Nintendo Figure Platform: The Questions Leading to E3

During an investors meeting Nintendo vaguely made a very large announcement about new NFC Figures that will utilize the NFC reader on the Wii U Gamepad and eventually the 3DS. This is something that many predicted a while back when Skylanders begun to sell like gangbusters and then once again after the same happened with Disney Infinity. Earlier this year we found out how Nintendo had a chance to partner with Skylanders but ended up turning them down. This made me believe that they would not go down this route, but now those rumors from the past are found to be true. Although they did not say much about what they will entitle or what games they are for we do know that we will find out more at E3.

After playing both Skylanders and Disney Infinity, although they are both very fun kids games, they wound up feeling like just that, kids games. Fun toys, creative characters, simple and clean game play, but after a couple of hours in, it felt rather dull to an older gamer like myself. This is where Nintendo tends to shine. They have a way of making games that are easy enough for the casual or younger gamer, but then somehow complicated or just fun enough for even hardcore gamers. Although they have not say much about what games the figures will be used for or even what characters will be included, we do know that we will find out more at E3. For now we are just left with questions.

WILL NINTENDO KEEP QUIET UNTIL E3?

E3 is about four weeks away, they have announced their plans to do a digital event along with tree house demos throughout the week. But just this week we have gotten information about Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, followed by this information of the NFP. E3 will get the most excitement out of surprises. Telling fans something that they already know takes all of the fun out of it. These figures are different. It gets people talk, speculating, wondering, and hyping about what they are going to do with them. It may have been an awesome out of nowhere surprise if they had waited, but after their sales numbers were released, it should not be that big of a surprise that they want people to know there are things to be excited about. With that being said, the rest of this month Nintendo needs to stay quiet. No more announcements, no more hints, no more trailers. The only exception to this is Mario Kart which is releasing just before E3. As of right now the Wii U and even the 3DS software line up looks rather slim. If they are doing this right, which I hope they are, E3 will be packed with games. They need to have games that are coming out this year and games that have yet to be announced. Yes we should see Bayonetta 2, Super Smash Brother, and even Yarn Yoshi and X, but we need the excitement of something new and something that nobody saw coming. That something could even be this Nintendo Figure Platform, who knows.

WILL THE NFP CONTAIN CHARACTERS FROM THE NINTENDO UNIVERSE OR BE HELD TO THE MARIO UNIVERSE?

In the release statement only one figure was announce and you guessed it, it was Mario. Despite the name being called Nintendo Figurine Platform, it is safe to wonder if the figures will be all of Nintendo Franchises like lets say Super Smash Brothers, or will it be narrowed down to the Mario Franchise like Mario Kart/Golf/Party. With no word on what the games are we won’t know until E3, but could this mean we get more crossover action like we see in Super Smash Brothers? Could we see Mario and Link in a game other than that? It is possible and exciting.

IF IT IS STRICTLY THE MARIO UNIVERSE, COULD THIS BE THE GAME CHANGING MARIO TITLE THAT BREAKS THE MOLD?

When it comes to the next Mario game, everyone either goes one of two directions. One wants Galaxy 3, and the other wants something revolutionary or something game changing. Look at Mario games of the past, is broken into 2D Mario and 3D Mario. They seem to have a pattern to them.

Game ones, Mario Bros. and Mario 64, were revolutionary and did something that spoke to thousands of fans and made a lot of the Nintendo fan boys and girls that exist today. The second game, Mario Bros. 2 and Mario Sunshine, were very solid games but were quirky and a little out there in concept in the best possible way. The third being Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario Galaxy, this took everything that they learned in the first two and nearly perfected it, giving the fans something new, exciting, and arguably one of the best Mario platforming experiences they can have. Then to top it off they polished off a sequel to those games and added Yoshi’s, yes there was a lot more than that but that is a similar trait between Super Mario World and Galaxy 2. And finally Nintendo went back to their roots and made New Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 3D World, some very good and straightforward Mario platforming games, but now with 4-player multi-player.

Sorry for the history lesson but it felt necessary. Where will Nintendo go from here with our beloved franchise? It is time to expand. There is a market for 2D and 3D Mario platformers but they need to take a break for now and Mario needs to reinvent himself once again. Maybe this is the way they do that. Maybe Mario finally passes of some of that fame of his to some lesser-known characters as Spyro did with Skylanders or dare I say new heroes we have never seen before. Maybe fans get a chance to play as some villains like Bowser or Dry Bones (I have to suggest it). This could be the Mario Universe game that changes everything for Mario once again.

FIGURES WILL BE USED FOR MULTIPLE GAMES. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WHAT GAMES ARE THEY?

One fact about these figures were released. That is that they will be used for multiple games. This could mean one of two things. Starting with the less exciting, they are already planning sequels. Skylanders first figures went on to be usable in the following games and are still usable in the newest version. Disney Infinity is announcing their second game in Disney Infinity 2.0 with Marvel and this also will be backwards compatible with past Disney Infinity figures. But on a more exciting thought, what if this is all based around playable characters in games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, Mario Party, or Mario Sports. No longer will rosters be on the games themselves, no longer will you have to think to yourself “Dry Bones was in Mario Party 7, 8, and Mario Kart Wii, will he be in Mario Kart 8?” This may seem unlikely but from someone who is all about the rosters and someone who cares about who makes the cut and who doesn’t, this could be a very big deal.

CAN ANYONE ACTUALLY EXPECT WHAT WILL BE ANNOUNCED?

Year Nintendo is known for not following the pack, they are known for starting the trends. That is why this announcement is a little surprising. With that being said, the lack of information still leads me to believe that Nintendo has something up their sleeve, something that will make these not be just a Skylanders or Disney Infinty rip off. This is why the hype is hitting extra hard, this has a possibility of being something new, something fresh, and something nobody has ever even thought of. Don’t get me wrong, it also has the potential to be something as small and insignificant as Pokemon Rumble U, but with Nintendo and the Wii U already being hit pretty hard the past couple of years it is hard to believe they are not pulling out all the stops.

CONCLUSION

Nintendo’s E3 Digital Event is June 10th, hopefully we will not find anything out until then but for now the hype train will move on.