Cheerful Ghost: An Awesome Community For Gamers

Fallout 4's first three add-ons announced

Bethesda has released some details on the first three DLC that will be released for Fallout 4. The first two are minor additions similar to the Hearthfire add-on for Skyrim, but luckily not as minor as horse armor.

Automatron: March, $10
The Mechanist (who you may remember from a hilarious Fallout 3 sidequest) has unleashed a horde of robots on the Commonwealth, and it's up to you to stop him. In addition, you can harvest their parts to make your own handy robot companions, with hundreds of options to choose from!

Wasteland Workshop: April, $5
In addition to adding new options to settlement building, this add-on lets you capture creatures from the wasteland, and tame them... Read All

Timogorgon Member wrote on 02/16/2016 at 07:21pm

FYI: If you get it through greenman gaming you can get 20% off using this code: FEBURY-SVINGS-20PERC
http://www.greenmangaming.com/

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/17/2016 at 03:50am

Since we don't know what extra DLC they are adding it's hard to say how great this is going to be and based on past Fallout DLC I am not so disposed to think this will be better than the main game stuff. That said, from what they've talked about so far this seems like a solid dose of "more of what people want." More building stuff? Check. More missions featuring robots? Check. Wasteland Pokemon simulator? Check. Huge new campaign in a totally new area? Check. All that seems like a solid $30 value but the Fo3 DLC was hit or miss for me so I have some reservations.

The part that's harder to gauge is the extra content. They say it's a solid $60 and I trust that intention so I am really curious what it's going to be. Simply based on what we know now the $30 is a good value and just one more DLC would still make it a good deal.

Anyways, I wasn't planning on getting it but with the Greenman deal plus the price jumping to $60 later I pulled the trigger.

So... very... weak.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 02/17/2016 at 04:12am

I haven't been disappointed with any Bethesda DLC (not counting horse armor). Some has been better than others, but they've all been solid (except horse armor).

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/17/2016 at 04:16am

Horse armor? That sounds fun. How could horse armor be bad?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 02/17/2016 at 07:27pm

You know, horse armor gets shit on a lot, but it was a good addition to the game. It just shouldn't have been as expensive as it was on launch, that was the problem.

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Revisiting The First Person Shooter Classic Halo Combat Evolved

Halo was the game that launched the XBox console into a gaming powerhouse. Bungies first person shooter is a classic and deserves a place in the halls of some of the best games of all time. Coming out originally on the XBox and more recently with the Halo Master Chief Collection on XBox One, Halo is still a fun game modern audiences will like. But what if you want to come back and play Halo today and don't have an original XBox or want to get an XBox One? In 2003 Bungie teamed up with Gearbox to launch Halo on PC and this version is completely playable and if you want to relive this classic sans an XBox, this version is where it's at.

I picked up Halo Combat Evolved on... Read All Halo was the game that launched the XBox console into a gaming powerhouse. Bungies first person shooter is a classic and deserves a place in the halls of some of the best games of all time. Coming out originally on the XBox and more recently with the Halo Master Chief Collection on XBox One, Halo is still a fun game modern audiences will like. But what if you want to come back and play Halo today and don't have an original XBox or want to get an XBox One? In 2003 Bungie teamed up with Gearbox to launch Halo on PC and this version is completely playable and if you want to relive this classic sans an XBox, this version is where it's at.

I picked up Halo Combat Evolved on PC recently at Fry's Electronics for $20 and it came with a CD install disc, box, key and game manual. The installation was painless as you simply enter the key and the game installs quickly. The game comes all on one CD so it's not quite as long as Fallout 4 that has a hybrid DVD/Internet install process. After the game installs I recommend you install the latest Halo PC patch from 2014.

https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/64943622/0/0/0/0

The 1.0.10 patch bumps the game version, strips out the CD play requirement, removes GameSpy and modernizes the game for Windows 7. After the game updated I maxed the video settings and reconfigured the default controls to something resembling a more modern shooter.

The games online multiplayer is still intact as I was able to browse Internet games and join a few. I wasn't the worst person playing which was odd as I expected the game to be rife with hackers and aimbots. The multiplayer felt just like I remember it and it's nice to see a few hundred people still having fun with it.

I never fully completed the original Halo as I really never owned it and only played it with friends a bit at a time. I've always liked the chill nature of the Halo story and the lush world is enjoyable to be in. The graphics are a bit dated now but after you are in the core gameplay itself is strong enough to keep you going. My only complaint about gameplay is that it's a bit one note. Go here, kill bad guys, go there and kill bad guys. The shooting is fun but so far into the game it's somewhat repetitive. The game only lets you save with checkpoints meaning that if you have only a few minutes to play here and there and you don't fully make it to a checkpoint you lose progress. This isn't a huge deal, but something I noticed as I stepped away a couple times.

There have been rumors flying for years that Microsoft would port Halo 3 and the like to modern PC's and bring the whole collection to Steam but so far this hasn't materialized. If you want to come back to Halo I'd suggest nabbing the box copies and playing those. Currently you can play Halo and Halo 2 on PC and whereas i'd love a modern port to Steam so far this is our best option to play outside the XBox ecosystem.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/16/2016 at 04:22pm

Another of the big features of Halo, that made it so fun, was the adaptive AI. You actually felt like you were playing against sentient creatures, taking cover from your fire, and trying to maneuver to better attack positions. The tension was palpable, and the details and fluidity of the environments (sounds and visuals) made for a beautiful, excitingly immersive experience. Seeing the arc of the mysterious Halo in the distance right from the beginning, and realizing that was what you were traversing on, gave you pause to just sit and imagine what was going on. Where some games are busy with forward progression and unnecessary clutter, Halo allowed for an appreciation of the environment. The vagueness of the story stirred the imagination, and was never over-sold to be more than it was ever really going to be.

Microsoft was smart to scoop Bungie up when they did. It's likely that Halo would have drifted into obscurity if it maintained it's initial path as a Mac exclusive. With the current struggles that they are facing with the XBone console, I'm sure you'll see more of those, and more importantly newer games, make the transition to the Windows 10 environment, a la Quantum Break.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/16/2016 at 05:45pm

Wow, I'm impressed that there was a patch released in 2014. That's a long support cycle.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/17/2016 at 03:54am

> Another of the big features of Halo, that made it so fun, was the adaptive AI.

Yeah, you know they did a good job with this and even now the AI is pretty solid. I think the sounds they make and such heightens this more too and each bad guy type has it's own style and part in the caste system which adds to immersion. They never even talk about that it's just obvious from watching them act in the world.

> The vagueness of the story stirred the imagination, and was never over-sold to be more than it was ever really going to be.

This is a strength of Halo. Just enough to be good, not as much to be mysterious. They kind of wanted to do this later with Destiny and they didn't seem to pull it off as well.

That said, Halo is a fairly simple game and I think they were going for the same thing with Destiny. Both seem like games stripped down to those essential mechanics it's just that so many years later, maybe Destiny needed to be more?

> Microsoft was smart to scoop Bungie up when they did. It's likely that Halo would have drifted into obscurity if it maintained it's initial path as a Mac exclusive.

Yeah, would have been sad to be a Mac only game. That said, it seems to be tied exclusively to the XBox which honestly I consider sad for nearly the same reason. That said, Halo reaches a wider audience but just doesn't intersect with me much these days.

Do you think we may see a modern Halo running on PC anytime soon?

Travis Admin wrote on 02/17/2016 at 04:14am

MS has been making a push for PC lately, so it's possible. I'm not sure how inclined they are to jump into Halo without Bungie, they may wait a bit, but I think they're trying to keep Windows in people's thoughts for gaming.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/17/2016 at 04:12pm

343 Industries seems to be doing a decent job with the Halo franchise, although I found Halo 4's campaign play to be less interesting (i.e. I didn't finish it), and I haven't played 5. The multiplayer has evolved to keep with the times, for better or worse. Bungie is great at making multiplayer shooters, but they fumble a bit when it comes to telling cohesive stories. They like to play with mystery, but they seem to do it without direction, so there isn't much of a payoff. Halo's stories are better discovered in the novels. Halo 3 ODST was one of the best Halo games, in terms of storytelling, I think because of the separation of the multiplayer aspect, and this is where I think Bungie has dropped the ball with Destiny. Creating a divided community from day one (Crucible vs PVE) was an unfortunate consequence of their design. It's not entirely their fault. I just don't think they know any other way, and the cost is too high to risk experimenting with better ideas.

I think you'll see all of Microsoft's first-party games come to PC very soon, at least the new stuff, with classics coming along the way. They obviously want to continue supporting PC, and I think it's smart.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/17/2016 at 07:27pm

My previous comment should have read "I'm not sure how inclined they are to jump into bringing the older Halos to PC without Bungie"

343 would obviously be who to talk to for getting the newer ones.

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/17/2016 at 08:13pm

They did the Master Chief Collection with 343 (and other studios), which was an upgrade of all the original games to HD. I'm sure they could handle PC ports (or remasters, or whatever you want to call it), given enough time. I doubt that Bungie will ever touch Halo again :(.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/17/2016 at 08:36pm

Yeah that's a good point. I hadn't considered the MC collection.

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Star Wars Episode VIII Has Begun Filming

"Rey took her first steps into a larger world in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and will continue her epic journey with Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker in the next chapter of the continuing Star Wars saga, Star Wars: Episode VIII, which began principal photography at Pinewood Studios in London on February 15, 2016."

This fills my heart with fan girl excitement. This year Star Wars Rogue One will launch but next year we will all be able to bask in Episode VIII. Rian Johnson, the director of Looper is at the helm of Episode VIII and I have no doubt it should be pretty darn incredible.

http://www.starwars.com/news/star-wars-episode-viii-now-filming

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/15/2016 at 06:26pm

It's funny. I feel no hype at all about Rogue One, but I now *cannot wait* for Episode 8 :)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/15/2016 at 06:26pm

Darth Vader will be in Rogue One. I am pretty excited for that.

Dubb wrote on 02/15/2016 at 07:00pm

Is that the animated series? That looked interesting.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/15/2016 at 07:38pm

That makes sense. Having Vader in the prequels really helped them ;)

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/15/2016 at 08:27pm

> That makes sense. Having Vader in the prequels really helped them ;)

Yeah well. Hopefully Rogue One really ups the game some then

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/15/2016 at 09:26pm

!!!!!!

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Hearthstone Dailies For Ghosts: Episode 4 Talking Upcoming Changes and Coming Back From the Brink

In this episode I talk about the upcoming changes to Hearthstone while I grind my dailies. I play my Raptor Rogue, Dragon Priest and my brand spankin' new aggro Mage deck. In one of my matches I go down to 1 hp and still bring it around for the win making a very fun Hearthstone moment. I note that the decks I see most play now are really aggro, do you find that to be true in what you are seeing right now?

Check more on the upcoming Hearthstone changes below and let me know what you think of these matches? Should I have played differently or is there a deck you have been having fun with I need to play?

... Read All

Smooth Operator Launches Today - Interview With Beardo Games

One important goal of Beardo Games is to create weird games and there is no better example than the launch of their new game Smooth Operator. Smooth Operator is a couch co-op mobile kissing game where two players both select a character and attempt to follow the on-screen prompts to keep the kissing mojo strong and gain a high score. If you want to score well you will need to work with your partner to execute an array of tongue moves that would make Sharon Stone blush. If this all sounds strange, don’t feel bad, the game is but it’s also fun and well worth a look.

I first met Beardo Games at a Portland Indie Game Squad event where they had a booth. Smooth Operator is a... Read All

Blizzard Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

Starting fresh with RPM Racing then moving to The Lost Vikings, Rock n' Roll Racing, Blackthorne, The Death and Return of Superman, Warcraft: Orcs and Humans, Justice League Task Force, Warcraft II: The Tides of Darkness, Diablo, The Lost Vikings 2, StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War, Warcraft II: Battle.net Edition, Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne, World of Warcraft, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King, Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty, World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Diablo III, World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria, Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm,... Read All

Travis Admin wrote on 02/11/2016 at 02:25am

Huh. I knew about RPM Racing, The Lost Vikings, Rock n' Roll Racing, and Blackthorne, then all those awesome Blizzard titles we all know and love, but I never knew about The Death and Return of Superman. That was probably my first Blizzard game. Weird!

In terms of the standard games we think of as Blizzard games, Warcraft II was my first.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/11/2016 at 02:55am

I think I barely remember playing Rock n' Roll Racing with a friend on their SNES, but I didn't pay attention to the developer. Years later, when I got a PC, I got into Warcraft II after seeing the review in PC Gamer (maybe I played a demo, I can't recall). After that, I played Warcraft.

I picked up Starcraft when it came out. In fact, I traveled half an hour to Wal-Mart in another state (West Virginia) because I had trouble finding it locally. I really enjoyed it at the time and then again at least a few times years later (which includes the expansion). When I got my new beast of a PC, I got Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm. More recently, I finished Legacy of the Void and I have the new expansion pre-ordered.

A few or couple of years ago I got into Diablo III (because of Cheerful Ghost), which was the first I've played of the series. After that, I found the Diablo II Battlechest in KMart for $2, so I bought it, but I didn't spend very much time playing it. I do have a demo for Warcraft III, but haven't spent much time with it either.

I think I haven't played many of the other games. I also played Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, but not as much for the latter.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 02/11/2016 at 03:38pm

I first brushed up to Blizzard seeing Blackthrone, Rock N Roll Racing and The Lost Vikings in Nintendo Power. I always wanted to play them but since the games I could own was limited, I merely dreamed of playing them. The Lost Vikings in particular looked really fun, but alas no Vikings for 90's Jon.

My first actual experience with a Blizzard game was Warcraft: Orcs and Humans on floppy disk. I played through the humans and orcs campaign and loved all of it. The game was a bit easy after you figured out a solid build order and the magic users were super overpowered so, essentially you made a couple of them and summoned stuff to wipe out the bad guys. That said, it's a really solid DOS game and I really enjoyed the simplicity of it. Hopefully they can port it to modern systems because again, it's a pretty solid game but I haven't played it recently.

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Dancing Mad on Steam with Final Fantasy VI

Azurephile gives this a solid "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Azurephile gives this a "Rad" on the Ghost Scale

This is fun, with very few issues, and is well worth your time.

Review

Recommended

Achievements, trading cards, updated graphics, ATB change, controller support

Minor UI issue

Optional characters

This is one of those Final Fantasy games that I actually have quite a few copies of. I have the SNES cart, which is actually called “Final Fantasy III” and I have the PSX version. Now, like other FF games, I own it on Steam. I was not disappointed with this version, in fact I enjoyed it yet again.

Changes: Along with Steam achievements and trading cards, this version contains updated graphics, like the other FF games on Steam. The other major change for this version was the ATB. Instead of having a bar that gets more full and indicates... Read All

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/11/2016 at 01:34am

I am going to pick this up because I never actually owned it. I always borrowed it from Adam, who also loaned me Final Fantasy II as well as Mystic Quest. That said, I plan on picking this up soon but the reviews on Steam are not great.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/11/2016 at 02:45am

Awesome! I also have FFII and Mystic Quest. Anyway, I didn't realize the reviews on Steam weren't great. I guess I didn't pay much attention to them. I did notice that FFIV: After Years doesn't have a good rating, which I understand, because it's pretty difficult, although I down own 2 copies of it (one for the Wii and one for the PSP) and I intend to buy it again on Steam (some time after I finish FFV). I did buy FFV on Steam after finishing VI, but I haven't started it yet. It's one of the few games in the series I've hardly played.

Back to FFVI, I hope this post helped you in your decision to get it. I really was not at all disappointed with the Steam version. I enjoyed it just as I enjoyed the original SNES and PSX versions.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/11/2016 at 03:41pm

Yeah, it did. Thanks Greg! Let you know when I pick it up.

Azurephile Super Member Post Author wrote on 02/11/2016 at 11:14pm

Wow, I just looked at some of the reviews of the game, after I wrote my recommended review. I didn't have any of the issues those others had. My experience with this version seems to be unique. I hope your experience with it is as good as mine.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/13/2016 at 12:38am

Yeah, me too. Plus, this version is so much cheaper than picking up the old SNES kart.

But I still want the old SNES kart

Travis Admin wrote on 02/13/2016 at 07:15am

The SNES carts are collectors items. I have FF IV on SNES but... I've never actually played it.

rettisawesome wrote on 02/13/2016 at 08:12pm

awh nice. 6 is probably the best in the series. even today. the story is tight. the characters are well done and their different abilities actually give you a reason to play each one. unlike ff7 ( which is still fantastic, but the depth came from materia, not really individual skills, at least not as much as 6.) and the music is still among my favorites. i have the SNES kart and a sweet GBA copy that I still play from time to time. looking forward to picking this one up.

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Lumberyard - Amazon's Free Game Engine

"Amazon Lumberyard is a free, cross-platform, 3D game engine for you to create the highest-quality games, connect your games to the vast compute and storage of the AWS Cloud, and engage fans on Twitch.

You can use Amazon Lumberyard to build rich and engaging games with the highest ceiling of quality through its comprehensive and proven toolset, and runtime performance that has been highly optimized over many years. With Lumberyard, you get a full-featured editor, native code performance, stunning visuals, and hundreds of other features like performant networking, character and animation editors, particle editor, cloth physics, UI editor, audio tools, weather effects,... Read All

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/09/2016 at 07:19pm

I really like the fact that you can release a game without payment to Amazon. It was (relatively) expensive to release my game on Google Play.

Of course this also could mean that we'll have to wade through a plethora of middle school assignments from computer classes lol

Travis Admin wrote on 02/09/2016 at 09:36pm

This is awesome. It's always good to see more and easier ways to get games to the players.

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 02/10/2016 at 04:19pm

I didn't know you made a game, Adam! On Google Play... is it Android only? I want to play...

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 02/10/2016 at 07:14pm

It is Android only, it would have cost even more (and needed a lot more work) to make an iphone version. And the three of us that made it all had android phones lol

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ArrowDynamicStudios.BeyondTicTacToe&hl=en (the graphics are better in game than in the store photos. It's also a *mostly* complete game, but there are a few things that didn't get finished)

scrypt Supporter Post Author wrote on 02/10/2016 at 08:14pm

Very nice :)

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/11/2016 at 01:35am

Amazon is a rainforest with lots of trees and Lumberyard is a place to collect felled wood, I wonder if there was an intentional joke there

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/11/2016 at 01:36am

Also "Beyond Tic Tac Toe" isn't just a game, it's an experience. We all know tic tac toe. This really takes it... well beyond that into a realm of something ethereal.

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Tale of The Dragon Is A Fun New Expansion For Age of Mythology!

One of the benefits of PC gaming is that you can keep playing your games long after you’ve upgraded your system. Often times gamer communities keep amazing old games running well beyond their original shelf life as seen with the Red Alert CnCNet project and Forgotten Empires. For certain game classics such as Wind Waker, Age of Empires 2 and Age of Mythology we even get an HD makeover that ports the game to modern systems along with a visual refresh. We usually don’t expect these old games to get a full blown expansion 14 years later but recently SkyBox Labs in partnership with Microsoft and Forgotten Empires recently did this and released a full expansion to Age of... Read All One of the benefits of PC gaming is that you can keep playing your games long after you’ve upgraded your system. Often times gamer communities keep amazing old games running well beyond their original shelf life as seen with the Red Alert CnCNet project and Forgotten Empires. For certain game classics such as Wind Waker, Age of Empires 2 and Age of Mythology we even get an HD makeover that ports the game to modern systems along with a visual refresh. We usually don’t expect these old games to get a full blown expansion 14 years later but recently SkyBox Labs in partnership with Microsoft and Forgotten Empires recently did this and released a full expansion to Age of Mythology called Tale of the Dragon.

The Tale of the Dragon expansion adds a new playable civilization to Age of Mythology in the Chinese, new multiplayer maps as well as a new full single player mission. Age of Mythology is a great game that used to be a staple at my LAN parties with friends. I’ve always felt the game needed more civilizations and this expansion aims to fix that problem.

The single player missions in the original Age of Mythology were really fun and it was great to tear into the new Chinese single player campaign. With that, the single player missions are quite hard and I found myself playing through some a few times to be able to progress. For longtime fans upping the difficulty is a really nice addition as the first single player missions really do start simply and even by the end don’t offer a huge amount of difficulty. If someone were starting the campaigns from scratch Tale of the Dragon's increase in difficulty would be appreciated.

One problem people often have with older multiplayer games is that if one friend has the original game and the other has the expansion they often can’t play together. If both people are running Age of Mythology EX on Steam you don’t need to worry if your friend has the expansion as both people can play together regardless of whom has what.

If you are a real time strategy fan or loved any part of the Age series you need to check out Age of Mythology - Tale of the Dragon. It adds a much needed new civilization and single player mission that really harkens back to the good old days of RTS single player campaigns.

I also want to thank Skybox Labs and Microsoft for giving me a press review key to play through the new Tale of the Dragon expansion.

EA Giving Away Need For Speed Most Wanted On Orgin

EA is giving away Need For Speed Most Wanted right now on Origin. You can grab the game by hitting the link below and claiming your copy. As with all the Origin on the house games, this is available for a limited time so if you want it, get it soon.

https://www.origin.com/en-us/store/free-games/on-the-house?sf44212184=1

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/06/2016 at 04:24am

1) I've never played a Need For Speed game. I don't really know anything about it other than it's a car game. It looks like you're racing against the cops. It does look pretty cool and seems like it might have a good soundtrack. If anyone who's played one of these games wants to input their personal experience, I'd welcome that.
2) I'm so very glad at least one of us is being updated on these "On The House" deals with Origin. I only find out about them here. So, thanks!! =)

Travis Admin wrote on 02/06/2016 at 04:11pm

Greg-- all you have to lose is a bit of bandwidth to download it. It's free. Try it out! :D

I played it ages ago. The Need For Speed games are a good balance of arcade racing and realism.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/06/2016 at 04:46pm

I was downloading it as I wrote the comment. =)

scrypt Supporter wrote on 02/07/2016 at 07:58pm

Most Wanted was one of the NFS games developed by Criterion, the studio that made the Burnout games. One of the things I loved about the Burnout games was that intense sense of speed, with precision control. Hot Pursuit felt that way. I'm sure Most Wanted does, too. Definitely worth a download, since it's free.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/08/2016 at 03:56am

I played a Burnout game a few years ago, so I decided to get Burnout Paradise on Steam. I haven't played it much though. Thanks for the input, Scrypt, that makes this game sound cool. I'll give a try some time.

Travis Admin wrote on 02/08/2016 at 09:57pm

I have Burnout Paradise on Steam, and I swear it used to work, but now it crashes after every event and none of the fixes I've read online seem to address it.

It's a great game though, I played the hell out of it on PS3.

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