Posted in: Games, Review, Subscription Box, Video Games | Tagged: Bowser, Geek Fuel, lord of the rings, Mario, Poncho, Review, south park, star wars, super mario bros.

What's In The Box?!: Geek Fuel – December 2017

Published Sun, 24 Dec 2017 06:45:15 -0600

by Gavin Sheehan

Comments

One of the last subscription boxes to come to my doorstep this year was from the awesome people at Geek Fuel. Considering the previous boxes I'd received, I was kind of interested to see what they had in store for a December subscription box. So as we close out the year, let's see what the Geek Fuel crew sent out to everyone.

First up, because it's Star Wars every December from now until forever, we have a Star Wars keyring. I had the chance of getting either the symbol for the Empire or the one I received, which was the Rebel Alliance. This is a basic leather strap with a metal symbol about the size of a half-dollar hanging on it. There's noting extrodinary or special about it beyond the fact that it's here to show off your love for Star Wars and identify your keys from others. I like it and it has a place on my keyring, even though it is a bit bulky.

Moving along to the pin of the box, this month is a Lord Of The Rings version. Of course, it's done in the robot theme that matches the Geek Fuel symbol, so this is Lord Of The Pins with that 20% difference to make it a parody. This one they went all out for, making the box look like a Tolkien novel that you open up to see the various options you could get and holding the one you received. I myself got Laserlas, though I really would have loved to see Gandroid The Grey. The enamel is of great quality with a rubber back for the pin so you're not getting the metal scuff. It's a good design, if you like these types of pins.

Next up is the video game we get every month from Geek Fuel, and this time around we got PONCHO. This is a cool little indie platformer that's been out for over two years, where you play a robot that can travel back and forth through the different dimension of the level. For example, one minute you'll be walking in a garden, then in key areas, you'll be able to shift into the background which then becomes the foreground, putting you in a new area of the level. It's a really awesome concept from Delve Interactive and Rising Star Games that I wish was used more often. I really loved playing this one and feel this is one of the better games they've included all year.

Moving to South Park, the Geek Fuel exclusive in this box is a display figure of A.W.E.S.O.M.-O, the infamous time Cartman pretended to be a robot to fool Buttars, only to have it blow up in his face. Made by Kidrobot, he comes in a box that looks like the packaging from the episode. His arms and head move a bit, and he has a tube of toothpaste with him at all times. The Geek Fuel box itself came with punch-out pieces that turned the box into a South Park display for him to sit in. I love having this figure and the box was a nice touch!

Finally, the make-or-break item: the t-shirt. This month's shirt is called "Boss Battle" and depicts Mario and Bowser in the form of a Samurai fighting off a dragon version of Bowser. This, by far, is the best shirt they've had all year. The design of it alone makes me wish this was hanging on my wall somewhere, as the entire display comes with several references to different games in the Super Mario Bros. franchise. Aside fromt he fact that this month's shirt was made with a thinner material than normal, I adore this with all my heart and can say this is an absolute winner.

Overall, this month's box was a delight. The strongest items were the shirt and the South Park character, the weakest is probably the pin. But that's saying a lot for a box that was basically a winner the minute I opened it up. I look forward to seeing what Geek Fuel have in store for 2018, because they rarely dissapointed me in 2017.