darkSpyro

Or SWAPtober if you prefer. There are a few things going on to mark the launch of Skylanders SWAP Force, first up is that during the whole of October the official Skylanders twitter account will be giving away a single SWAP Force Starter Pack each day.

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Fans can then tweet their favorite SWAP Force character combination along with a suggested catchphrase using the hashtags #SWAPtober and #Skylanders for the chance to win one of the daily Skylanders SWAP Force Starter Pack giveaways, which will be available after the game's launch.

On Thursday the 10th from 3-6 PM there will be "celebration" in Times Square dubbed SWAPtoberfest where "fans will have the chance to be among the very first to play the game before it's available at retail" (the game launches on the 13th).

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SWAPtoberfest will feature Skylanders SWAP Force-themed activities, photos with Skylanders costumed characters as well as chances to win a Skylanders SWAP Force Starter Pack and special Skylanders-themed merchandise from top companies like MEGA Brands, Rubie's Costume Company, Hybrid Apparel and Power A.

And on the 12th and 13th at the Toys R Us flagship store in New York City you'll find "one-of-a-kind in-store experiences, including game demos and giveaways" to celebrate the launch of the game.

Skylanders: Lost Islands gets its weekly update with a new house and a new companion.

• A new house just for the girls, the Sky Cadettes HQ which costs 200 Gems and can be used by any of the female Skylanders
  
• A new companion Batterson who ups the number of kudos invitations can send in another kingdom from 3 to 6, he costs 200 Gems
  
• Super Tuesday tomorrow will be to get a chest every time you clear a troll/sheep/chompy pod so try to save them up if you can!
  
• And October's Alter-Ego is Skeletal Cynder, you'll be able to win her in the Wishin' Well from the 1st all the way through to the end of the month
  

The official Skylanders website has been updated with all of the artwork, videos, back stories and a few screenshots of each of the new Skylanders SWAP Force characters like Punk Shock and Wind Up below.


Several new trailers for the game have also been posted on the official Youtube channel like this CGI trailer introducing us to a new villain.


A few new alternative decoration toys have been discovered recently including a new Enchanted Hoot Loop, the first visual of Nitro Magna Charge, and an odd looking Jolly Bumble Blast. The first two you can find on the official website but Jolly Bumble Blast remains elusive.


Frito-Lay have launched a new sweepstakes to win a special orange and black Fright Rider. You find a code inside the large packs and enter it online for a chance to win one of the Fright Riders. It runs until the middle of November but remember it's just a chance to win unlike with the Sidekicks.


A fairly large update has hit the Lost Islands this week, you'll need to go to the App Store to update the app this time.

• A brand new type of currency called Kudos that is earned from the social objectives and used to buy a few things.
  
• Admiral Thumpback is a new Alter Ego but not from the Wishin' Well, instead he'll cost you 2000 Kudos.
  
• A new companion, Capybara King, costs 150 Gems but then causes all of your chests to have a bonus gem inside.
  
• Gurglefin is another new companion, he costs 400 Kudos and adds the chance to get Wishstones from gifts.
  
• The penultimate Sidekick Thumpling also sneaks in, he'll cost you 300 Gems if you don't have the toy.
  
• You can get Thumpback's House for free until the 29th.
  
• It's also Water Week which means Water Skylanders get +25% gold just like the Dragon Skylanders did last week.
  
• And finally there's a new bunch of decorations as well as a house for you to spend Kudos on.
  

Super Tuesday is a free gem each hour that you have to collect from Orville and 33% off Shrines.

All this week is Dragon Week in Skylanders: Lost Islands.

• A new "Dragon Lair" house for all of the dragon Skylanders to use. It'll cost you 1200 Gems though.
  
• The Dragon Week event gives all of the dragon Skylanders 25% extra gold until Sunday.
  
• And level 40 has a new "Stage" community building.
  

Oddly no new sidekick this week.

Later this week will apparently see the release of a special variant of the giant Eye-Brawl, it's already been spotted in a few places in Canada.


The "Special Halloween 2013 Edition" Eye-Brawl, more commonly referred to as Pumpkin Eye-Brawl thanks to his distinctive orange pumpkin-like eye-ball, is not an in-game variant and will appear exactly the same as a regular Eye-Brawl when playing just like the Glow-in-the-Dark editions of characters like Cynder and Sonic Boom that you might already own. It does however have the same "Special" tag that makes it distinct in the collection screen even if it doesn't look or behave any differently.

A quiet one for Skylanders: Lost Islands this week, Eye-Small is more widely available and the month's Alter-Ego gets his Hut.

• Eye-Small joins Lost Islands properly, you can now buy him for 300 Gems.
  
• Autumn Stump Smash gets his own Hut for 350 Gems.
  
• A new Wood Stack House for level 39 that can house 3200 Mabu.
  

And in news for a related game, the previously exclusive to iOS Skylanders: Battlegrounds has been announced for the LG Smart TV platform and is due out "this holiday season". Here's hoping they remember to finish it off this time.

Whisper Elf gets her house and Mini-Jini turns up to play.

• Mini-Jini kicks off the Giant Sidekicks with her arrival. Use your toy or buy her for 300 Gems.
  
• Whisper Elf is the second Sidekick to get a house, as usual it'll cost you 350 Gems.
  
• Level 38 gets a new building, a Park.
  
• Eye-Small also makes an appearance but only if you buy the most expensive 7500 Gem Pack (for half price).
  
• All the Giant Houses are back for a very short time.
  
• And we bid farewell to Flynn as he's leaving this Sunday.
  

Don't forget the new Alter-Ego that arrived on Sunday, Autumn Stump Smash, who you can win in the Wishing Well all month long.