Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Bowser And Donkey Kong Skylanders Are A Pricey Pair
During its E3 2015 Direct video presentation, Nintendo and Activision revealed that a pair of familiar characters are coming to Skylanders Superchargers. Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser are great fits for the game, and they also can be used as Amiibos with the twist of the figure's base. If you'd like to collect both of the toys, however, it's going to cost you.
The Wii U Starter Pack includes Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and his Barrel Blaster, along with Super Shot Stealth Elf. The Wii and 3DS Starter Packs are slightly more villainous, including Hammer Slam Bowser and his Clown Cruiser, and Super Shot Stealth Elf.
The Nintendo figures and their respective vehicles won't be sold separately at retail. According to Activision, the companies are concerned that players on other devices might see the figures and assume that they'd work elsewhere. It's a fair assumption for consumers, considering that up until now, Skylanders toys have been platform agnostic. This new duo is for Nintendo systems only, period.
Players who want to grab both figures are left with a strange problem: They'll have to purchase a Wii U Starter Pack as well as either the Wii or 3DS Starter Pack. Activision says there isn't any other way to get these figures. That's not a cheap solution, either. The Wii U and Wii versions are $75 a pop, and the 3DS Starter Pack is $65. To save you the math, that's $140.
If you were already planning on buying it for 3DS and Wii or Wii U, it might not matter. Players who only feel the need to buy Skylanders Superchargers once, however, might have to deal with only getting one figure, or get gouged by the secondary market.
Nintendo could create a solution for the potential issue by making the new pair available on the Nintendo online store. That way, consumers would be making a conscious effort to buy the toys knowing that they're Nintendo exclusive, and not be disappointed when they don't work on the Xbox 360 versions of the game.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
