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 relatively likely to be true at this stage - is that the game will have a specific area / dungeon that requires the Wolf Link amiibo. Quite how that area will work is unknown beyond the fact data will be saved to the figure, but it's certainly got plenty of people rather hot and bothered.
To summarise the criticisms in broad strokes, and avoiding the choice language that often follows comments online, some are very unhappy at the prospect of content and features in the game being locked behind the amiibo. Another issue, which has come up less frequently, is the idea that amiibo can perhaps affect core gameplay in Twilight Princess HD and make it easier - that's more of a side-concern, perhaps, as you can simply avoid scanning Zelda-franchise Smash Bros. amiibo if you wish. Much of the ire, as we've said, is focused on the prospect of the Wolf Link amiibo effectively unlocking a new area.
Part of the frenzy in the comments to be found here and around the web is perhaps reflective of the sentimentality around The Legend of Zelda as a franchise. This'll be the first game where amiibo can impact a core LoZ experience, and that can appear to be sacrilegious, especially in an industry where so many treasured franchises and brands across various platforms are now beholden to DLC, season passes and micro-transactions. So many early efforts in these business areas were poorly handled to the extent that many gamers remain - justifiably to various degrees - hostile to the concepts, and as consumers we're always trying to assess what represents good value for extra content and what is cynical business from publisher.
Nintendo itself has flirted with these lines, and even with established games like Splatoon, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. it has swayed from generosity with free improvements, to well-priced DLC to other content that's rather expensive for the volume of extras on offer. Then we have amiibo - as it's a toys-to-life range it dances between being desirable as a series of collectibles, as figures or cards that add value to games, to slightly more aggressive practices of providing access to chunks of locked content.
Skylanders started this, explicitly locking areas behind pay-gates that require investment in toys, with Disney Infinity joining in and then LEGO Dimensions arriving in 2015 with particularly excessive amounts of locked-off areas. Way back in January 2013 this writer was scathing of the practice of on-disc DLC, as Capcom was one of the first to put launch day content behind a wall; the argument was that NFC toys are the same thing, yet were seemingly easier forgiven due to their desirability as collectibles. Just remember, on a technical level, that amiibo, Skylanders toys and so on do not have significant content on them beyond a tiny amount of memory to recognise software and store basic data - all of the content they unlock is already right there in the game.
What's interesting with amiibo is that, throughout the range's short history to date, Nintendo's been struggling with alternate desires to make it a fair and enticing deal for gamers, while at the same time seemingly scrambling to monetise it at every opportunity. The size of the range - in terms of figures and cards - is vast considering its limited time on the market, so the big N isn't shy of flooding the market and trying to tempt us to spend significant sums of money. On the one hand the figures are multi-use across plenty of games, which is good, and on the other hand more specific ranges are arriving to tie into one-off games, from those that accompany Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, to Chibi-Robo and the upcoming Wolf Link - the latter will apparently be usable in the next full Zelda game, too.
It seems like a tough balance, and one that will never satisfy everyone. Much depends on bundles, stock availability and value, for one thing. Splatoon may have had lots of free content, but its three game-specific amiibo were not only hard to find at a sane price for much of 2015, but also unlocked quite a lot of extras - each held the key to a number of challenge levels and special outfits. For some it was a case of going without, especially as there was no cheaper way - minus the figures - to simply buy those levels and outfits as DLC within the game. Is that an example of an overly cynical approach, where the toys can be regarded less as collectible figures with a smart bonus, and more as expensive DLC keys?
It's a point we recently raised with Yacht Club Games in an end-of-year interview. The Shovel Knight amiibo unlocks quite a lot of content, with Challenge stages, 'Custom Knight' options and local co-op for the Wii U version of the game. We think that's a lot of bang for buck, but of course the question then comes up is whether it would also work as conventional DLC. When we used the 'physical DLC' phrase - 'physical downloadable content' is a deliberate misnomer - the studio's Ian Flood and David D'Angelo were somewhat cautious about the term.
David: I don't think we saw it that way, and actually if we thought of it that way it'd be a loss for us. It's a ton of work, and if we were going to release DLC as a download for $10 we'd make a lot more money from it.
Ian: At the same time, I don't think the content we've done for the amiibo, such as Custom Knight, is something we would have done just as DLC.
David: Yeah, we built it with the hope that you bring the amiibo to a friend's house and show off your custom character, with the conversations around cool items and abilities, comparing figures and so on. It was very much a question of how do we make this figure and encourage you to take it places?
It's a weird way to do DLC, as we're making this figure and it costs a lot to make – it would have been easier to just have a normal toy!
If we set a line that says, for argument's sake, the Shovel Knight amiibo is a clever vehicle for some extra and unique entertainment, where does the potential use of Wolf Link lie? That's part of the debate raging online, with the censored version of plenty's views being that it's 'BS'.
In some respects the amiibo debate, the content it unlocks and how they're used in games comes back to similar issues that affect broader DLC. Are the extras good value, and is the core content sufficient to justify the game's standard price? As this writer argued while criticising the amiibo-cloner amiiqo in 2015, sometimes anger at locked extras is actually a rebellion against the idea of simply paying more. So much entertainment in modern life is free or inexpensive that all products - be they games, movies or books - are fighting a continual battle to prove that they have value and deserve to make a profit. We often pay X and expect a lot, and sometimes disagree when Y requires us to spend an extra $10 - we want X + Y for the price of X alone.
As for The Twilight Princess HD and its amiibo, retailers around the world are at different stages, but ultimately it seems that - unsurprisingly - the game and the figure will both be sold individually, even if Nintendo chose the bundle as the focus of its November Direct reveal. Prices are similarly up in the air, but with Amazon UK - as one example - selling the bundle at £44.99, it will likely sell the standalone game for about £34.99 (the latter's still unpriced at the time of writing). As has been typical in the market with bundles, the amiibo can add about £10 to the cost.
The question all consumers need to ask, then, is whether they're willing to pay that bit more to have every bit of content on the disc, along with the figure and a fancy box, or whether they'll pay less and go without. In some ways it's just simple commerce; we have the luxuries we can afford or are willing to buy, and go without those we don't pay for. Of course, in the loud debating hall of the internet it's not that simple - the very existence of paid tiers is angrily argued over.
From Nintendo's point of view, it seems like a catch-22. Assuming the Amazon France listing was right, it's adding a new area to Twilight Princess HD in addition to implementing a touchscreen inventory, a Hero mode that's available from the start, and more. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD took some minor criticism for not adding enough, so in a manner that's being addressed. Depending on pricing, Nintendo could put forward the argument that it's offering a definitive HD version of the game, along with a cool figure and extra content that's optional at a cost of $10-15.
Perhaps the backlash around this potential feature is, ultimately, less about the amiibo and more about the game it's potentially being implemented in, and depending on how this plays out with the public that could be an area for Nintendo to consider. Treasured franchises for Sony and Microsoft may have long been stuffed full of DLC, microtransactions or season passes, but the big N has been late to the party - it did add free extra content to The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes, though. We have seen - however - amiibo and conventional DLC in Mario Kart and Smash Bros., and Super Mario Maker, so there's an air of inevitability to such things creeping into the Zelda franchise. That will be a sticking point for some dedicated fans, however you slice it, and the phrases 'DLC' and 'amiibo; perhaps aren't what many will want to see used in reference to the next full entry in the series.
Ultimately, though, we likely have to live with it. Nintendo can't - and won't - ignore opportunities to monetise and expand its games and franchises, and we as gamers have to accept that reality. What we can do, as always, is cast a critical eye over DLC, amiibo and any other extras thrown into games; the consumers will decide whether Nintendo's doing the right thing.
If legions of fans pick up a disc-only copy of Twilight Princess HD - or no copy at all - then they'll have voted with their wallets. This writer's suspicion is that, despite arguments over amiibo content in the game, many will buy that bundle anyway. If we want the 'classic' experience, we can just keep it in its packaging and well away from the GamePad.
After all, it's 99.99% likely to be optional content.
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Comments 243
I would say not optimal for us gamers, but livable I guess. I mean the Amiibo does have value in itself for being a cool figure and it is easily pre-ordered, and getting the soundtrack as well . I mean first of all we don't really know what kind of dungeon Cave of Twilight is and it could just be a 100 level dungeon like in Wind Waker, or to say a dungeon that doesn't add new things to the overall story.
Personally I am pre-ordering Twilight Princess HD anyway, as I want to make sure I can get Twilight Princess HD on launch day. Still for the people who don't want the Wolf Link Amiibo nor want to preorder, I do understand that it isn't as optimal so to say ;^^.
I say fair enough if it isn't adding anything new to the overall main story, but otherwise a bit unfair I suppose. Then again we are maybe getting access to a new dungeon unlike Wind Waker HD, so I don't think we can complain too much . Still I do think it would be fair if we could access the Amiibo content after completing the story optimally though :+).
This is just my honest opinion, but I have never liked how Nintendo has incorporated amiibo into their games. While there are a few decent uses, such as Mii costumes in Mario Kart and skins for Yoshi in Wooly World, most amiibo just unlock features for games that is already on the disc. I know I'm the minority here, but I think of amiibo as physical DLC, and I don't support it at all. I still don't own a single amiibo and the only one I might end up getting is the Wolf Link one due to it being bundled with the game. I understand Nintendo's urge to compete with the likes of Skylanders and Disney Infinity, but I personally don't like the way they went about doing it.
Something like an Amiibo Dungeon would get me to buy my first Amiibo. Nintendo is finally finding a way to use Amiibo as paid DLC (if the rumor is true), and this is a good thing. It adds more value to Amiibo and with the stock shortage gone, there shouldn't be a problem to find the compatible figures.
This is the way Nintendo are going to steer amiibo going forward - content locked behind physical toys. Like it or not it's here to stay.
Personally I prefer this to the sometimes pointless use of some amiibo features. It adds a bit of value to the figure.
Ughhh. Should have seen this article coming. Needed a way to milk the extra clicks from the previous article
Anyways, amiibo are always going to be controversial. Either they do too much and are an intrusive paywall, or they do too little and are useless. There is no balance between the two.
People are always going to argue over it. Plain and simple.
And no, a free to play Skylanders-like game for amiibo won't change that. People will still complain about content being locked behind the amiibo.
I dont see why people are complaining really considering its mostly just extra fluff that has little to no bearing on the core game itself
I don't mind if the game genuinely launches with as much content as you would expect from a traditional release. I don't mind using amiibo, or paying, for more content at a later date. What I object to is being charged more to play a reasonable amount of content at launch (if that makes sense lol.)
I buy Amiibo as I feel they are worth the price alone for the figures, I have them out open and only buy my favourites, a few I have probably bought partly for the content unlock and a few extra I have are because they are easy presents for my family to get me. I actually don't mind that content may be locked behind, as long as I know beforehand I can make a fair conscious decision on the matter. I have Skylanders Supercharged with just the Amiibo ones, I accept I currently can't play water sections and challenge areas, I knew that beforehand and made that decision. We are all consumers, we choose to buy and I'm generally happy with the price I pay and the value I get from both games and Amiibo.
I don't mind the amiibo locked content since I am getting the bundle. For any game that I'm interested in that has a bundled amiibo with it, I will always get the bundle.
I admit I don't like the trend DLC and new games' releases are taking, I mean... There are many games nowaday getting released with exclusive contenent only avaiable with preorders or very limited Special Edition, giving the customers a "Buy now or you'll never get the full experience" feeling.
On the other hand Nintendo with TP is offering at worst a DLC bundle with a phisical toy that will be avaiable standalone later on, even the price is pretty nice, the game + Amiibo just cost as much as standard version remakes on other consoles XD
The awful thing of the Wolf Link Amiibo lies however beyond its game... Nintendo clearly said that this Amiibo will be used in the next Zelda for transfer datas from Twilight Princess HD, which sounds like "Play the remake or you won't fully experience the new game", that was kinda low >.<
I agree it's inevitable that Nintendo will look to milk their fans more, it's the way the industry is going but it's still sad. To paraphrase George Orwell, " The gamers outside looked from Nintendo to Microsoft, and from Sony to Activision, and from Ubi Soft to EA, but already it was impossible to say which was which."
I feel that Twilight Princess should have an extra dungeon (without being unlocked via Amiibo) so that there is some actual incentive for people who already own the game to purchase it again. The graphical upgrade is completely minimal and not noticeable at all unless you compare it too the original under serious observation.
When other companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Square Enix release remastered games they include much more than the original game, and sometimes even at a reduced price. As it stands, this is looking like a poor remastering that gamers that only own a Wii U would be interested in due to the constant lack of game releases.
This locking of substantial content behind Amiibos is absurd. Few games due it decently, and a few now are overstepping what I consider common decency and respect for consumers.
I have about 32 amiibo that have been removed from their packaging so this article isn't geared twords me. I will add that if these additions had been added as just dlc ( meaning all amiibo functionality) it would cost more over all. I also don't think the complainers as a whole would buy the dlc ( just some of them) we have to remember on sites like this we are all for better or worse the vocal minority.
Oh, this should be fun.
I think this is fun b/c its such a divisive topic that I think is split pretty evenly. Almost everybody hates paid DLC - except people who own the Withcer 3, they do it right - so thats not a fun discussion, but there are people who like to collect toys and want something in return for their money, so there really are 2 sides to this argument, which has no end, ever. There is no right and wrong, just 2 sides that will never agree, and never stop arguing about it.
As for amiibo in TP HD, thats an easy one. If you dont like it don't buy it, don't buy the amiibo, go buy the Wii version of the game and play it on your Wii U. Or buy the Gamecube version an dan old Wii o rGmaecube, Gamestop sells used consoles. Such an easy solution that this isn't even worth discussing.
Now when Zelda U comes out on NX and amiibo are necessary, well then we can have a real heated discussion. Discussing additions to a completely unnecessary port seems kind of portless.
@BakaKnight Bingo. As if people won't be upset enough when Zelda U becomes Zelda NX, and 2016 becomes 2017, but they'll only be able to fully experience the game if they have the Link amiibo w/ save data on it from TP HD. Brilliant move Nintendo!! Should be fun.
I ****ing despise amiibo and I hate what Nintendo are at with this dungeon in the TP HD remaster. It's a load of needless hoop jumping and charging for content already on the disc. amiibo are well on their way to becoming toxic in the same way the Wii brand is viewed. Might be good in the short term but they may end up paying for it dearly in the long run.
Releasing extra content for a game like Mario Kart at a reasonable cost, (£7) is I guess OK. But releasing it via an Amiibo costing £12 or £14.99 in the Game shop, which I bet Nintendo are thinking about, is just ripping gamers off.
Reviewers have to be very fair when reviewing a game like Zelda Twilight Princess HD, Does the additional content add 25% more comparable content to the game, since an Amiibo price is about 25% of the cost. And not review games as though Nintendo can do no wrong.
I will not buy an Amiibo toy. I will read reviews and make a judgement weather or not to buy the game.
Toy collectors will buy the bundle for the Amiibo ang be happy with the extra content what ever it is, because the toy is what they want. Those of us gamers who do not want the Amiibo will feel that Nintendo is holding back on us and not giving us the complete game.
One other thing, NOT EVERY NINTENDO GAME SHOULD HAVE TO RELY ON TOYS TO COMPLETE IT.
@rjejr To add to it, the "Twilight Cave" dungeon should be a playable teaser for Zelda U, similar to PT being a playable teaser for the cancelled Silent Hills.
It's worthwhile to note the the Amiibo isn't blocking content more adding content thus citing a reason to buy into the Amiibo as it expands the original game which can be enjoyed just as much without the toy.
Was anyone this arsed that a dungeon on Links Awakening DX was locked behind the use of the GB Colors screen?
I don't think it would be so bad if they allowed us to use the original Link amiibo instead. The wolf amiibo is pretty cool without a doubt but I can't see a reason why the original Link amiibo shouldn't work too. Are they saying that the wolf amiibo will be compatible with Zelda U but the general character amiibo won't? I can't be the only one who finds that a bit odd. Either way not much we can do about it.
@GrailUK it does.
DLC - either I like it and I buy it or I don't see the need and pass on it. Simple as that. Some games it can be amazing - Mario Kart other games I see no need and it seems incredibly pricy - Smash Bros and even that is all opinion.
At this point I haven't even seen a preorder for the non amiibo LoZ TP and considering I got a pre order for under $50 I don't feel like it is an issue
@greengecko007 I agree, look between all the hype and we have an old game that most of us have played. It has had a good face lift and that's it. If its being sold as a new game with a new game price then it should have another dungeon without the Amiibo.
@plasticcoated
People actually praised Link's Awakening DX for it how it used GBC/GBA hardware to improve the game.
Just like people praised the use of Majora's Mask using the N64 expansion pack.
There is nothing "wrong" with adding value to Amiibo and diversifying the company.
Every time Nintendo has tried to diversify itself from gaming, it has been met with anger and hatred by gamers, the media and the industry.
This is very negative backlash is why Nintendo quit doing TV shows and other licensed goods in the mid 90s.
No one complains that Microsoft and Sony use gaming to funnel people into their other divisions.
@zool
Why should they add content to a remaster/remake when Sony and Microsoft get high praise for their remasters which don't add any new content to the games.
It wouldn't be such an issue if the content that is provided via Amiibo figures wasn't already in the game. Having to pay extra $12-16(regular price of Amiibo where I live) just to unlock something that is already in the game with no other means to unlock otherwise is nothing but a ridiculous cash grab. I can see the price range being suitable as a figurine that serves as nothing more than a collectible with some in game unlockables that would take some time to grind for (Hyrule Warriors). But using them as keys to unlock something that is already in the game which we purchase is stupid. Some defend this move as it is an actual physical figure, but truth is, this is no better than what Capcom and other companies have done.
if true that there is a new area or dungeon, thats great. if you need to unlock it with the new amiibo thats fine - its new. fair enough if this was a new game but its not, people know how much content is in it and extras are always welcome.
@Clockwerk
Nintendo has been pressured for almost a decade now to adopt DLC fully inline with the industry.
This is what the majority of gamers have been demanding as they like DLC.
Either way, we don't know that the rumored dungeon is on disc at the time of sale.
It could be included with an update or the Amiibo could have a big enough memory chip to hold it.
This makes me feel so old fashioned. I don't even like downloading games since I have no way of getting rid of them if I don't like them. As for amiboo I can't wait for the toys to life bubble to shatter. I know they'll just think of some alternative dlc but when I buy a game I expect the price to reflect the game. If its got locked content I want a reduced price not made to feel I have to purchase some plastic tat to get the whole experience.
@plasticcoated amiibo don't add anything. They act as a key to unlocking content. In this case content that's already on the disc. amiibo contribute nothing to gaming, they contribute to Nintendo's profits sure. I'm not interested in collecting dolls. They're cheap plastic tat that Nintendo use to try and milk us some more.
If the fans pay for it, then this trend will continue. But it's a grey area to me if they push this more and more with future releases game and console related.
@greengecko007
Exactly. When people can see things like the Uncharted Collection, Halo Master Chief Collection and Gears of War Ultimate this just looks like a rip-off. One remastered game selling at full-price and instead of using new content as an incentive to get owenrs of the Wii version to purchase, Nintendo want to charge extra for that by hiding it behind a DLC toy. Shame, but this will remind people more of lazy/stingy remakes like Sleeping Dogs or God of War 3.
@electrolite77
None of those games added new content.
Also Uncharted Collection didn't do well on PS4, because people thought it was too expensive.
Halo:MCC sold well despite the multiplayer portion of the game still being broken. Microsoft hasn't been able to fix it yet.
Gears of War:Ultimate isn't anything to crow about and I hear it isn't that good of a remake.
You need better examples of better remakes/remasters.
You either see amiibos as collectables with something extra to offer or you see them as content gatekeepers. I'm with the former, since I like them as little toy figures of my favorite characters. So far, from what I've seen, they've only had a pretty negligible impact on games in terms of the content they unlock. I guess I can see where people are coming from with the whole "matter of principle, I should have everything on the disc" but I've never seen like, game altering stuff to the point where you just GOTTA have amiibos or your gaming experience just isnt complete without amiibo. But then again, I'm collecting them already so I'm speaking from a point of view where I've already jumped into the pool, and can afford to do so. Amiibos arent the cheapest toys.
My god. Again these people wanting a 15€ figurine to equal 25% content of a game. If you are buying an amiibo, you are paying 15€ for a goodlooking Nintendo associated toy figurine. The unlockable content is just a bonus, If you don't care about collecting figurines simply don't buy the amiibo. If the amiibo unlocked 25% content of a game the amiibo itself would cost 0. (as in production cost, material, etc.)
On the case of TP: TP itself is complete enough even without the additional dungeon. As someone said already: if you are dissatisfied with the amiibo integration just buy the Wii version for 20€ and play that instead.
So not only is it DLC thats markedly less easy to obtain than normal DLC it has MASSIVE potential to be scalped to all hell and back(Rosilina Amiibos still aren't under 30$ inside the US) AND its on disc DLC.
Its just PERFECT, I LOVE IT, I love that there is now physical DLC that locks out on disc content out that is also being sold WAAAY over MSRP prices.
More expensive on disc DLC that I have to pay for shipping on is always something I dreamed of when I downloaded my first game on steam. I remember thinking to myself specifically:
"BOY its sure nice to not have scarcity of games at launch anymore and not having to pay shipping. But you know what I really wish, I really wish I had to pay a scalper three times a much to ship it out of his smelly hole in the ground and wait a week on the postal service to get my DLC! Truly that would be the best way to get on disc DLC!"
@MajinSoul
I agree.
As someone who collects high quality figures, Amiibo have never been anything but cheap low quality figures to me that some games require as physical DLC.
I'd much rather purchase DLC as a purely digital download at that point.
And even then you run into the hurdles of Nintendo's tied to console digital sales.
Also, so many people arguing that cutting non cosmetic content developed for a game before it's sent to printing to sell as DLC is "fine". I remember when people were laughing at other companies for doing that (like EA) and saying Nintendo wouldn't.
How do me make more bang for our buck from our fans, lets lock one dungeon that would normally be priced between $4.99 and $6.99 as DLC to the disc and only make it accessible to fans via a $13 to $15 Amiibo figure. Wooooooooooo this sounds like a fantastic idea, so we shouldn't complain am I right?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ahSCKmJAQY
Where has it been stated this new dungeon has been locked behind an amiibo paywall without any other way to access it? The amiibo my just allow you access quicker to this dungeon.
Remember Mario Maker has amiibo costumes that can be unlocked without amiibo. Until I hear from Nintendo this dungeon is only available with an amiibo I refuse to believe a rumour that people added 2 and 2 together with and made 5.
@GrailUK Thta's the most important point: does the game launches with plenty of content, or the fully intended release requires the purchase of a figurine?
The Shovel Knight game included a lot of content from the beginning and the free DLC doubled that amount. So, if they decide to sell a very cool amiibo with added content, I'm all for it.
@renaryuugufan92 This is basically my opinions on this whole entire mess. It's kinda funny, Nintendo fans use to laugh at companies that do day one DLC. Now they're defending it because it is ok when Nintendo does it now.
@Xenocity according to this article Nintendo has added additional content in the form of an extra dungeon, but it is accessible only via an Amiibo. An old game should have extra content or it should have a reduced price.
This outrage isn't any bigger and louder than:
The Ocarina of Time (N64) physical preorder content (yeah there was a huge backlash over it)
The Star Fox 64 being bundled with Rumble Pak (it was the only way you could get the Rumble Pak for the first six months)
The Perfect Dark bonus content for linking a Gameboy using the GB Camera, you use also were able to use the GB camera to put peoples faces in the game.
(this had a huge uproar too from the non GB camera people)
The Windwaker preorder deal where you got the Ocarina and Master Quest discs set (A lot of people were up in arms and the media ran with it).
The Mario Kart: DD bonus disc for those who preordered the game and bought it. The bonus disc had demos and some rare items for Fire Emblem (GBA) that wasn't in the game.
The Pokemon Colosseum bonus disc that gave you Jirachi (it was the only way to get him until the DS event). This was a huge outrage.
Metroid Prime bonus content that unlocked if you linked Metroid Fusion to it, including the Fusion suit and Metroid (NES). This was far more controversial than this.
Metroid Fusion unlockable content for linking with Metroid Prime.
Let's not forget the special bonus disc for Metroid Prime 2 that was only available to select My Nintendo users in NA. It contained Metroid Prime 2 E3 demo and the Metroid Time line (it came out a few months ahead of the game).
You all were equally outraged this time last year, because you had to preorder and buy Code Name S.T.E.A.M to get the Majora's Mask pin in NA (Yes there was a very huge backlash over this last January).
I still cannot believe people and gamers were so enraged over this, that it lasted for few months.
It's like there has been a Nintendo controversy over products starting with Ocarina's(N64) Preorder content.
You all have very short memories on how Nintendo has "screwed" everyone.
@zool
I don't know what world you live in where the majority if remasters and ports are sold at a "reduced" price due to lack of new content.
Most gaming companies sell their remastered ports and remakes at full price with no new content.
It's been happening since SNES/Genesis.
@Xenocity The Uncharted collection sold 3 million copies,it did fantastic.
And the Last of Us sold 4 million on the PS4 which is a remastered.
Anyone who is against Amiibos should avoid Zelda TP,
@TwilightAngel
Sony said they expected it to do better than 3M, but time will tell if it will meet Sony's expectation.
The point is neither of those games added new content.
Weren't there like 20 articles about this topic already? Nintendo, DLC, amiibo... yeah I think this was covered a thousand times already.
@dumedum
I don't know if we've gotten to 1,000 yet.
Imagine the outrage if Nintendo announces you can unlock the rumored dungeon through normal play.
It will get equally as big as outrage for screwing over Amiibo owners and others.
I don't get you people. I always see almost everyone here talking trash about EA,Ubisoft and every other third party company(except Projekt red and Techland) shady DLC practices which are optional just like this one! But when Nintendo does it they get a pass? Makes no sense
@Xenocity "Also Uncharted Collection didn't do well on PS4, because people thought it was too expensive." I was replying to this not what Sony said. Cause what you said was wrong. Don't change what you're saying now brother.
It's better than just having an Amiibo that doesn't really do anything. I'm for it.
I don't mind in most cases. But it gets really ridiculous when there are features that require specific Amiibo and that those Amiibo are sold out everywhere. It's less like a feature that you have the option to access with additional money and more like a feature that you'll never be able to access at all.
I don't like Amiibo at all. I feel like Nintendo just want me to pile up on garbage. I don't collect toys, I like video games, period.
Having said that. I understand why they do it, and I don't expect them to stop.
Alright, here's how I stand: I can see both sides of the argument. On one hand, this is content already in the game, in some cases it's more than just a simple costume (like the Splatoon challenges and the new dungeon that's supposedly coming to TP HD), and Nintendo has definitely gotten greedy with it at the times (like Amiibo Festival, which obviously only exists to sell more toys), and it's basically dlc that can be a pain in the a$$ to get at times. On the other hand, there are some games that use it in a good way (like Smash, Mario Maker and Wooly World), and let's be honest here: most of the content that's unlocked with amiibo wouldn't even exist if amiibos weren't a thing. There is no way in Hell you could dress up as Megaman or Sonic in Mario Kart, or play as Ness or Kirby in Mario Maker without amiibos being a thing.
@MajinSoul You forgot to add that if they started putting 25% of game content onto an amiibo instead of just something like a costume, there would probably be even MORE backlash.
@IceClimbers "Anyways, amiibo are always going to be controversial. Either they do too much and are an intrusive paywall, or they do too little and are useless. There is no balance between the two."
This SOOOOOOO much, people like to complain about how amiibo do nothing in game A then go and complain about how they do too much in game B.
I think this is a nonissue .If it's going to be like a DLC then get it and stop crying. It's like some people on this site complain for complain sake. They need a pacifiers or something. "but I want it digital". (Wah. Cry. Pout.) If you ask me Nintendo should of done this from the get go. "what if there isn't any Amibos in stock." (Wah. Cry. Pout.) Buck up and get the bundle. If you can't get the bundle because you're cheap or you can't find it. Then you're bad.
To be fair, if used correctly, you get a lot of bang for your buck. Thats a big if at the moment but still.
You get that lovely figurine which alone, is quite a treat. Some collectors series figures cost a lot more and are equally small.
You unlock stuff in the game its from / it comes with and maybe even in upcomming games. Thats when the IF comes into play.
So far, several amiibos functioned as trainable characters in Smash AND unlocked Mii costumes in Mario Kart. And if you look at other games, these simple costumes can be rather expansive depending on the dev were talking about.
So potentially, you get several uses out of one figure that also looks nice outside of a game. I love the Amiibo concept, but Nintendo could do so much more with them. Because with every supported game, a figure becomes more and more useful.
For me, it's the multi-use nature of amiibo that makes me more forgiving towards them than I would for normal DLC or on-disc locked content.
For instance, whilst I do find Splatoon's usage of the amiibo to be rather annoying (I can perfectly understand criticism of the content and challenges that are being locked away), at the same I'm willing to judge it less harshly as the Splatoon amiibo's can in turn be used for other games. Not only do the Splatoon amiibo's make for nice figurines, I can use them to unlock specific content across Splatoon, Yoshi's Wooly World, and Super Mario Maker, as well as non-specific extra's with Hyrule Warriors. The multi-use nature of the majority of amiibo, where they are either of decent importance to a game, and/or a nice bonus for several others, makes up for the price and adds plenty of value to using the amiibo.
Of course, given that the amiibo has such great value through being able to be used across multiple games, might in turn be a criticism others have, as they in turn feel they are missing out if they lack the amiibo. Whilst this is true to a degree, at this stage in time, I feel there are no amiibo's that lock away content of too great of an importance. The closest (which is why I brought it up in my critique), are the Splatoon amiibo's, which I do hope to be the exception rather than the rule. Twilight Princess HD could be the next game to follow the Splatoon model, but I feel that until we know the nature of the accessed dungeon, it's hard to truly critique it. For starters, the dungeon is likely an extra with no story importance, and it might have features that make good use of it's form as an amiibo (such as through it's connectivity with Zelda U and it's potential connectivity with other users).
@TwiiightAngel EA and Ubisoft do kind of suck.
I don't like amiibo being physical DLC for 1 simple reason. It has nothing to do with the fact that it's DLC at all; if it was released digitally, I wouldn't care. My one problem is this: availability. The major headlines around amiibo for the past year and few months have been around popular amiibo going horrendously out of stock. Some argue that it's got better recently, though I think that's largely due to what is going to be the most popular amiibo line, the Smash series, being almost over. Almost all of the Smash amiibo have been out for a little while now, and significantly fewer people care about the Animal Crossing amiibo. Zelda amiibos are the best selling ones in N. America. Twilight Princess is the best selling Zelda (not lumping Ocarina and 3D together). This amiibo is going to sell out. I'm upset that there's a good chance that a lot of people who want it for the DLC as well as those who want it for the figure aren't going to be able to get it through no fault of their own. THAT'S what bothers me. I don't trust Nintendo to keep it satisfactorily stocked for everyone who wants it.
@Xenocity
Errr....What do sales have to do with it?
Uncharted Trilogy is three games on one disc.
Halo MCC is four games on one disc.
Gears of War is a quality remake that also gave purchasers the original and 3 more Xbox 360 games for free.
Twilight Princess is one game with additional on-disc content locked behind a toy.
One of these well-chosen examples stands out as a rip off. Tip-the last one.
@DarkKirby
"Also, so many people arguing that cutting non cosmetic content developed for a game before it's sent to printing to sell as DLC is "fine". I remember when people were laughing at other companies for doing that (like EA) and saying Nintendo wouldn't."
Spot on. Nintendo zealot logic - if another company does something, its wrong. If Nintendo do the same or worse, that's OK.
@Megaoverlord12
Come on, you have to give Nintendo credit. Finding a way to create stock issues for digital content must have taken some work. That's the famous Nintendo innovation right there.
@zool name one currently released amiibo that only works in one game? I bet you can't.
What happened to the games that rewarded or unlocked stuff when you achieved something in game. I miss those games. Nintendo is going to take my money anyways.
@Monado_III
Probably not the same people to be fair
@renaryuugufan92 we already know that amiibo will also work in a complex manner in Zelda u hence why it saves data from tw princess and Carys it over to Zelda u so that would be six for each game assuming they do nothing else with it.
#53
@TwilightAngel said:
"I don't get you people. I always see almost everyone here talking trash about EA,Ubisoft and every other third party company(except Projekt red and Techland) shady DLC practices which are optional just like this one! But when Nintendo does it they get a pass? Makes no sense"
QFT
@Gooberfish pretty sure they still make them. Splatoon for example. Oh and at least 40 others this gen from Nintendo alone.
I hate Amiibos. They're intrusive toys which little by little will lock content away. But hey, it's Nintendo making which makes it totally okay, right? I don't get how we can jump on capcom for what they did to MvC3 and not Nintendo. Sure in the beginning, it wasn't all that bad but by accepting them more and more, we accept the anti-consumer decisions that go along with them. I honestly think they're just better off making them as what they are and what people truly buy them for: Figurines. Nothing more, nothing less. Stay far away from my games.
Vomit, puke, nonissue!!
@faint I will guess at Chibi Robo.
@electrolite - QFT really. Some people don't mind DLCs.That would be me and EA and Ubisoft kind of suck and not for their DLCs.
@EngieBengie the difference is every amiibo thus far works in more than one game. It's like buying dlc once and it carrying over to multiple games. At worst little Mac works in two currently. At best Mario currently works in 12. In ether case you only paid once.
@zool nope he also works in Mario maker
Amiibo went from "premium memory card" to "premium DLC" so fast. It ruined my experiences on all games that supports them, really.
@IceClimbers You actually sum things up pretty well.
But physical DLC or not it's a simple matter of "if you don't like it/don't think it's worth it, don't buy it". I have a decent collection, but only because I felt the figures and their content was worth it.
@River3636 Why? Cause they don't release games on the Wiiu anymore? Remember they were the only ones who supported Nintendo for a long time.
I was okay with this until the it became exclusive to the Wolf Link Amiibo. Having it be an amiibo like Link or Zelda that is fairly easy to find is one thing. To have it be a scalper's target amiibo that will prevent easy access is another. Part of the reason I was turned away from Splatoon was the Amiibo lock-out and the fact that one day that game will do very little once servers are turned off (especially without said amiibo).
@Darknyht I'm pretty confident you will be able to find this one super easy. If you are in the UK I can see your splatoon issue with amiibo. The lory with the splatoon amiibo being hijacked realy screwed everything up with those.
People may have complained about Street Fighter X Tekken's disc locked content, but at least Capcom didn't sink so low as to give us toy locked content.
For me, the worst problem of transforming amiibo in physical DLC is the distribution model. I don't know where you guys live in and I think it's more easier to find amiibo, but on so many countries not officially supported by Nintendo, these "physical DLCs" create a enormous problem of making the content very hard and even more expensive (with importing) than just buying a downloadable content via eShop. I think that providing a option to buy the content without having a amiibo is cool for people with this problem like me or people who don't have any interest for that amiibo in particular.
@TwiiightAngel yes and no. I own multiple systems PS3,4,360,Wiiu, N3DS,3DS,and Vita. EA FIFA, Mass Effect 3 (really just one) was garbage for Wiiu, They also bought Ultima and killed it. EA is easy to bash. They do have few good ones but more games that suck a donkey turd. Ubisoft I bought a $50 dollar fitness game from them that was so bad I wanted to hurl chunks at my TV. The only games that are o.k. are Rayman and that RPG that was obviously not that memorable because I forgot the name. The fact that they didn't put any more games on the WiiU in it's second year was just another reason. We can talk about Assassins Creed and Watch Dog that would be a great laugh. My point is EA and Ubisoft kind of suck.
Ok i pre-ordered the bundle because i myself want the amiibo+soundtrack. What ever it unlocks however should be minimal, as i'm pay extra for the amiibo etc
What would be unfair is if it does unlock a dungeon that only amiibo owners can access. All content should be free no matter what version you get, as the extra i'm paying for is justified my two extra items i'll recieve.
I find it frustrating that pre ordering a game to get its amiibo is only for physical discs, not the option for a download code bundle as well. Ninty, if you offer discs and downloads, try having bundles to match.
Otherwise, as long as the amiibo are readily available, I'm happy. If I have to import the Wolf Link amiibo from Japan for double the price because Nintendo thought it was OK to just send two per store over here, I'll be unhappy.
What worries me is not the TPHD amiibo use so much, is that if the next Zelda game (Zelda Wii U, NX?) locks something away behind amiibo use. It could be something as simple as exclusive weapons, skins, or even something like exclusive missions, dungeons. I think the poop would really hit the fan then!
Love it when amiibos unlock extras as a bonus for those who buy them. Don't get why people constantly complain about why amiibos don't do anything - then when they do people complain about how you need to buy the amiibo. Just buy it if you want the extras it unlocks, otherwise just keep your cash and get the regular release!
Personally, Ive no interest in these figures. Im not opposed to dlc, though on disc dlc is somewhat more questionable.
I appreciate that publishers can get a bit of money back on second hand sales with paid dlc, its optional and you dont have to buy it, I see its place...
However, to potentially lock dlc behind a figure that may become quite rare, and will only really benfit inflated second hand prices rather than recouping profit for the publisher, to me that seems quite daft, and potentially frustrating for people who dont have the figure.
Id rather just have the dlc available to buy.
Just realised Tantalus are making this, they did the Zombiu port to PS4/PC/Xbox...
@Xenocity You seem to be spouting a bunch of blatantly wrong things. Plenty of other remastered games offer additional content beyond just a slight upgrade to the original game's graphics. The Last of Us included all DLC. Master Chief Collection contained 3 other games. Final Fantasy 10 HD was two games.
Then games like Rachet and Clank are targeting a cheaper MSRP, like $40.
Go back to earlier generations. How many NES and SNES games were remastered on the GBA with new content? At the very least, it's all the ones that I ended up with.
@faint ...and your point is?
@renaryuugufan92 Did you read the bit in the article where it said that producing Amiibo is less cost-effective than regular DLC, thereby rendering your entire comment invalid?
The ignorance that has people assuming Nintendo holds as dearly to the N64 / SNES as they do. In any respective era, the newest game is the most important. Because it sells systems. Nintendo is in a painful place and thus, remasters and reissues are necessary.
Sony and Microsoft, waiting for new releases (or to supplement new releases in an okd franchise) have followed suit.
But make no mistake, like DLC, this is simply to pad the time between major titles. When games take years to develop, these things are necessary at times.
Holding to this past glory with an attitude of superiority doesn't produce the result people think it will. Calling a new game garbage because it doesn't measure up to one you played before your first girl friend slept with the guy who is now her husband doesn't make it a better game.
And Nintendo gamers, like gamers from every avenue, become unable to truly appreciate new experiences. I feel bad for game developers who craft an opus early in their history and spend the rest of their time trying to live up to the fans' personal history.
Cause it's never going to happen. Not because the game isn't good. But because the fan doesn't let it.
@electrolite77 it's not the same or worse, you can't possibly compare Amiibo to conventional DLC. To treat them as the same is to fundamentally misunderstand the very concept of Amiibo and bonus content in gaming.
@rushiosan Amiibo was never, nor will it be ever, either of those things.
@zool you made a comment about 12 dollar dlc but that's not acurate. It would only be acurate it they had been designed to only work with one game.
@SahashraLA Not necessarily, I call this garbage because it FEELS like garbage, I mean, it is pretty clear that this is used as a stopgap before Zelda U hits shelves, that I have no problem with, the problem is when this stopgap is mediocre to say the least regarding past remakes/remasters.
The Last Of Us PS4 remaster is VERY RECENT and it contains ALL OF THE DLC which you previously had to pay for in the PS3 days, it's not simply an HD facelift, or I can give you a Nintendo example in MM 3D, which reintroduced a very old N64 game with updated graphics, new gameplay mechanics, revamped situations, etc. See where I'm going?
The issue I have with this stopgap is that it feels rushed and a mere cash-in rather than a solid remaster in the Zelda franchise, which Twilight Princess proudly deserves, as it is an amazing game overall, but just look what Nintendo is doing: this is an "HD" (it doesn't look like it) remaster which has 2 things unlocked by an ugly-looking toy, and we are expecting you to pay full price for it. Yeah, good luck with that.
@greengecko007 I don't think the upcoming Ratchet & Clank game could be considered a remake, let alone a remaster. It's more like a reimagining like Star Fox Zero, except with even more changes.
Eh, I think it should have been free from the start, anyway. Without using the amiibo to unlock anything. Not even as DLC.
To be honest, I'm not sure whether a Wolf Link amiibo was even necessary. If it's not going to do something like this, it was probably going to do something else minor... which would make it useless. Add to the fact that Nintendo still has to do something about amiibo issues (applies to all amiibo that isn't Mario or Link), now there certainly is a dilemma here. If this is true (I really hope not and it's really false info), then I will be worried about Zelda U.
But it's just a rumor, so I'm not going to go crazy. Nintendo will have to confirm this very soon (hopefully in a Direct).
One more thing... even though the dungeon was available without the amiibo, some users will still complain a lot!
People who think that because content is present on a disk you own, you should immediately have access to it, need to spend some time learning about software and the software industry. Shoot, they need to learn the basic concept of exchange of goods.
@FRANKLIN_BADGE
"... but just look what Nintendo is doing: this is an "HD" (it doesn't look like it) remaster which has 2 things unlocked by an ugly-looking toy, and we are expecting you to pay full price for it. Yeah, it sucks."
You really need to calm down. I get your point, but you're coming to premature conclusions here.
I just checked the prices for the 2 versions, and Nintendo really wanna rip people off even without Amiibo. Zelda Wind Waker HD was low priced even in the special edition. This time, it costs more than what i payed for Xenoblade Chronicles X. And with Amiibo bundled ? It adds 30-40% to the price.
A port with barely upgraded GFX shouldn't cost this much.
I just lost interrest in this. I'm buying The Division on PC instead which releases 4 days later.
@Vee_Flames I am pretty calm man, I'm just stating the plain truth. It was all fun and games when amiibo started out with smash, it was like "Yeah, I can train an amiibo in-game and fight it out with my friends amiibo to see whose is better", but at this point is "You want to play hard mode, unlock the extra stages, see the alternate costumes or even begin the game? (AC: Amiibo festival, I want to forget that piece of commercial garbage so much) You have to buy our wonderful cash-in plastic monstrosities for that!!!!".
Yeah, it is so much fun.
I like Amibos and all but to me it's just preference. I can see in the future when Nintendo makes a Skylander/Infintity game and people will be really complaining. It's not that serious. This is just a RUMOR and people are getting heated up for nothing.
Honestly, I've been disappointed with amiibo content overall, even though it was done brilliantly when the Smash amiibo were first introduced. In Smash, training fighters was a minor feature, but was really cool and fun to do. It was great that it interacted and saved data on the amiibo, and also brilliant how you only needed to buy any one favourite character to try this content.
Since Smash, the amiibo content has been less good. Most of the amiibo features are just a £11-£15 paywall (assuming you could even get them in shops). Plus, using an amiibo just to unlock content isn't very fun. They look and feel like toys, and I was hoping that people would play with them as toys by scanning them in and using them to interact with the game instead of just unlocking things.
I don't mind minor things like costumes as these don't affect gameplay at all, but are still cool to have. The costumes in Mario Kart 8, Yoshi's Wooly World and Mario Maker are nice little bonuses that wouldn't have been in the game anyway, and you lose nothing if you don't have them.
However, the thing that infuriates me most about amiibo is locking significant gameplay features to them, such as Splatoon extra single player missions, Shovel Knight multiplayer and possibly the extra dungeon in Twilight Princess HD. These sorts of features could have easily been sold as traditional DLC at a cheaper price than the cost of an amiibo, but it feels like they're using this sort of content just to get people to buy a more expensive product.
My wish list for future amiibo is that they aren't used for unlocking any gameplay features except for cosmetics that don't affect the game in any way. Instead, their primary function would be some fun interaction with a game that doesn't change or lock any gameplay. This use of them should be something that would have been almost impossible to design if data wasn't written to the amiibo. Also, most amiibo from a series would have the same features as each other, but with only the characters and costumes changing. Smash did this very well, but I can't see much else doing this any time soon.
No matter the functionality of amiibo, people are going to hate how its implemented. They could do anything with it, but someone who doesn't want an amiibo would complain that they wouldn't have access to it. If its too little of a feature, then people will complain about it. If it unlocks meaningful content, then people will complain about it. There is practically nothing that can be done with amiibo that will not upset those two groups.
I don't like amiibos in general, but I generally understand why people like them. However, help me understand how this isn't a shameless money grab:
1. Take game that everyone can already play on their current system and smooth out some graphics,
2. Charge full retail price for game (based in WW, I assume that will be the case)
3. Lock any actual new content that would justify paying full price for an old game that you likely already have as on-disk dlc you need to pay for separately.
Sorry - I just don't see any argument that this is a good things (except for maximizing profits for minimum work for corporate). This is the sort of thing that makes you believe the internet rumors that game company executives sit around calling their fans "stupid" as they look for sinister ways to microtransaction them to death.
If this is the case, I'll be firing up my Wii copy of the game and ignoring this release completely. I can't encourage this type of lazy business practices-but I'm afraid probably enough people will.
I think a good solution is digital amiibo. Let us buy cheaper "amiibo" that are linked to our account that we can "scan".
In chibi robo, the game is incomplete without the amiibo, large amounts of content are attached to it. The amiibo is essentially part of the game, and I don't understand why it was sold without it. Digital gamers are screwed, because there is no bundle for them, and chibi robo amiibo wasn't offered alone for a long time in the west!
I think aesthetic bonuses and music or silly easter eggs are good for standard games, like if link's sword changed based on amiibo, but just skin, or characters based on amiibo appeared just to say something funny, or daily lottos for rupees would work well for TPHD.
I think physically locked content are good for games built around the amiibo experience. This mario and friends game seems like a good example. Gove us a link's crossbow training game based around amiibo! Courses based on amiibos worlds, or arrow upgrades, etc.
I think nintendo needs to make an amiibo line of games, and put aesthetic bonuses in normal games as fun stuff for people who have amiibo.
As weird as this is going to sound, I really wish I could just have the Amiibo with the dungeon and play it on the old version. I really don't like replaying games, but I like the idea of new dungeons.
@FRANKLIN_BADGE LOL... That's not what it is, and you know it.
@khaosklub - this is what they should do. However Ninty fans complain every time a game comes out they don't like (see whining about amiibo festival).
Personally, I'd be ok with an amiibo line of games. I'd skip it completely, but folks who love amiibo could get value without making it difficult for me to access meaningful content in games I do want to play. Different strokes.
worst case scenario concerning amiibo, don't own any and probably never will.
Just came to say that it would look a lot better without that circular base. Im suprised they didnt glue one of those to Yarn Yoshi at this point.
It is miserable because:
1 - It's a remaster of a GameCube game with minimal upgrades.
2 - It's a remaster that is going to be as pricey as The Wind Waker HD (€60)
3 - The amiibo is not for a simple extra or fun feature, but presumably unlocks a whole dungeon.
4 - The Legend of Zelda is Nintendo most serious franchise, their fans are not willing to buy figurines to get something added to an otherwise rather basic upgrade of the original game.
5 - While Microsoft offers Xbox One owners a collection of 30 classic Rare games for €30, some of them remastered (like Grabbed by the Ghoulies), Nintendo offers Wii U owners a single remaster for €60, and for the extra content you need to purchase a more expensive special edition or the Wolf Link amiibo.
6 - 2016. Nintendo is not saying thank you fans for supporting Wii U during its short life, thank you Zelda fans for your support since the 90s. Nintendo is milking their fans and Zelda fans not stopping until getting the last euro/dollar these humble people can spend on Nintendo's re-releases and plastic toys.
Nintendo used to be great and wonderful, but lately is stingy and daft. Many said goodbye to Nintendo when Wii U launched, and yet Nintendo doesn't seem to have a clue.
@VanillaLake We don't even know that is true. There is no confirmation whatsoever on that front. Furthermore, it could be like Mario Maker. Holy cow, people are freaking out over nothing.
But facts be damned right?
@empsolo That's what I said "presumably".
"3 - The amiibo is not for a simple extra or fun feature, but presumably unlocks a whole dungeon".
@VanillaLake
And yet you use that pretty much damn Nintendo. The fact is simply that you don't care about the facts or the truth.
@empsolo This is the second article about the same rumour/piece of news today, so that's why people are discussing about how bad -or good- that could be.
@VanillaLake Again, there is zero confirmation and such articles have only led to only dividing the community further.
@Xenocity That's all vey interesting. Just a side note, that Metriod bonus disc with the Prime 2 demo and timeline was also released as part of a system bundle that included Metriod Prime. I know cause that's how I got mine.
i like the idea of the amiibo as physical dlc, but it needs far more support. an amiibo that unlocks a feature from only one game presents far less value than if it unlocked features from a broad array of games, or as i want it, every single first/second party game. perception however is truth and to mitigate the frustration of unlocking something already included, even if the feature requires only 20kb, it should be downloaded separately instead.
Oddly enough most people are focused on the "locked" dungeon but less on what the amiibo does as a read and write function. I learned not to jump the gun on any news since Nintendo said Friend code would be in the Wii U in a way before it was ever released.
Well at least the LoZ series can keep its tradition of pre-release controversy it have since Majora's Mask. I would say before but online social media wasn't as active back then.
In any case the thing I like most about amiibo is that it's completely optional, unless you suffer from serious OCD in which case you're on your own. The stuff they unlock are not real game changers and you don't have to collect 'em all to get the most out of them. The more games they release that support amiibo the better value it have, because a lot of Nintendo accessories doesn't get type of support this much or this long (Gameboy printer, wireless GBA adaptor, Wii U Gamecube adaptor, etc.).
@IceClimbers I agree that it is an unfortunate reality that there will always be a segment of people who get there panties in wad no matter what. Nintendo's job is to make as much money as possible while keeping that segment at small proportion.
@kshixson Making day one DLC isn't the right way to earn money, in fact making any type of DLC before the game release (I use "any type" because amiibos are physical DLC) should be illegal by now.
Begrudingly I admit that I need to pay if I want to play and sometimes the extra plastic is really not wanted. Games were £40 when I was (much) younger. I see the monetisation of the industry now as a way of bolstering profits, since many games are still £40 in a competitive online marketplace. Sometimes I pay and begrudge it, sometimes I pay and am satisfied it's a good deal, sometimes I pass by a game and buy something else instead. The constant is having to pay someone for something, whatever form the delve into my purse takes.
I'd be interested to know how things are going with Lego Dimensions. Have gamers bought the £30 two-hour levels or have Lego collectors bought the £30 sets? That's a game where I have remained firm and bought only the base pack. I just cannot justify £600 for one single game, though I feel irritated by the desire to play all the game has to offer.
I have similar questions about amiibo Festival: how many hours have people played the game and how many bought it exclusively for the amiibo? It's not entirely bad, but no-one is going to argue that it's critically acclaimed. Use of amiibo there was too gimmicky by far, even for Nintendo!
@electrolite77 I like the cut of your jib, sir. Gave me a laugh.
@Chaoz illegal? How would you make it illegal?
@faint Why you're asking me? I just said I feel it should be illegal for game developers to do so. I'm not saying it's entirely possible.
You know, I am really glad that I don't have to worry about what amiibo does what. I collect them for the figurines. Their functionality is just the cherry on top of the sundae.
But I do realize that I am probably in the minority there so here's what I would do: Either have the Amiibo-locked stuff as DLC right when the game gets updated (e.g. buy a Sonic costume for your Mii in MK8 for 2,99€) or have the Amiibo-locked content be unlockable within the game (e.g. you get weapon xy in Splat2n at level 30 but you could also scan in Amiibo xy to unlock it from the get-go). I honestly don't see people being happy when any content is exclusively locked behind an amiibo except for maybe training the little critter like in Smash 4.
@faint I couldn't care less if Mario's Amiibo worked on a 100 games. It's content locked behind a pay wall that in on the disc.
@Token_Girl
There's a difference in complaining with words, and complaining with your wallet. A lot of people complain, but still spend the cash. The loudest and best way to complain is to deny nintendo money... but also make sure you complain loudly so they hopefully understand why.
Like with the overpriced digital wii games. We don't buy it, they assume no one likes the game probably.
Anyway, there'd probably be an amiibo line of game that would get you onboard. Imagine pokemon style amiibo battles with random nintendo characters. Wouldn't take much work, you can assemble a small team to challenge friends!
I got caught up in amiibo, and plan on getting wolf link anyway, but even still, the locked content is just wrong. Amiibo don't provide too much value now, but as more games are released, they get more functionality. Of course people get mad now, because they're new, and few games have put them to any use, and some have very few games that use them!
Also, didn't wind waker have some physically locked content involving a link cable and gba? Ironic huh?
Y'know, this isn't nintendo's first instance of physically locked content, or PLC.
Gamecube games like the prime games had content locked behind linking to a GBA cart, no? Crystal chronicles had multiplayer locked behind link cables and gba's.
DS games also had content locked based on having GBA carts, like mega man zx, where you could battle pseidoroids from mmz3 and 4. All those features were already on the cart/disc, right?
Wind waker had multiplayer and tingle related stuff locked behind gba and gamecube adapter paywall, right? I mean, you had to buy a GBA and the mostly useless link cable to access it! How much were the gcn adapters back in the day?
Oot had rumble pack content, majoras mask required the expansion pak, wind waker required a freakin' gba and gamecube adapter. Come to think of it, this os kinda a signature for the zelda games, to have a feature you can't enjoy without some expendive accessory! In majora's mask, it was the game itself. And these accessories were mostly useless in most games, and had very limited functionality. Didn't the oracles games have some gb camera content?
@Dr_Corndog
Yeah, the software industry isn't a shining example of how to do things right, it's probably the worst thing ever, and keeps getting worse, and not just for consumers, but everyone in the industry
@Ichiban
It's really no different sounding than in the psone snd ps2 era when having data from a previous game on your memory card gave you something awesome in sequels. Look at the ratchet clank games, or suikoden 2.
The crossover content through a physical device is nothing new.
Another thing to consider... would this content exist without amiibo? Was the extra dungeon made based on expected revenue from amiibo sales? That throws everything for a loop really.
Then the question would be, would you prefer an amiibo locked dungeon, or no dungeon at all?
Unfortunately, there is no way to know if this was the case, because what do you think nintendo would say presented with this rhetoric?
@khaosklub
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#140
khaosklub said:
Another thing to consider... would this content exist without amiibo? Was the extra dungeon made based on expected revenue from amiibo sales? That throws everything for a loop really."
For those who want an honest discussion, that's a good question.
For those who have an agenda, the answer is always Nintendo is bad!
I didn't want to remove the Wolf from the box... I can see myself in 20 years quoting Indiana Jones about how it belongs in a museum.
@Chaoz Illegal huh?
Assuming the rumors are true, I think the main problem is this extra content might be the only incentive for buying this remake for a number of consumers, and having it attached to the amiibo instead of it being a part of the game regardless, makes it less appealing. This basically frustrates customers who don't like the idea of locked disc content, customers who don't want to purchase physical figurines, and customers who found the price for an older game with a less than stellar remaster already higher than it should be (before the rumor of the additional content, only changes that were shown were upscaling and higher resolution textures, models are left in their original low poly form).
I pretty much fall under all three of the points, but of course I had no plans on purchasing the game initially because I felt it was a rather lazy port and would wait until it hit the $20 or less range. With some additional features I certainly would have been willing to pay a bit more as Twilight Princess is a favorite of mine, but if it involves amiibo I will skip it altogether as that's the only way I can act against this sort of practice.
My theory is that the Cave of Twilight is 50 floors/rooms, packed with puzzles and monsters. Each room you clear, your amiibo "Levels up," and the higher the level, the better bonuses you earn when you tap the amiibo in to Zelda U.
I don't mind really, I like collecting the amiibo anyway, as long as the content behind the amiibo isn't core to the game and required to complete it then that's ok as far as I'm concerned.
Why are you complaining on the amiibo? The game is complete, you just get an extra on the amiibo. Plus Nintendo is charging 60 $ or € with the amiibo and soundtrack bundled, and NOT 60 bucks without. If Nintendo is "greedy", they would have charged full retail price without the amiibo and the soundtrack.
Also the point of amiibo is to give extra contents. Get over it. I'm pretty sure Nintendo is charging no more than 50 dollars or Euros for the game only which is below the full retail price.
Amiibo Schmiibo!! Load of kids nonsense. Really wish they hadn't taken off! A cynical, opportunist cash machine to exploit unsuspecting parents. In 2 yrs they'll hopefully by bargain binned like the original D Infinity figures.
This article makes the issue way too complicated. You know, sometimes the answer really is simple: Do what was done in the past for Link's Awakening DX. Meaning, include the new dungeon as a part of the assumed value of rereleasing an old game with a facelift on newer hardware, no questions asked, no arbitrary barriers or needless money grabbing DLC imposed. It's done all the time today in remasters and repacked editions of older products, so why can't that simply be done here?
There is another distinction to be made here: the color dungeon in Link's Awakening DX was locked to use by the GBC as a technical barrier. There are records of people hacking into the color dungeon on regular GB hardware, but it causes critical glitching because the older hardware couldn't handle it. This new dungeon in TP HD, on the other hand, is locked onto Amiibo as an arbitrary barrier that does not need to exist. There is no technical burden which would prevent the new dungeon from just being on the disc or download itself. There is no philosophical or complicated market reason for not just handling it simply as new data on the disc or download, and there is a bigger motive behind using what is essentially a physical form of DRM.
There was the question asked above, "Does the extra sale of the Amiibos account for the cost of making the new dungeon?" The answer is... No, it does not. It involves getting even more Chinese low wage labor involved, more physical stock and shipping transportation involved, and more advertisement effort involved, all for the sake of moving more units. It has nothing to do with the dungeon.
I hate to say it, but sometimes, it really is this easy: companies who set out to make money are GREEDY by nature. No profitable company is immune to the charms of money. That doesn't mean it's okay, that just means it's a fact of life. There's no special reason for the Amiibo's existence as a barrier to new core content. It is only there to entice more people to buy the product, anti-consumer practices be damned.
Nintendo could have just charged $50-60 for the full package, with all the new content included on the disc or download, no Amiibo, no hassle. The only motive for doing it the way they are is to twist the prospective buyer's decision making into believing that the more expensive SKU is a good value. This is nothing new, but the way it is being done is dirty. It is entirely based on greed.
@ThomasBW84
You get EXTRA contents (amiibo and soundtrack) for a full retail price (less if you get discounts). In another perspective, you still get the FULL experience at full retail price. I don't get the complaints.
Wolf figurine in Twilight Princess is Day 1 DLC which is locked in the disc and not included with digital copy. No surprise people call it BS.
@Yorumi @PlywoodStick @rjejr and others
Would you prefer to pay 60$ for TPHD with all extras WITHOUT the amiibo and soundtrack or pay 60$ WITH the amiibo and the soundtrack? You guys are looking at it the wrong way..
Wind Waker HD was full priced without amiibo and it didn't get this level of criticism of TP HD. Some of you are just here to hate on the amiibo.
Edit:
I'm not referring to anyone in particular.
@khaosklub
It's a tricky one and we'll never know the answer. In my opinion, if Nintendo adding an extra dungeon to a remaster of a ten-year-old game would really affect their planned profit margins they're either paying Tantalus too much or are trying too hard to squeeze cash from fans. When other remasters add so much more for free it looks highly questionable.
Just my opinion though, we'll never know the figures.
@Splatburst
Or they could include the extra content without the need for Amiibo. Or sell the game for a discounted price. You're wrong in saying those are the only two choices. Nintendo aren't always right.
@electrolite77
They are selling the game at a discounted price without the amiibo. What's your point?
@Splatburst
The points that have been made further up. Im not typing them our again. It's a cynical cash grab on fans that has Nintendo zealots working hard to defend practices they would deride if other publishers did it.
@electrolite77
You pay full price with the game and amiibo and soundtrack, you get full and extra contents. I don't see a problem with that.
@Splatburst Wind Waker HD had everything on it, and price drops can be waited for. What if someone who didn't have the chance or ability to buy a TP HD with Amiibo edition at launch, considering limited stock of Amiibo, going to do years down the line if they want to play the new dungeon, but can't find the Amiibo? Either pony up on EBay or whatever for a scalped price, or maybe illicitly download the content, or simply go without. What kind of careless expectation laid upon future consumers is that? Why can't the new content simply be normally included on the disc or download, no questions asked?
This was not a question we needed to ask, or could even fathom asking, 10 or 20 years ago. It used to be that you paid full price for a game, and if the game was good, you'd get a ton of stuff on it without strings attached. I keep thinking about the difference between Marvel vs Capcom 2 and 3 as an example. MvC2 had a ton of content and fighters, but they were all there with your $50 purchase, no questions asked, no DLC to nickel and dime you, no digital downloading to worry over, and no hassle. MvC3 was plagued with ill handling of all of the aforementioned points, the total price of all DLC goes far beyond the base retail price, and then defended by those who have lowered their sense of values and expectations compared to the past.
Therein lies the culprit: to be capable of defending the inherent lowering of value, to say that an extra arbitrary tax must now be levied, where in the past there was none, is the result of psychological conditioning. We are conditioned by the market to think that their whims are inherently correct, there's nothing wrong with it, and the only recourse we have is to "vote with our wallets." To accept that at face value is nothing less than a surrendering of our own personal sovereignty of mind to a slippery slope.
@PlywoodStick
You could wait for price drops? You could wait for amiibo restock and price drop as well. I don't see the difference.
@faint yes, and I would not buy another game just because I happen to have a compatable Amiibo.
If kids want to collect Nintendo toys, that's great, maybe Nintendo could make a more expensive figurine for collectors like Disney do. But don't rip off adult Nintendo gamers who want to play the complete game like we have always done, without having to buy toys.
I am an adult who likes to play games. I really looked forward to TP HD; loved it on the Wii. Now, I never had interest in amiibo and this will not change. If I have to buy a an amiibo to get full content of a game, that just doesnt work for me. DLC ok, but an amiibo, no way, I will skip on TP HD on use my money on other content. I really dont get it why Nintendo does this, they are driving an old fanboy away...
@Splatburst There's no guarantees there for the Amiibo. It would be easy to simply include the content on the disc or download as part of the assumed value of buying this new HD version instead of the older version, no questions asked, guaranteed to all future buyers for no extra cost beyond the retail or discount price. Which is, you know, what Nintendo used to do by default. It's more about principle of how the product is offered than money, for me.
As others have already said, I don't want a load of cheap plastic toys littering my living room just so I can activate something in a game. If that's what others want then great, knock yourselves out, but Nintendo need to give people the option to access all the features in a game without having to visit a toy shop beforehand.
I'm not a fan of amiibo, but they've upped their game with the Twilight Princess one.
What are people complaining about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!it's awesome
I'll be honest, I can't really see what all the fuss is about. I mean, TP is a ten-year-old game that's getting a facelift; all the content from the original game, plus some tweaks to the gameplay I'd assume, is there on the disc. Even if the amiibo unlocks an extra dungeon (which probably won't be part of the story at all, but only linked to Zelda WiiU somehow), so what? Personally, since I'm a massive Zelda fan and TP is my favourite game in the series, I'm going to get the amiibo; it's going to sit on my desk next to my Rosalina and Toon Link, and if it allows me to unlock a little bit extra in-game, then all the better. But I really don't see why people are makig such a fuss over a £10 figurine (which admittedly looks pretty cool) unlocking a most likely inconsequential piece of DLC as some kind of a reward for the people who decide to shell out the extra cash for a collectible toy. Especially since the extra bit has most likely only been made to link this game to the new one and would not even be there at all if amiibos weren't a thing. I mean, most big franchises (Assassins' Creed, anyone?) require you to shell out £20 or more if you want to get the (day one) extra maps, missions and whatnot; at least with amiibo you've got something tangible for your money, too. This is just my opinion, of course - I understand that some people are against on-disc DLC or just DLC in general, so no offense meant.
@Splatburst
Lucky for you. As you can see from the Comments above if you read them plenty of people do. Whether it be hiding content behind a toy, creating stock issues for digital content, offering very poor value compared to many other remasters, many see it as a poor value proposition and won't accept it just because its Nintendo.
@electrolite77
Then they should wait for a sale when they think it's what it's worth. I usually do that on other games that's not in my priority or not worth the asking price. I wait for a sale.
@Jezebel95 Besides the part that the game still looks pretty mediocre for a remaster. The idea that you have to buy a toy to get extra content is ridiculous. I don't want any amiibo, why isn't there a digital DLC option to get the extra content? If they needed the money to cover the development of said content. Although I'm generally already against DLC in adventure games like Zelda, the idea that everything is locked behind a physical toy makes it even more ridiculous.
Yes, Amiibos are physical (and pricey) DLCs and yes, we should "vote" with our wallets...
But I lost faith in the gaming community... Lot of complains about how Star Wars Battlefront was lacking contents and was overpriced, and it was still at the top of Christmas sales...
I couldn't care less: I don't own a Wii U, don't plan to, and don't own any amiibo (such a goofy word). I will say this: my opinion, amiibo is one of Nintendo's dumbest, stupidest ideas — right along with a heap of others. Save your finances for game development, hardware research, and such instead of spending it on making plastic toys and physical DLC locks. Nintendo can keep on with 'em for all I care because as much as people may profess to loathe these type practices, they'll be swiping their plastic at the countertops when the game releases.
@Octane i totally agree with you. Give me the choice between buying a digital dlc for X bucks OR a physical DLC for X + Y (the cost of the plastic figurine).
First The Witcher 3's DLC is 10€ online and 20€ in the stores with 2 decks of Gwent cards (amazing, by the way)
I think the bundle is being sold at a reasonable price. It costs €10 more than the game by itself and comes with a soundtrack CD. The statement regarding Zelda Wii U is odd, though.
@Octane I know the 'facelift', as I had called it, is just some updated textures, but I'm still jumping at the chance to play one of my favourite games of all time again, since my GC original disc isn't working anymore. And, as I have mentioned in my post, it's highly likely that the amiibo DLC is only there so you can save some sort of data from that dungeon and carry it on to the next Zelda game - using the toy to do it. Plus, we know so little about it at this stage that it might as well be possible to unlock the dungeon anyway through normal play, meaning that the amiibo only speeds up the process. Anyway, I just don't see what the big discussion is all about: if you want to buy the toy, buy it, and if you don't, you're not really missing on anything important; the original game with all its dungeons and quests is still all there. That's how I see it.
I don't see the big deal about DLC and Amiibo.
I never owned one Amiibo but as of now, none of the games with the exception of Fates maybe has tempted me to get an amiibo figure just to get something. If anything, they are meant to expand the games.
Seriously, the hate that Nintendo gets for trying to do something different is just plain bad. Amiibo itself isn't that bad when you think about it.
@Jezebel95 They could easily store a bit of data on the Wii U that will unlock whatever it is in Zelda U (already not looking forward to that idea). Anyway, a physical figurine isn't necessary to make that possible.
@arnoldlayne83 Sounds like CD Projekt nailed it then. DLC for a set price, but a physical option with extra stuff for the really big fans.
I completely understand your point; there's hardly any point in ''voting with your wallet'' anymore, as you're probably in a minority anyway. A couple of friends of mine complained about the lack of content and expensive DLC in SW: Battlefront; yet all continued to purchase the €50 season pass (or whatever ridiculous price it was at).
@Splatburst
They may well do. I know I will. But what if it doesn't go on sale? What if the Amiibo is then hard to get and costs a fortune? What if people wait and buy it Used, Nintendo don't see a penny then? What if people start getting the message that locking content behind a plastic toy paywall is going to happen more and more and decide not to buy Nintendo games?
@electrolite77
Then vote with your wallet. Nintendo will judge by the number of sales. If this thing sells though, then you're in the minority.
Edit:
I've never played Twilight Princess though. So this game is worth it for me, even more with the amiibo and extras.
@PlywoodStick
You're spot on about the psychological conditioning.
You see it all over the industry. Microsoft started charging for online and because the service was better than their competitors people accepted it even with highly questionable practices like locking Netflix and other subscription services behind their own Xbox Live paywall.
Sony started the Instant Game Collection with PS Plus and because it was good value it got people used to having their own subscription games, so when online play for PS4 games was introduced many just accepted it. 'Well I'm already paying it, and MS have been charging for years'.
DLC can be very good value e.g. MK8, GTA IV but now we've reached the stage where the likes of Star Wars Battlefront can sell millions despite there hardly being any game on the disc.
You'll see it soon with Amiibo. First it was Smash Bros and costumes in MK8, then Splatoon had a portion of its single-player locked behind the toy paywall, now we're talking about a whole dungeon in a Zelda game. Over the next couple of years the content locked behind Amiibo will grow and people will accept it either because its Nintendo and they're not like the others or because they don't really notice. It's the frog in a pan of hot water analogy.
@Splatburst
I don't care whether I'm in the minority and thats unproveable anyway without knowing how many people were going to buy it but didn't because of the Amiibo paywall. I will buy something else probably on another machine, others-most likely also long term fans-will do the same and Nintendo will carry on sliding....
Many people are talking as if everyone who will be playing the game will be purchasing it at launch and will have the required amiibo on the shelf at the time but that's not the case. Unlike DLC purchased with credit, this is DLC that depends on factors beyond one's control. Wether distribution didn't supply enough or has been discontinued. That's my biggest gripe. Don't want to have to worry about toy stock just to experience the full game whenever I happen to play it
Let's put it this way: 'Evergreen' titles that don't have 'evergreen' amiibo in order to access the entire content.
Wah, cry, pout. Disgusting.
@khaosklub You are right, this is not the first time that hardware unlocks content, but it is something that nobody (exception being toys to life games that are specifically designed with toys in mind) currently does except Nintendo. It just doesn't feel right unless it is justified like a memory expansion (N64). I don't know about Megaman games, but I had the GBA, The Wind Waker, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and Animal Crossing. As long as I remember, there was no additional content unlock by hardware.
The GBA connection unlocks a tiny island in Animal Crossing with a different type of fruit and a place where you can design a flag, so that's not really an expansion but a tiny place with slightly different (and very few) things. The GBA connection unlocks multiplayer in Crystal Chronicles, which was not a very welcome system at the time, but I enjoyed the game alone most of the time because the range of view and action is minimal anyway. If you play with a friend, one of you is going to hold the goblet most of the time to protect you with its aura, or vice versa. The GBA connection in The Wind Waker unlocks a little extra feature where you can place bombs looking at the GBA screen and little else and tells you where you might be able to find something that is hidden but it's never important.
@electrolite77 Exactly. It's shocking that Nintendo doesn't realise how many long-term fans are ranting about their policies and skipping the Wii U, and NX probably. Nintendo keeps on ignoring us. It's like they believe children asking their parents to buy them amiibo is all that matters now.
I dont see the big deal. Sounds like folks crying over spilled milk, in which case they'll find anything/everything to complain about and nothing will make them happy.
The video game industry has always been about needing to buy things in order to play extra things. That hasnt changed. The complete obsession with collecting needless micro-content is more of the gamer's problem...not Nintendo for thinking of an idea that'll help their business profit. And it still beats out all the microtransaction crap that these obsessed gamers love to shovel under the rug when trying to prove their hypocritical point.
When the game was first announced I wasn't very interested, having completed it on the Wii only about 3/4 years ago. Then when I saw how cool the amiibo looked, it made me think again. Compared to the sheer rip-off greed of the Stars War Battlefront DLC on the other consoles, this is great value. Wish they'd done it for Skyward Sword instead, though
@VanillaLake-186 because it sounds like your not real fans. You just sound like babies. I want this. I want that. I want it all. Verruca Salt called and she wants her gum back.
@VanillaLake it is what all matters to them. If you think about the casual gamers flocked to mobile, "hardcore" gamers are on PS4 XB1 en masse... What does remain for Nintendo? Nintendo grown up fanboys and kids/families to whom the WiiU appeals the most... So then what's better than plastic toys to cater both Nintendo fetishists and kids????
@BertoFlyingFox i decide to buy DLC from time to time according to what it offers to me compared to the asking price.... Here we are talking of bits of games not even worth a dlc (costumes in MK8, levels in zelda) blocked behind a DLC paywall disguised as a plastic figurine, without even giving the possibility to buy it digitally paying what is worth.
To the people who haven't played Twilight Princess yet and are against this Amiibo-locking-away-content-kind-of-thinking and are telling themselves this might be a good deal. Even cheaper you could buy the Nintendo collects Wii version as new physical retail for around €20, maybe even cheaper.
Those who haven't played Twilight Princess yet, why getting the game now suddenly? Because of the Amiibo? That's rediculous. Then you don't even have a connection to the Wolf-Link and Midna anyway. By the way, playing as Wolf-Link I think have been the most turn off moment to me in my all Zelda experiences, it doesn't have the Zelda feeling at all. Twilight Princess might be one of the worst Zelda entries. I enjoyed Skyward sword even more.
Spoiler Ahead!: However you wan't to see Ganon when playing Zelda. Ganondorf/Ganon appears first at the end of Twilight Princess, turning out being the "Zant" in it's twilight world. I would have prefered being teased/confronted by Ganondorf frequently like in ocarina of time. I hope the Wii U version will bring back some nostalgic ideas and not continue to try to "re-evolve" way too much like Twilight Princess and Skyward sword have been trying.
I hope I can somehow unlock this new area paying by other means, as I really don't like plastic toys.
I used to froth at the mouth about amiibo even while I collected it. Most of it was around the hard to find figures like Lucina and Robin, which were nearly impossible to even preorder in the US.
I think they've mostly gotten much better in the US. If someone anyone near my location doesn't get one of these bundles they simply didn't want to. I was able to walk into my local Gamestop and preorder over a month after announcement.
@Splatburst "You guys are looking at it the wrong way.." "Some of you are just here to hate on the amiibo."
I said there was no wrong or right side to the argument, that's why it's fun. I'm not sur eI even picked a side, though I am opposed to the connection between an amiibo in TP HD and it's usage in Zlda U. Though I have played several other games where a save point on my PS3 form a previous game unlocked items in a sequel. Can't think of one off the top of my head, but it has been done, I've done it. I'm just afraid w/ all the delays the fans will go nuts if they lock anything behind amiibo for Zelda U. Or Zelda NX, whatever it winds up being called. Years in the making , still doesn't have a name.
Overall though I consider myself neutral on the subject - some usage is good, some is bad. They should offer all the NFC as DLC though for people who don't want toys, like the spinner in Hyrule Warriros and the challenges in Spaltoon. But I also want a game that requires amiibo like Skylanders. Maybe I'm only mostly neutral?
@rjejr I think most people would be fine with the idea if they offered the amiibo content digitally through DLC as well. I think that there are plenty of people who are interested in the extra content, yet have no incentive to purchase physical toys.
I have the game pre-ordered myself, amiibo included. I just like collecting them. To date, I have all the Smash amiibo released so far, as well as the three normal Yarn Yoshis, the Splatoon set, the Super Mario set, and the 8-bit Marios. And I also have Lucas, Shovel Knight, and the Gold Mega Man ordered. I also plan to get the rest of the Smash amiibo and a Mega Yarn Yoshi somewhere down the line.
Do I regret my purchases? No. I think they look nice and I can use them in a variety of games I own, whether it's duking it out against increasingly powerful opponents, unlocking costumes in Mario Maker a bit faster, or getting a few extra pick-me-ups in Hyrule Warriors. And hey, they'll pay off a little more in the future - there's going to be more games down the line that use them, and if they ever release a game similar to Disney Infinity or Skylanders, I'll be set.
I'd say this is a "to each their own" kind of thing. People might call me crazy for buying all those figures (a couple of my friends have already), but as long as all your bills and debts are paid, who's to say what you should spend your money on?
Ultimately, I pulled out my copy of Zelda: TP for Wii and it works perfectly fine. Not really needing this game.
DLC, amiibo and Nintendo are inspiring more Internet boxing matches than perhaps any other topic right now. But here's my take.
DLC in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, it all depends on specific examples. I actually thought that the Mario Kart 8 DLC was well priced and the thing is, they actually revealed what would be in it before hand! I'm also comfortable with the Smash Bros. DLC.
However, I'm not really a fan of amiibos and I'm not a huge fan of the toys-to-life idea. That certainly colours my view on it. I'd rather buy a game that costs £15 or under, or put it towards a full release then buy an amiibo. And in all honesty, amiibo are essentially physical DLC attached to an item. I think where people get irate is because of the fear that it could go further or that they feel that part of the game is being blocked off so to speak.
If people are into amiibo then that's fair enough. But I think the discussion comes at which point do you draw the line and say what's the right kind/amount of DLC an amiibo unlocks. In all honesty, if I don't like the way something is done, I just simply won't buy it.
Although, this discussion does make me wonder though if in future statues or other physical items will end up being the unlock for full games, negating the need for optical media.
@Yorumi
But this is a full game especially for those who haven't played it before. Should Nintendo price it cheap because it's a remaster of an old game? I can understand those of you who have played the old versions before, but I can also understand Nintendo as a business corporation. In Nintendo's perspective, what's the point of rereleasing these games if you don't make a profit out of it? Why should they undervalue it when it offers a full retail game for those who haven't played it and for those who wanted to play it again?
The amiibo price is irrelevant because at bundled price, it's the same as any other full game out there remastered or not. You're not being nickle and dimed. If the asking price is not worth for you who already played the older versions, then you could wait for a heavy discount. Thing is, some would still complain even if they get the standalone game for half the price because the amiibo (DLC/unlock) is 13$ and they're thinking the DLC is not worth 13$. That's not the point though. The unlock is an extra for those who buy the amiibo which can be use in Zelda U and other games.
I don't see how this is in any way controversial. All sorts of products come in standard and premium versions. 3D cinema, first class travel, hardback books. If people are complaining that the extra dungeon only comes with the special edition, are they also complaining that the CD only comes with the special edition? It's a premium extra, it makes no difference whether it's digital or physical.
@Yorumi
Your burger analogy is way off though. Is there a business that sells 10000$ burger that actually sells? Selling TPHD at 60$ bundled and 50$ (or less) will sell though and its reasonable within the price norm. It doesn't matter if it's only a texture swap, we don't know anything they've added yet. But there's gamepad inventory management, probably gyro aiming which is huge to me, miiverse, new dungeon, and more. It's still a full game and its worth it for those who haven't played the GC/Wii versions.
You know, in a way Rob the robot was Nintendo's first amiibo. Kinda, I suppose. I mean, you could play the two games made for Rob without him but it just wasn't the same experience. Yeah....eh.....maybe? Ah, ok never mind...
@Yorumi
So are we here to talk about TP HD or the Wii U? As I said, for someone like me who haven't played TP before, this one is definitely worth my money. So is Splatoon, XCX and select games I bought for my Wii U. Also fyi before you think I'm a Nintendo diehard, Wii U is my first Nintendo console since the NES (I've played SNES before on my friends' before I went PC gaming). New 3DS is also my first handheld but I barely play with it.
@River3636 Sorry brother some of us don't take shady practices like this. Or better yet don't like mindless sheep who just accept everything like a hooker on the street.
@Splatburst "As I said, for someone like me who haven't played TP before, this one is definitely worth my money" What about the millions and millions of people who already played this? Cause all i see coming from your mouth. Is me! Me! And me!
@Yorumi
That's you're perspective and I respect that. But I don't like TP Wii controls, I love WWHD gamepad and gyro controls (no gyro aiming, no buy coming from mouse + keyboard), graphics isn't on par with Skyward Sword, and I like my collectible amiibos. Plus I'm only paying 50 bucks for it with the amiibo + soundtrack CD. So I guess that makes it 40 bucks price point limit for remasters of yours if you remove the extras? You see, there are other factors that makes a game on a specific machine worth it.
@TwilightAngel
If you've played it before, then why the hell would you play it again if it's not worth for you? OCD much? It's for those who are willing to pay and play it (again).
Also, Twilight Princess is not worth the full $60 bucks that these idiots are charging you. No, I do not care if you haven't played the game, no I do not care if you think it's the best game ever. It's an upscaled version of TP and that requires little to no effort to make.
"Bu-but Nintendo is a business!" says the fanboy who likes to bash EA and Ubisoft when they make money grubbing DLC and who likes to talk about how many BILLIONS Nintendo has in the bank. This game is a good $20 all content include and that is being generous. Sony made a better offer than this with their upscaled re-releases of games like Jak and Daxter or Ratchet and Clank. Good price for 3 great games.
Nintendo has stooped so low this generation, it's pathetic. There is no reason for me to be excited about them making money because at the end of the day, they don't use it for anything great. This was the company I was expecting would resist making shady business like that. Looks like I was wrong. They are no different that EA and Ubisoft, just a bunch of money hungry businessmen who look at their fan's wallets. I doubt I want to continue as a Nintendo fan.
@Splatburst I agree with you. I can understand what people are saying with some of the complaints, but I sure don't agree with them.
@electrolite77 Good point. Also, another case in point, Splatburst commented to you that Nintendo will be the "judge" depending on sales. Wait a moment... Aren't the consumers supposed to be the "judges" in a market society? When did we forfeit that position?
@Yorumi @Splatburst http://most-expensive.com/burgers-world
There you go, there is someone out there in New York charging $300 for a burger. Maybe it's a gourmet burger, but it's still just a burger. Not to mention Burger King sells "The Burger" for £95 in West London. It's a gourmet burger, sure, but it's just a marked up version of the stuff in stores around where it's sourced. I'm genuinely surprised how well the analogy does work.
@Splatburst Cause many people want to play it again. Is that a problem? I'm not gonna buy this though. And it's still not fair for the people who are, now they have to buy a cheap looking toy or buy that bundle for a new dungeon.Nintendo can just give it to everyone for free or better yet give the option to buy it on the Eshop. Simple isn't?
I don't and many people don't want to buy a stupid toy for a locked dungeon.
@TwilightAngel (You cried, whined, and Pouted) "Sorry brother some of us don't take shady practices like this. Or better yet don't like mindless sheep who just accept everything like a hooker on the street".
Sorry "bro" but you're over reacting and appear to be a mindless sheep in your attempt to be a gamer. You might have a slither of merit if you weren't so feckless and self absorbed with a rumor. If you'll excuse me I must hook some more down the street but I don't just except everything. So say it the shepherd. So say it the flock.
@PlywoodStick
Don't twist my words. I am referring to publishers meeting customer demands "judging on sales". If remasters of old games sell, it's on the publisher's judgement to make more of these remasters because there's a market for it. Look how many remasters we got across different platforms this gen.
Also those burgers? Do they sell (in quantity) as much as normal priced burgers (top sellers) though? That was my point. TP HD amiibo bundle is priced within the norm of full retail Nintendo games. I've never seen an amiibo bundled game that went beyond 60USD or 60€.
I want the full game without the amiibo. I want to play the whole game and never feel like I'm missing something by not having a toy. Now having said that I do enjoy collecting the amiibo for my favorite games/characters and I do want them to add something to the game(s). I think that Splatoon did this perfectly. I had the game for about 6 months before I got the amiibo and at no point of playing did I feel like I was missing out on part of the game. On the other hand, I think Mario Party did this poorly. How will TP:HD and ZeldaU do? I don't know. I hope they make a great game and then ask "what can we add to this for people who have amiibo?" and not "what can we take away so people will buy the amiibo for the full game"
@Splatburst I want a Blue cheese burger with sautéed onions now. I guess I should of not skipped lunch.
@arnoldlayne83 Absolutely, your words sound like the truth.
It's shocking how blind zealots can be about Nintendo yet they can't admit you get much better value for your money elsewhere. On PS4 The Nathan Drake Collection, on XOne Rare Replay... On Wii U pay €60 for each Zelda remaster! Are you kidding me?
@River3636 I don't know how old are you but when you call us babies it looks like you are not mature. I am a Nintendo fan since I was a little child, I can complain now that I've grown up about how daft and stingy Nintendo currently is, and yet I can buy Wii U games if I want to. Also, Nintendo is not always the same nor it's always right so I can point it out whenever I feel like.
@Splaburst What more evidence do you need that Nintendo is doing things wrong than Wii U's flop?
To everybody saying "If you don't like the amiibo idea then don't buy Twilight Princess HD", that is a daft thing to say. Lots of people might like to have the extra dungeon without the amiibo. Plus, linking an extra dungeon to an amiibo is just an idea, not officially confirmed, but if it was true, it still would be just a decision, and that decision doesn't mean everybody has to agree and be happy. It doesn't mean that if you don't like it you want to skip the game. That's why the idea is so miserable, because it's driving classic Zelda games fans to an unnecessary and controversial situation.
I don't get people complaining about people expressing that they dislike this idea, this is a discussion in the first place.
@VanillLake (cried, spouted, and whined) I don't know how old are you but when you call us babies it looks like you are not mature. I am a Nintendo fan since I was a little child, I can complain now that I've grown up about how daft and stingy Nintendo currently is, and yet I can buy Wii U games if I want to. Also, Nintendo is not always the same nor it's always right so I can point it out whenever I feel like.
I'm absolutely old enough to know that babies need a pacifier no matter how old they are. Sure Nintendo maybe be a little stingy but not in this case and it is absolutely your right to cry, pout and whine no matter how daft your mentality appears to be. You don't want the toy that hypothetically has a dungeon. I got it, but your maturity is showing about how ridiculous your argument is.
@Octane Not only that, but sometimes the amiibo are hard to find! Shocking, I know. I don't think they need to sell all DLC either. That "find toad" gimmick in CT:TT doesn't need to go on sale. Or the skins in SMM which seem to be unlocked eventually. Or the skins in Yoshi Wooly World, though the ability to play single player co-op (Ok, that's stupid way to describe it, but it's what it felt like) needs to be included, not sold separately. But Splatoon and the HW spinner. The US didn't even get the squid amiibo individually, we had to spend $35 on the 3 pack for a $60 game, that was $40 the rest of the world. Those challenges could have been DLC. Maybe not at launch, but 3 months after. Maybe when they had the big update in August.
I'm not the biggest Ntinod fan, I started w/ the Gamecube, but for about 10 or 15 years Nintendo and Iwata seemed so opposed to DLC, but they've just gone over the top all over the place bonkers w/ amiibo implementation. And the SSB DLC. I'm surprised they have any defenders left at all. Sell Cloud and Bayonetta DLC for $7 each, and the amiibo for another $13 each. Shouldn't the $13 amiibo unlock Cloud and Bayonneta in the game?
@Splatburst No offense meant, thank you for clarification. I do think it's worth looking at how these other remasters are offered: in many different ways, for many different price points. However... And this is where I get hung up: almost no one else locks content behind a physical component that may be difficult go find 5 years from now, or nearly impossible to find 10 years ago.
Imagine if Link's Awakening DX had required a chipped card or something to be bought that would have been IR scanned to open up the color dungeon. What are the chances we would be able to find those cards now? The same applies for TP HD. Posterity is an important quality for game preservation. The more concise, the better.
And yeah, the burger point is kind of silly, although there are plenty of restaurants that sell burgers for $30-60, even though one could grill several of their own burgers from a higher quality hunk of meat for $20. (Which is actually relevant in this case, since one could either buy Nintendo's TP HD for about $60, or buy a Wii or GameCube copy of TP for $20 tops, then mod their copy with an HD mod that wouldn't be missing anything critical, just a few extras.)
@Yorumi Honestly, I have no idea what happened. When I first came to NL, not many people would put up with this kind of business practice, and hailed Nintendo as the final bastion of sober behavior. Now that there are no virgins left in the industry, the goalposts of commendable practices have been moved, and the old standards have been erased. I understand things change over time, but arbitrary changes just for the sake of it is not inherently good.
Yeah, I'm glad my folks found official Wii component cables back in 2006. They're quite rare, now. I didn't have the GCN/GB player, so I didn't know it required a boot disc. I thought it operated like the Super Game Boy. What a dumb design decision...
I think the most important part of gaming is to have your own identity. That's something we can control. If we consign ourselves to a group identity, then we have no control over our own identities. The product executives do.
@Yorumi 206# extremely very well said. You exactly nailed Nintendo situation.
When stock was abysmal everyone said it wasn't the content they were upset about, but the fact they couldn't find the amiibo in question. Said if amiibo were readily available there would be no problem.
Well the stock issues have been resolved, yet the complaints haven't stopped.
Let's not be a jerk.
~Santa
@rjejr No, I agree. I don't mind the power-ups in Kirby or costumes in Yoshi for example. They wouldn't even work as DLC. But the extra modes in Splatoon, I don't see why that cannot be DLC material. Smash DLC prices are ridiculous indeed, Mario Kart 8 was great value for what we got on the other hand. I'm definitely going to play the waiting game more when it comes to Nintendo. I get the good games and buy the reasonable DLC, but I definitely won't mind missing some games if this trend continues like this. Fortunately, I've also got a PS4, so I don't need to worry about having too few games to play
@PlywoodStick
It doesn't matter what happens 5 years from now though. Nintendo won't care. By that time TP HD sales at the 5th year won't matter as it may already reached the numbers Nintendo is expecting by its 3rd year. By then new Zelda games would already been released or is about to be released. We could even get the NX succesor by then. Or TP 4K HD is already on the works that doesn't require an amiibo.
@Splatburst TP 4k HD already exists... On Dolphin. It doesn't need Amiibo, either! There's even another TP HD mod in the works that may be finished next year or the year after, which will have new features comparable to the extras in the official TP HD. My desires for a TP facelift may yet be met. I'm just sad it won't be done by Nintendo.
I would posit that preservation of art forms (including video games) is important, so even if sales are not a consideration 5 years from now, the integrity of the product and how it was delivered will persist. People's memories are not short, and the Internet's memory is uncompromisingly vast. This does affect perception of the company's trustworthiness, since they explicitly stated to the public in the past that this sort of business practice would be avoided.
What if Nintendo someday wants to someday offer a retro version of TP HD, as they are today offering the 30 year old original Zelda on VC? Oh wait... They would have to figure out how to implement the dungeon without the Amiibo, because 30 years from now, they won't exist. So unless it's on disc DLC, the kids who grow up today with TP HD won't get to play it fully on whatever will exist 30 years from now. So yes, Nintendo does care. Unless they want to, you know, just end VC because they're old games, so who cares, right?
@PlywoodStick - You make a valid point. "The vitriol and ire expressed by some is a visceral reaction to the cognitive dissonance that is suddenly being embraced by those who have accepted the industry's chosen direction".
But have we really. I mean I've been P.O.ed by nintendo's Business practices this generation numerous times. VC, no games exc.. This is the first time in a while I'm happy about their outlook. I'm getting all the RPGs I wanted for years. I'm playing a great one on the WII U. I guess my optimism turned into meanness and I didn't realize it because I was insensitive. That being said, I'm all for this Twilight Princess. I preordered the bundled. This is one of my favorite Zeldas. I guess I let my Fanboyism get the better of me.
@PlywoodStick
No offense to the modding community but the last fan-made TP HD that was featured here was ugly even with its high-res textures. It doesn't look right. And many of us don't bother about these mods as we prefer the official thing.
Also, most gamers would have already moved on to the next console by then. Only retro gamers like you wouldn't. but hey, maybe someone will hack the game to unlock the amiibo dungeon by then.
@River3636 "If you'll excuse me I must hook some more down the street" Well at least you're doing something right with your life huh sheep?
@River3636 We're all in this together. There are no divisions, those are illusory. Good things are still coming, even if it will be difficult to maintain them. But we must.
DLC on the disc, no matter what, should never be considered acceptable. We are supposed to pay $13 in order to access content that is not only overpriced (and should have been included with the base game, but also has potential availability issue as it requires the Wolf Link Amiibo to access it.
I like the concept of Amiibos, but content should not be locked behind a paywall and that includes Amiibo. Functionality of Amiibos should be restricted to cosmetic changes or something like Yoshi's Woolly World where the Amiibos can enhance a game without requiring it in order to access contents.
@TwilightAngel Hooking is so overrated. I always thought I was a shepherd. So say it the flock. lol
@PlywoodStick We are all in this together and there are good things to come.
@Splatburst There are a few different ones, and yeah, one of them does look weird. The others look good, though! Considering the Wii U version won't be as high definition as the mods, does that mean it could be considered "ugly" too?
As for Amiibo spoofing/hacking, I don't want to use illicit means to access something that could be there without the Amiibo. Trying to follow the path and message Nintendo used to follow has now become a criminal act, of Nintendo's volition. I went retro, because I increasingly feel like I prefer to follow the path of Nintendo's past, rather than Nintendo's future.
@River3636 Woah, what happened to my lengthy comment to you? Gah, I won't be able to copy it to my hard drive now! (I record certain posts for posterity.)
Edit: Oh, I see, it was a casualty of the above comment massacre... I mean modding.
@Octane Everybody always brings up MK8, and I have to agree for $12 I got my money's worth, and I'm not a big fan of DLC. Pikman 3 also had some pretty good value w/ a few $2 challenges, and a $4 one at the end. But those were really before amiibo, weren't they. So while people always talk about how good those DLC additions were, and I really agree, but they were both released pre-amiibo. Where are the good examples of well priced DLC after amiibo? Are there any? I do think Codename STEAM is one, but I didn't play it so I'm not really sure, but it sounded good.
@River3636 You're lucky I'm not a moderator here because I'd ban you. Your behavior is truly appalling. Maybe, just maybe you'll notice that this is my first post in this discussion and refrain from calling me a baby, but I think even considering that as a possibility is giving you too much credit...
@rjejr Splatoon is the only one I can remember that did DLC well after the introduction of amiibo; everything was free. However, it makes you wonder how much was supposed to be part of the main game, because the content was pretty shallow at launch, and what part of the updates were actually additional content.
@PlywoodStick
The TP HD afaik is good enough for me considering the limited GPU power of the Wii U. It could have been better if the Wii U had better specs. Here's the Wii U vs Wii comparison I came across randomly:
http://m.imgur.com/a/J1fOc
Also we don't know anything what features they added in the TP HD aside from the Nintendo Direct reveal and these rumours.
Y'know, one thing people don't consider is that amiibo can really be used as sharable dlc.
I'm sure that one amiibo can unlock the cave on multiple consoles... or save files?
Though, if a I had to guess, the cave will likely be an amiibo minigame type thing that works similarly to leveling up the chibi robo amiibo in ziplash
I haven't read all comments, so I'm not sure if anyone entertained the thought that the Twilight Cave was added with the read/write functionality of an Amiibo as its core gameplayfeature. So it isn't even possible to play without an Amiibo. No idea what this gameplayfeature could entail though. But that would be a justification to make the cave only available for people who are willing to buy the Amiibo with the game.
@Neko_Ichigofan I moved on from that you do the same. Let's not get colicky now. lol
@Octane Good point about the ongoing free Spaltoon DLC. Too bad it's balanced out by the challenges and gear locked behind the $35 worth of amiibo. So taken as a whole it's not great. If they would have sold ocotling amiibo, or Callie and Marie, or grandpa and th final boss, and made them playable like in Codename Steam, I'd be ok w/ that, but I still think they should offer them as DLC w/o the toy for a cheaper price. None of the other toys to life companies offer that option, but silly me still sees Nintneod as better than the rest, though that view has been quite eroded of late. Now I worry that they are becoming the worst of them all.
@rjejr The good thing about Skylanders and those other toy to life games is that if you don't like the toys, you can skip the game. I think in total those games are a lot more expensive to play with all those toys only working in one game, but it's a lot easier to ignore if it doesn't appeal to you. amiibo are everywhere in Nintendo games, it's difficult to avoid them. I'm willing to forgive Splatoon, because the amiibo functionality are just reworked single player stages, and they've added so much online content. But yeah, I wouldn't mind spending 5 bucks on those single player challengers if it was regular DLC. Especially since the game was only €40 in Europe, and it's probably my most played game on the Wii U. Definitely got my money's worth already.
What short memories some people have. Remember when Links Awakening came out on Game Boy, and then a couple of years later Link's Awakening DX came out for Game Boy Color? That had a whole extra dungeon too, effectively locked behind a whole new £100 handheld console. I don't recall anybody crying back then. So I don't really understand why people are crying so much about having to buy a £10.99 amiibo now?
For what it's worth, Nintendo has made Amiibo a better value proposition then Skylanders or Disney Infinity. At roughly £10 a figure without the need to get a starter pack or a NFC portal unless you've got a OG 3DS model (including XL/2DS) there's less a risk of parents/collectors going bankrupt. Also, quite a lot of games now support Amiibo on both the 3DS range and Wii U so you can hardly call it a neglected project. One of the only downsides is that Amiibo compatibility is something that could be communicated a lot better. I honestly love what Nintendo has done and I, for the most part, don't get the hate and if nothing else they make brilliant collectables. The Princess Peach figure, which is my first Amiibo that I've got is quite a sight to behold due to the amount of care that the artist has given to making it accurate.
However, isn't Nintendo meant to be a game producer? They seem to be making more profit off of NFC figurines, themes and faceplates for the smaller New 3DS in addition to the usual merchandise then they do actually making games. I know that, for the most part, isn't true but some recent games off of Nintendo such as the two Animal Crossing spin offs could be seen by a cynical as nothing more then plugs to sell their specially designed cards/figures (although Happy Home Designer is more than that and is an excellent spinoff that function without the cards, Amiibo Festival doesn't exactly help that argument). That's the one major complaint I have: how long is it before Nintendo gets carried away?
For what it's worth, Nintendo has made Amiibo a better value proposition then Skylanders or Disney Infinity. At roughly £10 a figure without the need to get a starter pack or a NFC portal unless you've got a OG 3DS model (including XL/2DS) there's less a risk of parents/collectors going bankrupt. Also, quite a lot of games now support Amiibo on both the 3DS range and Wii U so you can hardly call it a neglected project. One of the only downsides is that Amiibo compatibility is something that could be communicated a lot better. I honestly love what Nintendo has done and I, for the most part, don't get the hate and if nothing else they make brilliant collectables. The Princess Peach figure, which is my first Amiibo that I've got is quite a sight to behold due to the amount of care that the artist has given to making it accurate.
However, isn't Nintendo meant to be a game producer? They seem to be making more profit off of NFC figurines, themes and faceplates for the smaller New 3DS in addition to the usual merchandise then they do actually making games. I know that, for the most part, isn't true but some recent games off of Nintendo such as the two Animal Crossing spin offs could be seen by a cynical as nothing more then plugs to sell their specially designed cards/figures (although Happy Home Designer is more than that and is an excellent spinoff that function without the cards, Amiibo Festival doesn't exactly help that argument). That's the one major complaint I have: how long is it before Nintendo gets carried away?
For what it's worth, Nintendo has made Amiibo a better value proposition then Skylanders or Disney Infinity. At roughly £10 a figure without the need to get a starter pack or a NFC portal unless you've got a OG 3DS model (including XL/2DS) there's less a risk of parents/collectors going bankrupt. Also, quite a lot of games now support Amiibo on both the 3DS range and Wii U so you can hardly call it a neglected project. One of the only downsides is that Amiibo compatibility is something that could be communicated a lot better. I honestly love what Nintendo has done and I, for the most part, don't get the hate and if nothing else they make brilliant collectables. The Princess Peach figure, which is my first Amiibo that I've got is quite a sight to behold due to the amount of care that the artist has given to making it accurate.
However, isn't Nintendo meant to be a game producer? They seem to be making more profit off of NFC figurines, themes and faceplates for the smaller New 3DS in addition to the usual merchandise then they do actually making games. I know that, for the most part, isn't true but some recent games off of Nintendo such as the two Animal Crossing spin offs could be seen by a cynical as nothing more then plugs to sell their specially designed cards/figures (although Happy Home Designer is more than that and is an excellent spinoff that function without the cards, Amiibo Festival doesn't exactly help that argument). That's the one major complaint I have: how long is it before Nintendo gets carried away?
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