Amiibo's?

[Arcticfox5]

Sorry in advance if this is not in the right forum. Not sure where to post this.

So, what are amiibo's exactly and why are they so popular?

I know that they are Nintendo collectibles that you can use on a Wii U. I looked them up and it says you can get special stuff on the Wii U when you "connect" the amiibo to the Wii U. I do not own a Wii U nor have I ever played on one, so I'm a total noob when it comes to that device.

I also don't understand the appeal of amiibo's. I've seen people on these forums rave over them, but I don't really understand it. Do people just want it to collect it or to get cool stuff on the Wii U? (Personally, I find them a little overpriced for that)

If someone could shed some light on this area, that would be greatly appreciated!

Ps. To clarify, I'm not trying to bash amiibo's or people who collect them. I'm just trying to understand the trend.

 

[Tao]

They're just little figures of characters that you scan on the gamepad and in certain games, certain amiibo unlock things in those games. Imagine microtransactions or DLC in other games, except you get a little figure to keep as well.
(They work on the 'new' 3DS as well, as well as the 3DS when they release the scanner peripheral)


What they unlock depends on the game. At the bottom of 'usefulness is' Hyrule Warriors where amiibo give you a random generic item every day (with LoZ amiibo giving you a random character specific weapon). The height of what they do is probably Captain Toad where you unlock what is essentially another (small) game mode by scanning Toad (or a 1-up for every other amiibo).
To me, the content they actually give you (and I'm taking into account they work across different games) really isn't worth the price.


I personally buy them more for the figure itself than the content on them. The content is nice to have I guess but it's not stuff I've actually wanted to use (even with Splatoon, I've used none of the bonus items they give).
I buy figures of characters I like anyway, so amiibo are just more of that for me really. They're good quality for the price of them as well as being reasonably cheap (I regularly see much worse quality figures for twice the price). They're also obviously part of a 'product line', so they look nice all displayed near each other since they actually look like they're part of a set. Not to mention characters like Sheik can be hard to find figures of otherwise.


Though overall, I don't understand why they're so popular either.

 

[Dustmop]

At the bottom of 'usefulness is' Hyrule Warriors where amiibo give you a random generic item every day (with LoZ amiibo giving you a random character specific weapon).

Also scanning a Link or a Toon Link is the only way to unlock Link's Spinner weapon in-game.

That almost counts as exciting.

Really, I'd say that Mario Kart 8 is at the bottom since all they do is unlock a costume for your Mii that resembles that character. :v


And I do agree with the OP - I've been trying to avoid them, personally. I see them as DLC; nothing more. And as DLC, I find them pretty overpriced for what little they offer.

 

[Arcticfox5]

They're just little figures of characters that you scan on the gamepad and in certain games, certain amiibo unlock things in those games. Imagine microtransactions or DLC in other games, except you get a little figure to keep as well.
(They work on the 'new' 3DS as well, as well as the 3DS when they release the scanner peripheral)


What they unlock depends on the game. At the bottom of 'usefulness is' Hyrule Warriors where amiibo give you a random generic item every day (with LoZ amiibo giving you a random character specific weapon). The height of what they do is probably Captain Toad where you unlock what is essentially another (small) game mode by scanning Toad (or a 1-up for every other amiibo).
To me, the content they actually give you (and I'm taking into account they work across different games) really isn't worth the price.


I personally buy them more for the figure itself than the content on them. The content is nice to have I guess but it's not stuff I've actually wanted to use (even with Splatoon, I've used none of the bonus items they give).
I buy figures of characters I like anyway, so amiibo are just more of that for me really. They're good quality for the price of them as well as being reasonably cheap (I regularly see much worse quality figures for twice the price). They're also obviously part of a 'product line', so they look nice all displayed near each other since they actually look like they're part of a set. Not to mention characters like Sheik can be hard to find figures of otherwise.


Though overall, I don't understand why they're so popular either.

Okay thank you! I understand it a little better now, but I still don't really get the craze. I like collecting things, but I guess this is just not really for me. Maybe it could look cool if you have a couple of your favorite characters lined up next to your games or something.

 

[Jarrad]

basically like tangible DLCs, only they look pretty on ur shelf and only apply changes to the game every time you touch it to ur 3ds/wii u pad

 

[Arcticfox5]

Also scanning a Link or a Toon Link is the only way to unlock Link's Spinner weapon in-game.

That almost counts as exciting.

Really, I'd say that Mario Kart 8 is at the bottom since all they do is unlock a costume for your Mii that resembles that character. :v


And I do agree with the OP - I've been trying to avoid them, personally. I see them as DLC; nothing more. And as DLC, I find them pretty overpriced for what little they offer.

I think they wanted to give the little statues some kind of purpose other than just being decorative. If that's what people want to spend there money on, that's their decision. I just won't be joining them. (not critising them)

- - - Post Merge - - -

basically like tangible DLCs, only they look pretty on ur shelf and only apply changes to the game every time you touch it to ur 3ds/wii u pad

I guess that's all it comes down to.

 

[Solus]

Why are they popular? I've actually thought of that myself.

I know some people like to collect the ones they just to show their support. I only buy the smash bros series, and I only buy my mains. I currently own Sonic, Greninja, Sheik, Toon Link, and Jiggylypuff. These are actual characters I main in Smash 4 and previous smash bros games. They feel like trophies to me. I do not use them for their actual DLC purpose, tbh. Also, I also don't own a wii u or a new 3ds.

But, this eventually grows into me as I just want to collect more by temptation, and I just want to expand my collection since I already have 5 out of the 53 smash bros. For example, one of my friends only collected the Legend of Zelda Amiibos, but eventually it just slowly grew into an collection as he wanted the Mario Bros Series. Eventually, he just wanted every single amiibo, and he dedicates his time to trying to collect them all.

Some people only buy the because they're a "one time only" deal and the fact they are rare. For instance, one of my friends went to gamestop, and he saw a rare Shulk Amiibo. He has absolutely no idea who Shulk is or even played XenoBlade games, but he only bought the amiibo because he knew if he didn't, someone else would buy it and it wouldn't be there anymore. It's a one time deal even. The shulk amiibo just sits in his table unopen and forget he even owns it. Just the fact that amiibos are rare and limited makes it the more reason to want to buy them. Also, some people just like owning rare things, and it's bragging rights. I was bragging about my jiggylypufff amiibo to my friend that I owned it. I'm heartless, I know. But he owns 40/53 smash bros Amiibos, and I just wanted to brag that I own one he doesn't! xD

Also, I bet most people that own the Lucina or Shulk Amiibo, when it came out, never even played Fire Emblem Awakening or XenoBlade. Some people just like to collect them just to re-sell them, or like to own it just because it's a rare. Scalper or re-sellers like to buy as many as the new wave amiibos as possible just to sell them online for a profit. Unbelievably, it's an easy cash grab because they only have to wait in line for a couple hours and pay 14.99 for each. They go to each TRU, Target etc and take as many as possible. Sometimes, Scalpers would bring their Aunts, Parents, children, anyone they can to help them get more because its "one amiibo per customer". Then, they sell them for around 30 to possibly 80 dollars. I waited in line just to get a Jigglypuff and Greninja, and I paid 14.99 for each. However, some people have no choice but going on amazon and pay around 30 to 40 dollars just to get a Jigglypuff or Greninja amiibo.

Lastly, some people just like to own them just not to feel left out. I can't tell you how many of my friends in our little smash group just bought a random amiibo just so they don't feel left out. Eventually, it grows into them as they want more and more based off the other reasons I mention.

Tbh, I wish they weren't popular because just getting the amiibo you want is a pain. You have to wait in stores as early as possible during a school day. Some people wait from midnight just to get the ones they want. It's also annoying because people cut in line, and others are aggressive especially if they do not get what they want. Also, the fact that waiting in line isn't enough to get an amiibo. Some of them only have 1 to 3 in stock. So, there a possibly of being disappointed and wasting your time.

Buying them online is even worse. For example, the lucina amiibo on Amazon was on sale and ONLY LASTED 5 SECONDS. It was so bad, some people did not even get the sale page. The Ness amiibo on Gamestop was also bad as so many people were trying to refresh the Gamestop site that IT KILLED THE SERVERS. They had to cancel it.

It's so ridiculus to pay lot just for these amiibos when some of them look really bad or look nothing like them. Also, the painting isn't soo good, or some of them lack detail.

Overall, they're popular for lot of reasons, and I believe the fact that they are rare is what makes them popular.