Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

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Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy

North American cover art for PC
Developer(s) Traveller's Tales
Publisher(s) LucasArts, TT Games
Designer(s) Dan McAuliffe (producer)
David Perkinson (producer at LucasArts)
Jeff Gullet (assistant producer)
Artist(s) James Cunliffe
Jeremy Pardon (lead animator)
Series Lego Star Wars
Platform(s) PC, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360
Release date(s)
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: E10+
PEGI: 3+

Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy is a 2006 video game based on the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas and the Star Wars-themed toy line created by the Lego Group. It is the sequel to Lego Star Wars: The Video Game. Its levels cover the events of Star Wars episodes IV (A New Hope), V (The Empire Strikes Back), and VI (Return of the Jedi), which are collectively known as the original trilogy. There are over 50 playable characters from the original trilogy; customized characters can also be created.

Lego Star Wars II was developed by Traveller's Tales and published by LucasArts and TT Games. It was formally announced at American International Toy Fair 2006. During development, an effort was made to recreate the characters and events of the original trilogy in a "cute" way. The game was created for the PC, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360 video game consoles, with some differences between consoles. It received a rating of E10+ from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board and 3+ from PEGI.

The game was released between September and November 2006, won numerous awards, and was well-received by critics, with most praise coming from its humorous portrayal of the characters and events of the original trilogy and from reviewers' preference of the original trilogy to the prequel trilogy (episodes I, II, and III). Another game, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, was released in 2007 and featured every level from Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Lego Star Wars II is an action-adventure game whose gameplay is similar to its predecessor, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game.[1][2] Most of the game's setting and objects are made out of Lego bricks. Lego Star Wars II's levels cover the events of Star Wars episodes IV (A New Hope), V (The Empire Strikes Back), and VI (Return of the Jedi), which are collectively known as the original trilogy; whereas Lego Star Wars's levels covered the events of episodes I (The Phantom Menace), II (Attack of the Clones), and III (Revenge of the Sith), which are collectively known as the prequel trilogy. Lego Star Wars II presents a humorous view of the original trilogy,[3][4][5] retelling its events with cutscenes that feature no dialogue.[6]

"Lego studs" are the game's currency.[2] They are small objects shaped somewhat like discs, and come in four colors—silver, gold, blue, and purple. Silver studs are worth 10, gold are worth 100, blue are worth 1,000, and purple are worth 10,000; no studs are worth 1.[7] Many are found in each level, mostly by breaking objects made of Lego bricks.[2] Collecting a certain number of studs in each level is called "True Jedi"; it can be done in every level in both story mode and free play.[8]

The player's health is displayed as four hearts; being attacked by enemies depletes their health. Hearts can be found after defeating enemies; each one collected fills one heart of the player's health. When their health runs out, they "die" but instantly reappear in the same place, and a small number of their studs bounce away from them but can be recollected.[1][3]

In the Mos Eisley Cantina, the player can also access a small outdoor area, create customized characters, or use Lego studs to purchase characters, vehicles, gameplay hints, gold bricks, and extras such as invincibility and Lego stud multipliers.[9] Also, cheat codes can be used there to make characters and extras available for purchase earlier than they would normally be,[10] or for Easter eggs such as a Santa Claus character.[11]

A screenshot from one of the game's cutscenes that shows C-3PO showing several Ewoks the connection between Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi. The "adorable" look of the characters and cutscenes was well-received by critics.

Levels are accessed through doorways in the Mos Eisley Cantina.[3] Many locations from episodes IV through VI have been adapted into levels, including Hoth, Bespin, Dagobah, Tatooine, the forest moon of Endor, and both Death Stars.[1] Each episode is divided into six levels.[12] The player, armed with a gun or a lightsaber (depending on the character), moves through the levels. This requires them to defeat enemies, switch between characters for their abilities or to open doors, build objects out of Lego bricks,[1] use the Force to move certain objects, and drive vehicles.[3][13] Vehicles are no longer on rails as they were in Lego Star Wars.[14] Some levels are completed entirely in a vehicle such as the Millenium Falcon. Each level can be played in story mode; once it has been beaten in story mode, it can be played in free play, and the next level in the episode can be played in story mode.[1] Levels can be played as many times as desired to collect studs and secret items.[2] In story mode, only a few characters can be played, but in free play, all unlocked characters can be played;[1] the player can also do things in free play such as build a tree made of Lego bricks, then destroy it.[15] At any point in a level, a second player can join in by plugging in a second controller and help to complete the level.[3]

Three secret items can be collected in the game's levels—gold bricks, power bricks, and minikits. Gold bricks are items that are obtained after completing a level, achieving True Jedi in story mode, achieving it in free play, and collecting all 10 minikits. They can also be obtained by completing special missions for each episode, and can be purchased at the Mos Eisley Cantina. There are 99 of them in the game; obtaining certain numbers of them unlocks certain rewards, such as access to a spigot that spews out Lego studs. There are also secret red power bricks; one is hidden in each level. Collecting them makes various cheats available for purchase in the cantina. Minikits are small canisters that are hidden in difficult-to-access places in levels. There are ten in each level. Once all ten minikits are found, the player unlocks a vehicle and can use it in the "Minikit Bonus" level unlocked after finishing an episode's story.[13][16] These vehicles can also be viewed—but not driven—outside the Mos Eisley Cantina.[17]

[edit] Characters

The game has over 50 playable characters, taken from episodes IV through VI.[14][18] They include Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Yoda, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, R2-D2, C-3PO,[19] Darth Vader, an Ewok,[20] a Jawa,[14] Greedo, Boba Fett,[21] a Stormtrooper, The Emperor, and the ghosts of Anakin Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, and Yoda.[9] More characters can be purchased at the Mos Eisley Cantina. When a character is unlocked, their pieces can be used in character customization.[14][22]

Lego Star Wars II places greater emphasis on unique character abilities than in Lego Star Wars;[23] characters have various abilities which makes it necessary to switch between them at times. Characters with guns can use a grappling hook to reach higher areas when they stand inside a small red circle, and can attack enemies from a distance; characters with lightsabers can double jump,[21] use the Force to move certain objects, and use their lightsaber to deflect enemies' projectiles.[24] R2-D2, C-3PO, and other characters are needed to open certain doors.[25] Small characters like Ewoks can crawl through small hatches to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Bounty hunters like Boba Fett can throw thermal detonators to destroy otherwise indestructible objects.[26] Sith like Darth Vader can use the Force to manipulate black Lego objects.[21] Chewbacca can rip enemies' arms from their sockets, Darth Vader can use the Force to choke enemies,[14] Lando Calrissian can use a unique kung-fu-like attack,[27] and Princess Leia can slap enemies.[6] Sometimes, the player will need to return to a level in Free Play so they can use more characters and find all the secrets in the level.[28]

"Use Old Save" is an unlockable feature which enables the player to import all 54 characters from Lego Star Wars and use them in free play.[14][18] In order to use this feature, there must also be a Lego Star Wars saved game on the same memory card as the player's saved game of Lego Star Wars II.[3][12]

The last two characters in the character selection screen are customized characters that can be assembled in the Mos Eisley Cantina.[1][3] Parts from some standard characters, as well as pieces not otherwise seen, can be used to customize two player-built characters. The customizable fields are headgear, head, cape, torso, arms, hands, weapon, hips, and legs. Millions of combinations are possible.[14][29] The game creates names for the characters created based on the pieces used (for example, a character made from pieces of Darth Vader and C-3PO might have the name "Darth-3PO"); alternately, the player may create a name.[22]

[edit] Development

Lego Star Wars II was developed by Traveller's Tales in Cheshire, England[30] and published by TT Games and LucasArts.[18] Images showing the game were found on the Internet on February 2, 2006, but were pulled soon after. When telephoned, LucasArts neither confirmed nor denied a sequel to Lego Star Wars.[30] However, on February 10, Lego Star Wars II was formally announced at American International Toy Fair 2006.[31] Lego Star Wars was well-received by critics, was the thirteenth best-selling game of 2005,[32] and had sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide by September 2006,[5] causing Lego Star Wars II to be highly anticipated.[5] Improvements were made from Lego Star Wars's gameplay.[31]

Whether it was your first gaming experience or you've played everything released since Pong, the first LEGO Star Wars was one of those rare video games that everyone enjoyed. With LEGO Star Wars II, LucasArts is working with TT Games and Traveller's Tales not only to set players loose through the original three chapters of the Star Wars Saga, but also to make this feel like the true sequel our fans have been clamoring for.
—Jim Ward, president of LucasArts[31]

Producer Dan McAuliffe said in an interview with About.com that all the interactive objects from Lego Star Wars II were based on pieces from the original Lego Star Wars toy line and constructed with 3D-rendered Lego pieces, with strong attention paid to creating them to scale. The non-interactive parts of the environments were based on the sets from the films.[33] Assistant producer Jeff Gullet said in an interview with GameSpot that during the development of Lego Star Wars II, the movement of the camera was improved from Lego Star Wars, especially in co-op.[22]

There was an effort to recreate the characters and events in a "cute" way. Gullet remembered the recreation of a scene from Return of the Jedi in which Luke Skywalker "jumps off the plank ... and somersaults onto the skiff" and noted that in the recreation, Skywalker "performs an all-out acrobatic routine with all sorts of jumps from the plank. It's hilarious." David Perkinson, producer at LucasArts, said about the characters that "[u]nless you've got the heart of the Emperor, you are going to chuckle at many of them the first time you see them – you just have to. They're so darn cute!" About the general gameplay, Perkinson noted that "[a]s funny as the cutscenes are ... you're actually laughing during gameplay as well. No matter how many times I rip a [S]tormtrooper[']s arms out of its sockets or swat a Gamorrean guard as if to say 'oh no, you didn't!' as slave Leia, it never gets old."[6]

The game was created for the PC, Xbox, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360 video game consoles.[14] Some differences are existent between consoles. There are some different playable characters; for example, a baby Rancor in the Game Boy Advance version.[33] The Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable versions feature a "Wireless Lobby" for multiplayer gameplay.[14]

The game received a rating of E10+ from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board[18] and 3+ from PEGI.[34] On November 6, 2007, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga was released. It retained the gameplay of Lego Star Wars II and allowed players to play through the levels of both Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II.[35]

[edit] Reception

[edit] Sales

Lego Star Wars II was released in North America, Europe, Australasia, and the PAL region on various platforms between September and November 2006. It sold over 1.1 million copies worldwide in its opening week.[4] The game was the third-highest selling of 2006.[36] As of March 2007, Lego Star Wars and Lego Star Wars II combined have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[37]

[edit] Critical reception

 Reception
Review scores
Publication Score
Allgame 4/5 stars[18]
GameSpot 7.7/10[3]
GameSpy 4.5/5 stars[1]
IGN 8.4/10[38]
Nintendo Power 7.5/10[2]
Variety (favorable)[39]

The game was well-received by critics.[4][5] Its "adorable" and humorous portrayal of the Star Wars original trilogy was praised. Nintendo Power staff writer Chris Shepperd, giving the game a 7.5 out of 10, claimed that "[t]he adorable LEGO adaptations also led to some hilarious story moments—the 'I am your father' scene from Empire is priceless."[2] GameSpy staff writer Sal Accardo agreed and gave the game four and a half out of five stars with a rating of "Great!", claiming that "the cutscenes are worth the price of admission on their own, from the revised portrayal of Leia and Han's budding romance to the hysterical manner in which Vader reveals his family secrets to Luke."[1] Variety magazine staff writer Ben Fritz claimed that "'[A]dorable' is not a word used very often in an industry dominated by Grand Theft Auto and Halo, but it's undeniably the best way to describe Lego Star Wars II."[39] GameSpot and IGN thought similarly.[3][38] The game was also praised for reviewers' preference of the original trilogy to the prequel trilogy, as was portrayed in Lego Star Wars. Nintendo Power claimed that "[f]rom the classic battle on Hoth to the Endor speeder chase, everything feels more vibrant and organic than the previous game's sterile environments".[2] Variety, GameSpot, and GameSpy agreed.[1][3][39]

The game's relatively low difficulty received mixed reviews. Variety claimed that "the short journey is loads of fun."[39] GameSpot noted that "[i]t should probably take you around six hours to make your way through all three episodes the first time around, but there's plenty of additional content to keep you coming back."[3] GameSpy agreed.[1] However, IGN claimed that "the challenge never really rises above beginner-level in any section."[38]

The game was part of Gaming Target's "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing from 2006" selection,[40] and was placed tenth in GameSpy's "Game of the Year" PC top ten.[41] On December 22, 2006, StarWars.com declared the game the best Star Wars-related product of 2006.[42] IGN named it "One of the Most Anticipated Family Entertainment Titles of 2006" in their press release of the game.[5] Reader's Digest named it as one of "5 Things We Don't Want You to Miss" in their September 2006 issue.[5] Time magazine listed the game as the ninth of the top ten video games of 2006.[43]

[edit] Awards

The game won IGN's awards for "Best PC Action Game of 2006",[44] Spike TV's Video Game Awards 2006's "Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show",[45] iParenting Media Awards's "2006 Greatest Products Call",[46] BAFTA Video Game Awards's "Best Gameplay",[47] and was number one in Kidzworld's "Top 10 Video Games of 2006".[48] It was also nominated for Satellite Awards's "Outstanding Game Based on a Previous Medium"[49] IGN's "Game of the Month" for September 2006 (it came in second to Ōkami)[50] and BAFTA's "Best Children's Game", "Best Character" (Han Solo), and "Best Game".[47]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Accardo, Sal (September 18, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II (PC)". GameSpy. http://uk.pc.gamespy.com/pc/lego-star-wars-ii-the-original-trilogy/733271p1.html. Retrieved on May 10, 2009. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Shepperd, Chris (November 2006). Nintendo Power (209): 88. 
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Davis, Ryan. "LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy". GameSpot. http://uk.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/legostarwarstheoriginaltrilogy/review.html. Retrieved on May 3, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c "Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Sells More Than 1.1 Million Units Worldwide in One Week". GameSpot. September 20, 2006. http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6158054.html. Retrieved on March 25, 2007. 
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Darth Vader in a Bikini?". IGN. September 12, 2006. http://uk.games.ign.com/articles/732/732301p1.html. Retrieved on April 2, 2007. 
  6. ^ a b c LucasArts, TT Games Development Teams (August 17, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: Jedi Humor". IGN. http://uk.xbox.ign.com/articles/726/726335p1.html. Retrieved on April 2, 2007. 
  7. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 21. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  8. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 16. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Guides: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Guide (PS2), LEGO Star Wars II Walkthrough". IGN. http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/802758/page_4.html. Retrieved on July 10, 2009. 
  10. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 12. Retrieved on June 29, 2009.
  11. ^ Miller, Jonathan (December 22, 2006). "Santa Claus Is Coming to LEGO Star Wars II". IGN. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/752/752264p1.html. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. 
  12. ^ a b Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 14. Retrieved on July 5, 2009.
  13. ^ a b Traveller's Tales Development Team (June 20, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: Cruisin' the Galaxy". IGN. http://uk.xbox.ign.com/articles/713/713647p1.html. Retrieved on April 2, 2007. 
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i "LucasArts.com - LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy". LucasArts. http://www.lucasarts.com/games/legostarwarsii/. Retrieved on May 28, 2009. 
  15. ^ Traveller's Tales Development Team (May 30, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: Favorite Moments - Episode V". IGN. http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/710/710491p1.html. Retrieved on July 8, 2009. 
  16. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 22. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  17. ^ Traveller's Tales. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. "Hint: Collect all the LEGO canisters in each level to build minikit models. You can view these outside the cantina."
  18. ^ a b c d e Marriott, Scott Alan. "LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy - Overview - allgame". Allgame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=49034. Retrieved on June 9, 2009. 
  19. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, pp. 25–26. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  20. ^ Nintendo Power (209): 86. November 2006. 
  21. ^ a b c "Guides: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Guide (PS2), LEGO Star Wars II Walkthrough". IGN. http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/802758/page_2.html. Retrieved on July 8, 2009. 
  22. ^ a b c "GameSpot Video: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Interview 1". GameSpot. May 3, 2006. http://www.gamespot.com/video/0/6148904/videoplayerpop?. Retrieved on June 11, 2009. 
  23. ^ Traveller's Tales Development Team (March 31, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: Galactic Characters". IGN. http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/699/699714p1.html. Retrieved on July 8, 2009. 
  24. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 19. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  25. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 20. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  26. ^ Traveller's Tales. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. "Hint: Shiny metallic objects can only be destroyed with Bounty Hunter Thermal Detonators."
  27. ^ LucasArts [and] TT Games Development Teams (July 21, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: Favorite Moments - Episode V". IGN. http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/720/720098p1.html. Retrieved on July 8, 2009. 
  28. ^ Traveller's Tales. Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy. "Hint: Many areas of the levels can only be reached by certain characters. Go back to these levels in Free Play, and try to find all the secrets!"
  29. ^ Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (GameCube) instruction booklet, p. 15. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.
  30. ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (February 3, 2006). "A New Hope for Lego Star Wars". IGN. http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/685/685628p1.html. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. 
  31. ^ a b c "Top News Stories for Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy". GameSpot. February 13, 2006. http://uk.gamespot.com/ps2/action/legostarwarstheoriginaltrilogy/news.html?sid=6144164&tag=other-user-related-content;4. Retrieved on June 24, 2009. 
  32. ^ Perry, Douglass C. (February 9, 2006). "LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy". IGN. http://uk.ps2.ign.com/articles/687/687365p1.html. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. 
  33. ^ a b Cohen, D. S.. "A Conversation with LEGO Star Wars II Game Producer Dan McAuliffe". About.com. http://gameboy.about.com/od/developmentandpublishing/a/LEGOSWInterview_2.htm. Retrieved on May 28, 2009. 
  34. ^ "Xbox.com - LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy". Xbox.com. http://www.xbox.com/en-IE/games/l/legostarwars2xbox360/. Retrieved on June 11, 2009. 
  35. ^ "LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga". IGN. http://au.ps3.ign.com/objects/904/904615.html. Retrieved on June 24, 2009. 
  36. ^ Brightman, James (January 22, 2007). "PC Games Add $1 Billion to Record Gains". Businessweek.com. http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jan2007/id20070122_804652.htm. Retrieved on April 2, 2007. 
  37. ^ Boyer, Brandon (May 24, 2007). "LucasArts, TT Games Announce Lego Star Wars: The Complete Trilogy". Gamasutra. http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=14071. Retrieved on July 2, 2009. 
  38. ^ a b c Dunham, Jeremy. "IGN: LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy Review". IGN. http://uk.cube.ign.com/articles/731/731299p2.html. Retrieved on June 11, 2009. 
  39. ^ a b c d Fritz, Ben (October 1, 2006). "Lego Star Wars II Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931738.html?categoryid=1023&cs=1. Retrieved on June 11, 2009. 
  40. ^ GT Staff (January 2, 2007). "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2006: Part 2". Gaming Target. http://www.gamingtarget.com/article.php?artid=6370. Retrieved on March 25, 2007. 
  41. ^ "Game of the Year - PC Top 10". GameSpy. http://goty.gamespy.com/2006/pc/index2.html. Retrieved on March 30, 2007. 
  42. ^ "Star Wars: The Best of 2006 - Kick Some Brick: Lego Star Wars II". Internet Archive; StarWars.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070509110012/http://starwars.com/welcome/about/news/f20061222/indexp11.html. Retrieved on June 29, 2009. 
  43. ^ Grossman, Lev. "VIDEO GAMES". Time. http://www.time.com/time/topten/2006/videogames/09.html. Retrieved on April 3, 2007. 
  44. ^ "IGN.com presents The Best of 2006". IGN. http://bestof.ign.com/2006/pc/1.html. Retrieved on July 2, 2009. 
  45. ^ "Video Game Awards 2006". Spike TV. http://www.spiketv.com/#/events/vga2006/index.jhtml. Retrieved on March 30, 2007.  Click on "view winners", then on "Best Game Based on a Movie or TV Show".
  46. ^ "2006 Greatest Products Call". iParenting Media Awards.com. http://iparentingmediaawards.com/winners/13/Video_Game.php. Retrieved on March 30, 2007. 
  47. ^ a b "LEGO Star Wars II: The BAFTA winning Original Trilogy". TT Games.com. October 13, 2006. http://www.ttgames.com/node/102. Retrieved on March 30, 2007. 
  48. ^ "Kidzworld's Top 10 Video Games of 2006 - Xbox 360 - PS3 - Nintendo Wii - PSP - GBA - DS - PC". Kidzworld. http://www.kidzworld.com/article/7358-kidzworlds-top-10-video-games-of-2006. Retrieved on July 2, 2009. 
  49. ^ "IMDb: Satellite Awards: 2006". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Satellite_Awards/2006. Retrieved on July 2, 2009. 
  50. ^ "Game of the Month: September 2006". IGN. October 3, 2006. http://ps2.ign.com/articles/736/736944p1.html. Retrieved on July 13, 2009. 

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