Toy Review: Transformers Generations War for Cybertron Siege Red Alert (Deluxe)

Review:  #564
Name:  Red Alert
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Generations - War for Cybertron:  Siege
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 3)
Mold Status:  repaint of Siege Sideswipe

VEHICLE MODE:

Red Alert transforms into a Cybertronian sports car emergency vehicle, and he looks great in the red and white color scheme.

He is a slight remold of Sideswipe, with the addition of a light bar in vehicle mode.  Due to the white plastic and no painted detail, the rear can look a bit bland.

The light bar can be removed if you prefer a sleeker sports car.

Above is a comparison against Studio Series Lockdown, and you can see that Red Alert is a bit smaller.  Despite that, he feels pretty solid and compact.

The robot gun can peg on the side of the vehicle.

A great looking vehicle mode, the brilliant and the rich red matches really well.

TRANSFORMATION:

Red Alert has a simple-ish transformation, but it works really well.  The front folds down to become the chest with the waist piece folding from underneath in the process.  The sides form the arms and the rear unfold to become the legs.  If you've ever handled Masterpiece Sideswipe (or any of its repaints), you'll recognize a few similarities, and this is a good thing.

ROBOT MODE:

Red Alert's robot mode continue the great looking color scheme but now with the addition of more black.  He has some silver battle damage splatter on his shins, which is somewhat annoying and out of place.

He lacks kibble which is awesome.

The only difference in terms of sculpting compared to Sideswipe is the head.

A quick size comparison against Refraktor and Sideswipe, and shows Red Alert is the standard height of the smaller contemporary Deluxes.

Articulation is strong since it one of the main focus of the Siege line.

He has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and limited ankle movement.

His weapon is a gun.

The gun can be held in either hand.

Officially though, you combine the light bar with the gun to form some sort of ax / club weapon.

Red Alert uses the gun's barrel as the handle, to be honest, it looks somewhat ridiculous.

There are various 5mm ports on his arms and shoulders, so there is plenty of options to use his weaponry.

One of the best robot modes we've had for a while.

OVERALL:

Red Alert, just like Sideswipe, is a fantastic mold and one of the best the Siege line has to offer.  The color scheme is fantastic and makes the figure pop out in both modes.  He has a few weaponry options in robot mode, and he's worthwhile even if you already have Sideswipe.

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Book Review: Sword Art Online: Progressive Vol. 5

Review:  #918
Title:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive Vol. 5
Series:  Sword Art Online:  Progressive – 5th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  The fifth volume takes place on the sixth floor and the floor has a weird theme to it:  puzzles.  That is, so many things cannot be done before you solve the puzzle that it feels way too impractical.  The author has also put in details about the game that is sheer impossible, or plainly stated, no developer would waste all those resources for something with such low priority.  With the characters able to pull out any book to read, to multiple facets of certain rules, it feels like the author is just trying to impress… without actually knowing the limitations on what this would be the case.  While that breaks the immersion a bit, Kirito and Asuna keeps getting sidetracked.  They are constantly attacked by the same characters, which is starting to become tiring by this point.  However, the story told is interesting enough that it manages to hold together.  Unfortunately, a lot of time was spent on specific events, so much that when the end of the novel is approaching and you realize that the characters will not clear the floor in this volume, it’s disappointing to say the least.  So all in all, we have Kirito and Asuna start the main questline for the floor, break up the tension between the two leading guilds, fight off against other characters who was wanting to kill them, and then finishing off with a long running quest that spanned over multiple floors.  While that sounds like a lot, it still doesn’t feel like much once you’ve finished the novel.
Rating:  6/10

Incredibles 2 (2018)

Incredibles 2 is a sequel to the first Incredibles and despite the 14 year time gap since the original, this sequel takes place literally at the ending of the first.  The Incredibles family fight off the Underminer who had appeared.  After the action packed opening, it calms down until the climax.  Incredibles 2 deals with a few themes and surprisingly, they can be quite complex.  Not only does the family want to legalize superheroes again, but they have to deal with trying to be a normal family.  While one parent is off saving the world, the other has to look after Jack-Jack, a baby who cannot control his powers.  Then on the other hand, both Violet and Dash is struggling to go back to normal after their taste of the excitement.  As the film takes a long while to set up the pieces required for the final showdown, it can feel bogged down at times.  The antagonist is easy to figure out and the overall plot doesn't present any surprises.  What makes it fun though is the increase in inventiveness and screentime for when the Incredibles can show off their powers during fights.  It's a good film but one that is a bit more thought provoking than the first which could be good or bad depending on your preferences.

God of War (PS4)

God of War is the fifth mainline game that also serves as a reboot / sequel.  It was released exclusively for the PS4.  While there are small references to past games, it welcomes new players and you won’t lose much if you haven’t played the previous games.  Instead of being wrapped around Greek mythology, it uses Norse mythology.  Kratos is much older, signified by him having a beard, as well as having a young son, Atreus.  He is instantly portrayed as a tough father.  The game starts off with him preparing his son to be ready, teaching him the proper way of hunting and fighting.

Whereas Kratos used to be loud and full of anger, shouting at anyone in his way, here, he is constantly grumbling using a low voice.  Kratos is more reasonable, as demonstrated with him thinking things through instead of indiscriminately killing everyone he meets on his way.  While he is still ruthless, you can tell that he really cares about his son.  The combat has been completely revamped.  The game is still a third-person action game with a sprinkling of puzzles but the camera focuses much closer to Kratos.  Kratos can fight barehanded or with his ax and attacks are mapped to the shoulder buttons.  There is a quick light attack, a slower heavy attack, blocks with his retractable shield, as well as aiming to throw and recall his ax.  Due to the narrow field of view, the combat feels more personal and enemies will more likely than not be spawning out of view.  To help with this, there is an indicator if an enemy is close to Kratos or about to attack.

The game features some light RPG elements.  Defeated enemies will provide experience points and these are used to purchase additional skills and abilities for Kratos.  These include new moves, boosts to stats, and passive abilities.  Atreus can help during the combat since he will fire arrows which stun enemies, as well as distract them from attacking Kratos.  Atreus will attack at close range too and the game gives you some control as you can command Atreus to attack.  Thankfully, Atreus is invincible and cannot be hurt.

The story starts off revealing that Kratos has been living in the woods with his son and wife.  However, his wife has passed away and he is training his son when a stranger comes.  After this encounter, we find out that Kratos has cremated his wife and her last wish was to have her ashes spread from the highest peak in the lands, thus Kratos ends up having to travel out of the safe haven.

The story gets grander in scale as it goes along.  The father and son will be constantly detouring but their ultimate goal remains the same.  The game focuses on the relationship between Kratos and Atreus, especially with how Kratos handles his past in relation to his son.  Atreus eventually goes through a rebellious and arrogant phase (despite having low confidence when he was first introduced) and you can see the mistakes that he is making.  This phase makes him a bit annoying but thankfully, Atreus is a good character that holds his own for the duration of the game.

The Norse gods makes plenty of appearances.  The usage of mythology is great and enhances the game, especially if you are familiar with the mythology.  Just when you thought the game has broken free of its past, it heavily pulls it back, whether for better or worse.  The combat then leans towards more hack and slash like its predecessors and feels a tad bit too familiar.  The game is presented with an addictive mix of cinematics, combat, and light puzzles.  The puzzles are usually really easy but it is so that it doesn’t break the pacing.  There are a few that involves a time limit but most of them just has you walking around to align targets and find levers.  However, the game hasn’t lost its flair on epic boss battles.  While it takes a while before you get to the first one, it is amazing.

The game is positively massive.  Not only are the story areas huge, but there are even more areas that aren’t covered by the story and filled with stuff to find.  Each optional area still has the same care and detail put into it.  You’ll be facing against mini-bosses, clearing side-quests and doing a lot of looting.  The loot will then provide the ingredients to craft new equipment as well as upgrading them.  Due to the requirements of the story, the game can’t help but frequently involve backtracking.  This can be confusing but the way back usually has something slightly different and more often than not, have shortcuts so you don’t have to do the slow climbing sections again.

The graphics are fantastic, as to be expected.  If you have a PS4 Pro, then you’ll have access to two PS4 Pro enhancements.  There is a Performance mode which has the game in 1080p but uncapped frame-rates, while Resolution mode will have the game in checkerboard 4K.  There is also HDR support.

Unlike the originals, this game is long, easily lasting you 25-50 hours.  It’ll be skewed towards the longer end if you are collecting and exploring as much as possible.  The ending is interesting and is a fitting end to the journey.  It is nice that the ultimate objective doesn’t stray from the initial objective.  While the final boss (and antagonist) was a little bit sub-par in terms of the amount of time spent onscreen, it was still a satisfying ending, especially with the revelations.  It also settled the rift in the relationship between father and son.

Furthermore, there are optional challenges similar to previous games.  A few of these challenges can be frustrating on the higher difficulties and some can feel like it is dragging things out.  There is an area where if you die you will lose your progress in the area, all the while you’re on a timer.  You will need to balance out between exploration and retreating.  It doesn’t help that that portion of the game is tiny and is designed to make you spend a lot of time grinding.  It completely ruins the game.  There are also various super tough bosses that are the ultimate challenge in the game.

Overall, God of War is an amazing game.  It has a great story that not only deeply focuses on the relationship between Kratos and his son Atreus, but is also an emotional final journey as they try to satisfy their loved one’s final wishes.  The revamped battle system is fun; the puzzles and exploration are finely balanced.  It has managed to take a somewhat stale series by the time of the last release and made it into something completely fresh without losing its roots.

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The Office - American Season 2 (2005-2006)

The second season of the American version of The Office is much longer, at a more typical 22 episodes.  Each episode is roughly 22 minutes long.  The series is set in the paper company Dunder Mifflin.  Michael Scott is the branch boss and as set up in the first season, there is the ever looming threat of downsizing, and thus redundancy.  However, this event is almost certain and the fear is noticeable in the office… at first, despite Michael’s efforts to try and stem it.

Michael himself, while being the main character, is a selfish, petty and cowardly person.  He thinks he is funny but he is quite the opposite.  Adding to that, Michael is constantly offensive, sexist, racist, and every other negative thing you can think of.  This often puts him in an awkward situation that forms the basis of most of the humor in the season.  Despite sometimes feeling the awkwardness in the air, and in the rare circumstances where he is feeling depressed because of it, his staff comes around to help cheer him up even though he doesn’t deserve it.

Among the other supporting characters are Jim, a salesman, and Pam, the receptionist.  The pair continues their flirting throughout the season.  Pam and her fiance are shown to be in an unhealthy relationship.  It is obvious that Pam is a lot happier with Jim, smiling more genuinely and laughing more.  However, the point of the show is to tease their relationship and while it is shown to be a good thing, it also somewhat encourages bad behavior as Pam almost crosses the line to cheating.  Don’t expect that the relationship will go nowhere though because here are some hefty developments in the season.

Finally there is Dwight who is the more serious salesman and is often poked fun of.  He is a suck up and wishes to gain promotions and more power.  He is at odds against Jim who often plays pranks on him.  However, Dwight’s actions will get on your nerves as he is not helpful and often screws thing up real bad.  While Dwight is supposed to be funny with his unusual behavior, all too often he just comes off as unreasonable and stubbornly annoying.

Despite Michael being apparently useless at his job and telling horribly unfunny jokes, there are times where he does shine through.  These moments are rare but when he does come through personally or professionally, you feel that there is a glimmer of hope for this guy.  Then in the next moment he returns to being childish.  Michael is definitely a guy that you do not want to work with or for, but is funny as a character.  Michael often wants to be “in” with his staff, be friends with them and generally be included.  He always has an ulterior motive though and when he doesn’t get his way; he forces himself into it anyway.  In these scenarios, Michael often copies whatever the other person is doing, trying to form his own group and comes off more like a spoiled kid than a grown adult.  Yet he remains oblivious to all this even when he staff calls him out on it.

The relationships around the office start becoming ever more complicated.  It not only focuses on Jim and Pam but on Michael as well as other supporting characters.  To be honest, it is surprisingly someone likes Michael or Dwight considering their unique personalities but that’s the way it goes.  There are so many embarrassing moments though.  It seems to emphasize the characters’ weirdest traits.  This has the flaw of making the characters seem a bit too one-dimensional at times.  The humor and pacing in this season flows a bit more naturally compared to the first.  The actors looks to be more comfortable with their roles and there is genuine chemistry between them.  As the season plows through, it ends with a pretty significant development.

Overall, the second season of the American The Office ends up improving quite significantly compared to the first season.  Gone are the awkward acting and jokes as everyone starts to fall into their roles more naturally.  The humor is hit and miss, while the characters are also fairly divisive due to their personalities.  It’s an enjoyable season but nothing too stellar.

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Toy Review: Transformers BotBots Clawsome (Series 3)

Review:  #563
Name:  Clawsome
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  N/A
Line:  BotBots
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  BotBots (Series 3)
Mold Status:  new

ALTERNATE MODE:

Clawsome transforms into a skill-crane game, although it can be hard to tell at first glance.  Through the "glass", you can recognize some other BotBots as prizes.

The back has the joystick control but also reveals the robot's claw.

Above is a size comparison against Legion Barricade and you can see that Clawsome is fairly small.  This isn't the best alternate mode that BotBots had offered but still looks pretty decent.

TRANSFORMATION:

Clawsome's transformation is very easy.  You pull the top and bottom to reveal the head and legs respectively.  Then you fold out each arm from the back.

ROBOT MODE:

Like the rest of the BotBots line, Clawsome carries so much charisma and personality.

Despite the short stubby legs, he is very stable and won't fall over that easily.

He has a better defined face than some other BotBots, with a nice smile and a cool visor.

He is still very small in robot mode, above is a comparison against Legion Crosshairs.

Articulation is limited.  His claw arm has a balljointed shoulder, while the arm with the joystick fares better with a balljointed shoulder as well as a swivel elbow.

OVERALL:

Clawsome might not be a recognizable in alternate mode but his robot mode helps make it up.  Having a claw arm and a joystick hand is pretty unique and cool.  He's only available as part of the Arcade Renegades pack and he is definitely worthwhile.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series Megatron (Leader)

Review:  #562
Name:  Megatron
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Generations - Studio Series
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  Leader (Wave 2)
Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Megatron transforms into a licensed Mack M915 Line-Haul Replacement Tractor, with a few modifications of course.  The most obvious one being the massive cow spikes in front of the truck (which is made of soft flexible plastic).

There is a tarp covering the trailer, and it is made from actual cloth, while the ropes are soft flexible plastic.

Megatron is a long truck but thin and light.  Above is a comparison against Age of Extinction Optimus and Megatron definitely feels much more insubstantial in comparison.

Unfortunately, due to transformation, the front half is completely hollow and this is what makes the figure so disappointing.  The hollow cab just feels cheap.  The tolerances warp the plastic and so all ten wheels will never all touch the surface at the same time.  The underside also stores the robot gun.

If you remove the tarp, it'll reveal some tanker elements.  Also due to transformation but the whole vehicle is one solid piece, it cannot bend at the hitch.

Megatron comes with a small Igor figure, with movable arms.

A quick comparison of Igor against Megatron and it shows that despite being small, it isn't *too* small.

A vehicle that looks good but the illusion is shattered as soon as you pick him up.

TRANSFORMATION:

The transformation is very easy, much easier that you'd expect for a Leader.  The panels of the cab unfolds and folds to form the feet, while the rear splits to form his arms.  You need to take the tarp and plastic ropes off and the put it back on after you have transformed him.

ROBOT MODE:

Megatron's robot mode looks great at first glance but like the vehicle mode, there are some flaws that start to show themselves once you pick him up.

Surprisingly, he doesn't carry much kibble.  Sure, he has a panel on his back, but it is used to secure the rope across his chest.  His legs are a bit messy and blocky looking, but they are fairly compact.

The headsculpt is strong and he has the damaged head as shown in the movie.  It is on a balljoint and is nicely painted.

He is okay in terms of height, yes, he is a bit shorter than previous Leaders but Hasbro has been continually cost-cutting for a while now so that's not unexpected.

As part of the Studio Series line, he comes with a cardboard stand.

The stand depicts the African base he has during the Dark of the Moon movie.

There are some small pegs around Megatron that you can peg Igor onto.

Articulation is pretty good.  He has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees as well as limited ankle swivels.

Despite being mainly beige, if you look carefully, you can see various different shades that helps to highlight the intricate sculpting.

His weapon in robot mode is a shotgun.

The shotgun is designed to be held in his right hand as there is a 5mm peghole there.

Megatron is able to pull some menacing poses but he usually has a hunch due to the way his knees are designed.

During transformation, you would have removed the tarp and the rope.

The tarp turns into a cloak and the holes are strategically placed for his head and shoulder to poke through.

While a robot wearing a cloak is stupid, this was in the movie.  All in all, this is a solid robot mode.

OVERALL:

Megatron is an okay figure.  While he looks great in both modes, unfortunately, he is let down by the cost-cutting measures that makes the figure feels really fragile.  The hollowness in vehicle mode ends up making the robot mode fragile as well.  He's a worthwhile pick up on a deep sale, but not so much for normal price.

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