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Unofficial Amiibo can use data for any Nintendo figurine
Haven't had any luck scoring the Amiibo you need to unlock certain goodies in a Wii U or 3DS game? A very, very unofficial accessory might help. Axiogame's Amiiqo device uses an Android app to load the data from any Amiibo (it can store up to 200), including those that already have some gameplay under their belts. The company isn't shy about the true purposes of its $89 gadget, either. While you can use the Amiiqo for a "personal backup," it's really meant to both grab bootleg Amiibo data and help you cheat. It even comes with info for 10 characters out of the box.
'Yoshi's Woolly World' is the video game equivalent of a hug
I am not what you would call a "hardcore gamer." I don't enjoy shooters; I don't have the time for RPGs; and my last dance with open-world gameplay was a 45-minute joyride through the faux-LA of Grand Theft Auto V. But, oh, do I love me some Yoshi's Woolly World. The upcoming, cutesy Wii U title, due out this fall, has a shared DNA. It's a hodgepodge of past Yoshi's Island games and the Wii title Kirby's Epic Yarn. That last bit of pedigree makes complete sense when you consider that the game's being developed by Good-Feel, the very same studio behind the aforementioned Kirby title.
The many Amiibo collectors can look forward to not collecting
This one goes out to all the Amiibo collectors. Here's Nintendo's delectable and drool-making spread of upcoming, sure-to-be sold out Amiibo on display at its E3 booth. There's really nothing more to say other than click through the gallery and gaze longingly at a figurine you'll likely never get your hands on.
'Skylanders' opens its world to a Nintendo crossover
Unlike Microsoft or Sony, Nintendo isn't hosting a big event on the ground at E3 2015. But that doesn't mean the gaming titan won't be taking part in this week's festivities. During a video showcase for E3, the chief of Nintendo North America, Reggie Fils-Aime, revealed a new partnership that will bring the company's fan-favorite Amiibo characters into the world of Skylanders. The crossover initiative is going to merge two of the most popular toys-to-life series, making it possible to use a Turb Charge Donkey Kong, Barrel Blaster, Hammer Slam Bowser or Cloud Cruiser figurine in either Skylanders games or as an Amiibo -- to make them work, all you have to is twist the toys' base.
Nintendo leaks an 8-bit Mario Amiibo ahead of E3
It should come as no surprise, given Nintendo's propensity for creating Mario games, that the company can't stop making Amiibo based on its most-famous character. Since the NFC toy line was introduced last November, we've already seen five: Super Smash Bros. Mario, Mario Party Mario, Gold Mario, Silver Mario and Dr. Mario. Thanks to an email from Nintendo Spain (first spotted by Nintendo Inquirer), it appears there's going to be a sixth: 8-bit Mario. The newsletter included an image of the retro-styled figurine along with a shot of an unannounced Animal Crossing collection that'll feature at least four characters from the series.
The producer of 'Splatoon' on how to make a Nintendo original
If you're a fan of Nintendo, chances are you're also a fan of Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami, although you may not know it. Nogami joined the famed Japanese video game giant in 1994 and has been an essential member of EAD, the first-party development studio responsible for some of Nintendo's most beloved games, ever since. Early in his career, Nogami worked primarily as an artist at Nintendo, designing some of the iconic imagery in games like Yoshi's Island and Super Mario 64.
Silver Mario Amiibo will drive collectors insane this month
Nintendo has already released a gold version of its Mario Amiibo, so guess what's coming next? A silver version, of course. We suspected as much after both figurines leaked back in February, but today the console maker has made it official. The special statue -- which is identical to the Amiibo figure from Mario Party 10, albeit painted silver -- will arrive in stores on May 29th for $12.99. When the gold version debuted, it was available exclusively in Walmart stores across the US. That made it something of a collector's item, riling fans that were desperately trying to maintain a complete set. This time around, it seems Nintendo has opted for a more conventional release. The company is still struggling to keep up with the demand for Amiibos however, so if you're interested, act fast on May 29th.
JXE Streams: Me, you and Mewtwo in 'Super Smash Bros. for Wii U'
Nintendo's reticence to make downloadable content has been exasperating this past decade. Is it admirable to focus on making full games, the whole thing complete and defined when it ships on a disc? Of course, but it's also exciting to see games turn into thriving ecosystems of change. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has already been tweaked, balanced and updated multiple times since its release last fall, but it was only this month that it expanded through big DLC. Mewtwo, the formidable Pokémon fighter last seen in Super Smash Bros. Melee, is back and we're checking out his moves with The A.V. Club's own Matt Gerardi on today's stream.
The magic of Nintendo's new shooter 'Splatoon' is in its multiplayer
My Nintendo 64 memories have nothing to do with GoldenEye 007, the famed first-person James Bond shooter that helped define the genre. Unlike seemingly every other N64 owner, I never played that game because, quite frankly, shooters aren't my thing. With Splatoon, Nintendo's quirky, new third-person action shooter for the Wii U, ready for release on May 29th, however, it may be time I change my tune.
Lego's answer to 'Skylanders' and Amiibo arrives this September
Activision's Skylanders franchise has been a huge success, combining colorful toys with a video game platform that players can easily manipulate with their personal collection. Disney and Nintendo have followed with slightly different takes on the toys-to-life concept, and now Lego is jumping into the fray too. The company is partnering with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and Traveller's Tales, the publisher and studio responsible for most of the existing Lego games, to create a new series called Lego Dimensions.
Next 'Animal Crossing' adds characters via amiibo cards, not toys
Nintendo said it'd offer different ways to handle amiibo shortages and a new Animal Crossing is where at least one of them will debut. With Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer, you'll use cards rather than plastic toys to insert characters into the no-chores, interior design-focused game. Don't fret if you're rocking an NFC-less 3DS either -- the company also announced a separate card reader that'll bring the functionality to older hardware. When's it all happening? Later this spring.
'Amiibo Greatest Bits' offers the best of Nintendo's past
You know that Amiibo collection of yours? It's about to get a bit more useful. Nintendo's just announced Amiibo Greatest Bits, a series of bite-sized chunks from the company's gaming history that're unlocked via tapping your collectible figures to the Wii U gamepad. As for a release date, Nintendo's Satoru Iwata says it'll be a free download this spring. Each toy contains a random level (basically a demo) and, like Forrest Gump's mom said they're like a box of chocolates and you'll never know what you're going to get.
Deconstructing the method to Nintendo's madness
It's easy to hate on Nintendo. With the Wii U, the company played right into negative consumer expectations by releasing a product derided for its kid-friendly appeal, Fisher-Price toy-like looks, less-than-bleeding-edge silicon, confusing branding and (initially) clunky operating system. The message to the market at the system's launch seemed clear: The gaming giant had fallen behind the times. But that's not quite the truth. There's a well-reasoned and deeply entrenched philosophy behind the often baffling, public-facing decisions Nintendo makes and that's to deliver high-quality and accessible entertainment experiences on cheap-to-produce (often older), innovative hardware. It's the Nintendo recipe for success as concocted by the domineering former president Hiroshi Yamauchi. It's the reason why Nintendo sits on billions of dollars of cash; why its famed first-party studio -- the home of Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto -- is called Entertainment Analysis and Development, or EAD. The company quite literally agonizes over ways to innovate the concept of "fun."
Nintendo shipped 5.7 million Amiibo figures (a lot of them were Link)
Nintendo said its now shipped over 5.7 million of its NFC-connected Amiibo figures, and more interestingly, it's showed which ones do the best around the world. There's indeed some variation, but Link, bless him, is the best-selling Amiibo globally, claiming first place across Japan, the US and Europe. Mario, however, prevents the the Zelda protagonist from getting a grand slam, claiming top spot in Australia. (Mario gets second place in the US, followed by Pikachu.) During the investor-only meeting, Nintendo added that it plans to use Amiibo to unlock vignettes of older games, as well as launch NFC-compatible cards to complement its figure series. We've translated the US' Top Ten right after the break. People like Donkey Kong! Who knew! (Thanks, Kyle.)
Gold and silver Mario Amiibo will test your figurine addiction
You might want to make some more room on your shelves, Amiibo fans. Nintendo is apparently working on some gold and silver variants of its popular Mario Amiibo figurines, which can be used together with the Wii U and the new 3DS. At this point though, it's unclear when you'll actually be able to get your hands on them. An eagle-eyed NeoGAF poster dug up the furtive figurines on Nintendo's site, but it looks like the box art is all the info we've got so far. We've asked Nintendo what's up, but for now you can start prepping your riot gear to ensure you make it out of the store alive when the bloodbath for these toys begins. Nintendo's already sold more than 2.6 million Amiibo, and the demand doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon.
'Super Smash Bros.' and exchange rates help keep Nintendo in profit
Nintendo's slow and arduous journey back to financial prosperity continued today with the release of its latest financial results. The company posted a second consecutive quarterly profit in its financial Q3, which counts sales from September through to December. Revenue was 271 billion yen (roughly $2.3 billion), generating a profit of 31.8 billion yen (around $270 million). A large part of the company's profits can be attributed to a weak yen, which dramatically increases the value of North American and European sales when converted to Japanese currency. Though the figures are generally pretty healthy, it's worth noting revenue for the holiday quarter dropped by around 13 percent year-over-year, something that will have a serious knock-on effect on the company's finances for the financial year. Why the slide? Well, Wii U sales were down slightly yearly -- 1.91 million consoles versus 1.95 million the year earlier -- but this drop was easily offset by software gains. Nintendo moved 11.2 million Wii U games in Q3, its best results since the console launched in 2012. Key to this success was Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which sold around 3.4 million copies since late November. So for once, it's not the Wii U's fault. No, instead, the under-performer this quarter was the 3DS family of handheld consoles.
Smash Bros. creator Sakurai also has trouble tracking down amiibo
If you've been unsuccessful in finding an amiibo of your favorite Super Smash Bros. character, you're not alone. Series creator Masahiro Sakurai recently vented similar frustrations on Twitter, noting that he went home empty-handed when he hit up local retailers in Japan in the hopes of tracking down Meta Knight, Sheik, Lucario, and Rosalina & Luma. Nintendo of America announced last year that it would phase out many amiibo after an initial print run, leading to shortages and price hikes on secondary markets like eBay and Amazon. The Lucario figure also remains elusive in the weeks leading up to its release in North America, with exclusive distributor Toys R Us recently raising confusion over whether customer pre-orders are still valid. First-wave amiibo figures Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, and Marth have not yet seen a second print run in North America, leading Nintendo fans to import cheaper equivalent figures from Japan. Amazon additionally sold out of its initial allotment of Sonic the Hedgehog figurines after opening pre-orders last week, hinting at another impending post-launch shortage.
Joystiq Weekly: New 3DS XL, The Talos Principle review, no more review scores and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. This was a busy week, but our decision to drop numerical review scores is probably what will have the longest-lasting effect on Joystiq. While not everyone has expressed support of the decision, we immensely appreciate the effort and thought many have put into discussing the topic with us. We hope our transition into using "In Other Words" text summaries and the new Joystiq Excellence Award will be more effective at conveying our stances and better at helping you find games that you'd actually enjoy. Even if you're indifferent about the discussion of reviews though, plenty happened this week beyond our shift in examining games. The New 3DS XL will reach us next month, Xbox One consoles slipped back to their $350 holiday price, The Talos Principle surprised us with its depth, and 3D After Burner 2 transcended the fabled "arcade-perfect" status of arcade ports. All those stories and more are waiting for you after the break!
Nintendo: Amiibo sales outpace Smash Bros. Wii U
Mario Kart 8 sold 1.7 million copies in 2014 both digitally and at retail in the United States according to the NPD Group, Nintendo revealed in a press release. The publisher also noted that Super Smash Bros. for Wii U sold 1.3 million copies during the year, though sales of the company's amiibo figurines were "nearly twice" that of Nintendo's Mario brawler on Wii U. Nintendo said that total hardware and software sales increased "by more than 29 percent and more than 75 percent, respectively, over sales in 2013." As of December, the publisher said that amiibo sales were "approximately equal" to that of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. On the handheld side of Nintendo's lineup, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS eclipsed 2 million copies sold since the game launched this past fall. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby also combined to sell 2.6 million copies in the remastered games' first six weeks. Nintendo recently offered a worldwide launch date for the company's new 3DS system during this week's Nintendo Direct presentation; the C-Stick-sporting console will arrive on February 13 for $200. The improved console will be accompanied by The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate along with each game's respective special edition 3DS systems. [Image: Nintendo]
Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far
Outside of Super Smash Bros, the physical incarnations of Mario, Pikachu and other Nintendo icons don't have much to do on their plastic pedestals. While they transform into teachable, collectible opponents in Nintendo's flagship brawler, tapping an Amiibo toy into Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors is a one-step process to unlock a minor in-game item. Nintendo has created a more substantial cameo – bordering on reverent – for the Amiibo line in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, the oddball 3DS strategy game from developer Intelligent Systems. If you happen to own a Fire Emblem Amiibo and tap it in, warriors Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina are summoned into Code Name's steam-powered war against aliens. They each have unique attacks, animations and can be an integral part of your strategy.
