![]() Still, even if snippets of Artifacts highlights introduce this record, it can hold its own. It made way for much simpler tracks, where melody is introduced by delicate violin chords and slick guitar riffs rather than triumphant fanfares of horns and towering basslines. In most cases, the sonic boom of the '90s East Coast sound has been reduced to a mere whisper. Since 2002 is neither 19 and El Da Sensei and DJ Kaos without Tame One are not the Artifacts, don't expect "Relax Relate Release" to pick up where the criminally slept-on "That's Them" left off. With the DJ on deck, all El Da Sensei has to present are the lyrics and the hot beats. Technician with precision, switch the fader all day" You had to have lyrics and plus hot beats to get the mixture Yeah kid, it goes deeper but you get the picture (Like Moe Dee, Busy Bee, MC Shan and KRS?) Showin' your skill up on the mic, originality was keyĪnd the law was not to bite in the highest degree (I hear that) Only a single got you city-wide appeal (Damn!) No video, car, crib or large deals (Huh?) When your favorite MC's had no major airplay (What?) "Aight little man, let me tell you 'bout the days After teaching biters a lesson himself in a short interlude called "Be Original", Kaos plays the naive but eager to learn kid discovering the wonders of yesteryear's hip-hop music: ![]() In between, DJ Kaos also takes on the role of the youngster who is getting schooled on the ways of old in "Questions and Answers", the type of history lesson that hip-hop needs more than ever. What's more, by contributing a batch of scratches, Kaos gets an amount of exposure that is rare for DJ's these days. On his recently released solo debut, "Relax Relate Release", he tries to rekindle the fond memories of an era when, as Fat Beats owner Joe Abajian says somewhere on this record, "that was the hip-hop at the time, it wasn't split up as it is now." Those of us old enough to remember those happy days, who may even remember the Artifacts specifically, will be glad to hear that El is still down with DJ Kaos who had become an official member by the time they released their sophomore joint in 1997. Apparently, so did El Da Sensei, the down-to-earth half of this dope New Jersey duo. The album featured guest appearances from Sadat X (of Brand Nubian), J-Live, Organized Konfusion (Pharoah Monch and Prince Po), Mike Zoot & F.T., Asheru, and others.El Da Sensei :: Relax Relate Release :: Seven Heads Entertainmentīack in the late 90's, I felt really sorry to see the Artifacts break up. In the fall of 2002, El finally dropped his debut solo album, Relax, Relate, Release, through Seven Heads Entertainment. During this time, he dropped the singles "Frontline" and "Got That" to let fans know he was still working. After the split, El Da Sensei went on his own traveling around the world and appeared on numerous compilations from Japan to Norway to Germany. Although not nearly successful as the first album, many hip-hop fans claim the album is an "underground classic," spawning the underground hits "The Art of Facts" and "The Ultimate." Shortly after the release of the second album, El and Tame decided on an amicable break up. They had developed a fan base of hardcore hip-hoppers, being graffiti artists and hip-hop purists themselves they sparked a new sub-culture in hip-hop called "backpackers." In 1996, the group followed up their debut with their sophomore album, That's Them. After that initial hit, the Artifacts splashed the world with joints like "Come on With the Come On" and "Dynamite Soul," and went onto tour the U.S. They released their debut album, Between a Rock & a Hard Place, in 1994 with "Wrong Side of the Tracks" as the lead single and video. The Artifacts first rose to fame with the hit "Wrong Side of the Tracks." After El Da Sensei and his partner Tame-One sent a rough demo to Bobbito the Barber at WKCR in New York, the group was signed to Big Beat/Atlantic Records. El Da Sensei stepped onto the hip-hop scene as one half of the Newark, NJ, duo, the Artifacts.
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![]() ![]() It was briefly used again for a few weeks of the Paris Commune, in May 1871. Despite this, the republican calendar continued to be used until 1 January 1806, when Napoleon declared it abolished. The First Republic ended with the coronation of Napoleon I as Emperor on 11 Frimaire, Year XIII, or 2 December 1804. The Common Era, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, was abolished and replaced with 'l'ère républicaine', the Republican Era, signifying the "age of reason" overcoming superstition, as part of the campaign of dechristianization. Ultimately, the calendar came to commemorate the Republic, and not the Revolution. However, the new calendar as adopted by the Convention in October 1793 made 22 September 1792 the first day of Year I. It decreed on 2 January 1793 that Year II of the Republic had begun the day before. On 21 September 1792, the French First Republic was proclaimed, and the new National Convention decided that 1792 was to be known as Year I of the French Republic. Year I had therefore begun on 1 January 1789. However, on 2 January 1792 its successor the Legislative Assembly decided that Year IV of Liberty had begun the day before. The National Constituent Assembly at first intended to create a new calendar marking the "era of Liberty", beginning on 14 July 1789, the date of the Storming of the Bastille. It was used in government records in France and other areas under French rule, including Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Malta, and Italy. ![]() The revolutionary system was designed in part to remove all religious and royalist influences from the calendar, and was part of a larger attempt at decimalisation in France (which also included decimal time of day, decimalisation of currency, and metrication). The French Republican calendar ( French: calendrier républicain français), also commonly called the French Revolutionary calendar ( calendrier révolutionnaire français), was a calendar created and implemented during the French Revolution, and used by the French government for about 12 years from late 1793 to 1805, and for 18 days by the Paris Commune in 1871. I don't remember their names, but maybe it will come to me & I will post again.French Republican Calendar of 1794, drawn by Philibert-Louis Debucourt It was owned & run by a German American family. I had a couple of watches because I got them at a discount. I don't know anything else but I had to reply when people here said it never existed!! It certainly did & was a very good brand back then. I left in 1966 when I got married & moved to Boston. I used to go back there occasionally, mainly because I was curious. Many assemblers were European immigrants. In the very back was a section where people assembled watches sitting on long benches. Behind them were all the secretaries, accountants, billing, etc. The front, fancy section was the sales staff. (419?) It was on an upper flour (5th?) and was divided into 3 section. I don't remember the address but it was between 39th & 38th Street directly on Fifth Avenue. It was my first job out of secretarial school and I worked in the back office which was in a building on 5th Avenue directly across from Lord & Taylor. I just googled a place I worked from 1965 to 1966 and saw this website & thought I could answer some questions about the Lucerne Watch Company. ![]() To recharge this unit, pop it into any Windows, MAC, or powered USB device, for 2-3 hours for a full recharge. You can even use this covert recording drive as an actual thumb drive, store files for school, and work on it. You don't need software to review your audio files play the recordings through VLC media player or your normal media player software installed on your computers, like iTunes or Windows media player. The device comes with a rechargeable battery that lasts 10 to 13 hours off a full charge, and you can download your files to a Windows or MAC computer. Looking to capture what someone said covertly? One-touch voice recording paired with 90 hours of storage makes this one of the slickest covert recording devices on the market today. It'll take 2-3 hours to charge a dead battery fully. It even charges while you review your files on a Windows or Mac computer. Just insert the device into any USB port with power. Take a moment to make a 30-second recording to ensure that the time stamp took. Update the preloaded time and date in the "timeset.txt" document and save it to the proper record drive. You will need to open up the "timeset.txt" document in the Mac-specific folder preloaded on the device for MAC computers. The device will automatically sync to your computer's date and time click ok, and you're done. Open the set time folder and run the set time program (Windows). To set the date and time, plug the device into your Windows or Mac computer. This tiny device even functions as a normal thumb drive, allowing you to store any other type of files you want. No software or cables are needed plug this unit into any MAC or Windows to transfer your audio files to your computer. It's an easy one-touch operation slide the small switch at the end opposite the USB port to start and stop recordings. This information is intended for use only by residents of (CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, KY, MD, MN, NC, PA, SC, TN, VA). Subject to Investment Risks, Including Possible Loss of the Principal Amount Invested.Not a Deposit or Other Obligation of, or Guaranteed by, the Bank or Any Bank Affiliate.Not Insured by the FDIC or Any Federal Government Agency.© 2023 Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. This material was written and prepared by Broadridge Advisor Solutions. Neither the information presented nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. The content is derived from sources believed to be accurate. You are encouraged to seek guidance from an independent tax or legal professional. The information in this newsletter is not intended as tax, legal, investment, or retirement advice or recommendations, and it may not be relied on for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. If you are considering purchasing life insurance, consult a professional to explore your options. Any guarantees are contingent on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. In addition, if a policy is surrendered prematurely, there may be surrender charges and income tax implications. Policies commonly have mortality and expense charges. As with most financial decisions, there are expenses associated with the purchase of life insurance. The cost and availability of life insurance depend on factors such as age, health, and the type and amount of insurance purchased. If their situations change, it is unlikely that they will be able to increase or decrease either the premiums or the death benefits on their whole life policies without surrendering them and purchasing new policies. ![]() To others, whole life policies don’t provide enough flexibility. They know in advance what they’ll have to pay in premiums and exactly what their death benefits will be. To some people, it means one less thing to worry about. The fact that whole life policies have fixed premiums and fixed death benefits can be either positive or negative, depending on the situation. The cash value of a life insurance policy accumulates tax deferred, but if you surrender the policy, you’ll incur an income tax liability for funds that exceed the premiums you have paid. However, loans against the value of an insurance policy are generally not taxable and can provide the cash to help with unexpected expenses. You should be aware that, in addition to charging a modest interest rate for loans against a policy, the insurance company may pay a lower rate of return for the portion of your cash value that you borrow. Additional out-of-pocket payments may be needed if actual dividends or investment returns decrease, if you withdraw policy values, if you take out a loan, or if current charges increase. If the policy lapses, matures, is surrendered, or becomes a modified endowment, the loan balance at such time would generally be viewed as distributed and taxable under the general rules for distributions of policy cash values. Loans and withdrawals reduce the policy's cash value and death benefit and increase the chance that the policy may lapse. This assumes the loan will eventually be satisfied from the income-tax-free death. Under current federal tax rules, loans taken will generally be free of current income tax as long as the policy remains in effect until the insured's death, does not lapse or mature, and is not a modified endowment contract. You can either surrender the policy for its cash value or take the needed funds as a loan against the policy. As the cash value grows, the risk for the insurance company declines.Īlthough the cash value in your policy is “your” money, you can’t simply withdraw it as needed, as you would cash from a savings account but you do have limited access to your funds. This buildup in cash value is part of the reason the premiums on a whole life policy generally remain fixed instead of escalating to match the increased risk of death as you age. The insurance company pays a guaranteed rate of return on the portion of your premium that is in its investment portfolio, building up the value of your policy. Part of the premium pays for the protection element of your policy, while the remainder is invested in the company’s general portfolio. In addition to providing a death benefit, a whole life policy can build cash value, which accumulates tax deferred. In exchange for this fixed premium, the insurance company promises to pay a set benefit upon your death. When you purchase a whole life policy, you traditionally pay a fixed premium for as long as you live or for as long as you keep the policy in force. ![]() ![]() For many years, whole life policies were the predominant type of life insurance sold in America. Most people are familiar with whole life insurance. ![]() Continued abuse of our services will cause your IP address to be blocked indefinitely. Please fill out the CAPTCHA below and then click the button to indicate that you agree to these terms. If you wish to be unblocked, you must agree that you will take immediate steps to rectify this issue. If you do not understand what is causing this behavior, please contact us here. If you promise to stop (by clicking the Agree button below), we'll unblock your connection for now, but we will immediately re-block it if we detect additional bad behavior. Overusing our search engine with a very large number of searches in a very short amount of time.Contents 1 Half-Life (pre-release) 2 Half-Life 2.1 Regular Marine quotes 3 Half-Life: Opposing Force Press Demo 3.1 Regular Marine quotes 3.2 HECU Engineer quotes 4 Half-Life: Opposing Force 4.1 Regular Marine quotes 4.2 HECU Engineer quotes 4. Using a badly configured (or badly written) browser add-on for blocking content The following is a list of quotes from Hazardous Environment Combat Unit.Running a "scraper" or "downloader" program that either does not identify itself or uses fake headers to elude detection.Using a script or add-on that scans GameFAQs for box and screen images (such as an emulator front-end), while overloading our search engine.There is no official GameFAQs app, and we do not support nor have any contact with the makers of these unofficial apps. Continued use of these apps may cause your IP to be blocked indefinitely. This triggers our anti-spambot measures, which are designed to stop automated systems from flooding the site with traffic. Some unofficial phone apps appear to be using GameFAQs as a back-end, but they do not behave like a real web browser does.Using GameFAQs regularly with these browsers can cause temporary and even permanent IP blocks due to these additional requests. Po wybuchu w laboratorium do wiata przedostaj si obce istoty z obcego wymiaru Xen. Opposing Force es la primera expansión oficial de Half-Life, desarrollada por Gearbox Software bajo la supervisión del creador original Valve. Seria opowiada o fizyku Gordonie Freemanie, który pocztkowo pracuje dla Black Mesa Research Facility. This life form is said to be the equivalent of a 'biological resource management factory.' It is suspected to be capable of taking any natural resource and assimilating it to make them useful to the aliens' needs. If you are using Maxthon or Brave as a browser, or have installed the Ghostery add-on, you should know that these programs send extra traffic to our servers for every page on the site that you browse. Half-Life (zapisywane jako HLF-LIFE) seria strzelanek pierwszoosobowych o tematyce fantastycznonaukowej stworzonych przez Valve Corporation. The Gene Worm is the main antagonist and final boss of Half-Life: Opposing Force, and the most mysterious of the Race X aliens.The most common causes of this issue are: Your IP address has been temporarily blocked due to a large number of HTTP requests. ![]() ![]() Powers advanced to Saturday’s D3 state championship game at 3 p.m. That’s 18 years of coaching experience (from me) saying that.” “I’m not sure we’ve ever had a hockey team built quite like we did this year. I hope that when the sting of this loss wears off, they are able to look back and see all the wonderful things they’ve done. ![]() “They have given so much to this program. “You can say a lot about these eight four-year senior varsity players,” DeSana said. In the postseason, Richard won its sixth consecutive regional title and then topped Ann Arbor Richard 6-1 in the quarterfinals. The experienced Pioneers finished the 2022-23 season with a 20-8-1 mark overall, including an undefeated run through the Metro League East. Richard goalie Ryan Rainey finished with 23 saves on the afternoon. The Chargers in the win displayed their depth, seeing six different players score a goal and five different players tally an assist. (Kurtiak) played well and he started to gain some confidence.” “Once you start getting a ton of quality chances and it doesn’t go in, you start to wonder if it will ever go in. “The biggest backbreaker is that we had chances and couldn’t cash in,” DeSana said. Richard, however, was responsible for seven of those infractions and it resulted in three powerplay goals for the Chargers.ĭespite the lopsided final score, the Pioneers were only outshot 29-25. The two teams cleaned that up some, combining for 10 penalties. Special teams were also a factor in that first meeting at the showcase as both teams then combined for nearly 20 penalties in what was a 4-3 win for Powers. We had some extremely good chances but you have to give (Powers goalie Nicholas Kurtiak) a lot of credit, he played extremely well.” “One team gains confidence and the other team loses its confidence. “It means a lot in these kinds of games to get out to a quick start,” DeSana said. The Chargers then scored twice in the second, just 21 seconds apart, and the two-goal lead quickly became a 4-0 advantage. ![]() ![]() “They must not leave the city for at least two hundred years,” said the chief builder. The Instructions When the city of Ember was just built and not yet inhabited, the chief builder and the assistant builder, both of them weary, sat down to speak of the future. The Last Message Journey Through The Books Of Ember Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Jeanne DuPrau Copyright Page In the debriefing they were all bouncing ideas off of each other saying things like, “I was scared too! Miss L never doesn’t smile.THE CITY OF EMBER Jeanne DuPrau RANDOM HOUSE NEW YORKĬontents Title Page Map The Instructions 1. It’s important to let students talk about their feelings.One of my students said, “I’m going to remember this activity forever!” Students love role-play! When you can let them experience something first hand that they are learning about, it really sticks.My teacher said, “this activity wouldn’t have been as effective if they didn’t respect you.” The only reason my students reacted the way they did is because I have high expectations and practice a good method of classroom management. ![]() I’m so excited to read this whole book to them! It would also work really well in a guided reading group. They are going to remember their job now for the rest of the book and see how the people in their jobs play out while reading. Then they worked on reflection sheet where they talked about what they would have to do for their job (we also gave them a job description sheet) and if they were excited about it or not. My teacher and I debriefed them by holding a conversation saying, “We wanted you to see what the characters in the book felt like! How did this activity make you fee?” A lot of the students responded, “Scared, nervous, upset.” And we said, “exactly! That’s what the kids in the book felt like.” I told them a few examples like how they are lucky they get the oportunity to pick their own jobs like how I got to pick to be a teacher. I came back with a worksheet and with my normal smile and high pitched voice said, “So what did you think of that?” All of the students busted out laughing and talking about the crazy experience they just had. They came up one by one picking an assignment from the bag and reading it out loud. My teacher walked aorund the room telling the students to stop smiling and sit up straight. The kids were so confused but surprisingly went along with it (I think they were scared!) I acted just as the mayor did in the book. We had very strict faces (we didn’t smile the whole time– and for anyone who knows me, knows that this is not something I EVER do). ![]() Then we came in with serious faces and told them to put everything away because it was assignment day. My teacher and I let them go in the class and then shut the door to let them process the information. In the afternoon (we had read the chapter in the morning) we wrote “Assignment Day” on our whiteboard and the students saw it as they came back in from library. My teacher and I found an activity online that allowed us to “act-out” assignment day in our classroom. The mayor is very rude and controlling over the kids. This is when a group of 12 year olds get their jobs by picking out of a hat. The first chapter of the book is called “Assignment Day”. I told her, “it’s so great how things work out like this are you’re able to make connections across multiple subject areas!” –> It’s seriously so satisfying to be able to do this in the classroom, and the kids get excited about the connections as well. This is perfect, because we’re learning about maps in Social Studies. There’s a map that comes with the book that lays out the “City of Ember”. The book talks about the struggle to keep the city going and everyone’s conscious effort to do just that. But all the jobs are necessary to keep the city alive. There are also some cool ones like: Messenger and teacher’s assistant. Some examples: mold scraper, trash sifter, pipeworks laborer. Then, they keep the same ones, or get new ones. the people in the city get jobs when they are 12 years old and must work those jobs for three years. The catcher is that the reader has no idea that the city is underground until the very end of the book (so if you read it to your class, don’t give it away!) The city was founded hundreds of years ago to keep the people safe. The book is about an underground city world. her face lit up and she said, “Omg read them the City of Ember!” Now, I haven’t read this book personally yet, but I can already tell that it’s going to be great after talking to my teacher about it and reading the first chapter to my kids. It has been a while since my students have read a novel, so I asked if she had any in mind. The other day my cooperating teacher and I were bouncing ideas off of each other for planning the upcoming weeks. ![]() It can even have two master pages, if printing is done on both sides (called duplex printing). ![]() For each of those positions, you can set a different Master Page and Media (see Media). See Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section.Īpplying a Master Page to a page in a Print sectionĮvery page in a print section has a natural position: it can be the first page, the last page, one of the pages in between (a 'middle page'), or a single page. Finally, apply the master page to a specific page in a print section.The contents of a print section will not appear in the space reserved for the header and/or footer on the corresponding master page. Fill out the height of the header and/or the footer.On the Resources pane, expand the Master pages folder, right-click the master page, and click Properties.To set a margin for the header and/or footer: Pages in a Print section that use this Master Page cannot display content in the space that is reserved by the Master Page for the header and footer, so that content in the Print section does not collide with the content of the header and footer. Instead, the header and footer of the Master Page limit the text flow on pages in the Print sections to which this Master Page is applied. This does not change the content placement within the Master Page itself in Master Pages, elements can go everywhere on the page. The margins for a header and footer are set in the Master Page properties. Next, define the margins for the header and footer.First insert elements that form the header or footer, such as the company logo and address, on the Master Page see Editing a Master Page.Headers and footers are not designed as part of the contents of a Print section, but as part of a Master Page, which is then applied to a page in a print section. One Master Page must always exist in a Print template, but if you don't need it, you can leave it empty. Content that doesn't fit, will not be displayed.Įditing the Master Page is optional. Its content cannot overflow to a next page. Keep in mind that a Master Page always remains a single page. It is good practice to position elements on a Master Page by placing them in a Positioned Box (see Content elements). To open a Master Page, expand the Master pages folder on the Resources pane, and double-click the Master Page to open it.Ī Master Page can contain text, images and other elements (see Content elements), including variable data and dynamic images (see Personalizing Content). Master Pages are edited just like sections, in the workspace. After adding more Master Pages, different Master Pages can be applied to different pages see Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section. Initially, the master page that has been created together with the Print context will be applied to all pages in the Print section. Optionally, set the margin for the header and footer.On the Resources pane, right-click the Master pages folder and click New Master Page. ![]() Adding more Master Pages can be done as follows: When a Print template is created, one master page is added to it automatically. The following how-to shows how to use Master Pages to add a tear-off slip to the first page of an invoice: A tear-off section on the first page of an invoice. The following how-to demonstrates the use of Master Pages to show terms and conditions on the back of the first page of a Print section only: Showing a Terms and Conditions on the back of the first page only. Initially, the original Master Page will be applied to all pages, but different Master Pages can be applied to different pages see Applying a Master Page to a page in a Print section. You can add more Master Pages see Adding a Master Page. Only one Master Page can be applied per page in printed output. Master Pages resemble Print sections, and they are edited much the same way, see Editing a Master Page but they contain a single page and do not have any text flow. Master Pages can only be used in the Print context. Examples are a different header on the first page, and a tear-off slip that shows up on the last page. ![]() In addition, some elements should appear on each first page, or only on pages in between the first and the last page, or only on the last page. In Print sections, there are often elements that need to be repeated across pages, like headers, footers and logos. There are new stations with new mini-games and new skills to master.Įach adds a new layer to the game and makes it challenging and yet familiar. The graphics are beautiful and the gameplay fast, sharp, and entertaining. Jealousy and missed communication ensue and a good narrative is launched. Sally and Francois are friends and co-workers but Sally has an opportunity to expand and fancify her salon. 'I have always enjoyed the Sally saga of games and this one does not disappoint. Delicious - Emily's Moms vs Dads Platinum Edition asks the age-old question: Who does it better? Moms or Dads? It's time to settle the battle once and for all in a comical new time management adventure! Play 60 charming story levels and dozens of challenges, including new daily events. ![]() Windows 10 users Games released from 2016 are generally compatible with Windows 10 unless stated otherwise on the game description page, so not all games will be included in this list. This is due to the fact that they generally work with a specific version of the game and after updating it or choosing another language they may (although do not have to) stop working or even malfunction.Extra care should be taken with modifications, trainers, and other things that were not created by the game’s developers. Note: The cheats and tricks listed above may not necessarily work with your copy of the game. Open wedding salons all over the world, broaden your range of products and train your staff. Dive head first into pre-wedding turmoil – help the bride and the groom organize an unforgettable wedding. Create a wedding boutique chain and become a true master of wedding preparations. Wedding Salon 2: Open and develop a chain of wedding salons located all around the world!!CRACKED – FREE DOWNLOAD – TORRENTGame OverviewDeveloper: N/APublisher: N/ARelease Date: N/AGenre: ManagementThe long-awaited sequel to Wedding Salon is now available! Enjoy a cheerful and entertaining success story. ![]() Wedding Salon 2 Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. ![]() Not until one skips his/her turn at least once, by moving around the board. For example, one may start a round while standing right next to chest or a hostile NPC, but the game, for some unthinkable reason, will disallow one from initiating the most reasonable action. For example, making a move will not always result in a desired outcome, as at times, the title disallows one from committing to certain actions. But just like the title’s menus and home screen, it features a plethora of rather baffling bugs, and/or design choices. As Blackguards 2’s real difficulty, yet again comes from its design and feature implementation, just like in the case of its menus.įirst of all, it has to be said that Blackguard 2’s core combat is not bad, in fact, it is far from it. ![]() However, if you believed that such will come from title’s gruelling difficulty and/or necessity of a tactical mastermind, then you are probably going to be disappointed to hear that you’ve been deeply mistaken. ![]() He/she will finally be ready to take on the challenges that Blackguards 2 has in store. Once one has spent in excess of ten minutes wrestling with the title’s numerous menus, due to its inadequate technical design. And the rather shambolic placement of objects of interest, doesn’t help either, as sometimes trying to pick between a cluster of two or three objects, can be an adventure in and of itself. And that’s because the in-game menus are simply not suitable for console environment, as every flick of the analogue stick, even the slightest, will fire player’s selection cursor to the opposite side of the screen. Every visit to the in-game hub, any hub in-fact, is a pain to one’s mind and soul. But once the conversation is over, the real hell ensues, as the hardest battles of Blackguards 2 are not fought on the turn-based, hexagonal battlegrounds, but within the title’s menus. In game, players will spend majority of their time staring at a still image, while listening to a conversation. As those, just like the in-game art, come a dime a dozen. And unfortunately, Blackguards 2 features as many poorly designed and implemented features, as still backdrops. But one thing which many RPG players have in common, is the hatred of overly complex, convoluted, and infuriating in-game mechanics. Some could argue that archaism, and low budget solutions, are the heart and soul of the RPG genre, and the above flaws, will simply not be enough to deter them from purchasing Blackguards 2. And there comes a point where most who decide to give this particular title a go, will simply skip majority of the exposition, and conversations all together, and that’s simply because the supporting visual façade, is not up to scratch. However, still images, ambient sounds, and average at best voice acting do very little to convince one to get invested into the story that Blackguards 2 is trying to tell. And if not for the title’s limitations, its story could have been the center point of the entire experience. Blackguards 2 suffers from the same problems that Torment: Tides of Numenera did, earlier this year. And as epic, and as mind-boggling title’s themes and plot-lines may be, they’re ultimately hindered by the title’s limited visual capabilities. On one hand it is a narrative heavy RPG adventure, but on the other, the very same adventure is told using stills, and limited art. The mix of different forms and substances in Blackguards 2 is simply astounding. ![]() And not strange, the way that Metal Gear Solid series is odd and unpredictable, yet incredible – no, it is strange in the same way that a homeless man talking to himself in third person, is strange. To put it bluntly, Blackguards 2 is simply strange. And that’s because the title at hand is not a TPP, or FPP action RPG, but because it is an eerie mix of turn =-based strategy, Dungeons and Dragons like foundations and structure, and story-board centeric narrative devices. But unfortunately, even when one takes such a stance, it is difficult to give Blackguards 2 any bonus points for its quote-on-quote complexity, as it is not the role-playing experience, which one would otherwise expect from a title carrying a tag of an RPG. Some could argue that the decrease in quality, in case of Blackguards 2, comes from the fact that this particular title, unlike Daedalic’s other works, is not an adventure game, but an RPG. And unfortunately, Daedalic’s most recent console release, in form of Blackguards 2 follows in the footsteps of developer’s lesser titles such as A New Beginning, rather than Ken Follett’s The Pillars of The Earth. And in many ways, the overall quality of this particular entertainment product was surprising to say the least, as in the past, the developer in question has been known for releases which were rather sub-par, to say the least. Earlier this year, Daedalic Entertainment has released arguably the greatest adventure game of this generation, in form of Ken Follett’s The Pillars of The Earth. |