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RE:4 Chainsaw Demo

Yama

Owner
1996...
Chainsaw Demo is now available, aka a remake of the Famitsu Demo. :ROFLMAO::love:

How are everyone's impressions?

RE4-SS2-2023.jpg
 

Yama

Owner
1996...
I played it on PC and the RE Engine is absolutely phenomenal this time around, it almost feels like an evolution of it despite not saying so. The different options on PC are quite literally AAAA, especially welcome in a world where Japanese developed games continue to deliver poor PC ports.

The biggest question I had going in is if the game would retain RE4's gameplay loop. Atmospherically I knew it would deliver and evolve, but gameplay wise I wondered if it could capture that fluid and unique charm that is just as much a product of its era. Happy to report it in fact does, it even evolves the formula some.

The gameplay is snappy, fluid and addictive. I played the demo something like 15 times, like old times. The normal gameplay loop is there, albeit headshots don't guarantee a stun. I thought this may be annoying but instead it keeps you on your toes. RE4 has admittedly become quite easy because it's just so sure, which in its own way is fun, though retain very little challenge after all these years. RE:4 brings the tension back.

The knife is the king of additions. I worried being able to parry may be a bit too easy, especially the hold to guarantee. Luckily though doing so takes a huge chunk out of its durability, meanwhile high risk high reward slashes when timed just right (think a just guard or red parry in FG's) take very little durability away, at the risk of being hit if mistimed. These are the interesting little additions we didn't know we needed.

Mix in its own style of re-telling the story and this game is shaping up to be the second coming of the GOAT. I couldn't be more excited.
 
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The remake manages to add the intentional "clunkiness" of past and present survival horror games by making the movement feel a bit more restrictive akin to pre-RE4 titles, while paradoxically giving you more options in combat to defend yourself and play the game in exciting fast-paced ways.

The series pre-RE4 had very restrictive character control by design. This helped playable characters feel more vulnerable, like every shot and movement counted. Every misstep could mean disaster. This was both revered and criticized depending on who you'd ask over the years.

In RE4 original, I almost felt in control constantly in a very "arcade-like" manner. It was as responsive and telegraphed as an RE game could be. Enemies might slowly mix up their movements here and there, but once you played it enough, the game got very predictable, not particularly challenging, but fun and atmospheric all the same. Again - like the above, this was both revered and criticized depending on who you'd ask, but for the exact OPPOSITE reasons. More control, meant a different kind of action and pacing. Unrelated to the gameplay itself, RE4 original was lacking in the level design and puzzle department in exchange for a still well-designed shooting gallery with light survival elements.

With RE4R, I feel like I'm actually playing a faster-paced, more overbearing survival-horror title, rather than just strictly an action-horror game with little to lose.

I really think, this may be a good blend between combining the control we once had of RE4 original and slight restrictions closer to earlier titles. Think of RE4 remake being somewhere between the movement of RE4 original and RE2 remake, just like how RE2 remake was between RE4 original and RE1 remake.

It's basically the aiming and movements of RE2R (which is still very much a restrictive movement survival horror game) with MORE gameplay options to counter the increased level of threats. For this reason, RE4 original still feels very different in a way, and I'm not sure this'll be a definitive replacement for the combat of the original like how I believe the shooting of RE2R completely overrides the action of the original RE2 in every way. RE4R's game-feel in action doesn't REPLACE the original's, but it's certainly feeling more Resident Evil at its core for the reasons I've mentioned thus far.

Here's some bullet points of my impressions as what I see works in parallel to the original gameplay/gunplay and what has even improved in ways that I think supersedes the original. There's a couple of nitpicks, too, but nothing too serious YET.

The positives:

- slow, more calculated aiming and shooting combined with the faster, more aggressive enemies feels like a better blend between slower-paced survival horror OG titles and modern over the shoulder action titles while still being the best of both worlds. Even more than in RE2R, you feel better equipped to defend yourself against your attackers while still not being able to always easily outrun them like you could in RE4 original.

- atmosphere is darker and I enjoy it overall even more. The artistic design of the original layouts still shine through.

- Leon's voice actor has improved greatly over his performance in RE2R, which I didn't mind, but delivery might be better here. I'm enjoying some of his new one-liners.

- Glimpse of Leon's special training; I like how Leon is a bit less lighthearted considering he was forced into his government position.

- Parrying is badass and suits the game-style perfectly. Knife gameplay is the best it's ever been in an RE title and compliments the less responsive gunplay by improving your defensive capabilities.

- Leon's melee moves seem more realistic compared to the over-the-top looking moves of the original that I wasn't sure would translate well but have (suplex actually looks fine...); Melee combined with the proper use of ragdoll effects FEEL and LOOK so good.

- no matter how much you can run, enemies can still catch up to you and cut you off. They're a lot more difficult to cheese, especially with the REMOVAL of i-frames on many animations. Basic enemies can hit you consecutively even more now! This'll make the game more engaging on repeat playthroughs. I'm almost intimidated by the thought of starting on Professional if there is one!

- Overall Standard difficulty. RE4 original was tough for many on their first playthrough. This might even be tougher and STAY tough. RE4R needs to stay challenging for long-time fans and new players alike.

- legitimately tense combat when in a crowd or tight area. I was on edge a few times. The sheer amount of enemies is an improvement.

- New Ganado models look great along with their rerecorded lines from the original. Lots of well-transitioned nostalgia.

- Leon actually has an animation for picking up items. This is an underrated immersion thing for me that isn't consistent from title to title. Now only if he actually sprayed himself or popped some herbs... Only things I've liked from RE5 and 6.

- Dismemberment is a welcome addition and really adds to the weight of RE4's already visceral combat in a BIG way.

- Plagas within their Ganados being more "zombie-like"; ala Crimson Heads

- The inclusion of light stealth mechanics actually works really well and the Ganados' different levels of awareness rules

- Ganado bodies actually stay on the ground, as they should.

- THEY REMOVED THE FICKLE SKIP CUTSCENE PROMPT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN UNTIL PRESSED. THANK GOD. This PISSED ME OFF and took me out of the moments in RE8 like you wouldn't believe.

The negatives/nitpicks:

- I'm not sure I like Leon's new running animation, especially without a weapon. It was the very first thing I noticed. It looks "less confident" and looser to me than the original. A bit goofy, too, like a bouncier version of RE6 Leon's run (*shudders*). Maybe I'll get used to it. Maybe I think he's running too fast?

- We can no longer shoot through wooden doors... Big L.

- Default reload speed is way too slow for somebody with training. Ethan was quicker. Currently worst part of gameplay mechanics, which will be affected by upgrades. Still.

- Bear traps do no damage to you...? Strange decision.

- Ganado with throwable weapons just keep... pulling them out. Didn't they run out in the original before going after you? I forget.

- I might've simultaneously praised this above, but it's taking some getting used to with the slower style of aiming - even after raising sensitivity. Bit of a learning curve compared to the original, but it's a noticeable change that I need to sit with for longer. It's pretty jarring after playing the original so many times, but I think this might've been a change for the better in the long-run.

- While some Leon death animations have the right idea, a couple of them are looking pretty amateurish and jank. The eye-gouging one in particular looks absolutely terrible. Leon's expression is hardly there. Compare that to a game like Last of Us and you'll see what I mean. We're less censored than RE5 and RE2R was, but still something's off despite the gore during gameplay being so good. I don't understand why Capcom doesn't do death scenes in a complete-looking fashion like they used to.

- blood color can look a little too bright sometimes

- I'm uncertain about that new Village standoff music

- How exactly does that lamp in the barn happen to fall on its own?

- I don't like how birds can drop items other than eggs or (swallowed?) money (just an immersion thing I didn't like from the original either, but whatever)

- Capcom can't seem to get the combination of HUD settings right ever for those that like to turn off and on certain elements. They added accessibility settings which are all the rage, but not more precise HUD options! For example, I CAN'T STAND the enemy melee arrows above their heads, but I can't turn those off without turning off the names and arrows of special points of interest or items I'm seeing. Usually I don't mind having HUD completely off, but I'm not sure I can do without certain elements this time around with the level of detail this game has. Simple mode is nicer in some ways, but the problem still applies here. Let me choose without a Trainer!

- With that said... those arrows above stunned enemies heads... like, really? What an eyesore. Disgusting.

- YELLOW ON BARRELS / CRATES - STOPPP.

- Even with how well this remake seems to have been going, I still can't help but feel like Code Veronica is missing from the remake timeline.

- "Bingo?" line falls a little flat. Needed another take. Still smiled.

- HDR on PC is no longer Native. Just Windows HDR.

- At 4K resolution on a 4090 + 5950x combination, the inconsistency in frames leaves a lot to be desired at max settings. Not sure if I'm CPU-bottlenecked as I haven't checked, but I cannot run this game higher than a consistent 4K 60 frames with RTX On. That might not sound like a big deal to some of you, but I always try to aim for that 4K 120 frame sweet spot of every game I play. Even with RTX Off and Max settings still, the frames dip lower than I'd like and there's a few area studders here and there. I loved RTX in Village at 4K 120 frames as a fan of the technology, but I hate to say that I may need to leave RTX OFF for my first playthrough because it'll dip from 120 frames to as low as 60 on the regular. The frame inconsistency can become jarring. Hopefully just a demo-thing or we'll get a better GPU driver or build come release.

- Super Resolution 1 and 2 in graphical settings looks like shit. It's the worst use of upscaling I've ever seen to the point that I almost think it's broken. Try it yourself. I thought this worked on both NVIDIA and AMD cards. It's a fuzzy mess.
 
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Somewhat janky. But nonetheless atmospheric. Graphics are a bit smudgey.

I find the aiming is hard and when Dr. Salvador came at me, I hit L1. Perhaps I was too late. He killed me.

Definitely have to plan your route as they can box you in suddenly, leaving you stunned. I was also wondering why the cops went on ahead of Leon, as they waited in the car before.
 

mert20004

Mert_BIO_6
Sad to say but ı didnt enjoy what ı played that much. The problems that ı have with previous re engine games carry over here and feel as annoying as they were before. In terms of premise it feels much more faithful to re4 compared to past re engine games but one detail ı disliked is the intro for the game, it recycles scenes from re2r and re3r. I dislike the 2nd run ending for re2r and ı dislike it coming back here. Still wonder how the game will turn out storywise but ı cant say ı'm pleased with the gameplay.
 
Looks very good and has plenty of atmosphere but the action music is too similar to the recent remakes.
Melee attacks feel satisfying, and new additions like sneak attack and finishing moves to grounded enemies are fun.
Extra enemy behaviors like broken necks but still coming back to life are good.
Knife stuff is fun, but I don't know about other micromanagement elements.
The hoard is way more aggressive and threw me off guard after playing OG RE4 so many times.
Other things threw me off guard for the worse though, aiming feels kinda floaty, enemies are spongy, shotgun is weak.
That said this is mostly what I was expecting, with a few extra details I didn't. Expanded cabin was nice. Shame this wasn't how RE3:R turned out.
 
Looks very good and has plenty of atmosphere but the action music is too similar to the recent remakes.
Melee attacks feel satisfying, and new additions like sneak attack and finishing moves to grounded enemies are fun.
Extra enemy behaviors like broken necks but still coming back to life are good.
Knife stuff is fun, but I don't know about other micromanagement elements.
The hoard is way more aggressive and threw me off guard after playing OG RE4 so many times.
Other things threw me off guard for the worse though, aiming feels kinda floaty, enemies are spongy, shotgun is weak.
That said this is mostly what I was expecting, with a few extra details I didn't. Expanded cabin was nice. Shame this wasn't how RE3:R turned out.

Back in the day of the BioHazard 1 REmake on GameCube in 2002, a Cabin was a completely new gameplay location in the Raccoon Forest. Then came the original 2005 RElease of BioHazard: RE4 that introduced a Ganado Cabin at the beginning section and now CapCom has REvolutionized the Ganado Cabin with the BioHazard 4 REmake in the 2020s!🧠🎮
 
I really enjoyed it and re-visited this demo several times.

It was such a wonderful feeling to enter the house on the west side, go up to the second floor and see that the shotgun, grenade and shells were in their places. I realized right there that my knowledge of the original game would not go in vain.

Not to mention that you can kill the "Doc" twice (or are they two different Ganados, whatever). Just like in the original. So groovy!

And the new additions are cool as well.

The way Leon takes that John Wick-like position (CAR / Center Axis Relock) when in close contact with an enemy makes it consistent with Leon's character from Vendetta.

The fact that you can dismember enemies, and tentacles protrude from their insides, creates an eerie feeling that these are not just people controlled by parasites, but some kind of alien flesh covered with papier mâché.

And the moment when the bell rang and the whole world stopped, it was just a chef's kiss.
 

Yama

Owner
1996...
I really enjoyed it and re-visited this demo several times.

It was such a wonderful feeling to enter the house on the west side, go up to the second floor and see that the shotgun, grenade and shells were in their places. I realized right there that my knowledge of the original game would not go in vain.

Not to mention that you can kill the "Doc" twice (or are they two different Ganados, whatever). Just like in the original. So groovy!

And the new additions are cool as well.

The way Leon takes that John Wick-like position (CAR / Center Axis Relock) when in close contact with an enemy makes it consistent with Leon's character from Vendetta.

The fact that you can dismember enemies, and tentacles protrude from their insides, creates an eerie feeling that these are not just people controlled by parasites, but some kind of alien flesh covered with papier mâché.

And the moment when the bell rang and the whole world stopped, it was just a chef's kiss.
Right down to the demo being a re-creation of the 2004 demo, the entire thing really was a chef's kiss as you put it.

Speaking of it reminds me so much of the 2002 remake in that newcomers and vets alike will have a memorable first playthrough, though having previous knowledge in many ways makes it even more shocking. Like you said when you come up the stairs to the shotgun which is an iconic area, having that window to the right as well changed the entire funnel and PoA. Even the slightest variations as such are going to be appreciated. I can't help but remember the first moment I played 2002's REmake and saw that I could go south beyond Kenneth's body, same vibes here.
 

mert20004

Mert_BIO_6
If you don't run into the house with the shotgun after a certain amount of time has gone by, the chainsaw man comes through the steel door at the beginning of the town square. :p
I managed to activate both during my playthrough. I went to the northwest gate 1st and the chainsaw ganado appeared from it. I even stunned it with a flash grenade to attack it easier but eventually ı ran out of ammo and went back. I activated the 2nd one by going inside the house but the 1st one disappeared for some reason. Both of them werent chasing leon at the same time, only one of them can it seems. Overall quite faithful to re4 but ı still cant say ı enjoyed the gameplay that much. And the bell rang way too early. I suppose if ı would try it again, ı might like it more but ı just got a bad impression overall.
 
So I've played the demo more than once now, gonna edit 2 runs I did:

1 on Standard where I managed to kill the 2 Dr. Salvadors you can find (insanely difficult)
And the other on the secret difficulty where I manage to take down 1 of the beefed up Dr. Salvadors (if anyone wants to try and kill both knock yourself out lol).

My impressions with the game after 1st being annoyed Code Veronica is being skipped for this game, but then gradually becoming excited for it with each new trailer are as such:

Positives:
- The game looks fantastic and playing it on my PS5 really compliments the crisp graphics and great looking character models. Great for the game's Photo Mode, though I do hope for some small additions. Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man are both great examples of excellent Photo Modes.
- The environments are also stellar and I really like the updated looks of the forest that the village now inhabits. The houses all have gotten some upgrades that make sense in a lot of ways, like furnaces in the homes.
- From what little it shows of the story, I like how Leon is shown to be troubled and even still traumatized since the events of RE2, other missions he's completed, and clearly not thrilled over being forced to work for the US Government. It shows darker traits of his character which remind me of the suicidal thoughts mentioned in RE6 that unfortunately were not explored a bit more. Showing Krauser in the opening training with Leon may make a better or more personal section when Leon later discovers Krausers' traitorous act.
- The gameplay is the biggest thing I was looking forward to and I do have small gripes with it, however, overall I enjoyed this demo a lot and the overall gameplay has evolved in big and good ways. The original RE4 is really no challenge anymore and the gameplay there is a big part of that. Holy crap, is this game shaping up to be a heavyweight when it comes to difficulty. The Ganados have evolved big time. They hit harder, move faster, they don't instantly respond to headshots, have much more expanded attacks and ways to attack with their farming equipment, hell I even recall a couple of Ganados setting up bear traps on the fly in the Village, and they're far greater in numbers than any version of the original I ever played. The added ability to be able to somewhat revive is a nice touch in my eyes as that makes them even more dangerous and that even happened to me on the secret difficulty in the Village. The death animation for that wasn't pretty. It made the gameplay a hell of a lot more tense and challenging which I welcome.
- The knife and what it does now is just amazing. It kind of makes sense, since the knife was a powerful weapon in the original. I've been practicing perfect blocks so that I'll be ready for the full game.
- The Stealth element I appreciate also, as it helps to conserve ammunition.
- The deaths of both Leon and the Ganados are now often far more visceral and brutal thus far. The Ganados' bodies actually stay where they should and not weirdly and rapidly decay, and also they are literally blown apart with grenades with body parts missing present.

Negatives:
- My only gripe with the story which is more a gripe with Remake 2 is them showing Ada's "death" which is the only one and the more implausible one. Why not make the 1st and 2nd stories more different? But anyway...
- My biggest gripe with the demo and probably will be the same with the final game is the aiming control. I can't tell how many times I had the perfect headshot in my sights only to somehow miss. It's a similar but equally annoying problem I have with Remake 2 and 3 (though less in 3 due to perfect dodges easily lining headshots up). It's hard to explain the controls, but I wish aiming was a bit tighter. I did find it amusing how Leon's aiming position changes depending on where his target is. He puts on a John Wick style aim lol.
- The enemies although tougher by the time you reach the Village at times feel much more like bullet sponges by that point. Although that's a minor complaint for me, since it's an expected characteristic of these mind controlled humans who've had even their nervous systems compromised.
- And speaking more on the Ganados, they felt so much more annoying than the Majini's from 5. How so you may wonder? I distinctly remember anytime a Ganado is behind you in the original, they will usually say: "Detras de ti, imbecil!" giving you a chance to avoid sneak attacks from behind. In the demo, I rarely heard anything and so god damn often was I grabbed from behind to then be killed by Dr. Salvador because I couldn't break free in time.
- Another minor complaint, but was I the only one who felt that invisible timer in the Village ends too fast? Before I finally managed to kill the 2nd Dr. Salvador, it always seemed that the game just pulled the plug just to spite me lol.
- This one is a technical one, but Leon's death by Dr. Salvador is lacking one very obvious consequence. Shouldn't he be split in two?? The brutality of the death is noted, but Leon takes the chainsaw through the midsection and Dr. Salvador extracts it by pulling the still running chainsaw up through his shoulder. Leon is somehow still in one piece before he falls to the floor.

Regardless of my gripes, I look forward to this game, and eventually tearing apart Dartigan's ridiculous critique of the game.
 
I managed to activate both during my playthrough. I went to the northwest gate 1st and the chainsaw ganado appeared from it. I even stunned it with a flash grenade to attack it easier but eventually ı ran out of ammo and went back. I activated the 2nd one by going inside the house but the 1st one disappeared for some reason. Both of them werent chasing leon at the same time, only one of them can it seems. Overall quite faithful to re4 but ı still cant say ı enjoyed the gameplay that much. And the bell rang way too early. I suppose if ı would try it again, ı might like it more but ı just got a bad impression overall.
That happens in the original as well. 1 Dr. Salvador is by the exit before you enter the house with the Shotgun. If you kill him, you get a Ruby. But once you go in the house, the 1st one will disappear just like in this demo.
 

mert20004

Mert_BIO_6
So I've played the demo more than once now, gonna edit 2 runs I did:

1 on Standard where I managed to kill the 2 Dr. Salvadors you can find (insanely difficult)
And the other on the secret difficulty where I manage to take down 1 of the beefed up Dr. Salvadors (if anyone wants to try and kill both knock yourself out lol).

My impressions with the game after 1st being annoyed Code Veronica is being skipped for this game, but then gradually becoming excited for it with each new trailer are as such:

Positives:
- The game looks fantastic and playing it on my PS5 really compliments the crisp graphics and great looking character models. Great for the game's Photo Mode, though I do hope for some small additions. Horizon Forbidden West and Spider-Man are both great examples of excellent Photo Modes.
- The environments are also stellar and I really like the updated looks of the forest that the village now inhabits. The houses all have gotten some upgrades that make sense in a lot of ways, like furnaces in the homes.
- From what little it shows of the story, I like how Leon is shown to be troubled and even still traumatized since the events of RE2, other missions he's completed, and clearly not thrilled over being forced to work for the US Government. It shows darker traits of his character which remind me of the suicidal thoughts mentioned in RE6 that unfortunately were not explored a bit more. Showing Krauser in the opening training with Leon may make a better or more personal section when Leon later discovers Krausers' traitorous act.
- The gameplay is the biggest thing I was looking forward to and I do have small gripes with it, however, overall I enjoyed this demo a lot and the overall gameplay has evolved in big and good ways. The original RE4 is really no challenge anymore and the gameplay there is a big part of that. Holy crap, is this game shaping up to be a heavyweight when it comes to difficulty. The Ganados have evolved big time. They hit harder, move faster, they don't instantly respond to headshots, have much more expanded attacks and ways to attack with their farming equipment, hell I even recall a couple of Ganados setting up bear traps on the fly in the Village, and they're far greater in numbers than any version of the original I ever played. The added ability to be able to somewhat revive is a nice touch in my eyes as that makes them even more dangerous and that even happened to me on the secret difficulty in the Village. The death animation for that wasn't pretty. It made the gameplay a hell of a lot more tense and challenging which I welcome.
- The knife and what it does now is just amazing. It kind of makes sense, since the knife was a powerful weapon in the original. I've been practicing perfect blocks so that I'll be ready for the full game.
- The Stealth element I appreciate also, as it helps to conserve ammunition.
- The deaths of both Leon and the Ganados are now often far more visceral and brutal thus far. The Ganados' bodies actually stay where they should and not weirdly and rapidly decay, and also they are literally blown apart with grenades with body parts missing present.

Negatives:
- My only gripe with the story which is more a gripe with Remake 2 is them showing Ada's "death" which is the only one and the more implausible one. Why not make the 1st and 2nd stories more different? But anyway...
- My biggest gripe with the demo and probably will be the same with the final game is the aiming control. I can't tell how many times I had the perfect headshot in my sights only to somehow miss. It's a similar but equally annoying problem I have with Remake 2 and 3 (though less in 3 due to perfect dodges easily lining headshots up). It's hard to explain the controls, but I wish aiming was a bit tighter. I did find it amusing how Leon's aiming position changes depending on where his target is. He puts on a John Wick style aim lol.
- The enemies although tougher by the time you reach the Village at times feel much more like bullet sponges by that point. Although that's a minor complaint for me, since it's an expected characteristic of these mind controlled humans who've had even their nervous systems compromised.
- And speaking more on the Ganados, they felt so much more annoying than the Majini's from 5. How so you may wonder? I distinctly remember anytime a Ganado is behind you in the original, they will usually say: "Detras de ti, imbecil!" giving you a chance to avoid sneak attacks from behind. In the demo, I rarely heard anything and so god damn often was I grabbed from behind to then be killed by Dr. Salvador because I couldn't break free in time.
- Another minor complaint, but was I the only one who felt that invisible timer in the Village ends too fast? Before I finally managed to kill the 2nd Dr. Salvador, it always seemed that the game just pulled the plug just to spite me lol.
- This one is a technical one, but Leon's death by Dr. Salvador is lacking one very obvious consequence. Shouldn't he be split in two?? The brutality of the death is noted, but Leon takes the chainsaw through the midsection and Dr. Salvador extracts it by pulling the still running chainsaw up through his shoulder. Leon is somehow still in one piece before he falls to the floor.

Regardless of my gripes, I look forward to this game, and eventually tearing apart Dartigan's ridiculous critique of the game.
Interesting. You make good points, ı overall agree with them. And yeah no doubt your video will be amazing if dartigan decides to criticise the game.
 
This afternoon in my home State of Virginia, I did a 3rd YouTube livestream with the BioHazard 4 REmake chainsaw demo on my PS4 all the while playing with Arabic subtitles🧠🎮


1) Survived the Cabin without taking damage


2) In the build up to the village, I unlocked the well that leads to a TMP submachine gun


3) Killed the chainsaw ganado with a combination of using grenades, shotgun shells, and TMP submachine gun ammo


4) Scored a 17 minute run, which is 6 minutes longer than the 11 minute speed run I scored with my #2 livestream of the demo
 
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