There comes a time in everyone’s life, when they have been doing something for long enough, they need to take a step back, realize they have been doing said thing for long enough, and they move onto the next bigger and better thing. This was pretty much the process Capcom went through whenever they decided they were finished with Street Fighter II after SSFIIT, and while this certainly wouldn’t be the last time that we would see that specific iteration of the series (the ride never ends), it was clear that Capcom had exhausted everything they could from that game, and they needed to move onto other things. So they pressed on, making several other fighters, until ultimately deciding to return to the world of the Street Fighter universe for a new prequel game, and the start of a brand new sub-series for the franchise, which would all stem from one game known as Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors’ Dreams.

Not gonna lie, I was actually somewhat nervous to get into this game, because after constantly playing and talking about SFII for god knows how long, I figured I was gonna be in for a rude awakening whenever I tried out another title in this series. It also doesn’t help that, from this point on, I am tackling this series completely blind, because aside from some matches of SFIV here and there, I have never really played any other SF game. But hey, I do typically have a pretty good time with the fighting games I choose to play for this website, and SF hasn’t let me down (yet), so I was willing to jump into the game either way, and yeah, I did end up having a pretty good time. I wouldn’t say I prefer it over SSFIIT, but it still manages to be a fun, tough, and flashy fighting game that definitely shows promise for where this series is gonna be going later down the road.

The story is one that isn’t told to us in the game whatsoever, nor could I find any sort of summary of it online, but going off of what Alpha 2 says, it is essentially just another tournament story, most likely about M. Bison trying to fuck shit up again, so it is up to Ryu, Ken, and all the other fighters to step up to the plate, take him down, and triumph over the rest, which is as bland as you can get with a fighting game plot, but I’m pretty sure Street Fighter doesn’t care about story, so neither do I at this point. The graphics are absolutely wonderful, taking a page out of Darkstalkers book with wonderful designs for all of the different characters, with plenty of very impressive animations to go with them, even if the stage designs can be pretty lacking, the music is pretty good, having plenty of sweet tracks to accompany you as you kick the shit out of all of your opponents, but I for the life of me could not name you any tracks even if I tried, so uh… oops, and the gameplay/control is what you would expect from SF, feeling a little heavy, and it can take some getting used to (especially after previously playing King of Fighters), but it still manages to be fun and satisfying regardless of that.

The game is your typical 2D fighter, where you take control of one of ten different characters, which has most returning from previous Street Fighter games, two newcomers, and even two characters from Final Fight, which is pretty cool, take on many different opponents in fights that take place around the world, throw out plenty of different kicks, punches, and special moves to deplete your opponents’ health down to nothing while also making sure to dodge and block wisely, charge up your super meter to unleash some devastating attacks to get the upper hand on your opponent in many different cases, and rejoice as you stand victorious, proving that you are indeed the best street fighter to ever live…….. or at least, that’s what I hope I can achieve one day by getting good at one of these games. When it comes to Street Fighter, Capcom knew quite well from SFII that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, which is the mentality they stuck with when it came to this game, and it mostly worked out, because not only does it keep the same solid gameplay that we all know and love at this point, but it also adds onto it in several ways that makes it more interesting to tackle.

For starters, the super meter that was introduced in SSFIIT returns in this game, except now, it has been upgraded, making it a lot more useful and complex at the same time. Now, instead of just charging up the bar once and firing away whenever you need it, you can now charge it up to three times, with each different bar representing a different level of power for the super abilities you can use, each one requiring a different sequence of buttons you need to enter in order to pull them off. Of course, shit like this may seem like second nature for those that have played plenty of other fighting games later down the line, but with this being the first time we would see this kind of super meter mechanic for Street Fighter, as well as fighting games in general, it is not only a pretty sweet addition to your super arsenal, but it also adds another layer of strategy to any fight, making you wonder whether you should use a super right away to get an advantage over your foe, or try to build it up even more so you can unleash an absolutely DEVASTATING attack on them.

Alongside this, there are also plenty of new moves that you can pull off, such as air blocking, as well as being able to change up your fighting style between Normal or Auto, with Normal being exactly what it sounds like, and Auto being basically the handicap mode of the game, allowing the player to block things automatically up to ten times and allowing much easier inputs of super moves. I chose to stick with Normal the entire time, because I’m not a pussy-ass BITCH, but for what it’s worth, I do really like the idea of having an Auto mode in there, just in case you have players that are new to the series that want to be eased in while still having a great time. Mix all of that with the option to change your fighting speed, and you have a set-up here that is even more customizable than SSFIIT, able to give you just the right style of fight that you are looking for, which is definitely a plus in my book.

Having said all that though, if you were to ignore all of those new features entirely, then what you got here is just yet another basic arcade fighter from Capcom at the end of the day. Yes, it looks much nicer, still plays pretty well, and can be a lot of fun with the right people, but it is more or less what we have seen from many other fighters in the past, so how much you enjoy this game will not only be based on how well it does as a fighter in your own opinion, as well as whether or not you are sick of these games at this point. To drive that point home even further, the game also has fighting game syndrome, which comes in pretty brutally too, with a good number of the fights being pretty manageable, but then you get to the final boss, and good GOD, you will get completely destroyed if you don’t know what you are doing. Whether you are facing against Sagat, M. Bison, Akuma, it doesn’t matter who: they are all hungry for blood, and your sorry-ass is just what they are looking for, so you better bring your A-game and plenty of patience, otherwise you will just end up as a bloody corpse lying in the street that you chose to fight in.

Overall, despite not too much change to the formula and fighting syndrome being the evil that never dies, Street Fighter Alpha feels like a natural way to progress on from what Capcom had done with SFII, and is overall a pretty good game, still providing the same fast and fun gameplay you have come to love, having a gorgeous art style that is miles better than what came before it, and adding just enough changes to the gameplay to make fights that much more exciting and customizable for whatever makes you feel right at home with a game in this genre. I would recommend it for those who are big Street Fighter fans, as well as those who are big fighting game fans in general, because while this will definitely not live up to the later Alpha games (I’m calling it now), it is still fun regardless, and you can have a great time beating the fuck out of your friends with a smile on your face. Before we do end off this review though, there is one thing I forgot to mention about this game, which may just be the absolute best addition that this game brought to the entire Street Fighter franchise as a whole……….. it introduces Dan Hibiki, a character that is meant to be a parody of Ryo and Robert from Art of Fighting, who completely sucks at fighting, and is without a doubt the worst character to come from this series so far in terms of power and skill………. and we all love him for it.

Game #584

this didnt feel like ryukishis writing at all. if we assume he just excuses ''war bad cant continue ciconia'' and actually got bored with ciconia then did he waste his time while writing loopers? dont get me wrong its not bad I enjoyed some moments but its nothing special with saving grace being art direction. some points were not explained like what happens to people on the outside of the loop (which is very important for me) and pacing felt rushed with could be potentially important moments for characters getting skipped or cutted midway literally. short fun though

I will be talking about all the chapters in the game one by one so its spoiler territory. I wanted to write this after Ishmael's chapter but said to myself nah I'll do it after Heathcliffs, which probably made my thoughts more organized. I'll probably update it after chapter 7 (canto 7, Don's chapter). For my thoughts on the game as a whole, this is the best gacha out there and it will only keep getting better and better with their writing quality and their ideas to implement evolving as Project Moon adds their previous ideas on it, expands the lore and gaining new insights while they experimenting/ making those ideas real. Even if you hate gachas this is still a must getting into if you love Project Moon's other works because it literally includes all of the previous ones, also its not entirely gacha as you can get everything with playing and in time. I think making Limbus gacha was the right choice because if it was a standalone game how would they add the new stories later, like, new dlc for new chapters? Sure you can use the argument ''they could finish everything and then publish the game'' and my response would be good luck waiting 5 years, with no chance of getting fixes after it releases and no cool other versions of sinners we get every week on banners, because you would probably had to play the game with base sinners if it wasnt gacha. Plus waiting for new cantos/in between stories of cantos (events) is the sweet nectar.

Prologue: What a cool introduction to a new story on pmoonverse with giving us two familiar faces from the previous entry (Leviathan) and making us question why Vergilius is here now and what the hell is going on with Dante. Wow our character cast is immortal as long as Dante can revive them, there are so many possibilies for pmoon to explore with this, like for example making extremely dire situations because they can challenge what a normal human cant with immortality. Oh Mili and Studio Eim (Studio Eim please upload the soundtracks to spotify please I beg thee) will keep on working for Limbus huh, okay we got music side covered they cant go wrong, cant wait for Mili songs in the future.

Canto 1: Our first sinner to get his conclusion and character development, it was good and exciting with a surprising ending. Gregor makes peace with his difference from others. We got so see more information on what happened to lobotomy corp branches after the previous entries, looks like we search for golden boughs and we got more info about smoke war because Gregor is a smoke war veteran and story took place in Gregors memories because of the golden bough. We also saw the main villains. So, characters and their stories are actually from literature and Limbus integrates them to its own story huh, cool, we can speculate what to expect from their books.

Canto 2: This one was weird and underwhelming from previous canto, I assume they rushed this because they were working for other aspects of the game and next canto and release date was nearing. There was no climax and Rodion didnt get her resolution, also no new info except there is a gambling district in the city. At least we saw funny interactions of the cast and how they are getting used to each other and to the job they do. Still sucks for Rodion but they might come back to this later.

Canto 3: Overall incredible and peak and makes you wonder how we come to this from canto 2's bland ending. We saw our most meek and always terrified sinner Sinclair get courage to stand up to this cantos villain, Kromer, and I think this is the most bitter one after Heathcliffs canto, people understate/ forget what happened to his family and town from what I've seen. If I remember correctly this is the first time we saw distortion since Library of Ruina, they keep on continuing building on the lore. Also we got our first Mili song (if we dont include opening Mili song) bgm, going more in line with LoR's formula. Made me wonder how can they top this at the time of experiencing it, which, it was at the launch of the game, what I mean is it looked hopeful for future content, if you start wondering how can they top this, pmoon tops it, works in reverse. This was also the hardest time for both devs and players with so many bugs or lack of quality of life options. If devs stopped giving a fuck we wouldnt get what limbus is today, so I applaud their hard work, just like what their stories conveys, they faced the fear and built the future. Most of the bad opinions about Limbus stems from bad launch or Velmori incident or people who hate the gameplay (skill issue)

Canto 4: Very emotional canto with again another peak ending and another question of ''how can they top this?'' (Im repeating myself and I will keep on doing it but its literally this every single time, plus my vocabulary isnt much good for me to talk about it detailed, but still I want to write a review about the game most excited I get nowadays, which is waiting for new limbus stories). We got to see why Yisang is depressed, we see the league of nine and we learn more about the most important aspect in the entire game: mirror worlds, its basically paralel universes of someone you can see on the other side of the mirror or extract with a another complex tech. Thats basically how we can use different versions of our sinners in combat and its inventor is Yisang. Another cool concept and how it makes Limbus work as a gacha, you wouldnt imagine a gacha with a low number of just 12 characters keep living in this medium but it actually works wonders with giving you more worlbuilding in those mirror world versions and stories of the characters, everything Project Moon does and implements expands on their lore (even the sandwhich restaurant HamHamPangPang). Plus you got to see more of the sinner(s) you like so basically a clever way of fanservice. Now getting back to canto, Yisang gets over his depression after confronting his past coworkers and seeing his smile on canto ending song and later cantos, seeing him become more sharing and talkative just melts you and gives you a smile too. If you get invested in these 12 characters you definitelly see them develop and change later with how they interact differently from earlier cantos, a genius writing as always and a living story, never staying stagnant, seeing those are one of the best enjoyments you can get from this game and other Project Moon works in general.

Canto 5: Ishmael is the most logical sinner aside from stoic and a machine of a being Meursault, but, she was also the most hotheaded one beside Heathcliff (which at this point Heathcliff became calmer after getting to know limbus crew better so Ishmael was the only one left out of the group) because of her obsession, which is, getting stuck on the thought of killing Ahab and getting her revenge. She would disagree at some points with Dante's choices in this canto and act on her own because she thinks its the most quick way for her to get to Ahab, making Limbus crew at a disadvantage or in danger, but at the same time she is the only one with immense knowledge on seafaring and the place they are on. Another point why she does this is because at this point in story sinners know they will get their spotlight, after witnessing it 4 times before they know it just like the player, their time will come, and Ishmael knows. Heathcliff knows too, with knowing hes the closest or next on the canto list, he tries to stole hair coupons for his canto and makes the situation hopeless unknowingly, because those hair coupons were Middle's, one of the fingers in the city, which never forgets the crime done to them. This was the thing I was talking about in prologue section with making the situation dire, Middle is way above their level and they fuck our sinners up hard, not even getting revived again and again saves them. At the same time it is about time for Middle to learn immortal sinners weakness, Dante, with no way of our own color fixer Vergilius to come help us (this is also the moment Fraudgilius memes appear). In the end Ishmael gets over her revenge after a fight with Ahab inside a whale and finds her way back, starts to make positive relationships with other sinners after breaking herself apart from just seeing one single goal. Again with this canto they increase the production value from previous ones, easily tops the previous canto again with overall quality increase and ending and they fix minor things like pacing issues in canto 4 which I didnt mention. We dont see Velmori's art anymore because of the incident (a sad korean drama and a lot of misunderstandings on english players side because of the confidentiality contract Project Moon made with Velmori at the time of drama) but I have to say, I prefer Naiga's art more, it works better with Limbus's tone and setting and more in line with previous game. Still, Velmori's character expressions were cute.

Canto 6: We came to Heathcliffs canto that he were despairing for this moment on both canto 5 and intervallo events and at the time of writing this is the best one with so many interesting things happening. More Leviathan lore, more mirror world and the technology for making identities lore, Vergilius beating the Fraudgilius allegations, our own sinner distorting, Dante getting a spotlight and we getting a boss fight similar to Black Silence reception in Library of Ruina, they have a beef with wifeless guys I swear. I didnt mention earlier again because it looked more fit here but this canto is the most clear we see Carmen trying to distort someone with voicelines and all because the one distorting is the closest to our team. We even see 2 cg arts of Carmen, that passes in the blink of an eye, from Lobotomy Corporation. After an absolute peak and cool of a boss fight Project Moon says nah its not over and breaks the hearts of the players more with a meta, fourth wall breaking gameplay cutscene, no wonder canto's name is Heartbreaking. Heathcliff's canto's ending is the most bitter with how it ends but he still has hopes for the future and determined to bring *** back. This is easily the best canto right now but I trust them to surpass themselves again in Don's chapter, we'll see in 3-4 months later.

I'm obsessed with this game. It's a brainrot that consumes me every waking hour. I binged the finale to Canto VI for 5 hours straight and was hooked the entire time. I've been working through reading the literary inspirations for all the Sinners, and what Project Moon have built off the back of Wuthering Heights is incredible. More than anything, the character writing is so movingly human despite the horrors and depravity of the City. Nobody's ever too "broken" to be worth love.

Love must be the reason why
I still believe in this lie
That you'll live a better life
Without me by your side

So far for the duration of time that I have been on this website, I have talked about a handful of the good Sonic games, some of them that many consider to be some of the greatest of all time not just in the series, but of all time. Even if I haven’t been extremely positive about a particular game in this series so far, it hasn’t really been too negative either, just more so indifferent about the kind of game that it was (cough, Spinball, cough). But you know what, I think it is about time that I stop being nice to this spikey cracked-out rat, and it’s finally time I start being mean to him and his series. It was only inevitable, because as many Sonic fans know, for all of the good Sonic games that were available from this series, there are five more shitty ones just around the corner. However, I don’t feel like picking on one of the obvious targets like Sonic Drift or Sonic Labyrinth… not right now, anyway. Instead, I wanna go after another forgotten title in the series that most Sonic fans aren’t aware of: SegaSonic the Hedgehog.

This was a Sonic game that was released pretty early in the series’ lifespan exclusively in Japan for the arcades, and one that I have been wanting to try out for a very long time. I do remember playing on the actual machine of the game at one point whenever I went to the Galloping Ghost Arcade (which by the way, if you haven’t been there, do yourself a favor and go there ASAP, because it is the best modern arcade I have ever been to. Tell them that Mega sent ya), and from what I remembered, I liked it enough, even if I was annoyed by some certain aspects about the game. It has been a long time since I played it there, so I decided to check it out on the Mame emulator, and once I did play it, I came to a very stunning revelation… it fucking sucks! Granted, there are plenty of admirable qualities that the game has, and I do like a lot of the things it is trying out, but it manages to trip and fall right on its face when it comes to its execution, and becomes an annoying chore to sit through.

The story is pretty damn average, where Dr. Robotnik kidnaps not only Sonic, but also newcomers Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, and entraps them on an island, so it is up to the three of them to escape before Robotnik can take them out, which is a fine enough premise that I can get behind, because from everything else the game has, the story would be the least of my concern. The graphics are really damn good, having plenty of cartoony and wonderful animations for all of the characters, accompanied by wonderful environments, which make the game much more fun to look at then play, the music is pretty good, having plenty of great tracks for all of the levels, which also made the game much more fun to listen to then to play, the control is… well, I’ll get into that later, and the gameplay is somewhat inventive for the series, and I do like what they try with it, but not only could it have been done a lot better, but… sigh, goddammit…

The game is a 3D platformer of some kind, where you take control of either Sonic, Mighty, or Ray, go through a set of seven treacherous, yet very short levels, run through at the speed of sound while avoiding certain death at every turn from gaps, obstacles, or otherwise, jump around and break things when you need to so you can proceed forward and avoid death, and stop playing the game, go find a cabinet of Sonic the Fighters, and play that instead so that you can enjoy life. For what we got here, again, a lot of it is very interesting on paper, and I do like a lot of the things that are going on here, but the way that it was presented makes it way more frustrating to play then anything else, and by the end of the game, I was giving Sonic and co. the middle finger in response to their collective thumbs up.

I wouldn’t even necessarily call this game a “platformer” per se, even if there are platforming elements seen throughout, because it is more so a long, multi-segmented obstacle course. For every single level, you will primarily just be running down a bunch of long paths, avoiding whatever obstacles come your way, grab whatever rings you can, and hoping to reach the end. There are no enemies to fight, no bosses to take on, no additional collectables or power-ups to get, nothing. It is just one straight shot from the start to the end, and hey, that can be pretty fun at times. The constant energy the game gives off really does make going through some of these much more enjoyable, which is also helped by the colorful graphics, animations, and the new characters Mighty and Ray, who were pretty neat to finally see in action…. you know, before they would be thrown into the vault for the foreseeable future, only being let back out on a few occasions.

However, then you actually try playing the game for yourself, and you find it is an aggravating trainwreck for most of the journey. For most of the game, you are constantly being chased or hounded by something, whether it be falling spikes from the ceiling, a wave of lava, a falling bridge or whatever, so you have to constantly keep running forward at all times, which is pretty hard to do considering all the different traps and obstacles that you only have a split-second to avoid, and needless to say, you won’t be avoiding most of them. A lot of the problems with the obstacles can be attributed to the game itself most of the time, but then this gets into the one thing that is probably the game’s biggest setback… the control.

Unlike most Sonic games, this game uses a trackball controller, where you will be constantly spinning the ball around to make Sonic and co. go in a specific direction, while also having a separate button to use to jump, and once again, in theory, this COULD work… but then you think about it more and see it in action, and you find out that isn’t necessarily the case. Given how fast Sonic is, you will be zipping around the areas you go through so goddamn much, and given how most of these areas have pits everywhere, you will have a hard time keeping track of yourself most of the time without falling off a ledge, especially in some of the later levels with very precarious bits. Of course, a lot of that is attributed to me using the arrow keys to control this game, but even back when I was playing this in the arcade, I remember struggling with it, since Sonic himself is a little too fast, and also, may I remind you, you have to CONSTANTLY be moving because something will always be hounding your ass!

Overall, despite the wonderful presentation and charm that is oozing out of every corner of this game, when you go to play it yourself, it then proves that under that lovely coat of paint is something that is just unbearably annoying, having very little variety in what you do throughout all the stages, being unforgiving with many of its obstacles, and having a control scheme that just doesn’t work out in the player’s favor. I would only recommend this for those of you who are huge Sonic fans, and you haven’t had the chance to play it for yourself, because if you haven’t, then by all means, give it a shot. You may just end up loving it, but as for me, I would much rather watch it then play it ever again. Also, what kind of name is SegaSonic the Hedgehog, anyway? We all know that Sega made Sonic, you don’t need to remind us of that. What’s next, are they gonna make SegaShinobi, or SegaChuChu Rocket, or SegaHouse of the Dead?......... also, rip Mighty and Ray, because they are probably never gonna be coming back after Sonic Mania Plus.

Game #549

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a flawed game. I was often frustrated with its combat and story pacing. It all too often confirmed my fears about the new direction RGG Studios wanted to take this series in. I can't exactly blame them for trying something so drastically different, as this was at the time the 8th main line Yakuza game. After all the trials and struggles of Kazuma Kiryu, it was definitly time to move on. And despite all the issues I had with Like a Dragon, they actually did the impossible once again and rose up to the challenge to deliver one of the best games I have ever played.

And it's all build on the shoulders of its new main character: Ichiban Kasuga. He is in many ways similar to the series main boy Kiryu. An orphan raised on the rough streets of Tokyo, getting taken in by an enigmatic father figure with deep ties to the Japanese underworld. And while they are so similar in upbringing and the morals they stand for, along with the color of their suits literary being inverted, RGG immediately shows you the difference between them all in their introduction. In the PS2 original and Kiwami, Kyrui's intro is quiet. We follow him as he makes understated treats for a money collection job, confident, professional. Ichiban is also introduced during a job collection Money for the Yakuza. Unlike Kyrui, he is not threatening, nor is he a professional as we see him desperately chase some low life through the streets of Kamurocho before throwing himself off a balcony screaming and flattening his target with a body slam. This is Ichiban Kasuga. He's loud, he's easily excitable and above all else: Fully dedicated to whatever job he's doing for the people he considers family. Ichiban won me over hard. Throughout all the stories funniest and also the darkest moments, and this story gets fucking dark, Ichiban is here to push you along with his borderline retarded optimism. The story came together incredibly satisfying, gave me chills on multiple occasions, and the ending almost broke me. Is the pacing all over the place ? Yes, sometimes I was tearing my hair out when it decided to move along at the pace of a melting Iceberg, but just like many games in this very series, the payoff is 100% worth it. Ichibans speech at the end especially was incredible and Kazuhiro Nakaya, his Japanese voice actor, deserves all the awards in the world for what I think is one of the best performances I have seen in basically anything. I absolutely don't want to spoil anything in case you haven't played it yet, so I'm just going to move on to the gameplay and fully recommend Yakuza Like a Dragon on the strengths of the story alone.

The gameplay was a mixed bag. I don't think they flawlessly managed to transition from action combat into a turn-based rpg. I would best describe it as wide as an ocean and as deep as a puddle because despite the many options you have with the new job system, it mostly comes down to choosing between three basics options. Either targeting single enemies, doing large AOI attacks or keeping on top of your parties health. Enemies only ever become a problem whenever they heavily out level you, and even that was only an issue during one particular boss fight where the game basically kicks your ass and tells you to fuck off. Go grind, you scrub. It was certainly appropriate considering who I was fighting, but it didn't make it any less annoying that the story basically was put on pause in order for me to grind in the game's boring as fuck dungeons. And that might be my biggest personal issue with Like a Dragon. The side content seems to have been a major priority during the development. Admittedly, it's the best and most fun side content, Yakuza has ever had. Every side story and mini-game you could think of his here. From an entire management sim, a full on Mario Kart clone and even the entire arcade version of Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown. It's all great and all, but be aware that you will basically be forced to do some of those side quests at some point in the story. As one of the many people who like to play Yakuza by mainlining the story and then slowly enjoying the side content in Premium Adventure, that certainly was a roadblock I had to overcome in order to have a fun.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon still was an incredible game for me, and I'm now fully onboard with whatever insanity Infinity Wealth looks to be. RGG Studios continues to be the GOAT in an industrie that decided to increasingly suck ass, and I can not recommend enough that you get into this incredible series. RGG I love you all but also fuck you for teaching me what a coin locker baby is. That scene will probably not leave me for a while, as well as the eyeball scene. That was just fucking gross, man.

After finishing the 3ds remake of Dragon Quest VII, I became further interested in playing the rest of the mainline games in the series as well as some of the spinoffs. As of now I have every numbered game in one form or another with the exception of Dragon Quest X. One random day a few years ago I decided to get the mobile ports of this, Dragon Quest II, and Dragon Quest III. It took me awhile to beat it, but over the course of my playthrough I had mixed feelings about the journey that started it all.

The primary reason it took me years to beat this game was because I got very bored grinding. While it isn't a painfully long game, you will spend the overwhelming majority of your playthrough grinding for money & exp that will help in getting the best stats & equipment. It is a very tedious process and its why I intially dropped the game before deciding last year to finally go back and finish it. Even though it has been my least favorite Dragon Quest by far, it was the first of its kind on consoles and led to the many great JRPGs we have today.

Dragon Quest 1 is pretty much the basic template for how turn-based RPGs work. You got attack, magic, and the flee button if you aren't in the condition to fight enemies. You can purchase gear that will improve your stats. Lastly, there is a open-world to explore. Most turn-based RPGs follow the template that this game uses albeit with their own twist. Even if it wasn't the first ever RPG, it was the first for consoles and significantly boosted the popularity of the genre. For all of these reasons, I still have a lot of respect for the original Dragon Quest even if it shows its age a bit.

Dragon Quest 1 is a game that walked so future Dragon Quest games, Final Fantasy, and etc could run. It may not have stood the test of time gameplay wise compared to the games of today, but its contributions to RPGs and video games as a whole will never be forgotten.

dreams are big, and subtext is for cowards

have you ever wanted to be a taxi driver? what about a bear hunter? what about an idol? what about a guy who has money?? what about a ex baseball pro??? well guess what! with yakuza 5, your dreams (wink) canm come true!!!!!!

yakuza 5 does have some littol flaws that keep it from being a 5/5 for me, such as the encounter rate which made me want to have an encounter with falling off the side of a cliff :3 there's some plot issues but tbh they are not so bad that they bring down the game much, if at all, for me.

the new characters make me ascend higher than the highest highs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! takasugi and shinada 4 lyfe <333333 i think also this game in the series is one of the first to really dig deep into self reflection, and using dreams (wink) to showcase characters flaws and goals in such a beautiful way oh my god, very good very well done rgg i love u

i also think the antags are very good and i'm so happy that yakuza 5 did not fall into the same tropes that have been going on for 4 games in a row. good job yakuza 5

yakuza 5's themes are dreamlike (wink), i think they really do well at weaving the protagonists stories together, and make the finale section of the game genuinely superb writing. there's something so special about these larger than life characters, who often times literally and metaphorically explode off the screen, have wishes that are so human. dreams (wink) are so big and huge, yet the humans wanting them are so small, but can still be a constant inspiration for those around them

yume think i'm exaggerating, but i wouldn't dream of it, this game is sheer peak, and i cannot wait for more of the story to come <3