STACK #123 Jan 2015

GAMES

FEATURE

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Did you miss the first two waves of Nintendo’s new amiibo figurines? Have you been frantically searching for amiibos missing from your collection? Be prepared – wave three is coming soon. By Alesha Kolbe

I t began with Skylanders and picked up speed with Disney: Infinity. Near field communication (NFC) technology – allowing players to import characters into their game via figurines – has hit a goldmine in the gaming industry in recent years as ‘portal’ titles take the world by storm. Skylanders was the first of its kind and took to the stage back in 2011. The game revolved around a “Portal of Power” that allowed players to introduce characters and change the way they experience the gameplay, with different characters changing the game in their own ways. Following the success of Activision, Avalanche Software released Disney: Infinity – a similar concept, but with the inclusion of a vast array and exciting back catalogue of Disney/Pixar characters. Both were very favourably received and deemed a successful and innovative new direction for gaming. Now, however, there is a new challenger in the field. Similar to the NFC products, Nintendo has released amiibo; using the Wii U controller as a platform, new characters can be imported into compatible games where extra bonuses can be added. Games already released that are congruous with these innovations include Super Smash Bros. Wii U, Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors . Smash Bros. will allow players to customise their amiibo, while Mario Kart and

Hyrule will grant users new costumes and in- game items with the use of the figurines. The system itself is foolproof; simply touch the base of the amiibo figurines to the Wii U gamepad, and the relevant information will be imported into the compatible game of your choice.

games such as Hyrule and Smash Bros . Bowser – King of the Koopas and Mario’s ‘eternal rival’ – joins the fight, as well as Toon Link and Sheik from the Legend of Zelda series. Lucario the fighter, having starred in Pokemon , is now welcome in Smash Bros. , and is joined by Fire Emblem ’s hero of the Begnion Empire, Ike. Stars of the Kirby franchise – Meta Knight and King Dedede – come together for the third wave, and both will be compatible with Smash Bros. and Hyrule Warriors. Xenoblade Chronicles star Shulk brings a new face to the field, in addition to the world’s fastest and most famous hedgehog – Sonic himself. Finally, the advanced humanoid robot from Capcom’s Megaman joins the battle, and will be featured on both Smash Bros. and Hyrule Warriors. Accompanying the release of these new figurines in 2015 are new games to use them with; compatible titles include Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10, Yoshi’s Woolly World and Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. Nintendo has also announced the arrival of an amiibo-compatible platform for the 3DS, with more news to come on which of these games will be able to be used with the figurines.

Bowser – King of the Koopas and Mario’s ‘eternal rival’ – now joins the fight

Waves one and two of these new amiibo figurines have already successfully hit stores late last year and include everyone’s favourite, Mario, Pokemon star Pikachu, as well as Metroid protagonist Samus Aran and Donkey Kong ’s trusty sidekick Diddy Kong. Arriving on shelves on January 29 is wave three, bringing even more treasured Nintendo characters to life in completely reimagined ways. Rosalina, carer of the Lumas in Super Mario Galaxy , brings her superstar status to new

JANUARY 2015 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.com.au

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