What's an Amiibo?

A...mii...bos....??

Amib-bow, Amybeo, Amuboo...yep, I've heard it said all these ways, but I believe it is Amībo  or A-MEE-BO, for us english speakin' folk. What exactly is an Amiibo? Well, I'm sure you have seen something similar to them over the past few years in the form of Skylanders. Recently, Disney jumped on board and started creating their own near-field communication (NFC) creations as well, all based off of characters from their universe.

Well, here comes Nintendo! They've released several figures from their own Nintendo universe that includes some very recognizable faces. These figures work with a few games from the start, but Nintendo will be releasing updates to other games to allow the functionality of the Amiibos. They also plan on allowing these Amiibos to be functional with the Nintendo 3DS in the future. Here's a list of the games that currently have full support:

Princess Peach for the ladies

• Super Smash Bros.
• Mario Kart 8
• Hyrule Warriors

With support coming later to these titles:

• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
• Mario Party 10
• Yoshi's Woolly World
• Kirby and the Rainbow Curse
• Super Smash Bros. (3DS)
• Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy Plus (3DS)

Link in store packaging

Now, these figures work a bit differently than what you may be accustumed to with NFC toys. They don't just pop in the game for you to be able to control them. They work differently for each game you insert them into. In Super Smash Bros., entering the figure into the game spawns a computer-controlled character to fight either alongside a player-controlled character, or against other CPU, player-controlled, or Amiibo-generated characters. With continued use, the Amiibo's corresponding character will be able to level up and learn new abilities.

If you insert one of them into Mario Kart, it will give you unique outfit options that you can only access if you have that character's Amiibo. So, it can make your game completely different, or just add some cosmetic changes. Either way, very cool accessory for gaming. 

Accessory...I like that word. With Skylanders and Disney Infinity, the NFC figures are necessary for you to play and enjoy the game. These Amiibos however, are more collectible accessories for your games...They don't have to be inserted into a game to be useful, you can enjoy a full experience without having to use an Amiibo. So, I'm going with that. It is a Nintendo gaming accessory. 

With all this said, you are probably wondering which characters are available and how much they retail for? Well, folks, there are a TON of figures that have been released in Wave 1 and other Waves will be released as we enter 2015. They retail for $12.95 a character (kind of pricey if you are wanting to collect all of these accessories) and can be found in any gaming store/section of department store. 

Here's a list of available characters and who will be coming out in the next waves:

Wave 1 (released Nov. 21):

Samus Aran, ready to fight for you!

• Mario (Super Mario)
• Peach (Super Mario)
• Yoshi (Super Mario)
• Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong)
• Link (Legend of Zelda)
• Fox (Star Fox)
• Samus Aran (Metroid)
• Wii Fit Trainer (Wii Fit)
• Villager (Animal Crossing)
• Pikachu (Pokemon)
• Kirby (Kirby)
• Marth (Fire Emblem)

Wave 2 (will release Dec. 14)

• Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
• Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong)
• Luigi (Super Mario)
• Little Mac (Punch-Out)
• Captain Falcon (F-Zero)



Marth, one of my favorites from Smash Bros.

• Pit (Kid Icarus)

Wave 3 (will release Jan/Feb)

• Rosalina and Luma (Super Mario)
• Bowser (Super Mario)
• Lucario (Pokemon)
• Toon Link (Legend of Zelda)
• Sheik (Legend of Zelda)
• Ike (Fire Emblem)
• Shulk (Xenoblade)
• Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)
• Mega Man (Mega Man)
• King Dedede (Kirby)
• Meta Knight (Kirby)

So, as you can see...there will be a TON of characters to chose from within the next quarter. Not to mention, a very rich universe to continue creating more of these toys! Don't be surprised if games start getting developed strictly around these Amiibos. This will definitely help Nintendo get some sort of footing in the console wars. 

Which Amiibo would you get right now if you could? And which are you looking forward to in Wave 2 or 3?!