{"id":505,"date":"2012-12-12T10:00:46","date_gmt":"2012-12-12T18:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/?p=505"},"modified":"2012-12-05T13:40:46","modified_gmt":"2012-12-05T21:40:46","slug":"mark-plays-dragon-age-awakening-hour-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/2012\/12\/12\/mark-plays-dragon-age-awakening-hour-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Plays &#8216;Dragon Age: Awakening&#8217;: Hour 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In the third hour of <em>Dragon Age: Awakening<\/em>, I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SAID THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH QUESTS IN THE LAST REVIEW BECAUSE <em>THAT WAS THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF MY LIFE<\/em>. Intrigued? Then it&#8217;s time for Mark to play <em>Dragon Age<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><!--more-->Hour Three<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I TAKE IT BACK. <em>I TAKE IT BACK! <\/em>Before I saved my game, I counted: <strong>TWENTY-TWO QUESTS. <\/strong>How the fuck do I deal with <em>twenty-two quests??? <\/em>Honestly, though, this isn&#8217;t a problem, and I love the fact that I have so much shit to do that it&#8217;s going to take me like thirty hours to get through all of this. THE MORE, THE MERRIER. Y&#8217;all, this is just so <em>fun<\/em>. I don&#8217;t have to worry about lacking the knowledge of how to play this game; I have built up an incredible character with a constantly evolving headcanon; HEARTSEEKER IS THE SINGLE GREATEST TALENT I HAVE EVER GIVEN ROSLIN. Oh <em>shit<\/em>, y&#8217;all, it is so terribly effective, and it gives me JOY every time I get to use it.<\/p>\n<p>Can we just talk about how incredible this is? Like, holy shit, I know I got this expansion pack for a steal ($8!!!!), but I can already see how this is worth $40. It&#8217;s like a goddamn sequel! I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO SHARE WITH YOU.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Anders <em>really<\/em> hates the Chantry. Understandably so, but he might be the only person who hates the Chantry more than Morrigan.<\/li>\n<li>Nathaniel gave Anders grief for naming his new cat Ser Pounce-a-lot. <em>Shut up, Nathaniel. <\/em>It is a goddamn perfect name.<\/li>\n<li>I had to go back into the throne room before I left Vigil&#8217;s Keep because I forgot to end the fealty ceremony. HOW FUNNY WOULD THAT HAVE BEEN IF I HAD LET IT GO FOR WEEKS WHILE I WAS OUT BEING A BADASS. Anyway, once I did, it triggered a scene with Nathaniel, who was reminiscing about his grandfather&#8217;s life as a Grey Warden. He was super appreciative of me giving him his grandfather&#8217;s bow, and now he realizes the man was a hero, unlike what his own father said of him. Oh god, <em>character growth already.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>&#8220;I&#8217;m a fan of the Howes, and the Whys and the Whos and the Whats.&#8221; ANDERS, I LOVE YOUR HORRIBLE JOKE SO MUCH.<\/li>\n<li>Okay, time to figure out where I&#8217;m going first. OH MY GOD, THERE&#8217;S A NEW MAP.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-506\" title=\"Screen Shot\" src=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot2-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot2-300x168.png 300w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot2.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IT IS SO EXCITING TO ME THAT THERE IS A NEW MAP. Oh god, and it&#8217;s so <em>empty<\/em>, which means THERE ARE PROBABLY LOTS OF PLACES THAT HAVEN&#8217;T BEEN REVEALED YET. <em>Yesssssssss<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>I chose to go to Turnoble Estate first, figuring that I&#8217;ll just make my way back east to take care of Forlorn Cove and Amaranthine after that. I was stopped for a brief battle with some darkspawn, where I used Heartseeker no less than three times, and it was glorious. God, having stamina draughts rules, too.<\/li>\n<li>Unfortunately for the family, I arrived at Turnoble too late. It was overrun with darkspawn, including a giant ogre. This was also the first time I got to use Feign Death during the game, and I did this because the Ogre decided that he would pick on me and only me. This meant he knocked me down, waited until I got back up, knocked me down again, ad nauseam. He wouldn&#8217;t leave me alone, that <em>bully<\/em>!<\/li>\n<li>At one point, I pulled open the Potions menu and found this:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-12.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-507\" title=\"Screen Shot 1\" src=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-12-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-12-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-12-300x168.png 300w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-12.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I don&#8217;t get it. WHY IS SER POUNCE-A-LOT ONE OF THE OPTIONS HERE. Oh god, <em>what the fuck<\/em>?<\/li>\n<li>I did get 15 sovereigns off a dead body. QUEST WELL WORTH IT.<\/li>\n<li>Forlorn Cove was next. God, I love that my Intimidate\/Persuade is as high as the game allows. This quest took all of sixty seconds to complete. Y&#8217;ALL ARE DEAD. That&#8217;s what you get for kidnapping someone!<\/li>\n<li>It&#8217;s time for the City of Amaranthine!<\/li>\n<li>OH MY GOD THIS PLACE IS FUCKING ENORMOUS. Oh my god, it is <em>gorgeous<\/em>, some of the best design this game has ever given us.<\/li>\n<li>I found Colbert almost immediately near an inn outside the city gates! Is he <em>drunk<\/em>? He&#8217;s totally drunk. COLBERT IS DRUNK. Wow, he gave up the location of that rift pretty quickly. Also, as soon as he started talking about the rift, I expected the location to be in Cardiff. NOT SORRY.<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools.&#8221; CAN I GET AN AMEN, ANDERS.<\/li>\n<li>I <em>may<\/em> have hit on Anders immediately after this. Look, the option was there, I didn&#8217;t really get to hit on anyone in <em>Origins<\/em>, and by god, it&#8217;s going to happen this time around.<\/li>\n<li>Whoa, Anders approves +13 after I hit on him, and I leveled up to Moderate Willpower! I RULE.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What is Smuggler&#8217;s Cove and why is there a door in the floor?<\/strong> Oh shit, I want to go down there. I WILL FIND A WAY.<\/li>\n<li>GODDAMN IT, NOW I CAN&#8217;T. Constable Aiden wanted to talk to me, and he wants me to take out the smugglers. Initially, I thought, &#8220;Hey, cool, the game is making me choose between these two groups.&#8221; And then I walked near a merchant AND A BUNCH OF SMUGGLERS ATTACKED ME. Apparently I&#8217;m hostile <em>on sight<\/em> to them. Bah. Oh well! I guess I&#8217;ll do the &#8220;Law and Order&#8221; mission instead.<\/li>\n<li>Wait we need to talk about this:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-31.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-508\" title=\"Screen Shot 3\" src=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-31-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-31-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-31-300x168.png 300w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-31.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why does this person have cornrows <em>and<\/em> locs? No. Oh god, what the hell. Like, the <em>Dragon Age<\/em> world is really white, so while this person appears a shade darker than most, it still looks awkward.<\/li>\n<li>OKAY, SO AMARANTHINE IS SO HUGE. Oh my god, there are so many people to talk to, I picked up at least ten more quests, and then this:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-42.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-509\" title=\"Screen Shot 4\" src=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-42-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-42-1024x576.png 1024w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-42-300x168.png 300w, http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Screen-Shot-42.png 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>WYNNE, MY LOVE, YOU ARE ALIVE AND WELL AND \u2013 <em>did you just give me another quest? <\/em>OH MY GOD.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Twenty-two quests, y&#8217;all. I would not be surprised if I gained ten more in the next hour.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Mark Links Stuff<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; You can follow me on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/markdoesstuff\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0for any updates and live commentary on upcoming reviews I\u2019m writing.<br \/>\n&#8211; You should read this\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2012\/10\/hello-mark-does-stuff-community-lets-discuss-things\/\"><strong>very important post<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0about supporting Mark Does Stuff!<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markdoesstuff.com\/product\/mark-reads--video\" target=\"_blank\">Video commissions are just $25! You can commission me to read, watch, or play anything for current, past, or upcoming projects right here!<\/a><br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2012\/10\/mark-reads-harry-potter-and-the-half-blood-prince-is-available-for-purchase\/\">I have just released\u00a0<em>Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince<\/em>\u00a0for $4.99!<\/a><br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/category\/the-shoebox-project\/\">I\u2019ve started reading\u00a0<em>The Shoebox Project<\/em>\u00a0for Mark Reads<\/a>, the first fanfic \u201cseries\u201d I\u2019ve ever covered!<br \/>\n&#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/markreads.net\/reviews\/2012\/11\/mark-reads-harry-potter-books-available-in-paperback\/\" target=\"_blank\">Both\u00a0<em>Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0<em>Half-Blood Prince<\/em>\u00a0are now available in paperback form!<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the third hour of Dragon Age: Awakening, I SHOULD HAVE NEVER SAID THAT I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH QUESTS IN THE LAST REVIEW BECAUSE THAT WAS THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF MY LIFE. Intrigued? Then it&#8217;s time for Mark to play Dragon &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/2012\/12\/12\/mark-plays-dragon-age-awakening-hour-3\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[64,48,31],"class_list":["post-505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-dragon-age","tag-awakenings","tag-dlc","tag-mark-plays-dragon-age"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=505"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":511,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/505\/revisions\/511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.markplays.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}