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Ektris

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Blog Entries posted by Ektris

  1. Ektris

    Missing

    By Ektris,

    I sometimes really miss this community. And others I used to be involved in as part of the larger BIONICLE/LEGO fandom.
     
    So I occasionally peak in, see how things are going... Generally without comment, and usually leaving a little more saddened by not feeling connected to it anymore and that things in general are really rather... quiet. Which I suppose makes sense when the focal point and passion of the fandom is dead again.
     
    But man, what passion... I dedicated so much of my formative years to this, as did so many others. They're great memories. And I am glad to see some still chugging away at it and newer folks still somehow discovering it.
     
    I'm not sure what made this visit different. Anywhere I'm present online now, I more often than not just lurk and not contribute. Quite the contrast to how I used to be. Just don't have the time and energy to. So a mix of nostalgia, boredom, sorrow, and maybe a touch of hope. Reflecting a lot, I suppose. I know it's not going to change anything and I'm not really back - not even sure I'll respond to anything here. I just really, really wanted to say...
     
    Hi.
     
    And I miss you all.
     
    Those who will read this and those who have long since moved on before I did.
     
    And thank you for all those memories.
     
    ~|ET|~
  2. Ektris
    A Song of Ice and Fire: A Dance with Dragons
    Transformers Titans Return Blurr
    Transformers Titans Return Skullsmasher
    Really don't know how much longer I'm going to keep this up. Just whenever I post elsewhere I feel the need to here as well since I've never missed a month... Kept me coming back to this place every once in a while at the very least.
     
    Anyway, didn't get much. Wanted more but just couldn't find many TR in stores.
     
    ~|ET|~
  3. Ektris
    S.H. Figuarts Super Mario Diorama Playset E
    S.H. Figuarts Lord Baron
    Transformers Unite Warriors Bruticus
    Transformers Masterpiece Wheeljack
    More Mario enemies. Meh. Wish they weren't static, there's really no excuse for it. Yet still somehow better than the Bowser they released alongside of, which I'm just not getting unless at a huge discount. So terribly limited in articulation and too small, that one is... But anywho, at least this pack is all new enemies. Do hope we see more at SDCC this year and preferably an actual character.
     
    Bow down to your lord and rightful ruler of Helheim, Baron! At long last my Gaim SHF collection is more or less complete! (Because I'd still totally take a Shin Zangetsu if cheap... hahahahaha...) I love him. Beautiful figure and rather well articulated. I have not a single complaint about him.
     
    Bruticus is the big ticket item this month. I have very mixed feelings about him as a whole and the various components, but on the whole I'm pretty happy I sprung for the Takara version over the Hasbro. Shuttle Blast Off is cool (and since I'm getting the Takara Computron I'll have it twice yayyy). What is so very not cool was the shipping price for him. The exchange rate for the yen has worsened and couple that with postage going up in general in Japan, particularly EMS which I may have to cut back on using, and I and many others forked out over $50 to ship the big guy. That stung a bit and is certainly souring my opinion of him.
     
    Much like Tracks before him, I got Wheeljack because he was cheap. He got reissued this month so I figured I might as well throw him in with my Bruticus order on AmiAmi because of their significant. He's alright. But does rank probably as my least favorite Masterpiece I own (really tied with Tracks), though still is an excellent figure.
     
    ~|ET|~
  4. Ektris
    S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Ghost Ore Damashii (w/first run bonus Yurusen)
    S.H. Figuarts Pikachu
    Just Cause 3
    LEGO Disney minifigure collection Genie
    LEGO Disney minifigure collection Aladdin
    Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
    Transformers Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove
    S.H. Figuarts Mace Windu
    S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Specter Ore Damashii (w/first run bonus Specter, Edison, Nobunaga, Tutankhamen, and Kanon Eyecons)
    Had everything ready to go to post at the end of the month despite all the traveling I did, but then got back home today and had a few packages waiting for me. So I retook things and still screwed up and left things out lol. Didn't feel like setting up again at that point, sooo three pics it is.
     
    Pikachu kinda just sucks.
     
    Ghost and Specter are another two solid Kamen Rider Figuarts. Nothing too outlandish about them, but how they accomplished the hoods (should've done one with the hood up part) is cool.
     
    Mace looks fantastic.
     
    Finally we can affordably get deluxe Groove, yes! Looks cool.
     
    Just Cause 3 has been fun but feels like it's missing something from the last game. It's a bit too structured in its approach to chaos, if that makes any sense.
     
    And now Aladdin and Genie... My first blind bagged minifigs. I quickly learned I'm simply horrible at feeling for these. Fortunately an incredibly nice couple helped me feel bags and their picks were spot on. Think some of my back ups might have been close, but oh well. Thanks you guys! Very pleased with these. As is my wife (wait what?) so that's good haha. Looking forward to a possible series two with hopefully more characters tickling my fancy.
     
    ~|ET|~
  5. Ektris
    Transformers Masterpiece Shockwave
    Star Wars Black Series Kanan Jarrus
    Transformers Masterpiece Tracks
    Star Wars Black Series Ahsoka Tano
    BIONICLE Protector of Stone
    BIONICLE Ikir Creature of Fire
    BIONICLE Tahu Uniter of Fire
    BIONICLE Umarak The Hunter
    Star Wars: Dark Disciple
    Star Wars: Heir to the Jedi
    Star Wars: Aftermath
    Star Wars: Maul: Lockdown
    Don't really feel like writing up too much today. Put as short as I can: love everything I got this month (some I didn't expect to or even planned on at all getting as always), but the effort put forth in getting some was way, way too much; this should be so much easier than it is sometimes.
     
    ~|ET|~
  6. Ektris
    S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou Kamen Rider Decade
    S.H. Figuarts Captain Phasma
    Nendoroid Kirby
    Nintendo Amiibo Wolf Link
    The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
    BIONICLE Lord of Skull Spiders
    BIONICLE Skull Warrior
    BIONICLE Skull Slicer
    BIONICLE Skull Scorpio
    BIONICLE Mask Maker vs. Skull Grinder
    Nintendo Amiibo Ryu
    Rise of the Tomb Raider Season Pass (digital download)
    Halo 5: Guardians - The Master Chief Xbox One Controller
    Nintendo Amiibo Roy
    S.H. Figuarts Minato Namikaze
    S.H. Figuarts Omegamon (Our War Game)
    All the things I was expecting last month finally came in, albeit some still much later than expected. I've already shown off Kirby. He's perfect. Decade is your average Rider release really, even with the Shinkocchou label. Comes with a lot of itty bitty cards I'll never remove from their baggy. Phasma is nice enough, though I did learn of an annoying issue with her leg not being assembled properly last night after taking this picture (that I've since corrected thanks to a handy hairdryer). Minato and Omegamon were the ones I really wanted here though and I love them. This Omegamon is such an improvement over the last - my only complaint is the too thin cape so that the red bleeds through the white. And Minato marks more continued improvements in their anime figure department.
     
    I did it, guys! I ended the BIONICLE draught! Yeahhhh... Kinda get why I put them off for so long heh. They're not all as bad as I feared, but the two-pack is still the obvious winner here. Ekimu looks great. Sure do wish that stand for the Mask of Creation was better though haha. Mayhaps I'll start the '16 guys next month.
     
    Speaking of things I took my sweet time on - the Master Chief controller! I'd actually been really wanting this since it was unveiled. I was a big fan of the special controllers on the 360 (used one as my primary controller since I first got one) and have been disappointed with how few there are for the One so far, and this is the first one to even interest me anyway. Just needed a new one too.
     
    Twilight Princess I'm already probably a third of the way through, but have put it on the back burner to keep at Rise of the Tomb Raider. It's been fun, and I'll be sure to share my thoughts on it once I'm done.
     
    The one item I'd been banking on arriving this month is ironically the only one to not arrive. Will be here soon and end another dry spell of sorts.
     
    ~|ET|~
  7. Ektris
    I just want to start off by saying that I really do feel that this was quite a fun game.
     
    I finished the campaign for Rise of the Tomb Raider around 2 AM yesterday (it was the weekend, okay...), but do still have plenty of content to get through before I shelf this title. I want to go collect everything, and I'm very nearly there now... but have suffered from a known widespread glitch not counting some things so I fear I may need to play again 100% to get the achievements to pop. Plus I've not even looked at any of the Twitch-integrated features, which actually means I may try my hand at streaming soon! Not required, but might be fun. And I plan to buy the DLC. But I beat the story, so that's "game complete" for most and good enough to write this heh.
     
    My favorite part was definitely the exploration of tombs and crypts. The puzzles were fun, the environments fun to explore, and the worldbuilding involved with most was great. I listened to every single audio log. The history imparted by them was fascinating.
     
    In contrast, I couldn't get that invested in the main story's characters. Jacob was interesting - pegged his identity instantly thanks to a clue from an audio log I picked up not too long beforehand - but the others... Meh. I had no attachment to Ana. If they had maybe introduced her in 2013's Tomb Raider, I'd care more about her betrayel... But I just didn't. I disliked her for it, and her sickness made me a little sympathetic, but none of those were strong feelings. While writing this I just performed a quick search and apparently there is a running comic book title filling the gaps between the games?? I imagine those would've helped some... But don't feel it should be necessary. Oh and Konstantin just screamed generic angry bad guy the whole time. Poor misguided fool.
     
    I didn't really mind any of that though. Except when stuck in the proper levels where my explorative urges were restricted. I still had fun and never felt stuck for long. Even playing on savior mode where you don't regenerate health and supplies are more scarce, not many combat encounters really took me too long. Mostly because that wonderful bow is still ridiculously overpowered.
     
    If you want to play this game, stop first. Next, go play its predecessor. That was an amazing game. Then play this one. Rise of the Tomb Raider is great as well, although I did feel less invested. Just want to recommend this rebooted series as a whole, since I feel it's much stronger that way.
     
    ~|ET|~
  8. Ektris
    I've voiced complaints about Nendoroids often enough elsewhere that I find it a little weird at times to think of how I've started getting some and keeping track of a few future releases. But there are just now some where the aesthetic absolutely works for me, and Kirby is deifnitely one of them. I don't even look at this and see a chibi superderformed abomination they make too many of. It's just... Kirby! And that's why he's awesome. Plus his limbs are magnetic, making him very fun to play with. Couldn't resist taking some pictures right after getting him.
     









     
    ~|ET|~
  9. Ektris
    Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia (Digital download)
    Rise of the Tomb Raider
    Huh. Well that certainly looks like quite the light month, although it's not what I expected.
     
    Already shared my thoughts on ACC: Russia, so go ahead and check that out if you're interested. And Tomb Raider I just got yesterday, but the two hours I got in so far were pretty fun.
     
    So yeah... Totally thought I'd have a lot more. One of my pre-orders at BBTS didn't come in stock yet, which I'm a little mad about, so that means I haven't shipped what I have there yet. And my monthly AmiAmi order didn't have everything come in stock until a few days ago so it's just not gotten here yet. So I guess things will be reversed and next month will be the big 'un.
     
    ~|ET|~
  11. Ektris
    At last I am done with this trilogy! (Mostly.) And in my opinion, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: Russia was a pretty good ending.
     
    Once again, nothing too new mechanically here to report. You have guns now replacing your knives from past games, and you can electrocute people. That was fun.
     
    What does set this one apart from its predecessors is the presence of a deuteragonist. I was not expecting that at all, let alone it being an actual historical figure. When you weren't running around as the grizzled Nikolai Orelov, you got to be Anastasia Romanov. Since she wasn't a trained assassin, it did require a different playstyle more heavily relying on stealth that broke things up nicely.
     
    Once again we do have a new art style. I wasn't a big fan. This game was gray and red. Very, very red. Gee, I wonder why...
     
    One interesting thing is we were finally able to put all of those codes that have been hidden throughout the three games to unlock a modern day cut scene. That was cool.
     
    I'm going to go back to China now to get the missing Achievement there, which I consider the hardest in the trilogy. I actually finished Russia 100% this time before posting this entry, not just my first run through the campaign. It was definitely the easiest one. But by and large, I'm done with Chronicles. I can say my skills improved as I moved to each new one, improving my enjoyment and opinion of the games as well. So yeah, I'm thinking a little more positively of them now. Still not must-plays though.
     
    ~|ET|~
  12. Ektris

    My D&D Characters

    By Ektris,

    Around this time last year I think, my friends roped me in to playing Dungeons & Dragons. I hadn't played for about 6 years, and even when I did previously I never got too into it nor really understood what I was doing. So it was more or less a new experience for me. Especially since it's all done over Skype.
     
    Anywho, here's the guys I've played since then:
    Rhikorin - A tiefling cleric of Trithereon, he is a stubborn ex-soldier intent on meting out his own sense of retribution after years of mistreatment by those he saved in the line of duty.
    Criton - This noble Illuskan monk tries to help all those in need, sending those willing to his monastery to study under his master. Unbeknownst to him, Criton is in fact the top recruiter of a reverse pyramid scheme that requires all of its students to relinquish their gold and trains them to loathe material possessions.
    J'hon Cinah - Half orc, half wood elf, half shark, all muscle. J'hon Cinah is the top competitor at (and a slave of) the traveling gladiatorial troupe World Warrior Entertainment. Adept with the longsword and trident, the current champion has never been felled in battle and never gives up.
     
    ~|ET|~
  13. Ektris
    Kylo Ren





    Until yesterday I'd say this was the best Toys Kylo Ren in this scale out there, but with the MAFEX revealed (and coming with a Driver head and melted Vader helmet..) I'm not too sure now. Though that's not coming out until the end of the year so for now it's still at the top in my opinion.
     
    But yeah I love this guy.
     
    First Order Stormtrooper




    Probably should have removed the window before taking these, but didn't realize how funky they were turning out until I was done and at that point I didn't feel like doing it all over again heh. Yes I got lazy. Probably because it was the last of a large group I did that today.
     
    ~|ET|~
  15. Ektris
    Felt like getting back into taking pictures of my stuff lately. Got a bit of a backlog of things to post even haha. From back in December, here is... One really awesome Figuart and a pretty okay one.
     
    Battle Droid




     
    Still love this thing. By far one of the best 6" figures I have.
     
    Clone Trooper




     
    Meh... And I'm still finding it hard to get this guy to look good in shooting poses.
     
    ~|ET|~
  16. Ektris
    It's not been long since I last posted and I already beat my next game, Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India.
     
    Maybe it was because China adjusted me to the mechanics, but I did not find this game nearly as difficult. The only real difficulty was self-inflicted, as I chose to make my first run be an attempt at beating the game without killing (because Achievements). I wasn't wholly successful, but it did mean going a little slower at times and being a lot more methodical. It was almost fun heh. Plus it was just a different way of playing for me.
     
    This really was just a re-skin of China, though, which is a shame. I still liked the visuals, maybe a bit more even. India is a lot brighter than China, so that's probably contributing to that feeling some. It's just... literally the exact same game. Although I still wish it had been announced sooner, as I had mentioned in my last haul post, I wonder now if the three-pack physical release of China, India, and Russia would be a good way to experience these games. I should have seen it coming. *sigh* I'm still a guy who like his physical media... But anyways, playing all of them back-to-back would basically be 30 levels of the exact same content and I can actually see that becoming stale fast. So this spacing has probably helped me enjoy India at least just a little bit more.
     
    I'm still playing this game to unlock the rest of the Achievements. So that means I'm in store for a whole lot of grinding and killing. Since I didn't do any during my first run. D'oh! But seriously, that grinding... Ugh so many are grinds. One is to beat in Plus Hard Mode without being seen once. I've already beat two levels that way, and now that I'm fine with killing as well (man I can't imagine trying to combine these two), I don't honestly see it being that hard. Just have to be patient.
     
    Just like its predecessor, I don't feel that Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India is a horrible game, it can just be a little frustrating at times.
     
    ~|ET|~
  17. Ektris

    Funky - January Haul

    By Ektris,

    BIONICLE Villain Pack
    Assassin's Creed Chronicles: India (Digital download)
    S.H. Figuarts Obi-Wan Kenobi (Episode I)
    Funko Legacy Dovahkiin
    Funko Legacy Daedric Warrior
    S.H. Figuarts Hatake Kakashi
    LEGO Dimensions Doctor Who Cyberman Fun Pack
    I sort of got back into getting BIONICLE this month. Thanks to a tip on the BZP Facebook page, found a pretty good deal on eBay so decided not to pass it up and got the villain pack. I kind of want... a lot now. Just for that base. It's cool displaying the masks on it, although yeah the stand itself is bad. Very pretty mask too. Still don't know when I'll get into my 2015 backlog and start 2016... March is looking to be a light month in regards to my pre-orders hmm..
     
    Still haven't gotten any of the big games I've been wanting, but I realized there's nothing coming out for a good long while that I do want. So now I'm in no rush and just going to enjoy what I have first. Which is why I spent all month playing Majora's Mask. And now the next installment of Assassin's Creed Chronicles. I sure wish they had announced there would be a physical release when China was released, because I honestly would have waited until then. But since I already have China and don't want to just re-buy that (since it's literally the price of all three, no discount for waiting or getting them bundled, which is pretty lame), I figured I'd just get the rest downloaded to. Meh.
     
    Finally got the Funko Legacy Skyrim figures I'd been putting off. Still can't believe it took this long to get action figures based off of Skyrim. Everything I've read about the Funko Legacy line of toys is... not great. At all. Particularly their Game of Thrones toys. The Skyrim ones are generally acknowledged as an improvement and so far I don't have issues with them falling apart or breaking. My Dovahkiin did come out of the package with a warped leg that really bugs me though I'm hesitant to fix, having not done that before and not wanting to screw it up. But they look great, have decent ranges of articulation, and I just think they're pretty cool.
     
    Bandai's continuing to pump out prequel Figuarts and I love it. Obi-Wan's pretty good. Nothing exceptional I feel (though how they handled the robes is pretty cool... so many parts of it move) but nothing bad either. Just need a Gui-Gon now. Kakashi may be the best Naruto release yet if only for accessories. Still think the face options could be improved, but it's a lot better than the dismal amount we got with Sasuke. And they're using a new style of hips on him that is alright. Does allow a good range of movement.
     
    Oh and I couldn't pass on the sale last week on the Dimensions Fun Packs. So of course I got the Doctor Who one. Love the Cyberman minifig and honestly think it's pretty cool to have a couple different builds of a Dalek now. Still no plans to get the game, but in terms of toys-to-life they're pretty great in the toy department. Which makes sense. Since they're LEGO.
     
    ~|ET|~
  18. Ektris
    Going to try and cover the games as I play them this year. No clue how long that will last haha.
     
    But first up in 2016 is The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, the first game I played this year and the first one I beat. I've now played four games in The Legend of Zelda! While the previous three were all very different, this one did feel like more of the same. Which it obviously should have, being a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time. That's not a bad thing in the least, though. In fact it made getting into the game very easy, since there wasn't a whole lot unfamiliar. Except, of course, the masks.
     
    Those were an interesting mechanic. A few were just a pain to acquire - I did do a 100% run - while some were just plain useless. Besides the transformations, I used the Bunny Hood and Blast Mask the most. The Bunny Hood was just great. Loved being able to move faster once I acquired it. The transformations were really fun to use too. Now that was an exciting change. Rolling around as a Goron was a blast. I like that each didn't feel totally useless after you completed their corresponding jungles. It all just depended on how you wanted to play and where you wanted to explore, which was cool.
     
    Unfortunately, I do have to admit that I absolutely required a guide. I don't think I could have completed the game 100% without one. Certainly beat it in time (which reminds me I should go try and beat Majora without using Fierce Deity because that was too easy), but not fully. I don't know how much easier the remake was compared to the original; there were parts, notably boss battles, where I felt it might have been too simple. But I'm not sure. I got through the swamp and mountain, including getting most things in those areas, on my own. But before I went to the ocean I decided to go back and get the dungeon faeries and it was just all downhill from there... Used a guide probably too much. I tried to do the puzzles on my own, but was still constantly referencing for hidden items. Plus all those side quests for masks... Like Anju and Kafei ugh...
     
    I still liked the game. The time crunch was very annoying at times, but I know it's part of what made the game different and don't hate it. After learning the inverted song of time it was hardly an issue anyway. I just can't help but feel a little guilty about how I ended up playing it.
     
    Totally another solid game in the series and has me looking forward to more. I'll be playing Twilight Princess next, but who knows what others I might end up checking out this year.
     
    ~|ET|~
  19. Ektris
    Last but absolutely not least, are the three collections I'm probably into most.
     
    Star Wars



    Figuarts were the game changer here. My interest in Hasbro's Black Series line is fizzling, mostly because the figures just seem to keep getting worse from my subjective point of view. But they're still doing things I don't expect Bandai to get to (Rebels figures, Revan) so I probably won't stop. But man, these Figuarts are some of the best action figures I've got. They're great. And unlike Hasbro, Bandai's not afraid to tackle the prequels.
     
    I didn't take any dedicate pictures of my books, because I totally do not want to move the loads of things covering them. But if you've followed along with these, you've seen them plenty in the background. I've still got a lot. But the notable thing is I've now started getting new canon books while still expanding my Legends collection. The latter of which I do still hope to finish one day.
     
    Transformers







    The changes here were big. And by "big" I mean physical. Because it was pretty much all combiners and leader class figures. Plus I spread stuff out a bit and moved my Masterpieces from the mantle, so it still looks pretty packed in there. A lot is coming out this year I'm interested in (Oooh Masterpiece Optimus Primal you are looking beautiful), so not expecting to slow down much here.
     
    BIONICLE











    Wide shots: Left | Middle | Right
     
    With BIONICLE returning last year, you'd think I'd have a lot of changes here right? You'd be right! ...But not quite in the way predicted. I don't know what happened. The skull guys didn't interst me nearly enough to want to pick them all up (Poor Skull Basher heh). Maybe it was the lacking story that couldn't keep me as invested as when the return was announced. It should be well known how into the old lore I was. I just don't know... But I do still want to try and pick the rest up at some point. And start the 2016 line soon, since those creatures do look cool.
     
    The bigger changes are still completely past years. The things I'm happiest to have gotten last year are some 2001 Rahi. Only missing the Manas now. Plus I have all of the Stars now. Oh and duh... Got a WMKK. That's really cool.
     
    ~|ET|~
  20. Ektris
    Video Games









    There were some pretty predictable additions in the past year here. New year means new Assassin's Creed means new statue and hidden blade. Biggest changes here are all Nintendo figures, with most coming from Good Smile Factory and their Figmas and Nendoroids. Always found Nendos a little too stylized for my tastes, but with two new Pokémon releases last year I caved again. There were a few things I repeatedly thought of getting to diversify the shelves here even more. Chief among that being Halo figures. Still held back from those rabbit holes for now though. Plus it would just be another thing making me need another bookshelf again heh.
     
    Tokusatsu




    Might as well call this my "Kamen Rider" collection but there's two things hiding in there that aren't (or... not given how big Godzilla is). I got a lot more Riders in the past year than I had realized. Most are from Gaim; literally doubled the number of Gaim Riders I have. Plus the Drive and Shinkocchou Seihou releases increased the numbers a good deal. So despite the shelf split last year, things are looking quite full again already heh.
     
    LEGO

    My system LEGO collection, also known as "An Ode to Ideas". So it's nothing too expansive or impressive, just a few sets, but it's still filling up quite a bit of my mantle. So I thought it'd be cool to show.
     
    ----
     
    There is one more entry planned for this, featuring my three biggest interests - Transformers, Star Wars, and, of course, BIONICLE.
     
    ~|ET|~
  21. Ektris
    These are going to be pretty photo-intensive entries. I took more close-up shots than wide ones this time around in order to see things better. (And I'm not quite done yet so there's going to be some delay between updates.)
     
    Marvel

    Now here's one I didn't have much to speak of before. One year later, my Marvel collection has septupled. I truly love Figuarts. Bandai now doing so many franchises I love isn't helping that addiction haha. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before that I never had many Marvel toys as a kid even though I liked all of the cartoons and watched them a lot. So having these now just kind of makes me happy. Plus it's just going to keep growing; they're already teasing quite a lot of future releases.
     
    Anime


    Not much has changed here at all. I think there's only three additions (would've been four but I didn't feel like delaying these blog entries any more). Meh, quantity's not everything though as those were very solid figures and I'm still content with what I've got. Don't need to being going overboard after all.
     
    Amiibo







    ...Because I may have gone overboard here. Oops... It's just so cool to have these characters alongside one another though. I keep saying this, but I mean it that I'll be done when Smash is done unless they do Pokémon (plus Wolf Link because I wanted the game anyway..). Also because wow do these take up so much space.
     
    ----
     
    That's it this time. Thinking of doing three parts this go-around. Next up: games/game figures, toku, and system LEGO.
     
    ~|ET|~
  22. Ektris
    S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Knuckle Kurumi Arms
    S.H. Figuarts Battle Droid
    S.H. Figuarts Clone Trooper Phase 1
    S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Kurokage Mastubokkuri Arms
    Transformers Combiner Wars Shockwave
    Funko Pop! BB-8
    LEGO Ideas Doctor Who
    The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
    A Song of Ice and Fire: A Feast for Crows
    Star Wars: A New Dawn
    Doctor Who Monopoly
    Doctor Who t-shirt (not pictured)
    Star Wars clock
    Nintendo Amiibo Lucas
    S.H. Figuarts First Order Stormtrooper
    S.H. Figuarts Kylo Ren
    (BB-8 through the clock are from Christmas.)
     
    Figuarts dominated my purchases this month, with Star Wars being very prominent throughout everything really. But let's talk Kamen Rider first. With Knuckle and Kurokage in my hands, I finally have all Gaim Riders!! Yes! There's still Lord Baron to look forward to, but otherwise I'm done and I freaking love looking at them all together.
     
    The Star Wars Figuarts are a mixed bag of mostly good. The one I don't like is the Clone Trooper. While it looks great, it suffers immensely in the articulation department. Hips are as rubbish as the Stormtrooper's (I'm serious when I say they may be the worst I've had from a Figuart) and I just can't seem to get him to hold his gun closer to his body. Thankfully the First Order Stormtrooper absolutely blows them out of the water. The hips in particular are great; they're a brand new design for the entire line and I think are only the second Figuart to use something like it. I haven't had as much time to mess with it, but it's great. Kylo Ren I also only picked up yesterday, but so far I'm liking him. Not much to say there other than he's cool. The real standout - which is odd even to me - is the Battle Droid. Wow. This Battle Droid... is perfect. Anything I want to do, it can, and looks great doing so.
     
    Lucas I ordered from AmiAmi to be sent with my December order as a very last minute thing before it shipped since he randomly came back in stock. At least now I don't have to worry about him next month and can take an Amiibo break for a while until the next two come out. I think I like him more than Ness's Amiibo to be honest. Shockwave was the first Transformer I picked up in a long while and I love the little guy. Just such a good figure. Finally, I really need to find a place to display my Pop! vinyls now with BB-8 joining the party. That was an early Christmas gift from my fiancée and I simply adore it. Plus he's a bobblehead, which is super fun.
     
    Got some new forms of media entertainment for the first time in a while. Was holding off on a few purchases explicitly for the holidays, so I'll probably be getting the rest of those soon now. Anyways, got another A Song of Ice and Fire book that I'll get to eventually. Good news is I'm almost done with other book so I can start reading the one before it soon haha. Also have my second new canon Star Wars book, which I only realized as I started to write this that it's the same size as all of the others........ When Tarkin wasn't and I swear copies of A New Dawn I saw in the bookstore before were the same as it..... So much for that excitement I had over the easily noticeable split between Legends and canon on my shelves haha. Oh, and I got Majora's Mask like I figured. I've only played it a little but wow I can see this one taking me a good long while.
     
    I didn't make a dedicated Christmas haul post this year since I really just didn't feel like it. But the miscellaneous things remaining in my list come from there. The clock I included because it's cool; it came from my sister, as well as the silverware I mentioned elsewhere that she'd be getting me. Sorry, no pictures of that. I also didn't think to take pictures of the Doctor Who Monopoly or t-shirt, and they're still in the process of being shipped to Texas right now. But they, and the Ideas Doctor Who set (also in the mail so haven't built it yet but ohhh how I want to!), came from my fiancée's side of the family. There was definitely a noticeable theme there haha.
     
    So yeah. That's this month and thus 2015 over. I plan to do a collection update once my Christmas packages arrive so I can include those things. A lot has changed since just May.
     
    ~|ET|~
  23. Ektris
    So ends my year in gaming. Episodic titles were really the standouts, with one in particular really standing out among all those even just released this year: Life is Strange.
     
    Life is Strange stars Max, a young girl attending high school in her home town of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, having returned there after several years away, and discovers one day that she has the power to rewind time. It should be obvious already how that will transition into a tale of love, drugs, murder, and rampant photography, right? No? Well, I guess you should play the game then!
     
    Seriously, I do urge you to check this out. So much so that I don't even want to talk much about the plot here because I want you to experience it firsthand (unless anyone would like to, in which case comment away, but please do use spoiler tags). I will say that, from where it started, I never expected it to end the way it did nor go down many of the paths it took. There were significant psychological issues shown here, and I was honestly a little disturbed at times. But it was such a fun ride, one my fiancée and I enjoyed together.
     
    The mechanic that makes Life is Strange different from other point-and-click adventures is the rewind ability. You could use it to choose better dialogue options (maybe you made a mistake and upset somebody you didn't want to, or they let slip something that might have been more useful earlier in a conversation to lead it to where you wanted) or stop simple events from happening by intervening. I feel that it was handled well; Max wasn't an all-powerful Time Lord bending time to her will. In fact, she barely had control over it and you weren't able to use it in some critical moments because of that.
     
    Probably the only thing that I disliked about the game was the ending - and that's not even much of a "dislike." The game just unfortunately fell into the trap of your choices not really mattering. You basically have two endings, and I chose the less destructive of the two. But that didn't mean your adventure went to waste, because you still have your memories of the week and... Well, that's starting to get into spoiler territory, but it just wasn't generally a bad ending to me. I'd totally understand why somebody might disagree though.
     
    What made this game were the characters. There were so many, perfectly capturing, sometimes rather annoyingly, a lot of familiar personality types you could probably easily associate with somebody you know in real life. They weren't caricatures, but certainly diverse and made for some interesting interactions. Plus some were just plain fun people.
     
    Dontnod Entertainment did something really great here. Just in terms of making a game that looks good and functioned well, but also with an episodic game that generally had a good release schedule. Every episode had plenty of content to boot.
     
    Life is Strange may well be my game of the year. This somewhat mundane slice of life simulator turned into a deeper mystery thriller that I loved every step of the way.
     
    ~|ET|~
  24. Ektris
    Before the finale, I wanted to at least list all of the other stuff.
    Halo: The Master Chief CollectionHalo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
    Halo 2
    Halo 3
    Halo 3: ODST
    Halo 4
    Halo 4: Spartan Ops

    [*]Assassin's Creed Rogue
    [*]Assassin's Creed Unity: Dead Kings
    [*]Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Xbox One)
    [*]Assassin's Creed Syndicate: Jack the Ripper (Came out right after I wrote the entry on the game..)
    [*]Super Smash Bros. WiiU
    [*]Forza Horizon 2: Fast & Furious (Gotta get dem Achievements yo)
    [*]#IDARB
    [*]Threes!
    [*]Project Spark
    [*]Worms Battlegrounds
    [*]Smite (Xbox One)
    [*]Microsoft Solitaire Collection
    [*]Microsoft Majong (These are here because why not lol.)

    As well as a couple mobile games and of course continued occasional training in Omega Ruby.
     
    Of those, I put a ton of hours into MCC just from sheer content and achievement hunting and Smite. Really, really got back into that after it came to console; became somewhat decent with a few gods too when I was just garbage during the original PC beta. Just wish the friends I played with then would have moved to console with me (a few even have Xbox Ones, but oh well).
     
    One more entry left and it's for a game I simply adored. Stay tuned!
     
    ~|ET|~
  25. Ektris
    Still need to wrap this series up, and I decided I wanted there to be at least 10 entries. With the last one picked from the start, I had quite a few to pick from still. (The rest of which will be showing up in their own leftovers entry.) Then I realized after scrolling my list up, that another of the very first games I played this year was probably notable enough to talk about. Grand Theft Auto is kind of a big deal, right?
     
    Grand Theft Auto V was my first GTA game. I think I understand the hype now, even if I hadn't bought into it fully.
     
    The big open world was a blast to explore, especially on a motorcycle as Franklin. Despite its size, I felt the map wasn't too hard to get used to and remember, which made navigating easier and not the utter frustration it could have been. This was the kind of world I hadn't experienced since Just Cause 2 (where I spent far too many hours in, and yes I'm hoping to get the next one soon), so that was just an overall welcomed thing to play in.
     
    The character switching in the campaign was something I really enjoyed. It let me play the game very differently depending on who I was at any given time without having to play it again. My Franklin was a down to earth guy who just wanted to get out of his bad lot in life. He wasn't about to kill somebody if he didn't have to, like in that ending. Trevor was the maniac he was so clearly written as. Michael wasn't much better, having lived a lie for years to pretend he was a better man but knowing the truth deep down. That's what I was telling myself anyway. It's GTA though and regardless of that it's all really played the same lol. But it still made for an interesting mechanic.
     
    The plot of the game isn't anything to write home about; it's the antics surrounding it that made the game. The character interactions were great. I especially liked Steven Ogg's work as Trevor. He did a fantastic job.
     
    What's probably the biggest attraction to most for a GTA game seems to be the eclectic multiplayer. Unfortunately, I can't comment on it a whole lot. I only barely dabbled in it, and just didn't find it interesting enough to return. Maybe with a group of friends to mess around with I might have reconsidered, but alone, there just wasn't much I wanted to do. Never even got around to trying out a heist, even though I did want to..
     
    Grand Theft Auto V was a good game that I enjoyed while I played it, but I just wasn't one of those it gripped fully and hung onto it tight for a while.
     
    ~|ET|~
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