In a surprising turn of events, Nintendo has partnered with Activision to produce some exclusive Skylanders for the upcoming Skylanders Superchargers. During a hands-off demo, I was able to see both Hammer Slam Bowser and Turbo Charge Donkey Kong in action. And, to be completely honest, they might just be the very best skylanders to enter the battle against Chaos. And it all comes down to taking that Skylanders action that fans have come to love and injecting it with a heavy dose of Nintendo flair.
First, let’s take a look at Hammer Slam Bowser. When this figure was placed on the portal, a beautifully rendered Bowser, along with his shell-laden hammer, instantly came to life on the screen. The most wonderful part is that this was probably the best-looking Bowser I’d ever seen in a video game, and the moment he began to move, a huge smile spread across my face. He was powerful, as you’d expect, and had no problem swinging his hammer to decimate foes with ease. For players wanting a little more crowd control so they didn’t have to go after each enemy on their own, Bowser also has the ability to summon Koopas, along with some other awesome abilities.
Things got even better when Bowser’s signature vehicle in Skylanders Superchargers came into play. The Clown Cruiser is an air vehicle with speed and a nice amount of firepower on its own. But when you put Bowser in the seat and the ship becomes Supercharged, what you have is an even more powerful vehicle that transforms to have Bowser’s mug at the front of the vehicle.
As cool as Hammer Slam Bowser was, Nintendo’s other exclusive figure, Turbo Charge Donkey Kong, managed to have enough up his sleeve to make him one of the coolest new additions to Skylanders Superchargers. A lot of Donkey Kong’s abilities revolve around the signature barrels found in Donkey Kong video games. He can throw them, roll around in them, and even use them to blast himself from place to place, just like in Donkey Kong Country. He has his signature ground-pound move that causes debris to crash down from above, and even has his trusty bongos for those who feel they need a little more music in their lives. But, it’s his Supercharged vehicle that makes Turbo Charge Donkey Kong take the cake.
The Barrel Blaster is a pretty awesome vehicle in its own right, designed to look like a car made out of the same barrels that Nintendo’s favorite ape uses to decimate evil. Yet, when combined with the Turbo Charge Donkey Kong figure, players will be treated to something that will make it difficult to ever want to leave the Barrel Blaster again. Donkey Kong goes back to classic Nintendo days by adding a sidecar to his vehicle where none other than Diddy Kong joins in on the action. It’s a neat little addition that is sure to please fans.
Rounding out the amazing features of these Nintendo exclusive figures is the fact that they can also double as Amiibo with just a simple twist of the base. That means these are basically a two-for-one deal, allowing unique Skylanders experiences as well as some future compatibility with Nintendo-exclusive titles.
For those looking to get their hands on these awesome figures, they can be purchased as part of starter packs for the Wii U, Wii, and Nintendo 3DS. The Wii U starter pack comes with Super Charged Donkey Kong, Barrel Blaster vehicle, and Super Shot Stealth Elf. If you want to get your hands on Hammer Slam Bowser though, you will have to get either the Wii, or 3DS starter pack. All figures are compatible on all platforms and will be made available on September 20 in North America, and on the 25th in Europe.
Are you looking forward to fighting evil as two of the most iconic Nintendo characters ever? Wanna give the Barrel Blaster a spin along with Diddy Kong? Feel free to let us know in the comments. Also, be sure to check out our E3 2015 wiki for news, features, previews, and more.
