News:: 'Wolfenstein' parody explores whether hurting Nazis is OK

Game developer Ramsey Nasser put a timely spin on classic MS-DOS game Wolfenstein 3D. "People have been asking if punching fascists is OK, " he wrote on Twitter, "so I made a game exploring that question." The result of his little project is Dialogue 3D -- it's still Wolfenstein, but every time you're about to shoot a Nazi, a dialogue box pops up. Before you can pull the trigger, you'll have to answer questions like "Is it OK to shoot Nazis?" or "Is it okay to deny fascists a platform?" or "Wouldn't peaceful protest be more effective?"

Via: The Verge

Source: Ramsey Nasser

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News:: The HoloLens version of 'Portal' jumps right into the real world

If the thought of immersing yourself in Portal in VR has already got your brain tied in knots, just wait until you step into the HoloLens version. Developer KennyW has successfully ported a basic rendering of Valve's wildly popular first person puzzle-shooter to play on Microsoft's augmented reality hardware, and the result is just as trippy as you'd expect. Since this is just a proof-of-concept, there are no puzzles to solve just yet, but it does turn a boring old office building into a mind-bending Aperture Science playground.

Source: Gaming subreddit

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News:: It looks like RPG Maker Fes for the 3DS will be heading to Western territories

Well, it appears as if RPG Maker Fes -- a version of the popular RPG Maker game creation software for the Nintendo 3DS -- is heading to Western territories courtesy of NIS America, if a recent listing on the Australian Classification Board's website is to be believed.

While NIS America has made no announcement relating to this software's availability in Western regions, Gematsu notes that it is very likely that it will be officially revealed during a press event that the publisher is hosting on February 17.

As the name would suggest, RPG Maker Fes allows players to build and customise their own role-playing games, which can then be shared using Nintendo's online services. These games can then be downloaded and played using an RPG Maker Fes Player application, which was freely distributed on the Nintendo eShop alongside the Japanese release of the full version of the RPG creation tool.

Should RPG Maker Fes come to the West, it is currently unknown as to whether or not the Player application will be freely distributed here, too. Nonetheless, this online functionality would at least give RPG Maker Fes a leg up on Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, which doesn't allow players to share the levels that they have created online.

For as much as I'd love to try this program out for myself, something tells me that I wouldn't be very good at RPG creation. I'd most likely spend a few hours tinkering on a project while on a train or laying in bed, only to wind up with something so terrible that I'd deem it unacceptable for distribution. I'd then wind up deleting the project out of shame, before repeating this cycle with countless other RPGs before I eventually give up and go back to playing Fire Emblem Fates.

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News:: AR games like 'Pokemon Go' need a permit in Milwaukee

Pokemon hunting is apparently a messy business. The Milwaukee County Board passed an ordinance requiring the creators of location-based augmented reality games like Pokemon Go obtain permits before using parks as in-game landmarks. Since it specifically targets game makers, it won't keep Pokemon players out of the parks, but it sets ground rules for developers who want to use them in their games.

Via: GamesBeat

Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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News:: Hearthstone's next dinosaur-riddled expansion may have leaked early

Blizzard had a great 2016; Overwatch was our game of the year, and I heard almost nothing but positive things about World of Warcraft: Legion. With all that going on, it'd be easy to overlook HearthStone, which also put out a couple of great expansions themed around a magical party and mythical goblin gangsters. According to a voice actress's resumé, it looks like the next expansion will take things in a prehistoric direction.

Lani Minella is a veteran voice actress who's provided voices for many of Blizzard's games in the past, including World of WarCraft, HearthStone, Diablo 1 & 2, and Starcraft. Her resumé was recently updated to show work on an unnanounced HearthStone expansion called Lost Secrets of Un'Goro. The resumé was later updated to remove reference to the expansion, but Reddit got a screenshot before the information was changed.

In HearthStone, each card has a voice line that triggers when you play it, and another that plays when you attack with it. Minella's credits included several species of dinosaur, which is appropriate if the expansion is based on the zone from World of WarCraft. The Un'Goro Crater dates back to vanilla WoW, and had a "Land of the Lost" theme that included massive dinosaurs, a volcano crawling with Fire Elementals, and other prehistoric beasts. There were also quests involving collecting various colors of power crystals, and several references to classic Nintendo games like Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, and The Legend of Zelda. Although the NPC Linken was removed during the Cataclysm expansion, Larion and Muigin still have a place in the Crater. 

Recent HearthStone expansions have gone back and forth between standalone story expansions like One Night in Karazhan and general expansions like The Mean Streets of Gadgetzan. If Un'Goro is indeed the next update for HearthStone, it should be a story expansion, meaning all players will be able to get the same cards at the same time without relying on random drops from card packs. 

Hearthstone: Lost Secrets of Un’Goro could be the next expansion coming later this year [VG 24/7]

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News:: The Binding of Isaac on Switch comes with cutesy stickers

Oh shit, there's stickers.

We had heard that The Binding of Isaac's physical Nintendo Switch version would come with a little "something special," and that set Brett off into a whole Se7en routine. Now, upon finding out that first-run copies of the game will have stickers and reversible cover art, he's forcing me to quote It's Always Sunny. He is a good friend. Do not send help. I am safe and well. I repeat, do not send help.

What's In the Box ?1?! [The Binding of Isaac]

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News:: World of Warcraft players can now exchange gold for Battle.net credit

Blizzard has expanded its WoW Token system in World of Warcraft to enable players to cash in their gold for Battle.net Balance. Now when you exchange your gold for a WoW Token, you'll be able to redeem the trinket for 30 days of game time as before or, alternatively, $15 USD in Battle.net credit.

Knowing that many of us split our time between multiple Blizzard games that feature items purchasable with real-world currency (or in this case, store credit), the new option is a smart move by the company. And even for the folks who play nothing but World of Warcraft, there's pets to consider.

The pricing might not necessarily work in your favor since the gold value of tokens is "determined dynamically based on supply and demand," but if you somehow have a bunch of them stockpiled and want a specific seasonal Overwatch skin, that's certainly one way to load up on Loot Boxes.

Trade a WoW Token for Battle.net Balance [World of Warcraft]

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News:: League of Legends pro Faker starts his Twitch streaming career with record-setting numbers

For most streamers, accumulating an audience is a grind. It takes years of slowly building a community, dedicating day after day to playing games in front of a camera. Eventually, they might have hundreds or even thousands of people tuning in to watch them. That's when they know they've made it.

League of Legends professional Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok says "nah" to all that. In his first ever Twitch stream, Faker set the service's all-time record for most concurrent viewers. As confirmed by Twitch, 245,100 people were tuned in at the same time to watch Faker play League of Legends this past Sunday.

This isn't the beginning of Faker's streaming career, though. He has streamed on Twitch competitor Abuzu for years now. That has seemingly ended. Twitch also announced a partnership that will see Faker and the entire SKT T1 team playing on Twitch for the foreseeable future.

It's an incredible first showing for Faker, and one that justifies Twitch's move to lock up the SKT team. Twitch is certainly happy with the numbers he's pulling, and fans are certainly happy with finally being able to see the world's best League of Legends player on a streaming service that they already frequent. 

Faker sets individual Twitch streaming record with 245,100 concurrent viewers [ESPN]

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News:: For Honor pre-order deals: PC and console roundup

Samurai, Vikings, and Knights... an episode of Deadliest Warrior? Nope, February 14's big release is For Honor, which as of today has opened up pre-loading for its upcoming open beta. The beta begins on February 9 for all platforms (PC, PS4, and Xbox One) and runs up until the game's launch.

If the game looks like a solid buy, there are many discounts available. In fact, if you know where to look, you can knock at the minimum 20% off no matter the platform of choice.

On PC you can check out GMG or GamersGate, where Uplay keys are going for 20% to 22% off. This beats the Uplay/Steam's standard $59.99 price and both are fully authorized distributors that include For Honor's pre-order bonuses. The deal is good for the cheapest Standard Edition all the way up to the most expensive Gold Edition.

PC For Honor Deals

GMG

• For Honor Standard Edition (Uplay) — $47.99 (list price $60)
• For Honor Deluxe Edition (Uplay) — $55.99 (list price $70)
• For Honor Gold Edition (Uplay) — $79.99 (list price $100)

GamersGate

• For Honor Standard Edition (Uplay) — $46.79 (list price $60)
• For Honor Deluxe Edition (Uplay) — $554.59 (list price $70)
• For Honor Gold Edition (Uplay) — $77.99 (list price $100)

Console For Honor Deals

Best Buy - Requires GCU Membership

• For Honor Standard Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• For Honor Deluxe Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $55.99  (list price $70)
• For Honor Gold Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $79.99 (list price $100)

Amazon - Requires Prime Membership

• For Honor Standard Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• For Honor Deluxe Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $55.99  (list price $70)
• For Honor Gold Edition (Xbox One, PS4) — $79.99  (list price $100)

On console there are two options for a 20% discount, but it's more complicated than the straight up savings for PC gamers. You can head over to Best Buy and snag a 20% discount on all versions if you're a Gamers Club Unlocked Member. This membership runs $30 for two years and gets you 20% off all pre-orders and newly-launched games (worth it if you buy a lot of titles as they come out for full price). A more expensive option is Amazon's Prime program, which also nets you a 20% discount on For Honor. Like PC, all versions -- Standard, Deluxe, and Gold -- get the discount.

For Honor Pre-order Bonus

If day one is in your game plan, the pre-order bonus includes three "exclusive hero" outfits in the "legacy battle pack." These aren't anything exciting and as far as we can tell are simply cosmetic skins, but at the very least they are not stuffing any exclusive content behind the pre-order wall.

For those with more money to spend, the Deluxe Edition includes:

• One execution mood effect
• Three helmets crests (woo)
• Additional content including the boost package and exclusive emblem

The Gold Edition includes all the above plus the game's upcoming Season Pass. We personally don't recommend paying extra for the Deluxe, as the only main perk is the in-game execution mood effect.

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News:: Square Enix made a mask for Ignis' birthday and you can make one, too

In celebration of Ignis Scientia's birthday on February 7, Square Enix is honoring our favorite excitable chef and arguable Best Boy with a paper mask that Final Fantasy XV fans can make themselves.

This silly thing wound up in our staff Slack channel with a "maybe that's a post" shrug. Those are some of my favorite stories to take on (if you can even really call them that), so I was happy to oblige.

I was thinking of making one of these masks, but as I was going to print it out, I accidentally gazed into Ignis' soul-piercing eyes for too long and forgot what I was doing. Once I came to my senses, I remembered how truly awful I am at cutting paper. Wouldn't want to butcher his exquisite spiked hair.

Final Fantasy XV [Twitter]

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News:: All Halo fans will probably want to watch Halo Wars 2's launch trailer

Halo Wars is a curious thing. The Halo ties give it some crossover appeal for people who just want more Halo canon. But, the real-time strategy genre may be the exact opposite of first-person shooters. These games are Halo in name and lore only.

That's why you can't exactly fault a Halo fan for showing disdain toward Halo Wars. It's just not really what they signed up for. It's like that time Lil Wayne made a rock album. Yeah, it's still Lil Wayne and it's still music, but just because you think he's a good rapper doesn't mean you want to listen to him fumble his way through a guitar solo.

With Halo Wars 2 just a couple of weeks away, Microsoft has released a launch trailer that appeals to the Halo fan far more than the real-time strategy fan. It's all sci-fi action cinematics, a look that's much more befitting of a summer blockbuster popcorn flick than a game about commanding units around a battlefield. It's neat but also probably misrepresentative.

For those who have an interest in Halo Wars 2 but aren't committed to purchasing it, keep an eye on Destructoid in the coming weeks. We have a giveaway planned that will have some lucky readers playing for free.

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News:: Fallout 4's 58GB high-res texture pack is out

That promised high-resolution texture pack for Fallout 4 is here, and even though it's been a week since we knew this was on the way, I'm still reeling over Bethesda's beefy storage requirement (58GB!). Doable? Sure. Wild? I'd say so. The recommended PC specs aren't messing around, either:

• Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit OS required)
• Intel Core i7-5820K or better
• GTX 1080 8GB
• 8GB+ RAM

The images on the texture pack's Steam page look identical to the ones on the main game page, but Bethesda does have this lone high-res screenshot for those of us who can't possibly run this.

If you're looking to chance it, note that "if you need to return to the original textures, you can disable them within the game's launcher menu." There's nothing quite like testing the waters, seeing things go horribly awry, and switching back to your prior graphical settings in a panicked frenzy.

Fallout 4 - High Resolution Texture Pack [Steam]

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News:: Portal in augmented reality looks super neat

Augmented reality has never been a perfect technology, but it definitely creates some fun scenarios. Pokémon Go is the biggest game to extensively feature the tech, but lots of modders and fans have created their own demos to showcase the possibilities. Enter Kenny W, an AR developer who has a ton of videos about Pokémon, with his newest demo based on Portal.

This demo utilizes Microsoft's HoloLens device, which isn't exactly known for its build quality. While the demo makes it look revelatory, apparently users haven't experienced anything quite like this.

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News:: Rock Band VR takes the stage in late March

The headliner, like any good rock star, is keeping the crowd waiting. Everyone presumed it'd be ready to rock when the Oculus Touch controls released. Nope. Headliners go on stage when they're damn well good and ready.

Harmonix has just revealed that Rock Band VR will release on March 23. It comes with 60 songs, three of which are Aerosmith's "Walk this Way," The Killers' "When You Were Young," and Paramore's "Ain't it Fun." There will surely be a blitz over the coming month and a half to reveal the remaining 57 tracks.

While no price has yet been revealed, Harmonix does have a bundle that's available for pre-order for $70. However, that package comes with a guitar which surely inflates the price. Because Rock Band 4 never made it to PC, anyone without a console version will need the guitar; the details on the pre-order page confirm that it's the Xbox One ax.

Rock Band VR has changed tremendously in the past year. It's now an experience-oriented game that puts emphasis on doing things that a real band might do. It's not the normal Rock Band shtick of playing all the notes perfectly. It's more akin to Rock Band 4's freestyle solos, but it's not quite that either. There's also a traditional mode in Rock Band VR, but that's not the priority here. The priority is getting you to feel like a rock star even if you don't have the skill to be one.

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News:: TimeSplitters Rewind now targeting a 2017 release

A fan-made, Crytek-approved TimeSplitters project is the stuff of dreams. That's what we're meant to get with TimeSplitters Rewind, the long-talked-about multiplayer-only mashup of Free Radical's zany first-person shooter series. Yep, the game is still coming, and now it's due out this year.

That tidbit -- a date change from "2018" to "2017" -- is all we're getting out of this teaser. You aren't going to see any footage of shotgun-wielding ducks or skeleton men wrapped in green flames. Rather, it's crystals. Just crystals floating around in space for well over a minute. Yeah, I don't know either.

I'm filing this project in my mind under "Hope it comes to fruition." And if it does, I also hope it's good on its own merits and accurate to the source material, which is no easy task. If all else fails, I'll continue digging out my copy of TimeSplitters 2 about once a year or so and cherishing the heck out of it.

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News:: Sephiroth and Cloud cross over into Mobius Final Fantasy

Square Enix has been tapping into nostalgia lately, even more so than they have in the past. It's perfect timing too with the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII, and the latest cameos involve Cloud and Sephiroth making their way into Mobius Final Fantasy.

Mobius is an RPG that involves yet another Warrior of Light, and as of this past month, hit 10 million downloads across both the Android and iOS platforms -- it's also hitting PC today, albeit with some maintenance issues and launch day woes.

Along with World of Final Fantasy I haven't had the chance to try out a few of these spinoff-esque projects, but after hearing a lot of praise for World over the weekend and seeing Mobius arriving on PC, I think it's finally time to dive in.

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News:: Brazzers did a Metal Gear Solid: The Phantom Pain porn parody

Metal Rear Solid: The Phantom Peen took a lot longer to come out than Brazzers' Final Fantasy XV porn parody, but it seems like a passion project. From the dick-sucking Snake Eater reference to Boss and Hushy's accurate costuming to the iDroid map to "Diamond Dongs," a lot of, uh, love went into this. There's even a goat fulton.

What there isn't is a safe for work trailer without hardcore, close-up anal sex. So here's a link to a completely NSFW trailer that includes a lot of graphic ass fucking, while also being insanely funny and incredibly jarring.

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News:: 'Rock Band VR' is coming to the Oculus Rift on March 23rd

You won't have to wait much longer to play Rock Band VR. Developer Harmonix has announced that its virtual reality title is launching for the Oculus Rift on March 23rd, with pre-orders available now through Amazon. You should keep in mind that the bundles being sold, one for PlayStation 4 and the other for Xbox One, only include a digital copy of the game and a guitar controller.

Source: Rock Band (Twitter)

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News:: You can now play an 80-hour Pokemon adventure in Minecraft

Every month or so I'll dive back into the world of OG Minecraft PC and see what the community has come up with. The results are almost always staggering. That includes this new adventure from Phoenix Project called Pokemon Cobalt and Amethyst, which is a full-scale RPG.

It features 136 Pokemon that can be captured, a full storyline, and its own unique battle system. As you can imagine it took nearly three years to make, but it's here, very real, and free to play if you own the PC edition of Minecraft.

While a lot of folks might be thumbing their nose at it in favor of the real thing, it's admirable how Minecraft is able to keep the creative nature of PC mods alive so many years later.

 Pokemon Cobalt and Amethyst [Minecraft Forum] Thanks Alex!

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News:: The BoxBoy amiibo is adorable, but basic

My BoxBoy amiibo just came in from Japan, and I figured I'd share a few pictures for some prospective buyers, several of which have been asking about this odd-figure-out for the past few weeks now.

Yep, it's BoxBoy alright, in all his cubed and cute-footed glory. For those of you who are out of the amiibo loop (and I assume all of you are), this figure is for Sayonara! BoxBoy! the third and final game in the BoxBoy series for Nintendo 3DS. Seeing as it's developed by HAL Laboratory it also has some Kirby tie-ins, and the box amiibo itself enables a monochrome mode.

If you're interested you can import the amiibo by itself (I love how Japan always has this option) or by way of a triple-pack with all three games included right now. Since I already have the first two I'm going to pick up the third game on the eShop for 680 Yen (roughly $6) on my Japanese 3DS.

For a full up-to-date amiibo list, click here. If you count Cloud, Corrin, and Bayonetta (which were confirmed, but aren't dated), there are 10 amiibo that are currently confirmed and unreleased.

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News:: Review: Analogue Nt mini (the $450 NES)

When I first got wind of the Analogue Nt mini, I immediately went into shock after seeing the price. $450 for an NES re-creation? I had to find out if it was worth the scratch.

While many of you will probably never be able to justify the cost, this collector is more than satisfied with the results.

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News:: The official Geralt cosplayer lent his talents to this Witcher short film

We've posted about Ben Schamma several times in the past, mostly because he is Geralt, from The Witcher series, in real life. No I mean figuratively and literally, as CD Projekt Red has him contracted as the official Geralt cosplayer at several events. 

Well now he's starring in a short, roughly four minute fan film, which mostly showcases him and Triss Merigold locked in combat with a formidable foe. All told it's a great fan effort, as it nails the aesthetic, doesn't try to go too big and get away from itself, and showcases some great muted practical and special effects.

Since we're not getting another Witcher for a long while, consider giving it a watch.

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News:: Cloud and Sephiroth are frozen at Japan's snow fesitval

Among more than 200 masterfully crafted ice sculptures at Japan's biggest and most famous Snow Festival in Sapporo, Hokkaido was a scene featuring Cloud and Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII. With so many sculptures every year it's impossible to tell how many years and which years specifically the game was represented, but the last significant time I can find is from the year it released: 1997 (and boy what a video).

Equally reverent of the original title and excited for the in-development remake, the sculpture was brought to life with video from the game played over top of it. I'm always astounded by the sculptures at these shows, but I can never get off work and even if I could plane tickets jump from around 10,000 yen to 60,000 yen round-trip. If they ever make my dream of a life-size sculpture of Final Fantasy X's Sin come true, I'll have to splurge.

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News:: Kojima says the Nintendo Switch is an 'extension of Transfarring'

Remember all the way back in 2011 when famed Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima was talking about this new-fangled creation called Transfarring? It was a pretty cool concept at the time, transfering saves between platforms, and even had its own logo. His mojo was stolen by Sony for its "cross-buy/cross-save" campaign that's still going on today, but he still isn't giving up on championing the original concept. 

Speaking to IGN at RTX Sydney, Kojima stated, regarding Transfarring, "I believe [Switch] is an extension of that idea. The fact you can play something at home and take it outside, this is the gamer’s dream. The Switch is an evolution of that. For example, often when you buy a Blu-Ray disc, it'll have a code on the inside for a digital version, so in the same respect you can watch it at home and then take it on the go on your tablet and smartphone. This is how movies and TV are moving, and this is how games should go."

He's not wrong! Appealing to both "physical only" and "digital only" crowds at the same time is a great strategy, and leaves no money stone unturned. Whether Death Stranding with support Transfarring, however, is unknown. If he was able to get Sony to agree to put in an extra digital code with the disc, that would be pretty baller.

Hideo Kojima shares his thoughts on the Nintendo Switch [IGN]

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News:: Kimura keeps it real part 1: Square Enix, Dot Art, and Dandy Dungeon

Despite having worked on big name franchises like Romancing SaGa, No More Heroes, and Little King's Story, Yoshiro Kimura is not a name everyone in gaming is familiar with. It may just be a matter of time until that changes, especially seeing how cynical and negativity-soaked many people's online experiences are these days. Remember when Bob Ross suddenly got huge on Twitch? People were hungry for pure, genuine positivity in the face of  a social media culture that almost always rewards negativity and snark with attention, while remaining suspicious and critical of anyone who seems to actually care about anything. 

To cut through that kind of garbage, you need to find a person who is so glowing with goodness that shit just wont stick to them. I often wish that I was that person, but I'm not. Thankfully, gaming already has a much more worthy candidate for the job. Kimura-san, and his talking onion mouthpiece on Twitter, are the two most kind, grounded and ironically human characters in game development today.

After the release of Dandy Dungeon: Legend of Brave Yamata, Onion Games's latest title, we had the opportunity to catch up with Kimura-san for a three part interview about his work at Square-Enix, Grasshopper Manufacture, his current projects, and a lot more. Bew sure to handle with care. The cut of these onions may even bring a tear to your eye.

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