Spinmaster: Playstation The Shapes Collection: Jin Sakai (Ghost of Tsushima)

 I really enjoyed Ghost of Tsushima. It was a fun, open-world game with a good story, cutscenes, characters, and mechanics. I guess you should say "open-world" a little loosely, because the narrative is pretty linear and the side quests and such are fairly repetitive.  The game focuses on the 1200s era of Mongol invasions, with the character being a kind of avenging angel against wrongs against the Japanese people, seeking to free them from the Mongols and kill their leader. The game's cinematics and scenery are beautiful. You even get mini-games where you can create Haiku poetry. It's a pretty awesome game, though I will say you get to kind of mix and match playstyles of being more samurai or being more ninja about how you approach encounters. However, you get punished narratively for using stealth or "ninja" playstyles, which sometimes you're kinda forced to do. That's odd.

This is an excellent physical representation of Jin Sakai. The details are there in the sculpt, though some of the smaller paint details aren't done, like the rivets or ropes that connect the armour. Some of the paint is a little muddy, like the rope wrapped around his chest and the kunai. The figure has decent flexibility in the hips and lots of joints; however, it was so stiff in the shoulders, ankles and wrists that I had to give it the hot water treatment to get them moving without worrying about breaking. Just like the Aloy figure, this one has an elasticity to its joints that makes it harder for it to stay ratcheted in a pose. It's harder to achieve dynamic poses, even though overall the shape and proportions of the figure look pretty good. The accessories aren't bad either, though it would've been nice if they included him being able to draw his tanto short sword, as it did feature in the game, among other weapons like his bow. 

Spinmaster: Playstation The Shapes Collection - Aloy (Horizon:Forbidden West)

 

One of the first reasons I started collecting action figures was to have a trophy and a fun representative of a game I really enjoyed. When I got my first PlayStation (4, still running!) I fell into a deep immersion in the world of Horizon: Zero Dawn. It's an amazing game with a killer environmental aesthetic, an intriguing world narrative, and a strong female character who doesn't need a romantic relationship to be a valuable main character in the story. Aloy is a strong warrior who is embarking on a quest with a complicated destiny. She has grown up in a world where technology has reverted for humankind into bows and arrows, and yet the planet is roamed by ancient robots that are more animal-like than anything. They begin to act more erratically, though, attacking humans and becoming dangerous in every environment they inhabit. 

Aloy uncovers the mysteries of the world and how it came to be, while also learning more about her own personal history. The combat, stealth and weapon abilities are amazing in the game, as well as how you can command and ride creatures. My favourite in this second game is riding the large robot pterodactyls (Sunwings). Graphics are incredible, though I will say, for some reason, the facial animation for Aloy I wasn't as fond of. I can't quite put my finger on what it is, but I preferred it in Horizon: Zero Dawn. 

This figure is a very solid release. The paint isn't as refined as a NECA product, but it's got quite a lot of articulation in spades, a decent range of motion and articulation, and quite a few well-done accessories. Honestly, looking at others in this line makes me want to get most of them, except for maybe Kratos and Atreus, because I already have a very well-done NECA boxed set of them. 

Hasbro Transformers x Naruto - Kurama and Gamakichi

 I grew up watching Transformers, and always enjoyed the shows, especially when they came out with Beast Wars on YTV in Canada back in the 90s. Such a good series of shows! I haven't seen many iterations of Transformers since the early 2000s, like the newer animated series, CGI shows or many of the Michael Bay movies, but you KNOW I'm coming for a crossover involving my favourite anime: Naruto! I haven't had a transformer in a very long time. I think the first couple I had were a mix of official ones like Blaster and then other transforming knock-off type things, like dinosaurs and such. This one is exciting, though! 

This is a once-in-a-lifetime crossover between Hasbro's Transformers and Naruto, and I'm here for it. It's a little crazy to me that this is the first Kurama figure I technically own, though honestly, I would love to buy the one pointed out by a dedicated reader by the Blokees' company. This set of two features a box done in the style of a summoning scroll from Naruto, holding both a regular-sized Kurama and a smaller Gamakichi. 

These transformers are.... well,l the transforming part isn't too bad, not incredibly complicated or anything. Their transformer looks aren't particularly aesthetically pleasing, however, and there is minimal paint and details here. Gamakichi, in particular, looks overly clunky and awkward in his robot form. The animal forms honestly look the best here. As with a lot of smaller transformers, these all have mostly flexible ball joints that allow decent movements.  The accessories are fine, there's enough to work with, though they are also unpainted and not particularly sleek to look at. Rest of this interview....ROLL OUT!