Nintendo Disappoints me Again

Tomorrow is the release day of the next installment of the 30^th anniversary Zelda amiibo which features 3 different versions of Link which are from Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword and Majora's Mask.  For some unknown reason Nintendo decided to release each amiibo as a store exclusive to EB Games (Twilight Princess), Best Buy (Majora's Mask) and Amazon (Skyward Sword) here in Canada.  Unfortunately I wasn’t able to reserve any of these amiibo, and most likely won’t be able to buy them.  While I was aware of the pre-order dates, I decided to not pre-order because as a collector I prefer the experience of entering a store and selecting the best version I want.  It’s something I have been doing ever since the first amiibo released.  I never imagined that Nintendo Canada would make these so limited that they would sell out on pre-orders.  Online they sold out within minutes, and in-store some stores received between 8-10 figures while other locations didn’t receive any at all.

I’m now left angry and disappointed by Nintendo for using these evil marketing strategies to garner hype for its brand.  And I do mean hype because it’s not about the money.  If it were about the money, the NES Classic Edition would have been released in large quantities and made Nintendo millions.  While I’m sure Nintendo must have some reasoning behind its marketing strategy, I feel like there are times when intentionally depriving the market of some popular item can have negative consequences.  Beyond disappointing loyal fans, and leaving profits on the table I feel like it consequently creates a need for piracy.

As a disappointed Nintendo fan I now feel justified in looking for NFC enabled amiibo cards.  NFC (Near Field Communications) cards are unofficial Nintendo cards that contain all the data from one particular amiibo figure.  You then basically scan the tag on the card and it works as if it were the original amiibo figure.  If you can’t even buy the original figure in a store, then this is the best option for people who want to enjoy the full amiibo experience from their Nintendo games.  So this is my only option now, especially because the resell market is too expensive and profits don’t support Nintendo either.  I can imagine this is how people who weren’t able to get the NES Classic Edition must feel when they resort to getting a NES Raspberry Pi in order to play those games.

By the way, how can Nintendo consider itself a kid’s company when in order to get Skyward Sword Link amiibo you need to have an Amazon account, linked to a credit card, with a shipping address?

Tim Hortons Nanaimo Bar Donut

With Canada celebrating its 150^th birthday this year (1867 confederation), Tim Hortons has decided to partake in the celebration by releasing Canadian food favourites.  Of course I was most interested in the nanaimo bar donut; a delicious brownie-like treat that was invented in Nanaimo, B.C.  The Tim Hortons version is also delicious and manages to capture the right balance of chocolate and custard.

Nanaimo Bar Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanaimo_bar

World of Nintendo The Legend of Zelda Skull Kid Toy

Skull Kid was first seen in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.  I remember the first time I came across him; it was a spooky moment.  I say this because he was a young boy dancing alone in the woods.  His dancing movement was so life-like, I almost felt sad that I wasn’t able to approach him and help him (assuming he was lost in the woods).  Ocarina of Time was really one of the first video games I felt emotional towards the characters; characters that I cared about and wanted to befriend (Zelda, Malon, Saria, Epona, etc…), this is why Ocarina of Time is one of my most beloved games.

Officially though, Skull Kid didn’t become an official Zelda franchise character until Majora’s Mask.  This is the version that Jakks Pacific released for their World of Nintendo toy line; which includes Majora’s Mask as an accessory.   This toy is part of series 2-2 from the line, and was released in 2016.  I am utterly impressed by the quality of this figure because it has numerous articulation, is made of distinctive colourful plastic pieces, and the paint job is very clean.  I’d go so far as to say this is the best figure Jakks Pacific has released from their World of Nintendo toy line.

While I wasn’t planning on collecting this toy line (outside of a couple Link figures) the quality of this Skull Kid has ignited in me the desire to collect more figures.  While I have read other complaints about loose joints, my view is that their figures are for adult collectors (not going to play with them); and as such these figures are excellent for displaying along with the original games in a nice display.

Skull Kid Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_in_The_Legend_of_Zelda_series#Skull_Kid

Jakks Pacific:

www.jakks.com

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vg0GnvaheU