When Super Smash Bros. for Wii U launches on November 21, it'll hit store shelves alongside the first wave of amiibo figures. The first set will feature Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Fox, Samus, Wii Fit Trainer, Villager, Pikachu, Kirby, and Marth for $12.99 each, with a second set featuring Zelda, Diddy Kong, Luigi, Little Mac, Pit, and Captain Falcon dropping at an unannounced date. By scanning these figures using your GamePad, you'll be able to battle computer-controlled "figure players" that develop depending on how you train them.
Nintendo has wowed us with impressive advertisement shots of the upcoming collectibles, but we all know that the final product never looks as good as the marketing materials. We now have side-by-side comparisons for eight of the little guys, and the results are actually quite pleasing. Finer details are lost — not to mention that the physical versions are a lot less shiny — but they are pretty much as advertised. The more cartoony characters make the leap relatively unscathed, while the more realistically proportioned characters — Peach in particular — suffer some noticeable degradation. A couple things to note: Link's clear support pole is now a sickly yellow, and Wii Fit Trainer's foot is held in place with what I can only describe as a transparent boot.
Smash Wii U will be the first game to support amiibo, while support for games like Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10, Yoshi's Woolly World, Hyrule Warriors, and of course Smash 3DS will arrive later.
