14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Nintendo in charge of the new Amiibo initiative is delivering both boxed and opened images for the first 12 interactive figurines that are supposed to be launched before the end of the year, allowing fans to choose which they want to pick up when they become available.
The line-up includes: Mario, of course, but also Peach, Link, Samus, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Kirby, Fox, Marth, Villager, and Wii Fit Trainer.
Nintendo has said that more will be offered at a later date and that the choices will be made based on the information coming from the fan community.
A number of retailers are already offering the Amiibo figurines for pre-order for the price of 12.99 dollars or Euro each.
Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U will be the first game that will fully use the new technology and will allow gamers to store information in the toys and actually use them to enhance their game experience.
Support will also be added post launch to titles like Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World, and it seems that all major Nintendo releases from 2015 on will be designed to work with Amiibo in some way or another.
The company has not yet offered an official launch date for the full line-up of figurines, and it seems that the Mario one will be offered as a special package to those who plan on purchasing the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros, according to CVG.
At the moment, the 3DS version of the fighting game is set to arrive in the middle of September in Japan and in early October in both North America and Europe.
Nintendo is launching a New Nintendo 3DS version of the handheld, which includes improved hardware, a new analog stick and other improvements, and will also feature a Near Field Communications device integrated inside the case.
Older versions of the device will get an external attachment in order to use the Amiibo line, while on the Wii U, the toys will work directly with the GamePad controller.
The figurines are in many ways designed to take advantage of the toy and virtual experience mix that has been popularized by both Skylanders from Activision and Disney Infinity.
Nintendo’s concept is somewhat more ambitious, and the response among the fan base of the company has so far been very positive and might also boost sales of its other hardware.
