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Topics - Captain Jean-Luc

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[float=left][attach=1][/float]No, seriously.  The long-awaited Half-Life 1 fan remake is, after a 7 year development cycle, finally going to be released to the public on September 14.  For those of you who are not familiar with this project, a very talented group of fans set out to completely remake the original Half-Life and bring both its visuals and gameplay into the modern era of gaming.  They've assaulted us with teases over the years, but a long period of total silence from the team had most people fearing that the game was now vaporware and would never see the light of day.  Fortunately, that is most definitely not the case.  Get your crowbars and HEV suits, it's time to return to Black Mesa. 

DISCLAIMER:  This early release will NOT include the portion of the game on Xen, nor will it include the multiplayer component.  These will both be released at a later date, as the team is expanding both elements from the original game.

Visit the Black Mesa Source website and buy/download the soundtrack! 

2
News / Mass Effect 3 Extended Cut Releases on June 26th
« on: June 22, 2012, 08:17:32 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]That's right folks, the much discussed Extended Cut DLC for Mass Effect 3 that promises to add "clarity and closure" to the existing ending of the game is set for release merely 4 days from now.  Though very little info was released by Bioware in regards to the content of the ending (likely for spoiler purposes), what we do know is that the download will be a whopping 1.9GB and that it will also provide what appears to be a fully animated epilogue to the series.  Bioware is telling players that in order to experience the full breadth of the changes to the ending, players should start playing again before the assault on the Cerberus HQ.

The DLC releases on Tuesday, June 26th for Xbox 360, PC and Playstation 3, and will arrive on Playstation 3 in Europe on July 4th.

More info at masseffect.com

3
News / Today's Greatest Thing Ever: Comic-Con Movie Mashup
« on: May 26, 2012, 05:44:17 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Seriously, this is magical, even if it's not necessarily videogame related.  At the Emerald City ComicCon, a group of some of the most prolific voice actors in the entertainment industry got together for what's known as a "table read" for some of the most famous movie scripts in Hollywood, such as The Wizard of Oz, Silence of the Lambs, and Star Wars IV: A New Hope.  The twist is that they read all of the lines in-character, using the voices that they made famous.

The voice actors in question (from left to right) are: Kevin Conroy (Batman), John DiMaggio (Bender, Marcus Fenix), Billy West (Bugs Bunny, Fry), Jess Harnell (Captain Hero, Wakko), Tara Strong (Rikku, Twilight Sparkle), Maurice LaMarche (Kif Kroker, Morbo), and Ron Paulsen (Pinky)

ECCC 2012: Star Wars Trilogy: The Radio Play - Official Video

Let me just put this in perspective:  in the first scene of the Star Wars table read, Kevin Conroy (Batman) narrates the opening crawl, followed by Tara Strong (as Bubbles) voicing Darth Vader, with Ron Paulsen (Pinky) as a Stormtrooper, Jess Harnell (as Adam West) for the Captain, and John DiMaggio (as Jake) voicing Princess Leia.  It's 80 minutes long, and it's the best thing ever.  And that's just the first video.  The second video is The Wizard of Oz and Silence of the Lambs, and it's after the break.[cutoff]

ECCC 2012: Voice Actor Movie Mash Up (Emerald City Comicon 2012)

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News / Mass Effect 3's Launch Trailer is Here!
« on: March 02, 2012, 08:09:25 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]This is it folks.  With less than four days until Mass Effect 3's North American release, they've pulled out all the stops and released their launch trailer complete with action, explosions, drama, sex and, you know it, Two Steps from Hell.  Take a look after the break[cutoff]

Mass Effect 3 - Launch Trailer

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News / Amazon is having EA-Week. Today's Deal: Dragon Age
« on: January 16, 2012, 06:09:57 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Hey folks. 

Looks like Amazon is joining in on EA's weeklong sale fun, and they've got a hell of a deal today.  You can pick up Dragon Age Origins (Ultimate Edition with all DLC) AND Dragon Age 2 for a combined price of $11.99.  If, for some reason, you have not played this series yet, now is a hell of a good time to jump in.  Also, if you bought a game on Amazon during their holiday sale, you get an additional $5 off.  That's two massive RPGs for $6.99.  Hard to go wrong here.

You can find the sale here

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News / Rumor: Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Confirmed. Again.
« on: October 10, 2011, 01:07:38 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]  That's right, folks, Mass Effect 3's multiplayer component has been outed again, this time by Australia's PC PowerPlay Magazine.  The rumors of Mass Effect 3 having multiplayer added have been around pretty much since Mass Effect 2 came out, and multiple sources have continued to stoke the fire.  There are a couple of things that are different about this reveal, however.  First, this is not a scan of a magazine cover, a crappy photoshop job, or an obscure magazine; PC PowerPlay has listed this information directly on their website, along with the image of the magazine cover, which will be in stores on October 19th.  Second, many of the comments I've seen are saying that PC PowerPlay are a very reputable magazine in Australia, so the chances of them throwing up a false story simply to rake in sales seems unlikely.

UPDATE:
  Casey Hudson has confirmed that Mass Effect 3 will have a co-op multiplayer mode. [cutoff]

I can't say I'm all that fond of adding multiplayer to a series that really doesn't need it, but if Bioware can demonstrate that the addition of multiplayer does not affect the quality of the singleplayer campaign even the slightest bit, I guess worse things could happen.  Still, it would be nice if Bioware could put these rumors to rest by either confirming or denying them, rather than letting the internet work itself into a rage-filled frenzy. 

Via PC PowerPlay

7
News / EA Updates Origin's EULA Following Outcry
« on: September 17, 2011, 01:02:45 AM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]As of late August, EA has updated the very controversial EULA clause that allowed them to spy on users computers and even sell the information to third parties, should they so desire.  The revised clause is as follows:

Quote
“EA would never sell your personally identifiable information to anyone, nor would it ever use spyware or install spyware on users’ machines. We and agents acting on our behalf do not share information that personally identifies you without your consent, except in rare instances where disclosure is required by law or to enforce EA’s legal rights.”

Many gamers are undoubtedly still worried about upcoming games that will require EA's proprietary service, but this should help to lessen fears.  While EA would have been stupid to not update their contract, it's good to see that, for now, EA has fixed this rather embarrassing problem.. 

Via BF3blog

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News / EA's Origin Kicks Things Off with a Massive Sale
« on: July 30, 2011, 04:03:23 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float] For those of you who don't know, EA has recently unveiled their hopeful competitor to Steam's distribution platform, which they call Origin.  It's been met with mixed reactions and a lot of animosity, so EA is trying to sweeten the deal with an utterly massive sale on 36 fairly major titles and expansions.  All 36 games are down to a pleasant $4.99 until the end of Sunday, July 31st, so now's a good a time as any to pick up any of the games you may have passed over. 

The sale is on Origin's own site, which you can find here.

For a full list of the titles on sale, click read more[cutoff]

TITLES ON SALE (All titles are $4.99):
Battlefield 2142
Battlefield 2 Complete Collection
Battlefield Bad Company 2
Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Medal of Honor: Hot Zone Map Pack
Spore
Spore: Creepy & Cute Pack.
Spore: Creature Creator
Mirror's Edge
Create
The Sims 2: FreeTime
The Sims 2: Double Deluxe
The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
The Sims 2: Apartment Life
The Sims 2: Glamour Life Collection
The Sims 2: Best of Business Collection
The Sims 2: University Life Collection
The Sims 2: Pet Stories
The Sims 2: Castaway Stories
The Sims 2: Life Stories
My Sims
Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3: Uprising
Command & Conquer Red Alert 3
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
Littlest Pet Shop
Need for Speed: Carbon Collectors Edition
Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box
Need for Speed: Undercover
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Sim City Societies
Sim City 4


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News / Good Old Games is Also Having a Sale!
« on: July 02, 2011, 07:11:01 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]This sale actually began on June 26th, but better late than never!  Good Old Games is currently running one of their summer promotions that has resulted in substantial discounts on a number of great titles.  Currently on sale are:

BattleChest Special Edition   
Castles & Castles 2             
Conquest of the New World 
Descent 1 & 2                     
Descent 3 & Expansion       
Die By the Sword               
Earthworm Jim 1 & 2           
Earthworm Jim 3D             
Evolva                               
F/A-18E Super Hornet       
Fallout                             
Fallout 2             

To see the rest of the sale titles, as well as my recommendations, please click Read More[cutoff]               

SALES (Continued):
Fallout Tactics                   
Freespace & Expansion       
Freespace 2                     
Giants: Citizen Kabuto       
Invictus                           
Jagged Alliance 2               
Kingdom: The Far Reaches
Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader
M.A.X. 1 & 2
MDK
MDK 2
Messiah
Redneck Rampage Collection
Sacrifice
Screamer
Shattered Steel
Shogo: Mobile Armored Division
StoneKeep
VR Soccer '96

All of these are on sale for $2.99

Earthworm Jim 1 & 2
One of the best side-scrolling platformers ever made, Earthworm Jim is filled with quirky humor, beautiful artwork and great level design.  It's a shooter, first and foremost, but it combines those mechanics with a lot of very fun (and challenging) platforming elements.  It's an older game but it's an absolute classic, and for $2.99 it's a steal. 

Fallout 1 & 2
This is where Fallout started, folks.  While certainly not as flashy as its modern incarnations (the visual pallete is basically brown, brown and more brown), the actual structure of the game will feel familiar.  You can still travel the landscape, finding other inhabitants and completing quests for them in order to gain Karma and Experience Points.  Combat is turn-based, unlike the modern games, but you can still fight in a variety of ways, ranging from melee to ranged combat. 

Giants: Citizen Kabuto
This 3rd person shooter is a wonderfully hilarious romp through a piece of paradise known as "The Island."  Your character is of a race called the "Meccs," and you crash-land onto this planet.  Little do you know, the local inhabitants are fighting against one another, and you're going to get caught right up into it.  Really, this game is worth it for the comedy alone.

MDK 1 & 2
MDK is also a third person shooter, developed by Shiny Entertainment.  The premise is your typical "Save the Earth from invading aliens," but you get to do so with a parachute and a helmet-mounted sniper rifle.  It's great fun and filled with Shiny's typical humor.  MDK 2 is the sequel, obviously, and this one was actually developed by Bioware.  Yes, THAT Bioware.  The sequel introduces two new playable characters and Bioware's trademark writing.

Sacrifice
This is, bar none, one of the best RTS games I have ever played, and also one of the most unique.  The gameplay takes place from a 3rd-person perspective, where you play as your team's wizard (or commander, in RTS terms).  The objective in each match is to wipe out the enemy's base, which you do by sacrificing one of your units at the enemy's altar.  In order to accomplish this, wizards must gather two resources: souls and mana.  Souls are required to summon creatures that fight at your side, while mana is used to both summon creatures and cast spells.  There are 10 levels of spells and 9 levels of creatures, and you can easily gain all 9 levels in a single match.  This results in intense and chaotic battles as more powerful creatures and spells do battle.  Some spells are so powerful that they can quite literally change the environment.  There are five different "Gods" to which your wizard can be faithful to, each with their own spells and creatures.  All of these wildly different "Gods" are insanely well balanced, so no player is at a disadvantage just because they chose the wrong army.  There's both singleplayer and multiplayer available here, and the singleplayer has a remarkably good story and the ability to import your SP wizard into multiplayer.


If there's one game I recommend, it's Sacrifice if for no other reason than for a bunch of us to play it :P


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News / Team Fortress 2 is Free. Permanently. Go Play it.
« on: June 24, 2011, 04:23:12 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Yes, you heard right, Valve has decided to make Team Fortress 2 a completely free game, supported entirely through microtransactions, such as their hats.  It's a surprisingly generous move for a game that's only a little over 3 years old, but they're also making a fortune with their DLC hats and weapons, so I suppose it makes sense.  Anyways, the game is still fantastic so I highly recommend you all give it a shot if you can.  I would like to note that this is for PC only

In addition to this news, Valve has finally released a new "Meet the Team" video, and this time we're dealing with the Medic.  Check out the video after the break.[cutoff]


Meet the Medic

11
[float=left]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bINUfbLV_0M[/float]Well this was unexpected, though in hindsight it was probably inevitable (and, as such, is awesome).  The 3ds remake of Ocarina of Time is due for release on June 19th, and Nintendo has been quietly yet steadily increasing the marketing campaign.  The latest advertisement features the beautiful Zelda Williams and her father Robin "Epic Beard Man" Williams having a cute little father/daughter moment.  Given Zelda is more or less a household name at this point, it's a great little advertisement that appears to show two generations connecting together.  Not much of the actual game is shown...but the vast majority of people buying it know what they're in for. 

For those of you interested in the game, it is pre-order only.  Nintendo is only making enough copies to fill the requested orders, so don't expect to be able to walk into a store and just pick it up.

To the left is the advertisement that will air on TV.  You can find a full 4 minute interview with Robin and Zelda Williams after the bump.[cutoff]













Robin Williams and daughter Zelda talk about their love for Ocarina of Time

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Reviews / Captain on Deck!: Mass Effect 2 Review
« on: June 07, 2011, 07:25:48 AM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Note:  This review will contain some minor spoilers from the game's introduction.

When the first Mass Effect was announced, I was very skeptical of what it promised. It wasn't the story or the gameplay that caused the doubt but rather how the game presented itself.  The innovative conversation system looked and sounded great in teasers and tech demos, but I honestly couldn't see such an ambitious effort succeeding so I relegated the game to the bin of obscurity (I wasn't familiar with Bioware at this time). After hearing the onslaught of positive reviews praising Bioware's success with the dialogue system, I decided to pick it up. My expectations weren't very high when I began; I was fully expecting that the game would be merely a decent RPG with unfulfilled promises of grandeur.  Instead, I was treated to an extraordinary sci-fi universe filled with compelling characters and in-depth canon, backed up by the best conversation system I had ever seen.  The combat mechanics were competent at best and some of the RPG elements needed some tweaking, but the ending still left me hungering for more.[cutoff]

You can imagine my excitement when the first bits of information for Mass Effect 2 started flowing onto the internet.  After the first teaser, I eagerly ingested every scrap of information I could find. It wasn't until I watched the impossibly epic launch trailer that I thought about what I was doing; I was setting myself up to be disappointed.  There was no possible way Bioware could live up to the massive amounts of hype they had produced. Well, to my (pleasant) surprise, they succeeded...mostly.

For those unfamiliar with Mass Effect 2's premise:
Spoiler for Hiden:
Mass Effect 2 once again puts you in the boots of Commander Shepard of the Alliance Navy. An action-packed introduction sequence sets the scene as your ship, the Normandy, is destroyed by an unidentified vessel and Shepard is killed in action. Shepard is resurrected by Cerberus, a human-supremacist group, who ask only that Shepard use his skills to eliminate the threat of the Collectors who have been harvesting hundreds of thousands of human colonists for some unknown purpose. Shepard must gain the trust of his allies if he wishes to survive passing through the Omega 4 relay and eliminate the Collector threat once and for all.

Unlike the original, Mass Effect 2 starts with a bang. The first ten minutes are pure cinematic genius and it does a great job of drawing the player in quickly. Shepard's immediate death and subsequent resurrection felt somewhat contrived, almost an excuse to change your class or facial appearance, but it ended up working surprisingly well as a device to drive the early parts of the plot, so I won't bash it too much.  We quickly learn that an enigmatic alien race known as the Collectors are abducting hundreds of thousands of human colonists for some unknown purpose, and this becomes the overall plot of the game.  Unfortunately, this is not handled as strongly as it could have been.  The Collectors appear only a handful of times during the course of the entire 30+ hour experience, though I will give Bioware credit for making those encounters some truly exceptional ones.


And this is just the introduction sequence.

This “fault” is fortunately overshadowed by Mass Effect 2's plot structure.  Unlike its predecessor which focused on epic scope and a strong central narrative, Mass Effect 2 is predominately a personal, character-based story.  Roughly 70% of the storyline is devoted to recruiting your squadmates and getting to know them, and this is where the game really shines.  Old faces Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Garrus Vakarian, Jeff “Joker” Moreau and Doctor Chakwas make welcome returns and the new arrivals fit in nicely.  Mass Effect 2 puts a much heavier emphasis on character development this time around and it really pays off on the loyalty missions you have to complete in order to gain the squadmate's trust.  While largely separate from the main story, most of these missions are masterfully written and voice acted, and they do an exceptional job fleshing out subplots that were introduced in the previous game.  For example, in Mass Effect 1 we learned that a race of humanoid aliens known as the quarians were chased off of their homeworld and driven to near-extinction by a sentient race of A.I's known as the geth, whom the quarians created.  In Mass Effect 2, this is brought heavily into the spotlight through the characters and, while I won't spoil it, events that transpire near the end of the game will force you to question everything you thought you knew about the two alien races. 
Unfortunately, the decision to focus the story on the squadmates is not without its issues.  The game has 12 squadmates, including the two DLC characters, and the writing quality varies from person to person.  Most of them are very well-written, especially Tali, Mordin and Legion, but some characters, such as Miranda, Jacob and Zaeed, unfortunately fall a little flat.  That's not to say they're poorly written, far from it, but they have the unfortunate tendency to fall too heavily into archetypes.  Miranda is your typical cold-hearted agent with a carefully guarded inner core while Zaeed is a one-note badass war veteran.  They all open up substantially in their loyalty missions, but they feel formulaic relative to the other characters.  Fortunately, every squadmate is incredibly well voice acted and this goes a long way towards making the player feel a connection.


You'll be spending a lot of time getting to know these guys.

As I said earlier, the Collectors are thrown into the mix at pre-determined areas and this does a good job of breaking up the storyline between your squadmates and the greater threat. All of this is leading up to the final mission which is aptly described as "suicidal" and Bioware actually means it. You need to put in a decent effort if you want to make it through the mission, let alone come out of it with with your entire squad still alive. This preparation consists partly of upgrading your ship and your weapons and the game can and will punish you for not doing so.  Even more important to the success of the mission are the decisions you make along the way and they are almost never black and white. This is one of the game's main strengths because it forces you to really question what you're doing and if it's the right choice. More than once I was punished late in the game for some foolish decision I made earlier and the game isn't shy about brutalizing you for it.

For those of you with a completed Mass Effect save, you can import your character into Mass Effect 2 and every decision you made before is recognized on one level or another here. The implementation of this is thankfully not "in your face," at least not all the time. There is a lot of subtlety to be found here, whether it's a simple e-mail from a character you rescued or a conversation with a familiar face. While most of them aren't important to the main plot, this level of player-created continuity between the two games is unprecedented and it constantly reminds you that your actions actually make a difference, however slight.  It's an astonishing accomplishment and Bioware should be congratulated for keeping their promise.  That said, the game does suffer a bit for being the middle-child in a trilogy so most of the decisions made in the previous game do not have a substantial impact on the overall narrative.  Fortunately, the upcoming Mass Effect 3 looks to rectify this, and the loading screens constantly remind you that your decisions will have dire consequences in the final game.

Now then, I could spend this entire review talking about the storyline and characters but let's get onto the make or break portion of a game: the gameplay.  Mass Effect 1 suffered from several major flaws; The AI was borderline retarded, the MAKO (your vehicle) made me want to break down and cry at times, some of the sidequests were utterly pointless, and the shooting mechanics weren't nearly as polished as the games they derived from.  Mass Effect 2 does a lot to fix these problems, especially in battle. The mechanics are still clearly inspired by Gears of War, though it does a better job of emulating it this time.  The friendly AI is much improved and this has to be one of very few games I've played in which my squadmates will actually advance on their own instead of standing around like a bunch of idiots. AI also tend to use their powers responsibly instead of waiting for me to tell them how to fight, and the enemies put up a suitable challenge. The actual gunplay is vastly improved over the first game, owing heavily to the introduction of thermal clips. While illogical, (why would anyone go from infinite ammo to finite clip-based?) the benefits to the shooting mechanics are obvious. No longer are you allowed to pick a favorite weapon and use it solely for the entire game; you actually have to think about what you're doing and make every shot count. Ammo isn't exactly sparse but if you don't place your shots properly you run the real risk of getting overwhelmed. 


The revamped HUD which, unfortunately, I am not a big fan of. I hope Bioware brings back the old design.

I have a few major gripes with the combat however.  For one, I've never been a fan of regenerating health in games that can't logically explain it so it's very disappointing to see it here when Mass Effect 1 had a perfectly good system.  It makes the game feel arguably less challenging and it removes some of the tactical gameplay I enjoyed in the first game. I'm also not a big fan of the new HUD as it doesn't give me the information I want. There is no way of telling exactly how my squadmates are doing and the new “powers” system isn't all that great. I very much miss the independent cooldown timers from Mass Effect 1 and this new system just comes across as streamlining to a fault. I also miss having a radar to tell me where the hell my enemies are but the lack of it never led to too many problems. I do like the ability to switch ammo types on the fly though, something that the original was sorely missing.  Overall, the combat is substantially improved from the first game and often a lot of fun but it needs a considerable amount of work if it wants to stand up with the best.

Another portion of gameplay that you'll spend time with is resource gathering and I'm saddened to say that it's quite boring. It consists of scanning planets and launching probes when you see a particularly large spike in a certain resource.  It's the same for every single planet and this grows old very, very quickly. It would be nice if Bioware could come up with a compromise between resource collection and the open-ended exploration the MAKO and have it delivered in time for Mass Effect 3 but as it stands now, mineral scanning is a necessary evil. While tedious, it's a requirement if you want to even think about surviving the final mission and the upgrade benefits you can grab for your weapons and armor are often worth the dullness. Another positive attribute to this mini-game is that you will occasionally stumble upon "anomalies" which lead to on-foot sidequests. The sidequests are generally well designed and, in my opinion, vastly preferable to the copy-pasted missions with the MAKO in the first game.


While occasionally addictive, resource collection quickly becomes a chore.

When you're not shooting things or gathering resources, much of your remaining time will be spent having conversations with other characters and this is arguably the core of the Mass Effect trilogy. More to the point, if you aren't a fan of lengthy conversations, even with interesting characters, you should probably avoid Mass Effect entirely.  Fortunately, the first game made a name of itself with its innovative dialogue system and Mass Effect 2 proudly continues this to great success. Every NPC you meet has an interesting (or hilarious) story to tell and are exceedingly well written. From the bartender on Illium to the mysterious and powerful Illusive Man, there is always something new to learn or someone else to meet and you owe it to yourself to explore this as much as you can.

Mass Effect 2 expands on the conversation system by adding “interrupts,” which will flash on the screen at crucial moments, and you can perform an immediate Paragon (good) or Renegade (hardass/ruthless) action based on the icon displayed. Some of the coolest and most touching moments in the game occur when you take advantage of this system and Bioware should be immensely proud for implementing it so well. Mass Effect 2 makes a smart decision and ditches the old plus/minus system (where points are subtracted from Paragon if you do a Renegade action) in favor of plus/plus (points are added according to your choices). This is much more realistic in my eyes because it really allows you to be a true Paragon or Renegade without having to worry about being “punished” for going against your established character.


The depth of the conversations you can have is staggering.

Of course, the incredible amounts of dialogue wouldn't be nearly as entertaining if it wasn't for the omnipresent and utterly outstanding voice acting. Mass Effect 2 contains some of the best voice work I've ever heard in a game, narrowly tied by games like Uncharted 2 and the Legacy of Kain series. Mark Meer (Male Shepard) and Jennifer Hale (Female Shepard) do a decent job of bringing your character to life though they have different ways of approaching the role. Meer portrays Shepard as a very calm, confident individual and a lot of players have taken this to mean he's monotonous.  While I'll definitely admit there are multiple occasions in which he sounds far too flat for the situation, he generally knows to use emotion where appropriate yet tries to stay in character, making sure that Shepard maintains who he is as a person despite the occasional outbursts he may have. Hale's approach is centered around providing subtle voice inflection and emotion to nearly every line she delivers. It's a drastically different interpretation of the character and it works quite well if that's what you want from Shepard. If there's one thing Hale certainly does better than Meer, it's during the romance scenes, specifically when the relationship reaches the climax. Meer tries, I'll give him that, but too often his come-ons come across as cheesy. When it comes down to it though, both actors generally do a good job at bringing Shepard to life and who your prefer really comes down to who you want Shepard to be, which is exactly how it should be in a choice-driven game.

On the other hand, Mass Effect 2's supporting cast are at a whole other level.  Damn near every voice actor is perfectly chosen and some of the performances are Oscar-worthy.  Liz Sroka (Tali'Zorah), Michael Beattie (Mordin Solus), Seth Green (Joker), Brandon Keener (Garrus Vakarian) and Martin Sheen (Illusive Man) are the standouts here and they bring their characters to a level of realism and depth that I rarely see in interactive entertainment.  The other characters aren't far behind and every single actor does a great job of giving their character a memorable personality. Bioware certainly knows how to pick talent as I can't think of more than a handful of lines that were poorly delivered, which is staggering when you consider the fact there is at least 12 hours of dialogue throughout the entire game. One of my personal favorite characters, Conrad Verner, makes a showstopping appearance about halfway through the game and the conversation you have with him is nothing short of brilliance.


One of the coolest NPC's in the game, this Illium Bartender is flat-out awesome.

In addition to the dialogue, the sound effects are done fairly well in this game. They aren't quite up to the level of the voice acting but the guns are punchy, the ambient noises are fairly well mixed and it all fits together quite nicely. The orchestral score is appropriate throughout the game and I notice the composer took a page from the recent Star Trek movie and it paid off really well. The reveal of the Normandy is very much like the reveal of the Enterprise and it sends chills down my spine every time I see it.  My big complaint with the sound comes fro-ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL...the repetition of the the phrases in combat. There are maybe 5 lines per character and you're guaranteed to hear them every single friggin battle. Honestly, I hope Bioware takes that and either tones it down or tosses it into the fiery pit from whence it came.

To compliment the top-notch voice acting and sound design, Bioware has created a universe with some utterly fantastic art design. Unreal Engine 3 is hard at work here in possibly its finest implementation to date, and the artists have managed to almost completely avoid the engine's tendency to put a bizarre and unrealistic gloss over every surface.  Every world you visit is completely unique; Illium is especially impressive, if a bit derivative of Star Wars, and it all contributes to one of the most fully-realized game universes out there. The characters are no exception to these high standards as each is exquisitely well-designed.  From the ornate cloth on Tali's bio-suit to the rough skin of the Krogans, everyone looks beautiful and unique.  That said, the visuals are not without fault.  Environments have the unfortunate tendency to feel sterile, as there is very little clutter and “life,” for want of a better word.  Textures, especially on characters, can also be a bit of a let-down.  Given how often characters are seen in closeups, this can get pretty embarrassing, most notably when it comes to generic NPC's.  I know this is largely a result of the Xbox 360's limited texture memory, but it would have been nice for Bioware to include an option for high resolution textures on PC's that could utilize it.  None of this is game-breaking, but it is disappointing.
Fortunately, the animation is above-average, and it's nice to see more activity during conversations instead of being almost completely stationary like they were in Mass Effect 1.  I was also thrilled to see that Bioware has learned to take advantage of camera angles and Mass Effect 2 is much more cinematic for it. My only real gripe with the animation is that the lip-sync is occasionally a bit faulty and some of the animations where characters interact with the environment are flat-out embarrassing.  Fortunately, these flaws are few and far between and rarely detract from the overall experience.


One of many breathtaking locales.

Whether it's the unparalleled voice acting, the phenomenal art direction, the memorable characters or the entertaining (albeit imperfect) shooting mechanics, Mass Effect 2 really is a masterpiece. It's an emotional rollercoaster and an extraordinary sci-fi epic that continues to push the industry forward with its innovative storytelling and it's a damn fine shooter in its own right. The only flaws come from what I mentioned previously and while none of them are deal breakers, they do prevent the game from reaching the borders of perfection. If there is one thing I hope they don't change though, it's the unmatched camaraderie between Commander Shepard and his crew. Honestly, the only way to top what they've done is to take the entire crew to a bar and do karaoke to 20th century classic rock...hang on I'm gonna go e-mail Bioware.

In all seriousness, Mass Effect 2 is an experience and an event, one that I highly recommend to anyone looking for a deep and entertaining sci-fi RPG, and simultaneously one that I strictly forbid from those who intend to breeze through the game as fast as possible. You will regret it in more ways than one and you'd be doing a disservice to yourself and the developers. Once again, I am left here thinking about what Bioware can really do to top the experience Mass Effect 2 delivers but I've grown to trust them as developers.  The finale can't come soon enough.

Score
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

13
News / E3 2011: Ubisoft Conference
« on: June 06, 2011, 09:18:23 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Alright folks, times for the Ubisoft conference!  As always stay tuned for announcements.[cutoff]

Announcements:

5:30 - Show Begins
5:33 - Rayman Origins.  A very long live gameplay demo shows off the co-op gameplay and gorgeous 2D graphics.
5:42 - Aaron Priceman shows up on stage, being overly energetic.  He talks about Ubisoft's 25 year history for a while, and introduces Driver: San Fransisco.
5:49 - Aaron Priceman introduces Dan Haye and Jamie Keen from Ubisoft Montreal, who show off the world premiere of Far Cry 3.  The visuals are not too impressive, but the voice acting and animation is top notch.
5:57 - Aaron Priceman brings Randy Pitchford (CEO of Gearbox) on stage to announce the new Brothers in Arms.  It's definitely a more humorous take on the franchise, so we'll see how that pans out.
6:00 - Aaron Priceman introduces Ubisoft's next film-inspired game, Tintin.  The video has an interview with Stephen Spielberg and Peter Jackson, who are working directly with Ubisoft for the game.  I hate to say it, but it looks like your typical movie-to-game adaptation, by which I mean it doesn't look very good.
6:04 - Aaron Priceman introduces Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for a live demonstration.  It has 4-player co-op and a detailed interface.  And, for once, the graphics in a modern shooter are VERY colorful. 
6:19 - Anne Blondel-Jouin takes the stage to show off Trackmania 2 in an in-engine trailer.  The game will release this September.
6:25 - Aaron Priceman gets back on stage to introduce Rayman: Raving Rabbids for Kinect. 
6:29 - Aaron Priceman introduces Just Dance 3, which will be on all motion platforms.
6:33 - Rocksmith is introduced, which is similar to Guitar Hero except it plays like a real guitar, and can actually teach you how to play. 
6:36 - Your Shape Fitness 2 is revealed, and the "goal" is for all players to burn a combined 1 billion calories by playing. 
6:38 - Aaron Priceman gives the audience what they've been waiting for, and introduces Assassin's Creed: Revelations.  A CGI trailer leads the announcement, followed by a live demonstration.

14
News / E3 2011: EA Conference
« on: June 06, 2011, 07:30:15 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]At 3:30PM, the EA conference starts.  They will be opening the show with Mass Effect 3, along with Battlefield 3, SSX and a selection of sports titles.  Stay tuned, and click "Read more" for the announcements.[cutoff]

Announcements:
3:30 - Conference starts
3:31 - Mass Effect 3 teaser trailer opens the show. 
3:32 - Casey Hudson gets on stage to talk about Mass Effect 3.  A gameplay demo is shown, followed by a gameplay trailer.
3:40 - Need for Speed: The Run is demoed on stage.  It uses the Frostbite 3 engine, the same that powers Battlefield 3.  Series will have on-foot action sequences for the first time.
3:46 - Star Wars: The Old Republic is brought up on stage.  A CGI trailer is revealed, narrated by Jennifer Hale (naturally).  Very diverse locales are shown.
3:51 - Pre-rendered trailer of the new SSX is shown, with a release date of January 2012.  The game will have three gameplay modes: racing, trick mode, and survival.  It will allow players to ride on every major mountain range in the world.
3:54 - Time for EA Sports, beginning with FIFA 2012.  Matt Bilbey takes the stage to demo the new gameplay features, including tactical defending, precision dribbling and player-impact engine.
4:02 - Trailer for Madden 12 mixing live action and ingame footage.  The game will be more "emotion-filled," and will release in August.
4:08 - The Sims: Social is announced for facebook and, in the interest of complete honesty, made me lose about 1000 points of Faith in Humanity.
4:11 - Curt Shilling comes up on stage to talk about a new game called Reckoning and show a gameplay trailer.  Allegedly has 100s of hours of gameplay and fluid combat, with heavy emphasis on choice.  It is created by the same designer who created Morrowind/Oblivion. 
4:13 - Ted Price of Insomniac Games comes on stage to announce their new, multiplatform title.  The game is called Overstrike, and deals with a group of agents running around the world blowing up strongholds with wacky weaponry and their traditional blend of humor and action.  A CGI trailer is played, and it looks great.
4:18 - Battlefield 3 takes center stage to demo the new game engine, Frostbite 2.  It has an extremely advanced animation system which blends animations seamlessly together.  The destruction engine is also incredible, with the ability to take down whole buildings.  Visuals are unparalleled, likely becoming the best looking game in history. 
4:21 - Battlefield 3's first multiplayer demo.  The level takes place in Paris.  Environment is destructible, and the visuals are comparable to the singleplayer.  Battlefield 3 will also have BattleLog, where gamers can connect.  It's very similar to NFS Hot Pursuit's AutoLog, and it's 100% free.  Open beta is announced for September. 
4:22 - Battlefield 3 singleplayer demo.  It's...well, let's be honest.  It's incredible.  Release on October 25.
4:30 - Show ends.

15
News / E3 2011: Microsoft Conference
« on: June 06, 2011, 03:55:13 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]E3 is less than 10 minutes away now, with the Microsoft conference beginning at 12:30EST.  We're expecting plenty of Kinect-related news, as well as demonstrations of core titles and new reveals.  I will be updating this post periodically with all the new announcements, and we'll be linking trailers and creating in-depth news posts as more information becomes available.  Check back often, as I anticipate I will be updating this post a lot!  You can find more information by clicking "Read more."[cutoff]

Announcements (Eastern Standard Time):
12:00 - E3 officially begins.
12:03 - Ninja Gaiden 3 is shown, with plenty of blood, mechs and platforming.  Release is in Q1 2012
12:05 - Saints Row: The Third gameplay is displayed, with plenty of wanton destruction.
12:12 - Resistance 3 trailer is premiered, with gorgeous visuals and a bit of a Half-Life 2 vibe.
12:21 - Michael Pachter, industry analyst, talks about what Microsoft needs to do.  More core games, more relevance for Kinect, and hopefully an evolution of the Xbox 360 dashboard.
12:23 - Halo 4 possibly confirmed.

12:30 - Microsoft Conference begins.
12:31 - First gameplay footage of Modern Warfare 3.  Scuba-mission with a submerged tunnel.  Plenty of underwater naval warfare.  NYC is under massive attack.  Team of SEALS boards a foreign sub and launches its missiles.  Framerate is 60fps throughout.
12:41 - Don Mattrick takes the stage, talking about the future of Xbox.  Last year was the biggest year in Xbox history. 
12:43 - Crystal Dynamics takes the stage with the world premiere of Tomb Raider.  Beautiful visuals and extremely atmospheric, the demo shows Lara trapped in a cave, trying to figure out what happened.  A surprising number of quicktime events interrupt the gameplay, however.  Game has an Uncharted feel, with lots of set pieces and cinematic gameplay.
12:49 - Peter Moore from EA Sports takes the stage.  Tiger Woods 12, Madden 12, Fifa 12 and one other title will feature Kinect support.  Sims and Family Game Night 4 will feature Kinect support as well.
12:51 - Bioware arrives on stage to discuss Mass Effect 3.  Mass Effect will have voice recognition to chose dialogue options.  Gameplay demo takes place on Sur-Kesh, with Shepard rescuing a Krogan "princess."  Mordin, Garrus, Liara and Wrex are shown in-game, along with the Cerberus Atlas mech. 
12:56 - Ghost Recon Future Soldier takes the stage in a pre-rendered trailer.  The game will have an utterly massive amount of weapon customization, and Kinect support is also included.  Also includes Kinect-supported shooting mechanics.
1:02 - Xbox Live is being expanded, using Kinect to control the dashboard with your voice.  Music, Video, and Games are all still supported of course.  Youtube is coming to Xbox Live, as well as Bing search services.  Xbox Live will also bring live TV programs, including a built-in DVR.
1:08 - President of UFC, Dana White, takes the stage.  Xbox will have a devoted UFC program, with interactive features.
1:10 - Phil Spencer of Microsoft Studios takes the stage to introduce Gears of War 3 and Cliff Blezinski.  Cliff Blezinski and Ice-T take the stage to show off a level from the campaign.  A massive infected creature is attacking the city, and it's up to Marcus, Dom and Anya to figure out how to destroy it.
1:18 - New Crytek game is announced, taking place in Rome and featuring advanced Kinect support.
1:20 - Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is shown, which is a full remake of the original Halo, complete with polished visuals, gameplay and multiplayer.
1:21 - Forza 4 takes the stage, displaying Kinect support and a gameplay demo.  Visuals are ASTONISHINGLY good.
1:24 - Peter Molyneux takes the stage to announce the next iteration of Fable.  Like Ghost Recon, the Kinect support is impressive.  The game appears to be on-rails, with the movement support devoted to combat and world interaction.
1:28 - Phil Spencer takes the stage once more to announce Minecraft for the Xbox 360, as well as a remarkably detailed "game" that allows players to explore Disneyland.  It looks like crap.
1:32 - Star Wars Kinect takes the stage, and it looks surprisingly decent.  However, the gameplay has a good half-second delay between command and action, which is EXTREMELY disappointing.
1:38 - Tim Schaefer takes the stage to, surprisingly, announce a Sesame Street game.  It's...cute.
1:42 - Creator of Kinect takes the stage, and announces Kinect Labs, where users can find the latest Kinect innovations.  Finger-tracking and camera recognition is demonstrated through avatar creation, and a very cool "Sparkler" demo, where users can draw in full 3D.  New Kinect Sports is shown as well.
1:53 - Dance Central 2 is premiered, showing a continuation of the impressive mechanics they started last year, including multiplayer (finally).
1:56 - Don Mattrick takes the stage again, talks about how happy they are for the future.
1:59 - Halo 4 is premiered and closes the show.

16
News / E3 2011: Pre-Conference Announcement
« on: June 06, 2011, 01:15:10 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]Hello folks!  E3 2011 kicks off today and we've got a big day of news coverage ahead of us.  Today, we have a total of four press conferences, starting with the Microsoft conference at 12:30PM EST.  We will do our best to provide timely and accurate coverage of the event, and I know that I'm very excited to see what will happen today.  For the time being, we have set up a discussion thread, where everyone can discuss the show and all the exciting reveals. 

Today is going to be a big deal, with the following conferences (Times are in Eastern Standard):
12:30 - Microsoft Press Conference
3:30 - EA Press Conference
5:30 - Ubisoft Press Conference
8:00 - Sony Press Conference.

On Tuesday, we will cover the Nintendo press conference as well, which begins at noon EST. 

For now, you can find the discussion thread here.  Get ready folks, it's going to be a lot of fun!

17
Gaming Discussion / E3 2011 Discussion Thread.
« on: June 06, 2011, 01:09:36 PM »
Hello folks!  E3 2011 kicks off today and this thread will allow you to discuss all the exciting (and not so exciting) reveals!

On Monday, we have the Microsoft conference which begins at 12:30PM EST, the EA conference which begins at 3:30PM, the Ubisoft conference at 5:30PM, and the Sony conference at 8PM.  For now, feel free to speculate on what will be shown.  Try to keep discussion as on-topic as possible, and have fun  :sorcerer:

18
News / E3: Prey 2 CGI Trailer Looks Utterly Fantastic
« on: June 03, 2011, 05:45:52 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]E3 is only four days away, and Human Head Studios is getting an early start on things with this CGI trailer for the upcoming Prey 2.  The game follows the goofy-named Killian Samuels, who becomes a bounty hunter on an alien planet after being captured by the abduction event in the first Prey.  Early previews of the gameplay tell that it will be a first person shooter with parkour elements, a la Mirror's Edge or Brink, as well as a first person cover-system.

For more information on the game, PC Gamer.com has a nice preview.

Click "Read more" for the trailer.[cutoff]



















Prey 2 - E3 2011 Cinematic Trailer

19
News / Playstation Store to be Restored Next Week
« on: May 31, 2011, 07:51:39 PM »
[float=left][attach=1][/float]After more than a month and a half of downtime, Sony has officially announced the return of the Playstation Store.

After being hacked by an unknown hacker group, alleged to be Anonymous, the Playstation network was severely compromised, with reports that tens of thousands of users' personal credit card information was stolen.  Sony eventually decided to shut down the Playstation Network in its entirety, taking nearly a month to restore the online service.  Since then, users have been eagerly awaiting the return of the Playstation Store, which will once again allow DLC, game demos and other content to be downloaded once more.  Sony will also be releasing a "Welcome Back" package in the coming weeks, including 1-2 months of Playstation Plus for all users and a choice of two free downloadable titles, including Infamous, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout HD and Dead Nation. 

As someone who recently purchased a PS3 and have yet to use it online, I'm very much looking forward to the return of the Playstation Store so I can download PSOne Classics and get my Crash Team Racing on.

Via The Escapist.

20
Modding Discussion / [Mass Effect 2] High Resolution Texture Mod
« on: May 28, 2011, 01:45:10 AM »
You can find all the downloads for this modification at the far bottom of this post, past the demonstration screenshots. I will be uploading detailed comparison shots throughout the upcoming week in order to make the difference more apparent.


What is This Mod?
This modification is designed with the sole purpose of improving select textures (mostly for characters) in Mass Effect 1 and 2. When the game was released, character textures ranged from a resolution of 512x512 to 1024x1024. Because of this, many of the textures appeared to be pixellated or blurry. Much speculation has been thrown around as to why Bioware used these textures when they have sources of 2048x2048, and the most probable argument is the limitations in disc space and texture memory for the Xbox 360.

This mod aims to improve that. My goal was to massively improve character detail while keeping Bioware's fantastic design as intact as possible. Character textures now range from 2048x2048 to 4096x4096, which is 4x more detailed than the default textures. The modification comes in a several flavors, which I will explain below.

How Does this Mod Work?
Because Mass Effect 2 is not very mod-friendly, this mod requires Texmod, which you can download HERE. In order to get Texmod to work with Mass Effect 2, here are some steps for both Retail and Steam customers.

Retail (Disc):

1. Extract Texmod to a separate folder on your hard drive (ex: C:\Program Files\Texmod)

2. Create a sub-folder inside your Texmod folder called "Modifications" (or anything else you'd like, this is just for organizing.

3. To save time in the future, create a shortcut to Texmod's EXE on your desktop.

4. Open Texmod, and click on the folder at the top of the interface.  When it prompts, select masseffect.exe or masseffect2.exe for ME1 and ME2 respectively.  This tells Texmod what game to replace textures for.

5. To load a modification (or several), make sure Texmod is on the "Package Mode" tab, then click on the small folder icon in the center of the interface (directly to the left of "Created By...).

6. Choose what mod(s) you wish to use, then click "Open."

7. Click "Run" and you're ready to go!


Steam Users:

The process is very similar to Retail users, but there a couple steps you'll need to take in order to trick Steam into properly using Texmod.  MAKE SURE STEAM ISN'T RUNNING FIRST.  The steps below will be the trick itself; for the rest, use the steps outlined above:

1. Locate your masseffect2.exe (ex: C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\mass effect 2\Binaries)

2. Create a back-up of the exe and place it in a separate folder, just in case anything goes wrong.

3. Rename masseffect2.exe in "Binaries" to something like "masseffect2texmod.exe" or whatever you prefer.

4. Create a copy of texmod.exe in the ME2 Binaries folder, then rename it to masseffect2.exe so Steam recognizes it when loading the game.

5. Open Steam, then load Mass Effect 2.  Texmod should come up, and you can follow the same steps outlined for "Retail (Disc)" in order to load the mods you want.

What's the Difference Between "Optimized" and "Ultra" Textures?

Optimized

The difference between the two is much as it sounds.  The Optimized Pack is a complete compilation of all 10 Non-DLC squadmates (with Zaeed and Kasumi linked separately).  All characters in the optimized pack use a balance of 1024x1024 and 2048x2048 textures in order to achieve the best balance between quality and performance that I could achieve for this mod.  Exceptions to this are Tali and Garrus, who continue to use 4096x4096 textures.  The reason for this is that those two became very blurry when I lowered their armor to 2048x2048, and the trade-off simply wasn't worth it.

Benefits of the Optimized Pack:

1. Vastly improved loading time over the "Ultra" textures.  I clocked start-up time at just under five minutes, as opposed to the Ultra textures taking anywhere from 12-15 minutes.

2.  Balance between texture resolutions ensures that characters still look very detailed, even at half the resolution of what "Ultra" offers.

3.  In-Game performance appears noticeably smoother and more stable than the ultra-pack, with far fewer framerate dips and reduced loading times.

Ultra

The ultra pack is composed primarily of 4096x4096 textures for armor/body models and a mix of 2048x2048 and 1024x1024 for faces. These textures are the absolute highest quality I could make for this modification, though it does come with a couple downsides.

Known Issues with "Ultra Textures"


1. Because the textures are so high resolution, the Ultra textures have a MASSIVE loading time (anywhere from 10-15 minutes or so, depending on how powerful your system is).

2.  I've noticed stability problems with the ultra pack, resulting in brief game lock-ups.  That said, the game never crashed so it's not game-breaking.


If you can get past those two issues (which appear to be a problem with Texmod itself), then the ultra textures are the highest quality you can get.


Anything Else I Should Know?

As said above, no matter if you chose one modification or 20, optimized or ultra, there WILL be added loading time to start-up of the game.  During this time, the screen will go completely black while Texmod loads the textures.  DO NOT WORRY, as this is entirely normal.  All you need to do is be patient.

Secondly, the ultra textures are currently available only as separate packages for each squadmate/armor/NPC.  I will be releasing a combined pack for the 10 Non-DLC squadmates later on.

Lastly, Tali's mod comes in two flavors.  The difference between the two is minor, but the one labelled "w/face visible" is a little tweak I made that makes Tali's facial structure more visible than what the ingame presented.  Not everyone prefers this, so I made the option available to use high res armor and keep the default, barely-visible face.



CGI PROMOS*


*Not representative of final quality.


INGAME SCREENSHOTS



COMPARISON SCREENSHOTS

Coming soon...




DOWNLOADS

ULTRA TEXTURES (Squadmates)

Tali'Zorah w/visible face             Tali'Zorah w/default face
Jacob Taylor
Miranda Lawson
Garrus Vakarian
Legion
Mordin Solus
Zaeed Massani
Jack
Thane Krios
Kasumi Goto
Grunt

OPTIMIZED PACK (Non-DLC Characters):

You can download the pack here.  Remember, this does not include Zaeed or Kasumi's optimized textures, so you can select those below. 

OPTIMIZED (Separate Characters):

Garrus
Jacob
Jack
Kasumi
Legion
Miranda
Mordin
Samara
Thane
Zaeed

MISCELLANEOUS (OTHER RELEASES)

I have released other mods as well, which you can find here.



Casual Outfit: Cerberus "formal": Download Here.



DLC Kestral Armor: Download Here.




LotSB Liara T'soni: Download Here.



Normandy Uniforms: Download Here.




Shepard "Formal" Outfit: Download Here.



Doctor Chakwas ME1 Texture: Download Here



High Resolution Face for Sheploo (Mass Effect 1): Download Here.



High Resolution Face for Sheploo (Mass Effect 2): Download Here.



Default N7 Armor: Download Male Version Here
Download Female Version Here


Garrus ME1 Face fix Download here.






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