There's no denying it: Skylanders has blossomed into the most popular video game-slash-toy franchise of this decade, with four console and three iOS titles available, as well as nearly 50 different Skylanders characters to date. With the hype surrounding Skylanders SWAP Force, the newest entry in the series, it couldn't possibly get more exciting...or could it?

Activision has unveiled the Skylanders SWAP Force Dark Edition Starter Pack, a special deluxe edition bundle exclusive to GameStop in the United States and EB Games in Australia. Available for Wii and Wii U, as well as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the Dark Edition includes the Skylanders SWAP Force game, a newly-redesigned Portal of Power and a mega poster depicting every Skylander from all three games. It also comes with a Series 3 version of Dark Spyro along with Dark versions of Stealth Elf, SWAP Force members Blast Zone and Wash Buckler, and new character Slobber Tooth. These versions feature black and silver in their colour schemes, and they look decidedly unique compared with their normal counterparts.

The Skylanders SWAP Force Dark Edition is valued at $99.99 USD ($119 AUD). As with any special edition game, be sure to preorder to avoid disappointment. The standard edition is also available to preorder for Wii, Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and is priced at $74.99 USD ($98 AUD).

SOURCES: Here, here and here.