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Category: Review

Shaping Sound, Shaping Minds

I have been a mighty admirer of the dance scene especially since I started dancing when I was young and haven’t stopped since. In my opinion, So You Think You Can Dance is one of the greatest television series that has been invented. They attract many talents who audition and get challenged by the show, not only in their genre, but in other genres too. The show first debuted in 2005 and is on their 12th season currently.

In particular, I’ve admired Nick Lazzarini and Travis Wall, the winner of season 1 and runner-up of season 2 respectively. They are both contemporary dancers and have since found fulfilling careers in the world of dance. Just recently in 2012, Wall and Lazzarini founded their own dance company Shaping Sound with Teddy Forance and Kyle Robinson. They have recruited wonderful talents who have helped make their national tours a reality.

The four founders had heard many of their dancer friends speak about the lack of opportunities and career prospects that they decided to build their own company. The four mainly choreograph and envision the production, while the members audition and strive to perfect their artistry. Their motto of “Dance Reimagined” is highly pertinent to this set of dancers because Wall has been growing his reputation of having creative choreographies that blossom into new boundaries of contemporary dance. In the past week, Wall won an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography.

Their first tour was last year and concluded their second this past February. It was with luck that they were in Philadelphia in that last stretch. Although it was on a Wednesday night, I had made up my mind months prior that I would not miss this concert. This was probably one of the best decisions I have made in my life. The passion, commitment, and energy that the dancers had on stage transcended to the audience, whether or not they were dancers themselves. Overall, the show was very well-thought out and the visuals were stunning. Each piece was performed to perfection and the audience could not have gotten more for their buck.

I have two favorite pieces from the show. The first was the “Sing Sing Sing” item before intermission. There is probably a 99% chance that every tap dancer has tapped to this song. It was a pleasant surprise that the company had such a classic tune in their line-up. However, they presented this as a jazz piece, which was a refreshing change from the more modern takes that preceded it. As the company’s main focus is contemporary, the pieces before were more interpretative and emotive. This item stood out because of the energy and entertainment value that was injected into it. The quick and clean execution of the steps built up an enormous ball of energy that exploded on stage and washed over the audience. They were one with each other and with the music. The passion they had for dance was eminent and infectious. I felt a surge of energy through my veins as they laid out their hearts for all to see. The audience managed to contain the joyfulness for the length of the piece, but erupted in applause and cheers at the end of the item. I will never forget that moment, where no matter your race, class, gender, age, or even dance knowledge, you feel part of a shared emotional experience. It was a uniting force and in that moment I knew that I made the right decision to be there.

Wall has been asked back to So You Think You Can Dance as a guest judge, choreographer, all-star cast member, and now team captain. As a new feature for the upcoming season, he is the mentor for the stage performers. It took the producers awhile, but Lazzarini too joined the all-star cast in season 11. Wall has grown his reputation as reinventing an approach to dance. His movements flow with the music and this connection is undeniable as he receives praise from the judges, public, and fellow peers. It was no surprise that he would choreograph to another classic, “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. This was another one of my favorites of the night. It featured the guys of the company. At one point in the choreography, the guys stepped into a spotlight each. This lined them up horizontally across the stage as the lights flickered and highlighted each member to guide the viewer’s attention. The mastery of technique and expression of mischief was a tease for the audience. Lazzarini can be flamboyant, and his character definitely shone in this dance when he snapped his fingers back and forth, a much more simpler set of counts that was a pleasant addition to the technically difficult piece. The lighting and timing of the dancers and tech-people amalgamated perfectly and the audience was engaged through it. The visuals brought together personality, dance, and emotions. I could watch it many times over and still fall in love with it each time.

Shaping Sound‘s motto is “Dance Reimagined,” which they accomplished with ease. I have been so fortunate to have experienced their artistry. They were truly meticulous with the production to present wholesome and meaty performances, leaving no detail behind. The audience members buzzed excitedly after the show concluded and that was heartening to hear others acknowledge the brilliance of the production. As a dancer myself, I have been behind the scenes and on stage, which only fuels my knowledge and admiration that dancers are hard workers who constantly strive to better themselves. These are many qualities that I respect and hope to emulate. Dance is not just a leisure activity, but a lifestyle.

Grant Morrison’s Multiversity

Ever since I really started reading comic books, I feel like I’vve been waiting for Multiversity. Each year since 2010, I read that this would be the year when Grant Morrison’s follow up to Final Crisis would come out. Multiversity became almost a mythical comic in my mind. I heard rumors of a page in it that had 300 panels, and that the series would change the way I read comics. Whether or not Morrison intended it to be, in my eyes Multiversity was going to be the writer’s magnum opus. With DC Comics’ New 52 revamp in 2011, I had all but given up hope of seeing the series. But here, at long last, it is. And it’s weird.

Multiversity is a 9-issue miniseries; so far 5 of the issues have been published. Each story is written by Morrison and set in a different universe with drawn by a different artist. The stories seem somewhat connected, but it’s not easy to summarize how. If I had to give a brief synopsis, I would say that Multiversity is a story about different universes, collectively known as the Multiverse, interacting with one another in the form of comic books (the comic books of one universe are the reality of another and vice versa). There is also a neigh-omnipotent evil force called The Gentry which may be the cause of the conflict in most issues. The eighth issue, titled Ultra Comics, while yet unreleased, seems to be cursed and may be the source of The Gentry.

If from my synopsis it sounds like I’m not exactly sure what’s happening in this series, then that’s pretty accurate. As with other titles that Morrison has free range on, Multiversity rides the thin line between brilliant and incomprehensible–often times leaning more towards the latter. The first issue, Multiversity #1, is particularly difficult to read (as does also the fourth, Pax Americana). Indeed, in both its tone and complexity Multiversity #1 is most directly reminiscent of Final Crisis; it shares the older book’s apocalyptic feel, strange characters, and bizarre ideas. The characters of this issue include Stubbs the pirate chimpanzee and Captain Carrot, who is basically Superman but a cartoon rabbit. The main character (if there really is a main character) is a “multiversal monitor” who travels between the comic books in a brightly colored, vibrating spaceship so as to fight threats to the multiverse. Despite all this silliness the first issue does a good job of instilling an eerie feeling of impending doom, partly through its unique (and distinctly Morrison) narrative style that directly warns the reader to “stop reading.”

Each issue of the series is so densely packed with information and ideas that a Dickinson humanities major could write an entire senior thesis on any of them. This is not necessarily a positive thing. Morrison’s style of storytelling can sometimes seem more like the ramblings of a madman’s diary that a finely crafted narrative. There are, nevertheless, certainly some stand out moments in this series. In Pax Americana for example, paired with longtime collaborator Frank Quitely (on art), we see Morrison really come into his prime.  Some pages can be read backwards (!) and the story itself–though it encourages many readings and still doesn’t always make sense–is engaging. All in all, it’s experimental, bizarre, and utterly fascinating.

Despite its flaws, I can still definitely recommend Multiversity. Although it certainly isn’t for everyone, in terms of unique ideas and interesting designs this comic is a breath of fresh air for DC comics. Whether or not you’ll feel it succeeds in pushing the envelope for superhero comics may depend on personal preference but it certainly tries. For my part, before I can offer a final judgment on this series I really need to wait till all the issues have come out. Then maybe I’ll read it backwards, alternating issues, or read it in one-minute intervals occurring only at noon and midnight, or read it while rollerskating through the Hub in a gorilla costume. This is the sort of experimental thinking that a series like Multiversity makes you consider. It’s shaping up to be either one of my favorite comics in recent years or a mish-mash of complete nonsense. Either way, every issue feels like another clue and I like to think that its leading up to something incredible that may have been there the whole time. It’s good to have you back, Mr. Morrison. I’ve missed you.

Return to The World of Thedas

Bioware loves dramatic protagonists. The company did the hero of legend in Dragon Age: Origins, the underdog-turned-champion in Dragon Age II Origins–and in Mass Effect, the main character was the savoir of the entire galaxy. How could they hope to create a protagonist to top that? With, it turns out, a hero as potential new messiah, embroiled in a good old battle of the gods. Dragon Age: Inquisition thrives on the dramatic and the epic: in the plot, in the characters, and in the imaginary world of Thedas. The first plot point is an explosion seen on the title screen when “new game” is selected, which sets the story in motion. From then on–throughout more than 100 hours of content–the game is one of wonders both big and small.

Meet the Inquisitor

The Inquisitor is entirely your character. You get to customize everything about her (or him), from her race and background to her appearance, and even her voice. When the game begins, your character is the sole survivor of the aforementioned blast, which happens to have killed hundreds, ruined hopes of peace in a war-torn country, and unleashed its own chaos into the world via a magical scar left in the sky. You were saved by a mysterious figure many believe to be the spirit Andraste, the Jesus-figure in the game’s mythology, giving you a great amount of influence and power whether or not you yourself believe yourself warranting it. It falls to you and your supporters to build up a politically and militarily powerful sect known as the Inquisition, gaining followers and influence as you do so, in order save the world.

Narrative premise out of the way, let’s look at how the game actually holds up; in other words, the Good, the Bad, and the In-Between!

The Good

Thedas Is Really Big and Really Beautiful

There are ten main areas, along with several smaller ones, spanning across the countries of Fereldan and Orlais, and every one of them is impressive in size and aesthetically stunning. Not only is the world big, it also manages to feel varied enough to be interesting while yet cohesive enough to function convincingly as a world. The areas clustered together, such as deserts in Western Orlais, are similar in a way that makes sense with their geographic location but are also unique enough in their design that each is its own interesting experience. In contrast with Dragon Age II, where every single room you entered looked identical to every other one in the game, even the smaller locations are uniquely put together and thus satisfying to explore.

The more-or-less lack of invisible walls and departure from the series’ branching-hallway maps is definitely a contributor to the expansive feeling of the areas. Though invisible walls do exist, they are few and far between. The maps are instead given natural limitations; cliffs that can’t be climbed, sand storms that can’t be crossed, and bodies of water that can’t be forged. When a part of the edge of the map is left open, it will usually lead to a map of the rest of Thedas rather than just act as a blank barrier. The result being that you can go almost everywhere you can see, and in most areas you can see pretty far.

Dragon Age World

The War Table

Another clever trick Bioware uses to show both the size of the world and the reach of the Inquisition is the war table. This feature is a map, the same map you use to select your destination when traveling, with markers for missions that require your attention. You can select one of your three advisors to handle the situation, and after a certain amount of real-time passes you are delivered a report on how the mission went and any rewards gained.

Although the Inquisitor can themselves only travel to a limited number of locations throughout two countries, the war table can go far beyond that, allowing the Inquisition to still have a presence in every part of the world. By selecting which of your advisors to turn to for any given mission, you can also gain influence in whichever way you choose, be it diplomacy, espionage, or military strength. It’s also a tidy way to bring up nods to past games in the series and individual world states without losing newer players by bogging down with story references and cameos designed for returning players.

The interactions with the war table mostly include reading reports of the problems you have to deal with, reading proposed solutions by your advisors, and then reading reports of the effects once the mission is completed. Basically, it’s a lot of reading. If you don’t bother looking through these reports, it’s probably going to seem like a fairly boring feature. But taking the time to read the short passages, makes the experience more than just clicking and waiting. It puts you in the position of the decision maker and authority figure that your character is supposed to be.

Skyhold

Skyhold is the Inquisition’s base of operations, and it is awesome. You can spend hours just investigating this area alone, trying to figure out how to navigate your castle and finding all the nifty hidden nooks. Your companions and advisors each have their corners where they hang out if you want to talk to them and each corner has a personal touch related to its character. Throughout the game you’ll find or be able to buy various items to personalize Skyhold’s décor in ways that suit your Inquisitor. Beyond that, you will also have a couple opportunities to make upgrades to Skyhold that reflect your priorities and decisions in the game, such as supporting the Templars versus supporting the Mages. This is where you’ll be able to bond with your followers, visit the war table, and upgrade or forge new equipment.

Another interesting aspect found at Skyhold is a feature called Judgement. At several plot points various characters that have worked against the Inquisitor or the law of their respective locations can be captured and sent to Skyhold, where you get to decide their fate for yourself. This is one more way that the game puts the power and authority of the Inquisition directly into your hands and allows you to literally experience it, rather than just telling you about it or even merely showing it. The various options that you have for dealing with the captives is also personalized, and certain options won’t be available to Inquisitors of certain backgrounds or mindsets, or will only be available if certain decisions are made.

The Characters

Bioware’s strength has always been more in its games’ casts than their play mechanisms–and more in its writing than anything else. This remains just as true for Dragon Age Inquisition. The snippets of dialogue between your companions that occur as you run around the world are always either wonderfully entertaining or interesting and insightful, and a new feature allowing your character to join in the conversations helps to solidify the group’s bonds. The companions that you gather are a diverse and lively lot that feel like real people, as opposed to the companions of Dragon Age II, who by the game’s end seemed big archetypes (or, less generously, caricatures) of single big ideas by the end. In this game, they all have distinct personalities and motivations, and while some might not get along as well with you as others, they are all convincing, well-written characters who, the more you play, feel more and more like real people about whom you actually care.

This is helped by the changes made to the approval rating that has been continually evolving throughout the series. While past games allowed you to treat the companions strategically, giving them gifts and leaving them behind on certain missions to get the desired results, interactions in Inquisition are much more natural as no approval meter is displayed, and changes in approval are not assigned numeric value. What the characters think of you is thus more strongly based on your actions in the world and toward them individually.

DALS

The Bad

Mounts

The system of mounts introduced in Inquisition is a smart idea that was unfortunately lazily executed. With the exception of the largest dessert area, the mounts don’t maneuver well enough in any of the areas to be more useful than going on foot, and even in the Hissing Wastes they aren’t fast enough to feel much different than simply running. Your companions disappear into black smoke when you mount your steed, just as it itself will do if it’s nearby during combat (as it likely will be, since it’s difficult to avoid being thrown off as soon as you encounter enemies until much later in the game). This both breaks the sense of immersion built up so carefully during the rest of the game and means that you don’t get any of the delightful companion discussions while you’re on your mount. Add to that the fact that there are only really four different mounts in a variety of color swaps and all the exciting potential it the concept might have had disappears.

Our Antagonist

The antagonist of the game peaks very early on in the story, with a legion of crazy followers and an epic first appearance. However, from that first appearance on, the impression of the story’s bad guy continues to fade until the game’s rather lackluster ending. An unknown being seeking to become a God sounds good at the beginning, but the little backstory we are given is not enough to make up for his evil-villain cookie-cutter motives. A good story requires a strong antagonist, one who thinks he himself is doing the right thing even if we, as the audience, can clearly tell that he is not. We see this in both of the first two games, but Inquisition’s biggest bad guy isn’t much but a tired archetype, making his followers even more shallow and unbelievable still.

Almost to add insult to injury, there are clear hints throughout the game of a darker, more interesting conflict brewing just beneath the surface. Though the story is cool on its own, I almost felt like it was little more than a place-holder for the slow development of a series-long conflict which has yet to manifest.

The Loading Screen

By far the pettiest of my Inquisition complaints is how the loading screen is handled. When switching areas, the screen displays three tarot cards and information from the game codex for players to read and learn about the world while they wait. While this is a cool idea, it’s not well executed. The codex entries shown are usually fairly long, and the player only has time to read a few sentences at most before it disappears . . . only to be replaced by another plain black loading screen? Really?

The In-Between

Combat

The battle system in this game is interesting. The lack of any healing spells in favor of a set number of health potions is a daring but successful switch from past games, allowing for more variety in party combinations and forcing more of a focus on defense rather than support. There’s a wide variety of new ways to experiment with specializations and party dynamics and a lot of potential for any play-style. The pause-and-command tactical view can be helpful, and is even entirely necessary for tougher battles and higher difficulty settings, but it definitely brings the flow of the battle to a halt as you issue commands to your teammates, resume time again as they carry out your orders, and then repeat.

The biggest negative in regards to the combat for me was the tactics screen in Inquisition. For a game that fixed so much from its predecessors and advertised the combat system so heavily, the tactics screen here is a surprising and disappointing step down. Whereas in past games it was possible to customize a lengthy list of “if-then” statements dictating every followers’ action during combat, Inquisition limits the behavior set of characters to (1) how often they use heath potions and moves and (2) their default target, resulting in many decisions being left to an AI that is, frankly, not that great. In easy battles it may not matter, but in many scenarios it is very jarring to have to constantly try to micromanage all of your companions for the sake of efficiency.

dragon-age-inquisition-drag
Dragons

Living up to the series’ title, the dragons in Inquisition are (finally) plentiful and suitably epic. They’re just as terrifying as they should be until you’re at a high enough level, and they’re such a distinct part of the environments that it’s almost a shame to kill them. That said, after taking a few of the giant beasts down, the battles do all start to feel the same. There’s very little diversity in the combat with the dragons except for each dragon’s elemental resistances/weaknesses, and though the attempt to make dragons feel different from other enemies by breaking them up into parts has potential it ultimately never seems to matter much.

Crafting

The crafting system of Inquisition is another new feature to the game, and it has it good parts and bad parts. You can craft some really powerful items, easily more powerful than anything that could be found through looting. You get to pick out what materials to put in different statistic slots on the crafting screen with each type of material having different benefits, so you get to designate whether you want your armor to have more melee defense/magic resistance/etc. The bad, on the other hand, is that the only effective way to gather all of these materials is to walk around, which is a tedious and time consuming process. Also, the fact that the chosen materials also affect the appearance of what you are crafting occasionally leads to choices such as whether running around in bright pink and green armor is worth the higher stats. You also get to name everything you craft, however, which almost makes up for the fashion problems.

Roundup

Dragon Age: Inquisition is more than a fixed version of the first two games. It holds onto the best parts of each of its prequels and improves upon the worst, but most importantly it throws in its own unique flair, which ultimately re-shapes the entire experience. There are endless moments, from the epic scenes that give chills to the small conversations that warm the heart, which all work together to make this an amazing game. The hundreds of hours of content are not just busy-work running around gathering (mostly not, anyway), but are filled to the brink with an unbelievable amount of unique and exciting things to do and features to play with. While it certainly has some issues, they’re nothing compared to the immersive, expansive, emotional world that is Thedas.

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