Fate/Extra Type-Moon Box + Figma Saber Extra

Yesterday I received the limited edition of the PSP game Fate/Extra: the TYPE-MOON box:

The contents are a Takeuchi illustrated box, a Saber (Extra version) figma, the game, the mini art-book Fate/Extra Visual Works and a soundtrack cd. I also received the booklet Fate /the Fact (a pre-order privilege) and a telephone card (the AmiAmi exclusive).

I only played the game a bit (I'm in the second week) and is pretty hard to understand (is almost no voiced and the wording is very Nasu-esque). For now I don't like that much, but I'll do a proper review once I'm over with it.

Fate/Extra Visual Works is a 15 page booklet attached to a cd case that includes a limited soundtrack. Each illustration takes 2 pages and all of them are drawn by Wada Arco except the one pictured, that is by Takeuchi Takashi.
I don't like Wada Arco's style at all, and since for me is TYPE-MOON = Takeuchi, I feel that this game is a completely unrelated project.

Rin is a blond terrorist in real world?!

Fate /the Fact is another 15 page booklet attached to a cd with a single video of less than 3 minutes with a motionless Rin speaking. The booklet is fashioned as a news magazine explaining the "real world" of Fate/Extra.

The main extra is Saber Extra figma. The accessories included are 6 pairs of hands, a sword (that is larger than herself) and an extra face and frontal hairpiece.

Both the red part and the semi-translucent part of the skirt are made of hard plastic instead of rubber-like parts of other Saber figmas.
Also note that the epaulettes are attached to the neck instead of the shoulders.

The ultra low skirt cut. This figma doesn't have a hole in the back so the only way to attach it to the base is with an extra clip to put in the waist.

The first face and hair, Wada Arco style.

The alternate face and hair, Takeuchi style. The eyelashes are different than the normal Saber.

Saber Alter Figma by Max Factory

The other figure that I received yesterday was Saber Alter Figma by Max Factory.

Again, a figma that is scarce in accesories: 10 hands (6 left and 4 right), dark Excalibur, 2 faces (normal and yelling) and a extra frontal part of hair that contains the visor.
Like Rider figma, the neck is double jointed (at the base and the top) and is slightly longer than usual. The armor have an easily movable joint between the torso and the breast plate, and the elbows and shoulders joints are hidden by the rubber clothing.
This is the most easily poseable figma so far.

Unlike the regular Armor Saber figma, the lower part of the armor and the skirt are molded together.

I never liked the visor. There's no point to blind yourself with a metal-like solid visor, except if you are Rider.

The yelling face seems a bit dorky. I suppose is because her face is very pale and makes way too much contrast with the opened mouth... or because the eyes doesn't seem focused.

Comparison shot with regular Saber figma.

Nendoroid Petit Fate/stay night by Good Smile Company

This morning I received a box of Nendoroid Petit Fate/stay night.

Since the complete set is 12 figures and a full box contains 12 individual boxes, you got a secured full set when purchasing a box. This beats the spirit of a "trading figure", but is a bless for the people that does otonagai.

The collection consist in two versions of each Fate/stay night main female character: Saber, Rin, Sakura, Illya and Rider, plus an extra pajamas Saber and a pull back car Hetare Saber.
The poses of half of them are based in the first Fate/stay night Trading Figures also by GSC.

Armor Saber, Excalibur version and Caliburn version.

Tohsaka Rin, "Red Devil" version and jewel magic version.

Matou Sakura, school uniform version and apron version.

Illyasviel, coat version and dress version.

Rider, dagger version (the mask is removable) and using Bellerophon summoning circle version.

And Saber in pajamas and the secret figure a pull back car Hetare Saber.

The only bad thing that I can think of is that the different versions are very similar, in most cases with the same clothes and almost the same faces... I'm not asking for 12 different characters (quite possible) but at least different clothes, since all 5 girls appeared in-game with at least one different set of clothing.

IDOLM@STER 2 announced

At last, the sequel to the original iM@S was announced: THE iDOLM@STER 2, will be a (for now) an Xbox 360 exclusive, to be released release in the spring of 2011.

All the characters are now one year older, so some of them are now significantly taller and/or have different hairstyles:

Makoto now have a rather feminine hairstyle, Miki, Iori, Azusa and Ritsuko also changed their hairstyles and Ami & Mami are now pretty tall and not a mirror image of each other anymore, so they act as two independent idols. The rest seems pretty much the same.

The gameplay is now focused in manage a 3 girls unit, with special emphasis on the trio leader. The details are pretty vague for now, but it seems that 5 girls units are also possible:


And finally, perhaps the most shocking new is that Hase Yurina aka Yurishii (formerly Ochiai Yurika), the voice actress of Yukiho, left the project and the new seiyuu will be a fairly unknown Asakura Azumi.
Yurishii left by her own, and considering all the unlucky events that happened before, is understandable.

As said, for now is an Xbox 360 exclusive, but considering that another Bandai-Namco game, Tales of Vesperia, was also an Xbox 360 exclusive and was ported to PS3 a year later with additional contents, there's still hope for the non-owners of Xbox.