Amiibos – Mother Figuring Them Out Edition

So, these things:

I have a long-standing relationship with Nintendo to where I can not only name you every character they’ve released in Amiibo form (Link is NOT Zelda and Samus is a girl!), but I can “Do the Mario” and swing my arms from side-to-side better than most.  And, even though I’ve had a strong desire to own that bitchy Yoga Instructor, I have avoided Amiibo figures like they were a zombie threatening my life.  Every time my kids would see them in the store, I’d quickly serpentine around the area to make them focus on mommy being crazy rather than these figures.  I mean, we’ve already sunk several thousand dollars into Skylanders 1-4 and Disney Infinity 1-2, how could Nintendo do this to my wallet too?!

My initial impression was the the figures only work with Super Smash Brothers, just as the boxes suggest.  However, I’ve found that the compatibility of the Amiibos are actually much more expansive than I would have guessed.

I was lured over to a display for Mario Party 10 this weekend, and I noticed that some of the boxes included a Mario Amiibo figure.  Well, hey, if they work for multiple games, maybe these are a superior purchase over more Skylanders and Disney Infinity guys.  But then, I look over the included Mario and realize that he’s very different from the one pictured above.  He’s just doing his fat-plumber-pride fist bump, with no fireball attached.

For the first time, I’m intrigued enough to really, thoroughly look at the Amiibo display.  Oh, look, there’s Sonic (that’s right, Nintendo did buy him!) and Mega Man and, and, and, several figures with different variants, like Princess Peach, Luigi, and Bowser.  But, why are they re-releasing variant figures for so many characters that have only been out for a few months?

I made the clerk at Target come over and talk to me about the differences.  Unsurprisingly, he, like most of our local Target employees, was no help and couldn’t answer anything about it.  He kept redirecting me to the touch screen tv for Amiibo, which I kept pointing out had not been updated in a while, so these new figures weren’t being explained.

Thanks to the internet, I ended up at the bottom of the matter (or at least close to the bottom).  Mario Party 10 is releasing a number of Amiibo variant figures as some kind of special edition.  Well, that’s not exactly accurate, I’m not positive if the Mario Party 10 figures are limited, or if they will replace the Super Smash Brother ones completely.  What I do know, though, is that a number of the older figures are starting to drop in price ($10 from $13.99 for Peach, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong, just from what I saw in the store).  That suggests replacement to me, but who knows what those guys in Nintendo are planning!

I also learned that the old figures are interchangeable with the new figures, at least in terms of what games they work with.  I expect that this means the plastic character molds are different, but the bases are the same, or at least nearly identical.  Actually, let me share the Nintendo compatibility chart, because I was surprised at the number of games Amiibos work with – http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo/compatibility/

PLUS, super-magic-happy-bonus news, the figures will work with select games on the New 3DS XL.

So, with all this new information, I decided to jump on the figures that were discounted.  I’m not sure what fresh Hell I have just started for myself, but I’m curious to see where it goes.  With how the Amiibo system appears on the surface, they won’t be forcing you to buy all new figures/worlds/traps/etc with each game release, which, in my book, makes Amiibo a superior figure set to collect.

Xmas and the Console Wars – What to Buy?

South Park did a great trilogy of episodes last year where PlayStation and Xbox were in this console war.  If you haven’t seen it, see if you can watch it on Hulu or YouTube, because it’s hilarious!  However, my one qualm with those episodes is that they treated the topic as if one side could win, and the losing console would no longer be available.  Hey, this isn’t Blu Ray versus HD DVD here!  Gamers are diverse and complex enough to handle two opposing consoles.

Personally, I do not yet own an Xbox One or a PlayStation 4, but I own every other major console release back to the Atari 2600 (even a Sega CD and 32X).  Unless I see some stellar deals this Xmas season, I do not plan on purchasing either system for a while yet, even though I will eventually own both, I’m sure.  Here are some of the reasons and recommendations I would offer on purchasing gaming consoles this holiday season:

• Nintendo 3DS XL – I put this first because it is probably my favorite machine right now.  You have thousands of 3DS and regular DS titles to choose from, and, while most games are family/kid friendly, they are still ridiculously fun.  Plus, you get free online play, and you can often use one cartridge to allow several local players to join in with you in person.  Why does that matter?  Because I have more than one kid, and we have 4 3DS systems in this household right now.  I we want to play Mario Kart 7, that means only one of us needs to own the cartridge for all 4 of us to play simultaneously.  Plus, you get games like Pokemon (the RPG games such as X, Y, Black, White, etc).  If you have a 3DS and the current Pokemon RPG title, you can go to Leagues and tournaments to earn points and prizes for free!  Fans of the card game who are 15 or older have to pay to participate, but video game players still get to enter everything for $0.  Also, consider Street Pass, a mini-game where other 3DS users visit your console and bring you puzzle pieces and such.  You can allow your kids to safely “meet” people all over the world, all while killing time waiting in line for a ride at Disney World.  Sometimes, just driving to Walmart with my 3DS on in my purse I’ll meet a good dozen Miis in Street Pass.

• WiiU/Wii U – WiiU still does not play DVDs or Blu Ray.  However, it is still backwards compatible with Wii games.  You also get this neat controller with a huge screen, and, in many games, you can play on the screen while someone else uses the television for something else.  Much like the 3DS, the WiiU has a huge library, when counting the Wii titles as well, and most of them are kid friendly.  The WiiU is an update from the original Wii system, but I’m not sure that it’s a total upgrade, as a new console should be.  I also wish that I could buy a secondary “huge screen” controller, but, unfortunately, only one of those will work per system.  Any other players must use the old Wii controllers.

• 2DS – A 2DS is the same as a 3DS, with the key difference being that it’s slightly cheaper, it does not fold shut, and it does not allow games to play in 3D mode.  This system seems to be the response to complaints of the 3DS potentially hurting the vision of children under 7.  However, even though I do not like the 3D feature, you are able to switch it off on a regular 3DS and still play all games in 2D.  I do not like the fact that the 2DS does not close up, because it leaves the device more open/susceptible to damage.  Personally, I would skip this and go straight for a 3DS, which usually offers a better holiday bundle set anyways.

• XBox 360 – I love my 360, but I also hate it.  It has great graphics, great titles, and it’s primarily geared towards adults.  You can also play many of the original Xbox titles on a 360 (for no particular reason, I’m going to tell you that I’ve logged the most hours on Roller Coaster Tycoon, Futurama, Leisure Suit Larry, and the Playboy Mansion game, and, every so often, I feel the need to play them again – I am pro backwards compatibility!).   Those Xbox gamer points are also my version of crack.  Every time a trophy comes up, my brain does a little happy dance.  On the downside, Xbox likes to nickel and dime you into poverty.  Oh, you want to play online?  Give us more money!  Oh, you want ALL the content and features of a game that you just paid $60 for?  Give us more money!  Oh, Netflix?  Sure we can get you that – FOR MORE MONEY!  If you aren’t aware, you have to buy a membership to Xbox Live to be able to fully partake in many of your games and to use many features on the Internet.  It would be like buying a ticket to Disney World, then having to pay again to get on each ride – it’s too greedy!  I know someone will come along and justify that it’s around $60 a year to buy a membership, but that’s beyond the point in my mind.  If they want to offer me half a game, then they should charge me half the price.  I still get upset that Left 4 Dead 2 only allows you to access most game features via an Xbox membership, and that, if I want the “extra” levels, I have to put in a credit card and buy it.  Why did I pay for content if I have to keep paying to play it too?  Also keep in mind, while this is a solid system in many aspects, it is on the way out.  If your kids are getting more serious into gaming, you will likely purchase a 360 just to turn around and buy a new console in another 1-2 years.

• PlayStation 3 – The PS3 plays Blu Rays, which the 360 does not (Microsoft backed HD DVD, so they begrudgingly never switched the 360 to a Blue Ray player).  The earlier releases of PS3 systems played PS2 games, alas, the vast majority of systems do not.  There are also a number of titles for more mature gamers.  Online play is free, for the most part (some games may require individual subscription fees), and you may use services like Hulu and Netflix without any additional charges.  Honestly, for someone not addicted to Xbox exclusive titles like Halo, the PS3 is a much better value in terms of what the machine can do and what the extras cost.  Much like the 360, the PS3’s days are numbered.  If you are looking to work with a bunch of already released titles, this is a good machine, but if you plan to keep up with current trends at all, I would say skip the PS3 and upgrade to a next generation console.

• Xbox One – Most of what I said before seems to be moving forward to the One.  The One will play Blu Rays, but it will not play 360 or earlier titles.  For me, the killer here will be the subscription fees again for online play/full content again.

• PlayStation 4 – I’ve said to myself, “self, if they ever actually release Kingdom Hearts 3, this shall be our new console.”  Honestly, I haven’t seen much to peak my interest in the titles department for this system yet.  I’m sure it’s coming, but, with no backwards compatibility, and the PS+ nonsense (now Sony wants your money to be able to play online too!), this industry is getting too greedy.  But, on the plus side, a PS+ account is supposed to work with PS4, PS3, and the Vita without having to buy a separate account for each one.  Oh, and I’m not putting any input on the Vita, because I can’t remember the last time I actually saw one in stores.

I suppose, to summarize, Nintendo is still at the top of the leader boards, in my opinion, by a lot.  Frankly, I don’t love online game play for titles such as Call of Duty, because other people are dicks.  Microsoft and Sony are getting to the point where too much of their game content is dependent on online play, and, maybe, just maybe, I want to enjoy a game at my own pace and be able to master the controls/moves without getting cursed at or booted out.  Yes, sometimes I’m a n00b – wasn’t everyone?  And, that’s right, I don’t race through a zone as fast as I can because I would prefer to kill everything and collect all the items before moving on.  Most games don’t have a time attack mode, so if you’re in such a damn hurry to finish a level, why even bother logging in?  The players have gotten so aggressive and full of people who are intolerant of other gamers that Xbox and PlayStation are both starting to turn me off.  I would rather play a game like Portal or Beyond Two Souls where I get an immerse and interactive experience over another open arena game where players hide with sniper riffles and kill all the people re-spawning.  Unfortunately, I can’t get the games that I enjoy the most of a Nintendo system, even though, overall, I prefer Nintendo to the other consoles.

It’s almost like Sony and Nintendo are in this nuclear arms race, and, over in the corner, there’s Nintendo playing table tennis with itself.

So, there are my convoluted thoughts on the matter.  Ultimately, it doesn’t feel like a good year to buy anything any PlayStation or Xbox console, as the old systems are bidding us ado, and the new ones aren’t that flipping impressive in the title department yet.  Gee whiz, some backwards compatibility would really turn this situation around!

Good luck with your shopping this year, and, just remember, if you get the “wrong” thing you can always tell your kids that you’ll return the item and they can have nothing for being unappreciative brats.  🙂