Assassin's Creed Collection Updates

Got in a couple of Assassin's Creed stuff recently and managed to get some photos up..

First was the "Feather Pen" from Assassin's Creed Revelations. Not sure what it's exactly called? Plume?

It's supposed to be a replica of the feather pen that Ezio used to write to his sister, Claudia in the AC Revelations game. Not sure why it's red though, could have been white to make it more realistic.

Pic of the feather-pen in the game (Source: Assassin's Creed Wikia)

More pics..

It isn't of very high quality but for the price I paid, it was still worth it. Would be nice to see some real high-quality replicas of items in the Assassin's Creed Universe.

Next up are the lithographs from the Assassin's Creed Anthology. I had put off buying the Anthology edition for quite a while... always thought the lithographs were really nice especially as there are 1 from each Assassin's Creed game. I have always been an advocate of consistency and collections so nice to see 1 lithograph for each game rather than getting several different lithographs.

So here they are..

Really really nice stuff. Got to get them all framed up and lined up in the background of my AC collectables someday. With AC IV coming out later this year, I'm hoping for a similar lithograph to match these.

Personally I haven't actually bought any lithographs other than the ones included in the Collectors' Editions even though I have really admired the artwork from the AC games. The artwork is one of the reasons why I have bought all their LE guidebooks. If I had more space (and of course lots more money), I would definitely consider some of the other rare lithographs..

More art stuff from the Assassin's Creed games, this promo poster for Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flags..

Don't really collect posters as well but I thought I should get this one. Why?

Because this cover art was done by Todd McFarlane. Wouldn't say I'm a big fan of him but felt it would be nice to own this poster art done by him. Who knows? This could be the first of many pieces especially with the collaboration between McFarlane and Ubisoft for Assassin's Creed figure. Comics maybe?

His signature on the poster.. Very nice!

A video of Todd McFarlane working on the cover art

I actually got 2 pieces of the poster. As it was double-sided, I thought of having 2 in case I framed them up so I could see both sides. But after seeing some of the stuff coming out in the AC IV Collectors' Editions, I don't think I will need the map side framed up as well. So if anyone wants a spare, I have one for sale at SGD$25. Drop me PM on Facebook if you are interested!

Spec Ops Finally!

Back in July last year, I won some wonderful swag from 2k Games Asia for Spec Ops: The Line. Up till then, I haven't heard much about the game. Winning the contest definitely perked my interest in that game and I tried out the demo. Some fantastic stuff! Ever since the game got released, I have been hearing all things good about the game and I promised myself I will eventually get it.

So I did..

 

Helped a friend get a copy too and I'm going to this soon enough. Really badass cover-art I must say..

Can't wait to play this. Seeing this just got me reminded how awesome the demo was.. 

It's on sale at PlayAsia by the way at just US$19.90. Anyone planning to get this, can take a look at the affiliate link below

Buy Spec Ops: The Line (PS3)

My prize from Ubisoft Singapore!

I shared a while back that I won a contest from Ubisoft Singapore..

And here it is..

 

Came in a nicely wrapped Ubisoft Wrapping Paper which I have tucked away nicely for now. I'm grateful for it, but to be honest I have no use for it as I already have the game on PS3. A little something special as an extra would have really been awesome for memory sake :)

Still not sure what I'll be doing with this copy though, probably give it to a friend to encourage him to play the Assassin's Creed games..

Thanks Ubisoft Singapore! But don't forget I still want to visit!

Weekly PlayAsia Deals (Apr 9 - Apr 16)

PlayAsia Deals just out for this week!

Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (US $21.90) - Buy Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two (PS3)
Never played these games but I heard it was pretty popular.

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Bonus Edition) (US $24.90)
- Buy Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Bonus Edition) (PS3)
- Buy Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Bonus Edition) (Xbox360)
- Buy Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (Bonus Edition) (Wii U)
Worth checking out if you like Sonic & Racing

Killzone 3 (US$17.90) - Buy Killzone 3 (PS3)
Another of those "must-try" games of our generation

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Game of the Year) (US$21.90) - Buy Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (Game of the Year) (PS3)
"Must-have" game for all PS3 owners!

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Not too bad deals for this week, just some games at a discount if you haven't already gotten them. I got a spare US$5 off voucher code if anyone needs it. However you will need to spend a min. of US$60 to redeem it. (PlayAsia's terms! Not mine!). Drop me a comment if you need it.

Of course do check back for their Daily Deals! Some nice stuff went on sale last week.

More Updates from McFarlane's Assassin Creed Figures

Seems like every time I search for Assassins Creed stuff on BidBadToyStore, I see something new..

This new one popped out when I did a search earlier..

Some Assassin's Creed IV figures..

We have already seen Edward Kenway previously but now there's Captain BlackBeard who will presumably be playing a vital role in the Assassin's Creed IV game. Then there are two more pirate figures who according to the BBTS site are "legendary pirate figures from Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. We don't want to reveal who they are until they've been given a proper introduction by Assassin's Creed developer Ubisoft, but we're sure that you'll recognize both of these notorious characters once they're revealed!"

BBTS is selling these four as a 4-pack and should be available to purchase individually as well.. But.. (There's always a but..) If you get the 4-pack set there is a bonus.

According to the site, "In addition to the four legendary pirate figures, our Pirate 4-pack also includes an exclusive bonus item: a Skull Buckle! Only available in this boxed set, this unique accessory is a replica of the skull-shaped buckle on Edward Kenway's bandolier."

Still a bit undecided about the non-Assassin figures that McFarlane are bringing out. Usually I only get figures of the main characters and with NECA's AC figure line, I didn't have a problem. Hard to reject the non-Assassins figures though, as some of them look to be characters who are important to the plot and if they are giving away DLC content, like they said, and the bonus Skull Buckle as mentioned above, these will be very tempting to get. I'll have some thinking to do while waiting for their release..

Source: BigBadToyStore

GTA V Cover Art Revealed!

The long-awaited cover art for GTA V has been revealed..

 

Great to see Rockstar keeping it consistent with past Grand Theft Auto games. This style has been synonymous with the Grand Theft Auto series thus far.

Would be nice to have a full collection of posters with each GTA game's cover art... Hmmm...

Thoughts on Marvel Heroes Beta Part 2

Got to try more Marvel Heroes on Saturday's Closed Beta... I have to say I'm more convinced now..

Got to understand the Crafting System a little better.. In the game, Hank Pym is your crafter. Basically, you go to him for all your crafting needs. You collect different elements with different grades and you can upgrade them by combining 3 of the same element together (so similar to Diablo..)

You can also upgrade Hank Pym's crafting level by "depositing" items to him. So basically you decide if you want to sell your unwanted items for credits or upgrade your crafter. (You can do the same for your items vendor). Higher rarity items increase your level faster and you get better Hank Pym gets better crafting abilities. 

The system is very similar to Diablo of course and if the rewards are good, it will keep the loot-hunters happy as you will need to find the crafting materials for each recipe.

I managed to access the public realm this time. As a beginner and someone new to MMO games, I found it very messy. People are running all over the place, enemies keep spawning. Hopefully I will get used to it after a while. 

From what I have experienced so far, there are 2 kinds of maps.. Public Realms and Private Instances.
Private Instances: This is where all the story missions are at. When you enter a Private Instance map, only you and your party are in the map. You complete your quest and then go back into the Public Realm to find your next objective. Again, not sure if this is a norm in MMOs, but it seems like a good thing. You won't even have to worry about others completing the objectives before you get there..

Public Realms: Here you have everyone running around.. Enemies keep spawning so you don't have to worry about finding enemy mobs to gain xp. In the map I tried, Venom was one of the "Event Boss". Every 10-15 minutes or so, he spawns and there will be an alert and indicator to let you know he's around. You can run over to his locaton and join many others to take him down. He seems to get tougher with more players fighting him and taking him down is no easy task. It takes a good 3-4 minutes to beat him and if you thought Venom was tough, wait till you meet Rhino. Rewards are pretty good so you will want to join in whenever you can.

He seems to be spawn a little too often though. Not sure if that's because they are testing him during the Beta or that's how it's going to be. After 4 or 5 times, it started to get a little tiring as it wasn't that special anymore but you might want to rinse and repeat for the rewards. Hopefully not as often as the beta though.

Played with a friend this time and I had lots more fun than my first encounter. I'm really excited about the prospects of playing so many different heroes but somehow it seems that this is the biggest attraction of the game. It hasn't impressed me to the point where I'm going WOW! With the frequent references to Diablo, it seems that this will always be compared to Diablo and it loses out. 

That said.. this is a totally free-to-play game so that alone should be enough reason to at least try it out. If you can put away the comparisons to Diablo, then you can appreciate this game for what it is. A Marvel MMO game that is free to play with dozens of characters to choose from, with references to plenty of Marvel History. All Marvel fans will enjoy this!

Thoughts on Marvel Heroes Beta Part 1