[MC]Ronin[MC]

Middle-Earth: Shadow of War is an action role-playing game developed by Monolith Productions and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Premiere Date: September 27, 2017 Composers: Gary Schiman; Nathan Grieg Engine: LithTech Firebird Series: Middle Earth Developers: Monolith Productions, IUGO Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, iOS SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 SP1 with Platform Update Processor: AMD FX-4350, 4.2 GHz / Intel Core i5-2300, 2.80 GHz Memory: 6 GB memory Graphics Card: AMD HD 7870, 2 GB / NVIDIA GTX 660, 2 GB DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage space: 70 GB available space Additional notes: X64 required RECOMMENDED: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 Creators Update Processor: AMD FX-8350, 4.0 GHz / Intel Core i7-3770, 3.4 GHz Memory: 12 GB memory Graphics Card: AMD RX 480, 4GB or RX580, 4GB / NVIDIA GTX 970, 4GB or GTX1060, 6GB DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage space: 70 GB available space Additional notes: X64 required One of the first people you meet in Middle-earth: Shadow of War is a woman with midnight black hair and a dress torn in intentionally strategic locations. You'll then learn that she's a version of Shelob, a giant deadly spider creature. The game explains her mysterious human form in time, and while fans of Lord of the Rings lore might have trouble embracing this unique interpretation of Tolkien storytelling, it shows that Shadow of War is a game that's willing to take risks with its source material. And, in a way, this example represents the full arc of the game: off-putting in the beginning, disappointing in the end, but seeing how they explain it all is an exciting ride. Like its predecessor, Shadow of War is po[CENSORED]ted by powerful Orc Captains that have specific strengths, weaknesses, and personality traits defined by the game's Nemesis system. The number of fears, special abilities, and beneficial powers are much more robust than the first game, making it important to find a strategic approach to taking down some of the game's more powerful foes. The amount of information you get about each Orc once you've revealed its vulnerabilities can feel almost overwhelming, but you quickly adapt to the game's shorthand and what traits to look out for. Your primary goal is to raise an army against the forces of Mordor by recruiting every Orcish leader you meet. These characters strike the perfect balance of humor and absurdity against the dull seriousness of the human cast, and you'll wish the quirkier denizens of Mordor could be constant companions instead of the brief vignettes that flash across the screen when you either kill or are killed by one. One especially colorful character I met was an Orc prophet who yelled at me about some serpent cult he was a part of; I ended up killing him, but it left a lot of questions in my mind about how Orc religions work. Most of your time in Mordor is spent killing Orcs. Building off the first game, Shadow of War has a free-flowing combat system that lets you dominate creatures one-on-one but still stay in control when surrounded by a dozen or more adversaries. That momentum slows when too many things are happening on-screen at once, though. When an enemy captain is ready to be coerced over to your side an icon above his head turns green. Incoming attacks can be countered following a flashing prompt, and you have a slew of different abilities to take out legions of enemies. But the chaos of battle can make targeting opponents frustrating. That's a shame because Shadow of War's most memorable moments revolve around its large-scale Siege battles, where you take over Orc-controlled fortresses using your own loyal followers. With an army of Orcs at your back, both pressing the offensive on a castle and protecting it are equally exciting, and the final entrance into the main hall of a fortress for the final fight feels as reverent and grand as walking into a towering cathedral in real life. In the moment, these tense battles are the core of the Shadow of War experience, but the overarching narrative outside of the broad "tour Mordor, fight Sauron's forces," feels directionless. Part of that's because you don't spend enough time with any secondary characters (except for Gollum, whose brief appearance is somehow still too long). Characters you meet in the game have relatively short asides that range from the absolutely boring "save some Gondorians" to the furiously funny "learn how fight pits work with Bruz the Orc." It's hard to get invested in the stories of less interesting characters, and once you've completed a few of their quests, they disappear forever anyway. And, like most open-world games, after you've spent a couple hours running around collecting trinkets, it makes an NPC's entreaty about an imminent enemy invasion feel less immediately pressing. But, narrative problems aside, some of the setpieces are breathlessly fun. You ride a drake, team up with some ridiculous Orcs, fight an imposing, flame-winged Balrog, battle the Ringwraiths. It's a greatest-hits compilation of the most bad-ass moments from The Lord of the Rings. After a slow-building introductory act, the game gains momentum as it crashes toward what seems like a final standoff against the forces of evil. And this fight addresses criticism of the previous game; it's an epic multi-stage battle that does still have QTEs, but no more than the ones you find while playing through the game normally. Bafflingly that battle isn't the end of the game. Shadow of War continues on, but with its momentum drained completely. What should be an exciting climax instead descends into a tedious slog for a cutscene that doesn't quite feel worth the time and effort. In the game's actual final act, you cycle through the four fortresses you explored previously for a total of 20 more defending siege battles. If you haven't upgraded the Orcs you met early in the game--and up until this point, there was no reason to--you have to replace and upgrade your entire retinue of Orcs to match this more powerful invading force. It's an entire section that should have been cut or severely truncated, and playing through the repetitious levels felt like padding meant only to make the game last longer. The enemies you face level up with each encounter, so you're also forced into upgrading each castle over and over again, either by building up your current Orc army or finding new fighters and replacing the old. This Sisyphean quest has no corresponding significant characters to keep you company or explain why it's important to tackle the defense missions in the order you do. It's not even clear, exactly, why you want to do them at all. More than once I felt like giving up on this quest thinking I'd stumbled onto some optional side content that was clearly only made for obsessed completionists. But enduring on, I found that finishing every stage unlocks the final cutscene and credits. It did not feel worth it. It's an entire section that should have been cut or severely truncated, and playing through the repetitious levels felt like padding meant only to make the game last longer. But although the game's final act is the most egregious, there are several other systems that Shadow of War fails to justify. Almost every item and Orc has some type of associated rarity (which scales from Common to Rare to Epic to Legendary), and with higher rarity comes more abilities. For Orcs, this means that they have additional, more powerful attributes that aren't available elsewhere. For weapons, it includes perks like "48% chance that a headshot lights enemies on fire." The buffs are useful, but the effects aren't so amazing that you'd keep a significantly underpowered weapon or Orc just for its benefits. It feels like a system tacked on purely to add another set of items to collect. The menu systems for your Orcs and weapons is the part that feels most overburdened. It's grating that there's no way to sort or search through your own army if, say, you need an Orc with a cursed weapon and an immunity to beast attacks to take out an especially tricky opponent. But to find out what skills are active based on your current weapon loadout, you have to go to each item in your menu and read up on what you have equipped. There's no overview screen that lists out what effects you currently have active. Like so many of the other game's systems, the storefront feels less predatory and more like a cluelessly unnecessary addition. And buried within the weapon screens is yet another separate item menu, this one for gems. Gems are stat-boosters you find throughout the game that give each item yet another upgrade like increasing the chance that enemies killed with that weapon drop in-game currency or a 12.5% increase to the amount of experience you earn. They're helpful, but managing the upgrades for yet another set of items that are nested as a menu within your own equipment amounts to busywork. Even with the Russian nesting doll of item menus, the most initially intimidating and complex of Shadow of War's systems is its skills menu. There are six primary skill tracks with points that have to be unlocked in order, and each skill has a separate unlockable set of 2-3 sub-skills (only one of which can be activated at any time). The ability grid is so dense and spread out that it's a chore to read through and decide what to put your points into every time you level up. And reallocating in the middle of battle (say if you want an area of effect attack to shoot out flames instead of poison), involves too much work and slows down battle too much to be practical. As an example of how overwrought with options the skill system is, there's an upgrade that unlocks the ability to "collect items by walking over them." In normal play, you actually have to manually push a button to pick up every item you come across. It's an ability worth prioritizing when you're looking to spend skill points, but it's nonsensical that such a basic quality of life improvement isn't just the default way item collection works. Despite the bloated feel of its systems, you earn all of these skill points, weapons, and Orcs at such a frantic pace that the game doesn't feel dragged down in the same way as it does by the final act. Going beyond skills and menus, one of Shadow of War's more controversial additions is its online storefront where you can pay real-world money to earn loot boxes that have guaranteed high-rarity Orcs and equipment. One early quest in the game gives you a small sum of the paid currency to purchase some loot boxes, but you can also buy them from the store using an earned in-game currency called Mirian. In our experience with the game, loot boxes purchased with in-game currency only earned us Epic tier rewards, instead of the paid currency’s guaranteed Legendaries. [Editor's Note 10/6 10:50 AM: It is possible to earn Legendary rewards from loot boxes bought with in-game currency, though they occur with less-frequency than Epic rewards.] However, the difference in quality between the Legendary and Epic Orc rewards, in practice, isn’t substantially different. And after finishing the game, even with buying a dozen or so 1,200 Mirian loot crates over the course of my adventure, I was still left with over 70,000 Mirian in reserve for buying plenty of more loot boxes. It’s also possible for Legendary items and Orcs to appear randomly in-game, so paying real money only serves as a guaranteed way to get one. Like so many of the other game’s systems, the paid storefront feels less predatory and more like an unnecessary addition. And that addition sums up several of Shadow of War's additions--things like the storefront and the menus and loot system don't make the game terrible, it just would've been better without them. It tries to be larger than its predecessor, there are more abilities, more weapons, more Orcs, yet it leaves you wanting less. But at its core, it's a fun experience with brilliant moments that provide fascinating insight into some of the untold stories of Middle-earth. I just wish it had known when to stop. Editor's note: GameSpot has updated the penultimate paragraph in this review to provide further clarification on the types of drops available through paid loot boxes. - Oct. 5, 2017, 5:33 PM PST

Djokovic broke Raonic, arranged a meeting with Federer Last year's defending champion Novak Djokovic is already in the semifinals of the Australian Open, after being eliminated in straight sets by Milos Raonic (Canada), 6: 4, 6: 3, 7: 6 (7: 1). Djokovic showed some of the best elements of his game and totally refused a reliant on strong Canadian service. So in the semifinals, Nole will meet Roger Federer in one of the most anticipated and classic matches in today's professional tennis. Raonic got here without a single set, but managed to create real problems for the champion mainly in the third set and somewhat in the first. The first set started off fairly evenly, with Djokovic showing the nerve and experience to strike a decisive blow at the right moment. The Serb could have made an early breakthrough, at 2-1 on three occasions before taking Raonic's pass, but he didn't. The same thing happened at 4: 3 when Raonic rescued the break point. But it happened in 6: 4, with the game being the longest in the entire game. The 35th-ranked Canadian tennis player saved three set points, but in the end the fourth situation surrendered. In the second set, things got a lot easier for number 2 in the rankings, who pulled at 3-1 with a breakthrough from the third opportunity, then solidified the breakthrough to 0 and increased their lead to 4: 1. Submitted innings to the end only formed the final 6: 3. The Canadian realized that in the third part of the match he was not entitled to risks and mistakes if he wanted to stay in the match. He started to serve much more securely, with a breakthrough in the second game of the part, but Djokovic pulled out. Afterwards, Raonic won 2-1 at 15 and 3-2 at 0. But the Serb again proved his great class, equaling 4: 4 despite unexpected problems twice in the backhand. Afterwards, Raonic won at 0 with his last two points being aces. This forced Djokovic to serve in the set. The Serb, however, pulled off the situation in the long run, doubling the maximum of Raonic twice and sliding it to 5: 5. After 61 minutes of play, the score was 6: 5 for Raonic, the 11th game lasting more than 12 minutes and going through 6 draws. Although he was inferior to the starting line-up, the Canadian still managed to spend Djokovic and get his pass. But Djokovic didn't hesitate and took the 0 pass to get a tiebreaker. In the tiebreaker, Raonic started poorly with two breakthroughs in service, then the Serb pulled away with a 5-1 lead. Before the duel, Djokovic came out with a top in memory of Grand Champion Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash on January 26th.

E-cars are gaining po[CENSORED]rity in Europe The past 2019 is a record on the Old Continent for plug-in hybrids and clean electric vehicles. Some time ago, we wrote that in 2020, the battle for more e-car customers would shift to Europe, where we expect dozens of new premieres. Recent sales statistics show this trend very clearly. In December, electric vehicle sales in Europe were 77,248 (EV Sales Blog), a record high. The average market share for the month is 6.1% (4.1% for BEV, ie clean electric vehicles), which is again a record (probably three times above the US indicator). In 2019, 564,206 plug-in hybrids and clean electric vehicles were sold, an increase of 45%. The average market share of 3.6% (2.2% for BEV only) is a record, as in 2018 this was 2.5. Most po[CENSORED]r models? There is no doubt about it: Tesla Model 3 is the absolute leader, with 22,137 units delivered (a record month) in December and 95 247 for the whole year. The second most po[CENSORED]r electric car is the Renault ZOE, with a total delivery of 47,028 units, half the US mark. Third place came from the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV plug-in hybrid (34 597). Last year's Nissan LEAF leader was fourth (33,155), ahead of the BMW i3 (32,828). It remains a consolation for BMW that the brand is the absolute leader in the home market in the sale of electric and plug-in hybrids, holding 21% of the market for this kind of cars. There, Tesla is 10% and Mercedes, VW and Renault each have 9%. The Volkswagen e-Golf (6th with 28,710) continues to sell well ahead of Hyundai Kona Electric (22,667). It should be noted the excellent December for the Audi e-tron, which sold 4225 units in the last month of last year, reaching a total of 18 483 for the whole year (8th place). The last two positions in the top ten are for the MINI Countryman PHEV (15 975) and the Volvo XC60 T8 PHEV (14 395). These figures suggest that by the end of 2020, Tesla could boast about 120,000 vehicles in Europe, with Renault driving at least 60-70,000 sales. It remains to be seen how sales of the highly anticipated VW ID.3 will go. But the growth this year is expected to come from the many new players that will hit the market in the coming months. Following are the DS3 Crossback EV, Fiat 500e, Honda e, Kia Soul EV, Mini Cooper EV, Opel Corsa EV, Opel Mokka X EV, Peugeot 208 EV, Peugeot 2008 EV, Renault Twizy EV. To these we should add the luxurious Lexus UX300e, Mercedes EQC, Porsche Taycan, Polestar 2 and Volvo XC40 EV.

2000 Euros for each newborn baby in Greece The aid is conditional on the mother residing legally and legally in Greece The Greek Parliament, by a large majority, adopted legislative changes last night, granting a lump sum of 2000 euros for every child born in Greece after January 1 this year, ANA-MPA reported. This provision was adopted by the votes of all parliamentary groups except MePA25, which abstained. The condition for granting the aid is that the mother resides legally and legally in Greece, the Ethnos newspaper states. The newly adopted law also changes the criteria for granting three basic social allowances - for a child, for a home, and for mountainous and disadvantaged areas. With the changes, immigrants living legally in Greece will need 12 years of tax registration to receive child and rent allowances. So far this period has been 5 years. As an additional criterion for the allowances, in addition to the income allowance, mandatory school attendance by minor children in the family is introduced. The new birth support is in the context of both the social measures and the measures taken by the Greek government to tackle the country's demographic crisis. Greece has an aging po[CENSORED]tion like most countries in Europe, but the demographic picture has become particularly unfavorable since the onset of the economic crisis, which on the one hand reduced the average number of children giving birth to a woman in Greece and, on the other, over half a million Greeks, mostly young people , went abroad in search of work and a more secure life. Since 2011, the country has had a negative growth rate, and in 2017 births were about 88,000, while deaths were over 124,000.

Parliament will approve a change in the BGN-EUR exchange rate Prime Minister Boyko Borisov insisted that this should be enlisted in the law The Euro-Lev exchange rate agreed between the other countries in the Eurozone, Denmark and the European Central Bank should be accepted only with the ratification of the Bulgarian Parliament. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov of the Bulgarian National Bank and the Ministry of Finance requested such amendment of the law to prepare new legislative amendments related to the expected accession of Bulgaria to the Currency Exchange Mechanism (ERM-2) and then to the Eurozone. Is there a risk to our savings in BGN? Prior to the Council of Ministers meeting today, Borisov suggested that the Finance Minister meet with the BNB Governor and the Chairman of the Budget Committee. It will discuss legislative changes to guarantee the exchange rate of the lev to the euro. "These changes have to be coordinated with the European Central Bank," Borisov said, quoted by BTA. "I have heard a lot of speculation about the request that Bulgaria be in the waiting room of the Eurovision. This is the most important goal to protect our financial system. When you're in the Eurozone, you can't be in second-rate countries. Everyone in the Common Banking Union wants to know the situation of Bulgarian banks, ”he added. Will the Bulgarian lev depreciate? We recall that on January 23, the Chairman of the Budget Committee tabled amendments to the BNB Act, which, according to BNB Governor Dimitar Radev, had been requested by the European Central Bank. In practice, our country agrees that the other countries in the monetary union, together with Denmark and the ECB, will, by secret ballot and after negotiations, determine the euro / lev exchange rate with which we will join ERM-2.

How to solve a problem with drive C ! When disc C is full! Free up memory in drive C ! I know that maybe more than half know how to do it! But there are many members who can't! And they ask how it's going! So I'm posting this thread!

Legends and myths of the five sacred mountains Many mountains have legends that have been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. In them they are living beings, even gods, but always with their characteristic appearance and temper. Here are 5 of them: Kailas, Tibet According to myths, in this mountain lives the great god of movement and destruction Shiva with his retinue of deities and spirits. In many ancient texts about Kailas, the same is repeated - none of the mortals dare to climb the mountain where the immortals reside, led by Shiva. And it is a fact that to this day this mountain has never been climbed, since it is believed that conquering its summit is equivalent to subjugating the souls of thousands. For many centuries, Kailas was a sacred site for Hindus and Buddhists, and before that it was the center of shamanic mysteries where mass sacrifices were made. Sinai, Egypt This mountain is well known as the holy place where God appeared to Moses and gave him the stone tables with the Ten Commandments of God. In biblical times, the mountain was called the mountain of God. It was the scene of some of the most important moments in the journey of the chosen people into the wilderness after their departure from Egypt. The name Sinai is very likely to be derived from the name of the Deity Son, as well as that of the Desert Son. Comfort hotels in Fuji, Japan Many myths and legends are associated with Mount Fuji and have made it the center of religious thinking. It is called the Buddhist goddess of fire Fuchi and is the sacred mountain of the Shinto goddess Seng-Sama, whose sanctuary is at the top. It is the most sacred of the three sacred Japanese mountains. Ascending Fuji's nascent respect is definitely one of the biggest challenges Japan has to offer. It is a matter of honor for the Japanese. Shasta, USA It is believed that a strange force inhabits the region and protects the native po[CENSORED]tion. Each march to her required long preparation through prayers, fasting, and shaman guidance. Failure to comply with all of these conditions will usually result in loss, serious trauma, insanity, or even disappearance from the face of the Earth. Some Native American tribes consider it one of the thirteen refugees of lizard people. Others describe the place as a secret entrance to an ancient Lemurian world in which survivors of the continent's death are sheltered. There is even evidence that the mountain harbors an ancient brotherhood that uses mystical energy through which it tunnels through solid rocks. Lycaion Mountain Lycaon Mountain is the site of one of the earliest werewolf legends. Likaon, a hero in ancient Greek mythology, had 50 sons. Ancient legend states that when Likaon's only daughter was hunted, she was seduced by Zeus and she became pregnant by him. Likaon was so angry with his daughter's defilement that he killed her child and offered it to Zeus while the god was visiting for dinner. Zeus was angry, killing all the sons of Lycaon and turning him into a wolf. It is believed that if one eats meat from the mountain, it will become a wolf in nine months, then it will regain its human form.

Mass Effect 2 is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 in 2010 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. Mass Effect 2 is the second part of the Mass Effect series and a sequel to the original Mass Effect. Premiere Date: January 26, 2010 Composers: Jack Wall; Big Giant Circles; Hulik himself; David Kites Writers: Mc Walters; Drew Karpyshyn Engin: Unreal Engine Awards: BAFTA Video Game Award for Best Game, MORE Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows Mass Effect 2 takes the bleak vacuum of space and flushes it with color--the light of stars and galaxies, the red and violet swirls of far-off nebulas, and the glimpses of comets as they burn through the void. You’ll catch your first glimpse of this in the game’s intense and much-improved art design, but that dance of light and shadows is also an apt metaphor for bleak undercurrents in the story, as well as the moral quandaries and past indiscretions that haunt the main characters. More so than its predecessor, Mass Effect 2 possesses an identity, and most of the obvious changes and improvements over the original are beholden to the shift in tone. The shooting is more immediate and satisfying, which keeps the pace moving and intensifies the violence of each encounter. Rich characterizations invite you to look more closely at each crew member's personal stake in the sprawling galactic backdrop. Even the relatively predictable space opera that is the main plot has sinister moments, and you sense the characters struggling with that heavy burden. Mass Effect 2 is incredibly enjoyable, but it's more than just fun: It's a stellar package with a fierce spirit that makes it engrossing and unforgettable. Mass Effect 2 begins with dire events that foreshadow the game's darker tone--an attack that leaves the SSV Normandy in pieces and the fate of series protagonist Shepard temporarily unclear. Never fear: Shepard returns thanks to the efforts of the controversial pro-human organization called Cerberus and under the watchful eye of its chain-smoking overseer, The Illusive Man. Entire human colonies are disappearing without a trace, and Cerberus needs you--as Shepard--to investigate and confront the vicious forces behind the mystery. Whether you make your contempt for Cerberus' questionable methods clear or espouse the organization's mani[CENSORED]tions, you owe The Illusive Man your life. Like it or loathe it, he casts his shadow on every action you take. A race of locustlike beings known as the Collectors cast an even larger shadow, and the threat they pose is greater than may first appear. Cerberus wants you to assemble a formidable team to assist and provides you with two human officers of its own. First, there is the sexy Miranda. Then, there is Jacob, who seems initially reticent but allows his emotional fire to burn more brightly as the journey progresses. One by one, you build up your crew of specialists to complement them. Among them are a stoic but powerful Asari named Samara, whose ethical code is as unforgiving as it is inflexible, and Thane, a brooding assassin that belongs to the reptilian Drell race. These are great characters, as are other members of your team, though the Salarian scientist Mordin Solus is possibly the finest character in Mass Effect 2 and arguably the most interesting one seen in an RPG in some time. His ultracaffeinated, ultralogical delivery is often hysterical and always entertaining (his romantic advice will have you in stitches), but his moral misgivings and humaneness make him more than just comic relief. This diverse team joins you aboard a newly built vessel named, appropriately enough, The Normandy SR-2, with the ever-reliable and ever-feisty Joker at the helm. He's not the only blast from the past to cross your path in Mass Effect 2, but it's best to discover for yourself which characters from its predecessor (and what role they play in this trek across the Milky Way) you'll meet again. The main plot is conventional science fiction that draws to a predictable close, so the narrative wonders don't exist within the sturdy-but-safe central story; rather, they gild its periphery. Each recruit offers a quest of his or her own to undertake, and these missions give you a lot of insight into your crew members--even those, like Jacob, that seem rather boring initially. Not all of these missions involve combat, which doesn't always work in the game's favor; one in which you follow your target from a walkway overhead is one of Mass Effect 2's weaker moments. But even the rare missions that are light on thrills are still heavy on character development. Writing and dialogue are top notch, keeping each teammate from being a simple sci-fi cliche. The game may come with an M rating, but it doesn't flaunt its adult motifs. Profanity and sexual themes are handled maturely, and their use has purpose and poignancy. There's nary a weak link in the tremendous voice cast, so each line sounds heartfelt, and great facial animations (especially among the nonhuman members of your crew) and physical gestures make it easy to connect with your cohorts. Conversations commonly present you with a number of responses that affect the meters representing two sides of the ethical spectrum: paragon and renegade. These meters are handled separately rather than represent sides of a single gauge. This structure makes a simple but important point: Morality isn't an either/or, good/bad attribute, but it allows for shades of gray in which to maneuver. As these meters fill, new conversation options open, giving you additional ways to solve dilemmas. These choices don't lead to the complexity and flexibility you see in RPGs like Fallout 3 or Dragon Age, but they result in some electric moments, particularly during the final hours. If you import your character from the original Mass Effect, the decisions you made in that game will be manifested here in extraordinary ways--though it might take a second play-through for you to really understand exactly how extraordinary. A more immediately noticeable adjustment to the conversations is the addition of interrupt triggers. In certain cases, you may get a prompt allowing you to interrupt the scene. This may involve pulling a gun on an unsavory mercenary (a renegade action) or snatching an impressionable youngster from the clutches of a gang when he tries to enroll (a paragon action). These instances have a nice feeling of immediacy and prove that actions really are louder than words. Mass Effect 2's third-person shooting action is greatly enhanced over the original, making battles exciting and violent, which befits the overall shift in tone. Battles play out as they do in a typical cover-based shooter like Gears of War, with a few caveats (you can't tumble, for example). Sliding into cover is slick and easy, as is popping in and out to take potshots at the wide variety of foes that assault you. Action sequences still present a few rare hangups; you may suddenly rise a few feet into the air for no reason and be unable to move. Or you may get stuck on an invisible obstacle and jitter back and forth. Uncommon bugs aside, Mass Effect 2 works well as a shooter, and other changes to the combat reinforce the improvements. For example, your shields and health automatically regenerate as they commonly do in straightforward shooters, and you now pick up ammo from the battlefield. You can still pause the action to let loose biotic-powered fury, but combat remains fluid and stimulating. It helps that the two teammates accompanying you on your missions are much less of a burden than before--not quite brilliant, but certainly smart enough to stay out of your way and stay alive. The repetitive nature of Mass Effect's cookie-cutter levels is gone, as are the vehicle sequences featuring the oft-maligned rover called the Mako. Mass Effect 2's missions take place across a wonderful variety of locales, from the creepy interior of a derelict vessel to a deep-space prison. Some of them trip up the pace by throwing in additional challenges, such as one in which you must avoid direct sunlight lest it burn you to a crisp. Most levels are thoughtfully constructed, letting you charge from one cover spot to the next in order to unleash destruction. You certainly get an impressive array of devastating tools to that end, including a blinding nuclear weapon that's always a delight to fire. Standard weapons (as opposed to heavy weapons) also support additional ammo types--such as cryo ammo--which provide additional benefits. Besides, it's always fun to watch a Krogan merc's final sliver of health burn away when you equip incendiary rounds. And if that doesn't bring a wicked smile to your face, throwing a horde of advancing security bots into the air with the shockwave skill certainly will. It's hard to miss Mass Effect 2's focus on action, not just because you can reasonably play it as a third-person shooter, but also because certain features associated with RPGs have been restructured and streamlined. At first, you might see Mass Effect 2 as somewhat stripped; you don't have a traditional inventory management screen, for example, where you would choose a weapon to equip or convert an item into omni-gel. Instead, you select the weapons you want when you embark on a mission or from a weapons locker. You purchase or find universal weapon and armor upgrades, which are then transferred to the Normandy's science station, where you can apply them, provided you have enough mineral resources. If you want to change armor, you go to your personal quarters, where you can don the armor items you've obtained and personalize them with different colors and textures. Even character development feels lighter. You have fewer skills to develop for each team member (though you have a much larger team to choose from), and you could complete a thorough, 40-hour play-through without reaching level 30. Yet in most cases, the role-playing elements haven't been pared down as much as they've been cleaned up, forcing you to spend less time staring at menus and more time gunning down Geth and earning the loyalty of your comrades. After all, when you can equip alternate ammo without opening up a cluttered inventory screen, you stay connected to the moment, whether that consists of a heartfelt one-on-one encounter with a tormented Thane or an electrifying encounter with a thresher maw. However, don't assume that you won't get time to shop for goodies or check out the sights and sounds at important space stations. You can still load up on upgrades and weapons on hub worlds or even grab souvenirs like model ships to show off in your quarters. (And be sure to pick up a space hamster, which is exactly what it sounds like.) Nevertheless, the balance between shooting and role playing is different in Mass Effect 2 than in the first game--but the focus on action works to the game's benefit, given the intensity of the characters and visuals. When you aren't shooting the heads off of clamoring husks or eavesdropping on a bizarre bachelor party, you'll be flying the Normandy about the galaxy from a top-down view, scanning planets for side missions and for the resources used to purchase upgrades. To do so, you move a scanning reticle about the planet and drop a probe when your scanner indicates the presence of a resource. At first, this is a comfortable change of tempo, but eventually, scanning wears a bit thin--though it is a necessary task if you want to get the most out of your weapons and armor. You can purchase an upgrade to speed up spanning speeds, but the reticle moves slowly regardless (albeit faster on the PC than on the Xbox 360), which makes the entire process feel sluggish if you spend too much time exploring each system at once. Luckily, other noncombat activities make a better impression. Hacking computers and wall safes initiates one of two minigames--one in which you match blocks of code to a scrolling sequence underneath and another in which you must match like symbols as you would in the card game concentration. These little hacking games are brief and last just long enough to provide a pleasant distraction. If you played the original Mass Effect, you may remember the jarring texture pop-in and frequent frame rate stutters as much as you remember the excellent character design and atmospheric planetside vistas. You'll notice few if any instances of those drawbacks in this installment, which means there's less to distract you from the impressive visuals. Just as an interior designer works from a collection of complementary and contrasting colors and textures, so too does Mass Effect 2 draw from a consistent set of hues and architectural touches. Deep reds and glowing indigos saturate certain scenes, making them richer and more sinister; eerie fog limits your vision in one side mission, while rain pours down upon you in another. Subtle, moody lighting gives certain interactions great impact, such as one scene in which your troubled, tattooed teammate appears as a black silhouette. The visuals are a superb melding of art and technology, with only a few animation hitches that stand out because most aspects are consistently excellent. The fantastic musical score and sound effects do more than their share to enhance the production, working the deeper end of the sonic spectrum and communicating tension and weight without getting heavy handed or mani[CENSORED]tive. Mass Effect 2's improved shooting mechanics are no-brainers; they're the expected advancements that clean up the flaws of its predecessor. But what makes this sequel so rich isn't mechanics, but vision. A nightclub lit with flames, deadly family reunions, a friend accused of the inconceivable--these are the sights and events that cast shadows in your mind and heart. A few blemishes prove that this planned trilogy still has potential for growth, but they barely diminish the game's overall impact. This is a galaxy you want to explore that is po[CENSORED]ted with characters you are glad to know. Mass Effect 2 is the kind of game that you return to, not just because it's fun to play multiple times, but also because its universe is a place you wish you could call home.

Gran Turismo Sport is a racing video game developed by Polyphony Digital and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4. Premiere Date: October 17, 2017 Designer: Kazunori Yamauchi Developer: Polyphony Digital Modes: Single player game, Multiplayer game Platform: PlayStation 4 Nominations: The Game Award for Best Sports / Racing Game GT Sport may look and feel like Gran Turismo, but it's a very different beast under the hood. In place of an extensive single player campaign and an exhaustive car roster, developer Polyphony Digital have established a professionally sanctioned esport-focused racing platform under the watchful eye of The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile. There's no denying that GT Sport hits a few bumps along the way, and struggles somewhat under the weight of Gran Turismo's legacy. But when viewed as something new, GT Sport accomplishes nearly everything it sets out to do. It offers a wonderfully detailed and responsive driving experience along with arguably the cleanest and most competitive online racing on a console to date. The renewed focus comes at a cost, with GT Sport offering a meager 160 cars (far less if you discount variants) and 40 courses based on 17 distinct tracks. And because your progress, earnings, and reputation are linked to your competitive profile, GT Sport requires an internet connection for most of its content--single player included. The only exception are one-off races in arcade mode, but your rewards there won't be saved unless you keep the game running until servers are back online. It’s one huge caveat, and while maintenance and outage periods have been minimal post-release, losing access to most of GT Sport isn't unheard of. Despite the relatively small selection of cars, each one is beautifully rendered with an incredible attention to detail. And while GT Sport's tracks lack dynamic lighting and weather effects, each real-world track has been laser scanned to an impressive degree of accuracy. Marry these qualities with the improved tire and suspension models, beefy engine tones and screaming tire sounds, and GT Sport makes a strong impression behind the wheel. Online races are your ultimate goal, and come in a few different forms. While you can create a private lobby to race with friends, most of the action happens in the organized daily races. Daily races occur at set times--usually every 5 to 10 minutes, though this can change--and come in three options, each with varying rules and regulations. Place well and you’ll see your Driver Rating improve, which defines the skill of the drivers you’ll be placed into future races with. If you place poorly you’ll naturally see your driver rating drop, and be forced race with less capable and confident drivers. Ranking highly isn't everything, and will mean nothing if you fail to race cleanly along the way. The overarching system monitoring everything you do is called the Sportsmanship Rating, which counts all incidents you’re involved in, regardless of fault. Shown as a rank of A through to F, put a wheel wrong by touching another car, leaving the track or, unfortunately, being rammed, and you’ll lose some of your sportsmanship rating. Drive a few clean laps and you’ll recover what’s lost eventually, though it’s clear the no-fault system is a sore point, causing needless annoyance at losing SR on top of having a race ruined. On the same foot, though, it appears to be working. Although turn 1 tends to be a bit of a nightmare, once things are underway races are generally as clean as you’d hope for. Cars recovering from spins or looking like they’re going to crash will ghost, letting you drive right through them, though this can be a bit sketchy at times as you can’t really tell when a car will solidify. Thankfully there are plenty of assists like ABS and traction control to help racers who might struggle, which can also be turned off for the hardcore or those with wheel and pedal setups. These support systems are a boon beginners who may be intimidated by GT Sport's demanding races but nonetheless want a taste of competition. Outside of the daily events are the officially sanctioned championship events, which in practice are run similarly to daily races, but with a few core differences. Each round runs five races at pre-scheduled times roughly once a month, and like the daily races there's a small window of time for you to sign up. The main difference is that you can only sign up and compete in a round once, so if you have a bad run in the first of the five scheduled races for that round, you don’t get another chance to improve your results. While intimidating, this also adds a palpable sense of tension to the beginning stages of each race. The number of points you can earn per race is worked out using a few variables, but is mostly down to your driver rating; the higher your rating, the more potential championship points you can earn per race. Your final points tally is accumulated from your three best finishes, ensuring that a bad race or having to miss one because of other commitments won’t put you out of contention. In general, the level of competition is extremely cutthroat, making race wins--especially in the official championship races--very difficult to come by. That said, there is plenty of satisfaction to gain from merely finishing races. Personal achievements aside, every race rewards you with in-game credits, mileage points--another in-game currency used to upgrade cars or purchase paint decals, wheel rims and the like to customize your car with--and experience points that raise your driver level. You’re given a new car for each driver level you attain, up to and including level 20, and the Daily Workout bonus also gives you a new car after driving only 40 kilometers (just under 25 miles) in a day, so it doesn’t take long to amass a personal car collection. Where you fall on GT Sport will mirror how you feel about racing games in general. If you’re looking for a highly focused console racing sim, GT Sport is excellent, but don’t come looking for a robust "Gran Turismo" experience. Given the focus on online races, the single-player campaign is more an elaborate training tool than any campaign from a prior GT game, geared to prepare you for the jump to racing online. Its three modes--Driving School, Mission Challenge and Circuit Experience--each cover a specific aspect of racing, be that the car handling, knowing the circuits or knowing how to race with other cars without running them off the road. In clear Gran Turismo tradition, hit the bronze target time for the exercise and you can move on. But although this is a good measure of your performance, a more detailed, visual breakdown of your runs would go a long way towards making these lessons more effective at making you a better racer. Accompanying YouTube videos give you an impression of how it’s done, but something that gives more feedback would be more welcome. Arcade mode is the closest you’ll get to the traditional style of campaign, letting you pick your car and track combo then race offline against the AI, who do a good job of racing cleanly but with a measured sense of aggression too. Ultimately, where you fall on GT Sport will mirror how you feel about racing games in general. If you’re looking for a highly focused console racing sim, GT Sport is excellent, but don’t come looking for a robust "Gran Turismo" experience. You won’t find it. Casual fans will feel the pinch of the scaled-down offering and the intimidating push towards racing online. But for sim-racers with a competitive spirit, it’s easy to look past the smaller car and track roster and appreciate the incredibly detailed and responsive driving model, which is better than anything the series has offered before. ALL CHARACTERISTICS Gaming Categories Games for computers and consoles PS4 Games Sony Publishers PEGI description Online PEGI rating 3+ General PS4 Pro support Resolution 1080i, 1080p, 720p Genre Racing Dolby Digital audio Release year 2017 Release Month October Number of players 1 Metacritic Rating 78 DualShock 4 controller Developer Polyphony Digital PS4 platform Edition Standard Language: English

Name Game: F1 2018 Price: 54,99€-13,74€ The Discount Rate: -75% Link Store:Steam Offer Ends Up After : The offer ends on February 10

F1 2017 is a racing video game based on the 2017 Formula One season. It was released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows on August 25, 2017. The game includes all twenty chains, twenty drivers and ten teams competing during the season. Premiere Date: August 25, 2017 Engin: Ego Series: Formula One Modes: Group play, Single player game Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac OS Developers: Codemasters, Feral Interactive Formula One has been stagnant in recent years. With the domination of the Mercedes team all but guaranteed since the beginning of the hybrid-era, new rules have injected some much needed spark into the once unquestioned pinnacle of motorsport. F1 2017 is a virtual reflection of that renewed vigor. The wider, faster and more aggressively styled cars are designed to be driven harder; a fundamental shift that brings with it a greater adrenaline-rush than any of the previous F1 games have managed to offer. Along with a greatly expanded career mode, a host of memorable classic cars and a litany of race options, championships and game modes to choose from, F1 2017 goes above and beyond expectations. The bread and butter of the Codemasters F1 games has long been the career mode, which lets you create your own driver and guide them through their racing career, and F1 2017’s is no different. Aesthetically it’s been buffed out and expanded, adding new animations and team interactions, and showing off more of the infamous F1 paddock all while adding a grander sense to the occasion. For a series that had nailed the atmosphere of a Grand Prix some years ago, these additions add another layer that’s easy to appreciate. The new upgrade system is another step up from last year, allowing you to focus your team's R&D efforts on new parts in four key areas--chassis, aerodynamics, powertrain and durability. Where you decide to focus your points largely depends on who you drive for. Go with a team like McLaren and you’ll need to focus heavily on improving the woeful Honda power unit. Whereas for a top tier team like Red Bull or Ferrari, you might be more methodical about how you spend your resource points, focusing instead on areas you might be slightly weaker than your competitors. F1 2017 improves on past entries by being the most transparent entry in the series, giving you more than enough information to directly compare performance to your rivals. Resource points are earned over the course of a race weekend by meeting your team’s set qualifying and race objectives, as well as completing the practice programmes the team lays out for you in any given practice session. In addition to providing resource points for upgrades, the practice programmes also act as elaborate tutorials, teaching the finer arts of driving a modern Formula One beyond the basics of ‘the racing line’. More complex techniques like fuel and tyre management and determining race strategy are broken down into easily digestible chunks of information, making it easier for new fans to dig into what makes a race weekend so involved. This level of strategizing extends to the car too, both in and out of the garage. F1 2017 tracks the wear and tear on each component of the engine and the gearbox, in line with real life rules to keep costs down for the smaller teams. Parts aren’t limited, but using more than your allotted amount will result in a grid drop penalty for each infringement. This means having to make tough but meaningful choices about whether to risk running worn parts for a race--leading to greatly reduced power or a possible outright failure--or taking the penalty and hoping you can fight your way back through the field. When it comes to the look of the cars, they’re nothing short of exquisite. Each of the ten teams and their magnificent machines are modelled down to the finest details, with their sleek carbon-fibre bodywork lusciously reflecting the world around them. Likewise, the circuits themselves also show off the game’s excellent lighting and dynamic weather, which makes a return from previous games. The rare occasions where high-res textures take a moment to load in are a minor blemish on what is an otherwise stunning looking title. Equally excellent is the feel behind the wheel. Be it with a wheel--which is absolutely the recommended way to play--or a gamepad, the cars feel as responsive as you'd hope. There is still more than enough power to make the back end slide out from under you, but unlike before, the wider tyres and extra downforce mean you can brake later, turn in harder, and get on the power earlier than ever before. This is starkly reflected on track in the different handling and power of each car. Driving the McLaren-Honda down a long straight is nothing short of harrowing; other cars will power past you like you’re sitting still, forcing you to get your elbows out when trying to defend your position. On the other hand, both the Mercedes and Ferrari feel planted to the road straight out of the garage. The robust physics engine is backed up by some of the best racing AI in the business, who will fight hard for position and make mistakes, but also offer up plenty of racing room if you do manage to get a wheel alongside them. The V10 roar of the 2002 Ferrari compared to the throaty growl of an old turbo-powered McLaren is enough to smack any nostalgic fan into bliss. The inclusion of classic cars represents some of the best F1 machines from the last 30 years. From Senna’s 1988 McLaren to Vettel’s 2010 Red Bull, there are 12 cars in total, each of them a world championship winning car from their era. They wonderfully showcase the progression of the sport over the years, and the V10 roar of the 2002 Ferrari compared to the throaty growl of an old turbo-powered McLaren is enough to smack any nostalgic fan into bliss. Jumping online to race with others is easier than previous years, doing away with the hoppers of old, opting for a more elegant approach. You choose your preference between shorter or longer races, get into a lobby and go. Also back is the online championship, letting you and your most dedicated friends battle it out over an entire season, with or without AI. Time Trials let you race against the leaderboards in any car, modern or classic, in any set of weather conditions. Events are a new feature for F1 2017, offering one-off, downloadable scenarios that drop you straight into the action then comparing your results to others via leaderboards when you’re done. Codemasters have left no wannabe racer wanting with the myriad ways to drive these cars. Any gripes cast against F1 2017 are minor. Instant replays could last a bit longer, and the simulation damage model could be more detailed and less forgiving. But this list pales in comparison to what Codemasters have delivered, an F1 game that can truly cater for everyone--from sim racers to the newest casual fan. Codemasters has been on a roll with its F1 series for a number of years now, and F1 2017 feels like the culmination of those years of work. Where F1 2016 lacked a little on the career side, F1 2017 more than makes up for that and then some more. An improved multiplayer set up, a greater variety of race options and straight-up better cars to drive, on top of the stellar career mode and thrilling on track racing experience make F1 2017 simply the best Formula One game ever made.

The electric VW ID.3 quota for Bulgaria has been sold Volkswagen Bulgaria follows the global trend, the company boasts a record 2019 and a record market share, and 2020 is turning out to be even more successful, as the brand will introduce nine new models in our country. Urban legends for Volkswagen in our country border on both poles, but the Bulgarian's love for Volkswagen is unconditional. It is proved by the fact that 466 564 VW vehicles, of which 431 386 are passenger cars, are recorded in the Traffic Police. Against this background, Volkswagen accounts for a record year of sales in the world, but also in our country. In 2019 the official importer of the brand in Bulgaria sold 3,601 cars, which is 550 cars more than in 2018 and more than 1,000 more than in 2017. These sales guarantee the brand a market share of 10.60% in the new cars. Although the new Golf will hit the market this year, the seventh generation of the model was the best-selling model last year with 854 sales. The second best-selling model is the 505-piece T-Roc crossover, but the interesting thing here is that it is a stand-alone model, while in golf we are talking about a model family. A curious fact is that the distribution of gasoline and diesel cars in 2019 is 55.46% and 37.77% respectively. This year is turning out to be even more intense and successful for Volkswagen, as we expect as many as 9 premieres in our country, which has never been in the history of the brand. Among them are the market debuts of the Golf 8 and the electric ID.3, on which Volkswagen is betting its future. An interesting fact is that the company boasts that the entire quota of 30 cars for 2020 has already been sold, with those wishing to prepay a deposit of EUR 1,000. From 2020, Volkswagen is now offering a new version of the electric e-up !. The niche T-Roc Cabrio will come in March, and a bit later on Golf 8. In July, we are waiting for ID.3, and in September plug-in hybrid Touareg. In September, October and November in the market we are waiting for the updated Arteon, a new Tiguan, the second member of the ID family, namely ID.4, with the last premiere of the year being Golf Variant. Against this background, Volkswagen adds 985 light commercial vehicles, including Caddy with 548 units, followed by the T6 (237) and Crafter (164).

Christian Eriksen has signed with Inter Today Christian Eriksen will be officially introduced as an Inter player. The Danish national will sign a contract with the Nerazzurri by 2024, after which he will have his first teammate with the Apiano Gentile team. The midfielder is expected to make his debut for Inter on Sunday when he visits Udinese. The idea that he could play tomorrow in the 1/4 final for the Italian Cup against Fiorentina even crept in. Christian Erisken's adventure in Inter began yesterday morning. Around 10:15, he landed at a private airport in Linate and was expected by 20 journalists. The Danish national has not yet faced the fans of the Nerazzurri. The midfielder was dressed in a sports jacket and white sneakers, accompanied by his girlfriend Sabrina Quist. Eriksen did not speak in front of the cameras, but simply greeted everyone with their thumbs up. The Dane then successfully passed the medical and fitness tests, then headed to the offices of his new Inter team, where he was expected by more than 100 fans who welcomed him. Eriksen greeted the typhoons and took selfies with them from the window of the building. The Danish national is the third new addition to Inter in the winter. Prior to that, San Siro arrived Ashley Young and Victor Moses.

Emergency measures against dirty air in northern Macedonia The changes take effect today Emergency measures will be put in place in Skopje and the city of Tetovo to protect people from dangerously high levels of air pollution, the northern Macedonian government said. The measures will come into force on January 28. According to authorities, levels of toxic particles in the air are 11 times above safe levels in two consecutive days, which poses a health risk. The government is urging pregnant women and people over 60 to not go outside, construction companies to cut down on outdoor work, and ban sports and other outdoor activities on high-pollution days. Government service cars will be used twice less. The Ministry of Health and Human Services will need to provide shelter for homeless people and increase ambulance services and home visits for people with chronic illnesses. Northern Macedonia has been in the top 5 most polluted countries in Europe for years. Health authorities estimate that more than 3,000 people die each year because of the polluted air, which is largely due to the massive use of wood stoves during cold winters, old car rides and the practice of burning trash. Protests have taken place in recent months from dozens of environmental groups urging the government to take action to reduce pollution.

Nicole Stankulova uploaded her photos without makeup Charming weather girl has created a new internet challenge Nicole Stankulova uploaded some of his Instagram photos, which inspired many of his followers. The charming little girl has created a new internet challenge, in which she hopes to involve more celebrities to set an example for young people and to show that social networks can often be a big draw. Stankulova has come out against an artificially created Instagram image of perfect life and perfect-looking people. "On social networks, everyone looks perfect and has no flaws. I realize I'm 30 years old, but there are many young people who live in the delusion that they all look perfect. That's why I want to challenge all of you. get one real photo with no makeup, hairstyle or filter, "Stankulova tells her followers. It continues: "Each one of us has a pimple somewhere, each one of us has flaws. Here, for example, I have small teeth. I've lived with them for 30 years, I eat well, they do a great job. At first, I didn't like them, but in the end I've learned to like them at the moment. I'm out of hair right now. Yes, I look better with a hairstyle, I look better with an eye line and background, but somewhere in between, we lost our identity because every girl wants to has a vision that repeats another. " "The natural is beautiful," adds Nicole. "Maybe it's another kind of beautiful, but it's beautiful. Each of us has something unique. Something that's flawed for some, but for others it's really magical."

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how to hide or display medals and trophies in our profile! I know you know about this option, but most members don't know it! So I wanted to show you how it's done! 1.First step! Enter the forum! In your profile! 2.Step Two! Sign in Trophies and Medals 3.Step Three! Press "HIDE" to hide or reveal a medal or trophy! I hope you are pleased!

James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire is a first-person shooter video game based on the James Bond franchise. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, it has been released for PlayStation 2, GameCube and Xbox game consoles. Premiere date: November 13, 2001 Series: James Bond Engin: id Tech 3 Genre: First Person Shooter Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube Programmers: Electronics Arts, Visceral Games, EA Canada Meet James Bond 007¿ in Agent Under Fire, the first FPS (first-person shooter) to be released for GameCube. Electronic Arts ported the game over from the PlayStation 2, bringing improved visuals and multiplayer bots to Nintendo's budding new console. Being the first James Bond licensed software as well as its debut as the first GameCube FPS is, no doubt, a winning combination. However, even with all this Agent Under Fire isn't without its design flaws or turn offs. Features Engage in a completely immersive first-person Bond experience featuring diverse gameplay All new, original single-player storyline that builds on the Bond legacy with villains and allies, both new and familiar Gameplay is largely first-person shooting with elements of driving and on-rails shooting A full arsenal of Q-lab weapons, gadgets and autos to utilize Fast, fluid action and spy-packed gameplay inspired by the 007 films Detailed 3D environments and a smooth framerate Single and up to four person multi-player support GameCube version features CPU bots for multiplayer Gameplay Agent Under Fire, unlike many of the licensed Bond games before it, is fully original, only drawing inspiration from the style of past movies. So the creators have drawn-up their own unique plot, which naturally involves an evil corporation that has stolen high-tier technology to use for its own gain. It definitely feels a lot like Bond and delivers a convincing atmosphere. So, you won't be dazzled by how true the creators have been to a cinematic effort, but it's likely that you'll enjoy the narrative. Even if the storyline isn't your bag, it isn't so preposterous that it distracts you from enjoying the gameplay. The single-player setup is based on three key elements: first-person shooting, driving, and rail-based activities. Given the pedigree of previous Bond games, the FPS component is naturally the most important one. As the debonair Mr. Bond you will blitz your way through environments ranging from winding narrow hallways to spacious outdoor platforms. The use of your gun is largely the same in both backdrops, but of course in wide-open environments you can make better use of your sniper gun. Unfortunately, you simply don't need to do this enough and it's not very well executed. As Rare and Nintendo's own multi-million selling GoldenEye was renowned for the element of stealth and sniper weaponry, many have come to expect this in subsequent James Bond releases. In Agent Under Fire the developers didn't leave enough room for this. You'll need to work on playing it cool when you up the agent difficulty, but for the most part blazing a trail with a faster shooting gun or luring enemies around corners is more effective. You just don't feel stealthy. The element isn't there. To deepen the first-person shooting, Bond digs into his arsenal of Q-weaponry, utilizing tools such as the Q-Claw, Q-Laser, Q-Remote, Q-Jetpack, and Q-Specs. The Q-Claw is one of the coolest items, which lets you grapple onto specifically placed gratings to pull yourself up into different areas. In the very first level you are taught that by using the Q-Claw properly you can find different routes and secret areas. The other tools from the Q-Lab like the laser play a huge part in Agent Under Fire as well. At the end of each mission, you are awarded points for time-to-completions, objectives, and Bond moves. Using your laser to cut the lock from a gate which subsequently leads to an area with body armor counts as a Bond move, helping you tally up extra points. As a whole, the Q-weaponry helps expand on the gameplay mechanics, but in the end the FPS component can't help but feel generic. To add a little more flavor to the experience, and to bring gamers a little closer to what they've seen Bond do in the movies, EA called upon its experience with the Need for Speed series to deliver up tight driving missions. You'd think that driving in a first-person shooter would be totally gimmicky and unpolished. Thanks to EA's experience the driving mechanics are solid, featuring totally new controls and physics. You'll have additional Q-weaponry such as missiles and a machine gun to go with it. There are only a few driving missions, but overall they're well done and deliver up a much-needed change of pace. We'd like to see future Bond licensed releases do something similar. Finally, the third type of gameplay style is on-rails shooting. You will find yourself poking out of the rooftop of an automobile, a futuristic tunnel car, and even the top of a tank. These levels still stay true to the FPS style, but with more freedom to focus on aiming you will be able to use the manual aim more and just go wild with your guns. Again, this a welcomed change of pace from the straight-up first-person shooting. Something very new to GameCube owners will be the default control setup, which is dual analog based. Sure you've used it in Luigi's Mansion, but Agent Under Fire is the only first-person shooter on GameCube to date. So this could be new to some users who migrated from the N64. It works well and you should be able to jump into it quite easily with a few adjustments. However, the developers have used the D-pad to switch through your weapons and Q arsenal. In concept it sounds like a good idea, but when your PS100 runs out of bullets in the face of opposition you will inevitably take a lot of shots while navigating through weapons. In fact, it's not too rare that you need to go cower in a corner just to change your guns around and get things set up. That said, weapon navigation is slow and painful, and using your Q-weaponry is even worse. For some reason the creators chose to put a delay between your Q-weapon changes. Perhaps it was to add strategy to your choices, but in the end it just becomes agitating. You will tire of waiting for certain tools to load into your hand. An optional "ring command" selection tool for both weapons and gadgets would have worked much better. Overall, Agent Under Fire is quite accommodating in that it is an FPS. It follows the formula of past Bond offerings to bring you something familiar, but at the same time it does so blandly. The whole single-player mission setup is predictable and would have been more troubling without the addition of driving and on-rails elements. Perhaps the worst thing about Agent Under Fire is its inability to let you figure out anything on your own. Everything you need to interact with or shoot is painfully brought to your attention via a camera zoom. Literally almost everything you need to shoot that is important is not only red, but also magnified by a camera pan. It removes any puzzle elements that may have occurred otherwise in the environment, and in the end strip a lot of fun out of the gameplay. Multiplayer Now the part you've all been waiting for. Agent Under Fire features a fairly polished four-player mode. There are nearly a dozen completely redesigned multiplayer environments -- many of which have some designs that may be slightly familiar to Quake fans. Exclusive to the GameCube (and Xbox) version are CPU bots, which are a great addition, but there's a catch. You can only have four-players in the matches. That includes bots. So, in single-player, you can add three bots, two-player with two bots, etc. It's a nice addition, but when you have four friends over and want to team up against something there's no options. The action runs at a respectable framerate, however, even in four-player. For this, we're happy. GoldenEye or Perfect Dark fans won't find the depth of the Rare-developed shooters, but the multiplayer mode is a solid and worthwhile addition nonetheless. Graphics Agent Under Fire is one of the more impressive titles on GameCube in terms of detail and framerate. It features complicated world architecture that is highlighted by a wide variety of true-to-life textures. Unfortunately, those textures rarely feature any kind of second-pass effects other than the simple reflections used on the cars, windows, and a few other objects. This is where it begins to become apparent that it is a port. You'll sometimes see highly compressed, blocky textures and an overall lack of visual polish by GameCube standards. The character models are nothing out of the ordinary; however, they do feature some well-done facial animations in addition to nicely designed face textures. Other neat animations include the gun swaps and reload sequences, which, while not overly articulate, are still well presented. Meanwhile, character animations not featured in real-time cut-scenes are often stiff and seemingly outdated. And what's up with the bullet effects? Most guns look like they shoot yellow plastic pellets that fly through the air far too slowly. Luckily, some of the more powerful machine guns forego this odd effect for more realistic gunfire. Really, it's Agent Under Fire's impressive 60 frames per second framerate that is so compelling. It's improved over the PlayStation 2 version, which is consistently bogged down by wide-open areas with more complicated architecture. It seems the Quake III engine, which Agent Under Fire was built on, runs quite well on the system. Finally you'll be able to experience a first-person shooter on a Nintendo console at a slick 60 frames per second. Sound The aural complexity featured in Agent Under Fire is above average in terms of previous GameCube software released, and overall does the trick quite nicely. Bullet shells cling and clang as they strike the hard ground, gunfire ranges in tone, and voice acting is for the most part palatable. In addition to this, there are some good remixes of the Bond theme integrated into rock and techno music. There is one unforgivable element of sound, though, and that is the use of the famous "da dunn da dunn!" theme far too much. It's the theme that tells Bond he's done something successful. In Agent Under Fire it is used anything but sparingly, totally ruining the effect. You begin to despise it. Bond can barely reload his gun without hearing it. Verdict Ever since the GameCube came out I've been dying for a first-person shooter to be released for the console. I would have preferred to see a GameCube exclusive, but instead we ended up with Agent Under Fire. I'll have to personally thank the guys at Electronic Arts next time I see them, because without this port GameCube owners would have had to go much longer to get their FPS fix. For this reason, Agent Under Fire has a lot of appeal. It brings forth the sought-after Bond license, a reasonable storyline, solid multiplayer, and a combination of first-person shooting and tightly wound racing elements. I can wholeheartedly recommend the title to Bond enthusiasts who plan on taking advantage of the four-player mode. If you're only looking for some single-player fun, stick to renting it because the game is fairly short, partly due to the fact that it holds players' hands the whole way through. It's not GoldenEye, but I think Bond fans will find it has its own charm. It's absolutely a better version over its PS2 predecessor, but comes a few months too late.

Premiere Date: June 2, 2017 Genre: Action role-playing game Developer: Triangle Studios Publisher: Soedesco Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Linux, MacOS Triangle Studios would like to invite you to explore the floating world of Aezir in their new action adventure RPG, AereA. In the world of Aezir, harmony and balance is maintained by a combination of eight primordial instruments. The music created by these instruments is vital to keeping the islands of Aezir from dropping out of the sky and being destroyed. When the ever so important primordial instruments are stolen, four students of Aezir’s master composer, Great Maestro Guido, are tasked with recovering them in order to save the world. Players can choose from these four students – Claude the Trumpet-Gunner, Jules the Lute-Mage, Jacques the Cello-Knight, or Wolff the Harp-Archer – each of whom represents a different character class and comes equipped with their weapon/instrument of choice as well as a handful of class specific skills that unlock through leveling up. It is important to note that the game can be played alone, with a single player taking on the task of saving the world solo, or cooperatively in a local setting. There is no online co-op, however, which is really a shame. Despite subtle differences to the character classes, three of the four characters focus heavily on long ranged attacks with an available melee option for close encounters, while the fourth – the Cello-Knight, to be specific – offers up a tank style mechanic, using his cello as a shield and his bow as a sword. Despite offering players the choice of different classes and characters, there are no female characters to choose from for the role of protagonist. Once players select their character, they are dropped into Aezir’s Concert Hall. The concert hall serves as the central hub of Aezir, and it is from here that players can purchase upgrades, consumable items, and select travel destinations. AereA encourages players to explore the concert hall, which is but a part of a greater school of music. There’s a lot of indication’s that the school is heavily inhabited, what with all of the furnished lodgings and school books scattered about. NPCs even encourage the player to seek out other students in the school in order to offer them help for side-quests. It doesn’t take long, however, to realize that the school is not nearly as inhabited as the game makes it seem. There’s only one lonely student by the name of Hubert wondering about the halls, but he does have a plethora of unusual requests. These generally range from killing a certain number of a certain enemy type, or collecting unusual items like homework pages or fangs. The intent for these side quests is obviously to encourage players to revisit areas of Aezir that they’ve previously completed again, but with a little luck and timing you can have side quests active that align with the location you’ll already be in for your main quest, thus knocking out two (or even three) birds with one stone. AereA allows players to tackle the game alone, or as a group of two to four players via local co-op. AereA’s game play formula is pretty simple. The world of Aezir is broken into four islands, three of which are available to travel to. Each island is broken down into regions featuring your typical RPG terrains like sewers, deserts, ruins, and snowy mountain tops. Each region is broken down into two available levels. These levels are generated randomly each time they’re loaded up, and are sectioned off almost like mazes with locked gates and doors scattered about. Players can open these locked doors one of three ways – by finding and activating a metronome lever, moving an energy block to its designated switch, or by killing the enemies associated with the gate. The easiest and most sensible of these methods is killing the enemies, as they will typically spawn in front of the gate that they are connected to. Doors that require metronome levers or energy switches, however, are more complicated as there’s no rhyme or reason between the location of a lever or switch and its corresponding door. In the smaller early levels of AereA, this is not as problematic, but in later levels when the worlds become more expansive this disconnect results in a lot of slow moving back and forth across the world in search of finding the gate that you just activated. To compound on matters, there is supposed to be a cut scene where the camera pans to display the affected gate, but in later levels (the Snowy Mountain levels being the worst offenders) this cut scene glitched, and did not occur, leaving Each of AereA’s boss battles involve creatures that have embodied the instrument they are guarding. After exploring the two separate levels for each region, enough clues will have been uncovered to progress to a boss battle and hopefully recoup one of the missing primordial instruments. Rather than traveling directly to the area where the boss is located, however, players are forced to revisit the second level of the region and solve it again in order to locate a portal that leads to the boss. Should the player fail to defeat the boss, they’ll be shuttled back to the air ship, and subsequently will have to start the level over from the beginning yet again in order to proceed to the boss portal. Thankfully, most encounters with enemies in AereA are pretty mundane, even including the bosses. Once any kind of upgrades are made to your character they’re almost guaranteed to be overpowered. In most circumstances I easily destroyed bosses in only one or two hits with a skill, and common enemies were rarely able to get in an attack. Those that did were sure to only do 1hp of damage, if they didn’t just miss completely. AereA’s world design is absolutely stunning, with an incredible attention to detail, but it is also incredibly scarce on enemies and NPCs alike. As previously mentioned, there’s only one lone student roaming the halls of the huge school. There are no additional NPCs to be found outside of the concert hall, with the exception of a random stranger who appears to serve as an informant in the later stages of the story. Even enemies spawn in small groups, limited to 3-5 at a time. Despite the small number of enemies, I frequently experienced microfreezes when using skills to take them out. AereA’s lower rating from PEGI and the ESRB is fitting, as the relatively easy combat and uncomplicated system for leveling and upgrading makes it a suitable RPG for younger gamers venturing into the genre for the first time. Unfortunately, the aforementioned struggle of actually navigating the maps does dampen that, especially for the younger crowd that may become frustrated and give up too easily when they can not find their way.