First we had the Skylanders games, which they're still making games and toys for. Then Disney wanted to get a piece of the action with Disney Infinity. Then Nintendo decided to take it up a notch with their amiibo figures and cards, which are still being added to just about every month. Now Lego is stepping into the ring with their newest game, Lego Dimensions. It seems every year a company is going to jump on the toy and video game bandwagon.
What are your thoughts on this? Do you think toy usage in video games are just stupid? Or do you want toys for your own favorite games?
My main issue with these games is that they lock most of the gameplay behind a paywall until you buy the right character to do it so it becomes very expensive if you want to 100% one of them.
Toy usage isn't an entirely horrible thing. Though toys do restrict players in Skylanders, forcing additional payments for a full completion, other toy uses by other companies are completely ethical.
Nintendo's amiibo figures are nothing to be alarmed about. In fact, their application to Nintendo titles are quite ingenious and beneficial to gamers.. Amiibos are essentially additional game content not for a single game, but for all 16 where they are compatible. This is not restrictive in anyway. It encourages the purchase of more Nintendo titles to fully utilise each amiibo. As more compatible Nintendo titles are released, the value players get from their amiibos will only increase. Amiibos are absolutely brilliant, not only for Nintendo, but for fans.
Whether toys are either good or bad for consumers ultimately depends on their execution. Skylander's case is restrictive with its games built on the collection of the toys. Nintendo's amiibos are extra content given to existing games and future ones. It is clear which, of the two uses of toys, is relatively good or bad.
