Grazza

I agree. They should upgrade to 16-bit.

I hope Virtual Console arrives on Switch, but we do now have proof that Nintendo can have a huge success without it. From my point of view, I really want cross-buy established (not just with Nintendo games), so that I have the reassurance Nintendo remembers I've bought Super Metroid and A Link To The Past before... These games are great, but not the miracle workers they once were, and much of the traditional VC was (frankly) filler. More broadly, I think the Switch eShop is so great because we finally have a parity of sorts with the other consoles. Switch is not as powerful as PS4 or Xbox One and probably won't get many of the retail releases when it comes down to it, but if there's a popular indie game, there's a good chance of it coming to Nintendo's console. And for me that's key - the feel that we're actually part of the industry again. I've said for years there's no point in making a console if you're not keeping up with the others. Nintendo may not be ready to do that in terms of something that can play "AAA" releases, but it's keeping up with the indie scene, and that's a heck of a good start.

My hopes: Double Dragon (from the Arcade Archives range) Golden Axe A new game from WayForward Switch to get Dragon Quest XI (based on PS4 version) Footage from Metroid Prime 4 This. I don't like it or understand it at all. I like cartoony/cel-shaded visuals like in Dragon Quest VIII, but deliberately getting the proportions wrong doesn't make sense to me.

Yeah, that'd be great actually.

11pm? Yes! I'll actually be able to watch it.

Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap is still the eShop game that stands out for me. The quality is up there with anything. Metal Slug is the Neo Geo series I keep returning to. Truly brilliant. I'd recommend playing them in order - get the 2nd if you still want more after the 1st, and the 3rd if you want more after the 2nd, but be aware that the yet-to-be released Metal Slug X is considered a superior remix of 2. Shock Troopers is well worth a blast. Aero Fighters 2 is my pick of the genre you were asking about - it's easy to play, with no real negative side. Blazing Star plays OK, but I personally don't like pre-rendered visuals, and Alpha Mission II is not bad but has an overly complex power-up system. I've not played Last Resort but heard you have to start each level from the beginning if you fail. Also keep an eye out for Sine Mora EX and Earth Atlantis, which both look promising.

To an extent, yeah, definitely. I paid too much for it (£24.99) and I thought it would have benefited from better hardware, but stylistically and in terms of genre, it's very much my cup of tea. I'm Intrigued by Blade Strangers too... keeping an eye on how that turns out. EDIT - Wait a minute, I'm being a bit slow here. Code Of Princess is getting a Switch release? Excellent - that might be exactly what it needs. I thought the 2D sprites needed to be much higher-res, and the action needed faster hardware too. Good stuff!

More classes. Botanist is the typical potion-using character (perhaps it will be better as a sub-class?) and Pugilist is a sort of martial artist.

Was very surprised to receive a Nintendo survey about Fatal Fury Special! But hey, I'm not complaining - I'll answer any for them.

Wulver Blade - I don't normally like game that bloody, but it's a hand-drawn brawler and it looks bloomin' awesome! Earth Atlantis - Yep, I want this. Dragon: Marked for Death - Not the most pleasant title, but looks like IntiCreates' most interesting game yet! Proper 2D! Nine Parchments - I'm intrigued, as long as I don't have to control the other players too much (ie. does it have good A.I.?) I didn't watch the presentation live, but coming in and giving the video a quick glance, it seems there was some pretty good stuff.

Been playing some Aero Fighters 2, which has a surprise that Shantae fans may find amusing:

There's lots I'm looking forward to such as Owl Boy, Earth Atlantis, Sine Mora EX, Quest of Dungeons, Tiny Barbarian and 99Vidas.

I was too impatient to wait for Metal Slug X and so bought Metal Slug 2 instead. The slowdown is as bad as it's reputed to be, but I genuinely don't mind it as it makes the game a bit easier. Stylistically, it's a crazier game than the first one, but not as over the top as the third - it's weird, but not ultra-irritating. The bosses are my favourite from the three entries I've played so far, as they have sub-weapons you can attack, giving quite a lot more strategy to them. Overall, a very enjoyable game. I would recommend playing it if you enjoyed the first, with the caveat that you might still want to wait for Metal Slug X instead.

Ah, OK. In that case, the batch after that might be: Art of Fighting 2 Fatal Fury 3 King of Fighters '95 King of Fighters '96 King of the Monsters The Last Blade Pulstar Samurai Shodown II Sengoku 2 Super Baseball 2020 World Heroes World Heroes 2 Just going by Wikipedia's list of ones that have been released on PS4/Xbox One, but not Switch. I'm hoping for Metal Slug X, personally.

I've been playing some King of Fighters '98... so smooth and fluid compared to '94. I can see why that one is considered the ultimate Neo Geo fighter. Anyway, I noticed no Neo Geo title is in the "Coming Soon" section. I wonder if there will be a Nintendo Direct soon, part of which will preview the next batch?

Darn it, I really want to play Pirate Queen's Quest, but in all honesty can't help seeing this whole venture as a bit of a rip-off. I've bought Half-Genie Hero on Wii U, but there's no cross-buy discount. Getting it again would be a combined total of £15.99 + £15.99 + cost of DLC. How much is the DLC anyway? You have to consider customers who don't use Kickstarter. On top of that I don't even really know the full extent of the DLC. All I've seen so far is the Risky Boots character fighting the same bosses and new medium-sized enemy. She's a cool character and I like the way they've done it, but I hoped she'd have a campaign of her own. I'd get it ASAP if I didn't have it on Wii U, but I just think they could be a bit more generous to those who've already bought it.

The Masurao looks like the typical high attack/low defence class. Well, OK, there's a spare slot in my team and the moment, but we'll see what happens! Current team: Fencer / Dragoon / Masurao Warlock

More specifically Saturn, but yes. I don't think it's odd at all. Some of you are discussing what it would have been like if Sega pitted this (ie. 16-bit style) against Mario 64. I am merely saying that I wanted (in the '90s) for Sega to keep the 2D style going, but on their 32-bit machine. It wouldn't have looked exactly like this - they'd have been able to make the Sonic sprite more detailed, for one small example.

I always wanted Sega to produce a 2D Sonic that looked 32-bit. As cool as this seems, it does surprise me that the route to success was to make something that actually looks 16-bit.

Calling all brawler fans! 99Vidas is coming to Switch.

I recommend Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap. It's expensive, not lengthy and you can't comb the levels as much as in the typical Nintendo game, but in terms of how it looks, sounds and plays, the quality is right up there.

Ah, no, there wasn't anything specific to Wonder Boy. I got the feeling they were just testing whether people were generally happy with that price/quality combination. Personally, I say bring 'em on!

There weren't many questions but it was things like "What were you satisfied with?", "What weren't you satisfied with?" and "Any other comments...?"

I'm playing it too. I've been playing a lot of demos on 3DS recently, but unfortunately it's harder to convince me to buy the full game as the hardware ages. Bit of a shame really, as I would have bought a lot of this software in the earlier days. Anyway, the game seems very good. Having a mount is something genuinely different to most RPGs. I like the way you can build up rapport (I forget the term used in the game) in battles, then mount your monster and access better attacks that way. It adds a lot of strategy and, though not exactly the same, reminds me of games like Panzer Dragoon Saga or Skies of Arcadia where there was a bit more to it than a normal RPG. My big gripe is the graphics - they're just not smooth or sharp. Though I like the art style, the graphics themselves push the 3DS too much.

Did anyone else get a survey for Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap? Not that it really means much, but I'm glad the game hasn't been forgotten and I'm hoping Switch plays host to more games from Lizardcube.