Overload!!!

After a bit of a gaming dry spell I was slammed with consecutive big releases.  Life is Strange wrapped up an almost year long journey with it's polarizing finale, Tales From the Borderlands revealed the final outcome of the treasure hunting fiasco, and The Witcher 3 saw the release of it's first piece of DLC in the Hearts of Stone expansion.  Sheesh...  I took the time to finish Tales (if you're still feeling depressed about the Life is Strange finale, I would recommend an immediate turn around of finishing off Tales--it's great!), but wanted to blog about Hearts of Stone since I just finished it.  (There will be spoilers about Hearts of Stone ahead!)

I love The Witcher 3 so much that picking it up after not having played it was so enjoyable that I feel like starting my third playthrough.  Hearts of Stone reminded me of all the things I love about The Witcher--engaging stories, morally dubious characters, and whacking things with a sword.  Hearts of Stone sees Geralt engaged in what at first seems like just another monster contract.  There's something lurking in the sewers beneath the city of Oxenfurt...this "something" is, of course, bound to be a disgusting and dangerous monster.  Once you accept the contract you are directed to a large manor house to meet the issuer of this job, Olgierd von Everec.  Olgierd is the leader of a group of tattooed and rowdy individuals known as the "wild ones."  The Wild Ones aren't openly hostile but when you make a motion to find Olgierd they have a laugh at Geralt by insinuating that each of them is actually Olgierd.  Eventually Olgierd shows up and informs Geralt that there is a large monster that needs slaying and that there is also a story circulating that there is a frog prince hiding somewhere in the sewers.  His followers have a good laugh about that--they're actually a little bit irritating but seem to be having a good time.  As you leave the manor house you are struck by the feeling that there is actually a lot more to this story....

Besides adding in the main questline, Hearts of Stone also opens up that irritatingly large portion of the Velen/Novigrad map that was unexplorable.  The sight of more question marked areas to explore was (sadly) exciting.  As you explore you will discover a number of new enemies, treasure hunts, and secondary quests.  My initial explorations found Geralt fighting off a pack of fuzzy spider-like arachnomorphs.  These little buggers are annoyingly fast and dart away quickly when attacked.  Once they reach a certain safe distance they will shoot a ball of webbing directly at you.  If you fail to avoid it, Geralt is trapped in webs and cannot attack or dodge leaving him vulnerable to attack.  Deeper exploration into the area also reveals packs of ferocious wild boars.  These ornery critters will charge Geralt, knocking him back and stunning him.  In larger groups these lil' piggies can be a real pain to take down.  Not all the new baddies are of the creature variety; Geralt will have run-ins with some old friends from the original Witcher game.  Remember the Knights of the Flaming Rose?  The pro-human group that was trying to breed an army of powerful mutants in order to rid the world of non-humans?  Ringing any bells?  Radovid wasn't too fond of this group either and the rejects have found themselves exiled into the countryside and looking for new ways to make a buck (oren? floren?).

A new craftsmen also becomes available as part of this expansion.  The runecrafter/enchanter comes from the mysterious land of Ofier and offers some powerful new ways to alter Geralt's gear.  The downside is that he requires a large investment before he will offer access to masterpiece enchanting (around 30,000 gold--this shouldn't be much of a stretch if you've been fairly looty.  I tried to avoid the Skellige underwater exploration and could still easily afford the upgrades).  If you're thinking of completely pimping out your gear...think again.  You can only put enchantments on gear that has three rune slots--swords and chest armor are the most likely candidates.  You'll lose the runes you already have in place, but some of the enchants sound great.  I didn't take advantage of the enchants because I don't like the idea of losing three rune slots.

Shani, from the first game, offers to help Geralt.

Once you've had your fill of exploration you can segue back into the main storyline quite easily--just fast travel to Oxenfurt and head for the main market square.  A previously covered entrance to the sewers is now open and you can descend a ladder into the darkened tunnels.  In the tunnels you encounter the typical sewer inhabitants--drowners-- but also run into an old acquaintance, Shani, the medic who assisted you in the first game.  She's muddied and bloodied and desperately trying to revive a downed soldier.  Geralt recognizes her, informs her that her resuscitation efforts are in vain, and the two begin conversing about her presence in the sewers.  She informs Geralt that she was part of a Redanian patrol trying to investigate the sewer monster.  Long story, short--the monster was too much for them to handle and she barely managed to escape.  Shani hopes to gather some slime samples to help treat patients poisoned by the monster and Geralt agrees to escort her.  As they walk through the sewers they catch up--Shani has been pressed into service as a medic for the Redanians and now practices in Oxenfurt.  After a few close encounters with drowners, Geralt and Shani find the passage that undoubtedly leads to the monster's lair.  Geralt tells Shani to leave for her own safety and she begrudgingly heads out.

Geralt prepares some bait and patiently meditates.  The monster arrives...lo and behold, it's a giant toad.  There's no chance of kissing it and it immediately launches into attack mode.  The first major boss fight of the expansion is no joke and requires some careful timing as simply trying to get in close will result in getting body slammed.  Moving out of range will save you from the frog drop but will open you up to long-range poison attacks in the form of spit-up globs flying toward Geralt's face (popping a Golden Oriole before the fight will help avoid damage from poisoning). Positioning is the key to avoiding both the melee and ranged attacks and there is much creative dodging involved.  Eventually you will manage to whittle this ugly toad down--as it makes a final leap over Geralt he slashes at it's exposed belly and lands a vicious gut-spilling blow.  Geralt winds up covered in a toxic stew of frog guts but manages to stay conscious long enough to see the corpse of the nasty toad turn into the body of a man.  The stories were true!  Geralt falls unconscious as a group of foreign soldiers enter the lair and find the body of the apparent prince.

The plot thickens as you anxiously wait to find out Geralt's fate.  Will Shani return and rescue him?  What's up with these weird soldiers?  To be continued...

Hearts of Stone review/walkthrough part 1 highlights:
1.) New crafter--Enchanter.  Offers new ways to enhance Geralt's gear.
2.) New enemies.  The arachnomorph, boars, and knights of the Flaming Rose.
3.) Old friends.  Shani, from the original Witcher, plays a part.
4.) New boss fight.  A giant toad.  A challenging and fun fight.

Play it or Skip it? "Life is Strange" Thoughts

After playing through the sometimes monotonous finale of the episodic story game Life is Strange, I've done some thinking about whether the $20 I spent on the series was worth it.  Spending our hard-earned money on games can require some research before laying down those simoleons (if you're a Sim anyway).  I've cobbled together some final opinions that might be beneficial to someone (I hope!).

Let me preface my thoughts by saying that I enjoy episodic story games but don't think they're for everyone.  If you enjoy the story-based aspects of games more than having engaging gameplay mechanics (pew-pew!) then you will probably enjoy them.  I also believe that how you purchase and play these games could influence your enjoyment.  I have purchased them before the initial release and then played each episode as it has been released (roughly every 1-3 months).  There's the whole aspect of waiting for the next episode that makes it feel exciting.  I don't know if it's the same if you buy the whole series and then play through it in a shorter timespan (I need to try it and see).  The $20 price tag makes these games affordable but the downside is that there's not a ton of replayability factor.

When Life is Strange was initially released I was very excited.  TellTale Games had sort of pioneered the episodic story genre (I'm probably way wrong on this) with it's amazing but dark series The Walking Dead.  Since then they've released numerous other games in the genre and really seem to be the dominant force.  Seeing a new face in the fray is and was great.  More diversity in the genre offers players a chance to have different experiences.  I hope to see the genre expand even more and we see more great stories!  But that's really a side note...back to Life is Strange.

Let's look at Life is Strange from a strengths and weaknesses standpoint.  I'm going to do this backwards and start with the weaknesses.  There could be possible spoilers.  Read with caution!

Weaknesses
1.) Goofy dialogue.  It's pretty clear that the writers for this game are not teenage girls.  There were cringeworthy moments of awkwardness scattered throughout the game.  It's nice that they tried to come up with some teenage lingo for those of us who are no longer of that persuasion.  I can live with this one and it didn't ruin the game for me.

2.) Bad lip-syncing.  I actually made it a point to not look at the mouth region of the characters who were talking because it just distracted me too much.  A word of advice:  read the subtitles.  The voice acting is great so just reading and listening to the dialogue is best.  I read in some recent patch notes that they were working to address this issue but didn't see much of a change in the final episode.

3.) Repetitious moments.  The story revolves around Max's ability to rewind time and use photographs to jump into different moments throughout her life.  There were times when the rewind mechanic became very tedious.  Rewinding through some conversations multiple times became tiring and got annoying after awhile.  Certain episodes involved more of this than others.  Even though it could get tiring it did add a fun aspect into other parts of the game.

Strengths

Max and Chloe.

1.) The "Core" Story.  I found it really interesting that Dontnod chose to make a game with two female protagonists and that the story is more female oriented.  At the core of this game is the story of two best friends who grow apart simply through tiny changes in their lives and then find themselves back together.  It's a story about friendship standing the test of time.  That's a really powerful concept and not your typical gaming material.  This emotional core is what made the relationship between Max and Chloe so great (but completely ruined it in one of the possible endings).

The more "detective" side of the story wasn't anything fresh or engaging.  It provided action to keep the story interesting but didn't stand out to me as much as what I am calling the "core."

2.)  Lots of cliffhangers and plot twists.  I was absolutely floored for each episode to be released.  Every episode ended with some serious drama that was going to unfold in the next episode.  I think a great episodic story game has to keep players on the edge of their seat and willing to wait for that next installment.  The major plot twist in episode four (revealing who was kidnapping students) caught me completely by surprise and made me look forward to the finale that much more (which turned out to be sort of disappointing).

 3.) The ending.  I have read so many differing opinions about the ending of the game--some people loved it and some people hated it.  I think it's a win if a game can spur debate.  (Note:  I have only experienced one of the possible endings and will say that I completely hate the concept of a Max/Chloe romantic relationship that was presented in one of the other endings.  I still don't really understand the point of adding in the possibility of a romantic relationship between the characters--political statement?  Attention grabber for the male audience?)  The ending I witnessed was so emotionally charged that it was depressing.

4.) The sci-fi aspect of the game.  The idea of Max having rewinding powers isn't anything new or fresh but the ability to hop between timeframes kept the story zigging and zagging.  When not being used to re-live the same conversations over and over the rewind power is pretty cool.  I liked seeing the multiple realities (which never worked out) and that the story wove those realities together so well.

Life is Strange is definitely worth playing.  I think the "core" story is powerful and deserves the bulk of the attention.  I'm excited for where episodic story games are going and like that these games are willing to address deeper topics.  The strengths of the series far outweigh the weaknesses.  I hope Dontnod keeps developing games and we see even more developers jumping into the episodic story genre.

"Life is Strange" Episode 5--It Hurt my Brain and my Heart.

It has been a big week in gaming for fans of episodic story games.  The teen centered, sort of sci-fi drama Life is Strange wrapped up it's final episode as did TellTale's Borderlands themed series Tales from the Borderlands.  I haven't quite had enough time to delve into Tales, but I spent my evening last night finishing up Life is Strange.  I'm still recovering physically and emotionally--the final episode managed to give me a headache while simultaneously ripping out my heart.

Please note that from this point forward there will be nothing but spoilers about Life is Strange episodes four and five.  If you haven't completed Life is Strange you should go finish it.

Episode four really left us with some crazy cliffhangers--we learned that Mr. Jefferson, the hipster photography teacher, is also the psycho responsible for drugging, kidnapping, and possibly killing students from Blackwell Academy.  We're also faced with the reality that Chloe might actually be dead since Jefferson has drugged Max thus preventing her from using her rewind powers.  This set the stage for an epic episode five--what was Jefferson going to do with Max?  Is Chloe dead?  These questions are answered in episode five, but you have to navigate a sloppy maze filled with meta-physical nonsense in order to finally get to the emotional main course.

Episode five opens with Max waking up in the creepy "dark room" that she and Chloe discover in episode four.  As she struggles to regain consciousness she realizes that she's not alone and that Victoria Chase has also been kidnapped by Jefferson.  As you look through the objects in the room, Max sees a table with one of the photographs taken of her while she was unconscious.  Using her powers she is able to focus on the picture and leap back to a previous point in the "dark room."  (Get comfy with the "dark room" because you're going to be spending an annoying amount of time there) This time Max finds herself on the floor and being actively photographed by Jefferson.  It's at this point that you really want to stab him.  He won't shut up!  For some reason the developers felt the need to have him run through this very long and very tedious monologue explaining his weird motives behind drugging and photographing the girls.  We get it, the dude is a total creeper!  I found myself wanting him to shut up and also getting very bored (getting bored at this early juncture of the episode wasn't a promising start).  The good news is that eventually he shuts up and leaves Max long enough that she can find her diary and focus on the selfie she took in Jefferson's classroom (in episode one).

Finding herself back at the beginning with her newfound courage, Max decides to take action.  She texts David Madsen and informs him that Jefferson is the kidnapper.  As she makes her way to the front of the classroom she has a nice, "I've got your back" moment with Kate.  In this reality she submits a photograph for the "Everyday Heroes" contest--but not before a very satisfying moment of putting Victoria Chase in her place (that's a rhyme!).  In the next beat Max wakes up on a plane headed to San Francisco.  Her photograph won the contest and she's on her way to be a part of the show.  At the gallery you can wander around and look at all the other photographs and there are some nice moments as Max realizes that she's a talented artist.  Max breaks away from the admiring throngs to check her phone and is shocked to discover that she has several missed calls.  Checking her voice mail reveals that Chloe has been leaving panicky messages because the giant tornado Max witnessed in episode one has hit Arcadia.  Chloe is trapped and is going to die.  Max has no choice but to use her winning photograph to jump back--and out of what felt like a very positive reality.

The winning photo!

The next jump finds Max back in her room taking her prize winning photograph.  She knows that the reality with the photograph can't exist so she chooses to tear it up.  Then she wakes up in the "dark room"....again.  There's more of Jefferson blah, blahing but it's here that Max realizes in this reality he has burned her diary--that means no more leaping back to the beginning.  This time it looks like Jefferson is going to kill her.  He fills a syringe with a large dose and prepares to finish her off.  He hears the noise of someone else entering the bunker and stops (phew!).  Remember how Max texted David Madsen?  That's about to pay off.  Jefferson grabs a nearby folded tri-pod and presses himself up against the wall to ambush David.  Max can rewind and warn David but this requires some good timing--too early and Jefferson will smash Max with the tri-pod, too late and he will knock David unconscious and proceed to kill Max.  I rewound multiple times and every time resulted in David being knocked unconscious.  Just when I was starting to get annoyed I rewound all the way to the beginning before David entered.  A new dialogue option opened up allowing Max to ask Jefferson to grant some type of last request before he kills her.  If you pick the right one it will allow David to enter without being heard.  After a couple of different tries I picked the option that allowed him to enter unnoticed.  It's not a straight up solution as now Jefferson pulls a gun that he has hidden in a nearby cabinet.  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  Hmmm....rewind.  Max can tell David what to do!  Kick that table!  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  Warn David that Jefferson has a gun.  Boom!  David Madsen is dead.  (This happened so many times that I was laughing--how many times do I have to watch this guy die?)  Eventually you choose the right thing (Max can pull on a lamp cord with her freed foot and knock it over causing Jefferson to move away from his hidden gun).  David, the guy who you possibly accused in the previous episodes, ends up saving Max.  Max explains what is going on and in the process has to make the choice about whether to tell him that Chloe was killed by Jefferson.  I opted to tell him (I had blamed him in the Kate Marsh incident and also not backed him up at Chloe's house when the argument about surveillance ensued--I pretty much wrecked his fictional life) and that result of that choice was watching him break down over Joyce, Chloe, and his general jerkiness.  He loses his temper and shoots the unconscious Jefferson, killing him.

Max then realizes that although she lost her diary and all the pictures that Warren still has the photograph from the Vortex Club party.  All she has to do is get that photograph and jump to the night of the party.  As she emerges from the bunker she calls Warren only to realize that the tornado is in full swing and is devastating the town.  Warren is hunkered down in the Two Whales diner and agrees to meet Max to give her the photo.

Once Max hits downtown Arcadia you get to realize the full extent of the damage from the storm.  Much of the town is in ruins and Max has to navigate through a devastated landscape filled with debris from the storm.  As Max is making her way through the wreckage she encounters many of her classmates from Blackwell who have been trapped by the storm.  Max can save them or choose to book it directly to the diner (I opted to save them--who cares if this is an alternate reality, you can't leave them to die).  Once Max reaches the diner she finds that Joyce is taking care of a wounded Frank.  You can have some lengthy conversations with both Joyce and Frank.  The conversation with Frank includes telling him that Rachel Amber is dead and witnessing his devastated reaction.  When Max makes it to Warren she has a brief conversation with him and then asks for the photo.  As she starts to focus on the picture Warren interrupts her and there is an interaction where you can choose whether Max hugs, kisses, or just simply leaves.  I chose to friendzone poor Warren and just gave him a friendly hug (this choice has some impact on the ending).

After focusing on the picture from the party Max finds herself back outside the Vortex Club party.  She tells Chloe what is going on and you have to navigate some different dialogue options to convince her that you don't need to go running off to the junkyard.  It took me a few tries but I finally convinced her that they should hide out at Chloe's house and avoid the junkyard.  And here begins the most tedious part of this episode.....

The next scene opens with Max and Chloe standing on the beach viewing the massive tornado heading toward Arcadia Bay.  Max knows that she needs to head toward the lighthouse and both girls start heading that way.  Max has really abused her rewind and focusing powers and it has taken a huge toll on her.  She passes out as they start heading up the trail towards the lighthouse.  Max wakes up back in Mr. Jefferson's class in Blackwell but there's no one in the room....  She walks out into the hallway but everything is happening in reverse--people are talking backwards, the text for selecting objects is backwards.  Something weird is happening.  Max heads down the hallway into the bathroom where she initially witnessed Nathan shooting Chloe and discovered her rewind powers.  As she opens the door to the bathroom she finds herself in the hallway to the dormitories.  The hallway is lit by eerie candles and Kate Marsh is crouched down outside her room.  As Max approaches Kate she opens the door to her room and appears to jump off a ledge.  Max follows her through the door only to discover that she's back at the entrance to the dorms again.....  There's this irritating sequence of figuring out which doors to go through as you keep finding yourself at the entrance to the dorms.  After a few times Max turns into Victoria Chase (I'm still not sure why), then she turns back but into Max wearing Rachel's clothes...then you finally escape the weird dorm part of the nightmare.

...And find yourself in a surreal landscape that mashes together the different areas from each episode.  Initially you are in a a gallery-like space and Jefferson is searching for Max.  You have to avoid Jefferson and find your way through this weird meta-physical maze.  Once you've done that Max finds herself in a locker room type of area similar to the pool area from episode 3 (or maybe 2?).  Now it's David Madsen looking for Max....you avoid him and move into another area and it's Warren looking for Max....you avoid Warren and you're in the junkyard and it's ALL of them and Frank shining flashlights and trying to find Max.  If you're caught by any of them you have the opportunity to rewind and avoid them, but overall it's another irritating sequence of sneaking.  Max finally reaches an area that is outside the lighthouse and can sit down on a bench.  While sitting Max finds that she's actually in a snow globe sitting on the mantle in the Price's house.  She witnesses the scene where William receives the fated call to go pick up Joyce.  Then you're back in front of the lighthouse but there's another path.  As Max walks up this path she witnesses a series of still scenes from the past episodes.  This serves as a re-cap of all the choices you made in the different episodes--I suppose it's a nice reminder, but by this point I was so tired of the whole nightmare sequence that I just wanted to move ahead.  I didn't spend much time stopping to witness each scene.

Max finally reaches the lighthouse and opens the door to find herself waking up.  She's with Chloe and they're at the actual lighthouse with the storm raging out in the ocean.  Max is exhausted after the experience of all the different realities.  Even with all the rewinding the storm just keeps happening.  There just doesn't appear to be any way to avoid the storm hitting Arcadia Bay.  It's Chloe who finally realizes that the storm is somehow tied to Max messing with destiny...it's destiny that Chloe has to die and the only way to avoid the storm is to rewind back to the beginning and let Nathan kill her.  This realization was like a karate kick right to the heart.  Max has to choose...she can sacrifice Chloe and save the entire town of Arcadia Bay or they can let the storm rage destroying Arcadia Bay but saving Chloe.  I let the screen sit on this decision for an agonizing amount of time.  In the end I decided that it was unfair to sacrifice the entire town to save one person...even if that person was your best friend.  Chloe hands Max the butterfly photograph from the first day and makes Max swear that she will remember her.  They hug and Max focuses on the photograph.

Back in the bathroom from the beginning...but now it just feels depressing.  Max sees the blue butterfly and photographs it.  She then slides to the floor and listens the the exchange between Nathan and Chloe.  While her tears drip on the floor she hears the gunshot that ends Chloe's life.  (This is where I started tearing up) The photo series runs by with the pictures of all of Max and Chloe's exchanges burn away and new photos of Nathan Prescott being arrested replace them.  The final scene sees a large group of black clad mourners heading to the cemetery for Chloe's funeral.  Joyce and David hug and cry.  Due to my friendzoning of Warren he stands awkwardly next to Max.  Then the small blue butterfly lands on the coffin.  Ugh, what an ending though!

So, what's my final verdict?
If you've played your way through the entire series there is no way that you can't play the final episode.  This final episode is all over the place and you'll most likely find yourself getting annoyed at all the physicy/time-travelly/timey-wimey nonsense that is woven throughout.  It really chops the episode up so much that I found myself getting bored (which didn't happen much in the previous episodes).  I get it that we need to be reminded that Max is travelling through alternate dimensions but the whole "many doors" thing has been played out (think BioShock:  Infinite's ending).  The fact that the ending basically tells you that all your choices didn't really matter is also pretty disenfranchising.  I was also irritated at the concept of the collectible photographs in the last episode and actually only completed about half of them.  I really wanted it to be over and had no desire to go back and find those minor opportunities for achievements.  I think if this episode had been done with less nonsensical stuff that it could have been really great.

As for the ending itself...(the one I chose anyway) the emotional impact was fantastic.  I think if a game can make you feel actual emotions that it has achieved something.  I felt connected to the friendship between Max and Chloe and it was really beautiful.  Although I haven't seen the alternative endings, I have read about them in other reviews.  Apparently if you spurn Warren's advances and opt to jokingly kiss Chloe in episode 2 or 3 and then choose to let the storm destroy Arcadia Bay you will see Max and Chloe in a romantic relationship.  This kills me and my concept of their beautiful friendship!  I never got the idea that there would be a romance between them.  Chloe is clearly in love with Rachel Amber and the possibility of a romance with Max seems almost perverse.  I don't really know why the developers felt the need to go there but it just feels so wrong (I just don't understand it and maybe other people got a much different feeling).

Pickin' Locks and Breakin' Hearts--The Rogues of Dragon Age II

It's always a good idea to keep a rogue in your Dragon Age party.  You never know when you might need a lock picked or a bad guy backstabbed.  Playing as a rogue is one of my favorite roles in Dragon Age games.  Rogues come in two flavors--the stabby kind and the shooty kind.  Dragon Age II offers players two choices of rogue-ish charm to fill a slot in your party.

I have found that BioWare likes to make it's rogues have very big personalities.  It's easy to like ALL of them!  This decision could be a hard one....(but really not because, Varric!)

Dragon Age II:  Varric Tethras

Varric and Bianca.

Probably the most colorful character in the entire Dragon Age series is Varric Tethras.  Players first meet Varric early in Dragon Age II as they learn of a unique opportunity to join a dwarf led trip to scavenge riches from the Deep Roads.  Varric is a street savvy dwarf who is well-versed in the dark underworld as well as the more legitimate ventures of dwarven culture.  As the younger son in his family he is free to pursue non-merchant related tasks and is a successful writer and storyteller.  He tells (and embellishes) the story of "the champion."  Varric sports his signature crossbow, "Bianca," and is always very elusive in explaining its origins.  Varric's personality is what makes him a great character.  He can crack a good joke but be serious when things start to look dicey.

Varric's talents compliment his unique weapon and personality.  His talent tree in Dragon Age II combines his ability to spin a yarn with his crossbow skills.  Most of the talents involve increasing his attack speed or critical hit damage.  The more talents you take from his personal skill tree the deadlier he becomes with a stunning combination of speed and critical hit chance/damage.

Isabela

Isabela

Isabela actually makes a very unnoticeable entry into the series in Dragon Age:  Origins.  As you work to clean up the city of Denerim you run into her in the seedy establishment "The Pearl."  If you are playing a rogue character she will offer to teach your character the duelist specialization (apparently if you choose some different dialogue options she will also take you into the back bedroom).  In Dragon Age II you meet Isabela in another seedy bar--Kirkwall's "Hanged Man"-- and she offers to join your party.  Isabela is a pirate captain who lives the rip-roaring life of a seafaring brigand.  When you meet her she is going through a bit of a rough patch as her ship has sunk and she is pursuing some sort of mysterious artifact.  Through her companion quest you learn that she isn't at all trustworthy and has lied to your character from the start.  Her personality is carefree and she very openly flirts with your character from the start.  Eventually she decides that saving her own skin is more important than staying in your party (unless you're romancing her) and she winds up leaving.  I have never managed to keep Isabela in my party long enough to fully experience her character.

Isabela's talents reflect her pirate background and seem to be centered around her ability to draw a single opponent away and quickly handle them.  This set of abilities can prove useful in many situations.  Her final high-level talent gives her a 100% chance to stun an enemy, an ability that can provide some minor crowd control to larger fights.

How do you Mage in Inquisition?

Dragon Age:  Inquisition decided to provide players with more choices for spellflinging friends.  One aspect of the multiple mage scheme that I enjoy is the fact that each has a unique set of personal talents and that there are enough basic talent trees that you can make each mage a master of a different type of magic.  But who's the mageyest of them all?  Do the Inquisition mages put the Dragon Age II mages to shame?

Dragon Age:  Inquisition--Solas

Solas is the first mage to join your party in Inquisition and is the resident oddball.  He's an elf who likes to hang out in the Fade and make friends with spirits....and possibly demons.  His knowledge of the Fade makes him an invaluable member of your party and someone who you can consult on all matters related to the breach in the sky.  The mages in Inquisition seem to be designed around the whole issue of the mage rebellion--all three of them have differing stances on how mages should be treated.  Solas, as an elven apostate (and other spoilery things), doesn't seem overly concerned with the fate of the mages in Thedas.  He's content doing his own thing and seems to lean more toward freedom for them.  Solas's personality reflects his odd interest in the Fade and he's not one to crack jokes but during party banter he often discusses serious issues with other members.  He's serious, quirky, and has a cute little bald head.

Solas's talents reflect his knowledge of the Fade.  He can cast spells that draw on the power of the Fade to weaken and defeat enemies.  His ability to create mini-rifts that pull enemies toward a central location is very handy.  When Solas has accumulated enough focus points you can have him unleash a barrage of fiery meteors on the battlefield.  When choosing how to spec Solas I typically lean towards the cold and spirit trees (I think he actually starts off with talents in both trees).

Dorian

After you've made your decision about which faction, mages or templars, that you want to join the Inquisition you meet your next magical companion.  Dorian is one of the more colorful companions to join you.  As a mage from Tevinter he has a very unique take on magic, mages, and his own homeland.  Through your conversations with Dorian you learn that he is estranged from his powerful magister family due to his seemingly rebellious fancies.  At one point a strange letter arrives asking Dorian to meet his father at a neutral location to try to make amends.  It's at this meeting that you learn that Dorian is gay and that his family has virtually disowned him because of his choice to forgo the required marriage and passing on of magical genes.  Dorian doesn't have much love for his homeland and is more than willing to help the Inquisitor deal with any Venatori who have crept out of the shadows.  I have always found Dorian's personality to be fun.  He has a confidence borne of the magical superiority of Tevinter culture.  Dorian has a kind of magical swagger that makes him a fun character to keep in your party.  His banter includes cracking jokes and making wry statements that generally elicit a chuckle.

Dorian's personal talent tree reminds me of the old spirit tree from Dragon Age:  Origins.  Dorian gains access to talents that allow him to cause enemies to flee in panic (nice for crowd control) or to turn into walking bombs that when killed will explode and damage other nearby enemies.  His Focus power grants the whole party great haste, allowing you to unload a large amount of damage in a very short time span.  Having this offensive choice that can impact the whole party makes Dorian a great choice for fighting dragons.

Vivienne

With two seemingly rebellious mage choices you need the choice for a more traditional type of mage.  Vivienne is a former first enchanter from one of the few remaining Circles in Orlais.  Her connection to the Circle is what defines her as a character and she is firmly in favor of restoring them.  Vivienne is also an Orlesian noble who has an in-depth knowledge of culture throughout that country.  Unlike Solas and Dorian, Vivienne's personality is much colder.  Vivienne can seem cold and haughty and is a difficult character to get to know.  You briefly get to see a crack in her hardened facade when she asks the Inquisitor for help in acquiring a rare potion ingredient.  It turns out that this potion is her last hope to save her much older husband who is dying of old age.  Despite helping her (or not...depending on your choice to lie to her) she doesn't warm up much.  I have always found Vivienne to be a difficult character to appreciate.  If you're having a difficult time enjoying Vivienne's personality I would recommend throwing her and Sera in a party together, the banter between them is hilarious.

Of the three possible mage choices in Inquisition I think Vivienne's talents boggle me the most.  I've read that they can be crazy overpowered if taken in the right combinations.  Her talents seem to revolve around making her a powerful melee mage.  She can conjure up a magical weapon and stab the living daylights out of any baddies in her general vicinity.  In combination with her other talents allowing her to maintain a powerful barrier this could be amazing.  I personally have a problem with my mages running around stabbing things and getting within melee range.  The few times I've taken Vivienne on a dragon hunt haven't turned out well for her (meleeing a dragon is bad...no matter how powerful your barriers are).

So what's my final magical verdict?  Are the mages of Dragon Age II more magey?
I vote Inquisition.  The unique talents of each mage allows you choose the perfect magical companion for each situation rather than being stuck with one.

Personality:  Dorian.  He's a fun character and has an amazing mustache.
Talents:  Solas.  He rains meteors down from the sky.  Nuff said.

Fire, Ice, and Possession...The Battle of the Mage Companions

I started on my quest to debate the companions of Dragon Age II and Dragon Age:  Inquisition at the time in my life where my casual summer intersects with my hectic return to work.  As a result I haven't had the time to continue this very urgent argument.  With all my chores done I feel ready to take on this seriously pressing issue--which mage companion is the best?  Do you feel the need for magical vengeance and side with Anders or do you like the swagger of Tevinter and opt for Dorian?  Today I'm going to focus on our magey friends from Dragon Age II.  (I'm leaving Bethany out as she is fairly limited as a character)

Dragon Age II--Anders

Anders is a character who is initially introduced in the Awakening expansion.  He's an apostate who has narrowly escaped capture by the templars and who is completely unapologetic about having killed his captors.  He opts to become a Grey Warden and joins your crew of misfits (really....they are misfits in Awakening).  Anders' personality in Awakening is good-natured and somewhat goofy.  The one serious part of his personality is his concern for the fate of his fellow mages.  He despises the Circle and has no desire to return.  That's about as far as it goes in Awakening.

When you meet Anders in Dragon Age II, he has changed drastically.  He's very serious and has taken on the plight of the mages in a much bigger way.  You learn early in the game that the spirit of Justice (who possessed the corpse of the unfortunate warrior Kristoff in Awakening) was looking for a new home and Anders decided to allow it to take up residence.  Essentially Anders is possessed by a spirit (not to be confused with a demon...which is bad).  The goofy, joke-telling Anders, from Awakening is gone, replaced with the vengeance seeking, templar-slaying, mage-freeing, spirit of Justice.  (Spoilers if you haven't played Dragon Age II!!!) At the end of the game Anders makes the drastic decision to use a bomb to blow up the Chantry temple in Kirkwall.  He's made himself into a terrorist for the sake of his fellow mages.  You get to decide his fate--he can accompany you and try to make up for his horrible deed or you can exile or kill him.

It's very difficult to compare Anders talents to the other mage characters from Dragon Age:  Inquisition.  His special talents as a healer make him an indispensable member of your party in Dragon Age II.  Somewhere along the line the decision was made to do away with healing spells in Inquisition.  I can understand why this decision was made--on more taxing fights it was necessary to play as the healer to keep everyone alive rather than as the main character.  It was possible to spec other characters as healers but it really made no sense due to Anders set of talents.  I always liked his healing talents and found them to be very useful.  Offensively his talents are pretty lackluster.

Merrill

Merrill makes her first appearance in the Dalish elf origin quest in Dragon Age:  Origins.  Her brief appearance isn't one that you would pay much attention to but she's another character who is reborn in Dragon Age II.  Merrill is surrounded by mystery--at first you don't really know much about why she is choosing to leave her clan of Dalish elves.  The other elves seem spiteful and opposed to Merrill and she will often side-step questions about her past or what exactly she is doing.  You discover very early that Merrill has no opposition to the use of blood magic.  She is also is willing to consort with demons and generally engage in behavior that is at the worst questionable and at best downright hazardous.  Befriending Merrill is difficult for a more upstanding Hawke character.

As a character Merrill is very quirky.  She's a Dalish elf who's not accustomed to living in a city full of humans.  Her desire to engage in dangerous magical activities make her an outcast even among her fellow mages.  After you've gotten to know your Hawke character in Dragon Age II she reveals that she has rescued an Eluvian (the same possessed Eluvian from Origins) and wants your help to reconstruct this valuable Elven artifact.  This can become a major point of contention between your character and Merrill.  In continuing the quest you learn that Merrill has been consorting with demons and that the keeper of her clan sacrificed herself to those demons to keep Merrill safe.

Unless you play a more rebellious character it can be difficult to make Merrill happy.  I've always enjoyed the quirkier aspects of her personality.

Merrill's talents reflect her Dalish heritage as well as her dalliance with blood magic.  I have never been a big fan of the blood mage talents and Merrill's talents utilize many of those abilities.  Sacrificing health to cast spells can work in some situations but mages are so squishy that it's hard to justify using that specific ability.  Abilities like Wrath of the Elvhen are more interesting and allow her to utilize nature damage.  I never really understood the Stone's Throw ability but could see how when used in conjunction with Wrath of the Elvhen it could be very useful.