BLOG -- Recap of June

June was mainly a Glee bingefest as I was trying to watch 4 seasons' worth of episodes before it left Netflix this month (it's already gone from Netflix Canada [hoping it'll get renewed so I can rewatch certain episodes]). There were many... sleep-deprived weekends, but I did it...

"Outings" / Events in June:

- I had one day off. I actually went outside and made the most of it. Did a bit of shopping, watched a movie, did a bit of banking, bought myself some lunch and dessert... it was a very fun and productive day.

- I hung out with a friend. We watched a couple movies and did a bit of catching up. I still get really uneasy being outside while COVID is still around, so I'm really selective about who I meet up.

- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn achievements / news: 
-I haven't logged in this month. orz

Exposures:

- Nothing this month. 

Finished...

Watching:

- (Movie): The Witch -- It was well done, but I didn't really enjoy it.

- (Movie): Gemini Man -- This was okay.

- (Movie): Everything Everywhere All At Once

- (Movie): Species: The Awakening -- I think I'm finally done with this series. This movie was kinda meh.

- (Movie): Spiral: From the Book of Saw -- It wasn't that bad... but not really good either.

- (Movie): Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness -- It was decent. I didn't like that I felt like I was missing some emotional connection because I didn't watch WandaVision.

- (Movie): Madagascar -- It was okay.

- (Movie): Predestination -- The beginning got me hooked. Then I went "what the heck?!" for the rest of the movie. If you want a mind-tripping movie, this is an interesting one.

- (Movie): Goosebumps -- It was entertaining enough. I stayed away from Goosebumps books when I was young. I was afraid I'd get nightmares. I did watch a few episodes of the TV show. Slappy always made me uneasy.

- (TV Show): Glee -- Glee has been on my watchlist for many years. I enjoy musicals. I love music. It just made sense. While I wasn't a fan of how the last few seasons went, overall I enjoyed it. My favourite couples were Kurt and Blaine, and Santana and Brittany. My utmost favourite character was Burt. I may blog a bit more about this in the future. R.I.P. to the ones who have passed on.

Playing:

- Nothing this month.

Reading:

- Nothing this month.

Currently... 

Playing (not all at once):

- (PS4): Dark Cloud 2

- (PS4): Skyrim
- (PS4): Yakuza 5 Remastered
- (PS4): Trine 2 (co-oping this only, lol)
- (PS4): Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered
- (PS4): PictoQuest
- (PS4): Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
- (PS3): Borderlands 2
- (PSP): Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure

- (3DS): Phoenix Wright: Dual Destinies
- (GBA): The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition   
- (Wii): Fortune Street 
- (PC): UnEpic  
- (PC): Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (When They Cry)

Watching:

- (TV Show): The Walking Dead (Season 9)
- (TV Show): Criminal Minds (Season 15)
- (TV Show): The Strain (Season 3)
- (TV Show): The Office (Season 8)
- (TV Show): The Goldbergs (Season 5)
- (TV Show): Huff (Season 1 - Episode 10)
- (TV Show): Stranger Things (Season 4 - Episode 8)
- (TV Show): Scream (Season 1 - Episode 4)

- (Anime): Log Horizon (Season 4)
- (Anime): Attack on Titan (Season 4)
- (Anime): Pyscho-Pass (Season 4?)
- (Anime): Kakegurui (Season 3?)
- (Anime): Basilisk: The Ouka Ninja Scrolls (Episode 2)

- (Anime): Gintama (Episode 13)
- (Anime): Way of the Househusband (Episode 4)
- (Anime): GTO - The Animation (Episode 23)
- (YouTube): StephenVlogs (Day 1058)

Reading:

- (Manga): One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volume ?? -- Chapter 1036)
- (Manga): Berserk by Kentaro Miura (Volume 2)


That's it for June. Here are a few pics / screenshots I took this month plus a couple YouTube videos.

The lunch I got for myself on my day off.

I've missed you, avocado... <3 <3 <3

A screenshot from Hatsune Miku: Colorful Stage. 

I got full combo for a song (on Hard difficulty!). XD

Yayyy! We got Top 20.

I can rest easy now (I'm just kidding).

"Get it Right" from Glee.

I can really relate to the lyrics.

"Pizza's Great! Pizza's Awesome! 8.23.16" by StephenVlog.

Stephen and Mal can be so kooky sometimes.

I love it. :)

Thanks for reading!

As usual, if you have any questions / comments about anything, feel free.

For those celebrating Canada's Day tomorrow, Happppy Canada's Day! XD

For those celebrating Independence Day on Monday, Happpppy Independence Day! XD

Take care, stay safe, and until next time! :) 

BLOG (PERSONAL) -- Random Memory Time [Bubble Bobble]

My weekend's pretty busy and my hands need rest, so I'll keep this short and sweet. I don't remember if I've actually shared this before, so if I did, my apologies *bows*

One of my favourite childhood games was Bubble Bobble on the NES and computer (it was available on other platforms, too, but that's how I played it). I don't remember when or how I was first exposed to it, but it looked really fun. Who wouldn't enjoy controlling a dinosaur that shoots bubbles and collects snacks and foods in each stage? XD The one music track that looped over and over in each stage sounded really fun, too. 

Bubble Bobble may have sparked my interest in puzzle games (move aside, Tetris! Hahaha). It may have also been my first challenge with being efficient, because Bubble Bobble had some stages that could be cleared with just a few actions. I liked trying to find those efficient actions and executing them if I could.

My enjoyment with Bubble Bobble stayed through to my Middle School years. There was one Summer where every morning, as soon as my sister and I woke up, we would co-op Bubble Bobble on the computer and keep at it until we beat it. There wasn't any real reason for playing it everyday other than we had lots of fun.

What video game, if any, did you enjoy immensely during your childhood? :)

If you have any questions or comments, feel free.

Take care, stay safe, and until next time!

BLOG -- Some Thoughts About The Future of Video Games... and Microtransactions

With Diablo Immortal's release two weeks ago, catching a couple Twitch streams about it, and watching Josh's recent video covering all the different microtransactions Diablo Immortal has, it got me thinking about the gaming industry and its potentially worrying future.

If you haven't watched Josh's video, I strongly recommend checking it out (video is below -- best to watch it in full screen). It's not needed for this blog, but the video could give some understanding as to why Diablo Immortal's microtransactions spurred me to even blog about this.

"The Immoral Design of Diablo Immortal" by Josh Strife Hayes.

MY THOUGHTS ON MICROTRANSACTIONS

To a certain extent, I'm okay with microtransactions. Any game that is released as free-to-play has to make money somehow. If you buy a game and you enjoy it enough that you want to support the developers further, I think that's okay, too. As long as the microtransaction stays optional, is reasonably priced, and is not essential for game progression (and if it wasn't originally part of the game and got removed to become a microtransaction [that's skeezy]), I'm fine with it. 

Once microtransactions no longer feel optional; once microtransactions seem like the only way to progress reasonably and enjoy the game, that's where I draw the line. That's when I think microtransactions transform into something else -- something diabolic.

I will admit, though -- I've unwillingly spent money on microtransactions before. Not because I needed to for progression, but for another reason. I might talk about it in a future blog.

MY THOUGHTS ON THE FUTURE OF GAMING

Even though microtransactions aren't a new thing in video games, it stands out in Diablo Immortal because: 

-the Diablo series was always a one-time purchase video game on the PC / console

-this is the first time a well-known North American video game company has released one of their well-known PC / console video game series as a free-to-play mobile game (please correct me if I'm wrong)

-its microtransactions are much greedier than many other free-to-play games (watch Josh's video on all the details)

This got me thinking about several things:

-will other well-known North American video game companies follow suit? Would such a shift be sustainable?

-will this change what is considered "acceptable" as a microtransaction, thus affecting game design?

-how will this affect a video game's history / longevity?

-will this mark the start of more people potentially falling into financial debt?

Since Diablo Immortal made a lot of profit soon after its release, I worry that other game companies might start to think that free-to-play mobile games with microtransactions are the way of the future... to which I vehemently disagree. I believe there should be a mix so players do not get burnt out of their time and money.

Just imagine this: you are a person who loves the following series: Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Age, Yakuza, Borderlands, Final Fantasy, Civilization, Ys, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty. You can keep up with each series fairly well because the games release at different times of the year. The games are also one-time purchases so you can budget yourself and make sure you can afford them. 

Now -- imagine that the next game for one of those series was released as a free-to-play mobile game. It's free so you download it and start playing it everyday, maybe spending money on some microtransactions. A month later, another game is released as a free-to-play mobile game. You download it and challenge yourself to play two games everyday, possibly spending more money overall on microtransactions (as you start getting used to spending money on microtransactions). Another month later, another game is released as a free-to-play game. Then another... then another... at that point, what would you do? (How is your wallet holding up by then?)

The simple answer would be to stop playing some of the older games so you can start playing the newer ones. But -- each game is still running. You technically haven't beaten any of them yet because more story will be released in the future. There could also be a fear of falling behind if you realize you want to continue those games again. Such stresses and dilemmas over something that's meant to provide fun and enjoyment.

I also worry that because Diablo Immortal made a lot of profit, it might be viewed as a benchmark for what would be considered acceptable as a microtransaction, possibly affecting game design. In other future games, will progression slow to a crawl after a certain level, encouraging players to pay? Will the best equipment or materials to craft the best equipment only be accessible via a credit card? And if it is, when would it stop? How many purchases would be made to have the best equipment, especially if what's considered the "best" keeps changing?

Another thing I think about is the free-to-play game's longevity and gaming history (I guess it's strange but I did think about it). The nice thing about one-time purchase games is that after buying them, so long as you still have a working console / PC / handheld to play them on, there isn't always a pressure to play them right away. You will be able to play them 5, 10, 15 years from now. There will almost always be come kind of record with potential access. Free-to-play mobile games don't always have that luxury. If a free-to-play mobile game (or any free-to-play game) doesn't earn enough profit to keep the servers running, the game will eventually shut down and will no longer be accessible. Ever. If the company is able, it may leave players with an offline version of the game, but that doesn't always happen. How many years will it be until Blizzard decides to shut down Diablo Immortal? If many more free-to-play games get released in the future instead of one-time purchase games, will there be a time when players will only be able to reminisce about what they played once all those games get shut down?

As for my wonderment on if more people will potentially fall into financial debt... with there being over 30 million players (I am assuming this because there were over 30 million pre-registrations), Diablo Immortal might be many players' first exposure to a free-to-play mobile game. Many may not be aware of the various tactics free-to-play games may use to encourage spending. Nobody likes to think they are susceptible, but -- as long a credit card is linked, there's always the possibility. Below is the story of a person who tried out a free-to-play mobile game out of nostalgia and ended up in financial debt. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/FFBraveExvius/comments/7jmezv/a_whale_of_a_tale/

Will I ever play Diablo Immortal? Never. And I love the Diablo games (what I've played of them, at least). I just don't love this.

That's it for this blog. Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free. Just know that I know nothing about Diablo Immortal aside from Josh's video and what I've seen on Twitch streams. 

Take care, stay safe, and until next time :)

REVIEW/THOUGHTS [MOVIE] -- Everything Everywhere All At Once

Format: In the theatres

Approx. Runtime: 139 minutes (2 hours, 19 minutes)

Language Watched: English (parts of the movie are spoken in other languages with English subtitles)

Type of Movie: "Multi-Genre" [comedy, drama, action, science fiction, adventure, spiritual]

Overall Impression: The craziest, most ridiculous, heartful movie I've seen this year.

SPOILER ALERT WARNING!!

This review will contain some spoilers -- or rather, there will be a "Spoilers" section at the end of the review to go into further detail about certain things. There may still be slight spoilers throughout the review, but I've tried my best to keep them at a minimum.

ABOUT THE DANIELS (THE DIRECTORS)

I've been a fan of the The Daniels for a number of years now. After falling in love with their first movie, Swiss Army Man, and checking out some of their music videos and shorts, I knew that these two were extremely capable of:

-beautiful cinematography

-bringing heart to their works

-gross, crazy, sometimes wtf weirdness (I like to call this originality) :)

When watching anything from The Daniels, it is imperative to keep an open mind. High chances are it will be good, but how you get there will likely be a wild, unexpected ride.

REVIEW - IN A NUTSHELL

I... really don't want to say much about Everything Everywhere All At Once. I think this movie is best watched completely blind. Don't even watch the trailer -- it gives away too much but also doesn't convey enough. Okay -- I'll give you one thing: it's something to do with multi-verses. And it handles the idea of multi-verses in a very unique way. As I was watching the movie, I thought, 'this would be a great concept for a video game'.

Before anybody thinks, 'So this is a sci-fi movie' and turns away, it's NOT just a sci-fi movie. If I were to give Everything Everywhere All At Once a genre, I would call it a "multi-genre" (a play off of multi-verses, lol). It is a mesh of various genres - action, comedy, drama, sci-fi. I could possibly argue it being an adventure as well -- maybe even spiritual. 

What happens when so many different genres mix together? Your senses get "assaulted". You will see a lot. You will hear a lot. The pacing jumps back and forth between contemplative lulls to high energy beats. One would think blending so many genres wouldn't work, but it did here. The Daniels is just skillful like that.

The acting is great. The writing is great. The characters are strong and well-developed. I was able to relate to both the main character and the villain. All this comes together to explore various themes... that I won't talk about, hahaha. They are deep and capable of reaching out and touching your heart. At least they did for me.

Sadly, I do have a nitpick. Now -- I know that watching something from The Daniels would often mean taking a dose of crazy, ridiculous weirdness. I have no problems with it, but I can recognize that that kind of thing may not land with everybody. Despite it having a PG rating in Canada, I don't think Everything Everywhere All At Once is suitable for all ages. Because of a couple scenes, I think this should be 14A instead. 

MY RATING

I'm going to predict right now that Everything Everywhere All At Once will be listed as my top movie for 2022. I honestly can't imagine any other movie coming along and "assaulting" my senses and stimulating my brain the same way. Kudos, The Daniels -- you've done it again! *tips my hat*

I highly recommend this movie. But please -- keep an open mind. For 2 hours and 19 minutes, let go of your current surroundings... and let yourself get immersed in this crazy world. :)

Rating: 95 / 100


Thanks for reading! If you want some more input about something I didn't cover, feel free to ask. Don't ask about the plot, though -- I won't tell you. :)

Now I'll do the scrolly thing so you don't see the "Spoilers" section right away. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoilers" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

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SPOILERS

There is a lot I want to say... but I think I should watch this a 2nd time before trying to express everything. I think I only grasped some of the concepts but not everything.

I will say, though -- Waymond is an awesome character. His plea to "Be kind!" struck a chord with me -- maybe because I fear I'm becoming more apathetic and less receptive to the world. I want to take his words to heart and "be kind".

I also cried a lot. A LOT. I'm having trouble trying to articulate why, but my best guess is that some of the themes really resonated with me.

EDIT: Aug. 14, 2022 -- I have watched Everything Everywhere All At Once a couple more times, and I think I have a better understanding why it resonated with me so much. I still can't articulate it well -- I just know that, to me, Everything Everywhere All At Once conveyed a lot of thoughts and insecurities / worries I've had for a long time. And to answer it all with empathy and kindness -- it just hits me :')

If you read my spoilers, thank for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. If you disagree with anything or just want to say something, feel free to comment :D

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REVIEW/THOUGHTS [VIDEO GAME] -- King's Bounty: The Legend

Playthrough Status: Beat the game on Easy difficulty. I explored every inch of the map, beat up everything I found, and did every quest I came across
Approx. Length: 110+ hours
Language: English
Played on: PC
Type of Game: Turn-based tactical adventure, RPG
Overall Impression: A very addictive time sink if you enjoy games like these (which I do)

NOTE ON SPOILERS!!

Just like with my past reviews, I'll keep a non-spoiler section (the section you're at right now), and a "Spoiler Talk" section at the end to go into more detail on certain things and to let loose with any extra thoughts.

INTRO: A LITTLE STORY

So... I started playing King's Bounty: The Legend (which I'll refer to as King's Bounty for the rest of this review) wayyyyy back in April 2013. After playing it for several days I had to force myself to take a break. It was not because of the usual "I got distracted by another game" or "Life got busy" reason. It was because I realized that the game was way -- too -- addictive!

Sure -- there have been many times where I'd intentionally set aside a whole day to play a video game. There have also been times when I'd look at the clock and say, "I'll play this for a bit longer." It's rare for me to play a video game and completely lose track of time... When I would think, 'Okay, I'll play this game for just a couple hours', and then half the day is already gone. 

King's Bounty had that power over me... so I forced myself to take a break. Fast forward to this year where I have no New Year's resolutions to worry about. If there was a time to lose myself to a video game, this would be it. So... during one of my vacations this year, I continued King's Bounty... got lost every single day... until I finally finished it. :)

WHAT IS KING'S BOUNTY?

In a nutshell, King's Bounty is a turn-based tactical adventure RPG. You control a character who rides around on a horse and you do various quests for your king and for other characters. You also recruit troops and do turn-based strategy battles. You also gain experience and level up your character and learn spells and skills.

I guess it sounds generic so far, but... if it could draw me in the way that it does, there's a bit more to it. I haven't mentioned the intricacies like troop / item morale, troop variety, spell variety, multiple skill trees. Not all of these were drawing factors, but it does tell me King's Bounty has some complexity. And I like a fair amount of complexity.

I also haven't mentioned that gold, some recruitable troops, and other resources are finite. If you aren't careful with your spending and troop management, you could end up in a situation where you have insufficient troops and gold to progress the game. I don't know about you -- but that kind of challenge is thrilling for me.

My character going around the town on his horse.
You can have your own opinion on the graphics.
I think they are decent for being a 2008 game.

The profile screen for my character. The female portrait at the top is my character's wife and their kids. Yes, you can get married in King's Bounty -- and have kids! 

WHAT DREW ME IN

I don't even know myself all the factors that got me so addicted to King's Bounty, but here are some:

Exploration: This is probably one of my favourite things to do in a video game, provided that the environment is really nice and... purposeful. I love exploring and making discoveries, and King's Bounty has a lot of that. Strewn all over the world are gold piles, buried treasure chests, and skill runes. Whenever I reach a new area, all I want to do is grab everything in sight.

Choices: I like that King's Bounty often gives you choices and they usually have some impact, whether it's affecting the outcome or rewards of a sidequest or changing what you do in a sidequest (I don't remember if choices affect the main story). 

I recall one time making a choice which failed one of my sidequests (I reloaded soon after). I also recall another time defeating some NPCs who would have given me a sidequest if they were alive (I reloaded soon after that as well). I can definitely respect a game that offers varying outcomes like that. To me, it makes the experience more personal to each player.

The Battles: Something that I really enjoy in games is devising a strategy / plan, and trying to pull it off successfully. The battles in King's Bounty give me that chance. While some battles can be as quick as maybe five minutes, other battles really require thinking and could take much longer. Fighting against dragons always made me a little nervous for my troops.

To summarize the battle system, it's turn-based combat that involves moving your troops across a field to attack. During your turn, you are also able to cast spells or summon a spirit. While sometimes it could feel repetitive, the different enemy troop compositions will usually call for different strategies. Changing up your own troops from time to time can also change your strategy.

How the battlefield is generally laid out. My troops are on the left (yes, I have unicorns).
The layout would be slightly different if I was battling at a castle entrance.

Witty Writing: King's Bounty has a lot of lore. Almost every NPC has some off-topic thing you can ask about. If it was written as a massive one-note story / information dump, it'd be very boring. Thankfully, the writing has flavour and a good amount of sarcastic humour. I would often choose those off-topic things just to see how the dialogue would go. Kudos to the writers. *tips my hat*

Beautiful Music: I think the music fits very well. There are a couple main tracks used for exploration, but they are so fitting that I don't mind it looping endlessly. It sounds epic. That's the kind of music I'd like to have playing if I was ever exploring a place on horseback or on boat (yes, you can sail around in this game).

Below is one of my favourite tracks.

"Under the Shadow of the Oak".

I wish I knew what the lyrics meant.

It sounds very beautiful.

WHAT DIDN'T DRAW ME IN

Here are some things that could have used some improvements.

Story: While the writing has personality, the main story itself didn't grab me as much as the desire to explore, interact with objects, talk to NPCs, and loot. Often I would advance the main story if I ran out of other things to do.

Fetching Sidequests: A lot of the sidequests (not all of them) were fetch quests (i.e. go collect something from point B, then return), which aren't the most exciting things. To me, they feel like tasks to just pad your game time if you've already explored those areas.

THE DISCLAIMERS (IF ANY)

This is where I list any things that could make you think twice about trying the game out with family or friends (depends on what they are okay with, I guess). They're not exactly bad per se, but more for your own awareness of it (and so you don't blame me for not saying anything!). I can experience these elements in a video game and get through more or less unscathed, but your mileage may vary, so I figure I should mention them.

-Some of the female troops are skimpily dressed. That's all I can think of.

MY RATING

I almost want to say that King's Bounty is a guilty pleasure game for me. But -- I feel no guilt over any pleasure I get. I just have to admit that I am powerless to its time-sucking capabilities and keep my schedule open the next time I want to delve into this game, or its sequels (which I intend to do in the future).

If this sounds like a game you'd enjoy, go for it! It's decently priced on Steam, at least in Canada. Just be careful of losing track of your time like I did. :)

Rating: 85 / 100


Thanks for reading!

If you have any questions / comments about anything, leave a comment or send via the Contact Form.


So I'll do the scrolly thing and the "Spoiler Talk" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoiler Talk" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

Take care and until next time! :)

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SPOILER TALK

So this is a section for me to unload any extra thoughts about King's Bounty that I consider possibly spoiler-ish.

MY PLAYTHROUGH OF KING'S BOUNTY

I went in blind (as usual). I chose the mage class, and loaded myself up with troops from the starting castle. When I got thorn hunters, I switched the peasants out. To me, my ranged troops were most important so I always tried to keep them well stocked. 

As I found other interesting troops, all my starting troops (except my archers) got swapped out. Through most of my playthrough, my main troops were:

-Archers (ranged troop)

-Thorn Hunters (also ranged troop)

-Royal Snakes

-Hyenas

-Ancient Bears

When I reached Ellinia and had access to elvish troops, I made the tough choice to use only elvish troops (it was hard saying good bye to my archers and thorn hunters, lol). For endgame, my troops were:

-Unicorns

-Black Unicorns

-Dryads

-Elves (ranged troop)

-Hunters (also ranged troop)

When it came to casting spells, I would usually either do blizzard or fireball (forgive me if I'm messing up the spell names). Before I had those spells, I would often cast traps to make the enemy troops lose their turn. 

When I got Reaper and unlocked the Time Back ability, I abused it with the sacrifice spell (a tip I found online). It was my way of building up a very healthy reserve of black unicorns and dryads. For those unsure of what I'm talking about, I would cast the sacrifice spell that would sacrifice a percentage of a low-ranking troop to add numbers to another troops. Then I would cast the Time Back ability to restore that sacrificed troop back to its previous state (before I casted sacrifice).

For my wife, I didn't really choose Leonara... if I recall correctly, the option to marry was there and I was curious what would happen if I chose it. I didn't have the heart to divorce so I just kept her. Luckily her boosts were beneficial for my class. As for the kids, I just said yes whenever she asked if I wanted one.

I just want to mention here that I beat that super hard challenge where you're battling a mirror of yourself with lots more units. It took me over an hour and I cheesed it by having dryads, peasants, and other low ranked troops (a strategy I found online), but I beat it... I beat it, lol.

MISCELLANEOUS SCREENSHOTS

Here are a few screenshots I couldn't fit in the main review.

There is a Records section which seems to list the top scores.
Somehow, I am in Rank 4, for a game that's been out for almost 14 years.

I will check back in about a year and see where I am then. XD

My combat statistics. I went through a lot of black unicorns and thorn hunters.

I am bullying this orc, hahaha.

If you read this section, thank for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment if you wish :D

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