Back in 2011 the Skylanders figures hit a bemused market. Who would
want a system where you had to place physical images of your gaming characters
on a ‘Portal of Power’ and use Near Field Communications (NFC) just to make
them come alive in your game? As it
turned out, many gamers were intrigued by the notion and despite being slated
for the lack of on-line multiplayer options, the system
was well received by players and the gaming industry in general. The so called
Toy-to-Life concept started with Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures but soon
started to produce other titles as the gaming public too it. The initial foray was quickly followed up
with Skylanders Giants, Skylanders Swapforce, and Skylanders Trap team and the
franchise started making serious money.
Plainly there was a market to be filled with these characters, and others
were swift to follow on with the Skylanders success.
Disney quickly followed up on the
success of Skylanders with its own Infinity system. It featured a huge array of figurines taken
from films as diverse as Pirates of the Caribbean to Monsters Inc. and followed
a similar arrangement of NCF interface to the Skylanders game. By swapping figurines on the connected base,
you could introduce alternate players into the video game. Disney followed up
on the game with Disney Infinity: Marvel Superheroes a couple of years later to
huge approval from the market. However
cranky the system might have looked when Skylanders first launched, it was an
undeniable success.
It was that success that led
Japanese company Nintendo to develop the Amiibo system in 2014 in a bid to take
on the might of the other two systems.
Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, and what works for one
games may not be what another is looking for in an NFC system. Here we offer an honest appraisal of all
three in several categories.
Functionality.
The three systems split into two
distinct sections here, with the Skylanders and Disney offerings using the
standard NFC interface. Allowing fast swap-out between the characters. There are a couple of distinct differences
between the two though, with the latest version of Skylanders – the Trap team
variant - allows capture of enemies via trap crystals, adding them to your own
roster. The Disney Infinity system has a
true sandbox feature allowing the player to construct their own adventures
featuring any character they own. The
Amiibo system is designed for use with the Wii U and the characters are
activated by pressing them against the Wii U gamepad. Once done, your character can be imported into
Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, or Hyrule Warriors Wii U Games. This are the only three games that currently
support the system though Nintendo is working hard to increase the player base
with more titles.
So in terms of flexibility and
gameplay, the Disney system tends to edge ahead of the Skylanders and both are
way ahead of the Amiibo system, but watch this space as it could all change in
the future.
Price
The Skylanders starter pack tends
to be the most expensive of the three systems and is part of the game package
and includes the base which you need to run as a minimum. Additional figures are sold as either packs of
three or two and a new game level. There
is also a roaring trade in preowned figures and with the Skylanders system
getting on for five years old, there are plenty of second hand figures
available out there.
Disney is the cheapest of all
three but generally less than the Skylanders.
If you shop around you can find some amazing deals that really do make
it a much more affordable toy. The
starter kit generally comes with two figures – that’ll be Merida and Stitch for
the Toy Box 2.0 series or Iron Man and Black Widow for the Marvel Superheroes set. Additional figures can be purchased
individually or as playsets which give you two additional figures and extra
story levels.
Amiibo figures are sold
individually and are not associated with any particular games, and increase
functionality of those figures within the games they are played in. For
example, Hyrule Warriors Wii U will work either with or without Amiibo, but by adding
the system, you will get further features and gameplay. The price is slightly
higher than Disney but as a collector of these figures, they may well be worth
a lot in the future – same can be said about Disney characters – these are the
characters we will grow to watch and love and they will probably exist forever!
Fun Factor.
The Skylanders system is fun and
easy to use. Swapping characters is
effortless and seamless within the game, making it a gas to play. While the in-game characters may not be a
instantly recognizable as the Disney or Nintendo characters, they have a
certain charm and are likely to become collectable by those using it, so
players will strive to complete the whole series, and with over 300 figures
available, that could amount to a serious outlay. And it is unlikely that it’ll stop anytime
soon with more figures and increased variants in gameplay, so those who have
already laid out for the system are only going to keep going.
The Disney system is just as good
as the Skylanders one in terms of flawless gameplay and the figures obviously
have the appeal of being well-known, they are finite in number and if the
system is going to keep going, it will be via gameplay tweaks rather than by
increasing characters endlessly. But the
good folk at Disney studios are certainly up to the task and the system is
likely to see some really interesting updates for years to come.
The Amiibo is the new kid on the
block and while it’s still in its infancy in terms of characters, Nintendo is
likely to want to catch up with the others quickly, so you can bet that they
will throw everything they have at the problem.
The main problem with the Amiibo is that it is essentially an
enhancement to existing games rather than creating new games.
Where to spend your money.
All three systems have their pros
and cons but gaming on all three systems is fast and fun, though undeniably
enhanced in the sandbox modes of the Disney and Skylanders versions. Plainly
the Amiibo system is at a severe disadvantage as it is so new and is so
different from the other two. You can’t
help thinking that if Nintendo had copied – within the confines of Intellectual
Property rights – the Skylanders and Disney systems and used their well known
characters such as Mario and Zelda within a sandbox environment, it might have
greater appeal, but perhaps the fact that it is different will be its making.That
said, the figures work well in a number of associated programs and that number
will only grow as Nintendo broaden their base, which will probably make the
Amiibo system a lot more flexible as time passes.
If you are already a system owner
– or the parent of a system owner - then you will appreciate the financial
outlay associated with owning it, and are unlikely to want to start investing
in one of the others as well as funding one you already own. If you are new to the genre, then you are in
for a treat and a not insubstantial decision as you try and figure out the best
suited to your budget. In the end, it’s likely to come down to personal
preference for characters or systems that you already own, but one thing is for
certain, you will begin an experience that will keep you entertained for many
years to come. All of the systems will
see future updates and expansions so really, whatever you choose, the potential
is huge most likely be sticking around for a long time – If you are still
undecided please do not hesitate to contact Hitari Customer Care via email address (info@hitari.co.uk) who will be be happy to help!
