When Video Games and Collectible Figurines Collide: Three Suggestions for Toy-Based Video Games


Disney Infinity's Marvel figurines.


Entertainment companies love durable franchises, because durable franchises mean name recognition and name recognition means merchandising opportunities. Two frequent merchandising opportunities for franchises are toys and video games, so it only makes sense that someone would eventually find a way to combine the two into a single package. From what I can tell, Activision accomplished the first major hit in the area of video game and toy collection combos with Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure, a game that was the second reboot of the Spyro the Dragon video game series.

Since Skylanders, Disney launched a series of Disney Infinity games, games where players buy collectible toy figurines and discs that represent vehicles and play sets. The figurines and discs plug into the game in a way that allows the game to expand and be modified according to the player's preferences, opening up new characters, abilities, locations and missions. The initial Disney Infinity game involved characters, vehicles and locations from Disney and Pixar movies and TV shows, and the second game in the series will include characters, vehicles and locations from Marvel Comics. Taking a cue from Activision and Disney, Nintendo has been promoting its new line of Amiibo figurines--figurines of characters from popular Nintendo games, such as Super Mario Brothers and Metroid--that can be plugged into a selection of upcoming Nintendo titles for added entertainment value.

I think that combining toys with modular video game platforms is a great idea. From what I've heard from various sources, toy sales for the standard toy demographic (namely, the pre-adolescent crowd) have been flagging while video game sales for the same demographic have been soaring, so it only stands to reason that companies would use one form of merchandise to boost the sales of another. If this kind of toy collecting-based video gaming catches on, then there are three types of characters and franchises I would love to see in their own version of Disney Infinity or Amiibo figurines. Read on ....


1. DC Comics



With an ample supply of characters, vehicles and locations in its inventory, DC Comics needs to have its own toy-based video game series. If DC ever decides to do this, it could appeal to fan nostalgia by basing its character designs on either the Justice League Unlimited animated series (see above) or Kenner's Super Powers action figure line from the '80s (see below).






2. Kaiju



Godzilla and his universe of kaiju allies and enemies have appeared in both fighting games and collectible figure series, so why not combine the two? Throw in a variety of cities to destroy, locations to explore (such as Monster Island) and non-kaiju enemies to fight, and Toho Studios could have a major video game series on its hands. On the other hand, if this never happens to Godzilla, I could imagine Guillermo del Toro authorizing a toy-based video game series for his Pacific Rim franchise.



3. Super Robots



Putting a selection of super robots into a toy-based video game series isn't an odd idea, since there's something close to it already available: the Super Robot Wars (a.k.a., Super Robot Taisen), a series of tactical role-playing video games that allow players to select super robots from a variety of anime series (e.g., Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, Mobile Suit Gundam, Macross, etc.). The first game in this series was released in 1991 for the Nintendo Game Boy and it has released many sequels since then; it even had its own anime and manga tie-in series over the years. With so much material at its disposal, all Super Robot Wars would need is to throw in a line of collectible figurines that can be plugged into a modular video game environment.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Tron: Uprising (Part 1 of 4): Characters

Image
This month marks the one year anniversary of the cancellation of Tron: Uprising , which aired on Disney XD for 19 episodes. Set between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy , Uprising chronicled the events shortly after Clu’s rise to power within the stand-alone Grid created by Kevin Flynn. Personally, I think that Tron: Uprising got a raw deal from Disney. It’s a fantastic addition to the Tron saga that went on to win both Emmy and Annie Awards , yet Disney clearly had other priorities and was willing to toss Uprising aside without so much as an official cancellation notice. Even to this day, Uprising has yet to be released on DVD or Blu-ray and I’m wondering if it ever will. In honor of this amazing animated series that was cut down in its prime, I have decided to do something that Disney won’t. Since there will never be an official Tron: Uprising art book, I have searched across the Internet to find a selection of art from Uprising that I can share here on my blog with
Read more

FOUND: Mechanical Shark from Universal Jaws Theme Park Ride

Image
When the Universal Studios Theme Park in Florida shut down its Jaws ride back in January 2012, Jaws fans everywhere were devastated. Yet even though this part of the Jaws franchise is no longer operational, some of its sharks are swimming around out there … including places such as Frederick, Maryland. A few days ago, I was contacted by a fellow Jaws fan named John Ryan, asking me if I knew anything specific regarding the sharks from the Universal Jaws ride. He was asking because he thought he found one and is trying to verify its authenticity. We spoke on the phone and exchanged a few emails, and here’s what he told me about his find: “I've been collecting Jaws memorabilia for decades and when I found this incredibly rare gem sitting in a backyard in Frederick, Maryland, I wondered about its connection to the state. The current homeowners said the shark was already there when they purchased the property. They also told me it had been the subject of neighborhood rumor for y
Read more

Machine Robo's Magnificent Robot Combiners

Image
I don't collect Transformers merchandise, but I see articles and advertisements about it when I browse through Japanese robot toy sites. From what I can gather, one of the latest product lines for Transformers is called "Combiner Wars" , a line that consists of five or six transforming robot toys that combine into one bigger robot. Combiner robot toys have been around for a long time, and Transformers had quite a few of them even back in the '80s. Yet of the many combiner robot toys I've seen over the years, the ones that have consistently impressed me were the ones released by Bandai under the Machine Robo line. Whereas other robot toy lines are stuck in the novelty of combining smaller toys into a bigger toy, Machine Robo has used the concept of combination to promote creative play. Read on for a review of how Machine Robo has built upon its combiner toys throughout the years.
Read more