amiibo Features
Talking Point Nintendo's Still Making Them, So What amiibo Do You Still Want To See?
Woah-oh-oh Geno-o
Today saw the launch of the long-time-coming Princess Zelda and Ganondaddydorf amiibo for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Did you get them? Against his better judgement, this writer caved and pre-ordered both. How else are you going to get those absolutely vital paraglider fabric unlocks in TOTK, eh? Yes, the toys-to-life craze may...
Talking Point In 2023, Do You Still Care About amiibo?
Or are you amiibored?
Nintendo's amiibo line has been going for over eight years now. Originally launched back on November 21st, 2014 in North America alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the toys-to-life figurine series has maintained relatively steady interest while competitors like Disney Infinity and Skylanders have completely fallen by the...
Talking Point amiibo Have Always Been Physical DLC, Skyward Sword HD Is No Different
Buy it or don't, but it isn't surprising
This week Nintendo unveiled a particularly charming amiibo that'll tie in to The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, and it's arguably one of the most handsome figures yet. It's also caused a bit of a storm on social media and in comments sections here on the site, with plenty of vitriol to go around. The...
Soapbox This Little Plastic Disc Has Enriched My Animal Crossing: New Horizons Experience
Should you also join the (N2) Elite?
The arrival of Animal Crossing: New Horizons has predictably triggered a surge in demand for Animal Crossing amiibo cards required to invite certain villagers to your island, so much so that some of them are now trading hands for
Feature Just One More, Honest: The Unlikely Endurance Of amiibo
Despite untapped potential, amiibo survives the death of toys-to-life
With Disney Infinity, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions falling by the wayside in recent years, toys-to-life seems to have reached its natural conclusion. Much like the plastic instrument peripherals of a decade ago, consumers have had enough after filling their homes with plastic...
Guide Super Smash Bros. Ultimate amiibo - Where to Buy Ridley, Wolf, King K. Rool, and More
Toying with the idea?
With a new Super Smash Bros. Ultimate comes with it a raft of new amiibo. Nintendo's pulled no punches here either, with a physical toy version of every single new fighter in the latest version of Smash. That includes epic new fighters in the form of Ridley from Metroid, Wolf from Star Fox and King K. Rool from Donkey Kong...
Editorial amiibo Has Stalled, Because Nintendo is Forgetting What Makes It Special
A decline into minor unlocks and collectible DLC
Nintendo is still fully committed to amiibo, that much is obvious. New figures and cards continue to gradually emerge, some as expected with the biggest games (such as Splatoon 2 and Metroid: Samus Returns), and others a little unexpected like the cards that came out alongside Mario Sports...
Talking Point The State of Play - amiibo and Its Next Big Move
Pokémon, probably
When Nintendo unveiled its amiibo range in Spring 2014 with the codename of "Nintendo Figurine Platform", it came at a time when the toys-to-life market was near its peak. After Skylanders had blazed a trail Disney Infinity had followed, and it had become a lucrative sector in the market. Nintendo's initial pitch was enticing -...
Talking Point Recent Sales Results Show That amiibo Needs Games For Success, Not Just Collectibility
A quiet quarter in sales is a rare market blip for the range
Nintendo's Q1 financial results were some of the most uneventful in recent memory; we're not expecting a President's Presentation or Q & A as they aren't the norm for the company's Q1 reports. What the financial results brought were losses and low sales, which weren't surprising in the...
Poll As The amiibo Collection Hits 100, What's The Current State of Play?
That's a lot of little plastic (and yarn) characters
The amiibo range has been one of Nintendo's biggest successes of recent times, shifting tens of millions of units in a little over 18 months on the market. After initial hype in late 2014 the narrative was often dominated, for a while at least, by stock issues - these problems were prevalent...
Nintendo's range offers a variety that rivals can't match
Disney may be one of the most powerful brands and wealthy corporations in the world, with numerous companies and divisions under its ownership, but it evidently won't tolerate a struggling product. While Nintendo will keep a system like the Wii U, for example, slowly ticking along until its...
Talking Point The New 3DS Can Revive the Portable Family With Help From Pokémon and amiibo
Pokemon amiibo cards could print money
Nintendo knows how to bury bad news. Not long before the Pokémon Direct and the reveal of Pokémon Sun and Moon, it announced cuts to its estimated profits and sales. Net sales could be the lowest in 15 years for the
Talking Point Considering amiibo Features and the Reality of 'Physical DLC'
The evolution of amiibo, locked content and why some hate it
Courtesy of Famitsu screens and Amazon France continuing its impressive record of product page blunders, some details have dribbled out recently for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. Much of the information has been relatively minor, but one potential detail - let's consider it...
And how to get the perfect PEGI rating
Steamworld Heist may be one of the last games to release in 2015, but it's also one of the best. Riding high on Metacritic it looks set to be the highest-scoring 3DS game of the year, and is throwing a spanner in the works of many overeager publication's "game of the year" lists. We sat down with Brjann...
Parent Trap Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival Goes Where Other Wii U Games Don't
We also break down the amiibo card mini-games
Families come in all shapes and sizes, we say that often, but then we expect a handful of popular games to work with all of them. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival breaks the mould in both its form and structure, in doing so it caters for a brand new type of audience and introduces them to the world of...
Poll The Battle of the Nindies and Questions on amiibo
Are Nindie amiibo on your wishlist?
PAX Prime is now right in its peak, with the Seattle event attracting thousands of attendees eager to soak in all there is to offer. Nintendo's been particularly active, too, not only running a booth with plenty of contests and retail games, but also a neat Nindies Lounge with a range of exciting download games...
Talking Point The Argument For And Against amiibo-Cloning Tool Amiiqo
A necessary evil or bare-face piracy?
Nintendo's range of amiibo toys has been a commercial success, shipping over 10 million units (at the last count) and giving the company a much-needed additional revenue stream during a time of considerable turmoil and upheaval. However, the amiibo story hasn't been entirely positive, with some figures proving...
First Impressions Getting Cosy With Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
How to make a happy home
At Nintendo's E3 presentation two "spin-offs" based on the Animal Crossing series were shown: Animal Crossing amiibo Festival for Wii U, a Mario Party-style interactive board game, and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer for 3DS - an interior design based title. To focus on Happy Home Designer, it left many questioning...
Parent Trap Skylanders SuperChargers Dials Nintendo Love up to Eleven, Even on Wii
FGTV learns more about cross-platform compatibility for Wii U, Wii and 3DS
The natural way of things in the video game world is be to moved on to the next generation of console pretty quickly. The Wii has changed all that, for better or worse. Millions of families who don't consider themselves avid gamers still have that little white box tucked...
Parent Trap Woolly Yoshi amiibo Finally Turn Toys To Life Figures Into Actual Toys
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson has a yarn Yoshi, don't hate him
It may seem that the knitted amiibo for Yoshi's Woolly World are simply a gimmick. However, for children the difference here is more than aesthetic. They mark a new toys to life trend of offering playable toys rather than collectable figurines for the shelf. Of course, historically toys...
Editorial Nintendo's Approach to amiibo is Increasingly Frustrating
Tom Whitehead wonders what the deal is
When amiibo was unveiled in 2014, and it was still relatively mysterious, I wrote a feature outlining the pros and cons of the platform. It was a hugely exciting project from Nintendo, and the concerns highlighted weren't in line with what's happened since the toys made their début. In fact, it's amazing to...
Poll We Need to Talk About amiibo - Where Do You Stand?
Awesome collectibles, source of frustration, a bit of both?
As we approach the 'expo we cannot name' - oh alright, E3 - we can't help but wonder how many times Nintendo will mention amiibo. Will we learn more about the amiibo cards that'll accompany Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer? Will there be more blasted Smash Bros. waves that we'll...
Poll Is Splatoon a Blockbuster That'll Help Revive the Wii U?
We want your thoughts on its online play, amiibo and lack of voice chat
The Wii U has a small batch of highly promising titles on the way, though only one notable arrival is currently expected worldwide in the first half of this year - Splatoon. European gamers do have Yoshi's Woolly World to look forward to on 26th June, admittedly, but that title...
Parent Trap Mario Party amiibo Toys Get Both Genders Battling
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson talks Toys to Life
While my family have well and truly been bitten by the deadly amiibo collecting bug, until now this had been the territory of my two boys rather than my daughter. Although we all play Super Smash Bros. she rarely gets the game out herself. However, the arrival of Mario Party 10 and the related Super...
Poll Which 2015 Nintendo Blockbusters Should Have amiibo Support?
A welcome extra or occasional option?
Since the launch of the first 'wave' alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U in November 2014, Nintendo's wasted little time in promoting and expanding amiibo. Continual waves have continued to take us towards coverage of the full cast in the brawling title, while an upcoming Super Mario range will accompany Mario...
Yep, Super Mario amiibo - Gold Edition pre-orders are flooding eBay
Today brought a familiar turn of events in the realm of amiibo and anything that's 'limited edition' of late from Nintendo. The best-known toy secret was announced with confirmation of Walmart exclusivity for the Super Mario amiibo - Gold Edition, and then they were gone before...
Feature Tales From the Front Line of amiibo Collecting
The good, the bad and the ugly
Nintendo's amiibo have been a hit at retail, with around 5.7 million sold through January, and counting. Yet that sales success doesn't mean that supply is plentiful, and for the most eager of fans collecting some of the toys - particularly those that are a little most niche - have been a tale of endurance. This wasn't...
Reaction Super Smash Bros. amiibo Support Shows That NFC For The New Nintendo 3DS Is No Gimmick
Part of a long term plan?
Today Nintendo provided a pretty meaty update for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, which adds some rather neat data sharing options that'll no doubt see thousands of Mii characters and funny images ping around the internet for our viewing pleasure. Beyond those additions of data swapping and Miiverse posts there was also...
Talking Point Nintendo's Had a Strong Start With amiibo, But Evolution's a Priority for 2015
The Super Mario range doesn't stir the soul like Smash Bros., it seems
When it comes to amiibo we often discuss stock issues, and the fact that acquiring specific toys is akin to obtaining an interesting quote from a politician - difficult and mostly fruitless; yet there's perhaps not enough focus on the concept itself. Until last week its...
Poll As amiibo Expands and Evolves, Which Features Are You Most Excited About?
Super Mario range, Mario Party 10 compatibility and more
Last week's Nintendo Direct broadcasts brought a host of fresh details on amiibo, taking us beyond the launch period's tales of Super Smash Bros. support, relatively minor features in Hyrule Warriors and Mario Kart 8, and the ongoing shenanigans of painfully limited stock. Well, the latter may...
Feature The Big Nintendo Direct Summary - 14th January 2015
Nintendo went big with New Nintendo 3DS and much more
With 2015 still only just picking up steam, the first Nintendo Direct broadcasts of the year ensured that the big N kicked off a vital 12 months with some style. It delivered some of its longer broadcasts in recent memory, with notable variations between regions, and as a whole kept momentum...
Feature Five Key Reveals We Want in 2015's First Nintendo Direct
New 3DS! Wii U release dates! Reward Scheme!
While January 2014 became entwined in fluctuating share prices and worrying financial results, Nintendo has shown its intent to kick off 2015 in a far more positive light. The year's first Nintendo Direct will be broadcast on 14th January at 6am Pacific / 9am Eastern / 2pm UK / 3pm CET, confirming a focus...
Parent Trap The Eyes Have It, Why amiibo Detail Matters
Family Gamer's Andy Robertson on why amiibo is such a hit in his house
Spending an afternoon unboxing Wave 2 amiibo figures got my boys more than a little excited, but along with the frenzied Christmas joy they quickly latched on to just how detailed these toys are. We first caught up with Wave 1 amiibos Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Peach before getting...
Talking Point Super Smash Bros. and amiibo Have Enjoyed Success, But Nintendo Could Have Done More
Communication, stock and implementation could have been better
For Nintendo fans and Wii U owners, we feel that the last few months have been a terrific period — there's been excitement and buzz around 2015 games and, more importantly, a selection of high quality and hugely enjoyable games that are in stores now. There's been a perceivable shift...
Stock issues have been ongoing since launch
Since late November there have been a few key products that Nintendo has used to drive sales of the Wii U, all related to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. The main product has been the amiibo range, now into its second wave, while alongside that there's been the GameCube Controller Adapter and a related...
Talking Point What's Next For amiibo?
Nintendo's range is off to a blistering start, but what could 2015 hold?
Amid the confusion regarding amiibo figures apparently being discontinued (and then not) and the scarcely credible defected models we've been seeing, it's easy to miss the fact that Nintendo's new "toys to life" range has been a storming success — so much so that the...
Feature How We'd Like to See amiibo Used in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Tracking treasure with amiibo
Nintendo’s ridiculously cute diorama puzzler Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is out today in North America (Europe will have to wait until 2nd January). In our review we said it was “relentlessly charming and joyous, and is another example of Nintendo's developers flexing their creative muscles along with game-making...
Parent Trap amiibo Packs a Hidden Family Payload
More than meets the eye
Toys and video games used to compete for family spending power at supermarket check-outs. The recent trend in toy-video-game crossovers does away with this rivalry, but for families makes purchasing decisions all the more confusing. With amiibo joining the likes Skylanders and Disney Infinity (not to mention more niche...
Guide Getting the Most out of Your amiibo with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Oh, amiibo!
Nintendo’s near-field communication figurines, amiibo, have finally landed in North America; what better way for them to punch and kick their way into our homes (and hearts) than to do so in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Nintendo’s latest home console version of the crossover fighting series offers in-depth support for the figurines,...
Feature A Day in the Life of a Self-Confessed Super Smash Bros. Fanatic
It's always a smashing day
Martin Watts regularly thrashes his Nintendo Life colleagues in online Smash Bros. matches, and now we know why. In this article he outlines a typical day now that two versions of the brawler are available. Nintendo’s decision to release not one, but two Super Smash Bros. games in a single year has always been...
Talking Point Super Smash Bros. Can Finally Reach Its Money-Spinning Potential
All the pieces have come together
We often talk up Nintendo's alternative and unique approach in the current games market, primarily that of generally focusing on colourful, fun games that often run at a silky smooth 60 frames per second; when it comes to Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, we're even looking at a native 1080p resolution to round off the...
Poll Who'll Be Your Main amiibo Buddy?
For Smash Bros. training, more games and picnics
Nothing says it's Friday like some nice, relaxing polls, so we thought we'd take one of the big topics of the week — amiibo — and gauge how you'll be enjoying — or not as the case may be — the upcoming range of toys. It's all very well looking at the attention Nintendo's directing towards the...
Talking Point The amiibo Range Grows, Yet Key Questions Remain
Its ambition is both a strength and a curse
Back in August we outlined amiibo pros and cons, mainly within the context that Nintendo had revealed little about the figures over the course of the summer months. Many questions have since been answered in terms of how the figures will be used in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, in addition to their minor...
Preview Using amiibo with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
We’ve got amiibo all figured out
This holiday period is arguably Nintendo’s most crucial since the Wii U launched back in late 2012. The company's banking on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U not only attracting a lot of sales but, more specifically, system sales from those yet to pick up the console. Moreover, Nintendo’s new range of NFC (near...
Feature The Benefits of a Portable Super Smash Bros.
Why being able to take the fight with you is a good thing
This year sees a number of landmark moments for the Super Smash Bros. series: it’s now 15 years old, two games are being released within mere months of each other and one of them will feature glorious high-definition graphics. However, even more significant than all of these notable...
Talking Point Nintendo's Ambitious amiibo Plans - Pros and Cons
An exciting platform with lots of unanswered questions
Earlier this year, as part of a major presentation following Nintendo's annual financial results, Satoru Iwata unveiled the Nintendo Figurine Platform, which was then announced with some style as amiibo during E3 2014. The initial E3 reveal focused on Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, though a follow...
Gallery A Closer Look At 13 amiibo Toys
Prepare your wallets
Nintendo's lining up multiple blockbuster releases for the Holiday season, but the most important will likely be its range of NFC toys — amiibo. Marketing these figures, successfully implementing them in games and securing plenty of shelf space with the biggest retailers represent three major challenges for Nintendo, though...
Parent Trap Amiibo Charts A Fresh Course In The Toys To Life Sector
Wallets are going to suffer this Christmas
Seen one toy-video-game craze and you’ve seen them all, right? Counter to first impressions Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Angry Birds Telepods each offer a distinct experience. Nintendo’s amiibo characters offer another new way to combine toys and video-games, but how different is it to these other...