(Future) Playarts Kai release: 2B!

With my realization of just how beautiful this world(lore) is, I am all too elated to find out that there will be a 2B related figure! It definitely looks like a Playarts Kai release even though it is being labeled something else... or is it? I don't know. But look at all these promo pics!

The Pod is a must, sort of. The robot is a cool touch, but I would have rather they spent more time on getting more weapons for 2B! But maybe we'll get an A2 as well? Let's see! In the mean time, this is exciting stuff! 

I never quite realized...

Credit to this artist

"I never quite realized how beautiful this world is..."

A game that came out in March. Came out of nowhere. Something that could easily be passed off as fanservice, or just another contrived story....

In a world filled with 14 junkyards of MMOs, CoDs, and repulsive Halos, we get this out of nowhere.  It's not a perfect game, but it's my perfect game. Despite my (lack of) time, I'm going to do a review on this. This game was designed to just pass off as another 'whatever', but came out monumentally the best game for me since Mass Effect Trilogy's conclusion. 

E3: FF DISSIDIA NT

If they somehow managed to get Rikku in this game with all the lovely skins that are available to her, then I will be highly impressed. I am getting this game. But to have Rikku in the mix is an even more enticing incentive. 

Final Fantasy - The Complete History (1987-2016)

It's a great little quick guide for the Franchise's thirty years of rich history. From its greatest moments(FFVI, FFVII, FFX), to its worst turn (FFXI, FFXIV; 13 > 14), to the spinoffs(FFX-2, FFT)... this game truly is one of the best. And with the arrival of Prince Noctis, the Fantasy is reborn. 

Keep it strong, Final Fantasy. I will always be here hoping for the best. 

Some Thoughts on: Final Fantasy XV

So on this day, my journey in FFXV ended--well, at least the main story of it. There are still things to do. I know I'm a bit late compared to everyone who are fortunate enough to have the time, but you know, I went through the game on my own pace. So what do I have to say? Maybe I might make my own "My Words On"; been a while but I think this game deserves one. Truth to be told, I liked this game; a lot.

Not as much as FFX or FFVI, but definitely one of my favorite Final Fantasies. Among the true Final Fantasy, it marched to the beat of its own drum for sure. The feel was different, and not just because it was a different gameplay, but because it had less Fantasy; after all, a long time ago when it was Versus XIII, they said: "a fantasy based on reality". With that ambiance 'missing', it was hard to put it next to a game like VI or X,  two games from different eras, but two games that still bound itself to the idea of Fantasy.

There were a lot of things to like; the fact that it's a bold new take on a franchise 30 years old, a game that kept to the roots while planting a new seed altogether... I have to say they did an awesome job.

For sure there were a lot of errors, but it had a lot of heart. The characters were something I really enjoyed; some more than others of course. And I have to say, some characters kept the recklessness to a minimum.

There were some characters I wish had more spotlight... and there were so many areas that were just vague that it left us to our own imagination and spin on things. Oh and here's a funny thing on my NoctisxIris shipping:

My own gameplay moment

For sure it had its moments. 

Most of all I want to say that this game takes a turn in my alley and... I like it a lot. This direction shows testicular fortitude, it shows bravery, and it shows that Final Fantasy is willing to step away from their debacles like MMO endeavors or muddled vocabularies like FFXIII. 

A game without its flaws, but a game I'll explore some more. All in all, thank you, FFXV. You have reclaimed your throne for sure. 

FFXV: Versus what it could have been....

Like a lot of people, I'm very interested in how this could have been. There was a very dark tone and the idea that Noctis was a protagonist and we were seeing things from a bad guy's point of view. Stella looks hott and Noctis' outfit! 

I will echo a few comments I have read and wish that they release FFXIII versus idea as a movie. I am very compelled to see where this could have gone. This would have been a better project on FF's history than the abortion that we received: FFXI and FFXIV. 

Here's to hoping that FFXIII-Versus sees some light of day. In the mean time, enjoy this. 

Seriously, FFXV?!

Are you serious right now, FFXV?! Seriously? Okay, maybe I need to take it back a notch or two here but this is my main qualms with Final Fantasy XV right now: ONLY FOUR CHARACTERS. Sure, sure, there are guests, but overall it's only Noctis, Ignis, Gladious, and Prompto and everyone else are just guests. As you all know, I am a huge fan of the "Rikku" type of gals so when I heard there are only four characters and all males, I was slightly taken back, but I will accept any changes as long as it is a TRUE Final Fantasy game.

I had the same reaction when I found out, Rikku.

So only a good 20 hrs in the game(okay, I'm totally not a true Final Fantasy fan as of late! I have RL keeping me away from playing Noctis' role, okay?), I get enamored with FFXV's gameplay, world, I'm so-so with the characters; liking Noctis, but I don't have that 'background' with the four yet. They're close friends but I don't feel the weight other than 'we're bros'. The story is unfolding and I don't have a good grasp of the world yet but I am side swiped when I get introduced to:

Iris! The cute, scantily clad, hyper-go-spunk sister of Gladious! She is this:

((Shame there is no real this character type in FFVI. I also intentionally didn't mention a few FFs for a reason)). She's literally the reincarnation of these character types! I mean COME ON!

From where I'm at, there seems to be some implication that there is something between Noct and this gal. I'd totally pair her up with Noct over Luna. From what I've seen of Luna in Kingsglaive, she is useless even for a damsel in distress category! Speaking of, there might be a chance that Iris will be joining as a guest with Noctis and the crew. Surely hoping so though! I'm smitten, yes!

So with that said, what the hell is up with that, Final Fantasy XV? Your main flaw so far is taking away the joy of "PHS"! And these adorable characters that fill the roster! But she is always a good attention for fanfics and.... DiD attention!

I mean how can she NOT be when....

She's standing like that in the menu screen OBVIOUSLY wanting to BE tied up. 

Final Fantasy in 2017

If there is some truth to this then jeez.... I have to have this. And here I am BARELY able to get some hours on FFXV. 

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! 

Top 10 Final Fantasy Moments

FFVI made its mark twice on this! Awesome! And FFX! And FFT! There are a few moments here that I wish were in here, but again, this list is pure fan choice so of course it's not going to include every great moment from every Final Fantasy I played. Though if they did a backwards version of this video... like the top 10 worst moments of Final Fantasy, one of them is going to be the creation of FFXI and FFXIV.

Regardless, we are on the road towards FFXV! 

Playarts Kai: Wonder Woman (Dawn of Justice)

Well, 2016 is a good year for imports for me! A second Playarts Kai and this time in the form of Wonder Woman in her cinematic appearance in Dawn of Justice! I had some doubt when Gal Gadot took the lasso and bracelet for the role, but I started really warming up when I saw images of her in the costume; then seeing her in action was definitely the seller. Dawn of Justice is not your Civil War caliber (DC is about 52% dislikes and 48% likes; I made that number up but it makes sense, right? 52? New 52. Get it?), but it still had some good things. Wonder Woman was definitely the 'good thing' for me. So how does her PAK version fare?

The box is a standard PAK box, though mine came in damaged, which was a bit of a bummer but nothing to gripe over.

The number "4", which we got Batman, Armored Batman, and Superman before her. I do hope there isn't a number 5 since the only other choices are "Doomsday(ABOMINATION)" and Lex Luthor. God no!

PAK's famous open book/window box case. At first, I thought it was missing it(thus the missing figure), which struck me odd. It wasn't until Wonder Woman was out of the box that this certain feature carried over to their Dawn of Justice figures. There is, of course, a bio, which you can't necessarily read with the shot I took. Buy the figure if you want to read it so bad! (advertisement, much?)

I mentioned how I really like the Cinematic take on Wonder Woman's outfit. If there is one thing I have to say is that they tried to really get the sexy, exposed, and very flaunting side of Wonder Woman's outfit but still managed to make it make sense. It has a very 'warrior-greek-roman' like look to it--something that pays homage to 'where' Wonder Woman came from mythos wise. The colors are darker than her original outfit, but it is still recognizable. The paint job did well to duplicate that. Flesh tones are done well of course. Playarts Kai is usually really good with the finer details of color.

Now as for the mold, Diana's playarts kai version has a few glaring mishaps. First and foremost, you can probably see it now from her profile; the armpit area doesn't do a good job hiding joints... and while Playarts Kai isn't known to hide joints well(knee joints), they're not usually horrendous; though the work on Diana over here kind of shows a different work of art. It's not bad, but you can't do a whole lot of 'overly' dynamic poses with her arms up. It just looks odd. I'm not sure how the Variant Wonder Woman was able to hide her joints, but I get the feeling it's not as bad as this. Also, I'm going to pick on this since it is based on an actress visage of an iconic comic book heroine: she looks nothing like Gal Gadot. It's almost like PAK TRIED their best NOT to make her look like the beautiful Gal. She's not ugly, but still, to make her look like Gal would have been nice since I am fond of that actress. Overall, her body isn't overly sexy but it isn't brute-like. Wonder Woman has always been your typical sexy and appealing type, but I do think she has to have some 'masculine' features; masculine, but still retain some sort of feminine sexiness. The figure does a good job of doing that despite the mold flaws.

Accessory wise, I think she comes with a passable amount. The sword and shield is highly appreciated, the variations on her hands is okay--could have more, but can't complain too much. Then of course we have her insipid lasso. For a weapon that she is well known for (both as a receiver and the giver), this one lacks in fun factor. Also, I do wish they have her some face variations. Definiltey not one of PAK's finest moments with Wonder Woman. Oh, we can't forget about the standard PAK stand, which I'm starting to slightly warm up to. If I get more PAKs, I might get used to this thing.

And as I said, The Golden Lasso of Truth is honestly a boring addition to Wonder Woman's Playarts Kai version. It doesn't do anything but just 'sit' there. With the bendy wire that can be applied to some of the figures these days (like Playarts Kai Supergirl's cape), one could definitely make an adequate Lasso for Wonder Woman and make her fun factor hike up. Unfortuantely, no. Still, glad she has it even if it's not exactly something that can be used. Also, while it's not an accessory of the figure, the bracelets are included with great details! Anoter Wonder Woman signature item (both the lasso and the bracelet used to be a major bondage icon for Diana as well!).

The shield is amazing. It has a metallic look to it, which makes it look like actual metal. It has 'battle wear and tears' on it, which makes it look even more realistic. It is obviously greek-roman like; reminds me of Perseus' shield from Clash of the Titans for some reason. Oh, it's a pretty decent size and she holds it decently enough. It's not exactly a tight fit, but it suffices.

The sword is pretty awesome; nothing too special, but it does its job well. It's not exactly a blade with the most grandeur design and it's not PAK's doing. The blade was pretty ordinary looking based on what I saw in Dawn of Justice. I think they might have a story to it; maybe.

Now going right into her articulation, Diana Prince/Wonder Woman retains most of what Playarts Kai is known for. You can get her into some decent dynamic scenes that are going to be sufficient for someone who spends a lot of time fighting with her blade and martial arts. Though as I mentioned before, some angles make her look too much like a 'toy', and while she is that, imports try their best to hide the joints to give a more realistic look; unfortunately PAK didn't do a good job, or didn't do the job at all when it comes to Wonder Woman's upper body. Her hair does not have the much desired hair articulation that we have seen before, but they did go with a shorter haired Wonder Woman; again, they were trying not to make her look like Gal Gadot for some reason.

Despite those, you'll get some good actions shots. Her stand helps out a lot to give her the flying, jumping, and all those dynamic in the air scenes. Heck, you might even be able to get her in a sitting position to imply that she is driving her invisible jet. I didn't try that, honestly.

Couldn't resist! Here is Playarts Wonder Woman in a classic pose, courtesy of Playarts Kai variant Batman.

And here she is with a personal favorite Playarts Kai Variant of mine, Supergirl. As you can tell, Kara's red is way more pronounced than Diana's.

Despite her flaws, I am pleased with this figure. Again, she could look more like Gal, could have better invisible joints, and some face variants would have done the trick. Her lack of articulated Golden Lasso took some points down too since that is one of her most prominent signature weapon. Sadly, with both Fran and Wonder Woman lacking that 'flare' that we would expect from PAK (especially for that price point), I might be a bit more hesitant with upcoming releases. There are some good characters coming out, but again, I have to be careful. Though I'd give this figure a "B", so it's more than passable. If you are a Wonder Woman fan and want a cinematic figure of her, this might be the only one we have that is in a decent price range(go for the hot toys one if you want). As a Wonder Woman fan, I chose this over her Hot Toy form but I think I might give that one a try.
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