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Gradius Gaiden

January 01, 1970

Gradius Gaiden[a] is a 1997 horizontal-scrolling shooter video game developed and published for the PlayStation by Konami. Players control one of four different starships in their mission to eradicate the Bacteria army from destroying the planet Gradius. Gameplay involves shooting down enemies, avoiding their projectiles, and collecting power capsules to unlock access to new weapons. It is the fourth mainline entry in the company's Gradius franchise, and the second to be produced specifically for a home console.

Gradius Gaiden
Developer(s)KCET
Publisher(s)Konami
Director(s)Teisaku Seki
Producer(s)Kazumi Kitaue
Designer(s)
  • Kei Chigasaki
  • Takayuki Kobayashi
Programmer(s)
  • Keiichi Isobe
  • Yukihiro Yamazaki
Composer(s)Norikazu Miura
SeriesGradius
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: August 28, 1997
Genre(s)Horizontal-scrolling shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Directed by Seki Teisaku, Gaiden was created to refine and build on the core Gradius gameplay, and to create a new, exciting shooter for a home console in mind; as such, the name "Gaiden" was chosen, being the Japanese word for "side-story". Konami worked to make the game stand out from other Gradius games with unique, creative level designs and all-new mechanics, such as a selection of playable ships, new weapons types, and the ability to swap items in the player's "Power Meter". Some mechanics were also created specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation's hardware capabilities, such as its rotation and transparency effects. The game was completed in less than a year.

Gradius Gaiden was acclaimed for its visuals, gameplay, soundtrack and creativity, and is seen as one of the best games in the Gradius series. Others felt it relied largely on fan service, and became too difficult at times. The game never saw a release outside Japan until the release of Gradius Collection in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable. In 2019, it was included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic mini console.

Gameplay edit

 
The Lord British firing the Disruptor laser into a crystal, reflecting it in another direction

Gradius Gaiden is a horizontal-scrolling shooter game. Players control one of four different starships — the Vic Viper, Lord British, Jade Knight and Falchion β[1][2] — in their mission to eradicate the Bacterian army before they destroy the planet Gradius.[2] Gameplay itself remains relatively the same compared to previous installments; the player must complete each of the game's stages while shooting down enemies and avoiding collision with either them, their projectiles, or the terrain. Some enemies drop glowing Power Capsules when destroyed, which when collected will highlight a weapon on the player's "Power Meter", located at the bottom corner of the screen.[2] Collecting additional Power Capsules will give the player access to better, stronger weapons. These weapons include missiles, a double shot, lasers, and glowing orbs known as "Options" that follow the player and will fight alongside them.[2]

Gaiden features many new additions to the core gameplay. It was the first game in the series to include two-player simultaneous play.[1] Each of the player's four ships feature their own unique set of weapons; the Vic Viper features the standard Gradius arsenal of weapons; the Lord British features the Ripple Laser from Salamander and a pulsating shot named the "Disruptor"; the Jade Knight has a "Circle Laser" that creates deadly rings surrounding it; the Falchion β has a powerful "Black Hole Bomb" projectile that will suck in any enemies it comes into contact with.[2] At the start of the game, the player can modify the placement of items in their Power Meter to their liking; for instance, the Options can be moved to the very front of their meter, requiring only one Power Capsule. Two new shields were added; the Guard, which makes the player invulnerable to terrain, and the Limit, which gives the player full invincibility for three seconds.[2]

Development edit

 
The development team for Gradius Gaiden heavily focused on designing new, interesting stages; the first level, "Beyond the White Storm", features a snow theme that staff thought would be a fresh idea and surprise players.

Gradius Gaiden was directed by Seki Teisaku.[3] He was assisted in production by designers Kobayashi Takayki and Chigasaki Kei, sound designer Miura Norikazu, and programmers Yamazaki Yukihiro and Isobe Neiichi, among others.[4] Most of the staff behind the project previously worked on Gradius Deluxe Pack (1996), a compilation of Gradius and Gradius II the Sega Saturn and PlayStation. This familiarized them with the core mechanics of the Gradius series.[4] Teisaku's goal was to refine and build upon many of the franchise's pre-existing concepts and ideas, while simultaneously providing an exciting and new experience for shooter fans. For this reason, team chose to name it Gaiden, the Japanese term for "side-story".[3] This also allowed them to experiment with different ideas; while the name Gradius IV was considered, it was dropped to prevent them from sticking only to mechanics established in earlier installments.

Development of Gradius Gaiden lasted for less than a year.[3] The game was developed for a home console in mind; as previous Gradius games were developed for arcades, they were designed to be purposefully difficult. This allowed the team to make the difficulty far more balanced and fair, and allow players to improve their skills as they progressed.[4] Teisaku and his colleagues retained elements they considered fun to use and "essential" to the series, namely the power meter system. Gaiden originally began as a single-player game, with a multiplayer mode added later on. During production of the multiplayer mode, the team needed another ship that could be distinguished from the player's own.[4] The Lord British, the second-player ship from the Gradius spin-off Salamander, was added to accompany the default Vic Viper.[4] Two new ships were added alongside them, the Jade Knight and the Falsion β.[4]

One of the biggest things the team focused on was the level design.[4] Takayuki and others wanted the levels in Gaiden to be unique and distinct from those found in previous Gradius games.[4] The game's first level, "Beyond the White Storm", was chosen to surprise players and to be fresh.[4] Takayuki and others chose a snow theme for the level which had never been used in a Gradius title up to that point.[4] The development team wanted to have stages feature unique mechanics that made them stand out from other level types in the series, such as the remains of bosses in the second stage and the laser-reflecting crystals in the third stage.[4] Some levels were also designed to take advantage of the PlayStation's hardware capabilities, namely the rotating Moai statues in the fourth stage.[4] The development team toyed with the idea of a "sea of mud" level that slowed down the player's ship, which was scrapped for it not being fun to play.[4]

The concept of rearranging the weapons in the power meter was based on the "meter edit" mode in Gradius III, which allowed players to change the weapon types in their power meter before beginning the game.[4] The team thought it was a fun idea, and decided to implement it into Gaiden.[4] Four shield types were added to complement the four playable ships; the "Guard" came from Neichii being generally bad at Gradius games and always dying when colliding with the ground, while the Limit was based on an idea of having a shield that was about time instead of its durability.[4] The game's "second loop" was created as fan service, being the team's way of thanking players who played the game extensively.[3]

Release edit

Gradius Gaiden was released on August 28, 1997 in Japan.[5] On July 30, 1998, it was re-released as part of the "PlayStation the Best" budget game label, and again on November 20, 2003 as part of the PSone Books collection.[5] Konami announced that the game would be released in the U.S. as part of a bundle with Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus in December 1997,[1] however, it was later cancelled.[6] In 2006, Gradius Gaiden was compiled into Gradius Collection, alongside Gradius, Gradius II, Gradius III and Gradius IV.[7] This version of the game removed the multiplayer mode and suffers from slowdown in some areas.[6] Gradius Gaiden is one of twenty games included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic mini console, released in 2019.[8]

Reception edit

Gradius Gaiden was well-received by critics, and is seen as one of the best games in the Gradius franchise. It sold a total of 34,383 copies in its lifetime.[15]

Several expressed admiration towards its visuals and graphical style.[9][12][11] GameSpot's Chris Johnston felt that, while not as impressive as those in RayStorm or Star Fox 64, were excellent, especially its detailed backgrounds.[9] Lord Mathias of Super GamePower found them to be well-designed and vibrant, and posing some impressive transparency and rotation effects;[11] a writer for Ação Games agreed.[12] The four reviewers from Famitsu stated it was one of the best-looking shooters on the PlayStation,[10] as did Super Juegos.[16] The soundtrack also received praise,[11] with Ação Games saying it had some of the best tracks in the series.[12] Johnston believed Gaiden possessed some well-made music, but that it wasn't as good as earlier Gradius games.[9]

Critics commended Gaiden's gameplay and design. Johnston said the balanced difficulty and fun mechanics made it a solid entry in the franchise, with Ação Games agreeing.[9][12] Super Juegos enjoyed its style and innovation for building on the Gradius gameplay in a way that made the game feel fresh and new; they favorably compared it to Konami's own Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for this reason.[16] Super Juegos and Ação Games also found it to be one of the best games in the franchise up to that point,[16][12] with Ação Games labeling it a "sensational" shooter.[12] The level design was also the subject of praise for its creativity and originality,[12][11] although Famitsu staff felt it relied too heavily on Gradius fan service.[10] Johnston recommended the game to shooter fans for its import-friendly nature.[9] In his review for Gradius Collection, GameSpot's Greg Kasavin felt that Gaiden was the stand-out game in the collection for its visuals, gameplay and short loading times.[17]

In a 2017 retrospective review, Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 labeled Gaiden as "The perfect example of how to evolve the series", and the Gradius equivalent to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. He commended the game's colorful, detailed graphics, soundtrack, and level designs, and praised its creativity and overall quality. Kalata also praised the game's weapon system and new shields, although felt that neither of these were as good as the ones in its predecessor Gradius III. He wrote: "Gradius Gaiden is a fantastic game – it's really a toss-up between this and Gradius V as to which is the best."[6] Writing for Retronauts, Jeremy Parish called it "The glorious high point of classic Gradius", and felt that it alone justified the purchase of Gradius Collection.[18]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Japanese: グラディウス外伝, Hepburn: Gradiusu Gaiden

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Gradius Gaiden: The Classic Shooter Returns". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 101. Ziff Davis. December 1997. p. 108.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Gradius Gaiden manual. Konami. 1997. pp. 5–15. VX078-J4.
  3. ^ a b c d . Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gradius Gaiden Interview. Konami Official Books (in Japanese). Konami. 28 March 2006. pp. 186–191. ISBN 4-86155-111-0. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help) (Translation by Shmuplations. 2019-12-30 at the Wayback Machine).
  5. ^ a b "グラディウス外伝 [PS]". Famitsu. from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Kalata, Kurt (September 11, 2017). . Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on July 30, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  7. ^ "コナミ、「グラディウス」5作品を1本に完全収録。PSP「GRADIUS PORTABLE」". game.watch.impress.co.jp. Retrieved 2020-05-19.
  8. ^ "PSクラシックの20タイトル、画面写真全部見せます！ 『アーマード・コア』や『パラサイト・イヴ』、『闘神伝』など概要付きで一挙紹介！(1/3)". Famitsu. November 30, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Johnston, Chris (October 3, 1997). . GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c "NEW GAME CROSS REVIEW - グラディウス外伝". Weekly Famitsu. No. 455. September 5, 1997. p. 32.
  11. ^ a b c d e Mathias, Lord (November 1997). "P.Station Gradius Gaiden". Super GamePower (in Breton). No. 44. Brazil: Nova Cultural.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Nave PlayStation: Gradius Gaiden". Ação Games (in Portuguese). No. 121. Brazil: Editora Azul. December 1997. p. 21.
  13. ^ "Sony Dimension: Gradius Gaiden". Maniac (in German). No. 49. Germany: Cybermania. November 1997. p. 50.
  14. ^ "Test Playstation: Gradius". Consoles+ (in French). No. 69. France. October 1997.
  15. ^ . Game Data Library. March 1, 2020. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c "Gradius Gaiden". No. 67. Super Juegos. November 1997. p. 25. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  17. ^ Kasavin, Greg (June 6, 2006). . GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  18. ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 30, 2017). . Retronauts. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.

External links edit

January 01, 1970
gradius, gaiden, 1997, horizontal, scrolling, shooter, video, game, developed, published, playstation, konami, players, control, four, different, starships, their, mission, eradicate, bacteria, army, from, destroying, planet, gradius, gameplay, involves, shoot. Gradius Gaiden a is a 1997 horizontal scrolling shooter video game developed and published for the PlayStation by Konami Players control one of four different starships in their mission to eradicate the Bacteria army from destroying the planet Gradius Gameplay involves shooting down enemies avoiding their projectiles and collecting power capsules to unlock access to new weapons It is the fourth mainline entry in the company s Gradius franchise and the second to be produced specifically for a home console Gradius GaidenDeveloper s KCETPublisher s KonamiDirector s Teisaku SekiProducer s Kazumi KitaueDesigner s Kei ChigasakiTakayuki KobayashiProgrammer s Keiichi IsobeYukihiro YamazakiComposer s Norikazu MiuraSeriesGradiusPlatform s PlayStationReleaseJP August 28 1997Genre s Horizontal scrolling shooterMode s Single player multiplayer Directed by Seki Teisaku Gaiden was created to refine and build on the core Gradius gameplay and to create a new exciting shooter for a home console in mind as such the name Gaiden was chosen being the Japanese word for side story Konami worked to make the game stand out from other Gradius games with unique creative level designs and all new mechanics such as a selection of playable ships new weapons types and the ability to swap items in the player s Power Meter Some mechanics were also created specifically to take advantage of the PlayStation s hardware capabilities such as its rotation and transparency effects The game was completed in less than a year Gradius Gaiden was acclaimed for its visuals gameplay soundtrack and creativity and is seen as one of the best games in the Gradius series Others felt it relied largely on fan service and became too difficult at times The game never saw a release outside Japan until the release of Gradius Collection in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable In 2019 it was included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic mini console Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Development 3 Release 4 Reception 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksGameplay edit nbsp The Lord British firing the Disruptor laser into a crystal reflecting it in another direction Gradius Gaiden is a horizontal scrolling shooter game Players control one of four different starships the Vic Viper Lord British Jade Knight and Falchion b 1 2 in their mission to eradicate the Bacterian army before they destroy the planet Gradius 2 Gameplay itself remains relatively the same compared to previous installments the player must complete each of the game s stages while shooting down enemies and avoiding collision with either them their projectiles or the terrain Some enemies drop glowing Power Capsules when destroyed which when collected will highlight a weapon on the player s Power Meter located at the bottom corner of the screen 2 Collecting additional Power Capsules will give the player access to better stronger weapons These weapons include missiles a double shot lasers and glowing orbs known as Options that follow the player and will fight alongside them 2 Gaiden features many new additions to the core gameplay It was the first game in the series to include two player simultaneous play 1 Each of the player s four ships feature their own unique set of weapons the Vic Viper features the standard Gradius arsenal of weapons the Lord British features the Ripple Laser from Salamander and a pulsating shot named the Disruptor the Jade Knight has a Circle Laser that creates deadly rings surrounding it the Falchion b has a powerful Black Hole Bomb projectile that will suck in any enemies it comes into contact with 2 At the start of the game the player can modify the placement of items in their Power Meter to their liking for instance the Options can be moved to the very front of their meter requiring only one Power Capsule Two new shields were added the Guard which makes the player invulnerable to terrain and the Limit which gives the player full invincibility for three seconds 2 Development edit nbsp The development team for Gradius Gaiden heavily focused on designing new interesting stages the first level Beyond the White Storm features a snow theme that staff thought would be a fresh idea and surprise players Gradius Gaiden was directed by Seki Teisaku 3 He was assisted in production by designers Kobayashi Takayki and Chigasaki Kei sound designer Miura Norikazu and programmers Yamazaki Yukihiro and Isobe Neiichi among others 4 Most of the staff behind the project previously worked on Gradius Deluxe Pack 1996 a compilation of Gradius and Gradius II the Sega Saturn and PlayStation This familiarized them with the core mechanics of the Gradius series 4 Teisaku s goal was to refine and build upon many of the franchise s pre existing concepts and ideas while simultaneously providing an exciting and new experience for shooter fans For this reason team chose to name it Gaiden the Japanese term for side story 3 This also allowed them to experiment with different ideas while the name Gradius IV was considered it was dropped to prevent them from sticking only to mechanics established in earlier installments Development of Gradius Gaiden lasted for less than a year 3 The game was developed for a home console in mind as previous Gradius games were developed for arcades they were designed to be purposefully difficult This allowed the team to make the difficulty far more balanced and fair and allow players to improve their skills as they progressed 4 Teisaku and his colleagues retained elements they considered fun to use and essential to the series namely the power meter system Gaiden originally began as a single player game with a multiplayer mode added later on During production of the multiplayer mode the team needed another ship that could be distinguished from the player s own 4 The Lord British the second player ship from the Gradius spin off Salamander was added to accompany the default Vic Viper 4 Two new ships were added alongside them the Jade Knight and the Falsion b 4 One of the biggest things the team focused on was the level design 4 Takayuki and others wanted the levels in Gaiden to be unique and distinct from those found in previous Gradius games 4 The game s first level Beyond the White Storm was chosen to surprise players and to be fresh 4 Takayuki and others chose a snow theme for the level which had never been used in a Gradius title up to that point 4 The development team wanted to have stages feature unique mechanics that made them stand out from other level types in the series such as the remains of bosses in the second stage and the laser reflecting crystals in the third stage 4 Some levels were also designed to take advantage of the PlayStation s hardware capabilities namely the rotating Moai statues in the fourth stage 4 The development team toyed with the idea of a sea of mud level that slowed down the player s ship which was scrapped for it not being fun to play 4 The concept of rearranging the weapons in the power meter was based on the meter edit mode in Gradius III which allowed players to change the weapon types in their power meter before beginning the game 4 The team thought it was a fun idea and decided to implement it into Gaiden 4 Four shield types were added to complement the four playable ships the Guard came from Neichii being generally bad at Gradius games and always dying when colliding with the ground while the Limit was based on an idea of having a shield that was about time instead of its durability 4 The game s second loop was created as fan service being the team s way of thanking players who played the game extensively 3 Release editGradius Gaiden was released on August 28 1997 in Japan 5 On July 30 1998 it was re released as part of the PlayStation the Best budget game label and again on November 20 2003 as part of the PSone Books collection 5 Konami announced that the game would be released in the U S as part of a bundle with Salamander Deluxe Pack Plus in December 1997 1 however it was later cancelled 6 In 2006 Gradius Gaiden was compiled into Gradius Collection alongside Gradius Gradius II Gradius III and Gradius IV 7 This version of the game removed the multiplayer mode and suffers from slowdown in some areas 6 Gradius Gaiden is one of twenty games included in the Japanese version of the PlayStation Classic mini console released in 2019 8 Reception editReceptionReview scoresPublicationScoreFamitsu29 40 10 GameSpot7 9 10 9 Super GamePower4 5 11 Acao Games9 10 12 Maniac8 10 13 Consoles 90 100 14 Gradius Gaiden was well received by critics and is seen as one of the best games in the Gradius franchise It sold a total of 34 383 copies in its lifetime 15 Several expressed admiration towards its visuals and graphical style 9 12 11 GameSpot s Chris Johnston felt that while not as impressive as those in RayStorm or Star Fox 64 were excellent especially its detailed backgrounds 9 Lord Mathias of Super GamePower found them to be well designed and vibrant and posing some impressive transparency and rotation effects 11 a writer for Acao Games agreed 12 The four reviewers from Famitsu stated it was one of the best looking shooters on the PlayStation 10 as did Super Juegos 16 The soundtrack also received praise 11 with Acao Games saying it had some of the best tracks in the series 12 Johnston believed Gaiden possessed some well made music but that it wasn t as good as earlier Gradius games 9 Critics commended Gaiden s gameplay and design Johnston said the balanced difficulty and fun mechanics made it a solid entry in the franchise with Acao Games agreeing 9 12 Super Juegos enjoyed its style and innovation for building on the Gradius gameplay in a way that made the game feel fresh and new they favorably compared it to Konami s own Castlevania Symphony of the Night for this reason 16 Super Juegos and Acao Games also found it to be one of the best games in the franchise up to that point 16 12 with Acao Games labeling it a sensational shooter 12 The level design was also the subject of praise for its creativity and originality 12 11 although Famitsu staff felt it relied too heavily on Gradius fan service 10 Johnston recommended the game to shooter fans for its import friendly nature 9 In his review for Gradius Collection GameSpot s Greg Kasavin felt that Gaiden was the stand out game in the collection for its visuals gameplay and short loading times 17 In a 2017 retrospective review Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 labeled Gaiden as The perfect example of how to evolve the series and the Gradius equivalent to Castlevania Symphony of the Night He commended the game s colorful detailed graphics soundtrack and level designs and praised its creativity and overall quality Kalata also praised the game s weapon system and new shields although felt that neither of these were as good as the ones in its predecessor Gradius III He wrote Gradius Gaiden is a fantastic game it s really a toss up between this and Gradius V as to which is the best 6 Writing for Retronauts Jeremy Parish called it The glorious high point of classic Gradius and felt that it alone justified the purchase of Gradius Collection 18 Notes edit Japanese グラディウス外伝 Hepburn Gradiusu GaidenReferences edit a b c Gradius Gaiden The Classic Shooter Returns Electronic Gaming Monthly No 101 Ziff Davis December 1997 p 108 a b c d e f Gradius Gaiden manual Konami 1997 pp 5 15 VX078 J4 a b c d Gradius Gaiden 1997 Interview Archived from the original on December 30 2019 Retrieved February 11 2020 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a website ignored help a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Gradius Gaiden Interview Konami Official Books in Japanese Konami 28 March 2006 pp 186 191 ISBN 4 86155 111 0 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a work ignored help Translation by Shmuplations Archived 2019 12 30 at the Wayback Machine a b グラディウス外伝 PS Famitsu Archived from the original on November 24 2018 Retrieved November 24 2018 a b c Kalata Kurt September 11 2017 Gradius Gaiden Hardcore Gaming 101 Archived from the original on July 30 2019 Retrieved February 11 2020 コナミ グラディウス 5作品を1本に完全収録 PSP GRADIUS PORTABLE game watch impress co jp Retrieved 2020 05 19 PSクラシックの20タイトル 画面写真全部見せます アーマード コア や パラサイト イヴ 闘神伝 など概要付きで一挙紹介 1 3 Famitsu November 30 2018 a b c d e f Johnston Chris October 3 1997 Gradius Gaiden Review GameSpot CBS Interactive Archived from the original on July 11 2011 Retrieved February 11 2020 a b c NEW GAME CROSS REVIEW グラディウス外伝 Weekly Famitsu No 455 September 5 1997 p 32 a b c d e Mathias Lord November 1997 P Station Gradius Gaiden Super GamePower in Breton No 44 Brazil Nova Cultural a b c d e f g h Nave PlayStation Gradius Gaiden Acao Games in Portuguese No 121 Brazil Editora Azul December 1997 p 21 Sony Dimension Gradius Gaiden Maniac in German No 49 Germany Cybermania November 1997 p 50 Test Playstation Gradius Consoles in French No 69 France October 1997 Game Search based on Famitsu data Game Data Library March 1 2020 Archived from the original on April 24 2019 Retrieved March 16 2020 a b c Gradius Gaiden No 67 Super Juegos November 1997 p 25 Retrieved February 11 2020 Kasavin Greg June 6 2006 Gradius Collection Review GameSpot CBS Interactive Archived from the original on April 2 2019 Retrieved February 10 2020 Parish Jeremy August 30 2017 How Can I Play It The Gradius series Retronauts Archived from the original on December 26 2019 Retrieved February 11 2020 External links editGradius Gaiden at MobyGames Portals nbsp Video games nbsp 1990s Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gradius Gaiden amp oldid 1224354630, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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