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. Cheat Code Central
    Oct 18, 2012
    92
    I really cannot praise Skylanders: Giants enough. Last year's beginnings were just that, a launch pad for what was to become one of the most sought after collectibles of the 2011 holiday season. With tons of new and exciting things to do, new figures to collect, and the ability to use your previous Skylanders, it feels like someone finally got everything right when creating a sequel.
  2. Eurogamer Sweden
    Oct 19, 2012
    90
    Skylanders: Giants makes the beloved franchise bigger than ever. There are more Skylanders, bigger Skylanders and more game content than ever. While it doesn't do anything to break the mold, it's a really good game for children and parents alike.
  3. Armchair Empire
    Nov 15, 2012
    85
    Besides being accessible to just about all ages -- my 4-year old had no problems, though he finished Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes without much help so maybe that's not the best yardstick to measure "accessible" -- it's inoffensive, provides a middlin' challenge, and it's fun to watch and play (if it comes down to it.
  5. Multiplayer.it
    Nov 19, 2012
    84
    Skylanders: Giants is basically the same game as one year ago but improved in small but meaningful ways. It's still the best family game around and the quality of the optional figures is really high.
  6. Impulsegamer
    Nov 4, 2012
    83
    If your kids loved the original Skylanders game, than they will love this new incarnation of the series as Giants adds new characters, abilities and worlds to this franchise. With almost flawless gameplay, a great control system and some really decent looking action figures, there's very little to complain about this game.
  7. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Dec 4, 2012
    81
    Just like the LEGO games, this is a great game to play with your kids. Especially if you're a gaming parent yourself, because it feels like you're sharing your passion with your offspring. Buying new dolls for the game, however, just feels like you're being ripped off. [December 2012, p.79]
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  8. Eurogamer Portugal
    Nov 7, 2012
    80
    Skylanders Giants is a genial product and clearly set up to feed the desire to collect.
  9. PlaySense
    Nov 6, 2012
    80
    A great sequel, which successfully expands the universe created in its predecessor. Visually, Skylanders Giants isn't that impressive though.
  10. Digital Chumps
    Oct 18, 2012
    80
    While it has its share of bugs and is qualitatively a mere expansion of the original in many ways, Skylanders Giants is still a full-blown sequel, featuring more Skylanders, more in-game collectibles, and larger and arguably more robust levels (albeit fewer) than the original. If more Skylanders is what you're after, this is what you've been looking for.
  11. Metro GameCentral
    Oct 18, 2012
    80
    A far better game than it will probably be given credit for, and a good sequel that tries to add depth to the gameplay and even more variety to the characters.
  12. IGN
    Oct 18, 2012
    80
    Only supporting two players and no online play still feel like misses, as does the inability to jump. The package, as a whole, doesn't push the genre or the Skylanders universe in radical ways, but the additions are welcome and ultimately great fun.
  13. Gamers' Temple
    Jan 2, 2013
    78
    It's more of the same Skylanders gameplay, which is probably just fine with Skylanders obsessed pre-teens.
  14. NZGamer
    Nov 12, 2012
    78
    There's very little in this game to find offensive, and kids will go crazy for all the cool new characters to learn and experience, and build on the fun that was had in the first title.
  15. Pelit (Finland)
    Nov 15, 2012
    77
    Skylanders: Giants is pretty much the same stuff as last year. The new giants are fun, but are not nearly powerful enough to justify their price tag. Still decent fun, just without the flair of freshness the original had. [Dec 2012]
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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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