Super Smash Bros. Series
Review: Great amiibo with detailed design - This Ike amiibo looks
great and is a nice addition to any amiibo or Nintendo
collection. The figure has a lot of detail, especially in the
armor, cape, and sword, which makes it stand out nicely on a
shelf or display. The quality feels solid and the paint job is
clean. Like most amiibo figures, it’s well made and looks good
whether you’re using it in games or just displaying it as part of
a collection. It also works exactly as expected with compatible
games, making it a fun extra for fans who enjoy unlocking content
or using amiibo features. Overall, this is a great figure for
fans of Fire Emblem or collectors who enjoy Nintendo amiibo.
Review: Even if hard to find for "reasonable" prices, a beautiful
Amiibo, a great figurine, and a worthy Amiibo to port into
Xenoblade - Simply to share, as my bias surely affects my best
intentions of a helpful review, I avoided purchasing any Amiibo
figures until very shortly after the most present release of
Series 4. That shared, due to a New 3DS mishap at a big box
retailer, I was given store credit and with it, brought home my
first 4 Amiibo (Series 1 Link and Zelda; Series 2 Toon Link and
Sheik). After having these 4 Amiibo to experiment with, it was
only after I truly made my first two Amiibo purchases (dare I
say, invested), Series 1 Marth and this figure, Series 2 Shulk. I
could not find the U.S. release of Shulk at a price that competed
with the Japanese release. After reading another review
elsewhere, and realizing it doesn’t matter whether one has the
U.S. or Japanese Amiibo release in terms of being able to port
into Wii U and New 3DS XL games, I jumped at the opportunity to
purchase Shulk. My purchase of this Amiibo was wholly due to the
excitement I have had in experiencing the gameplay of Xenoblade
Chronicles for the New 3DS. I missed the game first time ‘round
(on the Wii), and have been quite expectant of a great game
experience. I have not been let down, neither by the game, nor
with this particular Amiibo figure. As this is a review of Shulk,
the Amiibo figure, let me focus there on a number of points I
hope will help you, the potential buyer of this out-of-print and
increasingly hard to find figurine: As other reviewers before me
have stated, comparatively this is a very well sculpted Amiibo
figurine: Shulk’s face is expressive, his clothing and wardrobe
in general is detailed and nicely painted (between the lines!),
and his hair looks (just about) as good as it does in the game
(LOL)! In terms of the actual sculpted figure, as with the other
sword-wielding Amiibo I have, Shulk’s Monado sword is not
perfectly straight, but bows slightly. Why is this? I do not
know. Perhaps it has something to do with the heating and cooling
process of manufacturing? Regardless, the materials (plastics)
this Amiibo is cast in allows for the sword to be slightly
misshaped. While this doesn’t bother me or affect my enjoyment of
the figure, I can see more scrutinizing collectors of toys and
figures to be irked by this oversight in the perfecting of
manufacturing. Some Amiibo have colored or clear plastic supports
extending from the base to the figure itself. Such is the case
with Shulk and at first, from my perspective, it looks a bit odd,
but after having ported Shulk into the new Xenoblade Chronicles
for the New 3DS, I don’t mind as much. This is hugely subjective
and the photographs supplied by desertcart and myself (along with
other reviewers) will hopefully aid in clarifying for you if this
is something you care about or not. Rough dimensions for this
Shulk figure, from base to top of his head, is nearly 4-inches;
from widest point to widest point (sword tip to extended opposite
hand) is 3-inches. Regarding gameplay, the Japanese import has
ported just as any other Amiibo has on my New 3DS. I would expect
the same from others, especially with so many reports
consistently claiming this is in fact the case. If it is not
clear by now, I’m a collector of things, especially that which
relates to Nintendo. Most of us seemingly having missed out on
the U.S. release, is it worth it to purchase this Shulk Amiibo
for 2x-6x the MSRP? I cannot answer that for you, obviously, but
having ported Shulk into Xenoblade Chronicles, if you decide to
make the purchase, I hope your experience is as much fun as mine
has been! Happy gaming and happy collecting!
