Everything posted by XZoro™
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Game Informations. Developers : Media Molecule. Released : February 14, 2020. Genre : Action , Adventure. Mode : Single-player , multiplayer Platforms : PlayStation 5 - PlayStation 4. If you've been following Push Square over the last year or so, it's likely you already know how we feel about Dreams. Media Molecule's latest title has been playable in early access for a number of months, and we, among others, have already laid down our thoughts on this most unusual project. However, after spending about 50 hours playing community levels and tinkering with the tools, the time has come to assess the complete version of this PlayStation 4 exclusive. Dreams is a thing of wonder. The play, create, share vision pioneered by LittleBigPlanet is at the beating heart of everything this software is, and it excels in all three areas. Describing it as a game almost undersells what's been achieved here; Dreams is so much more than that. Effectively, this is an engine for creating almost anything you can think of. It's very possible to make your own levels, of course, but using the set of tools at your disposal, you can create animations, films, sculptures, paintings, music, and more. It's cliché to say stuff like this, but the limit really is your own imagination. Think of this: in Sackboy's original adventure, someone made a functional calculator using hundreds of gadgets and gizmos tethered together. It was, at the time, unbelievably impressive. In Dreams, a calculator is just one of dozens of in-built tools you can plonk into your creation at any moment. This is everything LBP was, but it goes so far beyond that. Our experience with these tools has been a true learning process. Starting in a completely blank scene, you'll fire up the streamlined menu to look at your options, and it's easy to be frozen by the possibilities. Where do you even begin? Fortunately, the game comes with impressively in-depth tutorials covering all the basics. They are extraordinarily thorough lessons, guiding you through how to sculpt simple shapes, make music, build logic, and more. We would highly recommend completing at least some of these before you dive in. The tools are probably about as user friendly as can be, but before you let loose, you're going to need all the help you can get. With practice, though, you'll be flying through Dreams' creation mode, and it's supremely gratifying. Spending time learning how to drive this complex machine rewards you with tangible skill. There are few better feelings than overcoming a creative or technical hurdle and feeling proud of what you've done. Yes, your first attempt was a blocky mass of shapes and colours, but before long you've found your niche, and now you're composing music, or designing levels, or crafting characters. You'll likely surprise yourself with what you can make using a DualShock 4 or a pair of PS Move controllers. The toolset isn't perfect; some menus are dense with options and consequently have very small text, and navigating 3D space can be tricky, especially as your cursor-like Imp is prone to drifting. You can swap to a motion-free control scheme which mitigates this, but it feels a little constrained compared to the fluid nature of the default settings. Despite any small issues, the presentation and usability for something so complex is remarkable. As impressive as the tools themselves are, part of what makes the title so special is its focus on community and collaboration. When someone publishes something to the Dreamiverse, it becomes available for all to enjoy, but they can also choose to make it available for all to utilise as well. Say you need a lamppost to fill in the town you're making. You could always make your own, but odds are someone has already made a perfectly good lamppost. Finding and using other people's stuff is an absolute breeze, and means you can quickly cobble together something that looks good in a few minutes. It's a self-expanding treasure trove of user-generated assets that's brilliant for beginners. Of course, the Dreamiverse is more than a bunch of lampposts. Alongside DreamShaping, where you'll do all your creating, there's DreamSurfing, which is where you can play, watch, view, and listen to thousands upon thousands of community creations. With so many things to see and do, Media Molecule has been clever to categorise it all; it's easy to find the newest stuff, trending dreams, things your friends have liked, or even developer picks. The best feature of all lets you pick one of these categories, randomise it, and put everything in a continual playlist. If you really fancy seeing what's on the Dreamiverse concerning, say, turtles, you can easily search for that and go through a stream of turtle-related things. It's addictive and extremely fun going through all the stuff made by other players. Frankly, the variety -- and quality -- of what's been made by the community so far is mind-boggling. Be it highly detailed sculptures or well realised interactive experiences, there's a near endless sea of creations to explore. While we've been surprised at the level people have reached already, not everything will be of such a standard. But this is par for the course with user-generated content, and the quality isn't really the point; Dreams is a new medium through which people can express themselves. Sure, some stuff probably isn't worth your time as a player, but everyone has to start somewhere. What's so refreshing about the game is how positive its community is. Even on the most basic of sculpts, you can find likes and comments supporting and encouraging the creator, and this warm, welcoming attitude can be seen across the board. We're not sure if the game has been designed in such a way that people are less inclined to troll and hate on each other, or if it's just the nature of the type of players Dreams attracts. Either way, the social features are seamlessly integrated and, so far, have made the game a delightfully positive space. If you're looking to see what professionals can do with the toolset, Media Molecule has produced a short story named Art's Dream. It tells the tale of a musician who's fallen out with his bandmates, and you're taken on a self-reflective journey as Art comes to terms with his struggles. It's only a couple of hours long, but rest assured that it has all the hallmarks of the studio. It's a little darker than their usual material, but the wit and warmth come pouring out of this musical adventure. You'll go from moody point-and-clicking to cutesy fantasy action to sci-fi platforming, and it all looks and feels great. Obviously, it was all made within Dreams, but some of the things you'll see and play put many "real" games to shame. As good as it is, though, the real point of Art's Dream is to inspire and to show the breadth of what's possible, and with its three distinct styles, we'd call that mission accomplished. So, here we have a PS4 title featuring extremely powerful tools with which you can make more or less anything; a social network of weird and wonderful creations to get lost in, and a friendly community ready to embrace whatever you throw at it; and a lovely example piece from the developer that tells a great story to boot. What the developer has accomplished is astonishing. There are so many ways a game like this could fall down, but the end result is cohesive, understandable, and exceedingly well put together. Everything in the game, from community jams to Imp Quests, feeds into the act of either playing a variety of content, or making your own. It has its flaws; the Homespace is a nice landing spot but is somewhat pointless. Load times are generally lightning fast, but performance varies from dream to dream, depending on the complexity of whatever you're playing. And of course, your mileage with the tools will vary wildly -- you likely won't be making masterpieces in minutes. But to mark the game down for these sorts of limitations would be a mistake, especially as this is something that will evolve over time. Right now, there's nothing on PS4 -- or any platform, for that matter -- quite like Dreams. It's Media Molecule at its absolute best, and the studio has delivered on its promise of giving players the ability to make whatever they want. It's absolutely one of the console's best games, as it not only shows the power of the PS4, but the power of community and creativity. It may have taken the better part of a decade to make, but the arrival of Dreams feels significant. It represents a whole new way for people to make things and share them with the world. Media Molecule has made a suite of tools that feel intuitive to use, but more than that, it's built a social platform where players can collaborate and explore the imaginations of others. It's a technical marvel, a creative miracle, and one of the most innovative games in years.
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New Chinese R brand offers a value-led electric-only saloon that could serve as the basis for an upcoming MG 6 in the UK What is it? Roewe is the China-only sibling brand of SAIC-owned MG. In fact, the UK’s new MG 5 SW EV is a rebadged Roewe. The brand has had considerable success selling electric and plug-in hybrids to fleet users but SAIC is now looking to go more upmarket with an electric-only brand badged with just an R. The car is based on the Roewe i6/ei6, which hit the market in 2017 but has been available in only petrol and PHEV forms so far. It shouldn’t be mistaken for a mid-life update because it is largely a completely new car. In fact, R claims it is based on a dedicated EV platform, but the wheelbase length and width of the ER6 are exactly the same as the i6's. What's it like? First of all, there is that minimalistic new R logo on the front, back and key fob, although, curiously, the steering wheel and speakers still say Roewe. Whereas the ei6 has been an inconspicuous fleet car, the ER6 cuts a much shaper profile, with its steeply raked bonnet. As this is a fully electric car, there is no traditional grille, although the front spoiler still gets some fake air inlets. The front-end design and some aerodynamic alloy wheels help to reduce the car’s drag coefficient to an impressive 0.24. From the side and rear, the design is largely a carry-over from the base vehicle. Occupants get one of the best interiors to date from SAIC. It's a huge improvement over the i6's. Materials are of good perceived quality, with plenty of soft-touch plastics, and the grey, brushed silver and starry blue colour scheme is a definite break from the norm. There are also some nice detail touches, such as a strip light that illuminates on the roof when the vanity mirror cover is opened. Rising out of the high centre console and dominating the dashboard is the 14.3in curved infotainment screen. This, along with voice activation, controls nearly every function, right down to the sunshade and air conditioning. The apps on the system are of limited use, though. One even tells you what car you are driving and its colour. While the functions are mostly touchscreen activated, there are a few buttons at the base of the screen, but navigability could be greatly improved. The ER6’s most striking feature is the three square metres of glass making up the roof and the rear passengers get the full benefit of this as it slopes down to the boot. Head room is at a premium for anyone taller than six-foot as a result, and leg room is none too generous, either. Although the near-flat floor will be appreciated by the middle passenger, the lack of a headrest and the uncomfortable seating position makes that perch suitable for short journeys only. Boot space is sufficient to accommodate large cases. This is an electric car very much optimised for range rather than performance. Even though the acceleration figures will put those of most combustion-engined saloons to shame, this is no Tesla. The three driving modes – Eco, Comfort and Sport – have an easily discernible difference. Push the ER6 hard, though, even in Sport, and you leave it scrabbling for traction. Like most Chinese cars, the suspension set-up gravitates towards comfort. There are three levels of energy recovery, with the highest KERS allowing almost one-pedal driving. Regenerative braking settings are independent of the drive mode, too, unlike in many other EVs. Our mid-level-trim test car lacked the driver assist features, such as lane keeping assistance, of the range-topper. Despite being electrically adjustable, the lowest setting on the driver’s seat is already relatively high, meaning taller drivers might be pushed to get a comfortable position. One interesting feature is an augmented reality function on the instrument panel, which shows a video of the road ahead along with information such as navigation cues. Should I buy one? For now, the ER6 is available in China only. However, the MG 6 is also based on the i6, and with MG now using EVs for its assault on Europe and plans for sales of 100,000 by 2025, it is not a stretch to believe this car will make it to the UK. Hopefully when it does, some kinks such as the functions and usability of the infotainment system will be ironed out, making the car an enticing value proposition. Other than the Tesla Model 3 in Europe, there are currently few electric saloon competitors and none as affordable.
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A woman killed by her husband was believed never to have experienced domestic abuse before, a report found. Hilda Hubbard was repeatedly stabbed by her husband Michael, who had dementia, at their Norfolk bungalow in September 2018. The pair had been happy, riding in a scooter and sidecar they had called "Wallace and Gromit", the report said. The Domestic Homicide Review said there were "many examples of good practice" by professionals involved with them. Mr Hubbard was later detained in a secure mental health unit after he was found to be unfit to stand trial over the death of his wife, who he had been married to for 50 years. Neighbours rang 999 after they saw Mr Hubbard standing in the doorway of their home in Brooke, near Norwich, with his wife, known as Frances, lying on the ground. Police fired a rubber bullet at the pensioner, who was 81 at the time, before taking him to hospital and later charging him with murder. The review into her death, which does not use the couple's real names, was carried out to examine what could be learned from the case. It looked at the roles of organisations involved with the couple from July 2014, when Mr Hubbard first raised concerns about his memory loss. The "community-minded" and "traditional" couple were described as "very private", "self-sufficient" and "proud" of their children who both achieved master's degrees. Mr Hubbard was forced to retire at the age of 43 after suffering health problems from breaking his back when he was 20. "Life didn't turn out for either of them as they had expected, but they eventually won through and made an enviable life for themselves," their daughter told the report's author. The couple became even more private following Mr Hubbard's diagnosis in 2014, and Mrs Hubbard - as her husband 's carer - had refused offers of support, the report said. In summary, it found there had been "notable practice" by their GP, social housing provider and police, after an officer was called to them the day before Mrs Hubbard's death regarding a theft allegation. It said the examples should be reinforced and shared across Norfolk and made a number of other recommendations.
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Accepted DH1 DH2
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[DH BATTLE] Seuong vs Dean Ambrose [ W Seuong ]
XZoro™ replied to S e u o n g's topic in Battles 1v1
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i’ll vote for DH1 , good song i like it more than others .
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I'll vote for DH1 , Great song .
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[DH BATTLE] Seuong vs Dean Ambrose [ W Seuong ]
XZoro™ replied to S e u o n g's topic in Battles 1v1
DH2 , i like it more than DH1 . -
I’ll vote for DH1 , good song with nice rhythm + video .
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DH1 DH2
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DH1 , better than DH2 .
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I’ll vote for DH2 , good rhythm + melody .
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i'll vote for DH1 i like it more than DH2 .
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Good activity , deserve a chance .
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I saw you active in battles but that's not enough , make activity in all our sections and in teamspeak channel , then come back with new request. Good luck
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[DH BATTLE] Seuong vs Axelxcapo [ W axelxcapo ]
XZoro™ replied to S e u o n g's topic in Battles 1v1