I have a 3 year old. He likes to play video games with his daddy. Anytime the PlayStation 3 chirps to life, he comes running into the room asking what we are going to play. We? Yes, we.
In the haze of Thanksgiving evening, my stomach stuffed with Mexican food, my wife and I headed out to Walmart. Walmart was having some early sales and we wanted in. Walking into the store, my wife and I separated. She went to wrestle for a bike for our son; I went to buy an Xbox 360 bundled with Skylanders for myself. Sounds fair, right?
Skylanders
Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure is the game I wish I had growing up. Developed by Toys For Bob, Skylanders integrates action figures, NFC technology, and good old fashioned RPG mechanics. My son and I have spent hours playing the game. In fact, we have one more level to complete as of this writing.
Being 3 years old, my son has a hard time controlling games that use a 3D plane. So, we have worked out a system where he sits on my lap, I control the character, and he controls the fire button. Perfect solution. I will note that this solution crumbles any time Skylanders decides to become difficult (ANY boss fight). During those times, I take over and kick the crap out of Kaos.
Overall, I have enjoyed the game. Playing with my son has given us an activity for “Boy’s Club” and has certainly improved his video gaming skills. Skylanders represents the first game we will have beaten together. How cool is that? There is nothing better than sharing your hobby with your kids.
JohnnyBGamer 
Yay for videogames with daddy! I love this post and this story. Short and snappy! I like it! But I’m even more intrigued by the fact that you’re one of the few guys writing about this game. In any case, I’m stoked to hear that you’re playing this.
Any chance you’re super excited about the Disney Infinity thing?
LikeLike
I really try to keep my posts short. Walls of text cause me to start spacing out. Thanks for the compliment!
I am not excited about Disney Infinity. To me, Disney Infinity represents a massive money grab by Disney. Let me explain:
With Skylanders your characters are able to retain character levels, items, and power-ups; With Disney Infinity, you’ll have to buy power-ups through randomized packs ($$), as well as actual game levels (if I remember correctly). Skylanders is already a money grab as you have to own a character from each element in order to access element-specific levels within levels. I think Disney Infinity is going to take the Skylanders model and dig deeper into parental pockets. BOO! (Note: I love Disney.)
LikeLike
Thanks for the explanation! I wasn’t a big fan of Kingdom Hearts, but I think it might still reign as the better Disney game. Time will tell!
LikeLike