I thought so too...
Anyway, I have been insanely busy. I still make it a point to respond to blog comments every night, and I believe I have been able to hit Twitter and Facebook comments as well. YouTube comments are still backlogged...big time. Like I've said, I'll get to them...eventually.
Skylanders Update
Camo, Warnado, and Wham-Shell
The biggest question I have been getting lately is: "Do you have Wave 5 yet?," or, "Is your collection complete?"
To answer that...it is pending
Yeah, I know, great answer right, but that is how it stands.
Amazon Pre-Order: Camo, Warnado, and Wham-Shell
I got in on the Amazon pre-order of Camo, Warnado, and Wham-Shell on April 18th, right as Wham-Shell was appearing in stores here in the US.
I figured to give it a week and they would ship. I was right...about a week later, several folks started getting their Camo and Warnado.
I wasn't too worried as I figured they were just waiting on Wham-Shell before shipping my order (you bet I'm cheap and opted for FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING!). In all honesty, Amazon is awesome. I've never had an issue with them, their prices are lower than TRU and GameStop, and if you order $25 or more you get free shipping.
I have noticed the last few days (basically since Thursday of last week) folks have been getting shipping confirmation AND their Camo and Warnao figures. Oddly enough, a few people have reported Amazon dividing their order and shipping Camo & Warnado while holding off on Wham-Shell...and yes, they also opted for free Super Saver Shipping.
So, all along the idea was to wait on Amazon unless I found the final three locally...and yeah, no dice there (which is why I pre-ordered in the first place, lol).
GameStop Triple Pack: Camo, Ignitor, and Warnado
The big news here went down about 24 hours ago. For whatever reason, I got my work done and decided to LOG IN to GameStop. I did that and via the Wishlist I had access to Ignitor, Camo, and Warnado singles...oh, and the Triple Pack.
I have Ignitor from the 3DS Starter Pack, but when I can pay $19.98 for Camo and Warnado, or $19.99 for Camo, Warnado, AND Ignitor I will take the Triple Pack. Ignitor is certainly a character I won't mind having the option of upgrading down a second upgrade path, especially for a penny.
And as usual, GameStop got it processed overnight, and I should have it here on Thursday...pretty sweet imo! As promised, as soon as I have it in hand I will unbox it, introduce Camo and Warnado, and then record their Heroic Challenges.
Gameplay Progress
This is the other big question. As stated, I am simply taking Skylanders up through the Heroic Challenge ladder. I have said that I will record a big upgrade video and that remains the plan...however, I want to see what the last three Heroic Challenges will be like (I hate spoilers, so I don't read or watch anything on them...it just takes away from the experience that you can only get the first time).
I should have Warnado and Camo to check out late this week so that will be a big plus. If their Heroic Challenges are simple (ie having an upgraded Skylander is a benefit and doesn't make things a nightmare (cough, Double Trouble's challenge, cough), I can possibly record the mass upgrade video
The latest to hit the 29/32 mark (best I can do for now) is Dino-Rang, a very underappreciated Skylander in my opinion.
Next Video
Take all that stuff I just rambled off above and you can likely deduce the next video should be up somewhere between Thursday night and Saturday. It will of course be the unboxing and Heroic Challenges.
Local Skylanders Stock
Target
For the first time in a long time, Target had a nice stock pile when I went in...I was all geared up to take the pic and then a lady invaded the frame. I tried to wait her out, but she was diligently combing the entire section of Eruptor, Drobot, and Wrecking Ball likely hoping for a Wave 4 or Wave 5 score. I started to stop her, but she didn't exactly have a friendly demeanor. In fact, I think if I had Warnado in my hand she would have ripped it out...
Toys'R'Us
I have to say, my theory that old Skylanders aren't moving is definitely standing. For the second time ever, I saw Empire of Ice at Toys'R'Us AND for the first time ,more than one of them! They had tons of Darklight Crypt APs, and even a few Legendary Triple Packs, which I do believe had moved a bit.
As for the singles and triples, pretty much everything except for: Dino-Rang, Zap, and Voodood singles...I only think there was one Hex for what that is worth.
It was also the only picture I took, and once again my phone made things blurry, oh well....nothing you haven't seen before:
Oh, and those 8 pegs of Legendary Trigger Happy...Take that and multiply it by about 20 to get the grand total that was sitting in the big bin display that came in 4-6 weeks ago. And to think I didn't unbox my LTH when I got it because I thought it might be hard to come by, lol. Now that I think about it, I bet you 10:1 there are a lot of derogatory comments on that video. Oh well, at the time LTH really was hard to come by...one shipment went out and no one had a clue they'd be overly mass produced like this 6-8 weeks later.
GameStop
Not much here, but my local store did get Dragon's Peak in Thursday (I was off schedule and had to run in Friday). They also started keeping all the new stuff (Wave 3 and newer) behind the counter. The "used" bags holding noble Skylanders hostages is also picking up, but it mainly tends to be Starter Pack characters, Boomer, and Eruptor.
I did get a great story that the local scalper lady came in and they wouldn't sell to her...at all.
Blog Updates
Skylander Polls
The polls are coming along great, I am glad I let them run so long for these three. I don't really like how the "current" or "hot" item gets a big boost, but it has been a marked issue since the first poll. I will definitely re-issue the "favorite Skylander by element" poll series here in a few months when there won't be hype behind any one character.
I am really interested in the "Who is Your Favorite Skylander" poll which is the latest one. It is currently headed up by Warnado, with Camo and Wham-Shell performing well. I attribute this to the "new" and "hard to get" status of these figures. I like seeing the votes for Voodood or Flameslinger as I know that the folks voting for them are not doing it based on what is currently a big deal. That said, I think it will be up long enough to help balance things out.
The big shocker to me was the last Skylander to get a vote.
I'm sure everyone is thinking Boomer.
WRONG.
Dino-Rang, Hex, Stump Smash, and Boomer all held out with no votes for a few days, but the last to get a vote was Ghost Roaster. I was shocked by that.
I might launch some other polls while these wind down, or I might wait it out till they close...we'll see how it goes.
Currently Playing
Skylanders (Wii): Heroic Challenges and Cash Collecting
Wii Fit Plus (Wii): Pretty much a daily ritual, lol
Gold Gym's Cardio (Wii): I want to play every other day, but I've been too busy...it has basically been twice a week. That said, I really enjoy it and aside from having a nightmare of a time getting the "weaves" to register with the Wiimote+Nunchuck combo things are great. I'm really considering recording it, sans commentary (I'd need one heck of a USB extension for the headset)
Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS): Great game. Puzzles/logic/mystery doesn't float everyone's boat, but I enjoy them as a change of pace and challenge. This game is really enjoyable. I'm up to Chapter 7 at the Golden Garden dig site right now...I planned to play while going to bed, but my battery is down.
Currently Listening (New Section? Perhaps!)
Taylor Swift-Right now as I type and no, I don't care what you think.
Stone Temple Pilots/Theory of a Deadman-Auto Audio (in the car)
Conclusion
So, if you skipped down only glancing at the picture (I know people that skip down look at pictures, lol) here is what you need to know:
Camo/Warnado/Wham-Shell are pre-ordered from Amazon.
Camo/Ignitor/Warnado are slated to be here Thursday in Triple Pack form from GameStop.
My local stores are still pretty much 95% not likely to have any new Skylanders when I'm there.
I will record the unboxing and Heroic Challenges as soon as possible; They should be up this weekend.
Vote for your favorite Skylander, Adventure Pack Chapter, and Adventure Pack Character now!!
And with that, I'm publishing and going to hit the hay. Hope everyone is having good luck tracking down any Skylanders you are missing!
Geez, why doesn't that scalper stop being a greedy idiot, go get a job, and actually do something good for this world.
Reply DeleteWell she has a job...she works at Walmart where she intercepts new Skylanders, hot Christmas gifts (this explains the Wii shortage when it was new), and I'm sure other items that are limited or "hot" etc.
DeleteToys'R'Us corporate allegedly told them off and since all the GameStops are closely connected they are just as well known as "regulars," but for all the wrong reasons.
I'm pretty sure if she wasn't at Walmart I'd have been able to land Wave3-5 much easier.
It is sad people do that...I'd understand if you play it, or know what your kids need, but to just go and clean shelves ALL THE TIME looking to profit is just wrong.
I'd even accept buying 2 Camos to use one and keep the other as trade fodder for Warnado or something, but buying with the intent of flipping it online is just sad.
I literaly know what prices are based on the selection at Walmart, haha.