Grazza

The release date has been announced - it's out on 28 August:

Oh wow! You know what's bugging me about these Johnny Turbo releases though? The aspect ratio. You get a choice between 16:9 and 4:3, the latter of which (if I'm correct) translates into a multiple of 320x240. Data East's arcade games were mainly (all?) the more square-like 256x240. I'm hearing a lot of complaints about the filters, but from the two games I have so far, you don't actually have to use one. I believe it's actually the pixel ratio that's making them look wrong. Good news about Two Crude Dudes though. Looking forward to that and Caveman Ninja.

Just a heads-up for brawler fans - we're getting Renegade on Thursday (Arcade Archives). I don't know how good it is, but it's the predecessor to Double Dragon so I'll have to get it.

I totally agree. There was something I quite liked about it, but I wanted to know how the rest of the game played. Which one are you really meant to play as, and does the A.I. back you up whichever one you choose? It seems like quite a nice game, but unfortunately it didn't grab me enough to buy it.

What a jerk. You're not even worth talking to, Rummy, whilst you've let your ego grow so massive.

Yeah, I did that and I'm not having any problem with it now. They make you buy everything in this game!

Oh wow, I like the graphics of that one. It really does capture the essence of Wonder Boy and make it look "12-bit" (or perhaps 16-bit). It's great that Wonder Boy is back in vogue since the Dragon's Trap remake - we've had the aforementioned game, Monster Boy and now this. I personally hope LizardCube remake the Mega Drive ones as well.

Yeah, and at the beginning when they're rescuing the girls from the Boko Haram style kidnappers. You're right, but there was just something I didn't like about it, especially when we first see him at the museum (in fact, I quite liked him later on). All good villains invite sympathy to an extent (which is probably why they applied it to Thanos), but when Loki or Obadiah attack someone (the two best that came to mind quickly), it's not so attached to real-world politics. With so much debate about the rights and wrongs of the past going on at the moment, trying to get statues taken down etc, let's be honest, some of the audience would have been cheering him on. Something about that museum scene in particular seemed callous. I think T'Challa is likeable all the way through. Whether stepping back or helping out, they're both fair enough stances. This is a wider issue, to be fair. I really hate female-on-male violence in most films. The woman in Ant-Man just punches him unprovoked (supposedly for "training") and in Civil War, Black Widow kicks the same character in the groin - in both instances it's meant to be funny. But if you had male characters striking female ones in the genitals, people would realise it's not funny or entertaining. I agree Killmonger wasn't particularly misogynistic, as you were meant to be appalled at the way he treated the Wakandans. I don't agree with the emboldened part, however, as you simply don't see male characters use the same type of violence. Imagine if Thor deliberately broke arms or stabbed people in the genitals - he'd be really unlikeable, but when women do it it's meant to be badass.

Anyone else ploughing on with this? Although I do think there are issues with the save points and overall design, there's a great sense of satisfaction when you complete a section. I feel like I've completed about five zones, but only defeated the bosses of two. It's a strange game, but the general high quality of it has me coming back to get as far as I can.

I watched this last night and, though it's not entirely without merit, generally found it unpleasant. For one thing it's extremely violent. The female warriors stab various men in the genitals and break their arms - is that really acceptable? Reverse the genders and it would be called misogyny, but I suppose here it's meant to be "empowering". Nor did I love the racial politics. It would be great if it was a good super hero film that just happens to have mainly African characters, but that's not what it is. You were clearly meant to have sympathy with Killmonger. Whilst some of his points were valid, to put that alongside him poisoning museum staff was distasteful. And the tribe "barking" at Martin Freeman and telling him he wasn't allowed to speak... Is racism meant to be entertaining when it's against white people? Chadwick Boseman is brilliant, but I feel like they hijacked his charisma so people would watch a film about racial identity politics. The character, Back Panther, is good. I like the way he moves and fights, but it was extremely odd how little his own film seemed to be about him. T'Challa himself is a likeable character, and his speech (shunted to the mid-credits) about us being "one tribe" was commendable, but actions speak louder than words, and I wasn't entirely convinced the film agreed with him. On a positive note, I quite liked the story about an honourable king defending his position, and Letitia Wright as Shuri was as likeable as Boseman. I look forward to seeing them in other films, but won't be watching any more from this specific franchise.

I'm somewhat interested in Ys VIII, Shining Resonance Refrain, Octopath Traveler, Code of Princess EX, SNK Heroines, Labyrinth of Refrain, Monster Boy, Blade Strangers and Dragon. That said, I could just as easily not buy any of them - I haven't really been grabbed by anything since Dragon Quest Builders. I do think this is a reasonably decent release year for Switch; I just suppose I'm in the minority not being interested in Pokémon or Smash Bros. The latter in particular just reminds me of several full games I'd rather be playing, rather than references to them in a fighting game. Seeing a bit of Prime 4, knowing Animal Crossing was coming and a Switch release date for Dragon Quest XI would have made all the difference for me.

It's certainly on my radar. Out soon too, so I hope there's a demo.

Just to remind everyone that a demo for this game is now out - I've downloaded it but haven't had time to give it a go. Has anyone here tried it yet?

Oh wow. Last time I played this was as an unlockable in Donkey Kong 64. Genuinely enjoyed it more than the main game.

I agree. In fact, this game reminds me of Super Metroid rather than Fusion or Zero Mission, which will be music to the ears of some, but not to me. I've defeated two bosses so far. By this point in Fusion I'd have got into a good rhythm of upgrading my missiles and energy tanks, but in Hollow Knight, I still don't feel very capable. Also, I don't want people to think there's something wrong with my eyes after what I said about Battle Chasers, but a pet peeve of mine is "arty" lighting in modern games that doesn't aid visibility. Only the area around the player character is well illuminated, and I've fallen into many a pit by just not seeing them until it was too late. It's not like I can't see it at all, but you have to concentrate too much. It does seem to be a strong characteristic of this game. The difference between left and right can be crucial, but there aren't usually any subtle clues as to which one is best.

I've been playing it since last night, and it certainly is the real deal. Whether it will become a personal favourite of mine, I don't know, but it does feel like the most accomplished indie Metroidvania so far. The art style is so slick and the tone so unusual, it really does comes across as original. I've very little idea what the story is about, or really what the game entails, which adds an air of mystery. The level of challenge is also pretty high, in that exploration always takes your full concentration. Wouldn't want to press on too fast and miss a save point (the game is very mean with maps!) Haven't played enough to be sure what I think overall, but it's definitely worth the £10.99.

Thought I'd start a thread for this promising-looking RPG. Looks very much like an NIS take on Etrian Odyssey. It's probably just me, but I'm looking forward to it more than the big stuff. Out on 21st September in Europe.

I genuinely thought they might have accidentally switched to the Smash Bros Direct video. Did they say Hollow Knight was out today? I can't find it on the eShop (or how much it costs).

Well, that was bizarre. Fire Emblem looks good, some of the other games look decent and I'm pleased Hollow Knight is out now. But it feels like Smash Bros took all their budget and they had nothing else to show. It was very disappointing not to see Metroid Prime 4.

Did they have a bet about how much Smash Bros they could put in?!!

I hope he doesn't destroy Square-Enix before Dragon Quest XI is out!

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the 1980s either. 1970s and 1990s were so much better. In fact, the '90s were so perfect, I hope to see another decade that even approaches their quality!

They certainly don't here!

Some hopes/predictions of mine: Animal Crossing - it's not a game, it's therapy! Metroid Prime 4 - just looking forward to seeing it. Fire Emblem - it'd be nice to have a normal FE game on Switch. Mario Maker - I never played any previous of version of this, but would love tinkering about with designs on Switch much more than the Wii U. New Zelda - Given the presumed expense of BotW, I'm more and more convinced Nintendo will seek to recoup costs to the maximum by using the assets for an MM-style adventure.

Very much so! Graphics look stunning, and gameplay seems right up my street. I'll have to wait until it's on Switch though.