Amiibo now up for preorder. Nintendo INfinity Skylanders - $12.99 and GCU

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I guess it's not bad with GCU.  Nintendo toys/figures are usually around this price point anyway.

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inky1600 said:
Huh? I bought more than 15 sky lander figures last year and got gcu discount on all of them(save for the freebies in bogo deals of course). No limit as far a I know but I did not buy multiples of the same figure, either. No ban. Maybe if you buy more than three of the same character...
Yeah, I remember there being speculation about the limit and then I remember everyone concluding that it was absurd that they would ban for buying 4 (different) Skylanders charaacters. In any case, I bought probably as many as you and no ban was handed down. When they had the B2G1 combined with the GCU it was too hard to pass up.

I think I will take the same route for these, though I may preorder 1 or 2 just in case for some reason they become scarce. I trying to choose between Samus, Link, and Marth. Hard to tell which ones will go OOS first (if ever).
 
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For those interested in these just as figures, you'll be much happier with Figma or Nendoroid

I'm going to wait to see how these are used in games before ordering any. It's cool we can use GCU.
Had no idea there were nintendo figmas! Agreed on waiting, I hope they have more functionality than just storing your ai's actions

Ahhhh if only that momohime was cheaper...

 
Skylanders and Infinity characters unlock actual game areas/campaigns. The games are built around them. These Nintendo characters are nothing like that.
Perhaps you can explain exactly what these Amiibo characters are going to be used for? It sounds like in SSB they unlock special versions of fighters or something you can fight, which really pisses me off if true, but honestly I don't think I've ever seen a clear answer on what these even do in SSB, let alone games like Mario Kart 8.


If one doesn't, one need not purchase. It's that simple. These are OPTIONAL! They will be used in other games as well as smash so like skylanders and infinity they will be used in future games, but unlike them, they are not required to enjoy the base game. The price is not bad either, considering the price of the competition has different tiers. Also like Deader mentioned, these actually look like things I would display in my shelves or my desk as they look to be high quality for the price.
Not to be rude but this argument always pisses me off. We are talking about games, EVERYTHING is optional.... that's why they are called "options". The Skylander figurines are "optional" as well. And like Skylanders, these are options that are locked behind figurines. They may not be options as significant as extra playable characters, but they are obviously significant enough for Nintendo to think they worth selling individually. And who's to say whether or not they will be needed to enjoy the game..... what you enjoy and what I enjoy may be totally different, and what may end up being an option you never use may make or break the experience for me.

It's like Mario Kart..... battle mode is "optional", and you may not give a fuck about it, but it is very important to me.

And sorry, but yeah, $13 apiece is pretty bad in my book. Especially when you consider how many of these there will likely be..... I mean we are talking little pieces of plastic here, not hand painted cold cast porcelain pieces, $13 just seems crazy.

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how you slice it.... a feature is being removed and re-sold to you in the form of these figurines, and it reeks of a shitty cash grab. I don't know if it's worth skipping the game over or not, but either way I don't like the precedent this sets. If this is successful, you know they'll do it again.... and push harder next time.

 
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Hmmm how is Marth gonna be used in a fire emblem game?
Perhaps as an unlockable in Awakening...? You'd need the "new 3ds" to complete the cash grab, I mean, the unlocking process.

In all seriousness though, I can see how rcerboss feels that these unlockables could have easily have been a part of the game from the get go... in fact you could go as far as calling the Amiibos, "DLC" becuase that's essentially what it is. Nintendo is just following suit with Skylanders and Infinity due to the success each one has had so far. Extending Pokemon's motto, "gotta catch'em all," why not make this a similar concept? I put in for a complete set. No idea if any of these will be hard to find in the future. I really wish they had Pit though.

 
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Perhaps as an unlockable in Awakening...? You'd need the "new 3ds" to complete the cash grab, I mean, the unlocking process.

In all seriousness though, I can see how rcerboss feels that these unlockables could have easily have been a part of the game from the get go... in fact you could go as far as calling the Amiibos, "DLC" becuase that's essentially what it is. Nintendo is just following suit with Skylanders and Infinity due to the success each one has had so far. Extending Pokemon's motto, "gotta catch'em all," why not make this a similar concept? I put in for a complete set. No idea if any of these will be hard to find in the future. I really wish they had Pit though.
They are releasing a NFC add on for standard 3DS so you don't NEED to buy the New 3DS

and all the features that Amiibo add on aren't locked content. the game is still a full game that you can play and without amiibo, doesn't change anything, unlike SkyLanders which was built around buying more to gain access to parts of levels
 

Perhaps as an unlockable in Awakening...? You'd need the "new 3ds" to complete the cash grab, I mean, the unlocking process.

In all seriousness though, I can see how rcerboss feels that these unlockables could have easily have been a part of the game from the get go... in fact you could go as far as calling the Amiibos, "DLC" becuase that's essentially what it is. Nintendo is just following suit with Skylanders and Infinity due to the success each one has had so far. Extending Pokemon's motto, "gotta catch'em all," why not make this a similar concept? I put in for a complete set. No idea if any of these will be hard to find in the future. I really wish they had Pit though.
Yeah I get what they are doing and I don't doubt this will make money but I just hate being nickel'd and dimed like this.
They are releasing a NFC add on for standard 3DS so you don't NEED to buy the New 3DS

and all the features that Amiibo add on aren't locked content. the game is still a full game that you can play and without amiibo, doesn't change anything, unlike SkyLanders which was built around buying more to gain access to parts of levels
But how do you define a "full game"? The way some people play Smash, they could throw out all the items and stages except Final Destination and still get a full game. I'd say that the second you have to pay a penny beyond the disc itself it ceases to be a full game, especially when it's planned in advance like this.

I still need to read up more on this and see exactly what's going on, but from my understanding, these things are just bringing in CPU controlled characters, I'm guessing with special stats or something? And they seem to level up and learn/adapt to your playstyle as you fight? If that's accurate, it sounds like it could be a pretty significant training tool for competitive players, something a lot of the "hardcore" guys might care about. And don't these things let you save your character to play on another system? If so, that sounds like a pretty significant convenience to me.

I play SSB almost solely as a multiplayer game so as long as there's no way to get these things online (or at least not sneak them in without my knowing pre-match) then I don't think I'm missing much. Certainly not enough to skip out on the game (based on what I'm reading anyways). But for people who take SSB more seriously and do enjoy the single player this could be an issue?

And BTW the name really sucks. Why not call them Amiigos?

 
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The difference is that these will work across multiple games. From what I understand if you have an amiibo it will work with any amiibo functional game. You don't have to buy a certain amiibo figure to use it with a certain game. So unlike Skylanders where you have to purchase a figure to play parts of that game you can buy one amiibo and use it on Smash, then Mario Kart, then whatever other game you play. 

 
The difference is that these will work across multiple games. From what I understand if you have an amiibo it will work with any amiibo functional game. You don't have to buy a certain amiibo figure to use it with a certain game. So unlike Skylanders where you have to purchase a figure to play parts of that game you can buy one amiibo and use it on Smash, then Mario Kart, then whatever other game you play.
But do we have any idea at all what these will do in Mario Kart? And it still doesn't change anything I said: Anything these Amiibo's can do can be done just as easily with a save file and SD card.


That would be insenstive and PC-unfriendly.
Yeah I guess some people might see it that way.... guess that's why I was never in marketing lol

 
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But do we have any idea at all what these will do in Mario Kart? And it still doesn't change anything I said: Anything these Amiibo's can do can be done just as easily with a save file and SD card.
Why do you (I'm assuming) hate everything? Even I don't see this as a scumbag move but something really cool, and I think EVERYTHING is a scumbag move. You are right though, that I don't know the functionality for other titles yet. However I'll be able to find out and experience it by only buying one character.

 
Its his MO.

Honestly, its great that these are going to be across different games and we will find out more as we get closer to their launch and as the other games that use them get closer to their launch. They store info for different things for different games.

If you dont want it, then don't but it. It's that simple.

 
I'm waiting for more details on specific game implementations from Nintendo, but I'm cautiously optimistic about Amiibos.  I think Nintendo is feeling the burn for not taking Activision up on making Skylanders a Nintendo exclusive.  They're rolling their own and it sounds like there may be some interesting ideas here.  I'm going to pick up a couple of my favorite characters.  If they end up being completely useless or obtuse in game, at least they will look cool on my desk.  

 
Pretty much doing the same here.  Though I'm already peeved that Samus is basically a different scale than the others - she just looks so tiny while others seem to be closer in size. Oh well, just nitpicking cuz I can.

 
Why do you (I'm assuming) hate everything? Even I don't see this as a scumbag move but something really cool, and I think EVERYTHING is a scumbag move. You are right though, that I don't know the functionality for other titles yet. However I'll be able to find out and experience it by only buying one character.
Am I supposed to appreciate features being locked behind some plastic figurines I otherwise have no interest in? What's not to hate?

 
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In for Link with GCU. Could easily see myself picking up Samus, Mario and probably a few others if these turn out to be at all useful.

 
You likely wouldn't have any interest in said features anyways even if it wasnt tied to these.
How can you possibly know that? We don't know what these things even do outside of SSB, and aside from what I've written here you don't know anything about how I play or what I enjoy.

Like I said in my original comment, these are options/features being locked behind a gimmick. At best they'll basically be what you said.... superfluous features that add nothing for me or anybody else..... but that wouldn't encourage sales much now would it? I don't want to comment much on a game/features that's not even out yet, and you may or may not end up being right about this adding functionality I wouldn't use anyway, but at least in terms of SSB it looks like this could be a nuisance to somebody who focuses more on the single player side of things.

 
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It seems like its lose lose for you. If they have cool featured tied to them you are mad because you have to buy the figures to get them. If they don't have any cool features behind them you are mad because they are "useless" to you.

No matter what, you aren't happy. Big shock.

 
I think it's pretty clear that these figures are intended to open up more multi-player options. I think you're correct (rcerboss) about them having little to no impact on a player who prefers single-player modes. I for one am also cautiously optimistic about the impact these figures will have on how I play and whom I play with. I like the idea of taking my customized character with me to a friend's house, sort of how you used to be able to save a Mii to your controller for the old Wii. 

I agree that the pricing seems out of place with the announced functionality, but with how often they've been updating Mario Kart 8, I am hopeful that Amiibo compatibility will come to as many first party titles as makes sense. What I really don't want to see is poorly thought out additions; squeezing Amiibos into games where they serve essentially no purpose just to extend the life of these things.

 
Am I supposed to appreciate features being locked behind some plastic figurines I otherwise have no interest in? What's not to hate?
See I think we're thinking of this as two different things. The amiibo thing to me is like a separate game. I'm certain that SSB will be a full fledged, full featured game. I honestly probably won't even use amiibo, even though I'm gonna get one just to try it out. I think the fact that you can use it across multiple games and don't have to buy a new one for Captain Toad or Yoshi's Wooly World is a selling point to me. CAsh grab imo is "Buy this Link amiibo to get 5 extra dungeons and a big piece of the story". If it comes down to features being locked out I'll stand right there and say that it's a scummy move.But I think it's gonna be kind of like "Better with Kinect" or whatever. You can level up your amiibo, in SSB, and play with it but you don't have to.

 
See I think we're thinking of this as two different things. The amiibo thing to me is like a separate game. I'm certain that SSB will be a full fledged, full featured game. I honestly probably won't even use amiibo, even though I'm gonna get one just to try it out. I think the fact that you can use it across multiple games and don't have to buy a new one for Captain Toad or Yoshi's Wooly World is a selling point to me. CAsh grab imo is "Buy this Link amiibo to get 5 extra dungeons and a big piece of the story". If it comes down to features being locked out I'll stand right there and say that it's a scummy move.But I think it's gonna be kind of like "Better with Kinect" or whatever. You can level up your amiibo, in SSB, and play with it but you don't have to.
Plus some of them look awesome and you can actually display them when you're not using them.

 
It seems like its lose lose for you. If they have cool featured tied to them you are mad because you have to buy the figures to get them. If they don't have any cool features behind them you are mad because they are "useless" to you.

No matter what, you aren't happy. Big shock.
Where did I ever say I'd be angry if these ended up being useless gimmicks? I'm fine with that in that I don't want to feel any pressure to buy plastic junk. Please quit putting words into my mouth and making generic assumptions, and don't play off what I'm written as if I'm angry for anger's sake. I'm not unhappy, I never said I was, I simply chimed in when somebody said these were "optional" and explained why that's an inaccurate statement.... what's optional or insignificant to one may break the game for another.

I do think this is a stupid gimmicky cash grab and I fail to see the appeal in this that everyone else seems to... obviously others feel differently..... that's the beauty of opinions. And I will be ultimately pissed if any features/options I do want are locked behind these stupid things (such as bonus content in Yoshi's Yarn or something), but I never said I was angry ATM.

 
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If there is content locked behind them just buy amiibo, scan through package and return to store after content is unlocked. Provided you don't have to scan the figure each time you want to use that content. I wonder how they are going to prevent people from just bringing their 3ds once the New 3DS released to the store and scanning figures.
 
If there is content locked behind them just buy amiibo, scan through package and return to store after content is unlocked. Provided you don't have to scan the figure each time you want to use that content. I wonder how they are going to prevent people from just bringing their 3ds once the New 3DS released to the store and scanning figures.
Pretty sure they could put a foil sticker or something on the bottom to prevent that.

Who is gonna use Wii Fit Trainer?
She's in my top 5.

 
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But do we have any idea at all what these will do in Mario Kart? And it still doesn't change anything I said: Anything these Amiibo's can do can be done just as easily with a save file and SD card.


Yeah I guess some people might see it that way.... guess that's why I was never in marketing lol

But then you'd need an SD card and you'd complain about that as well because nintendo sells those as well. With Skylanders they are not optional, half the game is locked unless you have the right figures, neither skylanders or Disney work if you have no figures, granted they come with starter packs, but with Smash, you don't need these at all to play the game. It's a bonus. Its just a cash grab because nintendo did it, but buying the fourth edition of spyro for trap team isn't because he's 9.99/7.99 GCU. This is aimed at nintendo fans and collectors. That's why it's an option and a perfectly good one at that.
 
If there is content locked behind them just buy amiibo, scan through package and return to store after content is unlocked. Provided you don't have to scan the figure each time you want to use that content. I wonder how they are going to prevent people from just bringing their 3ds once the New 3DS released to the store and scanning figures.
As of now there's no content locked by these, these are computer controlled AI fighters that can be battled. They level up and become your personal fighter, they're kind if like Pokemon if you will (in pikachus case it totally is). They must be scanned in anytime you want to use them, however unlike Disney and skylanders, they do not have to remain on the pad to be used. They just have to be scanned each battle, or each time the console/game is booted up.
 
The one game Nintendo can probably make gangbusters on this for is Mario Party where the amiibo's can be AI oppononents. That said I give it a 40% chance that Nintendo messes it up somehow. 

 
I actually waited to buy the Wii U til I found out whether they were turning Smash into the Skylanders Infinity bull shit. I felt comfortable making my purchase the day after E3. 

 
Eh, most things I have seen say the Amiibo are just going to be like portable, physical Miis to store limited play data for multiple games.  The only real reason to have more than one per person is if you just want to collect them (they are nice figures, minus the stick that holds up the figure on some of them, I prefer poses that would be self-supporting).  I like the idea, it would be cool for the kids to be able to take their info over to friend's houses.  $12.99 isn't a bad price either, given we've been really into Skylanders and Infinity.  They obviously have way more storage than a Skylander given the number of games they say are supported.  Maybe it will do specific content, but as long as it isn't something vital like a playable character, no big deal.  Maybe I'm wrong, but if done right this could be really cool.

I'm going to let my sons each pick out one, I'm about 99% certain my youngest will be getting that Animal Crossing kid.

 
Eh, most things I have seen say the Amiibo are just going to be like portable, physical Miis to store limited play data for multiple games. The only real reason to have more than one per person is if you just want to collect them (they are nice figures, minus the stick that holds up the figure on some of them, I prefer poses that would be self-supporting). I like the idea, it would be cool for the kids to be able to take their info over to friend's houses. $12.99 isn't a bad price either, given we've been really into Skylanders and Infinity. They obviously have way more storage than a Skylander given the number of games they say are supported. Maybe it will do specific content, but as long as it isn't something vital like a playable character, no big deal. Maybe I'm wrong, but if done right this could be really cool.

I'm going to let my sons each pick out one, I'm about 99% certain my youngest will be getting that Animal Crossing kid.
what would be badass would be physical Miis of yourself. I'd pay $50 for one. 3D printing anyone?

 
From what I understand these are all smash bros amiibos. These will work in other games supporting a specific characters Amiibo, but new amiibos will be released to coincide with new game releases and will offer additional functionality. So those not buying these specifically for Smash Bros. Or simply to collect may be disappointed when they learn better figures will be released closer to the launch of the game they're eying.


Plus we don't really know what these figures will be used for. I mean I can think of cool uses for them. I see Animal Crossing and Pokemon as serious amiibo gold mines for Nintendo. But I'm not going to hype myself up too much on the potential of these figures only to be let down later.

IMO There's massive profit potential in Animal Crossing Amiibos. selling people figurines of their favorite villagers, and also having that amiibo generate that character into the players town would be a highly desirable combination.

I know I'd be mighty tempted to buy my whole town's worth of amiibos, if they all got Amiibos. Or to buy my favorite villager(Lucky)'s Amiibo just to get him into my town in the next Animal Crossing game.

If this were simply $12.99 AC dlc, I'd be screaming ripoff at Nintendo. But because I get a tiny figure to display on my shelf, I salute Nintendo for their genius and dedication to their fans.
 
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Unless you're a collector, I wouldn't buy these until you know they're well supported with functionality you think is worth $13. Nintendo has a history of abandoning unpopular pariphrials.
 
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Unless you're a collector, I wouldn't buy these until you know they're well supported with functionality you think is worth $13. Nintendo has a history of abandoning unpopular pariphrials.
Of course they abandon products when they're unpopular...why wouldn't they? Any business worth it's salt won't throw money into a product that's not working out. See also: Xbox LIVE Vision Camera, Playstation Move, Onlive, etc etc etc.

That said, there is no way in hell Amiibos won't be popular and won't be supported on the Wii U/3DS in the long term. They're not trying out some experimental tech and hoping everyone buys into how revolutionary it is; they're ripping off Skylanders with Nintendo franchises and tying it to their biggest 2014/15 releases. The market is there; they have three solid years of research to prove it. Skylanders is pretty much ersatz Pokemon anyway...imagine the bank Nintendo will make off of Pokemon Amiibos.

 
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