Toy Review: Transformers Unite Warriors Lightspeed (UW-08)

Review:  #331
Name:  Lightspeed
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Unite Warriors
Year of Release:  2016
Size Class:  Deluxe
Mold Status:  remold of Combiner Wars Wheeljack with a new head

VEHICLE MODE:

Lightspeed transforms into a red sports car.  Unlike the Hasbro version, Unite Warriors went for the Combiner Wars Wheeljack mode (which itself is a remold of Breakdown) and it looks more faithful to the G1 version.  The silver wrap-around windshield and silver headlights look great.

The vehicle mode is very decent, and it has a solid rear with good sculpting.  A bit unfortunate apart from the eye-catching silver on the hubcaps, windshield and headlights, there's not much paint elsewhere.

A quick comparison with Breakdown showing the different sculpting and how much has changed.

A size comparison against BotCon Lift-Ticket (repaint of Generations Hoist) shows how big Lightspeed is (although Lift-Ticket itself is a small Deluxe).

All three of Lightspeed's weapons can attach in vehicle mode at the same time, although whether it looks good or not is another story.

For some reason, the instructions and packaging assigned Lightspeed different combiner pieces to the original mold, because if you use the one officially assigned to Afterburner, it clips on as an engine.

A fantastic vehicle mode, looking sleek with a beautiful shade of red and striking silver.

TRANSFORMATION:

Lightspeed transforms similar to a lot of other Combiner Wars Deluxes and is fairly uninteresting as a result.  The hips are still annoying in that they don't lock into place and the knees are a pain as they seem so short so folding them back up or unfolding them you end up dislodging the hips.

ROBOT MODE:

Lightspeed's robot mode is not as strong but still manages to look good.  The weedy arms doesn't help when the rest of his body is so chunky.

He wears the front of the car on his back as kibble but since it's hollow, Lightspeed is super stable.

The only new sculpting here compared to Wheeljack is the head where it has been resculpted.  The head is a bit weird when viewing from an angle but otherwise much appreciated and gives the figure its own identity and uniqueness.

A comparison against Breakdown to show that while they look familiar, a lot of the pieces have been resculpted including the chest details, shins and forearms.

Once again in this mode, Lightspeed is fairly tall although he has a fair few hollow pieces.

Articulation is good, and he has good heelspurs which help immensely in stabilizing him in various poses.

The knees and the hips are the weakest aspect of the figure.  The hips because they are easily dislodged and the knees also because they easily dislodge.

Lightspeed comes with new weapons, which are a pair of guns.

These new guns are very welcomed and looks fantastic on the figure.

The other weapon is of course the combiner piece.  The one assigned to Lightspeed is a new sculpt, which is a laser gun.

The weapon is a bit big and unwieldy in his hands though.

Never fear as you can store it on his back.

A solid robot mode even if it is the weakest of the Technobots.

OVERALL:

Lightspeed is a solid toy.  He has a great vehicle mode, who doesn't love a sports car?  The transformation and robot mode is the weaker aspects but surprisingly is still quite fun.  The new weapons does a lot to help make Lightspeed much more worthwhile.

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For other Transformers reviews, as well as the rest of the Technobots, have a look at this page.

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Of course, as part of a combiner, Lightspeed has two extra modes that he can transform into to form Computron.

Lightspeed normally forms the right leg of Computron.  His leg mode is pretty much the vehicle mode with the front folded down.

It is a solid leg and looks good, although such a shame that the folded vehicle front hides a lot of the vehicle elements so that something feels off.

The arm mode's biggest negative is the huge forearm.  The shorter knees becomes beneficial here though.

That's it for the review, thanks for reading!

Tracers (2015)

Tracers stars Taylor Lautner as Cam who stumbles upon a group well trained in parkour.  He joins their group after getting good at it himself, and participates in their jobs in earn money to pay off a debt.  It's a standard plot but the action sequences in which the characters run past obstacles is great fun to watch and elevates the boredom that punctuates throughout the rest of the film.  Whenever no one is running, the film becomes dry and bland, the dialogue is one dimensional and characters don't have their own personalities.  Cam keeps secrets from the group which is always a bad idea and of course, this blows up in the climax.  It's too bad the formulaic plot ruins the film as the parkouring is fantastic and not something you get to see much of in other films.  It's executed well and makes it fun to watch how the characters weave around the rooftops and shimmy down stairs.  Overall, Tracers is a mediocre film that could use a lot of improvements around the story element.

Book Review: Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

Review:  #603
Title:  Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer
Series:  Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Author:  Rick Riordan
Read Before:  no
Comments:  The Sword of Summer takes place in the same universe as Percy Jackson and it’s not a throwaway reference either, as Magnus Chase is the cousin of Annabeth Chase.  This time around, the Norse Gods are still alive and manipulating everything for their own agendas.  Magnus is a homeless boy, struggling to survive when he is thrown into the world with no warning.  A prophecy happens and he has to save the world within a short time limit, along with his friends.  While there is still an overabundance of pop culture references which feels as if the author is trying too hard, Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer is one of Rick Riordan’s better recent novels.  Written in first person, he manages to recapture some of the charm, wit and humor that made his novels so interesting in the first place.  While the way Norse Gods and other myths were incorporated into the modern world is well worn by now with no surprises, the interesting quest and sarcasm exuded by the characters make up for it.  The biggest flaw of this novel is the fact that everything is too predictable such that there are no major surprises.  Still, the plot is decent and the novel is well written.

Rating:  7/10

Toy Review: Transformers Unite Warriors Nosecone (UW-08)

Review:  #330
Name:  Nosecone
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Unite Warriors
Year of Release:  2016
Size Class:  Deluxe
Mold Status:  remold of Combiner Wars Rook

DRILL TANK MODE:

Nosecone is an extremely heavy remold of Rook and is a full proper drill tank, with a gigantic drill at the front.

Nosecone was a surprise when he was revealed due to the extent of the retooling.  He has treads, additional guns, a cockpit and of course the drill.

Notice carefully and you will see the silver painted windows of the cockpit.  The tip of the drill is spring-loaded to prevent you stabbing your eyes out.

A quick comparison with Rook and you can see the extent of the retooling.  It's really impressive.

Now a quick comparison with Deluxe Brawn and you can see Nosecone is quite sizeable.

Nosecone's combiner piece is the double barrelled Gatling gun, which you can plug at the bank for a type of anti-aircraft weaponry.

Even better is if you attach two combiner pieces together, arming him to the teeth.

A great drill tank mode that looks instantly recognizable at what he is supposed to be.  The brown and white works better than expected too as the color scheme.

TRANSFORMATION:

Transformation is exactly the same as Rook except that now you have the additional step of folding up the drill piece onto his back.  It's quick and easy converting between the modes so no point in dwelling over it here.

ROBOT MODE:

Nosecone looks suitably bulky in robot mode considering he transforms into a drill tank.  The treads on the outside of his legs may look a bit awkward but still very acceptable.

He gets a piece of new kibble being the cockpit piece, and that it actually sticks up behind his head.

The head sculpt is fantastic, with clearly defined sculpting.

A quick comparison with Rook shows that most of the pieces are the same but the treads, new head and coloring sell Nosecone as completely different.

In terms of size, Nosecone remains bulky but he does have a few hollow parts.

If you wish, you can peg in the drill onto his back to store it.

Poseability is excellent, although his ankle tilts are lost thanks to the treads on the sides blocking movement.

The two smaller guns peg onto his shoulders, although if you really wanted, you can attach them to the end of his fists for a stabbing weapon.

Nosecone's weapons are his drill and a smaller gun.

Due to the fist hole being on top, he can't hold the gun properly, rather it looks like he is ready to stab another robot with it or maybe his hand morphed into the weapon.

The drill as a weapon works surprisingly well.  You can also give Nosecone super big hands if you'd like with the combiner piece.

The combiner piece weapon attaches to his side in this mode.  All in all, a solid robot mode and a lot of weaponry options give this mode a lot of play value.

OVERALL:

The retooling really helps in making Nosecone his own figure and giving him his identity.  The retooling works so well, with the additional weaponry and a proper sized drill, Nosecone is a fantastic figure that's probably the second best figure in the Computron set, after Strafe.

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For other Transformers reviews, including the rest of the Technobots, have a look at this page.

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Of course, Nosecone forms part of Computron along with the rest of the Technobots, so there's two more modes that we haven't covered yet.

First off is his leg mode.  Nosecone normally forms the left leg of Computron.

The big drill works really well as part of the leg, and the bulkiness of the vehicle gives Computron a buff look.

The arm mode isn't as great since the drill now looks like an ugly protrusion.

The big forearms also doesn't help as it gets in the way of Strafe's cannons.  Otherwise, this alternate limb configuration is still pretty good.  That's it for now, thanks for reading!

Sleeping Dogs (PS3)

Sleeping Dogs is set in Hong Kong and has open-world gameplay, with an intense undercover cop drama for its story.  Developed by United Front Games, the team behind Modnation Racers and LittleBigPlanet Karting, this is one of the best games of the generation.  Sleeping Dogs' Hong Kong is heavily based upon the actual city, if you have ever been to Hong Kong, you might notice some landmarks within the game.  You get to explore the four suburbs of North Point, Central, Kennedy Town and Aberdeen.  Being such an authentic rendition of Hong Kong, the city is amazing and fantastic to explore.  There will be skyscrapers towering over you, double-decker buses and trams travelling on the road, the iconic red taxis and the apparent disparity of wealth between North Point and Central through the types of cars and litter on the streets.  The map is big with a lot of streets; the developers took some liberties and made the streets wider to make driving easier since the city is so alive and dynamic.  There will always be pedestrians and cars along the streets, the city never sleeps.  The game has a day and night cycle, which changes to how the city looks due to the additional lighting that comes with the night.

The weather in the game will change too, when it's raining, people will be travelling with umbrellas and when there's bright sunshine, everything is brought out in detail.  The graphics itself are passable and will take some getting used to especially in the character models.  There's just something off with the faces like they're flatter than they should be.  The story is about Wei Shen, an undercover cop who returned from the United States back to his childhood home of Hong Kong.  There, he infiltrates the triad Sun On Yee in an effort to bring it down.  As with these types of stories, Wei builds true friendship with the triad members and their view of honor slowly becomes entrenched into his personality.  It is an engaging story since it keeps moving forward with tangible villains.  You will definitely side with Wei, especially when the lines between a cop and triad start to blur.  The major events in the story will affect you deeply since you have built solid relationships with each and every character.  The ending was fantastic in that it brings up the rage and anger within the player towards the villain.  You will have no qualms with Wei finding justice on those who have done him wrong.  The plot is deeper than expected with a few nice twists.

The plot is well written and elevates the game from being just an open-world where you free roam and do whatever you want.  It is one of Sleeping Dogs' strongest aspects.  By the time the ending comes and the credits roll, you'll find yourself craving more.  Sleeping Dogs have mission based gameplay.  You advance the plot through driving to specific points in the map.  This means that there is a lot of time spent driving around the city but because the driving mechanics are so natural, and the city itself is so vibrant, this never gets boring.  Plus, you're easily distracted from your intended path thanks to the numerous optional content.  Sleeping Dogs had addictive gameplay where there is always something to do.  The sidequests involve street races, a karaoke minigame and favors which is helping out other Triad members to get Wei's name out there.  You can bet on cockfights, bust drug dealers and participate in assisting the police in cracking cases.  Then there are the obligatory collectibles.  Health Shrines are scattered around the map and will increase Wei's maximum health.  Lockboxes contain costumes, money and weapons.  Security Cameras are there just because they are.  Then finding Statues will allow Wei to learn additional moves to use in combat.  All in all, there are too many collectibles which means you'll probably get bored before you've found them all.

There are various other minigames you'll encounter during missions, such as picking locks, hacking cameras (a number puzzle) and GPS tracking via a phone.  They're not obtrusive and are fun in their own right.  Wei will encounter mostly fist fights and the combat system is fairly simple.  It can feel clunky at first and since Wei's abilities are so limited int he beginning, it strays towards being counter-heavy.  You will wait for an enemy to attack so you can counter.  Eventually, once you've unlocked more moves, Wei can be more aggressive.  He'll be able to use various weapons like knives, cleavers, umbrellas and even a fish to strike enemies.  Wei will also get into gunfights.  Guns are hard to come by in Hong Kong, which means you'll usually only get a gun when there is a gunfight coming up.  The aiming and shooting are mapped to the trigger buttons; once you get used to the controls, shooting feels great.  The cover system works fine and enemies are not bullet sponges, which makes these gunfights brisk and packed with adrenaline.  A questionable choice in the controls is that running is mapped to the X button.  Would have preferred running to be mapped to the shoulder button instead because the current controls does't allow you to run and move the camera at the same time.

Sleeping Dogs have an experience system, but with three different types of experience:  Face, Triad and Cop.  Levelling each one will unlock different abilities.  What makes the game more authentic is the mixture of Cantonese and English into all dialogue.  There's actually a surprising amount of Cantonese, especially during free roam.  This mixture makes it sound weird when characters use both languages within the same sentence, forcing you to use subtitles.  Either speak fully in English or fully in Cantonese but don't awkwardly force the two together, especially when Wei himself only speaks in English.  There's actually a lot of swearing in the game, way too much in fact, both in English and Cantonese.  Understand that the characters are Triads but when there's swearing every three words, it makes it hard to take it seriously.  The game takes around 10 to 14 hours to finish, depending on how many of the sidequests you decide to do before finishing the story.  Overall, Sleeping Dogs is surprisingly an amazing game.  It is heaps of fun with an engaging story, and addictive gameplay.  The gameplay feels smooth and responsive after you've spent a while in the game.  Frankly, Sleeping Dogs is one of the best games in the generation and should be played by as many people as possible.

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Ghost Ship (2002)

Ghost Ship has two memorable scenes, the opening sequence upon a cruise ship in which it portrays how the passengers die, and later on in the movie, what actually happened.  Between these two fantastic scenes, the film is quite mediocre.  After the passengers are killed, the cruise ship they were on floats around, until 40 years later, a salvage crew stumbles upon the ship.  Aiming to take it back and earn some money, they set to tow it back.  Of course, throughout the course of the plot, the crew members experiences supernatural events, and unavoidably, people start dying.  It is an intriguing plot but it lacks a lot of aspects that make a good horror film or psychological thriller.  The attempts at scares are cliche and predictable.  It seems to struggle to balance between the horror elements and the higher action moments.  Ghost Ship also likes to present gore but that ruins the moment, in this case, it is better to not let the viewers see and rather let them imagine.  Overall, it can be a struggle to sit through but the two scenes mentioned above really does make it worthwhile.

Book Review: Pandora Hearts Volume 16

Review:  #602
Title:  Pandora Hearts Volume 16
Series:  Pandora Hearts - 16th volume
Author:  Jun Mochizuki
Read Before:  no
Comments:  Pandora Hearts tries to shock you through showing more characters becoming traitors and siding with the Baskervilles.  However, by this point in the story, the fact that you still don’t care about most of the character means the impact is very minimal.  Furthermore, the suddenness at which some characters’ personalities change is jarring.  Take Leo for example, he was reserved and shy, now in this chapter; he changes significantly, becoming jaded and violent.  Sure, he lost his best friend Elliot but he is supposed to be calm and clever, his actions in this volume are too unlike his character to be believable.  Gil remembers more about the past, especially between Jack and Glen and what is revealed at the ending throws everything upside, but again, there are so many additions to the flashbacks by this point that it becomes another confusing point.  The only cool thing in this volume is the little tidbits on chains and how they contract.

Rating:  6/10