Skylanders Giants

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
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  1. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Nov 28, 2012
    70
    Like its forebear Skylanders Giants won't tax the skills of the mature hardcore gamer. But it is a worthy expansion that'll keep the youngins amused on the TV, and in the schoolyard, for hours. [Christmas 2012, p76]
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  2. Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)
    Nov 20, 2012
    70
    The simple but fun RPG-lite adventure gameplay is still great for parent/child co-play, but we had no problem blowing through the campaign in a single weekend. [Holiday 2012, p.81]
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  3. JeuxActu
    Oct 24, 2012
    70
    With Skylanders Giants and the introduction of big figurines, we were clearly waiting for major changes in terms of gameplay. However, the new title of the successful IP only appears to be a small update to the previous episode. And yet, the adventure remains complete and mostly pleasant thanks to a colorful production that will occupy our children for hours, either in the game or in their schoolyard.
  5. PlayStation LifeStyle
    Oct 22, 2012
    70
    The reality is that Skylanders: Giants is age-appropriate fun that harkens back to the delight you had collecting Pokémon cards or mashing your way through a dungeon crawler. If you've got little ones, then you already know the verdict here.
  6. Joystiq
    Oct 18, 2012
    70
    It is entirely possible to play through the game using just the three figures that come packed with it, thereby sidestepping the financial minefield upon which Skylanders: Giants is so precariously stationed. Possible, but not particularly realistic. Much of the fun and variety in Giants comes from the abilities lurking inside its many different characters, and with an estimated $500 in new figures to collect, Giants becomes even more difficult to recommend.
  7. Worth Playing
    Mar 4, 2013
    65
    While the original Skylanders was appropriately lauded for being a unique, quality title for all ages, Skylanders: Giants seems to be riding on the coattails of the original title's good will. It's not bad, and it's really similar to the first game, but its limited innovation is largely unnecessary (Giant Skylanders).
  8. Push Square
    Dec 13, 2012
    60
    Even though the figurines are fantastic, Skylanders: Giants struggles to realise its full potential. There's very little depth to the character progression, and the narrative is pretty poor. However, it's tough to shake the appeal of the toys, and while the game is flawed, that's not going to stop the sequel and its catalogue of collectibles from commanding a spot at the top of most kids' Christmas lists.

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best PS3 Game of 2012

User Reviews

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User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 31 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 31
  3. Negative: 7 out of 31
  1. ND-Bringer
    Dec 31, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. You know, video game side content has been a mixed bag over the years. Alternate gameplay styles can help the overall experience feel fresh. Preventing potential boredom found within receptive level formats. Other times they can feel like chores, interfering with the main gameplay style. Skylanders Giants however, I think does its extra game mechanics pretty well. I predict that people mainly hate the original Spyro's Adventure game mainly because the mini games hurt the experience. Lock-Imp puzzles can mess up speed runs. The turret sections only make appearances in the begging and around the end of the game combined out-of-no where robot vehicle level. Some elemental zones contain some the slowest moving platforms in gaming history. Block puzzles, prism puzzles, cannon puzzles, switch puzzles, and my personal least favorite...rolling bomb puzzles! That junk always puts levels to a halt. Most annoying of all is that developers program enemies to jump scare the player while they're working on them. But here in Giants, its actually pretty enjoyable. Excluding the receptive Arkeyan levels, I remember returning to Giants all the time just to replay another round of Sky Stones. I still consider it to be the best side game in the series. You can beat opponents in seconds by collecting stones from the best players hidden within levels, you can buy powerful Skystones at Auric shop to take down formidable players like Quigley in Rumble Town, and some opponents will give you extra challenge with elemental tiles that can only be used by certain types of monsters, adding extra strategy to the game. Like Dragon Quest 8, having both classic RPG mechanics and popular RPG mechanics can create a sense a freedom for the player. When one gameplay style starts to get boring you can switch to other to mix things up. And even though levels like Autogyro Adventure get on my nerves with the sheer amount of enemies I need to slaughter just to progress, I play a round of Skystones with the Weapon Master and I feel refreshed!. Speaking of which, the vehicle segments of this level with the Copter are actually not half bad. The control is acceptable, the shooting sections don't annoy me too much, you can earn extra treasure bonuses by performing well, and their's plenty of checkpoints. Sometimes I crash the ship anyway just to hear Flynn scream in terror. Somehow I find it hilarious to see these characters suffer. Block and prism puzzles haven't changed much, so nothing is stopping me from cheating by walking on the blocks diagonally like I'm back in Super Mario RPG. Its good to see that the Lock-Imp puzzles aren't as annoying as before. By purchasing lock keys from Moneybags' cousin, you skip these mini games from the pause menu, like my need to skip cutscenes, its vital for speed runs. The turret sections make a return and sadly become a required mechanic for Skylanders games from here on out. In all honestly, the controls are fine, I'm pretty good at shooter games in general, but since they rarely make an appearance in the majority of levels of Giants as well, its like visiting an annoying cousin you're forced to spend time with. Funny thing is, you're most likely to be tasked to replay these sections in the Oracle trials regardless of how you feel about them. Skylanders is a great action RPG series, but any mini games that overstay their welcome will most likely hurt the experience. Arena challenges are often encouraged throughout the story, but I didn't find them to all that fun. Most of them just involve giving the enemies an unrealistic advantage, my least favorite was where all the summoned creatures were invincible and you have to push them off with strong attacks. But some enemies are too heavy to push off with out enough force and by the time I damage them enough to ring them out, enemies that appeared off camera destroy my Skylander with long range attacks! Even with my fully upgraded Double Trouble, one of my most broken characters failed to complete most of these challenges. Don't just love to fight Juggernauts in the Kaos Arena? There's no room to dodge their laser attacks because the arena keeps falling apart and hoards of enemies are blocking the safe zones. There's also challenges where you're not allowed to take a single hit during battle and instead of bettering my gaming skills I just feel stressed and annoyed. And when I finally completed one of the challenges, I earned t a charm that boosts the defense of my Skylanders whenever they reach low health! And for some reason this also affects the enemies! This means that I'm now playing the game at the Screw You level of difficulty. Making me more furious than ever while replaying the levels. When I return to this game someday, I hope to have a more enjoyable experience. Take away all the annoying factors and you've got a pretty enjoyable fantasy game. I may be pissed off with this game right now, but these games will always be a blast to revisit.… Full Review »
  2. Aarush
    May 12, 2021
    10
    Okay, Why am I hear. I know why it's because this game holds a very special place in my heart. Both by being one of the first games I got onOkay, Why am I hear. I know why it's because this game holds a very special place in my heart. Both by being one of the first games I got on PS3 and in general. It has its issues and the graphics could be better but I love the story, the collectables, the fact that all Skylanders from the original were playable and more. Also, I'm on a quest to look through old and forgotten games this is the first one… Full Review »
  3. SuperAquaLuigi
    Mar 4, 2017
    7
    (Note: I consider a 7 to be a positive score, unlike Metacritic.) While I still enjoyed this game, I don't like it as much as the first one(Note: I consider a 7 to be a positive score, unlike Metacritic.) While I still enjoyed this game, I don't like it as much as the first one because it's just more of the same. I like the inclusion of giants, but pretty much everything I said about the first game applies to this one.… Full Review »
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