Friday, July 13, 2018

World of Nintendo vs. Amiibo

When Nintendo released the 30th anniversary Legend of Zelda amiibo figures I was heartbroken when I found out that they had sold out and a second release wasn’t likely.  I was also upset because Nintendo was up to their old tricks of intentionally releasing hard to find figures in order to create hype.  To a certain point I’m okay with hunting for collectables, but in this case Nintendo made them difficult to find (releasing in separate stores), and pre-ordering was the only means of reserving them (meaning you couldn’t choose a mint condition package in-store).  While I was upset initially, I did eventually cave in and decided to buy the figures from resellers while the prices were still “reasonable.”
Buying a just released amiibo from a reseller left me with bitter sweet feelings (knowing that my money isn’t going to Nintendo directly).  Meanwhile at the same time I was also collecting World of Nintendo figures. Unlike the 30th anniversary Zelda amiibo, World of Nintendo figures were much easier to find, and retailed for a great price.  This is why I believe it’s better to collect and support World of Nintendo figures made by Jakks Pacific.  Unless you’re a hardcore Zelda collector, I recommend you stick to buying World of Nintendo figures, and occasionally buying amiibo when there’s a figure you like.  The benefits of WoN figures is that there are plenty to go around, they’re toys that are highly detailed and poseable, and a variety of  characters continue to be released.  And while they lack the features that amiibo add to games, I recommend you just buy NFC enabled amiibo cards online instead.  That way you won’t miss out on those features when you’re playing games and you’ll still have an awesome World of Nintendo collection.

Jakks Pacific:
Nintendo Amiibo:
YouTube:

Monday, July 2, 2018

New Nintendo 2DS XL Hylian Shield Edition

What’s better than owning a 3DS?  Nothing.  Yet Nintendo always finds a way to sucker us back into buying something we already own, lol.  I’m not mad though, as long as it’s a special edition that’s worth collecting.  I’m usually not a collector of special edition consoles (even if it’s Zelda), but this Hylian Shield Edition I just couldn’t pass up on.  Previous Zelda handhelds have been pretty minimal in design (besides a few symbols), but this edition screams Zelda.  The colours are nice and bright, and resemble Link’s Hylian shield.  I fell in love with this console the first time I saw it, heck I was even first in line to pre-order it at EB Games.  And as if the design of the 2DS wasn’t enough it also comes with A Link Between Worlds pre-installed.  This is a must own for any Zelda collector.

The New Nintendo 2DS XL Hylian Shield Edition was released on July 2nd, 2018 and retailed for $209.99 Canadian.  It was a North American exclusive, sold only in EB Games in Canada, and Gamestop.  It came with a pre-installed version The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, and a charger.
Nintendo:
EB Games: