Mass Effect: Andromeda

I said I was going to get a ton of hours today, but I didn't. I did a 'demo' replay with vanilla Ryder, today I actually created my own character:

Yeah, she's definitely not your typical one, but I wanted to really make her vibrant in a game that is already getting roasted on the meme department. Honestly, I don't think she looks that bad.

For a girl who is sarcastically professional, I think she has some dark and gritty look to her. So what about the game itself?

I'm not far into the game at all so I don't have an opinion. The gameplay is no doubt spectacular, not as grounded as the original trilogy, but fast and definitely demanding. I have to wait and see what I can say about the character and the story. Andromeda has a lot to live up to. I have the feeling that the character department may not be as substantial to me....

It might be another Dragon Age 2 v.s. Dragon Age: Inquisition dilemma. 

(EA Figures) Mass Effect Series I: John Shepard

To end these blast to the past figures, I am here to review Commander Shepard; my timing couldn't be any more perfect since tomorrow Andromeda does come out. As to when I'll have my copy, only this week will be able to tell. Then playing it is another story. Well, until that time, let's take a gander at Commander Shepard, courtesy of EA.

Nothing new in regards to the packaging. We've seen this before with my previous reviews.

I'll jump right in and point this out: he has a helmet that he can wear! That is an awesome addition since there isn't a lot of Shepard related figures that have him sport his classic helmet (definitely does NOT look like his ME2 or ME3 helmet). Good for it too since his face rendition isn't very good. We'll get to that but first lets look at the figure.

Save for a few coloring with the N7 stripes, the blue lights on his back, and the black parts of his armor, this Shepard is all metallic grey. It resembles Shepard's armor enough, but I think it misses a few points. The sculpt is good; it has a lot of rivets, different texturing, and a lot of 'plating' to make it resemble 'armor' rather than just painted out 'detail'. That's something I can appreciate.

The face is bad, I have to admit. It looks nothing like vanilla Shepard.

The helmet, while not perfect, does offer a new kind of aesthetic. Though he reminds me of Robocop for some reason with the color of his armor, the helmet, and all that.

Of course we all know how this articulation goes. There is really no need for me to go in depth at what he can't do and what he can do. You can get the basics, but that's about it. He can't even have a proper gun shooting action pose.

And while Playarts Kai Shepard does offer more articulation and accessories, the face resemblance doesn't hit home either. I am hoping a company like Figma or S.H. Figuarts pick up the Mass Effect franchise since they are pretty good at making their figures resemble the characters they are trying to depict. Still, I am grateful to have Mass Effect figures on my collection.

What can I say? The figures do have their share of problems. But figures that are out dated have some leeway in terms of how harsh I can judge them. Hindsight, I probably would have a waited a few months to open them since something is around the corner.... BUT it is Andromeda's release date so here I am celebrating that. Shepard, being the last that I own does come with some drawbacks, but hey, I still like this figure to some degree. Maybe in the future I'll pick up Thane and Miranda; MAYBE in the future, a new line of Mass Effect figures are around the corner to pay homage to the awesome trilogy.
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(EA Figures) Mass Effect Series II: Garrus Vakarian

There is no Shepard without Vakarian. Damn straight. Garrus is also a mainstay crew member of the trilogy. He is awesome. I love this guy and despite the scarcity of "Archangel" figures out there, I do believe I tried to catch the two that are noteworthy and feasible in my collection. I like this figure and I'll explain why.

For collector's sake, I regret not getting Miranda, even though this is not a good representation of the sexy Cerberus agent.

The sculpt is fantastic. It is a Turian body and we can easily recognize Garrus in a heartbeat. It has his signature battle damaged armor, his visor, and for his only accessory, he has a sniper rifle; trademark of the Archangel of Omega.

The paint isn't exactly accurate to his ME2 aesthetics, but it is fairly good. The blue seems a bit too metallic, which I get what they were going for, it's just that I feel it is a bit off. Garrus' Turian features are fine, not as crisp, but does well enough.

Much like the other figures in this wave, he is outdated in the idea of articulation. Yes, you can get him to do some things like dancing, or holding his gun, but don't expect a whole lot. But he does have some forgivable qualities since Mass Effect action figures are rare and the affordable ones are are even more scarce for my collection.

The closest figure that I know of that can compare to EA Mass Effect figure in regards to Garrus is the Playarts Kai version of Garrus. Different time, different price points, different quality, different versions of Garrus(EA is ME2 and PAK is ME3), but both are my only Garrus figures and I appreciate them. Both are definitely cool enough to join my ranks of awesome figures!

Again like the rest of the set, there is a lot left to be desired. With that though, there is a lot to factor in as to why this/these figures are missing a lot. All in all, if you are a Mass Effect fan and is just looking for something affordable to put on your collection that is Mass Effect related, then this is it for Garrus Vakarian! 

(EA Figures) Mass Effect Series I: Grunt

Grunt was that character that you weren't supposed to get. The Krogan scientist that created him, Okeer, was supposed to be the Krogan member in the ME2 lineup but that didn't happen no matter what you did. Who you get is a tank bred Super (Krogan) Soldier named Grunt. This figure is plastic bred and has been in the case for some time but it's time to get him out of there!

I really do regret not getting Thane. I might still, though. Thane ended up being of my favorites in the Mass Effect lore. Grunt, on the other hand, I really started appreciating when we get into ME3. But that's another topic for another day. On to the figure.

While Wrex looked more 'organic' and closer to how all Krogans dressed, Grunt has a metallic and almost cybernetic look to him. Compare it to Hulk and Iron Man; Wrex is Hulk while Grunt here is sporting the Iron Man look. I liked his design and I like how it came out in the figure. From what I can remember, it looks accurate, save for the less vibrant lights in different parts of his body (reminds me of Iron Man's repulsors).

As everything that goes with this line: we get a weapon and a stand. That's it. Grunt has a shotgun and he holds it well enough. Definitely better than how Legion holds his sniper gun.

And his articulation isn't something that will wow anyone. But they do serve their purpose adequately for him to be displayed. Nothing dynamic, though.

Being the only Krogan in my collection of Mass Effect paraphernalia, I think he fits the job well. I'd prefer Wrex since he is a classic, but Grunt is cool. This figure is cool. Again, like a broken record, this line is outdated and more or less an affordable, detailed, and somewhat articulated statues. As a Mass Effect fan, I've found the enjoyment for them! 

Mass Effect Andromeda: Trailers and Gameply

I was a big fan of the series as you all know and this game shows promise. The gameplay looks amazing and definitely still has a Mass Effect feel but with a lot of updates. Good. Story seems interesting. It seems to have some distant relation to the Trilogy's story. As to WHEN this is, I don't know and I can't wait to find out.

So far I see Turians, Salarians, Asari, Krogan, and there are some alien races I have yet to recognize. Please include Quarians here! 

Currently Playing:

DA3: I'll probably never do a review on this game. Then again, I can't remember I actually had the time and the incentive to do video game reviews. But... this game is definitely a great game to dive into right now!

The characters are still sublime(still miss Hawke, Merril, and Leliana in the party though) and it still has that great voice acting and interaction that Bioware is known for(Mass Effect is a testament of that I should say). The gameplay is still a bit of DA2 and the environment is vast! Great game! During my times of not delving into my writing or blogging about my collection, this game for sure has my attention!

FFX: Yeah I've had this game for over a year now and nothing... I'm not sure if I'll ever get to finish it but... yeah. It's somewhere in the mix! I want to get to FFX-2 HD someday too!

Skyrim: I mostly play this out of reference, but I do enjoy this game quite a bit still! That and there are trophies I am still fervent about and I want to fight that legendary dragon that has yet to cross my screen! 

Mass Effect 4 - FIRST LOOK - E3 2014 [EA Press Conference]

Well, it's that time again! E3! And what better way to get connected again to gaming than to get a glimpse of what ME IV could look like?!

Elated.

Now, just have to find the time to game.

N7 Day

Never truly forgotten. N7 Day everyone!

Bishoujo: Commander Shepard

BigBadToystore

She has indeed arrived! Commander Shepard in her Bishoujo adaptation! Been gawking at this bad girl for the longest time now and because of a certain special occasion, I finally have her in my possession! Armed and ready to add some more Mass Effect Badass'ness!!!!

Again the boxes of Bishoujos are always something to marvel at! The transparent cover and the art style is again tempting to leave such statue in their respected box, but again, I'm no longer THAT type of collector in regards to certain ones.

Interchangeable arms allows for certain 'action' postures. The famous and ME3 exclusive omniblade returns and for the variant arm is the M55 Argus Rifle(barely used it in ME3, honestly). As impressive as that 'minor' addition is in this statue, one thing that really got my collector senses on haywire(the good way) is the fact that they added a little bit more attention to 'detail' with these:

Yes, you discerned correctly! One can change the base's 'design' and make it either paragon or renegade! One just merely has to open the bottom part of the base and place whichever insignia one would find adequate for how one played. Honestly, I was mostly paragon, but the renegade fits the color scheme so I know which one I went with.

Details on the face isn't something I would say adheres to the Jane Shepard that we know in the game(the default one, of course). She is adorned by the common 'face' of anime which is 'perfect', immaculate facial texture, and did I mention if looks could kill? I suppose they managed to get the hairstyle, but other than that, it isn't the prominent FemShep.

The omni posture looks intimidating enough. Truth to be told, the details on her armor is immaculate to the game with all the ridges and the panels. While Shepard's armor has always been on the 'skin tight' side(which makes it more appealing for the female version), it always has that 'armor plating' look to it which makes it convincing that she can take a few rounds or so. That or her invisible shields can do the trick before her armor!

Side profile and back side does her justice as well. My only small gripe is that I wish that they spent some coloring on the area where there is lighting(closer to her shoulder blades). Red coloring would do well with it, but again, no real worries on that part.

Not that there would be a substantial difference, but it's nice to add in the variant of this Bishoujo. With the renegade stand and the M55 Argus, let's see how she looks, shall we?

Not much of a difference I know. But again, it does shifts perspective a bit with having a gun instead of an omniblade. With that said...

I should go.... and place her amongst her fellow N7 collection!

The shelf itself is starting to get vibrant more than ever! Loving the addition of both Mordin and Jane Shepard for this month! If I add another N7 related toy, I will have to do some reorganizing.