Saturday, June 1, 2013

I'm Going to E3!

Well, the title says it all in this one...

I am going to E3!



And yes, I am serious!

This is the "big news" I have teased of for around a month now...

Here is a video kind of explaining things:



Here is an abridged, text version:

I started recording and uploading to YouTube for fun and because my Nephew and I enjoyed it...I have always gone for games we are interested in and things I think would be fun over what I figure would get views etc.

When Skylanders launched it was a launch day purchase...I had followed the trailers and was very interested in it...plus I thought my Nephew would really dig the "bring the toys to life" concept.

Picking it up kind of started the routine of Skylander Hunting, Unboxing Skylanders, and of course introducing them with great detail etc.

Well, fast forward two years and Giants is wrapping up while Swap Force is on its way out...I am still knee deep in the details of the Giants playthrough and I had an e-mail inquiring about Skylanders.

Just fyi, I get a ton of e-mails, PMs, DMs, comments, etc every day regarding Skylanders...I get several off-the-wall messages on YouTube and some legit things like proposed partnerships etc.

This PM seemed very odd...almost too good to be true.  It was someone who works with an affiliate company of Activision commenting on my Skylanders content and asking if I would be up for receiving insider news and review copies etc...

Naturally, I had to research things before responding...that whole "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is" rhetoric...yeah, I believe in it.

Most of the time...

I checked up on the company etc. and the only thing alarming was that they wanted to send me insider info and review copies.  Naturally I took them up on this opportunity.



Well, a few weeks later I had an e-mail with that first "inside info."  It was regarding Skylanders Swap Force at E3...I was invited (insert shocked face).  Once more that whole, "This really isn't happening thing...something must be up" came over me...Then I came back to reality and remembered it all seemed legit.  I responded I would need some time to see if I could get off of work etc.

That all lined up and next thing I knew I was getting the VIP treatment and more details on the trip and presentation that was planned.

I held off mentioning this to anyone until NOW.  I wanted to get it on the BLOG FIRST.  Kind of a reward for those of you that check the site frequently.  The video is coming along, but this will remain the first point of the news break.

I have to say, several weeks later I am still kind of surprised by this...

I'm a big believe that when you do what you love, good things will come from it...I have to view this in that same light.

I don't want to go out and put this company on record as I know there will be a lot of people trying to line up the same deal, or get a trip to E3 etc.  I will just say this...I didn't seek this out...I never filled out any paperwork or entered a contest...never pushed my content to corporate or the likes.  I just stuck to my routine of hunting, finding, unboxing, and playing.  I am basically just having fun...While in that sequence someone from an affiliate company happened upon the content, checked it out, liked it, and thought enough of it to invite me to be a part of the "inside" if you will.

I am STOKED!!

Had I never have received that e-mail, I would have spent E3 anxiously scanning the net for any info on Swap Force to report back and blog...Now, I will do the same thing, but FIRST HAND.  IT is going to be awesome!

I suppose Activision's stance when tasking their affiliate with finding folks to bring along was to generate buzz for Swap Force etc.  I can definitely oblige in that regard!  Similarly, it gets me super excited and then in turn, I get to tell you first hand accounts and can seek out what you want to know, or would like me to try to unearth etc.

It is truly a Win-Win-Win in my book.  Good Public Relations AND by bringing in the core fan base to the event, you are getting the info and news out via those established mediums that other enthusiasts turn to, or rely on for information!  Needless to say, I will do my best to bring you ALL THE INFORMATION I can regarding Swap Force and Skylanders in general...

I can't think the folks behind this enough and I will do my best to get all the news out.  And feat not, I am not "bought" off.  If there is some ridiculous concept etc. I will still report back on it...I also hope to push for Single Player Battle Mode if I get the chance.

In my opinion being a hard core fan doesn't mean agreeing with everything, it means being passionate and caring enough about the franchise to present viewpoints regardless of how they gel with corporate etc.

The bottom line remains, however, this is a great opportunity, should be a ton of fun, and I can't wait to learn as much as I can regarding Swap Force and report back to you!

I can say that it looks like Activision will be making a big reveal Tuesday, June 11th, 2013 behind closed doors...Lucky for you, I will be there!  I will flim as much as they will allow, but I've already found that in a few instances that will not be allowed...so, I'm going to go old school and take notes!

I don't want to ramble on in this post as much as I did in the video, but I will close on this..

I'm still somewhat shocked, humbled, and perhaps most importantly very excited about this opportunity.  If there is any down time from Skylanders activity I may try to sneak some looks at Nintendo's software and a few other things...My main focus though will be Swap Force!

If you've got anything you want to know, want me to look for, want me to try and ask etc, post up!  Without those of you on YouTube, the blog, Twitter, Google +, and Facebook I probably wouldn't be setting sail for LA here in a few days...I'll do my best to bring back as much info as possible!

1ofWiisdom


8 comments:

  1. Nice job there! Hope you enjoy your time!

    Oh, if you come across any good information about The Legend of Zelda, could you post it up as detailed as possible along with your opinion. Of course, this is a request and if it is too difficult, you can easily say no. I am just a fan of Zelda

    Good luck!

    Reply Delete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! Will do...If I get any downtime away from Skylanders etc, my focus will be on the Nintendo titles...I'll see what, if anything, I can turn up! Stay tuned!!

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  2. can u try and find out a swap force character from each element? also if they have special varients could u pls bring one home for my birthday? i also have an announcement im going to eb expo its like e3 only on a smaller scale ans its only in aus (this year at least)

    Reply Delete
    Replies
    1. Will do...I'm hoping to learn as much as possible about the characters. I'll see how they handle the variant, assuming they do it again...Hopefully I can land one to show everyone.

      Very nice...GameStop had a deal in San Antonio not too long ago that was pretty neat...If this is along those lines you should have a great time!

      Delete
  3. Go to Amazon.co.uk and search for Swap Force and see the 3DS pack. 2 new Skylanders and one return.
    Good trip! Have fun!
    If you have a chance try to play Tearaway.

    Reply Delete
    Replies
    1. Thanks...I'm uploading ALL the box shots as I type! I'll have a new post up shortly. Thanks, I don't think having fun should be too tough!

      Is that the vita game? I will try to find it.

      Delete
  4. List of Questions I can think of

    Skylanders Giants

    -When are the 4 Sidekicks for Giants (Barkley, Mini-Jini, Eye-Small, Thumpling) being released and what will we have to do to get them. Point out the usual availability issues for us hard core fans with the approach taken last time with the Sidekicks.

    -When is Wave 5 going to happen? Why is it so much delayed compared to SSA. Related, how is Skylanders going to compete with Disney Infinity?

    -Polar Whirlwind. Nuf said, you know what to ask.

    -General issues with availabity, especially the variants like granite crusher. You know the routine with the herd of scaplers.. etc.

    -Would Activision ever consider directly selling toys (so we could actually get them). I know this would be competeing with retailers but you know all the usual issues with availability. Point out all the wonderful issues with eBay.

    Skylanders Swap-Force
    -Given the 3DS Skylanders history, how is the 3DS game related to the console game?

    -When will the posters with all the characters be released

    -How many new Legendaries are there going to be?

    -How many variants are there going to be? Are the variants going to be detectable in game like they are in Skylanders Giants?

    -Will Series 3 reposed (the new stealth elf) be playable in prior games and which ones?

    -How, exactly, are they labeling the series of characters. I mean the wording of the "magic moment". Like Glow-in-the-Dark Sonic Boom shows
    up in Skylanders Giants as Series 2 Special Sonic Boom

    -What are the "movement base" names and how many are there. Swash Buckler's legs are called exactly what?. Same with Blast Zone. If there are going to be 16 new Swap Force and only 8 types of bases how soon will we be able to get into all areas? (xmas or before I hope).

    -SSA had gold, Character Level, Upgrades, and Heroics. SG added more Heroics, Wow Pow to some chars, switchable upgrades to some chars, and per character quests. What new abilities will the existing characters get? Stealth elf would be a great example as she has a Series 1, Series 2, Series 2 Legendary, and Series 3 version.

    -Is Spyro getting a Series 3 character and could they release it a little sooner and with better availability?

    -Is Spyro getting a LightCore version?

    -Which characters are getting LightCore?

    -How many total blue base characters are there going to be both on the poster and legendaries AND variants. Even the Brady Games Skylanders Giants Offical Strategy Guide didn't list them all (GITD Dark Cynder, GITD Sonic Boom, Golden Flameslinger). I didn't even count the Chop Chop for Toy Fair.

    -How many new heroics are there going to be?

    -Will they be adding any new quests to the characters?

    -What is the new level cap?

    -What is the new gold cap? Skylanders Giants is 65,000

    -How many XBOX achievements will there be? SSA has 38 and SG had 45. (if you haven't played Skylanders on an XBOX, they have additional achievements that syncronize with XBOX Live) (which is why I know 65,000 is the max gold, its one of the XBOX achievements)

    -How many Chapters?

    -Anything else you can find out about the "mechanical" details of Skylanders Swap-Force.


    Skylanders 2014
    -Could they make the prior game characters path switchable like series 2 repose are now but for ALL prior characters?
    -How long will Activision continue to support Series 1?

    Reply Delete
    Replies
    1. Nice...Sometime this weekend I'm going to post a comprehensive list of the questions people have asked...I'll get yours transcribed!

      Delete

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