Yakuza 3 was the first game in the series which really made me fall in love with Kiryu's character, The whole orphanage arc just amplifies Kiryu's struggles and really become a driving force for him for the rest of his saga. You can see Yakuza 3 as the starting point of Kiryu's never ending escape from the infamy that the Dragon of Dojima's legend has brought him.

The game's combat is a point of contention amongst the fandom however in my case Yakuza 3 really was where the combat clicked for me, The games that came before this could be played by just stocking up on Staminans and mashing your way through the game, Yakuza 3 makes breaking your opponent's guards a key gameplay mechanic which has in turn resulted in it earning the title of "Blockuza" amongst the fandom. While I do think that this sudden change in the eb and flow of combat can seem jarring at first it really opens you up to try new strategies which end up making the game a lot more fun.

As always Yakuza 3 continues in Like a Dragon fashion having a really strong ensemble of characters that really make you care about them and their struggles, One of them being the main antagonist of the game Yoshitaka Mine who is one of the more interesting villains in the series.

The Dragon's Legend Wanes.

The Silver Case is an experience that makes me understand how Grasshopper Games have managed to cultivate such a cult following. This game is a mix of gameplay ideas and narrative moments that remain unique in the contemporary interactive media market.

Kamui Uehara is one of fiction's most interesting, enigmatic characters representing the fact that while one can kill of the person, they can never kill off the idea that he represents.

The Silver Case is one of those games that does not leave your head even days after completing it, It festers and requires you to think about its commentary and that I think is one of the most beautiful things a game can make you do.

Kill The Past.

With how disinterested Yakuza Kiwami seems in fleshing out what Yakuza 0 laid down, Kiwami 2 steers towards the opposite approach to great effect. Kiwami 2 has some its own problems though with the weird color grading and combat that feels a bit too simple since it follows right on the heels of Kiwami's flawed but fleshed out combat. I understand that this is due to the shift to the Dragon Engine but the combat being dumbed down two games in feels very jarring and the color grading issue is not present in Yakuza 6 the game that shifted the whole franchise to the Dragon Engine making this seem like an odd artistic choice to differ itself from looking too alike Yakuza 6.

The plot this time around is much stronger and the side content feels equally of a much higher quality as compared to Kiwami. We are introduced to one of the most charismatic main antagonists in the series who never wastes an ounce of screentime, however his involvement is bogged down by bafflingly lesser developed side characters. The Majima saga side story while sparse on the gameplay side provides a nice end to his Yakuza 0 story, fleshing out his enigmatic character even more and providing us with an interesting look into what happened during the years when Terada was the head of the Tojo clan and what alienated him and many others from the group.

“A Man Oughta Be A Little Stupid.”

Definitely the weakest entry in the Like a Dragon franchise solely because it follows hot on the heels of the juggernaut that was Yakuza 0. Kiwami feels like a Yakuza 0.5 and fails to flesh out story beats and the deeply uncharismatic main antagonist. All the side content also takes a backseat which feels like a huge misstep since side content is one of the things the franchise is famous for. Additional changes to the combat like style switch speed being overall faster are nice changes to have but they are bogged down with random changes like the Kiwami heat system which just makes boss fights feel like they go on forever making the experience feel unsatisfactory as a whole package which is a complaint that I have with no other game in the franchise. The english dub voice overhaul modpack is highly recommended for anyone who wants to make this experience slightly more enjoyable.

The Dragon Of Dojima Is Reborn.

A detective noire thriller is a genre that I least expected from RGG but somehow in classic RGG fashion they manage to not only over deliver but they make this series almost as appealing of an entry into the Like a Dragon universe as Yakuza 0. Judgment manages to juggle a country-wide conspiracy and a thrilling murder mystery without sacrificing the integrity of either, Instead choosing to entangle them making the final reveal 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 hard hitting. The only thing holding back Judgment from getting a perfect rating is the sheer amount of tailing missions that are sprinkled liberally throughout the whole game. The combat at the start of the game can also feel a bit sluggish however the Tiger and Crane speed upgrades circumvent that entirely. RGG as always bring their A game when it comes to character work and construct not only an insanely lovable little club of detectives but also some bone-chilling, psychopathic murderers who would stop at nothing to gouge out Yagami's eyes.

“EEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAGAAAAAAAAAMIIIIIIII!”

Release controversies aside, I firmly believe that the current Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the best action RPGs of the last two decades, Even surpassing the Witcher in terms of pure RPG design elements. The narrative deals with topics of humanity, losing control and what it means to leave an impact all without sacrificing the satire that seeps in Night City's alleys. The dialogue amongst NPCs, The radio station banter, The NCPD chatter all serves to ground you in this disgusting world of flesh and machine. Night City might be the most impressive fictional city I have ever laid my eyes on, Having moments of beauty that always make you overlook the morbid reality of the city that lurks right beyond. Its RPG elements are so well fleshed out that no two Vs are ever the same and it really feels like you're crafting your own legend as you go around completing main jobs and side gigs.

Keanu Reeves' Johnny Silverhand is one of fictions best most fleshed out characters and possibly his best acting work to date. Phantom Liberty just takes all this and dials it up to eleven fleshing NC out even more and giving it more grime to thrive in. The game is scored to perfection tracks that feel like they were recorded in NC itself with the variety of tracks in here solely made for this game it is almost impossible to not find a song that you will like. Almost all the acting performances in this game are breathtaking, no line feels phoned in and no character subpar. All of this praise however is after multiple updates and patches which fixed the broken state the game launched in, Which made CD Project Red lose a lot of goodwill and rightfully so, However do not let the initial release cloud what the game has evolved into now, give Cyberpunk 2077 a chance and you may find a city to fall in love with (and/or burn down)

“Let's Party Like It's 2023.”

Sifu masterfully balances being a rougelite and being a good third person character action game, with beautiful art design and striking visual flair it is also one of the most pleasant to look at games I have ever experienced. It's narrative leaves a lot to be desired settling for the tired "You killed my master" revenge plot however it makes up for it with unique boss design and plenty of additional content for people that can't get enough of the game.

“He Who Has Kung Fu And Wude Makes The Other Know He Can Break Him.”

Taking the series in a much more horror oriented direction was a great move and allows for much more of an identity for the game. I wasn't a huge fan of the Saga Anderson plot since it took the game in a much more Resident Evil direction which while not being bad at all is not the style of game Remedy is particularly brilliant at. The best parts of the game were the Alan Wake sections, surreal visuals with experimental and always changing environments, new mechanics for almost every other level made these feel insanely fresh as compared to the Saga story.

Show Us The Champion Of Light, I'll Show You The Herald Of Darkness.

Helldivers 2 is a game that is hard to describe with words. A third person extraction PVE shooter puts it in with the likes of The Division or R6 extraction however it is more in line with L4D2's chaotic zombie campaigns than either of those two games. While I can see the mission structure does get repetitive 15-20 hours in the game circumvents boredom due to this repetition through its insanely dynamic gameplay. The fact that only more content will get added to the game is the cherry on top.

Long Live Democracy, Long Live SUPER EARTH.

Yakuza 0 is the perfect starting point for the Like a Dragon franchise. However it fails to be a good prequel for the Original Yakuza instead opting to tell a self contained tightly knit plot that as per Like a Dragon standard is carried by its almost life like character work. The dual protagonists Kiryu and Majima do a wonderful job of providing variety in gameplay and never appear indistinct from one another which is an issue that plagues most games with multiple protagonists. The tone of Kiryu's campaign is the standard crime-action flick, while Majima's campaign takes the inherent tragedy of his character and makes the story about him living life on his own terms.

“The Yakuza Game, It's Not Like Boxing.”

God of War 2018 is such a departure from the original series yet it never feels like it looks down upon it. Kratos is such a fascinating character and it is brilliant how making this story about fatherhood and its challenges take him from being an irredeemable God of War to just a father that is trying his best to do right by his son. His emotionally detached nature is a great contrast to Atreus' very emotional state of being and makes for great banter in the overworld and gives us insight about the notorious Greek God of War that is just trying to leave his past behind.

“BOY.”