played or get nasty comments from time to time saying "#*&@$ noob!" but who cares?  Everyone was new to it at some point in time.  In fact, if I am doing a blind playthrough, or really want to enjoy a game, I do not watch any gameplay footage (unless it is needed).

I do preview gameplay before making a purchase on some stuff, but I enjoy the "new" aspect as it can only be had once.

Well, go ahead and cast your votes...this poll will close Mach 6th, 2012 at 11:59 PM CST.  Remember, I may not play the winner...I could play last place, something totally different, or go right down the list...It just all depends how it pans out.

Thanks for voting and let me know what you want to see the most!

Blog Poll #16 tackles the tough question of "Which Version of Spyro is Your Favorite?"  I can see this one being  really tight or a blowout...

This one was on the agenda, but also goes out as a special request poll to SkylanderGirl87...I guess brilliant minds think alike :-)

Spyro, in regular form, is of course the famed dragon that had a host of games where he was the primary character, not just 1 of 32.  He came with virtually all Starter Packs (Wii, PS3, XBOX, PC/MAC) so he is widely available and owned by most.

Dark Spyro is possibly less owned than Legendary Spyro (thanks to the recent re-release of the TRU Exclusive Triple Pack) and is only available (outside the second hand market) in the 3DS Starter Pack.

Legendary Spyro is highly sought after and boasts increased stats.

This should make for a pretty interesting race...will people vote on what they've got, what they want, aesthetics, value, or simply personal preference?  We'll have to wait and see.  I'm looking forward to knowing how this one pans out!

The poll will close March 6th, 2012 at 11:59 PM CST!

Hey Everyone,

Last week I opened up a special request poll for Daphney on Twitter regarding Double Trouble's Upgrade Path...she is actually going to select the winning path when the poll closes (2 days).  Since that was on the board, I figured it was only right to start in on "what upgrade path your prefer..." for the rest of the Magic Element Skylanders.

So there you go...those 3 polls (Spyro, Voodood, and Wrecking Ball) will basically constitute the make up of this poll...I will include Double Trouble's results here as well.

This series of polls will be open 5 days so act quick to cast your pick!  Once closed, I'll go down the line by Element based on the order you selected in an earlier poll.

Blog Poll #14, "Who is Your Favorite Gold Skylander?" wrapped up with 106 votes, 1 more than the Silver Poll.  This one was very close, with a mere 12 votes separating 1st and 3rd Place!  Let's take a look:

1. Chop Chop 41 Votes (38%)
2. Flameslinger 36 Votes (33%)
3. Drill Sergeant 29 Votes (27%)

Man, what a race!  Chop Chop once again came out on top (Favorite Undead Element and Favorite Legendary)!!  He must have used an upgraded shield to fend of Flameslinger.  His 41votes in this close poll nearly matched the top vote total from the much more wide open Silver poll.  Whatever it is, Chop Chop is a strong contender in seemingly any poll.  I think the fact he crosses an element of a knight, with a skeleton, and just so happens to have great upgrades along with stellar defense (rare) helps propel him to the top.

Flameslinger must have had that last arrow meet Chop Chop's sheild as he finished 5 votes back.  Flameslinger is a great character, nearly beat Sunburn in the Fire Element Poll, and blasted Eruptor, our Silver Winner, out of the water in that same poll.  I think part of that is due to there only being 3 Fire Element Skylanders out.  There are still a lot of people without Ignitor, and the speed of Flameslinger gives him an edge over Eruptor.

Drill Sergeant was at the back of the pack, again where I expected him.  I do want to point out he was close. He was only 12 back of Chop Chop and 7 behind Flameslinger.  Those are solid numbers for a character who hasn't gotten a lot of love.  His early status as a Walmart/Sam's Club Exclusive, made him sought after and very hard to find.  With activision rescinding on that mark and releasing single packs he has been easier to come by...the Triple Pack really seems to be what folks go for...as it packages DS, Whirlwind (counterpart of DS via Target exclusive), and of course the new Wave 3 Double  Trouble.  He is a solid character, but I would bet most Portal Masters have not put him thru the paces like Chop Chop and Flameslinger.

All in all, this Gold Medal was earned by Chop Chop!  Thanks to everyone who voted!

Interestingly, we had 1 fewer vote on the Silver poll than the Gold poll...I guess all that glitters is likely gold.  Nonetheless, this was a pretty intense competition and had what I would say is a surprising result:

1. Eruptor 46 Votes (43%)
2. Dino-Rang 36 Votes (34%)
3. Boomer 26 Votes (21%)

I honestly thought this would have gone to Dino-Rang (maybe it is because I happen to have a silver Dino-Rang (only silver btw)), or just a gut feeling, but Eruptor won by a credible 10 votes.

Eruptor is a great characer, but was absolutely slaughtered in the Fire Element Poll (15 of 136 Votes to be exact)...that type of a performance translated in my mind to probably edging out Boomer.  For whatever reason, folks seem to be enamored with Silver Eruptor as he gained over 3x the number of votes!

Dino-Rang did finish last place in the Earth Element Poll, but he did so with 27 votes, 1 behind Bash and just 9 behind 2nd Place Prism Break.  I've heard a lot of people complain about Dino-Rang, but I think he is a great Skylander and have no issue with his Boomerangs.  I also think he is very well presented in both aesthetics and initial appeal.

Boomer brought up the rear, and that was just as I expected.  I wouldn't say he is the most hated Skylander, but he seems to be the least liked and that has been obvious with his odd presence as the only Skylander at most stores for weeks, lol.  I'm not sure he will ever shake that perception in all honesty.  That said, it is very much an undeserved reputation...he upgrades well and offers a nice balance of defense and projectile attacks...Perhaps people are coming around to him after all this time.

Thanks to everyone who voted...the closing of this poll will open up another!

Blog Poll #12, "Who is Your Favorite Legendary Skylander?" had a very impressive 114 votes, garnering a bit more attention than the respective "Gold" and "Silver" polls.  The results were not quite like I had foreseen, let's take a look:

1. Legendary Trigger Happy 46 Votes (40%)
2. Legendary Chop Chop 32 Votes (28%)
3. Legendary Spyro 26 Votes (22%)
4. Legendary Bash 10 Votes (8%)

Once again, a character who is unreleased/released in very few locations took first place with a pretty decisive margin (14 votes).  I only know of a 2 readers who have LTH at the moment.  Apparently a few Canadian stores have released him, as did a few in the northeastern US.  I did read today that a few people who ordered him on ebay (presumably from an insider who promised to ship upon obtaining) have come up with him.  I figured he would make things close, but not run away with it like this.

Chop Chop fans showed up in force bringing him to what I will call an upset victory over Spyro.  I honestly figured Spyro would be first or second.  Chop Chop came in 6 votes ahead of the title's namesake...not bad! Chop Chop is clearly one of the favorite characters amongst readers...who can forget his dominating performance in the Undead Element Poll?!

Spyro was a surprise 3rd Place finisher.  I saw him as #1 or #2, depending on if folks went Chop Chop or Trigger Happy.  I have ot wonder if part of the lower than expected finish has to do with his stand alone Dark version?  Nonetheless, numbers don't like.

Bash, the lovable rock and roller, got off to a rocky start and never recovered.  He garnered only 10 votes, but that is somewhat expected given he finished 3rd in the Earth Element Poll.  He is a great character, but clearly outclassed by his peers in this grouping.

Thanks again to everyone who voted.  I sure hope we can all manage to track down Legendary Trigger Happy!  Remember, these are all Toys'R'US Exclusives (which Activision abides by), so you have to get them there or will likely pay a premium on the black market.  Most TRU stores have started a "1 per customer" rule, so hopefully that will prevent a few, foul spirits from clearing the shelf of this soon to be sought after character.

Legendaries, unlike Gold and Silver Skylanders, actually appear "blue and gold" in the game AND have slightly bumped up stats.

I have yet to see or hear of him locally.  Most believed he would be released with great fan fare around the time of Dragon's Peak (Easter)...clearly, a few select locations either can't read directions, or there is a very funky shipping patter, or the rest of us all live in an area where the local TRU Manager will likely be rolling to wok in a fancy new car in the not to distant future.

Thanks to everyone who voted...this will open up the next poll, "What is Your Favorite Version of Spyro?"

I figured these two videos were well worthy of a stand along blog post...

In all honesty, I sort of wish I had done every level with a blog post...kind of like I did with Wii Fit Plus...I just like the text side of things I guess.  This level, particularly getting to Kaos, wasn't too bad, but deals an amazing quantity of XP.  I am actually planning on taking some new Skylanders (No upgrades) thru the paces here and see what they can do in terms of "levelling up."

I had really wanted to get a few Skylanders up to Level 26 on Heroics (note that is entirely separate from "Level 10" that your health maxes out at) and then fully upgraded etc.  The fact of the matter is that would have taken an insane amount of time and I didn't want to keep folks waiting for this...

I wish there would have been a "dark" version of all the Skylanders to  contend with, but that is a minor complaint.  If you look past the "weapon master glitch" this is truly a great game.  I know it is geared towards kids, but I don't care.  I'm in my late 20s and loved the game.  The options you have in terms of selecting a Skylander etc really make the game have a lot of replay imo.

I am about to make these 2 videos go live on YouTube, but wanted to post it here on the blog...which I prefer over all other mediums.  So, enjoy...I'll make them "public" and post them to Facebook and Twitter shortly.






I kind of had to kill the audio early on Part 77 during the credits.  The last thing I wanted was to loose my commentary on the boss fight with Kaos because I was waiting to make a closing comment.  The audio on Part 77 is a little behind, but not enough to make a huge difference.  The boss fight goes on for quite some time, so be prepared for that!

I let the camera roll all the way thru the credits and to the final cut scene with the gang at the Core of Light.  Flynn's commentary at the end is great and anytime you go from 0-100 on a game, I like to have the end stuff captured.

I am by no means done with Skylanders.  There is still Dragon's Peak and a few more characters to colllect.  I might also record the time goals...we'll wait and see.  I definitely recommend you check out Skylanders and give it a shot...the game is a lot of fun and has stake in a very promising future!

Yep, you read right.

I was torn between taking a few Skylanders up to Level 26 on Heroics (huge benefit in gameplay) and then upgrading them OR playing Kaos right now.

I got Terrafin up to Level 26 on the Heroics, and while working on my next pick, Ghost Roaster, realized he was too far upgraded to have an easy time passing the Heroics...Drobot's Challenge "Save the Purple Chompies" is a night mare...I got to where I could do it with tons of time left, but Ghost Roaster's Pain Chain would take out the green ones, but their ghosts would then take out the purple chompies...the only way around it is to reset him (which I don't really want to do).

I then did a few more with Slam Bam, and then some slower characters like Eruptor and Stump Smash...I had trouble with Eruptor on Drobot and Double Trouble's HCs and then Stump Smash had a heck of at time (although I got close 3 times...like down to 1 troll left close) with not breaking the vases etc.

That prompted me to call it good, prevent mutiny amongst the Skylander subscribers, and just take on Kaos.

It actually went very well...I"ll have to replay his Lair to pick up the Treasure Chests (it is structured that way), but aside from that it was crystal smooth.  I'm actually going to enter it and the battle with new characters and ones I haven't used much (Double Trouble, Cynder, Wrecking Ball etc) and they should all leave well on their way to Level 10...the XP in Chapter 22 is at times insane.

The battle wasn't really too hard...I wish there would have been more minions (dark versions of Ignitor, Voodood, Terrafin, etc...I'm not sure what the logic was in selecting which characters Kaos has dark versions of, but I digress).

Kaos is defeated, Eon deemed being warped to Africa as a fitting punishment, and we are now ready to work towards the Level 26 on Heroics goal without any undue pressure etc.

I'll likely spend time the next few weeks taking some of my favorite characters through the Heroic Challenges and then earning cash to upgrade with...

I might record one of them (likely a Legendary) going from "stock" to Level 26 on the Heroics...I wish I would have recorded Terrafin doing it because he totally dominated them...I rarely had to attempt a HC twice as he progressed.

But yeah, I have Part 76 edited and 77 is currently being processed by my software...It is 4:36 AM and I'm not going to load them on to YouTube tonight/this morning...I'll get some sleep, hopefully a lot of it, and then upload them tomorrow afternoon..

I will do my best to get Dragon's Peak, unbox it, and record the gameplay...that will give me incentive to tackle the time goals after all as the Accolades will finally be available to complete.

Should I come across any of the coming releases, I'll pick them up, unbox, and then record their Heroic Challenges etc, just like my standard format has been all along.

So with that said, Kaos is defeated, but my playthrough and uploads are far from over!

I will look into a new playthrough, and I have honestly tossed around Skyward Sword, but I feel like the diehard Zelda fans would kill me for doing a blind playthrough on it...Who knows, I might go retro NES, pull out some racing action on PS2, or do something off the wall...we'll wait and see.

I have also debated trying to record 3DS footage of Skylanders, but it would be insanely difficult and tedious to complete...

Again, right now the goal is to just wrap up Skylanders and go from there...It is a great game and I have had a lot of fun playing thru it and helping others out and getting insights from other fans of the game.  I wish Dragon's Peak was already out, lol.  I'm looking forward to that, the new characters, and of course Giants...which I will record the same way as Spyro's Adventure.

Well, hopefully that wasn't too rambly...it is really late and I am very tired.

CAKE!

Blog Poll #15, "What Upgrade Path Do You Prefer for Double Trouble?" is a special request.  I'll cycle thru all the Skylanders eventually, but for now we will kick this off with Double Trouble.

I'm sure most of you have tracked him down, or are diligently working towards doing so.

That said, which of his upgrade paths do you prefer?
-Channelerer
-Conjuror

The poll is open for a week, so cast your vote now...it is located below the Twitter Feed on the RH Side of the blog.

Well, I made my weekly pilgrimage into town tonight.

I use to run around more often, but the local stores were either raided by the pirates of ebay, or just don't have stock (cough, have employees holding stuff back to hock themselves, cough).  Since I've got everything I am not as vigilant...I would like to find an Empire of Ice for a friend, but I think it will have to be ordered online.

I have to say it is pretty strange that Toys'R'Us in my area has NEVER had Empire of Ice.  In addition to me not seeing it, I ask (usually 2 employees) every time I'm in and have never known of it to be in the store.  Tonight there wasn't anyone too nice or that into Skylanders, but the answer of "I have no way of knowing that" basically meant I was better off just leaving than asking them to check...the store really wasn't crowded tonight.  I believe most people raid things in the morning and afternoon, which for me isn't an option because I'm at work.

I'm sure most of you know activision and tru are "buddy-buddy" and plan to continue "exclusives" with Giants this fall and even have the 30 day window on Dragon's Peak.  I have to wonder, since I've never seen Empire of Ice at my local tru: A): Does someone in the back just hold onto them for "friends" or to hock online, or B): Has activision just not shipped them any?

Toys'R'Us was way behind GameStop, Walmart, and Target in terms of listing it online...And honestly, people on the east coast were buying Empire of Ice about 6 weeks ago (January 12th if I remember right).  It seems very odd to me...which is why I'm again asking if anyone has bought or seen Empire of Ice at their Toys'R'Us and if so, what state or region of the country do you live in?

That aside, what YOU probably care about is what they had...

Well there were NO Legendary Triple Packs, NO Pirate Seas APs, and NO Darklight Crypt APs like there were last week.  For the first time at this store I saw the Whirlwind+Double Trouble+Drill Sergeant Triple Pack.  They also had the Stealth Elf Triple Pack and Stump Smash Triple Pack (I took a picture, but apparently my phone decided not to store it...sorry).

As far as singles there was Chop Chop, Drill Sergeant, and Flame Slinger....oh, and Whirlwind:


Target had absolutely nothing, but did have a nice selection of Starter Packs for a change:


It was cold, especially with the 50 mph N wind so I didn't even try Walmart or Gamestop.

And on a side note, I ran all over town with my 3DS and got ZERO Street Pass tags.  I'm not exactly trying to social network my way into anything, but I would like to have a nice arsenal to help with Find Mii.  Alas, a guy can dream.  You do always wonder if there is some really awesome chick your age with a 3DS trying to do the same thing, haha.  If I do get any tags it will likely be from the 6-12 year old bracket...

Prices on the Legendary Triple Pack have dropped from $200+ just a few weeks ago to about $50 online.  The prices for singles has come down a lot too.  I think activision is finally shipping out enough to subdue the market a bit...which is good...I don't want anyone having to pay more than retail for any figure in particular.  Cynder still seems to be the toughest to find.

I have still never seen a Cynder or Empire of Ice at a local store for what it is worth.

I'll have a few more updates to post tonight or early this weekend related to gameplay etc.

Well, this is a few days later than I intended to post, but oh well.

My local stores have been desolate.  The Drobots and Prism Breaks adorning the racks were even getting picked up.  When I ran to town, Target had....NOTHING.

Walmart had this sign:

Which just really ticks me off given the fact Whrilwind is on it...Sadly, Target didn't have a sign promoting Drill Sergeant.  I still call BS on activision for this "exclusive" status.  They seem to comprehend what that means when they release "exclusives" like this metallic Cynder to those attending the big toy conventions:


Note the "exclusive" sticker...just like Whirlwind and Drill Sergeant Single Packs used to wear.  They really need to be reprimanded for this shady tactic.

Not vesting too much time in that, Toys'R'Us finally had some new stuff.  And I see why.  You can't read it well in the picture, but all those "handmade" signs that look like an employee was tasked with printing from Microsoft Paint read, "All Skylanders, Limit 1 per Customer."  I guess they FINALLY got the clue that the ladies who come in the store and buy up all the Skylanders probably don't have 250 nieces and nephews.  I'm sure if not for that policy change the racks would have been desolate.

But alas, a welcome sight...one which newcomers often doubted me on:


Not only are there racks of Dark Light Crypt and Pirate Seas (which have been out since Day 1 btw), there are FOUR ROWS STOCKED DEEP OF THE LEGENDARY TRIPLE PACKS.

I didn't even bother to buy one (I got 3 back on the first release, again primarly based on their "exclusive" status...and realax, one was for me to use, one was for a gift, and the other was just to keep boxed in case they were ever worth something).  This game is going to be so expensive to "complete" I didn't feel like shelling out another $25...especially when I got the same triple pack for $19.99 back in October.

But, nonetheless the stock returned...

The real kicker though is this...

My local Toys'R'Us has still not gotten ANY Wave 3 Skylanders or Empire of Ice.  I have a few employees I trust and 2 that I trust and know are familiar with the game etc.  It blows my mind how activision is handling this...I assure you they are simply structuring shipments and what not to do their best to keep they hype going all the way until Wham-Shell precedes Skylanders Giants.

The entire process is actually starting to take away from the game.  I don't mind having a hard time tracking down Silver/Gold/Blue Skylanders...but when casual players feel like they need to shell out $50 to some scalper nested in the coves of ebay I start to get a sour taste in my mouth.

Playing the game helps a bit, and I am hoping more stores adopt the "1 per customer" rule to prevent these pirates from influencing so many of us to resort to buying their plundered loot.

I really enjoy the game, and am looking forward to wrapping it up, but the prospect of chasing tail and burning hours of time and cash on gas to put around town for the next wave of releases doesn't really interest me as much as it once did.  It was fun for awhile, but the same antics grow old quick when you begin to view them as more of a patter of choice than chance.

I still plan to pick up all 37 Skylanders, but I sure as heck won't give more than retail for any of them.  I don't have that kind of money or time.  Maybe by the time Giants comes out I will have regained the enthusiasm behind it all, but that remains to be seen...a large part of it will have to do with the "frenzy" and how it pans out.

Nonetheless, I've been busy...I just got 3 New Polls opened up on the blog and I hope to play Pirate Seas and Dark Light Crypt on my "new" Save File to see how the progress looks...I'll then record Chapter 22 and call it good until new Skylanders or Dragon's Peak is available.  I might progress with getting some favorites up on their Heroic Challenges, or simply start recording a new game.

See you on the flipside...

Following suit to the "silver" Skylanders, Activision and Toys for Bob released another round of three, very hard to find and super collectible "gold" Skylanders.  Unlike the "Legendary Skylanders," which appear in the game as they do in hand, the gold Skylanders are simply a solid gold colored Skylander that would wear the same skin for gameplay as its' regular counterpart.  So, which is your favorite "gold" Skylander?

-Chop Chop
-Drill Sergeant
-Flameslinger

This poll will run until Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 11:59 PM.
-The poll is located just below the Twitter Feed on the RH Side of the blog.

As you know, the first special release/limited run Skylanders made available to the general public were a few "silver" Skylanders.  These are solid silver in color, but have no special skin for in-game play, making them largely just a collectible.  So which is your favortie "silver" Skylander?

-Boomer
-Dino-Rang
-Eruptor

This poll will run until Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 11:59 PM.
-It is located just below the Twitter Feed on the RH Side of the blog.

Simple enough, you've got 4 to choose from and they are all playable...heck some folks on the east coast even HAVE Legendary Trigger Happy.

-Legendary Bash
-Legendary Chop Chop
-Legendary Spyro
-Legendary Trigger Happy

This poll will run until Monday, February 27th, 2012 at 11:59 PM.

Blog Poll #11, "Who is Your Favorite Fire Element Skylander?" has wrapped up...many thanks to all who voted.  Interestingly, we had 5 fewer votes here than the "Life Element" poll which ran simultaneously.  It was particularly peculiar since we have 3 of the 4 Fire Element Skylanders available.  Nonetheless, let's take a look at the results:

1. Sunburn 50 Votes (36%)
2. Flameslinger 42 Votes (30%)
3. Ignitor 29 Votes (21%)
4. Eruptor 15 Votes (11%)

So, once again an Adventure Pack Character and one that is UNRELEASED tops our list.  Sunburn does seem pretty cool based on the "dark, evil Phoenix" that Kaos unleashed in the battle for the Eternal Fire Source.  That said, I was surprised he was able to come in first place.

Second Place honors went to Flameslinger who was down only 8 votes (wonder who those 5 that voted for Life, but not Fire would have gone for?).  Flameslinger is an all around solid character and I still hear of people trying to track him down.  He is a bit quicker than Eruptor, which as I've said seems to play a role in the voting.

Third Place was claimed by Ignitor.  He is an a unique position because despite being "out" since Day 1, not many have played with him on a console version since he is only available in the 3DS Starter pack (as of now).  I think once Sunburn is out and Ignitor is released things may change.


Eruptor came in last place with only 15 votes.  I can't say I am shocked because he is by far the slowest of the Fire Element characters.  His attacks, out of the box, also have a shorter range it seems than the others.

If I were to go by aesthetics I'd have to rank Ignitor and Eruptor at the top.

In my personal favorites based on gameplay I would say Ignitor overall and for close combat, Flameslinger for distance attacks, and Eruptor when he is needed.  I am excited to play Sunburn, but will hold off judgment until the Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack is out.

Thanks again to all who voted...stay tuned for more polls!

Blog Poll #10, "Who is Your Favorite Life Element Skylander?" has officially closed.  Many thanks to everyone who voted.  I was surprised we had so many votes, and 5 more so than the simultaneous running "Fire Element Poll."  Let's take a look at the results:

1. Camo 61 Votes (43%)
2. Stealth Elf 38 Votes (26%)
3. Stump Smash 23 Votes (16%)
4. Zook 19 Votes (13%)

The results are pretty clear-cut in this one...Camo, an unreleased Skylander, is by far your favorite Life Element Skylander.  I was shocked that he not only won, but by such a wide margin.  Stealth Elf was a staple in the 3DS Starter Pack, one of the quickest characters, and has been out for quite some time in single and triple pack form.  I honestly thought she would have edged Camo out by about the same margin.

Stump Smash did pretty well considering he is part of the "old guard."  I've noticed speed seems to play a role in a lot of the voting...with slower characters not fairing well.

Zook came in last place.  I figured folks would have viewed him as the Life Element's "Trigger Happy" and probably edged Stump Smash for 3rd.  His Soul Gem and appearance for the Life Source shows his "mushroom wall" which looks interesting.  Not to mention he is holding a giant rocket launcher.

I personally would go rank Stealth Elf at the top, Stump Smash right below her, Camo at third (with a good chance of moving to 2nd or possibly 1st), and Zook in last with a chance of moving to third.

Aesthetically I have to say Stump Smash is my personal favorite.

Bear in mind that only Stump Smash and Stealth Elf are currently available for the Life Element grouping.

I'll come back and open up some new polls shortly.  Thanks again for voting.

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone,

This was a very popular request basically since Empire of Ice came out...I said I didn't want to make another collection video until I had Wave 3 wrapped up, and since that happened and I continued to get regular requests, I figured I would give folks what they wanted.

I want to stress right now that the video will have all the release dates (that are best known to be accurate...things can change).  I personally think it is easier to see that type of stuff in print, so I prefer the blog.  I am linking this post FIRST THING in the video description.  I hope that folks will actually watch or read and find the info they want.  Here is the video:



And now for the text:

37 Unique Skylanders

There are 32 Skylanders.  If you include Dark Spyro (3DS Exclusive) and the Legendary Skylanders (Spyro, Bash, Chop Chop, and Trigger Happy) you have a grand total of 37.  I do not include SILVER or GOLD in the count because if you were to place one on the portal, they come up with a regular skin...that is the game does not recognize or make them appear as they look in the package.  The Legendary Skylanders actually do come up distinctly blue and gold for game play.

3 Silver Skylanders

-Boomer
-Dino-Rang
-Eruptor

3 Gold Skylanders

-Chop Chop
-Drill Sergeant
-Flameslinger

Blue Skylander(s)

-Bash

Unreleased Skylanders by Release Date

Easter

-Sunburn (Dragon's Peak Adventure Pack)
-Lightning Rod (Single and Triple Pack G)
-Ignitor (Single Pack Easter and Triple Pack H in June)(And yes, he is available via 3DS Starter Pack)
-Zook (Single Pack and Triple Pack G)

--Triple Pack G=Cynder, Lightning Rod, and Zook


June

-Camo (Single Pack and Triple Pack H)
-Warnado (Single Pack and Triple Pack H)

--Triple Pack H=Ignitor, Warnado, Camo

Later Summer-September

-Wham-Shell (Single Pack)

Alright, this topic seems to come up enough and have enough doubt/confusion with it to justify  this video and blog post.  Here is the video:



Basically what you want to do is enter the Skylander Management Screen (- button on Wii) and scroll over to "Mange."  Now, scroll down to "Ownership" and select "Yes" you want to take ownership of this Skylander.

You do not loose any progress when you do this.  All of your Heroics, money, upgrades, and level progression are fully transferred.

Those wanting to do this are likely victims of the Weapon Master Glitch.  There is no point in playing new characters and what not on a save file that you will never get a full completion on because of the inability to complete Chapter 21-22, so why not move the Skylanders and work toward your Accolade goals on a new save file?  That was my logic, and I am thankful we don't have to start from scratch completely.

This will also be helpful if you say traded your spare Stealth Elf for a friend's Voodood etc.  You can both take full ownership and have access to the Heroic Challenges as if the character was your very own from the beginning.  I think this is pretty simple and between this post and the video I do not foresee anyone having too much trouble.  If you do have questions, feel free to ask.

Here it is in laymen's terms:

How to Transfer Skylanders Without Loosing Any Data
1.  Open the save file you wish to transfer Skylanders to
2.  Place the Skylander you wish to transfer on the Portal of Power
3.  Open the Skylander's Screen (-button on Wii)
4.  Scroll over to the "Management" tab
5.  Scroll down to the "Ownership" button
6.  Click "Yes" I want to take ownership of this Skylander
7.  Repeat as needed
-You DO NOT LOOSE progress (level 1-10 etc), Heroic Challenge Stats, Upgrades, or Cash.  This is safe and will save you from having to start from scratch.

Man, what a pain.  While I had never seen a Double Trouble single pack, Cynder seems to be the most difficult Wave 3 Skylander to track down.  As of today, she is still bringing $50 or more on ebay and amazon...please do not pay that!  If you are patient, check your local stores, or can keep up with things online you can get Cynder for retail.  That said, let's take a look at the unboxing:


Cynder is the last Undead Element Skylander to be released (along with Chop Chop, Ghost Roaster, and Hex). She seems to have a really solid following, particularly for a character that so many of us have yet  to even get our hands on....and yes, I will record her Heroic Challenge as soon as possible, hopefully this weekend!!

Cynder still has some dark elements at work in her, even after Spyro defeated her.  Here is a look at her stats, as per the card:

Strength: 55
Defense: 75
Agility: 85
Luck: 45

I know she is getting rave reviews right now, but personally I'm not sure she will top Chop Chop, L-Chop, or Ghost Roaster in my personal rankings...I'll give her a fair shot though.

With Wave 3 first hitting the east coast (US) roughly around January 12th, I had still personally NEVER seen a single pack of Double Trouble in person.  I got lucky and found him available on GameStop.com...a few days later he is now ready to join the battle vs Kaos:



Before anyone says I'm crazy, I just demo'd my video and even through the camera it looks like Double Trouble's eyes follow you...it is really a pretty cool feature if it was intended...if not, I've probably spent way too much time playing around and looking for Skylanders.

Double Trouble is the last of the Magic Element Skylanders to be released and will complete the set giving you stat gains if you have the rest in place (Spyro, Voodood, and Wrecking Ball).

Double Trouble's slogan is Boom Shocka Locka (which is instant nostalgia with me as it reminds me of NBA JAM on the SNES, lol).

His stats (since I've been doing it since the beginning) are as follows:

Strength: 75
Defense: 50
Agility: 30
Luck: 90

I think Double Trouble is a nice character and I'll be interested to see how he upgrades.  You can also find his Heroic Challenge here:

Mayan Apocalypse got you down?  Well fear not, for Fall 2012 will feature Skylanders Giants!  So even if we are set on a course for imminent destruction, you will have something to unload the last bit of cash you won't be needing anymore!

Skylanders Giants aims to pick up with similar game play to Spyro's Adventure.  They promise more challenges and more expansive worlds.  There will be 8 Giants (one per element) and there should be one new, regular sized, Skylander per element.  So in theory, diehards from this title will only need 16 figures to complete the collection, although I'm sure it won't be that simple and we will likely see special releases and limited editions (pay attention to the Toys'R'Us partnership in the press release link).

I wasn't online until after work and got news of this straight from the twitter feed thanks to kris1118, dankwoah, and daphtaru...many thanks for the heads up.

You can view the official game trailer here:
http://www.skylanders.com/giants

TreeRex makes things look promising!  If you skim the new you can find a few screen shots of a couple more of the "new" Skylanders, which is funny since we still don't have Lightning Rod, Warnado, Camo, Zook, or Sunburn from Spyro's Adventure, lol.  Nonetheless, I am personally excited about it and I'm sure everyone else is.  One thing that bothers me is how the game is continually targeted (not just marketed) at kids.  This is a GREAT GAME...you do not have to shy away from the "elder" teens, 20 somethings, or beyond.  Market it to the kids, but acknowledge your full audience every once in awhile!

With the game already in the works, I doubt there will be major changes...likely just new elements via the Giants and what not.  I wouldn't bank on seeing online battle modes or anything like that.  The best news of the sequel is that all of our Skylanders we know and love from Spyro's Adventure will be forward compatible,a trend I hope they continue as this series will likely continue to grow.

If Activision reads this I would love to at least get a means to control the camera...that isn't asking much!  Also, more enemies in the levels would be a nice touch, and if you release an EXCLUSIVE Skylander...DO NOT RESCIND ON THAT LABELING!!  Another personal thought is that it might be cool to have a "mini-boss" wearing a hat.  That way instead of opening a present, you can bash a bad  guy, get some experience points, and take their hat.  Not sure anyone else thinks this would be a good idea, but I do and I figure what the heck, lol.

Dankwoah on Twitter shot me this link:

http://investor.activision.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=646775 has this information from an Activision Press Release and Acquire Media.  It provides a pretty good synopsis of what to expect.

You can catch a few screen shots here:
http://wii.nintendolife.com/games/wii/skylanders_giants/screenshots

I posted that one for a reason...note Flynn standing in the screen grab...BOOM!  ACES!  I am glad he is coming back and I hope they will keep the same voice actors.

Here is a link to some gameplay footage shot at the announcement:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PY4hULaqHpc

You can scan the net and find a lot more...including a couple shots of another giant and another Skylander.  I'll let you do that on your own.

And just to update on my end, I have Slam Bam's Heroic Challenge (Part 69) and Empire of Ice (Parts 70-71) live on YouTube.  I should also be getting Cynder and Double Trouble in today (Wednesday) or tomorrow.  Look for their unboxings and the 3DS unboxing soon!

Keep your fingers crossed this game is even better than Spyro's Adventure and won't feature the weapon master (couldn't help myself).  It looks promising and I plan to pick it up as soon as it comes out!

Well, good things come to those who wait...

I was finally able to score Cynder and Double Trouble, both in Single Pack form, today on GameStop.com.

I know I could have saved a buck or two at Target or Walmart, but the fact of the matter is with both of these being Wave 3 the scalpers will keep raiding stores every morning while normal people are at work, at school, or sleeping to head to a PM shift.

I have spent so much time and gas money putting around town once or twice a week it is ridiculous.  I do that because a lot of times employees will just say, "We are sold out" and then you can walk in and find a full shelf of Drobot, Prism Break, and Flameslinger.  It is kind of sad really.

GameStop upped single packs to $9.99 a while back (and I was told it is just to match Toys'R'Us), but despite paying the extra $1-2 the fact I don't have to worry about it, track it down, or spend more fuel trying to make it happen some random night is well worth the time and money.

There is no real rule of thumb to catching stock on GameStop.com.  If you recall, Empire of Ice had been "unavailable" all day and then at 3 AM it was magically "in stock."  I clicked "buy" and it headed my way...within 10 minutes it was "unavailable" again.

Today it was my lunch break when Cynder was available, something I'd only seen once 2 weeks ago.  I figured I should just cash in and pay freight (which is cheaper than gas, lol).  I also got Double Trouble in single pack form because I'm still irate that they deceptively labelled Drill Sergeant and Whirlwind "exclusives."  (The Heroic Challenge I did was recorded "thru the pack" lol...I"ll just keep that one boxed for "evidence").

Cynder was available about till 1:20 my time...I ordered around 12:30 or so...Double Trouble stayed up until my afternoon break, which was 3:30ish.  I checked all last week and never saw either available in Single Pack form.

I still think Toys'R'Us should be releasing Wave 3 soon...my local store has not had ANYTHING Wave 3.  I know some of you on the east coast have told me you found Empire of Ice at your local TRU...not the case here.  I will keep checking stock at a few places just to update everyone, and I do want another Empire of Ice for a friend's birthday...I was bummed I couldn't just order it online today with Cynder and Double Trouble, but you guessed it...it wasn't available!

Anyway, the good news is I ordered them and they have already shipped since it happened early.  I *think I will wind up with them Wednesday or Thursday.  I will try and get the unboxings and Heroic Challenges up ASAP (well Cynder's HC anyway...already did DT's!).

Oh, and I have not forgotten the 3DS unboxing...I'll work on that this week.

As of right now I am going go introduce Slam Bam, play the Heroic Challenge, and maybe take on Empire of Ice!!!

I will try to get to comments later this week...I didn't get notice on the blog ones, which I try to hit before YouTube, so I might shoot for those tomorrow.

See you on the ice!

Blog Poll #11 should be hot, lol..."Who is Your Favorite Fire Element Skylander?"

This one is a bit short due to Sunburn not coming out and Ignitor being limited to 3DS Starter Packs at this time. That said, make use of the Soul Gem for Ignitor and try to research Sunburn a bit to make up your mind.  With Sunburn being so unique, I figure many that vote would have gone that way regardless.  Nonetheless, here your choices:

-Eruptor
-Flameslinger
-Ignitor
-Sunburn

Eruptor and Flameslinger are of the old guard and most of you have them (although I do get a few folks saying they can never land Flameslinger).  I just got Ignitor a few days ago for my birthday and I have to say, I think you will enjoy him if you have not played yet.  Sunburn is likely to have a following from the dragon crowd and despite not having access to the Soul Gem (Dragon's Peak), we do get a taste of the moves in the mine levels where we battle for the Eternal Fire Source.

But as of now, the polls are open!  They will stay that way or 10 days so vote now and tell your friends to do he same for their favorite Fire Element Skylander!

Well, this is another poll you almost hate to post based on the fact that activision has decided to try and keep the hype up on this game until June...We won't be seeing Camo or Zook until way later in the year, but we will proceed on anyway.  My best advice remains to check out the Soul Gem previews to help make your decision...it is hard without playing the Skylander and knowing what upgrade paths are etc, but it is the best we can do.  Here are your choices:

-Camo
-Stealth Elf
-Stump Smash
-Zook

I know there are a lot of Stealth Elf followers and Stump Smash is one of the cooler designed characters.  The Poll will run 10 days so spread the word and cast your vote now!

I will likely run these same polls later in the summer when all 4 are released.

Well, Poll #9 "Who is Your Favorite Air Element Skylander?" has officially closed.  We had 107 which should make for a nice sampling...thanks to all who voted!

It is interesting to note, as pointed out in the recap of Blog Poll #8, that there were 7 fewer votes here than for the "Water Element" Poll.  I think this is solely due to the fact we only have 2 Air Element Skyanders.  I hate running polls with results that could be skewed, but I'll likely go back later when we have access to all 32, cough 37, Skylanders.  Just take solstice in the fact that I am an individual and enthusiast...it doesn't tick me off as much to see someone like myself run a poll as it does to see the official Skylanders facebook or Twitter set up grudge matches between characters that aren't out yet, lol.  Like I've said, my best advice for the polls is to go with the Soul Gem previews.

All that aside, let's get down to business:

1. Sonic Boom 42 Votes (39%)
2. Warnado 27 Votes (25%)
3. Lightning Rod 23 Votes (21%)
4. Whirlwind 15 Votes (14%)

Okay, so the top honors go to Sonic Boom.  Is anyone surprised? I have to say, Sonic Boom has a been great for me.  Her roar attack is great as it somehow gets "pedestal enemies" making life much easier (provided you are going for the enemy goals etc).  The damage she does just getting the primary attack maxed out BEFORE even choosing an ugprade path is amazing.  And, not to take anything away, but she is by far the most readily available of the 4 Air Element Skylanders.

Warnado came in second place with a very solid 1/4 of the vote...and he isn't even out yet!  I have to say that I, like many of you must agree, think Warnado looks like an awesome character...plus I have a soft spot for turtles turned heroes, lol.  He looks cool and the fact you've got the "underdog" turtle if you will combined with wicked weather elements makes for a very sweet combination.  Once I play Warnado, he could easily bump Sonic Boom on my personal list.

Lightning Rod, who just looks awesome, came in third place with a pretty respectable 23 votes, just 4 behind his fellow late release companion, Warnado.  The only real feedback comment wise I remember on Lightning Rod was someone griping about his look etc.  I've been saying this since before Wave 3 came out, but the "remaining" Skylanders I was most excited about were: Slam Bam, Warnado, Lightning Rod, and Camo in that order.  The votes could easily shift between Sonic Boom, Warnado, and Lightning Rod once folks have them and they are fully upgraded.

Whirlwind brought up the rear...which kind of surprised me.  Granted, in my personal ranks I would have her here too, but the feedback on YouTube and in emails has been overwhelmingly pro-Whirlwind.  I was sort of surprised to see her get beat out by BOTH unreleased Air Element Skylanders.  She isn't a horrible character, but in my opinion doesn't compete with Sonic Boom and I'm 95% sure I will like playing Warnado and Lightning Rod better, which must be a sentiment I share with voters.  I have heard that fully upgraded she has a "great" secondary path, but this stuff is all really subjective, as indicated by the votes.
The only other thing I can say in her defense is that she WAS an EXCLUSIVE.  I had a heck of a time finding Drill Sergeant, like a few of you, but it seemed far more people had trouble with tracking down Whirlwind...I even know several people who payed north of $50 just to get her.  And then of course, activision rescinded the exclusive label, and threw her AND Drill Sergeant in a Triple Pack with Wave 3's Double Trouble (and yes, I am still livid about this...scroll down on the blog for a post dedicated to this cowardly act by activision!).

But hey, all that aside, you made the calls and cast your votes...Sonic Boom was the clear winner this round (I may run these same polls late in the summer now that I think about it...just to compare).  Thanks to everyone who votes and with this post I will open up Blog Poll #11: "Who is Your Favorite Fire Element Skylander?"

The polls have closed for Poll #8: Who is Your Favorite Water Element Skylander...many thanks to everyone who voted.  Here is the breakdown:

1. Zap 40 Votes (35%)
2. Slam Bam 33 Votes (28%)
3. Gill Grunt 24 Votes (21%)
4. Wham-Shell 17 Votes (14%)

Let's examine the 114 votes in detail.  First off, this quartet got 7 more votes than Air Element Skylanders, and there is good reason for that...We won't be seeing 2 of the 4 Air Element Skylanders for quite some time.  The Water Element has 3 of the 4 Skylanders available.  The big issue here is that many of you have likely not gotten to play Slam Bam yet as the Empire of Ice, in large part thanks to Skyland Pirates buying up all the new stock and hocking it at the bay of evil.  To be honest, I haven't either!  I was lucky enough to find it online last week, ordered it, unboxed it, but have not played..although I should as soon as all this is updated!!

That said, Zap is the clear favorite over Gill Grunt.  I'd have to say that Slam Bam did pretty good considering the issue at hand.  Wham-Shell is the one you have to question the results on as no one has played him and thus we can't really pass fair judgment...but like I've said, there is no point in waiting till June to try and figure this stuff out.  I feel like the best thing to do is find the Soul Gems and use that as a preview.

It is interesting because the results here do not often reflect comments on the YouTube vids.  I know a lot of people that shall we say "aren't happy" are far more likely to post.  It is just human nature.  A lot of people will watch a video and enjoy it without "liking it" or leaving a "great, Zap was awesome comment."  On the flip side, an overzealous Slam Bam Portal Master or envious starter pack only Portal Master might say "Zap #@$%*!!!! HE IS #$*&^@!!!"  That is pretty accurate as these people tend to also type in ALL CAPS...guess it goes with the territory.

That said, the last batch of comments I got to had quite a bit of negativity on Zap.  Personally I think he is great and the reason is his speed and secondary/tertiary attacks.  I had trouble finding a character to carry a bomb to an area with a prism to blow up before the timer would expire...I tried quite a few, including Stealth Elf, and came up empty...Zap did it in record time!  I think he will come in very useful for the time goals if anyone pursues them (I used him in Ch 1 and Ch 2 that I didn't record to do just that!).

Slam Bam...well...he just looks awesome.  He is totally unique in that he is based on an "ice" environment.  Toss in the fact you get him only in an adventure pack that includes the Empire of Ice and it seems folks build more of an attachment to these Skylanders (Terrafin one and Ghost Roaster did pretty well).  I have really been looking forward to playing as him and Warnado/Lightning Rod, although that won't happen for what seems like an eternity.

Gil Grunt has the mass effect going for him...that is virtually anyone with the game, sans 3DS Owners, got him in the Starter Pack.  I think the big reason he didn't fare well is two-fold.  First off it is hard to stack up with Zap's speed and Slam Bam's design and uniqueness.  Second, and perhaps most important, he is kind of slow.  I know he gets the jet pack, but it is still not that quick.  I have to say his Soul Gem power up (which I have) isn't as great as I had hoped.  It sort of takes awhile to fire and then often times just doesn't (hard to explain, but if you play with him you know what I mean).  He is a solid character, just lacks the speed and uniqueness in our top two vote-getters.

Lastly we have Wham-Shell.  You have to admit that this is kind of where you figured he would be...Kudos to those that have researched the Skylanders and think his Soul Gem warranted a vote.  He does look pretty cool and in the preview the mace looks like it has a lot of potential, but until we have played as Wham-Shell it is just too much of a wild card...He really doesn't get a fair shot here, but I'm still not sure he would have over taken Zap or Slam Bam (especially if you put all 3 in the hands of most players).

So, there you go...Zap is your favorite Water Element Skylander!  Thanks again for voting and with this recap I will open up Blog Poll #10: "Who is Your Favorite Life Element Skylander?"

Well not much too exciting our out of the norm from tonight's trip to town...

Toys'R'Us had NOTHING and the guy I spoke to said they still haven't gotten a shipment in...I still hold firm to my belief that their next batch (which I thought would be this week) will have a slew of Wave 3 Characters.

Target had Drobot...an employee confirmed stock is gone right after opening.

The Walmart with the best stock had Prism Break and Drobot...including a few stashed and some open packages where someone had obviously just stolen the figure...

GameStop had the SonicBoom triple pack (I was shocked...guess the pirates aren't getting good return on it or something?).

Oh, and a fellow Portal Master and manager at a GameStop told me Best Buy had Dragon's Peak.

WHAT?  Yeah...that was my thoughts.  This wasn't supposed to come out and certainly not without fan fare. I seriously doubt we were the first to get the shipment (like I said, we tend to lag 7-10 days behind everyone else).  One of his contacts texted him this morning...and he swooped in to get a set (see people working toghether, but neither him, his friend who reported the finding, or the others he sent bought more than 2).

They story goes they had 2 boxes...

When I got there they had Drobot.  And believe me I asked...I can't remember if I bothered to say how much I dislike Best Buy, but if not let me do so now, "I really dislike Best Buy."  Granted, I'd phrase it differently, but I try to keep things PG for the most part.  The person I asked tonight was pretty nice and willing to help...sadly he was the only one who seemed to think "going and looking" was a good idea for the night...the employee over him and the manager preferred to sing along to the overhead music and make sure they earned  their checks.

But yeah, you heard it hear...Dragon's Peak at best buy!  I hope it hits better retailers soon or comes up online as I have not been able to complete with the unemployed, early AM pirates of Skylands.

I skim the forums all the time and have not heard anyone else mention the AP being out...this guy is credible and has no reason to lie...he also said he had never gotten it in and they have still only had 1 Cynder to his knowledge.

So yeah, another mundane update...with a wicked little twist.

You better believe I'll keep this in mind as I try to land Double Trouble and Cynder...

Well, I finally tracked down the Empire of Ice and got it in the mail today...here is the unboxing:


Empire of Ice is the 3rd Adventure Pack released and should retail for $19.99.  Toys'R'Us has yet to have any Wave 3 shipments here locally...and I figure when they arrive at Toys'R'Us they will get the quantity GameStop, Target, and Walmart have had the past few weeks COMBINED.  But keep in mind, Toys'R'Us also charges $24.99 for Triple Packs and Adventure Packs. Your best bet to land the Empire of Ice is to get an employee to feel sorry for you coming in all the time and leaving empty handed...and yes, I'm serious.  If that won't work, GameStop.com is the only retailer that actually seems to update their stock regularly.

Walmart's pre-orders closed a long time ago and Toys'R'Us had it listed Sunday (1/30), but sold out by Monday.

For those that don't know, "Wave 3" basically consists of Empire of Ice, Double Trouble, and Cynder.  Double Trouble is available in a single pack (never seen one in person yet) and a triple pack that never should have been with Whirlwind and Drill Sergeant.  Cynder will eventually be released in a triple pack, but that is months down the road.

I had tried and tried to get Empire of Ice, which was expected to hit January 16th, but actually wound up being spotted and bought in east coast stores on January 12th.  I don't think we had one hit town where I am at until 7+ days later.

And when I say there are people that go and buy everything up in the video, that isn't for dramatics.  I've had confirmation from managers at GameStop and employees at Target that a band of ladies is running around my town picking up every Skylander they can...clearly these rag-tag ebag pirates don't have jobs or school like the rest of us (hence why I asked SkylandersGame on Twitter to have Activision sell direct...guess who never got a response?).

So one night when I was working my way through the second save file (thanks weapon master gltich!) I stopped and checked stock just for the heck of it...It was like 3 AM and the "Unavailable" from 2 AM switched to "Buy Now."  I figured what the heck, hit the button, and now I have Empire of Ice!

And just to help you out I thought that might be a "stock" time for the online offerings....not the case...I've not only monitored Double Trouble and Cynder, but also regular Wave 1 and Wave 2 releases...I've determined it just updates in sync with the programming...You will basically just have to look and hope you get lucky.

Now with all of that completely unnecessary stuff out of the way, let's take a look at the pertinent info (granted, if there wasn't this mad hysteria to buy and resale Skylanders on the black market I would have already done that).

Anyway, Empire of Ice will be Chapter 23 on your console versions of the game.  I have no clue why activision released them out of order...but that seems to be about par for them in all honesty.

This looks like a great level...it will be totally unique to the others given it is going to be an ice/snow stage.  Slam Bam will only be available in this Adventure Pack and he looks like an awesome character.  He is the 3rd Water Element Skylander to be released (Gill Grunt=1, Zap=2, and Wham-Shell will=4).  His slogan is fittingly, "Armed and Dangerous" and his story consists of being on a remote glacier where he ice surfed and made sculptures until Kaos destroyed it and sent the blistered berg floating thru Skylands...eventually landing on Eon's Skyland where he was taken in and trained to be a Skylander.

Let's take a look at his card's stats:
-Power: 85
-Armor: 85
-Agility: 40
-Luck: 35

Also included with Empire of Ice is the Sky-Iron Shield and Anvil Rain.

The AP comes with cards and web codes for each item and of course, stickers.

If you have had a hard time finding it, I would suggest you wait until Toys'R'Us gets a shipment...which I think will make availability much more omnipresent.  I seriously doubt scalpers are going to waltz in and buy 40-50 $25 Adventure Packs, but then again the way they work in my town I wouldn't be completely shocked if that was the case.

I will keep everyone posted on how things pan out with the local stock as I would like to land one more for a friend's birthday.

If you've got any questions or comments just let me know.  I will introduce Slam Bam and play his Heroic Challenge as soon as I can...I'll likely follow that with a recording of Empire of Ice (great time to level up more Skylanders for the coming battle with Kaos!).