Piper2381: Amiibo

Showing posts with label Amiibo. Show all posts

Friday, July 13, 2018

World of Nintendo vs. Amiibo

When Nintendo released the 30^th 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 30^th 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:

www.jakks.com

Nintendo Amiibo:

www.nintendo.com/en_CA/amiibo/line-up

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6I0VD_8CJU

Thursday, June 22, 2017

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?

Friday, October 16, 2015

Mega Yarn Yoshi Amiibo

When Nintendo first showed images of Mega Yarn Yoshi, I was on a rollercoaster of emotions. The upside was that I thought it was so cool of Nintendo to have made such a unique amiibo. The downside was I also knew I wouldn’t be able to obtain him because he would be limited, and like most limited releases I’m never lucky enough to get them. Then I heard that Toys R Us Canada would be releasing Mega Yarn Yoshi a few weeks earlier than in the US (October 16^th), so I decided to at least attempt to get him. Luckily, when that Friday came, during a lunch break I went to my nearest Toys R Us and able to buy the last one in the store.

Mega Yarn Yoshi retailed for $59.99 plus tax. I can only assume the price tag was one of the reasons why many people passed on buying him. Other than the price, there’s really nothing much to complain about this collectable. The packaging is adorable, with the yarn motif continued throughout the box. For now, I haven’t yet opened and released Yoshi, but from what I’ve been hearing he’s very well made, and soft to touch. I’m a big fan of unique pieces like this and I hope Nintendo keeps releasing great editions like this (I’m hoping for a Mega Yarn Shy Guy).

Update: Toys R Us Canada/Nintendo re-released Mega Yarn Yoshi in Canada on March 18^th, 2016

Nintendo:

http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/mega-yarn-yoshi-amiibo-yoshis-woolly-world-series

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meGeOjpneYE

Friday, May 29, 2015

Ness Amiibo

So here’s an Amiibo I never thought I would own, Ness from EarthBound. Now I have to admit it, I never played the game when it first released. Back in those days, (around 1994, 1995) we just didn’t have the internet to tell us about hidden gems that were great games. That only thing that made this game stand out from the rest was its giant packaging. That’s really the only reason I remember this game, since I was a Sega fan at the time. Flash forward many years later and I finally played the game in ROM format, and liked it a lot.

So with now being familiar with the franchise I really wanted Amiibo Ness, but didn’t think I would get him because he would be limited. Thankfully, on Good Friday the malls were opened and I decided to ask my local EB Games if they were taking pre-orders, and they were and so I was able to pay for one. When released day came (May 29^th, 2015) I was one of the lucky ones whose order didn’t get cancelled and I finally had Ness. So there’s really no need for a review of him, since he kicks arse and Nintendo did a great job on him.

EarthBound Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EarthBound

Ness Amiibo:

https://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/wk1chb2jZhXmRJO8TJr3REaGMSrNHCOi

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tPdmI-1kvc

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Super Mario Bros. Mario and Luigi Amiibo

I’m not a huge fan of the Smash Bros franchise, so when the first release of Smash Bros Amiibo released I wasn’t interested in buying Mario or Luigi. I just felt like Mario is such a popular character that Nintendo is bound to release a version that is more to my liking. Thankfully they did, and it was released for the Mario Party game on the Wii U. I’m also not a fan of the Mario Party franchise either, but at least this Mario appealed to me.

What I didn’t expect from this Mario Party release was that I would not only get a Luigi version, but that I would also like Luigi’s version even more. Luigi just seems so much more friendly and welcoming to me. Of course, they’re both brothers so I had to buy them both since they both display nicely together. With this release I have now definitely become an Amiibo collector and hope to see more versions of the Mario brothers in the future, such as retro versions.

Mario Party 10:

http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/REGT9oL8TMur8_5s9Ofb2VdbFnPcnn21

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddqXX_S_76g

Friday, March 20, 2015

Toad Amiibo

Today I was lucky enough to find a Toad Amiibo figure. Toad was never a popular character when I was a kid. The most popular of course was Mario, so that’s why Nintendo made many games that featured him. Then one day Nintendo decided to make a game featuring Toad as the protagonist in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. The game looked like fun and had lots of charm to it. It always amazes me how Nintendo is able to launch a relatively small character into superstardom with their own franchise like they did with Luigi in Luigi's Mansion, Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong Country, and Yoshi in Yoshi’s Story.

Now that Toad has his own spin-off series, I had to buy his Amiibo figure. Amiibo Toad was officially released on March 20^th, 2015. I’m thankful that the release date was more organized than other releases. Toad is part of the Super Mario Amiibo figures which I consider the second series of Amiibo, the first one being Super Smash Bros. Toad is well painted and sculpted, and it shows that the manufacturer is getting better at producing these figures. I’m glad Nintendo decided to honour Toad with an Amiibo and I’m excited to see what the future holds for this loveable little guy.

Toad Wiki:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toad_%28Mario%29

Nintendo Amiibo:

http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/detail/eJNdpC-B4hLZZGvUPA1JtZwkbO2Ahq02

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdg-qwcT0g8

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Mega Man Amiibo

Mega Man is my second Amiibo figure in my collection. Like most Amiibo, I wasn’t planning on getting him but once I saw the final version he looked too cool to pass up on. I’ve never really been a big fan of Mega Man games (I suck at them), but this figure just came out perfect. Mega Man also reminds me of Astro Boy (a cartoon I grew up watching) so I had to buy this figure.

Mega Man is painted in his traditional blue colourway, with light blue and a metallic blue that shines nicely. Although his face doesn’t have a lot of detail, it’s still clean and an important focal point of the figure. Finding him at first was a little difficult, but eventually retail stores did receive more figures of him. I really love this toy, and I believe his popularity will grow over time because he’s a rare Capcom figure.

Mega Man:

http://megaman.capcom.com

Nintendo Amiibo:

http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9qgwmxH8pM

Monday, February 23, 2015

Amiibo Toon Link

Well, I finally have my first Amiibo and what better way to start off a collection than with Toon Link. My intentions were to initially buy Amiibo Link from series 1, but once I saw the final release I passed on him. I just didn’t like the ugly yellow stand and the way Link was facing, so it was a hard decision on passing him. Thankfully, Nintendo did release a proper Link figure in the form of Toon Link.

Toon Link was released around February 2015, and was part of wave 3 that was compatible with Super Smash Bros. Wii U. He retailed for $13.99 Can ($12.99 US), and attainting him was fairly easy within the first week of release.

I never planned on getting into Amiibo, but once I saw Toon Link I knew I had to get him. The design of the card back and the figure is neat and colourful (containing that Nintendo magic). For now, I plan to keep my collection mint on card because I prefer to display them that way. And with a great “must-have” figure like this, I can’t wait to see what other classic character is released in the future (NES Link –fingers crossed).