Showing posts with label Mass Effect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mass Effect. Show all posts

Monday, March 20, 2017

(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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Wednesday, March 15, 2017

(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! 

Thursday, February 16, 2017

(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! 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

(EA Figures) Mass Effect: Legion


Does this unit have a soul? Ah yes, Legion. As much as we all can say (for those who ship Tali and Shepard) that without Shepard, there would be no Tali, or that Shepard stole a huge part of Tali's (Quarian) heart, I do want to point out that from how I see things, Legion is a portion of Tali's story. And yes, we have the Quarians vs Geths lore so that is inevitable, but what I'm saying is, a lot of how Tali is was defined by her interaction with Legion. We saw her rage, her weakness, her hatred, and her undying and loveable compassion. Anyways, I digressed, but this is my review on this dated figure of one of my favorite ME characters: Legion.


Just as a note, Miranda Lawson is the only figure in series 2 that I did not buy. Hindsight, I sort of regret that now since I can't say I finished this entire set(though this entire thing is missing Samara, Kasumi,  and Zaeed). Still, having Legion is an awesome accomplishment.



It was hard to hate the Geth after playing ME2. Replaying the trilogy some time back, when I was playing ME1, I couldn't fully see them as 'evil' after playing ME2 and ME3. So with that, the details in the Geth may not be that astonishing, but they did offer something cool to the space lore mix. This figure did a fantastic job replicating some of those details. Legion is still very much a Geth but he had certain differences that helped to make him stand out. Those differences, the figure tried to uphold that with their sculpt. Well, Legion was 'battle-damaged' the whole time and he wore a piece of Shepard's armor on his right arm.


The paint also kept true to Legion's darker color scheme. It has a good combination of dark hues that bounce off each other really well that really gives him an overall color coordination without being too outstanding. The only red on him, the stripe on Shepard's N7 theme is the only vibrant thing about him. In the hole on his chest, Legion was given these 'teal' colored dots that were supposed to represent the sparks coming out of him; yeah it did not translate well.


Aside from the plain stand, Legion comes with a sniper rifle. Again, these figures are so dated that there's not much to admire. Articulation is lacking as well and I can't get Legion in a better pose aside from a few 'neutral' standing poses.


He's more like a statue rather than anything else; the whole series is like that actually. Keep that in mind and these won't be a disappointed. Though there will be some frustration that one can't get him in a better pose, or at least a pose that would at least concur with Legion's personality. Great details though and probably one of the few Legion figures that we are provided with in such an affordable price! I like him! 

Sunday, January 22, 2017

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! 

Friday, December 26, 2014

Spoils of 2014


Christmas this year has a bit of a different theme and all for the good. Suffice to say, while mine is still fruitful in my catch, it's not as much in the collection department and honestly, I don't mind at all! Well these are my catch(and yes, that is a gigantic Vemon Lethal Protector blanket in the background)! I'll be reviewing things as I go(although I might be a bit late this year). As one can see, I have plenty of apparel to go with the collection~!

Well, these are are the projects for the closing few days of December:

-T'elos Review
-Damsel of the Month(hopefully)
-Sailor Saturn Review
-Supergirl Playarts Kai review
-Figures of 2014!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

The Red: The New Game Room 2014



My first post in April and it's a tribute to one of the things that I love coming home to(of course it ISN'T the most enamoring thing in my life, but the Game Room is a huge part of me as well). Last year's post most definitely will show the changes this room has gone through in a year(roughly)'s time. Here's the post about that: The RED. Well, without further adieu, here we go!


So I'm sure from this angle not a whole lot seemed like it changed. It still looks like the Red Game Room from 2013. Basically, it kind of still is.


There are a few different placement since last year. I've already touched on that with a post not too long ago. There are added shelves and the Pagoda lamp has a different order to it than before. Speaking of which then…


I had qualms about putting Ignis the White on the bottom, but to properly fit in one of my recent addition to my Game Room, it had to be done. At any rate, these are the current residents of this area:


Kotobukiya Asuka
Yuna FFX-2
Ignis the White
There used to be Mandarin Spawn in the bottom, but he didn't make the cut. Currently he is a 'guardian' in my closet. So next is the red shelves added into the wall.


The DC Bishoujos used to be in front of me on the left side of my T.V. Changed things up a bit since I needed more room for some other toys and I figured I can make use of the spacing of the comic book wall behind me with a bit more 'toy friendly' efficiency.



The residence of the DC Bishoujo shelf would be these enamoring gals of course:

Harlequinn 
Batgirl

Huntress
Supergirl

Wonder Woman
For a while, there was a lot more DC Bishoujos that I found enamoring. But my first Bishoujo statue was a Black Widow one with a very insipid base.




 

The current residence is missing some Spider-Woman love, which is going to be my latest addition in the Bishoujo realm coming this June!

X-23
Black Widow
Elektra
Black Cat
X-Force Psylcoke
Now moving on to the left of this shelf. So if I was sitting down on my "gamer chair", this would be the view I would be looking at. It's a familiar view from last year's post as it is!


Truthfully, this one went through a decent amount of change over the course of the year. While it is still dominantly Iron Man, it gave up some of that Iron Man dominance and added more Marvel assortment! The most prominent change is probably the top shelf as we examine now. 


While the 'background' toy decors are still Iron man, the new residents are the MU 3.75 that Hasbro have produced since the 'slumber' of Marvel Legends. I've had my shared love for these little guys but as Legends started coming back up, I started realizing that these guys aren't my cup of tea. They are really REALLY small and their size lacks a lot of articulation that I look for. Detail wise, for being so tiny, they are pretty good and if Marvel Legends never came back, these consolation prizes aren't that bad, I mean, I kept myself enamored with them for a good few years and their number grew quite extensively! Oh, I'm sure it's quite obvious there is someone up there that isn't a 3.75! 

Galactus
The world eater may not be in his actual size compared to the 3.75 action figures, but he is gargantuan enough compared to the mini marvels. He does fit the upper level quite nicely. One of my favorite BAFs, honestly. Speaking of the MUs, these are my favorite ones:

Spider-Woman; Iron man
Dr. Doom, Ms. Marvel, Mystique
Thanos: should happen in Avengers 3 or something!
Apocalypse
Black Widow
The next shelf on display is pretty much standard from how it was last year. Of course there were some additions throughout the year that made it more merrier. A whole heck of a lot of red and gold if I do say so myself. Here we are:




There are a lot of these figures that I really like and have found to be remarkable part of my collection in the Iron Man department. Here are some of them:

Revoltech Iron Man MK VI
Thorbuster Iron Man
House of M Iron man
So for the more random Iron Man things I own:

Stark does have a big head!
Iron Man 2 3.75
"Modern", Hyper velocity, Extremis






Hulkbuster
Silver Centurion

























The next shelf is dedicated to his NONE Red and Gold variant armors and a bit of War Machine variants as well. Of course one of my … actually… THE MOST expensive toy is in this shelf.


The shot there is a bit crooked. I don't know what I was doing there; inebriation perhaps or just lack of straight focal point?! 

Obviously this shelf isn't as crowded as the one above it. In fact, there are no miniatures or 3.75 figures in here. Mostly 6 inches and the Hot Toy. Speaking of the Hot Toy:

Mark V Hot Toy
The next few are from the wave of Iron Man I toys that Hasbro just used to milk fans. the figures themselves aren't exactly the best in articulation, but the idea of variations does appeal to certain collectors. Well, me personally I can raise my hand to that notion.


War Machine has always been a favorite armor of mine; not exactly Rhodes as the one who pilots it, but the armor itself since it is a bit more exuberant in letting everyone know that he is a walking weapon. 

War Machine: Galactus BAF

The War Machine above is probably one of Hasbro's closest rendition to what Figma toy lines can offer. A plethora of variant hands, some accessories, great details and such! Perhaps I'll concoct a review sometime soon! So moving on to the shelf below:



One of the things I really like about this shelf is that I actually own the original Avengers all in here. Of course every one of them wearing a different timeline outfit, but hey, it works! 

King Hulk, Ant-Man, King Thor, Marvel Now Cap, Wasp, Classic Iron Man
The bottom shelf of each of shelving is occupied by graphic novels and random action figures. I try to tie in the theme, but for this particular red shelf, it's the 3.75 X-Force and War Machine:


Next is the view of what is in front of me when I am sitting down on my gamer chair. 


The view of my gaming time still has Commander Shepard and crew all over it. Still to this day, Mass Effect remains to be one of my favorite games and perhaps in my top 2. Of course Final Fantasy still being part of that, there is Final Fantasy paraphernalia everywhere as one could surmise. Of course Marvel, DC, and some anime still occupy the shelves. Let's start by turning to the left. 


My gaming endeavors did slow down this year and it's pretty obvious in my video game shelves are looking pretty sparse, yeah? Posters and framed pictures still remains; and my new plug in keeps the room fresh with the new season aroma!


So this is the 'western' shelf of mine that has nothing to do with the western theme since I there are practically no cowboys or feather folks. Bottom shelf has been updated too since this picture; Yuna and Aerith no longer reside there; Spawn folks do since Final Fantasy does seem out of place in this area! Speaking of Hellspawns…




So the upper shelf isn't entirely Spawn-kin since the Marvel Legends Icon of Spidey and Venom are up there as well, but give or take, it's mostly Spawns. With that said, Todd McFarlane toys have a certain amount of details to them that they can almost be considered articulated statues most of the time; and some are just plain statues like one of my favorite piece I own:


On to the next shelf then:



Venom USED to be top on my list as a wall crawler and/or Marvel character, PERIOD. Times changed, Venom changed, so on and so on. But I still do own some of his better figures out there! Here are some of my favorites:

Walmart Venom(?) and Venom Icons Legends
Venom: The Madness
This whole entire shelving is mostly inspired by villains. As a child, I lacked villains in my toy collection because I wanted the good guys all the time. As an adult, I don't tend to play with my toys the way I did(AT ALL) so my decors need some other flavors. 



There is a lot to be said with this shelf despite me not really highlighting a lot of these toys. Just don't mind the Klaw in the back.

Iron Monger
MODOK
The Apocalypse shelf has a lot of meaning to it since it's the shelf I wanted to accentuate a certain scene with two damsels being in the clutches of these nefarious villains! Oh and if it's not a blatant fact, I happen to like a bit of damsels in distress. 



Int his shelf on its own there are a lot of figures that I collected that are noteworthy for praise(both Hasbro and Toybiz alike!), but again, for the sake of keeping things somewhat terse, I'll just highlight the three that really draws the picture here.

Apocalypse
Spider-Woman captured
Elektra captured
The Onslaught shelf tries to do the same thing as the Apocalypse shelf with having their own damsels in tow. As it's pretty obvious, Onslaught is one of my favorite BAFs I own so it's fitting that he has some pretty enticing captives within his mighty hand!


So with that then… behold his mighty hand!

Onslaught
Marvel Girl
Psylocke
There are a couple of my villains in this shelf that I found myself enjoying far more than I expected. Didn't think I'd like the new Carnage or Terrax so much that once in a while I have to give them this much praise.

Carnage
Terrax
This next shelf used to be where the Bishoujos rested, but since my Marvel Legends started occupying more space, this one became an 'X-Men' shelf for a bit, and then now it's somewhat of a 'Galaxy Marvel' theme. We shall see where things end up then in the future.



As a collector, I can't say that I am enamored with every one of my toys, but I have them because I thought at one point they were cool, or that they were a BAF piece, or it was just an impulse buy. Perhaps the said Galaxy shelf is an amalgam of all that. Though I do have Betta Ray Bill that I really like!

Betta Ray Bill
Moving on is going to be where my T.V. resides. It used to be a table of mine that was designed with Final Fantasy images; more or less it has a bunch of Rikku in it for good reasons. Surrounding my T.V. are some of my smaller(and expensive) Final Fantasy figurines. Let's check them out I suppose.

FFXIII, FFVII, FFX, FFT

Diablo
Yuna: Floral Fallal
Kefka
Mini Playarts time!
Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy X/X-2
Final Fantasy XII
Then the next ones that decorate my 'entertainment center' is just Disgaea and Elder Scrolls(Skyrim).

Dark Elf in Daedric Armor
Disgaea paraphernalia 
So moving on to the 'east' of my T.V. The next shelving adheres more to the anime/eastern theme like Final Fantasy, Evangelion, Street Fighter, and the such. But there are other western influenced things. 



The playarts, creature playarts, and a few playarts kai occupy the upper shelf. Perhaps some of them I haven't really displayed in full force so here we are:

Khimari
Ifrit
Magus Sisters

Odin
Mateus
Odin
The next shelf is another Final Fantasy themed. Though the occupants aren't Summons or the sort; more or less the prominent main characters of Final Fantasy are the ones to decorate the said shelf.



Playarts evolved a lot since I started collecting them way back when. They started focusing on aesthetics and articulation which is a great thing. They never truly lacked in the aesthetics side though, but articulation was a great area of improvement. Their first playarts were ironically the FFX-2 playarts with the Gullwings.

Playarts Rikku FFX-2
Lightning FFXIII-2
Red XIII 
Street Fighter has been a long time favorite of mine since I was a child. While the continuity of the game is in crisis because of how the company is going about its production, Ryu, Ken, Akuma, Chun Li, Bison, etc. are still in high regards to me. With that said, this next shelf is mostly dedicated to those fighters!



So the likes of Mai Shiranui and that Kunoichi girl in the back isn't exactly part of the Street Fighter/Capcom family, but they fit well in this genre. Speaking of Mai:

Mai Shiranui
M. Bison
And of course what is a Street Fighter collection without highlighting a Sho-Ryu-Ken fighter?

Akuma & Ryu
Next is my Mass Effect shelf. Perhaps my favorite game of all time(though rekindling with FFX makes me realize that it may not be that far from being my favorite) and I'm glad their merchandise isn't in abundance or I would've ran out of room a long time ago. Still, A shelf and a wall is still exuberant enough, isn't it?




The majority of my Mass Effect paraphernalia are based on the playarts Kai; all for good reason as well since they are a pretty decent brand that dishes out a myriad of video game/anime toys!

Bishoujo: FemShep
FemShep and Garrus
Mordin Solus
Tali'Zorah
Next shelf is probably the only real loose DC figures I have displayed. A couple of playarts and some AmeComi. Ever since I started liking DC, I had to dedicate at least one shelf to them.




It's a shame that DC is owned by mattel and they are terrible in action figures. I had this small fire to perhaps try out a DC BAF and see where they stand, but as of right now, I don't have the funds or the space to support such below mediocre product. I turn to other products to supply me with DC toys.

Batman Playarts Kai Variant

Batman Akham Asylum Playarts Kai

If there was one anime character that I like that perhaps I shouldn't adore, it's Asuka. Why? Watch the anime and the reasons are pretty obvious. Regardless, I do have a shelf dedicated to her and her Eva! 




This is the shelf that showcases my Figmas, my Revoltechs, S.H. Figuarts, and the sorts. It doesn't take much scrutinization to see that Asuka is a favorite of mine, huh? But there are other anime related characters that make the cut!

Sailor Moon Figuarts
Mari Figma
Eva Unit 8 Revoltech



By far my favorite Evangelion figure to date. Bandai Tamashii is indeed a testament of being able to produce some great Eva themed action figures! I have done my review on this guy, and I just can't be exuberant enough on how fantastic this figure is! Not to delve too much into what I have already said in my review, I will say that anyone looking for a good Eva unit 2 for a decent price, this one is the way to go.

Next to this shelving furniture is my "DC Wall". My unopened pieces that will probably remain in their plastic confines for however long.


Not much here really except to move on to the 'secret stash'. Not so much of a big secret considering that I needed as much room as I can so the closet became a toy display as well.

 

And I do still own some Diamond Select Marvel figures, which I have yet to open; or accumulate more for that matter. The shelving has changed quite a bit obviously(and yes, that's an empty shelf below the "X-Men shelf"). Where are the Transformers you ask? One of these days when I have the adequate time and organization, I'll take pictures of their new location.


The top shelf still has an amalgam of Spawns, Minimates, Playarts, unopened Toybiz figures, and empty boxes of some great figures.



The next side of the closet also has the same kind of update; again the Transformers will be revealed later on; and no they are not scrapped or anything.

 

Other than adding a few more figures on the X-Men shelf on this side, it's a much more complete display than the other side. A shelf also pays homage to Spider-Man, my first favorite super hero.

 

Yuffie Playarts; X-Force Minimates
 

The Spider-Man dedication.



With this new dedication shelf, there are a few 'favorites' that deserve a bit of spotlight.


Superior Spider-Man
So, that's the new changes for 2014. Truth to be told, there are more changes in the horizon and I will be updating and blogging of course. That was probably al lot to take in, but it is proof that I am an exuberant collector! So with that said… the exit it is!


Before the exit, can't forget about Spike! Okay, exiting now.


Happy collecting to me then!