The announcement of Metroid: Samus Returns caused quite a stir at E3, and goes some way to explaining why Nintendo was so heavy-handed with a promising fan-made Metroid tribute a short time ago.
AM2R was created by DoctorM64 and, like Samus Returns, sought to remaster the Game Boy outing Metroid II: Return of Samus. The title found plenty of fans online and was even nominated at the 2016 Game Awards, but Nintendo issued a takedown request and the nomination was withdrawn, leading to the end of the project.
DoctorM64 said at the time that fans should support the Metroid series by downloading Metroid II on the 3DS Virtual Console to show the company that demand for a remaster was still there - and, as we now know, Nintendo was in fact listening.
Speaking to Kotaku, Metroid producer Yoshio Sakamoto revealed that he was aware of AM2R:
We heard about it first after we had already started development. We know it exists, the fact that a fan is out there and really likes the series this much.
Despite his work being scrapped before it could be totally completed, DoctorM64 doesn't hold any ill will towards Nintendo. He also spoke to Kotaku regarding Samus Returns, saying:
It departs quite a lot from the source material, and the new abilities seem to add some depth to the combat. It’s really interesting to see what an entire dev team can do with the same source material, compared to my humble rendition. … I’m very curious about what the Metroid Queen (the final boss) will play like. I’m sure it’ll be epic.
It looks more dynamic. … 3D gives you a lot of freedom to develop environments and action set pieces better, if you have a decent poly count. The overall action view looks great, the backgrounds are very varied.
We have to say, that's jolly sportsmanlike of DoctorM64 - many other people might hold a grudge were they in the same position.
[source kotaku.com]
Comments 99
His version of the game was great. I'm sure it can still be found out there somewhere in space.
Still have his version on my laptop.love it.
Just a fan of the series that's glad Nintendo decided to put in some effort!
Top guy.
Europe gets mynintendo rewards
And it's the brilliant images of arms wallpaper for the bargain 50 platinum coins.
Hurry before your coins expire
"The announcement of Metroid: Samus Returns caused quite a stir at E3, and goes some way to explaining why Nintendo was so heavy-handed with a promising fan-made Metroid tribute a short time ago."
Still doesn't explain Pokemon Uranium, No Mario's sky, and a few others I can't remember at this point. Happy for the new Metroid game but I can't forgive their actions.
I have AM2R on my laptop, but yet to play it. I struggle to get motivated to play games on my laptop, it just doesn't feel right to me. Loading up a Metroid game via Windows is just wrong somehow. Still, I'll try and play it at some point. Shame it was never made into a ROM format that could be played on a Nintendo console via a flashcart, I'd be all over it then.
And yet people are acting like AM2R automatically craps all over SR or refuse to buy the game because "it's ripping off AM2R".
Looking forward to playing this game never played metroid 2. Is this the direct sequel to the original metroid on nes?
I hear many arguments about which game will be better.
Neither should, both remakes have different takes of what the original wanted to accomplished but couldn't because of the Game boy's limited hardware.
@ieatdragonz
I can't forgive people blatantly ripping off Nintendo's IPs!
I joke of course but Nintendo protecting their own IPs is fine and not an action that needs forgiven. They created them and other people can create their own, end of.
@Fearful-Octopus direct sequel to the original. Been playing it on my 3DS VC on and off. Quite hard to play since there is no map and it's monochromatic and it's very easy to get lost or get stuck. I have AM2R on my PC but haven't played it much yet. Looking forward to this new game.
Anything Metroid, please! (except Federation Force)
@CrazedCavalier
This shows why they couldn't have waited longer. The takedown would have been too fresh, and close to the announcement.
Glad they waited long enough so the guy could compete his work, it's a great remaster!
@Fearful-Octopus The Metroid chronology is rather awkward:
Metroid
Metroid Prime
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime 2
Metroid Prime 3
Metroid Prime Federation Force
Metroid 2
Super Metroid
Metroid Other M
Metroid Fusion
@ieatdragonz The best explanation for the others is simply protecting their IP. Not much else to be said about it really, even as nonsensical as it seems.
@Seacliff This. Absolutely this.
It'll be something if this new one ends up being not as good as AM2R.
@Bobb Metroid Prime Pinball, coming up!
@ieatdragonz Their actions are nothing that need forgiveness. More than most companies Nintendo's value lies in its IP, not its software or hardware. Asking them to not protect it is asking them to literally devalue themselves.
@Krisi A new Metroid Prime Pinball would be very welcome,loved that game.
Not really surprising they had it taken down when they were doing exactly the same thing and well, they do own the IP after all so despite the guy's best efforts, its still a breach of copyright.
As excited as I am for Samus Returns, I will still play AM2R in the future because it is a fantastic game.
Milton Guasti, from the things I've heard that he's said, is such a humble guy and a great sport. Imagine how any of us would feel getting a 10 year passion project shut down immediately after release. And yet, he seems to bear no grudge for anyone. I hope he makes more games in the future.
What are the controls like for AM2R? Work OK with a 360 controller or is it all keyboard?.
Looking for are to Samus return anyway!
His next display of skill might leave others the opportunity to improve and add to their own intellectual property. He can influence it by putting it in thoughtful words instead of appealing to be the better master of another's possession
@readyletsgo I believe it's compatible right from the go with a 360 controller. Personally, I'm using a Dualshock 4 with DS4 Windows. It works fantastically. The inputs are also completely customizable.
This should quickly crush any rumors that Nintendo started development on a Metroid II remake after AM2R, when it's clear that Samus Returns existed first.
nintendo should retweak AM2R and make it even better and have a pixel art of metroid 2 HD version for the switch.
@Krisi Good grief!
All is forgiven from both sides.
@ieatdragonz really? You're mad they actually protect their copyrights? I literally know people who stopped buying Pokémon games because there's so many fan games like Uranium that they don't feel it's worth spending money on - heck, if they really want to they just play them on emulators but that's another can of worms, point is obviously Nintendo has every right to request takedowns of games using their IPs, they literally lose money from that stuff. Heck, plenty of companies will straight up open a law suit without even bothering to request a takedown!
@Giygas_95 I would hope any of us would realize our "passion project" was illegal for us to create or distribute and completely understand why it was shut down... or you know, not steal IPs in the first place? If he wanted to show his talent he clearly had the creativity to create his own characters and game world, the reason things like this exist is because it's "easier" to use a popular IP as when it gets taken down the media will go crazy and your work gets out there. Don't paint him with humility, if anything acknowledge that at least he didn't overreact and make a bigger scene. He took the easy way that also isnt quite legal, like using a pyramid scheme to get rich.
@ShadJV Yes, I see your point. Personally though I fully intend to buy any Metroid games Nintendo releases, whether fan games like this one are released or not. I don't ever want the series to go on another 7 year hiatus (10 if you don't count Other M).
This is what class looks like.
@Giygas_95 hopefully many others will do the same. I imagine the future of the series will hinge on Metroid Prime 4 - granted idk if they'll ever permanently can the series (sooner or later they're gonna attempt f-zero again) but if MP4 bombs I wouldn't be surprised if the series disappears for a couple gens again... fingers crossed that doesn't happen, I've missed the series so.
@ShadJV I sure hope they attempt F-Zero again soon. I love Fast RMX, but it's not the same without Captain Falcon and F-Zero's rocking soundtrack. I was hoping they might reveal one this E3, but I'm not gonna complain after they just gave us two new Metroids.
@ieatdragonz To be fair, Uranium was coming out a month or two before Sun/Moon, which promised a new region, new pokemon, and a story that departed from the traditional gym badge collection marathon. No Mario's Sky is Mario on an open-world journey...shall we say, an Odyssey?
These games could all be re-released, and even sold for money, if they just removed the aspects that tie them to copyright violations. Take out any mario or pokemon-related asset and put in anything else.
The dude has always conducted himself with impeccable class, and I hope the project has given him the skills and recognition to move onto something a little more 'above board'.
Some might say that using another brand's IP is enough to destroy any notion of 'class' to begin with, but I'd argue that it's natural for budding game programmers to use an existing template to cut their teeth on. Equally however, Nintendo are obviously completely within their rights to take it down should it be released to the public, what with the series being their intellectual properly and all.
Still, given that both parties have seemingly only kind words for each other (despite the takedown), I'd argue the only people losing out are those of us getting overly angry about the whole affair in the comment sections.
A dude got to practice his design skills on a fan-game, and we're getting an actual Metroid II remake (which looks fantastic). As far as I can see, everyone wins.
This is a great article - and DoctorM64 is awesome. It's the exact attitude I would have and hope someone else would have. You have to know the takedown is coming if you're in his or her position.
Applause and hats off- see you in September.
@Giygas_95 yeah it would've been expecting a lot to ask Nintendo to try to announce Metroid and F-Zero in the same year window. As much as it sucks to admit, they're both games that haven't exactly brought in record sales for the company. Along with Star Fox. Nintendo can only handle so many risks at once, especially when they're trying to recover from the Wii U. Honestly not one but two Metroids is a huge surprise.
Why are people saying he's a classy guy over a game that wasn't his to remake in the first place. If he's so great why couldn't he of come up with his own game. he could of made a game inspired by Metroid. There are many games out there that got made because of Metroid and castlevania. And they get to charge for them to.
@Maxz it's hard to see if everyone wins, AM2R is still readily available online and I'm certain there will be people that won't buy Nintendo's remake if there's a free alternative, especially a pretty well made one as AM2R. Nintendo has no choice but to publicly handle it the way they are, as there are already enough that spew hate towards them for their takedowns. I'm certain the financial bigwigs aren't so happy about the whole affair. Yes, using another person's IP does make it easier as an early game designer but that doesn't mean it's okay nor does it mean there's no consequences (especially if you can still produce good results). Once again, I do know people who skipped out on newer Pokémon games because of Uranium and it's not even similar to the latest gen, no doubt there's people who recently played through AM2R that will now not get this remake as they just played through the game (more or less).
@ShadJV Agreed! It is nice to see that someone understands what it is like to be responsible for running a company with actual people who are expecting to get money every payday. You can only take so many risks and unlike Sony who also makes TVs and other electronics, or even Xbox because they also have Windows 10 support, Nintendo does not have other revenue streams. They are primarily a video game company and will live or die by their IPs.
@cowntsikin I am very excited for both metroid games!
@Grumblevolcano Metroid zero mission is a remake of metroid nes right?
Thank goodness they're actually comic back to the Metroid series. If they had canceled the fangame AND didn't touch Samus for another 5 years there would've been hell in bad PR to pay.
@Fearful-Octopus it is, with the whole zero suit part at the end being new content.
Honestly. I'm expecting for the game to be entirely new and to be loosely based on the original, because remaking the original the proper way was already done by him, and in any case the game isn't what one would expect, we always have AM2R.
Doc's rendition is a masterpiece. It surpasses even Super Metroid in my books, which I previously thought impossible.
I just hope the 3ds team took note of what made Doc's interpretation so amazing and implemented/expanded upon those elements in some fashion.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Easily if one looks, and it's kind of a misrepresentation saying that it wasn't finished. He held that thing back until it was done. It was just buggy, but he put out after the first notice (thankfully not to him but his provider) a bug fixed release that cleaned up the game pretty much, and that's when Nintendo cut him off personally.
He's just mature, not a baby, so good on him being happy about it. He had to know someone would be after him for doing that eventually. I kind of feel Nintendo to allow the fan his moment while protecting their IP too from future real crooks let that come out. They could have shut it down before release since it was date stamped for arrivals. Square-Enix crushed that Chrono Trigger game years in development like 2 weeks before it arrived like real cowards.
Cancelled? It's out there, complete, and it's a great labor of love. It's very fun.
@Urameshi I feel like it'll be inferior... Metroid fanatics alone could do it. Mercurysteam doesn't seem like a particularly good studio too.
Still, looking forward to it.
While AM2R was really good, Samus Returns looks so much better, both in style and gameplay. So excited for this, though disappointed Australia won't be getting the special edition. Hopes up for a 2D Metroid for Switch one day.
AM2R might help sales of Nintendo's remake on 3DS, just so you guys at least consider that outcome. It really looks like Nintendo's take on the remake will be rather different (the counter ability and the new aeions or whatever) so it's not like AM2R steps on its toes. On the contrary, you now have people that just played a great fan remake who will be hyped to experience this seemingly awesome new take as well.
@MakeMyBiscuit well as fans it's easy for people to speak and act from their position as consumers. Though I've always had trouble agreeing with anyone making an argument that Nintendo is in the wrong for protecting their IPs. I have a feeling it's the same crowd that justifies software and music piracy. It's easy to turn a blind eye to theft of ideas when you're not the one being stolen from and losing money. And people end up rationalizing it with the fact that they're not physical objects but it's hard to know how to get through to them. You steal the ideas and they lose money. Over time as people keep stealing they lose enough that they have to fire people because they can't pay them. Eventually they have to shut down because they can't afford enough employees to create anything. That stuff affects real people but many consumers just don't care, and it reminds me of when I on robotics teams and was the sole programmer and the rest of the team acted like what I did was irrelevant because all that coding is invisible to them; without the programmer though the robot is a sculpture. Without game designers, that game cartridge/disc is an empty piece of plastic. There goes the companies, there goes the industry. Piracy and theft of ideas has direct consequences, but it seems to be okay to the public because they don't have to face the consequences.
Sorry if that was straying off topic. It's great that this guy took things in stride but really the only other alternative is him getting upset at the victims when he was the criminal. It's great that Nintendo is taking things in stress but really they have no choice, making a bigger scene will just put more people against them and give this guy more publicity (seems he wins either way). People can put a spin on any story. Nintendo is hurting enough without people stealing their IPs.
@dronesplitter for every person that played AM2R and got more hyped for this, there's 9 more that just played a Metroid 2 remake so why would they pay for another one? While it may add a few sales, it'll only take away more. Yes it's different but not enough for people to justify spending $40 (face it this will be a full price game) for a similar experience.
@ShadJV I think you're wrong, because anyone not interested in supporting an official game (in the style that fans have been clamoring on about) wasn't really going to be a purchase to count on at all. If the new game isn't worth buying, they weren't a likely sale as it is. Your logic that it isn't necessarily different enough to spend $40 on can be applied to gamers looking at it that didn't play AM2R as well.
@ShadJV Agreed!
@ShadJV Not really. I don't get the hate you and a lot of other people seem to have for this guy. AM2R is a free experience. Sure, there is no proof that many of the people, whom have played the fan game, will go out and buy the Mercury Steam remake of the game, but similarly, there is no proof that the opposite is true either.
In my personal opinion, both are completely different games. Just looking at the art style (3D vs 2D) alone is enough of a difference to justify the $40 price tag. Plus, the 3DS games has a bunch of features that the fan remake lacked, like the 360 degree aiming, the melee/counter move, the map on the lower screen, etc.
Besides, people who weren't planning on paying for the official remake of the game can just as easily pirate it for their modded 3DS shortly after the game comes out. I'm not saying that I condone that kind of behavior, but it's a possibility, and the fan remake would have absolutely nothing to do with it if people actually went and did that. Pirates are gonna pirate, no matter what.
So I think it's unfair to keep giving this guy flak for creating his fan game. Nintendo issued a cease and desist, and he complied. The game is still out there on the web, but honestly, there are a bunch of other flash games with Nintendo owned property out there, which you can play for free.
@tanookisuit Ya, I'm sure people can find it easily enough. I have it from before Nintendo issued the threats. We wouldn't be allowed to link to it here though.
"Despite his work being scrapped before it could be totally completed"
Eeeh, it was completed. Right? Or are you guys telling me I have a incomplete version (haven't completed it yet, it gets pretty hard)?
It's all good. I understand why he made it. Sometimes you love a game so much you want to experience more.
But I'll be supporting Nintendo by purchasing two copies of the special edition. And then I'll dump the cartridge to digital on my hacked 3DS. Because not everyone uses hacked systems to pirate games.
I strongly encourage every Metroid fan to support this game, even if you have a modded 3DS. It's not worth it. If you truly love Metroid and want to see it continue, we need a show of force. Seems fine and dandy now, but if these games don't sell enough, the series could easily go on hiatus again after Prime 4.
@GravyThief You can find windows handhelds out there, if you got one of those you could transfer it to that and play it there. Otherwise, just get a usb snes controller and you should be fine.
@ShadJV DocM64 is not a criminal. You can say all of that heady stuff all you like. But you're going too far with an obnoxiously authoritarian opinion if you think DocM64 did wrong to that degree. There's no victims here, either.
@Urameshi AM2R is basically Metroid Fusion/Zero Mission in a Metroid 2 wrapper.
Most of its excellence comes from replicating things that both the GBA games had.
I would rather play both AM2R and SR than just one or the other. AM2R stands as an excellent remake of an admittedly mediocre at best title, and SR looks to follow suit. The original Metroid 2 was actually a pretty crappy game in hindsight. It was very barren, jittery, and repetitive. Yeah, the Game Boy had it's limitations, but Metroid 2 barely had any personality even compared to the original Metroid, much less Super.
It was assumed for such a long time that Nintendo likely wouldn't touch it again, I can see why someone may have thought of giving Metroid 2 the personality it so desperately needed. Samus Returns practically came out of nowhere. But hey, at least AM2R gave classic Metroid the shot it needed to remind people of why the original 2D style is so beloved. Nintendo is almost certainly never going to return to that style.
@Dr_Lugae All the more reason why it was so baffling that Nintendo never did it themselves in the revamped classic style. Someone had to bring it to life.
@PlywoodStick AM2R took 11 years and released in 2016. That means Doc decided to make it in 2005. One year after Zero Mission released.
Nintendo hasn't remade it until now but it was started at the point he'd knowingly be stepping on Nintendo's toes had they planned on remaking it.
@tanookisuit Exactly. The result here was balanced out nicely. Nintendo walked the tightrope way better than SE ever did. And even to this day, a 3D Chrono Trigger will likely never exist in completed form...
@Dr_Lugae Which worked out well in the end, since sure enough, Nintendo would never revamp Metroid 2 in a similar style as Zero Mission. Any resources which could have been spent on that were redirected into Metroid Prime Hunters. The demo of Hunters that came with the original DS in 2004 made that crystal clear. Not to mention almost all resources previously allocated towards the GBA were funneled into DS production by 2005. By the time DocM64 made any real headway into creating a fully functioning product, Nintendo had long since forfeited the opportunity of a Zero Mission styled Metroid 2.
@dronesplitter Yeah, the argument that fan games like AM2R take sales away makes no logical sense. It was filling a void in which nothing existed until very recently, and increased interest in the franchise. Even Pokémon Uranium and Prism, which some people anecdotally believe took away sales, obviously had no measurably negative impact on the incredible sales of Sun & Moon. They most likely increased interest in the franchise as well.
It's also interesting that Prism is continuing to receive regular update patches; meanwhile, for all we know, Ultra Sun & Moon could just be a significant update patch billed as a new game, which is not uncommon in Japan, but is rare elsewhere.
Why not both?
@dronesplitter and yet I saw this happen with Pokémon, how is this different? Don't act like an industry expert, Nintendo's lawyers know what will affect their sales more than you.
@G_M never said I hated him, but people are acting like his behavior is worthy of respect when he did something illegal. Pirating games on one's 3DS is not nearly as simple as downloading AM2R. I can post links to download it in seconds (I won't, obviously it's against NL policy). Not everyone is gonna purchase this purely because they want to support Nintendo, nor will the $40 price tags deter people who would just want to play a Metroid 2 remake. To many people it makes zero difference whether the remake is official or has different features, they see Metroid 2 and they think, "nah, I just played a remake of that this past year."
@PlywoodStick excuse me stealing someone's IP is indeed against the law, how is he not a criminal? Whether you think it's morally okay or not, if someone breaks the law that makes them a criminal. That's literally what a criminal is.
I still have AM2R saved on my old laptop, really need to give it a shot one of these days, it will be interesting to see if the official product will suprass the fan project. Either way, I'm so excited that finally I can quench my Metroid thirst.
AM2R was great but Nintendo's official version looks even better! I love all this Metroid goodness!
I'd like to play AM2R someday. I'd prefer to play Samus Returns first, but I hope I can still find a way to play AM2R at some point. The creator seems like a cool guy. I don't see why some people are making such a big deal about this. Nintendo did what they had to do, but it seems that he was able to finish the project, from what I've seen elsewhere. And I just can't imagine many Metroid fans skipping Samus Returns because they already played AM2R. If anything I would expect Metroid fans to be eager to compare them. Samus Returns looks to me like a brand new game.
@ShadJV Look, I won't deny that what he did is, by definition, illegal. I think that more than anything, people are praising him for a good reply to a simple question. He could have been resentful when giving his answer, but he chose not to. Nothing more, nothing less.
Fortunately, you won't need to post a link to prove anything, as I believe you. But my point still stands. We're not talking about young teenage kids here, but an adult part of the fanbase, who I assume would be techsavvy enough to know how to pirate games on a 3DS.
As much as I'd like to agree with you on that last point, I have to slightly disagree with you on that. Sadly enough, we live in an age where most people put graphics above gameplay, so the 3DS remake would win on the merits of its graphics alone.
But I think that more than anything, this is about opinion alone, so to each their own.
@tedko this! So much THIS!
Not to argue about semantics, buuut,
AM2R wasn't "Cancelled," since it was already finished, just sayin.
God it was amazing
@Dr_Lugae I'm aware of that Fusion and Zero Mission are the engine sources of AM2R, but I still believe Super Metroid has more to offer in relation to either of those two. Fusion and Zero added and expanded upon abilities, but they are lacking in music, art style, physics, and atmosphere (IMO, of course). What Super Metroid offers over those two is more important to me.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you want to make a fan version of a Nintendo game (or anything, really) give ZERO indication you're working on it until it's 100% done then dump it on the internet where it can be torrented, etc and regardless of what the rights holders tell you it's already out, available and can't be easily killed off.
This guy won't hold a grudge! He's probably the happiest person to see Nintendo remaking !
The title of this article is a little deceiving. AM2R was completed and released, and then the takedown order was issued. The takedown only halted any significant post-launch updates from being developed and widely distributed.
It was a lot of fun too! If Samus Returns ends up being better, then we're all in for a real treat.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I have that fixed release too. I would hand it out, but not in the open comments area as that's playing with fire.
The man has received a lot of attention for his work on AM2R, conceivably more than if he had been working on something he had made from scratch.
I certainly wouldn't be all that upset either.
@Rontanamo_Bay thanks for the info.
I still don't get the hype behind Another Metroid. MercurySteam's version looks way better. AMR looks like a glorified Zero Mission.
@ieatdragonz It isn't your authority to forgive Nintendo here. That is THEIR IP. Not his. What you say is high on arrogance TBH because he is lucky Nintendo didn't sue his backside for
1. Interfering with their plans to sell a remake of their own and
2. misusing their properties for his own agenda.
I can't believe people are acting like Nintendo was wrong here. I am a creative writer myself and if I found somebody ripping me off I'd eat them for breakfast.
Before you go acting like you have the right to gloat over them ask yourself "would you like it if somebody ripped off your own stuff?"
@Fearful-Octopus Yup! 👍
And thus, Another Metroid 2 Remake gets its own bittersweet ending.
As I said elsewhere, this remake makes AM2R's C&D tolerable. It would have been better if the C&D was for, say, a 3DS port of the fan game, but then again, Sonic Mania does what Nintendon't.
This remake has already won fans, but AM2R's fans are the toughest nut to crack. Here's hoping for the best.
@Tyranexx Uh, I seriously doubt that. AM2R was in development for a bit over ten years.
@Firehawke: Admittedly I could have phrased that post better. What I meant is that some are accusing Nintendo of initiating the takedown and then starting development on Samus Returns, when it's clear that the game was in development before the takedown for AM2R was issued.
Even though I plan on keeping the fan-game on my PC (it was a cool fan-game), I'm going to buy this and Metroid Prime 4 so I can support the franchise and the fact we're getting them at all is amazing.
@Giygas_95 brilliant! Thanks for that reply. I'll have a look at it tonight
@Firehawke
Well, It was in development for a long time with a bunch of other Metroid 2 remakes that few cared about. That's why it's called Another Metroid 2 Remake. I'm not sure what anybody's point would be about which came first anyway. That can only end in: Nintendo made Metroid 2 first. lol.
(Even Metroid Zero Mission, a Metroid remake, was made 13 years ago. So, some argument about Nintendo not being interested in Metroid remakes until AM2R came along is also baseless)
I agree that @Tyranexx 's assertion that the arguments will be put to rest is also not likely.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE Yes, it can be found on Romstation
@aaronsullivan: Fair point. I'm giving the internet too much credit.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE I may or may not have v1.1 in a DropBox . . . just not sure how to distribute it here. It's a fantastic Metroid game.
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