Thoughts on Consumerism: Geek-A-Week, Crowdsourcing, and the Empowerment of Consumer Agency

Me and My Geek-A-Week cards, look at that happy face!

I've been thinking about Consumerism a lot recently. A lot of that probably comes from me purging a lot of possessions in order to move across the Country and deciding what to keep and what to lose. Also what I had to lose because moving said items was not an option. That is particularly difficult. I had a lot of furniture that was my grandparents. I've known that furniture my whole life. I had many positive memories associated with said furniture. The smell of that armoire is still strong in my memory. Weird.

This Order of Worship was stuck to the inside of the Armoire since 1987

Anyways, here is the thing that kicked my brain into gear. Len Peralta's Geek-A-Week.

These are really really cool baseball-card esque collectables of famous geeks. It is really sweet. I've had several of them autographed and it is just a fun collection to be part of.

I met Len at PAX East when he had his first set. I was probably totally awkward, but I met him, chatted, and bought his cards. It was my first Con so I was really overwhelmed by the whole experience. I'm sure if I met him again I could be a little less awkward.

Len released subsequent sets of cards through Think Geek, making up a deck of 52.

But since this is the age of social media, the digital marketplace, and Crowdsourcing; Len turned to Kickstarter for his Season 2 & Season 3: Legends of Video Games sets.

It is a fantastic way for an artist to really reach his audience. And there are rewards to being a part of something of this nature. With Season Two I received a B&W sketch of whatever I wanted. I had Len draw a Ninja Turtle Jedi. It is awesome. I have it framed and sitting in my Nerd Shrine.  With Season 3, I gave enough to get the extra cards that were for backers only. Exclusivity is a powerful tool, for good or ill.

Today his newest Kickstarter jumped from $19k to $40K (as of publishing it is ), reaching his goal. I was worried that he wasn't going to reach that $38k goal while looking at it last night. He only had 9 days left. Gotta thank the internet for stepping up! I'm sure Len is blown away. I would be. I'm very excited for this new set of 52, that is going to take over a year to create and send my way. Yeah, I'm in it for the long haul.

When Len's Kickstarter jumped this morning, I tweeted at him, congratulating him and said I was proud to be part of the Geek-A-Week Collective. Originally I wrote "family" but "collective" seemed to be a way geekier and appropriate title. We collect these cards but we also help fund their creation. We fund them in a different way than ever before.

Social Media can be cool.

Throughout history the Church, corporations, and the wealthy; commissioned Art and employed artists. Also, businesses had to search for investors and loans to help get their ideas into reality. Now we have a combination of these things with another incredible addition: Democratization via Consumer Inclusion.

    

If you think about the idea of this it is incredible. This has never truly existed until now. It has never really been possible until now. We are both commissioning art as well as investing in the Artist. Now we aren't "investing" in the traditional sense, in order to gain a profit. But in the case of Len Peralta, we are investing in Him. We are providing financial support that is in turn emotional support. We are saying, "Here is money to do what you want to do, because we believe in You. We love what you make. Do your thing and thrive!"

Looking at the larger scale, there are certain brands that I hold dear and am emotionally invested in. Disney creates happy feelings, Brooks Brothers makes me think Quality, and Nintendo rockets me to FunTown. But this has always been a passive investment. I'm not really involved in what they create. Yes, buy using my money to purchase what I want, I am using that dollar to tell the corporation what to make, but I'm co-opted by other consumers who may not care for what I enjoy. Niche markets have this problem. "Not enough people bought said product, so we aren't going to make that anymore." It is understandable but it is one of the flaws of Free Market Capitalism.

 

Don't take things to seriously

With Crowdsourcing something so niche as Geek "celebrities", whom most people would never recognize, being immortalized in collectable card form can not only exist but thrive. Versus pitching Geek-A-Week to Baseball card manufacturer Topps. They are probably struggling to exist due to the lack of interest in Baseball cards themselves. They used to be ubiquitous, but now they are their own niche market, but with a history and a wealthy consumer base full of nostalgia. How would you get Geek-A-Week off the ground?

It is more than selling though. I feel invested. I feel as if I'm a part of something. I helped bring into creation a thing that I want. Would I buy this product? Yes. I did. I wasn't emotionally invested in Season 1. I just liked them. But from Season 2 onward, I've become part of Geek-A-Week. Along with many others, whom I've dubbed the Geek-A-Week Collective.

Now, I have some issues with Crowdsourceing. It is not all sunshine and rainbows. When someone who has access to investors and money, for example Zach Braff going to Kickstarter to help fund his film, that leaves a very bad taste in my mouth. It doesn't seem Just to have someone with resources to take to Crowdsourcing. Leave it to the people who need it. It seems like some kind of perversion. But then again, Crowdsourcing is representative of a Free Market. So as long as projects like Geek-A-Week, small Independent Films, and crazy inventions like 'Bug-A-Salt'; keep getting funded, I will have no real issue with major industry players also using Crowdsourcing to help fund their projects.

Scrubs, Garden State, and a King of Photobombs

It is part of "Conscientious Consumerism", something that I am trying to be a part of. Knowing from where my products come, what impact they have on the environment, and the conditions on which they are made. We live in a Capitalist society. It is not a perfect economic system, but it is the one we have. One day we may live in a Roddenberry-eque future where there is no lack of resources and every individual can pursue their individual passions, but until that time, We, as a society & species, need to use our purchasing power to enable a better world. With Crowdsourcing as a viable and very real tool at our disposal, the Consumer can take control away from "the other" be they good or bad, and Democratize what we want to buy instead of being told what to buy.

I don't know if Len thinks of his Geek-A-Week as a prime example of how the Future of Humanity is very bright and hopeful. It may not be that deep for him. But for us Internet Philosophers and Thinkers who are vain enough to put our ideas into words and throw them out there for anyone to read, he has made the World a better place. Thanks Len! Congratulations on your funding! I hope you reach your stretch goals because more cards is better than fewer cards. Also my Ninja Turtle Jedi is still badass.

so cool

Shine on you crazy diamonds.

Downton: Revisited - A Prologue

Biltmore is more beautiful than Downton. USA USA USA!!!

Forgive my petulance, but I do play favorites, also I prefer French Renaissance Inspired Architecture to Jacobethan (too pointy). Biltmore is probably my favorite historic home I've ever visited, nothing really compares to its scale. But if I got to visit Highclere Castle (the real home that is the fictional Downton) I'm sure I would be delighted.

As Facebook may have told you 'Downton Abbey' has returned to PBS for Season 4. Of course in the UK it aired months ago and was called "Series 4". One of these two things is important, one is not.

That's right. "Seasons" make so much more sense than "Series". . . I kid, I kid.

For anyone who enjoys TV from across the pond or "from the other side" as BBC-America calls it, we often have to wait months and even years before programming is aired in the US. Now a few months may not be that long for Downton, except we live in the age of the Internet. 

This means two things.

First: That if we happen to have friends on Facebook, or read blogs, or do Google searches concerning our beloved 'Stately' and the Crawley family who own it, we are quite likely to have Spoilers. From a casual standpoint this is a bit of a "so what", but for a serious fan of the show, it can be devastating.

Second: In this marvelous age of electronic information, it is a simple click of a button to download a HD copy of each episode minutes after the original airing.  This doesn't limit the consumer-turned-pirate to computer watching either. They can drop the file on a jump drive, plug it into their tv, and watch the show as intended, in glorious 16:9. 

And have no doubt, the Cinematographers know exactly what they are doing. This show is gorgeous.

Arri D-21. Get over yourself film, you are so last century.

So while Season 4 plays out for the Yanks (as a Southerner I've always been perturbed by this word to describe Citizens of the US, but it's their TV show, so I'll play by their rules), I'm going to do a retrospective.

I'll be re-watching the entire run of the show. Posting my thoughts and feelings after each episode. I've already seen the first season twice, and the second season twice. The third season socked me right in the feels, so I only did that to myself once, but I will do it again. . . for you Dearest Readers.

But why?

This is an interesting question, to explore the answer, let me tell you a little about me or rather, my mother.

Mom spend a lot of time at Maple Grove, can't understand why. . .

My mother loved Upstairs Downstairs, the original that aired on PBS in the 1970s. It may have been her favorite TV show. But unlike our modern ease of access to quality entertainment, there wasn't digitization, and VHS copies were rare and expensive. You couldn't just Amazon order the show, you had to find it in a store or maybe your local library.  So I never got to enjoy this series with her. (We did love the crap out of Star Trek though, but that may be a different series of blogs)

One other thing my Mother loved was visiting Historic Homes. She was a docent at our local landmark, Maple Grove, and wherever we traveled, if there was a home to visit, we visited it. While my siblings were involved in a lot of this, since I am the youngest, my mother and I visited many places together, just the two of us. I have many fond memories and it also may be why I have a love for visiting historic places to this very day. My mother's memory lives on through me as I enjoy these things.  

Since she is not around to enjoy Downton Abbey, and I am sure she would, I definitely enjoy it for her.  

I've also watched a ton of Period Pieces or Costume Dramas (as they are known in the UK), so I have much to compare. For many in the US and around the World, Downton is their first. But I've seen Pride & Prejudice many times. I've laughed every minute at Jeeves and Wooster. I felt the pain at the end of Captain and the Kings (an American story no less, also name someone else aged 30 or younger who has seen this). I've even been to Brideshead (figuratively, and if you caught the reference in the title of this series of blogs, good for you, Evelyn Waugh would be proud). Basically what I'm saying is that this isn't my first rodeo.

Oh, and I have a degree in History, and have researched a bit of this period, so I'm going to have that perspective as well.

Here's me: American, Male, Straight. I'm an Eagle Scout. If I had me describe myself with these adjectives (all of which are true) I'm sure it conjures up classic Hollywood "American" imagery and lots of Norman Rockwell, but I'm also happy to be much more than that.  

I say these things to break misconceptions. 

Many see Downton as a "chick show", a term I find slightly offensive. Is romance purely feminine? Is Family Drama? Is Feminine a negative characteristic? Of course not. Is Downton a bit soapy? Yes indeed, but at least it doesn't have long arcs over relish. 

 I have to thank 'The Soup' for that, I don't watch Soap Operas, but my grandfather did, and he loved 'em. I think his favorite was 'The Young and the Restless". But I digress. . .

Final Breakdown: I'm going to watch Downton from the perspective of having already watched everything. I'm going to make commentary. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. This is not going to be a plot breakdown "review" but one of judgement and introspection. I'm going to investigate arcs and character. Look to see what sticks out compared to the current season. And investigate historic accuracies and idiosyncrasies.

I also just learned that when Downton first aired on PBS they shortened the show by 2 hours under the belief that the American audience wouldn't understand the plots? Good thing I watched it on Netflix before it aired in the US, you know, before it was cool.

And to whoever made that call I dare you to compare the biggest hillbilly in the US to the most rural rube in the UK and see who gets more embarrassed.

Choices and Reflections

New York is a fairly incredible city. Whatever it is you want, you can find it. I wrote a review of a burlesque show a few weeks back. That was a Thursday night. A Thursday. In my home town you'd be lucky to find that on a Friday or Saturday. Things stay open late here. Some things never close. Bars are required to make last call at 4:00am, HOWEVER, there are licensed 'after hours' bars that open at Midnight and stay open until 11:00am, from which you can continue to drink at a regular bar.  If you so desire.

I'm almost 30. I do not have that desire. But it's nice to know that I have that choice.

Choices.

We make them every day.

Yesterday I was walking in the West Village.  I had heard about a new Nerdy shop, and while I can do my nerdy shopping in the nerdiest way possible (here on the Internet), I decided to break character and leave the house.

Due to its street layout the West Village is one of the more interesting neighborhoods in Manhattan. When the rest of the city was being organized into the grid system, the West Village had an outbreak of Cholera. The entire neighborhood was quarantined. So it never got its streets straightened. They come and go at awkward angles. They intersect strangely. Sometimes three roads converge onto one another and become one road. It doesn't make much sense, but it is incredibly charming. It has a bit of magic in it.

Anyways, I was making my way from the Christopher Street 1 train stop. I looked up the direction online, wrote them down, then promptly left them at home. I had a general idea of where I was going, and since I still haven't upgraded to an "intelligent phone" I relied on my own intuition. This is not abnormal for me. I have a 'general idea' of where I'm going all the time, and most of the time I get to where I'm trying to go.  Not this time.

I took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. The West Village may be unique to the rest of NYC, but the side streets almost all look the same. Beautiful store fronts here, a sex shop there, tons of rainbow flags, and beautiful architecture. While passing the brownstones I notice an old woman sitting outside of her shop, as I get closer she turns and looks me in the eye,

 'Come in.' she says in a voice that sounds like birdsong and sandpaper, 'we have what you are looking for.'

'I don't think so, thanks anyway.' I reply.

'No need to think, I know, you will see.'

The window was dark, and old. Very old. The lettering was cracked and faded. So much so that I could not read it. A ghost of what it once was. It also had silvered edges that were tarnished and stained. Beyond I could see taxidermy and copper tubing. What could this place be? Some sort of Steampunk retro shop of amazing? Perhaps it is worth a look.

Upon entering I'm greeted by the smell of old dust. Like my grandfathers basement. Everything is well placed, but in desperate need of some elbow grease. Out of the corner of my eye I see a stuffed crow. It stares at me with its lifelike eyes. I feel the odd sensation of being watched.

'Come with me, you must see.'

I jump.

'Sorry I startled you, come.'

The new voice belongs to a brittle old man. He could be in his 80s or possibly 90s. Age is hard to determine when everything is lit by oil lanterns. You would think those would be illegal now.

The dark wood floors creak as I walk across them. The counter was of a beautiful wood.

'Is that Chestnut?!' I asked, astonished.

'Yes,' the old man slurs with his thick accent, 'strong trees, grow very tall.'

Where was that accent from? Romania? I'm bad with Eastern European dialects, I can never place them.

'Well, they did one hundred years ago. . .' I begin.

'Yes, large trees, come. Look.'

The room is hazy. The light beams are visible through the air, but they do seem to be slanted in the wrong direction for this time of day. It's probably nothing. I just got turned around outside is all.

He leads me to the back of the shop and points toward a large oval standing mirror. It has clawed feet that are intricately carved.  They could be crow talons? The wood is dark, almost black, but so old that the stain has settled deep into the heart of the grain. Something is very different about this mirror. It is crystal clear. There is not a stain or a speck of dust. While everything else in this shop is tarnished, the mirror is pristine. The old man slips from my view and I gaze upon my reflection.

I see myself. I definitely need to start working out again. I'm also going to miss my hair when it leaves me completely, but I'm okay with that. My head cocks to the side.

Wait. I didn't move.

I look myself in the eye.

I see a woman with short dark hair and sun kissed skin laying on a bathroom floor sobbing. My heart breaks. I want to reach out to her.

I see an infant laying still at the bottom of a staircase. A little girl with curly brown pigtails tentatively looks on from the top of the stairs.

I see a little boy beside the road, a pickup speeding away in the distance.

I see a car wreck. It looks bad. Emergency service is making their way through the heavy rain.  It's too late I think.  No one is moving in that big blue conversion van.

I see a teenager. His wrists are covered with heavy scars. The rifle is still smoking while it lays awkwardly between his legs. It's messy. There is a note on the bed. It only says, 'Sorry, I couldn't take it anymore.'

I see a depressed young man. He's heading off to a job that he hates as all the friends he grew up with leave town to go to College. He's happy for them, but doesn't see a future for himself, destined to be forgotten.

I see a college kid. Defiantly throwing papers in the face of an administrator as he walks from an ancient college building. 'Fuck you and fuck this school.' he yells. He's obviously trying to keep it together, but as he walks to his car the tears begin to stream down his face. What is he going to do, he thinks, I'm ashamed of what I've done, and I'll never be able to look anyone in the face ever again. He opens the door to his blue muscle car, looks around for one last time. Then drives away never to be seen again.

I see an overweight young man. He smiles at his wife and kids. She really wanted them. He drives to his job, dreaming of better things. He wishes he would have given his dreams a chance, but they're far gone now. He has responsibilities. Things are okay, but he is full of regret.

I see a strung out bartender. He's hurting. He's unhealthy skinny. A man walks up to the bar. He says a few words, the bartender nods excitedly. They meet out in the alley. The bartender pulls out a wad of cash that he stole from the register. The other man pulls out a pistol and takes the money. The bartender suddenly lunges for the man. A shot rings out. The man runs away as the bartender bleeds alone by the garbage.

I see a man who's made up his mind. He's leaving town. He can't take it anymore. It's going to break the heart of the girl who loves him, but he's too much of a coward to tell her that he's leaving. While she's at work he packs up a few things, leaves her some rent money and a letter. She can keep the stuff. He's very sorry. There are tears drying on the note as he leaves the apartment. He takes a cab to JFK and buys the next ticket South.

There is a change in the mirror.

I see a tall, proud man. His eyes look like mine. He grew up always helping his parents in their garden. At the time he didn't like it, but as he got older he gained an appreciation for working with ones hands and the goodness of growing things. He thinks there are probably better ways of doing things than having a sprinkler system installed in a yard, especially when you live next to a cold water creek.

He loves the mountains. He went to UNC. Lived it up. Met a few nice girls, it didn't quite work out, but it was fun while it lasted. He got a degree in Biology, with a preference to Botany. He decides, since a war is being fought, that he will serve his country.

He becomes an Officer in the Army. He is in the Corp of Engineers. The summer of hydroponics work he did at Disney World comes in handy while he teaches various agricultural techniques to Afghanis.  His pet project is a greenhouse in the rough terrain. He gains the support of the local village. It is peaceful and constructive. His superiors commend him for his work. One day a stranger came to visit the greenhouse.

The next day it exploded as he approached for his morning seminar. The children of the village were going to learn that day. Were. The attack is brutal. Being shot is different than he expected. He drags himself to the smoking wreckage that was the greenhouse.  He hears sobbing. He pulls two small bodies with him as he leaves. Hiding them behind an outcropping of rocks, he goes back. Adrenaline and training are at work now. He finds one more live child. Takes him to the others. Sees one of his brothers go down. He rushes to his aid, grabs the fallen side arm and drops the assailant.

This is the first time he has ever taken a life.

 He vomits. Picks up his brother, and hauls him to the others. They are spotted by a jeep and he sees friendly boots as he passes out. Probably from blood loss.

Back home he receives many awards and commendations. He is grateful for the lives that he saved, but full of sorrows for those he could not. When he closes his eyes all he can see is an exploding greenhouse and a man being shot in the throat. He decides his service is up. He waits his time, does as he's told, and is honorably decommissioned. His side still aches from a bullet that should have killed him. He still never sleeps through the night.

Using money he saved and various military grants he goes to grad school. He travels and sees gardens and historic homes around the world. Bringing green life into the world helps him sleep. While meticulously taking notes at the National Botanical Gardens he sees a beautiful woman. Her hair is long and dark. Black like a raven's feather. Her eyes are the brightest blue he's ever seen. She notices him checking her out, and he turns away embarrassed.

She calms him in the night when he wakes up screaming. The nightmares start to go away. They get married. He's a Doctor of Botany and works for an agricultural think tank in Northern Virginia. He and his wife go hiking a lot. He has two boys; Honor and Nobel. When he closes his eyes he rarely sees the man he killed, but the sons which he loves. His neighbors complain when he tills his entire yard. Just wait he says. He has a YouTube channel about gardening and botany. His wife teases him for being internet famous.

The man looks at me with my eyes. I look at him.

'Just touch the mirror, and that will be you.' whispers the sandpaper song of the elderly woman.

'See his happiness, it could be yours.' speaks the old man softly.

'But if I become him, everything that I did differently will not be so. My connections. My happiness.'

'Yes, but look at all he's accomplished.'

I nod, but it isn't even a question. 'He has many things, but not the people who love me.'

'People love him.'

'Not my Love. Even if everything else was wrong. Even if I made every wrong choice. As long as I ended up with her in my life, all the mistakes would have been worth it.  I did not become those shadows I saw when I first looked in the mirror. Those were dark reflections of things that very much could have been. Sad endings. But I'm alive here and now, and I won't have it any other way.'

'You have much wisdom.' nods the old man.

'Only a little, and I only gained that through pain and failure. But it was my pain and my failure.'

The old couple seem smaller.  Maybe smaller isn't the right word. I get the feeling that there is less of them. I turn to leave. Wasn't that crow's head looking the other way? The floor feels stiffer, the light all but gone.  How long have I been here?

'Has anyone ever touched the mirror?'

The old lady's eyes twinkle, whether in amusement or malice I could not say.

'A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.'

I left the curious shop and turned right. After about a block I remembered that I was going to check out another store, but it was getting late and I wanted to get home. 

Strange thing is, I went back to where that shop was today, but couldn't find it. Just a gay bar with a rather friendly looking bouncer. I could have sworn it was this block. Stupid not having a smart phone. I could have looked it up. Guess I'll never see it or that mirror again.   

The City has the habit of swallowing up places that you just happen to find.

blogity: My First Impressions of Dragon Age II

okay, that does look pretty badass

I'm a big fan of the Dragon Age franchise.  It's an excellent setting.  The writers came up with an excellent spin on classic fantasy tropes.

Mages being mistrusted due to an ancient evil magic empire that ruled the continent.  Magic itself being connected to the residences of angels and demons, therefore making it dangerous to the caster and those around them. Both Positive and Negative possession. 

this is a bad possession, in case you couldn't tell

There are conflicting religions, warring nations, philosophical debates, assassinations. . . it is a complete world. Very impressive.

While the Codex and conversations describe the world at large, the game itself takes place in the newly liberated country of Ferelden. It is a land full of problems which also happens to be ground zero for the next Blight, an invasion of Darkspawn which will threaten to take over the entire world.

The first game; Dragon Age: Origins has amazing replayability.  I've done three play throughs now, and I still need to do 4 of the different 'origin stories' from where the game takes its name. Your choice of origin does slightly affect the game, personalizing it, and altering the story.  You do have some major plot point choices which affect the ending of your game, they are sometimes cut and dry "good vs bad" but are most often not so morally clear.

going to see this movie was a bad choice

The semi-sequel Dragon Age: Awakenings also takes place in Ferelden and gives you the option to continue with your original character, or make a new one.  Depending on your choices continuing could make sense or not.  Awakening is not quite long enough to be considered a full game, but is definitely longer than your average DLC.  It is as fun to play as the original and expands on the mythologies and philosophies set up in the previous story.

Dragon Age also brought a variety of DLC on top of Awakenings. Warden's Keep, Stone Prisoner, and Return to Ostagar; that all add extra quests and items to the original game. While Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana's Song, The Golems of Amgarrak, and Witch Hunt; were separate campaigns from the original. DLC that enhances the original game, but also adds entirely new and separate content is an amazing way to keep your franchise alive. 

Having played all that, I have been looking forward to Dragon Age II.  I am late to the game again, but I don't mind.  Strangely I heard many disappointments about this game.  Even getting as dramatic as saying it "ruins the franchise".  With the Origins, Awakenings, et all being so amazing, nothing can ruin the franchise.  If it was that bad, then I would just forget it existed.  I've done similar things in the past. For example: There was talk about making sequels to The Matrix, and that movie was awesome, but since those sequels fell through, all we can do is imagine how amazing they could have been...  

DO NOT EXIST

Today I've played through what might be the first third of the game.  I think I'm in the "second act".  If this is so, then the shortness of the game is a bit disappointing, but I'll leave that judgment until the end of the game. At first the "auto-attack" was off and the game took a much more active "Diablo" feel to the combat.  This would have been fine, but it was quite distracting to have to constantly hit the buttons, once I found that I could auto attack then I easily adapted the DA:O style game play to this new edition.  I do wish that my character would also auto-run to the next enemy, but I'm getting a hang of that control fairly easily. 

The new graphics engine is quite nice.  The action is smoother, magic more exciting, and setting far more detailed.  I tried making my own character's face, but she looked strange. (yes I'm playing female Hawk, mainly since I just got off of Mass Effect and need to wean myself slowly, you can read those exploits here).  Luckily for me the Black Emporium DlC came with my game, in which there is a magic mirror which lets you reset your looks.  I went with the provided character because she looks  much better than anything with which I could create.  Why is her hair unique? I just wanted that hair to be auburn, but was not allowed to make small tweaks. Strange thing to do for a genre that relies heavily on individual character creation.  Also having a level reset potion at the Emporium was excellent as well.  I respecced my Hawk after a few hours, tailoring her better to my style.  I'm going dual wielding rogue assassin and I deal so much damage at a low level it's silly.

I should be worried, but I'm not.

Picking my team was interesting, but even on normal the game doesn't seem to be all that difficult.  I'm not following classic RPG party builds.  I have two rogues, Hawk and Varric, I run around as Hawk slicing and dicing, while Varric shoots Bianca (yes he named his crossbow, hilarious) for ranged destruction and crowd control.  I'm using Anders at the moment as my healer, mainly out of loyalty of having him in Awakenings, but also because I find Hawk's mage sister to be quite whiney. He also lays down quite a bit of DPS.  I was using Aveline as my sword & shield tank, but the character disapproved of everything I did, and we did not seem to be getting along.  I have not been given another option of sword & shield , so I'm using the badass Lyrium-tatooed Elf Fenris.  He's basically a DPS fighter with some crowd control.

the Internet is a weird place

In D&D this party probably wouldn't work to well.  In DA:O I doubt it would work either.  But in DAII we deal out so much damage that we rarely need to heal and battles are over almost too quickly. Maybe I should pump up the volume, err difficulty, and then I would be required to have some strategy in my battles.  But for now it's incredibly fun, so I'm not really disappointed.

One thing I really like in DA2 vs DA:O is the class spec system. The aesthetic of menu is quite nice. The options "trees" make more sense and add more variables to game play customization than in DA:O.

looks awesome

I could use a little more in terms of gear. DA:O is chalked full of ancient & unique armor and weapons which come with a complete back story, are very powerful, and are also beautiful to behold. I've read that the Weapon Pack DLCs fix this particular problem, but those really should have been included in game to begin with. The fact that I wore the same chest piece until a third of the way through the game is quite silly for an RPG.

I think I'm beginning to understand what people were complaining about when the game first came out. It doesn't quite have that sense of Epic. The world is not on the line. Hawk's story is fun, it's great to be back on Thedas (the continent in which Ferelden lies), but, at least so far, it's completely self centered on Hawk.  The fate of the free peoples are not on the line. 

This is what DA:O, Mass Effect, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings all have in common.  If the hero fails, then the world ends.  It's bad for everyone. DA2 is following the rise of a hero, but it feels like if she just decided to buy a farm and settle down, nothing would change and it wouldn't really matter.

or something like that

The frame tale aspect of Varric being questioned by a Seeker (much like an Inquisitor from the Spanish Inquisition) is interesting.  It's making me wonder where the story is going, and perhaps the epic level of the story is going to make itself apparent later on.  This could just be a device of the writers.  Instead of setting up the "end of the world" aspect from the beginning, giving a sense of urgency and drama to the story, but also repeating the narrative drive of DA:O; the writers and producers wanted to do something different.  I can respect that.  You don't want to make the same game over and over again. I mean, it works for Mario and Zelda, but it may not work for everything. Also the Dragon Age franchise is a bit more involved, has a deeper story, and is targeted at a more sophisticated audience than Nintendo's golden children. 

Another issue that probably bothers fans of DA:O is that there is a huge lack of choice. You are always going to be Hawk. You aren't going to be a different race and get a different beginning. The class & gender you pick do affect some minor details, but nothing extreme. And throughout the game there are far less story choices to be made.  It's a much more streamlined narrative and less "sandboxy" than DA:O. Which is strange to say since DA:O isn't a sandbox at all compared to Skyrim or Fallout, but compared to DA2 it is kind of a sandbox RPG.

                                                                                                                                                          

So my first impressions are that DA:O is a superior game, but I'm very happy with the game play of DA2, the visuals, and the new setting.  It basically feels like another campaign from DA:O like Awakenings or Witch Hunt, but is instead a whole new game.  It is quite possible that it was originally designed to be a campaign DLC but Bioware decided that they wanted to use a new graphics engine (good choice, the game is beautiful) and so they expanded DA2 into being a completely new game.

I'm excited to play through the story, but it is really just making me want to play DA:O again.

oh that Alister, he never takes anything seriously, PLAY ME AGAIN