FFXV: The Beginning (and my gaming)

That's right folks! The wait is over! Kind of. For me, I won't be delving into this game until close to this weekend due to schedule conflicts. But I did download it and opened the game and got the feeling of "damn, a NEW Final Fantasy". It's been a while... since Lightning's introduction, it has been a long time since a Final Fantasy came around. Glad one is here. I have a good feeling about this! I won't be doing a full on review like I used to, but I swear I will be talking about this game. 

----Speaking of----

On a SIDE NOTE. Because of Black Friday, I managed to pick up some games for cheap! As if I needed A Disgaea right now with Skyrim, Batman, and Final Fantasy XV in the mix. AND a DOA and Samurai Warriors? Damn. Collecting, writing, and commissioning are going to suffer big time! 

Not Forgotten, Not Tainted.

I remember those days when we first saw the trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy. FFXIII we were so excited for, weren't we? There were the FFVII and FFIX lovers who were hating on it because everyone has an opinion on what is the best Final Fantasy... but we were all lovers of the genre. Some odd years later, FFXV is announced.

Before I jump into the present, I guess it's safe to say that I am remembering you right now because we came from a particular genre. We were all pulled in and we all fell in love with the community. We were all just avatars that became somewhat of a group of friends--some of us got closer. You, well you were part of the trio, more or less. You were one of us. While I don't agree with how you ended things, I understand now. It took me years to get it, but I do get it. I understand. You didn't hide out of cowardice. You didn't go out like a martyr. You simply .... just took care of your own and for that, I can't blame you.

So now what do we say to this new game, old friend? FFVIII lover you are and I am FFX all the way and despite our differences, we were always looking for the next game (except of course the games like FFXI that didn't count; I wonder if you disregard FFXIV like I do, as all true Final Fantasy fan should). We were always looking forward to the next world our Final Fantasy will take us.

That was some odd years ago, friend. And despite it, I still think about you. You, the true victorious vixen.

I miss you, old friend. The one who did it right. As you walk in the shoes of Noctis, as Locke watches you play the new generation, might I hope that part of you remembers those days.

=)

Always,

"Mr. G" 

ML Dormamu BAF: Nico Minoru

The first time I saw this set, my eyes went directly to Nico Minoru and Enchantress. Yes, I know I have an affinity for female characters, but hey, what can I say? Beyond that, I can truly confirm what I said back then that there is a lot of work put into this figure. Obscure character and someone who truly got some love from Hasbro! So let's check her out!

They usually pick top notch artist for the boxes and this one is truly an awesome one. Though Nico doesn't look as young and Japanese in this picture as she should be. Still a great artwork, though.

I'm going to jump into the accessories for the reason that she has an alternate arm as an accessory that really adds some flare to her aesthetics. Said arm, the purple translucent variant is also accurate to the character and her powers. She also comes with her staff and a magic effect with it. The magenta/purple color is the same as her alternate arm, which keeps consistent with her magical characteristics. While she doesn't have a lot of accessories, all things considered, they are awesome enough to raise Nico's fun factor by a couple of notches! Oh, and she comes with Dormamu's crotch. Yes, that's right.

Right off the get go, there are plenty of things to like about this figure. Other than a cute magical goth chick, Nico's ensemble transferred well into action figure form. While I'm more than positive that this mold is a reused one (Spider-Girl, Jubilee, etc), the added sculpt of her boots, the skirt, the corset, the alternate arm truly makes her unique.

In fact, with those added sculpts make her seem like a brand new mold altogether. The face is also pretty; I mean, she is pretty. She doesn't resemble Nico as the Japanese sorceress as we know her in the comic books, but she is pretty enough. That hair is pretty spunky too!

Her color scheme is as goth as they come and Hasbro pulled it off with the right amount of purple, black, and bright purple. And one cannot have the gothic thing going on without the black lipstick! The one thing about Nico is that she has details in some of her paint job that truly highlights the sculpting done, like the lacey 'sleeves' on her shoulder. Again, this figure is just magnificent aesthetically and I can't complain a whole lot about Hasbro's efforts that much this time around!

Her articulation is nothing to get enamored with but it is something that we can expect. With the figure being aesthetically satisfying and the variations in posing one can do with her alternate arm and the special effect on her staff, it truly was an awesome photoshoot!

As I said, I enjoyed the shoot so much that I took the liberty of snapping as much as I can!

In conclusion, Hasbro did an amazing job with her! Definitely a hit! With an awesome obscure character, nice sculpting and attention to details, and with the limited accessory she has adding more flare than normal, Nico Minoru is for sure the highlight of the wave for me. Even if one isn't trying to complete the set, she is a must for anyone who are into Marvel's magical characters. 

Blackest Nights ::to:: Brighter Days

The whole time I had no internet on my main hub... for 3 days. Isn't that something? But, another year went by and Black Friday hit me once again. Crazy. Crowd. Obnoxious. Dissaray.

And I am proud to say that it is the Last of that. After a few days, I can honestly say that my time in that world has come to an end.

I can't say that life is going to be easier, but I will say that it has gotten a bit brighter since last year. An opportunity finally came after all my efforts and I took it.

And that is definitely something to be THANKFUL for.

To the Brighter Days then. 

Bishoujo: Spider-Gwen

Taking a quick break from Marvel Legends review here just to spice things up! SO on to the next area of my collection that are growing and statues are the next big thing that is flourishing in 2016 it seems! the latest addition to that number is going to be a Bishoujo of Spider-Gwen herself! With her introduction becoming a HUGE success, we were bound to get a Spider-Gwen Bishoujo style sooner than later! So, how does she do as a Bishoujo?

The familiar Bishoujo box and everything it has to offer. While pretty mundane, I am happy for Kotobukiya's consistency.

It provides us with a pretty accurate artwork of the figure in its dynamic and sensual pose.

And in the back it shows us what the figure looks like with a discreet show of comparison between the actual figure and the artwork that inspired said figure. Obviously there is a mask and unmasked version and I definitely got great pics of both!

Let's start with the masked version. Right off the get go, let's talk about the pose that they chose for Spider-Gwen. Bishoujo usually goes out of their way to find a really 'sexy' pose for the female character that would fit with said character's personality(trait, signature, etc). Sometimes it is super exaggerated, and sometimes, it just naturally makes the character's asset stick out because of the nature of the posture. Spider-Gwen's is a bit on a ... reserved side in my honest opinion.

I mean sure, it still does a great job capturing Gwen's sexuality, but it truly isn't as flaunting as past characters. If anything, this is the most conservative posture I have seen them have for a character.

I mean don't get me wrong, it still highlights Gwen's perfect body. It's just that there seems to be something held back on Kotobukiya's side for this character. Maybe because she is still considered a teenager?

And her masked version is really nice. The signature hood that Spider-Gwen is known for is well done. The pink highlights around the eyes and the attention to detail really makes this version my favorite.

The unmasked variant is nice also, but in my opinion, this isn't the prettiest of Bishoujo's Marvel gal. I mean, she is by no means ugly or anything, it's just that, it feels very manga compared to other faces we have received. She also seems to be missing something that spells "Gwen Stacy" to me... maybe because her likeness to Emma Stone is so far away; and Emma Stone is the face of Gwen Stacy for me ever since her debut in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. But over all, the skin tone, the blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, all of these 'natural' color really adds a good juxtapose to the entire color scheme of Spider-Gwen's costume.

There is no doubt about it: Gwen's Spider-Woman costume is one of the most well-received costumes in a long while. Perhaps it's the color scheme, the simple but still flared out spidery design, or maybe because it's Gwen in a tight suit... who knows. Kotobukiya stayed loyal to that costume, and they did so with great care! The color is simple in terms of choice of vibrancy and shade, but they are down right amazing. Again, most of the aesthetics are credit to Marvel staff (Robbi Rodriguez, Ricco Renzi, and Jason Latour) creators, but again, Kotobukiya knows its material. One thing I felt was lacking in the usual Bishoujo is the 'transparent' ends on the hair... maybe that's why this unmasked version is missing some flare, huh?

Her stand is a good little color scheme; it's pink, black, and white... which is Gwen's main color combination along with the teal/turqoise. It's a city silohoutte, a theme associated with Gwen's cover art and often fits her ambiance. Nice little touc hand it supports her dynamic web slinging pose.

There is no doubt that this is a beautiful statue. The posture, as I have mentioned, may not be as sexualized as other Bishoujos, but despite that, it still does the job and it is appreciated. It is dynamic, spider-y, and very energetic. Now with that said, there is one thing that takes away from this particular piece: some kind of webbing. An effect. Now it's pretty obvious that Bishoujos don't get into effects like 'energy' or 'webbing' or any of that. But it would be great to add it in! At the very least, an attachable piece.

Again, still torn on which display option I will use though.

Speaking of display options, here she is next to the metallic Spider-Woman(Jessica Drew), masked version. They're not to scale, for sure.

And the other display options, which also concurs with the way I displayed the standard version of the Spider-Woman(Jessica Drew) Bishoujo.

And here she is next to my only other two Spider-Gwen collection: Pop Spider-Gwen and Marvel Legends Spider-Gwen.

In conclusion, I think this is a pretty cool statue. I love the fact that she is just Spider-Gwen all the way, and while she has some things that makes her less "Bishoujo" quality, I still think that Kotobukiya did an amazing job with her. Any Spider-Gwen fan will adore this statue!

And I decided with the unmaksed version. It occured to be that all of my Bishoujo the Marvel Shelf is  sporting a 'hair out' display and we can't have Gwen not read the memo on that. Other than that, thwip~
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