reviews
Dragon Age II: Review
I was delighted that I got to choose the tone of my romance. Introducing: Rivalmance!
There is a lot of controversy surrounding Dragon Age II. Not many people liked it, and a lot thought that it paled in comparison to the first Dragon Age. While this might be true, it still had its merits. This is part two in a three part series about the Dragon Age trilogy.
Dragon Age II is the sequel to Dragon Age: Origins developed by BioWare. It was released on March 8, 2011 in the U.S. for PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360.
Character Creation
The character creation in Dragon Age II was quite nice. It was a lot less awkward and a lot more smooth and streamlined; however, I felt limited somehow. Maybe it was because of the fact that you only had one race to choose from. It was disappointing of course, but I got over it really fast. They had new hairstyles in addition to the old ones, although the old hairstyles still looked the same, and looked awful in general compared to the new ones. They also had new eye color, considering I had a hard time seeing the color of my characters eyes in the last game, this came as a pleasant surprise. The eye color was bright, with a variety of brilliant shades that really stood out. The tattoos however looked less than they used to be. You could not have dark tattoos on your character’s face or it would look poorly done. You had to lessen the color to make the tattoo look soft and, of course, you did not get to choose your character’s voice, but that was because each character was assigned their own voice. I was excited about this since I had played Mass Effect and really enjoyed the way they voiced the character, yet still let you choose what you wanted to say.
Romance Options
I have to say that when it came to romance in Dragon Age II, I was pleasantly surprised. I was delighted that I got to choose the tone of my romance. Introducing: Rivalmance! It became my most favorite type of romance there was. An intense relationship where you loved and hated at the same time, the anger, the passion! It was wonderful, and I was a little disappointed that they did not include this in Dragon Age III.
Fenris
Fenris was quite the interesting person. He was an escaped elven slave from the Tevinter Imperium, and his body was covered in lyrium tattoos. He was an introverted sort of person, though very angry and stubborn. He had a dark way of looking at the world, most likely because of his past as a slave, which he resented. He was smart though, clever, and very passionate.
Anders
At first I did not know how I felt about Anders since I saw him in Dragon Age: Origins DLC Awakenings. He had a different voice actor back then and also a different appearance. That was before he became possessed, of course, by a spirit of justice. It was like he became a different person since then. He was slightly psychotic, outgoing, and rebellious against all authority, although he had always been that last characteristic. Anders escaped the Circle tower at a young age but kept being dragged back, only to escape, again. When he met the warden commander, I’m pretty sure he was off to become tranquil or to be executed if she did not recruit him. Anders was an amusing person back then, and he was still slightly amusing despite the whole “moody rebel mage” thing. Anders was angry at all Templars and the chantry in general for the oppression of mages, and it came to a head eventually when Anders blew up the chantry in Kirkwall. His romance was interesting and slightly surprising, though. Anders, as it turns out, is an extremely passionate person when it comes to love, and it made me oh so very happy. At first he just pushes you away saying that he can’t get involved, that he might hurt you blah blah blah. Of course he gives in eventually, and, boy, is it explosive.
Merrill
Merrill is a Dalish mage that you find her in the mountains with her clan. Her clan keeper wants you to take her with you when you leave, and you find out why sooner, rather than later. Merrill is a blood mage, something that is even reviled among the Dalish, and, not only that, but she is trying to fix an ancient Dalish mirror with her magic which is potentially dangerous, since she has no idea what it does. Yes, Merrill is a little naive but, boy, is she adorable. She seems to be an innocent, not knowing anything about the world beyond her clan, and of course she is cute. She babbles a little, and she is nervous about meeting a human for the first time. She can be sweet and the romance with her is a soft and calm one. I don’t find her terribly interesting though as I feel she is not as passionate as she could be.
Look at those innocent eyes.
Isabella
Isabella is a person that you encounter in Dragon Age Origins, although she looks completely different, and by different I mean she has a different look entirely. She has a different skin tone and bigger tits, of course. To put it frankly, Isabella is a slut. Yes, you read correctly, and I am not taking it back. She is a HUGE slut, and sleeps around with just about anyone who takes her fancy. There is even a cut scene where she is visiting Anders and you walk in after he has cured her of one of these “diseases”. Anders warns that he won’t cure it again, to which Isabella says: “Isn’t that the POINT of magic?” Obviously you know where that disease came from. Isabella is easy to get in the sack, but hard to keep or to get love from. I recommend that if you go for this romance that you use a guide because she is so conflicting that it confuses even me.
Storyline
The storyline itself is pretty interesting, not as epic as the first DA but still interesting in its own right nonetheless. It is centered all around Kirkwall, politics are abound and the Champion of Kirkwall finds herself right in the middle of it, whether she wants to or not. Even if she refuses to pick a side in the many politics surrounding Kirkwall, she ends up solving everyone’s problems anyway. In the end, she’s always required to choose one or the other. It sort of makes you feel sorry for her, if you think about it that way. Poor Hawke. However the storyline itself is very short and there are not many large events like in Origins.
Combat
The combat in DA II is vastly improved, and I quite enjoy it. Especially the rogue and warrior classes, which are very satisfying to play, killing things quickly and efficiently. But because of the storyline I feel as if I should play a mage. Despite that, I seemed to enjoy mage, as well, although I feel as if I had less variety in what I could choose with it. They did add a few new talent trees to every class, though, and I quite enjoyed Force mage. It made me feel like a Jedi…Or Sith depending on how you looked at it.
Quests
So, as far as quests go in this game, I was slightly disappointed. There were more mini quests than there were main story quests and it got really dull really fast. Not to mention that they used the same areas for dungeons again and again. Seriously, were we not supposed to notice this? Most of them were go here, kill this, go here, collect this etc, etc. It was very disappointing.
DLC
The DLCs were quite good though. Very interesting concepts and plots, with new weapons and armor to boot. I loved playing the DLCs more than the main game in some ways. However, I had to play the main game for the romance. It was too addicting not to.
So, in conclusion, the game was okay when it came to quests, interesting enough when it came to storyline, and wonderful when it came to romance. If you are going to play this game, I suggest that you play it for that if nothing else. The characters are at least interesting, oh, and there is Varric. If nothing else, play it for the chest hair.
AuKing Mini Projector Key Details
The Auking is a 1080p Mini Projector with built-in speakers that is compatible with Smartphones and laptops.* (Notice the asterisk) The ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s $99.99, but you can usually catch it on sale for cheaper.
This projector is pretty popular online. There are tons of glowing reviews for it on Amazon, but I’m assuming if you’re reading this, you care about what I think. And what I think is that this projector is kinda bad.
Also, keep in mind I believe that this projector is being sold on amazon with different branding and shells, but essentially, they’re all the same projector.
These are just some I’ve found.
ALVAR 8000 Lumens Mini Portable Projector
TMY Projector 7500
Projector with WiFi, 2022 Upgrade 8500L
Mini Projector, Aokang 7500 Lumens HD Portable Projector
These all pretty much the same projector with different housing and branding
It is most certainly not for everyone, and it’s not for everyone who loves projectors. The projector has some issues with only a few positives.
Android smartphones are compatible, but only certain Androids, which they don’t tell you before purchasing.
List of Phones compatible with the projector
I’m guessing it’s “compatible” with all iPhones, but oddly enough, they don’t mention it. But I think it’s a safe bet to say that it is. Because saying the Aukling is compatible with smart devices and mac books is technically true, and it’s somewhat misleading.
It has no built-in features to make it compatible with other devices, just an HDMI input. This, combined with poor image and audio quality, means you’d be better off saving your money and buying something a little more expensive.
AuKing Mini Projector Full Break Down
The Auking has an HDMI port, which means it’s compatible with any device that can output through HDMI. But unfortunately, it doesn’t have any ports or software that would intrinsically allow smartphones to project video.
To get your iPhone or Android phone to connect to the projector, you have to do it through HDMI. So, you’ll need a USB-C to HDMI adapter for android and Mac Book or a lightning port to HDMI if you’re using an iPhone. The instructions also recommend a wireless dongle so you can connect your laptop or smart device via BlueTooth (more on that later)
Now here’s the thing, the projector only comes with a regular HDMI cord, so you would have to buy the other cords separately. They don’t mention that before you buy it, so it feels very misleading. Regarding the wireless adapter they recommend, you must connect to it via Bluetooth. Unfortunately, most streaming services have copyright features that won’t allow you to stream content via BlueTooth.
You could connect a chrome cast, Apple TV, or a Roku and mirror or cast your phone to that, but if you don’t have those devices on hand, you’re out of luck.
This means the easiest way to use this device would be with your windows laptop unless you have one of the cords they recommend.
But how does it perform once you get it set up and running? It’s ok.
We have to set our expectations for this price range. The project shows saturated color palettes well but struggles with darker colors.
Darker scenes come out looking grainy and blurry.
While brighter colors look ok.
But all things considered, the video quality will be worse than whatever you have connected to the HDMI. To its credit, however, the projector is bright enough to watch it outside with minimal light pollution.
The audio can be pretty loud, but loud doesn’t necessarily mean good. It does sound like it comes from out of a tin can, but it’s clear enough to hear what’s going on in a movie, so you don’t have to only rely on headphones.
Despite its small size, the Auking’s fans can be pretty loud when it’s on. (Imagine starting up your first-gen PS4 and trying to play Cyberpunk).
This projector isn’t for everyone. I wouldn’t recommend it to most people. However, if you’re a person who wants a bigger screen, you can buy a cheap 22′ monitor and connect you your phone or laptop to it, and the image quality would be better.
Verdict
In most cases, I suggest you save money and get something more expensive, like the ANKER Nebula capsule.
If you find yourself in a situation where you need a projector immediately, this will be ok. For instance, a backyard BBQ where it’s more about the people you’re around than what you’re watching or a party where you want to keep the kids distracted while the adults use the TV (shame on you).
Other than that, it’s worth saving your money.
FAQ
How do I connect my phone to my mini AuKing projector?
Through USB-C to HDMI cord or lighting to HDMI cord
Does AuKing projector support Bluetooth?
Rest in peace, watermelon.
The latest episodes in ‘Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid’ were very interesting to watch.
One was definitely a fanservice episode, and heck, even the producers know that! Episode 7’s title contains the phrase ‘The Fanservice Episode, Obviously’, so that cracked me up.
Episode 7 focuses on the elements of anime that will appeal to any nerd out there. By that, of course I mean bathing suits and comic conventions! Cue the beach episode!
Tohru and company decide to go swimming for the day. Kanna’s adorable as always, while Lucoa doesn’t realize just how sexual she is toward a small boy.
Like, really? You think wearing a very sexy swimsuit in front of a lot of kids on a beach is okay? And why do you insist on torturing Shouta with your breasts? It’s obvious that he’s tempted, but stop trying to seduce small children.
Of course, they’re dragons, so hilarious antics ensue. Tohru and Kanna get carried away in a swimming race, making water splash up everywhere. Also, a crab and watermelon are murdered. RIP.
However, one aspect that I thought was a nice touch was the backstory we got for Tohru. It wasn’t much, but Tohru and Kobayashi have a deep and meaningful conversation about their family’s lives, as well as how humans and dragons are different from one another. Fanservice episodes usually focus on that alone, but fortunately that’s not the case here.
The second half of Episode 7 focuses on Comiket. Tohru and Kobayashi help Takiya run a booth, and we learn that Fafnir is also participating by attempting to sell powerful curses. Wow, didn’t see thaaaaat coming at all.
Tohru notices otherworldly creatures in their true forms at Comiket, as they reveal that this is a great way to show their true forms. With Kobayashi’s permission, Tohru exposes her wings and tail, appearing to others as if she’s cosplaying as, well, a dragon maid.
Episode 7 was very nice because there were many heartfelt and adorable moments.
Meanwhile, Episode 8 FINALLY introduced the dragon that I keep on mentioning in my reviews. Her name’s Elma, a dragon who is a rival of Tohru’s. Elma accuses Tohru of disrupting the human’s ways and tries to force her to return to the dragon world. This doesn’t succeed, however, as Tohru sends her to an open field and leaves her there.
Unable to get back home, Elma stays in the human world and begins working at Kobayashi’s company. Kobayashi teaches Elma how to use computers and technology so that she can keep her job. Of course, this prompts Tohru to become jealous, smelling the scent of another dragon off Kobayashi like a dog does with a human. I won’t reveal how the episode ends, but it ends in a positive manner for Tohru.
Overall, I really loved these two episodes because they made me feel warm and fuzzy. They appealed to the emotional senses through a heartfelt conversation between Kobayashi and Tohru. Elma is also an innocent sweetheart who only wants to bring harmony to the human and dragon worlds. And I can’t wait to see more of her in the upcoming episodes.
I feel like in these two episodes alone, we learned so much about Tohru and her feelings for Kobayashi. She really wants to understand the human world and will do anything to stay with Kobayashi.
I’ll up my rating to a 4.7. These episodes were both fun, and we finally got the new dragon! Bless.
Notice: Undefined variable: user_ID in /hermes/bosnacweb04/bosnacweb04au/b1979/dom.bigorangedesign/wp_site_1589834241/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login