Community MetaSteam | February 2023 - A 90's dystopian adventure in the digiworld.

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Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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It's so annoying how 2 of the coolest games so far this year (HP game and Atomic Heart) has so much shit behind them.

Gahhhh. Im also so close to purchasing AH on Fanatical.
I have watched the first 5 hours of an HPL Lets play to make my own mind.
The game looks very good, Hogwarts castle is a dream

But I will still not be buying it.
  • the "trans" character that was announced last minute is just a female NPC that they gave a male voice. There is no acknowledgment from the game or the ingame characters that the NPC is trans, at least in the few instances where they are on screen (the NPC is the bartender of the three broomsticks)
  • There is also a married lesbian sidequest giver, but again, nothing acknowledges the fact.
There is also the option to freely choose your gender/voice and even if you want to be in the girls or boys dormitory. But the lets player didn't choose something like that, so I can't tell if it has any ingame impact.
 

LEANIJA

MetaMember
May 5, 2019
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Austria
I have watched the first 5 hours of an HPL Lets play to make my own mind.
The game looks very good, Hogwarts castle is a dream

But I will still not be buying it.
  • the "trans" character that was announced last minute is just a female NPC that they gave a male voice. There is no acknowledgment from the game or the ingame characters that the NPC is trans, at least in the few instances where they are on screen (the NPC is the bartender of the three broomsticks)
  • There is also a married lesbian sidequest giver, but again, nothing acknowledges the fact.
There is also the option to freely choose your gender/voice and even if you want to be in the girls or boys dormitory. But the lets player didn't choose something like that, so I can't tell if it has any ingame impact.
Sirona, who has a trans voice actress and a unique in-game model (from what I can tell), features in several quests, including one where you fetch some letters for her. You can ask her about them, and one that she wrote to a couple, the Sprottles, she will comment "Not everyone was as kind to me as the Sprottles. But the depth of their kindness, and that of so many of my friends, got me through ---- well, got me through some challenging times, to put it mildly."
So it's alluded, but I think its the point to not make it a big deal of her transition because she's just accepted as she is. Same goes for the elderly lesbian married couple. And the numerous people from all over the world (there is a huge variety of ethnicies, one of the most diverse cast I've seen in a game).
 
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Paul

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Jan 26, 2019
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I think that's fair.
Yes, it's barely nothing in the game. But also yes, it's a self own. I think if you're releasing a game in 2023 you should be triple checking for this stuff.
Yes everything should be sanitized not to offend delicate sensibilities of modern western humans.

Actually fuck that

I saw that cartoon as a kid (living in a post-commie country), and seeing it in the game was a hilarious blast from the past nostalgia
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Yes everything should be sanitized not to offend delicate sensibilities of modern western humans.

Actually fuck that

I saw that cartoon as a kid (living in a post-commie country), and seeing it in the game was a hilarious blast from the past nostalgia
Yeah how dare black people be offended by caricatutes of them
Fuck off
 

Kyougar

No reviews, no Buy
Nov 2, 2018
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Sirona, who has a trans voice actress and a unique in-game model (from what I can tell), features in several quests, including one where you fetch some letters for her. You can ask her about them, and one that she wrote to a couple, the Sprottles, she will comment "Not everyone was as kind to me as the Sprottles. But the depth of their kindness, and that of so many of my friends, got me through ---- well, got me through some challenging times, to put it mildly."
So it's alluded, but I think its the point to not make it a big deal of her transition because she's just accepted as she is. Same goes for the elderly lesbian married couple. And the numerous people from all over the world (there is a huge variety of ethnicies, one of the most diverse cast I've seen in a game).
Thank you for clarifying what happens later in the game with these characters and their situation.

But I am not sold on the underselling of their identity.
Sure, it should be a normal thing and not something that MUST be mentioned... BUT! we are not yet at a point where it is normal and accepted and with the history of the creator of the world, it looks more like a thrown-in half-baked addition to silence the critics while also not shoving it in the face of the people who are more in line with the thinking of the creator.

Although, full disclosure, I would only really be happy if there was a fully acknowledged trans, bi, or gay main character beside our protagonist, or if there was an option to select trans as your identity and it having ingame effects and story impact.
Not because I want it in all games, just in this one, because of the creator.

And all of this still ignores the anti-Semite undertones of the whole goblin race.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Thank you for clarifying what happens later in the game with these characters and their situation.

But I am not sold on the underselling of their identity.
Sure, it should be a normal thing and not something that MUST be mentioned... BUT! we are not yet at a point where it is normal and accepted and with the history of the creator of the world, it looks more like a thrown-in half-baked addition to silence the critics while also not shoving it in the face of the people who are more in line with the thinking of the creator.

Although, full disclosure, I would only really be happy if there was a fully acknowledged trans, bi, or gay main character beside our protagonist, or if there was an option to select trans as your identity and it having ingame effects and story impact.
Not because I want it in all games, just in this one, because of the creator.

And all of this still ignores the anti-Semite undertones of the whole goblin race.
I don't think anything in the game can justify the very real harm the author does to real people in real life.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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I finished up the secret ending this weekend and I agree that it feels fantastic to play. They really did a great job with all of the traversal mechanics and how much traits can really influence how a weapon feels. I'm not sure if I can think of a game off the top of my head that feels better to play from a strictly mechanical perspective.
This is a good point. At a few points I was even confused whether I misremembered what a given weapon was, but then I figured out that it was because I had previously used it with different traits.
That gives it some great variety.
 

Panda Pedinte

Best Sig Maker on the board!
Sep 20, 2018
4,658
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The decision to focus in games already sitting in my backlog was a right one so far.

After finishing finishing the whole Mass Effect LE trilogy I dive right into Emily is Away Too that I bought years ago and it was there just sitting in my library. It was such a lovely game and that whole 2006 vibes gave me some good nostalgia. Now I'm thinking about just starting already the third entry and see how it will end.

 

MomoVideo

ķ͕͕̍̅͋ḭ̼͂̕lļ͓̞̙̀͗͆̊ ͉͛m͕̲̮̆̒̐̍͢e ͠
Apr 5, 2021
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This is a good point. At a few points I was even confused whether I misremembered what a given weapon was, but then I figured out that it was because I had previously used it with different traits.
That gives it some great variety.
I don't know, no matter how cool all the traits are in all those various weapons, the carbine with leech rounds is really the only thing I need. It makes every other weapon and trait obsolete, as well as making boss fights a breeze. Still love the game though.
 
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Arc

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Sep 19, 2020
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I finished Hi-Fi Rush on normal a few days ago and can say it's the best beat-em-up I've played since Devil May Cry 5. I was about half way through a hard playthrough before I started Wild Hearts, but I absolutely want to go back to it soon.
 

liezryou

MetaMember
Oct 31, 2018
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Yes everything should be sanitized not to offend delicate sensibilities of modern western humans.

Actually fuck that

I saw that cartoon as a kid (living in a post-commie country), and seeing it in the game was a hilarious blast from the past nostalgia
They can feel offended all they want. Or not. Doesn't mean everything possibly offensive to someone should be sanitized.
Let me guess, do you also support putins war in ukraine?
 

Sobatronix

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Mar 9, 2021
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Oh boy, apparently Atomic Heart runs excellent on the steam deck even hitting 90+ fps in indoor areas :awwblob:

Too bad Returnal runs like ass lol hopefully some patches come out to make the game have a stable 30 fps. And on this note, just the idea of playing TLOU part 1 and especially RE4 Remake on the steam deck seems like gaming ascension lol. Can't wait to get my hands on one
 
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Cacher

Romantic Storm
Jun 3, 2020
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Re: racism

I am going to say something that is not going to be pleasant, but it is honestly the truth that many people don't want to think about.

Many people I know are racists in certain level. Not saying they are straight up bad people because I respect some of them. They are just humans, with varied ideologies and from different background. Honestly many videogames or media are bound to be worked by people with these traits, and there are not many games left that you can play if you have a zero-tolerance policy.

I am not saying that racism is not problematic. It is. And I had many frustrating experience first-hand, but you need to build certain tolerance towards them. Strengthen the inner mentality. Offended by a game? Don't play it. Offended by a company? Don't buy their products. But don't be surprised by the fact that many people just want to play videogames and ignore everything else.

Edit: grammar
 
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Rockin' Ranger

Rangers With Candy
Nov 7, 2018
502
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The decision to focus in games already sitting in my backlog was a right one so far.

After finishing finishing the whole Mass Effect LE trilogy I dive right into Emily is Away Too that I bought years ago and it was there just sitting in my library. It was such a lovely game and that whole 2006 vibes gave me some good nostalgia. Now I'm thinking about just starting already the third entry and see how it will end.

:peekwaveblob:
 

hersheyfan

South Sea Islander
Jul 17, 2021
391
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steamcommunity.com
Re: racism

I am going to say something that is not going to be pleasant, but it is honestly the truth that many people don't want to think about.

Many people I know are racists in certain level. Not saying they are straight up bad people because I respect some of them. They are just humans, with varied ideologies and from different background. Honestly many videogames or media are bound to be worked by people with these traits, and there are not many games left that you can play if you have a zero-tolerance policy.

I am not saying that racism is not problematic. It is. And I had many frustrating experience first-hand, but you need to build certain tolerance towards them. Strengthen the inner mentality. Offended by a game? Don't play it. Offended by a company? Don't buy their products. But don't be surprised by the fact that many people just want to play videogames and ignore everything else.

Edit: grammar
I can relate. When you grow up in Asia, theres a whole bunch of subtle and direct racism that you experience throughout life, to the point where building up a tolerance to it just comes with the territory.

I dont engage in it myself, I don't encourage it, and I try to educate friends and family about issues where I can. If they don't bite, what can I do? I'm not going to drop years of friendship and shared life experience because one of my friends is being an idiot about a certain issue - after all, I'd expect the same from them if the shoe was on the other foot.

With regards to Atomic Heart and its Russian origins/connections though, I can safely say that I won't be giving them any of my money - play on XGP, sure (as the money is theirs regardless) but buy? Hell no.

Geopolitically, it's weird to see people who actually live in Europe lump Atomic Heart into the same "fuck cancel culture" rules they apply to other "problematic" games. That Putin dude is literally trying to take over your neighboring country (killing thousands of civilians like yourself in the process) - no prizes for guessing who's next if he succeeds. You dont roll over and give money to pricks like that just to show people how based you are, smh.
 

PC-tan

Low Tier Weeb
Jan 19, 2019
3,551
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California
Congratulations to me and the other member that owns a copy of Fire Emblem Dates Special Edition. Seeing how the eShop is closing down and the third path was DLC and only available physically via the special edition.


A used CIB copy of the special edition now sells for over $500USD!!!!!
 

yuraya

MetaMember
May 4, 2019
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Played the first couple hours of Atomic Heart on GP and yea its sure is Bioshocky lol. Gotta love the Half-Life influence still so strong 25 years later with very long ass peaceful intros. Its immersive as hell and the artists in this are carrying the game on their shoulders.

Also the GP version of only downloading half the game and then having you quit in the intro because you need to unlock "the full version" or wtvr is stupid. I didn't even know GP continued to DL the game in the background as it disappeared in the queue. The client has a mind of its own I swear. Always some fucking issue.

But yea game seems fun and very polished. Reminds me a lot of Prey 2017. That game felt very smooth with this type of FPS gameplay in the cryengine. Surprisingly this game is running UE and it feels nothing like an UE game imo. I thought for sure it was proprietary until I looked it up.
 

Amzin

No one beats me 17 times in a row!
Dec 5, 2018
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I don't know, no matter how cool all the traits are in all those various weapons, the carbine with leech rounds is really the only thing I need. It makes every other weapon and trait obsolete, as well as making boss fights a breeze. Still love the game though.
I barely use the carbine, it just feels the weakest to me . Outside of the pylon weapon (which I'm avoiding because seems to maybe do crashes) and the weapon I just discovered on my last run
before killing the abyss boss for whichever non-secret ending that is
it's my least used. Give me a spitmaw or pistol or the rocket thingy or the other weird xeno rifles. Basically anything other than the carbine and I'm happy.

Although I don't think I've died to a boss outside of my first try on the first one - some of the challenge rooms or just random nonsense fights that I run into are way scarier than the bosses, if I can get through those I'm golden. But I do love the variety of traits, it's not just about the weapon or stats on a weapon, some things really transform it. Spitmaw with piercing and exploding and slug and narrow is just hilarious damage, and the different rocket modifiers really change how it plays and also when it's a bad idea to use it (mega rockets in the last biome are not super awesome in my experience). Add the alt-fire in and I'm just constantly swapping weapons around, without it being just straight stat upgrades like a lot of other roguelikes.
 
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Ge0force

Excluding exclusives
Jan 12, 2019
4,015
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Belgium
It's possible that Microsoft releasing 1st party games on other platforms has to do with the anti-trust cases against their Activision-Blizzard takeover. For now, Microsofts multiplatform releases are great for the industry, and Microsoft can use the extra money to create more 1st party games. But I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to Xbox + Game Pass exclusivity after these 10 years. There will be competitors for Game Pass sooner or later, and at that moment, exclusive content will be extremely important.

I may be wrong of course. I mean, Disney+ recently announced that they are willing to license their 1st party content to other streaming services again. Creating content becomes more expensive every year, for both games and television.
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
3,882
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Regarding Returnal, does anyone know how it does co-op scaling?

Because people are saying that the game is "easy", and having played exclusively in coop I don't agree, so I assume that there is some significant scaling at play. (At the very least, I'm almost certain that there has to be some, we can't be that bad :p)

But yea game seems fun and very polished. Reminds me a lot of Prey 2017.
That's the most exciting thing I've read about it so far.
 

MegaApple

Just another Video Game Enthusiast
Sep 20, 2018
1,484
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Koei abandoned regional pricing here yet again just in time for Ryza 3 and Fatal Frame, I love videogames.
Prices have increased in my region too, but that is because the Steam RP standard itself increased.
Check once.
meanwhile at SEGA:

SEGA post 2019 has done nothing but disappoint with their regional pricing. I hate it in here.
Anyone got a contact to their community manager?
 

hersheyfan

South Sea Islander
Jul 17, 2021
391
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Manila, Philippines
steamcommunity.com
Congratulations to me and the other member that owns a copy of Fire Emblem Dates Special Edition. Seeing how the eShop is closing down and the third path was DLC and only available physically via the special edition.


A used CIB copy of the special edition now sells for over $500USD!!!!!
Oh crap!

My copy is completely unopened, MIB! :blobcheer::money-mouth-face:

I'm going to wait a few years, then cash out before Nintendo inevitably does a remaster and kills the resale value. :blobmorning2:
 

Joe Spangle

Playing....
Apr 17, 2019
2,423
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Looks like Blood Bowl 3 is horrible. Not surprising given the WoM from the beta, but still. Shit.
Yea im playing it RN and apart from repeated crashes, it has an insane amount of game ending bugs.
Basic shit like, "if you use the shadow skill, the game will stop progressing 100% of the time".

Kinda getting burned out by this BS...
Ah that's a shame. I like Bloodbowl. Didn't really play table top games as a kid but me an my brother had Bloodbowl and would play a lot. Was thinking about picking 3 up but probably pass on it now, thanks for the heads up.
 
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lashman

Dead & Forgotten
Sep 5, 2018
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Anyone got a contact to their community manager?
eh, no point really - they community managers won't be able to do anything anyway, other than maybe let someone slightly higher up know about it. And it's not like the higher ups don't know that, they absolutely know it, but they also don't give a single fuck. If they did, they wouldn't price a game that's $60 in the US at $80 in a country where the minimum monthly wage is around $200 (Argentina)

Btw im free from Apple's clutches
congratulations!

:steam_pigblanket:
 

MegaApple

Just another Video Game Enthusiast
Sep 20, 2018
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eh, no point really - they community managers won't be able to do anything anyway, other than maybe let someone slightly higher up know about it. And it's not like the higher ups don't know that, they absolutely know it, but they also don't give a single fuck. If they did, they wouldn't price a game that's $60 in the US at $80 in a country where the minimum monthly wage is around $200 (Argentina)
I want to give it a try regardless.

Btw im free from Apple's clutches
I have sent my iPhone, iPad, apple watch and 2 old surface pcs to a store for trade in.
Should get enough store credit to get the new samsung galaxy s23 as well as partially pay for the next samsung tablet thats releasing later this year.
Good good.
 
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prudis

anime occult member
Sep 19, 2018
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The Kingdom of Beer and Porn
twitter.com
Knowing the context it is unfair tho, Disney gets away with it with having a note nobody reads before "classics" like Peter Pan or whatever nobody condemns:shrugblob:

I guess they could/should add such a warning too (and probably weren't even aware of this still to do so over it) but otherwise I don't see a problem with it now.

Also, to be fair, why not condemn all the platforms that allow the sale of this thing for the same exact reason? Because that wouldn't be so very easy to do ey..?
i think it brings interesting question about what to do with such historical content

yes thereits only like fe second still clip from single episode of original 60s cartoon thats in the game (Nu Pagadi is for postsoviet sphere basically what Tom and Jerry was for the west) .... so they could have just easily not include this episode or slightly cut it

But there question at large remains .... if we should eradicate such historical content or keep it as a warning and conceptualize its creartion.
And not just your disney case , there quite a big number of old and loved horror movies that could easily be perceived as quite strongly offensive transphobic alegory .... and dozens of cases like that
 

Censored

I didn't delete that post!. Get my post back!.
Oct 8, 2021
1,221
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I want to see all people who complain this things stop playing Nintendo games, and buying all Nintendo consoles since 8,6% of that company is owned by a dictator assassin who treat lgtb people, women and journalists like subhuman trash.
I hope all those who did that campaign against Howgwarts Legacy start doing the same with Nintendo, the same for sponsors who now support that company.
yeah, right?
Cannot wait to read all hypocrite excuses on social media.
The same for Tintin comics cause Hergé was a Nazi collaboranist. Or Lord of the rings because Tolkien was a close to Francisco Franco spanish dictator. Or Schwarzenegger movies, because although he now seems quite left in politics terms he used to admire Franco as a anti communist figure, and this way a lot of works and their authours, or things made at a certain time.
 
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Paul

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Jan 26, 2019
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Probably the grossest thing I've read in here. Are we gonna be like this from now on? Because if so, I'm out of here then.
I could say the same about your post. Nu Pogodi has never been intended as a racist cartoon.

Let me guess, do you also support putins war in ukraine?
Fuck no. I am Czech. My country is NOT happy with USSR OR modern Russia. I have wished Putin to fall out of the window for literal decades now. But that doesn't mean I am going to pretend like every single thing made anywhere has to make sure it does not offend anyone anywhere. People can get offended about all kinds of things, doesn't automatically mean they are right (or that others must censor themselves because of it). Again, that cartoon was part of my childhood. It made me chuckle when I saw it. I never saw it as racist. Some others may, but that's their business. That doesn't mean it cannot be in the game.
 
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Li Kao

It’s a strange world. Let’s keep it that way.
Jan 28, 2019
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Curious to see Redemption Reapers pricing and WoM. I was really interested given their previous game and a thirst for TRPG, but after playing two Fire Emblem in a row, the thirst is understandably very relative now.
 
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Derrick01

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Oct 6, 2018
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It's possible that Microsoft releasing 1st party games on other platforms has to do with the anti-trust cases against their Activision-Blizzard takeover. For now, Microsofts multiplatform releases are great for the industry, and Microsoft can use the extra money to create more 1st party games. But I wouldn't be surprised if they go back to Xbox + Game Pass exclusivity after these 10 years. There will be competitors for Game Pass sooner or later, and at that moment, exclusive content will be extremely important.

I may be wrong of course. I mean, Disney+ recently announced that they are willing to license their 1st party content to other streaming services again. Creating content becomes more expensive every year, for both games and television.
It's really just posturing for the regulators. They're putting on their best puppy dog face and promising the world, anything to get the deal passed. You could argue they've already started tip toeing back from that initial statement as media pressed brad smith about that and he was like "uhh well it's actually just about COD not anything else". They're going to do the absolute bare minimum to say they honored the agreement (I'm getting shades of EA's unprecedented nintendo support here).


Regarding buyouts and mergers you can't trust a single word that a company says when they're in the process of trying to get it approved. This video about buyouts has some really good recent examples of that.

 
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