Alexlotl

Returns are pretty low stress from what I recall, though. I ordered a neon yellow joycon which turned out to be creaky (if perfectly functional), and they handled the return with no fuss.

Certainly on the mobile app you can pick a category, then use the filters to see what's in stock at your local store. I once went to buy some cheap Scooby Doo DVDs when one of my kids was off sick for a few days. The online stock check said they were in stock, but they weren't anywhere on the shelves. They checked behind the counter and did have the discs, so they sold them to me unboxed for 1p each.

Got this yesterday for the Switch. Holy shit, it's fantastic! It manages to capture the feel and vibe of the old games while massively elevating the mechanics, and has some of the most awesome set pieces I've seen in a game. Never had to use my brain so much in a brawler. Love the boss fight against Barbon, where each time you trash a bike another of the biker girls comes out to join in (and very handy projectiles they make too). The Roo cameo was a nice touch, too. Concentrating on Axel at the moment to get a feel for the game, then will try the other characters.

SoR3 is screwed, play the Bare Knuckle 3 translation instead. They absolutely banjaxed the difficulty for the western release so people couldn’t beat it on a rental, which manages to simultaneously make it harder and more boring.

Wasn't that one originally an Anime tie-in on the Mark III in Japan, but got turned into an Alex Kidd game for the west? I've never played it, the Alex Kidd series kind of passed me by (although I did play a few bits of built-in Miracle World on friend's SMSes).

Inspired by the current Retronauts podcast on Streets of Rage, I fired up the original game last night for a quick spin. Picked Axel, and did suprisingly well. Most of the bosses are quite straightforward, and even the tricky ones have sufficiently little energy that, with one police attack per life, you can get past them without too much trouble. Made it to Stage 5 on my first credit, then all the way to the second coming of the Blaze-Clone-Twins just before the final boss with my second... only to get my arse kicked repeatedly by them. I'd cheesed my way past them previously with

Before you know it, you'll be paying five hundred quid for a Smurfs game.

I haven’t tried the 12, but the Glendronach 15 Revival certainly used to be wonderful, a proper sherry bomb. Tastes like Christmas.

The Everdrive V2/X7 gives you Master System FM too. The MD isn't fully compatible with SG1000 games though, which to be fair is no great loss - most work, but with odd colours. F-16 Fighting Falcon on the SMS is also affected, as it weirdly uses the SG-1000 video mode. On a tangent, has anyone tried the new V2.0 SMS Power retranslation of Phantasy Star 1? Looks like a proper deluxe edition, with selectable soundtrack, font, sound text, quality-of-life improvements, sprite tweaks and all sorts. https://www.smspower.org/Translations/PhantasyStar-SM

I have half a bottle of Scapa 16 rattling around, a birthday present (despite being southern as, I was born on Orkney) from a few years back before the prices spiked. Haven't had any in a while, but I remember it essentially being a posher take on Glenmorangie - very sweet, with a nice heather honey kind of character, but not really my thing. I prefer a sherry bomb if I want something on the sweeter end of the spectrum. I should revisit it and polish it off, really. On the other hand, Highland Park (Orkney's other whisky), is my favourite day-to-day whisky in its standard 12 y/o va

The SMS one looks like it was Tiertex developed, while I'd guess the GG one was internal Sega, as it got a Japan release.

Wonderboy update: Tried a whole different equipment strategy, crucially not going beyond the Ceramic Boots. Made it to the final stage with max hearts, potion, ruby and all the best gear (bar the boots). Ceramic Boots definitely made it easier, and I was consistently getting 2-3 screens up before falling - but crucially, I mostly felt like it was my fault. I say mostly, as there’s definitely still a glitch with input in the 1 second or so after a screen transition, so you have wait one beat before moving. Finally, with my potion gone and only half a heart le

Just had a crack at the SMS version of Rampage with my 7 y/o, and to my immense suprise, beat it first try. We swapped pads a lot, so I'd take over whichever monster had lowest health, as I was better at eating people. She lasted until the penultimate set of stages, then I managed to beat New York. She did well at grasping the three golden rules (jump off falling buildings, stay out of the water, don't hit each other), and a good time was had by all, although it does get a bit monotonous towards the end. I remember this being stupidly hard on the Amiga, but in retrospect that was p

My first Switch died at about 22 months old - froze while playing a Monster Boy demo, and afterwards it wouldn't start any games, either from card or storage. "An Unknown Error Has Occurred". Tried all kinds of reset, no joy. Sent it to Nintendo, who quoted £80 to fix it, saying it was a problem with "reading from disc". They then sent back a totally different Switch, with all my saves gone. My original joycons are just starting to get drift - they were fine with me, but now my sticky grubby children play it, it's gone downhill fast. But I still love it, and lockdown wi

Well worth playing Sonic 3 Complete, a romhack that combines Sonic 3 & Sonic and Knuckles into a more unified experience closer to what Sega originally planned. Hack doesn’t do it justice, the level of fit and finish is superior to the original. Sonic 1 & 2 on the SMS are worth a look. The GG versions are just crops. Totally different games with a different pace, still very good. There’s a hack of Sonic 1 to use Master System FM too, which sounds great (although the PSG is no slouch - ported by Yuzo Koshiro!).