Tag: NFC

Nintendo & Loot Crate Buddy-Up For Amiibo Subscription Service!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: However you’re feeling about Amiibo’s after the recent reveal of the final product (we gave our thoughts on figures extensively on the last two episodes of Geekscape Games, here and here), this is a pretty damned intriguing idea.

Nintendo has partnered with the fantastic folks over at Loot Crate for an ‘Amiibo Subscription Service’, which will deliver 10 pre-selected Amiibo figures to subscriber’s doors.

Here are the currently released details, straight from the big N:

With the holidays fast approaching and excitement for amiibo growing every day, the popular online delivery service Loot Crate is helping fans receive select amiibo figures after they launch on Nov. 21. By signing up for an “amiibo Subscription Service,” subscribers will receive 10 pre-selected amiibo (including Mario, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Fox and Yoshi) separated into three special Loot Crate shipments throughout the holiday season without ever having to leave their homes.

 

“Featuring compatibility with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors this year, amiibo figures are shaping up to be one of the year’s must-have holiday items,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Fans around the country already enjoy Loot Crate’s approach to delivering cool new items every month, and now they have a new and convenient way to get their hands on amiibo.”

 

“We are honored to be working with Nintendo – a company that our team loves and respects, and that many of us grew up with,” said Chris Davis, Loot Crate’s CEO. “The iconic Super Smash Bros. games have brought people together for years, and we’re excited to become a part of that story in a new way through our amiibo Subscription Service.”

 

By joining the subscription service, Loot Crate guarantees the 10 pre-selected amiibo, and allows subscribers to avoid the hassle of rushing to retailers to find their favorite characters. In addition to Mario, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Fox and Yoshi, the other five pre-selected characters will be revealed through Loot Crate soon. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors will feature amiibo compatibility this year, with functionality for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Yoshi’s Wooly World, Mario Party 10 and more coming in the future.

 

Nintendo and Loot Crate also have a few additional surprises in store for Super Smash Bros. and amiibo fans, so check back with Loot Crate for further details. For more information about how to participate in the limited-time “amiibo Subscription Service,” visit http://www.lootcrate.com/amiibo.

Note that Nintendo does note that the service is available for a limited time, so if you’re at all interested, you should definitely keep your ears open.

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First Wave Of Amiibo’s Consists Of 12 Characters, Will Launch This Holiday Season

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I haven’t purchased a toy in years, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t going to buy every single one of these.

Back at Nintendo’s Digital Event at E3, the company revealed Amiibo, their new Skylanders-esque NFC figures which are going to make them millions (and millions) of dollars.

The company today revealed the first wave of Amiibo’s that will be available at retail, and the team consists of Mario, Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth, Villager and Wii Fit Trainer. At E3, the big N also showed off Bowser and Pit figures, so I’d imagine that those are coming down the pipeline aswell.

A release date has not been confirmed, but the figures are available for pre-order for a cool $13.99 at select retailers, and will launch this holiday season.

Learn all about Amiibo (which should work with a multitude of future Nintendo games) below, and let us know how many you’ll be picking up!

Bah. I can’t wait to put these on my shelf!

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E3 2014: Nintendo Reveals NFC Amiibos… We’re Going To Go Broke

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: I haven’t purchased a toy in years, but I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t going to buy every single one of these.

During yesterday’s Nintendo Digital Event, the company officially unveiled its NFC platform, called Amiibo. The official reveal was pretty amazing, and featured Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Iwata duking it out:

We don’t yet know too much about just what Nintendo wants to do with Amiibo (outside of Super Smash Bros. that is, which has some great optional functionality), but Nintendo’s Bill Trinen explained everything in the following trailer:

Did you see that smug look on his face? That’s because he knows that the company is going to make a killing off of these. We can’t wait for them to hit stores shelves.

Are you planning to pick up any Amiibo? What functionality do you hope they add to non Smash Bros. titles?

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.

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‘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?