News:: Mighty Gunvolt Burst looks streets ahead of the original

When Azure Striker Gunvolt first hit the 3DS, I picked it up right away. Not because I was zealous to play it, but rather I wanted to get my hands on the included freebie Mighty Gunvolt right away. Looking like a side-project Inti Creates staff whipped up in an afternoon, it proved for me to be more memorable than the game it was based on, reminding me of how the sweet simplicity of Dark Void Zero easily outshined its HD brother.

A few days ago it was announced we'd be seeing a sequel, news that made me smile a big, toothy grin. In his write-up of the announcement, Jordan Devore said he hoped the game would step it up a bit. Based on what I’ve seen of it, Jordan’s wish will be granted.

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News:: Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack is coming to the Switch

Inti Creates seems to be just fine making its living off of Nintendo. The developer has already launched the wonderful Blaster Master Zero for the Switch and 3DS, it was announced the other day Mighty Gunvolt would be getting a sequel on both devices, and today it revealed the Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack will be making its way to the Switch this summer. Yes, this is the second mystery project Inti Creates is debuting at BitSummit.

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News:: The Global Testpunch trial for Arms includes Hoops mode and local multiplayer

Some of you have already taken the time to hop on over to the Nintendo Switch eShop and nab the files for the limited-time Arms demo, but I'm not quite so proactive. I'm only now getting to it, not that there's a rush or anything -- the event isn't live yet and won't be for another week.

But, 1.4GB now is 1.4GB I don't have to download later, if you catch my drift.

The Global Testpunch will be playable from:

(All times PT)
5/26 (Fri) 5:00pm - 5:59pm
5/27 (Sat) 5:00am - 5:59am
5/27 (Sat) 11:00am - 11:59am
5/27 (Sat) 5:00pm - 5:59pm
5/28 (Sun) 5:00am - 5:59am
5/28 (Sun) 11:00am - 11:59am

6/02 (Fri) 5:00pm - 5:59pm
6/03 (Sat) 5:00am - 5:59am
6/03 (Sat) 11:00am - 11:59am
6/03 (Sat) 5:00pm - 5:59pm
6/04 (Sun) 5:00am - 5:59am
6/04 (Sun) 11:00am - 11:59am

The North American eShop summary says the Testpunch "will allow players to test all 10 characters, play local multiplayer, try out Hoops mode, and get connected online in exhibition matches," but the Japanese Twitter account suggests that newcomers Kid Cobra, Byte & Barq, and the internet's beloved Twintelle won't be playable. That'd be a (somewhat predictable) bummer, but Hoops is a great surprise.

Also, while the demo isn't playable yet, it will launch, and if you leave your hands off the controls for a bit, you can watch short clips of the AI going at it.

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News:: Release-day deals on Endless Space 2

If there's ever a good case for an Early Access purchase, Endless Space 2 may just be one such example. The 4X strategy game from Amplitude Studios has now left Early Access status. By all accounts, reviews seem to be decent both from critics and users alike. Beyond the good reviews, the big factor in buying early was that during the Early Access phase, Endless Space 2 had a lower list price of $29.99. Now that the game is released, the list price has been increased to $39.99.

So if you've been eyeing the title, you were not imagining things if you thought you saw a lower list price on Steam earlier this week. The good news is, some deals are still available for Endless Space 2, and you won't have to look far to pick up a Steam copy straight from authorized Sega distributor Bundle Stars.

Endless Space 2 Steam Deals

• Endless Space 2 (Steam) — $30.39  (list price $40)
• Endless Space 2 Digital Deluxe Edition (Steam) — $37.99  (list price $50)
• Use coupon code: MAY5

Combined with their May discount code of 5% off along with instant savings of 20% off, you'll be able to score a decent discount on the Steam copy of Endless Space 2 or the Digital Deluxe Edition of the game.

At a price of an extra $7, the Digital Deluxe copy includes the official digital soundtrack, cosmetic bonuses such as the Pathfinder Academy Heroes (Brunem Berto-Lancellum along with Kinete Muldaur); Pathfinder Hero Ship skins; Cravers Prime Fleet Skin, and an "Endless Space 2 Founder" Games2Gether Badge. Unless you're a hardcore fan of the series, the Digital Deluxe content seems okay at best.

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News:: PSA: Chroma Squad is out on PS4 and Xbox One

It's time for us to pose in front of a colorful explosion, as Chroma Squad makes its debut on the PS4 and Xbox One. While there were some casualties with the game's Vita version, this won't stop Behold Studios' tokusatsu (live-action special effects) series management title from awakening people's heroic spirit.

If you're still itching to transform on the go, Chroma Squad landed on Google Play and the Apple App Store yesterday. In other words, you can still manage your Super Sentai/Power Rangers-like show's stunt team with your phone.

As someone who loves the titles Chroma Squad paid homage to, Behold Studios did a fantastic job in capturing the magic behind what makes toku great. Speaking of great shout-outs, it's nice to see another live-action trailer where three individuals don their bucket helmets to fight evil.

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News:: There will be more Overwatch shorts, but they 'take a long time'

Before many of us had even gotten our hands on Overwatch, Blizzard's animated shorts warmed us up to its characters, setting, and lore. Gosh, they're good -- not just on their own, as animation, but also as a way to better connect with and enjoy the team-based shooter.

It has been safe to assume that Blizzard would continue producing these shorts given how beloved they are and how many characters are left to highlight, and that is indeed the intention. Speaking to Polygon, game director Jeff Kaplan elaborated on where they're at right now.

"They take a long time," he said. "We think of them as in seasons. That's how we talk about them internally. So our first season started with 'Recall' and ended with 'The Last Bastion.'" According to Kaplan, the team is "hard at work on more of those" and "making good progress."

To date, we've gotten six shorts: Recall, Alive, Dragons, Hero, The Last Bastion, and Infiltration.

Overwatch animated shorts are coming back for 'season two' [Polygon]

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News:: From Software's Eternal Ring coming to PS4 as a PS2 Classic

Sony has announced that From Software's Eternal Ring will be coming to the PS4 as a PS2 Classic next week for the US.

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News:: Big 2K weekend sale: cheapest Civ VI Deluxe and Beyond Earth

Two digital retailers are offering up 2K titles at cheap prices well before summer sales kick off in earnest. At GamersGate, you'll find a giant 2K Games sale with discounts up to 82% off on dozens of popular franchises published by 2K, including XCOM, Civilization, Borderlands, and much more. At Green Man Gaming, you'll find an overlapping Civilization sale with similar discount, so to sort through the barrage of deals we've rounded up the best from each retailer below.

The headline for the Civilization series is Civilization VI Deluxe Edition falling to a historic low price of $45. This gets you six additional DLC packs, all of which aren't really worth buying on an individual level. Also noteworthy are historic low prices on both Civilization: Beyond Earth and its expansion pack Civilization: Beyond Earth: Rising Tide (which makes Civ:BE a significantly better title) at $9 and $15, respectively.

Beyond Civilization goodies, the best-selling titles in the sale are the XCOM series, notably XCOM 2. While 65% off isn't quite new low price territory, you are still looking at a much more favorable price than its list price of $60.

The GamersGate complete 2K sale is running now through Sunday, May 21 and Green Man Gaming's Civilization sale runs until Tuesday, May 22. (Note: the discounts on Civilization VI are running a bit longer, until May 30.)

Civilization

• Civilization VI Digital Deluxe (Steam) — $45.55  (list price $80)
• Civilization VI (Steam) — $34.16  (list price $60)
• Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide (Steam) — $14.99  (list price $30)
• Civilization: Beyond Earth (Steam) — $8.90  (list price $40)
• Civilization V: Complete Edition (Steam) — $11.12  (list price $50)
• Civilization V: Gods and Kings (Steam) — $7.50  (list price $30)
• Civilization V: Brave New World (Steam) — $6.37  (list price $30)
• Civilization V (Steam) — $6.60  (list price $30)
• Civilization IV: Complete Edition (Steam) — $6.37  (list price $30)
• Civilization III Complete (Steam) — $0.66  (list price $3)

Borderlands

• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Season Pass (Steam) — $13.20  (list price $30)
• Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel (Steam) — $10.56  (list price $40)
• Borderlands 2: Game of the Year Edition (Steam) — $8.80  (list price $40)
• Borderlands Game of the Year Edition (Steam) — $6.60  (list price $30)
• Borderlands 2 (Steam) — $4.40  (list price $20)
• Borderlands (Steam) — $4.40  (list price $20)

XCOM

• XCOM 2: Digital Deluxe (Steam) — $26.40  (list price $75)
• XCOM 2 (Steam) — $21.12  (list price $60)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown The Complete Edition (Steam) — $8.90  (list price $50)
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown (Steam) — $6.67  (list price $30)
• XCOM: Enemy Within (Steam) — $6.67  (list price $30)
• The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (Steam) — $4.25  (list price $20)

NBA

• NBA 2K17 Legend Edition Gold (Steam) — $44  (list price $100)
• NBA 2K17 Legend Edition (Steam) — $39.16  (list price $80)
• NBA 2K17 (Steam) — $32.03  (list price $60)
• NBA 2KVR Experience (Steam) — $4.40  (list price $15)

More 2K Games

• WWE 2K17 Digital Deluxe (Steam) — $37.53  (list price $75)
• Mafia III: Digital Deluxe Edition (Steam) — $26.40  (list price $60)
• Mafia III (Steam) — $17.60  (list price $40)
• Mafia II Digital Deluxe Edition (Steam) — $6.80  (list price $40)
• Mafia II (Steam) — $6.67  (list price $30)
• Spec Ops: The Line (Steam) — $6.67  (list price $30)
• BioShock Infinite (Steam) — $6.60  (list price $30)
• The Darkness 2 (Steam) — $5.34  (list price $30)
• BioShock Infinite: Season Pass (Steam) — $5  (list price $20)
• BioShock (Steam) — $4.60  (list price $20)
• Bioshock 2 (Steam) — $4.40  (list price $20)
• Duke Nukem Forever (Steam) — $3.56  (list price $20)
• Sid Meier's Pirates! (Steam) — $2.50  (list price $10)
• CivCity: Rome (Steam) — $2.50  (list price $10)
• Sid Meier's Railroads! (Steam) — $2.20  (list price $10)

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News:: Watching a self-driving car cause chaos in Grand Theft Auto V is as amazing as it sounds

Depending on how you look at it, machine learning is either a terrifying prospect or the coolest shit ever. In the case of a neural network named Charles, however, it's a bit of both. 

Charles is currently driving through Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V. On the surface, that's nothing special. Thousands of people still play and stream GTA V daily. But when you consider the fact that ol' Chuck here is "a convolutional neural network that learns to drive through deep learning," the live feed on sentdex's Twitch stream becomes all the more interesting. 

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News:: The original Shadow Warrior's alpha and beta have been released

While the original DOS version of Shadow Warrior has been available on Steam for a few years now (and for free), you now have the option to play through the alpha and beta versions of the game when downloading Shadow Warrior Classic. This move to preserve game development history is pretty awesome and something I wish other developers and publishers would do more often.

As for differences with the pre-release versions, it mostly amounts to different spawn locations, unrefined AI, and a few different maps. Even if it's kind of paltry (and pointless to most), I will definitely be checking this stuff out. I have a fascination with the development process of games and I like theorizing why certain mechanics were cut or altered.

Mostly, though, I wonder if Lo Wang still has all his insensitive lines present in the alpha.

Original Shadow Warrior alpha and beta released [Rock, Paper, Shotgun]

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News:: Meet the mind behind gaming's weirdest playlist

It's easy to take video games for granted. There's just so many of them. By May 2017 alone, over 50 games have had physical releases, in addition to the thousands of titles launched digitally on platforms like Steam. A staggering amount of them were met with critical and commercial praise. The culture surrounding video games, too, is pervasive. People openly care about games. They slip Zelda references into normal conversations and wear sweatshirts emblazoned with Mass Effect logos in public. It's easy to be a fan of video games now because commercials for major franchises play during the Super Bowl. Like light beer and oversized trucks, video games are a token of modern existence, because we see them on TV.

But there's a growing scene of games that thrives in the underground. An increase in readily accessible development tools -- like the GameMaker and Unity suites -- allowed an entire subculture of creators to hone their craft, far removed from the blinding limelight of AAA releases. Out in the margins, a world of niche, low-budget homebrew games exist. There's a shocking amount of them; weird little concoctions that seek to defy convention and intensely personal artistic expressions that feel so far abstracted from what most people consider a video game that they're usually referred to as "altgames."

Unless, of course, you're Steve Cook. He prefers the term "trashgames."

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News:: Mount & Blade is free on GOG until Saturday

Today's gift from GOG is satisfaction -- the kind one gets after galloping atop their trusted steed and impaling their enemy at the end of a couched lance. Mount & Blade is free now through Saturday, May 20.

The freebie became available today and will only run for about 48 hours. The deal is part of a Mount & Blade series sale which gets you discounts of 75% off all titles, save the original, which is 100% off. 

GOG Mount & Blade Sale

• Mount & Blade — FREE  (list price $10)
• Mount & Blade Collection — $13.71  (list price $45)
• Mount & Blade: Warband — $4.99  (list price $20)
• Mount & Blade: Warband Viking Conquest — $3.74  (list price $15)
• Mount & Blade: With Fire & Sword — $2.49  (list price $10)
• Mount & Blade: Warband - Napoleonic Wars — $2.49  (list price $10)

The series sale will last a few hours longer than the freebie. Your free copy of Mount & Blade can only be procured now through May 21 at 5AM Pacific, while the sale will last through 4PM on May 21.

All games from GOG are DRM-free (non-Steam versions). 

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News:: Housemarque's top-down shooter Nex Machina is out June 20

It seems like word of Nex Machina has started to spread, but in case you haven't heard of it yet, this is an arcade shooter from Resogun studio Housemarque and Defender, Robotron: 2084, and Smash TV designer Eugene Jarvis. It looks and plays like you'd expect it would from that description.

The PC and PlayStation 4 launch is now set for June 20, and along with that date, the studio has also confirmed local co-op. I'm trying not to let my expectations get the better of me, but this really is hitting all the right notes. A Housemarque spin on Robotron is something I've always wanted to see.

As for local cooperative play, thank goodness, because that would've felt like a serious omission. Alienation only offered online co-op at launch and it felt like that game suffered for it.

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News:: 'Nex Machina' brings co-op robot slaughter to the couch June 20th

Developer Housemarque's ode to Robotron: 2048, Nex Machina, finally has a release date: June 20th on both PC and PlayStation 4. And if you were a fan of what you played in the beta but thought it was missing something, maybe that je ne sais quoi was couch-play with a buddy. "Local co-op will allow two players to play side by side, just like in the old school arcade halls, competing or helping each other out," the developer writes on the PlayStation Blog. It's something Housemarque has included in its previous games, sometimes as a post-launch add-on, but here it'll be a part of the experience on day one. Want a preview of how the voxel-based madness will play out next month? Peep the trailer below.

Source: PlayStation Blog

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News:: Ghouls 'n Ghosts creeps onto mobile devices

Ghouls 'n Ghosts, the sequel to the infamous Ghosts 'n Goblins, is now available for iOS and Android devices.

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News:: Netflix is making a prequel to the Dark Crystal and dreams do come true

Netflix -- because it evidently doesn't have enough things to get excited about -- has announced that it is working with the Jim Henson Company to produce a 10 episode prequel to the classic film The Dark Crystal, called The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. As any child of the '80s will remember, The Dark Crystal was an incredible mash up of puppetry, animatronics, and Henson imagination. 

With all of the remakes, sequels, and re-sequels that go on these days, The Dark Crystal is the one that I always felt actually deserved to be returned to. The world was just so incredibly entrancing in a weird decaying sort of way. Plus, those awesome animals they rode basically need their entire spin-off series. 

Louis Leterrier, probably best known for Now You See Me, will executive-produce and direct the series, and they've brought back Brian Froud, who was the creative designer for both The Dark Crystal and also Labyrinth. 

The trailer below, featuring Henson himself discussing the film and its creation, doesn't give us much to work off of. However, we do know the show is a prequel to the movie and involves three Gelflings that discover the horrifying secret behind the Skeksis’ power, and set out to take care of it. Kind of sounds like a repeat of the movie, but if they recapture the truly unique and weird feeling of the world I'm fine with that. 

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News:: ‘Destiny 2’ tackles the original’s biggest problem: storytelling

The first time I played the original Destiny, I felt frustrated and annoyed. It was a fun online, co-op team shooter but the game's narrative was insultingly shallow -- a poorly written space opera where a vague "darkness" was out to destroy a mysterious entity called the Traveler that somehow thrust humanity into a golden age, but also might be dead. It took a year for Bungie to patch in interesting characters and emotional hooks with The Taken King expansion, but by then, I had moved on. Destiny 2, however, has my attention. Not only does it look like a good starting point for new players, but it has the one thing every epic story needs: a great villain.

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News:: Shadow Warrior 2 is now available on consoles

The sequel to the Shadow Warrior reboot by Flying Wild Hog is now available digitally on PS4 and Xbox One for $34.99. For a limited time, you'll also receive a copy of the first game when you purchase it from digital storefronts. No console specific features have been mentioned, but online play will be included alongside offline campaign play.

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News:: Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles looks like it's shaping up to be an enjoyably adorable romp

Earlier this week, I got a chance to sit down with two representatives from a local independent games studio by the name of Prideful Sloth to have an opportunity to check out their upcoming open-world adventure game for the PS4 and PC -- Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles -- prior to its mid-July launch.

Having previously covered the game for Destructoid, and after reading Caitlin Cooke's impressions of the game when she tried it at PAX back in March, I had an inkling as to what I should expect when going in, but I still had some reservations. The game itself looked absolutely adorable -- which, alongside its clear Wind Waker and Harvest Moon inspirations is what interested me greatly about it -- but at the same time, I've found myself feeling somewhat ambivalent about open-world gaming after seeing an influx of them in recent years. To put it simply, I wasn't entirely sure how a small studio would be able to handle a task as significant as building a large and engaging playable open-world.

Thankfully, it appears as if my concerns have been allayed.

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News:: I don't know what's going on in this Tekken 7 story trailer, but I'm here for it

It's going to be great year for fighting games. One of the biggest releases this year is Tekken 7, and to celebrate, Bandai Namco has released a trailer showing off its story. I'm not going to pretend I know what's going on here, but it shares the same kind of bombastic craziness the series has become known for.

And Akuma just fits right in doesn't he? It really makes me wish Tekken X Street Fighter didn't disappear into the mist. Then maybe we'd see Kazuya fighting Ryu on an erupting volcano instead. 

Tekken 7 hits Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC June 2. 

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News:: Review: Polybius

Polybius, the trippy new arcade shooter from long-time designer Jeff Minter, is a question-inducing game. Why's it called that? What even is it? Won't it give me motion sickness?

The name is a riff on an old urban legend that spoke of a mysterious '80s arcade cabinet with hallucinatory side effects that may or may not have had ties to tests run by the US government. Polybius, the real game that you can play right now on your PlayStation 4, is merely an "interpretation" of those tall tales. It won't give you amnesia or night terrors, but it will put you in The Zone.

I never want to leave The Zone.

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News:: Splatoon 2's Squid Sister prologue just finished, setting the stage for the sequel

The Squid Sisters themed Splatoon 2 prologue has come to a close as of today, as Nintendo just put out the seventh and final chapter leading into the July release of the game.

Callie has been missing for a while now, leading to some fans speculating that she'll be a boss or some sort of antagonist in the second game. I don't see Splatoon being that mean spirited (even if it does get heavy), but it is entirely possible that the evil Octarians (who return in the sequel) might employ some sort of mind control device.

Either way the entire thing is worth reading. We don't get any major insights, just some light character study type stuff, but it'll make the nearly two month wait that much better. I kind of wish ARMS and Splatoon 2 had swapped release dates.

Chapter 7 [Splatoon]

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News:: 'Destiny 2' on PC won't have dedicated multiplayer servers

There's good news, and bad news, about Destiny 2 for PC gamers. On the plus side is the fact that it exists on PCs at all -- the first game never left consoles. But, unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to settle for multiplayer matches without dedicated servers, PC Gamer reports.

Destiny 2 will instead continue to rely on peer-to-peer networking, like the original game. For players, it means that they might have to deal with more latency and instability during their frag fests. Dedicated servers, on the other hand, are typically more reliable and something PC gamers are used to seeing in big budget games.

Via: Polygon

Source: PC Gamer, (2)

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News:: Tennis World Tour wants to fill the Top Spin-sized hole in your heart

With a vanilla name like Tennis World Tour, it's just a matter of time before it slips out of my mind, but I really am desperate for another good tennis simulation game, y'know? Especially one that's being pitched as a follow-up to Top Spin, with involvement from folks who worked on that series.

"For years we've wanted to create a new tennis game, a spiritual successor to Top Spin 4," said former producer Pierre André as part of this week's announcement. "Improvements in technology and gameplay now mean that we can create the ultra-realistic simulation that we've always dreamed of."

Tennis World Tour is said to have 30-plus athletes, including Roger Federer, Gaël Monfils, Angelique Kerber, and Garbiñe Muguruza. It's in production at Breakpoint and Bigben for a 2018 release on "consoles and PC." There aren't any assets yet, hence the loosely related header, but it'll be at gamescom.

Please be good.

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News:: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets a semi-substantial patch

Typically when Nintendo patches something, they're trying to eliminate vulnerabilities or add that sweet sweet "stability" into the mix (which is usually code for "we got rid of more vulnerabilities"). Today with update 1.1 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, we got a little something more.

As revealed by Nintendo, Deluxe's patch adds some smaller quality of life changes for online play (seeing opponent's names in the rear view mirror), a better spectator system, matchmaking alterations, a lobby fix, and of course that now famous Inkling Girl animation.

It's probably not going to sell any units on its own, but 1.1 is a decent improvement for anyone who messes around online with friends. I hope Nintendo continues to add to Deluxe in multiple ways, from other patches to full-on DLC -- I'd love to see some more themed tracks (maybe we'll get an ARMS cup?).

Ver 1.1 [Nintendo]

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