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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Play Arts Kai Dissidia Final Fantasy Cloud Strife Review

One of the most enduring characters in the Final Fantasy Universe is Cloud Strife, the main protagonist of Final Fantasy VII and Advent Children. Having multiple incarnations already in various Play Arts lines, it is small wonder that he will also be a part of the 1st wave of the Dissidia Final Fantasy line of Play Arts Kai. Mixed reactions from fans clamoring the missing figures from the previous series (i.e. Barret, Cid, etc.) momentarily disregarded, it is plain to see why Cloud is ever present on the figure frontier: He's simply that famous and any version of his figure is a sure hit for hardcore and casual FF fans alike. I myself, admittedly, belongs to the latter, having played and conquered only 4 games in the series so far (FF6 up to FF9).


Being on the hunt for the "best" Cloud figure, since i am only after the iconic characters in all FF games., I am glad to settle for the Dissidia Cloud.

Packaging  is really nice, i actually appreciate displaying the figure inside the box for the first time. Accessories are really lacking in the Dissidia line like i mentioned on my previous review but in Cloud's case it can be somewhat forgiven because he's got one Big Freaking Sword to boot: Buster Sword, which is, by the way, pretty heavy and the texture and details are better than its previous versions.

Cloud's Dissidia design is also very nice, his head and facial features are closer to the Advent Children version while his outfit is very FF7. The qualities of each line when blended together produce a "fresh" look for a Cloud figure.

As in the case of Squall, they also gave Cloud the ability to hold his weapons with both hands by means of a swivel on the front part of his upper arms/body. I wish the larger PA Kai figures will also get this feature. The only problem with that is they are a bit visible since the hinges are located on the front part of his upper body. Just barely covered by his shirt.
His ankles also got ball joints while his feet got ratchets enabling it to lock into place, probably for balance, though his balance is also something to be desired. Another gripe is that the hands have the tendency to get detached especially when he's carrying hi heavy sword.

Paint job is decent enough, no paint chips on my figure though there are wayward dark specks out of the box that are easily cleaned. Overall, he is better than the Dissidia Squall figure though his details are simpler and less intricate. I did not feel shortchanged with this figure (i.e. smaller scale figure = same or higher price than the other larger PA Kai figures). I got mine on Sale (10% Off) at Great Toys Online so he's really a good deal. I'm not too sure though if he's that attractive at SRP. Arguably, he might just be the best Cloud figure to date. Now i am curious how Sephiroth will be presented in this line. I hope he's not too far off.
I got something for you Sephiroth

2 comments:

  1. Does this version still work with the Hardy Daytona?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi there, I have the same figure but the joint on his left elbow has been broken. Is there any way to fix it?

    Hope to hear from you soon =)

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete