DylanC25
“I got caught up in the money, the power... I had no choice... I had to do it... I just see the opportunity. When I'm gone, everyone gonna remember my name” - Big Smoke (2004)
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GOTY '23
Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event
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Voted for at least 3 features on the roadmap
GOTY '22
Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event
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3 Years of Service
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Journaled games at least 15 days a month over a year
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GOTY '21
Participated in the 2021 Game of the Year Event
Elite Gamer
Played 500+ games
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Played 250+ games
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Favorite Games
760
Total Games Played
039
Played in 2024
226
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Right from the get go, this game opens with the greatest intro of all time and really sets the tone for the rest of the game. Now this game does a lot of the same types of things (obviously) but improves on them in every single way. The biggest positive I can give in terms of gameplay is that the boss battles are no longer dodge a few attacks and then hit a QTE, it feels much more intuitive and more difficult which was a pleasant surprise. MJ stealth missions which were notorious for being awful are vastly improved with much more to do within them and even her own mini boss to fight.
Where this game really shines is how it handles the characters, particularly Kraven and Venom. We don’t get many Kraven adaptations, simply because he only really has one iconic story and to no surprise this game also focuses on that but takes a unique approach. His boss battle is also insane as is what follows shortly after. Then Venom arrives and the game is just moving like a freight train in this third act. The Venom design is one of the best and I love the bold choices they made with this character.
The side content is where most people have hang ups with this game, as it has been trimmed a fair bit. Some of this is good, like crimes being way less tedious and not being required for districts or the platinum trophy but if I had one complaint I do wish there was more to do outside of the main quest. There are some incredible side missions however like Grandpa Earl and Howard, both hitting like a ton of bricks. I think the DLC needs to be big, way bigger than the ones from the first game which were just okay in my opinion. I think Carnage and Chameleon are locks for DLC picks but I would also love them to go down the King in Black route with Knull. All in all this is one of the best games I’ve ever played and I can’t wait for the DLC and to replay it on Ultimate difficulty.
As for game modes there's just the one here, Road To Elite. This story mode is pretty fun, with 4 chapters each containing 3 different storylines with the outcomes depending on weather you win or lose. It's a pretty short mode that you can finish in about 2 hours which is fine but I'm hoping they release new variations of this mode with new storylines similar to Fire Pro with their Championship Road to keep the mode fresh. Jumping to my first negative and it's to do with winning championships as it's never mentioned again and doesn't play any role in the story going forward which is disappointing and was something I also complained about in WWE 2K22. There's also one particular match in here against Death Triangle that is one of the worst matches in the history of wrestling games, I seriously don’t know who thought that would be fun.
The Creation suite has been a big talking point since the games release and despite not expecting much from this area of the game, I was still let down by just how limited it is. This is something that is easily updateable and I would hope that's a main area of focus as there's really not a lot to go on. Despite CAW lacking, I actually think they did a good job with Arena and Entrance. Not having the ability to add logos is the real bummer but the stuff that is present does a decent enough job and I honestly don't know if there's anything wrong with create an entrance, it seems perfect to me with a plethora of music, titantrons, stage props, pyro, effects, even hand gestures, this aspect of the creation suite is stacked.
Overall this game is a big ball of potential and it all comes down to how Yuke's handle this game going forward. Here's a quick list of things I'd like to see through updates and DLC;
- Match Types (Steel Cage, Coffin Match, Dog Collar etc.)
- Port the Match Types from RTE to Exhibition (Multi Man variations,
Handicap, Gauntlet)
- Creation Suite (Hairstyles, Face and Body types, Body morphing, Clothing etc.)
- New Game Modes and RTE storylines
- Tweak pinfalls slightly
- NJPW & ROH DLC with Arenas, Wrestlers, Titles and RTE storylines
- Update the Young Bucks Theme
- New Titles (International, Updated Women's)
- New Attires weekly in the shop
Currently this game is really good and the gameplay is top tier, with a few updates and DLC of wrestlers to beef up this roster and we could be looking at an all-time great but again, this all comes down to Yuke's. We already know of the Stadium Stampede match coming to multiplayer which will add a lot of shelf life to the game and potentially attract a whole new audience. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this game is at in a few months' time so my rating will likely change depending on if this game gets the love it deserves or not.
Sidenote: I managed to be the 13th player in the world to get the platinum trophy and the 7th fastest achiever which is a huge accomplishment for me as a trophy hunter.
As for the story, this is easily the second best RGG have produced. What starts out as a high school drama quickly expands into something much, much bigger. The characters we meet along the way are brilliant and there is a huge twist around half way through the game that is one of my favourite twists in gaming history. Speaking of favourites, the combat here is the best gameplay of all time in my opinion, especially for beat em up games.
The two fighting styles from the previous game are improved and we are also introduced to a new one called snake (there’s a boxing one too but I think that’s DLC/sub story unlockable). Initially I was loving snake but as I progressed and upgraded the styles, I found crane to be the best for me. This game also might have my favourite boss battles of the franchise, with Tesso and Soma being standouts. Tesso battles are simply a blast and Soma’s are epic as fuck, as is his boss music “viper”.
And with that I’ve finally finished the franchise, other than Ishin which I need to buy. This is easily my favourite video game series of all time, with this specific game being in my top 5 along with Yakuza 0. I would highly recommend this series to anyone as both gameplay and storytelling are top tier. I’m kind of sad it’s over but now I get to go back through every game and complete the subs stories so here’s to a solid 1000 hours of more Yakuza.