As unassuming as it seemed to me at first, Yakuza 0 quickly grew on me so much, that it made me mad at myself for not playing it sooner.

The story in this game is on another level entirely, and I enjoyed it so much that I was ravenous and giddy every time I finished a session, and couldn't wait to start the next.

The serious moments and the stupidly funny ones are balanced by the main story keeping a weighty hold on the tone at almost all times, while reserving the lighthearted, ridiculous stories for the side quests, which at times are just so damn stupid but with a lick of humour.
This game distinctly recognises when it needs to keep a poker face, whilst acknowledging its stupendously over-the-top nature at the right intervals. Even the more out of pocket quests never manage to feel out of place or tonedeaf.

The combat is fun, although sometimes it can feel button-mashy if you don't really experiment with combos or upgrade your skill tree that much. It's undeniable, however, that it will never not be funny to grab a bike or vending machine off the side of the road and beat the living daylights out of someone with it (can you tell my favourite is Beast style?).

I struggle to really quantify everything I want to say about this game, because there is SO MUCH to it. The amount of minigames available, things to do and see, and the atmosphere + scope of Yakuza 0 is staggering. It's a 50-ish hour game if you're just doing the story, but you could easily sink over 100 if you want to see everything it has to offer.
The real estate and cabaret side quests feel a bit dragged out, but this is a nitpick and doesn't affect the game overall.

The two protagonists are both so incredibly charismatic and full of personality, it's hard not to become attached to them as you follow their own struggles that, at first glance, seem disconnected.

I loved the dichotomy of Kiryu's image being an intimidating, stoic muscled brute - until the game shows you he's also somewhat shy and reserved, and a kind, gentle soul despite also being able to kick ass when trouble brews.

Majima is none the worse, his embodiment of a wildcard is nothing short of awesome. He's more light on his feet compared to Kiryu's playstyle, which I kinda preferred. His introduction scene in this title is also jaw-droppingly good.
He's such a goofy character that can snap around to being viciously brutal at the drop of a hat, I love it. He's a lot of fun to play as, and to follow along with.

Looking past the protagonists, all the other characters are fantastic too, including the substory characters and the villains.
I loved Nishiki in particular, his interactions with Kiryu and the relationship between the two of them is wholesome, they're real bros.
Another favourite of mine was Kuze, an absolute beast of a man with boundless tenacity.

The soundtrack is rich in quality, quantity, variety and zest!
I'm inclined to say it's one of the best soundtracks I've come across in recent years.
Even the minigames have hype themes for no reason (I'm looking at you, 'Red Radical Rage', 'Beyond the Speed', 'Money Makes Money', 'Trouble Shooting Star' and 'Interplanetary Spark'!!!).

I could keep gushing about this game...honestly, if you haven't played it, you're missing out.
Looking forward to playing Kiwami and onwards..!

Honestly all in all, this feels like the original game elevated to its best form. It looks and sounds great and feels great to play.

And now with the modern release, it's easier than ever to play the grandfather of RTS games with other people.

The only complaint I have with it is the excessive DLC and constantly pushing it in your face. Reminds me a bit of Paradox's practices.
But if you look past that, this is probably AOE II at its best.