Good and bad. Mostly good.


As far as exclusives go I bet only things like costumes, songs and trophies will be available. I'm guessing if I get a Dixie Kong figure I can unlock her right away rather than the games way. Also we might be able to store our player data on them when we run around to tournaments and friends houses. New Wii U set up without all the characters? Scan your figure and all your personal info and settings could be loaded up right away.


Only bad side is paying for these things but who am I kidding? I'm sucker for WELL MADE figures!

http://youtu.be/sYOlBsls-C0

Something tells me...this is the reason why Smash Bros is pushed back until Winter.  I bet Nintendo wanted this game as a summer release, but then decided to add this new strategy into the game. 


So the question is what can we expect from these NFCs?  How about 1-3 real miniature trophy packs.  Perhaps with 2 new assist trophies and 1 new character and level?  Sounds unlikely, perhaps, but SOME of the new characters could just be modifications to existing characters. 


For example:


Luigi with a full Luigi's Mansion move set.
Doctor Mario with pills floating different than fireballs
Wolf, Falco...ect being Fox clones are a good idea for figures.


It would be an interesting way to handle downloadable content, because you can get a figurine, charge more, and have parents feel they are getting tricked into in-app like purchases.

*sigh*

Well, I'm not surprised (it was obvious from the moment that they announced the NFC figures that they'd be used on Smash Bros.) but still...it's disappointing. If Nintendo wants to get in on the Skylanders gimmickry, fine. I just wish they'd contain it to games built around it so I can choose not to care about it. As it is, I'm left concerned that Nintendo's going to make me pay Skylanders-caliber cash to see all the content in Smash Bros. to make up for all the money they've lost on Wii U.

Right now I should think that the main purpose of the figurines would be for transferring character-specific data (like the sticker-attributes in Brawl) to other Wii U consoles. 

I don't mind if they have character or stage DLC tied to the figurines if there will be an alternate way to purchase it in-game; I have enough clutter around my house and I'm way past the point where I want to have lying around.

Without knowing what Nintendo is using the NFC figures for in Super Smash Bros., it's difficult to gage how to feel about this. If it's just for adding to your in-game trophy collection, sure. If they're locking gameplay related content behind them and that's the only way to obtain the data:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ

Kid Icarus Uprising used collectible AR cards to unlock idols in the game.




There were around 400+ cards and they went rare very fast.


This wasn't a problem becuase idols were just in game models with some trivia and could be unlocked through two other means anyway (paying hearts or doing one of the 600 achievements).

As long as the content isn't exclusively gated to the NFC figures I'll be fine.

Given how Nintendo's used DLC and free-to-play mechanics so far I'd be very surprised if anything of substance were only available through the figures.

I'm betting it'll be instant character unlocks and new assist trophies or something like that.

Nothing substantial, but neat nonetheless.

Considering how they so far presented the NFP, and just by the name. I have a conjecture that the figures will not be bound to a single title or game series. I made a post a while back on another site about "epic games" and how you could technically use data to make the players data go further in other titles across platforms (in this case Wii U and 3DS and thus making a customer more likely to buy a title may not have if it was just a stand alone project.

They technically could do something like that with these figures. For one game the figure unlocks the character to play in the game call this "tier 1 interaction", in other it unlock some extra content maybe depending on their progress with that charter or any figure in the first tier, "tier 2" and then have a software that can be accessed via MiiVerse or it own site, that shows off the progress and the figures that the person has, making the NFP more of a "Gamer Score" but with a little more substance.

It's weird to see so many people basically asking for anything unlocked by NFC chips to be the equivalent of Horse Armor.

If I'm paying $10-$15 per figure, I want it to do something significant in the game.

Only in Super Smash Bros. and maybe Mario Kart. I don't want to buy the NFC figures so I certainly don't want content I care about locked behind the figures. If Nintendo wants to release games that revolve around the NFC figures, that's fine by me as I can simply ignore those games. Introducing the NFC figures into an established series, particularly one I really like, changes that dynamic. As long as I don't need the NFC figures to unlock significant portions of the game, I don't mind it existing. If it's something like instant character unlocks, sure, whatever. I can still play the game and unlock stuff and/or things the old fashioned way. If I can only get unlock something via a $10 to $15 figure, that can kindly get the fuck out of my face.

I can see some stages requiring the NFC figurine, but not characters.  The roster in the 3DS version is supposed to be the same as the Wii U version, and by doing that you're making it essentially not the same or charging more for the same.

The Wii remote can already store character data/

The thing is, though, if the figures are just Horse Armor, Nintendo will get lambasted for such a lazy, pathetic, gimmick feature.

If the figures do something amazingly outstanding, Nintendo will get lambasted for gouging consumers.

It's no-win.

It depends on who you're talking to. There are certainly people who think Nintendo does everything wrong. So be it. I can't speak for anyone else. I'm fine with NFC figures unlocking "Horse Armor" in Super Smash Bros. The NFC figures are specifically being made for completely different games so really, it'd be like getting a bonus when applied to minor things in other titles, like downloading DLC for one game and it have you stuff in a different game as well. If Nintendo wants to make their own Skylanders or Infinity, those are the games that the NFC figures can unlock substantial content in because the figures and the games are so entwined. I'll only have an issue with the NFC figures should Nintendo decide they must play a major role in most if not all their future titles. I really don't see that happening. Outside of a Skylanders-style game, I expect the NFC figures unlocking stuff mostly like how connecting Metroid Prime and Metroid Fusion gave you some neat but mostly inconsequential stuff. I can certainly live with that.

Yeah, Nintendo can really have it both ways with this one, if the figurines are designed to work with multiple titles.  That kinda makes it a win-win.

C'est la vie.

I disagree.  Look at all the crap Skylanders gets.  That series was built from the ground up to revolve around the idea of figures unlocking stuff in the game - and a lot of people complain about how it's a money sink by the evil Activision to ensnare kids and their parent's wallets.

This sentiment is everything to a Nintendo fan these days, I don't mind not having online if it means a better single player experience. I don't mind not having deep cinematic experiences in my games if it means getting tighter controls, I don't mind not having HD graphics as long as I get innovative controls, I don't mind Nintendo doing something stupid as long as they throw me a bone too... and then after nearly fifteen years of this Bull shit people have had enough.

Could be because there are 242 figurines and 4 games.

I do like the idea of the figurine being a transferable quick key as well.  Tap it to the Gamepad at the friends house and it temporarily lets there save use all that you've unlocked (That doesn't require Downloading).  Tap it in a Game where it has record of you beating a similar game and just unlocking Hard Mode from the get go.

"I hope these only unlock something minor."

"If we're going to have to buy figures it should unlock something worthwhile."

If you read between the lines on both these arguments the message is "I don't want to participate in this nonsense."  The whole concept seems entirely to the benefit of Nintendo.  Skylanders is a scam.

I won't lie - I want this to fail huge for Nintendo.  It's more my dislike for the whole concept but I don't give a shit about Activision and Spyro.  This didn't affect me.  Now it's infecting games I do like so it does affect me.  I don't want Nintendo to use it so I want it to fail.  It would be nice if someone else took the fall with the concept and just spooked the hell out of Nintendo so they never end up using it but that's probably not going to happen.

Nope! Stop. I'm pushing the shenanigans broom on this nonsense. Super Smash Bros. is currently the only game announced that is using the NFC figures and you, sir, have already admitted to be not interested in the new games.

This, by your own admission, does not affect you at all. Therefore...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PX7bfDT_Yok

http://mynintendonews.com/2014/05/26/nintendo-uk-says-smash-bros-wii-u-nfc-functionality-hasnt-been-confirmed/

God damn Nintendo if you don't have a comment DON'T MAKE A COMMENT.

It's Nintendo using the concept that affects me.  It's pretty damn naive to assume that SSB will be the only game that uses this.  If it takes off it there it will work it's way into their other games.  Pokemon is probably a lock to have it.  In comparison, Activision interests me so little that I could end up never buying any game of their's again.  They pretty much never have anything on my radar.

Anyway "hasn't been confirmed" probably means "our stupid rep ran his gums before he was supposed to."  Since the Wii U supports NFC you know Nintendo plans on using it and SSB seems as likely as a title for it as any.

Besides the fact that you continually grouse about Nintendo not making games you want, you said the NFC figures are affecting games you like which it is not, at least not currently since the only game that's been named is Super Smash Bros., games you admitted do not interest you. Right now, at this very moment, the NFC figures do not affect you. With no other titles announced, there is nothing that even can affect you. Therefore, you're complaining about things that aren't even real yet. Where do you draw the line? What is and what may be in the future are two entirely different things so you need to slow your roll, sir.

And I didn't say or assume Super Smash Bros. will be the only game to use the NFC figures. In fact, I've already addressed what these figures could mean for multiple games a couple times in this thread. Claiming that the concept itself affects you is ridiculous when none of us have the slightest clue what Nintendo is planning.

I don't think that's what was said at all.

That's like a couple trying to decide what they want for dinner.

Husband: "I don't want Italian."
Wife: "I don't want Chinese."
Ian: "Well, obviously, this means no one anywhere wants to eat and opening a restaurant anywhere is a bad idea."

I think you are being a little hypersensitive to Nintendo criticism.  Nothing has been announced with how they will use this yet, this entire thread is speculation.  Should the thread just announce that SSB will have it and then they lock the thread until the game is out.  Then we can talk about it? 

I'm not sure I agree with your logic either.  I see this more as the following:


Husband: "I don't want to go out to eat because it costs too much."
Wife: "Well if I'm paying to go out to eat, I want to go to a real restaurant and get the service, not fast food."
Reality: "This is going to increase the costs and make gamers pay for things that either used to be included as unlockables in the game or could be included through cheaper DLC."


This will definitely increase the cost of getting the full gaming experience out of a game.  The question is whether they will make the included content worth it or not.  Ian doubts it will be worth it based on comparable products in the market.  We'll see I guess.

We're all thinking trophies, but Nintendo may give us a figurine for free as a means to transfer your custom-move characters.

Yeah, sure, let's go wth that extreme. Exactly.

There are ways to talk about this without claiming this has a negative affect on games that have and have not been announced yet. This has nothing to do with Nintendo criticism. Rather, people have graduated from complaining about everything to inventing things to complain about. Any criticism of this type is ridiculous. That's like if I start complaining about what my cat might fuck up tomorrow. Who does that? Why? Can we step back just a little and be patient before we break out the pitchforks and torches? E3 is in less than two weeks. Would these NFC figures really be such a burden if one can safely ignore them entirely?

I'm cautious yet intrigued by the concept. This could be used to unlock cool bonuses outside of what I buy a certain game for. I wonder how many people bought Sonic and Knucles specifically to play as Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, rather than, you know, Sonic and Knuckles. It isn't a 1:1 comparison, but I think bonuses like that could be cool. It could be that or something as severe as "Lulz, we locked the ending and true final boss behind this Ganon figure. $15 plz." Since we don't know, why complain about it? I'm all for trashing this if it sucks, BUT at least give it a chance then pass judgement once we know what's what. That, to me, makes way more sense than getting a head start on complaining about things that aren't even a thing yet.

Which again the wii remote can do with it's 16kb storage.

This.

Take a look at Skylanders.  They could have made the original game, only used the Spyro character and released it as the next Spyro platformer and it probably would have gotten reviews similar to just about any of the previous Spyro games.

Instead, you buy the game and three characters.  Not too unusual for a 3D platformer to allow you to play with three totally different characters out of the box - but nice.  Look at Mario 3D World... sure, you can play with four different characters - but they're all practically the same.  Spyro's Adventure?  All three included character have completely unique movesets and upgrades.  More than enough out of almost any platformer.

Then... the extra figures.  $10 is a little pricey for a character - but a totally new character with a completely new moveset and a completely new set of upgrades.

If Smash Bros. on-disc offers a complete and full experience equal to or better than the previous outings, then that's spectacular.  If the figures unlock something totally awesome and unique *in addition* to what's already in the complete game, I'm great with that!

@Adrock, that's a valid understanding.  Your initial post to Ian came off as, "Your opinion is different than mine!  Rage and Find STFU video because I don't like opposite opinions."  Your re-post is, I believe, a more adequate response which addresses your desire for some optimism. 


I don't like my own analogy so I'm going to try again. 
You go to a steakhouse (Nintendo) and get a $60 steak (Dinner).  The steakhouse is raising the price to $100 and including a few service extras like secluded seating, live music, romantic view etc.


Husband: "I like my $60 steak, I don't want to pay $100 ($60 game, 2x$20 Figurine) for the same steak, especially when I can get a competitors steak for $20 (Rayman Legends). 
Wife: "Some of those options sound nice and could be romantic.  Let's give it a chance, it could be worth $100.
Reality: Neither wants to pay $100 for the steak, but if the execution is good, they could still enjoy getting the $100 steak.  So it is all about execution for Nintendo. 


I actually think this would have been a much better idea to pull off with the Wii when they had a huge userbase.  Then if the figurines would work on Wii U games, it may give people a reason to get a Wii U because they have all these figurines laying around and would like to get more value out of them.  As it is, I don't think this will convince people to buy Wii Us. 

I fully expect the new Super Smash Bros. games to include more stages and characters than we've seen previously in the series and all on-disc. We've discussed things like DLC and Season Passes before which would be my preferred method for anything beyond the initial package since I don't know what I'd do with all of those figures. If this comes to pass, I'd like to see DLC and the NFC figures unlock the same stuff. For the people who don't want the figures, they have access to that content. The people who buy the figures are paying more and will probably continually buy figures in the future so I think it's pretty fair that they get to use them in multiple games to unlock bonuses.

Oh, please. I posted a George Carlin clip. Would you lighten up? I wasn't disagreeing with his opinion so much as I was pointing out that it's based on faulty reasoning. He claims the figures are affecting games he likes when the only game that was announced (which Nintendo apparently un-announced) was one he already admitted to not being interested in. Come on. That's classic Ian. While he's certainly entitled to have that opinion, I reserve the right to tell him how ridiculous that is.

Far more importantly, I'm calling for neutrality rather than either pessimism or optimism. I understand and acknowledge the implications these figures may have on future Nintendo games, but let's cool our jets. We're going to find out really soon whether to praise or condemn them.

I would be okay with this.  Like, DLC for $5 or DLC & Figure for $10.