Month: November 2015

So it is with Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam Bros, a quirky role-playing game filled with the same familiar mechanics and coffee-break moments as pretty much every other RPG outing for the portly plumbers. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The charm of Paper Jam Bros lies in the gaps between its otherwise shallow story, the plot sidelined in favour of quirky conversations and self-referential chit-chat between its acid trip cast. At the very least, you get to hear Mario talk about something other than saving the Princess. Again.

It's a shame, then, that Paper Jam Bros features such few detours of this kind—unlike its predecessors, they're wedged into the core story arc instead of existing in parallel to it. This is a game that plays it safe, its by-the-book plot just about managing to push you through to its predictable finish. Like paper, it's all a bit one-dimensional.

The plot revolves around the Mushroom Kingdom being invaded by the residents of Paper Mario World thanks to a characteristic blunder from Luigi, his mother's second favourite son. If you're looking for a prime example of the Deus Ex Machina narrative concept, you need look no further than the opening five minutes. Indeed, the opening cutscene serves as a succinct example of how the "wacky" bits are forced into the plot—the need to drive events forward blocking the chance to better explore the fusion of the game's two disparate worlds.

Volkswagen's outgoing CEO, Martin Winterkorn, knew about the company's emissions and fuel economy cheating a full year before they became public knowledge, the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag reports.

The newspaper reports that VW stopped selling the Polo TDI BlueMotion back in spring 2015 because it had discovered that its actual fuel economy was 18 percent below its official rating. At the time, VW claimed that it pulled the Polo because of "subdued demand."

Bild, citing "sources close to Winterkorn," says that Winterkorn knew about this fuel economy discrepancy back in spring 2015. Furthermore, Bild says that VW's top executives knew about fuel economy and emissions issues with its other cars a year ago. Bild did not cite its source for the "year ago" assertion, however. With this scandal likely to cost VW tens of billions of euros in fines and lost revenue, Bild hopefully vetted its sources enough, lest it get hit by a massive defamation suit.