Gears of War
Based on Cliff Bleszinski's 2006 megahit, these figures from NECA capture the surrealism of the characters' designs. There have been a couple of waves of "Gears" figures standing at a 7" scale (I'm giving dimensions in case anyone out there wants to pose the "Gears" guys with toys from another game), and NECA has done a great job with their sculpts and the overall feel of the toy. I strongly suggest these for any "Gears" fan. The detailing on the toys is great, and you can assemble your own army of COG leaders and Locust. They even have a Locust, killed by headshot, available for your display needs.
Halo
The "Halo" line of action figures, from McFarlane Toys, have become something of a hot commodity among gamers and collectors, which is a bit surprising, given the rates at which the toys have appeared on shelves and vanished off them. Maybe their elusive nature makes them more attractive to the collecting mindset. McFarlane offers a wide cross-section of different aliens and soldiers, and they're constantly burning up the secondary market with premium prices, so if you get your hands on one, hang on to it. We may have to switch over to a figurine-based economy pretty soon.
Street Fighter
The "Street Fighter" toy franchise has gone through many a change. The best products by far have come from Sota Toys, whose inventory ranges from highly-articulated smaller-scale figures to larger 12” models. The smaller ones look great and can be posed in a variety of ways, and the 12” figures, usually made with rotocasting, look like they just leapt off the screen. Most of the figurines have kept the "Street Fighter" anime look and have that sweet Japanese production value. They're a bit delicate, maybe, but they look awesome on your shelf.
Final Fantasy
The Tokyo-based company Square Enix has definitely raised the bar for production aesthetics. If you are a fan of the "Final Fantasy" series, I can't recommend these figures highly enough. What they lack in poseability (maybe not a real word), they more than recoup in style, accessories and packaging. Prices for these run a bit higher than other toy lines on this list (the average is about $20 apiece), but the toys themselves deliver on so many levels.
8-Bit Simon Belmont
This 3" figure of a heavily pixelated Simon Belmont, from "Castlevania," is one of my favorite gaming-related toys. It was an exclusive at a San Diego Comic-Con a couple years ago. It didn’t move, you couldn’t pose it, and it looked (intentionally) like a graphic from 1986, but it retains a special place in my heart.
Resident Evil
This series has been picked up by a couple of different toy companies. There was an older action figure line, released by Toy Biz, that brought you good poseablity and a variety of characters. The license has since passed to NECA, who have likewise done a tremendous job on posing and sculpting. If you're so inclined, you can find a number of more high-end options that will set you back a pretty penny.
Nintendo
Nintendo has had a panoply of figures and toys over the decades -- the company owns the rights to dozens of characters, most of whom you can license the crap out of -- but a standout for collectors is the Nintendo merch released by Master Replica. MR has done a great job of capturing the spirit and fun of the world's most beloved name in gaming. Nintendo also puts out its own figures, of course, but some of them prize quantity over quality, and have lackluster paint jobs. Still fun, though.
These are just a few of the standouts in toying and games. You can find all these products at your local Comic-Con, or any huge con where you would be completely inundated with figures and toys that you can bring home and annoy your girlfriend with.
