parkinho

Cheers pal, that makes the choice between this and Cuphead (double-dip) a little more difficult!

This looks awesome. Are there any modes or challenges to encourage replayability, such as speed run modes or harder difficulties?

Donkey Kong Country for me. The level where the blizzard gradually builds up as you progress is particularly festive. Every time I hear Aquatic Ambience I'm transported back to the Christmas it came out and we rinsed it ('94 if I remember correctly) so I think a cheeky little blast on the SNES Classics when I get home tonight is in order!

Switch patch came last night mate. You can trigger it to download manually by pressing the + button on the home screen icon, then selecting the option that says something like update via the internet.

Hyper Light Drifter is a magnificent game and stands alongside the likes of Cave Story, Hollow Knight, Celeste, etc. as indie games that surpass the games that inspired them. Having said that, I'm on the fence regarding buying this again. I beat it twice on the Xbox One, and with so many new games that I haven't had time to try (Dead Cells, Into The Breach, Iconoclasts to name but a few) I need to know how much extra content is in the Switch version. Anyone know? Is it just new weapons?

Likewise. The quality of indie games being released on a weekly basis is staggering; in the past, I felt that they simply aped the best 8/16-bit games that inspired them, but now they are far surpassing them in quality (Celeste, Hollow Knight, Hyper Light Drifter...). I hope these games aren't being dismissed as 'cheapo smartphone/tablet games'!

Probably the original Killer Instinct arcade machine. I was absolutely enchanted back in '94 with the CGI visuals, 30+ hit combos and the machine calling out 'ULTRAAAAAA COMBOOOOOOOOOOO!' - loved it. When I got my Xbox One a few years ago I downloaded the original alongside the new version (which is a genuinely good game with an amazing soundtrack) and I lasted about 15 minutes before the realisation hit home just how basic and broken the whole package was. A shame, but the memories of playing it back in the day have not been tarnished too much, thankfully.

The ambient music is fantastic IMO, really helps to create a wonderful atmosphere. My personal favourite (so far):

I finished this yesterday with a completion rate of 75% at around 26hrs. So much still left to do; think I might wait for the remaining DLC before cracking on. Overall, an amazing game that's up there with the best that the Metroidvania subgenre has to offer and probably just ahead of Celeste as my GOTY so far. The world building is phenomenal, from the melancholy of the City of Tears to the creepy Deepnest. The Hive and Crystal Peak both gave me serious Donkey Kong Country 2 vibes which is always a good thing. Two important aspects that all developers should steal from Hollow Knight in order to improve the quality of their games: made up gibberish languages (a la Star Fox) Zote the Mighty - this guy deserves a place in the new Smash Bros. game!

Oh my, just read that both Grandia and Grandia II are coming to the Switch! I would do bad things to also get some Skies of Arcadia action too!

Guile edition for me! Looking forward to giving it a read later; glad to see that Hollow Knight received such a fantastic score and no doubt that the Dead Cells review will give me the final excuse needed to take the plunge. 25 years is some achievement so a massive congratulations to all involved!

Doom 2016 really did remind me of Prime in places, particularly how it handled the platforming sections and that every section of the world felt unique and expertly crafted, unlike many fps campaigns that I've played where the feeling is of endless copy & paste locales. I've been toying with upgrading my pauper's edition Xbox One for the X, and this might be the game to finally convince me to take the plunge!

Agreed, the Switch has realised the promise that the Vita showed - an amazing selection of indie games that Sony's handheld did also have in an abundance, plus Nintendo's stellar first party titles and the ability to play all of these on the big screen or on the go. Vita + PSTV threatened to do this but Sony seemed to have little interest in making it work, unfortunately.

It really is something wonderful. I found the first few hours to be merely good but eventually reached a stage where the world and your abilities really open up and the realisation hits that you're playing something pretty special.