Midnight Fight Express does not have the deepest combat or the greatest story but it never gives you enough time to breath during its campaign for you to notice these deficiencies. This makes the game fun but not very memorable, In turn coming off as a B action movie (A vibe that is very intentional).
I'd put a quote here but I can't remember any from the game.
I'd put a quote here but I can't remember any from the game.
2019
Daemon X Machina is a game that knows what it wants to become but fails at ever executing that core vision, Strong ideas and sloppy execution is a theme that is prevalent throughout the entire game thus making the entire experience feel somewhat exhausting forcing you to see cool ideas fail at the finish line over and over again.
Armored Core: 4gotten
Armored Core: 4gotten
2023
This game has the ability to transfer you back to the early 2000s gaming era. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk has a strong sense of identity and even manages to emulate the 2000s game-feel with eerie precision. This identity is also its weakness in some aspects since the tutorial is sparse on actually delving into the nitty-gritty of the gameplay which results in a few hiccups while exploring the densely packed city of New Amsterdam of BRC.
While the story is a bit cheesy it captures the whole gameplay and feel first attitude of the 2000s very well and never ends up feeling like a JSR or JSF clone bringing many fresh ideas to the table while borrowing the base idea behind the Jet Set franchise.
“Graffiti would be boring as hell if it were not illegal!”
While the story is a bit cheesy it captures the whole gameplay and feel first attitude of the 2000s very well and never ends up feeling like a JSR or JSF clone bringing many fresh ideas to the table while borrowing the base idea behind the Jet Set franchise.
“Graffiti would be boring as hell if it were not illegal!”
RGG is on a roll with content recently, with Infinite Wealth being one of their most ambitious and innovative titles yet. Even by Like A Dragon standard this entry in the franchise has an obscene amount of content that can almost seem overwhelming at first, Yet the quantity of the content is never compromised, Never failing to provide a unique break from the game's turn based combat.
The combat has been greatly improved upon as compared to Yakuza: Like A Dragon, with much more sensible balancing decisions and a much more in-depth combat system in general.
Infinite Wealth, Even while being set in a drastically different setting than its predecessors never fails to feel like a Yakuza game, Not shying away from commentary on contemporary Hawaii and its struggles with migrants.
The cast is phenomenal as standard for the franchise and manages to give each of the TEN party members their time (or in this case screentime) in the sun. Bond Bingo is what contributes to a lot of this characterization with it being a system that is the direct evolution of the Party Chats that were introduced In Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
The Hero of Yokohama & The Dragon of Dojima's Great Hawaii Excursion
The combat has been greatly improved upon as compared to Yakuza: Like A Dragon, with much more sensible balancing decisions and a much more in-depth combat system in general.
Infinite Wealth, Even while being set in a drastically different setting than its predecessors never fails to feel like a Yakuza game, Not shying away from commentary on contemporary Hawaii and its struggles with migrants.
The cast is phenomenal as standard for the franchise and manages to give each of the TEN party members their time (or in this case screentime) in the sun. Bond Bingo is what contributes to a lot of this characterization with it being a system that is the direct evolution of the Party Chats that were introduced In Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
The Hero of Yokohama & The Dragon of Dojima's Great Hawaii Excursion
It is insane to me that RGG can cook up such a memorable and important title such as this in 6 months just because they wanted to expand upon Kiryu's escapades between Yakuza 6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
This while on paper may sound like a quick cash grab title that RGG came up with to fill up their release schedule it ends up being one of the most important Like A Dragon games they have ever constructed, Expanding on the complexity of Kiryu's character even further and giving the character a sendoff that is filled to the brim with fanfare and homages to the series in general.
Like A Dragon: Gaiden gives Kiryu access to the Agent style which just shows how comfortable RGG is with constructing newer and much more innovative ways for players to interface with the 3rd person brawler format the series had become known for.
“I Guess I Needed Them More Than They Ever Needed Me..”
This while on paper may sound like a quick cash grab title that RGG came up with to fill up their release schedule it ends up being one of the most important Like A Dragon games they have ever constructed, Expanding on the complexity of Kiryu's character even further and giving the character a sendoff that is filled to the brim with fanfare and homages to the series in general.
Like A Dragon: Gaiden gives Kiryu access to the Agent style which just shows how comfortable RGG is with constructing newer and much more innovative ways for players to interface with the 3rd person brawler format the series had become known for.
“I Guess I Needed Them More Than They Ever Needed Me..”
Like a Dragon: Ishin! could make a Japanese historian shoot himself if you explained the game's plot to him, but its bold reimagining of real life Japanese history puts it in a unique historical fictional setting that can educate if you are willing to put in effort on your end.
The gameplay is the sore-point of this entry in the franchise since it takes what was usually a very tightly done third person brawler and applies RPG elements to it that don't flow well together and make the game feel like a grind to play.
The story does numb the disappointment that is the gameplay, with a very interesting version around the events of the Great Fire of Meireki, fitting these iconic Like a Dragon characters into this historical piece while keeping their personalities intact.
“Your Country Should Be A Place That Makes You Happy To Be Alive!”
The gameplay is the sore-point of this entry in the franchise since it takes what was usually a very tightly done third person brawler and applies RPG elements to it that don't flow well together and make the game feel like a grind to play.
The story does numb the disappointment that is the gameplay, with a very interesting version around the events of the Great Fire of Meireki, fitting these iconic Like a Dragon characters into this historical piece while keeping their personalities intact.
“Your Country Should Be A Place That Makes You Happy To Be Alive!”
Unbound just feels like a stylistic but worse overall version of Heat, with frustrating chase mechanics and an aggravating leveling system that just hates the player making progress.
It is mechanically worse than Heat in every possible manner, with the night time risk reward mechanic even making a return from Heat but just feeling dull and poorly thought out as if they tried fitting it in after the game had already been made.
The whole experience is just frustrating and never feels like it picks up. The whole stylistic choice this game markets as its focal point just end up feel like zaney little touches that ultimately add nothing to the racing with these effects eventually blending into the background with the rest of the game.
Need For Speed: Style Over Substance.
It is mechanically worse than Heat in every possible manner, with the night time risk reward mechanic even making a return from Heat but just feeling dull and poorly thought out as if they tried fitting it in after the game had already been made.
The whole experience is just frustrating and never feels like it picks up. The whole stylistic choice this game markets as its focal point just end up feel like zaney little touches that ultimately add nothing to the racing with these effects eventually blending into the background with the rest of the game.
Need For Speed: Style Over Substance.
Like A Dragon is a love letter to life, It's a game that if you open yourself up to will change your perspective on life and connections forever.
Ichiban Kasuga is my favourite character possibly in all of fiction, His optimism and determination is outright contagious and all of his scenes are packed with emotion. He is such a drastic change from Kiryu who was a stoic, Legendary figure who always felt out of reach. Ichiban manages to be the complete opposite of that, He wears his emotions on his sleeve and rather than pursuing his journey alone he is defined by his ability to knit a relationship with anyone he shares even a little bit of screen-time with. Ichiban on the surface may feel like a shonen character akin to Naruto or Luffy but he is written in such a human manner that his emotions and actions never feel fabricated or annoyingly convenient.
LAD7 also manages to highlight contemporary issues with Japan in a manner that never feels like its pushing an agenda. Exploring the societal grays of Japan with delicacy and also exploring the large scale dehumanization of these people in the public eye through schemes drawn up by the government. All of this never once feels tasteless instead it really highlights the respect that this game has for people who just are trying to survive and get through life.
Like a Dragon is a really emotionally intelligent story that has some classic Yakuza pacing issues but these issues seem small on the larger scale of things. This game manages to have an insanely fleshed out main cast, A banger soundtrack and pays homage to the games that came before it all while introducing a completely new turn based gameplay format, A brand new protagonist and a completely different part of Japan (Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama). This game marks a new beginning in the series and it does so with masterful class and elegance.
The Hero Of Yokohama's Journey Has Just Begun!
Ichiban Kasuga is my favourite character possibly in all of fiction, His optimism and determination is outright contagious and all of his scenes are packed with emotion. He is such a drastic change from Kiryu who was a stoic, Legendary figure who always felt out of reach. Ichiban manages to be the complete opposite of that, He wears his emotions on his sleeve and rather than pursuing his journey alone he is defined by his ability to knit a relationship with anyone he shares even a little bit of screen-time with. Ichiban on the surface may feel like a shonen character akin to Naruto or Luffy but he is written in such a human manner that his emotions and actions never feel fabricated or annoyingly convenient.
LAD7 also manages to highlight contemporary issues with Japan in a manner that never feels like its pushing an agenda. Exploring the societal grays of Japan with delicacy and also exploring the large scale dehumanization of these people in the public eye through schemes drawn up by the government. All of this never once feels tasteless instead it really highlights the respect that this game has for people who just are trying to survive and get through life.
Like a Dragon is a really emotionally intelligent story that has some classic Yakuza pacing issues but these issues seem small on the larger scale of things. This game manages to have an insanely fleshed out main cast, A banger soundtrack and pays homage to the games that came before it all while introducing a completely new turn based gameplay format, A brand new protagonist and a completely different part of Japan (Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama). This game marks a new beginning in the series and it does so with masterful class and elegance.
The Hero Of Yokohama's Journey Has Just Begun!
2021
Lost Judgment has its flaws but those flaws are also completely upended by the ludicrous amount of content it has, This game manages to have almost the same amount of content as Yakuza 5 and that is saying something since Yakuza 5 feels like its bloated with content with some of it not justifying its inclusion, This is never the case with the content in LJ it manages to keep each and every aspect of content excess justified and fun to boot.
My main criticism regarding the game is its story not having a really strong basis to drive its messaging in which in turn makes the game feel like a social commentary piece that never really earns the audience's belief in the message that it tries so hard to sell, Which usually is never the case with the Like a Dragon franchise which usually handles societal critique in a mature and much more delicate manner.
The Kaito Files is RGG's first attempt at story expansion through a DLC and honestly they nail their first attempt with the DLC managing to not only flesh out existing characters like Kaito but also providing a newer fresher gameplay experience in a game that is already chock full of content.
There is so much here to enjoy that LJ really feels like a steal even at 70$ with the series' best feeling combat, amazing music and a flawed but meaningful story.
“She Can't Say Her Piece Without A Voice. So If I Don't Raise Mine For Her, What Justice Prevails!?”
My main criticism regarding the game is its story not having a really strong basis to drive its messaging in which in turn makes the game feel like a social commentary piece that never really earns the audience's belief in the message that it tries so hard to sell, Which usually is never the case with the Like a Dragon franchise which usually handles societal critique in a mature and much more delicate manner.
The Kaito Files is RGG's first attempt at story expansion through a DLC and honestly they nail their first attempt with the DLC managing to not only flesh out existing characters like Kaito but also providing a newer fresher gameplay experience in a game that is already chock full of content.
There is so much here to enjoy that LJ really feels like a steal even at 70$ with the series' best feeling combat, amazing music and a flawed but meaningful story.
“She Can't Say Her Piece Without A Voice. So If I Don't Raise Mine For Her, What Justice Prevails!?”
Yakuza 6 even by Like a Dragon standard has one of the most heart-wrenching campaigns that you can experience.
While the shift to the Dragon Engine is rough around the edges with a bare bones combat system and less content than is the series' standard, The whole shift in tone for this game really ties the entire experience together and never makes you feel the lack of extra content that is usually present. Instead opting to tell deeper more focused (and fully voiced) versions of substories rather than making quantity its focal point.
Yakuza 6 never panders to the player instead opting to tell the end of the Dragon of Dojima without cheap callbacks or fan service, This elevates the story by making it's main focal point being the character of Kiryu rather than only his relationships with the series' notorious legends. The game is not devoid of Yakuza callbacks however and pays homage to many of Kiryu's relationships that have been built throughout the series through some select substories.
Yakuza 6 really understands the magnitude of the story that it tells and leaves an impact on what the Dragon of Dojima monicker is for future games to further explore.
The Dragon Of Dojima's Tale Comes To An End.
While the shift to the Dragon Engine is rough around the edges with a bare bones combat system and less content than is the series' standard, The whole shift in tone for this game really ties the entire experience together and never makes you feel the lack of extra content that is usually present. Instead opting to tell deeper more focused (and fully voiced) versions of substories rather than making quantity its focal point.
Yakuza 6 never panders to the player instead opting to tell the end of the Dragon of Dojima without cheap callbacks or fan service, This elevates the story by making it's main focal point being the character of Kiryu rather than only his relationships with the series' notorious legends. The game is not devoid of Yakuza callbacks however and pays homage to many of Kiryu's relationships that have been built throughout the series through some select substories.
Yakuza 6 really understands the magnitude of the story that it tells and leaves an impact on what the Dragon of Dojima monicker is for future games to further explore.
The Dragon Of Dojima's Tale Comes To An End.
Ace Combat 7 sells the power behind the "Trigger" callsign like a crack dealer in a busy New York alleyway. The way it builds up the legend of your character right in front of your eyes is commendable, upselling that by building up villains that only escalate in magnitude.
The mission structure is fantastic with each level heightening the stakes and spectacle, All of which is also scored to perfection enhancing the masterfully constructed set pieces even more.
The only stumbles AC7 has are with its convoluted storyline. This doesn't really break the experience since the gameplay and level structure really keeps the story moving at all times and never really lets the convolution take hold of the plot.
The gameplay feels very responsive while providing the difference in weight and variation of feel between different planes that I find is usually missing in pseudo-arcade-simulation flight games.
“Stick With Trigger And You'll Make It.”
The mission structure is fantastic with each level heightening the stakes and spectacle, All of which is also scored to perfection enhancing the masterfully constructed set pieces even more.
The only stumbles AC7 has are with its convoluted storyline. This doesn't really break the experience since the gameplay and level structure really keeps the story moving at all times and never really lets the convolution take hold of the plot.
The gameplay feels very responsive while providing the difference in weight and variation of feel between different planes that I find is usually missing in pseudo-arcade-simulation flight games.
“Stick With Trigger And You'll Make It.”
2019
Yakuza 5 is one the most ambitious experiences that RGG has cooked up for the franchise and while the journey isn't all smooth sailing it never feels dull or slow.
It like Yakuza 4 starts of on its best foot with Kiryu's campaign which sets a much more mature tone as compared to the games that came before it. All of this is then undermined when the story comes grinding to a halt as the game moves onto Saejima's storyline which takes place in a prison (again) and involves him breaking out of it (again) which makes it feel like a slightly better executed version of his section in Yakuza 4 with better characters and higher stakes. The rest of the three playable characters have a much tighter campaign as compared to Saejima, A highlight being Tatsuo Shinada who is a masterfully well written character with story sections that I still well up over when quoted, His whole campaign feels really heartfelt (and also heartbreaking) with insanely human feeling side characters (Shoutout Milky and Takasugi THE GOATS) that have performances that will surely touch your soul.
Even though Yakuza 5 manages to have these really real heartfelt moments the story as a whole feels very cobbled together with even the main villain admitting to the fact that he does not understand how he ended up as the final antagonist. This accompanied with the weirdly paced story just undercuts all these beautiful story and gameplay moments that the game spends so much time constructing.
“Well, Back To It...Reality. It's...It's Too Late To Run Away.”
It like Yakuza 4 starts of on its best foot with Kiryu's campaign which sets a much more mature tone as compared to the games that came before it. All of this is then undermined when the story comes grinding to a halt as the game moves onto Saejima's storyline which takes place in a prison (again) and involves him breaking out of it (again) which makes it feel like a slightly better executed version of his section in Yakuza 4 with better characters and higher stakes. The rest of the three playable characters have a much tighter campaign as compared to Saejima, A highlight being Tatsuo Shinada who is a masterfully well written character with story sections that I still well up over when quoted, His whole campaign feels really heartfelt (and also heartbreaking) with insanely human feeling side characters (Shoutout Milky and Takasugi THE GOATS) that have performances that will surely touch your soul.
Even though Yakuza 5 manages to have these really real heartfelt moments the story as a whole feels very cobbled together with even the main villain admitting to the fact that he does not understand how he ended up as the final antagonist. This accompanied with the weirdly paced story just undercuts all these beautiful story and gameplay moments that the game spends so much time constructing.
“Well, Back To It...Reality. It's...It's Too Late To Run Away.”
2023
Hogwarts Legacy is one of the safest, most sterilized games I have ever played, It never feels like it quite has an identity in mind for itself and ultimately even though the game draws heavily from its source material and the movies the experience as a whole feels really forgettable which is really unfortunate for people that are fans of the novels or the movies.
I think that the promise of being a student at Hogwarts is a great premise for a video game, however it is done in such a manner here that it barely feels like you're a part of the whole ecosystem. It feels like a Ubisoft made recreation of Rockstar's Bully which just so happens to be set in the Harry Potter universe. That is not to say that Hogwarts Legacy does not have a great deal of effort put into it, You can see from all the minute details and easter eggs that the team really cared about the mythos of this world and that they respect the source material alas Hogwarts Legacy fails to do anything other than that and only scratches the surface of the concept it promises to make good on.
The amount of content in this game feels huge at first but 15 hours in you realise that most of it is just busywork that is repeated over and over again. The game isn't devoid of gameplay highlights however, The whole Fantastic Beasts inspired animal pen minigame is quite fun, until it overstays its welcome and turns into a material grinder. The story also does the game no favors having no interesting ideas or anything to say in general.
Wingardium Leviosaa? I Guess?
I think that the promise of being a student at Hogwarts is a great premise for a video game, however it is done in such a manner here that it barely feels like you're a part of the whole ecosystem. It feels like a Ubisoft made recreation of Rockstar's Bully which just so happens to be set in the Harry Potter universe. That is not to say that Hogwarts Legacy does not have a great deal of effort put into it, You can see from all the minute details and easter eggs that the team really cared about the mythos of this world and that they respect the source material alas Hogwarts Legacy fails to do anything other than that and only scratches the surface of the concept it promises to make good on.
The amount of content in this game feels huge at first but 15 hours in you realise that most of it is just busywork that is repeated over and over again. The game isn't devoid of gameplay highlights however, The whole Fantastic Beasts inspired animal pen minigame is quite fun, until it overstays its welcome and turns into a material grinder. The story also does the game no favors having no interesting ideas or anything to say in general.
Wingardium Leviosaa? I Guess?
2010
Yakuza 4 starts off on its best foot, establishing its tone with a precision you rarely see in this medium however it loses the plot soon after and becomes a generic crime soap that is only interested in presenting the player with zaney twists even if they may undermine crucial character development and backstory.
Anyhow even when stumbling with its plot on multiple occasions Yakuza 4 never manages to stumble in terms of establishing compelling characters. On the gameplay side of things each new protagonist provides a fresh gameplay experience, No two campaigns feeling same gameplay-wise, Saejima's section however feels like a slog and is paced in a very sluggish manner. Every protagonist gets their own master and unlockable heat actions and even elements in the city that are exclusive to them this keeps the gameplay from ever turning stale and in turn motivates you to explore the city of Kamurocho in even more depth.
Overall even while being one of the weaker entries in the Like a Dragon franchise it doesn't stumble with its main ensemble and manages to provide an unexplored side to the city of Kamurocho.
“Ya Gotta Go Balls Out.”
Anyhow even when stumbling with its plot on multiple occasions Yakuza 4 never manages to stumble in terms of establishing compelling characters. On the gameplay side of things each new protagonist provides a fresh gameplay experience, No two campaigns feeling same gameplay-wise, Saejima's section however feels like a slog and is paced in a very sluggish manner. Every protagonist gets their own master and unlockable heat actions and even elements in the city that are exclusive to them this keeps the gameplay from ever turning stale and in turn motivates you to explore the city of Kamurocho in even more depth.
Overall even while being one of the weaker entries in the Like a Dragon franchise it doesn't stumble with its main ensemble and manages to provide an unexplored side to the city of Kamurocho.
“Ya Gotta Go Balls Out.”
2022
Ghostwire: Tokyo manages to be deeply monotonous even when it has a lot going for it on the surface. The immensely compelling urban Tokyo setting feels completely wasted in what seems like a pseudo-ubisoft open world chore simulator.
The combat fails to have any depth to it with all the components of its very bare-bones system being given to you right out of the gate, therefore upgrades are relegated to being bare damage scaling or a flat percentage buff on a status effect of some kind making the whole experience feel like it drags on for far too long. I thought that exploring the haunted urban Tokyo setting would be the highlight of the game however there is little to no content to discover in this rendition of the city making it feel like a very impressive blender model that you can explore but not interact with. While the side content is usually based in amusing set-pieces the game fails to motivate you to do any since you only get minor rewards for completing each quest.
The visual style of the game is its only redeeming quality. The Tokyo's neon nightscape never fails to impress visually, I only wished for the experience to be a lot more than that.
The story is outright dull, making each cutscene feel like more and more of a chore to get through. The characters fail at being well, characters they have no depth to them no external motivation and it stings a little bit more that the teeny bit of characterization they do get is isolated to the prelude chapter that you have to download separately. This game as a whole just feels like a let down considering the potential that it once held.
Ask Yourself Whether It Is Normal Or Paranormal.. Whatever It Is, It Sure Is A Letdown.
The combat fails to have any depth to it with all the components of its very bare-bones system being given to you right out of the gate, therefore upgrades are relegated to being bare damage scaling or a flat percentage buff on a status effect of some kind making the whole experience feel like it drags on for far too long. I thought that exploring the haunted urban Tokyo setting would be the highlight of the game however there is little to no content to discover in this rendition of the city making it feel like a very impressive blender model that you can explore but not interact with. While the side content is usually based in amusing set-pieces the game fails to motivate you to do any since you only get minor rewards for completing each quest.
The visual style of the game is its only redeeming quality. The Tokyo's neon nightscape never fails to impress visually, I only wished for the experience to be a lot more than that.
The story is outright dull, making each cutscene feel like more and more of a chore to get through. The characters fail at being well, characters they have no depth to them no external motivation and it stings a little bit more that the teeny bit of characterization they do get is isolated to the prelude chapter that you have to download separately. This game as a whole just feels like a let down considering the potential that it once held.
Ask Yourself Whether It Is Normal Or Paranormal.. Whatever It Is, It Sure Is A Letdown.