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Game Quicky: Grood (Switch) ~ Not That Three One.
Steam version – Nintendo.com page – Official website
Drageus Games is at it again, they published a new game called Grood. Not to be confused with Marvel's character named "Groot". Fun fact, groot is actually a Dutch word as well. When you literally translate it into English, it means big. Anyways, I'm getting off track. Drageus Games provided me with a press copy to take an honest look at this game and in this article I'm going to take a look at this 2,5D side scrolling shooter by CC_Arts. Is it any good or should you skip this indie title for 5€? Let's find out while I invite you to shoot me a comment in the comment section down below with your opinion on the game and/or the content of this (game quicky) article.
Editorial note: this review has been written while playing v1.1.0.
Load the canons!
The story of this game is short and simple. There are a lot of enemy robots and machines out there, so you build a big attack ship called Grood. You want to take on the enemy with this ship and you set out on a mission for it.
In terms of story, there isn't much more. On one hand, this can be seen as a negative by some people but I personally see it as a positive for this game. The focus of this game is the gameplay and not telling a story. So, it doesn't get in the way at all. Also, this time it's in the game instead of only in the description of the game in the eShop.
Something that I found a huge positive for this game is the fact that there is a co-op feature. It would be a huge ask to have an online co-op as well, but hey. I'm surprised that there is a co-op mode. I do have a small nitpick about it, but I'm going to talk about that in the negatives section of this article.
Let me tell you, this game doesn't fool around. The epilepsy warning at the start of the game is a serious warning since there are some flashing imagery in this game. This game is anything except a cakewalk. At first, I was afraid that this game would use a lot of unfair or unbalanced ways to make the game "more difficult" but I was pleasantly surprised.
This game hits the right balance at being challenging but not too challenging. The pattern of the enemies are easy to learn and avoid. This game doesn't go into bullet hell mode or spawn a ton of enemies you have to damage through. In most cases, there are one or two enemies who are a bit too cheap in my opinion. At the start of the 3rd level, there is this ship that shoots lazers without too much of a warning in which direction making it too much of a cheap shot.
The damage system is quite interesting as well. The more damage you take, the less color there is during gameplay. Yet, this game throws an unique wrench in the mix. It simulates a broken screen so you have to also think where to aim your bullets since you can't line them up properly anymore.
There is also this slow motion mechanic. Once you have defeated a certain amount of enemies, you can go into slowdown mode. Everything, even your own ship, slows down so you can plan out your shots even more. You notice how much more time you have in the slow-motion mode with the battery next to your score. It has to be full before you can start it and it has to be depleted to exit out of the mode. You can't start or stop the slow-motion at will.
You could think that this game can be cheesed by hanging at the bottom at passing through the levels quite easily. Yet, you shoot yourself in the foot with that tactic. Since this game also focuses on high scores. There is even a leader board in the main menu. I only wish it told me on what platforms these scores where achieved since I would love to see which platforms have the highest score.
Visually, this game looks extremely nice. In terms of animation and visual presentation, I don't have any complaints. The animation of text appearing is a nice touch and pleases the computer scientist in me greatly. The game runs quite smooth through the detailed terrain and I rarely experience frame drops or slowdowns.
Speaking of impressive visuals: you can play this game in "90's love modus". If you enable this option in the options menu, you go from the 3D visual artstyle to pixelart with the same attention to detail that the 3D-style brings. This makes the retro gamer inside of me extremely happy. I do have two minor complaints about it and that's the score isn't readable enough in TV mode as well as the health bar. But these can be fixed with a minor patch I think.
This game feels quite gratifying to play. The quite responsive controls is another part the helps achieve that fact. Add an nice metal soundtrack with great sound design and you get a game where you have that "one more round" mentality.
This game has been localized in 4 languages. Which I find a bit strange, since usually Drageus Games has more languages then 4. This game can be played in English, Russian, Spanish and Italian. Since I only speak English out of these 4, I can't review or talk about the quality of the translation.
Let's forget about the cannons
No game is perfect, and this game made a few mistakes. Since I only played the Switch port, I can't say that these issues appear on other platforms but these things were a bit of a downer on my experience.
First of all, let's talk about the health situation. While the draining of color is a interesting mechanic that has been used in other games like Tomb Raider, sometimes it's quite unclear how much health I still had left. This made me play too careful sometimes.
Secondly, let's talk about that silly "continue" feature. I can understand that you only have one life and when you are death, you have to restart the whole game. But, I think it would make the game more accessible and ease the tension a bit when the player had more or infinite lives. With the consequence, that when a player died, there score was reset to 0 or they could "pay with their score" to revive. That way people can still finish the game but try and get a high score to get higher on the leaderboards. Also, that would provide a solution that you could only continue when you have beaten level 4.
Thirdly, let's talk about the UI. It makes a few mistakes alright. While the visual design is quite cool and interesting to use… It suffers in the usability department. Take the credits for example, these are unreadable while you are in TV mode due to the angle of the menu.
Another bigger example is the options menu. Each option brings you to a submenu. Apart from the vibration option, that can be set in that menu. Now, if only you could feel a sample of the vibration and we would be set.
But the biggest issue with the UI I have is something quite simple. I find it extremely strange that you can't go back to the main menu during gameplay. You either have to restart the game or have a game over.
Fourthly, in this negatives section of this article I want to mention that there is no overview of the controls. Since the tutorial only appears the first time and doesn't appear after that, that means you have to figure out the game on your own if you take a break or let a friend play.
Fifthly, why o why isn't there a sort of level leaderboard? Wouldn't it be cool to know which are the high scores per level? Or in what level a certain high score was achieved?
And finally, let's talk about the co-op mode. I do have one gripe with it. Earlier I talked about the health situation. Image that issue but now you have two ships and you are unable to tell who is almost dead and who has still a lot of health points. Let's not forget to mention the fact that there is no tutorial in this game so your partner has to figure everything out from either you or trail and error.
So, let's save or not?
Is this game worth it or should you skip it? Well, it depends. There is a lot going for this game. It's challenging and fun. It has that one more round mentality and it has a lot of competition with the high scores and leaderboards. Yet, with only having one live, this game can feel quite unforgiving.
The biggest mistakes are made in the UI department. There are some things that really bothered me and made me quite thankful that the Switch has some features to easily reset the game.
Would I be able to recommend this game to anybody? Yes! I would recommend this game to anybody who enjoy side scrolling shooters. This game quite well done and has a lot of love put into it. It does have a ton of minor issues that make the game a bit less enjoyable but apart from the one live – restart situation, most of the things shouldn't get too much in the way of enjoying this game.
I have left out one mechanic from this review for those who want to give this game a try and want to still have a surprise left. I'm rather curious what you guys and girls think about it. But, apart from that, I have said everything I wanted to say about this game.
So, I want to thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.
Score: 3.5/5
This entry was posted in First Impression, Game Quickies, Reviews and tagged 001, abandoned, achievements, and, arpegi, beaten, binge, bosses, buttonsmashers, Catalano, cc_arts, city, Claudio, Claudio Catalano, cycle, difficult, drageus, free, game, games, gem, grood, groot, happenings, hidde, hidden, high, indie, information, italian, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, laterlevels, mage, man, marvel, microsoft, more, neko, NekoJonez, Night, Nintendo, normal, not, one, polish, Preview, requests, review, robots, score, scroller, shooter, side, simply, smush, spoiler, steam, story, strategy, switch, The, translation, well, woods, Xbox on November 2, 2020 by NekoJonez.
Preview: SpeedLimit (Steam) ~ Shall We Run Away?
Remember "All You Can Eat"? Well, the people over at GameChuck are developing a new game and it's called Speed Limit. A few weeks ago, a demo version released to test out the game and gather feedback for further development of the game. Today, I'm going to take a look at the game and talk about my 100% honest opinions on the game with the provided press copy. Now, do keep in mind that this game is under development and that I only played the demo. So, things mentioned in this article might be changed when the full version comes out in the second quarter of 2021. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of this article.
If you are interested in this game and you want to read more or even the press materials like screenshots, trailers and other interesting things, you can read the press kit right here. There are also dev logs on their YouTube channel.
Editorial note: I have written this review while playing the demo version released on March 16th, 2020.
In this game, you play as a guy just commuting on the train. Suddenly, a strange man walks into the cart with a gun and collapses into your arms. The annoying thing is that it knocks out the phone from your hand and changes it with the gun. Well, this catches the attention of the secret agent on the train and send the whole SWAT Team after you. Now, it's time to escape their grip and save yourself before it's too late. Your goal is to avoid all their fire and dodge every last enemy that gets thrown your way since one hit kills you.
The extremely difficult adventure can easily be controlled by a few buttons. The arrow keys are for moving to sideways, the down key is for ducking and the up key is to aim up. The default keys for shooting it's the space bar and for jumping it's the control key. The controls are easily rebinded in the options menu. Oh, and let's not forget to mention that this game also can be controlled by a controller.
Speaking of the options menu, the only other things you can currently do is change the volume of the music or reset the options. The consistency of the menu system sticks out and makes it easy to use. The color scheme is used throughout the whole game and that's a nice thing.
This game also has an amazing audiovisual presentation. Let's talk first about the visuals. If you ever played a game like Heart of Darkness on the PS1 or Another World on PC, the pixel art will feel extremely familiar. The animations and the visuals are extremely impressive for a game that's still under active development and still has at least a year left in development.
Couple that with an amazing tense tech/dance soundtrack and you have the great audiovisual presentation that this game delivers. The sound effects get the same praise and I have to say that the immersion sometimes is extremely high.
Now, something that's also quite interesting to know is that this game has several gameplay styles. The variety of this game is quite impressive. For the sake of surprise, I won't spoil too much, but a motorcycle and plane play a role in this game.
The game also has achievements, this is quite interesting and gives a peek to the feature of this game. Currently, the demo has three stages for us to enjoy. And I have to admit, I have trouble reaching the ending of the first stage. But hey, I'm ready to try and try again, since the adrenaline kick will be amazing when I finally do it.
Now, it's time to give my opinion on the game so far. If it isn't clear from the previous section, I really enjoy the game and I think that the finished product will have a lot of potential. But, there are some flaws I think that could be changed.
Let's start with a minor thing. The "Reset To Default" button in the options menu also resets the volume of the music and sound effects. I think an additional button to only reset the control bindings would be a great idea.
I can understand that this game is supposed to be difficult and that it's a game of memorization. But, something that annoyed me to no end was the fact you can't shoot while crouch walking. You need to be at a standstill and duck in order for you to shoot while crouching. I felt that it's a bit unfair since sometimes your execution speed can mean the difference between life or death.
At the current moment, there isn't enough feedback in the sound department. There is no game over sound and the animation can easily be missed. Just give a little sound effect that the player lost before you respawn. Now, the respawn happens quite fast so, it isn't that big of a deal as soon as you get used to it.
Also, I think that the difficulty curve ramps up just a bit too fast. By the 2nd cart, you get swarmed from above, left and right. When you survive that, the next enemy has a shield that bounces your bullets back and because you barely have time to attack the enemies from above from the previous cart, they attack you from the previous cart while you are still trying to figure out how to beat the enemy with the shield. It can be quite overwhelming. Then again, this might be part of the charm, but it's quite frustrating when you barely get the time to get used to certain enemies or patterns.
You might have read it earlier, I haven't been able yet to beat the first stage. I think that I came quite close, but there is always something that I overlook that spells disaster. Now, because of that reason, I won't comment if the game saves your progress or not, but the fact that there isn't an option to reset the save file in the options menu has me a bit worried that this has to be done all in one go. And if you die, you have to restart everything from the start. Then again, you might just get an option to either continue or start a new game when you reached the second level.
And that's currently all the feedback I can give for the demo I played. So, I think it's time for my conclusion on this article and my final thoughts on this game.
I know that this "review" is going to be out of date as soon as the demo gets an update or when the game fully releases. I'm fully aware that my reflexes aren't quick enough to play this style of game optimally. But, that doesn't stop me from enjoying this game.
Before I started to write this article, I had to keep in mind that this article is both a preview to introduce this game to my readers and it's a feedback article. The difference is that this time, I shared my feedback for the developer in my article instead of in a mail.
The direction that this game is taking is interesting. In this article, I have talked about games like Another World and Heart of Darkness. And, this game seriously reminds me of those style of games, extremely difficult but rewarding games to beat.
While this game wouldn't be my first choice when I'm buying games, I'm glad that the developers provided me with a press copy since I want to beat this game to try and get better at these style of games. The "just one more try" mentality got to me for this game. Maybe the fact that the soundtrack of this game is so catchy might have to do with it.
If the game gets even more polish and gets just a bit more balanced in terms of difficulty, I think this game is going to do great in the indie scene. The foundation is already there and if this is only the demo so far… I'm looking forward to the full version. And you may be sure that when I notice that this game gets an update, that I test it out and help the developers to polish up this game to be even better.
If this game sounds interesting to you, I advise that you keep an eye on the Steam Store page and wishlist it. Since this is a game you don't want to miss if you enjoy games like Super Meat Boy, Another World, Heart of Darkness and games of that nature. Or if you enjoy highspeed action games.
Before I ramble on and on, I think it's a great idea that I close off this article. I want to thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article, but until then: have a great rest of your day and take care.
This entry was posted in Articles, Preview and tagged 001, about, advice, announcement, another, arpegi, art, beat, binge, blog, blogger, blogging, buttonsmashers, changes, chuck, computer, content, cool, dance, Dark, darkness, demo, design, different, difficult, electronic, entertainment, facts, fast, feedback, fun, game, games, general, generic, Google, happy, health, heart, hidden, how, idea's, information, inspiration, internet, jea, jonea001, Jonez, jonezjea, life, limit, me, mechanic, media, memorization, methods, mobile, motorcycle, Movies, music, myself, neko, NekoJonez, new, news, Of, opinion, paced, page, press, Preview, puzzle, question, questions, quick, random, rant, respawn, review, Reviews, school, shield, simply, smooth, software, Souls, space, Speed, steam, store, stuff, styles, sucks, techno, test, thanks, themes, thoughts, To, violence, wars, word, WordPress, work, world, writing on April 12, 2020 by NekoJonez.
Game Quicky: Sweet Witches + Swaps & Traps (Switch) ~ Sweet Traps?
Today I'm going to do something special. I'm going to write a game quicky about two games. The reason for that is that I got both games from the publisher at the same time, so I'm going to review them at the same time. Earlier this year, my girlfriend reviewed another game they published called Dead Dungeon. So, let's take a look at their latest offering on the Switch. Sweet Witches & Swaps and Traps. Disclaimer, the publisher asked me to give my 100% honest opinion on these games, so that's what you will find in this article. If you are unfamiliar with the Game Quicky series on my blog, these articles are a quick review of the game. I also use this series to review smaller games that don't have a lot of stories or are rather short. In any case, let's start with one of the games. And as usual, feel free to leave a comment down in the comment section with your opinion on the content of this article and/or the games.
Sweet Witches
Nintendo UK microsite – Publisher website – Developer website
You play as one of two witches and try to plant flowers in order to earn candy.
Each level plays on one screen where you need to avoid enemies to pass each soil patch once to plant a flower. When you planted a flower on each soil patch, you can continue to the next level. Some enemies can even destroy your flowers, so plan out your route carefully. That's the basic gist of this game.
When you boot up the main menu, the charm of the game is quite clear. A lot of love went into the game. The visual presentation is amazing in this game. The artwork looks a bit creepy and cute at the same time. In addition to that, the animations are quite well done.
Depending on the difficulty setting you choose, you can adjust elements of the game. In the easiest difficulty: you can adjust the number of lives, the speed of the enemies and friendly fire. Since you can choose to play this game alone or even in co-op mode. Besides that, you even have a multiplayer mode. I'll talk about the single-player a bit later but the multiplayer looks like a lot of fun. If you are looking for an interesting multiplayer game, this is the game you should take a look at. The idea is that you play a level but try to get as many of your own flowers planted. The more the merrier. You can also change the flowers of your opponent in your own flowers by simply walking over them. In addition to that, your opponents can attack you and you also have to dodge enemies.
The UI and controls of this game are responsive and good. I would change two things. The first thing is that you can use the (+) button in the game to go to the menu to adjust settings or go to the main menu. The other thing is that it's unclear when your game is saved and if you choose the story mode if you are going to continue or start a new game. But, besides these two things, the UI is pretty good. The controls are easy to get used to and are useful in hairy situations.
While the animations and visual presentation are quite amazing, there is so much they could have done to improve this game even more. For example, it would be extremely handy if the soil changed when you planted a flower on it. During some levels, I had trouble to see which patches I missed. Another example is that after the screen transition to the new level, you have to quickly scan the bottom of the screen to find out where you spawn. It could use a bit more fine-tuning.
Something that seriously disappointed me in this game is the sound and music department. Now, the music itself isn't bad by any means but it totally doesn't fit the theme of the game at all. The whole soundtrack is from Kevin Macleod, the guy who provided a lot of music that can be freely used in videos and games. But the music selection, oh boy. It's the generic music I hear in a ton of other YouTube videos and to be honest, I have heard them a bit too much.
On top of that, there were a lot of moments where I felt that there were sound effects actually missing from the game. From completing a stage to ladder climbing sounds. If there is one area where they dropped the ball, it's in the sound and music department.
To be quite honest and frank, the single-player isn't too much fun. It got old pretty quickly for me. There is no jump button, so avoid enemies gets quite tough. Very often I got stuck between two enemies and I was unable to escape with a ladder or stun them. Speaking of stunning enemies, you still lose a life when you walk passed a stunned enemy.
The game is also quite unforgiving. There is no way to earn additional lives and if you get hit once by an enemy, you lose a life. Thankfully, you don't have to redo the whole stage but if you lose all your lives, you do have to redo the whole world. And because you don't know how many levels are in each world, I got frustrated when I reached the 6th level and suddenly I lost my last life due to a stupid mistake.
This game could have benefited from a bit more variety. Let the player do something else then always planting flowers. For example, getting rid of flowers of the bullies or trying to kill all the enemies in one stage. The repetition of the game is a bit too much. Besides that, the enemies' AI is so unpredictable you can barely plan out your next move.
I understand that the game is hard to mimic the old school Amiga, but due to that derpy AI, the game gets a bit too frustrating. But, that might just be me.
This game is bittersweet for me. There is a ton of potential for this game. Visually this game looks amazing. But, it's clear that this game is somewhat rushed on the Nintendo Switch. Personally, I didn't like the single player that much, but I'm happy that I have this game since I'm quite sure that this game will be a lot of fun at parties. Maybe I should give the co-op game mode a try with my girlfriend.
If you are interested in a cheap and challenging puzzle adventure game, this is the game for you. But do know that it lacks some polish and that there could have been so much more if this game got a better soundtrack and a bit more sound design.
I just think that the reason that I'm disappointed with this game is that I see the unused potential and only wished that they delivered that game instead of what we got. Maybe they can improve this with some patches or a sequel, but only time will tell.
Swaps and Traps
So, if you remember Dead Dungeon, you will be quite familiar with the gameplay of this game. The idea is that you get a key to open the door to the next level. But, there is a twist. When you get the key, the antagonist "The Divider" actually swaps part of the level. So, you have to figure out how to jump while getting parts of the level and pasted elsewhere. This game really challenges your spacial awareness.
The unique mechanic of this game is just amazing. You really have to think about how you are going to parkour your way around to beat the level. It's also really confusing because you would think the actual level geometry swaps places as well, but it doesn't. The original layout of the level stays the same. But the location on the screen changes. You can press the "B" button to see a picture of the level before any swaps occur.
This game is a great game to speedrun. The developers actually knew this and added a speedrun timer. Your overall time and amount of deaths are visible on the pause screen. I only wish that this was also kept somewhere after I had beaten the level. Then again, this might over clutter the UI, so I don't think that's a good idea. There is also a leaderboard per level where you can compare your time with the time of other players. I honestly wonder if these are the times of the PC players are also included. But the fact that there are icons of the Nintendo Accounts next to the names, I think it's the Nintendo Switch version only.
The audio in this game is really nice. The music and the sound effects really help sell this game. I really liked the soundtrack in this game. The voice acting in the cutscenes is really corny and it really fits the atmosphere of this game.
The controls of this game are simple and work almost perfectly. In almost every case, I felt that every death was my own fault. And due to the quick respawning, I was able to quickly give the level another shot. Since this game hooks you in with that: "Just one more level and one more try" mentality.
I adore the UI of this game. Especially on the pause screen. You have quick access to the sound and music settings and you see all the info you need. It's quick and easy. Great job on that!
The leaderboard could be so much more. If only there was a section where you can see the time of friends, that would be amazing.
The fact they ported the achievements over from the Steam version into the Switch version is a bit pointless. I can understand that some players love to try and unlock every achievement but to me, it's rather pointless. Since you can't display them on your profile. If only Switch games took achievements a bit more seriously and have them display on your profile screen. But, is this a negative of the game…? Well, yes and no. Let's not forget that I didn't even know that I unlocked an achievement when I did since it showed a small icon in the bottom right corner with barely readable text.
This game would be even more amazing if you were able to remap the jump button and the "show picture of the level" button. More often then not, I wanted to jump and I hit the other button. But this is a minor complaint and might just be me.
While this game is extremely confusing and frustrating, it's a lot of fun to play through. I really enjoyed my time with Switch and Traps and I think it's a great puzzle platformer.
If you enjoy puzzle platforming games or really hard platformers like Electronic Super Joy or Super Meat Boy, I really think that you should give this game a try. I even had trouble finding negatives for this game. For the price, this game is totally worth your time and money.
And with that said, I have to thank the people at Drageus Games for providing me with press copies of these games. I actually really enjoyed myself with these games and I enjoyed writing this article and reviewing two games.
I don't know if I'll review two games at once in the future in the Game Quicky series but who knows, maybe I might review two small games that are sequels of each other or something. I have to think about that.
Now, I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I also hope that I can welcome you in a future article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.
This entry was posted in Articles, Game Quickies, Preview, Reviews and tagged 001, about, advice, and, announcement, art, beat, blog, blogger, blogging, changes, characters, cheap, cheats, computer, content, controls, cool, dead, depth, design, difficult, drageus, Dungeon, entertainment, facts, feedback, fun, gameplay, games, gaming, general, generic, Google, happy, health, how, idea's, in, information, inspiration, internet, issues, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, life, Lost, lumen, Lumen Section, me, mechanic, mobile, multiplayer, music, myself, neko, NekoJonez, news, novel, opinion, party, Platformer, port, puzzle, questions, quick, random, rapid, review, Reviews, section, software, steam, stuff, sucks, swaps, sweet, switch, switching, team, Television, test, thanks, themes, thoughts, tired, To, trap, traps, underrated, unique, video, violence, walkthrough, witches, word, WordPress, work on August 17, 2019 by NekoJonez.
Review: Monster Tale (DS) ~ Are You Ready, Chomp?
Last week when I was writing about Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, I wanted to reference Monster Tale. To my surprise, I haven't written a review or talked about this game in full on my blog. So, that's why I'm going to fix that right now. Let's tell the tale on one of the best Nintendo DS games ever made. As usual, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below about the content of this article and/or the game. For now, let's ready, set, go!
Are you ready, Chomp?
In this game, you take the role of Ellie. A young girl that gets dragged into a world filled with monsters. It doesn't take long before she meets a monster that hatches right in front of her and follows her around as if she was the mother. She decides to name the monster Chomp.
Then, Jinx, a shopkeeper explains what the world is. There are other humans in the Monster World and they are king of their own domain.
Now, Ellie and Chomp go on a quest to try and defeat these evil Kid-Kings and try to get them all home.
The reason I stay pretty vague about the story is simple. This game is a very nicely written plot and talking about it more would spoil it. The characters might be cliche here and there, but I really liked the chemistry between the characters. To this day, I still remember the characters and their role in the story by just looking at screenshots or hearing their theme.
The story is a blast to experience from start to finish. All 10 hours of it. Yes, all 10 hours of it. This game is criminally short. You can squeeze a few more hours out of the game when you want to fully complete it.
There is voice acting in this game, but no full lines are voice acted. Some of the major characters have some spoken phrases or noises but nothing really more. Which is a darn shame since the whole voice cast is extremely talented amine dub voice actors. On the other hand, it helps with the charm that this game has quite a lot.
I especially love the grunts of Ellie and the noises Chomp makes. They are so adorable and made me fall in love with this game. It's still a mystery how the adorable and cute game can tackle serious subject matter like what's presented in this game. So, I hope that you are ready since you and Chomp are going on an adventure.
Back when I first played this game, I hadn't really played a lot of Metroid or Castlevania games. I had heard about both series but I haven't played them. That all changed when I started to play this game.
The gameplay is your typical Metroidvania game. You explore this world and fight monsters on your way. Don't be fooled by the visuals, this game isn't easy at all.
This game is unforgiving sometimes and you really have to learn how each move works and how to use the special items provided to you.
This game has a lot of depth as well. There are three enemy types; fire, water, and earth. These work on a rock, paper scissors theme. So, you will have to keep in mind which version of Chomp you level up and bring with you. Yes, you can level up Chomp. While it's not 100% needed to unlock all versions of Chomp to defeat the final boss of the game, it's highly recommended that you level up at least one form quite a lot.
During combat, enemies can drop various items like footballs, books, slingshots, ice cream, camera's… to help Chomp level up. Some dropped items even have additional benefits, like the football bounces around on the top screen.
Now is a good time to address the top and bottom screen, since it's used in this game to its full potential. On the top, you have the Monster World that Ellie is exploring. You can have Chomp with you for a limited amount of time. That's what the yellow bar on the 2nd screen is for. This bar drains as soon as Chomp is in the Monster World.
You can let the bar recharge when Chomp is resting in his den, which is the bottom screen. Once there, the bar recharges and he can experiment and learn about the various items that enemies drop. There is also another catch, each version of Chomp has different attributes, abilities and special powers to play around with.
Now, I love the risk and reward system of combat. There are a lot of ways to handle the situation. One possible option is to let Chomp handle the enemies. Another possible situation is to shoot the enemies down and another is to melee combat. Now, you would argue that the melee combat sounds useless. Well, I would agree with you there but there is a limit to your shooting ability. When the 2nd bar on the 2nd screen, the blue one, depletes; you can't shoot anymore. You can recharge this bar at save points or by finding rare blue orbs in the world or as drops. But the easiest way is to melee defeat enemies.
Now, there is a lot more done with the mechanics of the two screens and I have to tell that I really liked it. The combat is extremely challenging to do but in a fun way. Also, no playthrough feels and plays the same since you have so many different ways to tackle the situation.
In addition to that, you never get lost on what to do next since the next spot you need to go to is always indicated on the map. I have no idea if there is an option to disable this, but I think it's a very useful feature.
Gameplay-wise, this game is extremely addictive. There are a lot of power-ups for Ellie and various forms for Chomp. So, this game quickly becomes a balancing act on who to power up with your hard-earned cash. Do invest in both, since otherwise, you will regret it later.
Control-wise, this game is solid. While in very few occasions, the ground pound move was a bit tricky to pull off, but that was a minor annoyance. Since, when you die in this game, you get quickly put back to the latest checkpoint. Now, if there is one thing I really disliked in this game is the lack of teleports.
There is a lot of backtracking in this game. That's the biggest problem I have with this game. The Castlevania have teleport stones, but Monster Tale doesn't have that. That's the biggest flaw this game has. Besides being criminally short that is.
Save often!
So, this game doesn't have an autosave. At certain locations, you come across a book where you can save. There, you can recharge every meter to it's fullest potential. These rooms are highly needed since the lower your hearts, the more tricky this game can become.
Something I will never get tired of with this game is the presentation. This game looks amazing. It's clear that a lot of love has been put in the creation of this game. The backgrounds of each zone look stunning, vibrant and have a lot of detail.
The colors pop and they build an amazing atmosphere. I especially love the beach zone since it has a lot of memories for me. As a kid, I took a lot of trips to the seaside with my family and I love to sit on the beach and watch the sea do its thing.
Besides that, the monster design is adorable. In some cases, I didn't even want to hurt the enemies. They all have unique designs and patterns, it's tricky to kill them. Both since they look so good and some have very unique killing patterns.
Now, the soundtrack of this game is good. While there are some tracks that I find mediocre, the overall package is a blast to listen to. It really pumps you up to continue. You won't regret hearing these tunes during gameplay and even outside. I played the soundtrack in the background while I was writing this article and I actually heard the various enemy noises and the various other sounds in my head.
This proves that this game has an amazing audio design. To this day, I still remember sound effects and music from the game. And that's what I mean with that this game will leave a visual impression on you. The game is not only pretty but also sounds pretty.
The animations are fluid and the game runs at a very stable frame rate. I actually don't remember the game ever dropping frames. Also, I really like how there are two save slots. This way you have tried for two very different runs.
In terms of the UI, there is one minor thing I have to complain about. It's actually extremely nitpicky but I really find the use of the start and select buttons to switch between the menu's a bit too much. The start and select buttons on the DS Lite are extremely small. Besides, I wished they merged the map screen and the other menu into one option. Maybe an ability to select from the pause screen if you wanted to see the map screen or the evolution screen of Chomp.
So, that's everything I wanted to say about this game. I left a few things unexplained for when you are interested in giving this game a chance. You will be surprised. But, it's time for the section of the review of the people who need a tl;dr. Time for the conclusion!
-The pause menu could be reorganized a bit better.
-The harsh difficulty could be a turn off for some people.
-The game is really short.
-No teleporting in the game.
+ Amazing Metroidvania game.
+ Great story.
+ Amazing visual and sound presentation.
+ This game oozes charm.
If you highly enjoy the 2D Castlevania games, the Metroid games or any other Metroidvania game and you are looking for something more light-hearted, then Monster Tale is your game. This game looks and sounds amazing.
Besides a few minor flaws, this game comes highly recommended. It's a big shame that the remake for 3DS actually fell through and that the original developers of this game went bankrupt.
If you see this game for sale, pick it up and play it. It's one of the best games on the DS. I wish more people knew about it so another developer could pick up the IP and make a sequel to it.
On the other hand, the ending wraps up things extremely nicely and makes for an amazing package. Due to the various possible playstyles, this game is highly replayable. But, it's the complete experience that will stay with you. And that's what makes this game so memorable and unique.
Thank you for reading this article and I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.
This entry was posted in Articles, Reviews and tagged 001, 3DS, and, are, arpegi, baised, beat, blogging, buttonsmashers, cancelled, cast, CastleVania, cheap, cheat, Chomp, cute, design, difficult, ds, easily, easy, ellie, entertainment, ethan, exploit, feedback, free, gameplay, gamer, games, gaming, general, generic, how, information, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, like, Majesco, Metroid, Monster, more, music, neko, NekoJonez, news, Nintendo, opinion, own, port, Preview, princess, ready, remake, review, similar, soundtrack, spoiler, tags, Tale, talking, test, through, To, vania, video, visual, voice, walk, walkthrough, WordPress, you on March 26, 2018 by NekoJonez.
First Impression: Computer Tycoon (PC – Steam) ~ Computers Everywhere
Official steam page – Official website
It's no secret that I'm studying to become a computer science guy. My biggest dream job is that I can be the IT guy for a big school or group of schools. There is just something about tech and education that I adore. Not too long ago, I found a game called Computer Tycoon on Twitter. When I saw it, I got interested quite fast in the game. This game can be an educational game about how the computer industry works and things like that. This is just great, so I got in touch with the developer and we talked back and forth. So, the developer provided me with a review code for this game and said that I was free to talk about my own opinions. So, even when I got this game for free; this review is all my opinion.
Note: This game is still in Early Access, but the developer wants your feedback to improve the game! Most of this review is based on v0.9.1.20.
Note: Just recently, this game got MAC support. But, I'm a Windows user, so I reviewed this game on Windows.
Starting out!
In this game, you play as a young fellow that is looking to start building computers and selling them. Your goal is to build a big computer empire. When you are just starting out, I highly recommend that you disable almost every opponent.
You start in the early '70s. You are greeted by an informative message from the developer. The information displayed in this information box is quite helpful to get you started. I highly recommend that you read it.
Then you pick a country to get started. Think before you pick a country since this will decide how your game is going to play out. Also, choose your starting country depending on the stats of the country.
By default, you get a random world. That means that all stats of the countries are randomized. So, in one game, Sweden can be a rich country looking for features on their computers and in another round, they can be a poor country looking for more ease-of-use in their computers.
So, after you picked your starting location, it's time to create your office and a place to build your computers. Build an office and a factory. After that, you start creating your own computer. Add as much as you can but try to avoid making the computer too expensive.
After that, sell your first computer and try to expand your company and improve your technology. Keep in mind that you can set up your new computer when you have the time paused.
I hope with these helpful tips you can get started and enjoy the game. While it's quite helpful if you know about how computer work and what part does what, it isn't really needed. The developer provided a lot of explanation and tooltips in the game that explains things when you don't understand what you are doing.
If you think that games today are easy, you are in luck. This game provides you with a lot of challenge. Depending on how many opponents you picked and the difficulty setting, you will have to think on your feet.
Whenever something requires your attention, like you need to upgrade your factory, you will have a voice sample playing. I think this can be expanded a little bit. There are deaf people on this planet and I think it would be lovely if these things show in a text box like other things. Yet, I must say that the voice acting is very nicely done.
Clicking around
The most important thing to play this game is your monitor and your mouse. You barely use your keyboard in this game. I would love some shortcut keys in a feature version, like "W" to open the world map or "R" to open your research tab.
Visually, this game looks great. When building an office; it raises out of the ground. I really like the visual presentation of this game. I wish there were a few more character portraits for me to choose from while starting a new game.
The UI of the game is good. Do remember, that this game is still in early access. So, some parts of the UI might look unpolished. Just report them to the developer on the Steam forums. He is a great guy and really listens to what the people who play are saying about his game.
In addition to that, he asks frequently for the player's input. For example, where he asks where players get stuck to improve the tutorial. I already gave him a few suggestions right before I have published this article and I think they will get into the game.
Personally, I recommend playing this game in full-screen. It makes the UI better in the current versions of the game.
This game has an autosave feature. You get notified when this game has automatically saved. You can always save from the pause menu and give your save file a unique name.
The soundtrack of this game is very good. The soundtrack really fits the atmosphere of the game and I'm thinking about adding some of the tracks to my playlist.
I highly enjoy playing through this game and when I have the free time, I boot up this game and start playing it. Like I said earlier, I recommend that you play this game when you aren't tired. Since this game requires your concentration.
Flaws and such
The gameplay is fun, the music is great, the UI is good and the game provides a good amount of challenge. The game gets regular updates to improve the things that the community tells him. But, does the game have flaws are things it should improve?
Here are a few things I think can improve to make the game more enjoyable or that frustrate me about the game.
One, in my first playthroughs, I got heavily discouraged seeing how fast the rival company was in "owning land". The whole map was colored in my rival company's color in a matter of minutes. I think the AI is a bit too smart in that front.
Two, I think that the "hardware" menu needs the most polishing up before the game goes out of early access. There should be more filters so you can look more easily for parts of a computer you took off the market. Also, I think it would be handy if you could "bulk-archive" (Archive more than one piece of hardware at one time). Finally, I think that the order of the list should be a piece of hardware instead of the seemingly random mess it is now.
Three, make the text more readable. Some parts of the UI aren't readable. Especially on some screen sizes, the text flows together into one big blur. Or when something is crammed into a box, like "United Kingdom". Thankfully, this is something the developer knows about and is going to fix.
Four, building a computer can be a real mess. When you click on "RAM" to add RAM, you can build a new piece of hardware. Now, I can pick any part of a computer. Even a hard disk for example. When you try to add the wrong part to the RAM, it goes to the right place in the blueprint. I honestly think that this part of the can be polished up and made easier.
All in all, most of the flaws I find in this game are fixable. For real, once I understood this game and its little quirks, I got addicted. This game is a lot of fun for people who build the computer and are looking for a new tycoon game to play.
The more I play this game, the more I'm amazed by the quality of this game. I always say that a game has a lot of potentials, but this game sure has it.
When the game is more polished up and fixed the things that irritate me, I think that this game might become a game I will play whenever I have that tycoon itch.
I really urge everybody to support the development of this game. Buy a copy, since it's quite cheap on Steam. You get a lot of value for your game and you get a developer who listens to the community and tries to improve the game so that as many people as possible can enjoy this game. He doesn't need to do a lot to make me enjoy this game since I'm already doing that!
That's everything I wanted to say about this game for now. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope to be able to welcome you in another article but until then, have a great rest of your day and take care!
This entry was posted in Articles, First Impression and tagged 001, Access, beginners, bill, cheap, computer, development, difficult, Early, first, game, games, Gates, go, good, great, history, information, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, look, mac, man, method, more, neko, NekoJonez, one, Preview, progorion, randomized, review, rouge, steam, strategies, strategy, tips, To, tricks, tutorial, tycoon, underrated, unique, walkthrough, win on November 2, 2017 by NekoJonez.
First Impression: Rise and Fall – Civilizations At War (PC) ~ RTS with First Person Twist
This game brings back so many memories. But recently, I fixed an old computer that runs Windows XP. I was looking in my collection for some games to play and I came out in this game. I installed the game without a second thought and started playing it again. So, in this article, I'm going to share my opinion on this game from my latest playing sessions. I tried to not be nostalgia blinded for this first impression. So, it's time that we gave this RTS game a shot. I could have reviewed this game but I played more free games instead of the campaigns, so since I haven't finished all the campaigns, it's a first impression. As usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of this article.
Who do you wanna play?
In this game, you can play as different major historical figures like Julius Caeser, Cleopatra, Achilles, Sargon II and 4 others I won't spoil for you. I have now played the first introduction campaign and a handful of free games. So far, my favorite character to play as is Cleopatra.
The voice acting of the characters is pretty well done. But something I noticed while playing with Cleopatra, is that the heroes don't have taunts or speak when you aren't in first person mode. That's a shame because the voice clips of the first person mode could have been easily used in non-first person mode.
There are two main campaigns, and that's about it. But, there is a very big campaign editor in the game that's easy to use and has a lot of tools to play around with. So, you can download and install additional campaigns easily. It's a shame that there aren't too many custom campaigns floating around on the internet. I have to admit that I haven't played any custom campaign, but I will fix that in the near future.
In the two main campaigns you play as either Alexander or Cleopatra. So far, I have only played parts of Alexander's campaign and the story is rather interesting. You play through his journey to the throne. I wonder how Cleopatra's is going to be.
The presentation of the past
Visually, this game looks quite nice. While you can see the game's age in the graphics, I think that they hold up quite i well to this day.
I love the menu of this game. It's quite easy and simple to use. Also, the demo movie of this game is playing in the background while you are browsing the menu. That's genius.
I have played this game both on a machine that can handle the minimum specs and on a machine that can run this game in HD twice. On the minimum machine, I noticed some slowdown in the animations when there were too many things on screen, but the game seems to not go in "not playable" mode.
The animation are quite nicely made. I especially love how the game looks in first person mode. It made me miss the ability to rotate buildings. Since I like to build statues at the edge of my city and walls around that, so I can't see them in first person since I can't turn them.
But the soundtrack, let me tell you, it's one of the best ever soundtracks in a PC game I have ever heard. I love to put the soundtrack on to write articles or to just casually listen too. It's one of the best soundtracks I have heard in years for RTS games. It might be one of my favorite soundtracks ever made to be honest.
So, in this game you have a RTS game with a first person view mode. You can watch and control your hero when he/she reaches a certain level. Then, with one easy press of the button, you can control your hero and do their special moves.
Each hero has her/his special abilities and weaknesses. When you are selecting your hero, you always get a very descriptive textbox telling you what they are. Each civilization has two heroes you can pick from.
There are a few other things that are handled differently in this game then in your typical RTS. First of all, you don't have to collect food. Secondly, you don't have to go through the ages to unlock technology, you have to upgrade the level of your hero. Thirdly, there isn't any siege workshop, your villagers build your siege units. There is also an adviser and glory system. But, I leave that for you guys to figure out.
Something I really love in this game is that you can place units on top of your walls. Also, your regular units can't attack nor destroy walls. You need the special ladder units or siege units for that.
You can also climb any ladder in first person mode. So, when you see an annoying siege tower in your enemies base, go in first person mode to climb up it and kill those archers.
There are so many details and things I love in this game, I could continue for quite a bit more, but I'm convinced that when you enjoy RTS games, you will enjoy the breath of fresh air this game is.
Also, something that threw me off guard is the fact that each map has a special goal you can meet for winning the scenario. So, be warned, some are economic goals and can creep up on you before you know it. But, you can disable these goals before you start the single player match.
I'm certain that this game has me hooked. Apart from the slowdowns on the older machine, there isn't a lot that I think this game does wrong. I do have some nitpicks, but I have mentioned them all in this article. When I finish both the official campaigns, I think I will write a full review of this game and give my final opinion on this game.
But for now, I think it's time to wrap this article up. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much I enjoyed writing this article. Thank you for reading and I hope to welcome you in another article. But until then, have a great rest of your day and take care.
This entry was posted in Articles, First Impression, Personal and tagged 001, a, Amazing, and, arpegi, at, civ, civilizations, cleopatra, custom, difficult, download, fall, game, gameplay, how, information, is, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, Lost, midway, more, neko, Preview, reason, review, rise, scenarios, short, soundtracks, studios, To, tutorial, walkthrough, war, without on June 4, 2017 by NekoJonez.
First Impression: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon (3DS) ~ So Close…
I'm a big fan of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. I dare to say it's one of my favorite Pokémon spin-offs ever made. A few weeks ago, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon released here in Europe and I have played it, but not yet finished it. Is this is good or a bad sign? Well, it's time to take a look at this game. Since this game gets a very mixed reception. Is it a mediocre game or is it more then that? And as usual, feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and/or the content of this article.
Short game?
When I reviewed the previous 3DS entry, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon – Gates To Infinity, I first wrote a rather lengthy rant about it. It had added a lot of features while cutting a few amazing ones. But thankfully, most of those are back in this game.
Something I applaud Nintendo and ChunSoft for in this game is that the personality quiz is back, but it's optional. This is the perfect way of making both worlds happy. I loved the personality quiz and love to roleplay in the game. Yet, I do understand that some people don't like it and want to play as their favorite Pokémon. So, now they can do that more easily.
The story of this game is rather interesting. The main plot is that Pokémon are turning into stone. But there is a big problem with the story. While that is going on, the story you play is the story of the main character. The story is something I'm happy and disappointed with at the same time. The writing is solid and the characters are memorable, but at the other hand, I feel that some story arcs don't receive enough attention.
The biggest issue I have is that I get the impression that this game is pretty short. Notice the word "impression" here. Like in previous titles, this game shows the already defeated bosses on your file before you load it. I have still to defeat two bosses and I have put 14 hours into it.
The game has 20 chapters, I'm now at chapter 14. But, I haven't done every quest and mission that there is in this game. So, the main story is rather short but the actual game is pretty lengthy. I have seen 70 out of the 720 Pokémon in the game. This means that the story doesn't have too much filler story. Which is a shame in my eyes, but I see it appeal to some people. Just keep that in mind.
Less cuts
This game is a hybrid between the DS and 3DS titles. The hunger system is back, but with a twist. When your belly is full and you eat perfect apples, you gain more health in that dungeon. Also, when you heal using a berry, your belly fills a little bit. Also, you can take multiple quests at once again. This was one of my biggest issues with the previous game.
But this game brings also some really nice features to the table. You can change your name mid game! Yes, when you named your ally, your ex-girlfriend's name for example… You can change that.
Also, this game has a more expansive feel. In the middle of the game, you get access to Lapras. This Pokemon can take you to other islands. Each island is themed. Not only the dungeons, but the town accompanying it as well.
This game has the features the previous game should have had. I haven't talked about every feature in this game, since that's something you should discover yourself. I haven't talked about the new party customization features or the special powerups you can have.
Anyways, the visuals in this game are pretty amazing. The world and the characters are quite colorful and the game gives off a happy and fun mood. But be warned, this game has a few moments that can pull at your emotional hart-strings. One of those moments happened on a pretty crowed public train. Yeah…
The worlds pop out and this game has pretty well done 3D effects. The animation is also pretty well done. I rarely encountered frame drops. This game runs pretty smooth alright.
Yet, so close…
The biggest flaw in this game are the controls. Don't get me wrong, this game controls pretty amazingly but they made some pretty awkward decisions for this game.
Some buttons have multiple functions. When you aren't used to the controls, be prepared to make a couple of wrong moves.
One thing I'm quite on the fence about is the pushing mechanic. While this helps you move allies over a wonder tile when their stats have dropped, you can do that with leader switching feature. I don't see a lot of use for the pushing mechanic. Also, it drains your belly quickly.
This game has a an amazing soundtrack. Some boss themes are slowly becoming my favorites. The soundeffects are quite good as well. Only minor issue is that when you use a team attack, it overpowers the music.
At the other hand, the menu design is quite well done. When you use your attacks, you can easily see which ones are going to be effective and which ones not.
The last thing I want to talk about is the AI in this game. The AI of your allies has some nice improvements. When there is an item in the room you are in, your ally is going to get it for you. Also, when you are low on HP, your ally can use it's turn to heal you. These tweaks are the best additions to this game.
So, this game is a big improvement over the previous 3DS entry. While the main story is rather short and some controls could use some polish… This game is a must have for every Pokémon fan!
In any case, I think I'm going to wrap up this article here. while I haven't said everything about this game I want to say… I have to leave something for the review. Otherwise, the review will sound like a copy paste of this article with some added parts.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm quite curious about your opinion of this game. Feel free to leave a comment in the comment section down below. Have a great rest of your day and until the next time! Game on~!
This entry was posted in First Impression, Reviews and tagged 001, 3DS, arpegi, article, back, buy, ChunSoft, close, difficult, DLC, Dungeon, first, free, games, guide, how, hunger, impression, info, information, is, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, lapras, lenght, microsite, more, Mystery, neko, NekoJonez, new, Nintendo, official, pass, personality, Pokémon, Preview, quiz, review, short, site, so, spoiler, story, super, ticket, To, website, what on April 3, 2016 by NekoJonez.
First Impression: Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl (3DS) ~ Dungeon Crawler with own maps
Back when the 3DS wasn't released, I played an overload of DS games. More then I care to admit. There was one series I wanted to get into but actually never gave a fair chance. That was Etrian Odyssey. So, two weeks ago, I decided to pick up one of the 3DS games. Since the core game mechanic interested me. Now, I haven't played many other games besides this the last two weeks. But why is it so good to me? I will explain in this first impression. I hope you are ready, since we are going to the labyrinth. Wait, no… This is real life, not the game world. So, I have to say my usual sentence. Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion on the game and or the content of this article.
Going old school
Alright, first of all. I'm blown away by the story. Most of all, I think this is one of the best writing I have seen since I played Corpse Party. Sometimes the writing is as if you are reading a book. While nothing that much happens on screen, the short yet extremely powerful descriptions you are given are enough to immerse yourself in the world and give you the feeling to be there in the world.
The characters are also memorable. The story goes about a girl that lost her memory. But, strangely, the story wasn't the main focus of the story until the point I played. It was something different. There are other side stories that are all leading up to one interesting setup. It's almost like a real life as an explorer. There are so many things going on and you try to make the best of it.
The characters are what makes the story even more interesting. They might be your typical hotheaded mage, wise healer, strong (female!) tank and silent main character. Yet, they have been written in such a way that it doesn't bother the story. The characters even get fleshed out and thrown in day to day situations.
But enough about the story. I can't praise it enough. What I love the most about this game is the fact you have to draw your own map on the touch screen. This takes me back so many years, when I was first playing The Legend Of Zelda on my cousin's NES. We both started to draw maps together and tried to find and share secrets that way. The wonder I get when I find an unexplored part on a floor I thought I completed is just amazing.
Music to enjoy.
So, this game has a very nice map creating tool. It doesn't punish you by not allowing you to the next floor until every square has been discovered, it rewards you to try and get to hard to reach area's with amazing treasure.
I'll talk a bit about the gameplay later. First, I want to talk about something else. The music of this game is really well done. In fact, I even replaced my main ringtone with one of my favorite tracks from the game.
Another thing that also shines in the sound department is the voice acting. The voices are really well done and add a lot of character … to the characters. They also are really helpful. The shout what they think is the enemies weakness in battle. This is where I have some minor nitpicks. The battle system is where some polish of this game … well, I has some minor mistakes.
The "auto" feature doesn't always chooses the best option to attack and looking up a monster while fighting can't be done in sub menu's. That are just two examples of issues I have with the battle system. The randomizing of the characters don't bother me that much, since that brings some element of luck to the game… Which I really like.
The presentation of this game is what I really think doesn't need an upgrade. I have barely anything negative to say. Apart from some lazy recoloring of some enemy models, I think they made some eye candy to enjoy while playing this game. If only the added some more ambient sound effects into the game to make it a bit more alive then it already is.
Enjoying this game like mad
To say that this game is perfect would be a lie. There are some minor annoyances, like the deleting of icons is kinda tricky to do… But most of the things I find are mostly minor. Even the controls, I can't seem to find any major issues. They are responsive and work pretty well.
I could argue that there isn't anywhere to heal your party for free, but that just adds the strategy element of this game. You need to keep exploring and find enough items and treasure to sell so you can keep healing.
That price always goes up, from what I understand… along with the levels of your party members.
Is this game for everybody? Well, that seriously depends on what mode you play. I'm playing classic mode. That means I get the full story yet the game is a bit more challenging. I wanted to play a game that could kick my ass if I wasn't ready for a battle or if I wasn't paying enough attention. It delivers on that front. With some well placed traps and the introduction of really strong enemies really early, I'm always on my guard.
From what I read, the story mode is much more forgiving. But I wanted a challenge and I'm getting it for sure. And I'm enjoying it. That much, that I had trouble with writing a really coherent article. So, I tried to talk like an excited friend that tries to sell you on this game. I hope I succeeded in that. Even when you aren't interested in this game, I highly recommend you watch a let's play episode or something since the game is so well put together, I think it's a shame if you would to miss out on this. So, I'm going to wrap up this article right here. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And hopefully, I would like to welcome you at another article. Until then, take care.~
This entry was posted in First Impression and tagged 001, 3DS, addict, adventure, area, arpegi, atlus, challenge, crawler, difficult, draw, ds, Dungeon, etrain, first, game, girl, hard, how, impression, information, intelligent, jea, Jonez, jonez001, jonezjea, map, maps, millennium, more, neko, NekoJonez, Nintendo, odyssey, own, review, spoilers, story, systems, The, To, untold, vague, without, you, your on August 3, 2015 by NekoJonez.


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Home › Old World Italian: Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy: A Cookbook
Old World Italian: Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy: A Cookbook
Author: Thorisson, Mimi
Brand: Clarkson Potter Publishers
Details: Product Description Mimi explores the beautiful coasts and countrysides of Italy in this lavishly photographed cookbook featuring simple, authentic recipes inspired by the country's devoted producers and rich food heritage. Beloved for her gorgeous cookbooks A Kitchen in France and French Country Cooking, Mimi Thorisson, along with her lively family and smooth fox terriers in tow, immersed readers in the warmth of their convivial lives in rural France. In their newest cookbook, the Thorissons pause their lives in the idyllic French countryside to start a new adventure in Italy and satisfy their endless curiosity and passion for the magic of Italian cooking. Old World Italian captures their journey and the culinary treasures they discovered. From Tuscany to Umbria to Naples and more, Mimi dives into Italy's diverse regional cuisines and shares 100 recipes for authentic, classic dishes, enriched by conversations with devoted local food experts who share their timeworn techniques and stories. You'll indulge in dishes culled from across the country, such as plump agnolotti bathed in sage and butter from the north, the tomato-rich ragùs and pastas of the southwest, and the multifaceted, seafood-laden cuisine of Sicily. The mysteries of Italian food culture will unravel as you learn to execute a perfect Neapolitan-style pizza at home or make the most sublime yet elemental cacio e pepe. Full of local color, history, and culture, plus evocative, sumptuous photography shot by Mimi's husband, Oddur Thorisson, Old World Italian transports you to a seat at the family's table in Italy, where you may never want to leave. Review "These stories and recipes are a real tribute to everything I love about Italy. Mimi has successfully shared what is important in the Italian culinary tradition: seasonal ingredients at their best, careful attention to local traditions, and regional recipes that are delicious and attainable for the home cook. The stories are written with a contemporary vision and appreciation for old-world cuisine, and the photos and recipes are exquisite. This book is a must-have for both younger and older generations who want to cook and understand the beauty of Italian food." —Lidia Bastianich "Passion, place, and family permeate the writing and recipes in Old World Italian. As you get lost in Mimi's poetic words, you are transported to Torino, Italy—you can almost taste the freshness of the basil and hear the kiddos running about as the adults ceremoniously sip their aperitivo. Many of us dream of the romantic notion of picking up our lives to follow our heart—Mimi actually did it. And with ease, grace, and authenticity. Every recipe is imbued with love—these are not meals to look at, they are dishes to savor, that have a sense of history and tradition, captured through a modern and fearless lens." —Athena Calderone "Mimi's words and recipes have the power to transport us to another time and place, one of magic and plenty, of deep feeling and treasured memories. But her most endearing trait, beyond how beautifully she writes and that her delicious and deeply relevant recipes always work, is how warm and inviting she is both on and off the page. Viva Italia, and viva Mimi! Old World Italian is a treasure—a guide to embracing life, and Italy, with open arms." —Sarah Copeland About the Author Mimi Thorisson is a French cook and writer living with her family between Médoc, France, and Turin, Italy. She is the author of A Kitchen in France and French Country Cooking and runs the award-winning food blog Manger, which documents her cooking adventures in Médoc and around Italy. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Introduction For eight years i had been living, mostly, in french kitchens, amongst the copper pots and pans and the oily jars of duck fat stacked on swaying shelves betwixt the plum jams of early autumn, the cornichons, and the candied onions. I was happy in those kitchens: I ha

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Plopii-Slăviteşti é uma comuna romena localizada no distrito de Teleorman, na região de Muntênia. A comuna possui uma área de 49.31 km² e sua população era de 2717 habitantes segundo o censo de 2007.

Comunas de Teleorman (distrito)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Working at STAPLES you will grow in a unique environment where you will develop your professional skills and build your own career path. Thanks to several training and development programs, you can benefit from endless possibilities.
STAPLES cares about your personal well being and offers an array of rewards, benefits, and dedicated programs.
Every day at STAPLES is a chance to grow!
WHY DO I LOVE MY JOB!
To me the opinion of my family and children is important, and I know that my kids are proud to say that their Mom works at STAPLES, and so am I. I'm proud to work for a company that has a "can try" attitude where we're able to try new things, knowing that we work in an environment that supports the team and works together. At STAPLES we get to work in cross functional groups where we get to know our peers and learn from each other. We also like to have fun together! Every year we have a Golf Tournament that allows us to get out together and enjoy each other's company.
When I joined STAPLES I was just finishing university and was deciding where I would start my career. When I had the opportunity to interview with STAPLES I learned of their strong commitment to the Special Olympics. This was a contributing factor for me to join the company as throughout my time in high school and university I had worked with children with intellectual disabilities. STAPLES commitment to the community reflects their STAPLES Soul, and mirrors mine. I'm very thankful to be with STAPLES, as just as they help their communities grow, they have helped me grow in my career as well in both retail management and corporate career paths.
I'm fortunate to work for a company who has their associates in mind. The Management Development program at Staples helped me develop my skills from an associate to a manager. Once I was promoted to a manager my time at the stores helped me further develop my skills as well as understand our business. Those opportunities have only helped me to grow more and support me in my next role as a Recruiter and now as a Training and Development Coordinator in our home office. From the stores to the corporate office, we believe in working together and supporting each other to make sure that we deliver on our brand promise, to make more happen.
I've had the opportunity to work for many retailers, but when I joined STAPLES, I knew I was home. There is a passion and commitment to everyone who works in the company, regardless of their position. It was because of this that I went through their Management Development program and have stayed and grown. We talk about Team CARE in our stores, and the thing that I appreciate most, is that we don't just talk about it, we live it too. STAPLES also provides an outlet for my passions. I'm an avid organizer and often help my family and friends plan their weddings. At STAPLES I have everything I need to keep me organized!
The STAPLES environment and culture is a big reason why I enjoy working here and in discussing the STAPLES culture with the co-op students that have worked in my area over the past few years, they universally have agreed that it has been an important factor for them as well. STAPLES is also like my passion for hockey, which I get to enjoy at work by participating in our Ball Hockey League. Both hockey and STAPLES offer a team atmosphere where we work closely together to achieve one goal. Even the fact that we have a ball hockey league and fitness centre at our corporate office speaks to the company's commitment to our health, fitness and well being. At STAPLES, we're more than just a number; we're part of a team that supports each other.
STAPLES recognizes our need to develop personally and professionally. I have had a chance to grow professionally from my time as a part-time cashier in Medicine Hat Alberta. Within two years I had moved to Toronto to join the corporate office and since then I have continued to grow in roles in Merchandising and Operations. STAPLES has helped me grow professionally and understood and recognized my desire to grow personally as well. In 2007 I won the STAPLES Soul Award for my trips to Cambodia and Malawi, and for helping to host a leadership conference to encourage action and advocacy for children around the world.
I've always had a strong desire to create, adapt and change; passions that come from a long family history of home renovation and retail ownership. At STAPLES, I have the opportunity to create, develop, build and enhance a program that revolves around the love of my life – computers and their well being. Thanks to our corporate culture of challenge, innovation, free thinking, I am free to be me, free to win and best of all, impact the quality of work life of many of our associates by providing them with appropriate tools, programs, skills and training that make their lives just a little bit easier.
STAPLES supports the principles of lifelong learning. Employees are encouraged to enhance their skills and knowledge, with the support of management and internal resources.
Taking care of the people behind the Easy Button.
How do you become the world's best office products company? It starts with giving the people behind the Easy Button the peace of mind to be at their best.


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user: cc_hill
cc_hill
13 Matching Annotations
gutenberg.net.au gutenberg.net.au
cc_hill 28 Apr 2019
"No people spend more freely, I believe, than West Indians,"
During the 18th century, many owners of West Indian sugar plantations made fortunes through the use of cutting edge technology in their business ventures -- these successful entrepreneurs came to be known as "Sugar Kings." Some of these men and their families then journeyed back to England to buy estates with their newly earned money, and the sugar lobby gained power in Parliament as the recently-returned Sugar Kings took up seats in the legislature.
Read about the British West Indies here.
library subscription book
Circulating libraries were particularly popular -- especially among women -- during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike today's libraries, patrons had to pay a fee to access their services and take out books. Libraries also sold other items like stationary products to turn a profit. Mr. Parker wants to see the library subscription book in order to check how many people have signed up to use the library -- and are thus staying in Sanditon -- for the season.
See resources here and here for more information about circulating libraries.
French boarding school
This seems apparently to refer to simply a boarding school that teaches French, but references are unclear. French was, however, a subject of great importance in the Regency era, as this article explains.
References to "French Boarding Schools" in England can be found here and in an advertisement here.
bathing machines
Bathing machines were small shed-like boxes of wood or canvas mounted on wheels and propelled into the water (sometimes pulled by horses). The occupant would change inside the bathing machine and step down from it into the water, thereby guarding the occupant's (usually a woman) modesty. See Heath's Mermaids at Brighton at the top of this text.
[History of bathing machines] (http://www.victoriana.com/Etiquette/bathingmachine.htm)
Images of bathing machines
West Indian
During Austen's life, the British Empire had significant holdings in the Caribbean (the West Indies). These colonies would not begin becoming independent until after World War II.
History of the West Indies
nankin boots
Generally spelled "Nankeen," a type of short walking boot made with a pale brown cotton cloth originally produced in Nanjing, China.
Information about Nankeen boots
During the 18th and 19th Century, Parliament passed the Inclosure Acts, which expanded landowners' ability to enclose previously publicly-held lands for their own use. This practice was protested against by commoners who had relied on the lands for communal use.
History of enclosures
More history of enclosures
The Inclosure Acts
straw hats and pendant lace
Straw hats would have been a common seaside accessory for Regency-era women. Lace was also becoming more readily available -- and affordable -- in the early 19th century with the perfection of lace-making machines in 1813. Up until the 19th century, lace was generally handmade and thus expensive, but by the time of Sanditon's writing was much cheaper.
On straw hats vs. lace
South Foreland and Land's End
South Foreland and Land's End are points on opposite ends of England's southern coast.
A district of London.
gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/fr008641.html
penelope.uchicago.edu penelope.uchicago.edu
Jane Austen's History of England
cc_hill 28 Feb 2019
Lambert Simnel be the Widow of Richard
Lambert Simnel: another pretender to the throne, notably not a woman -- why should Simnel then be "the Widow of Richard?"
Perkin Warbeck
Pretender to the throne; claimed to be the second son of Edward IV, one of the "Princes in the Tower"
very severely treated by Historians
Reference to Shakespeare's Richard III and, perhaps, 18th century literature like Nicholas Rowe's play, The Tragedy of Jane Shore
penelope.uchicago.edu/austen/austen.html
Annotations: 13
Joined: February 10, 2019
Top tags 2


"The Dogs Of Ubud" Originally published in the anthology DREAMSPELL NIGHTMARES in 2010. This story comes from Conda's travels in Bali, where she recognized how wonderfully and spiritually the Balinese treat their families, children and world.
Ubud, artists' capital of Bali, teemed with tourists. Down the dirt path to the dance arena a tourist herd thundered, headed for tonight's performance. Alongside the road, Balinese merchants sat, their wares arrayed on blankets.
Peter dodged through the crowd, through a cacophony of languages. If the Balinese could tolerate, even thrive, on this invasion, so could he. Now he hid, one among many. What he did, how he lived, was always hidden.
Not so the Balinese. Lulled by their jungle paradise, they never lost their innocence. Even the main living room in their family compounds possessed no walls, open-sided. Vulnerable.
When Peter saw the knife, the star-shaped wound etched upon his belly burned, the blood beneath his skin pulsing. The knife, a wavy-bladed kris, lay on a piece of tattered batik cloth, a store of a rag. Among the clutter of tattered straw fans and plastic "ivory," the kris glittered, a diamond in a pot metal setting.
CONDA V. DOUGLAS grew up in the ski resort of Sun Valley, Idaho, in her folk's funky art gallery. She's traveled the world and her own tiny office, writing all the while. Her first and always great love is writing horror short stories. The second in Conda's Mall Fairies trilogy, THE MALL FAIRIES: WAR will be released spring/summer 2014. For more about Conda, visit Conda's Creative Center, for hints, tips and secrets for creative people.
David Cummings is the showrunner for The NoSleep Podcast, an award-winning anthology series of original horror stories. He hails from Toronto, Canada. With a background as a professional musician, he has expanded into the realm of voice actor and narrator. He has been heard on various commercial projects and speculative fiction podcasts. One of his goals is to continue supporting the many great audio fiction podcasts that dot the online landscape.


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package com.google.cloud.kms.v1.samples;

// [START kms_v1_generated_keymanagementserviceclient_asymmetricsign_stringdigest_sync]
import com.google.cloud.kms.v1.AsymmetricSignResponse;
import com.google.cloud.kms.v1.CryptoKeyVersionName;
import com.google.cloud.kms.v1.Digest;
import com.google.cloud.kms.v1.KeyManagementServiceClient;

public class SyncAsymmetricSignStringDigest {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    syncAsymmetricSignStringDigest();
  }

  public static void syncAsymmetricSignStringDigest() throws Exception {
    // This snippet has been automatically generated and should be regarded as a code template only.
    // It will require modifications to work:
    // - It may require correct/in-range values for request initialization.
    // - It may require specifying regional endpoints when creating the service client as shown in
    // https://cloud.google.com/java/docs/setup#configure_endpoints_for_the_client_library
    try (KeyManagementServiceClient keyManagementServiceClient =
        KeyManagementServiceClient.create()) {
      String name =
          CryptoKeyVersionName.of(
                  "[PROJECT]", "[LOCATION]", "[KEY_RING]", "[CRYPTO_KEY]", "[CRYPTO_KEY_VERSION]")
              .toString();
      Digest digest = Digest.newBuilder().build();
      AsymmetricSignResponse response = keyManagementServiceClient.asymmetricSign(name, digest);
    }
  }
}
// [END kms_v1_generated_keymanagementserviceclient_asymmetricsign_stringdigest_sync]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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American–Hungarian Executive Circle
Katalin Nagy
With free membership you get access to the Forum, corporate membership includes corporate profile and marketing opportunities.
Albert Szent-Gy�rgyi Medical University, School of Dentistry Szeged, Hungary
D.D.S. University of Szeged, Hungary (Receiving result: "Summa cum laude")
Specialist in Stomatology Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest, Hungary (Receiving result: "Excellent" )
Ph.D. degree of Albert Szent-Gy�rgyi Medical University (Receiving result: "Excellent")
"Habilitation" degree (Receiving result: "Excellent")
Specialist in oral surgery (Receiving result: "Excellent")
Specialist in Conservative Dentistry and Prosthetics (Receiving result: "Excellent")
State examination in English, advanced level ( fluent, active )
State examination in German, intermediate level ( fluent, active )
State examination in Spanish, basic level (passive)
Academic experience:
Associate professor of Szeged University, Medical Faculty, DentalSchool
Head of Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery
Senior lecturer of Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University Dental School. Head , Dept. of Maxillofacial Rehabilitation
Full staff member, deputy head of Operative Dentistry Department of Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University Dental School.
Ph.D. Research student, Eastman Dental Institute, London, UK
Postgraduate Studies at the Department of Prosthodontics, University Dental School Tübingen, Germany
Assistant Professor Department of Operative Dentistry Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical University, School of Dentistry Szeged, Hungary
Assistant Professor Department of Prosthodontics Albert Szent- Györgyi Medical University, School of Dentistry, Szeged, Hungary
Registered with Semmelweis Medical University Postgraduate
Institute Budapest for a two year full time course in "Stomatology"
1982-present Private Practice (part time)
Awards, Grants:
"Bólyai János" 3 yrs Award given by the Academy of Science of Hungary in 1999.
"Fulbright Research Fellowship" 2002. USA New York NY. Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
OTKA (2000-2004)
UICC Grant 2004. USA Los Angeles UCLA
Professional study trips:
1990 Indianapolis (USA)
1991 Turku (Finland)
1992 Tübingen (Germany)
1994 London (Great Britain)
1997 Salzburg (Austria)
1999 Chicago (USA)
2002 New York (USA)
2004 Los Angeles (USA)
Prosthetic rehabilitation after Maxillo-Facial Operations with conventional and implant-prosthetic methods
Dental Implant and superstructure
Teaching Hungarian and foreign students for dentistry (latter is in English and German)
Tobacco cessation research
Association of Hungarian Dental Implantology (Vice president from 2001-present)
American Academy of Maxillo-Facial Prosthetics (AAMP)
International Association for Dental Research (IADR)
Chamber of Hungarian Medical Doctors
Association of Hungarian Dental Surgeons
Association of Hungarian Prosthodontist
Association of Hungarian Endodontics
Association of Hungarian Periodontology
Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)
International Society for Oral Oncology (ISOO)
Subscribe to AHEC newsletter
2995 Woodside Road, #620492
Woodside, CA 94062


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GIG NEWS | NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS + PATTI SMITH ** RHK ** 6 JUNE
TodayFM
The Paul Mcloone Show will have a pair of tickets to be won on tonights show!
Plus very special guest Patti Smith & Her Band
Royal Hospital, Kilmainham
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds are bringing their extraordinary show to Ireland on Wednesday, 6 June - their first time performing in Ireland for over 10 years. The first announcement in a summer 2018 run of European concerts and festival headline slots, the beautiful grounds of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin will host the band's long overdue return to Ireland.
One of the most exciting, volatile and influential groups of musicians of the past 30 years, the band returned to the UK this September, for the first time since 2014, bringing their incredible show to arenas and garnering some of the best reviews of a decorated career, unfurling new album Skeleton Tree's exquisitely moving compositions alongside their essential catalogue.
In a year highlighted by sold out dates around the world and awards including the GQ Award for Band Of The Year and AIM Special Catalogue Release Of The Year (for 2016's Lovely Creatures), they have also just been nominated for 3 Australian ARIA awards including Best Live Act.
Very special guests on this magical evening will be the seminal and legendary poet, author and punk icon Patti Smith and her band. Her debut LPHorses was the beginning of a long musical career that resonates even greater today. The album has achieved many notable recognitions over the years, and included on many all-time best album lists. It has been followed by another nine albums of original material, books of poetry and a best-selling memoir, Just Kids; world tours and personal appearances, as well as induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Tickets go on sale on Monday 23rd October.
We've Got TWO Family Breaks To Center Parcs Ireland For One Lucky Winner
We Have Three Center Parcs Ireland Family Breaks Up For Grabs
We Want To Send You To See Hozier In Cork AND New York
Win One Of Three Amazing Center Parcs Ireland Family Breaks
Winds wreak havoc on peleton as Van Aert wins stage 10 of Le Tour


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The Brief, powered by Facebook – Vaccines, the next battle
By Georgi Gotev | EURACTIV.com
The Brief is EURACTIV's evening newsletter. [EPA-EFE/FERNANDO BIZERRA]
It is no coincidence that COVID-19 vaccines dominated the agenda of the last EU summit and of the more recent G20 summit, both held as teleconferences.
There is hope that the various vaccines soon to be available, or at least some of them, will bring back life to normal, that no more lockdowns will be needed, that thanks to the vaccines, all shops and restaurants will reopen, that we will be able to travel and see in person our families, our friends and our loved ones, whenever we want.
In an ideal world, this is what would happen. Vaccines would be free and people would go and get a jab when their general practitioner tells them to, in an orderly fashion.
However, we can already foresee several challenges.
Let's start with those who want to be vaccinated, the sooner, the better. It's essential to avoid a mad rush toward vaccination centres, confusion about which vaccine to choose from several that will be available, or even worse, getting more than one vaccine just to be on the safe side.
Things become even more complicated when it comes to those who don't want to be vaccinated.
Opinion polls in several European countries indicate that about half of the population is hesitant or even opposed to COVID-19 vaccination, believing in bogus claims of a world conspiracy that aims to control the human population, disguised as vaccination.
For the vaccination to be successful, a significant proportion of the population needs to it. 50% coverage is not enough. There will be vaccination campaigns, but if they are poorly designed and implemented, they risk strengthening the ranks of anti-vaxxers, in Europe, the US, and across the world.
The anti-vaxxer camp has grown exponentially in recent years, and unfortunately, social platforms have done nothing to oppose their anti-science narrative. There is a real risk that in the online battle between science and anti-vaccination, anti-vaxxers would prevail.
In addition, for the vaccination effort to be sustainable, there should be no gap between developed and developing countries, meaning that the rich countries should set aside billions to help fund vaccination in the less wealthy parts of the planet. Some efforts have been made, but they are not enough.
Also, we run the risk of quickly becoming a two-speed society, where those who get the vaccine could feel like they can afford to stop respecting social distance or wearing masks.
This would lead to the collapse of the simple measures that have proven to be our best and , indeed, only defence against the pandemic. It's not easy to communicate, but in order to avoid chaos, people who get vaccinated should continue to behave as if they had not been.
The media has a role to play, or else, the false narrative peddled on social media could prevail. An effort at EU level would also be more than welcome. It's not too late to get organised.
A message from Facebook: Working to protect the integrity of elections. We've made big investments in new teams and technology to secure Facebook platforms for elections. 35,000 people worldwide are working on our safety and security team – a 300% increase since 2016. Learn more here.
Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has confirmed that its coronavirus vaccine is now ready for regulatory approval and rollout, after late-stage trial results found the vaccine to be up to 90% effective.
The EU's first-ever defence review painted a gloomy picture for the bloc's ability to achieve 'strategic autonomy. Experts also believe the EU is not doing enough to address major shortfalls.
Turkey prevented German forces belonging to an EU military mission carrying out a full search of a Turkish cargo ship that they suspected of taking weapons to Libya, both countries confirmed.
Ethiopia has been "alarmed and surprised" by the EU's equivocal stance on the conflict between Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the rebel leaders of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the country's EU ambassador has told EURACTIV.
A European-built satellite designed to precisely measure sea levels successfully made it into orbit, helping the EU's Copernicus fleet of eyes-in-the-sky grow in size and provide a fresh set of climate-relevant data.
The under-representation of people with a minority racial or ethnic background in the media, including in media newsrooms themselves, remains a problem that needs to be addressed, and the European Commission is ready to help with funding, the EU executive's vice-president Věra Jourová told EURACTIV.
The term 'feminist diplomacy' used by France since 2018 remains unclear, according to a report by the country's High Council on Gender Equality presented to the government on 18 November.
Regional governments across the EU are bracing for difficult times ahead as they lack technical means and have scarce financial resources, according to a joint survey conducted by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the OECD.
Kazakhstan is holding parliamentary elections on 10 January, expected to further bolster the soft democratic reform process in the Central Asian country.
Air quality has improved significantly across Europe over the past 10 years, but pollution still contributes to significant numbers of premature deaths, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).
Sixty-two major oil and gas companies agreed to a new framework for monitoring, reporting and reducing methane emissions as part of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0.
Around half of plastic waste from electronic and electrical equipment (WEEE) is not properly collected or sorted in the EU, meaning it is not recycled at the end of the day, according to a new report.
Look out for…
European Commission to adopt the EU action plan on gender equality and women empowerment in external relations for 2021-2025; the Action plan on integration and inclusion; and the action plan on intellectual property + strategy for a pharmaceutical Europe
European Parliament plenary session
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