Talking Point: Nintendo's Had a Strong Start With amiibo, But Evolution's a Priority for 2015

Please o please make an amiibo sandbox game.

@shigulicious The reason why I like amiibo, is because you don't need. They're just stuff that unlocks trivial things. If Nintendo made a game like Disney Infinity that requires amiibos, I'd be upset, because you shouldn't need outside stuff to play a game, outside material should only enhance it.

@shigulicious

I strongly second this. The Amiibo line is going to be short-lived without some major interactive appeal to maintain it.

There should be a major free-to-play game on the Wii U and 3DS, perhaps like a giant, more involved Nintendo Land, that unlocks games and content with uniquely purchased Amiibos.

Nintendo also needs to get their asses in gear and start manufacturing them in reasonable numbers and stop feeding these into the hands of resellers.

And Nintendo fans... Shame on you. Stop buying from resellers. You're just giving them a reason to keep up this crap.

What are amiibo's exactly? Just toys that unlock stuff in games? So it's basically DLC then

@Dipper723

Why would that upset you? You could still use the Amiibo for the trivial unlocks. This would just add a wealth of extra value to the figures, and further justify actually making enough of them to put an end to the reseller market.

@iPWNoobs

No, DLC is bonus content you download to add to a game. Amiibos unlock content already in the game. More like cruel DLC.

There should be more nintendo crossover games like smash in general. A sandbox game would be great as far as I'm concerned. What if we had the potential of disney infinity with smash? There'd be recreations of peach's castle from n64 made for treasure hunting or paintballing. We could have people trying to make 3D smash bros battlefields to use the game's combat mechanics.

I'm happy with some games, not so much with others. Code Name STEAM, Smash Bros and Mario Party 10? Yeah, that's the stuff baby. Keep it comin! Mario Kart 8, Ace Combat and Kirby Rainbow Curse? Eh, not bad. I can dig it- I like costumes, skins and enhanced move sets... who doesn't, right? Hyrule Warriors and Captain Toad? Not really feelin it.

So yeah, Idk, I'm not sure how much more I can expect for $10. I mean, the figure itself just as a figure is already worth the asking price. So ya, I'd say I'm pretty satisfied. Not every game's amiibo implementation catches my eye but then again, not every game needs to. When figures are compatible across two platforms and dozens of games, even the occasional worthwhile addition makes it worth my time.

I've already got more than my money's worth- everything from here on out is just added bonus. Particularly the Code Name Steam amiibo implementation.

Amiibo is the equivalent of a Triforce Quest in the real world. You try to assemble the pieces, sometimes having to fight horrible scalper troll creatures for them, only then to find that there are another 6 things you have to collect.

I think it's a fun game... I think....

Well, I hope people really don't care about the Mario amiibo line, since I want to get all I want without much hassle.

I just ordered some amiibo from Amazon Germany, and still could not find Little Mac or Meta Knight.

Does anyone else feel reaching level 50 in Smash is a little to easy ? I felt there was very little I needed to do to let the amiibo level up. I would have had more satisfaction if I actually trained the amiibo in ways rather than just assigning it skills. Cool nonetheless but I feel there could have been a deeper connection to my virtual pet if I actually spent time showing it things somehow as opposed to assigning it skills and just throwing it in battles to watch it levelup on its own. Sky's the limit for amiibo though it's just how Nintendo wants to utilize them in games that'll make or break amiibo inthe long run.

I agree with calls for a sandbox game. I just hope Lucario won't be impossible for me to get my hands on.

I'm not surprised that the Super Mario series won't be doing well. With the exception of Toad, they're all just generic versions of their Super Smash Bros. counterparts, without the fighting poses.

@ShoryukenKid I certainly don't mind, but it's true. Each of my amiibo have gotten to level 50 in a single game night with friends.

@Dipper723
Except that's the problem. Disney infinity and Skylanders sell even more because they each have a game. Nintendo should make one (a spinoff or new game) and give it for free or for a minimal fee with the amiibos acting as keys to unlock in-game contents.

Just make a free to download amiibo game. Something like Nintendo Land amiibo edition would be epic.

The only amiibo I want of the Super Mario line is Toad for obvious reasons. Other than that, I want Captain Falcon if he's ever redistributed.

I hope the game specific range will be expanded to include some of the minor (or more obscure) characters like Birdo, Wart, or Tingle. Also I hope they release (or rerelease) some of the harder to find ones from the smash bros line like Captian Falcon and Villager to take some of the power away from the overpriced revellers

@Ninty4thewin

I would imagine more along the lines of something like either the Subspace Emissary mode from Smash Brawl or Nintendo Land, which unlocks games and challenges when unique Amiibos are applied to them. But online, so players can interact with one another.

Wierd, it won't let me vote in the polls...

I all ready don't like what they've done with Mario Party 10, locking away a third of the game behind an additional £80+ of purchases. Not that I'll be buying it anyway due to not having online play, but it's a precedent I do not wish to see continue.

Actually, Amiibo support just might push me over the edge with regards to buying MP10. If it's got a decent single player mode, that is. Being an adult gamer with no kids or friends to play with, it's either online or solo mostly.

I'm still on the fence with regards to Smash Bros. It's either go online and get my butt kicked or set up and play against boring CPU adversaries.

And I do enjoy collecting Amiibo. A free-to-download Skylanders/Infinity style sandbox adventure game would be awesome. Make it happen, Nintendo!

@Quorthon @iPWNoobs So you guys just named and customised your DLC, physically took it over to a DLC tournament and rooted for it as it fought for you? Cool, I guess Amiibo are just DLC...

@PvtOttobot They are. They're like physical DLC.

Evolution AND restock of current need to be delt with.

Also, to those going on about Amiibo being DLC, you can think of it that way but the DLC you are buying is not just for that one game, instead it is for a wide array of games. Personally, I'd take that kind of "DLC" any day instead of spending $14 PER TITLE.

As far as I'm aware, there is a complete and utter amiibo drought in Australia, which is ridiculous as we often get one kind of drought and don't need a second, as that would affect two very important demographics of people: farmers and Nintendo gamers.

In all seriousness, I'm starting to doubt the possibility of - and futility in - trying to find the amiibo I most wanted to have in my collection. Compared with many of you, my collection is rather lacking: Mario, Pikachu and Kirby. Out of those, two of them are the only three amiibo I've found on shelves since December, and the third was a preorder.

At the very least, I would have also been happy to find Link, and I expected to at least be able to locate him on a store shelf after Nintendo's claim that certain popular characters, including the Hyrulean hero, would always be readily available. It's now nearly the end of January, and apart from the odd Mario, Peach and Pikachu, I have yet to find ANY amiibo whatsoever.

And since Link's not an option, I doubt that Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Samus and Fox (the other members of my original basic plan) will be easily found either. If I knew that it would be such a struggle to find a few awesome lumps of plastic, I wouldn't have focused entirely on buying gifts for my friends and family and treated myself just a little bit, or at least put the characters I most wanted on layby at Target, Big W or somewhere else.

In summary, I'm starting to lose faith in the amiibo line as a whole. Without Link, the main representative of one of my top favourite Nintendo franchises, my small collection feels incomplete, and that's not good for a dedicated Nintendo fan with a slight obsession for organising and collecting things in a certain way. I also feel upset for others in the same situation, and I hope that restocks are indeed on the way so that we can all feel the joy and satisfaction of an amiibo collection that is complete to each of our personal tastes. Thank you.

@Superstick So apparently you can't read...

@PvtOttobot Huh?

@Ninty4thewin

Yeah, exactly, something along those lines would be great. It would also challenge consumers to explore their tastes more if, say, they have a favorite Smash fighter, but aren't familiar with the character outside of that, this could be a good way to introduce them to new games and concepts.

Think these are interesting but would never purchase one for myself as I very rarely play games now - but, if Toad was a playable character in Smash Bros, and his Amiibo still had the captain toad functionality and mariokart costumes, on top of the mario party things - i'd probably buy him just to see what he is like - Maybe if they had one figure that has features in more than 2 games i would buy one.

I had finally decided to buy Link shortly after Christmas and it's damn near impossible (in Canada anyways) to find without paying a premium price online. I've heard that some of the characters were intended to be in limited stock but is this true of all the models? I'd find it odd if they don't make any more Links for example.

An amiibo focused game would be pretty cool, assuming it is done right. Being able to play mini-games based on the amiibo you scan could make for a pretty cool concept, and though people will complain about having to buy certain amiibo to play all of the content in the end I think this would really help the figurines take off. They need to have a game where they are truly utilized in a big way.

People are more enthusiastic for Captain Toad support than Kirby? CT is utterly useless!

@DBPirate Kirby support is even more useless because it basically makes an already easy game (assumption based on the fact it's a Kirby game) even easier.

@Grumblevolcano At least it does something and it helps you

If they were going to do the inevitable Super Mario Bros line, that's where I would have liked to have seen a different format. Cards, different-style figures, something. They're so relatively boring following up Smash-and this is someone who doesn't care for Smash and uses amiibo in other games. They're playing too conservative. Again.

@Mrclaycoat They'll probably reissue Link, but there will probably be a Zelda-centric series when the Wii U game releases. Can't see them rolling with Smash bases forever.

@Vineleaf Good point. I just grabbed Hyrule Warriors a while back and decided to jump in with both feet and grab all the DLC so I really wanted that damn link to make this complete haha

I think overall they're pretty decent thus far and it's just a matter of what Nintendo decides to do with them in the future and where it takes them. I know there's a lot more that could be done beyond just being a bunch of decent enough collectible figurines with a gimmicky use in some games.

@Vineleaf About a month before Zelda U would seem like a perfect release and I think we'll see Animal Crossing and Pikmin range info at E3.

@Quorthon Which goes back to Nintendo. Nintendo fans wouldnt have to go and purchase them from scalpers if Nintendo would make more of them. People want these amiibos therefore Nintendo should make more each batch. Not just (oh here you go here is wave 4 no more until we feel like making more)

I'm glad the article mentioned that the amiibo concept can be looked at as a glorified collector's toy. For me, it has yet to serve any significant purpose, that you couldn't get form regular DLC or a holographic card (which I feel would be collectable, especially to the nostalgic). I'm sure Nintendo has a master plan that connects the amiibo, the Wii U, 3DS, and QOL, but as of right now, they have a skeptical customer here.

I'm actually really happy with Amiibo, after initially being quite sceptical. If you own all the games you get a lot of content for your money, on top of the awesome figures. It does seem that people are less likely to buy the Mario brand figures again, but the casual & young market may be more drawn to those. Can't wait for the Pokemon Amiibo!

I think something that should do with the Amiibos to make them more appealing is that once you register them on the Wii U you get a free VC title of that particular characters game or you get a discounted option of buying it. It would be more of an incentive! Sure it might sound different but its an idea
Ex. Upcoming Dr. Mario Amiibo gives you NES or (was it SNES?) VC title on Wii U

@BensonUii Except for the fact that accoring to best buy, which happens to be one of the worst Amiibo restockers, they say that Amiibo sells more than Skylanders figures there. So, no a separate game not needed. Remember that both Infinity and Amiibo use ALREADY EXISTING characters, where as skylanders does not.

I own 10 total Amiibo atm with Lucario Pre-ordered. I got Luigi form best buy less than an hr ago because they finally decided to restock some and had 2 wave 2's and a few wave ones I didn't have but wanted luigi. I will get a Charizard and maybe toad for captain toad though.

@Pierson why would they need to give free VC games as an incentive? Doesn't seem like that would be necessary at all as these things are selling just fine. Sure it'd be cool for fans to get free VC games, but I don't think there's any reason for Nintendo to do that.

I may pick up Bowser and Toad if I find them, but I won't go out of my way or anything like I did to find Fox (eBay).

@BensonUii - Well thats a small part of the problem, big part of the problem - amiibo work on Wii U - 9mil sold, Skylanders and Disney work on

Wii U = 9mil
Wii (though DI 2.0 skipped it) = 120mil
PS3 = 80mil
PS4 = 18mil
Xbx360 = 80mil
X1 = 10mil
total = 327mil vs 9mil (math is probably wrong it's late, sorry)

That's the REAL problem. And adding 3DS support for amiibo really won't help, both DI and Skylanders work on 3DS. I've read all the games are severley gimped on the 3DS, but the figures still work.

@Quorthon - Subspace Emissary

Way back when amiibo were announced, and we already knew SSBU would NOT begetting a SE sequel, a spin-off amiibo based SE game seemed a likely candidate. I'd much prefer open world, but seeing as how Nintendo is so 2D focused SE seemed like a sure bet to me. My kids and I probably spent over 100 hours playing it. And the set-up would need minimal tweaking. Give us maybe 6 characters to start so the main story can be completed w/o additional purchase - Skylanders sort of does this - let the rest amiibo unlock.

Besides that I'm still waiting for Pokepark 3. The evolution from P1 to P2 - play as Pikachu, play as Pikachu and 3 others - leads me to think P3 would let you play as Pikachu - heck throw his amibo in the box - and then buy Pokemon amiibo to unlock them. I don't think too many people care abut that series but 2 was a decent game. Even had a more difficult challenge mode after the story. It would be a great way to have a Pokemon game w/o needing to make 700 Pokemon, just limit it to 3 waves - the 18 starters, 18 popular, 18 Legendary. In that order.

If Nintendo wanted to make more money we would get both of those games.

So wait, the Amiibo's give access to a new board each, or just the same board with a character "theme"? Theme = lame, new board = nice. I am leaning to theme since new board makes too much sense.

@GamerZack87 Your right about that, there are practically no amiibos to be found in Australia besides Mario and Pikachu basically.
I was looking forward to getting most of them but if they're going to make it this hard to get them they can forget it.

The Super Mario line seems fairly repetitive since the SSB versions of these folks are the easiest to find. Even Toad seems kind of a letdown for me, as I was really hoping to see a Captain Toad character rather than standard Toad.

It would be nice if they allowed us to go ahead and pre order the next set as well as the Super Mario series!

As we know, they are optional, and the function is not all that neccesary, so you don't need all the figures. But that precisely is what makes the price all the more ridiculous. The whole Smash Bros amiibo collection at the current SRP would go for more than 500 bucks when they all get released (and considering how well the things are selling, no doubt they will). Let's play something safe and say that someone has only a reasonable quantity of 6 favorite characters in smash, which converted into amiibo cash would be around 72 bucks in order to get those favorites (again, being lucky enough to find them at suggested retail price). And what you get for all that money? The permission to enable a gameplay mode that allows you to configure an AI fighter based on the figures you decided to pay that you can personalize and root for. And of course, some keys to unlock on Disc DLC on other games.
On the other hand, for 60 bucks you can get I don't know, the Smash bros for Wii U game, with all 49 characters fully playable, with lots of options, modes and extras.

That's where the prices logic implodes. That is, for the people that want the most value for their money in this industry...why would one pay so much for little inconsequential features when you can instead spend that cash in rather you know, full games or entire videogame systems.
To put it into perspective...suppose Nintendo told Wii U owners that enabling each and every one of the Smash Bros characters to be playable would cost them more than 500 bucks for all of them. Seems unfair right?
But instead, Nintendo is telling Wii U owners that enabling each and every one of the Smash Bros characters to be AI controlled and customizable will cost them more than 500 bucks for all of them. Less relevant, more expensive...it just seems wrong.

I dont see the point in the super mario line, one figure for each character is enough

@Morph To me the only real point is Toad.

@iPWNoobs Amiibo are collectable figures.. And yes.. They're DLC too

_{Well, i have no access to the video at the time of writing and no experience with amiibo yet since i'm not a huge fan of Smash Bros. and don't want Link to be the lonely only one i've got.}
But i'm quite likely to get that one day, also the Mario Party 10 and the Fire Emblem ones that can be used in S.T.E.A.M. _{If MP10 and S.T.E.A.M. turn out to be good enough games that is.} Heck, i might even get Kirby ones and those that work with Mario Kart 8.
When looking at these individually they're not terrible in terms of value for money imo. But i can't help and see the full sinkhole this would put in my wallet which makes me quite hesistant to start that whole crazy thing by buying even just the Link amiibo.
If there was some discount system that would reward you more the more you buy this decision would sure be easier.

What's also worrying is that we haven't heard of any way to back up your Smash Bros. or Mario Party 10 data yet.

I'd love if all of 'em had some good use outside of Smash though since i really like the concept and the way most of 'em look.

I just like the figures so far and the box artwork. The figures that really appeal for me are Fox and Captain Falcon as I've never experienced figures for these characters before. I've used them in Mario Kart 8 and then boxed them again. I'm happy with that.
My wife got me Mario for Christmas so since then I picked up Luigi too. I'm a old Skool gamer so I then picked up Donkey Kong and have pre-order Sonic and Pacman. I'm happy , they look nice and that's enough for me.

Ive stopped buying them since most are SOLD OUT BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY RELEASE. Where is Rosalina? Where is Shulk? Where is Charizard? where where what when how ugh stupid nintendo.

AND: almost all of the upcoming amiibo are now 20 euros instead of 15. WTF thats too much for useless plastic.
Ugh Im just so disappointed! Why not make more when there is demand?! Same with the Majora 3DS and bundle...

And another thing: They practically invited scalpers to join the party by announcing some amiibo are limited and gone forever. Why would I buy Smash if I can't even have and use amiibo of my favorite characters like Villager?

I'm stirred by the Toad amiibo, gotta love Toad.

Eh... The reason people aren't as excited is easy... No serious let down. "Wait my favorite Nintenod character is coming soon... Oh, it's out of stock forever, ok..." See? No interest. Not shocking. Congrats to all the collectors that were able to beat out the scum, I mean scalpers.

I think i might get the Super Mario Amiibo and the Luigi amiibo as well. They would look cool on my desk ^^

@Morph Amiibo would be a dead-end going forward if they were only a Smash line. There has to be an extension for other franchises or they'll quickly go the way of Kinect.

Something needs to happen. Luckily I was able to get the ones I wanted through pre orders but just going into a best buy or target and the whole section has completely empty except for a lonely hanging princess peach.

These are just glorified happy meal toys and there is no reason that nintendo can't make enough to meet the demand.

@rjejr

Actually, that sounds pretty good. Maybe they should do both--a new Amiibo-centric free-to-download Subspace Emissary and a bigger Amiibo-centric Nintendo Land.

Right now, it just feels like Nintendo wanted to capitalize on the interactive figures trend without actually bothering to go to the effort of making specific games to make them really worthwhile. There needs to be a dedicated game or two.

@Quorthon - "free-to-download Subspace Emissary"

I hope it isn't free, I want a real game if they are going to make SE to compete with Skylanders and DI. Basically a 2D Skylanders w/ all the cut scenes and story that SE had. I just don't think they can adequately do that for free.

What I wouldn't mind for free - and they should have had at launch - is a Wara wara plaza for amiibo - "amiibo plaza" I guess - where all your amiibo would shuffle about and strike a pose and when you clicked on them it would show their level and stuff from SSBU. Pick them up and drop them like the Mii and photo them to share our collections on Miiverse. I can't comprehend having a collectible line of toys without having a digital catalogue of sorts. Skylanders - Spyro's Adventure had a great website when it launched - since abandoned - and you can actually play DI 1 and 2 on PC for free, 2.0 tells you all the characters you have.

Nintendo owns all the parts - NFC Gamepad, amiibo, Miiverse w/ screen capture posts, Wara Wara Plaza and Mii maker - yet hans't made any effort to combine them. Animal Crossing has it's own Wara Wara plaza and AC doesn't even have a Wii U game. I don't get it.

@rjejr

Essentially, I think free would be the way to go merely due to the price of the Amiibos. The last Disney Infinity was released as a free download on the Wii U. If they do want or need to charge for it, it should probably be relatively low-priced--again, due to the cost of the Amiibos themselves.

...if they were finally to make software specifically using the Amiibos. But the Amiibo plaza would also be nice. Whatever they do, I think we agree that it's a mistake to not have dedicated software to support them.

@Vineleaf yes but they don't need 2 designs of each character, i'll be picking up Toad and that's it

I just wish Nintendo would get it's act together. I've bought them all so far (only one of each, I'm not a scalper ) direct from Nintendo.co.uk but they haven't said anything about Wave 4 yet (Ness, Pac-Man, Robin etc) even though the preorders are now sold out on at least 2 other sites I use.

I'll be royally pissed if I can't get those amiibo for RRP and Nintendo UK aren't stocking them on their own site as they haven't said anything about giving exclusivity to any retailers over here

I am interested in the Super Mario range too, but I'll initially just be concentrating on the characters I've not already got from the Smash set, and picking up the others later.

@Quorthon "The last Disney Infinity was released as a free download on the Wii U"

I don't think Nitneod cares what anybody else does. I've been railing for over a month how 2 year old single player only Lego City Undercover is still $49.99 in the eShop while other Lego games go for $19.99 and $29.99. And you have to look pretty hard in the eShop to even find LCU. Supposed to be a really fun game, too bad they don't put it on sale w/ all the other Lego games so people can find it, buy it, and play it.

And Disney Infinity being free is complicated. And playing it is compicated as well. It was really an apology to all the Wii owners b/c DI 2.0 didn't come out on Wii. And since there are 120mil Wii in the world and only 9mil Wii U it's likely some of those people who bought DI 1.0 on Wii don't yet own a Wii U. So they spent maybe over $100 on DI on Wii and now don't get DI 2.0. So it was a bone to people who buy a Wii U just to play DI 2.0.

And I bought DI 2.0 in part b/c I DL that 10GB "free" game. The DI 2.0 portal is backwards compatible so that works, but of course none of the figures are so I could get it to run but not play it. I bought 2 DI figures used - Capt Jack and his nemesis-buddy Barborosa thinking I could play it then, but the "adventure" modes are locked behind a little plastic key - which goes used for $10 on eBay - so even w/ the portal AND the figures I still couldn't play the "free" game. So it's not so much a "free" game as a "free transfer" for people who owned 1.0 on Wii and then buy a Wii U for 2.0. Not that you care about any of that, but I've been bidding on that stupid piece on eBay for weeks now, kinda stuck in my craw.

@rjejr

Nintendo has been terrible at discounting their games at reasonable times for a few generations now. It's always telling when you see a game that is discounted, for instance, Other M can be found pretty cheap new these days, but not Mario Galaxy. I was just using the Disney Infinity thing as an example.

I'm largely ignorant on how Skylanders or Disney Infinity actually work, so it's a little disturbing to see how ridiculously complicated your efforts have been. What a mess. I'm had no interest in the Skylanders stuff, and largely prevented my kid from getting into them, so we don't have that hassle.

I honestly don't care if it should be free or a paid game, there are pros and cons to both, but I personally think it would be better to do a free one, at least initially with a bigger paid game later, in order to better sell the figures and concept to people. They're making quite a bit on these figures, and I would imagine that's enough cash to churn out a game.

@ToxieDogg

Hey, I notice the Battletoad in your avatar.

Thought I'd let you know MS appears to be hinting about them making a comeback. http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/01/21/yes-that-was-a-battletoads-logo-on-head-of-xbox-phil-spencer-s-shirt.aspx

@Quorthon Yeah, I saw that I'm a multiformat owner so if it happens, I'll be all over it....Battletoads is one of my all time favourite franchises

On a side note, ,Nintendo.co.uk now have all the wave 5 amiibos up for preorder so I've just preordered them all. Crisis averted for now....until the next wave

@devilwaffle that sounds awesome! Perhaps using amiibo in splatoon to unlock arenas sounds awesome, or certain amiibos can add different obstac;es in Mario Maker. I'm probably specualating stuff that won't happen, but the idea is cool!