Grazza

Excellent! Dragon Quest Builders is probably my favourite game on Switch, and the sequel is a definite purchase for me.

Just a heads-up - it's actually better to upload images to Twitter individually if you want to copy & paste them. I tried some multiple uploads earlier and you just don't get as many options once they're posted.

Right, onto the games! First up is something that needs no explanation! I approached Final Fight as a Double Dragon and Golden Axe fan, but I had to grudgingly admit this was something else. It was one of the first games I bought on SNES (actually before I'd played the coin-op) and have always loved everything about it, especially the huge sprites. It didn't matter to me that it was single player, or that Stage 4 was cut out. Actually, Rolento's stage is terrible, so I'm glad they cut it out! But here we have the full arcade game, with Guy, Jessica's bra and Rolento's fire traps. Final Fight's brilliance is its boldness. They knew it was important to have big sprites, and so they made that a priority - and in fact, although later CP System games shrunk things down a bit for their 3-player coin-ops, it doesn't actually stop FF having hordes of enemies. Final Fight is a simple game, and all the better for it. You soon pick up on how you can switch from punching to a throw, or how jumping in with a knee (rather than a flying kick) makes it easier to grab an opponent - all of which it did better than preceding games. And when things really do get too much, you can clear the area with a two-button special attack. It's actually a kind of alchemy, and I don't think Capcom left any room for improvement. @Hero-of-Time is not exactly unfair to imply I like the female figures, but I love everything about Capcom's style. As a teenager, I used to think I could look like Cody if I lifted enough weights! And the wrestler-like enemies are, if not scary, certainly intimidating. Final Fight is simply the best - 10/10. Above: Throwing enemies was always my favourite thing. Below: Throwing Sodom: Above: Throwing a nice young lady at a bearded chap. Below: Throwing a police officer: Above: Throwing men in the toilets.

This game could really do with a free update. Whilst I loved the main game, I don't think I've ever known such a slow post-game. Assuming the max level is 99, having the highest grinding area set at 58 is odd. And although it does have the equivalent of Metal Slimes and Liquid Metal Slimes, it could really do with some Metal King Slimes as well. I do want to be level 99, as I'm finding the boss of the level 58 area too difficult at around level 85. I have the Captain's Badge and the Extra EXP skill (or whatever it's called) but it's still incredibly slow. Just a tweak to how much EXP you get post-game would make it a lot more enjoyable.

I earnt the extra 75p at work and splashed out on this after all. Don't know when I'll get a chance to play it, as I want to go through all the Capcom brawlers, but am looking forward to it when I do so. I didn't think this year looked all that great for Switch, but actually, I've not been able to keep up at all!

I always wanted to play as Haggar, but was never very good using him. But yes, Final Fight is the beat 'em up, only truly rivalled by Streets of Rage 2. Actually, there are some Sega ones I like as much, such as Golden Axe and Spider-Man, but that's just me. If you want another tip for a game of this genre, try Arcade Archives Double Dragon. You might find it slightly unimpressive compared to FF, but it's a true classic and I think it holds up well. When I saw that first image I thought "Cody's slimmed down!"

Yeah, I think the Japanese version of the GBA port is my favourite, for the reasons you mentioned. Lower-pixel graphics, but it plays so well, especially with Alpha Cody. Anyway, I've downloaded Capcom Beat 'Em Up Bundle and am looking forward to playing it tonight. Just looking through the art gallery reminds me of why I loved Capcom in this era so much. The visual design is so on-point, and evokes a feeling it's hard to explain. Like you are seeing the peak of 2D, certainly in terms of design and character.

Ah, that's interesting. Before I'd investigated this at all, I genuinely assumed it was the same game but with chibi visuals.

Yes, this is quite surprising, but I'm hoping it means Sega Ages has an absolute focus on the arcade versions. With Golden Axe, that means better graphics vs. extra levels and a thong!

So, skipping to the gameplay at approx. 9:00 onwards, is it really just hitting the enemies, with the A.I. taking care of the other roles? I'm still quite intrigued, but less so if it's too simple. Does it have spells, special moves and skill trees?

Has anyone got this yet? I went to download it last night but was 75p short!

I'm chuffed too. Although I've owned a PS2 and PS3, I do mainly stick to Nintendo, so can't wait to play every Final Fantasy remaster they announced. I do prefer turn-based combat, but am really looking forward to XII as well.

And Cadillacs & Dinosaurs. It's a shame there can't just be a good-natured agreement about licenced stuff, as I can't believe anyone is seriously going to lose out by letting a company re-release them as they were. Some of the best games in this very genre were licenced - Sega's Spider-Man springs to mind.

That was awesome. Capcom beat'em-ups collection (I forget what it's really called) is something I've wanted for ages. Will be great to have that on my Switch. The Final Fantasy news was so brilliant and overwhelming, I couldn't keep up. XV Pocket Edition available now? VI and some of the others on their way? I've wanted to replay XII for ages and "get it right" (I played it badly last time), so am really pleased about that. And best of all, Animal Crossing is on its way! The most magical experience on 3DS updated for Switch! To think we thought there wouldn't be any surprises... That was really, really good.

I hoped so too...

TOWN looks very promising indeed.

Capcom beat-'em-ups! YESSSSSS!!!!

I dread to think what it'll be if there's a Golden Sun collection!

I saw a proposal to actually put a mental health worker in each GP practice. It would make a huge difference, in my opinion. When people are suffering with their mental health they are at their weakest, and the thought of getting to a distant location (eg. a hospital) can be too much.

I've got massive FOMO at the moment. Spider-Man certainly is one of the games I want to play, so much so that I watched Homecoming again two nights ago! But the other one is Dragon Quest XI. I can't believe there's finally a true successor to VIII and I'm not playing it. It's just that I don't like modern TVs - the "standard" LEDs are generally poor with motion, and I personally find the backlight too harsh. I really want an OLED, but one that's about 40", not 55". Still, I might get a PS4 and make do with my current TV, because I do really want to play them.

Yes, unless it's both Golden Axe coin-ops, in which case all is forgiven!

I saw this on Saturday night and wanted to reply, but haven't had the time (ironically) to do so until now. The first thing I want to address is price - a subject I very much agree with @Mr-Paul on. When I was at my gaming peak, I was buying anything I vaguely fancied at release for £30, then selling it on later. There's definitely a psychological difference between £30 and £50, and so nowadays I am more careful what I buy. A couple of months ago I realised how this was restricting me, and so I splashed out and bought Octopath Traveler and Ys VIII... I loved the former but, you know what? I haven't even touched the latter yet. Selling them on is something I can't be bothered to do anymore either, which is probably all connected. Maybe a lot of us are at that stage where we want gaming to go 100% digital (downloadable), but the pricing model isn't quite there yet? But other than that I think there are two things pulling us away from the same target. There's no doubt about it - in my opinion, gaming is a young man's hobby. Not because of the violence and aggression associated with a lot of them, but because of the tenacity and drive required to play them. I'm guessing many of us on here are aged 35-40, and so losing that very tenacity we need. The other thing is that games are objectively becoming bigger, longer and more complicated. Gaming is now seen as a "culture" - personally, I preferred it when it was considered geeky. I was looking through a catalogue a couple of months ago and found myself thinking "How do kids manage to play all this?" In the old days a great game (eg. Ocarina of Time) took 7-14 days to play. Nowadays almost everything "AAA" is configured to keep you playing online, or if it's a single-player experience, it's more than likely open world and ridiculously massive. Either way, and combined with DLC, it feels like games are now designed to be more expensive individually and to keep you playing for half a year! Maybe those articles about addicted kids staying up all night aren't just tabloid scare stories? Take Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I was impressed, but I didn't much like it. It was undoubtedly better than some of the recent games in that series, but at the same time unlovable. I found myself wondering how Nintendo could afford to make it, how much programming time went into it, and really how anyone could play it to its full extent. It took me a week to find a dungeon! I enjoyed Super Mario Odyssey more, but don't feel like I've got full value out of it. Whereas I enjoyed getting all 120 Stars/Shines in 64/Sunshine, here there were 999 to collect! I think I got about 300 then forgot about it. In a nutshell, we're a bit like Axel in the new Streets of Rage - we can still do it if we try, but it takes an effort! Gaming culture has changed (for the worse, I think) and we're not spring chickens. The 1990s was the best decade ever, and if I ever discover an elixir of youth, I'll share it with you guys. For now, I'll turn on my Switch, focus with as much energy as I can muster, and hope playing the latest game doesn't make me too knackered after I've completed it!

Excellent. Haven't played an FF since XII, but this'll be going on my list.

Midnight? It might be for Senran Kagura and SNK Heroines.

These really are extremely rude things to say. I'm sorry you've had to mix with such horrible people - never accept that it's normal or civil to speak like they have to you.