Mr. Chris Goes to Cleveland – Pt I: Skylanders

Thus begins the chronicle of my monumental journey throughout the midwest over this recent winter/holiday break. To begin our journey, let me tell you about a far off place called the Dragon Realms, where sky pirates and dragons duel. Within this realm there is a place known as Skylands, home to the Skylanders, creatures who wield the powers of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Magic, Tech, Life, and even the Undead. In their off time, they double as plastic kids toys and video-game merchandise.

Not having kids of my own, it appears I am a bit behind the times, as apparently Skylanders are all the rage with the 6-12 age group, and I can see why. The basic concept is pretty fascinating for the latest incarnation of this, which combines physical action figures, an interactive RFID based base “Portal” which senses which characters are placed on it, and a multi-system videogame interface which brings those physical characters to life within the game. By simply swapping out characters on the portal you can swap characters in the game.

Here’s a look at the gameplay with the Stealth Elf character:

The game itself is pretty amusing, and while I only had the chance to play for a few minutes, watching two 6-7 year olds playing was fairly amusing. It’s truly amazing how far video games have come since the days of the Atari 2600 paddle and joystick. Now you can play with Tree Rex and the Stealth Elf. What’s not to like about that? To read more of my continuing midwest adventures, read Pt 2, The Doctor.

Until next time…Skylanders! To battle!

###