Welcome back to Go For Broke, the article that suffers from the crappy exchange rate.

We have yet another guest joining us this week, that being otaku bad ass Eva Duenas! We're covering trading figures and a few statues from the 'Tales of...' series of games by Namco/Bandai. The Tales games have been around for ages, but not so anybody stateside would know. Time and time again Namco (then without the Bandai) has refused to release Tales games in the U.S., the latest victims being the Tales DS games.

Eva says:

I think a fair amount of people know how obsessed I am with the "Tales of" franchise. If you haven't learned this by now, then it's about time you should. I should warn you, though, that I tend to spazz pretty badly and may cause damage to your ears. This happens quite often when they released figures based from the many "Tales of" games. Luckily for me and other Tales fans, we got plenty out there to make us happy

Follow us after the jump to get a peek at some tasty toys to line your shelves with!

1/8 Arche Klaine

Pedro says:

The cute half elf from Tales of Phantasia arrives in PVC form. There's a cold cast version of this same figure, but Kotobukiya was wise enough to release a cheaper version for the masses. Though I haven't gotten far enough in Tales of Phantasia to meet up with her, I purchased Arche at a con two years ago because of the cute design and my fondness of magic users on brooms.

Eva says:

Arche is from the first Tales of game that was made, Tales of Phantasia. There are actually four 1/8 figures of the girls from the Tales of series -- two of them are from Phantasia and the other two are from Abyss. Arche is one of the cutest girls in any of the Tales of games, even if people do tend to think her voice is annoying. I own this figure and I must say, they really captured her character. Kotobukiya did a great job giving the presence of her flying through the skies, especially because of the flow of her hair. I think anyone could enjoy this kind of figure even if they weren't too familiar with the character.

Available NOWHERE!!!

Tales of Symphonia Trading Figures 1

Pedro says:

Tales of Symphonia was one of my favorite RPGs that came to the GameCube. When I started playing it, it didn't leave my system for several months due to its gripping story and genuinely fun combat. I'm glad to say that these trading figures are excellent representations of the characters I spent so much time with. I can't recommend these figs enough.

Eva says:

Kotobukiya seriously does an amazing job at spoiling us Tales fans. This was the first set of trading figures that they released based on any of the games. I must say that I'm happy they released Symphonia trading figures because there was an HGIF trading set and the characters deserved to be treated better. I have the Lloyd from the HGIF and it makes me cry looking at it. I know most people became to love the "Tales of" series through Tales of Symphonia so they are worth having. Oh, and I can't forget to mention how sexy Kratos looks ~ rawr.

Available @ Hobby Link Japan

Tales of Destiny Trading Figures

Pedro says:

Since I literally know nothing about Tales of Destiny, I'll let Eva take over.

Eva says:

Tales of Destiny is the second Tales RPG that was made, after Phantasia. While both games practically look alike in graphics, they are definitely not the same at all. Destiny seems to be more of the popular titles, especially with all the remakes and a sequel. Not to mention, one of the characters from this games, Leon Magnus, continues to be one of the most loved characters, according to the several Tales of Rankings. If that isn't enough proof, Kotobukiya released a figure of him, which I did a Show and Tell on before. This set of figures has characters from both Destiny 1 and 2. Sad to say that I don't have these figures just yet but I'm sure they have the same amazing quality that both the Symphonia and Abyss figures have.

Available @ Amazon  Hobby Search  Hobby Link Japan  Toys Logic

1/8 Tear Grants PVC

Pedro says:

This one's all Eva!

Eva says:

It's funny how I tend to love flat chested girls but Miss Melons here is my favorite heroine out of all the girls from any of the games. I could never get sick of her singing voice, as well as relating to her with her obsession with cute things. She is beautiful, strong, and has a loving heart. This is another one of Kotobukiya's 1/8 figures that I had mentioned before. I also own this figure so I can tell you that it is yet another great figure. While the yellow lines on her clothing look just a tiny bit sloppy, the flow of her hair and clothes, as well as the pose, are all superb. This is a must have for any Abyss fan out there.

Available NOWHERE!

Tales of the Abyss Trading Figures

Pedro says:

While I wasn't initally excited to play Tales of the Abyss, the enormous fan response and the extensive love that Eva gives it makes me want to give it a go. Too bad it's a bit hard to find and the people that I know that have it are currently lending it out.  Oh well. However, I have seen these figures in person and look just as good as the Symphonia figs I mentioned above. Fans of Abyss are sure to squeal with passion at these lovelies.

Eva says:

These trading figures are the second ones that Kotobukiya released. And must I say, there is seriously a delicious man that is within this set. Ahem. What I really love the most about these trading figures is that the characters will come with an alternate weapon. Though, when you're buying by the box, you'll end up having doubles -- but they are doubles with a different weapon so it ends up giving you a reason to keep them all. I'm glad that Kotobukiya ended up making a long haired Luke and a short haired Luke. After all, you can practically consider them two "different" characters. I can't complain having two Luke's on my shelf.

Available NOWHERE!

That's it for this week. A big thank you to Eva for taking time and doing this with me. Have a broke one!