News:: Rime will seem very familiar to anyone who's ever played an indie puzzler before

Rime takes place in a quiet, mysterious world (that just might have a hint of danger!), contains no spoken dialogue, stars a young boy and his mystical animal companion, and has an ambiguous story that will be left up to interpretation. When the boy jumps, his arms flail about like he's trying to fight a million bees at once. There's a little bit of platforming tied into environmental puzzle solving. It's a very familiar game, is what I'm getting at here.

Don't misunderstand, Rime takes these familiar indie tropes and executes on them very well. The mysterious island in Rime is a desolate paradise that toes the line between inviting and unwelcome. It's a world I was more than happy to spend time exploring. I'm actually more interested in poking at this island's history than I am solving the game's puzzles.

If you're all the way done with the indie puzzle-platformer, nothing I saw during my time with Rime will convince you to return to the fold. But if you believe there's still gas left in this particular genre, you should find something to like in Rime's breezy "Greek-islands-meets-Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons" world.

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News:: Devolver Digital will be hosting demos for developers affected by the US travel ban

Donald Trump's "Muslim Ban" is hurting more than just families and US foreign relations. A few indie developers are finding themselves unable to attend the 2017 Game Developer's Conference (GDC) because of the executive order. As such, they have no way to demo their games to any US-based gaming media. Devolver Digital is picking up the slack and offering to demo any games for devs affected by this travel ban.

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News:: You'll be able to play Rocket League in real life very soon

Rocket League has been incredibly popular since its release over a year and a half ago. The simple concept and easy-to-start, hard-to-master gameplay have kept people coming back for more car soccer over and over again. Over 25 million people have played Rocket League, so it's little wonder that developer Psyonix is looking for some other ways to capitalize on this popularity.

We've reported before about real-life soccer balls patterned after the one you'll fight over in-game. But earlier today, we learned that Zag Toys is working with Psyonix to produce a line of pull-back racers based on the cars in the title.

There will be 12 cars in the first series, and VentureBeat reports that a limited number of the toys will come with codes for things like skins and other cosmetic items. The cars we know about so far are called Backfire, Dominus, Grog, Hotshot, Masamune, Merc, Octane, and X-Devil, but the other four haven't been given names yet. Each car will be packaged inside a Rocket Ball, though it's unclear whether you'll be able to set up shots with it. Zag Toys' website shows a launch date of Spring 2017, so you should see these cars available for purchase sometime very soon.

Rocket League becomes real with new toy line [VentureBeat]
'Rocket League' cars are the new hot wheels [Engadget]

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News:: MetaArcade showed me a choose your own adventure creator, and I ruined it

The first major disagreement I ever remember having with my first girlfriend wasn't about jealousy, it wasn't about a missed anniversary, it wasn't even about sex. Instead, it was about a person's natural ability to draw. She was an artist (still is, to the best of my knowledge), and she took some measure of offense to my idea for some kind of device that would allow people to overcome whatever barriers stood between their hands and the image in their head; to draw whatever they wanted at will.

To her, being able to draw was something that set her apart. It was something that made her special, and she understandably took pride in that. To me, it was about finding more seats at the table. Taking an extra step out of creation doesn't necessarily make everyone an artist; I mean this as inoffensively as possible, but everyone speaks a language and yet not everyone is a writer. Of course, there's always the ever-present concept of privilege -- a strong education can hone the innate skills of a budding wordsmith, but not everyone has access to those particular tools.

But even in a utopia, where every person started from the same point, not everyone is born with the need to create nor a vision they felt a burning need to execute, so I didn't really fully empathize with her fear. Look at video production, for example. YouTube is a wide-reaching publishing platform, everyone has phone cameras, and there are plenty of free video editing tools that should fit the needs of the prosumer. And yes, there are tons of bad videos clogging the pipes of the internet, but at the same time, there are creators have finding dedicated audiences, thanks in part to how easy it is to create video content. The democratization of tools is one of my favorite concepts of the modern era, and I've been dying for it to arrive in the video game sphere. Enter the MetaArcade Adventures Platform.

This is my very long-winded way of saying the MetaArcade Adventures Platform is another great step towards populist video game production tools, and I ruined it with my pee jokes.

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News:: Tracer's pulse pistols from Overwatch look dangerous

YouTuber LaserGadgets was inspired to make some weapons by last year's hit game Overwatch. The difference between the guns he made and those made by most other cosplayers is that his actually work.

Overwatch's breakout character Tracer carries a pair of pulse pistols into battle, rapid-fire weapons that can be reloaded by cycling the circular discs on the sides. The real life version is fully functional, using a blue laser with enough energy to burn a T-shirt or punch a hole through a CD case. The weapon features spinning discs on both sides and even sounds like the in-game gun when it's operating. The laser can be fired in pulse mode or changed to fire a continuous beam, and the creator shows it off by popping balloons, lighting matches, and setting fire to some targets he'd set up around his house.

The creator said that he'd like to make more weapons in this series, but said he needs the video to get more hits so he can buy materials. The next gun he'd like to build is Zarya's particle cannon, so spread the word.

LaserGadgets [YouTube]

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News:: Mafia III is getting three 'tightly-told' story expansions in 2017

Oh don't you worry, Mafia III is still getting that story DLC. There's a season pass, after all! Today, developer Hangar 13 outlined its release schedule for the three upcoming expansions:

Faster, Baby! (End of March 2017)

• "Fast cars, dramatic chases, and epic stunt driving take center stage as Lincoln joins forces with Roxy Laveau, a sister-in-arms out to take down a corrupt Sheriff terrorizing Civil Rights activists on the outskirts of New Bordeaux."

Stones Unturned (May 2017)

• "When a merciless rival resurfaces in New Bordeaux, Lincoln must join forces with CIA agent John Donovan to settle a blood feud that began in the war-torn jungles of Vietnam."

Sign of the Times (July 2017)

• "A string of ritualistic killings has New Bordeaux on the edge of terror. At Father James' request, Lincoln agrees to hunt down the cult responsible, a quest that will take him from the dark heart of the old bayou to the drug-ridden counterculture of the inner city."

Those estimated dates are liable to change, but that's the general time frame. Notably, the studio intends to make all three of these story add-ons "tight, focused" narratives. That seems well-advised.

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News:: Deal: 60% off Grand Theft Auto V for PC until tomorrow

It's 2017 and Grand Theft Auto V is somehow still above the $20 price tag for the PC digital copy. Unlike other triple-A titles that have long since descended into the $5 bargain bin price during seasonal sales, GTA V chugs on -- partly due to GTA Online.

If you still don't have the game in your library, until tomorrow we're actually spotting the lowest price to date for the Rockstar Social PC digital copy of GTA V. At $23.99, it's currently 60% off.

For those planning to go wild in GTA Online, the pricier bundles with Shark Cash Cards are also on sale, with the popular Great White bundle at $30 (60% off); Whale Bundle at $35 (64% off); and finally the giant Megalodon Bundle at $43 (68% off).

Before you scoff at the Megalodon deal, note that Rockstar used to sell the Megalodon Shark Cash Cards for $100 each -- and it's always a top seller whenever new content for GTA Online is released. Cash cow indeed.

GTA V Shark Card Bundle Deals

• Grand Theft Auto V Megalodon Bundle — $43.57  (list price $136)
• Grand Theft Auto V Whale Bundle — $35.79  (list price $99)
• Grand Theft Auto V Great White Bundle — $30.57  (list price $76)
• Grand Theft Auto V — $23.99  (list price $60)

Note: All deals above expire tomorrow morning at 11AM EST.

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News:: The PC port of Little King's Story is in a much better place now

Little King's Story? Great! A wonderful Wii game somewhat in the vein of Pikmin but with its own style and humor. Little King's Story on PC? That's another matter entirely. Summing up his assessment of the PC version, Patrick called it "playable" and noted that was "about as far as [he'd] be willing to go."

Thankfully, things are looking up. There's a substantial patch out today to address many of the issues plaguing the game and, notably, it was the work of port fixer extraordinaire Durante. He's written an in-depth blog post detailing the problems and his solutions. To briefly sum up the patch:

• A variety of optimizations for overall performance improvements.
• Added multisampling anti-aliasing, transparency supersampling anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering options.
• Implemented analog controls for Xinput-compatible gamepads.
• Improved 60 FPS mode by fixing simulation time progression rate, speed of many effects and object animations, and the movement speed of NPCs and animals. However, some scripted movements during boss battles might still be sped up or broken, so added a workaround where you can press "F1" to enable a temporary 30 FPS lock in 60 FPS mode.
• Replaced the game launcher with a new version with many usability improvements.
• Fixed save game playtime being calculated incorrectly.

Publisher Xseed has also marked Little King's Story down to $14.99 on Steam and the Humble Store for an extra push. This 40 percent off deal will last until Thursday, February 9. Worth considering!

Little King’s Story PC Relaunch - Guest Blog [Xseed Games]

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News:: Titanfall 2's new Live Fire mode goes pilot-only

These free Titanfall 2 content updates sure are appreciated. I hope they can continue!

Here's a quick peek at Live Fire, the upcoming six-on-six pilot-only mode and two accompanying maps. It's best of five, with 60-second rounds and no respawns, so good luck. Teams can win by either taking out the competition or by capturing and holding the map's neutral flag when the timer ends.

I'm not sure if this is my personal jam -- Respawn describes the maps as "tight, enclosed death boxes designed specifically for the fast-paced, intense nature of the mode" -- but Live Fire will appeal to someone, certainly. And that execution shown at the 0:13 mark should be a crowd-pleaser.

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News:: Yo-Kai Watch 2 won't make it to Europe until April 7

Nintendo has left European Yo-Kai watch fans hanging with a late-as-heck release of Yo-Kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits and Yo-Kai Watch 2: Fleshy Souls, and that wait will have to last a while longer yet.

Both versions of the creature-collecting RPG will be available in Europe on April 7, 2017, Nintendo has confirmed. "The second game doubles down on the idea of celebrating Japan when a lot of developers are shying away from it, and for that and more, it has my support," Chris said in his review.

I haven't played either of these yet, but I am fond of their evocative names. Did we do the whole Team Bony Spirits vs. Team Fleshy Souls rigamarole? Decisions, decisions. I'm tempted to side with the former title for, uh, no particular reason. No particular reason at all. Now, who's our team captain?

Nintendo of Europe [Twitter]

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News:: Black Canary finally gets her due in Injustice 2

One of the more glaring injustices of NetherRealm's Injustice: Gods Among Us was the lack of Black Canary. Despite being a huge deal in DC Comics, and one of the best parts of Justice League Unlimited, she's always getting forgotten or fridged like in CW's Arrow. But now she can get all sorts of payback now that she's been added to the Injustice 2 roster. 

With this debut gameplay on IGN, Black Canary seems like a powerhouse. Her super might be tame, but she has an ability to dodge projectiles in what's most likely going to be another projectile heavy game. I hope it's a general dodge and not something limited it to her special trait. Her up close grappling style might seem lacking in comparison to the other characters revealed so far, but I'm here for it. 

Injustice 2: Black Canary Gameplay Reveal Trailer [IGN First]

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News:: In-game photography makes me feel like a competent cameraman

I’m a terrible photographer. Everyone who knows me has come to accept this fact over the years. My hands are too restless. I can't frame my would-be subjects without getting flustered. Even a simple selfie – my favorite ironic or drunken photographic technique – winds up looking grainier than a Whole Foods. My inability to compose a meaningful picture would be comedic if it weren't so damn embarrassing. It's 2017, after all, and people carry powerful cameras in their pockets. I just can't seem to make anything look cool.

But I still appreciate good photography as much as I dream of snapping quality shots of my own. It's going to take a long time until I'm confident in my photographic skills, but I've found avenues of practice even in the digital world. There's been an influx of games that include fully working cameras, many of which have surprisingly robust photo modes. For an amateur shutterbug, the games that encourage players to get behind (or in front) of the lens have been a blessing.

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News:: 'Rocket League' cars are the new hot wheels

In Rocket League you slam around a Thunderdome-style pitch in hot rally cars while trying to smash a gigantic "rocket ball" into a goal... Basically, it's the perfect marriage of soccer and demolition derby. Now imagine bringing that into the real world with these new tiny replicas of the digital autos from the hit game itself.

Via: VentureBeat

Source: RocketLeague

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News:: The Last Guardian gets permanent $20 price cut

You've probably noticed The Last Guardian getting discounts on the Playstation Store and Amazon, but like me, assumed it'd be a brief sale over in a week. But according to Sony (confirming to Polygon), the discount is permanent. 

Down $20 from its original $59.99 price point, the now $39.99 valued game seems too good to pass up. I've been holding off on trying The Last Guardian myself, but after reading our review, watching some of it on Game Grumps, and this price cut, I'm in. 

It's a nice gesture too given its fans waited a million years for it. 

The Last Guardian gets a $20 price cut, and it's permanent [Polygon]

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News:: Skylanders Imaginators will not support vehicles or traps on Nintendo Switch

One of my favorite things about the Skylanders franchise is backward compatibility. You can take any toy from past games, even the very first, and use it in new iterations. I've used the same Double Trouble figure since 2011, which is amazing.

Sadly, the upcoming Switch version will actually eschew some of that, and depending on your collection, it impact you more than others. It's right there on the newly minted Nintendo website: "[Support] Excludes Traps and vehicles, which are not playable in the Nintendo Switch version of the game."

As a reminder you can use these two types of toys in other versions, and the vehicles actually play a huge part since you can use them in a separate racing mode across 12 tracks. It wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me, but it's something you should be aware of if your kid (or you, the parent) tries to bust out your shiny new figures on the Switch version.

Skylanders [Nintendo]

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News:: Final Fantasy XV PS4 Pro update coming in February, neat Exosuit DLC delayed

Square-Enix detailed some of their upcoming content for Final Fantasy XV during an Active Time Report live stream and, along with some of usual tidbits such as release dates, something really stuck out to me. 

First off, PlayStation 4 Pro is getting full 60 frames per second support, which will apparently not always run at 60 frames, but at a maximum of 60. Along with this, Final Fantasy XV will be getting limited time quests, a raised level cap (now 120 instead of 99, but experience points won't count toward it until after the update), an increased photo capacity, and you'll be able to use the music player while riding a Chocobo. All of this is coming February 21st. 

On March 28th, along with the releases of Episode: Gladiolus and Episode: Prompto, there will be an update to Chapter 13 and you'll be able to play as Gladiolus for some of it. But the most interesting detail to come out of all of this is that the cool looking "Magitek Exosuit" DLC will now be released at a later, unconfirmed date -- rather than February 21st -- for looking too much like Saban's Power Rangers. 

After being contacted by "the Power Rangers publisher" (which could be either license holder Saban or film distributor Lionsgate), the free suit DLC has been held off for a redesign since they shared too many similarities to the popular teenagers with attitude. Personally I thought they looked more like Mortal Kombat cyborgs than Power Rangers, but Saban's usually more concerned with idea than look. If the idea was to transform into a brief invincibility suit to make these strong boys more "powerful," than they probably saw fit to ask Square-Enix to change them. Expect the suits to lose the distinguishing colors too. 

Final Fantasy XV PS4 Pro 60 fps update launches February 21, Chapter 13 update on March 28 [Gematsu]

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News:: TumbleSeed rolls to Nintendo Switch this spring

Add another one to the list: the arcade-inspired roguelike TumbleSeed is coming to Switch this spring.

I've talked about the game a few times now, and I don't mind continuing to bring it up. It's a cool one. You have to help this little seed navigate pitfalls and enemies, but instead of having direct control over its movement, you cause it to roll back and forth by fiddling with the bar it's perched on.

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News:: After eight years in the making, Mega Man 2.5D is done and ready to download

It's pretty insane that I've been talking about Mega Man 2.5D for eight years now, but the little project that could is finally done. You can grab the official final build here from developer Peter Sjostrand, who had some help over the years. It's so much more than just a "Mega Man 2 remake," as it features new stages, extra bosses, a versus mode, a save feature, and a two player co-op option with Mega Man and Proto Man. You can also play as Proto Man whenever you want, solo.

This trailer makes me remember why I fell in love with the series in the first place. For a fan production it's so well done! I'm basically treating this like an official Mega Man release, and it's easily one of the most polished fan games I've ever played.

My younger self and my best friend, who I played Rockman The Power Fighters/Battles for the co-op element and Mega Man 7's battle mode with constantly would have killed for this.

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News:: Devolver will highlight games from banned nations at GDC

At the end of the month, developers from around the world will congregate in San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference (GDC). Or rather, that was the plan. This year that's not going to happen: President Trump's executive order on immigration established a blanket ban on residents from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, which was initially interpreted as including those with permanent residency in the US or dual citizenship. While courts have slowly been ruling against the order, the situation is still in flux, and the Trump administration has indicated it will continue to pursue the order's underlying aims.

The political situation has left several developers unable to attend GDC, unwilling to enter the US or unable to leave. Shahid Kamal Ahmad, current independent developer and PlayStation's former director for strategic content, said over the weekend that he was not going to the conference. He later clarified that "so long as any Muslim is banned from the US for no reason other than their religion," he would not attend.

Source: Devolver Digital

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News:: Nintendo Download: Fire Emblem Heroes

It feels weird listing mobile games in these Nintendo Download posts, but that's something I'm going to have to do two to three times a year, it seems. Out today is Fire Emblem Heroes on Android and iOS. Although the initial presentation weirdly tried to make it seem like an Android timed exclusive, it's actually out on both platforms without delay.

Oh, and you can also pick up Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World on 3DS, as well as Lifespeed and Legna Tactica. On Wii U we have Gradius, Bomberman '94, Star Splash: Shattered Star, I C Redd, and Lucentek Beyond.

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News:: NVIDIA makes it more difficult to resell bundled games

NVIDIA is putting the brakes on a cottage industry in consumer game code resales. Until now, if you got a free game with a card like the GTX 1080, you could redeem it on NVIDIA's web site and get a key from sites like Steam, Microsoft or Origin. Lots of users simply traded those keys, gave them away or sold them on eBay, effectively pocketing a tidy discount on the card. As PC Games N noticed, however, the company has introduced a new policy making that all but impossible.

Via: Ars Technica

Source: NVIDIA

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News:: Gravity Rush 2 just got its Phantasy Star Online collaboration

Sega just hit a milestone with Phantasy Star Online 2 on PS4, and it's celebrating with a collaboration with Gravity Rush 2. In Japan, naturally.

At first it just looks like a simple costume, but it also enables the incredibly cute birds (Rappy's), as well as treasure chests from PSO. The mash-up is out today for free from the Japanese PSN.

We also have the free Raven DLC to look forward to, which adds more story content. I'm really going to enjoy having excuses to boot this game back up again.

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News:: Minit is a charming indie version of Majora's Mask

Minit is like Majora's Mask; Minit is like Groundhog Day; Minit is like Westworld from the robots' perspective; Minit is like that one episode of Supernatural, that one episode of Doctor Who, that one The Adventure Zone arc -- it's a game where time resets after a certain point, forcing you to relive your past. Here, it's not a single day, or even a full hour. It's sixty seconds in real-time.

You'll "get" Minit fairly quickly, and I have to imagine that would be the case even if you've been living in an isolated tower somewhere and have never heard of the Groundhog Day loop. There's a counter ticking down in the corner of the screen, which is either a constant reminder of your own mortality in a subtle commentary on the finite nature of life or a setup for a great punchline where an old man very slowly natters to you as your clock inches towards zero once more, depending on who you ask.

I never felt like I didn't know where to go in Minit, which is a blessing for a game where your progress resets so often. There was always a clear path in my head, so it was only a matter of finding the most expedient way from point A to point B. For example, a bartender had something I clearly needed for the final run, but he also wanted me to get rid of the crabs littering the beach. In any other game, that would be a tutorial quest in a starting town. In Minit, it's a race against time.

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News:: Quirky Wii U game 'Project Giant Robot' has been cancelled

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be the last Nintendo-made game for the Wii U after all. If you were holding onto hope that the quirky Project Giant Robot would still grace the system, it was in vain. As Polygon reports, the build-your-own battle-bot demo has been scrapped and won't see the light of day. A representative said that the decision was made "after considering our overall product and development strategy."

Source: Polygon

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News:: Here are all the My Nintendo rewards you can get with Fire Emblem Heroes

Fire Emblem Heroes is out today on Android and iOS, and we'll be putting it through its paces to see if its microtransactions feel fair. In the meantime you can log into My Nintendo and grab some free rewards, at least one of which is related to said micros.

Just like Super Mario Run, you can earn Platinum Points by playing the game, as well as 10 Orbs, the premium currency used to buy new characters and more energy to play. The gist is simple -- if you link your account, you get the 10 Orbs. If you complete a chapter, you get 100 Coins for each clear (there are nine chapters).

You can also buy items with 100 Platinum Coins, from Universal Crystals, to Stamina Potions, to Light's Blessings, Dueling Crests, and Universal Shards. If only you could buy Orbs with Platinum Coins -- it would give My Nintendo an excuse to exist.

Missions [My Nintendo]

 

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News:: Classic racing series 'GTR' will return in 2018

It's taken more than a decade, but GTR 2, the game rightly lauded as one of the best racing sims ever, is getting a sequel.

The game's existence was announced via the Race Department forums (spotted by Eurogamer), and will launch next year for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While GTR 2 shot for accurate simulation, though, developer SimBim Studios UK is shooting for a broader audience with GTR 3.

Chris Speed, the CEO of SimBim's parent company Sector3, said the game will be a "proper simulation" but "needs to appeal to both sides" to succeed on consoles. Speed pointed to recent F1 games as an example of a way to appeal to the "hardcore racer" and the "casual gamer."

Via: Eurogamer

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News:: The Goonies 'r' Good Enough for LEGO Dimensions on May 9

WB has announced that come May 9 of this year, you'll be able to pick up three more LEGO Dimensions packs -- The Goonies Level Pack (Sloth and Chunk), the Harry Potter Fun Pack  (Hermione), and the LEGO City Fun Pack (Chase McCain). Wait, Goonies?! I totally forgot that they were announced months ago, and now they have their own level pack, nonetheless.

I always loved the scene where Mikey meets Willy. It's such an intimate part, especially when you're a kid. It's this eerie moment of a mutual, spiritual respect between a young boy and a dead pirate. When Sean Astin gasps after finally seeing him for the first time --  goosebumps.

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