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  1. If you wear glasses, you've likely discovered that wearing a mask + glasses + breathing = fogged up lenses. That's not exactly ideal for navigating the grocery store or maintaining social distance while staying safe amid the COVID-19 crisis. Obviously foggy glasses aren't a big deal; essential employees are overwhelmed and lacking the PPE they need. But foggy glasses are a major inconvenience for as long as wearing a mask in public is required. If you're trying to avoid the fog, two doctors have offered an easy solution: Use plain old soap and water.First, give credit for this "hack" to doctors Sheraz Shafi Malik and Shahbaz Shafi Malik, who published the idea in the medical journal Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. This is their suggested technique: Immediately before wearing a face mask, wash the spectacles with soapy water and shake off the excess. Then, let the spectacles air dry or gently dry off the lenses with a soft tissue before putting them back on. Now the spectacle lenses should not mist up when the face mask is worn.I am no doctor, and I only started wearing a face mask eight weeks ago. But I have faith that doctors know what they were talking about, considering how much they wear masks. I put the suggested method to the test last weekend, as I had a few errands to run.For my trial, I used Mrs. Meyer's liquid dish soap. I messed it up the first time by wiping the soap off too hard with a towel, rather than letting it air dry. Even with wiping, the method worked pretty well. My glasses only got a tad bit foggy when I was lifting all my groceries from the cart to the car. When I tried it again, the correct way, I was blessedly fog-free while wearing my glasses and my mask. My local grocery store offers free disposable surgical masks, so I've used this method with those, but also with cloth masks my mom made for my family.Additional tips outside of the soap and water solution:Wear your mask securely against your faceMake sure your mask is high up above your noseYou can use a strip of paper towel on the bridge of your nose to help absorb some of the excess moisture from your breathIf you're interested in buying locally made masks, you can order masks from San Francisco, Seattle, and Texas. Disney also is selling face masks with favorite characters, like Baby Yoda and Mickey Mouse. If you own a cloth face mask (and not a disposable one), you need to be washing it to help protect yourself and others.Hearst Newspapers participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.Ana Suarez is the senior commerce editor for Hearst Newspapers. Email her at ana.suarez@hearst.com.
  2. The car industry is used to having huge challenges thrown at it. Legislators have long been setting aggressive targets around cutting tailpipe emissions to improve air quality, speeding up the hugely expensive development of electrified technologies in the process. Political issues such as the US-China trade war and, of course, Brexit have brought uncertainty to buyers and markets and hurt bottom lines. And all the while, buyers have been demanding ever-more sophisticated cars and technology with little willingness to pay more for it.Yet however high car makers have been asked to jump in recent years, they’ve managed to do so. But all this was before the latest challenge to hit the industry: Covid-19. And, as we’ll discover, it’s probably the biggest that the industry has ever collectively faced, touching all corners of the market all over the world, while none of those existing problems have gone away.Over the next two weeks, we'll be publishing a series of reports looking at the biggest issues faced by car makers at the moment. We'll keep this page updated with new articles, and all of them can be found on our industry news page.Coronavirus and the car world: latest updatesProduction lines came to a complete halt globally. Car sales have collapsed to zero or near-zero in many of the major markets. Oil prices have dramatically fallen. Millions of jobs have been lost. Economies have contracted by record amounts. Consumer confidence has all but evaporated. International borders have been closed. Each is a big problem on its own; collectively, the impact is unprecedented.Here, we attempt to analyse just what impact all of this will have on the British car industry – and find that, among all the bad news, there is hope and, in many cases, optimism that there remains light at the end of the tunnel.Just what are we facing?Remember Brexit? For years, the UK’s departure from the European Union was the only topic in the British car industry. Uncertainty over future UK-EU trade affected investment, contributing to job cuts and plant closures – and putting the future of several more British factories in doubt. To an industry already struggling with falling sales and the need to invest heavily in new technology, Brexit was, apparently, the biggest threat in decades. Perspectives change fast, eh? The damage wrought by this pandemic to the worldwide car industry in just five months makes Brexit seem positively trivial. Industry leaders must be nostalgic for the heady days of fretting about tariff-free trade. February seems a lifetime ago. Ultimately, Covid-19 is a health crisis, one that has already claimed more than 300,000 lives worldwide, with millions of people affected by illness or the effects of lockdowns. The social and economic impacts have been huge as well. As lockdown measures were introduced to slow the spread of the disease, virtually every car factory worldwide had to suspend production. Dealerships also shut, prompting sales to slump. In the first four months of 2020, global car sales fell by 29.2% year on year. In Europe, lockdown restrictions beginning in March massively hit sales in April: they were down 80%. In the UK, sales fell by 97% in April. With dealerships shut until June, May will be just as bad. Analysts don’t expect demand to recover for the rest of 2020 – possibly longer. The impact on car production in the UK has also been huge: from March until mid-May, when some restrictions in England were eased, it’s estimated that 240,000 vehicles were lost and at least 64,500 employees affected, many of them furloughed. Even as the lockdown begins to ease, the future is uncertain. Social-distancing requirements are forcing firms to rethink the way they make cars and will inevitably slow lines. It’s unclear how long it will take for sales to recover, and the financial impact of the lockdown will be felt industry-wide.
  3. Your computer is a personal storage facility, and it contains all of your most important, precious and private information. The problem is, your home computer is much easier to access than government or corporate computer systems, making you a prime target for the ever hunting cyber-criminals.Having any of your private information stolen or posted online would be devastating! But beware, it happens to more people than you might think: on average 1 in 4 people are hacked every day.With over 5 billion people using computers worldwide, it’s no surprise that cyber attacks have seen a dramatic increase and are now more common than ever. Hidden Malware can be found in po[CENSORED]r computer programs and emails. Not running regular security scans could pose a significant risk.The problem is, there aren’t many computer security applications that will protect you from these dangers for a reasonable price. Until now… Thanks to The Kim Komando Show we managed to discover TotalAV, the #1 Rated security product on Trustpilot. Now everyone knows the big names like Norton and McAfee, so when we saw this lesser-known provider ranked #1 with over 10,000 excellent reviews and a 5-star rating we thought we should check it out.TotalAV has partnered up with Windows trained developers and are giving away instant virus and malware security scans to all computer owners for free. As part of a special promotion that sees the renowned software provider, release their most sophisticated protection package yet and announce that they plan to have their protection in every home by the end of 2020.Sounds too good to be true? We thought so too… We’ve already seen millions of consumers rush to claim the complete protection plan.With TotalAV’s free security tool, you can utilize their advanced algorithm to detect hidden viruses and malicious deceptors in a matter of seconds. Then by activating their real-time protection & secure browsing feature, you can ensure that no single threat can make its way onto your device, ultimately keeping you, and your computer, safe.Out of 929 computer security products, TotalAV is ranked the #1 provider on Trustpilot, so it’s no surprise millions of Windows users are making the switch. Even Kim Komando herself, America’s Tech Goddess, chooses TotalAV to keep her computer protected.Why Are They Offering It For Free?Lead Product Manager, David, Explains; “Last year we saw thousands of consumers affected by the sudden increase in computer and smartphone malware. Our main goal was simple, we wanted to help users protect their personal information, identity, and online banking without fears that their computer may be compromised. On top of that, we added the browsing encryption tool to prevent internet providers or snoopers tracking our customers’ online activity.”He continues, “People already love the most recent system. Our plan is to give as many free scan licenses away so that the product goes viral. We would like to have our protection in every single home by the end of 2020 and we feel good knowing that we’re helping make life more secure for our customers.”This isn’t the first time that giving away products for almost nothing has been employed, big companies with large marketing budgets are no strangers to the giveaway tactic. Burger King gave away 20,000 free whoppers via Facebook in a similar event in 2013.What Makes This Protection So Incredible?TotalAV has a cutting edge algorithm that can detect and remove any viruses, adware, malware, and spyware that may be lying undetected within your computer. It’s common that hidden threats go undetected until they start to slow down your computer, bombard you with advertising or even steal personal information when browsing, shopping or banking online. TotalAV instantly detects any of these unwanted systems and removes them, ensuring your computer is never at risk.That’s not all; it also protects you from phishing scams that cloak links in emails to steal your personal data. Privacy protection, real-time security alerts, secure web browsing, virus removal, password manager, even a system tune-up optimizer are all rolled into one in this full Security Suite. TotalAV covers it all.This software is revolutionizing the way we protect our online devices, and completely automating the process.The good thing is, it’s super quick and easy to set up and you don’t need to be technical to get started. The process is extremely simple and it only takes a few minutes. It’s simple. If you have a Windows computer, you automatically qualify for a free copy. Just follow the steps below, or click here to claim your free copy now. You’ll soon see just how incredible this protection is.If you’re impressed by Total AV’s protection you will have the option to upgrade to an ultimate account for just E£29.99 (usually E£99.99 / you save 70% by getting the free scan first!).Claiming this promotion is a no-brainer. Check your computer’s security for free and get ultimate protection all year round for under E£30, with a no-risk 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Relax whilst being online knowing your computer is safe. Even if you don’t think you are at risk right now, the expiration date of TotalAV’s free scan is unknown, so you might as well take advantage of it and qualify for your discounted price whilst you can.
  4. (ANSA) - Pisa, May 26 - Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli on Tuesday donated blood plasma after saying he had had the coronavirus.Bocelli told journalists at a Pisa hospital that he had had mild symptoms, a slight fever, and had practically been asymptomatic.Speaking at the blood sampling centre of Cisanello Hospital, he said his wife and children had also had COVID-19, but were now fine.His wife had also given plasma for the study, led by the AOUP association of Pisa, into treatment for COVID patients.He said he had discovered he had the virus after taking a test on March 10.Bocelli said he hoped his plasma would help find a treatment for the deadly virus. New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that heatwave conditions are slated to pea... Read more at: https://english.manoramaonline.com/lifestyle/news/2020/05/26/severe-heatwave-conpditions-to-peak-imd.html
  5. Shareby Lawrence Allan29 May 2020The owner of the Williams Formula 1 team has confirmed a plan to sell all or part of the company in efforts to raise fresh capital.Now widely reported, the decision would mean founder Sir Frank Williams relinquishing majority ownership of the once-dominant team after 43 years at the helm.In a statement, Williams Grand Prix Holdings (WGPH) has said this is the “right and prudent thing to do in order to take time to consider a full range of options and put the Formula 1 team in the best possible position for the future”.The statement list “various strategic options” that are being considered, “including but not limited to raising new capital for the business, a divestment of a minority stake in Williams Grand Prix Holdings, or a divestment of a majority stake in WGPH including a potential sale of the whole company”.Williams posted a loss of £13 million for 2019, selling a substantial stake in its Williams Advanced Engineering arm to a private equity firm to bolster its balance sheet. However, the coronavirus pandemic has brought into focus the financial struggles of a team now regularly competing at the back of the F1 grid.The British team, based in Oxfordshire, has also split with its title sponsor Rokit and major sponsor Rok drinks.The decision comes soon after F1’s owner, Liberty Media, introduced a budget cap for next season to ease the financial burden on team revenues post-pandemic.Today Renault chief financial officer Clotilde Delbos confirmed the French car maker's intention to stay in F1
  6. Nickname: King_of_lion Age: 19 Link with your forum profile: https://csblackdevil.com/forums/profile/77723-king_of_dark/ How much time do you spend on our channel ts every day?: im there time day all Where do you want to moderate? Check this topic https://csblackdevil.com/forums/forum/104-free-time/ ScreenShot as you have over 30 hours on CSBD TS3 Server (type ''!info'' in CSBD Guard) : https://www.zinguard.net/user/5ebad7e23c7f633ed07a2f50/info Link with your last request to join in our Team: Last 5 topics that you made on our section:
  7. BMW has revealed a raft of upgrades for its class-leading 5 Series to fend off the newer Audi A6 and refreshed Mercedes-Benz E-Class, including new technology, new engines and the introduction of a 523bhp M Performance variant to the UK line-up.oo.The suite of updates to BMW’s executive mainstay also brings a new 389bhp 545e xDrive plug-in hybrid model into the line-up, plus UK customers will be able to order the 523bhp M550i for the first time. This variant has been on sale in mainland Europe since last year.Launched in 2016, the seventh-generation 5 Series has continued the success of its predecessors, with more than 600,000 sales achieved worldwide to date. The facelifted model is scheduled to reach UK dealerships in both its saloon and Touring estate guises in July.In a continuation of its electrification strategy, BMW has fitted its mild-hybrid system to all 5 Series petrol and diesel models with either a four-cylinder or six-cylinder engine. First introduced to the line-up on the 520d last year, it adds a 48V starter-generator and a second battery. Together, they provide an 11bhp temporary boost to the engine’s power reserves as well as a number of new fuel-saving features. These include a coast function that shuts down the engine for periods of trailing throttle, improved brake-energy recuperation and the ability for the engine to be automatically switched off at speeds below 9mph.Among the petrol models are the four-cylinder 181bhp 520i and the 248bhp 530i, as well as the six-cylinder 329bhp 540i. The 530i and 540i are available with standard rear-wheel drive or optional four-wheel drive. Above them is the four wheel-drive M550i xDrive. Available in saloon form only, its turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine delivers 523bhp and 553lb ft torque, enabling a 0-62mph time of 4.0sec.Three diesels are again available: the four-cylinder 188bhp 520d and two six-cylinder models, the 281bhp 530d and 335bhp 540d xDrive. The 520d and 530d come with standard rear-wheel drive or optional four-wheel drive, while the 540d is available with four-wheel drive exclusively. Changes to the six-cylinder diesel engine – including the adoption of two-stage turbocharging and new common-rail piezo injectors that operate at up to 2700bar – bring gains of 20bhp and 22lb ft to the 530d and of 20bhp and 15lb ft to the 540d.The petrol-electric plug-in hybrid 530e, which comes with standard rear-wheel drive or optional four-wheel drive, has been updated with the latest evolution of BMW’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine. However, it continues to deliver the same nominal combined system output of 248bhp and 310lb ft as before, with 288bhp and the same 310lb ft available for 10sec via a so-called XtraBoost function. On a full charge, it has a WLTP-certified electric-only range of up 42 miles.New to the family is the four wheel-drive 545e xDrive plug-in hybrid, which uses the same 248bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line-six-cylinder petrol engine and 107bhp electric motor as the larger 745e. Together, these provide a system output of 389bhp and 442lb ft, giving the 545e a 0-62mph time of 4.7sec and a governed 155mph top speed. The plug-in hybrid’s combined WLTP fuel economy is between 117.7mpg and 134.5mpg, with CO2 emissions of 49-54g/km. With a lithium ion battery mounted within the floor of the boot, the 545e achieves an electric-only range of up to 35 miles at speeds of up to 87mph, according to BMW. As before, all drivetrains are mated to a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox, with no manual option offered.Although the new M550i will head the range for now, a reworked M5 will be unveiled later this year. It’s set to sire a new M5 CS model with revised aerodynamics, including a rear wing similar to that seen on the M2 CS, M3 CS and M4 CS, plus lightweight carbonfibre-reinforced plastic components. Nothing is confirmed just yet but the future range-topping M5 model is rumoured to feature a newly developed V8 engine with even more firepower than the 616bhp twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 used by Back to topExterior changes for the 5 Series are concentrated on the front grille, which is now wider and positioned lower than before. It also receives a new single-frame design, with a central element in chrome, and sits within a reprofiled front bumper.Styling tweaks have been applied to the headlights as well. They receive new graphics, with L-shaped daytime running lights and indicators located at the outer edges. LED headlights are once again standard, although there’s now a greater number of options, including BMW’s super-bright Laserlight high-beam option. There are also more heavily structured tail-lights similar in design to those that grace the latest 3 Series, as well as a redesigned rear bumper. Regardless of the model, all 5 Series are now fitted with trapezoidal tailpipes. Buyers can now choose between two non-metallic and eight metallic colours. These include new Phytonic Blue metallic and Bernina Grey amber-effect metallic as part of the standard colour range and new Aventurine Red metallic and Tanzanite Blue metallic within the BMW Individual range. The upgraded brake calipers that are part of the M Sport styling package can also now be specified in red as well as the previous blue.From the start of sales for the new 5 Series, BMW is offering an M Sport Edition model in Donington Grey, a colour previously available for the M5 only, or Tanzanite Blue, which can otherwise be ordered only via BMW Individual. Limited to 1000 examples, the model also has 20in alloy wheels and a raft of typical M Sport touches.BMW says the adoption of new bumpers has increased the length of the saloon by 27mm and the Touring by 21mm so that both now measure 4963mm. Refinements to the aerodynamics – most notably with underbody cladding and an active air flap control system for the radiator – net the saloon a drag coefficient that is described as class-leading, at 0.23Cd, while the Touring is put at 0.26Cd. Back to topInside, the 5 Series has the latest seventh-generation version of BMW’s iDrive infotainment system along with either a standard 10.3in or optional 12.3in central display. Entry-level SE cars get more kit than before, while M Sport estates receive black roof rails. Further interior tweaks are focused on the dashboard, which gains a new lower climate display alongside revised materials and gloss black centre console details.There are also new electric M multi-function seats, previously reserved for the M5, with integral head restraints and added side support as part of an optional M Sport package.The new 5 Series is available to order UK now, with prices for the saloon starting at £37,480 for the 520i SE. The estate commands an extra £2250. M Sport trim adds £3500 across the range, while M Sport Edition models are priced from £45,480.The newly added 545e xDrive, which will enter production in November, is priced from £54,945 in SE trim. The flagship M550i xDrive costs £67,595 – around £30,000 less than the current M5 Competition.
  8. Taur (PC) Developer: Echo Entertainment Publisher: Echo Entertainment Released: February 19, 2020 MSRP: $24.99 I was sold on Taur, a tower defense game about a literal laser-firing tower, in a single screenshot.It's a weekend-eating strategy title about keeping hordes of robots, tanks, and bombers at bay, and while its minimalist aesthetic might seem low-key, its sense of scale and destruction are anything but.Taur is the type of game you might see pop up on Steam and play on a whim. It's an itch-scratcher. For better and for worse, what you see is (mostly) what you get with Taur.As the commander of the "Prime Cannon," you'll have to fend off warmongering bots one day at a time. Each day, you'll take on one of a few possible missions that feature different enemy types and tactics (some are wave-based; others are all-out offensives) as well as different rewards (used for upgrading your almighty tower and expanding it outward with auto-targeting sub-towers). The game is pretty good about letting you know what to expect before you commit, but you have to think long-term.Depending on how a mission goes, you'll gain or lose ground in a global conflict. If you lose repeatedly, your campaign may end prematurely, so the stakes can feel high after investing a few hours in Taur. On my first playthrough, I ended up backing myself into a corner with less-than-ideal stat upgrades, too many alternate weapons, and not enough regenerative health or shield capacity. Don't be like me!After a fresh start, I made better choices on the (surprisingly big) skill tree. In the beginning, when resources are scarce, your best line of defense is, well, you. You have 360-degree control over the Prime Cannon, which starts with a railgun and can eventually be decked out with a laser, surface-to-air missiles, limited slow-mo, healing drones, and other destructive playthings. It feels so good to use.If there's one thing Taur nails above all else, it's the look, feel, and impact of shots. Things crumble. The more passive, traditional tower defense side of the game is fine, but everything to do with your direct control over the cannon is brilliant. I never got tired of it, even after passing the hundred-mission mark. Further into the game, once you've stockpiled resources, you'll be able to afford mini-towers on a regular basis. This is where things start to get hit-or-miss for Taur. I love the idea of surrounding your central tower with other, smaller structures – you can have around 70 in total, and the battlefield becomes a chaotic sight to behold – but the balance doesn't always feel right (or interesting enough).There were times where I'd burn through multiple missions in a row without getting That One Crucial Resource needed to buy new towers; other times, I'd be flush with the stuff. If a tower gets destroyed, you'll be refunded, but the same can't be said of skill-tree unlocks – they're permanently locked in.That format isn't as conducive to experimentation as it could be. There's also a feeling of diminishing returns. After a couple of hours with Taur, you'll recognize the ebb and flow of most levels, and they'll begin to mindlessly blur together as the same tactics work against the same semi-randomized formations time and time again. You can get far with only a few big ideas in your playbook.The game kind of just keeps going forever until you can take down the Imperion Overlord, a battle-cruiser capable of spawning endless (?) hordes. I couldn't beat it on level 50. Using an almost maxed-out Prime Cannon on level 100, I came so close, but still couldn't bring it down. Its health bar is obscene. I'm not sure I'll try again – it can be a while before the Overlord resurfaces – but I still enjoyed my time with Taur. The game is almost there. With balance tweaks and more mission variety, it could be great.As is, Taur has a wonderful central idea – it lets you tear up the place with a ridiculously powerful sci-fi cannon that's a joy to control – but the elements surrounding that core concept aren't as fleshed-out, refined, or engaging. It's the kind of game that leaves you wanting a sequel that can fire on all cylinders.[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.] CPU: Info CPU SPEED: Dual Core CPU RAM: 4 GB OS: Microsoft Windows 7.1/8/8.1/10 VIDEO CARD: Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities PIXEL SHADER: 4.0 VERTEX SHADER: 4.0 FREE DISK SPACE: 3 GB
  9. We're not sure why the 2020 Mini JCW Countryman ALL4 has such a sad clown face. It's a hip little crossover that offers family-friendly seating for five wrapped in distinctive Mini Cooper styling, and that's before the John Cooper Works (JCW) model adds some serious go-fast goodness. There's no reason for the Countryman to look so sulky. Hey, Mini, you're fun! How about a smile?The Countryman's frown isn't as obvious on its lower trim levels, but the all-wheel-drive JCW model gets flashy red outlines around its grille, even if you don't choose a strawberry shortcake two-tone paint scheme like the one on our test car. Along with the scarlet trim, JCW cars have different badging and wheels from the standard Countryman. The contrasting details work with some color combinations better than others. Those who are nostalgic for the holiday season will love the forest green-and-red pairing.
  10. Game informationDevolopers: Wolfire GamesRealesed: 14apr,2020Genre: Adventure,casual,free to play,action Platforms: PC Racing for 'pink slips' might not sound terribly dangerous or macho, but Juiced's take on street racing offers far more thrills and spills than EA's comparatively safe Need For Speed Underground series, on which Juiced is clearly based. Great, right? Thrills and spills... that's what we want. We want a game in which we can gamble away our winnings and lose the cars we've modified and raced for hours on end... don't we? We've been mollycoddled by our games in recent years, lulled into thinking that they exist only to serve us - not like the old days when games existed to beat you to a pulp, or be beaten by our acts of intense concentration and skill. Juiced is old-school. It starts out innocently enough: buy a car, tweak it a bit, enter a race and win some cash. But this is far removed from NFSU's comfortable cycle. If you lose, you lose - there's no opportunity to try the An evil wizard is searching for the Eternal Crystals to power his malicious machine. Help treasure hunter Tiko in his epic quest to find the crystals and save the galaxy from certain doom! Challenging platforming action: Run, jump, fly, swim and shoot through 14 different worlds! With tons of collectibles, bonus stages, unlockable outfits and secrets. Old school platforming action from the DOS era with gamepad support! Classic pixel art graphics: Discover hundreds of colourful cartoony pixel art animations. Extravagant enemies, bizarre bosses and wacky weapons, imagination knows no bounds! Original soundtrack: Over 40 tracks of catchy synthesizer music with a hint of disco, funk and rock. race again, and no option to reload a game. If you bet against a racer and finish behind them, your stake is gone. And worse, if you bet your pink slip - the ownership of your motor - that's gone too. Not a problem, of course, if you win every race, but like any decent racer there are plenty of factors that can derail your charge to victory. Shunts into scenery, barriers and other cars will cause damage that not only costs money to repair, but can also slow your progress. Other drivers won't spare their own paintwork if they spot an opportunity to stymie you. Finally, Juiced's handling is a little quirky: rear-wheel drive cars suffer from oversteer and are best avoided. And while understeer is only a problem over 140mph, you never feel that you're able to place the car precisely on the track. The price for losing is heavy, but the rewards for winning are great. Accrue money and cars and you'll have a garage stacked with flash motors, and you'll also attract other drivers to race in your crew. Car models and upgrades are pleasing, particularly the classics, and if you're consistently successful you can cover all the classes (separated by horsepower) with different vehicles and drivers, competing in most of the races. Despite this game's rescue by THQ from Acclaim's drowning clutches late last year and the extra months' development time, it's still a rung below the games it emulates in terms of all-round quality. The Sprint racing - almost identical to NFSU's - is particularly tricky to judge and unsatisfying. Paint jobs I applied to some cars failed to show up on race day, while absurdly granny-like "SLOW DOWN!" warnings pop up far before you need to when approaching corners. Juiced fails to find a balance between the sweet and the sour, so will be a turn-off for those who like a guaranteed reward. But to others it'll be a tangy throwback to the old days, and for that we can't justifiably condemn it. Juiced is out for PC, PS2 and Xbox on 17 June and will be out for mobiles later this summer. can be a damn shame when there's something that could've been cool, but with the fickle nature of fate it has been given a metaphorical kick to the curb. That may a bit melodramatic, but it's pretty much what has happened with Juiced. While the game isn't spectacular it would've received a much warmer welcome last year when the game was going to be released by Acclaim. Well, Acclaim bit the dust and THQ has picked up the game, but in the past year other titles have raised the bar and Juiced is looking even worse in comparison. Since last fall we've seen the releases of Gran Turismo 4, Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed Underground 2, Burnout 3: Takedown, and Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition. These are all fine titles that cover the spread from simulation and realism to arcade and over-the-top action. Some of these games cover extensive street-style modifications on the cars such as body kits and decals aplenty. So now with Juiced entering into the street-racing fray it looks more and more like the little brother that's trying to be cool, but still needs some time to grow up a little. To provide some flavor of the street culture, Juiced starts out with players choosing their name and group name as well as their cell phone. After that, there's a quick race against T.K., the leader of the Urban Maulerz crew. Win the race and a bet against him and players can start the game off with $47,000 in their pocket to buy a car and get going in their new life. The initial selection of a Volkswagen Beetle GLS 1.8T, a Honda CR-X, or Peugeot's 206 GTI is a little small at first, but more cars get unlocked as the game progresses. After this initiation to the game the career mode is set up around a calendar that's filled up with different races on about half of the days. Some of these races are free , but most of them have an entry fee. Each race has a purse that can be claimed by the winners, but the bigger money can be made by making side bets against the other racers. So even if the player doesn't come in first, they can still clean p by beating the one person they bet against. Of course, they can also lose quite a bit of money and if players get stuck in a position with very little cash it can be hard to get out of that situation and one of the game's crucial flaws appears. The cars can take damage in the different races and as such there is almost a tax on entering races due to the cost of repairs. By not winning a few races, losing a bet or two, and banging up the cars a bit, players can see their savings get close to zero. While mysterious strangers will always come in to help fix the cars if the player doesn't have enough money for even that so they can keep racing it's easy to get into a vicious cycle of not having enough money ever. Even worse is that later on in the game the free races get rarer and rarer so that once the player can't afford any of the races the only option is to skip through the whole calendar, day by day, and pray that a single free race will come up in which to get some cash to afford a much-needed upgrade. If that race gets shot, then it's another long wait. All of this time spent flipping through the calendar is the reason why the career mode drains the fun out of the game. After a while of trying to get some cash up again, I was looking out at the other racing games in m collection where the goal was to simply race and if I ever wanted to just jump into a race, I could. If I messed up one race, then I could simply try it again instead of trying to farm my way back up to a decent bank account. There are other ways to make money, but once again they fail to bring any excitement to the game. Instead of actually driving in the different races there are a couple of other options: attending or letting someone else drive. As players' reputations increase in the driving world they'll assemble a crew of drivers. These are needed for the team races where victory is determined by which team gets all of its cars across the finish line first. In the regular races, they can be put out there on their own. The more they race, the better their skill gets and the more likely they are to win. The other option is to attend and simply bet on any of the drivers. Each driver has been given odds on their winning and so it is theoretically possible to turn a hundred dollars into a few thousand with some careful betting. The only problem with these two methods is that every race that is being driven by someone else or being bet on has to be played out in real-time. In GT4 there is the B-Spec mode that allows for the race to at least be done in triple speed, but here there's no other option than to watch the entire thing. Or it's a good time to do something else, like write an e-mail or few, whatever's your pleasure because watching a computer drive in Juiced is as much fun as reading some online forums and wondering when the first idiotic response will appear. There is some strategy in telling the drivers on your crew how hard to drive, but even that is just choosing from a couple of options. There are hard, medium, and easy levels of driving, but the last one is rarely used. All of this suddenly makes accounting look like an extreme sport and it's when the cars spin-out and end up facing the wall that one seriously begins to question whether there's any point at continuing at all. Once the AI has come to a stop and is facing the wall it will slowly back up, make the most minute of turns, and drive into the wall again. It will keep on doing this until the hidden overbrain of the game completely resets the car back on the track and it can keep on going. After spending way too much time trying to bet or watching other cars drive I was spent wishing yet again that this racing game was all about racing. The career mode fleshes out the world with other characters to race against and impress in order to open up other parts of the game, but the oppressive calendar system takes away any chance of just jumping right in to race in the career mode. Making bets against specific people makes the game more personal, but that's about the only aspect that should be salvaged here. Life has enough problems without a game reminding you that having no money still sucks. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - System Requirment : MINIMUM: Operating system and 64-bit processor required OS: Windows 7/8/10 64-bit Processor: Core i3 2.4 Ghz RAM: 4 GB of memory Graphics: Intel HD 4000 Storage: 500 MB available space Disk space: 22 GB of available disk space Sound Card: DirectX compatible Network: Broadband Internet connection - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - RECOMMENDED: Storage: 500 MB available space Disk space: 22 GB of available disk space Sound Card: DirectX compatible OS: Windows 8.1+ Processor: 2Core i5 2.8 Ghz Memory: 8 GB RAM Storage: 500 MB available space Disk space: 22 GB of available disk space Sound Card: DirectX compatible - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

WHO WE ARE?

CsBlackDevil Community [www.csblackdevil.com], a virtual world from May 1, 2012, which continues to grow in the gaming world. CSBD has over 70k members in continuous expansion, coming from different parts of the world.

 

 

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