Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits

Last updated

Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits
AmiiboTapGBlogo.png
Developer(s) Nintendo
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Platform(s) Wii U
Release
  • JP: April 23, 2015
  • WW: April 30, 2015
Genre(s) Miscellaneous
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits [lower-alpha 1] (stylized as amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits), known as Amiibo Touch & Play: Nintendo Classics Highlights in the PAL regions, was an application developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U's Nintendo eShop in 2015. The application was used to play demos of 30 popular Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System video games by scanning, Amiibo figurines, Nintendo's toys-to-life series of products.

Contents

The player could play demos of the games under a three minute timer, and would start in various parts of each game. Each Amiibo scan would unlock one title randomly from the collection. The application was teased by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in February 2015, who later announced the application via Nintendo Direct the following month. It was released in April 2015 in Japan and worldwide. Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits received negative reception, and was criticized for its pricing and structure, especially amidst a supply shortage of Amiibo products. It was discontinued upon the Wii U's eShop closure on March 27, 2023.

Overview

A demo of Super Mario World Amiibo Tap Nintendo's Greatest Bits Gameplay.jpg
A demo of Super Mario World

Amiibo Tap allowed the player to scan an Amiibo figure from any physical series of figures on the Wii U GamePad to unlock demos of 30 video games by Nintendo that were originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). [1] Every unique Amiibo scanned unlocked one game randomly selected from the 30 available. Every time the Amiibo was scanned it would start the player at random points throughout the game, which each unlock having seven to nine of these "scenes". The players could then play as much as they could within three minutes. Also on the screen was a link to a how-to-play screen that explained the controls, and a link to purchase the game's Virtual Console version from the Nintendo eShop. [2]

The list of NES games to unlock are as follows:

The list of SNES games to unlock are as follows:

Announcement and release

The concept of Amiibo Tap was teased by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in February 2015 during a financial results briefing. [5] The title was officially announced via Nintendo Direct on April 1 the following month, also presented by Iwata. He detailed the time limit and how games are unlocked randomly, comparing the gameplay to "a box of chocolates" in reference to the 1994 film Forrest Gump ; it was also slated for a release in spring of that year. [6] [7] The application was released in Japan on April 23, [8] and worldwide on April 30. [9] It was discontinued when the Wii U Nintendo eShop closed on March 27, 2023. [10]

Reception

Prior to release, Hardcore Gamer reviewer Dermot Creggon referred to the tile as "the most ingenious implementation of amiibo yet", especially for its utilization of retro Nintendo games. [11] Nintendo Life 's Thomas Whitehead also believed the application's concept would be "a clever blend of promoting amiibo, usage of the GamePad and to introduce Wii U owners to classic games". [2] Upon release, however, reception was generally negative. Whitehead was critical what little content that can be unlocked with an individual Amiibo, finding it interesting only to those with many Amiibos, therefore alienating those who only have a few. He also believed it failed to make retro video games appealing to those unfamiliar with them due to limited context and lacking content. [2] In a time where Amiibos were rare to find and expensive due to their scarcity, [12] [13] PCMag reviewer Will Greenwald considered the game not to be worth the hassle of purchasing Amiibo to play. Beyond this, he considered the formula to be an entertaining way to enjoy demos of retro Nintendo games, but buying Amiibo to do so was not worth the price to pay for the content. [1] Critics derided the application for not associating games to their respective Amiibo and instead assigning them randomly. [2] [1] Daan Koopman of Nintendo World Report enjoyed the package for offering a wide variety of experiences, and enjoyed pushing the time restrictions to their limits by speedrunning and trying to get the highest score. [14] Greenwald recommended purchasing the games in full instead of Amiibos via the Virtual Console, [1] while Whitehead recommended the NES Remix series of NES and SNES collections. [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ Known in Japan as Touch! Amiibo: Sudden Famicom Classic Scenes (タッチ！アミーボ：いきなりファミコン名シーン, Tacchi! Amībo: Ikinari Famikon Meishīn).

Related Research Articles

<i>Super Mario Kart</i> 1992 video game

Super Mario Kart is a kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game in the Mario Kart series, it was released in Japan and North America in 1992, and in Europe the following year in 1993. Selling 8.76 million copies worldwide, the game went on to become the fourth best-selling SNES game of all time. Super Mario Kart was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2009, on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2013, and on the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in 2016. Nintendo re-released Super Mario Kart in 2017 as part of the company's Super NES Classic Edition.

<i>Super Mario World</i> 1990 video game

Super Mario World, known in Japan as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4, is a 1990 platform game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings. The gameplay is similar to that of earlier Super Mario games; players control Mario through a series of levels in which the goal is to reach the goalpost at the end. Super Mario World introduces Yoshi, a ridable dinosaur who can eat enemies.

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic Metroid creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Game & Watch</span> Fictional character and representation of the Game & Watch

Mr. Game & Watch is a 2D generic stick figure-styled silhouette character, created by Nintendo as an amalgamation of various characters that appeared in the Game & Watch handheld consoles. He was created by Gunpei Yokoi, with an intention of representing the Game & Watch collection, as the consoles had no main mascot, rather characters designed for the minigames. He debuted in Ball from Game & Watch. Mr. Game & Watch has appeared as a cameo in several other Nintendo games, such as Donkey Kong Country Returns, WarioWare: Touched!, Rhythm Heaven Fever and Super Mario Odyssey.

<i>Kirby Super Star</i> 1996 video game

Kirby Super Star, released as Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL regions, is an anthology platform video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1996. It is part of the Kirby series of video games by HAL Laboratory. The game was advertised as a compilation featuring eight games: seven short subsections with the same basic gameplay, and two minigames.

<i>Kirbys Dream Course</i> 1994 video game

Kirby's Dream Course is a 1994 miniature golf video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). A spin-off of the Kirby series and the first released for the SNES, players control the pink spherical character Kirby through a series of courses by launching him towards the goal hole at the end. Kirby can hit enemies to collect power-ups that grant him unique abilities, such as those that allow him to destroy certain obstacles or fly around the level.

The Virtual Console is a defunct line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classic Controller</span> Game controller for the Wii by Nintendo

The Classic Controller is a game controller produced by Nintendo for the Wii home video game console. While it later featured some compatibility with the Wii U console, the controller was ultimately succeeded by the Wii U Pro Controller. In April 2014, Nintendo discontinued production of both the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro.

<i>Kirby</i> (series) Video game series

Kirby is an action-platform video game series developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The series centers around the adventures of Kirby as he fights to protect and save his home on the distant Planet Popstar from a variety of threats. The majority of the games in the series are side-scrolling platformers with puzzle-solving and beat 'em up elements. Kirby has the ability to inhale enemies and objects into his mouth, spitting them out as a projectile or eating them. If he inhales certain enemies, he can gain the powers or properties of that enemy manifesting as a new weapon or power-up called a Copy Ability. The series is intended to be easy to pick up and play even for people unfamiliar with action games, while at the same time offering additional challenge and depth for more experienced players to come back to.

<i>Super Mario All-Stars</i> 1993 game compilation

Super Mario All-Stars is a 1993 compilation of platform games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It contains remakes of Nintendo's four Super Mario games released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the Famicom Disk System: Super Mario Bros. (1985), Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (1986), Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988), and Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988). As in the original games, players control the Italian plumber Mario and his brother Luigi through themed worlds, collecting power-ups, avoiding obstacles, and finding secrets. The remakes feature updated graphics—including the addition of parallax scrolling—and music, modified game physics, a save feature, and bug fixes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game & Watch</span> Series of handheld electronic games by Nintendo

The Game & Watch is a line of handheld electronic games created by Nintendo. Released from 1980 to 1991, these devices were the brainchild of designer Gunpei Yokoi. Their name reflects their dual functionality: a single game paired with a digital clock on an LCD screen. Starting in 1981, models also included an alarm. In North America, the games were originally released through Mego Corporation as the Time-Out series; this line, consisting of Ball, Vermin, and Fire, was discontinued later that year, with Nintendo of America subsequently distributing the series themselves under their original titles.

<i>Mario Party 10</i> 2015 video game

Mario Party 10 is a 2015 party video game developed by NDcube and published by Nintendo for the Wii U video game console. It is the tenth home console release in the Mario Party series and a part of the larger Mario franchise. Featuring gameplay similar to the prior series entries, players compete against each other and computer-controlled characters to collect the most mini-stars, traversing a game board and engaging in minigames and other challenges. There are multiple game modes, including one where players traverse a board in a vehicle, sabotaging each other and making choices to collect the most mini-stars by the end. Mario Party 10 adds two modes over its predecessors: Bowser Party, where four players compete in a team against a fifth who controls Bowser on the Wii U GamePad, and Amiibo Party, where players use Amiibo figures. Their gameplay is interspersed by over 70 minigames with various play styles.

<i>Super Mario Maker</i> 2015 video game

Super Mario Maker is a 2015 platform game and game creation system developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii U, released worldwide in September 2015. Players can create, play, and share courses online, free of charge, based on the styles of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. The game was revealed as the final challenge of Nintendo World Championships 2015.

Amiibo is a toys-to-life platform by Nintendo, which was launched in November 2014. It consists of a wireless communications and storage protocol for connecting figurines to the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch video game consoles. These figurines are similar in form and functionality to that of the Skylanders, Disney Infinity and Lego Dimensions series of toys-to-life platforms. The Amiibo platform was preannounced to potentially accommodate any form of toy, specifically including general plans for future card games. Amiibo use near field communication (NFC) to interact with supported video game software, potentially allowing data to be transferred in and out of games and across multiple platforms.

<i>Kirby and the Rainbow Curse</i> 2015 video game

Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, known in PAL regions as Kirby and the Rainbow Paintbrush, is a platforming video game in the Kirby series, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for Wii U. The title, which is a follow-up game of the 2005 Nintendo DS title Kirby: Canvas Curse, was released by Nintendo on January 22, 2015, in Japan, February 20, 2015, in North America, May 8, 2015, in Europe, and May 9, 2015, in Australia. The game supports the Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede Amiibo.

<i>Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge</i> 2016 video game

Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge is a 2016 puzzle-platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U. The seventh entry in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, the game was free to download on the Nintendo eShop, but requires Nintendo's Amiibo lineup in order to play. It was released in Japan in January 2016 and worldwide in April.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Greenwald, Will (2015-05-19). "Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits (for Nintendo Wii U)". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2017-06-26.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Whitehead, Thomas (2015-05-01). "First Impressions: Tapping In With amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Albert, Brian (2015-04-01). "Unlock Demos of Classic Nintendo Games Using Amiibo Tap". IGN . Archived from the original on 2023-04-26. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Hits Has Highlights From 30 Titles". Siliconera . 2015-04-23. Archived from the original on 2022-08-13. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  5. ↑ Tach, Dave (2016-02-17). "Amiibo will unlock free 'highlighted scenes' from NES and SNES games this year". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2023-03-29. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  6. ↑ Tach, Dave (2015-04-01). "Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits headed to Wii U this spring". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  7. ↑ "Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits announced for Wii U". MCV/Develop . 2015-04-02. Archived from the original on 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. ↑ "タッチ！amiibo いきなりファミコン名シーン" [Touch! Amiibo: Sudden Famicom Classic Scenes]. Famitsu (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  9. ↑ Whitehead, Thomas (2015-04-25). "amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits Bringing Retro Freebie Fun to North America on 30th April". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  10. ↑ Scullion, Chris (2023-03-17). "Here's the exact time the Wii U and 3DS eShops close down today". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on 2023-04-03. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  11. ↑ Creggon, Dermot (2015-04-02). "Nintendo Direct Dissection: April 2015 Edition". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2022-12-30. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  12. ↑ Saed, Sherif (2015-05-04). "Nintendo apologises for Amiibo shortages, will reissue some out-of-stock figures". VG247 . Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  13. ↑ Crecente, Brian (2015-05-04). "Nintendo apologizes for amiibo frustrations, promises to do better, reissue toys". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  14. ↑ Koopman, Daan (2015-04-30). "Swapping Cartridges with Amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 2021-01-09. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.