The big thing in video games these days are collectable toys that unlock characters and levels on the screen. Placing the plastic figurine on a USB peripheral magically transports them into the game and then automatically saves progress back to the toy.
Skylanders is the game that started the trend and has just announced this year's version Skylanders SuperChargers. This time it includes toy vehicles as well as toy characters. Placing the vehicle on the 'Portal' peripheral plugged in to your Xbox, Nintendo or PlayStation lets you drive them in the game.
Each vehicle has a companion SuperCharger character that can modify and customise how the ride looks and performs in the game. As you progress more modification options are unlocked.
The game comes in a Starter Pack with a car and two characters to get you started. There are also air and sea based vehicles but you have to buy those on top if you want to play in those parts of the game.
A nice way to cut costs this year is to opt for the Portal Owners pack. This is for people who already have a collection of Skylander figurines and a previous game. By downloading the new game you don't need to purchase a starter pack and can enjoy the game for much less.
The game offers family friendly combat and fighting with no blood and only cartoon violence. Whether this is appropriate for you family can quickly be determined by watching some of the game-play footage here.
Another nice touch for families is the inclusion of two player co-op. Here two players of different abilities can enjoy the game together both on foot and in vehicles. When in a car one player drives while the other player shoots.
Skylanders is a game that offers a lot of fun but parents should be aware that to collect all the characters will lost hundreds of pounds. With just the Starter Pack however you can complete the whole game. Then add in a few more characters and vehicles as nice pocket-money extras.
Skylanders SuperChargers will be released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, iPad, Nintendo Wii U. This year we don't get the full game on the Wii but there is a complementary offering on Wii and 3DS. The game releases September 20 in North America, September 25 in Europe.
