Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Trailer Features Evil Superman, Out in 2022
We finally got a look at Rocksteady Studios' Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League via cinematic trailer that is. It features Metropolis under siege by what seems to be Brainiac as the Suicide Squad – comprised of King Shark, Harley Quinn, Deadshot and Captain Boomerang – fight off its forces. Check it out below.
Things quickly heat up when Superman shows up and, after seemingly rescuing someone, proceeds to fry them with heat vision. Why is Superman evil? Does Brainiac have something to do with it? Regardless, that's where the Justice League-killing part comes in, we imagine.
Despite the lack of gameplay, the trailer does offer a look at some of the squad's abilities. Deadshot has a jetpack and dual arm cannons for blasting foes; Harley Quinn has a grappling hook gun and baseball bat; Captain Boomerang can toss his boomerang and warp to the location; and King Shark rips foes apart with raw strength and teeth. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is slated for Xbox Series X, PS5 and PC in 2022. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.
Gotham Knights is Not Set in the Batman: Arkham Games Universe
WB Games Montreal debuted the first trailer and in-engine gameplay for Gotham Knights, its upcoming co-op action title. However, when we saw Bruce Wayne sending out the message to the Bat Family following his "death", many assumed this to be a sequel to Batman: Arkham Knight. As it turns out, both games are set in separate universes.
Kotaku's Stephen Totilo received clarification on the same from WB Games' PR, and tweeted that "Gotham Knights is not set in the Arkham games universe. Separate continuity." That would explain a number of things, such as the changes to combat (which doesn't seem to be using Freeflow Combat) or the whole soft reboot approach to everything. There's also the fact that Batgirl and Robin are fairly different from their Arkham universe counterparts.
Gotham Knights is currently slated to release in 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5 and PC. Its campaign, which features the Court of Owls as the main baddies, can be played solo or in co-op. Though it's not classified as live service, WB Games Montreal did talk about the game offering new challenges over time. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months to see what that means.
Clarification from WB games PR is that Gotham Knights is not set in the Arkham games universe. Separate continuity.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) August 22, 2020
Gotham Knights Announced – Co-op Confirmed, Releases in 2021
WB Games Montreal finally unveiled Gotham Knights at DC FanDome and it seems to be set after the events of Batman: Arkham Knight. It sees Bruce Wayne/Batman supposedly being dead and sending out a message to the Bat Family to take care of Gotham. That means Robin, Nightwing, Batgirl and Red Hood stepping up to the task.
The initial trailer saw each member having their unique moves and abilities, including takedowns. At the end, the Court of Owls and their deadly Talon troops were teased. In-engine gameplay was also revealed and co-op support is confirmed for up to two players (though one can also play through solo). Team-up attacks are back, regardless, and they look snazzy.
Enemies also have levels and damage numbers pop up when attacking (along with XP when taking down foes). Level design seems to be on point, especially when exploring an ice-covered location where the crew fights Mister Freeze. WB Games Montreal also talked about a "living" Gotham City that would offer new challenges over time, indicating extensive post-launch support. "Games-as-a-service" wasn't outright stated though.
Gotham Knights is out in 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5 and PC. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.
Halo Infinite – What is 343's Vision for the Series?
For as storied as the Halo franchise has been, it's hard to believe that the first Halo game release in 2001. That means the series is less than two decades old. Compare this to the history that franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Final Fantasy, Doom or even Sonic the Hedgehog, and it still seems relatively new. Nevertheless, Halo has gone from a relatively scrappy FPS with potential under Bungie to a multi-million dollar flagship Xbox franchise before being transferred to 343 Industries.
Throughout the years, I can't help but wonder: What does 343 Industries want Halo to be? This sounds like a rhetorical question but after years of observing the studio, I'm genuinely curious. Does it want to do it's own thing and break out from Bungie's shadow? Does it want to tell a good Halo story that respects the lore? Does it want a fun multiplayer experience? Or does it want to break out from all story conventions, lore be damned? Does it want to make a games-as-a-service title, chasing the will-o'-the-wisp that is the "10 year plan"? Is it interested in competing with the very best games out there, innovating its own right, or is it simply content in skating by?
One thing that seems to be certain – the artists, programmers, QA testers, writers and level designers are people that love Halo. When 343 Industries was formed, it saw not only a few members of Bungie jumping over to join but the hiring of several community members. Even with the change in direction and the prospect of having to effectively start over with a series so rich in history, these people stuck with it because they love the IP. This especially applies to those who would join the company over the years.
However, when it comes to the leadership behind these games, I'm stuck wondering if they're straddling a fine line between what's best for business and what the fans, their own employees included, really want.
For those unaware, Halo Infinite's development is having problems. This is not some grand mystery to anyone who's seen the campaign gameplay from the Xbox Games Showcase, much less heard about its delay into 2021. Even last year when creative director Tim Longo departed from 343 Industries, followed by his replacement, lead producer Mary Olsen, many believed there to be issues with development. A new report from Brad Sams on Thurrott has offered more insight, though there has been some rebuttals since then so keep that in mind.
In its earliest stages, development began back in 2015 with 343 Industries outlining what it referred to as Halo 6. The objective was to rebuild everything that made Halo what it was and 343 Industries went all out, developing the new Slipspace Engine and even planning for the release of the Xbox Series X. Keep in mind that the console wasn't even announced back then. Suffice it to say that the studio already had its work cut out and after the backlash to Halo 5: Guardians, it had the monumental task of trying to do something new while returning to the spirit of Halo. Oh and they also need to conveniently wrap that whole Reclaimer Saga that began in Halo 4.
The problems apparently began in earnest before E3 2019 with the company outsourcing a "significant portion" of the game to third-party contractors. While this is a common trend in the industry, one source that spoke to Sams said that the outsourcing was "at a ratio higher than a typical studio undertakes during development" and had led to problems with cross-development collaboration. Several individuals are who are familiar with development at 343 Industries also described this collaboration as "challenging" and also mentioned "significant disagreements internally." Soon enough, Tim Longo and then Mary Olsen would leave the studio later that year.
Another key factor that seems to be messing with development is the Halo TV series by ShowTime. Yes, the same Halo TV series with Steven Spielberg as executive producer that was announced as early as 2013 and who's first season was ordered in 2018. Apparently, 343 management was prioritizing the TV series instead of focusing on Halo Infinite's development.
Let's talk marketing. After the Halo Infinite demo was revealed, 343 Industries and Microsoft surged ahead with promoting the game. This included clarifying that this was indeed an older build and that the game is looking better every day. Throughout all this, we heard a myriad of things to describe the new Halo. "10 year plan," "open world but not really," "new experiences post-launch." "Channeling old-school Halo" – all this and more, some worrying and others highlighting the game's potential.
Shortly after the Xbox Games Showcase demo, a listing by Irish retailer Smyths Toys revealed that Halo Infinite's multiplayer would be free to play and run at 120 frames per second. Microsoft would confirm afterwards that Halo Infinite's multiplayer would indeed be free to play. When the game was delayed, Xbox boss Phil Spencer said there was a discussion to ship it in separate parts but that was nixed.
As it turns out, the discussion to ship the campaign and multiplayer separately started in late 2019 to early 2020, according to sources speaking with Sams. So while the final decision may have been made recently, this apparently issue came up a lot sooner. Slightly before this, Sams had reported on the multiplayer potentially being launched after the campaign, which 343 Industries denied before Spencer's statement.
Regarding the announcement of multiplayer being free to play, the game's marketing team was seemingly pushing ahead to keep hyping up the game, despite the engineering team asking for delays. In fact, the whole announcement of free to play multiplayer was made despite the engineering team knowing that a delay was inevitable. The news went out, fans got excited and then, of course, the game was delayed. Perhaps the most worrying part about the report is how Microsoft has invested "hundreds of millions of dollars into Halo Infinite" and looked for it to "elevate the Xbox Series X at launch." Leave aside the fact that it will be missing out on a huge influx of sales when the next-gen consoles hit – the fact that so much has been reportedly invested into any title over a long period of development, whether the results are amazing or passable, is always a red flag.
Since the publishing of Sams' report, community director Brian Jarrard commented on it, stating on Reddit that the report from July about multiplayer being delayed was "unsubstantiated" and "100 percent false" and that "no such plan or discussion had ever happened. Campaign was never going to ship without multiplayer, period."
Jarrard further added that, "More recently, as it became clear that the project needed more time, part of that assessment did entail trying to see if perhaps just multiplayer could launch as planned but was deemed a non-starter. So even if that would've been the outcome, it's the opposite of what was reported in late July. People can, and will, make up whatever stories they want but I have to draw the line at being personally implicated as being dishonest with the community. I may not always be allowed to say what I want to say (for example I'm probably not allowed to really get into a point by point response to this article), but I will always speak the truth."
A representative for 343 Industries then refuted the part about management giving too much priority to the Halo TV series rather than Halo Infinite's development. It stated to IGN that, "343 Industries has a devoted transmedia team that is working with Showtime on the creation and production of the Halo TV show. This group is separate from the Halo Infinite development team. These are two completely independent projects with dedicated teams and leadership that do not impact one another." Ryan McCaffrey further added on Twitter that this made sense since as far as he knew, "Kiki [Wolfkill] is the only person really dealing with that at 343 (probably Frank too on the story side)."
You're free to take Sams' report with a grain of salt, though he leaked details for the Xbox Series X back when it was called Scarlett and even discussed a second, cheaper version of the console (that would later emerge as the Xbox Series S). He even reported on the next Halo game being called Halo Infinity before it's official announcement at E3 2018. Some portions of the report could be wrong; others, like the heavy reliance on outsourcing and troubles with leadership remain unrefuted.
However, there's one thing that's undeniable – for as long as 343 Industries has been around, it's seemingly floundered with what it wants Halo to. Halo 4 was a good but ultimately safe new start who's multiplayer had a mixed reception. Halo 5: Guardians was hotly anticipated and launched with a story that the many Halo fans simply hated. Multiplayer was also more geared towards competitive arena gameplay, lacking features like Forge and even modes like Oddball and Firefight at launch. Instead, Warzone and its REQ Packs that could be purchased with real money were the name of the game. Halo 5: Guardians would see significant support in the multiplayer department but it never reached the heights of previous games. Let's not forget about about Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which was utterly broken at launch and took several years to get to a working state.
This reports alludes to, among other things, a problem in vision. Even if that vision is the very best that 343 Industries can manage, it's reportedly having trouble committing to it alone, as the over-reliance on outsourcing to third-party contractors indicates. Of course, there's also the rumor, as told to Alanah Pearce by an unnamed source at 343 Industries, about the game being reworked and delayed due to the poor reception towards Halo 5: Guardians. If this delay hadn't happened, then the story would continue as normal. That would help to explain Halo Infinite's current state as part-spiritual successor, part-continuation to Halo 5 (but also serving as the platform for the launch of new stories).
Seeing these reports reminds me a bit of the issues that plagued BioWare's Anthem. For years, the studio lacked a coherent vision for the game and only really committed to its looter shooter approach – not to mention actually began developing the current game – after the E3 2017 trailer. BioWare would also refute the extensive expose on the game's flawed development, though I don't think Halo Infinite's development situation is nearly as bad (even if Sams' report is taken on blind faith).
There will always be challenges that arise due to collaborating between so many different developers and contractors because lest we forget, Skybox Labs and Sperasoft are also helping in development. The impact of COVID-19 can't be underestimated either – some studios have managed to adapt to working at home better while others have seen their games delayed by a significant margin.
However, even in the best of times, no amount of money, or new engine work, or hitting the reset button on story-telling, can make up for lacking a coherent vision. It's what elevated great titles like Ghost of Tsushima and God of War – even if the former saw significant downgrades to its graphics, the vision remained intact and executed well. Even a game like Cyberpunk 2077, which has also had an extensive development cycle and several delays, looks better and better as time goes on, not only due to the work that CD Projekt RED's employees have been putting in but because management's vision for the game is clear.
At this point, 343 Industries would be trying to make this the best game possible. However, it's also probably looking to get the job done, ensuring that Halo Infinite at least meets minimum viable product standards while improving it with more content down the line. Then there will be the challenges of releasing new single-player content while having to balance for a separate free to play multiplayer mode, which will doubtless require monetization and free updates along with maintenance and anti-cheat systems. And don't discount battle royale being added to the game, despite the developer's insistence that it's not happening. Getting the game out the door is only the first step, for better or worse.
In the end, will the Xbox Series X be elevated? Will the Halo name still mean a damn, whether it's to new players or longtime fans? Will the game even be fun to play? Was there anyone truly asking for Halo to be have a 10 year plan or open world elements? Multiplayer is a crap-shoot since part of the community wants it to evolve and embrace modern trends while the other part wants the classic Halo gameplay. You're not going to satisfy everyone in that exchange. But story-wise, it seems the majority can agree on wanting a single-player campaign with a more conventionally-narrated story that doesn't absolutely butcher years of established lore.
There are too many unknowns for a sequel of this magnitude, especially given everything we've seen thus far, and one can't help but ask if that's even normal. Then again, as hardcore fans who have endured with the series since the very beginning, development challenges, delays and tight deadlines are nothing new and neither is disappointment in what 343 Industries has ultimately churned out.
It's hard to say how Halo Infinite will ultimately pan out. But one thing is for sure – the pressure is on, both publicly and behind the scenes, and thus far the developer has yet to impress with the results. A year's worth of development time may be just what it needs for the long-term health of the series. It could also be an excuse to salvage what works and create a patchwork game that garners some return on Microsoft's investment. Whatever the case may be, 343 Industries' toughest trials are still to come.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
Fortnite Chapter 2 – Season 4 Will Once Again Be Marvel-Themed
It's been quite the news week for Fortnite, the incredibly popular battle royale shooter from Epic Games, as they are feuding with both Apple and Google about how they operate their app stores, with the Apple feud especially seeming to escalate recently. But life, and Fortnite, goes on all the same and the next season is getting an infusion of Marvel it seems.
On the official Twitter, a very brief teaser was posted with a tease of Thor as well as the Marvel brand. Nothing else is shown, but there was a similar cross promotion when Avengers: Endgame was out in theaters. Fortnite has become something of a cultural melting pot, having tons of brands crossing over. It's not clear if this will be just Thor-focused or Marvel in general, but we'll probably find out more as we get closer to the season.
Fortnite is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch and PC. The game is no longer available on iOS or Android. Chapter 2, Season 4 will launch on August 27th.
— Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 21, 2020
NBA 2K21 MyTeam Will Allow Team Transfers From PS4/Xbox One To PS5/Xbox Series X
As usual, it's close to time for the next game in the annual basketball series, NBA 2K21. This year's edition, however, has seen some controversy surrounding its next generation console versions. Not only will the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions cost you $10 extra, the only upgrade path for those who buy on current systems is to buy the most expensive edition. However, at the very least, it seems one part of the game will allow you to transfer between the two.
As detailed in the latest Courtside Report, your MyTeam material can be transferred from current to next generation versions in the same console family. Meaning going from PS4 to PS5 and Xbox One and Xbox Series X. According to 2K, your entire collection can be brought over, though there's no specific details as of yet about how they'll go about that.
MyTeam will also see a few new things, such as new modes like MyTeam Limited, limited-time events where you can collect Championship Rings, as well as Ascension that allows you to customize cards. You can see a trailer detailing that below.
NBA 2K21 will release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC on September 4th and Stadia with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions set to come later.
Rocksteady Responds To Recent Allegations
Tomorrow will be a big day for Rocksteady Studios. They will unveil the first official look at their new game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League at the DC FanDome event. But something of a dark cloud came over the announcement as harassment allegations, which you can read more about through here. In fact, one of the writers on Suicide Squad publicly asked for her name to be taken off the project. Now, they have a response.
On their official Twitter, the studio published a letter. In it they acknowledge the 2018 letter that sparked these reports. They add that they did listen to their women employees, as well as saying there was action taken both in the past, as well as things planned for the future. The big thing is that they say they have allegedly brought in a third party for investigations into the matter, though no specific details are given. You can see the full letter below.
Rocksteady has been largely radio silent since the release of Arkham VR in 2016. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League will be a first look at a project from them for nearly 5 years. With the response below, it's doubtful that any of this will be addressed at DC FanDome tomorrow when the game is revealed, but we'll see, and keep you updated on any new information that comes out.
Here is our statement: pic.twitter.com/ssyzNWfyhB
— Rocksteady Studios (@RocksteadyGames) August 21, 2020
WB Games Montreal Releases Final Brief Teaser Before Next Batman Game's Reveal
We are one day away from the DC FanDome event that will see announcements, panels, trailers and more regarding various adaptations of DC properties. It's there that we will finally see the next Batman game that has been teased for what feels like forever by WB Games Montreal. In the meantime, they have given a very small teaser to wet your appetite.
If you've been following, there's been something of a pseudo-ARG going on with the game, which internet detectives have been following, with one piece of information pointing to Batgirl as a potential character in the game. Now, the last teaser has been uncovered on the r3dak3d YouTube, which you can see below. It's only 16 seconds long and only shows a piece of what one assumes to be Gotham (the game in question is rumored to be subtitled Gotham Knights).
The game has long been teased by the company, which has also come after several projects the company was working on was seemingly scrapped. We'll see what this thing looks like tomorrow at DC FanDome.
Remnant: From The Ashes Claimed By Over 10 Million People During Epic Games Store Free Period
Remnant: From the Ashes came just over a year ago, and was largely well-received. The game was looked at as an interesting fusion of Souls-like gameplay mechanics and features with shooter and roguelike elements. The game seemed to be a success, having sold over 1 million copies as of October of 2019, but it seems a new and bigger audience got exposed to it last week.
Publisher Perfect World and Developer Gunfire Games announced that during the period when Remnant was part of the weekly free games promotion on the Epic Games Store, it was claimed over 10 million times. While that doesn't equate to sells, obviously, it's still a pretty large amount of people that could potentially play the game now, as well as buy DLC, the latest of which, Subject 2923, just released.
Remnant: From the Ashes is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. All of the game's DLC are also now available across all platforms.
Should You Buy PS5 or Xbox Series X? (Part 3- Features and Services)
In our recent deep dives into the PS5 and Xbox Series X and how the two consoles stack up against each other on multiple fronts, we've spoken about the specs and the controllers of both. This time, we're stepping away from hardware, as we compare the various services and features on offer with both consoles, from their backward compatibility capabilities, to their online offerings, to streaming, and more.
PLAYSTATION PLUS AND XBOX LIVE GOLD
Paid online has been a thing on PlayStation for a while, and even longer on Xbox, and it doesn't look like it's going to go away any time soon, sadly enough. There were some recent rumours that suggested that Xbox Live Gold would be discontinued, but Microsoft have since shut those rumours down. So yes, we will be paying for PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold on next-gen consoles as well- but both also offer some neat perks as well.
The biggest perk is free games, with PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold subscribers being offered a selection of free games every month. In this area, PlayStation has the clear edge. PS Plus consistently offers excellent free games- in 2020 itself, we've had the likes of Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Uncharted 4, Shadow of the Colossus, Call of Duty: WWII, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Fall Guys, Star Wars Battlefront 2 and many more offered for free. Xbox Live Gold, on the other hand, rarely has anything on that level to offer. Across the first eight months of 2020, other than a few games like Batman: The Telltale Series in January, Batman: The Enemy Within in March, and Project CARS 2 in April, it's hard to think many eye-catching names.
That's not to say Xbox Live doesn't have any advantages over PSN. For instance, while cloud saves are locked behind PS Plus subscriptions on PlayStation, Xbox makes cloud saves free to everyone, while storage space for cloud saves is also higher on Xbox. Then again, the PSN has the edge over Xbox Live in terms of free-to-play multiplayer games, which require an Xbox Live Gold subscription on Xbox, but are, you know, actually free on PlayStation and can be played online without PS Plus.
Another important thing that has to be considered is pricing. Until not that long ago, pricing for both PS Plus and Xbox Live Gold was more or less comparable. If you're only considering monthly subscriptions, both are still at the same level at $10 per month. Recently, however, Microsoft discontinued the option to purchase Xbox Live Gold on an annual basis, which was a real money saver. Of course, Xbox Live Gold is bundled with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, but that doesn't offer annual subscriptions either- and at $15 a month, that comes to $180, which is far, far beyond the $60 annual subscription fee of PS Plus.
Thanks to its better pricing and its consistently compelling selection of monthly free games, we have to give this one to PlayStation Plus.
BACKWARD COMPATIBILITY
Microsoft have taken an admirable stance on backward compatibility these last few years, working overtime to get scores of Xbox 360 games and even several original Xbox releases working on the Xbox One- quite of few of which are also enhanced to leverage the Xbox One X's more powerful hardware. Meanwhile, though the PS4 is not backward compatible, the PS5 promises compatibility with its predecessor's library, which means competition between the two consoles in this area is fiercer this time around.
What's interesting with the backward compatibility features of both next-gen consoles is that they both will be able to natively upscale older games on a system level. PS5's lead system architect Mark Cerny has said that the console will be able to run PS4 games on "a boosted frequency". Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X will natively run select backward compatible games in higher resolutions, while it will even add HDR to select titles that didn't originally support it.
But to what extent are the PS5 and Xbox Series X going to be backward compatible? As per Sony, at launch, the PS5 will be able to play the vast majority of the PS4's library while more games will continue to be added over time. Meanwhile, the Xbox Series X will similarly be able to play the vast majority of the Xbox One's library, while all Xbox 360 and original Xbox games that are currently playable on Xbox One will also be playable on the Series X. We can also Microsoft to keep adding games from its legacy consoles to its backward compatibility program.
Both consoles have impressive things to offer as far as backward compatibility is concerned, especially with system-level upscaling, but with support for three past generations, the Xbox Series X wins through sheer brute force. Frankly, it's not even a competition.
SERVICES
Without the shadow of a doubt, Xbox Game Pass is perhaps the greatest idea Microsoft have had in the last decade, maybe even ever, and it's no surprise – given how popular it is and how successful it has been – that their entire strategy and business model going forward relies not on any single console on device, but a platform-agnostic ecosystem that revolves around Xbox Game Pass.
With literally hundreds of games on offer, the Xbox Game Pass library leaves little to be desired in terms of quantity, but even in terms of quality, it makes a solid case for itself. Major AAA third party releases can be found in the Game Pass catalog, often very close to their releases, while several major AA and indie games even join Game Pass at launch. And, of course, every single Microsoft first party release sees a day and date release on Game Pass as well- the fact that the likes of Fable, Avowed, Halo Infinite, Forza Motorsport, and many more will be available on Game Pass the same day they launch is a huge deal.
Sony does have something comparable to offer in terms of services. PlayStation Now has been around for a while, and though it doesn't make waves the way Xbox Game Pass does, it's a solid service as well. Even so, it lags behind Game Pass in more ways than one. For starters, its library isn't as compelling as Game Pass, nor does it have day and date releases. It's also a little costlier than Game Pass subscriptions- though it's worth noting that games played via PlayStation Now don't require PS Plus to be played online, while Xbox Live Gold is still required for multiplayer games played via Game Pass. Of course, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate bundles Game Pass with Xbox Live, which solves that problem, but it is also slightly costlier than a PS Now subscription at $15 a month as opposed to PS Now's $10 monthly fee (as well as the cheaper 3-month and 12-month alternatives).
All in all though, this one definitely goes to Xbox. Game Pass offers ridiculous value in so many ways- it's surprisingly cheap, it has a great library, it holds the promise of excellent exclusive content, and it gets so many day and date releases.
CONCLUSION
As far as online services and backward compatibility features go, the Xbox Series X is far ahead of the PS5. Sure, the primary concern for many will be actual next-gen games when deciding which of the two consoles to buy – and that's something we will eventually get to with a separate feature – but the Xbox Series X offers just so many incentives in the form of Xbox Game Pass and its immense backward compatibility library, that it's really hard to make a case for it not winning this face-off. This one, at least, is a clear win in its favor.