Wonder Woman...the hurting has begun to stop

Check this out, everyone...

Apparently studio execs do read blogs. Now, I'm not saying that they read mine specifically (there's no way I'm that conceited and self-important). But what I am saying is that they evidently took a look around cyberspace after pictures of Wonder Woman's costume for the new television show were released, and were smart enough to realize that the unbridled Nerd Rage (yes, that's a real thing...you don't believe me? Lock an original Star Wars trilogy purist in a room with a fan of the 'new and improved' movies and see what happens...I'm not kidding...there will be blood) that blanketed the internet via blogs and forums was something that they should not ignore. Feel free to check out the article...

http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/wonder-woman-costume-gets-an-upgrade--2645

Evidently I was not the only geek who was angered by the stripper costume that was originally going to be Wonder Woman's costume, because the costume has since been changed. As depicted by the photo below, the top is no longer quite as shiny or as bright, the pants are no longer a cheap-looking plastic material (and if you look carefully, you'll be able to see the star-spangled motif along the sides) and the boots are not only flat-heeled, but they're the trademark red. Also, the gold of the belt, tiara, boot embellishments, and breastplate have been muted so they actually look like metal and not a cheap, plastic toy.

While still different, this costume is a definite nod to the original costume that we all know and love. The Wonder Woman who wears this costume isn't going to be dancing around a pole or performing at a bachelor party...she's going to be kicking some serious ass.

Well done! Well done, indeed!

Seriously...would it have been so difficult for the people at DC to something akin to this when they decided to put Wonder Woman in a onsie and a jacket? *Ahem* Sorry...I digress...

So, with all that being said, all I have left to do is give major kudos to whoever took all of our opinions into account and actually did something with them. So kudos, whoever you are! Give yourself a pat on the back, and treat yourself to a giant cookie!

Straight men only?

Hear ye, hear ye!

Attention all gamers who are not straight men! Apparently, you do NOT exist! I repeat, you do NOT exist!

But how can this be?

I play video games, and I know for a fact that I'm not a straight man. Last time, I checked...I existed, that is of course unless all the photographic evidence in my house points to the contrary and is an elaborate sham. This of course must also mean that all the non-straight men friends I have that play video games are imaginary!

This is probably the moment in which you're asking yourself just what it is that I'm talking about. What I am in fact talking about is the fact that a straight, male gamer (who will remain nameless here) threw a hissy fit on the Bioware forum because of the romance options in Dragon Age 2--claiming that they were not designed for straight men. He is of course referring to the fact that all of the romanceable characters are bisexual, thereby allowing you to romance the character of your choice regardless of which gender you choose to play Hawke as.

The basic premise of this guy's homophobic rant was that because the romantic options allowed for homosexual options, they thereby neglected the straight man, which in his opinion, makes up the dominant demographic of gamers.

EXCUSE ME?!

What rock has this guy been living under?

The world of video games is no longer limited to men living in their mothers' basements. (Yes, I know that's a stereotype, but according to this guy, there can only be one kind of gamer, so I'm throwing it back in his face.) During the years in which I played Ever Quest 2, there was more than one person in my guild who wasn't straight, but that didn't matter to any of the other people in the guild anymore than it mattered how the characters were played. Why should it? It was just a game. It wasn't an attack on anyone's sexual beliefs or preferences. It was just a game. Men played female characters just as easily as women played male characters, and in the end, it was all about the game and escaping into a fantasy world. Who you are in the video game is not who you are in real life. For example, I know that despite all my wishing and hoping, I'm not the smoking-hot, fearless, bad-ass mage that is my current female Hawke. As invested as I get in my characters, I still know that it's just a game.

But this guy's rant did not end with his feeling left out. He then went on to say that Bioware should have implanted a 'no homosexuality' option into the game because apparently the character of Anders starts up a flirtation with a male Hawke. Here's an idea, guy...instead of freaking out and embarking on a homophobic rant, just choose the 'end/break romance' option and nip it in the bud. Seriously...it's not that hard.

Thankfully, David Gaider (the lead writer for the Dragon Age games), put the proverbial smack-down on this guy, saying that... "The romances in the game are not for 'the straight male gamer.' They're for everyone. We have a lot of fans, many of whom are neither straight nor male, and they deserve no less attention. [...] The majority has no inherent 'right' to get more options than anyone else."

I hereby give Mr. Gaider major kudos for that, because he obviously realizes that the world of video games is no longer limited to one particular type of person. The world of video games is a great big party, and Mr. Gaider not afraid to take steps in order to assure that everyone gets invited. Whether you're male, female, straight, gay or bi, the world of video games is open to all, and that's the way that it should be.

Dragon Age 2; Revisited

During my first play-through, I defaulted to the rogue class which was my favorite class in Dragon Age: Origins because of the ability to summon companion animals as well as the ability to switch back and forth between ranged and melee weapons. Not to mention, the rogue class is better suited to picking locks and dealing with traps since you concentrate mostly on their cunning and dexterity. Basically, the rogue class was in my opinion the most well-rounded class. I did play as a mage on other run-through, but I always found myself yearning for my rogue character--even after I had trained my mage to be an Arcane Warrior. As I said in my blog about the demo for Dragon Age 2, the mage class could have been better. Yes...they got to wear sexy outfits, but that was about the only thing I really liked about the class.

However, in my second play-through of Dragon Age 2, I decided to play as a mage since I found the class to be a lot of fun in the demo. I am very happy to report that I was not at all disappointed =D

In this second chapter of the Dragon Age Saga (yes, I'm calling it a chapter because it feels like the second chapter in a wonderful novel), mages are more akin to warriors. If you have more than one mage in your group, they will not run away like they did in Dragon Age: Origins if they get attacked by a melee weapon. They will actually stay and fight because their staffs are not simply objects to wield their magic through, they can actually be used as melee weapons. This is a blessed change from the way the mage class was in Dragon Age: Origins. Yes, they could kick ass, but they were easily overpowered and swarmed upon, and when that happened, they basically became the party's 'red shirt'. That was not the case with the mages in this game because their spells are much more potent, they refresh much faster, they cover much more ground (better allowing you to remain out of the actual heat of battle), and again...they use their staffs as active weapons.

The mages in this game also have a much more difficult time (socially) in this game than in Dragon Age: Origins, because the Templars play a much more active role--bringing to mind something similar to the Holocaust or even the Spanish Inquisition because of how the Templars persecute, terrorize and imprison the mages. Why are the mages treated in this way, you may ask? Because mages are viewed as dangerous as a result of their magic tying them to the Fade (the source of all magic, and also the dwelling place of demons). Because of their connection to the Fade, mages are viewed as walking time-bombs, or even sleeper agents', that are always on the brink of unleashing chaos and destruction upon an unsuspecting world. While there are some mages who have every reason to be feared, the majority of them simply want to about and live their lives normally. Unfortunately, it's the few evil mages the ruin everything for all the others.

If you play as a mage in Dragon Age 2, you play as an Apostate (a mage who practices magic without Templar supervision), and in playing as a mage, I found myself getting very emotionally involved in their struggles for freedom and equality...and I'm not ashamed to admit that the words 'oh, crap' repeatedly flew through my head like rapid fire when Knight-Commander Meredith (the head of the Templar order) told me that she was aware that I was an Apostate. Why was it such a big deal that Meredith knew about what I was? Because Apostates are illegal, and those who do not submit to the Templars and join the Circle (the central location in each county/land in which mages are kept under lock and key), are executed or even worse...made Tranquil (having their magic and emotions completely removed from their bodies and thereby leaving them to live out the remainder of their days as hollow husks). However, because of my victory in the event that led to my meeting with Meredith, she allowed me to go about my business. After all...how would it look if she were to imprison and punish the 'Champion' who defeated the ruthless and foreign force that threatened the city?

In playing Hawke as a mage, I found myself feeling much more conflicted when it came to dealing with Blood Mages because while I could understand the feeling of hopeless desperation that drove them to the darker side of magic, I still could not allow them to reign havoc upon innocent people. When I played as a rogue, I found myself killing them without hesitation. But when I played as a mage, I actually found myself pausing to think about it. After all, those particular mages had been driven to Blood Magic out of fear and out of the desire to survive in a world that was constantly pitted against them.

This of course made my romance with Fenris all the more tricky to establish (and all the more rewarding when I completely won him over to my side) since he HATES mages (if you haven't played the game, I won't spoil the plot or his backstory with anymore info, but for those of you who have played it, you know what I'm talking about ;-p). Yes, that's right...I paired my mage up with a mage-hater because the writer in me just loves that kind of conflict ;-p Though I do have to admit, that their's seemed a much more passionate relationship than when I had paired my rogue with Anders, the renegade mage. I guess opposites really do attract ;-p

In my view, there's only one real downside to playing as a mage, and that is that you're stuck with your ungrateful, pain in the ass, younger, jackass of a brother, Carver (seriously...what crawled up his butt and died?), instead of your sweeter and friendlier sister Bethany (because Bethany herself is a mage and that would've made your party mage-heavy since you acquire 2 more upon reaching Kirkwall). In Dragon Age: Origins, the rogue class was my favorite because of its versatility, but in Dragon Age 2, I would have to say that the mage class has become my new favorite because they're now capable of kicking some serious ass. If the changes that Bioware made to the mage class in this game is any indication as to how the mages will be in the 3rd installment of the game that is undoubtedly on the horizon, I really can't wait to try my hand at it!

However, all my excitement for the future aside...I can't help but be consumed with curiosity at just how Bioware is going to tie all the strings together in what could only be an incredibly climactic conclusion to the epic story arc. All I have left to say on that subject is this...

HURRY UP, BIOWARE!!!!! =D

Wonder Woman; When will the hurting stop?

This blog/rant is a long time in coming, but I feel like I can no longer continue to suffer in silence.

We're all familiar with Wonder Woman and her iconic costume. How can we not be familiar with it? It's one of the few super hero costumes that has undergone the least amount of change since its inception. Yes, the original version of the costume involved a knee-length skirt, but what do you expect? Wonder Woman was first created in the 1940's. She had to wear a skirt because the later incarnations of her costume would have been too scandalous. But in any case, I digress. The bottom line is that Wonder Woman's costume is simple, classic, and who could miss the air of patriotism with the red, white and blue colors as well as the star-spangled bottoms? Because she was created during WWII, she was meant to help drum up the patriotism and nationalism that was needed in order to continue forward in such a trying time (hence the patriotic attire and the fact that she was always depicted as fighting those with whom we were at war--Germans, Japanese, etc.

The fact that is underwent so few changes since its development I think speaks volumes as to just how much of an iconic classic this costume is. There is never any doubt as to who is wearing this costume. You take one look and you automatically know it's Wonder Woman--a champion of justice who fights against tyranny and corruption. There's never any moment of pause in in which you need to try and remember the name of the woman in the costume. So then why did the people at DC think it a good idea to change the iconic attire to this?

The choker and change in bracers, I can deal with. I think those are actually pretty cool. But seriously...what is with the stirrups? Last I checked, Wonder Woman was neither an equestrian nor a biker chick. Next...they gave her a jacket. A jacket? Really? Is she going out to get groceries while she's out pwning bad guys? She must be, because I can't think of any other reason as to why she would be wearing a circa 1980's jacket! Has anyone else noticed that she's not wearing shoes? For all intents and purposes, she's wearing a giant onsie. It's as though she were interrupted in the middle of a slumber party to go fight bad guys, and she all did was throw on a jacket. 

However, all of this is nothing compared to the debacle of a costume that will only prove to be the cherry on top of the crap-tastic sundae that will be the new Wonder Woman television series that is in production.

Why, why WHY would they change her costume yet again?! It's so shiny and cheap looking, and looks more akin to what a stripper or even a porn star would wear. As much as I dislike the new costume in the comic series, at least that outfit doesn't make Wonder Woman look like a hooker! I'll take the grocery-getting onsie over the stripper-gram any day of the week.

Seriously...WHY?! That's all I can keep asking myself. Why would the show creators do this to such a beloved and iconic costume?

STOP FIXING WHAT ISN'T BROKEN!

Dragon Age 2 Review

So I got the game and sat down to play it over the course of several days, and all I have to say about it is that it's awesome! It's frakking AWESOME!!

The game takes place over the course of six years, and through the timeline you experience (by way of the character of Hawke) the fear and despair the comes from evacuating your home in the face of the Blight from Dragon Age: Origins, the humiliation of basically being sold into slavery upon arrival in your new home because it was the only way you could get into the city, the pride and achievement as you work your way up the social ladder in order to regain your family's good name and honor, and finally the call to arms in order to protect you adopted home from tyranny. You go from being a Ferelden refugee, to the Champion of Kirkwall, to a hero on the run. Simply put, if you're the kind of gamer that I am, you will end up getting emotionally invested in your character, and therefore the entire game will be an emotional rollar coaster.

The amount of detail that was put into the making of this game is simply unbelievable. The fabric of clothing moves like real cloth as characters run or even walk. Armor clunks and clanks when it comes into contact with hard surfaces. Hair moves with each movement of a character's head, and the facial movement and expressions seems to move more smoothly and seamlessly than in Dragon Age: Origins.

Another thing that makes this game so great is the fact that they made the Mabari (a really kick-ass dog) a sustained ability for the main character of Hawke. In Dragon Age: Origins, you had to add your Mabari to your party in order to use him, but in Dragon Age 2, the Mabari becomes more of a summons. You're able to summon him as an additional member to your party even though you already have all four of the party slots filled. It's a very handy feature that I found myself using on a regular basis. This of course means that the Ranger specialization (which was the only ability in Dragon Age: Origins that allowed you to summon animals to fight with you) is no longer available to the rogue class, but the Mabarai is an even trade-off seeing as how you can summon it regardless of your class.

Another handy feature is the 'world map' which the game cuts to whenever you leave a particular area. It's very similar to the world map that was used in Dragon Age: Origins, except that the names of missions are actually displayed over specific sections of the city. This serves as a nice little reminder and guide for where you need to go in order to turn in a quest instead of simply wandering around aimlessly. It also comes in handy for telling you where you need to turn in the little mini-quests that you may not even know that you completed for people who never even approached you in the first place (these missions are very simple and consist of delivering/returning a lost item that you unknowingly picked up during your travels). Also, in this game, certain quests can only be completed at certain times (either night or day). As a result, there is a feature on the map that allows you to toggle back and forth between night and day in order to complete the quest in question.

Another little feature is that while you can change the weapons and accessories of your party members, the main character of Hawke is the only one for which you actually have to worry about changing armor. The armor/attire that your party members have upon recruitment is the armor/attire that they stay with throughout the course of the game. Their are upgrades available for your party members that you can either loot during the course of your travels or purchase from certain merchants, but they are equipped to the specific party member immediately upon purchase even if the person is not in your active party, so you don't have to worry about equipping it to them later.

While this next topic isn't an actual feature, I still really like it in any case, and that is how well and seamlessly both Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age 2 are tied together. References are made to your Grey Warden in the first game, as well as to Morrigan and Tamlin (if you played a Dalish elf in the in first game, then you know who I'm talking about). Certain characters from the first game even make appearances. While they underwent some makeovers (mainly Flemith, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking that her new rendition looks frakking awesome), it's really nice to see familiar faces like Cullen, Alistair, Leliana, Sandal and his father, and of course Flemith. Even the deliciously sexy Zevran makes an appearance (something which warranted a happy dance on my part)!

On a similar vein of the topic of characters, it's wonderful to see how much deeper the story line is in this game. An example of this would be in regards to the Templars. In the first game, not much detail went into them. They were more akin to a pure, righteous and impenetrable force that was to be regarded with fear and respect. But in Dragon Age 2, they are made to appear a little more human by way of corruptability, indecisiveness, and even marriage and family life. In this game, women are allowed to be Templars (in fact, the Templars are even led by a woman) whereas in the first game, only men were shown as being in the Order (and it was forbidden for them to engage in sexual activities).

The characters themselves (the ones equipable by your party) are in themselves deep and complex and are the furthest thing from cardboard cut-outs. There's always so much more to them than what you see, and you can always tell when they're purposefully witholding information from you--much to your frustration. Keeping true with Dragon Age: Origins, the party members banter back and forth with each other while you're on the move and exploring, and a lot of the dialogue between them had me laughing out loud. One piece in particular involved the wise-cracking dwarf, Varric, after his sonuvabitch big brother betrayed him (and thereby your party)...

Varric: "I swear I will find that son of a bitch...sorry mother...and kill him!"

The game is filled with wonderfully funny lines like that.

Now for the things that I did not like about the game.

It's a little annoying that there's no 'switch weapons' option like there was with Dragon Age: Origins. With that option, you were able to have 2 weapon settings (which came in especially handy for the rogue class) which allowed you to switch seamlessly back and forth between melee and ranged weapons in the heat of battle so long as you had them equipped to your character. This was a feature I used a lot...especially when it came to fighting all the giant spiders because as an arachnophobe, I didn't want to get anywhere near those things! However, with Dragon Age 2, you need to actually go into the inventory screen and physically change your character's weapon from melee to ranged every time you want to switch weapons. As a result, the transition between weapons isn't as smooth as in the first game and it becomes an incredible hassle (especially when you're a dual-weapon wielding rogue). I found myself missing this feature terribly all throughout the game!

Another annoyance is the lack of conversations between Hawke and the party members. In Dragon Age: Origins, your Grey Warden was able to go up to any of the characters in either your active party or the party's campsite and start up a conversation. This serves as a further aid in building friendships/relationships with the characters, as well as allowing for quick "damage control" in the event that you pissed off a party member. In Dragon Age 2, you can only engage in conversations with your party members at certain points within the game (after each 3 year mark, and whenever you find an item that can be gifted to them) as well as only in certain places (the specific character's home base). Gifts are also fewer and far between in this game. Whereas in Dragon Age: Origins, you were not only able to loot them but buy them from merchants, in Dragon Age 2, they are only able to be looted. Yes, this way of doing things might have made the friendships and relationships that you forged all the more rewarding an meaningful since you really had to invest in them, but at the same time, the Dragon Age: Origins way of doing things might've made gaining friendship points with the emo and brooding Fenris, and the adorable but clueless Merril just a little bit easier. Seriously...there was just no pleasing them!

Especially not Fenris, lol.

However, my previously mentioned annoyances are just that. They're annoyances, but nothing that would really detract from my enjoyment of the game. I actually only have one actual and real complaint, and that is that the on-screen dialogue is written in a really (and dare I say, freakishly) small script. I'm not kidding when I say that I have to sit uber close to the television screen so I can read what I'm choosing for Hawke's response. I've never even felt this blind when the optometrist asks me to read a tiny line of letters without my glasses!

However, my complaint and annoyances aside, judging from the open ending at the end of the game, Bioware is obviously gearing up for a third game, and I for one will be waiting with baited breath for its release. If the improvements made to this game are any hint at all as to what can be expected for the third installment, I believe it will be an even better game than the first and second put together.