Customer Reviews

Battle Strikers Tournament

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Battle Strikers are a new take on the classic battling tops theme of toys. The Battle Strikers Tournament set comes with everything you need to get started - 2 tops, 2 launchers, the arena, plus the addition of 2 "controllers".

On the top of the tops are 4 areas which contain magnets. These line up with 4 magnets on the bottom side of the launcher. To get the tops spinning, you stick the top to the launcher, pull the trigger, and rev it up. Then you hit the top of the launcher with your other hand to pop the top down into the arena. You have to be carful! These things spin fast, have hard protruding edges, and sometimes hop out of the arena - especially if there's a hard surface (wood table or floor) under it. I recommend placing the arena on carpet to help absorb some of the shock.

The arena is ok - it's fairly thin plastic. If it gets stepped on, it'll probably break, but the tops don't seem to do any damage to it. It has a spot on each side to store 3 tops, so 6 in total. Unfortunately, there's no case, and the tops, launchers, and controls don't "snap" in anywhere. So maybe save the box to put everything in when you're not using it.

The launchers are pretty good. They take 3 AA's each, so you'll need 6 total. The only way to get the tops spinning is with these. There's no rip cord like the old days, and no manual way to crank them up. I do see that sometimes the launchers spin very smoothly, and other times it's rattling like crazy. It can do both with the same exact top, so I'm not sure why. Either way, they do the job, but I think down the line one launcher might become the favorite if the other seems to wear out faster.

The tops are customizable and modular. They come as six parts each. The variations of the parts determine what makes the top better in terms of "Attack", "Defense", and "Control". The widest part of the top is actually two pieces that give different shapes to the areas where the tops collide. The bottom piece is either made of a metal marble or a plastic spindle. The marble gives a more consistent, controllable spin and the top won't wander as much. The plastic spindle makes contact with the ground on a small cylinder. Because of this, if it spins on an angle, it'll run all over the arena. This makes it more aggressive. You can also mix and match the pieces of the different tops.

You control, or steer, the tops by putting the controller thing on your fingers. It contains a magnet in it which attracts the magents on the top surface of the top. In this way, you can help guide your top toward/away from your opponent. You have to get the controller fairly close to the top, and the downside of this is that if you're not careful you end up getting the top stuck to it. When you get close, you can actually feel a little vibration in your fingers as the three outer magnets spin past.

Some watchouts:
-Of the tops included in the set, the green top always seems to win.
-Kids can get hurt with these. My son got hurt a couple times when one bounced out of the arena into his stomach.
-Also, younger kids may have a harder time dropping the top into the arena.
-Anyone that tries to pick one up at full speed will have some sore fingers. Short of taking one to the head, though, and it's nothing that won't wear off after a few minutes.

Overall, the game is very fun. The modular aspect adds some learning and expirimentation aspect for the kids. I did find that the green top usually wins in my set, even after swapping the marble for the spindle. It must just be something about its design. The tops are fairly inexpensive, so they make good impromptu gifts, stocking stuffers, or cheaper items on a birthday list. The instructions say to have each player pick three tops each and play "best 2 out of 3". At five dollars per top, that would put this starter set plus four additional tops at a total of $40-50. I think that's a bit expensive to get started, so don't feel compelled to buy that much all at once. I definitely recommend getting either this starter set or at least buy the arena. Extra tops can then be purchased later on if your child really shows interest in them.

My 8 1/2 year old son used his christmas money to buy this toy. He was really excited about it and once he got it home, he and a friend played wtih it for 2 solid hours before a piece of one of the tops broke making one of the tops useless. For the price, I really think it should have lasted much, much longer. Quite a dissapointment!!! I say, stick with the Beyblades.

I bought this for my 12 year old. He thought it was pretty neat at first, but it is occasional entertainment. It is not a preferred toy for him. My only two criticisms of the Battle Strikers are 1) that the "arena" is not constructed out of sturdy material and if stepped on, it will not survive. I am constantly on the lookout to make sure it is not lying on the floor. 2) the cost of the "tops" that spin off of the hand devices is around $15 each (you get two with the game). So if you were to buy two more BS spinning tops, you might as well buy a whole 2nd game.

My son asked me to buy this for him after playing with one at school. The game is just like the old version of tops, where the last top spinning wins but it has an updated look to it. The tops are actually launched from the battery powered controllers on to the durable plastic "arena". I would recommend this toy for children 4 or older. But be aware to buy rechargeable batteries!

This set is nothing but EXPENSIVE JUNK!!! Poor directions on how to put tops together. When you finally get them together correctly, they still fall apart when placed in the arena; very frustrating!!! Don't waste your money!!! Beyblades are far superior!!!

I actually didn't know very much at all about these battle strikers when I first started buying them. Bought two sharkblades without knowing that they don't come with a spinner. After that I decided to buy this arena. Once I did that it made playing with them fun and you really can't play with these toys without the area as just like the bey blades they kind of run around the area making the hilarious and exciting blade bashings a little less entertaining. Since then I've bought more and have enjoyed the many ways you can change game play experience by merely switching out parts. One problem though. Turbine doesn't seem to come in a stand alone and it unfortunately broke. A normal customer would be upset but I kinda like seeing stuff take damage when they sound like they take damage. Luckily it was only an interior part which when it's put together and used you won't really know that it's broken but it makes switching out it's parts bothersome.

If you want this arena I say go for it. Some extra information though. The controllers take three double A batteries and that is only slightly costly given on the quality of the batteries. If you're like me and the best part of these spinning toys is watching them make havic by crashing into things. Add certain things to the arena to spice things up. Putting small toys always sends them flying. Lego pieces tend to get blown apart. And while I can't legally endorse this for safety reasons. Putting in those little firecrackers you throw on the ground to make them pop makes for a flashy experience.

Last note totally. These battle strikers are actually series one. If you're starting to run out of battle strikers to buy I suggest looking up series two and X5 series but they are more expensive and have a different design.

Okay so to sum up. Turbine broke. Arena is essential. Longer better play experience may require more purchasing and a creative mind. These are technically outdated models.

The product was more than I thought it would be! The packaging and the size of the entire setup is great. I thought it would be smaller. Great price! I know my child will love this for their Christmas gift!!

I bought this for my nephew for Christmas and we both played with it for a long time. He loves it! The strikers were a little hard to control with the magnetic finger but it was still fun. It comes with 2 strikers but buy more so that more than 2 people can play at a time. I really recommend this product.

Very good product and very good deal for the $9.99 I paid. Included all stuff (and batteries) to start a tournament. My two boys 6 and 8 years old got it for xmas and were happy to play with it.

My kid was DYING for one of these! He already had some of the spinning-top sort of toys you play with but they were spinning all over out of control. I searched Amazon for this and found the best price there and got it from Santa Claus.
They played with it for a few days then went on to other toys - but it will come around again soon, they always do. I'm glad we got this.