Humanity is destined to be in constant conflict with one another. Battling for dominance over political and economic power. With each new huge conflict comes a change in humanities senses when it comes to the political climate. What this gives birth to is key players in history never able to eternally be celebrated as heroes no matter their legacy. Yet these "heroes" are also needed. They sacrifice so much for only a brief moment of glory that ends up fading with time, if they are even rewarded that to begin with.

Often these key figures end up playing out roles that end up suppressing, dulling or even killing their humanity. Caught in the complicated fabric of the times and the backstabbing nature of the upper echelons of politics. Throughout all of this we get our almost innocent protagonist who we know will fall to darkness eventually. What ensues is one of the most emotional, tragic studies ever. With a cast that meshes perfectly with everything the story talks about, full of rich dynamics, charismatic personalities and beautifully realized internal struggles. Almost every conversation has 2 - 3 layers to it, its so masterful. I honestly think this game is a step above MGS2 and that is the highest praise I can give it. A contender for best video game story.

I want to say a lot of things about this game. So much so that if I start writing it would take hours, So much so that it would take days, So much so that it would take months...

But I am gonna stop here for now. Only thing I can say as of now is all of the pacing issues, all of the garbage comedy moments, all of the unnecessary time wasting was worth it just for the ending. To the point it made my score jump from 3 stars to 5 stars singlehandedly. It's that good or just felt "right" to me and impacted down to my core. This man knows no bounds, his pen is his blade and his mind is his weapon and as I pray, I desire to see unlimited masterpieces from him.

After a push to replay this game, I've grown an immense amount of respect for it. The gameplay EVENTUALLY gets incredible despite is starting off a bit too simple for me personally. However when it does get there it is top tier in that regard. However, what surprised me most is how much I cared about the story this time around. A fallen kingdom in a state of stagnation with only the tiniest bits of memories scattered around. A hero choosing to fight against it all despite its original function, past and dark origin. To create the change and end this stagnation. Not falling victim to the lack of will shown by its citizens that led to the fall in the first place, manipulated and needing a higher being to command them.

I'll try to do this game justice but I honestly can't. To get this out of the way, one of the best stories ever written and a contender for best video game story absolutely no debate. To explain why this is the case for such a huge story is not an easy task but I'll try.

We get placed in a world with a rich history dating back hundreds of years. Where there are other worlds running parallel, no omnipotent entities, the scale of it all dwarfs human imagination. A variety of different races populate this world, each with their own culture, literature, art, religions, philosophies, values, politics and eventually prejudices. All with different ideas of what is just and vile. Witcher 3 through the sheer scale of the world, confirmation of no omnipotent entities and differences in the societies states that morality is malleable depending on circumstance and ultimately pointless.

Yet our protagonist tries to do good anyway. When his very identity has every reason for him not to act this way. We see a variety of different moral situations where the game takes advantage of the medium and forces you to make tough decisions. We see Geralt care for his companions deeply, trying his best to do good in a war-torn (caused by the differences in societal structures and human power lust) era of this pointless existence that constantly tests everyone's values. Worst part of it is, the magic of the setting shows the darkness humanity can lower (and are often forced to) to right back at themselves.

To aid this brilliant setting-theme integrative shell for the story is a deeply layered plot and one of the best casts ever. So many striking personalities, dynamics (backed by what is in my estimation the best dialogue in gaming) and tension filled drama involving these wonderful characters. The culmination of everything creates a story that says so much, does so much and teaches so much.

The gameplay sucks, the new characters are not very good, but I can't deny that this game has touched my heart in ways that other games never could. From start to finish, Snake has been substantiated further and further, building on the idea of The Boss's legacy, a theme that has been prevalent in the entire series.
While the new characters introduced into this game are lackluster and don't get enough characterization or presentation to make them interesting, every recurring character has their story expanded upon in such a meaningful way that I barely care about the things the game doesn't do well.
It's hard to put into words how I truly feel about this game, but I can comfortable say it's a strong, but complicated love.

One of the best stories ever written, a look into the gaming medium's highest potential. A harrowing tale about humanities desire for knowledge beyond our comprehension, our desire to reach the cosmos. About corrupt, religious institutions of power abusing their status to further their selfish ends. And about so, so, so much more. It takes concepts from classic horror literature and uses them in such a unique way. This isn't even talking about the amazing gameplay, the best use of the medium in the business, the music, legendary bosses. A run in for the best video game ever made.

Watching my SO play this game after getting it set up for her on her PC has been a full appreciation hours experience. I realized the many limits and sides of the game I never would've sincerely done on my own. When I played, I was a very objectives focused player at the time. Not exactly check all the boxes but I did mostly head towards Shrines, Divine Beasts, Memories. I did a little bit extra here and there, but generally it was just that.

She plays differently of course, far more observant explorer than I for example. She ended up finding a ton of korok seeds so far, simply because she loved just looking around the environments. It's become a common phrase just for me to hear by earshot "there's something suspicious around here" and then the familiar jingle. She also just talks to every single npc, something I'd certainly do now were I playing for the first time but experiencing all the first time dialogue with her together has been sincerely charming. There's a profuse amount of work to make all of the characters just dotting the little villages you find endearing and earnest. I never really touched the quests and she's filling them out as she finds them. It's genuinely astounding how nothing that I see here feels too trodden or familiar to me just watching her play, I'm just watching with her and feeling a heavy surge of joy. I honestly wish there was co-op!!!

Both our birthdays are coming up this week, and living this game again together crafts a warm blanket, a sincere coziness to the days ahead. Bless

Probably the most contentious game I've played so far in this series, and I can absolutely understand why. A lot of what it does undermines the original game so massively in both aesthetic and tone that I can't overlook it (seriously, the music choice during the beginning of chapter 12 and near the end of chapter 16 are honestly laughable). Kiwami 1 was a flawed remake for sure, but I can easily see why this is by far the most "you either love it or hate it" game I've seen in the series yet.
The Dragon Engine looks immaculate visually and the combat has a nice, free flow to it that I really dig, but it still feels like RGG's still in the early development phase with it. It's incredibly janky, not as mechanically rich as either 0 or Kiwami 1, and it can feel a bit too easy at times. I'm sure later Dragon Engine games (the Judgment series, essentially) will do this better, but it still feels like we've got a bit to go before it's truly ready.

That all being said, I still thoroughly loved my time with this game from start to finish. Call it brainrot, call it dickriding, call it stockholm syndrome, call it whatever the fuck you want, I can't help but love Yakuza, it's my new addiction, really.

The story of Yakuza 2 is preserved here in all (or most of) its glory. Kiryu is just as strong of a character as he's always been, and I love seeing his ideology being tested at every turn. It's great to see some pushback to his sense of honor, and watching him overcome all of that in the end and come out a stronger person will never not be heart-wrenchingly satisfying. Ryuji is the biggest contributor to this, as he's an amazing foil to Kiryu (probably the best in the series), boasting his own unique sense of honor that clashes perfectly with Kiryu's, as he's more vain and greedy, having yet to understand Kiryu's more pure and true sense of honor.

Also speaking of Ryuji, can I just say that he's honestly one of the most entertaining characters in this franchise. From his phenomenal voice performance, to his arrogant, RAW personality, every scene he showed up in had my full attention throughout. And I loved when the game blew past his arrogance and badassery and allowed me to genuinely sympathize with and understand him on a closer, more personal level, which only added to the INCREDIBLE finale this game contains (seriously, that final boss was insane).
I'm not sure if I prefer him or Yakuza 1's villain more yet, but I'm absolutely delighted that the series has failed to disappoint with its major villains so far, and I hope that continues.

Also really loved Sayama's character. Following her as she learned about her past and developed a genuinely touching, heartfelt bond with Kiryu served to be the surprising emotional core of this story, and I loved it. Her personality's got that signature Yakuza rawness with a feminine touch, but she was nuanced in her writing to where it felt like more than just flash without any substance (and fighting with her was always cool as hell), and her arc is just great.

And yeah, despite my grievances with the combat, what I said about the Dragon Engine's visuals is still totally true. The cutscenes and dynamic intros have never looked better, to be honest (final boss's dynamic intro and final QTE were especially phenomenal) and they always succeeded at getting me hype, or immersing me in the moment.

So overall, while I do absolutely understand why someone would find this remake to be vastly inferior to the original (I would probably end up agreeing with that notion myself if I ever do get to playing it), and disliking or even hating it as a result, I'm so glad that I finally played this game. It provided me with enormous joy as I experienced this story and saw these characters unravel once more. I look forward to what the rest of the series has to offer, but I can safely say that the Kiwami games, while not perfect by any means, helped continue my unwavering love for this series and I could not be more thankful for that.