tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83400751219931908822024-03-05T20:51:46.376+09:00Steve's Game BlogWriting portfolio of Steven Bogossteven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-10424541986394886402021-04-06T08:47:00.003+09:002021-04-06T08:47:16.842+09:00The five ways COVID has changed marketing (part 4)<p>By now, you should have a pretty good idea of how marketing in the post-COVID world looks. Last week we looked at why <a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed_24.html">digital is king</a>, and today we're going to address another key dependency of a great post-COVID marketing campaign: a <b>premium </b>brand experience. </p><p><b>#4: A Premium Brand Experience</b></p><p>But Steven, I hear you asking, my brand is <b>already </b>a premium brand! No, it's not. It may have been premium in the old world, but in the post-COVID world there are things people expect that were simply non-issues in the past. Cleanliness, is an issue that customers are, understandably, very concerned about these days, and shedding any conceptions they may have about your company not having the absolute highest standards of hygiene is so important. Messaging that shows off your COVID-safe policies at a factory, ensuring that any customer-facing roles upheld strict hygiene standards (masks, hand sanitizer, social distancing), or simply a rebranding of packaging to give your customers the impression that your product is cleaner than any competitor.</p><p>On that last point, messaging that shows you will really go above and beyond your competition is crucial these days. Like I talked about in <a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed.html">part 1</a>, online shopping is the new normal, and it's much easier for a customer to simply browse on over to a competitor's site if they're not satisfied. Offering those premium experiences that used to only be available in-stores, but online, is a surefire way to achieve this. As an example, a client of mine wanted to bring an exclusively in-store experience; setting up a customer's new device, online. I worked with the client to build a "Digital Onboarding" experience, where customers could get extensive help setting up their phone from the comfort of their home.</p><p>Think about the things your organization does well, and how you can emphasize those things to create a truly unique-in-the-market premium experience.</p><p>We're almost at the end of this journey, so join me next week for #<b>5: Do More With Less</b></p>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-83986697102408597292021-03-24T08:24:00.005+09:002021-03-24T08:27:29.647+09:00The five ways COVID has changed marketing (part 3)<p>Okay, so you've got your <a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed.html">digital storefront set up</a>. You've penned some marketing messaging with a focus on the <a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed_18.html">working-from-home revolution</a>. Now, how do you actually deliver that message? This one should seem pretty obvious, but digital marketing should be your first, second, and last port of call in the post-COVID world.</p><p><b>#3: Digital First, Second, and Last</b></p><p>What's the first thing you check on your phone in the morning when you wake up? Maybe the weather? Possibly your text messages? In the US, 25% of people will check their email as their first app. In Europe and Asia, that number is even higher. Email has this reputation as being antiquated, ineffective and "not sexy". A fancy TV commercial is sexy. Handing out free samples in stores is sexy. A big flashy billboard downtown is sexy. Sending out an email is not sexy. </p><p>But that reputation couldn't be further from the truth (except, I will maybe concede on the sexiness factor). Time and time again data has shown that email is one of the most effective channels out there in getting your customers to exchange. It's something everyone has, everyone checks regularly, and in the post-COVID world, when people are staying in more and going out less, it's the most efficient way of getting your message out to your customers.</p><p>A client I worked for exclusively used in-app notifications and in-store marketing materials as it's CRM. I had to fight tooth and nail to convince them that email was the way to go, but kept getting pushback. "People don't use email in this country. You're not from here, you don't understand". But I was persistent, and when we finally launched our email channel, we saw open rates soar from 3% to 25%, click-through penetration rates spike, and overall engagement balloon.</p><p>Check in next week for <b>#4: A Premium Brand Experience</b></p>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-50162444497033240772021-03-18T08:40:00.006+09:002021-03-24T08:26:47.145+09:00The five ways COVID has changed marketing (part 2)<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed.html">Last week, </a>I talked about how having a flawless digital storefront was the bare minimum marketing requirement in the post-COVID age. So now that your webstore is up to scratch... how do you actually market to people? The first thing to consider is the working from home revolution that happened behind the scenes last year.</p><b>#2: Appeal to the Working from Home revolution</b><div><br /></div><div>Even before COVID hit, working from home was slowly, steadily, becoming more and more accepted. Most corporate jobs allowed senior members, particularly those who didn't actually need to be in the office every day, to WFH a few days a week. Then COVID hit and every single workplace in Australia was dragged kicking and screaming into the reality that everyone who can feasibly do their job at home, must stay at home.<br /><br />Suddenly, there are a whole bunch of people stuck at home that usually aren't, and that's going to have a massive impact on consumer spending habits. Take the ultimate Melbourne office worker's staple for example: coffee. If you're not going into the office, you're not picking up a take-away coffee on your way to work. But you still want coffee, so maybe you'll be thinking about investing in a nice espresso machine to keep at home. And you'll want some good quality beans to go with that. Maybe as a marketer you want to run campaigns on how people can use your products to make café-quality cappuccino's at home?<div><br /></div><div>Of course, now we are out of lockdown and are slowly (and safely) returning to the office, but it will never be at the same capacity as pre-COVID. The genie is out of the bottle, and now that so many workers know that they can work from home, they will demand it, and some form of WFH will become the new normal for many people.</div><div><br /></div><div>With that in mind, you need to think about how you can market your message to appeal to the newly-minted working-from-homers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Check in next week for <b><a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed_24.html">#3: Digital first, second, and last</a></b></div></div>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-65395848180651071182021-03-12T09:00:00.007+09:002021-03-24T08:26:09.931+09:00The five ways COVID has changed marketing (Part 1)COVID-19 has had tremendous, dramatic impacts on virtually every industry across the planet, and marketing has been no exception. As all of us Communications Specialists, Content Managers, and Marketers can testify, the old way of doing things just isn’t cutting it in the post-COVID world. Even with the vaccine underway, and the world slowly heading towards the fabled “new normal”, the pandemic has changed consumer behaviour permanently. Customers are more cautious and less trusting, and if you want your marketing campaign to succeed, you’ll have to heed these five learnings - that we all had to learn the hard way during lockdowns, panic buying, and mass paranoia.<br /><br /><b>#1: Your digital storefront has to be perfect</b><br /><br />Working with a large retail client, they told me that customers used to tolerate their flawed online shopping experience because they were able to consistently beat competitors on price. Post-COVID, when the switch from retail to online hit every industry in full force, that was no longer the case, and they suddenly found themselves needing to hastily overhaul their entire digital storefront.<br /><br />If you’re selling any kind of product, especially if it’s a product that competitors also sell, your online experience not only has to be flawless, but also has to go above and beyond. It’s not enough to simply have everything work, but customers should be able to easily manipulate their shopping cart, search for specific items, navigate sales and promotions, and easily understand shipping (preferably free, and baked into the cost somewhere else) and other potential fees. Unlike shopping at a retail store, where there is quite a large barrier to physically emptying your shopping cart and trying to find the product elsewhere, when your customers are online, your competitor is literally a click away.<br /><br />Don’t bother running any kind of digital marketing promotion until you get this step done. If you send customers to a poor experience, all you’re going to do is turn them away at best, and at worst, send them right to your competitor! It’s no longer acceptable to outsource a less-than-reputable offshore IT team to slap together a barely-functional online storefront. Take the time, and the resources, to build something properly.<br /><br /><br />Check in next week for <b><a href="http://stevesgameblog.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-five-ways-covid-has-changed_18.html">#2: Appeal to the Working from Home revolution</a></b><p></p>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-67688639139054237082019-12-15T13:51:00.000+09:002019-12-15T13:51:36.336+09:00How to play ROOT: A Video GuideI made a thing!<br />
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<br />steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-65431249800327059382017-10-15T13:35:00.001+09:002017-10-15T13:36:35.985+09:00Hyper MagazineHey everyone! Got a bit of news for followers of Steve's Game Blog.<br />
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I recently wrote a couple of feature articles on commission for Hyper Magazine. The edition (268) is now currently on sale! Pick it up if you're still one of those physical magazine reading types. The articles I wrote are "Battlegrounds of Eternity: The Best Maps of All Time" and "The Rise and Fall of Team Fortress 2".<br />
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-48720616181822912942017-08-30T09:06:00.001+09:002017-08-30T09:54:12.475+09:00Hearthstone's Druid Power Level: IT'S OVER 9000!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Right now in Hearthstone, the Druid class is absurdly powerful, and it's actually a very bad thing for the health of the game. It's not just a single deck either, as both Token Druid and Jade Druid are equally strong. Unlike other decks that have stabilized over time, as new strategies and counters have arisen, the Druid problem is so severe that it's actually effecting the meta. Unconventional decks like Exodia mage, which were fun gimmicky decks, have actually become viable in the meta because they are so effective at beating druid. We've really got a whole "Grim Patron" situation on our hands now: every single deck is either A) Druid, or B) deck that is specifically good against Druid, and that's bad because it limits creativity, and lessens the impact of a lot of cool cards and archetypes.<br />
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Blizzard should not take a "wait and see" approach to this problem. The time for wait and see has passed, especially when you consider that <a href="https://twitter.com/Appa_HS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pcgamer.com%2Fwhat-should-be-done-to-fix-hearthstones-druid-problem%2F">41% of all games</a> being played are against Druids. They need to act <b>right now.</b><br />
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How did Druid get so powerful?</h4>
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Druid has always been a popular, powerful class in Hearthstone, but the latest patch has given it the exact tools it needed to propel it into the unstoppable monster it is right now. Specifically: Spreading Plague and Ultimate Infestation. To understand why these cards are so powerful, you first need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the class.</div>
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Ramp it up</h3>
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Ramp effects let you cheat out mana ahead of the usual curve, allowing you to play bigger minion and spells earlier in the game. They are countered by the fact that they cost a card, and have minimal effect on the board state. Playing Wild Growth on turn 2 means that you have one less card and no two drop on the board. Ramping has always been a gamble because it leaves you vulnerable, but Ultimate Infestation negates all of those negatives.</div>
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A Druid player can spend the first four turns ramping up (Wild Growth, Jade Blossom, Nourish), and then just innervate out an Ultimate Infestation. He now likely controls the board, has healed, has replenished all the cards he spent ramping, and is a full <b>six mana </b>ahead of you. Just watch <a href="https://clips.twitch.tv/SourWimpyBunnyFreakinStinkin">this clip</a> to understand how stupid this combination is.</div>
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Wall of Scarabs</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeUY-EpNv_FgWUazgRX1xcVofTX08L5Be5jqpZOp78UWjo4FQc-GDhj1ShyphenhyphenKqqgFnwp6OuayvlYeA0vrBQlQYBrrdIsLdgyYXTWM29GKtDxMERtJvLpgjd8coOd5wAYkzY49c6ABGRP0/s1600/spreading+plague.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeUY-EpNv_FgWUazgRX1xcVofTX08L5Be5jqpZOp78UWjo4FQc-GDhj1ShyphenhyphenKqqgFnwp6OuayvlYeA0vrBQlQYBrrdIsLdgyYXTWM29GKtDxMERtJvLpgjd8coOd5wAYkzY49c6ABGRP0/s320/spreading+plague.png" width="237" /></a>Traditionally, Druid's weakness has been big boards. It lacks the hard removal of Rogue and Priest, and the AOE removal of Mage and Warlock. The best way to play against a Druid is to put down multiple, high health creatures. Once the board has been flooded, its quite hard for them to regain control. This is a natural counter to both Jade/Ramp Druid AND Token Druid. Against Jade/Ramp Druid, it stops them from being too greedy. They have to play minions and fight for board control or they will be overwhelmed. Against Token Druid, it helps control their own waves of minions it tries to flood the board with.</div>
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But here comes Spreading Plague, which a lot of the time reads: 5 Mana - Summon 7 1/5 Scarabs With Taunt. Not only does this card negate Druid's most major weakness by cockblocking the whole board, it also combos exceedingly well with cards like Power of The Wild, Mark of The Lotus and the new Bolster Bear. It's not uncommon for those 1/5's to become 2/6's, or even 3/7's within the same turn. Imagine a card that read: 6 Mana - Summon Seven 2/6 Scarabs with Taunt. Discard a card.</div>
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Innervation Intervention</h3>
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All of these new tools circle back to Innervate, a card that has been a part of the core Druid kit since the beginning, and limits card design space more and more the longer it remains a part of the game. Again, Innervate is a card that was limited by the fact that it cost you a card. Yeah, you could cheat out a big drop on an early turn, but then you were down a card, and could get fucked over by hard removal. Now, Druids can use Innervate to cheat out Ultimate Infestation, which instantly replenishes their hand, negating its detrimental effect. Reynad made a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-7s5xuJck">strong case</a> on the removal of Innervate from Standard, which is a possible solution to the Druid problem.</div>
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What's the solution?</h4>
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Whatever Blizzard decides on doing, it needs to happen <b>now, </b>before we have another Grim Patron/Undertaker Hunter situation on our hand. Shifting Innervate to Standard is a good solution, but I honestly believe that the two most offensive cards: Spreading Plague and Ultimate Infestation need to <b>additionally </b>be directly nerfed. Possible solutions:</div>
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<li><b>Ultimate Infestation: </b>8 Mana - Deal 5 Damage, Summon a 5/5 Ghoul, Gain 5 Armor - <i>This completely removes the card draw from the card, but still keeps it as a decent card, considering that Firelands portal is basically "Deal 5 Damage, Summon a 5/5", and is considered a good card for 7 mana. </i></li>
<li><b>Ultimate Infestation:</b> 10 Mana. Deal 4 Damage, Summon a 4/4 Ghoul, Gain 4 Armor, Draw 4 Cards -<i> This keeps the card draw but reduces all of the effects by 1. Honestly, I think it needs to go even further and reduce card draw to 3, but that would be a bit of overkill.</i></li>
<li><b>Spreading Plague: </b>5 Mana. Summon a 1/5 Scarab with Taunt. If your Opponent Has More Minions, Repeat up to Two Times - <i>This caps out the number of Scarabs that can be summoned at 3, which still provides a tool for defensive druid decks, but doesn't become absurdly powerful when combo'd with board buff spells.</i></li>
<li><b>Spreading Plague: </b>4 Mana. Summon a 1/2 Scarab with Taunt for each enemy minion - <i>Sound familiar? This is basically Protect the King, a Warrior card that never saw play. 1/1 Tokens are pretty terrible, so buffing them up to 1/2 means that they can't just be whirlwinded away, but still die to big AOE effects like Flamestrike or Holy Nova (as they should).</i></li>
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-10314593251719993102017-07-27T11:53:00.000+09:002017-07-27T11:53:00.256+09:00Review: Aven Colony (Video)Hey guys! Had a bunch of free time on my hands this week so thought I would experiment with a video review. Haven't done one of these since waaaay back in 2012 with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikR2gxYctmk">Dishonored</a> so I'm trying the format out again.<br />
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I would really appreciate as much feedback as you can offer on this one. Is it too long? Too negative? Is the quality of the video bad? Please leave comments!<br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-34564558408573165852017-07-21T10:43:00.004+09:002021-04-20T09:17:17.466+09:00Copywriting PortfolioHere is a full folio of all of my published copywriting work, sorted by client.<div><br /></div><div><h2>StarHub:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/11179/apps-to-help-you-with-your-2021-goals/">https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/11179/apps-to-help-you-with-your-2021-goals/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/9083/what-to-expect-from-the-all-new-android-11/">https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/9083/what-to-expect-from-the-all-new-android-11/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/9078/what-to-expect-from-the-all-new-ios14/">https://smartsupport.starhub.com/#/articles/9078/what-to-expect-from-the-all-new-ios14/</a></span></span></li></ul><br />Singtel:</h2><h2><ul><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://kb-prod.sea.soluto.asurion.com/singtel_articles/3-password-myths-debunked/">https://kb-prod.sea.soluto.asurion.com/singtel_articles/3-password-myths-debunked/</a></span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://kb-prod.sea.soluto.asurion.com/singtel_articles/3-battery-myths-debunked/">https://kb-prod.sea.soluto.asurion.com/singtel_articles/3-battery-myths-debunked/</a></span></span></li></ul></h2>
<h2>Bodycare:</h2>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.bodycare.com.au/healthy-wealthy-wise-ultimate-guide-employee-retention-without-offering-raise/">https://www.bodycare.com.au/healthy-wealthy-wise-ultimate-guide-employee-retention-without-offering-raise/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bodycare.com.au/office-ergonomics-really-worth-investment/">https://www.bodycare.com.au/office-ergonomics-really-worth-investment/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bodycare.com.au/mental-health-workplace-keeping-workers-healthy-body-mind/">https://www.bodycare.com.au/mental-health-workplace-keeping-workers-healthy-body-mind/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bodycare.com.au/workplace-wellness-programs-really-work/">https://www.bodycare.com.au/workplace-wellness-programs-really-work/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.bodycare.com.au/absenteeism-workplace-much-costing/">https://www.bodycare.com.au/absenteeism-workplace-much-costing/</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
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Hey guys. This is the first E3 in four years that I'm not working the show. It was nice to be actually able to sit back, relax, and simply enjoy the announcements as a consumer, rather than have to feverishly write everything up as a journalist, scouring the internet for even the tiniest morsels of new news. Now that all of the major companies have had their say, I've decided to do a little wrap-up. I hope you enjoy it!</div>
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Every year, there is this big debate over who "won" E3. It generally refers to the company that had the biggest showing of games people want to play, with the press conference that really ups the wow factor, and with the most down-to-earth attitude towards their fanbase. It's traditionally been a contest between the "big three" (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) but these days Bethesda, EA and Ubisoft also throw their hats in the ring. To understand who won, lets first have a look at who lost.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Loser #1 (the worst loser): Sony</b></h3>
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Oh how the mighty have fallen. Sony was unquestionably the "winner" of last year's E3, with a very strong showing of powerhouse games like the <i>Final Fantasy VII </i>remake, and a very consumer friendly approach that seemed to rebuff Microsoft's anti-consumer tenancies at every turn. This year, as well as having an incredibly lackluster assortment of games to show, with <a href="https://www.polygon.com/e3/2017/6/14/15800206/shadow-of-the-colossus-ps4-remake-e3">the <i>Shadow of The Colossus </i>remake</a> being the only really new thing shown, they also took the "dick move of the show" award by refusing to do cross-play with Microsoft and Nintendo. Here is what Sony's Jim Ryan literarlly said when confronted about Sony's lack of cross-play with <i>Minecraft </i>and <i>Rocket League:</i><br />
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"Yeah. We've got to be mindful of our responsibility to our install base. <i>Minecraft </i>- the demographic playing that, you know as well as I do, it's all ages but it's also very young. We have a contract with the people who go online with us, that we look after them and they are within the PlayStation curated universe. Exposing what in many cases are children to external influences we have no ability to manage or look after, it's something we have to think about very carefully."</blockquote>
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Yes, you heard that right, they don't want to do cross-play because "think of the children!" Even <b>Nintendo, </b>who have refused to do stuff like region-free gaming or online voice chat for the longest time due to "the children!" excuse are doing cross-play, while Sony isn't. Dick move Sony.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Loser #2: Bethesda</b></h3>
<b><br /></b>
Hey guys, do you remember when Bethesda made a game called <i>Skyrim? </i>Bethesda sure does! <i>S<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-6hEmc2-Y">kyrim </a></i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd-6hEmc2-Y">is coming to the Switch!</a> I also hope you like VR because there's a fucktone of VR shit coming, even if you don't want it.<i> </i>There's a sequel to a game that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7JbFBq4NAo">no-one really cared about</a>. Oh and remember paid mods, that clusterfuck of a dumb idea that turned Bethesda and Valve's reputation to shit? Well they are back, but we've disguised them as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRkrascT_iM">"Creation Club"</a>. The only saving grace from Bethesda was <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHht8480cEo">Wolfenstein 2</a>,</i> which looks pretty fucking cool.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Loser #3: EA Games</b></h3>
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"Hey lets just pump out a billion sequels to all of our successful franchises." EA's conference was so boring and uneventful that the only thing I can actually remember off the top of my head was that <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q51LZ2HpbE">Battlefront 2</a> </i>looked pretty alright, but at this point you could slap a <i>Star Wars </i>logo on a turd sandwich and it would still sell gangbusters.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Loser #4: Microsoft</b></h3>
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The biggest thing to come out of Microsoft's conference was of course the Xbox One X: the final version of "Project Scorpio". For $499 US, it claims to bring 4k 60FPS gaming to the lowly console peasants. Most of the games they showed off with it were pretty meh, a bunch of sequels to games like <i>Forza, Crackdown, </i>and <i>Metro. </i>However, Microsoft revealed two pretty big showstoppers during their conference. The first was <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zqz67Ha7II">Dragon Ball Fighter Z</a>, </i>which looks <b>fucking amazing </b>in 4K 60FPS and was the best game to show off the Xbox One X's tech. It is also being made by Arc System Works as a proper fighting game, and has a lot of FG fans super pumped up. This game is likely to become the new <i>Street Fighter </i>or <i>Marvel Vs. Capcom </i>as a competitive gaming staple, and as a <i>Dragonball Z </i>fan, that makes me super happy.<br />
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The second amazing game that Microsoft revealed was an indie game called <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pupdeq1MoVw">The Last Night</a>. </i>This is the game I have been <b>dreaming </b>about ever since I first saw <i>Bladerunner. </i>It's a 2.5D pixelated cyberpunk platformer, set in a world where automation has replaced pretty much all labor and humans live for pleasure alone. The creator of the game fell into some bullshit controversy hole with manufactured outrage from social justice warriors, but it<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DCK6O7FU0AEE-Pq.jpg"> hasn't really done anything to mar the game's reputation or anticipation</a>.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Loser #5: Ubisoft</b></h3>
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Ubisoft is not so much of a loser as it is "not a winner". It actually had a pretty decent showing. <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqH-iwA0ZmU">Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle</a> </i>came waaaaay out of left field, but looks super fun. They also finally, <b>finally </b>revealed the long-in-development <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAYN08YoaV8">Beyond Good and Evil 2</a>, </i>a game that fans have been waiting for for way too long. It's seriously the <i>Half-Life 3 </i>of the company. The rest was fairly predictable but inoffensive: a <i>Far Cry </i>sequel, an <i>Assassin's Creed </i>sequel, and some other little stuff. Ubisoft would have totally won E3 this year if it wasn't for the next company on this list...<br />
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<h3>
<b>Winner: Nintendo</b></h3>
<b><br /></b>
The Switch, despite having a grand total of... zero worthwhile exclusive games (both <i>Zelda </i>and <i>Mario Kart </i>are available on Wii U), has a lot of ground to cover if it wants people to take it seriously. The Wii U suffered greatly from the problem of game drought - there simply weren't enough regular releases of new, worthwhile games to justify the console. My Wii U sat for months without being played while I patiently awaited the next big game. Nintendo took to E3 swinging this year, showing us a lot of games to get excited for.<br />
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<i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGQHQc_3ycE">Super Mario Odyssey</a> </i>looks freaking amazing, and is out in October. You can become a dinosaur. You can become a goomba. You can <b>become a taxi. </b>New <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ta54uEkVUao"><i>Yoshi</i></a> and <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc3PAAije0Y">Kirby</a> </i>assure us that there will be a steady flow of new Nintendo content through 2018. Exciting third-party partnerships, like the aforementioned <i>Mario + Rabbids </i>and a <i>Rocket League </i>port shows that Nintendo is finally opening the door to third-parties, which will help with the game drought problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV9O20XRy4xpt2kBdcZbjS1r4jQXsQLG2BpW0PMpJlHymQmFrWxX0I9tLPrNxP4n6s0d-yxblvIr5gWs8YgcZD-yzC6o04XYceZ3az4XI7Um7TemPCLxgAf0AR7WFnUFmjhSBGtYALqw/s1600/Switch_SuperMarioOdyssey_illustration_01-720x720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieV9O20XRy4xpt2kBdcZbjS1r4jQXsQLG2BpW0PMpJlHymQmFrWxX0I9tLPrNxP4n6s0d-yxblvIr5gWs8YgcZD-yzC6o04XYceZ3az4XI7Um7TemPCLxgAf0AR7WFnUFmjhSBGtYALqw/s320/Switch_SuperMarioOdyssey_illustration_01-720x720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
But the biggest announcements from the company were ones that didn't even have trailers. <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFbDmTjS_MI">Metroid Prime 4 </a></i>was revealed with simply a logo, but absolutely stole the show. This is a game fans have waited <b>ten years </b>for. Alongside the news of another traditional <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhOx-FpEAQk"><i>Metroid </i>game for 3DS</a>, it was certainly a good year to be a Samus fan.<br />
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The other huge news was a confirmation that a "core series" <i>Pokemon </i>game was coming to the Switch. You heard that right, Nintendo finally <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiCyIrJsb7UAhVGi7wKHTPGBOMQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fpokemon%2Fcomments%2F44r76a%2Fnintendos_back_up_plan%2F&psig=AFQjCNEX5nmpysV5oWjSG0yXsM_RluKnKg&ust=1497565816532375">broke the glass.</a> We got literally no other information on it, but that was more than enough to drive fans into a fervor. The idea of a <i>Pokemon </i>RPG, or even a <i>Pokemon MMO </i>in glorious console HD seems incredible. It also adds fuel to the fire that Nintendo plans to abandon the 3DS line, and simply push the Switch as <b>both </b>its home console and handheld focus.<br />
So that's why I think Nintendo won E3 this year. If you disagree, be sure to let me know in the comments.<br />
<br />steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-10663629585338937862017-05-18T11:05:00.001+09:002017-06-15T10:30:39.195+09:00Prey Ending Explained, Deconstructed, and Analyzed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Warning: </b>before reading any further, you should know that this article contains <b>heavy </b><i>Prey </i>spoilers. If you haven't already finished the game, you really should go and do that first.<br />
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So <i>Prey's </i>ending, or rather, endings, have left many fans scratching their heads thinking "what the heck just happened?" While it did consist of a rather cool twist, a lot of questions remained unanswered, and a lot of new ones are raised. We won't fully know exactly what the ending meant until the inevitable sequel, but for now, we can analyse the endings and come to some conclusions.<br />
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<i>Prey </i>technically has three "main" endings with a handful of variants, and two "true" post-credits endings that vary (ever so slightly) depending on the choices you made in the game. We will look at each ending one-by-one, try to explain them, and then finish up with an overall explanation at the end to try and tie up all the loose ends.<br />
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<h3>
<b>The December Ending: Escape in Alex's Escape Pod</b></h3>
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This ending is presented to you fairly early on in the game, and can actually be completed as soon as you get access to the arboretum and crew quarters. If you follow this ending, a rogue operator named December claims that January, the operator with your voice who has been your guide for the game, is lying to you. December offers you an alternate to going through with January's plan to destroy Talos I - just high-tail it out of there in Alex Yu's secret escape pod.<br />
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If you go through with this ending, however, all that happens is your screen turns black, and you hear Alex lamenting you for "giving up". He then tells someone that "This isn't the one, start over," and you are prompted to reload an earlier save.<br />
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<b>The Explanation: </b>This is a false ending. In order to understand this ending you have to finish one of the other main endings that reveals that you are in fact a Typhon experiencing Morgan Yu's memories. In this ending you opted to escape rather than finish the simulation, which is why Alex simply "restarts" the simulation by having you load an earlier save.<br />
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<h3>
The Alex Yu Ending: Destroy All Typhon</h3>
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Towards the end of the game Alex Yu reveals an alternative plan to January's "destroy Talos I and everyone on it" solution. By scanning the Typhon coral, you're able to develop a kind of omega Nullwave transmitter that will kill <b>all </b>of the Typhon while keeping the station intact. The only "person" you will have to kill is January, who refuses to let you deploy the Nullwave transmitter unless you destroy him. This is usually considered the good ending, because by following this ending you automatically save everyone left on the ship, destroy the Typhon, and preserve all of the scientific advancements of Talos I. </div>
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Completing this ending will lead you into one of the two "true" ending scenarios after the credits role.</div>
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<b>The Explanation: </b>Read on to the "true" endings to understand what this ending means.</div>
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<h3>
The January Ending: Destroy Talos I</h3>
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<div>
January's plan throughout the whole game, which he insist is your plan, is to simply get a hold of Morgan and Alex's arming keys and force Talos I's nuclear reactor to detonate, destroying the entire station and everything on it. If you choose to follow this ending, there are actually quite a few variants you can follow. </div>
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<div>
No matter what happens, Alex dies, as he opts to go down with the ship. You can also opt to go down with the ship, and bring all of the other Talos I survivors with you. Or, you can save and reprogram Dahl so that he can pilot the shuttle containing you and the other survivors to safety. Or, you can simply get the heck out of dodge and take Alex's escape pod, leaving the rest of the survivors to perish in the explosion. Note that choosing to escape means you'll also have to destroy January, as he wants everyone to go down with the ship.</div>
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Completing this ending will lead you into one of the two "true" ending scenarios after the credits role.</div>
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<b>The Explanation: </b>Read on to the "true" endings to understand what this ending means.</div>
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<h3>
True Ending 1: Failure</h3>
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After the credits role is when the weird shit starts to happen. If you did the Alex Yu or January endings (any variant), you'll be presented with a post credits scene in which Alex and four operators representing the major human characters on Talos I are gathered around you. You are strapped to a chair, and going by your wavy black tentacle arms, are a Typhon Phantom. Alex and the operators then run down a summary of all the big decisions you made throughout the game.</div>
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In this ending, Alex laments that the experiment was a failure, and you refused to show enough compassion. This is usually achieved by killing, or causing to be killed, the other human survivors on Talos I. You are then terminated, and the game ends.</div>
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<div>
<b>The Explanation: </b>Surprise! You're not actually Morgan Yu. You are a Typhon, and the entirety of the game has simply been a simulation of the real Morgan Yu's memories of the Typhon incident. The goal of the experiment was to try and instil human empathy and emotion into a Typhon, in order for both of the races to understand each other better, and you failed by being a psychopath. Sorry!</div>
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<h3>
True Ending 2: Success</h3>
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This is what I believe to be the canon, "best" ending of the game. This ending is the same as True Ending 1, but instead of being terminated by Alex, he and the operators offer you praise. To get this ending, you generally have to be the good guy throughout the whole game, by saving and helping the survivors on board Talos I.</div>
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Alex then shows you the real world. It's San Francisco, completely covered in Typhon coral. If you were paying attention, the game alluded to this with the visions it showed you when installing certain neuromods, or scanning certain Typhon. In the real world, the Typhon made it back to Earth, and are hard at work taking it over. </div>
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He then gives you a choice. He believes that the experiment was a success, and he has succeeded in putting some humanity into you, a Typhon. If you think he's right, you can take his hand and offer to help. When you do this, you see your hand morph into a human one, showing the first step towards friendly Typhon/human relations. Or you can just choose to kill everyone. You monster.</div>
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<h3>
<b>The Final Explanation: </b></h3>
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Okay, so now we are finally at the end of all of the endings, and we can analyse what the hell just happened. The first thing we need to know is that the real Morgan Yu is dead, as are all of the other "survivors" from Talos I. What we can assume actually happened is that the real Morgan tried to stop the Typhon, either via Alex's plan or January's plan, and failed. Either he was killed by the Typhon, or killed by Dahl, or his plan didn't work, or something else happened. Alex, meanwhile, was able to escape - most likely on his personal escape pod - when the shit really hit the fan. The Typhon also make it back to earth somehow.<br />
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Alex then at some point, presumably on earth but possibly on another space station given he's still wearing his Transtar uniform, captures a Typhon phantom (perhaps even the Typhon phantom that rose from Morgan's corpse) and submits it to his experiment, alongside a group of operators instilled with the voices and memories of Talos I's former crew.<br />
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Alex believes the only way to save the world is for Typhon and human to coexist, and you are a result of that belief. He says that they spent so long putting "them" into "us", they never thought to put "us" into "them". Showing compassion, getting the True Ending 2, and choosing to side with the humans, is the "good ending," as it alludes to a future where things are patched up and everything goes back to normal (ish).<br />
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However, not every video game takes the "good" ending to be the "canon" one, as games like <i>X-COM 2 </i>memorably<i> </i>showed us.<br />
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Despite all of this, some questions still remain unanswered. <br />
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Who was December? As Alex says the whole thing is based on Morgan's actual memories of the situation, we can assume that December was real. So was December telling Morgan the truth, or was January?<br />
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What did the real Morgan try to do? Did he try to follow January's plan or Alex's? Or did he follow December's plan and book it out of there? Perhaps he's even still alive, or maybe he is the reason the Typhon made it back to earth?<br />
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How <b>did </b>the Typhon get back to earth? They were isolated on Talos I, and it looks like Alex was the only one who made it off. So either they hitched a ride with Alex, or brought the whole station with them. I find it hard to believe that earth wouldn't just nuke Talos I from orbit if it started flying towards it.<br />
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These questions may not be answered until <i>Prey 2, </i>but it's certainly fun to speculate!steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-23458894173595441362017-05-03T15:36:00.003+09:002017-05-03T15:36:38.679+09:00Overwatch: an In-Depth Guide to ReinhardtHey guys! I've got some good news, and some bad news. The bad news is that due to a cut in budget, <i>The Escapist </i>has cancelled my current contract. I won't be writing for them for the foreseeable future (unless, of course, the same thing that happened last year happens, and they realize I make up the vast majority of their news views and hire me back next month...) That means for the moment, I'm back on the freelance market! The good news is that it's given me some time to pursue other projects.<br />
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The first of which is a collaboration with my good friend Kyle Best to produce a series of Overwatch guides. Here is the first in the series: Reinhardt. I hope you enjoy it!<br /><br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yXeb8UwtiVE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yXeb8UwtiVE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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Next up will be Zennyatta. We hope to cover all of the game's 24 playable heroes.</div>
steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-42586386868626009512016-04-26T15:16:00.000+09:002016-04-26T15:20:04.733+09:00C'thun and You: What Whispers of The Old Gods Means For Hearthstone<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The ancient ones are upon us. C’thun, Yogg-Saron and the rest of their Old God buddies have infested </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hearthstone, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and with the release of their expansion: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are bringing some big changes to the game. It’s easily the most significant update to the game since launch, and both new and old players alike will have to familiarize themselves to what’s new. Let’s have a look at what the arrival of the Old Gods mean for the game.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://cdn.blizzardwatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/whispers-of-the-old-gods-hearthstone-expansion-header.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-c697269e-5120-7d21-32f4-886aaf95a92c" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">First and most significantly, when </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> launches on April 26, it will kick off the “Year of The Kraken”, splitting </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hearthstone </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">into two distinct formats of play: Wild and Standard. Wild will essentially be “classic” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hearthstone, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">allowing players to make decks from all cards that have ever been released for the game. Standard, on the other hand, will restrict players to making decks only out of cards that have been released in the last year, as well as the base and classic sets. In the case of this year - The Year of The Kraken - only cards from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blackrock Mountain, The Grand Tournament, League of Explorers </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> will be legal.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both formats will have access to the ranked, casual and practice game modes, while The Arena will only be available in the Wild format. Additionally, “retired” cards - in this case cards from Naxxramas and Goblins vs. Gnomes, will no longer become purchasable with money. The only way to obtain them will be to craft them with arcane dust.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes Steven, we understand, new formats, now hurry up and get to the new bloody cards!” I hear you screech. Hold on a minute! Before we look at the new cards, we have to check out the nerfs. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">introduces more nerfs to old cards than the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">total number of nerfs </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the game has received since launch. Wowza! A whopping </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">twelve </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cards from the classic and basic sets have been nerfed, including old staples like Ironbeak Owl, Big Game Hunter and Mountain Giang, as well as some class specific cards like Force of Nature and Hunter's mark. A lot of these nerfs were to cards that limited future design space, and indeed, quite a few of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">coolest cards couldn’t exist with these cards in their current state! </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="https://bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net/cms/gallery/HILIPQX7HAF11461136028437.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">R.I.P Combo Druid</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Check out the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://us.battle.net/hearthstone/en/blog/20097355/keeping-hearthstone-fresh-4-20-2016">official website</a> for more info on the nerfs. As a note, when the nerfs go live, you’ll be able to disenchant all of the affected cards for their </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">full dust value. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I highly recommend doing this if you aren’t going to immediately use the cards, as you’ll always be able to craft them back if you need them!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Right, moving on. Easily, the most interesting cards of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WotoG </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">are the Old Gods themselves. Each has a very unique effect, are supplemented by supporting minions, and have a very specific deck archetype in mind. <a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/31110-cthun">C’thun</a> for example, is built around his “followers”, who will buff up his stats whether he is in your hand, your deck, or even in play. A lot of these minions are “understatted”, meaning that C’thun decks will be very slow decks that sacrifice their early game in exchange for unleashing a devastating C’thun finisher. He is sure to be a favourite for control priests and warriors! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33168-yogg-saron-hopes-end">Yogg-Sarron</a> casts a random spell (at a random target) for every spell you have cast that game. Mages and Rogues, who build decks based on having lots of cheap, frequent spells, will be able to drop this Old God as another finisher, although he is a lot less reliable than his buddy C’thun…</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55KRJeNOzaJkYgQj8ja7xe8QvaSDChUN9r0e5d2ju_8exC3Wc9VKYBPVqT0s15gagNZbM5l_tYxMd23j3XHul4Ktl76WWAh7P85mTooW0uD3VJL_Vs1vxonnlx8yY9YRt5zl-AY5Rfbg/s1600/old+gods.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55KRJeNOzaJkYgQj8ja7xe8QvaSDChUN9r0e5d2ju_8exC3Wc9VKYBPVqT0s15gagNZbM5l_tYxMd23j3XHul4Ktl76WWAh7P85mTooW0uD3VJL_Vs1vxonnlx8yY9YRt5zl-AY5Rfbg/s400/old+gods.png" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Each of the four old gods has a very unique effect.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></b><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33156-yshaarj-rage-unbound">Y’shaarj</a>is much more of a general use type Old God, and is the kind of card that can be put into control heavy decks without having to worry about being supplemented too much. He brings out a minion every turn he is in play, and has a devastating attack, making him a big-bodied threat in the same vein as Ysera.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33134-nzoth-the-corruptor">N’zoth</a>, rather than creating something completely new, simply supplements the “deathrattle” playstyle. Even with only a handful of powerful deathrattle minions, like Sylvanas and Tirion Fordring, he has considerable value.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">The general theme of this expansion is slow. While prior expansions have </span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">favored</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> fast, “rush” or “aggro” style decks, the Old Gods are clearly about biding your time to build up a massive, killer finisher. Many of the neutral and class legendaries, like </span></span><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33177-deathwing-dragonlord" style="color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deathwing, Dragonlord</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35207-malkorok">Malkorok</a> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33170-chogall">Cho’gall</a>also support control-heavy playstyles. Hunter in particular, which has always been a very aggro-oriented class, has been given quite a few tools to make a sort of control deathrattle N’zoth hunter viable, like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33181-forlorn-stalker">Forlorn Stalker</a> and <a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33146-infest">Infest</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In terms of the overall “winner” of the expansion, I’m gonna have to go with Shaman, Only two cards with “overload” were introduced, and they are actually quite sensibly statted. They were given an overload unlock alternative to Lava Shock with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35231-eternal-sentinel">Eternal </a></span></span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35231-eternal-sentinel">Sentinel</a> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33131-hallazeal-the-ascended">Hallazeal The Ascended</a> will make lightning storming a full board also give you a considerable heal.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/69/35231.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Finally an "underload" alternative to Lava Shock!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Warrior also got some super interesting cards like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33166-blood-warriors">Blood Warriors</a> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35209-blood-to-ichor">Blood to Ichor</a>, while the Paladin’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33158-vilefin-inquisitor">Vilefin Inquisitor</a> makes an all-murloc deck somewhat viable. Druid’s legendary, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35208-fandral-staghelm">Fandral Staghelm</a> makes the nerfs to Ancient of Lore and Keeper of The Grove make sense, and is an incredibly powerful card. Even Mage got some crazy good cards like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33178-faceless-summoner">Faceless Summoner</a>, and Warlock got the hilarious “Warlock is too hard, let me play another class”-card: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33136-renounce-darkness">Renounce Darkness</a>. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The two classes that got the shaft were Rogue and Priest. Both of these classes lost </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a lot </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of their most powerful tools with the expansion, either in the change to standard format (Velen’s Chosen and Lightbomb for Priest) or the base and classic card nerfs (Blade Flurry for Rogue), and neither were given what they need to compensate. I predict that these two will be the weakest classes in the upcoming new meta, while Mage, Shaman, and Warrior should take the top spots.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As for the expansion’s neutral cards, there are way too many to list here, but they include a lot of interesting ideas, such as </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/33164-blood-of-the-ancient-one">Blood of The Ancient One</a> - a kind of win condition in of itself, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/35190-shifter-zerus">Shifter Zerus</a> - Unstable Portal: the minion, and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/cards/31121-eater-of-secrets">Eater of Secrets</a>- a hard counter to those pesky secret Paladins!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/214/35190.png" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="289" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Will either win you the game or be completely useless...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The folks over at </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.hearthpwn.com/guides/1205-whispers-of-the-old-gods">Hearthpwn</a> have put together a full list of all the new cards if you want the full rundown. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whispers of The Old Gods </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is probably the most interesting thing to ever happen to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hearthstone, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and will hopefully be the jolt the game needs to kickstart its rather stale competitive meta. I’m excited, and you should be too!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll leave you with some of my favorite cards from the upcoming set, in no particular order:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/522/33160.png" height="200" width="144" /><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/322/33178.png" height="200" width="144" /><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/353/33147.png" height="200" width="144" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/283/35214.png" height="200" width="144" /><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/54/33158.png" height="200" width="144" /><img src="http://media-hearth.cursecdn.com/avatars/289/202/33136.png" height="200" width="144" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thanks for reading guys! I would really appreciate if you could, share, Tweet, reddit or just get this article out there to as many folks as possible; I want people to know that even though I don't work at <i>The Escapist </i>anymore, I'm still honing my craft, and willing to put out freelance articles to wherever is needed.</span></div>
steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-50238728120295927692016-04-20T13:52:00.003+09:002016-04-20T13:52:44.769+09:00Back on The MarketHey guys. Bit of sad news if you haven't already heard. <i>The Escapist </i>has closed up its Connecticut office, and let go the vast majority of its staff. This, unfortunately, included me. I'm incredibly grateful to Susan Ardent, the EiC at the time of my appointment three years ago who took a chance on a cocky, young, smart-mouthed kid. Additionally, I'm thankful to Greg Tito and Joshua Vanderwall, Susan's successors, for fostering my writing and editing ability.<br />
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I am a thousand percent better of a writer thanks to this experience. You can write, and write, and write, but you will never get any better unless you have someone better than you look over your work. More than anything else, this is what I took from <i>The Escapist, </i>and it is ultimately this experience that will lead to me finding the job I want to do long term.<br />
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Here's the last article I wrote for them. So long, <i>Escapist, </i>it sure was fun while it lasted!<br />
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<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/16954-Overwatch-Balance-Changes#&gid=gallery_6104&pid=1">The Balances Overwatch Needs Before Launch</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/16954-Overwatch-Balance-Changes#&gid=gallery_6104&pid=1"><img alt="image" height="208" src="http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/1303/1303932.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, I'm back on the market! Ideally, I would like to find something similar to what I did at <i>The Escapist: </i>video game-related freelance work that I can carry out from the comfort of my own home. That said, beggars can't be choosers, and while I do have a 1-year "safety net" of my teaching job, come April 2017 I will be back in Australia with no job, and my new wife. I will of course entertain all offers from all types of jobs around the world, as eventually I'll need to find myself a proper full-time gig to support myself.<br />
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If you know of anything, <b>anything </b>writing related, in either the US, Japan or Australia, please feel free to drop me a line.<br /><br />In the interim, I'm going to take a short break from writing. Since being made editorial staff at the beginning of the year, I've been basically running myself ragged juggling the two jobs. It's good to actually have free time - to lesson plan at school, to spend time with Laura in the evenings, and of course play video games! I'm looking forward to my first holiday that I don't have to lug along my laptop just in case I have to write up an article...<br /><br />Eventually though, I will start up writing again, if nothing else than to keep my skills keen, and my knowledge up-to-date. I will probably do something similar to what I used to do on this blog: a weekly news round-up with occasional features and reviews. After-all, it was in no small thanks to this blog that I ended up getting <i>The Escapist </i>position!<br /><br />As always, thank you for all of your support, and stay tuned.<br /><br />
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-85913577785702558352016-01-26T13:11:00.002+09:002016-01-26T13:11:36.985+09:00New Year, New PositionHey there, faithful Steve's Game Blog readers (hi Jerry!)<br /><br />I've got some good news! 2016 marks not just a new year, but a brand new position for me. I am no longer a simple news monkey for The Escapist, but have been made a part of the editorial staff! Hooray! What this means is that I am now one half of the reviews production team, and will be editing an average of 7 reviews a month. Here's the first of many:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9i0A3opb8AYC6ClH9651771n7vC00ziC5KvxNRP1OmzASnX_WMsvBx0xkSOmgv2ZuLVKAd5YVYVkR4jUkOzohP4rgHAaECRT41tjUeh0-fdXuY0DJ1sDPmpBxphxa3IPbPC8fgwqpg4w/s400/1259072.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/editorials/reviews/15297-The-Witness-Review-PS4-Jonathan-Blow-Adventure?utm_source=latest&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all#&gid=gallery_5498&pid=1">The Witness Review</a></td></tr>
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<br />Additionally, I will also be working on the site's "Gallery of The Day" feature, as well as having a much bigger presence with additional feature articles. I'm also getting my very own weekly column: The Escapists Review. The Escapists Review is a kind of community reviews project, where I will collect and edit reviews submitted by Escapist users, and publish them on the site. It's still not 100% ready yet, but should be up and running by the end of next month, so stay tuned!<br /><br />I will also maintain my regular news duties, as one of the site's most senior reporters.<br /><br />As for what this means for my duties as an ALT... well, stay tuned for info on that...<br /><br />Be sure to click <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/articles/Steven%20Bogos">here</a> to see all of the articles I'll be writing for The Escapist, and <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenBogos">here</a> to follow me on Twitter for the latest updates. I don't really update this blog that often so those two links are the best way to keep up-to-date with all my work.<br />.steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-33521925962647955812015-01-23T08:49:00.001+09:002015-01-23T20:59:14.137+09:00Minamiaizu - a Hidden Snowsports ParadiseEvery year, Kanto’s skiers and snowboarders make the pilgrimage to one of Tochigi’s two “premier” ski resorts - Hunter Mountain and Mt. Jeans - by the tens of thousands. With how incredibly popular these resorts are, you’d imagine they were the bee’s knees of snowsports in Japan. However, in actuality, they are overpriced, overcrowded, ice-skating rinks, that more often than not have to rely on man-made snow just to get a decent cover. So why do so many people flock to these resorts? Well, they are literally the closest places to ski for those in the northern Kanto area, and two of the easiest to get to by car from Tokyo. So, to all you people making the long trek from Tokyo to Tochigi, I have a message for you: <b>Stop!</b> You’ve come all that way, why not add just an extra hour to your journey, and go to one of Minamiaizu’s hidden snowsports paradises?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glorious snow awaits you in Minamiaizu.</td></tr>
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Located just an hour and a half drive from Nasushiobara station, the two “fringe” resorts of Fukushima’s Minamiaizu ski area - Takatsue and Daikura - offer everything that Hunter Mountain and Mt. Jeans don’t. Fresh powder. Cheap tickets. Glorious, varied terrain. Small crowds. While they are a little smaller than Tochigi’s resorts, and don’t have quite all the snazz of the big resorts (like gondolas or NFC lift tickets), these quaint hidden gems are well worth the longer trip.<br />
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Takatsue has just eight lifts, but <a href="http://www.takatsue.jp/skiing/index.html">over a dozen different runs</a> of varying difficulty, including some amazing tree runs under the lifts. It also has a full terrain park, complete with a massive, full-sized half-pipe. The snow is frequent and fluffy, and it’s a rare day that I don’t get to make some fresh tracks <b>somewhere </b>on the mountain. Everything except the uppermost lift is well shielded from the wind, so even in the worst of weather you’ll still have a great time. Best of all, if you don’t feel like braving the icy and snowy roads (or don’t have a car equipped to handle it), Takatsue actually offers <a href="http://www.takatsue.jp/access/nasushiobara.html">a free “park and ride” shuttle bus service,</a> from Nasushiobara’s “Nasu Garden Outlet”.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BkURnynoTGs1zdAUiQHYTJUNs6ScLajryA4_98sxRSw7A7BvIGKIHE2HoACwg35_tWmEZjJBLG7FBuYb-hzWorHqaj88z3WF1YtBOQ3c9fs06GzVIu_uXdtHLa0BwoIDKybYkf61pyI/s1600/461041_10151134601134657_1406420599_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BkURnynoTGs1zdAUiQHYTJUNs6ScLajryA4_98sxRSw7A7BvIGKIHE2HoACwg35_tWmEZjJBLG7FBuYb-hzWorHqaj88z3WF1YtBOQ3c9fs06GzVIu_uXdtHLa0BwoIDKybYkf61pyI/s1600/461041_10151134601134657_1406420599_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's always some fresh powder on Takatsue.</td></tr>
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If you’re just going for the one day, pick up the <a href="http://www.takatsue.jp/event/service.html">4,500 yen lunch coupon ticket</a>, which comes with a 1,000 yen lunch voucher. However, if you think you’ll be coming back at least two more times, be sure to sign up for Takatsue’s “Snow Powder Club”, which offers you a discount on lift tickets for each consecutive visit - bringing the cost of a ticket down to just 2,500 yen after your third visit. A full ski set/snowboard set hire will set you back 3,000 yen and 4,000 yen respectively, but you can get a 500 yen discount with the Snow Powder Club card.<br />
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Daikura, on the other hand, is even smaller than Takatsue, with <a href="http://daikura.net/gelande/">just five lifts and 11 runs</a>. However, it is one of the cheapest ski resorts in the area, at just 3,900 yen for the same kind of discount lunch ticket that Takatsue offers. It’s also ever-so-slightly closer: about an hour and 20 minutes from Nasushiobara station. Advanced skiers and snowboarders won’t find too much to do here, with only three, relatively short black runs, and no real tree runs to speak of, but beginners and intermediates should have a blast experiencing the same kind of famous Japanese powder snow that all its big resorts are known for around the world. Ski and snowboard hire will set you back 3,000/3,800 yen respectively for a set.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jcFBnarCD5L373nVuEfdlruVvicYNGI0XadsBGjthuO-1PVY5oWjER8Wu7dJnunfCYk6u0MU9ln70oQ0laTv8lFy7OgghWd_lXJwym7PnX5F12aaLAQntYAUVW0LGEihGmscTWHBQS8/s1600/737534_10151738086349657_564015328_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jcFBnarCD5L373nVuEfdlruVvicYNGI0XadsBGjthuO-1PVY5oWjER8Wu7dJnunfCYk6u0MU9ln70oQ0laTv8lFy7OgghWd_lXJwym7PnX5F12aaLAQntYAUVW0LGEihGmscTWHBQS8/s1600/737534_10151738086349657_564015328_o.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The views from Daikura's summit are just astonishing.</span></td></tr>
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Both of these resorts are perfect for a day trip, but if you’d like to stay longer, both <a href="http://daikura.net/lodging/">Daikura</a> and <a href="http://www.aizu-kougen.jp/">Takatsue</a> offer on-site lodgings. Alternatively, you could also find a place to stay in the nearby onsen resort town of Shiobara, or around the Nasushiobara station area.<br />
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So whether you’re a powderhound who’s sick of having to share the slopes of Hakuba and Niseko with a million other foreigners, or a local in the Kanto area who is just looking to get in a bit of skiing, next time you think skiing or snowboarding, think Fukushima, and its unspoiled snowsports paradises.<br />
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-Steven Bogos<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Minamiaizu... let's go!</span></td></tr>
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-18534966820770227232014-10-22T08:02:00.000+09:002014-10-22T09:54:27.957+09:00The "Gamer Gate" PostHey guys. There has been a lot of talk about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_controversy">"Gamer Gate"</a> in the gaming media world as of late. I would like to say a few words on the matter. You may be wondering why its taken me so long to post a statement, and why it's appearing here, instead of on The Escapist. Well, after a whole lot of back-and-forth with Defy Media (The Escapist's parent company), we have been told that we must post a collective "group" statement, rather than personal statements. I respect Defy as a company, and I don't even feel <b>that </b>strongly about Gamer Gate, but forcing us to act as a "collective" rather than an individual really bugged me. Maybe it's because of all my time living in Japan's "collective-focused" society.<br />
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That said, here is what I have to say about Gamer Gate:<br />
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When I started my career as a journalist, I chose to go into gaming journalism for two reasons. The first, is because I am passionate about (read: obsessed with) video games. The second is because I didn't want to end up writing gossip tabloid stories for some bottom-of-the-barrel mainstream media publication, digging into people's private lives and attacking their character and reputation. But, in the weeks surrounding the "Gamer Gate" controversy, I was ashamed to see so many outlets in the gaming media and community descend into the exact kind of "he-said, she-said" bullshit that I tried to avoid by entering this industry.<br />
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I just want to write about video games. I want to write about what people say about video games, and occasionally, I want to write about cool science, tech, and geek culture tidbits. I don't care what these people do in their private lives. I don't care if so and so slept with so and so, and I certainly don't want to write about it. The vitriol from both sides of Gamer Gate made me sick and ashamed, and I vowed to have as little to do with it as possible. This statement will be the first, and last, time I address my views on the controversy.<br />
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While sexism, equality, and journalistic ethics in the gaming industry are definitely discussions worth having, Gamer Gate was certainly not the way to go about having them. We, as gamers, should be better than this. I thought we were above this kind of tabloid-newspaper garbage.<br />
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-Steven Bogos<br />
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PS: Just to end on something a little more lighthearted, here is my <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comicsandcosplay/cosplaygalleries/12477-League-of-Legends-World-Championship-Cosplay-Gallery?utm_source=latest&utm_medium=index_carousel&utm_campaign=all">League of Legends World Championships Cosplay Gallery!</a>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-47805333050625521092014-04-26T11:55:00.004+09:002014-04-26T11:55:58.598+09:00VIDEO: Here's a couple of Diablo III Witch Doctor videosHey guys,<br /><br />Been getting pretty big into Diablo III now that Reaper of Souls is out, so here's a couple of quick videos I put together about legendary effects and the Witch Doctor:<br /><br />
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Sorry I haven't been updating as much! Be sure to check out all my <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/posts/Steven%20Bogos?view=articles">Escapist news posts!</a>steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-16976351733238015232014-02-16T16:07:00.007+09:002014-02-16T16:07:52.243+09:00REVIEW: The Last of Us (PS3)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>The Last of Us </i>has one of the best written plots I ever have experienced in a video game. Period. It is a fantastic human story that is fascinating from start to end, and that fact alone makes it one of the best games of 2013. So, if you came to this review with the question "is <i>The Last of Us</i> worth it?”, then you have your answer - yes, it is most definitely "worth it". You can stop reading right now, and go and buy the game with my guarantee that it will be an incredibly satisfying gaming experience. However, if you'd like a bit more insight into why I believe it's not <b>quite </b>as deserving of all of the gushing love fans have slathered on it, then please, read on. <br />
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Essentially, <i>The Last of Us</i> is a perfect example of how a well-written plot can't (completely) carry a mediocre game, and while it does try its best, the actual, you know, game, behind <i>The Last of Us</i> is what drags the rest of it down. And honestly (well, at least to me personally), that's kind of the most important part of a video game.<br />
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But let's start with what <i>The Last of Us</i> did well, because overall, the game generally deserves to be applauded. If there is one award that <i>The Last of Us</i> truly deserves, it is the Writer's Guild of America's "best writing in a video game". I laughed. I cried. I screamed in fear. <i>The Last of Us</i> may be a "zombie game", but like <i>The Walking Dead</i> before it, the real story is the human drama - how low, how high, and how downright horrible human beings become when they have their backs pushed up against the wall. Throughout the game, I was delighted to see Joel and Ellie's blossoming relationship, whether it be from the random little quips Ellie will spout while progressing through a level, or her and Joel’s heart-wrenching cutscene performances. All of the supporting cast you’ll meet along the way also does a great job of helping bring Joel and Ellie's story of survival in this beautiful, yet broken world, to a satisfying conclusion.<br />
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And boy, is this world beautiful. I was skeptical, having not played a game on last generation consoles in quite some time, that the graphics would be unbearable, but Naughty Dog has done an amazing job of squeezing those last scraps of performance out of the aging PlayStation 3 hardware. The world of <i>The Last of Us</i>, while not really being anything we haven't seen before in games like <i>Half-Life 2, Resident Evil,</i> or even <i>Fallout</i>, is a gorgeous place to explore. I am a sucker for urban decay, and having Joel and Ellie adventure their way through collapsed skyscrapers, abandoned subways, and cities being slowly reclaimed by nature, made me giddy. It's a lot of the little attention-to-detail stuff that Naughty Dog added, such as Ellie reacting graffiti marking the aftermath of some conflict, or the collectible notes left behind by survivors, that really breathe life into the world.<br />
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Unfortunately, the beautiful world turns a little bit ugly when we look at the game’s actual gameplay. <i>The Last of Us</i>' gameplay is split into three main segments: exploration, zombie combat, and human combat. The exploration sections were acceptable, as the only real complaint I had is that the solution to almost every "puzzle" is just finding a ladder or plank and boosting Ellie up to a higher location to use it.<br />
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The survival horror-style zombie combat is probably the best-designed of the three. Some levels, such as one in an abandoned high school, were truly, nail-bitingly terrifying. The only problem is, as the game progresses into the later stages, the enemies don't seem to get any harder, and once you can figure out that stealth + melee is king, and that it is impossible for your allies to accidentally trigger a zombie, the challenge kind of diminishes.</div>
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But even with the reduced challenge, the survival horror segments are still pretty satisfying. The human combat segments, on the other hand, go downhill real fast. At first, the absolutely shocking gunplay controls (who the hell thinks its a good idea to bind reload and fire to the same godamn button?) really frustrated me, but after a while I learned that, just like in the zombie segments, it's much more effective to hide and punch than shoot and flank. It doesn't help that the human AI is shockingly inconsistent. There will be times when I can strangle a dude while his buddy literally two feet away doesn't notice, and times when I barely pop my head out of cover and someone half a mile away sees me.<br />
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The human enemies are also generally, really, really dumb. It's so easy to find a cramped space where guns aren't useful, lure one guy there, kill him loudly, and then just punch all his buddies to death when they inevitably come, one by one, to investigate. And when all else fails, you can just pick up a baseball bat and sprint full tilt at rifle-armed-thugs. All they'll do is look at you, and maybe think about shooting you, right up until you knock their blocks off.<br />
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Because I barely used my guns, and almost never used the "special" weapons (such as bombs and molotovs) I always had a massive surplus of weaponry, so whenever a "boss" fight came up, I would destroy him with ease.<br />
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Furthermore, the game practically showers you with the materials for medkits. After a while, you learn exactly where to look to find their components, so I always had at least two in reserve. There was one time when I had actually ran out of medkits, and was kind of in a bad spot, when all of a sudden Ellie turns around and says "here Joel, I found this for you" and hands me one. Really?</div>
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Normally I wouldn't be so harsh on a game's difficulty, but I was playing the game on "hard" - the hardest difficulty available when you start the game. Yes, there is an additional difficulty level ("survivor"), but it is only unlocked <b>after</b> you have finished the main game once - a practice which I absolutely cannot stand. So yeah, If you are somewhat competent at video games, you will breeze through <i>The Last of Us</i> without breaking a sweat.<br />
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The best part of this game, by far, is its story, and I found myself “forcing” my way through it’s gameplay segments just to get to the next cutscene, or see the next area. While you may see this as an almighty praise for its writing, it’s also quite a harsh criticism of it’s gameplay. I shouldn't <b>want to avoid</b> the gameplay segments of a<b> video game</b>.</div>
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So while <i>The Last of Us</i> is an amazingly well-written written human story, Naughty Dog forgot to pair it with an equally well-made game. Despite this, it is still a fantastic experience, and if you just want to sit back and enjoy the ride, by breezing through it on easy mode to enjoy the story, you will be satisfied. But if you came here expecting a challenge, you've come to the wrong place.<br />
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<b>Verdict: Buy</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMCYlE9nMQVx_liire4R5rU0Cpa2LPpbOh1uGJ8_1d9mYwI40jPS01nWjJWp4AxPhI7F0rzW7Ts207YD5SGH9ttrhpN-WXDziCPfCPV5xylK0jMFjNNE8Daxcgj5muFCEXm0ArISd3xc/s1600/super-mario-3d-world-logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMCYlE9nMQVx_liire4R5rU0Cpa2LPpbOh1uGJ8_1d9mYwI40jPS01nWjJWp4AxPhI7F0rzW7Ts207YD5SGH9ttrhpN-WXDziCPfCPV5xylK0jMFjNNE8Daxcgj5muFCEXm0ArISd3xc/s400/super-mario-3d-world-logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The terms "killer app" and "system seller" get thrown around quite loosely these days, however, It's actually quite rare for a single game to single handedly move a substantial number of systems the way <i>Halo </i>did on the Xbox, or <i>Smash Bros. </i>did on the Wii (there are of course exceptions, such as <i>Pokemon </i>on the 3DS). Furthermore, all three next-gen systems have had incredibly lackluster launches, with 90% of the launch selection either being already available on other platforms, or being "ok, I guess" at best. The Wii U has had a year to find it's feet (and some decent games), and I believe <i>Super Mario 3D World </i>is the console's first steps to greatness. That said it is still not quite a "system seller".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meow!</td></tr>
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<i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is the direct sequel to <i>Super Mario 3D Land</i> on the 3DS (a fantastic game in it's own right). Furthermore, it is the first 3D Mario platformer on the Wii U, and the first major Mario title without Godfather Shigeru Miyamoto's direct influence. So even before it had been released, it had some pretty big shoes to fill.<br />
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The feature that sets this game apart from other Mario games (apart from the cat suit, but we’ll get to that later), is it’s co-op (and sometimes, not so co-op) multiplayer. Yes, it has been done before in <i>New Super Mario Bros. Wii</i>, but this is the first time it’s been done in a 3D Mario, and furthermore, it brings back the unique abilities of Peach, Luigi, Toad and Mario from <i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i>. Luigi jumps a bit higher, Peach has her “floaty” jumps, Toad runs faster and Mario is the all-rounder. Even if you’re playing the game in singleplayer, each character feels just unique enough to warrant switching things up from time to time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game is best played multiplayer with a group of good friends</td></tr>
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But, this game should be played with friends. It is couch co-op at it’s finest. I've always been baffled by most console maker's decision to eschew local multiplayer in favor of online. Online play on any console is always going to be a vastly inferior system to what’s available (for free) on the PC, so why not focus on local multiplayer, something the PC struggles with and fits the console perfectly? <br />
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Thankfully, Nintendo is still pushing that agenda, and <i>Super Mario 3D World</i> is very indicative of that. The game is fantastic fun to play with friends, and it works really well. There were very few times where it felt like we were “fighting” the camera, or felt considerably disadvantaged for having multiple players. There’s a nice little competitive element to it too - the player with the most points at the end of each level gets a “crown,” so there is always this mad dash to get the most points. Multiplayer in Super Mario 3D world is a kind of maddening chaos that still somehow feels natural, with a few of the levels in particular even seeming to be designed with multiplayer in mind.<br />
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I should take some time to talk about how the game looks, because it is absolutely gorgeous. That 1080p/60fps benchmark that games on the Xbox One and PS4 are struggling to hit? <i>3D World</i> pulls it off like a <b>boss</b>. The game never once struggled to keep its framerate, despite the fact that it was outputting to both the TV and the gamepad. The cartoony graphics of the Mario universe really pop out at you; characters feel alive, stages feel vast, and the color scheme is a welcome explosion of vibrant yellow and green in the face of the gaming world’s current obsession with brown and gray. When you add a jazzy, upbeat soundtrack that has plenty of catchy, memorable tunes, you’ve got yourself a game that looks and sounds as fun as it plays.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Super Mario 3D World's</i> vibrant colors are a welcome change from modern gaming's obsession with brown and gray.</td></tr>
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<i>3D World </i>brings back a lot of old favorite powerups, such as the fire flower and super leaf, as well as bringing in some items from recent Mario games (such as <i>3D Land’s</i> boomerang suit and<i> New Super Mario Bros.’</i> mega mushroom). Completely new to the game are the cat suit and the double cherry. The cat suit is the game's "big new item", with many levels, and many, many secrets being designed around it. Basically, it allows you to climb up walls, melee attack enemies, and perform a jump-dive attack. The first two skills are exceptionally useful at finding secrets and defeating enemies, while the third is exceptionally useful at diving you right off the edge of the map. Seriously. I was deathly afraid of using it most of the time because cat-Mario has some kind of death wish that can only be satisfied by leaping into the abyss.</div>
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The double cherry creates a “clone” of your character. It appears fairly rarely in the game, and while is a neat new idea, I feel like they didn't take the opportunity to properly explore it. It could have made for some total madness in multiplayer games to have levels just brimming with cherries, generating an insane amount of players on-screen at once.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The double cherry has a lot of missed potential as a power up</td></tr>
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The game has the classic Mario difficulty curve, with the first world being complete-able by your grandma, and the final world driving even hardened veterans insane. There is a huge amount of content, with seven standard worlds and three bonus worlds - it’ll take you quite a while to get through it all, and the challenges are surmountable, but satisfying. The only thing that’s a bit lacking is the boss fights, with several of them simply being repeats, and most of them being pretty easy. I beat the final boss, for example, on my very first try.<br />
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I also had a small problem with the fifth unlockable character, Rosalina, being made available so far into the game. She is actually a pretty unique character, and is a much more interesting than Toad (sorry, Toad fans!) so it would have been nice to use her in the earlier levels, especially in multiplayer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boss fights are not exactly satisfying</td></tr>
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Shoe-horned into the game, as seems to always be the case these days, are some social networking features. In this case, Nintendo’s Miiverse network bleeds in, with player’s Miis scattered throughout levels spouting whatever nonsense they last posted in the game’s Miiverse community. I don’t know how it is for English speakers, but for the Japanese version of the game, most of them were just cute pictures made with the game’s unlockable stamps. No real harm done, but it doesn’t really add anything to the game either.<br />
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I’m in kind of two worlds on my last point, which is also the reason why I don’t believe this game is a “system seller” for the Wii U. Basically, the game does not really take any advantage of the unique capabilities of the system. The gamepad’s screen simply replicates the action on the main screen for player one, and while there is a “touch baddies to make them stop/touch areas to reveal secrets” feature, it feels more like a last-minute addition than something that’s integral to the game (and it’s certainly not integral to the game). On the one hand, I think this is bad because it really does not “sell” the system, but on the other hand, I honestly don't think the game would benefit from it anyway. It may have even been detrimental to "force" more gamepad features into the game.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The catsuit, contrary to the double cherry, is a great new powerup for the Mario universe</td></tr>
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Is <i>Super Mario 3D</i> world a fantastic game? Yes. Does it sell the unique features of the Wii U? No. If you already own the system it’s a no-brainer, but I honestly doubt people will be rushing out to buy a Wii U for it. Furthermore, to your average Joe, it only exacerbates the problem of people thinking the Wii U is just an addon for the Wii, rather than a new system. There’s nothing, apart from the improved graphics (which average Joe doesn't really notice anyway), that distinctly sets it apart from say, <i>Super Mario Galaxy</i>.<br />
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That said, you probably should rush out and buy a Wii U for this game, because it’s flipping amazing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXVVdCNE6Qv4ys6ELyxa4Syt6XGSicJiu-fKKQMmdqz3TNNMXItPLpZjxe78VWc746CqwRpe8-g9RySGElCdcD-cDe4RvnJrCPhRjMG-fzMrzk9kfQvWWUKQcyM0VUPz2Zrlh5WHEeks/s1600/super-mario-3d-world-wii-u-6-640x366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieXVVdCNE6Qv4ys6ELyxa4Syt6XGSicJiu-fKKQMmdqz3TNNMXItPLpZjxe78VWc746CqwRpe8-g9RySGElCdcD-cDe4RvnJrCPhRjMG-fzMrzk9kfQvWWUKQcyM0VUPz2Zrlh5WHEeks/s400/super-mario-3d-world-wii-u-6-640x366.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game, unfortunately, does not take good advantage of the Wii U's unique features</td></tr>
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<b>Verdict: Buy</b></div>
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Liked the review? Subscribe to my <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenBogos">Twitter</a> and my <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTacoMan3178">YouTube channel</a> for up-to-date gaming news!</div>
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<a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/tag/super%20mario%203d%20world">Have a look at my Escapist articles pertaining to <i>Super Mario 3D World.</i></a></div>
steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-65207506311077105942013-11-27T18:51:00.005+09:002013-11-27T20:31:53.306+09:00REVIEW: Battlefield 4 (PC)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKuql2pLuM9dpA-5OvbkJr45STCko67O7fXUz1AqqfkWFsn2WwzRVgxiPVQnio8ZBLbNMf_1qg3B2QA6auH2IG4UW81Z3kZulamWVzrzqHHKAsFxSYrxN8LY3kgz6CAGLnE6KaaPC1I/s1600/bf4-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhKuql2pLuM9dpA-5OvbkJr45STCko67O7fXUz1AqqfkWFsn2WwzRVgxiPVQnio8ZBLbNMf_1qg3B2QA6auH2IG4UW81Z3kZulamWVzrzqHHKAsFxSYrxN8LY3kgz6CAGLnE6KaaPC1I/s400/bf4-logo.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I would like to preface this review by stating that I will, at no point, talk about the game's singleplayer campaign, because honestly, who gives a damn? No-one is rushing out to buy <i>Call of Duty</i> or <i>Battlefield </i>for their compelling, human stories. People buy <i>Battlefield </i>for the multiplayer, and the multiplayer alone, so it only seems fair that I review the game based solely on its multiplayer merits.<br />
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So here we are, just two years out from the release of <i>Battlefield 3</i>, and less than a year since the last <i>Battlefield 3</i> DLC. If you're thinking that the game could not have possibly changed much in such a short time you'd be right. The difference between the games is not like the huge jump between <i>Battlfield 2 </i>and <i>Battlefield 3</i>, and more like the incremental upgrade between <i>Bad Company 1</i> and <i>Bad Company 2.</i> However, this doesn't necessarily mean the game is automatically not worth your money. There is still an enormous amount of new content, engine upgrades, and gameplay modifications here to satisfy the <i>Battlefield </i>fans, while still being welcoming to newcomers of the series. That said, it is also not without its own shortcomings.<br />
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Let's start with the game's much touted new feature, the one that practically screams "next-gen" at the top of its lungs. It's called "leveloution" - the ability to use explosives and interact-able objects to physically alter how a map plays. For example, in Flood Zone, you can destroy a levee, which floods the entire map with water, replacing land-based vehicles with boats. In another, Siege of Shanghai, you can bring down an entire skyscraper, making the capture point (previously at the top of the building) much more accessible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOPqnNKqMDHBgJTeSmBE8c9CVNzJTdjQFQ0JyimOjOYxCJVinED2jDqMP-yf4Fy3XcyaJbeYszvxkboNSChAKf14KRiVhuxwJlqmSsn6YS1rmdVeqDJ9WWKs_lDz0aJTguUneC6cU8aQ/s1600/BF4_Levolution_Siege_of_Shanghai_WM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOPqnNKqMDHBgJTeSmBE8c9CVNzJTdjQFQ0JyimOjOYxCJVinED2jDqMP-yf4Fy3XcyaJbeYszvxkboNSChAKf14KRiVhuxwJlqmSsn6YS1rmdVeqDJ9WWKs_lDz0aJTguUneC6cU8aQ/s400/BF4_Levolution_Siege_of_Shanghai_WM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Leveloution" can be pretty hit-and-miss.</td></tr>
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Leveloution is pretty hit-and-miss. In some maps it is fairly easy to pull off just by a single, determined player, and is a really cool testament to the game's physics engine. On other maps, such as Lachang Dam, it requires several people to fire roughly twelve gazillion rocket at an object for a rather unimpressive effect that only barely alters how the map plays. Fortunately, I would say that overall it is more hit than miss, with at least six of the ten maps making good use of the feature. My personal favorites were the aforementioned Flood Zone, and Parcel Storm - a map which as well as having a periodic storm that whips up the seas, making boats and aircraft a more precarious option, also features a massive battleship that dramatically beaches itself on one of the map's islands.<br />
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Maps like Parcel Storm and Siege of Shanghai really show off just how beautiful the Frostbite 3 engine is. I played the game on a pretty beefy gaming PC, and it looked absolutely gorgeous. Those of you who played <i>BF3 </i>on a mid-to-high-range gaming PC won't notice too huge of a change, but the difference between <i>BF3 </i>on the 360/PS3 and <i>BF4 </i>on the Xbox One/PS4 is night and day. The big focus this time around is particle effects and physics, which help showcase the game's dynamic maps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7oKWXy1fHrsA4_tBw6I0uyKDsMupV9PtpZtqnt0F3mXGeIR7-FggBHZcSyuGrO6EmV4cuOnVRHmaTCoAV3vXGMsXZ1Qsh8l2hEs-cxK28-tnhPajRkNYEgFsilyetp6k2n0tqkznRps/s1600/bf4+2013-11-26+18-01-33-19.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7oKWXy1fHrsA4_tBw6I0uyKDsMupV9PtpZtqnt0F3mXGeIR7-FggBHZcSyuGrO6EmV4cuOnVRHmaTCoAV3vXGMsXZ1Qsh8l2hEs-cxK28-tnhPajRkNYEgFsilyetp6k2n0tqkznRps/s400/bf4+2013-11-26+18-01-33-19.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game has a good range of map diversity.</td></tr>
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So (most of) the maps are good, and the game looks great, but how does it actually play? Very similar to <i>BF3</i>, if I'm being honest. Veterans will be able to jump right into the game without skipping a beat, as the core <i>Battlefield </i>infantry vs. vehicles rock-paper-scissors mechanics are still there. The recon class has had a little bit of a mix-up, with the "spec ops" loadout returning from <i>Battlefield 2</i>, allowing him to equip shorter-range rifles along with C4 and motion sensors, while the other classes have simply been given more toys to play with. The classes have more diversity in weapon choice, with everyone being able to equip carbines, shotguns, and the semi-automatic "designated marksman rifles".<br />
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Possibly the biggest change veterans will notice with loadouts is that you can now choose any two gadgets, instead of being "locked in" to a secondary gadget. The engineer, for example, can have both an RPG and a stinger equipped, or the support can pack C4 and claymores.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRac3oh9et7jFse9sIm0MbkEpmk6OpsnQbTgOoAi2DOvoIi0J377s6-9nmLVM1z75o85ilrJt7fgvbcxbfQ4kv2VN6lYDjCCccMeWF39lUVBh32gKXf4XReZNGFDu406K2gpaHGKt5Z7U/s1600/bf4+2013-11-26+17-08-05-86.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRac3oh9et7jFse9sIm0MbkEpmk6OpsnQbTgOoAi2DOvoIi0J377s6-9nmLVM1z75o85ilrJt7fgvbcxbfQ4kv2VN6lYDjCCccMeWF39lUVBh32gKXf4XReZNGFDu406K2gpaHGKt5Z7U/s400/bf4+2013-11-26+17-08-05-86.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Customization" is the key word for <i>Battlefield 4</i></td></tr>
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Also, instead of the personal/squad perks of <i>BF3</i>, each class has a "specialization" they can choose. Each specialization has four "levels" of perks, which unlock gradually as you perform squad actions, such as supplying ammo to squadmates or capturing an objective marked by your squad leader. Everyone has access to the basic offense, defense and stealth specs, but each class also has two of its own unique specs. For example, the assault class has the "combat medic" spec, which increases the effectiveness of his healing abilities. Furthermore, if you entire squad is wiped out, the levels earned for your specialization get reset back to level 1, meaning there is a bigger incentive to work together as a team, and try and survive if you are the last squad member standing, rather than just Rambo-ing everything.<br />
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"Customization" is the big word for <i>Battlefield 4</i>, and in addition to the class loadout changes and the plethora of new and confusing weapon attachments you can choose from (what the heck is a "potato grip"?), vehicle customization has received a much-needed overhaul. Gunners for land vehicles now have a separate loadout selection, just like their attack chopper counterparts. Jets have been split into two classes (attack jets and stealth jets) and boats have been completely redesigned to be more than mere transports, complete with their own loadout and unlocks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwexNLE9uxpvmEb5_D6Ny2R1FlqqGGRg43r8wzDmDDnEnCyWCfKtJdioMqXRokfyWauseB2wqcimeYAdHMgglQq7WxFv6AMQibevSGV8bRAJpX1PaMuYweoN89fniLe_d1LZPBN9wITpU/s1600/bf4+2013-11-26+17-25-10-80.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwexNLE9uxpvmEb5_D6Ny2R1FlqqGGRg43r8wzDmDDnEnCyWCfKtJdioMqXRokfyWauseB2wqcimeYAdHMgglQq7WxFv6AMQibevSGV8bRAJpX1PaMuYweoN89fniLe_d1LZPBN9wITpU/s400/bf4+2013-11-26+17-25-10-80.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game looks fantastic and plays well.</td></tr>
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In order to help deal with the massive influx of new items, DICE has introduced "battlepacks", which are earned at various milestones, and grant three to five random unlocks upon being opened. It's a pretty cool system, but I feel it's missing some kind of trading option, so I can trade with my friends to get the attachments I want for my favorite guns, rather than just hoping to get lucky.<br />
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Also new is the "commander mode", which allows one player on each team to be view the game from a birds-eye view, and issue orders, drop supplies, and call in support options such as gunships and cruise missiles. It's a nice little feature, and the fact that it runs on tablets makes it a great little tablet game, but in the end it's just too simple to be more than a temporary distraction. I worry that in the near future the commander population will drastically drop as the playerbase grows weary of it. This is bad, as if one team has a commander and the other team doesn't, it puts the no-commander team at a noticeable disadvantage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHQBR_vPSHd8_xtOeIvT_n7AAbcqQBYhVY953xCAPQMJJxDemVm3OebR95tiqGEotnR3EDnVPaEQ_AqQGanTnIB0Nv1rXl-m4z7HHZIkNK2Uzv9m9_5pWwSsaQaErGUh5WIVFN-_cbdI/s1600/bf4+2013-11-26+21-23-08-68.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHQBR_vPSHd8_xtOeIvT_n7AAbcqQBYhVY953xCAPQMJJxDemVm3OebR95tiqGEotnR3EDnVPaEQ_AqQGanTnIB0Nv1rXl-m4z7HHZIkNK2Uzv9m9_5pWwSsaQaErGUh5WIVFN-_cbdI/s400/bf4+2013-11-26+21-23-08-68.bmp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Commander mode is too simple to be anything more than a distraction.</td></tr>
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<i>Battlefield 4</i> is fun to play. It's a good upgrade from <i>Battlefield 3 </i>that fixes a lot of problems players had with the game, and if it wasn't for what I am about to say, I would whole-heatedly recommend it for both veterans of the series, and newcomers looking for a new multiplayer FPS to play on Friday nights.<br />
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However. <b>However</b>. The game is absolutely riddled with bugs. Battlelog, which was already a mess in <i>BF3</i>, has not really improved at all for <i>BF4</i>, refusing to connect to games, download updates, or even open at all for seemingly no reason. I was (and still am) unable to get its"battlescreen" feature to work on my tablet. In game, the sound cuts out in certain areas. There are graphical glitches. Weapons sometimes do not behave the way they are supposed to, and then there are the random crashes. When I first started playing, I was lucky to go 15 minutes without a crash. I now crash, on average, every two rounds. It's very obvious that the game was rushed to meet the next-gen console launch, and even now, several weeks after launch, the issues are still very glaring.<br />
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<i>Battlefield 4</i> is a fantastic game, but it's not ready yet. Check back in a month.<br />
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<b>Verdict: Don't Buy (yet)</b></div>
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-82014212520292839482013-09-23T22:12:00.000+09:002013-09-25T16:49:56.382+09:00Tokyo Game ShowThis is it. I've hit the big time. I literally spent three days in Tokyo playing video games, taking pictures of girls in skimpy outfits, eating delicious pizza, and getting paid for it (well, except for the pizza). This was my first year to attend Tokyo Game Show as press, and it was a really amazing experience.<br />
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Two years ago, I attended the show on one of the "open-to-all" public days. It was an... experience to say the least, but the incredibly massive crowds and lackluster games put me off attending it the following year. However, thanks to my gig at the Escapist, this year I scored a press pass, which changed the game considerably.<br />
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On the press days, I was free to pursue the games at my leisure. Lines were rarely longer than 20 minutes, and I could use my "press pass powers" to skip them entirely in some cases. Furthermore, there was a fantastic selection of games on display that I actually wanted to play, and I got a bunch of cool freebies just for being press.</div>
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Speaking of the games, <i>Titanfall </i>was far-and-away my pick for best in show. It felt smooth, slick, and polished enough to be released tomorrow, and was just a whole lot of fast-paced high-octane fun. Check out my hands-on preview for it <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127956-Titanfall-Hands-On-Preview-Like-CoD-on-Steroids">here</a>.</div>
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Microsoft impressed me overall a lot more than Sony. I was not a fan of the DualShock 4 at all, and none of the game's that Sony was showcasing for the PS4 really caught my eye. Sony hyped up this keynote speech on the first day, then went on to spend an hour talking about Facebook and casual gamers. Yawn.</div>
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Other cool games I got to play were <i>Ryse: Son of Rome, Battlefield 4 </i>and <i>Wolfenstien: The New Order. </i>Being a big <i>Battlefield </i>fanboy, I was pumped to get my hands on the latest game, but also being a member of the PC gaming master race meant that I was constantly frustrated by the limited PS4 controller.</div>
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I also attended one of the much-dreaded public days, but with some good friends by my side, and a plethora of amazing cosplayers to entertain me, I still had a fantastic time.</div>
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So, that was my Tokyo Game Show 2013 experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I eagerly await my next opportunity to attend any convention as press, as it really changes the whole experience substantially. Maybe I can squeeze a visit back home for PAX Australia next year...</div>
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Here are links to all of my coverage from the show:</div>
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<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127943-Sony-Aims-to-Sell-5-Million-PS4s-in-2013">Sony Aims to Sell 5 Million PS4s in 2013</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127947-Deep-Down-Hands-On-Preview-Clunky-And-Gray"><i>Deep Down</i> Hands On Preview: Clunky And Gray</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127955-PlayStation-App-is-Facebook-for-PlayStation">PlayStation App is Facebook for PlayStation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127956-Titanfall-Hands-On-Preview-Like-CoD-on-Steroids"><i>Titanfall</i> Hands On Preview: Like CoD on Steroids</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127997-The-Evil-Within-Puts-Survival-Back-Into-Survival-Horror"><i>The Evil Within</i> Puts "Survival" Back Into Survival Horror</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127994-Tokyo-Game-Show-in-Pictures-Part-1-Business-Days">Tokyo Game Show in Pictures Part 1: Business Days</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128035-Ryse-Son-of-Rome-Hands-On-Preview-Are-You-Not-Entertained"><i>Ryse: Son of Rome</i> Hands On Preview: Are You Not Entertained?</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128037-Tokyo-Game-Show-in-Pictures-Part-2-Cosplay-Highlights">Tokyo Game Show in Pictures Part 2: Cosplay Highlights</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128039-Battlefield-4-Hands-On-Preview-Incremental-Upgrades"><i>Battlefield 4</i> Hands On Preview: Incremental Upgrades</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/127944-PS-Vita-TV-Will-Support-DualShock-4">PS Vita TV Will Support DualShock 4</a></li>
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steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-74152258649676654842013-09-07T15:00:00.001+09:002013-09-07T15:06:05.762+09:00Kickstarter - You're Doing it Wrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBYuoRBlYy5CZ6vxpIj8SjuZW1IFpVHtdAdSCq-rSb0qq9ULNpotyMm8HbL4w5frc4nUZaTFfCyLGIH_IDgXK_X958DdgUYP5w9fb5wfpMsGMW8sAV0Ukvhs7-fohJCfvNs7ZN93DBaI/s1600/Kickstarter_Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPBYuoRBlYy5CZ6vxpIj8SjuZW1IFpVHtdAdSCq-rSb0qq9ULNpotyMm8HbL4w5frc4nUZaTFfCyLGIH_IDgXK_X958DdgUYP5w9fb5wfpMsGMW8sAV0Ukvhs7-fohJCfvNs7ZN93DBaI/s400/Kickstarter_Logo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In a perfect world, Kickstarter would give traditional-style funding a run for its money, resulting in perfect profits for developers and tailor-made games for the fans. However, ours is far from a perfect world, and Kickstarter has a long way to go before it can be considered a viable alternative in games development. I believe there are three big obstacles standing in the way of that: Big Names, Big Ideas and Big Fans.<br />
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Let's start with Big Names: I am talking about big, well-established game creators taking to Kickstarter to fund their projects. Tim Schafer, Keiji Inafune, Richard Garriott - these are all people who have used their "star power" to smash Kickstarter records as their legions of fans lined up to throw money at them. I'm of the opinion that these big names should not be allowed on the service at all. Kickstarter should be a place where up-and-commers, looking to break into the industry with an interesting new idea, can float that idea to everyday schmoes like you and me, who then decide if it's something worth backing.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"[Kickstarter] should not be a place for Keiji Inafune to get easy money for another <i>Mega Man</i> game"</b></span></blockquote>
It should not be a place for Keiji Inafune to get easy money for another <i>Mega Man</i> game. Keiji Inafune is Keiji fucking Inafune. His <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9"><i>Mighty No. 9 </i>Kickstarter</a> raised over half a million dollars in a single day. It hit its funding goal within a week. And no one should have been surprised by this. Wow, you managed to raise a boatload of money for what is essentially an HD remake of a game that has millions of followers and is widely regarded as a cult classic? Well done. The only thing easier would be raising money for an <i>Ocarina of Time</i> remake. People with as much pull as Inafune should not be on Kickstarter. If Inafune can't find someone outside of Kickstarter to back his <i>Mega Man </i>remake then he's doing it wrong.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lOtNoouc6alSzYHwIdvQ0GYOQlK7goHoesRz_3rsHKPPmPAhtIzUw5MjMSHXxjumvsbtJJkcNocJbA0S73yiLfkXyCMzVoMGR4imaC3P9-RHEbOjoHBosyGEVwP2ZBY1hpVpdnsHUlk/s1600/photo-main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4lOtNoouc6alSzYHwIdvQ0GYOQlK7goHoesRz_3rsHKPPmPAhtIzUw5MjMSHXxjumvsbtJJkcNocJbA0S73yiLfkXyCMzVoMGR4imaC3P9-RHEbOjoHBosyGEVwP2ZBY1hpVpdnsHUlk/s400/photo-main.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Not Mega Man)</span></td></tr>
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Richard Garriott also <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/portalarium/shroud-of-the-avatar-forsaken-virtues-0">raised almost $2 million for his Kickstarter project</a>. Do you know what Richard Garriott does in his spare time? <a href="http://www.richardinspace.com/">He goes to space</a>. The guy who can afford to go to space and has more money than you or I will ever see in our entire lifetimes needs a Kickstarter to raise funds? You've got to be kidding me.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doublefine/double-fine-adventure">Tim Schafer's Kickstarter</a> tells a similar story, raising an unreal $3 million for something that’s just a concept. People threw money at <i>Broken Age</i> before it even had a God-damn title. You're telling me you had so little faith in finding someone to invest in a Double Fine adventure game that you had to take it to Kickstarter? Bullshit. If your obscure, action-adventure/RTS hybrid that no-one asked for, <i>Brutal Legend,</i> can find funding through official channels, then the adventure game that fans have been begging for since <i>Grim Fandango</i> sure as hell should be able to.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"People threw money at <i>Broken Age</i> before it even had a God-damn title"</b></span></blockquote>
Schafer's story also ties in to our next point perfectly: Big Ideas. Schafer asked for $400,00 for what was basically a gleam in his eye. He got eight times that amount. So what does he do? Humbly accept the money and deliver the most awesome game his fans could ask for? No. <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125624-Broken-Age-Needs-More-Money">The guy says that it's still not enough.</a> I'm sorry, but if three million dollars can't make your game, you should not be shilling that game on Kickstarter. <i>Star Citizen</i> has <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.827155-Star-Citizen-Funds-Top-17-Million">raised $17 million</a>, and Chris Roberts has the nerve to say he avoided the publisher route because he thought it would be too "niche" of a game. Kickstarter is to <b>kickstart </b>projects, not provide an endless stream of money for you to waste on Big Ideas.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7dgrrTczdNn2AdnD5W6ms4xz62eHPWfFb-pBpVSmAjknOfkE8HIt49bc79g5rfEGRjabDmISfUQMY-iFRdYWOQCeVSj5dgTWNZZgbSagLeQONZJWPLQ4vDv6n4MZzL1HNwKQ_ci-Mrg/s1600/wario+with+treasure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK7dgrrTczdNn2AdnD5W6ms4xz62eHPWfFb-pBpVSmAjknOfkE8HIt49bc79g5rfEGRjabDmISfUQMY-iFRdYWOQCeVSj5dgTWNZZgbSagLeQONZJWPLQ4vDv6n4MZzL1HNwKQ_ci-Mrg/s400/wario+with+treasure.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tim Schafer</span></td></tr>
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Big Ideas also refers to the cautionary tales of failed projects. American McGee's <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125970-American-McGee-Cancels-His-OZombie-Kickstarter">failed <i>OZombie</i> Kickstarter</a> is representative of this, something that the developer actually admits himself - These kinds of Big Idea games are simply too big for Kickstarter. I'm also talking about projects that meet their goals, <a href="http://kickfailure.com/2012/11/14/project-disaster-hanfree-ipad-accessory/">and then don't deliver on the product</a>. Giving money to a project on Kickstarter is essentially an investment with no return - if the Kickstarter succeeds, you will, at most, get your money back, and if it fails, your money’s lost forever. There's no real incentive for fans to back a project on Kickstarter, especially when the Big Names raising millions more than what they ask for are hogging the spotlight.<br />
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I'm sure a lot of you are reading this and saying, "But Steven, the biggest draw of Kickstarter is that the fans get to help design the game," to which I retort: "I can think of nothing more horrifying than fans having a say in game design."<br />
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Big Fans are probably the worst part about Kickstarter. I'm going to put this out there, and I dare you to disagree with me: most people that post anything on the internet are morons. Don't get me wrong; there is are a lot of fantastic gems hiding out there, great ideas from brilliant people, but the overwhelming majority of it is crap. Don't believe me? Go to YouTube, look through the most recent video uploads. Start from the top and watch every video, start to finish, until you find one that's good. I challenge you to find a single entertaining video before you gouge your eyes out with a rusty spoon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXbRm-_f59sNFEsWiKIBiK2m0VvB5_8j3e8yTOyAraxUt1Z_xmW2a204Ok-p_iaxWNK5kELHd_nuPqjwT3cIplzbM32slhayU5or5gaegdGT-nBNongiHxDUf4g5QfiVE2v-GIeYqzgA/s1600/Bad-Tweets.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXbRm-_f59sNFEsWiKIBiK2m0VvB5_8j3e8yTOyAraxUt1Z_xmW2a204Ok-p_iaxWNK5kELHd_nuPqjwT3cIplzbM32slhayU5or5gaegdGT-nBNongiHxDUf4g5QfiVE2v-GIeYqzgA/s320/Bad-Tweets.png" width="304" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fan feedback</span></td></tr>
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Do you really want these people having their hand in game design - the immature, moronic, racist, sexist assholes who inhabit the likes of Xbox Live and the YouTube comments section? If you're saying, "But Steven, these people would never donate money on Kickstarter," then I would call you a naive fool. Consider, for example, the nasty snare the <i>Skullgirls </i>IndieGoGo campaign hit thanks to “these people.”<br />
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Basically, the <i>Skullgirls </i>crowdfunder promised two "Mystery Characters" that all backers would be able to vote on. So what do you think happened when some backers' favorite characters got voted out? That they took it in stride and decided that though their favorite character was no longer in the race, they would keep supporting the developer and its vision anyway? Maybe in the land of sunshine and rainbows, but in the real world they took their ball and went home, demanding refunds when their characters of choice got knocked out of the vote. It got to the point where <a href="http://www.vg247.com/2013/04/23/skullgirls-crowdfunding-stymied-by-paypal/">PayPal froze all of the campaign's funds</a> due to chargebacks.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>"Simply put, fans don't know what the fuck they are talking about"</b></span></blockquote>
And these are the people that I am supposed to trust with major decisions about game development? No fucking way. The Xbox One, which admittedly didn't have the greatest PR team, tried to do something drastically different and original, but was met with so much hatred and nerdrage that it has since reverted to the exact same thing as the PS4. Even the Kinect, which is one of the only things left that sets it apart from the competition, is still under intense pressure from "fans" to be removed. If you look at the film industry, you’ll see the same effect. Ben Affleck being cast as Batman was met with <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/ben-affleck-batman-petition-drop-2224339">a wave of internet QQ</a>, despite this actually being a pretty good choice considering Affleck's prior acting and directing accolades, his great love of comic books, and his physical appearance.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSQ-d0hgXkH63kkTV5fVAWAbZD8N4ODAPakSfjsCMAjddE9j-lu2UZr9N-CV2630_MYJwqG2PQI5OKauFWWO2dwI8G_lJaTQKaLQKQQM-AkwMeSKlOZxlDQXk29oPld-v80vnOgtGDOw/s1600/battfleck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwSQ-d0hgXkH63kkTV5fVAWAbZD8N4ODAPakSfjsCMAjddE9j-lu2UZr9N-CV2630_MYJwqG2PQI5OKauFWWO2dwI8G_lJaTQKaLQKQQM-AkwMeSKlOZxlDQXk29oPld-v80vnOgtGDOw/s400/battfleck.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Instant nerdrage, just add Twitter</span></td></tr>
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Henry "I invented the weekend" Ford said it best: "If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would have said 'a faster horse.'" Simply put, fans don't know what the fuck they are talking about. Yes, listening to fan and player feedback is very important, but being beholden to your fans is a very scary scenario. <i>Call of Duty</i> "fans" <a href="http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-24-cod-developer-appeals-for-calm-after-death-threats">sent death threats</a> to developers when they applied minor tweaks to some <i>Black Ops II</i> weapons. Can you imagine a world where such people actually have a hand (however minor) in the development of a video game?<br />
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These are the three big problems I have with crowd-funding. I'm sure in time, when Big Name developers stop using it as their personal piggy-bank, Big Ideas make way for Realistic Ideas, and Big Fans learn to stop destroying everything they love, Kickstarter will become a very common alternative path for game development. I don't believe Kickstarter will ever replace traditional publishers, nor do I think it should. It has its place in the games industry, but it is a far cry from the be-all-end-all that people make it out to be. It also somewhat baffles me that we have become such a consumerist society, that people are willing to pay for products that don't even exist yet… perhaps a topic for another post!<br />
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Just some food for thought.<br />
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-Steven<br />
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<b>Author's note: </b>Thanks for reading guys. As always, if you want to tell me I'm a fucking moron please take to the comments section below, any feedback or criticism is welcome.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Subscribe to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/StevenBogos" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">my twitter</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for up-to-date news and blog updates, my </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTacoMan3178" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">youtube channel</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for gaming videos, and be sure to check out my </span><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/posts/Steven%20Bogos?view=articles" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">Escapist profile </a>for daily updates<span style="font-weight: normal;">!</span></span></div>
steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-89198264096180956192013-08-22T11:39:00.002+09:002013-08-22T11:39:50.807+09:00I'm not dead yet!Hey guys, just a quick update to let you know that yes, I am still alive. I know I haven't updated the blog in over a month, I've been pretty pre-occupied with work and holidays. I visited Australia over the summer vacation, ate a lot of amazing food, and got to see a lot of my friends and family. I even got to host my traditional LAN party, which had plenty of Street Fighter, Civ 5, and of course, bad movies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1119902_10152261504449657_904979434_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1119902_10152261504449657_904979434_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lan Party</td></tr>
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Then, when I got back to Japan, I road-tripped down to the Izu peninsula just south of Tokyo to catch some sunshine and get some swimming in. While obviously not as good as the beaches in Okinawa or Australia, I still had a fantastic time. For me, it's not truly summer vacation until I've hit the beach at least once, and Izu delivered on that. Plus, the hostel we stayed at was fucking awesome, it was in this 100-year old Japanese style building that had been completely renovated and was just gorgeous.<br />
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Now, I'm nearing the end of my holiday, unfortunately. Just five more days! Why is it that summer vacation blows by so fast??? I know I've done quite a bit this summer, but it also feels like I've done absolutely nothing. I guess it didn't help that when I got back I really threw myself into my work.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhcASzQmjj-6TyzaLroZ_yTLE-PCOLAalMrY6ZUsBEs3BaDkT6PW_XLv9tWXHrFO4atJ_iLPpLjChbvYVXQf_rI5g8UKC9adiqOYgyL1eIxGd2iu31NfmwSGakFoQ1DxwhcN6chxo930/s1600/20130817_124224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifhcASzQmjj-6TyzaLroZ_yTLE-PCOLAalMrY6ZUsBEs3BaDkT6PW_XLv9tWXHrFO4atJ_iLPpLjChbvYVXQf_rI5g8UKC9adiqOYgyL1eIxGd2iu31NfmwSGakFoQ1DxwhcN6chxo930/s400/20130817_124224.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the "view" at the beach...</td></tr>
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On that front, next month I will be attending Tokyo Game Show as an official media representative of the Escapist Magazine! I'm pretty excited about this, it'll be my first time going to the show's exclusive "press-only" days, and it'll be great to get to try out the new next-gen consoles. I <b>really </b>hope <i>Titanfall </i>will be playable!<br />
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I also may have another journalism opportunity coming up. It's too early to share details yet, but let's just say if everything pans out, I may be able to quit my day job as a teacher and work on my writing full time!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://web-vassets.ea.com/Assets/Resources/Image/Screenshots/TF-Panoramic-Overwatch.jpg?cb=1371482282" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://web-vassets.ea.com/Assets/Resources/Image/Screenshots/TF-Panoramic-Overwatch.jpg?cb=1371482282" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Titanfall</i></td></tr>
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As for my regular Escapist news posts, I'm not going to repost them here this time! Sorry, but it's been over a month and I'd have to post like a hundred stories, which would just be way too much.<br /><br />So instead, I urge you to just check out my <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/posts">Escapist profile</a>, which lists all of my posted articles, and please subscribe to my <a href="https://twitter.com/StevenBogos">Twitter</a>, where I post <b>every </b>article as soon as I've written it.steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340075121993190882.post-68133143724597108522013-07-29T22:20:00.000+09:002013-07-29T22:23:23.755+09:00NEWS: Monday UpdateHi everyone. Bit of exciting news for you all this week, I'm heading back to Australia on Friday! Just for ten days though, a little bit of a holiday to see everyone again. Also, when I get back to Japan, I'm going to head up to Izu for a bit of a beach getaway (it's not a real summer vacation until I've been to the beach!)<br />
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As such, don't expect too much in the way of updates for the coming month! My Escapist news stories will also probably see a bit of a decline.<br />
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Last week was my "training week" for my day job as an English teacher. It was good to see all the Nasushiobara ALTs again, and to cap it off we had a poker night on Saturday. It's a very nice change of pace from my regular teaching work, and a good lead in to my lengthy summer vacation.<br />
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I bought a car this week! It may just be a Kei car, and it may have only cost me $500, but it's a car nonetheless. Even if I end up going back home in March, I'll have still saved money over renting every month, and if I do decide to stay another year, I'll end up saving a LOT of money.<br />
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On that front, it's looking more and more likely I will end up staying here one more year. Next year, my car, and my apartment's start up fees will be completely paid off, and with my current work pace at the Escapist I reckon I can save up a LOT of money. I do miss being home, and it's particularly hard with several of my best friends in the country having left Japan earlier this year, but at this stage in my life it may be best to just burrow down, save up a wad of cash, and then blow it all on a big vacation (or... sensibly save it with the intention of possibly buying a house...). It would be nice to visit all my friends in America...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1078691_10152230499919657_543777330_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1078691_10152230499919657_543777330_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new car</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, here are the last couple of week's stories (sorry about no update last week):</span><br />
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125966" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Martian Manhunter Joins The <i style="outline: none;">Injustice: Gods Among Us</i> Roster</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125968" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Evo 2013 Champions Revealed</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125970" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">American McGee Cancels His <i style="outline: none;">OZombie</i> Kickstarter</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126014" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Oculus Wants To Release The Rift For Free</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126015" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Good Old Games: Pirates Are Our Competition, Not Steam</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126052" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Skyrim</i> Mod Adds <i style="outline: none;">Dishonored</i>'s Signature Abilities</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126053" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><i style="outline: none;">State of Decay</i> PC Version Features Exclusive Enhancements</a></span></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126091" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Team Fortress 2</i> Update Kills Idle Servers</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126092" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">League of Legends</i> Unleashes Spirit Guard Udyr</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126126" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Battlefield 4</i>'s Buildings Have Advanced Falling-Over Mechanics</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126127" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;">7 Days to Die</i><span style="line-height: 16px;"> Is </span><i style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;">DayZ</i><span style="line-height: 16px;"> Crossed With </span><i style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;">Minecraft</i></span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126129" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Dead Rising 3</i> Ditches The Race Against The Clock</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126132" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">How <i style="outline: none;">The Stick of Truth</i>'s Ambition Got Out of Control</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126160" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Street Fighter</i> Live Action TV Show Starts Filming</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126163" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">New Technology Lets You Physically Feel Virtual Objects</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126166" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Gearbox Announces HD Remakes of <i style="outline: none;">Homeworld</i> 1 And 2</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126167" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Borderlands 2</i> Getting Level Cap Increase, Extra Missions, Raid Bosses</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126174" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Saints Row IV</i> Had to Drop Bollywood Dance Number Ending</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126175" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Battlefield 4</i> Singleplayer Campaign Details</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126179" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">First <i style="outline: none;">Saints Row IV</i> DLC Detailed And Dated</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126180" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Nvidia Shield Ships On July 31</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126182" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Microsoft Vows To Fight Government Spying Via Kinect</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126218" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Nintendo Stock at a 2 Year High</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126220" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">All <i style="outline: none;">Left 4 Dead 2</i> Maps Soloed On Expert By Crazy Person</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126262" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;">Pokemon</i><span style="line-height: 16px;"> Dev's New Game Combines Horse Riding and </span><i style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;">Solitaire</i></span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126266" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">EA Loses Lawsuit To Original <i style="outline: none;">Madden</i> Creator</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126305" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Eidos Founder: Square Enix Needs to Learn How to Sell Games</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126306" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Saints Row IV</i> Season Pass Includes Anal Probe Weapon</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126308" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">"Project Logan" Brings Direct X 11 To Smartphones</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126336" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Super Smash Bros.</i> 3DS And Wii U Drops Story Mode</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126337" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Ace Attorney 5</i> DLC Adds a Full New Case</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126338" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Don Mattrick Details His Plans to Turn Zynga Around</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126340" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Activision Blizzard to Buy Out Vivendi's Shares</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126378" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Battlefield 4</i>'s Battlelog is a Seamless Second Screen Experience</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126390" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;">Xbox 360 Gets Indie Self Publishing Too</span></a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126393" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Saints Row IV</i> Refused Classification in Australia (Again)</span></a></li>
</ul>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Top stories:</span></b><br />
<div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
</div>
<ul style="font-weight: bold;">
<li><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126385" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><i style="outline: none;">Fez</i> Dev Tells Media Member To Kill Himself</span></a></li>
</ul>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/570/570585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="http://cdn.themis-media.com/media/global/images/library/deriv/570/570585.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Fez </i>director Phil Fish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: inherit; line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><b><a class="news_archive_title_link" href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/125961" style="line-height: 16px; outline: none;"><i style="outline: none;">Skyrim</i> Mod: <i style="outline: none;">Falskaar</i> Adds 20 Hours of Gameplay</a><br />
</b></span></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/EeFT6qhja-0" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-weight: bold;">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #4e2800; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Okay guys, that's it from me for this week! Be sure to subscribe to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/StevenBogos" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">my twitter</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for up-to-date news and blog updates, my </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTacoMan3178" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">youtube channel</a><span style="font-weight: normal;"> for gaming videos, and check back here every Saturday for a roundup of </span><a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/profiles/posts/Steven%20Bogos?view=articles" style="color: #b5653b; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;">my Escapist news pieces</a><span style="font-weight: normal;">!</span></b></div>
</div>
steven bogoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08044491602324923011noreply@blogger.com0