Skylanders Spyro's Adventure Starter Pack for Xbox 360

Co-Op Is So Fun & Very Kid-Friendly!

The new Spyro is different from the original PS1 Spyro series in many ways (most notable, Spyro is just one of many characters you can choose as your PC), but it's really a ...Read complete review

The new Spyro is different from the original PS1 Spyro series in many ways (most notable, Spyro is just one of many characters you can choose as your PC), but it's really a lot of fun. It's the first game with traditional controls that my four-year-old son and I have played co-op together, and it's very well done: beautiful graphics, varied environments, good amount of loot to collect, about the right level of challenge for a kid (with the option to make it tougher on yourself by trying to collect everything), nice variety of characters with differing abilities, good character upgrades to work toward, etc. We are absolutely having a blast playing it together.That said, it's kind of an unabashed cash grab, due to the toy tie-in. To unlock all of the various areas, you need at least eight figures (one for each element), and only three are included with the game. Just buying five extra figures isn't such a big deal ([$] each, or [$] for a 3-pack), but eventually, there will be a total of 30+ characters and four adventure pack toys sets (which function as expansion packs, [$] each), and of course my kiddo will want to collect them all. And, frankly, I actually like the buggers too. They're awfully cute. So it's an expensive proposition if you're the kind of person who must collect everything, but if you aren't, it's not so bad $-wise. (Two truly funny Penny Arcade comics about this on their website.)Even for us, though, I feel like it's worth it because my son plays with the figures so much when he's not playing the game itself. He just plays with them imaginatively, carries them around the house making up stories about them, etc. So he's getting full value out of those toys, lol. :)Btw, I should re-emphasize that we're playing this game on the 360. The 3DS version of Skylanders is 1-player only, and it's different from the home console versions from what I've played so far. The home console versions all have drop-in/drop-out co-op, and it's more of an adventure game with light RPG elements. The 3DS version we've played just a bit. It's more of a platformer, and it's a little too hard for my son to make progress on it alone, though I think he'll grow into it. So far, I've been playing through some of the levels while he watches, and then he plays with all of the characters in the sanctuary area, swapping them in and out to see their abilities, change their hats, and practice using the controls. He also like to play with the little 3DS Portal on his own with the little plastic characters when we're not playing the game itself (just imaginative play with the toys).On final note: One difference between the 360 version of this game and most of the other versions is that the Skylanders Portal for the 360 is wired. We actually like the wired portal, as there are never any connection issues (sometimes a little finicky with the 3DS version), and we don't have to use any batteries for it. (The PS3 and Wii Portals apparently take 3 AAs, and the 3DS Portal takes 3 AAAs.) To me, the fact that we just plug it into the system and don't have to use batteries is a nice advantage of the 360 version, as compared to the PS3, Wii, and 3DS versions.