It seems like the only thing gamers are talking about regarding this week's Nintendo Direct is the unveiling of The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask for the 3DS. But once you get past the Zelda hype, there was plenty of additional news to be found, especially for Amiibo fans.
Amiibos are Nintendo's upcoming play to integrate physical toys into the gameplay experience. It's like Skylanders or Disney Infinity but with Mario, Link, Samus and friends. Nintendo had previously released information on how the toys would interact with games like Super Smash Bros, alongside the promise the games might incorporate additional titles as well.
But it wasn't until this week's new video that the Big N finally started to drop some specifics. The Nintendo Direct revealed how Amiibos will alter the gameplay experience in Mario Kart 8 and Hyrule Warriors.
In Mario Kart 8, sending your Amiibo into the game via the Wii U's gamepad will allow your in-game Mii racer to take on the appearance of that character via a "racing suit". Your Mii will retain his or her basic appearance, but will take on the persona of your Amiibo through a Mii costume. Mario Kart 8 will provide Amiibo support for Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Samus and Fox McCloud.
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Hyrule Warriors will also get its own unique Amiibo support in an update coming to the title later this month. Placing the Link Amiibo on the gamepad will unlock a special Spinner weapon for Link to use in-game. The Spinner is the top-like weapon that players rode into battle in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
But Link isn't the only Amiibo that will work with the game. Every Amiibo character that works with Super Smash Bros will also work with Hyrule Warriors. Nintendo said other characters will reward players with things like rupees or in-game materials or weapons.
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The Spinner wasn't a hugely popular addition to Twilight Princess, but it looks mighty formidable. It's a little unclear right now if the other characters in Hyrule Warriors that also have Amiibos, like Zelda, will get their own custom weapon or if the Spinner weapon will be available to other characters besides Link.
There's no guarantee that Amiibos will help sell Wii U consoles, but for those who are already fans of Nintendo, it looks like the company intends to provide a great deal of fan service with its new product. Upcoming games with confirmed support for Amiibo include Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi's Wooly World.
The first wave of Amiibos hits stores November 21 alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
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Follow Jason Gallagher on Twitter @MuckrakerJG