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November 2006 Monthly Collectable Item Critique |
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This month features the first pair of items under the new title of Monthly Collectables!
That title goes to Momo the Monkey and the Mini UFO!
Space and Monkeys
Hmm, okay, not really much to go on there, but somehow the two seem very appropriate for each other. Don't ask me why, because if you have to ask, you probably don't already know the joke by now.
Let the poo fly!
Momo the Monkey is yet another pet that has come out of the letters as of late. What's the count now? At least four (Moochi, Gwee, the parrots, Momo) by my count. I don't consider the Pixie or the Shadow Spirit pets so much as I consider KiKi, CoCo, RoRo, and the Yeti pets either as those are technically plushies/toys.
In any event, for those of you that didn't make the immediate connection, Momo is designed to be a naked version of AyAy from Super Monkey Ball. Don't believe me? Look up the game and take a peek for yourself! Same general body shape, same format for the eyes and mouth, same curly design in the ears. The only thing missing is a red shirt and a Dole banana. Thankfully, Momo doesn't have to suffer through being put in a plastic ball and forced to roll himself around various mazes in the sky.
Momo's default position is clinging onto your leg. This is similar to the Yeti, but there are several things different about it. For one, Momo prefers the leg in the background rather than the leg in the foreground. This is great is you want to leg clinging things on you, but it would make walking rather difficult. Second, unlike the Yeti, Momo is very clingy. So much so that while in this mode he doesn't even move if you are walking in Towns! You would think they would put a blur of him or something, but nope, that isn't the case. Third, unlike the Yeti who knows when to let go, Momo will stay on your leg even when you are sitting. This leads to a rather comical pose of him being crushed under you screaming for mercy. Kind of like a rape victem, really, which is rather sick. But since it involves a monkey, it's funny. Cause monkeys are funny like that.
Like all the other pets and plushies, Momo is a member of the On My Head club. Ripping a pose from Gwee, Momo likes to curl up on top of your head. And much to my surprise, you can see his butt in this mode rather easily. The expression on his face is that of pretty much saying "Mine! Not yours!" While cute initially, it does tend to be rather strange looking, mostly because of how small the monkey is in comparison to every other member of the On My Head club.
If there is one stereotype that needs to be exploited with monkeys, it is that they are the icons for the "No Evil" series. Momo is no exception to this stereotype.
The various "No Spam" modes are your typical poses, but not in the sense that Momo himself is doing them. Instead, the little guy is covering up your mouth, eyes, or ears depending on what you do not want to hear, see, or say. With the human skin, everything lines up pretty well even if your mouth or eyes are bigger than its paws. However, for the Zurg Skin, the only thing that lines up is the Speak No Spam mode. The other two are obviously not hitting the right parts, mostly because of how the head is shaped.
Off Duty pose is yet another stereotype that monkeys are believed to do, but in reality, it's mostly done my 'possums. Here, Momo wraps his tail around you and just hangs there looking like a little monkey that is confused as to why the world is upside down. Cute, but it's a bitt too similar to the same pose done by Kiki. Granted you are not holding Momo by the tail, but still.
Overally, Momo makes a nice pet accessory, but kind of doesn't offer much unless you are going for either a Pirate look, Island theme, or even a zoo handler just to name a few off the top of my head. Pokemon Fans will probably like this little guy once the new series is released, as one of the starters is a flaming monkey. (No, seriously, it is.) Everyone else would probably get it only if they find it cute.
But then again, I'm partial to monkeys in general, so this may be a one-sided critique.
Will the owner of a grey Hoveround model number ZURG1 please move your vehicle?
I kind of was expecting this to happen, but I didn't expect it to be a letter item. If anything, I was expecting it to be a Halloween Event item for getting all four forum event items.
With the introduction of this item, we are linked to yet another item made from a Weekly Comic (as well as a new character that we may or may not see again). The first item was the Red Bino drink with Gambino's comic. This time around, we get ourselves a reversed-engineered and mass-produced Hoveround which was made ever so popular by the Zurgs prior to the Halloween event. And boy, does Manny know how to make an item vercitle!
The default mode of the Mini UFO is pretty much just that. Your avatar is replaced with a smaller version of the avatars used by the UFOs whenever they would post on the forums. In towns, the little UFO is able to hover above the ground and pretty much function the way the bigger UFOs do (with the exception of being able to beam stuff). While the mode is fun for a little while, it ends up being like the Shell Modes from the Turtle Backpacks from a while back. Still, it is fun to run around town in it if only once.
Crash Site mode turns the UFO into a UFO Hat that is cocked to one side rather fashionably. This is similar to how some of the UFO and SETI fans wear their homemade versions. I don't know what else you would wear with it outside of the labcoats (provided you have one from two years ago), but hell, if all else fails, you can use it to cosplay as that drunk that always ends up with the lamp shade on their head.
Mind Control mode is a mode that kind of looks strange at first, but then opens up a relm of possibilities. Basically, the UFO becomes a brain dome housing a miniture Zurg who is controling your every move. If you do not like the idea of an alien literally being inside of your head, take the alternative route and cosplay as one of those giant robots from every other anime! With the right items (and there are pleanty of them), you can make your avatar look like some robot that the Zurg is controling instead of a human. Just keep in mind that in this mode, the UFO takes a backseat in the layering. Some hats and masks will appear over where the UFO "incerts" into your skull. Also, while in this mode, be mindful about the glitch with the eyes. In many cases, the eyes do something funky, which is why it is best to wear glasses or something to cover them up. I suggest the 4D Goggles if you have them.
Incidently, this mode can only be used with the Human Skin. Go figure. rolleyes
Scanning for Life and Abuduction mode are pretty much the same deal. A UFO perpetually follows you from overhead. The only differance is that one has a beam and one doesn't. The use? Probably none for the first, but the second can be used as a spotlight for all you people that like to sing into your Angelic Microphone stand. You think I'm kidding, don't you?
Child Support and Mothership mode are also guilty of this "similar by different" move. Both modes feature a baby Zurg for you to take care of. And both babies in each of their modes feature their own walk blur in Towns! Both babies also apparently don't know how to lower their arm when you change your hand position unless you are sitting down. The differance? Mothership mode gives you a UFO Space Bubble around your head. Goofy? You bet! The Space Bubble they sell in the stores looks better than the Mothership mode, so if you want to have the Baby Zurg in tow, just use Child Support mode.
Headphone Home mode is essentially an alternative to the Doll Ears that are available in the store. While it helps for that Robot look, it barely functions on its own. You'll probably want to invest in the G-BOT, as the various masks it has look great with this mode. As far as a humanoid droid goes? You're better off getting the Doll Ears from the store. Now as far as Headphones go, they don't look anything like the DJ Headphones they are trying to obviously replace, mostly because they are missing any kind of indication that they are headphones. If anything, it looks like you're wearing steel-plated Leia hair buns.
Kart Rider mode is probably going to be the most popular mode, if nowhere else in Towns. Here, you actually get a decent size UFO that your avatar can fit in quite comfortably and drive around. That's right, this is the first actual VEHICLE in Gaia. Could cars be around the corner? Who knows! But it certainly will explain where the hell all those Old Tires I've been fishing out are coming from. In any event, the Kart will hover around in Towns no different than the Mini UFO's default mode. It will also land when you sit. However, the strange thing about this mode is that you cannot equip anything that goes on your head. Masks, hats, wigs, anything that goes on your head will automatically de-equip this mode. Things that go on the eyes, ears, and mouths are the exception to this. I know, it's strange and they should fix it so that it takes up the pants slot instead, seeing how you can't see anything from your avatar's waist down.
Overall, the item has a few bugs in it, but Manny did a great job in taking alien technology and making it into something that the humans can enjoy. And as Gaia's first official vehicle to drive around towns in, the UFO will certainly be popular for a while... or until the next vehicle comes out.
Monkeys In Space!
If I had to pick just one, I'd go with the UFO. There's something about owning a Gaia first that seems to be a good investment in one respect or another. However, if you have the money to spend, by all means get both. They offer a fair amount of flexibility and they are nice to look at in general.
Overall, this month is above average in appeal. Not the "OMG! I must have it now!" kind of appeal I haven't had in a while, but just enough to make me recommend both items as definate buys.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get this monkey off my back while I learn how to drive this crazy thing.
 Zeek Slider · Thu Nov 16, 2006 @ 05:12am · 4 Comments |
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