Grazza

Just wanted to say I think you're right about these things. Whilst I may have come to conclusion that leaving the EU isn't worth the stress and strain, I do think there have been legitimate misgivings about the EU building up for many years (with each treaty that gets signed, especially). I particularly feel not enough attention has been given to the fear of ever-closer union. Whilst a "United States of Europe" may be for own good, I think the public resents the perceived secrecy around it. Many on the continent seem to be enthusiastic about a federal Europe, whereas our prime ministers have signed each treaty as quietly as they could (especially Lisbon) and never put across the positive sides of the concept. Either way, rightly or wrongly, I do feel the UK is not ready to be a full part of such a project. (And the flip side is, we're holding them back.) Which brings us to the discussions between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn. Being part of a full Customs Union with the EU completely eliminates the backstop (and as the problem so far has been the refusal of the DUP to get on board, I'm surprised they didn't come to this conclusion earlier). On top of that, how about we pledge alignment with the Single Market? That would solve the Irish border issue. This would ruin the plans of the hard-right deregulators (notice how angry they are about it) and keep us in the European market while giving us back independence over non-trade matters and full border control. And when the European Army is formed, we should of course be the closest ally. The Customs Union + alignment with Single Market plan would place us on an outer circle of the EU, which my gut instinct tells me is what most Brits want, and might actually be the right form of Brexit.

I'm genuinely shocked and surprised by the lack of progress yesterday, and appalled at the way decent MPs such as Nick Boles and Dominic Grieve have been sidelined and humiliated. It's hard to imagine what's going to happen next - I hope there are enough honourable Conservative MPs left to bring the Government down if necessary, but I'm losing faith. Personally, I do not fear a Hard Brexit economically - I agree we'll work something out. I'm just angry that the economic hard-right have been allowed to pursue their deregulatory Brexit. The Leave vote was sold on "We could be like Norway" and "No one's suggesting we leave the Single Market", when the truth is those weren't their intentions at all.

In terms of playing, Shantae: Half-Genie Hero was 25%-off recently, so I've been massively enjoying that. Fulfilled my ambition of getting the Speed Run and 100% Speed Run. Similar story with the excellent Sky Force Anniversary. As for buying, at the moment I think it's just going to be Aggelos. Looks like a genuinely good Wonder Boy-style game, and presumably won't be too expensive. I also have credit on my eShop account just waiting for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse to be discounted again, as well as Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom. Also, can never rule out any Sega Ages or Hamster titles. We'll see what gets released with those.

Ah, now I get it! This explains Brexit.

Oh, those were the days. @Fused King forced every single Wii owner to buy it!

Isn't that where the driver sits? Or are you on top deck?

Yeah, that's my understanding of it too. Whilst it makes trade deals with the rest of the world less likely for us (and certainly rules out tariff-free trade), there could still be a divergence in standards of goods. That's why, despite all the criticisms (and I have read them), I still think Customs Union + Single Market is the only decent form of Brexit. Not that I want any form of Brexit at all. Surely, as it's causing this much trouble and upsetting so many people, it should be called off? I know loads of Leave voters and I guarantee very few had any idea of how complicated it was. I'd say the largely unforeseen issue of the Irish border alone is enough to think again. Three years on, we should find out what "the will of the people" actually is now.

Looks stunning! Am I greedy though for thinking it should be about 80 games?

Looking forward to Wonder Boy in Monster Land and arcade Shinobi.

At least things are becoming clearer, I say. Kenneth Clarke's full Customs Union plan and Margaret Beckett's Confirmatory Referendum plan were the two most popular options in the indicative votes, so hopefully support for those will galvanise on Monday. The most obvious way forward is to put the Customs Union plan (probably the only type of Brexit that could get through Parliament) vs Remain in another referendum. I also like the way they're calling it a Confirmatory Referendum, because no one can say we've had one of those. This is assuming the EU will allow a long extension, though (thank goodness for Donald Tusk). If not, Theresa May really should just revoke Article 50 and put and end to this mess.

He is brilliant! His tunes in Etrian Odyssey are also stunning. I remember the first time I heard Stage 7 from the original Streets of Rage and instantly loved it. Even though it wasn't the sort of music I was into outside of games, it just gave off this feeling of cool. As for Streets of Rage 4, I must admit I am a bit surprised the graphics still aren't a bit more detailed. I do like cartoony graphics in general, but it doesn't yet have the same look as the earlier games. In terms of gameplay, though, I think they're going to nail it. The video has all the hallmarks of SOR, including grabbing someone, then somersaulting over them so you can do different types of throws! I've played an awful lot of beat-'em-ups and you come to realise that there are only a couple that really get it 100% right - Final Fight and Streets of Rage 2 are two of them.

Well, that's a coincidence. I downloaded Half-Genie Hero yesterday evening and have been enjoying it very much (I had it on Wii U, but waited until I could buy the full version, rather than add DLC onto it). Truth be told, I had fallen out of love with the Shantae series, but to be fair, Half-Genie Hero is better than I remembered. I'd forgotten just how excellent Jake Kaufman's music was, and how it completely sculpts the atmosphere. It's still only my 3rd favourite (after Risky's Revenge and Pirate's Curse), but I'm glad I gave it another chance. It's very good news there's going to be another one, anyway. I already like the character drawing by the "Shantae 5" logo more than the previous game, and hope there's still time to improve the in-game sprites (at the moment, it seems to be something on an asset re-use). The art style in HGH was at times excellent though - I was marvelling at the incredibly smooth animation on the mermaid boss, and hope they can bring that kind of style back to Shantae herself (and Risky).

Because I've been playing on my 3DS a lot recently (Etrian Odyssey Nexus), I've really noticed how much room for improvement there is with the Switch. A d-pad is a must, as is a better battery. I wouldn't mind a smaller screen and, as a handheld gamer, I have no need at all for Joy-cons or for them to be detachable. A more high-end version of Switch is certainly a curveball though. I can't image they'd make a more powerful one yet, but how about more RAM? That seems to be a reliable tactic.

Given the strength of feeling today, I don't think the option to Remain can be ignored. I'd say John Bercow's actions guided us towards a softer Brexit than the Withdrawal Agreement on its own, but today made Remain itself more likely. Apparently Parliament is going to have indicative votes on: Leaving with no deal Withdrawal Agreement WA + Customs Union WA + Customs Union + Single Market (Norway Plus) Canada-style deal (Donald Tusk calls it Canada Plus Plus Plus!) 2nd referendum Revoking Article 50 Let's rule out No Deal, the current Withdrawal Agreement and the Prime Minister simply revoking Article 50 without a referendum (or at least, I should hope the first two are ruled out). I think Parliament must now decide on the type of Brexit they would put through if they believed the public still wanted to leave. Presumably it would be the Customs Unions plan, Norway Plus or a Canada-style deal (I'm not too sure what that is - I haven't been keen in the past because it's harder than some of the other options, but I liked what Donald Tusk was saying about the "Plus Plus Plus" version). Then that one version of Leave should be put against Remain in a referendum. In the past I might have said they should put that through without asking the public again, but as I say, almost three years on and given the march, given the petition, I don't think anything else would be right or fair. Maybe we still want to leave - in which case we should - but I really think everyone should have another say.

Despite having reached the level cap, I just don't feel strong enough. The final floor is the toughest since the first game, and my team aren't powerful enough to muscle through it. I think I'm just going to have to train at least three, possibly five, Imperials. It's going to cost a lot to equip them, but I can't see anything else being sufficient.

Going by the past, you're probably right! There are many Doctor Who season finales where I really loved part 1, but not part 2. And I remember Back to the Future Part 1 and 2 were filmed back-to-back - I loved the complexity of the 2nd, but found the 3rd one a bit simple. I just think there's something about part 1 of a 2-part story that allows it to have more plot twists and a dramatic cliffhanger. But then again, this is Marvel. If Cap gets his shield, Thor gets Mjolnir and Banner transforms into the Hulk, the whole cinema's going to cheer!

Hmm, I wouldn't replace the Hero. If anything, I'll probably replace my Pugilist with a better attacker when I've got all the conditional drops. Actually, there's a Hero skill I want to get rid of - the one where your Afterimage jumps in to take damage for you (and so might disappear). Having two Afterimages in play is incredible. Yeah, I agree about that one. I've learned to love the sliding blocks though - you just have to work backwards and work out which direction the block needs to slide in from, and what it needs to stop against. By the way, have you noticed any skills that do Untyped damage? The Arcanist can do it by dismissing a circle, but so far that's the only one I've found (Zodiac can't do it in this game). Actually, I think the Nightseeker might be able to do it as well - I'll have to investigate.

I'm hoping the EU gives us a very long extension. As I say, I think the potency of Brexit is weakening by the day, and I think very few will still want it in a couple of years' time. I'd also like to vote in the European Elections. We may very well all vote Lib Dem, which would certainly send a message about the country's mood (then again, we might all vote UKIP!) There's always the possibility of the EU refusing us any extension at all. In this case, I don't think there's any chance of leaving with no deal. It's more likely Theresa May would revoke Article 50, or be forced to make way for someone who will. My biggest concern though is still Theresa May somehow managing to force her Withdrawal Agreement through. It seems to me there is no specific version of Brexit that is more popular than Remain, and so it's very wrong to force it through. The people should get a chance to vote again: a specific version of Leave vs. Remain. Unless there's some sort of national security issue we're not being told about, it just seems like madness to go ahead with something we probably don't want.

Nah, not at all - I thought about removing your "mention" from the quote, but didn't want to tinker with what @Julius said. I'm still open-minded about this film (honestly) - I was just going off what he said. I wouldn't want to be lumped in with those who opposed this film either - I'm all for female leads and totally against trolling actresses. But I do think there's an identity politics thing going on at the moment compared to classic female characters such as Ripley, Sarah Connor or even Princess Leia. All I'm saying is that female characters won't be up there with the male ones until they let them be a bit less badass. Male characters are allowed to be flawed - weak, cowardly, idiotic - and that's why we like them all the more when they come through. Like how Gamora is OK in Guardians 1 and 2, but doesn't really shine until Infinity War when she cracks and allows Thanos to get the Soul Stone. And no, I've never been offended by white, English men being the villains. They love casting us because we're the best actors!

Ah, so it is like that, is it? I didn't want to pre-judge it just because it had a female lead, but I did have my doubts. Whilst I like to see all races and both genders, I dislike identity politics - which is why I like Black Panther in Civil War and Infinity War, but not his own film. The "women are badass" thing just feels insulting and patronising to me, and allows sexist violence that wouldn't be allowed the other way round (like women kicking men in the groin). I know women can be great leads, which is why Alien has always been one of my favourite films, but I don't want to be beaten over the head with it. Young girls would get a better role model by just seeing a really well-written woman in a well-scripted film. Tony Stark, Thor and Peter Quill are amusing without the films reminding us that they're male.

Hero is just unbelievably good, isn't he/she? I really enjoyed one of the post-game puzzle floors last night. It was a giant sliding block puzzle similar to the ice blocks in Zelda. Took me ages to access every nook and cranny, but it was very rewarding.

Yeah, I think I had that, and the only publications I bought around the time of that game were Sonic the Comic and Mean Machines Sega.

I think I'm too conservative to fully use classes like that, though I did have one to use if I wanted it. Genuinely had no idea they were overpowered - did you manage to beat the post-game boss with them? Yeah, I love Pugilists, although you do need loads of skill points. Thankfully that's not a problem in this one.

Out of interest, what was the Necromancer Meta?

The same thing. I do recall Iron Man's release though and was pleased with how visually accurate it was. There was all this talk about how it was leading towards an Avengers film with Thor, Captain America et al, and I remember thinking "I wonder if that will work...?"