A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" 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Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/XJustified\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/cale-michael\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential","description":"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential","og_description":"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.","og_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","og_site_name":"Dot 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Esports","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/05103313\/logo-dot_esports-mark-black.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Dot Esports"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DOTesports\/","https:\/\/x.com\/DotEsports","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/dotesports\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCckaIn-3KqLYfppkj4DeTAw"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/cb2ee02fc7e907b28d6f5c23a95439c7","name":"Cale Michael","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/695d2cd0063d91c4619527bf9f4a7b97","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cale-Profile-pic-96x96.png?resize=96%2C96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cale-Profile-pic-96x96.png?resize=96%2C96","caption":"Cale Michael"},"description":"Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pok\u00e9mon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/XJustified"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/cale-michael"}]}},"raw_content":"Detective Pikachu Returns had everything in place to be a great follow-up to one of the last big 3DS titles, coming off the back of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise\u2019s first live-action blockbuster film and dropping on a successful console like the Nintendo Switch. Instead, we got a mixed bag of coffee beans that combine for a flavor most Pok\u00e9mon fans may enjoy for a few sips, but not by the last.\u00a0 As soon as the titular Detective Pikachu finishes a cliff notes recap of the first game, you take control of Tim Goodman and begin running around to solve a new case of Pok\u00e9mon causing problems in the city. I must have ordered my mystery-solving without toppings, but fortunately, the story caught me by surprise with its spice.\u00a0 A simplified approach to sleuthing Compared to the original\u00a0Detective Pikachu, the sequel does a lot to streamline the game\u2019s flow\u2014for better and worse.\u00a0 Gone are some of the more challenging puzzle types from the first title, instead replaced with more instances of Tim and Pikachu wandering around an area to interview people and Pok\u00e9mon for details you likely already pieced together yourself or that Pikachu will point out for you. Yes, the game primarily aims to appeal to Pikachu-loving kids, but even some younger players will be yelling at Tim for his lack of awareness when solving cases.\u00a0 Even with the introduction of new minigames and action moments tied to Pikachu teaming up with other Pok\u00e9mon, you will likely find the gameplay loop repetitive once you get through chapter two. I will give props to the Luxray stealth missions which, while frustrating at times, did make excellent use of a Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s special abilities in a way we don\u2019t get to see often.\u00a0 The biggest disappointment to me, however, is the side quests, since none of them give you a reason to complete them. All you get for finishing any request from people or Pok\u00e9mon in need is a few bonus interactions and a brief mention in the newspaper you can read back home\u2014nothing worth wasting your time on.\u00a0 There is also no post-game. Once you beat the game, loading your save after the credits roll will take you straight back into the final scene.\u00a0 Get ready to go camping with Tim and Pikachu Very few\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0games take themselves seriously or tell a deep story, and\u00a0Detective Pikachu Returns\u00a0is no exception. It is one of the most straightforward and campy mystery stories I have played in a long time.\u00a0 If you played the original game or watched the movie, you will almost immediately know what one of the bigger plot twists in the sequel title is. But I bet you wouldn\u2019t expect an\u00a0Avengers-style team-up for a high-stakes raid that wraps up a rather dark story touching on death, divorce, and corruption within law enforcement. I played the first chapter with friends on Discord and had fun riffing on the easy-to-piece-together scenario and poor pacing. But by the time I got through chapter three, which is where the story opens up and adds some political elements and intrigue, I was actively enjoying myself and wanting to see the journey through to the end.\u00a0 The writers spend chunks of the last three chapters delving into some concepts, like how people in positions of power can easily abuse their power in disgusting ways, splicing that in between lighthearted comedy. For the areas of the story involving the police and experimentation on Pok\u00e9mon, I was surprised by how dark the developer was willing to go with very few pulled punches.\u00a0 To put it simply,\u00a0Detective Pikachu Returns\u00a0is best enjoyed as a basic, over-the-top detective adventure that overflows with campy charm. It also ties a nice bow on the Goodman family\u2019s story, along with canonizing the IRL film too\u2014yes, Ryan Reynolds is technically\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0canon now.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t expect too much from the non-Pok\u00e9mon characters. While Tim, Harry, and a character I won\u2019t name for spoiler reasons are fun and have good voice performances, my experience with the rest of the human cast was 50-50, depending on the scene.\u00a0 Visuals that needed a Smeargle\u2019s touch The human characters have been done dirty by whoever decided this game\u2019s art direction. They\u2019re all bland 3D models, and a lack of environmental lighting and reusing the same limited animations every time they are on screen or talking outside of a cutscene doesn\u2019t do them any favors. The Pok\u00e9mon mostly look fine\u2014only occasionally very good. This issue is made even worse when you notice just how good the portraits of the human characters in the game look when they pop up next to the dialogue boxes or when using the Detective Notebook. Those assets use actual shading and lead me to wonder why the game couldn\u2019t do something like\u00a0The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, where it only uses those portraits in different poses on static backgrounds instead of making 3D models just stand about. Instead, the NPCs have PS1 enemy walk-cycles and every human, but Tim and Harry gets one set of body and facial animations to use whenever they do anything on screen. That pairs terribly with the stiff presentation of voice acting in non-key cutscenes. It also doesn\u2019t help that the music is either a very generic track or the most over-the-top tune for an action scene you would never expect out of this game. It doesn\u2019t add much to the experience. An unfortunate end to a Pok\u00e9mon caper Detective Pikachu Returns has a lot of charm, but it\u2019s overshadowed by the poor presentation and hand-holding approach to exploring and investigating. Even if the game\u2019s main demographic is children, there isn\u2019t a lot of depth for older Pok\u00e9mon fans to latch onto unless they vibe with the story early on. I really wanted to love this game, especially because I enjoyed my time with it. But there is just no way I can recommend this title to anyone who isn\u2019t either really into Pok\u00e9mon or ready to ride out the game with their kids or some friends. There\u2019s charm, but it isn\u2019t anything special, and that\u2019s a shame because it had so much potential to be great.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Pokemon-Detective-Pikachu-Returns-falling.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=997010"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":997247,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010\/revisions\/997247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/997025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=997010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=997010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dot Esports\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" 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Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/XJustified\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/cale-michael\"}]}<\/script>\n","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential","description":"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential","og_description":"A lot of charm buried by a lack of depth and polish.","og_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","og_site_name":"Dot 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Michael","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/695d2cd0063d91c4619527bf9f4a7b97","url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cale-Profile-pic-96x96.png?resize=96%2C96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Cale-Profile-pic-96x96.png?resize=96%2C96","caption":"Cale Michael"},"description":"Lead Staff Writer for Dota 2, the FGC, Pok\u00e9mon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more who has been writing for Dot Esports since 2018. Graduated with a degree in Journalism from Oklahoma Christian University and also previously covered the NBA. You can usually find him writing, reading, or watching an FGC tournament.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/XJustified"],"url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/author\/cale-michael"}]}},"raw_content":"Detective Pikachu Returns had everything in place to be a great follow-up to one of the last big 3DS titles, coming off the back of the Pok\u00e9mon franchise\u2019s first live-action blockbuster film and dropping on a successful console like the Nintendo Switch. Instead, we got a mixed bag of coffee beans that combine for a flavor most Pok\u00e9mon fans may enjoy for a few sips, but not by the last.\u00a0 As soon as the titular Detective Pikachu finishes a cliff notes recap of the first game, you take control of Tim Goodman and begin running around to solve a new case of Pok\u00e9mon causing problems in the city. I must have ordered my mystery-solving without toppings, but fortunately, the story caught me by surprise with its spice.\u00a0 A simplified approach to sleuthing Compared to the original\u00a0Detective Pikachu, the sequel does a lot to streamline the game\u2019s flow\u2014for better and worse.\u00a0 Gone are some of the more challenging puzzle types from the first title, instead replaced with more instances of Tim and Pikachu wandering around an area to interview people and Pok\u00e9mon for details you likely already pieced together yourself or that Pikachu will point out for you. Yes, the game primarily aims to appeal to Pikachu-loving kids, but even some younger players will be yelling at Tim for his lack of awareness when solving cases.\u00a0 Even with the introduction of new minigames and action moments tied to Pikachu teaming up with other Pok\u00e9mon, you will likely find the gameplay loop repetitive once you get through chapter two. I will give props to the Luxray stealth missions which, while frustrating at times, did make excellent use of a Pok\u00e9mon\u2019s special abilities in a way we don\u2019t get to see often.\u00a0 The biggest disappointment to me, however, is the side quests, since none of them give you a reason to complete them. All you get for finishing any request from people or Pok\u00e9mon in need is a few bonus interactions and a brief mention in the newspaper you can read back home\u2014nothing worth wasting your time on.\u00a0 There is also no post-game. Once you beat the game, loading your save after the credits roll will take you straight back into the final scene.\u00a0 Get ready to go camping with Tim and Pikachu Very few\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0games take themselves seriously or tell a deep story, and\u00a0Detective Pikachu Returns\u00a0is no exception. It is one of the most straightforward and campy mystery stories I have played in a long time.\u00a0 If you played the original game or watched the movie, you will almost immediately know what one of the bigger plot twists in the sequel title is. But I bet you wouldn\u2019t expect an\u00a0Avengers-style team-up for a high-stakes raid that wraps up a rather dark story touching on death, divorce, and corruption within law enforcement. I played the first chapter with friends on Discord and had fun riffing on the easy-to-piece-together scenario and poor pacing. But by the time I got through chapter three, which is where the story opens up and adds some political elements and intrigue, I was actively enjoying myself and wanting to see the journey through to the end.\u00a0 The writers spend chunks of the last three chapters delving into some concepts, like how people in positions of power can easily abuse their power in disgusting ways, splicing that in between lighthearted comedy. For the areas of the story involving the police and experimentation on Pok\u00e9mon, I was surprised by how dark the developer was willing to go with very few pulled punches.\u00a0 To put it simply,\u00a0Detective Pikachu Returns\u00a0is best enjoyed as a basic, over-the-top detective adventure that overflows with campy charm. It also ties a nice bow on the Goodman family\u2019s story, along with canonizing the IRL film too\u2014yes, Ryan Reynolds is technically\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0canon now.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t expect too much from the non-Pok\u00e9mon characters. While Tim, Harry, and a character I won\u2019t name for spoiler reasons are fun and have good voice performances, my experience with the rest of the human cast was 50-50, depending on the scene.\u00a0 Visuals that needed a Smeargle\u2019s touch The human characters have been done dirty by whoever decided this game\u2019s art direction. They\u2019re all bland 3D models, and a lack of environmental lighting and reusing the same limited animations every time they are on screen or talking outside of a cutscene doesn\u2019t do them any favors. The Pok\u00e9mon mostly look fine\u2014only occasionally very good. This issue is made even worse when you notice just how good the portraits of the human characters in the game look when they pop up next to the dialogue boxes or when using the Detective Notebook. Those assets use actual shading and lead me to wonder why the game couldn\u2019t do something like\u00a0The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, where it only uses those portraits in different poses on static backgrounds instead of making 3D models just stand about. Instead, the NPCs have PS1 enemy walk-cycles and every human, but Tim and Harry gets one set of body and facial animations to use whenever they do anything on screen. That pairs terribly with the stiff presentation of voice acting in non-key cutscenes. It also doesn\u2019t help that the music is either a very generic track or the most over-the-top tune for an action scene you would never expect out of this game. It doesn\u2019t add much to the experience. An unfortunate end to a Pok\u00e9mon caper Detective Pikachu Returns has a lot of charm, but it\u2019s overshadowed by the poor presentation and hand-holding approach to exploring and investigating. Even if the game\u2019s main demographic is children, there isn\u2019t a lot of depth for older Pok\u00e9mon fans to latch onto unless they vibe with the story early on. I really wanted to love this game, especially because I enjoyed my time with it. But there is just no way I can recommend this title to anyone who isn\u2019t either really into Pok\u00e9mon or ready to ride out the game with their kids or some friends. There\u2019s charm, but it isn\u2019t anything special, and that\u2019s a shame because it had so much potential to be great.","apple_news_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Pokemon-Detective-Pikachu-Returns-falling.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=997010"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":997247,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/997010\/revisions\/997247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/997025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=997010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"invoiceable_action","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/invoiceable_action?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"internal-label","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-label?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"article_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article_type?post=997010"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=997010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Rokurou

{"id":997010,"date":"2023-10-17T07:10:15","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T12:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/?p=997010"},"modified":"2023-10-17T07:10:18","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T12:10:18","slug":"detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dotesports.com\/pokemon\/news\/detective-pikachu-returns-review-a-bitter-blend-of-pokemon-potential","title":{"rendered":"Detective Pikachu Returns review: A bitter blend of Pok\u00e9mon potential"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detective Pikachu Returns <\/em>had everything in place to be a great follow-up to one of the last big 3DS titles, coming off the back of the Pok\u00e9mon <\/em>franchise\u2019s first live-action blockbuster film and dropping on a successful console like the Nintendo Switch. Instead, we got a mixed bag of coffee beans that combine for a flavor most Pok\u00e9mon <\/em>fans may enjoy for a few sips, but not by the last.\u00a0<\/p>

As soon as the titular Detective Pikachu finishes a cliff notes recap of the first game, you take control of Tim Goodman and begin running around to solve a new case of Pok\u00e9mon causing problems in the city. I must have ordered my mystery-solving without toppings, but fortunately, the story caught me by surprise with its spice. <\/p>