Friday, May 26, 2017

News:: The Global Testpunch left me feeling optimistic about Arms

After an hour spent with Arms in tonight's limited-time, limited-content Global Testpunch demo, I'm feeling... pretty good about it? Yeah, I think so. Not over the moon, but good. Nintendo has come up with an accessible enough but still nuanced take on fighting/boxing games with tons of charm.

Seriously, these characters rule, and that's going to have a substantial impact on its appeal as a new IP. After a few short matches, you'll know your personal favorite fighter and your loathed arch nemesis. For me, that'd be noodle gal Min Min and Flubber: All Grown Up leading man Helix, respectively.

I played about half of the hour-long Testpunch block alone, half partied up with a local second player, and all with the Pro Controller (to keep the learning curve as brief as possible). Based on what I've heard in our staff chat and elsewhere, that was a wise decision -- the Joy-Con controls sound divisive and like they'll take some acclimation compared to the more traditional gamepad scheme.

There were one-on-one matches where people clearly didn't know what the heck they were doing, one-on-one matches in which I surely looked like a flailing doofus, and even a handful of tethered-together tag-team fights and free-for-alls. It was enough of a taster to tell me if Arms is my kind of game (it is, as an occasional, not-skilled fighting game fan), but not so much that I got a full feel for the demo's partial character roster and very limited collection of arm types. That's reassuring.

The Testpunch didn't leave me with that same overwhelming "I need this yesterday!" rush that the early trial for the original Splatoon instilled, but I'm liking it -- the core long-armed fighting design -- a lot more than I thought I would. I'm liking the explosive volleyball mode precisely as much as I thought I would, which is to say it's love at first sight. It's so much fun in two-player split-screen.

If you missed out tonight, there will be more chances to play Arms this weekend (find the full schedule over here). I suggest you try to get in at least one of the sessions, if at all possible. You might end up liking it more than you imagined once you go hands-on (or vice-versa!).

The Global Testpunch left me feeling optimistic about Arms screenshot



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News:: Giant Uplay and Star Wars sales grace PC for the weekend

WinGameStore, a digital retailer that sells Windows games (shocking), is running two big sales events this weekend from two major angles. In corner one, we have a flurry of Uplay titles, everything from Assassin's Creed and Far Cry to Heroes of Might and Magic. Most titles are priced reasonably, though we didn't spot too many historic low prices. The only titles at their lowest recorded price are the Deluxe Editions of select titles. Noteworthy though is Might and Magic Heroes VI Complete for only $16, which is a great price for fans of the series.

For the other major sale, WinGameStore has 20 Star Wars titles on tap for up to 76% off. In fact, all titles except Jedi Knight: Mysteries of the Sith are at 76% off. Funny enough, Mysteries of the Sith at $1.99 is also at the lowest price ever. Our personal pick from the scores of games below include Knights of the Old Republic I and II, Republic Commando, and X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter.

Note: Items in bold are at their historic low price.

Star Wars Sale

Ubisoft Sale

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

Giant Uplay and Star Wars sales grace PC for the weekend screenshot



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News:: Watch us play the Nintendo Switch 'Arms' Global Testpunch

When Nintendo announced Splatoon for the Wii U, gamers weren't quite sure what to make of it. The idea of a competitive shooter from Nintendo was so bizarre, it was kind of hard to assess from a distance -- so the company invited players to try the game early with a free, limited time multiplayer demo. This weekend, Nintendo is doing the same thing with Arms: serving up the game's telescoping pugilism in a free "Global Testpunch" demo over six one hour chunks. Don't have a Switch? You can join us on Facebook for the first session today at 5pm PT (8pm ET).

Source: Facebook



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News:: Golf Story could be the RPG-style golf game we've been waiting for

As an easy-on-the-eyes golf game for Nintendo Switch, Golf Story looks promising.

But there's more to it than that, and I think that's how it'll be able to win over folks who aren't typically into sports games -- say, for example, people who were big into Mario Golf for Game Boy Color.

Golf Story should scratch a very specific itch with everything surrounding the actual golfing. Or, as Ray said in our Slack, "I'm unironically gonna buy a Switch for a fucking golf game now aren't I."

  • Tee up anywhere! You’ll be surprised by how many problems can be solved by hitting a golf ball at them.
  • Explore 8 unique environments, each with their own courses, towns, people and secrets.
  • Play through a dramatic story with a diverse cast of characters.
  • Upgrade your golfer by completing challenges, solving puzzles and buying new equipment.
  • Round out your skill set with long driver tournaments, disc golf, mini golf and wee links. Then go beyond golf with extra challenges like races, mowing, drone flights and geocaching.

It's coming to Nintendo Switch this summer and I'm gonna play the absolute hell out of it.

Golf Story could be the RPG-style golf game we've been waiting for screenshot



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News:: New Earth Defense Force 5 trailer shows off the EDF forces

D3 Publisher has debuted a new trailer for the upcoming PS4 game Earth Defense Force 5, which has turned out to be a real treat.

New Earth Defense Force 5 trailer shows off the EDF forces screenshot

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News:: Killing Floor 2 and Life is Strange rumored for PlayStation Plus in June

A now-removed tweet from PlayStation Turkey suggests that co-op zombie shooter Killing Floor 2 and occasionally hella good teenage adventure Life is Strange are on the docket for PlayStation Plus.

Ordinarily, Killing Floor 2 would come as a surprise, but this will be E3 month after all.

Even if this rumor doesn't pan out worldwide, Life is Strange totally seems like the kind of game to end up on PlayStation Plus, particularly in light of word that DONTNOD is working on a follow-up.

[Rumor] PS Plus games for June: Killing Floor 2 + Life is Strange [NeoGAF]

Killing Floor 2 and Life is Strange rumored for PlayStation Plus in June screenshot

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News:: Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash receives limited edition in North America

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash, the upcoming summer-themed shooter Senran Kagura spinoff, will be jiggling onto PS4s this summer.

Senran Kagura: Peach Beach Splash receives limited edition in North America screenshot

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News:: The PC port of Vanquish has one of those pesky high-frame-rate bugs

An inquisitive player has stumbled across some frame-rate weirdness in the just-released PC version of Vanquish, and if the game doesn't feel quite the way you remember it, this issue could be the culprit.

NeoGAF user .:Wesker:. brought comparison gifs that better demonstrate the problem but, in short, you'll take more damage when running Vanquish at higher frame rates. We've seen similar oddities crop up in PC ports of titles like Dark Souls II, which for the longest time tied weapon durability to frame rate, forcing certain players to repair their gear far more frequently than ever intended.

As explained by .:Wesker:., "If you lock the framerate to 30FPS AR mode will activate after 6-7 seconds of taking enemy fire but if you're playing at a higher framerate, like 60FPS, it will activate in just 1-2 seconds."

You're potentially in for a steep challenge, then. Until this is resolved -- either by Little Stone Software and Platinum, or potentially by a kindhearted modder -- you may want to keep Vanquish at 30FPS.

Vanquish PC: 'Hidden' additional challenge from playing on higher framerates [NeoGAF]

The PC port of Vanquish has one of those pesky high-frame-rate bugs screenshot



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News:: You can grab Rising Storm: Game of the Year edition for free from Humble right now

With all the buzz surrounding Call of Duty's return to World War II, now seems like a great time to jump back into the past and relive some of the best FPS games from last generation. One of the more overlooked titles, Rising Storm, was originally released as a standalone expansion to Red Orchestra 2 and it focused on the Pacific front, something that the new Call of Duty is completely overlooking.

If you're keen to see a different side of "The World's Greatest Generation," you can now do so for free thanks to Humble Bundle. Over on the Humble Storm, Rising Storm is being given out gratis for the next 20 or so hours (at time of writing). Seeing as how the game also includes access to Red Orchestra 2's multiplayer, you could potentially find your next favorite game to hold you over until Call of Duty.

If nothing else, you can add this to your backlog and then wonder, years down the line, when you actually got the game. That is what happened to me (since this was offered for free on Steam a few years ago and I already had it).

Rising Storm: Game of the Year Edition [Humble Store]

You can grab Rising Storm: Game of the Year edition for free from Humble right now screenshot



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News:: Don't scream: The new 'Friday the 13th' game is out today

After a slight delay, the first official Friday the 13th game since 1989 is available today on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. If you want to jump right into the action at Camp Crystal Lake, though, you might have to wait for Friday the 13th: The Game's servers to accommodate the apparent rush of people trying to kill the counselors/survive the maniacal Jason Voorhees. The official Twitter account has been dropping updates since the wee hours of this morning, so if you're having issues make sure to check there first.

Source: Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox Game Store, Kickstarter



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News:: Raiden V is coming to PS4 and Steam with a 'Director's Cut'

Sometime this fall, UFO Interactive Games will be bringing Raiden V to PS4 and PC (via Steam) as Raiden V: Director's Cut. In an effort to entice fans to double dip (or sweeten the deal for people who don't own an Xbox One), Director's Cut will include a bunch of new features that probably won't amount to much, but definitely make the game sound bigger and better.

For starters, cooperative play is now included. How that wasn't included in the original Raiden V is beyond me. That seems like a very basic thing that every shmup has, but I guess that is now a "new" feature. It looks like we're also getting full narration for the storyline, full 1080p support, three new ships, a "Cheer" attack (something to do with secondary weapons) and something called the "Tri View" HUD, which lets you look at your ship, command center and real-time status updates all at once.

Raiden V is coming to PS4 and Steam with a 'Director's Cut' screenshot

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News:: Paul Robertson's Australian Pokemon kick ass

If you thought key, sword, and trash Pokemon mean GameFreak has exhausted all possibilities for new monsters, rest assured: good artists can always come up with more. Artist Paul Robertson single-handedly put together an entire Pokedex that is as down under as Foster's is Australian for "beer."

You may also find it more convenient to view the pictures on Robertson's site.

Paul Robertson's Australian Pokemon kick ass screenshot

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News:: Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

It’s been nearly 14 years since audiences were first treated to Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow. At the time, Roger Ebert said that Depp’s “performance is original in its every atom. There has never been a pirate, or for that matter a human being, like this in any other movie.” Four films later, and this much is still true. Depp’s performance as Sparrow is unique in the catalog of all things movie and he still brings some of what made this character so unique and essential to the franchise to the table, err, deck.

Fourteen years is plenty of time for an entirely new audience to have been born, and to those uninitiated to the Pirates franchise, they may find Depp’s performance, the corresponding over-the-top action sequences, and now iconic scoring to be nearly as enjoyable as audiences did in 2003. At the same time, 14 years is plenty of time for actors to age in the human scale; Depp was 39 then, approaching 54 now, and let me tell you, as a 36-year-old, I imagine this means noticeable differences, especially when one is attempting to portray the same character. Similarly, the masterful Geoffrey Rush is now nearly 66, then a sprightly 51. Both men still bring their characters to life, and at times, it feels as they’re mustering the same bravado they did circa 2003, yet at others, it feels flatter, more fatigued.

Maybe it is the ravages of time, or franchise fatigue, as many will likely be hard pressed to bring just as much to film five as they did the first. For fans of Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, or even the original trilogy (all wrapped and released by 2007), you may find something lacking. The ship still floats, riding high on pretty visuals and robust quips and wit, but she’s not quite as pretty, nor as sharp, as the day her captain smashed a bottle of rum on her bow to set her adrift.

Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales screenshot

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News:: Episode two of Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy is 'Under Pressure'

With the debut episode of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, the studio amusingly settled on the title Tangled Up in Blue. That song-based trend continues with episode two, Under Pressure, which is now set for a June 6 release on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, and Android.

The second episode promises to dig into Rocket Raccoon's past, hence that key art up there, and there's also talk of the Guardians getting "help from dubious old friends and unwilling new allies."

Are any of you playing this yet? I briefly considered it after seeing and really enjoying Vol. 2, but then I tumbled into a rabbit hole of weird Yondu images that I've yet to crawl back out of.

Episode two of Telltale's Guardians of the Galaxy is 'Under Pressure' screenshot



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News:: GTA Online shows no signs of stopping with its gunrunning update next month

You probably don't think about GTA V all that often anymore, but literally tens of thousands of people are thinking about (or playing) GTA Online daily. There's a reason the base game is so massively successful years down the line -- because folks want to jump into the online world of crime and mess around in a giant sandbox with a vibrant community.

It's been on the front page of Twitch or whereabouts for years now, and as of next month there's a new update coming that'll get some more eyes on it. It adds in the gunrunning mechanic, which adds hatches into the game with "sprawling underground headquarters for sale, ready to be stocked with new military-grad vehicles and weapons." As is typical of the game it's free DLC in the form of an update, and GTA Online is supported by microtransactions for currency.

If you aren't sold on GTA Online, or at least the idea that anything interesting can happen in it, a number of roleplaying videos are out that showcase its many surprises.

Gunrunning [Rockstar]

GTA Online shows no signs of stopping with its gunrunning update next month screenshot

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News:: Early Access Review: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds

Let's not beat around the bush: I like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. I like it quite a lot. In fact, I feel a little bit of gratitude towards it, or more accurately, towards Bluehole and Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene for coming up with it. Why? It is, in short, the game that helped me realize sort out what I want from the burgeoning survival genre right now.

But to get at why it had to be this game, and not any number of its similar competitors, I'll need to tell you about the first two times I played a different game, a game called DayZ.

Early Access Review: PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds screenshot

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News:: Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system seems unchanged in Zodiac Age, and that's perfectly okay

While Final Fantasy XII's gambit system (read: ability to assign AI tasks with provisos) wasn't perfect, it was ahead of its time, especially for a console RPG.

Obnoxious marketing speak aside in the trailer, it does a decent job of explaining what the gambit system actually is, which a Dtoid commenter recently called "a tinkerer's dream." In tandem with the job system that lets you swap between 12 classes (and the more open International Edition enhancement), you can also program parameters for your AI, with percentages and specific types of skills.

It's probably the best part of the game, and I'm looking forward to seeing how fondly I remember the rest next month. In the meantime I was able to mess around with an early preview version and the new fast-forward feature.

Final Fantasy XII's Gambit system seems unchanged in Zodiac Age, and that's perfectly okay screenshot

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News:: The exciting world of credit card terminals is coming to VR

In maybe the most boring VR announcement to date, payment processing company WorldPay has decided to bring its services to virtual worlds.

The UK-based company, one of the leading payment processors worldwide, used the HTC Vive for its prototype. In their system, to pay for an in-game item you use the Vive's controllers to pick it up, revealing a bubble with its price. Staring at the virtual price tag for a few seconds allows you to make the purchase, which you do with a virtual version of your real credit or debit card. You then hold your card over a VR payment terminal. And, if you need to type in a PIN, number bubbles pop up all around you in random order so that onlookers can't guess your code.

Source: Bloomberg Technology



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News:: Should you get Disgaea 5 Complete on Switch? Take this quiz and find out

Disgaea 5 Complete is a Switch port of the original PS4 game, with all of its relatively pricey DLC included. This the first Disgaea game to hit a Nintendo console since Disgaea DS in 2008, giving Nintendo loyalists plenty of reason to be hungry for the unique blend of sacrilegious storytelling and turn-based action that the series is known for. Being the home to Fire Emblem, arguably the most popular Strategy JRPG series in the world right now, also helps to make Nintendo consoles particularly fertile ground for something like Disgaea. That's probably why game has already topped 110,000 pre-orders.

There are no Switch-exclusive features to add to the discussion, but the port is clean and glitch free, so if you're thinking about getting Disgaea 5 Complete when it's released on May 23rd, start with our original review of the game to learn more. If you're still not sure what to do after that, we've provided a handy quiz below that should help you to decide, but make sure to have calculator of pencil and paper handy.

Numbers ahoy!

Should you get Disgaea 5 Complete on Switch? Take this quiz and find out screenshot

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News:: The no-fail guide to having fun with Pokemon: Magikarp Jump

Since it first hit app stores earlier this week, I have been inundated with requests for information about how best to enjoy Pokémon: Magikarp Jump. I can barely go a minute on my Twitter feed without somebody asking me “What’s the best strategy for raising my Magikarp?” or “Should I focus on food or training?” or “CJ, you’re so hot, will you put a baby in me?” It can get tiring trying to answer each and every question individually, so I thought I’d whip up a quick guide for having fun with Magikarp Jump.

Step 1: Press & hold the Pokémon: Magikarp Jump app icon until you are able to grab it.

The no-fail guide to having fun with Pokemon: Magikarp Jump screenshot

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News:: Truly intelligent enemies could change the face of gaming

Live, die, repeat -- the tagline for the 2014 science-fiction film Edge of Tomorrow -- describes its protagonist, who "respawned" every time he died in the real world. Critics noted that the conceit resembled the cyclical experience of playing a video game, in which dying resets a staged arrangement of obstacles. Often these are enemies, and the most common way they're surpassed is by the player violently dispatching them. Some games have kept this as cartoonish as Mario jumping on a Goomba's head, but others strive for vivid action and more-lifelike foes to pit the player against. But we know what enemies look like today -- how will we treat them in the games to come?

Put another way: How will violence in gaming change in the future?



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News:: Ouch, Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII remake to launch 'in the next three years or so'

CEO Yosuke Matsuda has some bad news for people expecting a surprise 2017 first chapter release of Final Fantasy VII Remake -- a slide during a fiscal year presentation has revealed that it's expected "within the next three years or so." Marvel also mentions its Marvel IP project (which I totally forgot they had) as something on the horizon.

While I could probably wait 20 more years for Kingdom Hearts III (all of the algebraic spinoffs and sequels are a pretty good way to pass the time), I'm extremely anxious to see how Final Fantasy VII plays out. People are already divided over the episodic treatment, and if they take a year or more to drop each episode, that would be a pretty crazy sight to behold.

It's also perhaps the most brazen use of nostalgia yet, and Capcom has been giving Square a run for its money. Exciting times! What's old is new again.

Fiscal Year [Square Enix via Gematsu]

Ouch, Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII remake to launch 'in the next three years or so' screenshot



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News:: 'Far Cry 5' brings cult mayhem to Hope County February 27th

Far Cry 5 is going to be a little different than you might expect. The new announcement trailer paints a picture of pastoral life that lends itself surprisingly well to the franchise's familiar trappings: hunting, off-road vehicles, airplanes and guns. And it seemingly wraps it all together in a way that seems like a more grounded version of Grand Theft Auto V's depiction of a rural life of crime.

Source: Ubisoft (YouTube), PlayStation Blog



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News:: Far Cry 5 is coming in February, watch the full trailer here

Far Cry is an interesting franchise, in that it's probably the most "Ubisoft" of all with its multitude of radio towers and map screen dots, but it also excites people more than a lot of their other work.

This trailer for Far Cry 5 is pretty effective at setting up its world (as are the few character videos on their channel), with a Martin Sheen sounding villain, and as expected, the unveiling of an American cult as the antagonistic group of the game. According to the official description locals have risen up against the "fanatical doomsay cult" Project at Eden's Gate, "cut off from the rest of the world." You'll be part of the resistance, with the ability to recruit NPCs and animals (bears and cougars ar ementioned), and fool around with a map editor.

It'll drop on Feburary 27, 2018 on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a solo campaign and a co-op mechanic. I'm tentatively interested as I've really enjoyed the last few mainline games outside of Primal (which was alright at worst).

Far Cry 5 is coming in February, watch the full trailer here screenshot

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News:: Oculus Rift officially supports the HTC Vive’s best feature

The Oculus Rift has technically supported room-scale VR since the system's Touch motion controllers first went on sale last December. But purchasing an additional sensor didn't guarantee foolproof 3D tracking for greater immersion right off the bat. Oculus labelled the feature "experimental," alerting early adopters to the likelihood of bugs and other gremlins you might expect from in-development functionality. Six months and several updates later, however, Oculus has decided room-scale support is robust enough in its latest software release that it can ditch the beta tag and be called a bona fide Rift feature.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Oculus



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News:: Review: Emily is Away Too

Emily is Away wasn’t the first visual novel I had ever played, but one of the few to transport me into a period of my life I thought I left behind. Maybe that was due more to the accurate recreation of Windows XP and AOL Instant Messenger from 2002 (even if it was in pixel art), but I had experienced many of the same scenarios the game covered.

It was heartbreaking to see my own mistakes and know what I could have done to prevent them. By that same measure, it made me realize that I’m not the only person to have felt the same way in such a situation, even if I beat myself up over my choices every day.

It wasn’t perfect (the characters were basically one-dimensional), but Emily is Away was effective in at least capturing a time period that seemed to disappear overnight. So what could a sequel possibly add to that? How about two potential love interests and multiple endings!

Review: Emily is Away Too screenshot

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News:: Time-bending shooter 'Superhot VR' arrives on HTC Vive

Superhot VR didn't start life as an Oculus Rift game, but it eventually made it to the VR headset. With dual-wielding guns and further tweaks to improve the title for a new interface, it turned into a short-but-sweet slice of virtual reality gaming. Now it's HTC Vive owners' turn to slow time, evade bullets, and return them in kind.

Via: Techradar

Source: Steam



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News:: 'Pokémon Go' update gives cheaters lousy monsters

With a new update, Pokémon Go cheaters won't be banned, but instead thrown into a depressing purgatory. As spotted by Reddit's hardcore Pokémon Go site, Silph Road, Niantic is now "shadowbanning" cheaters by only letting them find humdrum monsters like Pidgey. In a statement, Niantic support said "people who violate the Pokémon Go Terms of Service may have their gameplay affected and may not be able to see all the Pokémon around them."

Via: TNW

Source: The Silph Road (Reddit), NianticGeorge (Reddit)



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News:: The Morning After: Friday, May 26th 2017

Welcome to Friday morning. In the last 24 hours, we gazed at SpaceX's latest rocket tests, hear about major financial companies involving themselves in bitcoin. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Twitch competitor has (sort of) relaunched with a new name and the ability to broadcast all your buddies playing at once.



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