E3 2014: "Broccoli Guy" And Other New Characters Confirmed for Skylanders Trap Team

Skylanders Trap Team, this year's entry in Activision Publishing's $2 billion toys-to-life franchise, is mixing things up with a new "trap" mechanic that lets you capture enemies and use them for your benefit. But that's not what impressed me most when I saw the game today at E3 in Los Angeles. Instead, that goes to the game's imaginative characters.

There's a new character named "Food Fight." He's a an artichoke that shoots tomatoes. There's also a character named "Broccoli Guy" and another named "Painyatta," a hulking humanoid pinata who wields a lollipop and barfs candy all over the place to keep his enemies at bay. Further still is an incredibly cute baby dinosaur equipped with a gyrocopter exosuit jetpack called "Chopper."

Skylanders Trap Team flips the franchise's formula on its head. It allows you to find enemies in the game, defeat them, and then use a new toy--the Trap--to capture the creatures and "teleport" them to a physical Portal sitting in your living room. You'll even hear villains yelp as you capture them, thanks to a built-in speaker on the new Portal. Once you capture and tame an enemy, you can swap between the villain and your main character as you move through levels.

The game faces increased competition from the likes of Disney (Disney Infinity) and now Nintendo, with its new Amiibo line of toys. Speaking with GameSpot today during a live stream (above), Activision's Louis Studdert said about the competition that, "It's definitely flattering. We've created something so captivating and it's just great to see it grow. It's great to see this toys-to-life category become something that's sticking. It's now our job to continue innovating, continue leading the curve."

Skylanders Trap team launches October 5 for Wii, Wii U, 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. For more on the game, be sure to read GameSpot's previous coverage.

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