Tag: Figures

Nintendo Meets Skylanders As The Company Moves Into The NFC Figure Business

by Josh Jackson

During Nintendo’s investors meeting, Satoru Iwata revealed that Nintendo is planning to release franchise themed NFC figures that wiII be formally revealed during E3. Similar to figure crossover games like Skylanders and Disney Infinity, the plan is to release statuettes of characters like Mario and integrate them into a variety of games, This completely original idea stands out a bit more since Iwata teased that these figures will carry over into a variety of games. And no, by that they don’t mean sequels, but the plan is for them to be compatible with multiple Wii U games featuring different worlds.

It’s easy to forget that Nintendo has had this concept in place since before the Wii U launched since it hasn’t been used outside of Pokemon Rumble Blast, and that game has proven to be a blip on the radar in terms of popularity. Rayman Legends teased bringing Rabbids and Assassin’s Creed‘s Ezio into the game using this method, but the idea was ultimately scrapped, (along with its exclusivity). I had thought this concept was going the way of the vitality sensor, but it seems like the Japanese game maker has had this trump card up their sleeve for quite some time.

But the question must be asked; how successful will this be when both of its competitors are releasing annual installments including the recently announced Disney Infinity 2.0? How much is too much? And how am I supposed to find space do all these things? Hopefully, we’ll learn more about the games these guys work with come E3, but until then, tell us whether you’re on board with Nintendo jumping into the collectable craze, and keep checking back for updates as they become available.

NintendoNFC

Sail The Skies With This New ‘Skies Of Arcadia’ Vyse Figure!

by Josh Jackson

Maybe you picked up the classic RPG, Skies of Arcadia, on the Sega Dreamcast, a console that was ahead of its time, but ultimately couldn’t withstand a decade of bad decisions. Maybe your were like me and didn’t get to try it until the enhanced Gamecube remake. Either way, those who have played it can go on for hours how incredible this game was, from its battle system and story to its ship battles that still put Assassin’s Creed to shame. Now, courtesy of First 4 Figures, you’ll have a chance to own the captain of the Blue Rogues himself, Vyse!

Featuring both a standard and exclusive version that brands his trademark cutlass, Vyse has been recreated on a 1/6 scale. Vyse measures approximately 11″ tall on his own, and from the foot of the base to the tip of the pirates flag, the entire statue measures an impressive 17″ tall.

This is the third Sega All Stars figure, which included Akira Yuki from Virtua Fighter and Ryo Hazuki, the star of another Dreamcast classic in Shenmue. I have to say, I’m pleasantly surprised that if they wanted to choose another character that represents Sega’s glory in its final days as a 1st party publisher, Vyse is who they decided to go with.

Vyse will be released in the fourth quarter of 2014. For more information, including pre order details and additional images, check out First4Figures.com. Afterwards, make sure to let us know if you’re planning on picking this one up!

‘Pokemon Rumble U’ NFC Figures Coming Exclusively to GameStop

by Josh Jackson

Following in the footsteps of Skylanders and Disney Infinity, Pokemon Rumble U will see the release of 18 different figures to coincide with the game’s eShop release on August 29th.

While the characters on the toys can be obtained in the main game, (which features all 649 Pokemon to discover, a first for this spinoff series,) the figures can be leveled up throughout the adventure. Previous installments made swapping attacks difficult and didn’t have a level up system, so players were constantly discarding weaker creatures and replacing them with new ones as the game advanced. With the figures, you’ll be able to have a reliable team to fight at your side, but if buying toys isn’t your thing, Rumble U is still fully playable without dropping the extra cash.

As much of a cash cow as Pokemon is, I’m surprised it took this long to make toys around a game that’s literally about Pokemon toys. Each figure will be $4, making the complete set a whopping $64 total. A hell of an investment for a downloadable game that’s less than $20 on its own, but hey, you gotta catch em all, right?