Unless you have no qualms buying off eBay, collecting all of the Nintendo amiibo is hard and potentially stressful work. The rarest figures are almost never in stock at U.S. websites, forcing avid collectors to call stores to ask about inventory or drive to different locations, burning time and gas to potentially come away empty handed. Granted, we experience a thrill finding amiibo we want, but there’s plenty of disappointment to go around.
In a move that will make the amiibo hunt more entertaining or maddening, depending on how you feel about the craze, Nintendo partnered with stores for exclusive figures, a practice that will likely continue as the company reveals new entries in the Super Smash Bros. lineup; we have a feeling the Zero Suit Samus amiibo will be nearly impossible to track down.
Who has what, and when can you pre-order? Here’s the deal.
Shulk is GameStop exclusive
Considering Xenoblade Chronicles came to North America as a GameStop exclusive, it’s no surprise the retailer inked a deal to receive Shulk. That said, the past couple of days have been somewhat stressful. One moment GameStop reopens its Shulk pre-orders, and then the next it shuts them down. Your best bet (the same with all of these figures) is to keep an eye on the amiibo subreddit and jump the moment pre-orders are available. You can also call around to see if stores still accept pre-orders. Chances are slim, since there’s no telling how many Shulks GameStop will eventually have.
Rosalina and Luma are Target exclusive
You can pre-order Rosalina at Target! Wait, now you can’t. Wow, now you can! No wait, she’s gone again.
This is what we’ve gone through, along with an untold number of Nintendo fans. The Super Mario Galaxy star can only be found at Target, and at this point it’s hard to say how many figures you’ll see in-store.
Lucario is Toys R Us exclusive
We have good news and bad news about this popular Pokemon, and we’ll begin with the bad. Predictably, pre-orders are sold out online, but there’s still hope. You may see physical pre-order cards in Toys R Us stores right now, along with cards for amiibo wave 3 (Bowser, Toon Link, Mega Man).
Meta Knight is Best Buy exclusive
Rejoice, because this lovable Kirby character is available for pre-order at Best Buy. Unfortunately there’s no release date, and amiibo collectors seem to complain about this retailer the most because it constantly switches around dates and/or puts out figures its employees aren’t allowed to sell. Bottom line, it’s the cheapest way to get Meta Knight, so pre-order and hope for the best.
Return to Prima’s amiibo Buying Guide.
Published: Dec 16, 2014 10:40 pm