A pretty bold new step in RGG Studios' direction. I played in JP as per usual with their titles but the dub I'd still say is worth playing through anyway.

To get the negatives out of the way first, the tailing missions suuuuuck. I felt there were too many of them and they take forever. Combat I also think needed some more fine tuning. I think the Crane style is useless if there isn't a big crowd to use it on; it also doesn't get ANY upgrades at all. Tiger Style on the other hand breaks blocking and gets upgrades that make it better. I also think the mortal wound system was a waste of time and made more things stressful than they did. Also not big on making sub cases filler before continuing the story.

With all that said, man this story was something else. The mystery behind who was committing the murders and how it all runs deep within Japanese law enforcement was captivating. Yagami had a great introduction and goes through an incredible arc throughout the narrative. Kaito is also a great supporting man who, despite being more brawn than brain, is still a good detective when the chips are down. There's also so many lovable side characters that I could be here all day.

The music starting to lean more into some EDM influence which was expanded in LaD7 creates some incredible bangers along with the sick guitar riffs you'd expect from these titles.

I complained about combat before but I do think it was a step in the right direction after 6/K2. Combat already being formatted like the old games was already a good step but having them be more grounded instead of the physics in the Dragon Engine doing all the work is much appreciated. Yagami also gets a lot of movement options like his parkour which can help negate a boss' strong attack. Also small thing but I'm glad thekr heat (or I guess in this case EX) auras are different colors instead of 6 and K2 having the same red aura each time.

Also side cases are good. Not much to add there besides the ones involving tailing.

Overall while there are flaws, I'd still say 80% of the package is still damn good and you don't even need to play any previous Yakuza/Like a Dragon title to enjoy it.

While Sony may have issues with their first patty titles blending in from time to time, I think Ghost of Tsushima does a good job in trying to stand out. It really is no different from say an Assassin's Creed title but it doesn't feel as bloated. I really enjoyed the stealth of this game; you really are more of a ninja than a samurai in this title. A lot of people complain about the lack of lock-on during combat but I don't think it's that big a deal. It can be overwhelming though. You do get a lot of tools to use during combat and stealth and you definitely should take advantage of it when you can as it can turn the tides. Big fan of the hallucination darts.

The presentation of this game is nearly unparalleled. Probably the most beautiful game I ever played especially at 4K. I spent a lot of time just taking screenshots. I did get bored doing that after a while though and the final region of the island is probably my least favorite visually, but I think the art style carries the game enough to not be a big deal. I need to save these captures.

The story is a pretty straightforward "Old Way vs. New Way" story. It gets the job done and I did end up loving Jin's journey and the characters you meet throughout as their personal quests were engaging in their own right. The Khan isn't seen much but still manages to be an effective villain you want to slice through.

Overall this is definitely a blockbuster Sony title I recommend.

To be honest the story really does carry this version of the game for me. On the surface it's a fine game, but I think the carryover of 6's combat wasn't a good idea since if you're a new player you have a big juxtaposition from 0's combat system to 6's combat, and I gotta say in terms of combat I think it's worse than 6 due to the ridiculous lack of balance. With that said I really enjoy the story and Ryuji is one of my favorite antagonists in the series. I do hope to play the original Yakuza 2 eventually to see how it was like at that point. I think Kiwami 2 is serviceable if you don't really wanna bother with emulation or hunting down a PS2 with an original Y2 copy.

I enjoy this game. It's extremely flawed mind you. There's a lot of grinding and there's no bonus EXP to share with reserve party members, meaning you have to prepare for the long haul if you wanna complete every story. I also think the Job system is limiting since only one character can have one secondary job and you have to do some musical chairs to make sure your party is aligned correctly. Same with equipping armor for that matter. The journey to the final boss is also really time consuming

Despite this, I pretty much love everything else about this game. I enjoy the break system and the strategies that come with it, making you feel like a genius when you exploit an enemy's weak point. Each character's unique talent really do help with how you strategize each battle. The boss fights are also exciting when you figure them out, and this game can be pretty hard if you don't play it right.

Also being the first game with the HD-2D pixel art aesthetig of 2D sprites in 3D backgrounds and worlds I think it's a pretty killer style. It's definitely pretty flat compared to the games that came after (Octopath II isn't out yet as I type this), but I really do enjoy how the desert, snow, ocean, and forest area look the most as they really show what you can do with this art style. And the music for each of these areas are my favorite. The music during battle is also full of variety depending on the encounter. Being Yasunori Nishiki's first gig in fully composing his own soundtrack and he knocked it out of the park, and I can only hope he does more from here on out.

If you want to know my favorite character stories it's Alfyn > Therion > Primrose > Cyrus > Olberic > Ophilia > Tressa > H'aanit. I think every character has a good story though I definitely have my preferences. Alfyn's surprised me the most hence why I put him on top

So yeah, not a perfect game at all but I really love what this game set out to do. I disagree with the criticism regarding actual character interactions within the story because this game is about their stories in a vacuum; its like Live A Live in that sense, which is probably why we got a remake.

Those who know me are aware of my history with this title. Went from loving it to absolutely despising it to thinking its a bad game with good qualities. I can't really express how a lot of the game design elements of this game piss me off to no end. The UI is clunky and is somehow worse than when the game was demoed at E3 2017. The titans aren't as interesting to explore compared to the Bionis and Mechonis and now Aionios in 3. The gacha and field skills make me want to tear my hair out due to how much it breaks the flow of the game. The last part may seem small but it adds up so much overtime that I can't ignore what I despised.

I won't go into spoilers but while I think the story at best is just okay, I don't understand the hype and admiration of this story compared to other titles. I think most of the cast is forgettable and are only remembered for the wrong reasons whether it be due to their design or really cringe moments in the story. The English dub is also trash. Rex isn't the worst protagonist ever but he's definitely on the bottom of the barrel in terms of protagonists I never really liked/cared for. Also Chapter 4 SUCKS. The worst filler I've experienced in any video game ever.

And a quick sidenote: if you're one of those Xeno fans who trash on people who dislike this game for thinking that just because it's "more Xeno" doesn't make it a good game, you need to touch every tree in the rainforest because grass isn't enough. The people who defend the story by bringing up lesser moments from 1 are also pretty pathetic.

With that said there are some things I like. I think the soundtrack is pretty awesome and full of energy like the first game. And while I trashed on the story, I at least think there are still some good moments especially by the end. Nia and Zeke are also the only party member I really took a liking to.

But yeah, I really don't ever wanna revisit this game. I never even finished Torna because I was tired of this game so I won't rate that. Hoping I can put this game behind me forever.

Edit: Oh yeah and the combat can be fun. I think the core crystal gacha crap holds it back a bit since while I understand common blades ≠ bad, the fact you created a system for special one of a kind party members anyway is pretty evil design. When you know how to play battles though it's damn satisfying

I love RPGs, and the way the Like a Dragon series was able to evolve into an RPG was very graceful and creative. I love Ichiban to death. He has so much energy and is full of life, and is the emotional core of this whole story. I enjoy his party even if they don't have as much significance but still tie into the themes well. The minigame selection is also fun, being a big fan of the silly movie sheep minigame. The turn based combat is also super solid. I think it needs some improvement, but I love how a typical RPG vocation/class/job system is used here. Every special move and ability is so silly yet works so well with this game and Ichiban's imagination. Overall this is probably one of the best games in the series bar none.

Now I'll be the first to admit I was nervous playing this game for two reasons: the combat and the story. The former I was nervous due to having experience with Kiwami 2 and thinking the combat is a massive downgrade, and the latter because this game divided the fanbase.

Talking combat: yeah I definitely don't prefer this physics based approach, especially with the focus on stats which take forever to build up. As a combat system though... it's alright. It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I prefer the style of the previous games before 6 but I can appreciate the bold step this game took.

As for the story... yeah I cried. I don't understand the animosity behind this story. I love what it decided to do in only focusing on Kiryu in a new city. All the new characters introduced made me wish they were my own kyoudais and Onomichi is a nice and warm new town. Also that ending still chokes me up.

Honestly this game is pretty flawed from a story department. It's super ambitious seeing as there's five playable characters that have an interlinking story. Some links make sense while some feel a little forced. In terms of gameplay though it's pretty good. It's like a prototype Yakuza 0 due to the engine and gameplay feel. Saejima and Shinada are probably my personal favorite characters of this game, and the boss fights go really hard in this one. There's also a loooooot of minigames that would take forever for me to go over but I definitely enjoyed the majority of them. I respect this game's ambition though definitely wish the plot was less bloated and more concise.