Amiibo

Amiibo is a series of collectible figurines based on characters from Nintendo games and characters from other companies that have made guest appearances in Nintendo games.

Amiibos work similar to Skylanders, by scanning the figurines into the game console while playing a compatible game, the Amiibo unlocks special content, while the game can write data into the figure. Amiibos are compatible with some models of Nintendo 3DS, and all models of the Wii U, and Nintendo Switch.

Why They Rock

 * 1) Almost No dedicated game for Amiibos, which means you're not forced to buy them to play a game, unlike Skylanders, Disney Infinity and LEGO Dimensions.
 * 2) Great items for collectors at a reasonable price.
 * 3) Large variety of figures from iconic Nintendo franchises and even some non-Nintendo characters.
 * 4) The figures are made of rather high quality material and often show plenty of detail.
 * 5) Unlock extra content for your games. While this can be seen as DLC, you get a little toy figure in addition to the extra content.
 * 6) Some of the figures can be scanned without taking them out of the box, which is good for collectors that dislike opening boxes.
 * 7) In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, as well as Ultimate, the Figure Player learns from the fighters it fights against, leveling up in the process (up to level 50). Figure Players can be fed equipment to boost their stats. Any amiibo figure corresponding to a playable character may be used, not just the ones released in the Super Smash Bros. amiibo series; however, amiibo cards cannot. Figure Players can be used on any copy of the game (even if the character has not been unlocked or downloaded). Owing to Figure Players' ability to be "trained" and used on other consoles, amiibo tournaments have become a minor side-event at some Smash 4 tournaments. But here in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the amiibo that represent non-fighter spirits can instead be used to obtain those spirits. Figure Player data from Super Smash Bros. 4 can be converted for use in Ultimate, but once it is converted, the data can no longer be used in Super Smash Bros. 4. As Charizard was added back into Pokémon Trainer's team, a Charizard amiibo will scan as Pokémon Trainer with Charizard as the starting Pokémon. Like with SSB4, Figure Players function as computer-controlled opponents that learn from their opponents. However, it is now possible to disable their ability to learn. Figure Players can inherit up to three support spirits, permanently consuming them in order to gain their skills, having access to these skills even if spirits are disabled in the rules. The amiibo for characters from other series who are not playable in the game will grant a reward: Gold, Spirit Points, or a spirit corresponding to the character scanned. However, only one reward will be granted per amiibo. As the offline, amiibo can be scanned more with eight in Smash mode and the tourney added amiibo features where you can watch or just fight against them. Of course in online, the Battle Arena mode includes amiibo where friends can use them.
 * 8) Donkey Kong and Bowser were designed to work with Skylanders SuperChargers as well as Skylanders Imaginators, making it a good crossover as well as making the former the only Wii game to support Amiibos.
 * 9) Speaking of Skylanders Imaginators, Crash and Cortex appear in the game as Skylanders figures and you can use them on the Wii U version while using the Donkey Kong amiibo, along with Spyro himself, making it the only time these characters appear together.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Scalpers LOVE targetting Amiibos. The most infamous incident is when Mariotehplumber scalped $35,000 in Amiibos (mostly Rosalina).
 * 2) If you're a fan of Splatoon, chances are that the Callie and Marie amiibos are only made for a limited time in 2016, and after the final Splatfest of the first Splatoon, chances are that they aren't seen in store shelves unless if you get them off Amazon (for a ridiculously expensive and unnecessary price) or go to a charity shop or on eBay for a cheaper price.
 * 3) Sometimes the extra content is huge for the game.
 * 4) There were three games that made amiibo mandatory, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival, Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, and amiibo Tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits. The latter two were more forgiving, as they were free, but amiibo Festival was $60, and was bad.
 * 5) Overpricing on some amiibos being sold online through Amazon. For example: Marie's amiibo can cost up to either $43.00 or over $90.00 whether either being used or new, which the pricing can be ridiculous, even if the product was made in Japan.
 * 6) Some of the Amiibos are pointless, like Golden Mega Man, which was the exact same as Mega Man but golden.
 * 7) Nintendo has been locking important features like fast travel in Skyward Sword HD and the difficulty mode and the art gallery in Metroid: Samus Returns, which can be considered pay to play.