Attacktix has made some major changes to the game and what we have come to expect from Hasbro. Below is a list of the top five innovations that have impressed me the most and keep me waiting for more.
Number 5 - Variation in Speed
Transformers Series 1 changed the Speed of the game, literally. Figures now come with a variable Speed Window, that changes with each click. Though the difference is usually plus or minus one Tix, the possibility of varying speed has opened our eyes to the difference in game play that one small change can make.
Number 4 - Effects on Attacking Figures
Star Wars Series 2 first introduced the Effects, but only for non-attacking figures. Han and Luke as Stormtroopers were the first figures that could use their weapons and their Effects. Though the following Series were light on Effects, Marvel has renewed this feature in a big way. Wolverine, Daredevil, Mystique and Spider-Man all has some pretty amazing and creative Effects!
Number 3 - Non-Mega Based Flight
Series 4 Boba Fett was the first non-Mega to be able to fly. The retractable string that the Gunship had would have been bulky and costly to apply to a standard figure, but by simply leaving the string hanging we were able to experience "cheaper" flight. Though Boba's flight may not have been the edge that fans were hoping for, we have already found hope in the Green Goblin and his longer string. With an endless line-up of flying Super Heroes, I am certain by this time next year we will have quite a few figures that can use this feature.
Number 2 - New Attacks
It is a fact that every new series and new universe that hits the shelves will have some new attacks. Series Two, in 2005, gave us Kicking Kenobi, a Grievous with two Lightsabers and a Gunship that was tethered to the base. These were subtle variations of the same strikers and shooters from the original series. Series 3 introduced Uppercut attacks, with Chewie and C-3P0 and the Prodders. We also saw some major changes to the types of missiles, including a Large Net similar to the Force Blasts and Jabba's "Pellets." With the addition of Transformers and Marvel, we saw more missile variations including Pumpkin Bombs and Energy Shield Blasts. Marvel gives us the first Overhead Smashing figures, and Ravage from the Transformers Universe has a tethered Mace. Though Chief Chirpa disappointed some fans with a Tossing Attack that was difficult to master, the Hulk renews hope of defeating your enemy by hurling garbage at them. With promises of more Series of Star Wars, Marvel and Transformers this is a category that may show up each year.
Number 1 - New Universes
This was almost a no-brainer. What could ensure fans that Attacktix was here to stay more than the addition of Marvel and Transformers to the world of Attacktix. Unofficial interviews and rumors have alluded to even more lines coming out. G.I. Joe has been on everyones' lips since Star Wars Series 1, since it is a license owned by Habro. Fantasy Attacktix have shown up on this site, and Lord of the Rings was mentioned in a fan interview at the SDCC. Hopefully the New York Toy Fair will bring us news of what we will see next!
Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2006. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Attacktix Year in Review 2006 - Designer Notes
Web of Webhead
In 2006, Attacktix changed my life. Literally. This past March I joined the Attacktix design team as a game play designer, spending my Attacktix present making your Attacktix future. It has been a tremendous experience thus far, and it only has gotten better and better. However, this isn't about what Attacktix are still to come, but rather what has already come to pass. Here are what I consider the top five most important "things" Attacktix brought us this year...
Number Five - New Packaging, New Rarities, New Price Point
Beginning with the SW4 and TF boosters, we transitioned from the old triangle 3 pack boxes to the new 2 pack "clamshells". The new packaging makes pilfering a thing of the past...the new boxes are virtually bulletproof, and are almost impossible to open by hand (though easy to open with, say, scissors). This goes a long way towards protecting the integrity of the booster distribution and blocks many "rippers" off at the pass. This also allowed for the lowering of the price point per booster to around 5 bucks, comparable to many CCG boosters. The two tiered rarity system is also something we can take advantage of on the "backend," believe it or not, so this change to my mind was a win all of the way around.
Number Four - Intergalactic Showdown
This was really the showcase piece of the line this year. Beautifully packaged and highlighting some of the Major Players of both lines, this product let you know in no uncertain terms that Star Wars and Transformers Attacktix were meant to be played together and against one another. Not to mention it was a great value and entry point for new players, allowing you to get some of the "mains" right out of the box for both lines.
Number Three - The Original Trilogy
Star Wars Series 3 and 4 are both largely comprised of Original Trilogy figures which includes the classics, the ones us "old timers" remember fondly from our youth. In a non-movie year, the Star Wars figures came on strong with a number of powerful figs and some new favorites.
Number Two - Marvel Event Horizon
Marvel may or may not be on the shelves where you are right now but, within a month or so, it will be. We've been building up to it for months now, with previews running across three sites, including notes from the designers (well, me), and the fans (Joe, Sapph and Jason), bringing the faithful their first looks at the new powers and effects, as well as close up shots of the new sculpts and weapons. We started the previews for Star Wars and Transformers back in the summer and were really able to build on that to make the Marvel previews an event almost unto themselves.
Number One - Transformers Collectible Gaming Arrives
Back in 2002 there was going to be a Transformers CCG and it just kind of didn't happen. This year the Transformers crossed into tabletop gaming in a big way, joining the Attacktix universe of games. Transformers are ideally suited for the Attacktix game, which does a great job of capturing the fast paced laser gun battles of the TF universe. You have the good guys/Autobots, and the bad guys/Decepticons, and they shoot it out until only one side is standing. That's pretty much what it boils down to...right? With the movie next year set to be a contender I think the TF Attacktix are here to stay.
Five figures that changed the game in 2006...
With three booster series, a premium package, and a number of mega packs added to the game this year, there are a lot of great new figures to choose from. Here are the five I think changed the game the most in 2006...
Number Five - Tusken Warlord/Chief Chirpa/Boba Fett
The three way tie for innovation in a figures physical components. I remember when we first saw pictures of the Tusken Warlord and asked, "Is he a striker or is he a launcher?" It was hard to tell - he had a trigger, but what did it do? Turns out he was the first of the "stab" style of Strikers that most folks call prodders. Chief Chirpa brought something new to the Launchers in Series 4 with his rock throw launcher which was an attack so cool that it has spawned it's own side games. Finally, Fett brought the flight of gunships down to the figure level.
Number Four - Clone Wars Republic Gunship
Not particularly new in terms of game play, the new Gunship added a lot of personality to the game, perfectly capturing the essence and appearance of one of the cooler parts of the Clone Wars mini-series. You can now recreate a very specific scene from the show in fairly good detail. This is a huge bonus for the game and something I'd like to see more of.
Number Three - Optimus Prime (Gold)
The guy shoots a projectile the size of my fist and weighs about eight pounds, plus he has a universal power that works with any other figure in the game. That, and he looks darn cool. Optimus is far and away my favorite TF fig, primarily because he just feels so powerful. He's intimidating on the field, and the fact that you can "cheat" him in most of the time for 30 points thanks to his vehicle mode just makes him all the more dangerous.
Number Two - Wicket the Ewok
Who would have guessed? Wicket turned out to be a tough little cookie...solid in a theme team, deadly in multiples when it comes to tournament play.
Number One - Luke and Han Solo as Stromtroopers
In theory, we've had effects on figures since the Emperor in the first series. But Luke and Han Solo as Stormtroopers added a new dimension to the game by giving Effects to standard figures with existing attack powers. Additionally, the Effects are flavorful and powerful, a perfect template for Effects going forward in the game
Best of Star Wars Attacktix 2006
The venerable Star Wars line grew nicely in 2006. The last of the 3-pack boosters came with Series 3, which made collecting complete sets far easier in Series 4. In 2006, Star Wars teams also won the official tournament held at BotCon (a convention dedicated to Transformers) and the tournaments hosted by Yaggleberry Finn and notacomputer (along with the official San Diego Comics Convention tournament that occurred before the Transformers or Marvel Attacktix were released). And with half of the movies yet to be featured as the primary figures in an Attacktix series, SW fans have a lot to look forward to in 2007 (though early pre-production pieces indicate that we may have figures from The Empire Strikes Back in Series 5)!
Without further ado, here's YodaBreaker's best of SW Attacktix 2006!
Honorable mention: R2-Q5 (SW/30)3)
If your team has troopers, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of giving one of them double its normal movement. If you've got 10-point striker troopers (like an S3 Tusken Raider or an S4 Wicket) on your team, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of making one of those troopers rather scary. If you've got a 12-speed, 10-point striker trooper on your team, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of making it deadly if your opponent goes first and decides to move at all on his or her first turn on a standard 3-foot playing field. If your opponent has R2-Q5 and a 10-point striker trooper, try desperately to take R2-Q5 out on your first turn. Otherwise, you may be in for a world of hurt. A pure effects figure is difficult to include in the "best of" list proper because it can't help press the attack, but this black droid definitely deserves a more than honorable mention.
Fifth place: Luke as Stormtrooper (SW/28)3)
This guy makes for a fun centerpiece of a Death Star rescue-themed team. You'll really want some form of Princess Leia on a team with him, because if you do, his attack won't count against your team's total. Furthermore, his special power has a chance of bringing in another version of Luke Skywalker almost 40% of the time - perhaps one that appears on this list! He gets the nod over Han Solo as Stormtrooper because for some inexplicable reason, Luke as Stormtrooper's special power activates with a higher probability than his Han Solo counterpart.
Fourth place: Wicket (SW/03)4)
The fuzzball that introduced the Rebels to the Ewoks is a surprisingly effective striker. His strike is much more powerful than the comparable Tusken Raider, his special power keeps all Ewoks on your team safe 15% of the time, and the hollow log he stands on makes him hard to shoot down (reminiscent of S1 Yoda's excellent defense). An army of nine of these guys and a token Endor Scout took down Team Hasbro's Autobot menagerie at BotCon with the loss of only one Wicket - the Wicket that first took out nearly the entire Autobot team with a single strike. If only the head of his axe weren't so prone to breaking off!
Third place: Greedo (SW/22)4)
The first 10-point medium missile launcher (with a medium base, no less!) is a genuine winner. This figure finally gives an all 10-point launcher team a chance against an all 10-point striker team. Though it's still hard for this team to get multiple knockdowns on a single attack, his special power gives a free shot to one of your Bounty Hunters nearly 50% of the time. Too bad he's only available in the S4 starter set, which severely limits the regular player's ability to get many of him.
Second place: Luke Skywalker (SW/21)3), (T/07)
Yes, this is a retool from Series 2, but for 10 more points, he gets a large base instead of a medium one and the ability to recover more than 60% of the time if you have a Rebel in play instead of a single Attackback for Republic or Rebel figures. Simply put, that means that a team of three Lukes and a random 10-point Rebel can keep popping back up over. And over. And over again. And while one pops up again, another can use a really powerful strike to cut a swath through your opponent's forces. The tournament version gives you everything that the booster version gives you - for 10 points less, maybe letting you use a Luke as Stormtrooper as your random Rebel - who might just bring in yet another of these farm boys when he falls!
First place: Darth Vader (SW/11)4) & (SVT/04)
When an amazing sculpt is reissued with a relatively well-balanced improvement in the special power, and it fills a big hole in an otherwise strong team, I tend to take notice. In this case, the difficult-to-come-by S1 Armored Vader was retooled as not one but two great figures. The Sith was a small faction in Series 1 and 2 (almost by universe definition), so adding this Vader sculpt to the Empire gives this large faction the awesome striker with an equally formidable special power that it needs. In the booster guise, Vader improves on the S1 special power, keeping its more than 60% Recover ratio that now triggers if any figure on your team is in play. Any figure. At all. Want a beast that keeps coming? Here he is.
The gold-based version of Vader is equally devastating. Though his special power comes up only half as often, the Attackback - all Empire power makes him a true Dark Lord of the Sith. You thought gold-based Ki-Adi Mundis were powerful? Meet the figure that will send his entire team after you if you dare knock him down, if you've got an Empire-themed set of figures. The only quibble I have with the S4 versions of this figure is that his plastic seems less stiff than the S1 version, making his strike somewhat less powerful.
And the best of the rest:
Best Rebel: Han Solo (SW/20)4) costs 10 points less than his S4 booster version, has a Recover power that can go off almost as frequently as the booster version's Sacrifice can be triggered, and he still makes a nice tag team with Chewbacca without requiring Chewbacca to make his special power activate. Thus, this figure makes for a really nice addition to your Rebel team, and he's quite accessible as a member of the S4 starter set.
Best Empire: Grand Moff Tarkin (SW/16)4) is a 20-point medium missile launcher with a large base, which makes him a hard target to knock down with a surprisingly low cost. His special power also threatens Leaders in the same way that the striker version of General Grievous in Series 2 threatened Warriors, allowing him to be a threat to non-Star Wars themed teams, too.
Best Bounty Hunter: Boba Fett (SW/21)4) finally gets the Recover special power that reflects his tenacity; it comes up more than 50% of the time, so he very well may not be defeated after his first knockdown. This is a retool of the infamous "bend over, Boba" sculpt, but the Bounty Hunter faction suffers from a large number of these, and IG-88's special power is restricted to Capturing an opponent's Specialist.
Best Ewok: Logray (SW/07)4) is probably a controversial choice for this spot, but here's my reasoning. I've put Wicket in the top five already, so he's out. For the price of a single Chirpa, you can have two Lograys, who can take the fight to your opponent and have nearly a 50% chance of giving your Ewoks a double Attackback. Nevertheless, I won't begrudge those who'd nominate the Chief for this spot. Chirpa's rock takes some getting used to, and he's spendy at 40 points. Nevertheless, his squat stance makes his defense strong, and his special power has more than a 60% chance of bringing an Ewok into play - like Logray or Wicket, who won't hog space in your backups.
Best Tusken: Tusken Warlord (SW/19)3), the leader of the Tusken faction, can take a punch and get right back up almost 60% of the time as long as it's got some of its brethren left standing. It's a solid figure that can take a nice shot, and it introduced the "prodder" type of attack.
Best Jawa: Jawa (SW/10)3) may be a small-based, small missile launcher, but it's a squat, dense figure that's hard to knock over. At 10 points, it's a fun army builder sort of figure, with a decent Recruit power that can bring more Jawas into the swarm.
Best Mega: Jabba the Hutt (SW/35)3) is probably the better of the two new Megas released this time. A four-ball attack hearkens to the energy ball attacks that the Gungans and Geonosians use in the movies; they can be deployed in a rapid-fire, withering blast. I would have wished for a tail-whip attack for this figure, perhaps in combination with the ball attack. Nevertheless, it's a perverse pleasure to talk about how the slug's got balls
Best starter: S4 starter (with bonus Clone Trooper). Yes, I'm picking the first starter without any melee attackers whatsoever. The main reason is because of the 10-point Greedo for the reasons mentioned above. However, the figures in this starter set play really nicely together. Plus, Han and Chewie are now both 20 points, and the Bounty Hunter faction finally gets its 10-pointer fodder for the booster S4 Boba Fett to use. Oh, and this retool of bend-over Boba comes with a nice Recover power to symbolize how you can't keep a good Fett down. He still cries out for a spanking, though.
Best figure to use for things other than Attacktix: Chief Chirpa (SW/17)4) has a rock-throwing attack that's already given rise to Ewok curling. He might also be fun to have around for a game of Ewok basketball, Ewok horseshoes, and Ewok "egg toss," among other games. Though his attack is difficult to master, it's fun enough to keep Attacktix curmudgeons playing with him long after any game is over.
Best omission: 30-point small missile launchers with weak special powers. They were nowhere to be seen in SW Series 3 or 4, which means Hasbro is working through design issues with this game and actively working to eliminate the really weak types of figures. All 30-point launchers in the SW line were at least medium missile launchers with at least passable special powers. Go Hasbro!
And now, for something completely different - the worst of 2006:
Hamstrung by short strings
Princess Leia (SW/18)4) had so much going for her. The infamous fanboy dream of a bikini for a costume, a solid sculpt, and a friggin' huge launcher with a massive hook. The problem? The hook is tethered to the launcher with a string that easily unties itself. What's more, the string isn't long enough to allow for attacks beyond 8-10 Tix in front of the figure. With a speed of only 4 Tix, it's difficult to get her within attack range of an opponent's figure before she's taken out. A retool of this figure should either feature a longer string or a vastly improved movement (at least 8 Tix), though probably not both.
Boba Fett (SW/10)4) also suffers from having a short string, though it doesn't fundamentally limit the figure's utility, like S4 Princess Leia's short string does. Nevertheless, the shortness of the strong connecting his base and the figure keeps him from elevating effectively over and around other figures in formation with him. Therefore, the "cool" factor of this figure in battle is greatly reduced from its potential. It's nice that it seems Hasbro has corrected this issue with the Green Goblin base-figure string length, so we may see a retool of this figure in future waves of SW Attacktix with a longer string.
Faction fractionation
Instead of creating a separate, overarching "fringer" faction that would include at least the Jawas and Tuskens, they received their own two- and three-figure factions in Series 3, with no figures in Series 4 to expand those factions at all. Unlike the Wookiees in Series 1, which got at least a couple of expansion figures in Series 2, it looks like the Jawas and Tuskens may be orphan factions for a while. In particular, it may be difficult to expand the Jawas into their own strong faction - the Tuskens might get a Tusken Maiden and/or Tusken Warrior figure when a series focused on Attack of the Clones comes out, but the Jawas will be hurting for new figures. Thus, these otherwise fine figures may be left in the dust as other factions are more fully developed.
Moral of the story? Hasbro, please don't make a Gungan faction or a Geonosian faction, if the time ever comes. Rather, make Gungans part of the Republic (after all, that's how they fought in the Phantom Menace) and assign the Geonosians to be Separatists (as that's how they fought in Attack of the Clones). That way, they won't comprise orphan factions, and their special powers can benefit existing factions, ensuring their continued use beyond the series in which they're released.
And the rest of the worst:
Worst Rebel: Luke Skywalker (SW/13)4) had such potential. His point value was reasonable, and though Rescue special powers aren't so great for strikers, a greater than 60% probability of coming up white made him intriguing. What went wrong? Well, his head sculpt was more worthy of the short bus than a speeder bike, his lightsaber felt like a toothpick compared to Armored Vader's baseball bat, and his strike came diagonally, causing him to "top off" figures and thwack them down head over heels, rather than straight across the playing field. Apparently, those of us looking for a good "Jedi Luke" will have to wait quite a while longer. Dishonorable mention here goes to Series 3 Obi-Wan Kenobi: his hook strike was disadvantageous, and his special power rather bit (a 6-Tix Force Push?!?), but at least it was possible to get multiple knockdowns with him, and his strike could be modified to "backhand" figures across the playing field more than a few Tix. The double release of Captain Antilles in Series 3 was puzzling - such a minor character chewed up at least one space in the series that could have gone to another figure from A New Hope - but each figure was at least OK in quality.
Worst Empire: Royal Guard (SW/05)4) is a retool from Series 2 that is none the better for wear. There have been many reports of the top and bottom of this figure rubbing together too closely, leading to an anemic strike that has disappointed many a player. Unfortunately, it seems like this mold just doesn't work quite right, and the Force pike is too short to provide much good striking power, even if you have a working figure. Looks like some plastic needs to be eliminated from either the top or the bottom of this figure, if a remold is to be at all successful.
Blip of the Republic: There were two Republic figures issued in Series 4: the bonus figure with the S4 starter set, and the Clone Pilot that came packaged with the Republic Gunship repaint. The problem is that the Republic hasn't seen any major figures since Series 2, so many players new to the game were left puzzled as to how these figures would fit on their existing teams.
Nevertheless, the bonus figure was a nice addition for longer-term collectors, and it made the price per figure for the S4 bonus starter set hover at the $2 per figure that characterized the first three starter sets. However, the Clone Pilot added between $3-$5 to the cost of the Mega, a price that's hardly worth the figure's weak 10-point, small missile launching, small-based stats. Now, the Megas aren't tournament legal, so they're not "must haves," but it seems like the price has gone up too much for the additional figure you get.
What was I thinking in 2005? OK, I loved Kit Fisto, even in 2005. His striking power is legendary, he costs only 20 points, and his special power grants an extra attack to your team on its next turn more than 75% of the time. Why was this Nautolan not on my top five list last year? If you have a chance, this is the one named character to pick up from older series that will benefit just about any existing team.
Without further ado, here's YodaBreaker's best of SW Attacktix 2006!
Honorable mention: R2-Q5 (SW/30)3)
If your team has troopers, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of giving one of them double its normal movement. If you've got 10-point striker troopers (like an S3 Tusken Raider or an S4 Wicket) on your team, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of making one of those troopers rather scary. If you've got a 12-speed, 10-point striker trooper on your team, R2-Q5 has a 2/3 chance of making it deadly if your opponent goes first and decides to move at all on his or her first turn on a standard 3-foot playing field. If your opponent has R2-Q5 and a 10-point striker trooper, try desperately to take R2-Q5 out on your first turn. Otherwise, you may be in for a world of hurt. A pure effects figure is difficult to include in the "best of" list proper because it can't help press the attack, but this black droid definitely deserves a more than honorable mention.
Fifth place: Luke as Stormtrooper (SW/28)3)
This guy makes for a fun centerpiece of a Death Star rescue-themed team. You'll really want some form of Princess Leia on a team with him, because if you do, his attack won't count against your team's total. Furthermore, his special power has a chance of bringing in another version of Luke Skywalker almost 40% of the time - perhaps one that appears on this list! He gets the nod over Han Solo as Stormtrooper because for some inexplicable reason, Luke as Stormtrooper's special power activates with a higher probability than his Han Solo counterpart.
Fourth place: Wicket (SW/03)4)
The fuzzball that introduced the Rebels to the Ewoks is a surprisingly effective striker. His strike is much more powerful than the comparable Tusken Raider, his special power keeps all Ewoks on your team safe 15% of the time, and the hollow log he stands on makes him hard to shoot down (reminiscent of S1 Yoda's excellent defense). An army of nine of these guys and a token Endor Scout took down Team Hasbro's Autobot menagerie at BotCon with the loss of only one Wicket - the Wicket that first took out nearly the entire Autobot team with a single strike. If only the head of his axe weren't so prone to breaking off!
Third place: Greedo (SW/22)4)
The first 10-point medium missile launcher (with a medium base, no less!) is a genuine winner. This figure finally gives an all 10-point launcher team a chance against an all 10-point striker team. Though it's still hard for this team to get multiple knockdowns on a single attack, his special power gives a free shot to one of your Bounty Hunters nearly 50% of the time. Too bad he's only available in the S4 starter set, which severely limits the regular player's ability to get many of him.
Second place: Luke Skywalker (SW/21)3), (T/07)
Yes, this is a retool from Series 2, but for 10 more points, he gets a large base instead of a medium one and the ability to recover more than 60% of the time if you have a Rebel in play instead of a single Attackback for Republic or Rebel figures. Simply put, that means that a team of three Lukes and a random 10-point Rebel can keep popping back up over. And over. And over again. And while one pops up again, another can use a really powerful strike to cut a swath through your opponent's forces. The tournament version gives you everything that the booster version gives you - for 10 points less, maybe letting you use a Luke as Stormtrooper as your random Rebel - who might just bring in yet another of these farm boys when he falls!
First place: Darth Vader (SW/11)4) & (SVT/04)
When an amazing sculpt is reissued with a relatively well-balanced improvement in the special power, and it fills a big hole in an otherwise strong team, I tend to take notice. In this case, the difficult-to-come-by S1 Armored Vader was retooled as not one but two great figures. The Sith was a small faction in Series 1 and 2 (almost by universe definition), so adding this Vader sculpt to the Empire gives this large faction the awesome striker with an equally formidable special power that it needs. In the booster guise, Vader improves on the S1 special power, keeping its more than 60% Recover ratio that now triggers if any figure on your team is in play. Any figure. At all. Want a beast that keeps coming? Here he is.
The gold-based version of Vader is equally devastating. Though his special power comes up only half as often, the Attackback - all Empire power makes him a true Dark Lord of the Sith. You thought gold-based Ki-Adi Mundis were powerful? Meet the figure that will send his entire team after you if you dare knock him down, if you've got an Empire-themed set of figures. The only quibble I have with the S4 versions of this figure is that his plastic seems less stiff than the S1 version, making his strike somewhat less powerful.
And the best of the rest:
Best Rebel: Han Solo (SW/20)4) costs 10 points less than his S4 booster version, has a Recover power that can go off almost as frequently as the booster version's Sacrifice can be triggered, and he still makes a nice tag team with Chewbacca without requiring Chewbacca to make his special power activate. Thus, this figure makes for a really nice addition to your Rebel team, and he's quite accessible as a member of the S4 starter set.
Best Empire: Grand Moff Tarkin (SW/16)4) is a 20-point medium missile launcher with a large base, which makes him a hard target to knock down with a surprisingly low cost. His special power also threatens Leaders in the same way that the striker version of General Grievous in Series 2 threatened Warriors, allowing him to be a threat to non-Star Wars themed teams, too.
Best Bounty Hunter: Boba Fett (SW/21)4) finally gets the Recover special power that reflects his tenacity; it comes up more than 50% of the time, so he very well may not be defeated after his first knockdown. This is a retool of the infamous "bend over, Boba" sculpt, but the Bounty Hunter faction suffers from a large number of these, and IG-88's special power is restricted to Capturing an opponent's Specialist.
Best Ewok: Logray (SW/07)4) is probably a controversial choice for this spot, but here's my reasoning. I've put Wicket in the top five already, so he's out. For the price of a single Chirpa, you can have two Lograys, who can take the fight to your opponent and have nearly a 50% chance of giving your Ewoks a double Attackback. Nevertheless, I won't begrudge those who'd nominate the Chief for this spot. Chirpa's rock takes some getting used to, and he's spendy at 40 points. Nevertheless, his squat stance makes his defense strong, and his special power has more than a 60% chance of bringing an Ewok into play - like Logray or Wicket, who won't hog space in your backups.
Best Tusken: Tusken Warlord (SW/19)3), the leader of the Tusken faction, can take a punch and get right back up almost 60% of the time as long as it's got some of its brethren left standing. It's a solid figure that can take a nice shot, and it introduced the "prodder" type of attack.
Best Jawa: Jawa (SW/10)3) may be a small-based, small missile launcher, but it's a squat, dense figure that's hard to knock over. At 10 points, it's a fun army builder sort of figure, with a decent Recruit power that can bring more Jawas into the swarm.
Best Mega: Jabba the Hutt (SW/35)3) is probably the better of the two new Megas released this time. A four-ball attack hearkens to the energy ball attacks that the Gungans and Geonosians use in the movies; they can be deployed in a rapid-fire, withering blast. I would have wished for a tail-whip attack for this figure, perhaps in combination with the ball attack. Nevertheless, it's a perverse pleasure to talk about how the slug's got balls
Best starter: S4 starter (with bonus Clone Trooper). Yes, I'm picking the first starter without any melee attackers whatsoever. The main reason is because of the 10-point Greedo for the reasons mentioned above. However, the figures in this starter set play really nicely together. Plus, Han and Chewie are now both 20 points, and the Bounty Hunter faction finally gets its 10-pointer fodder for the booster S4 Boba Fett to use. Oh, and this retool of bend-over Boba comes with a nice Recover power to symbolize how you can't keep a good Fett down. He still cries out for a spanking, though.
Best figure to use for things other than Attacktix: Chief Chirpa (SW/17)4) has a rock-throwing attack that's already given rise to Ewok curling. He might also be fun to have around for a game of Ewok basketball, Ewok horseshoes, and Ewok "egg toss," among other games. Though his attack is difficult to master, it's fun enough to keep Attacktix curmudgeons playing with him long after any game is over.
Best omission: 30-point small missile launchers with weak special powers. They were nowhere to be seen in SW Series 3 or 4, which means Hasbro is working through design issues with this game and actively working to eliminate the really weak types of figures. All 30-point launchers in the SW line were at least medium missile launchers with at least passable special powers. Go Hasbro!
And now, for something completely different - the worst of 2006:
Hamstrung by short strings
Princess Leia (SW/18)4) had so much going for her. The infamous fanboy dream of a bikini for a costume, a solid sculpt, and a friggin' huge launcher with a massive hook. The problem? The hook is tethered to the launcher with a string that easily unties itself. What's more, the string isn't long enough to allow for attacks beyond 8-10 Tix in front of the figure. With a speed of only 4 Tix, it's difficult to get her within attack range of an opponent's figure before she's taken out. A retool of this figure should either feature a longer string or a vastly improved movement (at least 8 Tix), though probably not both.
Boba Fett (SW/10)4) also suffers from having a short string, though it doesn't fundamentally limit the figure's utility, like S4 Princess Leia's short string does. Nevertheless, the shortness of the strong connecting his base and the figure keeps him from elevating effectively over and around other figures in formation with him. Therefore, the "cool" factor of this figure in battle is greatly reduced from its potential. It's nice that it seems Hasbro has corrected this issue with the Green Goblin base-figure string length, so we may see a retool of this figure in future waves of SW Attacktix with a longer string.
Faction fractionation
Instead of creating a separate, overarching "fringer" faction that would include at least the Jawas and Tuskens, they received their own two- and three-figure factions in Series 3, with no figures in Series 4 to expand those factions at all. Unlike the Wookiees in Series 1, which got at least a couple of expansion figures in Series 2, it looks like the Jawas and Tuskens may be orphan factions for a while. In particular, it may be difficult to expand the Jawas into their own strong faction - the Tuskens might get a Tusken Maiden and/or Tusken Warrior figure when a series focused on Attack of the Clones comes out, but the Jawas will be hurting for new figures. Thus, these otherwise fine figures may be left in the dust as other factions are more fully developed.
Moral of the story? Hasbro, please don't make a Gungan faction or a Geonosian faction, if the time ever comes. Rather, make Gungans part of the Republic (after all, that's how they fought in the Phantom Menace) and assign the Geonosians to be Separatists (as that's how they fought in Attack of the Clones). That way, they won't comprise orphan factions, and their special powers can benefit existing factions, ensuring their continued use beyond the series in which they're released.
And the rest of the worst:
Worst Rebel: Luke Skywalker (SW/13)4) had such potential. His point value was reasonable, and though Rescue special powers aren't so great for strikers, a greater than 60% probability of coming up white made him intriguing. What went wrong? Well, his head sculpt was more worthy of the short bus than a speeder bike, his lightsaber felt like a toothpick compared to Armored Vader's baseball bat, and his strike came diagonally, causing him to "top off" figures and thwack them down head over heels, rather than straight across the playing field. Apparently, those of us looking for a good "Jedi Luke" will have to wait quite a while longer. Dishonorable mention here goes to Series 3 Obi-Wan Kenobi: his hook strike was disadvantageous, and his special power rather bit (a 6-Tix Force Push?!?), but at least it was possible to get multiple knockdowns with him, and his strike could be modified to "backhand" figures across the playing field more than a few Tix. The double release of Captain Antilles in Series 3 was puzzling - such a minor character chewed up at least one space in the series that could have gone to another figure from A New Hope - but each figure was at least OK in quality.
Worst Empire: Royal Guard (SW/05)4) is a retool from Series 2 that is none the better for wear. There have been many reports of the top and bottom of this figure rubbing together too closely, leading to an anemic strike that has disappointed many a player. Unfortunately, it seems like this mold just doesn't work quite right, and the Force pike is too short to provide much good striking power, even if you have a working figure. Looks like some plastic needs to be eliminated from either the top or the bottom of this figure, if a remold is to be at all successful.
Blip of the Republic: There were two Republic figures issued in Series 4: the bonus figure with the S4 starter set, and the Clone Pilot that came packaged with the Republic Gunship repaint. The problem is that the Republic hasn't seen any major figures since Series 2, so many players new to the game were left puzzled as to how these figures would fit on their existing teams.
Nevertheless, the bonus figure was a nice addition for longer-term collectors, and it made the price per figure for the S4 bonus starter set hover at the $2 per figure that characterized the first three starter sets. However, the Clone Pilot added between $3-$5 to the cost of the Mega, a price that's hardly worth the figure's weak 10-point, small missile launching, small-based stats. Now, the Megas aren't tournament legal, so they're not "must haves," but it seems like the price has gone up too much for the additional figure you get.
What was I thinking in 2005? OK, I loved Kit Fisto, even in 2005. His striking power is legendary, he costs only 20 points, and his special power grants an extra attack to your team on its next turn more than 75% of the time. Why was this Nautolan not on my top five list last year? If you have a chance, this is the one named character to pick up from older series that will benefit just about any existing team.
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