![]() ![]() Welcome to Max & the Magic Marker, an award-winning physics-based puzzle platformer that plays like a classic - but with a twist! Oh no, it must be stopped! Max draws himself onto the page and the chase begins. As soon as the pen leaves the paper, the monster comes to life and jumps into another drawing. ** Winner of the Independent Games Festival 2010 (IGF) D2D Vision Award! **įUN FOR ALL AGES! One day Max gets a mysterious marker in the mail. New enemies include Goombas with tails, tall stacks of Goombas and a Piranha Plant that spits ink to obscure a player’s view. The Circle Pad gives players complete control to confidently move Mario through fun and challenging environments. Mario can perform a rolling somersault attack or run fast with a dash move. New and familiar abilities add unique game-play strategies to the adventure. Players can more accurately judge the jump to the next platform or how far Mario is from a question block. 3D visuals make it easier for players to judge the depths and distances in their environments. These abilities help players move through the 3D environments with more confidence. Use the Tanooki suit’s tail to attack enemies or float gently down from great heights. Tanooki Mario returns: The fan-favorite Tanooki suit makes its first appearance on the Nintendo 3DS. Players will experience a new sense of depth, distance and speed while running, jumping and stomping on enemies throughout the levels. Super Mario 3D Land reinvents everything fans love about Mario gaming with the first platforming environment in true 3D, without the need for special glasses. Good stuff.Get Ready for a New Spin on a Familiar Tail. Made it in record time? Upload your results to the leaderboards. You are presented with a difficult obstacle course and must make it to the exit in as short a time as possible. Outside of the story, the Challenge Rooms return, offering fun time challenge diversions. How does that work? The story can be played through with a friend locally in its entirety, but adding a second Commando doesn't change the game at all. I went back and played the first Rearmed again while working on this review, and I think it still looks better than this sequel. Rearmed 2's graphics still look like they're from 2008. Two and a half years ago, Rearmed's visuals were quite impressive for a downloadable game, but since then, more and more great-looking games have been released on Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Those enemies you're shooting have very little variety – you're still facing the same brain-dead cronies in the final stages as you were in the beginning. Some dictator was trying to launch a missile and the Bionic Commando had to run around and shoot people. I've just finished the game, for instance, and I really can't tell you what happened in any great detail. The music isn't quite as good, the controls don't feel perfect, and the story was forgotten as soon as I experienced it. Rearmed 2 feels more like a budget title. Play The original Bionic Commando Rearmed impressed with its high production values. When you finally take down the evil dictator at the end, his warship explodes and falls off the screen in silence without any sound effects. There is one particularly cool boss fight against a machine called the Titan about midway through the game,but the other two large bosses are recycled multiple times with slight adjustments to their patterns. Other new gameplay additions include brief sniper and helicopter-flying sequences, but all of these sequences lack depth. However, health regeneration is so valuable I never wanted to use anything else. Several passive upgrades have been added, such as health regeneration. A few of the upgrades are fun to play with, though, such as the Electro Claw, which can be used to shock enemies like a taser. When I would finish a level I didn't think, "Wow, that was awesome!" It was more of a "Well, I just played a level in a video game." You're encouraged to do a lot of backtracking to previous areas to find new equipment after you've upgraded your skills, but returning isn't necessary. What swinging there is has been made more cumbersome by removing the ability to just hold the analog stick or d-pad in the direction you want to swing through and release - now you have to tap a button to release, adding an extra step to the process. But now there isn't as much focus on interesting swinging challenges. ![]() Granted, you don't have to jump, and the game will make note of it and grant you an achievement or trophy if you make it through every level without using your legs to leave the ground. Now you can leap and bound over levels with considerably more ease. Play It's rather baffling that jumping has been added to Rearmed 2.
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![]() Kirby can discard his ability at any time or lose it when he is hit by an enemy he must reacquire it quickly or it will disappear. Certain copy abilities can only be used a limited number of times. Copy abilities allow Kirby to access new areas and experience levels in different ways. By inhaling and swallowing certain enemies, Kirby will obtain powers based on the special ability the enemy possessed. : 17 A major aspect of the game is Kirby's copy abilities. : 15 New moves include the abilities to run at a fast pace and to perform a sliding kick. ![]() : 16–17 He can also fly by inflating himself while flying, Kirby cannot attack or use his other abilities, but he can exhale at any time, releasing a puff of air that cancels his flight and can be used to damage enemies or destroy blocks. : 13–14 To attack, Kirby inhales enemies or objects and spits them out as star-shaped bullets. Kirby retains his abilities from Kirby's Dream Land: he can walk left or right, crouch, and jump. When Kirby defeats Dedede and returns the rod to the fountain, Nightmare goes into outer space to spread bad dreams, but Kirby follows him and uses the rod's power to defeat him. Kirby, the player character of the single-player game, mistakenly believes that Dedede stole the rod for evil and sets out to reunite the pieces. King Dedede steals the Star Rod that powers the fountain and gives pieces of it to his friends in an effort to stop Nightmare. In the game's scenario, an evil entity named Nightmare corrupts the Fountain of Dreams, which provides restful sleep to the residents of Dream Land. Like its predecessor Kirby's Dream Land (1992), Kirby's Adventure is a 2D side-scrolling platform game. In retrospect, journalists have ranked it among the best NES games. The original NES version was re-released later via Nintendo's Virtual Console digital distribution services, the Wii compilation disc Kirby's Dream Collection, the NES Classic Edition, Nintendo Switch Online, and with stereoscopic 3D for the 3D Classics product line for the Nintendo 3DS. It was remade in 2002 for the Game Boy Advance with enhanced graphics and multiplayer support, titled Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land. Kirby's Adventure was well received and commended for its tight controls, level variety, and the new copy ability. Sakurai had always planned him to be pink, much to the surprise of other staff. Kirby's Adventure is the first game to depict Kirby in color. Because the NES hardware had greater graphical power than the Game Boy and programmers were skilled with the now antiquated hardware, HAL Laboratory was able to create impressive visuals. He conceived the copy ability to add more challenge and replay value after the last game received criticism for its simplicity. Masahiro Sakurai returned as director after serving the same role for Kirby's Dream Land. The game centers around Kirby traveling across Dream Land to repair the Star Rod after King Dedede breaks it apart and gives the pieces to his minions. ![]() It is the second game in the Kirby series after Kirby's Dream Land (1992) on the Game Boy and the first to include the copy ability, which allows the main character Kirby to gain new powers by eating certain enemies. Kirby's Adventure is a 1993 platform game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). ![]() Some species can even reproduce without a mate, a process called ‘parthenogenesis’. Earthworms can deposit multiple eggs within each cocoon, and most earthworms can reproduce multiple times throughout the season, if conditions are favourable. In irrigated golf turf, nuisance surface‑casting earthworms are usually endogeic or anecic species.Įarthworms are hermaphroditic, meaning, potentially, that instead of roughly half the population producing offspring each reproductive cycle, every adult earthworm within the turf system may produce offspring. Epigeic earthworms live at the soil surface and feed on the surface‑level litter layer. Endogeic earthworms form non‑permanent horizontal burrows within the soil profile and consume the surrounding soil and organic matter. Anecic earthworms pull turf clippings into their burrows to feed, then return to the turf surface to cast. Anecic earthworms create permanent vertical burrows which open to the soil surface these burrows can extend several metres into the soil profile. This may occur on golf turf in native‑soil areas where foot traffic is concentrated or where heavy machinery is routinely used.Įarthworms can be broadly classified based on their burrowing and feeding habits. Additionally, if soils become compacted, earthworms that would normally cast within the soil profile may cast at the surface, since pockets for cast deposition may not be available within the compacted soil profile. Earthworms are also usually less common in heavy clay soils where saturated conditions may reduce oxygen gas concentrations and restrict the air diffusion process necessary for earthworms to breathe. Nevertheless, some species (such as Amynthas hupeiensis) are commonly found casting on sand‑based greens and tees throughout the world. Most earthworms prefer soil pH between 5.0 and 7.0 and soil temperatures around 10‑16 ☌, though pH and temperature tolerances vary by species.Įarthworms are usually rare in sandy soils, due to the potential for dry conditions, diluted organic matter, and the abrasiveness of the sand particles. Some earthworms, such as Eisenia fetida, also secrete toxic mucous that helps ward off predators. Earthworms require moist soil to maintain their external mucus membrane, which helps prevent desiccation and facilitate air diffusion for breathing. There's also a handy leaflet that you can print off and distribute around your golf clubĮarthworms vary in their environmental tolerances. ![]() Additionally, cast material that is smeared across a turfgrass leaf may prevent photosynthesis, resulting in weak,ĭownload an updated poster with information about earthworms for golfers to read. Earthworms can also mine weed seed from the profile when the seeds are deposited above the turf among nutrient‑rich cast material, weeds can germinate and become problematic. Casts deposited on the turf surface can retain moisture and lead to turfgrass disease. Earthworm activity can also lead to pest invasion. Surface casting can result in a muddy and uneven playing surface and can interfere with quality and height of cut if casts build up on mower units. In golf turf, though, excessive production of earthworm faecal matter, commonly called ‘casts’, has many negative effects when casts are deposited above the turf canopy. ![]() Earthworms can also stimulate microbial activity, which helps break down thatch. Earthworms are generally considered to be beneficial organisms as their burrowing activity enhances water and air movement through the soil and moves organic matter into the profile.Įarthworm faeces are high in nutrients and can help ‘glue’ soil particles together to help improve soil structure. ![]() This license is commonly used for video games and it allows users to download and play the game for free. There are many different open source licenses but they all must comply with the Open Source Definition - in brief: the software can be freely used, modified and shared. Programs released under this license can be used at no cost for both personal and commercial purposes. Open Source software is software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify or enhance. Freeware products can be used free of charge for both personal and professional (commercial use). The app is available in 13 languages and is optimized for Windows 10 (and later) and Windows Server 2016 (and later).įreeware programs can be downloaded used free of charge and without any time limitations. Visual Studio Professional 2022 can be purchased as a standalone IDE platform or tested out via a free license that is available to all users under Visual Studio Community edition license that is aimed at students, open sources, and individual developers. In addition to the local development, Visual Studio Professional 2022 can be expanded with many collaboration services utilizing Azure DevOps (a cloud-powered platform for managing code versioning, load testing service, telemetry, and even an in-browser code editor that can be accessed on the go), Visual Studio Lab Management (tool for creating and managing virtual environments), Visual Studio Team System Profiler, Visual Studio Application Lifecycle Management, and others. Professional developer tools, services, and subscription benefits for small teamsĮnd-to-end solution to meet demanding quality and scale needs of teams of all sizes The core components of this IDE include an advanced code editor powered by IntelliSense, a debugger that can handle both source code and machine-level instructions, a code profiler for optimizing projects of all sizes, a real-time GPU profiler, a design service for managing web, class, and database schema elements, and a highly capable testing tools for verifying the operations of all aspects the functionality of the developed app or service.įree, fully-featured IDE for students, open-source and individual developers And when alone, developers can take advantage of AI-powered code completion service that will make coding sessions as productive as ever. In this IDE, developers can easily create online collaboration coding sessions where team members can work on source code in real-time. Its compatibility can even be expanded to newly developed programming languages via plugin support. NET, JavaScript, XML, HTML, CSS, Python, Node.js, Ruby, and many others. ![]() This programming suite has built-in support for 36 programming languages in its code editor, debugger, and compiler. This latest version is the first to ever adopt 64-bit processing, enabling developers for the first time to expand the memory size of their main process in large projects to more than 4 GB of memory. NET Framework 3.5 and 4.6-4.81, while supported. Microsoft Visual Studio Pro 2022 represents the latest version of this suite that was originally released in late 2021 under version number 17, with planned direct support from Microsoft until distant January of 2032. Originally presented to the public in 1997, this comprehensive platform for developing computer programs of all types, websites, web services, web apps, and mobile apps for all modern portable platforms, this platform evolved into a comprehensive app development suite that can produce both native and managed code. If you were a member of the jury in 1980 tasked with determining whether Betty’s death was murder or justifiable self-defense, it would’ve been your monumentally important job to weigh accused killer Candy’s description of the events of that day together with what little forensic evidence was available and decide whether or not Candy’s plea was valid enough to preserve her freedom. After confirming the accusation, Candy’s version of events describes Betty proclaiming her intention to kill Candy, then coming at her with a 3-foot ax from her garage. However, despite that fact, and despite testimony from Allan swearing that he had no idea how or if Betty could’ve known about his extramarital dalliance, Candy’s account claims that Betty chose that day to confront her about the affair. By all accounts, the affair was long over when Candy entered Betty’s home on June 13, 1980. There are certain known details about the crime at the center of this deadly drama that Love & Death candidly reports to its viewers: Betty Gore and Candy Montgomery were two housewives raising young children in suburban Texas when Candy initiated an affair with Betty’s husband, Allan (Jesse Plemons). It’s a move seemingly made to elevate a true-crime story out of the grime of the true-crime genre. That’s where my opinion as a true-crime fan sours there’s just something a bit yuck-o about adding “murder” to the list of deliciously sordid repercussions of mid-century malaise. But while a deep dive into the consequences of emotional repression and the myth of the nuclear family is certainly worthy fodder for TV, Love & Death takes things a step further. Whether it’s the beloved pastor announcing the shameful end of her marriage, Betty catching side-eyes for openly criticizing the pastor’s replacement, or Candy arranging her alibi for Betty’s death around a laundry list of church events, each character in Love & Death feels the oppressive eyes of their community on them as they attempt to hide the cracks in their own performance of suburban bliss. So why does Love & Death, Max’s seven-episode limited series about the events and characters surrounding the case, feel like such a true-crime bust?Īs the show serves us slices of sugary-sweet, heavily coded small-town drama (occasionally spiced up with a foreshadowed glimpse of the violence to come), we learn that appearance is everything in this community. In terms of true-crime fare, the tale of Betty Gore’s death at the hands of Candace Montgomery has it all: infidelity, housewives behaving badly, feathered bangs, and, most importantly, bloody, bloody murder. After all, by the end of the struggle, 30-year-old mother and schoolteacher Betty will be dead from 41 brutal ax wounds, and Candy will be the only one left alive to tell the story.Īnd oh, what a story it is. The declaration is blunt, leaving no room for interpretation. “I’m gonna kill you,” Betty Gore (Lily Rabe) sputters as she fights her former friend Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) for control of the ax that will soon end her own life. ![]() It has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads. IDM has a user-friendly and simple graphic user interface. Internet Download Manager Latest Release: Unlike other download managers and accelerators, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during the download process and reuse available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve the best acceleration performance. Internet Download Manager has a smart download logic accelerator that features intelligent dynamic file segmentation and safe multipart downloading technology to accelerate your downloads. ![]() A simple graphic user interface makes IDM user-friendly and easy to use. Comprehensive error recovery and resume capability will restart broken or interrupted downloads due to lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or unexpected power outages. Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 5 times, resume, and schedule downloads. ![]() On IDM, you can pause, resume, or cancel downloads and it also lets you schedule downloads. It manages all the download tasks on your PC and also speeds up the download process up to 5 times more than the general download manager applications. The Internet Download Manager or widely known as IDM is a powerful download manager app to handle and accelerate downloads on Windows computers. It was part of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, fought over control of Jammu and Kashmir.Īfter the Pakistani Army's attempt to foment an insurgency (Operation Gibraltar) was discovered and subsequently foiled, India retaliated with an outright attack along the Pakistani border. The Battle of Chawinda was one of the largest tank battles fought since World War II. Indian soldiers in front of a destroyed Pakistani Sherman tank during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.Wikimedia Commons Battle of Chawinda: September 17 – 22, 1965 But the British had only managed to penetrate roughly seven miles or so East of Caen.īut Goodwood did draw valuable German tanks away from the Western part of Caen, where the Americans were making their push to the city. Montgomery claimed that all the objectives were achieved and that the mission was a success. Operation Goodwood did cause some controversy. German losses were 75 tanks destroyed, mostly by airstrikes. Their casualties were 5,000 men and 250 to 300 tanks destroyed. The battle did not go the way the British intended. The Wehrmacht had only around 370 tanks at their disposal, but they included the fearsome Tiger and Tiger II tanks. The British had mustered as many as 1,100 tanks for the battle. The goal was to break through to Caen so that it could be liberated. Operation Goodwood was a British offensive that was part of the Battle for Caen, one of the main inland targets that was part of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. Sherman tanks carrying infantry wait for the order to advance at the start of Operation 'Goodwood', 18 July 1944.Wikimedia Commons Thus, the momentum swung to the side of the Soviets, who eventually won the Battle of Kursk Operation Goodwood: July 18 – 20, 1944 The Germans were unable to take Prokhorovka, and although it was not destroyed (the original goal of the Soviets), the II SS-Panzer Corps was exhausted, and prevented from continuing their offensive. German tank losses were smaller by comparison, up to 80 tanks and assault guns destroyed. The Soviets lost around 400 tanks, more than half of their force. ![]() The fighting was some of the most intense in the history of armored warfare. ![]() In the overworld each character has their own interaction abilities: Luffy can cross gaps with his stretchy rubber arms, Zoro can slice through metal bars, Franky can build bridges over specific gaps, and Sanji can smell fresh ingredients a mile away. While largely linear, the dungeons and towns of One Piece Odyssey are fun to wander through and poke at. It helps the exaggerated, googly-eyed cartoon monster designs work in 3D and fit in naturally with the more restrained geography. It's a deeply charming detail that felt so natural I didn't notice it at first. One Piece is beautifully replicated, capturing the visual tone of the anime, but channeling a little of the manga's style by rendering shadows as increasingly dense shading lines, mimicking Oda's art. Still, even when they're easy, the fights are fun to watch. (Image credit: Bandai Namco) Smooth sailing The difficulty does even out a bit after that point, but that's a long time to wait for any kind of challenge. Even without paying attention to stats and largely ignoring synergies between characters, it wasn't until 15 hours into Odyssey that I saw my first character knocked out, and a quick healing item saw them revived seconds later. If Sanji and Zoro are standing together, their rivalry might result in some banter and their Technique Points (this game's MP equivalent) being fully recharged.ĭespite all of these neat details, One Piece Odyssey lacks difficulty settings or scaling, meaning the first 5–10 hours are extremely easy. Completing these objectives can give a hefty XP boost, and sometimes the system is used to inject a little more character into the battles too. Sometimes the game will ask you to finish an enemy with a specific character or rescue a crewmate before they get hit by a big charge-up attack. Surprise bonus objectives called Dramatic Scenes are an extra twist. Some of Luffy's crew appreciate fresh targets, while others (Usopp) would prefer less on their plates. I'm especially fond of attacks that launch enemies toward a distant crewmate, leading to fun mid-battle banter. While some attacks are limited to targeting nearby foes, others can be used to hit distant enemies, or go bowling for meatheads by slamming one mook into their nearby buddies. Each party member can engage with a separate enemy group of up to four enemies in their own part of the battlefield. Everybody was kung-fu dugongīattles in One Piece Odyssey are initially familiar-four of my characters taking turns to trade punches with a bunch of enemies-but the scale is novel. I took on super-powered naval officers, screen-filling monsters, and many cavefulls of bandits, and I was always happy to see the Straw Hat Pirates throwing hands against often overwhelming odds. I'd have been happy enough if this game mimicked Dragon Quest, but the developers put some real thought into how to replicate the sprawling, messy cartoon brawls of the source material in an accessible turn-based combat engine. The main thing you'll be doing in One Piece Odyssey is getting into turn-based JRPG fights, and fortunately, filler or no, battles are cleverer than I expected. Quests could be shortened, the grind reduced and backtracking excised to leave a leaner, faster game. But almost every part of Odyssey could use some trimming. There's some great encounters in the optional side-content too, including chasing the bounties on rival pirates who have their own comical gimmicks, like a crew that like to leap dramatically off cliff-tops, but haven't figured out the "landing safely" part yet. The distractions often lean into One Piece's sillier side, and even these weird story digressions lead to some spectacular boss fights and fun new monsters. It was hard for me to stay annoyed at Odyssey-or the giant crab for that matter. In one particularly egregious case, a chase across the desert to save a friend gets delayed by bandits stealing the crew's food, a monkey stealing Nami's wallet, a river of quicksand, a spelunking adventure to bypass the quicksand (which fails), and then a big cartoon crab turns up to just take everyone to their destination anyway. It's not just sidequests, grinding and scouring maps for treasure-the main story often forgets where it's going. Odyssey is stuffed to bursting with padding, filler within the filler. ![]() Not only are these moments a welcome respite amongst the misery of the world around you, completing a Shrine will also level up that character and unlock a new ability for them. These story driven encounters will narrow in on one particular member of your party and tell you a bit about their past. One encounter that you should aim to do at least once per run is a Shrine Of Reflection, which will appear as a bell emblem on your map. Others will be vicious slogs against the game’s primary enemy: cultists. Some will allow you to heal, or purchase items. ![]() When out on the road, there will be tons of different encounter types. What use is money when you’re dead, after all? Seek Out Shrine’s Of Reflection When you have the opportunity to spend money on new combat items and better trinkets, do it. When you’re in the Inn, use all your Inn Items even if your characters have zero stress, as some items can also apply powerful buffs that will last that whole section. Curing a character’s bleed condition will go a long way in keeping them calm even if they’re at full health. Make sure that every character has trinkets and combat items equipped for every combat and use said items as soon as you can. For Darkest Dungeon 2, any combat encounter could mean the end, so being as prepared as possible is far more important than keeping hold of items. ![]() Sometimes, it’s easy to not use items “just in case” you need them in the future. We have all held onto that minor potion of healing “just in case” for a whole 30 hour RPG. Out on the road, paying attention to which direction characters want to travel might increase or decrease stress, making sure to choose to flee or fight certain encounters and absolutely not allowing your party to get affected by the “horror” condition in combat will all go a long way in ensuring at least some mindfulness for these doomed souls. When out on the road, it is very difficult to manage stress levels, just the act of going forwards can be a bit much for some, so making sure your party has as little stress as possible at the beginning of a run is vital. Character stress plays a major role in how effective a character will be in combat, and therefore how far you will travel within this run. This is good general life advice, but it is a particularly important tip and trick in Darkest Dungeon 2. Some, like “Into The Void”, which makes the character invisible when on Death’s Door, can give you the chance to heal that character up before they fully fall into the void. Whilst you’re there, do not discredit negative quirks as just debuffs. I would often drop the Grave Robber or Highwayman to include the tankier Hellion if the quirks were worth it. Consider choosing a party with these rare quirks over comfort picks. There are also rare quirks, marked with a star, that offer more powerful effects. These quirks can range from the very obvious, such as a percentage resistance towards a particular effect to the abstract, like a penchant for knitting. Each character will have both a positive and negative quirk that will apply certain buffs and debuffs depending on their particular flavour. Pay Attention To Party Member QuirksĪnother thing to consider when choosing your party at the beginning of a run are their quirks. Those buffs can make the difference between life and death. With a little careful planning, two attacks become two buff applications as well. Then you can use the Man-At-Arm’s Hold The Line ability (only available when they are in the second position) to swap back with The Highwayman, hitting an enemy and applying a shield bonus on the tank. So, using the Highwayman’s Duelist’s Advance will hit an enemy with an attack, move the Highwayman forward one space and apply a riposte buff. However, the speed of the Highwayman usually means they go ahead of the Man-At-Arms in initiative order. Of course, the game will give you plenty of advice in party positioning, but it’s not just each individual character’s abilities one should consider, but how they can be used in conjunction with each other.įor example, sitting the Highwayman in second position, directly behind the tankish Man-At-Arms, is not optimal for the Highwayman’s ranged attacks. Choosing what position each character sits within the vertical party order is vital to ensuring each character uses their abilities to their fullest. Unlike the first game, Darkest Dungeon 2 gives you a fresh set of adventurers for each attempt up the mountain. While this list might not allow you to avoid certain death, they will make each attempt up the mountain more time- and cost-effective, allowing you to get further and unlock better trinkets and upgrades until that lofty day where you will, once again, bring hope to a blighted land. |
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