The amiibo craze may have reached a peak yesterday, with pre-orders going on sale for the next wave of figures, including the retailer exclusives at Gamestop, Toys "R" Us, and Target.
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Ness is the exclusive figure at Gamestop, and he caused quite the stir yesterday as pre-orders went live. Unfortunately, high demand, an insane rush, and poorly communicated launch plans from the retailer means getting your hands on the figure is now very unlikely.
Ness never even appeared online at all despite word to consumers about when to check in, with Gamestop instead quietly suggesting people come out to physical locations and pre-order there. This influx delayed the electronic system nationwide, and Ness was sold out via in-store purchases before an online posting even began.
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Destructoid's Chris Carter wrote about his hands-on experience with buying the exclusive retailer amiibo figures, and it sounds like a bit of a nightmare. He describes that scenario waiting at Gamestop, as well as the methods employed by Target and Toys R Us with Jigglypuff and Greninja. For Nintendo, the high demand is probably exactly what they want--but it's definitely frustrating for consumers.
The EarthBound character comes as part of a larger wave that includes Lucina, Robin, Charizard, Wario, and Pac-Man. Amiibo, aside from being neat-looking collectibles, are compatible with a variety of Nintendo games. On Wii U and the New 3DS, the figures can communicate with the hardware and save or transfer character data for use in certain games. Applicable software includes Super Smash Bros, Codename STEAM, Mario Party 10, Yoshi's Woolly World¸ and more.
