Light and shadow. 3. Skylanders game with some unsightly imperfections

I've played the previous two on the Wii and now wants to assess Skylanders Swap Force.
The first thing you notice when you play the game: The graph has changed since the development team
has partially changed. This followed positive and unfortunately also negative things. It is noteworthy also that the
Quality control for the first time in the history Skylanders was negligent. How else can one explain such a poor translation of the request, having to make a Skylander on the Portal. Because actually is "Please set Skylander on the magical portal". My 9-year-old daughter said the same, that would be wrong, it must of course "in the magical portal" hot. Unfortunately, we see this false text course often and it is always a minor annoyance. If you play in pairs is then there is "the magical portal", which is still a "n" too much. A "most magical mirror" is also awkward in "Mostly Magic Mirror" has been translated. Probably it had taken over suggestions of a translation program with no testing. This shows that a really ambitious program suddenly shows weaknesses with the change of the development team, which I would not have expected.

The idea of ​​integrating swap Skylanders, so the separate Skylander in the middle and let put back together in a different combination of course the cool idea par excellence, not for nothing that she is the namesake of the Subtitels has become. Beautiful they look, the figures have again a very good quality. The separation mechanism is solved ingeniously 2 north-south magnets. That is the right and is put together quickly without anything here in the future might wear. The cutscenes are well and fine for Wii ratios. The game's graphics I felt a bit strange in the first hour of play. The fact that the game engine is entirely new and the Wii is the least powerful console that supports the game was no longer safe rauszuholen. By the time you get used to quite quickly to the graphics, but it is bleating at a high level. For the graphic provides things that you did not look so previously. Camera movements, unusual perspectives, interesting mega hovers to other parts of the level, etc ..

The biggest drawback for me is quite severe: I have super liked to play the challenges in its predecessors. Each character had a very special own challenge level, which then could play any other Skylander. In previous GIANTS came together because of the 50 challenges that made a hell of fun and the Skylander auflevelten. One could thus leveling its Skylander almost like in RPGs targeted. Example: A slow Skylander made a few fast-improving challenges and already he was faster. I find this very great pity that all these challenges are fallen by the wayside. Although there are more than 40 so-called swap-force challenges, but the play more like Mario Party minigames and have to do with the actual game Skylanders very little. These challenges can only perform a few selected swap Force Skylander then each.

Another minus point, which is also connected with the new engine, the elimination of 4 very beautiful Adventure Pack is the 1st game levels SPYROS ADVENTURE, which could be released in the 2nd game GIANTS. The absence can get over it, since one can insert the old game.

That you can jump now is naturally beautiful. At the beginning, it is annoying, because this control had to be changed. Is bound with A, whereby the former A-attack was transferred to the C button. If you then times GIANTS plays again, you have to rethink again. Especially if you play savvy techniques under time pressure in nightmare level, often annoys you about the wrong key pressed. Jumping would not have been absolutely necessary, since you still can not jump over any edges. The jumps are not so obvious is represented by the blue "safety cushion".

Unfortunately, my game on the opening day has already crashed 5x and this even in his home village, not in a level, shortly after the change of a figure. The music plays on, but everything is frozen.
Since only helps to turn off the console and restart. Attention! If this happens you should absolutely be removed before restarting the game the characters from the portal. It happened to me once that a figure thus obtained a reset and suddenly Level 1 was and had lost all progress.

The game has improved over the arena area, since there are more possibilities. There are plenty of achievements. Among other things, will be happy ones that are already there from the beginning and have seen many Skylander. New players will resent more. Having There are actually 3 star achievement for the fact "32 grünumrandete Skylander" account. Veterans know, these are the figures of the first Skylanders game. So if you really want to create everything to 100%, not only has the new 32 + 16 newly imposed figures for swap Force have, but just all old. That is about 80 characters. Even for the so-called sidekicks toys there is a star, although these mini Skylander were to have only in the US. The Giants have a comeback, so there are special treasure chests that can only open a giant. For every 8 giant, there are again a star on the way to 100%. Collecting rages on and makes fun of course, but you should be sure that it is a costly affair again.

Here is a short list of over 6 hours discovered positive / negative points:

+ All old Skylanders figurines function and can reach up to Level 20.
+ Innovative swap Force figures with a total of 16x16 = 256 combinations and associated challenges
+ Own (but slightly less) tech tree with 2 alternative branches separately for the upper and lower part of the swap Force figures
+ Numerical damage display and special display of critical hit during the infliction of damage (very helpful)
+ There is a shadow figure. (At last)
+ The character change during the animation sequences is better resolved and brings no "Redraft warning" more.
+ The foresight in certain game sections is fine.
+ There is a very interesting, completely new lock puzzles that can be played by two, a kind of checkerboard-like obstacle game that can be solved with a little logic.
+ (As always) are very good cutscenes in watchable resolution thereby.
+ There are, fortunately, the same spokesperson for example, the characters Flynn and Master Eon.
+ There are several arena game types.

+/- A new portal is necessary. Wireless portals for the Wii thing of the past. So far, the Wii had both variants.
+/- All Skylander can now jump. This another control has become necessary. There are invisible walls and within the levels above which can not jump. Sometimes you have a feeling only 10cm high tab and then stops and has to jump. Sometimes you spingt on lying around barrels, etc. makes an attack and reach these treasures not because they are under a. Sometimes a bit annoying.
+/- Schade, Persephone has had its day. Instead, there is a more military-inspired character, which is now delivering to a improvements. Only the wing sapphires still recall Persephone.

- Unfortunately, a lot more bugs than its predecessor on the Wii. In particular Swarm appears in combination with certain hats to tend that the game freezes in the middle level. Is 2x succession happened to me in the same level.
- The new portal is no longer appropriate to the available at Amazon Battle Arena since the portal has a slightly larger diameter.
- Nickname from the two predecessors are not adopted and the console will apparently now within the memory object stored and no longer on the figure. It is not clear why ...
- The nickname of the upper / lower parts of the swap Force figures is unfortunately limited to only 8 characters.
- You have only now press the minus key in treasure chests and Hutkisten and then shake. Cumbersome.
- The key can not be pushed to the remote control with a gesture into the keyhole. It is only "-" pressed. Too bad, there goes back a little feeling on the Wii lost.
- Part blatant mistranslation, as already reported.
- No heroes challenges more (and therefore no longer about statistics). This is very, very unfortunate.
- Ancient Adventure packs no longer work. The pirate ship is ready to use as a short fire support in the game levels. The situation is similar with all other previous level free switching characters.
- The Drachenschatz item now works much simpler. Man no longer searches for a hidden treasure dragon, but has for a certain period a 2x bonus on the collected coins etc.
- Hats sit all somehow too high. It is in many Skylandern so that the hats float above the heads.
- Simpler, repetitive sequences of supporting characters who simply stand in levels just so. Even if they talk, the animation every 2-3 seconds repeatedly. This does not look true to life, but as a repeating loop. Being shot at these friends, nothing happens, no ouch, no animation, just nothing. Loveless. That was much better in its predecessors.
- The water looks (on the Wii) from significantly worse than on its predecessors.

Conclusion: With a little more quality control result would have been. For the minuses I prefer total from just one star, because the basic concept is still great and the swap-Force characters are very well done. Definitely still a buy recommendation.