Amiibo is the worst form of dlc ever conceived

I never had a problem with DLC in general. Even day 1 DLC, as long as the the game felt big on it's own and the DLC is priced fairly. This is not always the case, of course, but when it is, I'm OK with it.

But Amiibo, the entire concept, is the most stupid form of DLC I have seen. And basically everyone supports it. With this, they lock content away, and in order to get it you need to buy a $13 figure. Most of the time, you will need multiple figures in order to get the full experience of a game. Many say, "it's just extra content, it's not necessary." To that I say, of course it's not necessary. What about video games, *is* necessary? They are games, we get them for fun. But I don't like the feeling of not being able to get content that could of easily been placed either in the game, or on the Eshop on it's own, because I don't want to have purchase an expensive piece of plastic.

"It's just alternate skins or other stupid stuff like that. You aren't missing much." Firstly, I love alternate skins/costumes. Depending on the game, they can add a lot of extra enjoyment for me. Plus, it's not just that. In Smash Bros, you can train an AI sparing partner. That remembers all your previous battles and learns from them. That is pretty frickin' awesome. But one Amiibo lets you do that with *one* character. Want access to all 58 characters to do this with? $754. Wow. Maybe you just want your 3 favorite characters? $39. Still quite a bit just for that feature.

"But it's not just that one feature. Amiibo can be used for multiple games." True, very true. But you see, that only applies if you buy just about every game Nintendo makes. Or the specific ones that use the Amiibo you have.

When it's not a small extra thing in a large game. It's an entire frickin' mode in a small package that should have been there in first place. Like in Mario Party 10. That is something I would have a problem with, even if it was normal DLC. But the fact that it needs Amiibo just makes it worse.

I used to be such a big Nintendo fan. But they are making it harder and harder for me want to continue buying their stuff.

EDIT: If you are going to comment something like, "You don't have to buy them." Just don't, because you are completely missing the point. I know I don't have to buy them. I didn't buy them, and I'm not going to. But that doesn't mean it's nice having content I can't access because I don't have an overpriced figure.

I never liked DLC and I like Amiibos less. I tried out DLC, but with the advent of GOTY versions of games, why bother.

I do think Nintendo should sell the DLC separately and not force an Amiibo sell, but $$$.

Also, there is an extremely fine line between unlocking "extra content" and locking content that is not deemed as extra content (see Zelda TP HD Wii U details).

I posted about Amiibos only a few hours ago. It seems a waste to have to paraphrase myself so instead I'll grab and edit the relevant portion of my earlier post for this Amiibo thread:

----

I think this Amiibo craze is good for the company, but not great for gamers.

I'm a huge Nintendo fan, but I don't buy these things. I do support their actual games and I want my money funding future games, not toys. As a company, if these profits from making tons of variations of Mario and gang, they will proceed to make even more variations (Silver Mario, Gold Mario, Racoon Mario, Sunshine Mario, Dr. Mario...plus other characters). I would rather see more games from Nintendo rather than them devote any resources to creating tons of variations of Nintendo character Amiibos to buy. This money train isn't going to stop, but I'd rather see more resources devoted to making more games. Truth be told, I bought my Wii U in 2012 and it's 2016 and there is still no original Zelda Wii U released. No Metroid. No follow up to Mario 64/Sunshine/Galaxy that I expected. Wii U is cool, but the library could be better. Regarding companies shifting gears, look what happened to Valve for instance (there are many, many examples of companies shifting gears to follow the dollar). Activision, Konami, Ubisoft, EA, etc.

If I am going to display something, it's going to be something of a much higher quality like these higher priced and beautiful statues.

----

Related news:

Man Loses Two Rare Amiibos (Wii Fit Trainer and Villager) – In His Rectum!

Man is rushed to local hospital to remove two rare Nintendo Amiibos from his rectum and intestines.

@SolidTy said:

Thug Life.

It can't be as bad as the Horse Armour DLC.

But I kinda wish that all games that include Amiibos should go for the Super Mario Maker route in terms of Amiibos being optional and/or faster way to unlock content.

Either buy it or don't buy it. Options are great.

You can't say Amiibo is the worst without also pointing out the industry trend in general, like Lego Dimensions, Disney Infinity, and Skylanders.

@Bigboi500:That logic doesn't exactly apply here. I mean, yes, I can choose not to buy it. And I do. But that does not counter what I said in my first post.

@Sennaris:I suppose. But I would still say Amiibo is worse simply because the games you mentioned are designed all around the figures. The figures are just for that and that game is nothing without the figures. So if I don't like the concept, I can easily just not get that game. With Amiibo, it's spread all over all of Nintendo's games. I can't get a Nintendo game without some part of it being locked away behind an Amiibo.

It's not like you're being forced to buy them.

@quietraven: I don't like the annual rehashed trash that goes for sale every year, so I don't buy it. I also don't like always online types of games, so I don't support them either. You are not entitled to anything, so what else is there to discuss here?

If you want the little bells and whistles that come with Amiibos, you have to buy them. Deal with it.

Or on disc DLC that hide twenty freaking characters (still sour at Capcom for pulling that bullshit).

@Bigboi500: But those "rehashed games" aren't affecting you in any way when you don't buy them. They are not part of something you already own. The "you don't have to buy it" counter argument applies perfectly there, but not here.

Neither do the small unlocks with Amiibo. You can still perfectly enjoy whatever game you buy without Amiibos.

I would argue that those are actually cool. The idea of toys coming to life in a video game is great.

Amiibos are just lame shelf decorations that just happen to unlock the most pointless game items.

Sort of. But besides, unlike the example you provided about rehashed games, it's not that I don't want the content. I do want it, I just think the requirement for getting it is absurd.

I am allowed to voice my opinion on this matter.

Complain all you want, but it's no different than fighter skins, or season passes. Besides, no one buys them for unlockables, everyone buys them for collectibles.

At least with season passes you are choosing ahead of time to pay for the content you may or may want. And you have the option to wait and just buy whichever individually. Can't do that with the Amiibo content. It's all or nothing with those.

"no one buys them for unlockables, everyone buys them for collectibles." That is exactly why they should be *just* collectibles.

Gee, I'm so mad that my collectible action figures have these extra unlocks.

Exactly how I look at them, some of them I haven't even registered yet, just sitting proudly on my shelf.

A single Amiibo unlocks content for multiple games in most cases. I have no problem with this.

I've got like 20 of them, they're still in the packaging, they're a fun little collectible and have use in multiple games if you want to actually use them.

Errrr, this isn't my alt, I swear it.

Don't waste your breath, TC. Now I'm hearing TTP HD will have a dungeon locked on an Amiibo.

Woo-hoo! Let the Amiibo craze continue!

Oh pleeeease no that is new levels of scummy

I'm more iffed that it's a mandatory option.

I mean if i had a choice like a 12Euro figure and the bonus in the game, or the DLC in the store for 5Euro, but no dice.

That Amiibo comes with the game though...

Not for the digital release, or if someone decides to buy the game used.

At first, but then they'll have a copy without it. Not to mention digital copies

I know you like amiibo bro but i'm against the content aspect of it, not the collecting. One exception being the 50+ yoshi skins (like they'd make that many without amiibo) but in this case, and Mario Party 10 it would be scummy. I've not owned Splatoon (only played the demo) but I think that's another one that locks a significant amount of content behind them.

@JangoWuzHere: @Chozofication: Do it right and get the game new and physical, bros. :P

I haven't found things like costume unlocks from Amiibos to feel like anything to care much about, people are into Amiibos as collectible figures, like those vinyl dolls they sell of iconic pop culture characters, but damn, today I was in the Wii U eShop shaking my head at all that pricey Super Smash Bros DLC, they definitely went beyond their humble DLC pricing they were praised for with Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warrior season passes.

Shovel knight is doing this too unfortunately.

Well, the predictable defense force arises:

"This content wouldn't exist without Amiibos!" (Just like Hero Mode doesn't without them in Zelda:AlbW, but you can rest assured had that been an Amiibo unlock the same defense would be put up for it), "It's minimal/insignificant content!!", etc, etc.

My problem would be completely nullified if this content, or any content, on Amiibos were available though simply smaller DLC paks or MTs, and I don't know why Nintendo doesn't offer this option. People who buy Amiibo have been said by Kimishima himself to be doing so just for the figures, so where's the harm in giving an alternative to those who don't want it? Amiibo remain an exclusionary model of content distribution for those that don't want the toy, not to mention the disparity of that content's value is far disproportionate for what is actually being paid for, which the majority is the manufacturing cost of the actual figure itself which Nintendo operates under the assumption everyone wants.

Not one defender of Amiibo has explained to me why Nintendo does not give the option to buy their Amiibo content separately.

I love Amiibos. It just sounds like you poor brah.

@MirkoS77: Why do publishers of games like Call of Duty and Halo not allow you to buy SP portions and MP portions of their games separately? The answer is simple. Money.

Yes. Like Bigboi500said. "Options are great." If we had the option to buy the content without buying the Amiibo. Then there would be no issue. But no, Nintendo does not give us that option.

@SolidTy said:

@SolidTy said:

Thug Life.

Bro, that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen... today.

Yet it was all for nothing after reading this hot garbage... really?

I hope shit like this doesn't become the norm.

Isn't it an extra side dungeon though? Like a new one they're making as a side thing?

It's not like the water or forest temple-mandatory to progress through the game right?

I would assume that's it, just an extra, still scummy though.

If that Twilight Princess rumor turns or to be true, and there is no way to access that extra dungeon outside of the Amiibo, I'll agree.

I think the biggest issue of it all is how Nintendo barely supplies any amiibo that isn't a Mario, Link, Pikachu, or any other more popular Nintendo character.

It's one thing to have game content tied with a physical product, it's another thing to then make the game content almost impossible to get without immediately pre-ordering the amiibo as soon as its announced.

I thought the idea of the figures was not appealing all around still Infinity 3.0 came along.

I think those issues don't exist anymore. I see all sorts of amiibo on shelves now.

If Twilight Princess has that locked dungeon bullshit then I'm dousing my Link plushie with kerosene, lighting it on fire and throwing it across the border at El Chapo.

That doesn't make sense though; your analogy would only work on opposite premise: if SP and MP were available separately (but cheaper individually), they'd make more profit. You'd have the people who bought the whole package for $60, then those who just bought portions for $30 each on top of that who would've never bought the whole package in the first place. That's what would bring in more money, not restricting options.

That really grinds my gears.

Collectibles are fine but I was already fed up with segmenting content be it dlc, season passes, preorder exclusive or the dreaded retailer exclusives. These are the kind of things that could turn me away from gaming. We dont see this in movies or books, so why is it ok here?

So yeah, I don't like amiibo, but there is no way they're worse than Micro transactions. Micro transactions are a 1 and done, it's a one time buffer or merely unlocks something you can get by playing the game, and lately I see games being more grind heavy to try and entice you into them. That's still the absolute worst.

I get that amiibo is unique in that you have to own this physical thing to use the content, but to me it's not much worse than nickel and dime dlc, my beef is still with the content itself, that's the main reason I don't like amiibo. As a matter of fact, me being pro physical content, I might even say that if the game doesn't need a patch for the amiibo to unlock something, well at least it's on the disc and not a piece of data that I might lose and then servers shut down. But then we get into the realm of on disc dlc :P

Anywho, i'm just rambling now. To me all of it, including pre order bonuses are equally scummy. I'm definitely not against legit meaty dlc or expansions, just relatively small pieces of content that aren't premium, so they shouldn't be sold as such.

It's the same in that content is being locked behind what they offer. Lots of folks just want one or the other, but they have to pay for the complete package to get what they want. Same thing here. They only combine them to make the whole thing look more appealing, and for Call of Duty for instance, they wouldn't get sales at all for SP campaigns, and if they only made MP they couldn't charge what they do now. If there actually were clear signs that they could make more money that way, they would do it in a minute.

@trugs26: Well I don't really look into amiibos THAT much, so maybe I'm off. I was at a gamestop earlier today and think they were missing alot of different amiibo characters. Could just be a location thing I guess but eh.

lol

I do not agree, its the best thing ever created because its Nintendo.. anything Nintendo does is fine and awesome