With Tom’s ‘this totally deserves its own thread’ jab, I thought I should go ahead and split this off from the Giants thread. So to that end, the next iteration of the Skylanders brand hits this Sunday (October 13th) for current gen systems then again in November for the next gen releases. I have already said a lot about the franchise:
Skylander Swap Force preview is here (soon to be released third Skylander game)
My attempt to show the potential to a traditional “grizzled” gamer can be seen here
Skylander Giants (the second Skylander game that was released last year) review is here
If you don’t have half a day to digest the above, the short of it is a completely rebuilt graphics engine is being used, the new mechanic is mix-and-match break apart Skylanders, and I enjoy the franchise not only a parent, but also just a gamer tinkering around with MOBA-like “ability bundles” long after Kiddo’s bedtime.
Now, I expect I will have one or two-thousand more words to say about Swap Force soon, but it can be quite a headache navigating the retail element over more traditional games. To that end I offer the following roadmap:
Toys R Us infamously sells Skylanders at above MSRP. They also have the best (and often only) sales, hooking into the “mark up then discount” philosophy mostly reserve for department stores. Still they come out ahead if you take advantage of all of their discounts:
[ul]
[li]TRU is rumored to be having a buy one, get on 40% off at launch (not as good as it sounds given MSRP adjustments)[/li][li]They have a 20% off a single Skylander item coupon online or in store ads now (use this for the starter)[/li][li]Their matching policy seems to indicate they will price match after BOGO discounts so you should be able to match MSRP on only the full price item after the BOGO discount[/li][li]Rewards members (their sign up discount/ purchase tracking) thingy is giving 10% back on a gift card in November up to $100 for all purchases (Skylanders or otherwise) until the end of October[/li][li]Rewards members also get a free Gill Grunt character later if they spend $100[/li][li]Some TRUs are doing midnight launches store list here[/li][/ul]
If you are lucky enough to have found a Fritos 20 count Giants party bag, there is not only a code an uber rare Sidekick inside, but also a handy $10 off Swap Force Starter coupon that is a manufacturers coupon, so it should stack with other discounts.
Pre-order pretty much anywhere for a free Lightcore Hex (from Giants, but not out)
Pre-order cards are sold at Target for $1 and have a chip inside that unlocks an in game upgrade (rumored to be an alien hat)
Gamestop has some kind of buy 6 get one free deal for the Skylanders Club which is a brand new signed up for sub-set of their power up rewards. This also has some ‘win all the Swappable Skylanders’ gimmick (I mean contest) as well
The usual exclusives (different colored Skylanders) can be hunted down
[ul]
[li]Gold and Blue “Legendary” figures at TRU[/li][li]Black and white “enchanted” Skylanders at Wal Mart[/li][li]Gold and pale yellowish “Nitro” Magna Charger at Traget (part of a 2 pack)[/li][/ul]
As always, deals can probably be found as the holidays approach. I expect a few BOGO type deals and the pattern seems to be to offer heavy discounts on the starters around Black Friday. Starters for the previous games are currently on the cheap and I would not be surprised to see some kind of free starter of previous game with blah type deals. That said, the characters themselves (especially exclusives) can be real tough to find as the holidays get closer. Also I have noticed TRU seemingly clearing out Giants and Spryro Adventure items recently. The giants themselves are easier than ever to find, but expect the wave 3 and 4 ones that I never saw in the wild until a few weeks ago will be impossible to find and very wanted a few months from now.
So there are the retail nuts and bolts to hopefully save someone from forum surfing and googling until their head explodes.