I still remember the fan reaction when this game was first announced; it was something along the lines of "f*ck you, Activision." Some people even went as far as to threaten to kill employees at Activision and Toys For Bob all because the game even existed and had Spyro's name on it (hell, the E3 2011 trailer is on Machinima and still has a crapton of dislikes). And look, I get it, it wasn't the "Spyro" game we all wanted, and his name was probably only attached to sell copies, but can we at least give it a fair shot? Well, I did, and...it's actually quite good!
"Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure" has plenty going for it: it looks nice, it's got some charming characters (even if they don't speak much), it's got some solid level design and platforming elements, some cool RPG-like elements in terms of level progression, and best of all, it's just fun! As much of a cash grab as it is, at least the devs tried to make it fun, and the result is a great game overall.
It's not perfect, though: the lack of a jump in a platformer is pretty much unjustifiable, the game has a few technical issues and glitches, and after playing the sequels, you start to realize how much slower this game is.
Even so, for a cynical cash grab, "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure" is a damn fun game and, as long as your wallet is prepared, go ahead and give it a shot!
Final rating: 8 out of 10 "Great"