Amiibo Review

Activision’s Skylanders became quite a surprise hit with kids a few years ago, combining a video game title, with action figures that can interact with it. It became so popular that competitors were bound to show up. Disney was the first major contender with its own game, and collectible action figures. Looking for additional business to supplement its console business, Nintendo has entered the fray. But does this toy line have the chops?

PROS: Toys work with more than one game. Detailed. Durable.

CONS: No articulation. Some figures may go out of print quickly.

HOLY CRAP: Error figures have gone for thousands in online auctions.

Amiibo isn’t simply a Skylanders clone. It is a toy line that interacts with gaming, but that’s about as far as the similarity goes. The biggest difference is that the toys aren’t locked into usage with only one game. Nintendo’s toys work with the NFC (Near Field Communication) tech in the Wii U’s game pad as well as the tech in the latest version of the 3DS. Each toy has an NFC chipset inside, along with digital storage. Many titles are supposed to take advantage of the toys. Three of the biggest ones are actually available now. Hyrule Warriors, Mario Kart 8, and of course Super Smash Bros Wii U. Obviously the biggest of these is the latter. In Super Smash Bros,., the toys can be used as sparring partners. Over time the characters will take on new patterns, and styles. Eventually levelling up their stats. Because the toys can store data, Players can then take their leveled up partners to friends’, and relatives’ houses. There, the Amiibos can be pitted against each other, or against said, friends or relatives. In Mario Kart 8 certain figurines can be used to unlock themed costumes for your Mii racer. Hyrule Warriors has bonuses that the toys are tied to.

With other games coming out that will have compatibility with the toys, it makes the toys into peripherals. Future games like Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, Yoshi Wooly World, and Mario Party 10 will have features dependent on these toys too. As for the toys themselves, they are visually pleasing. The sculpts are dead on with a lot of little details, and great paint apps. For the purpose of this article, I’ll be displaying the Mario figurine.

Not everyone who buys these toys are going to be using them for the video game functionality. Many people are going to be picking these up as collectibles. With that in mind everything, even the packaging is going to be important. Because toy collectors often look at more than the toy itself. Most toy collectors collect MOC (Mint On Card). For those uninitiated with the hobby, opening the toy will immediately reduce the resale value. Many go as far as sending in their toys to be graded, much like comic books. So they’ll want solid packaging to be able to still display their collection without devaluing it.

Amiibo figures actually have a really nice blister card packaging. You can see the character art which is really designed well. In this case you can see the Super Smash Bros logo in the left corner, the character name (for the five people who don’t know who Mario is.), and the recommended age of the user in the opposite corner. The character art is pretty cool looking, with a giant, imposing Mario who looks like he’s ready to lay the smack down. The bubble on the figures is a nice cube shape, leaving plenty of room for viewers to see the entire figurine inside.

The back of the card shows off the same generic image along the top for every toy in the line. Interestingly the Mario figurine in that image is a much different pose, which leads to speculation as to whether or not they may have alternate versions of characters in the future. Each toy gets a specific graphic on the back as well pertaining to that character. In this case, it’s a fight between Mario, and the villager from Animal Crossing.  Collectors will probably like this design a lot. Because one can either stand the box on their bookshelves, or use the peg hole in the top of the card to hang it on their wall for displaying.

For those of you who plan on using these with games, or who plan on displaying them loose, you’ll be pleased with these toys. The details in the sculpts are awesome. Mario has wrinkles in his overalls. You can see the stitching job on them as well. There are little dips throughout the overalls to simulate a nice denim look. The knuckles on his gloves are raised up as they are in the many illustrations we’ve seen over the years. The details on his face are spot on, from the pout on his lips, to the moustache sculpt to the detail on his ears.  The other figurines go to the same lengths.  You’ll also notice that his base is the same as the bases on the trophies in the Super Smash Bros. games. It’s just an all around great sculpt job on these things.

If I have any problems with these, I would have to say that some of the painted on sections worry me. For instance the eyes on Mario, and the M on his hat seem to be done in a different paint that could possibly flake off over time if constantly handled. This probably won’t concern you if you’re displaying them loose, or you hold the figurine by the base when you use it. But if you have children who are going to be playing with them, that might concern you. Speaking of children playing with them, I think they’ll love these things. Aside from the minor paint nitpick, they’re pretty sturdy, and I don’t see them breaking unless they’re really thrown hard against a wall or pavement. Kids can play with them inside or outside of the video games. However, these do NOT have any real articulation to speak of. You can’t really alter the poses, tilt heads, or anything of the sort. If you’re the type who wants to set up poses for your displays you should focus on Jakks Pacific’s line of World Of Nintendo toys instead.

One final concern some may have is availability of certain characters. As of late, there has been a lot of discussion about some of the less mainstream characters going out of production faster than anticipated. Marth, the villager from Animal Crossing, and the Wii Fit Trainer are making headlines due to the rarity in stores. This is driving up the aftermarket prices as die-hard fans, and scalpers scoop up secondary characters. So if you do decide to buy one for use with a game or two, or you’re a completionist collector bear that in mind. Nintendo has said they always want to have their most popular characters around, but that due to retail space, some aren’t always going to make the cut.

In conclusion, Amiibo looks like it will be a pretty cool toy line. If functionality continues to improve in future games (IE: different characters yield different results) they’ll only become more sought after as peripherals. As a collectible toy line, they’re already on a great start. The sculpts are great, the character selection seems like it will have a lot of variety. Minor paint nitpicks, and lack of articulation are about the only sticking points. Just remember secondary characters sell out fast. So if you see a figurine from a less popular franchise you enjoy you should probably pick it up.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

 

ConnectiCon 2014 recap

Every year in Hartford, ConnectiCon comes around.

This year was packed with a large amount of guests, activities, and panels. So many in fact, that it was impossible to see everything between the variety, and overlap. Still, I just like to recap my convention experiences. I always have a lot of fun,  getting to go to panels, talking with other fans, and taking in a really great meal.

Some of the highlights for me over the weekend began almost immediately upon arrival. One of the first events I attended was an Epic Rap Battles Of History event. Some of the most notable episodes were played on a screen. After each one of them the hosts of the event, and the fans in attendance debated which characters won. Historical Accuracy, the number of good insults, rhythmic flow, were all factors in picking a winner.

A large number of attendees loved the He-Man costume I roamed about the convention center in. I probably stopped every 15 minutes or so, so that someone could take a snapshot. It was more over than my Dr. Insano cosplay from last year, and that had gone very well. But there were far many more impressive costumes than mine.

One of the best moments was when Alan Oppenheimer’s booth assistant saw me coming down the aisle. Then proceeded to put her head face down on her arm on top of her table, and laugh. But both Mr. Oppenheimer, and his assistant were very kind, hospitable, and friendly.  Of course Masters Of The Universe was a huge part of my childhood.  So meeting the guy who provided the voices of many of its most iconic characters like Man At Arms, and Skeletor was a really awesome moment for me.

I also got to see Alan Oppenheimer, and Noah Hathaway talk about their time working together on The Never Ending Story, and other projects in a panel together. Like many of the various panels I attended it was pretty informative. Noah talked in-depth about how the scene where Artax dies in a swamp was done, taking several shoots on  a giant sound stage. The stage had a lowering platform for the horse to simulate sinking, and was covered in mud. The set designers also brought in the trees, and other props for the scene.

He also talked about leaving, and returning to acting, as well as the fun of nitpicking movies. Alan also talked a lot about voice acting, and the importance of being able to visualize a voice for a character. He also talked about using traditional acting techniques in voice acting. Notably, how much of acting is actually listening to the other performers in any given scene.

Like last year’s ConnectiCon, Doug Walker was in three panels. Doug is best known for his long running Nostalgia Critic web show. The first panel was on Friday, and it focused on how to better debate movies with other people by listening. The set up, was that each of the attendees in line would bring up a movie they loved that the internet at large seemed to hate, or vice versa, and why. The point of the exercise was to show how much you could learn about someone in just hearing why they did or didn’t like a movie. It also made for the argument that you can have a strong opinion about a film, and still remember that that’s ultimately what it is:  An opinion. Often times we can forget that when we talk about pop culture. We may have all of the evidence in the world that a movie is bad, and justify our opinion. But someone else is going to like it anyway, and it doesn’t make them terrible for doing so. In fact, really listening to someone’s opposing point of view may bring out some interesting things you may not have considered.

Doug was also part of a web series roundtable panel with Marble Hornets, internet comedian Uncle Yo, and Signal Crash. This Q&A session was geared more toward production of content. Advice was given to creative people in attendance. What kinds of techniques to use in any given craft. What avenues to take in furthering a goal. But there was also the rather frank theme of doing what one loves because they love to do it above all else. Not only from Doug Walker, but from all of the members of the panel. It was an encouraging panel that acknowledged challenges, acknowledged that there will be rejections, and failures. But it also left a theme of persistence, and sense of pride in whatever our passions are. Whether we ever get to do them professionally or not.

Of course there was also the That Guy With The Glasses panel in which Doug, and Rob Walker fielded questions of all kinds. As in the roundtable, some of the questions were about production, promotion, and professionally furthering one’s creative output into a business. Others were about the content of the TGWTG flagship series. Then there were other moments that came out of left field. One fan brought in a script, and wanted the Walkers to produce. They couldn’t do that, but they did recite the first page in the voices of Chester A. Bum, and Jeff Goldblum. At one point during the panel the Nostalgia Chick herself; Lindsay Ellis showed up with the rest of Chez Apocalypse. Posing as a con goer, Lindsay asked Doug when Nella (of Chez Apocalypse) would be getting top billing in lieu of the Nostalgia Chick. Fans cheered as Lindsay, Nella, and Elisa would celebrate the run in during their exit.

 

Chez Apocalypse were also part of another panel with other internet media creators including members of Steam Funk Studios, and Overclock Remix. Similar to some of the other panels, it was a Q&A session filled with some insight into the guests’ creative processes, how they keep things fresh, and how they handle criticism. There was also a lot of advice given to the audience at hand. The biggest piece being perseverance. Being able to see where one began, and the level of improvement over time as a driver to keep going.

Actor Walter Jones was also at ConnectiCon. Most know him as the Black Ranger from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show. He talked about his life growing up in Detroit, Michigan. His early days working as an entertainer on cruise ships, and of course his time on Power Rangers. He joked about how difficult the helmets were to see out of at times. He described some of the impressive stunts he did during shoots only to have parts lost during edits. He was also asked if he had seen himself as a role model for African-American children by someone in attendance. He told the audience that he saw himself as a role model for all of the children watching the show, and that nobody in the cast risked doing anything to jeopardize that. When asked if he would ever return to Power Rangers, he said it would be an option provided it would be backed by The Writers Guild Of America. The original show wasn’t, and it was the main reason he left after the Mighty Morphin era of the series ended. Another person asked if he still talks with the rest of the cast, and he replied that he did from time to time when schedules line up. He added that he actually knows some of the cast members from other iterations of the series.  It was an intriguing panel even if you weren’t a Power Rangers fan.

I also found my way into a Cosplay Court event during the convention. Hosted by Steam Funk, it played a lot like a small claims court show like The People’s Court. The spin on it was that everyone in the room had to play in their cosplay character. Audience members were chosen for the character on trial, prosecution, defense, and even the witnesses. In one case I was called to the stand as He-Man, and was cross-examined by a cosplayer who was The Mad Hatter from American McGee’s Alice.  In one case a Mario cosplayer was on trial for the extermination of the Koopa race, as well as the Mushroom Kingdom’s citizens. Another case was against Frozen’s Elsa, and of course there were many Disney themed cosplayers involved. Including a pretty good Ursula of The Little Mermaid fame.

Voice actors Maurice La Marche, and Rob Paulsen also had two events. I managed to get into the second one. It was a Pinky & The Brain Q&A, and it was certainly one of the highlights of the convention for me. Nearly the entire session was done in character. Both actors talked about many of the shows they’ve done over the years, in addition to a lot of the cartoons that inspired them. There were some zany moments too. One member of the audience wanted Maurice to determine if a photo of his daughter looked more like him or his ex-wife. There was another point when someone had asked P&B which fan was the worst they had experienced. Maurice pointed into the front of the crowd saying “That guy right there.” to which the crowd erupted in laughter as it was revealed to be Doug Walker. Doug  pretended to fail to be conspicuous while walking to an exit that turned out to be a hall filled with chairs. He then sheepishly walked back to his chair. Later in the panel, the two actors actually listed Doug in a list of some of the most pleasant entertainers they’ve known over the years. A list that included names like Jon Lovitz, and Steven Spielberg.

I was also lucky enough to catch a Voice Actor roundtable near the end of the final day of the convention. Lauren Landa, (Dead or Alive 5, Attack On Titan) Danielle McRae (League Of Legends, Skullgirls), Chris Cason (Dragonball Z), Brittany Lauda (Prince Adventures) were on hand to make for a nice sendoff. All of the guests were laid back, very friendly, and were funny. As with all of the previous panels fans asked the panelists what some of their favorite works were. What some of their dream roles would be, and some of the things voice acting entails.

Speaking of interesting people, I do want to give a shout out to Jenisaur, a blogger who introduced herself to me at the convention. She writes over at  http://www.sub-cultured.com/ about all kinds of things. Comics. Conventions. Novels. You name it. If it sounds interesting to you, check it out.

There were a lot of other panels, and events I missed that I would have loved to have seen. But you can only get out to so many over the three days. I would have loved to have made it out to the Jennifer Hale panel. She has done so many interesting video game, and animated television roles over the years.  I also missed seeing Ellen McLain, the voice of GLaDOS from the Portal series.  Her husband John Patrick Lowrie was there with her, and he’s done voice work for Half-Life 2. Hearing a bit about voice work for Valve would have really been a blast for me, and sadly I had to miss them. TV’s Diedrich Bader was there too. I also had to miss his panel. I did get to see him for a split second roaming the dealer’s room, and shared a very brief “Hello”.  I loved seeing him on The Drew Carey Show back in the day, and his role in Office Space was pretty great. Apparently he has done a myriad of cameos, and voice work that I never knew about. Alas, another interesting panel I missed out on. Others I missed? TeamFourStar was there. There was a Cards Against Humanity panel. There’s just so much to do, and so little time.

But I suppose that’s a testament to just how much there is to do every year. Cosplay death match, creative workshops, heavily discounted movies at the theatre across the street. Video game tournaments. Table top game tournaments. Japanese import rhythm arcade machines. Swag. Obviously the panels. It really is a great time, and I love it when I attend it. I can’t wait to see what next year brings. Plus there’s always City Steam Innocence IPA waiting for me a mere two blocks away.

 

Lootcrate Review

In what is most certainly going to seem an odd choice, today’s review isn’t a game. Instead I’ll be looking at a service gamers, and anyone into geek culture may find intriguing.

PROS: You’ll be surprised at how much you get in a tiny  box.

CONS: Not everything you get may be of interest to you.

NICE TOUCH: The booklet with articles about the items you receive.

We have all heard about the mysterious Fruit Of The Month Club. The subscription that delivers quality fruit to one’s door every month. It’s been referenced in many shows, movies, comics, and other media for decades. The concept is that the recipient receives a different kind of fruit every month for the duration of  the subscription. January may net a crate of bananas. February may be a delivery of apricots, while March might be grapes. Lootcrate uses the concept in a different way.

Lootcrate sends members a small cardboard box every month. But instead of fruit, the box is full of cool swag. Every month is different cool swag. For instance my first shipment contained a number of trinkets one would normally overspend on at a store. I got a Minecraft calendar, a Star Trek Starfleet Officer insignia sticker, a melting Rubik’s Cube sticker, A Star Wars trading card game package, and language translator guide. In addition to all of that was a NASA patch, and a POP! figure of Domo dressed as Superman.

The Lootcrate also comes with a booklet that has articles about the creation, and background of each of the items in the box for that specific month.  They also randomly send off a bigger box to a relative handful of members with items that are a bit more sought after.  In this regard it’s almost like a geek themed lottery. The difference being that even if you don’t score the larger box, you still get something fun, and tangible. They also go for some Easter Eggs. One example is typing in the Konami Code on the company’s site will take you to a YouTube video of a Lootcrate being launched into outer space.

I honestly hadn’t heard of or about Lootcrate until this past Christmas. My sister who never knows what to get me somehow found out about it, and bought me a three-month subscription. So far I’ve gotten the one box, but it does seem like you get more than $13 worth of swag for your $13, and change. Especially when you consider how much you will pay through most stores, or on a convention floor.

Now due to the randomness of each month’s swag bundle, not everything you get in the box may excite you. But it’s still a fun experience of seeing exactly what shows up. Plus there’s nothing stopping you from regifting anything you might not particularly care for. If I had any legitimate complaints at all it would be that the delivery of the first crate came much later than my sister was told it would. But that could have also been a rare miscommunication issue.

Members can also renew subscriptions at the end of the service if they want to keep getting swag every month. Or the company has options to buy one, three, or six month subscriptions at a time.

Overall, Lootcrate is certainly worth looking into if you’re in my sister’s holiday situation. When you have to buy for the geek who seemingly has everything, it’s a nice treat for them. It’s not every day one plans to go buy impulse purchase items like these. Even when one does, $13 nets you two of the several things you would have gotten in the Lootcrate.

In the end the service does succeed in doing what it sets out to do: become a Fruit Of The Month Club for geeks. If you’re looking for something different it might be worth checking out. Visit www.Lootcrate.com

Final Score: 8 out of 10.