Late to the party, but here's the overall 'Which Version Should I Buy?' writeup:
The Console versions (I'm including PC/Mac in this) is freakin' HUGE, 22+ levels, probably 10-15 hours of gameplay for an experienced gamer and significantly more than that for kids. The game plays like a Diablo dungeon crawler/RPG lite. Each Skylander you own unlocks a different Heroic Challenge within the game that gives permanent stat boosts if you beat it - once unlocked, you can play that challenge multiple times with different Skylanders to get the same stat boost for each. Co-op is a blast and the PvP modes are ridiculously complex. Add it all up and there's a TON of content.
3DS version is single-player only, has its own storyline, and is comparatively short. It's definitely more of a platforming game than the Console version, with jump and dash maneuvers for each Skylander. It has the exclusive Dark Spyro figure, but the other two figures (Ignitor and Stealth Elf) are either available now separately (or else will be in a future toy wave). The Portal is wireless but communication with the 3DS uses IR and is a bit flaky. However, it's probably the best thing available to play on your 3DS right now that's not a Nintendo re-release.
Console version comparisons: The Wii version is the lead platform, has the fewest bugs, and a wireless Portal. The other versions for the X360, PS3, PC and Mac are ports and have some pretty significant oddities/bugs. The main gameplay for the characters is pretty similar, but a lot of the minigames/boss battles feel and play different (read: worse), and the cutscenes lack a lot of the polish you see in the Wii version. But they're running in HD and have Achievements/Trophies. The X360 version uses a wired Portal, but the other versions have wireless Portals. The lower review scores seem to be coming from the next-gen versions, while the Wii version seems to be getting 9s.
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