Board 8 > Anagram Aces Ace Attorney: A Phoenix Wright Playthrough Topic (spoilers)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Episode III: Turnabout Samurai
- Ive already seen the word turnabout more times in this game than I have in the last ten years combined.
- Maya is excited about a TV show for ten year-olds about samurai. I guess if you dress like her, youre obligated to be obsessed about Japanese culture. Are you allowed to call actually Japanese people weebs? Ive never thought about this before. By the way, this music, this is like if an American level had like bald eagle screeching and a country twang for the music.
- Maya is 17? I thought she was older. Shouldnt she be in like high school?
- Maya calls me in the middle of the night, saying that the actor for the Steel Samurai was arrested, and demands I come to the law office immediately. I do, and its bright outside the window. Come on, game, I know you have a night version of this office already.
- We find out from the news that Will Powers (the Steel Samurai) was arrested for killing Jack Hammer (the Evil Magistrate) with a prop spear.
- Wait, Mayas personal cell phone is the law offices cell phone?!
- Man, that same guard is always on duty in the detention center. Good for him.
- It seems like it was only yesterday. Actually, it was only yesterday. That joke is literally like seventy years old or more.
- I have no idea why specifically Will Powers hired us, but he lays out the case: the cast arrived at 10:00 AM to do some action sequences, they had a rehearsal at 5:00 PM, but when 5:00 PM arrived, the Evil Magistrate was found dead with a hilarious hole in his prop chest, Jesus Christ, thats the best piece of comedy so far. Will Powers came to the studio at 9:00 AM, broke his prop spear (dun dun dun?), then took a nap after practicing a bit. When he woke up, Jack Hammer was dead.
- We go to Global Studios and meet a cranky old lady working security. She explains some stuff I dont want to repeat because its clearly important detail stuff that would take forever to type. Eventually we get in and get a map of the studio.
- Man, am I supposed to feel bad for Detective Gumshoes feelings getting hurt when Maya calls him a sloppy detective? Hes like the worst!
- Hey! You cant just go around saying pal like that!
- We see that the path to the unused Studio 2 is blocked by a tree and a statue head. Am I insane for thinking thats not blocked? Like you can clearly just step around the tree, and thats if you dont want to just go onto the grass, which you could easily do.
- Jesus Christ, game, if youre going to add the ability to slide the camera over when inspecting a room, at least highlight the option.
- In Studio 1, we meet Penny, the assistant and murder suspect. She tells us about how they went over an action sequence in the morning, then ate lunch. More importantly, she says someone else was watching the scene, but she doesnt know who. Whom? She doesnt know whom.
- Hahaha, I was paying attention and wrote down the security cameras number. Nice try, game. We get a photo from the security ladys desk, but its Photo #2. Dun dun dun? Anyway, the photo shows someone in the Steel Samurai costume with the spear, but the legs are clearly too short.
- Phoenix seems to think the killer is the security lady, but she doesnt have the right face for it. Its either Penny the assistant or someone who hasnt shown up yet, probably the latter.

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1-3 so good

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Just a heads up, Case 3s are generally filler. They are usually pretty lighthearted/cartoony, have fairly low stakes and little relevance/repercussions on the overall plot.

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- Court begins.
- Is Edgeworth the only prosecutor in town? I guess not, there was the guy from the first case.
- I just now realized that the prosecutors get opening statements, but the defense doesnt. What kind of a sloppy court are you running, judge? After this, Edgeworth calls Gumshoe to the stand, and I dont get to cross-examine him. Judgeeeeeeeeeee~
- I produce the photograph to prove that Oldbag doesnt know for sure that it was Will Powers in it, but she says Will Powers hurt his leg and broke a prop spear, and the guy in the photo is dragging his leg therefore, it must be him. But I counter that the photo is labeled #2, so someone erased the other photo. She then explains that there was ANOTHER person who went by. Maya puts it best: Id say this was a turn for the unexpected, but I sort of expected this.
- She explains that there was a little kid who got in through a grate, but everyone says a kid couldnt have lifted the spear. Desperate, Phoenix decides to accuse someone random to keep the case going: Penny the assistant. Edgeworth explains why thats impossible, and the judge kills two of my health bars? I barely even realized it was possible to fail in this game. Instead, I accuse Oldbag.
- This ultimately freaks her out into admitting that the director and producer were there the day of the murder, but she was told by the studio not to talk about them. They were in the Studio Two trailer during the murder.
- Court is adjourned so we can investigate the other people.
- Im calling it now: the person in the Steel Samurai outfit was Jack Hammer. He was angry at Will Powers for being more successful than him and was going to frame him for some other crime, then the director and producer killed him for some reason because they thought he was Will Powers.

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Anagram posted...

- Im calling it now: the person in the Steel Samurai outfit was Jack Hammer. He was angry at Will Powers for being more successful than him and was going to frame him for some other crime, then the director and producer killed him for some reason because they thought he was Will Powers.

You're certainly starting to think like the game does

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Also, just to give you a heads up: The original PW1 cases are fairly short, but the cases generally get longer as the series goes along.

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Anagram posted...

- Hey! You cant just go around saying pal like that!

the line where the series started coming together for me

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That's MY endearing character trait!

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- Nick is a newbie lawyer! Fresh off the bar! When he loses, hes going to lose big! Maya is pretty entertaining.
- Phoenix doesnt have a drivers license? I know so many people online who dont. That is inconceivable where I live.
- I have never in my life heard of an electric bicycle. Is that a real thing?
- For basically no reason, I rip a plank of wood off of a grate to make it easier for kids to sneak in.
- This game needs to be better at telling you where to go. After ripping off the plank of wood, I went to literally every location before Studio 2 again. Later, with no indication, I was supposed to go into Will Powers dressing room to meet the director. Sal Manella, huh? Not, uh, not your best pun name, game.
- What was this guys dialogue in Japanese? I assume 1337 isnt a thing there.
- I like how the Pink Princess not only has boob armor, she has a pink flower painting over each boob to draw your attention.
- I dont think hes the killer, he seems too inept.
- After that, I meet Oldbag again, then a kid whos CLEARLY too large to sneak through the grate he snuck through. Cody runs off, but we find an empty bottle of sleeping pills on the lunch table. Did did everyone just miss those over the course of days?
- Eventually I find Dee Vasquez, who is obviously the murderer, but I cant immediately see her pun name. The Vast Quiz? Someone is going to post the pun and Ill look like a moron for sure.
- After I do the lamest fetch quest ever, she says no one could have left the Studio 2 trailer to kill Jack Hammer because the path was blocked by a fallen tree and monkey statue head. The game shows a picture of the path I talked about earlier being blocked, but come on. This is clearly very easy to get over or around. Anyway, the path was blocked from 2:15-4:00 and the murder happened at 2:30, so she cant be it, but shes obviously the killer anyway.
- Maya channels her sister again, and holy crap, Im sorry but I cant get over how this just causes her boobs to grow five times bigger, its really distracting. Eventually this results in Cody giving us a scrapbook of all of the Samurais victories and telling us that he saw the Steel Samurai kill someone with his spear.
- Phoenix decides not to put the kid on the stand, but it doesnt matter because Gumshoe appears and drags him off to be a witness.
- With that, the day ends.

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Dee Vasquez = Diva

And 1-3 is definitely one of the worst cases in terms of navigation and giving you clear direction.

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Leonhart4 posted...

Dee Vasquez = Diva

Yep, knew Id look like an idiot.

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One of the characters explains the pun at one point and just calls her Diva.

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Leonhart4 posted...

Dee Vasquez = Diva

And 1-3 is definitely one of the worst cases in terms of navigation and giving you clear direction.

...I didnt think I had missed any PW puns, but apparently I had!

Speaking of which, it was years before I realized that Nick came from PhoeNIX

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Yeah, figuring out why Larry and Maya called him "Nick" took me a really long time, too.

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Yeah that one took me a while but I DID figure it out on my own eventually

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- The trial begins again, with Sal Manella on the stand.
- ROFS? Rolling on the floor starving?
- 15! Thats only 13 in base 12!
- Eventually, I pick apart Codys testimony and prove that he took a picture of the fight, but that the Steel Samurai didnt win, so he deleted it. But the Steel Samurai was the murderer, so what could this beeeeee?
- It could be by having Jack Hammer be the Steel Samurai, and in Studio 2, no less, when it was impossible to enter or exit.
- Please explain so that I might be shocked along with the rest of the court.
- This proves that Jack Hammer had to have been killed by someone in Studio 2, and since only two people there have sprites, it has to be Sal Manella or Dee Vasquez.
- Blah blah blah, I give the empty bottle of sleeping pills to be tested for fingerprints.
- Court adjourns. I understand that the trial has to continue, but doesnt this basically clear Will Powers?

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Theoretically, yes, but the way AA works is that you prove your client's innocence by finding the real killer.

The end of trial day 2 is what got me hooked on Ace Attorney though. That's the first time the game legitimately goes nuts.

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Anagram posted...

- Court adjourns. I understand that the trial has to continue, but doesnt this basically clear Will Powers?

Yep. Like I said, the legal system in this universe sucks. You can prove your client 100% innocent with no room for error and they are still not cleared until you catch the real killer. Makes for great drama but it does suck in theory, and this case is my go-to example.

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- While investigating, I learn that Dee Vasquez became a hot new thing just when Jack Hammers career tanked. HmmmMMMMMmmm Later, Penny tells me that Dee Vasquez was blackmailing him after Hammer caused an accident that killed someone in Studio 2.
- Because its the only way to progress the plot, I show Dee Vasquez the photo of Jack Hammer accidentally killing the dude. She says it wasnt an accident, then calls in some mafia goons to take the photo from me. The most shocking thing in this game is that someone actually drew four unique mafia guys for this scene.
- But then Gumshoe appears (why he was even there is sort of unclear), and even though Dee Vasquez just said she was going to murder us, he just takes her to be a witness.
- In court, Edgeworth calls on Dee Vasquez.
- Again, Im tempted to say that she ate a bone, but instead I just say she didnt eat a steak, because Im boring and playing this straight.
- Then I prove that the spear isnt the murder weapon, which isnt actually what I was planning to prove but luckily my actual intentions are of no importance. This proves that Dee Vasquez met the Steel Samurai and pushed him onto a fencepost the way Jack Hammer killed the other guy years ago, took his body to Studio One in a van, and dressed him as the Evil Magistrate. Thank God I cleverly figured all of this out when I clicked that she couldnt have used a spear.
- Dont ? me!
- Vasquez admits that she might have done it, but wont say, and we need proof. This is during trial that started with way less proof than what I have against her.
- I was hoping to come up with a question while I was objecting, Your Honor I didnt.
- Indeed! Verily, I say Ergo!
- Edgeworth realizes that Dee Vasquez is guilty and decides to help by forcing her to testify about the body and objecting to her lies. Finally, she messes up by saying that Hammer was injured because he was limping when he was only limping to imitate Powers who was actually injured.
- I select that she killed him in self-defense, but then immediately realized I should have selected that she did have a motive because she thought she was killing Will Powers. Oh well. Nevertheless, she admits everything Uh, wouldnt she not be arrested for killing in self-defense? Oh well.
- This is the most yaoi-laden subtext conversation ever between Phoenix and Edgeworth.
- Somehow Will Powers plays the lead in Pink Princess, okay.
- Episode IV is now unlocked. I see a hobo with a parrot. I predict a 1000% chance that I have to call the parrot as a witness during this next trial.

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Anagram posted...

"Indeed! Verily, I say Ergo!

Possibly my favorite AA quote.

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Anagram posted...

- I was hoping to come up with a question while I was objecting, Your Honor I didnt.
- Indeed! Verily, I say Ergo!

One of my favorite moments in the series and all of gaming

so great

Anagram posted...

Uh, wouldnt she not be arrested for killing in self-defense? Oh well.

another reason the legal system of the AA world is pretty messed up

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Anagram posted...

Uh, wouldnt she not be arrested for killing in self-defense?

Edgeworth kinda suggests that she wasn't.

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Mm, the wacky characters are pretty endearing, Gumshoe excepted. He's had one good line so far.

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Gumshoe gets a lot better from there. He's kinda rough in his first two appearances.

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Gumshoe is a top 5 character in the series. But yeah he's kinda rough early on, especially in 1-2. Even once he gets good, there's one case that he's unbearable in. It happens to be my least-favorite case in the franchise and we'll talk all about that one when you get there.

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Anagram posted...

- Maya is excited about a TV show for ten year-olds about samurai. I guess if you dress like her, youre obligated to be obsessed about Japanese culture. Are you allowed to call actually Japanese people weebs? Ive never thought about this before. By the way, this music, this is like if an American level had like bald eagle screeching and a country twang for the music.

You know this is a Japanese game right? They just made music that sounded like it would go to a Japanese tv show about samurai, and she's only enjoying "Japanese culture" in this game because it was localized to take place in LA in the North American version; in the original script she just... likes kids' tv shows

Anagram posted...

- Phoenix doesnt have a drivers license? I know so many people online who dont. That is inconceivable where I live.

This is another "this game used to take place in Tokyo" sort of thing, somewhere where you can get away with not having a driver's license, unlike LA

Anagram posted...

- What was this guys dialogue in Japanese? I assume 1337 isnt a thing there.

Basically normal if I recall correctly, he does not do 1337 speak in Japanese, that was a pretty significant example of punching up the dialog. I remember loving it back in 2005 though, it was so unusual for a game to make references to internet culture back then, so it made me really feel like the writers "got" what they were doing. Even at the time his internetisms were outdated, so the joke always kind of made me laugh.

I actually kind of like Sal Manella more now than I did when the game first came out because it was annoying when 1337 speak was still a thing, but now it's kind of a charming archaism.

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Oh, does the localized version take place in LA? Because if so, I have some concerns with how they're portraying us!

Paratroopa1 posted...

You know this is a Japanese game right? They just made music that sounded like it would go to a Japanese tv show about samurai, and she's only enjoying "Japanese culture" in this game because it was localized to take place in LA in the North American version; in the original script she just... likes kids' tv shows

I get that, but she's still dressed like a shrine priestess and watches shows about samurai.

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Episode IV: Turnabout Goodbyes
- We begin with what cant even be kindly described as a cutscene: two men are in a boat, one shoots the other, and Edgeworth is holding the gun.
- The next day, Phoenix and Maya are screwing around in the law office as the news talks about Gourdy, the monster that lives in Gourd Lake then the news announces that Edgeworth arrested for murderrrrrrr.
- Edgeworth phases into the detention center from another dimension (seriously, is it too much to ask for him to just be there instead of slowly appearing from nowhere?) and tells us that he doesnt us defending him, but in terms that just seem kind of yaoi to me.
- At the park, Gumshoe explains that 15 minutes after midnight, two men were in a boat on the lake. One man shot the other with a pistol, and when a cop arrived, he arrested Edgeworth because there was a mysterious witness.
- We take some party poppers, which are not very clue-worthy. Chance of them coming up later: 100%. I actually expected them to come up later, instead of immediately when we find a camera by the shore. An angry redneck named Lotta Hart complains that we activated her camera for meteor showers. Why does a camera set to go off for meteor showers go off at loud noises? I bet thats a lie and it comes up later.
- We go to the police department Police departments have mascots? Ive never heard of that. Eventually, Gumshoe gives us a photo of the victim, and Maya eventually goes This guy worked Grossbergs law office. He had that job and the cops still cant identify him?
- Lotta says Derp de derp I have a picture of the murder but its super vague and hard to see. Whats weird is that she said she has TWO photos, but we only see one. Im guessing the other dramatically comes up later, but come on, Phoenix, you need to ask for more details here.
- Grossberg identifies the dead man as Robert Hammond Bob Ham And? Robbing Ham And? Hm, dont see the pun. Anyway, he says Hammond was the defense attorney in the DL-6 Incident where Mayas mom contacted the ghost of the murdered man. The murdered man: Edgeworths father.
- Heres where I get to flex my completely useless took a bunch of English courses in college muscles and say that in 19th century novels, it was very common to have a million coincidences that make no sense to drive the plot. This reminds me of that.
- Edgeworth finally accepts me as his lawyer, then tells me the details of the DL-6 Incident: his father was shot and killed before his eyes, and only one man could have done it. The spirit medium said the same thing, but Robert Hammond got the guy off. And the statute of limitations on the case runs out in just three days
- Then theres an earthquake, and man, that cop standing in the background is a professional for sure. Edgeworth apparently is afraid of earthquakes.
- After telling Gumshoe were his lawyers, the day ends

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Anagram posted...

Oh, does the localized version take place in LA? Because if so, I have some concerns with how they're portraying us!

Yep. Basically, because of the time zone trick in 1-1, they had to make this call immediately, and this was the call they made and they've stuck with it since. I think if they made this choice in 2019 they'd leave it in Tokyo.

I've been pondering making a rankings for this series after the holidays are over when I have more free time.

Definitely know I've got at least one unpopular opinion~

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Paratroopa1 posted...

Yep. Basically, because of the time zone trick in 1-1, they had to make this call immediately, and this was the call they made and they've stuck with it since. I think if they made this choice in 2019 they'd leave it in Tokyo.

I was about to say, you could have just left it in Japan.

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Yeah, the time zone thing forced their hand, and at this point, I think it's too much of an inside joke with them and the fanbase to just revert to it being set in Japan.

also I don't think Robert Hammond is actually a pun per se

I think it's just supposed to "sound" like a lawyer name

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It takes place in an alternate timeline LA where the Japanese were accepted in the early 1900s instead of persecuted

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LordoftheMorons posted...

It takes place in an alternate timeline LA where the Japanese were accepted in the early 1900s instead of persecuted

yeah they kind of had to do this too as more and more Japanese culture seeped into the cases as the series progressed

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- The next day, at the trial, were introduced to von Karma, the prosecutor, whos never lost a case. This is funny, because I actually know that in reality, lawyers who never lose or who have crazy win rates almost always only have those rates because they never take iffy cases, not because theyre actually super skilled.
- von Karma is apparently a 19th century Prussian nobleman.
- I like how ridiculously strict and direct he is, and how he intimidates the judge, and how he sustains his own objection.
- Gumshoe goes out of his way to specify that the fingerprints on the gun are from Edgeworths right hand. Chance of Edgeworth being left-handed: 100%.
- In private, Edgeworths like I heard a gunshot from nearby, then the other man fell from the boat, somehow I thought hed shot himself.
- Holy crap, I just realized how big Mayas ear is in the shot where she looks sad.
- Lotta Harts testimony is crap, and only Maya can interrupt to say so. The most important part of this is how awful Lotta Harts surprised sprite is. Like shes just sort of laying backwards and sort of closing her eyes but not all the way, its easily the worst sprite in the game so far. The power of Mayas complaining gets Lotta to accidentally change her testimony and let me cross-examine her again.
- I will not take to you badgering my witness because of her challenged intellect! What you have used several minutes of our precious time to prove is nothing more than that the witness is an idiot who thinks monsters exist!

I then saved the game to set the computer down for a second, reloaded the game, and it told me my save was corrupted. When I loaded it again, all data was gone, and it wants me to restart from Episode I. I'm, uh, I'm not on board with that.

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PW has had some crazy good cases but part of me thinks 1-4 is still the best

I then saved the game to set the computer down for a second, reloaded the game, and it told me my save was corrupted. When I loaded it again, all data was gone, and it wants me to restart from Episode I. I'm, uh, I'm not on board with that.

Oh, shit

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Well now even this topic has plot twists.

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Anagram posted...

I then saved the game to set the computer down for a second, reloaded the game, and it told me my save was corrupted. When I loaded it again, all data was gone, and it wants me to restart from Episode I. I'm, uh, I'm not on board with that.

that...is unfortunate

isn't there a way to upload save states from elsewhere

not that I would know how to go about that but yeah

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Wow that sucks.

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Currently searching for a way to download someone else's completed save file, found a reddit threat that says you can't, though.

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You can't transfer a save file? Huh. I would have been happy to just play you back to the point you were at but I also don't have access to the Steam version it seems

After a brief search, I've failed to find anything useful. I really don't want to have to go through the first three cases again, bleh. If I have to, that will obviously impact my playthrough.

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...I'd almost recommend just watching an LP for the rest of the first game, but that's not as much fun either.

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If I can't find a solution by tomorrow, I guess I'll just replay.

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LeonhartFour posted...

...I'd almost recommend just watching an LP for the rest of the first game, but that's not as much fun either.

But apparently he needs to complete the first game to unlock the second...

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Underleveled posted...

But apparently he needs to complete the first game to unlock the second...

No, I don't, I figured that one out. It was my bad.

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Episode I rebeated


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Does this version let you fast forward text that you haven't seen already?
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