Greetings fellow Portal Masters!

This past week at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany Activision and Vicarous Visions were out promoting Skylanders SWAP Force.  Just think of Gamescom as a trade show similar to E3, but in Eurpope and later in the year.

When you have such a massive audience to present your product to, do you rely on the same information you revealed 2-3 months ago in the US?  Nope...you capitalize on the opportunity and showcase new and different highlights.



Most of the attention thus far has gone to the new featured characters (Boom Jet, Grilla Drilla, Slobber Tooth, and Zoo Lou), and rightfully so.  That said, often times when there is an influx of new information, a lot of the smaller, less flashy elements get cast by the wayside.

*And yes, fear not, I'll be showcasing those 4 characters in the next blog posts and YouTube videos, lol.*

Something I have yet to see mentioned anywhere is the reveal of the new Gameplay Modes.




Again, this is likely due to the fact that the flashy stuff (artwork, high res photos of the figures, and of course the video clips) garner instant attention.  If you read the press release, it looks much like what we have seen and heard since we first learned of SWAP Force.  However, if you are diligent, and read the whole thing, coming for any juicy tidbits of information, or dropped character names, level info, enemy insights etc, you will be very surprised....

That is what happened to me when I read one of the final sections...it highlighted the new Gameplay Modes!  Yep, that's how excited I was when first reading it!  I got even more amped up reading about Solo Survival Mode...before I go into that, let me share what we read:

-Assortment of Gameplay Modes - Players will be able to experience various Survival and Battle Modes, all featuring vibrant, action-packed arenas and environments where Portal Masters can test the true strength of their Skylanders.

--Solo Survival Mode - Single player horde style mode where players must battle through waves of enemies.

--Team Survival Mode - Two-player co-op horde style mode where players must battle through waves of enemies.

--Rival Mode - Two player "versus" mode where both players must fend off waves of enemies; the player with the higher score wins.

--Battle Arena Mode - Player vs Player-style mode that lets Portal Masters pit their Skylanders against each other.

--Ring Out Mode - Players must fight to knock their opponents out of the battle arena

That is me typing the info out verbatim...I just added the periods.  This is BIG NEWS to be overlooked.  I was stoked to read it and now I'm glad to get to relay the information along to all of you.

I am personally the most excited about Solo Survival Mode, mainly due to the fact I usually play solo.

I do think I will enjoy Team Survival Mode and Rival Mode with my Nephew.  Ring Out Mode also sounds interesting...

All of this info is great, but leads a lot to speculate.  Will Solo Survival be akin to Brock's Arena Challenges in Giants?  Will we see regular enemies, or will there be Kaos' Dark Minions and old bosses?  Will Ring Out Mode deal damage, or just end with a force out?  There is a lot to wonder about and it all sounds very promising.

What Mode are you most looking forward to?  Do you envision yourself playing Team Survival, Rival, or Ring Out more than the classic Battle Arena Mode?  Let me know what you think in the comment section.

Be sure to stay tuned...coming up next I will move on to the more "flashy" side of things and cover the four focus characters of Gamescom...if you haven't seen the artwork, figures, and gameplay you are missing out...It is some cool stuff!  Stay tuned!