• 13Jun 11

  Well just when you think things are getting back to normal...

  My parents' house burned on Tuesday, about two weeks after I had moved in for the summer. We are very thankful that no one was hurt... all the losses are just stuff, and the important part is that everyone, pets included, was safe. My room was mostly unsalvageable, and I lost most of my clothes, shoes, books, games (did get my copy of Twin Snakes out though! and my DS and games!), etc. Same with my sister's room. The rest of the house didn't burn, but smoke damage is nasty and we're unsure what will be saved. Most of our stuff is boxed up and will be treated for smoke, we'll see what comes back! The good news is that we have great insurance that will pay for all our losses, has set us up in a suite, will pay for the apartment until my parents can move back in (about 6 months we think), etc.

  It's one of those weird ironies that I had just come back to GS and was getting back into things when the fire happened. I was watching the GS E3 coverage when we heard about the fire. BUT now that things are getting back to a little more normal, I do want to be around. And now I don't even have my xbox to distract me. Totally upgrading to the 250 GB with Kinect once we get reimbursed by our insurance. Dance Central here I come!!!

  Some pics of my room:

  

  

  • Posted Jun 13, 2011 4:29 pm GMT
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• 5Jun 11

  Hi...!

  Long time no see.

  I graduated university! Summa cum laude! And got in to law school at Tulane, my first choice! It's been good times.

  Last we spoke I was super excited about Dragon Age 2. I liked it, a lot, but I think we have all moved on at this point. DLC announcement at E3?

  Anyway, missed you all. Hope you're all doing well and I'm glad to be back around this summer!

  (also, currently watching the most recent episode of Game of Thrones. Thanks GS community for that recommendation all those years ago! )

  • Posted Jun 5, 2011 11:36 am GMT
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• 23Jan 11

  Dragon Age II and my commitment to positivity

  Dragon Age: Origins compelled me in a way I'm not sure a game ever really had before. Sure, plenty of games have had me playing until late in the night, loving every minute, but Dragon Age was different. On my first run through the game, I'd play for hours at a time. When I didn't have hours, I'd take the minutes, coming home during lunch to cram in 15 minutes of play time. When I finally arrived at the Landsmeet, I agonized over choices before deciding anything, and I found the game's ending completely surprising and really sad--I was emotionally unprepared for it. I loved the characters, particularly Alistair (yeah, I'm one of those fangirls). Even though I could sit here and list the game's many flaws, despite all that to me it's the perfect gaming experience. Over Christmas, I picked it back up, finishing my second playthrough (Queen of Ferelden!) and starting a third.

  Dragon Age II comes out soon. I was reading an interview about the game with David Gaider, the lead writer, and this quote stuck out to me:

  "We could do something similar, or maybe revisit that in the future. However, the idea is about finding that happy medium between fans, especially ones who are the biggest fans of DA:O. They have that conflicting desire, which is they want everything to stay exactly the same, nothing change, but they want it to be new. You've got to find a line to walk in between there, and no matter which way you go they're probably going to react negatively. However, you've got to sort of forge your path."

  David Gaider, lead writer for Dragon Age: Origins and Dragon Age II, in this interview.

  I'm trying really, really hard not to do that. I reacted negatively to the idea that the protagonist is now voiced, because part of the fun for me was creating my own characters in DA:O with my own inflections and my own personality. I'm playing the first Mass Effect now… Shepard is a good character, and I like the game, but Shepard's not my character, not really. I'm hoping that it is as Gaider said, that the voice is more of a template and that your Hawke is still yours. I'm just trying really hard to be nonjudgmental and optimistic.

  Because let's face it, I've played the hell out of Origins. Two full playthroughs, all the origin stories, a good bit of the DLC. No matter what Dragon Age II is like, Origins will be the same. It's good that they're trying something new. It's probably going to be great. If it's not the same, well, I can always play Origins again. Haven't gotten sick of it yet. Changes in the sequel don't change everything that was right with the first game. It will still be right, and fun, and I can still go back. So, dear David, I promise I am trying my best NOT to be one of those big fans who just gets pissed about everything. Allow me to try and break the cycle.

  What are your thoughts on Dragon Age II? 43 days!

  • Posted Jan 23, 2011 10:09 pm GMT
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