Amiibo Compatibility Plz?

[Cowboy Karimov]

I think it would also be cool if certain characters that would fit in FE like Shulk or Link could join your army through amiibos.

Definitely. You could also have access to one or two weapons from a series if you use them. However, the Bonus Box was probably my favorite feature of Awakening, and I don't want to see that going. Edited March 11, 2015 by Big Boss

[DeadGame]

I think it would also be cool if certain characters that would fit in FE like Shulk or Link could join your army through amiibos.

Shulk? Ehh, he looks like a wussy with that plastic sword, hahaha. Completely out of place.

I could see Link fitting in quite nicely, though.. even with those pointy ears.

[MoonlitSonata]

I personally don't want to see amiibo compatibility in FEif, unless if it worked a la Hyrule Warriors and only did something like once a day grant you a single item. Keep the bonus content to either unlocked ingame, Spotpass, or DLC so that EVERYONE who owns a copy can have a chance at unlocking it. If it weren't for the fact that only a select handful of amiibo got more than preorder stock made, I might have a different viewpoint. But as someone who had to pull some strings to get a Marth amiibo held long enough to travel ~1 hour to pick it up after her preorder got mysteriously cancelled due to "insufficient stock," I'd rather see them be utilized as a means to access something easier in the game that is already accessible.

Also, on this card thing, who knows if they're going to print enough cards to fulfill demand for them? As of recent past we have seen Nintendo's supply/demand scheme is not coming close to being balanced, which has lead to skyrocketing costs on amiibo, special edition N3DSes, and WiiU gamecube controllers/adapters from scalpers. I love Nintendo and its games, but recently their business practices have been stumbling when it comes to fulfilling that balance. At the very least I'd like to see them not fail again on having demand meet supply, as I've got a few west coast friends who are still upset over not getting a chance to even preorder the Majora 3DS.

[Anacybele]

^You do know that one reason for the shortages on that stuff is the west coast strikes, don't you? More stock is coming.

Also, I still don't think there will be much of a demand for the cards. They're not as cool as figures. People seem to want figures, not some card that can easily be torn, lost, or damaged in some other way and can't be displayed like a figure can.

[Jave]

The demand for the cards will be huge, for many reasons:

- By the time they arrive, a lot of figures will be discontinued. Those who missed out on them will have the cards as an option.

- Cards are cheaper and more accessible. You will probably get a 10-pack for the price of one amiibo figure, and you save a lot on shelf space.

- Collectors who want to keep their amiibo figures sealed will buy the cards exclusively for content unlock.

- Some franchises with too many characters (Pokemon, Fire Emblem), can't realistically have a figure for every character. They will only exist in card form.

There's also the possibility they might build a TCG around the amiibo cards. If they do that, well heck, it might be Nintendo's next huge thing.

[Anacybele]

- I disagree. Amiibo figures are so hot right now that Nintendo would be the biggest fools in the history of fools to discontinue them anytime soon. The fan outrage would be insane. I do realize that it's been difficult for Nintendo to meet the demand, but people will just have to be patient as they gradually make more figures.

- A ten pack of character cards someone might not care for. The issue happens with Pokemon cards too, many people don't collect them because they don't want to end up with the same cards over and over.

- Yet there are still MANY collectors who buy more than one of the same Amiibo or open their Amiibo boxes.

- I highly doubt every single Pokemon and very single FE character would get an Amiibo regardless.

- Like I said, a figure is much easier to take care of and would likely last a lot longer.

Seriously, the people that love these figures so much will NOT settle for a stupid card when they want a pretty figure that they can display as well as use to unlock content. I want an Ike Amiibo figure, not a piece of paper with his picture on it. If I want that, I'll go print out some art.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Anacybele

[Jave]

- I disagree. Amiibo figures are so hot right now that Nintendo would be the biggest fools in the history of fools to discontinue them anytime soon. The fan outrage would be insane. I do realize that it's been difficult for Nintendo to meet the demand, but people will just have to be patient as they gradually make more figures.

- A ten pack of character cards someone might not care for. The issue happens with Pokemon cards too, many people don't collect them because they don't want to end up with the same cards over and over.

- Yet there are still MANY collectors who buy more than one of the same Amiibo or open their Amiibo boxes.

- I highly doubt every single Pokemon and very single FE character would get an Amiibo regardless.

- Like I said, a figure is much easier to take care of and would likely last a lot longer.

Seriously, the people that love these figures so much will NOT settle for a stupid card when they want a pretty figure that they can display as well as use to unlock content. I want an Ike Amiibo figure, not a piece of paper with his picture on it. If I want that, I'll go print out some art.

- The reality of the situation is that, as long as Nintendo keeps making figures of new characters, the older ones will be discontinued as they can't make them forever. Some characters will be replaced with new models, while others will be discontinued entirely, and the only way to unlock the content associated with those figures will be with cards. Some 1st edition figures of Skylanders and are now impossible to find and are going for hundreds on eBay. The same will happen with amiibo.

- Have you BEEN into Pokemon TCG collectors circles? I have, and we're talking people with folders filled with hundreds, sometimes THOUSANDS of cards. The TCG market is huge and there are collectors willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a single card. If they have repeats, they sell them. It's a huge market and it's why it has lasted as long as the series itself.

- Sure, but that doesn't exclude the type of collectors I mentioned. I know a few in person who are planning to do that, in fact.

- Fire Emblem, sure. But Pokemon? I don't know about that. Back when the GBA e-reader was around they actually made some Pokemon e-reader cards that were also part of the TCG. If they combine Pokemon TCG and amiibo cards it could actually be a genius move.

- Not if you know how to take care of them. I have friends with 1st edition Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic cards still in perfect condition.

It seems to me you're taking your own tastes and opinions and proyecting them into the whole fanbase. Not everyone shares your view of things, and I seriously can't believe you're equating printing an image yourself to an officially licensed product. Come on, that doesn't even make your argument look legit.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Jave

[Anacybele]

- Well yeah, I never said that they wouldn't EVER be discontinued. They just won't anytime soon.

- No, I didn't actually know those existed. I was going by personal experience. I didn't know collectors that paid a lot of money for one card existed either. But you know what, these days, many Pokemon card box sets and tins come with...yep, figures! In fact, those figures were the main reason I got the boxes and tins. Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Sylveon, Mega Charizard X, Snivy, Victini, and Fennekin, they call came from TGC boxes. And there are even more TGC figures out there too.

- Didn't that e-reader thing do badly though?

- Still doesn't make them easier to take care of than a figure. Sure, you can place your cards in card sleeves, but when you bring them out to use with your games, you could easily mistakenly spill a drink on them, they could get bent up, or a dog could rip it out of your hand, or something else. And if you're traveling with them and using them on a 3DS, the same could happen there. If you spill a drink on an Amiibo figure, just wipe it off. And an Amiibo can't be ripped or bent so easily. It can still get ruined by the dog, but that's it out of that list. Trust me, paper isn't easy to take care of. All my paperback books and guides and stuff are in rather poor condition despite my efforts to take good care of them. But my hardback ones and some figures that I've had for years are still in great shape.

- Amiibos are still better for collecting and display purposes too. My figures are all on my desk where I can easily see them all the time. But my Pokemon cards sit in my binders on a shelf, where they're not seen unless I take the binder out and open it up.

I'm sure there are people that DO share my view on things though. But I wasn't trying to imply that there weren't people who didn't. I just don't think there are many. As for the picture thing, think of it this way. Many of the Smash characters wouldn't have figures if it wasn't for Amiibo. But they all have artwork and such somewhere. So yet MORE pictures would just feel boring in that regard, imo. A figure is something new and not done before for these characters and not something one can easily make themselves. I know I couldn't ever make a good Ike figure to save my life. But a card is basically just a picture. Anyone can get a picture of a character easily if they have access to a computer, internet, a printer, and printer paper.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Anacybele

[Jave]

- Well yeah, I never said that they wouldn't EVER be discontinued. They just won't anytime soon.

- No, I didn't actually know those existed. I was going by personal experience. I didn't know collectors that paid a lot of money for one card existed either. But you know what, these days, many Pokemon card box sets and tins come with...yep, figures! In fact, those figures were the main reason I got the boxes and tins. Reshiram, Zekrom, Kyurem, Keldeo, Sylveon, Mega Charizard X, Snivy, Victini, and Fennekin, they call came from TGC boxes. And there are even more TGC figures out there too.

- Didn't that e-reader thing do badly though?

- Still doesn't make them easier to take care of than a figure. Sure, you can place your cards in card sleeves, but when you bring them out to use with your games, you could easily mistakenly spill a drink on them, they could get bent up, or a dog could rip it out of your hand, or something else. And if you're traveling with them and using them on a 3DS, the same could happen there. If you spill a drink on an Amiibo figure, just wipe it off. And an Amiibo can't be ripped or bent so easily. It can still get ruined by the dog, but that's it out of that list. Trust me, paper isn't easy to take care of. All my paperback books and guides and stuff are in rather poor condition despite my efforts to take good care of them. But my hardback ones and some figures that I've had for years are still in great shape.

- Amiibos are still better for collecting and display purposes too. My figures are all on my desk where I can easily see them all the time. But my Pokemon cards sit in my binders on a shelf, where they're not seen unless I take the binder out and open it up.

I'm sure there are people that DO share my view on things though. But I wasn't trying to imply that there weren't people who didn't. I just don't think there are many. As for the picture thing, think of it this way. Many of the Smash characters wouldn't have figures if it wasn't for Amiibo. But they all have artwork and such somewhere. So yet MORE pictures would just feel boring in that regard, imo. A figure is something new and not done before for these characters and not something one can easily make themselves. I know I couldn't ever make a good Ike figure to save my life. But a card is basically just a picture. Anyone can get a picture of a character easily if they have access to a computer, internet, a printer, and printer paper.

- The point is that they eventually WILL be discontinued. Cards will be there as an option to get the now unaccessible content.

- Just so you know, the majority of Pokemon TCG collectors and players don't buy the tins for the figures. They're a bonus and a collector's item, and nothing more. The cards is still what matters to them.

- That's irrelevant to the point I was making. I said they could make Pokemon TCG cards dual-functional with amiibo, which is something they could easily pull off.

- All of the stuff you mention can also happen to amiibo, you know. Some drinks leave permanent stains, not to mention amiibo have a memory card and a NFC sensor inside them that can get completely ruined if it gets liquid spilled on them. Amiibo can also accidentally be dropped on the wrong side and have a part of them completely bent and ruined. Stuff like Marth's Falchion, Rosalina's Wand, Link's Master Sword and Shulk's Monado can easily be ruined if they get hit from the wrong side.

- But on the other side, some people don't care about displaying them. And on yet ANOTHER side, some people do display trading cards. Have you heard of framing cards? It's not as uncommon as you may think.

And again, please don't compare printing a picture on the Internet to an official product. I really, REALLY can't take your post seriously when you say that.

[Fry]

After playing STEAM with my Ike and Marth amiibos, I gotta say - the FE remixes are a nice touch.

[Anacybele]

- The point is that they eventually WILL be discontinued. Cards will be there as an option to get the now unaccessible content.

- Just so you know, the majority of Pokemon TCG collectors and players don't buy the tins for the figures. They're a bonus and a collector's item, and nothing more. The cards is still what matters to them.

- That's irrelevant to the point I was making. I said they could make Pokemon TCG cards dual-functional with amiibo, which is something they could easily pull off.

- All of the stuff you mention can also happen to amiibo, you know. Some drinks leave permanent stains, not to mention amiibo have a memory card and a NFC sensor inside them that can get completely ruined if it gets liquid spilled on them. Amiibo can also accidentally be dropped on the wrong side and have a part of them completely bent and ruined. Stuff like Marth's Falchion, Rosalina's Wand, Link's Master Sword and Shulk's Monado can easily be ruined if they get hit from the wrong side.

- But on the other side, some people don't care about displaying them. And on yet ANOTHER side, some people do display trading cards. Have you heard of framing cards? It's not as uncommon as you may think.

And again, please don't compare printing a picture on the Internet to an official product. I really, REALLY can't take your post seriously when you say that.

- And my point is that that won't be happening for a long time.

- Oh, I didn't know you met a majority of Pokemon card collectors.

- That's beside the point. The point I was trying to make is that these box sets sell well, likely because they include pretty figures as well as some rare cards. The ones we have at work come and go pretty quickly, plenty faster than the deck boxes or booster packs. Probably because the boxes and tins get you more out of the deal.

- Yes, but it can't happen as easily to Amiibo as it can a piece of paper. Paper is just factually more easily damaged than plastic is.

- Doesn't matter. There are still people that care more about displaying Amiibo. I've never heard of framing cards. That's a silly thing to do. Just as I think NIB collectors for Amiibo are silly. Sure, I'm going to keep my Ike's packaging because it's got his sexy face on it, but I'm still going to open it and use the Amiibo. NIB collectors are just taking Amiibos and letting them sit there when they could've been bought by kids and other Nintendo fans that WANT to open them and use them. Still, it IS better than just scalping them, so I can't really hate NIB collectors or anything.

Then that's your problem. Because I will compare it if I want to and feel that it's a fair comparison.

Listen, I do not want these cards to exist, nor will I ever be buying them. Just deal with it.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Anacybele

[Jave]

Listen, I do not want these cards to exist, nor will I ever be buying them. Just deal with it.

They will happen, so you better brace yourself for that.

Unlike you, I can at least appreciate Nintendo giving people options.

[Hardin]

Iwata himself said that based on their research, different markets have different preferences for collectibles. In the west people want something more physical to display in their homes, but Japanese players tend to prefer the more practical cards.

[Anacybele]

He also said that they're trying to make the figures appeal more to the Japanese and that the Japanese simply don't understand how they work exactly. They're trying to fix that problem. Also, just keep making figures for the west then, and give the Japanese their cards if they really somehow prefer them.

They will happen, so you better brace yourself for that.

Who said? The cards were never confirmed.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Anacybele

[Hardin]

Cards are certainly confirmed,

In contrast to the current figure-shaped amiibo available, we will make amiibo in the form of cards this year as one of our future plans as Mr. Miyamoto mentioned at the Corporate Management Policy Briefing in October.

[Anacybele]

Tsk, what a poor decision then. Poorest I've ever seen Nintendo make, in fact.

[Hardin]

When an amiibo line for Animal Crossing is made (we all know it's coming) it doesn't make any sense to make figures of every single villager. The logistics of manufacturing, and getting retail space for all the different characters would be insane. The only way to create amiibo lines for games with such massive rosters is with cards.

[Anacybele]

Who said the whole rosters had to get figures? Sure, Smash got this treatment, but it has 50 playable characters, which is reasonable. But games like Pokemon and FE and all don't need to have figures for every single character in them. Just a few notable and popular ones.

[Book of Ereshkigal]

...hence them getting cards.

[Anacybele]

...Not every single character needs that either.

[MoonlitSonata]

^You do know that one reason for the shortages on that stuff is the west coast strikes, don't you? More stock is coming.

I have yet to hear on a second release of WFT/Villager from wave 1, Rosalina was completely bought out by scalpers since she was a Target exclusive, I've yet to hear of Ike getting a second run (like Marth) and he no longer has a product listing on Target.com, and the limited edition New 3DSes and Gamecube controllers/adapters are still going for ridiculous prices on eBay SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE there has been no news of us ever seeing more of them. Please show me where you have heard that more stock of some of the listed items is coming. The strikes being over =/= more stock available. The strikes being over = more product is being imported and therefore moved again.

Also, no idea if this was mentioned but if they included the amiibo stuff in the regular release Pokemon cards, I would totally be all over that and start my collection back up again.

Edit: Also, I do like amiibo. I love finally having figures of Fire Emblem characters that are within my current budget to afford at the market price. I just don't like the idea of locking content from people who don't (get the chance to) buy the figures. I've gotten complacent and don't hate DLC as much anymore, but at least anyone with the necessary materials (game, internet, money) can still access it, AND it's as permanently available as Nintendo keeps the 3DS network up. However, the current flaw with amiibo that I see is that, unless if it's a Hyrule Warriors-type deal, most people who buy the game will not be able to access whatever content/perk/whatever at all unless if they were A) lucky enough to catch the needed figure at the price instore or B) shell out big money to the scalpers who are jacking up amiibo prices to 150% or more.

I'm willing to pay $15 for an okay-quality figure. (Because really, the only ones they can get 100% accurate are simpler designs like Kirby/Pikachu, not even certain Mario characters get flattering figures-sausage finger Peach anyone?) I'm not willing to shell out $25-$30 plus shipping and handling to some jerkwad who bought up all the preorders day 1 and will make a $10-$15 profit off each figure, which is still ONLY okay quality.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Huntress

[Baron the Shining Blade]

Oh for goodness sake, enough with this ridiculous figures vs cards quarrel.

On one hand, I understand full well why Ana prefers an Ike figure over a card. His pose is awesome, and he looks great as a figure. Personally I want a Marth amiibo someday because dang it all, I love his heroic SSB4 pose. A mere card just won't do it for me, as the figure looks much more enticing to me. I lean towards Ana on the printed art vs official art. Yes, an official card is more genuine, but it is still just a card with a picture on it and the amiibo function built into it. And that is perfectly fine. Granted, I might get an actual Marth card too anyway just becuase FE merchandise is so rare outside Japan (and I hate that scalpers take the only FE merch we've ever gotten so far. That had better change soon...).

On the other hand, as Jave said, it is good to have the cards as a second option for unlocking amiibo-exclusive content for those people who don't care about the figures and just want to unlock that content, supposedly at a lower price. I'm sorry you don't want amiibo-cards to exist, Ana. But I'm afraid that's too bad; they're gonna exist, and you're going to have to deal with that. Why is it even a big deal, anyway? You have your precious Ike figure, so let people have cards if they want. You don't have to like them, but for your sake I hope you don't shun people just for having cards instead of figures.

On the middle ground, you two are thinking way too far ahead about the longevity of amiibo figures and cards. Just stop. It is too soon to tell how long figures will last. You can only speculate. We'll have to wait and see what actually happens. Also, how well you can take care of a figure or card, that is not important in this matter. You both make good arguments on what can happen to them, but I don't think it holds that much weight on deciding which one you're gonna get. Yes, there are people who take exceptional care of their cards, especially rare and unique ones. Given what amiibo cards (will) do, I'm sure many of us will take good care of them.

I feel I should give my opinion on the OP topic, so...

I would be happy if the amiibo worked just the same as in Codename: S.T.E.A.M.. A random item each day would be nice too, so that covers both the exclusive and the random non-exclusive content.

[Anacybele]

I have yet to hear on a second release of WFT/Villager from wave 1, Rosalina was completely bought out by scalpers since she was a Target exclusive, I've yet to hear of Ike getting a second run (like Marth) and he no longer has a product listing on Target.com, and the limited edition New 3DSes and Gamecube controllers/adapters are still going for ridiculous prices on eBay SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE there has been no news of us ever seeing more of them. Please show me where you have heard that more stock of some of the listed items is coming. The strikes being over =/= more stock available. The strikes being over = more product is being imported and therefore moved again.

Nintendo isn't going to announce if an Amiibo that was being held up at the western ports is going to appear in stores. Simply because they just don't know which ones were being held up there or when they'll finally reach stores.

Ike is getting another run along with Shulk and Dedede to fill remaining preorders. There may be some left over after that, who knows?

But Rosalina being discontinued so soon was stupid, if you ask me. Yes, she's getting an SMB variation as well, but that one doesn't have Luma. Some people might want Luma as well as her. And some people might want both figures. She's very popular. Scalpers buying her out wasn't fair either, and it's unfortunate how what they're doing can't be stopped because it's legal. They bought the stuff, so they can do whatever they want with it, even if it's greedy reselling. She should've had far more production.

Oh for goodness sake, enough with this ridiculous figures vs cards quarrel.

On one hand, I understand full well why Ana prefers an Ike figure over a card. His pose is awesome, and he looks great as a figure. Personally I want a Marth amiibo someday because dang it all, I love his heroic SSB4 pose. A mere card just won't do it for me, as the figure looks much more enticing to me. I lean towards Ana on the printed art vs official art. Yes, an official card is more genuine, but it is still just a card with a picture on it and the amiibo function built into it. And that is perfectly fine. Granted, I might get an actual Marth card too anyway just becuase FE merchandise is so rare outside Japan (and I hate that scalpers take the only FE merch we've ever gotten so far. That had better change soon...).

On the other hand, as Jave said, it is good to have the cards as a second option for unlocking amiibo-exclusive content for those people who don't care about the figures and just want to unlock that content, supposedly at a lower price. I'm sorry you don't want amiibo-cards to exist, Ana. But I'm afraid that's too bad; they're gonna exist, and you're going to have to deal with that. Why is it even a big deal, anyway? You have your precious Ike figure, so let people have cards if they want. You don't have to like them, but for your sake I hope you don't shun people just for having cards instead of figures.

On the middle ground, you two are thinking way too far ahead about the longevity of amiibo figures and cards. Just stop. It is too soon to tell how long figures will last. You can only speculate. We'll have to wait and see what actually happens. Also, how well you can take care of a figure or card, that is not important in this matter. You both make good arguments on what can happen to them, but I don't think it holds that much weight on deciding which one you're gonna get. Yes, there are people who take exceptional care of their cards, especially rare and unique ones. Given what amiibo cards (will) do, I'm sure many of us will take good care of them.

I feel I should give my opinion on the OP topic, so...

I would be happy if the amiibo worked just the same as in Codename: S.T.E.A.M.. A random item each day would be nice too, so that covers both the exclusive and the random non-exclusive content.

Well, I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from.

And I do understand Jave's points too, but I felt he was saying that most people should prefer cards over figures, which I simply cannot see outside of Japan. And he seemed to think it was silly for me to believe that the cards would not sell well outside of Japan. Which I still do believe. Yes, it's just speculation though, I can't say for sure. It's just my guess.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Anacybele

[Jave]

And I do understand Jave's points too, but I felt he was saying that most people should prefer cards over figures, which I simply cannot see outside of Japan. And he seemed to think it was silly for me to believe that the cards would not sell well outside of Japan. Which I still do believe. Yes, it's just speculation though, I can't say for sure. It's just my guess.

You completely missed my point if that's what you thought. I made it explicitly clear that cards should exist as an option and an expansion, not a replacement.

[Anacybele]

Oh, well, I did misunderstand then, I apologize. >_<

And obviously, it wasn't clear enough.

Edited March 15, 2015 by Anacybele