Aquinas' 2122 Review SPOILERS
Jul 13, 2007 22:15:20 GMT -5
Post by Aquinas on Jul 13, 2007 22:15:20 GMT -5
Retribution
-- One of my favorite newcomers in a long time. I just love the combination of alien appearance and sensible, noble personality. He's a fine contrast to Nosfera. The artwork is very well-done. Seems like he'll be a reliable mid-carder who maybe makes waves now and then.
3.5 out of 4 stars
Daimyo
-- The artwork is solid, though maybe not at the top of this set. The character COULD be interesting depending on the tie-in to Dead Ringer and The Gatekeeper. I do hope that something gets revealed next time. A fourth character next year would start getting silly. I feel compelled to NOT get attached to Daimyo, as I did The Gatekeeper and Dead Ringer! His card seems average, but I'm betting Kill Prey thumps him.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Monolith
-- Meh. "If it ain't broke...." A -great-, very unique piece of art was lessened to something more conventional and just all-around pedestrian. I bought it because I always buy SE cards....but I wish it hadn't been done. The minor tweaks are fine....but all around a waste of a card.
2 out of 4 stars
Wolf
-- I've talked a lot about this card already. Wolf has now gone from someone I found overrated and mildly tiresome to a flat-out great concept. The artwork is at least as good as the original and certainly better than the one Wolf SE card from years ago. His stats are very strong....nice tweak to the SAVAGE FACE CLAW. I think Tom wrote the mature, older Wolf perfectly and made this return very credible. Kudos!
3 out of 4 stars
Havoc
-- Wow. The original art was OK....this one is outstanding. One of the best of the set. He almost looks superhero-ish. The traitor Gladiator is a compelling story and makes him immediately a fascinating figure. Stats look pretty tough -- I question if he'll be able to hold up against Disaster....but I already had him in a fun match with Paralyze....and aim to have a few more.
4 out of 4 stars
Malkuth
-- The art is solid but just doesn't wow me. With that said, I am thrilled that Slave Beast got his update. I always liked the character and felt for him. He even rose to holding a minor title in my fed, so this is great timing. I can already tell that he and Panther Warrior are going to have a great run as a team.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Sly Drury
-- He wasn't one of my favorites, but this Outlaw Nation thing is awesome. Way to bring together a team and make every member cooler than they were. Drury is probably one of the bigger winners, moving up to main event status. Ought to be upper card, but not sold that he can compete with Endgame or top dogs like that.
3.5 out of 4 stars
The Betrayer
-- I LOVE this card. I thought the original Betrayer was pretty solid and underrated....the new team and new art are huge wins for him. I ran some simulations and am not sure that he is a whole lot better talent-wise....but he has some cool moves and, like I said before, the writing of his character was entertaining as all hell. By a thread, he remains my favorite 2122 card.
4 out of 4 stars
U.S. Male
-- Another guy who wasn't my favorite but becomes more likeable and better all around with this upgrade. I think Banks did an outstanding job making a guy look slightly older and more mature without going crazy. It was a much needed upgrade too -- U.S. Male was next to useless in singles action before. He and Guy will make for a great feud.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Vidtek
-- Great art too....and I liked this guy a lot in the CPC so it's cool to see him hit the bigtime. The Sultans of Swagger are a great team concept. His injury mechanic is clever. Had him in a match with Swarm tonight and he held his own very well. Vidtek rounds out the middle card nicely
3 out of 4 stars
Strafe
-- The art in an of itself is really good -- I just don't know what to think about a smiley Gladiator girl. She doesn't look suitably badass because of that. But her stats seem solid and give the women's ranks -- which are the best they have ever been -- a great newcomer. Latasha was boring from day one to me, so losing her and gaining Strafe is a big win.
2.5 out of 4 stars
I don't know why I graded the cards because I am generally always pleased with GWF sets, and there's no card I don't like really, other than the Monolith SE. Even the ones I ranked low to average are still cards I dig. This set has no glaring weaknesses at all. BEST writing maybe ever for a handbook. The storyline with Endgame's "crusade" is great, and will make for interesting lines in the sand. Monolith - Wolf will be a classic.
I'm still waiting for my damn set in the mail, so this is all based off online and the color stuff.
To quote a good guy who used to frequent this match......STRONG!
-- One of my favorite newcomers in a long time. I just love the combination of alien appearance and sensible, noble personality. He's a fine contrast to Nosfera. The artwork is very well-done. Seems like he'll be a reliable mid-carder who maybe makes waves now and then.
3.5 out of 4 stars
Daimyo
-- The artwork is solid, though maybe not at the top of this set. The character COULD be interesting depending on the tie-in to Dead Ringer and The Gatekeeper. I do hope that something gets revealed next time. A fourth character next year would start getting silly. I feel compelled to NOT get attached to Daimyo, as I did The Gatekeeper and Dead Ringer! His card seems average, but I'm betting Kill Prey thumps him.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Monolith
-- Meh. "If it ain't broke...." A -great-, very unique piece of art was lessened to something more conventional and just all-around pedestrian. I bought it because I always buy SE cards....but I wish it hadn't been done. The minor tweaks are fine....but all around a waste of a card.
2 out of 4 stars
Wolf
-- I've talked a lot about this card already. Wolf has now gone from someone I found overrated and mildly tiresome to a flat-out great concept. The artwork is at least as good as the original and certainly better than the one Wolf SE card from years ago. His stats are very strong....nice tweak to the SAVAGE FACE CLAW. I think Tom wrote the mature, older Wolf perfectly and made this return very credible. Kudos!
3 out of 4 stars
Havoc
-- Wow. The original art was OK....this one is outstanding. One of the best of the set. He almost looks superhero-ish. The traitor Gladiator is a compelling story and makes him immediately a fascinating figure. Stats look pretty tough -- I question if he'll be able to hold up against Disaster....but I already had him in a fun match with Paralyze....and aim to have a few more.
4 out of 4 stars
Malkuth
-- The art is solid but just doesn't wow me. With that said, I am thrilled that Slave Beast got his update. I always liked the character and felt for him. He even rose to holding a minor title in my fed, so this is great timing. I can already tell that he and Panther Warrior are going to have a great run as a team.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Sly Drury
-- He wasn't one of my favorites, but this Outlaw Nation thing is awesome. Way to bring together a team and make every member cooler than they were. Drury is probably one of the bigger winners, moving up to main event status. Ought to be upper card, but not sold that he can compete with Endgame or top dogs like that.
3.5 out of 4 stars
The Betrayer
-- I LOVE this card. I thought the original Betrayer was pretty solid and underrated....the new team and new art are huge wins for him. I ran some simulations and am not sure that he is a whole lot better talent-wise....but he has some cool moves and, like I said before, the writing of his character was entertaining as all hell. By a thread, he remains my favorite 2122 card.
4 out of 4 stars
U.S. Male
-- Another guy who wasn't my favorite but becomes more likeable and better all around with this upgrade. I think Banks did an outstanding job making a guy look slightly older and more mature without going crazy. It was a much needed upgrade too -- U.S. Male was next to useless in singles action before. He and Guy will make for a great feud.
2.5 out of 4 stars
Vidtek
-- Great art too....and I liked this guy a lot in the CPC so it's cool to see him hit the bigtime. The Sultans of Swagger are a great team concept. His injury mechanic is clever. Had him in a match with Swarm tonight and he held his own very well. Vidtek rounds out the middle card nicely
3 out of 4 stars
Strafe
-- The art in an of itself is really good -- I just don't know what to think about a smiley Gladiator girl. She doesn't look suitably badass because of that. But her stats seem solid and give the women's ranks -- which are the best they have ever been -- a great newcomer. Latasha was boring from day one to me, so losing her and gaining Strafe is a big win.
2.5 out of 4 stars
I don't know why I graded the cards because I am generally always pleased with GWF sets, and there's no card I don't like really, other than the Monolith SE. Even the ones I ranked low to average are still cards I dig. This set has no glaring weaknesses at all. BEST writing maybe ever for a handbook. The storyline with Endgame's "crusade" is great, and will make for interesting lines in the sand. Monolith - Wolf will be a classic.
I'm still waiting for my damn set in the mail, so this is all based off online and the color stuff.
To quote a good guy who used to frequent this match......STRONG!
