My time with Alan Wake began with so much promise. Tight controls, an engaging premise, and wonderful lead in via the Bright Falls webisodes. Unfortunately, despite a strong start, it doesn’t take long for Alan Wake to squander its potential with a slew of bad design choices.

Okay, I have a confession to make: I’ve never purchased a figma figure before this review. Oh sure, I have a Yuki Nagato figure up on my shelf, but I’ve never taken her out of the package. Up until this point, my entire experience with Max Factory’s figma line has been limited to a brief play session with my friend’s Konata figure at a convention a several years ago. When I saw this cute looking Marisa Kirisame figma come up for preorder several months back, I just knew that it was the right time for me to take the plunge in the world of figmas.

After spending over eighty hours wandering the land of Ferelden, I can honestly say that the time I spent with Dragon Age: Origins was the best RPG experience I’ve had in a long time. BioWare’s newest game aptly captures the essence of the Dungeons & Dragons pen and paper experience without all the fuss that usually accompanies such a venture. Rather than sticking me with all the stodgy predictability and clichéd plot retreads of most modern Japanese RPGs, Dragon Age: Origins gave me with a world where every new companion was potential friend (or lover), every battle was a test of my skill, and every decision a reflection of my own morality with long term consequences.

Based on a Russian novel by the same name, Metro 2033 is a great game that easily distinguishes itself from its FPS brethren by means of its engaging gameplay and story. Created by Ukraine based developer, 4A games, and published by THQ, this first-person adaptation provides a solid single player campaign, forgoes any attempt to include multiplayer combat. Despite being hindered by inconsistent gunplay and a dubiously integrated morality system that affects the game’s outcome, Metro 2033 provides a uniquely compelling vision of the Soviet Union post-apocalypse.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I decided to purchase my first Queen’s Blade figure. I’ve never played the game that the series is based on, but I have seen enough screenshots of the anime adaptation to know that the show has a well-deserved reputation as a trashy smutfest filled with more boobs and vaginas than a gynecologist’s waiting room. Despite my misgivings, when I saw Alleyne for the first time on the Otacute website, I just knew I had to have her. She was just so cute looking that I thought that she surely couldn’t possibly be as naughty a girl as her compatriots. Boy, was I wrong on that one… =^_^;;=

To see this figure in all her glory and read the full review, just hit the jump. I warn you though; this review is extremely NOT SAFE FOR WORK. You have been warned!