Is Nintendo the next Sega? The company undoubtedly has a storied history in the video game console business but to say it has reached a potential turning point is an understatement. The Wii U is nothing short of an absolute disaster, as many people expected it would be. The rise of mobile gaming has dissolved much of the demand for a casual home game console, and Nintendo hasn’t been able to keep up a steady flow of big-time games to draw interest. So now, it has released its first mobile app for iOS and Android.
It’s not the Mario game the world is waiting for with bated breath, but early reactions have generally been pretty positive. You can read a Miitomo review roundup right here. And after a somewhat successful launch in Japan, the hotly anticipated app is now available for download in the U.S.
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What is Miitomo? It’s not really a game at all, but rather an odd social network of sorts that’s based on Nintendo’s Mii characters. The app’s full description follows below along with a download link.
Think you know your friends? Guess again!
Miitomo is an app from Nintendo that brings out a side of you your friends have never seen before!
How? By making a Mii of yourself that’s your personal go-between!
Ever wonder what fun details make you…YOU? Your Mii will find out by asking you questions about yourself!
Want your friends to know all about these little insights into your likes, dislikes, or just what you’re thinking lately? Your Mii will go visit your friends’ Mii characters and tell them!
Then your Mii will ask your friends for fun details about them…and tell YOU everything. Your friends’ Mii characters will also visit you when you play!
Miitomo is a new way to bring you and your friends together like never before. Would you expect anything less from Nintendo?
(Did we mention that your Mii actually speaks too? Anything you or your friends say about themselves!)
Details about Miitomo:
■ Make a Mii to Look Like You
Miitomo features the Mii characters that debuted on Nintendo’s Wii system. Choose from a wide library of facial features to make your Mii look just like you. You can also quickly create one by using a smart device’s camera.
After creating your Mii and giving it a nickname, you can further customize how it speaks and even how it moves and behaves.
■ Your Mii Is Your Social Go-Between
In Miitomo, your Mii and your friends’ Mii characters act as social go-betweens. Your Mii will ask you questions about those little details about yourself you’d never think to ask. Your friends’ Mii characters will do the same.
Your Mii and their Mii characters tell each other about these details, so you and your friends learn fun things about each other that you’d never find out without your Mii characters!
■ Dress Your Mii However You Want
Costumes, streetwear, formal fashion, every-day style-you can find it all in the Miitomo shop. Mix and match clothing items to create looks that your Mii will wear when visiting friends, hanging out in your room, and appearing in Miifotos.
You can get clothing items with Miitomo coins, which you earn by playing Miitomo. You can also purchase Miitomo coins.
■ Win Prizes From Miitomo Drop
Miitomo features a minigame in which you drop a Mii into a play field, and then watch it bounce around as it falls toward a variety of platforms. You’ll win a prize based on where it lands. Some clothing items are available only in Miitomo Drop.
Note: To play Miitomo Drop, you need Miitomo coins, which you earn by playing Miitomo or by using game tickets, which you can get as a daily bonus, among other ways. You can also purchase Miitomo coins.
■ Make Your Mii a Star with Miifotos
In Miitomo, you can create images called Miifotos. You can let your creativity go wild, putting your Mii and friends’ Mii characters in images you make from a library of stamps, fonts, and backgrounds. You can also use photos from a smart device’s camera as backgrounds for Miifoto creations.
You can share your Miifoto creations on social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.