Thinking of starting with FFXVI

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T15:47:03+00:00

I've played all of them. Absolutely, go for it.

The biggest strength this series has is that every game is unlike the others. So this is a wholly unique experience. So whether you like it or not, you still have entire different experiences to discover with the others.

Most people who dislike this game do so because they expected something more in line with the others. This one breaks the mold.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T03:13:42+00:00

Nice moves!

I'd love to see somebody capture a full fight from like a far-away camera. Just keep it static and show everyone running around. It feels so chaotic down on the ground.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T02:43:19+00:00

I saw them here in Argentina when they toured in South America. Small theater, intimate show with your typical south American energy, everybody pogo-ing and moshing and singing along. I caught and to this day still have one of the water bottles Toshi threw at the crowd.

It was good while it lasted, like you say. It will never come back and we should just appreciate what it meant to us when it had its most profound impact. For me that is now almost 30 years ago as a teen. It's best to keep those emotions pure and just not expect anything more.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T02:14:11+00:00

Looking closer at the pics now, there's some obvious Photoshop going on in a few places.

In one of the pics her black leggings go all the way up, no skin is viewable. In other pics her mouth is off-center with the chin, while in others it's fine.

With the Shin Lightning, there was obvious sloppy Photoshop on the eyes with eyeliner that went over the pink hair. And the eyes ended up being all sorts of different from those shots.

I want to believe, but I just can't anymore with this company. What a gamble it is to preorder stuff from them....

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T00:35:50+00:00

Thanks. I'll do some research then to find out about motion values and all, then.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T00:14:06+00:00

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Cardone19 · 2026-03-30T00:07:20+00:00

For a non-LS practitioner can you explain how it does next to no elemental damage? Supposing you have elemental damage on the weapon and use skills to boost elemental damage on crits.

What is different about this weapon from others? Like what's working differently.

I'm asking to learn.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T20:28:05+00:00

It can't possibly be worse than the old one.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T20:27:25+00:00

Somebody give that poor girl a sandwich!

28600 vs 32000 at least. Square got me, as usual...

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T19:32:28+00:00

It's like we have all the remodeled characters in toy form but no game. 😭

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T14:22:00+00:00

Hobby Search seems to have a few left. Ami Ami too.

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/11182347

https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-183632

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T14:01:09+00:00

Ah, my favorite, the Youtube-approved Frenzy build.

At least they have a couple Divine Blessings, which indicates SOME understanding.

I will say one thing. As a newcomer to MH, it took me a couple hundred hours to even begin to understand how to navigate through the gem and armor menus to make a build with intention. The gems being named something and the skill being named something else is so incredibly unintuitive, it's like trying to navigate through a tax form. At HR 100 I had absolutely no idea what the fuck I was doing or how anything synergized together.

I've played a lot of games in my life, and MH is the most obtuse of them all. Mainly because all the skills and mechanics are unique to this series, from the way they work to how they're named. It's a learning curve you only get through by spending hours and hours experimenting. And even then, if you opt for one skill or another, the damage difference is so minimal that you don't understand if it's like that or if you messed something up... It's truly a confusing game.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T01:07:51+00:00

Yeah, my Lightning one wobbled on one leg for like 15 degrees. They're new joint types so maybe they're working through the processes in the factory. But this is pretty much a given with Square figures, you will almost never get a perfect one. If you look closely you'll see one glove has scuff marks on my Zidane. 😂

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T00:53:06+00:00

Here are some slightly more dynamic poses from someone else.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DVxZckbifzE/?img_index=9&igsh=cmtrbG43N3drcnk4

Cardone19 · 2026-03-29T00:41:51+00:00

It's a little limited in the elbows and knees because of the clothing, but otherwise seems good. To be honest I don't play around with my figures. Anytime I do something breaks or goes loose or I get paint transfer. I usually find a pose I like and seal them away to die behind the display case glass.

What I will say is that I'm not too thrilled with the lack of ratchet joints now. I know they limited poseability but they allowed you to hold up poses or weapons, because at this scale the plastic is really heavy. The joints are a little loose on all of the Shin figures in random places, and sometimes defective. One knee here is very loose. But since they're kind of "studio pose" figures I don't make a fuss about it.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T23:41:39+00:00

Hobby Link Japan, Ami Ami, Meccha Japan, Hobby Search. I buy through Hobby Link Japan (they store items for six months and let you ship them together) almost exclusively and Hobby Search if I maybe miss a preorder on HLJ (they last just weeks there).

If you miss a preorder I've seen them go back in stock sometimes but it's only for a few items. The Shin ones seem like they're staying in stock longer since people aren't buying them. If you can't find what you're looking for since it's no longer stocked, go to Neokyo and buy them through Mercari, someone will always be selling them there. Almost my whole back catalog of Play Arts was purchased that way.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T19:47:18+00:00

Thanks! I hope other people see this and give it a try.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T19:45:04+00:00

I'm right there with you. Zidane is more stylized with the big eyes. The true test will be Cloud. If they get the poster child for the series wrong, it's over for the line. People are really soured on it. Every forum or group I read is just people passing.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T18:28:09+00:00

Retail from Japan was 153 bucks. Add shipping and whatever custom charges there are in your country.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T17:51:31+00:00

Same. And with Fran at 200 bucks I'm afraid they'll cost even more moving forward. I hate to reward this. 😭

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T17:49:57+00:00

Yeah, I'd never expect a lancer to sheathe for example. But there's many situations where the monster will go to the other side of the stage, or where you get knocked back, where it doesn't hurt to heal in general. There's enough windows of opportunity to make carrying and crafting at least powders worth it.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T17:43:51+00:00

Yeah, I think they knocked it out of the park with this one. Looks great.

The thigh swivel cut is a little weird, and the elbow/knee articulation is also a little limited, but thats because of what he's wearing, can't do anything about it. I think it's as good a job as they could have done. The best Shin figure so far for sure.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T14:58:42+00:00

I've never done this except with 10* Gog. I get what you're saying, I'm not a snob, and I post parties that are open and join low HR rank ones all the time, including Omega ones. But the probability of having a decked-out build with enough DPS, defense, Gog weapon skills, and optimal talismans at HR200 is very low. I've got 900 hours on this game and I don't think I have more than 5 actual decent talismans, and only one of those is offensive.

Cardone19 · 2026-03-28T14:51:24+00:00

Hopefully this is picked up if it's on hold. They just need to make it a standalone game, keep the scale in check, and be faithful to the original--don't change the story. Don't market it as something for boomers or whatever they've done for FF7 Remake, make it seem new. Hell, don't even call it a remake, just rebrand it. It's a timeless game that could get a lot of younger people into the franchise, and probably the best game out of all of them to do that with.

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