In recent weeks we've emphasized — in some editorials and general articles — that Nintendo needs to start building more awareness of amiibo with understandable, interesting promotions, videos and so on. We're starting to see that process get underway, with the company following up its Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Nintendo Direct with videos that do a little to show how the figures work in the game and, importantly, why we should want them.
There are two videos below, with the first being more substantial and even showing what a retail amiibo display could look like. It features two brothers and their friends, following the younger fighter as he learns about amiibo, buys a Mario figurine and then trains it up for some battlefield vengeance — it's pretty effective at showing how it'll work, in the context of four players having an 8-Player Smash match with their amiibo helping in battle; it demonstrates how all simply use a shared GamePad to scan theirs figure in. The second is shorter but still quite slick.
Also below is a recent video showing how to utilise the Wii U eShop offer for Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2.
So, what do you think of these amiibo videos, and are you excited about the features they show off? Let us know.
Comments 73
That was funny and educative! I need a Kirby or Pit amiibo...
Lol love it, its so campy but it gets the message across and made me genuinely laugh a few times.
i still don't get what the toys do. Is it actually a necessity for the figure to store data about its level? What difference would it be if it were possible could select levels one through fifty on the character select screen?
8 player in the 4 player video will hopefully stop people complaining about how they don't have 7 friends or controllers.
Even for Nintnedo that 4 minute vid was a bit cheesy though, way too much emphasis on the relationship between the girl and her boyfriends younger brother, it was like an ad for a soap opera. Just the fact that I know all the relationships in the vid means they spent too much time on it, just show the game and edit out the rest.
OK, for clarification - do you actually get to play as your amiibo, b/c I thought you only swapped them out or teamed up w/ them, not that you actually played as them. I'ld be more inclined to buy them if I was them rather than just a brief assist swap. The shorter vid used words like train beside you and assisst.
I do like Hyrule Warriors on the bottom of the amiibo ad, makes me think more than just Link - who is already in the game - will be playable. If Bayonetta can dress as all those characters maybe we can use them in HW?
@EarthboundBenjy @rjejr They are essentially Pokemon, you set them free in the game world and you can fight with or against them, they can be customised like player characters and used on both versions of the game.
You don't actually play with them yourself and they are not physical gateways to dlc like Skylanders/Infinity. Hence they are totally optional and not required to enjoy the game but they will add an extra spice to the mix if you pick one up and know other who also pick one up.
This is worse than those commercials from Holiday 2013.
Urgh, so cringe worthy! I definitely liked the second ad more. Although showing them in eight player battle definitely makes me more interested in that mode!
Right, it's not just the level but the customization over time. It's pretty cool because even if you have the same Amiibo as someone else they could end up fighting quite differently. Theoretically you could train it to be a good compliment to your own fighting style. Like if you were a more ground-based powerhouse you could make your Amiibo a high flying fast striker.
I quite like the top (US?) commercial. It's a bit long but I thought the cheesy melodrama was sorta fun. It could be a bit more subtle with a tighter edit and would work better overall, but Nintendo's marketing is getting better. These are as much educational as they are hype. (Yesterday's "Announcer" Nintendo Direct had an awesome level of cheese that worked wonderfully)
Maybe it's my upbringing on Saturday Morning Cartoons in America, but cheese has its place in my life. lol.
The second video was stale and corporate to me. :/
Will Amiibos "level up" in other games, or is that something that just Smash does?
Either the Amiibo's make the game unbalanced, or they make so little difference they're not worth using. Nintendo needs to rethink this. They look cool and I'd gladly buy them, but I guess I'll use them with other games.
For example, why don't the Link and Villager Amiibo unlock their respective DLC for Mario Kart 8? Or at least give a discount?
That was cute, but I still don't really have a practical sense of how I would use these. If I were going to buy an amiibo, should I be looking to buy one I would want to fight against rather than the character I main? That makes me really confused because I'd want to buy my main to have on display but then it would look stupid to be fighting alongside the exact same character.
I hope to get some figures to challenge my friends with.I'm guessing that the figures go up to level 9 CPU skill.Though,I hope this won't make them overpowered.
Amiibo: it lets you punish your rivals, get the girl and overall improve your self esteem! Buy it now!
@citizenerased
I've never played a balanced game of Smash Bros. I'm always better or worse than the people I play with. I know what you mean in general but it's not like you'd be sneaking in an Amiibo when nobody is looking. It's just a different way to play. For those that are competitive there are still ways to keep it that way even WITH Amiibo. For instance, you could agree only to level it up to a certain number and then have them play each other relying on the custom moves and upgrades you chose to see how they fare.
@iphys
Nintendo wants you to buy one as a companion in Smash Bros and also your favorite. lol.
You must play more than one character, though, right? I could never limit myself to playing such a small perspective on a game with this much variety! In other words, use your favorite as a companion when playing using your second favorite character, right?
Double Samus tag-team methinks. Me and the SA-X, fighting as one. I'm disappointed that Link still has that ugly yellow pole though. I won't be buying any figures that have things like that. Sorry Nintendo
HAHA!! The top video is excellent. Havn't seen anything that funny before... Awesome stuff
Hilarious!
@rjejr As far as I know you don't play as a FP. They can fight with you or fight others and go thorough modes but it is all CPU.
Can you use your Amiiboo as a second player in Classic mode/All-star mode?
What am i missing you pay £10 for a crap little figure that allows you an in game character that can level level up surely this is just fancy but VERY EXPENSIVE DLC ?
@Emblem @aaronsullivan @Ryu_Niiyama - I know, I guess I'm just finding it hard to believe as it just doesn't make any sense to me. If I'm going to level up this toy and carry it over to my friends house I want to play as that leveled up toy, not just swap it in every now and then. I know that means the toys aren't necessary like in the other toy games, but it also makes me not want to buy 1. I don't understand why playing as them isn't an option?
The only upside is they can use the Courtship of Eddie's Father theme song as a marketing device. It starts at the 35 second mark, but the opening dialogue is really good too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCF7Dnov8vA
@XyVoX It's not DLC, that's the entire point. See it the other way around, you pay $10 for a detailed Nintendo figurine. The interaction with the games is the bonus.
Hold on a second...
"Use amiibo with Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros, more games to come later..."
Does this mean MK8 support is going to be Day One?
@sinalefa - I think that was the tag line for the Karate Kid movie. Maybe we can teach the amiibo to do a crane kick
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pL6uUYdWbU
@rjejr
Now that they announced that both Classic and All Stars mode are for two players, you can play in single player with your Amiibo as the second fiddle. That is personally what I will do, and see? Suddenly I care about some of the NFC capabilities! The Direct worked!
Gina is a hottie
playing yourself is still more fun. climax!
@DrVollKornBrot
I am just assuming that we can, because it would be dumb if those modes do not support it.
wait so if you feel lonely and have no one to play with your toy will come to life and play games with you? it rob all over again but in digital form. now how does my leveled up smash bros mario help me out in the new wii u zelda? do i have to use mario figure and my amiibo character has to be the same? climax? suddenly more interested now
That was rather cringey
so blatantly juicing on social pressures.
But I know I would have wanted an amiibo as a kid.
That video was so bad, in all the best ways. I demand a sequel for every Amiibo release.
This commercial is too cliche. But it's nice seeing 8 player smash once again. Also why is the pole thing that sticks up link's butt golden and thick now?
The second video was plain worthless... At least I got a story arc from the first video. Really? You're gonna carry delicate toys around with you? The fact that they had to mention "lighting effect not real " shows how BS that ad was... Neither of these ads explain enough for me to want to buy them. I'm on the fence, and have yet to get actual information about this line of toys. Yes, I got it, you can train your toy to play with/against you. What else for my valuable time and money?
@sinalefa - I can see the amiibo being useful that way, if you can't just use any other CPU player in the game as a partner - for free. Toys R Us is giving a free amiibo w/ the game purchase, I'm hoping Target will match that and we'll gt 1 for free to see how it all works before we decide on buying any more.
Sorry about the lack of demo but it was too soon, maybe mid Nov. Not sure SSBU really needs one though, I think we all know how it plays. I'm not even sure Captain Toad needs a demo, but they should probably put 3 varying levels in the store kiosks to help w/ sales, it might need help, SSBU should sell itself.
@rjejr
Amiibo can level up and make things easier, normal CPU characters can't.
And regarding the demo, what you said makes sense. Maybe later they enable Amiibo into it. Cereza will keep me busy these days anyway.
I was expecting some sort of exclusive mode for the amiibo considering the fact that Smash Bros Wii U is the launch title for the figures. But I guess since almost every mode can be played with two players, the amiibo can be helpful in completing event challenges.
@sinalefa - Oh yeah, have fun w/ Bayonetta. I'm holding out for Christmas. I may be an old grouch, but having something I really want under the Christmas tree makes for a happy morning And I still have HW to keep me busy. And maybe SSB in 4 weeks, still debating T-day or Christmas morning for that one. Probably won't decide until Nov 20 when I know what's on offer - free amiibo (TRU already has that offer up), Buy 1 Get 1 1/2 off or free even, stuff like that.
Sigh, I still think the Link amiibo is ugly. I wish they would remove the clear plastic stand and put his feet on the base.
@rjejr Wow, I pre ordered from Target because of their $5 gift card bonus, but the Toys R Us deal is way better. Amiibos are $14 I think. I was on the fence about picking up a figure but to try one for free is awesome. I might still do this, I only lose my $1 from Target.
I think the Fox Amiibo is the most detailed in the first set.
So much cringeworthy. Ugh.
In typical Nintendo fashion, they fail to just explicitly state what the Amiibo does. I think I only finally got the concept completely after yesterday's Direct.
How about: "Amiibo figures unlock CPU characters that fight along beside you and grow as they fight."
Really, is that so hard? Just showing someone putting the thing on the Gamepad and then showing a screen full of fighting dudes IS NOT HELPFUL.
@rjejr
So I guess you are a grouch but not a grinch
I may do it the other way around, with HW being my Christmas morning gift. No way I am waiting for Bayo 2, Smash U or specially Captain Toad more than necessary. I will actually download the latter, as knowing EAD Tokyo they will keep it under 2GB.
The lady in the Bayonetta ad sounds, um, risque. I couldn't help but imagine a lady informing me about the deal while striking all kinds of suggestive poses. It was hilarious.
@aaronsullivan I loved the cheese levels on the top commercial too, had me laugh a few times. Cheesy but clever
@sinalefa - Captain Toad is Christmas, that's 1 I don't have to think about. So is LBP3. And B2. Which is why maybe I can get SSBU day 1, 3 games from Santa is probably enough.
Grinch is my favorite holiday special, I have both a stuffed Max (the dog) and Grinch sitting on my dresser.
@dkxcalibur I'll have to check the fox ammibo, but Mario's looks the best out of them all to me cause of the fire he's shooting out. Wish everyone was doing something similar. Some seem real boring, like Samus. I'd feel bad if I was a huge samus fan. Just standing upright and straight. Maybe that's her standard pose, but even so it's boring.
@dkxcalibur - I have the $5 Target pre-order card as well. Going to wait and see. I was at the midnight release for Brawl at Gamestop but they don't really have any good sales or offers there. LBP3 comes out that Tues so I'll be keeping an eye out for any B1G1 offers on that as well. And my kids are both picking up Pokemon that day w/ the $5 GC offer on each, we may combine resources for SSBU
EDIT: Occured to me after I wrote this that I've never seen the amiibo and game bundle advertised for the US. Maybe NOA knows most retailers will be giving away a free amiibo w/ every game purchase?
http://mynintendonews.com/2014/10/07/nintendo-europe-announces-super-smash-bros-amiibo-and-gamecube-adapter-bundles/
Walmart used to advertise a store made bundle but you can no longer order it. I had it bookmarked though.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Super-Smash-Bros-Wii-U-Amiibo-Starter-Bundle-w-Mario-Pikachu-and-Link/39452114
@Drobotic I'm pretty sure the figures go to level 50, far higher than a level 9 cpu
Is there no such thing as school or parents anymore??
Is that all you kids do these days? Play vidya games???
They're going to have to build in some usefulness for Amiibo in other games fast. Otherwise they'll just be Smash accessories, and I have no interest in the game. They need an additional big-universe game that can bring more of them in. I'm assuming that won't be MK8, either, as I can't see so many characters being added.
@SkywardLink98 Nintendo has only shown Amiibo in Smash Bros.
A couple jokey moments didn't quite land in the top ad, but overall I thought it was pretty great. Hopefully they can condense it down and show it on TV, 'cause people still watch that, NOA.
And the concept of playing 2-player modes w/ amiibo makes a lot of sense. A brilliant way of adding value while not taking anything away from the main game if you don't want to buy 'em. Now I'm just curious how they affect MK8...
I just came here to look at the Bayonetta promotion video.
I'm still not entirely convinced with the value of the Amiibos in this particular game. They're cool in their own right though, just as nice little collectible Nintendo figurines, so it's not a huge problem. Still; I'd like to see some better and more exciting uses for them in future games. Although, I might be being a little unfair on them because I'm still kinda clueless as to how everything works anyway to be honest.
PS. You know how it keeps saying "Lighting effect added" in video... Well maybe it would have been a nice touch to add some kind of similar lighting effect to the base of the figures or something; so that when you touch them on the pad they do actually light up and glow slightly or whatever. Then faking such and effect in the video to make the process of transferring in your figure look more exciting wouldn't be necessary. Just a thought.
watches first advertisement
D-Does this mean I won't be forever alone?!
YEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSS
I'm not quite sure what is supposed to be so cool about these in Smash Bros. As far as I can tell, you unlock better AI that learns from your fighting style, adding more depth to single player with something that could have been in the game without toys, better AI then level 9 characters. I can't see anyone ever wanting to go to their friend's house and watch them play an AI character, so that's about all I can think of. I guess I may buy one someday for the above reason, that it unlocks better AI, but I can't say I'm excited about this piece of DLC. Especially since most of them probably will never have a use in another game.
That being said, they do look nice, and are cheaper then a lot of other figurines of comparable quality. Maybe another game will use them better.
Now that I think about it, I would imagine that they do the same thing in Mario Kart 8, unlocking a CPU character with a higher top difficulty then the normal CPU. Except they probably work with a smaller amount of figures. It is probably limited to Mario characters, although they might add functionality with the Link and Villager models. It seems pretty unlikely that you'll be able to play as Shulk or Mr. Game and Watch in Mario Kart. Too many character models to make just to keep up with a toy library.
@Iggly Imagine the promo if they were releasing Bayonetta amiibos, lol.
@DerpSandwich Are you joking? That information was there since E3 and they mention it also in both of those ads!
Still no hint as to whether or not there's a time limit on the Bayonetta offer...
@cornishlee Why would there be a time limit? The price reduction is there, so that you don't pay more on the eshop as for the physical item, which also includes both games.
@scamander For the reasons you suggest, I've always assumed that it is permanent but it would be nice for that to be officially confirmed.
So they officially have the coloured blocks. Sigh. I wouldn't mind if they were clear, but the yellow support Beam under Link looks awful.
But hey, after actually playing Smash I can see myself getting some amiibo and training them for the heck of it, so maybe I'll end up with more than I intended. I'll probably avoid any with coloured support beams, though.
Mainly just want the Robin amiibo.
@rjejr But what would be the point in that? You yourself don't have levels in game.
I'd like it if amiibo could also store your custom build, but I don't see any other point to playing as the amiibo since their stat boosts have an equivalent in the form of Equipment and their level couldn't affect your gameplay. Unless the level unlocked/buffed moves, which would be dumb since you couldn't practice a fighter at full potential without their amiibo (that would be horrible for competitive if it wasn't banned and would be generally annoying in general).
@Emblem so if I buy a donkey kong amiibo I will not be able to use him in Hyrule Warriors right?
@Drawdler - "But what would be the point in that?"
I've posted a dozen times in this thread so I'm guessing your question has to do w/ playing as your amiibo so that's what I'll answer here. If your question relates to something else you probably don't need to read any further
Why make amiibo playable?
1. b/c why not, you paid $13 for it
2. easier to tap it on the Gamepad than move that little finger around and pick from the 40+ character menu
3. when you swap out your character for the FP you get to keep playing (see Skylanders Trap Team) rather than just watching
4. Koreans can spend all their time leveling up characters to 50 then sell them on eBay so time constrained people can play w/ powerful characters too (see MMOs)
5. bring them to a friends house to play as them and show off all the cool stuff you've done to them like my kids have been doing making characters on the 3DS version. They've made lots and lots of characters, not just Miis.
Maybe you haven't spent any time playing Skylanders or been around kids playing Skylanders but kids are NOT going to want to buy these if they can't play as them. Maybe they'll buy 1 or 2 but they are NOT going to want to purchase all 18 if they don't get to play as them. They are just not going to be interested, and the same probably goes for a lot of adults too. They'll rush out to buy a couple but when they realize the NFC are nothing more than NPC the incentive to buy more will be gone, or at least greatly diminished.
People have been conditioned over the pat 3 years to playing AS their toys, not alongside their toys w/ Skylanders and a year for Disney. The amiibo are going to seem "lame" or whatever the kids are calling it today, and they'll sell less. You can't bring out a competing product late to the party after 2 others have already been established and make your product do less than the other 2 and expect your product to be successful.
So I guess the bottom line and most important reason for why you should be able to play as your character is because the competing NFC products Disney Infinity and Skylanders let you.
@scamander They've said it, but they haven't said it in an obvious way that someone will pick up in passing (as in while watching one of these ads). I haven't looked into it too deeply, so until now I've only had a vague idea of how it worked.
@EarthboundBenjy It's different because they learn from each fight and grow individually. Not the same as just picking a certain robot difficulty and letting it stop at that.
I agree, though, that the toy wouldn't truly be necessary for it, as the game could have the train-your-AI-fighter mode on its own, without the toys. I mean, obviously this game will make the toys a requirement for that mode, but you get my point.
Virtua Fighter 4 had basically the same thing, called Kumite mode.
Ohhhhhh ok! Now I get it, I will get a ton!
@rjejr
Related to being able to play SSB4 as your amiibo character, I prefer the way Nintendo has it set things up in making the amiibos their own AI. This makes the amiibo's more like pokemon or sparring partners. From what I can tell, you can use custom equipment and moves in SSB4 WiiU as a player, so there's nothing stopping you from playing as the character you want with the same equipment (minus some hassle to get it all set up and/or equipment availability on a friend's save file), but this way doesn't require purchasing an amiibo. If Nintendo took the skylander's approach of forcing amiibos to use special equipment or even to use the character itself, it would mean content being locked out of SSB4 and only accessible to those with the amiibo characters, which would be less generous than Nintendo's current offering and upset a lot of fans. Being able to play as a character without having to buy it's related toy is one of the amiibo's high, high selling points. Or technically, it probably makes the figures sell less for Nintendo, but as a buyer I am much more comfortable and satisfied with putting money down for Amiibo's and Smash brothers with the route they are taking.
From the amiibo training partner perspective, similar to the video, and assuming it adjusts it's fighting style based on who fights it, each amiibo can become quite different (compared to other players' amiibos) and provide a unique experience. It opens up new ways to play. Similar to the video, instead of playing a free for all 4 player match, you can play an 8 player, team battle (2v2v2v2) of one human player and their amiibo sparring partner. But again, amiibos aren't required to enjoy SSB4*, so if you don't like them you can ignore them without losing out.
*Though it makes it seem a little that way in the video. Jack could have used a level 9 CPU for his teammate, but assumably it would have been much weaker than the level 50 amiibos (though I assume the amiibo level does not equal and scale the same as the standard CPU level).
Could amiibos give someone an unfair advantage in battle? Sure, it's like having a handicap or higher leveled CPU character than someone else. But it should be seen more as new ways to play and try the game (i.e. the sparring partner example shown in the video). And rather than using an amiibo only for yourself to win, one could always team it up with newer players to help them catch up to speed / compete in a battle. Per the video, they could have allowed Jack to use one of their spare amiibos, or if they had no extras, they could have taken a level 9 CPU partner for themselves and allowed Jack to use their higher leveled amiibo. This didn't happen because the point of the video was to advertise the gist of the amiibo training process and provide conflict, but in real life the amiibo scene can be more welcoming/friendly
Ha! His brothers face at the dinner table was priceless. But these amiibo things look pretty interesting, I'll defiantly have to try them out.
@DeltaPeng - "but this way doesn't require purchasing an amiibo. If Nintendo took the skylander's approach of forcing amiibos to use special equipment or even to use the character itself, it would probably mean content being locked out of SSB4 and only accessibl e to those with the amiibo characters, which would be less generous than Nintendo's current offering and upset a lot of fans. The non-required aspect of amiibo's is part of it's positive selling points."
I think the main difference between us is that you are mainly looking at what's better for the player, the game, and the players pocketbook, while I am interested in amiibo sales. And I do think there is a conflict between making the game enjoyable to people w/o amiibo and making people want to or have to buy amiibo. So you are correct, it's better for the gamer that amiibo aren't playable b/c there is less need to buy them, but b/c there is less need to buy them I think they will sell less than the Skylanders and Disney infinity characters.
Of course we still don't know ANYTHING about how amiibo will function in HW, MK8, CT:TT, Yoshi's World and MP10, so maybe Nintendo is using them sparingly in SSB b/c they will be more necessary in those other games? I think in mid-Nov we'll get an amiibo Nintendo Direct, maybe including Captain Toad as well, that will show people why they should buy amiibo even if they don't need too.
@rjejr You don't play as the amiibo, the amiibo is controlled by an ai. That ai learns how you fight and levels up as it learns. You still control your own character.
Even if I am not planning to buy Amiibo's, I have to admit they look high quality and cool.
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