VeryRealFiamma
2019
[12/11/23]
Honestly, my second favorite Yakuza game so far! Even though shit gets comically stupid and I understand why people hate this game (THAT twist and the final bosses), I think the pacing being so fast that it blindsides you with more shit actually isn't a bad decision in this case. Refreshing after 2 and 3, honestly. It's so cool to see Kiryu and the three new protagonists eventually meet up with one another. I see Kiryu's odd characterization as the way other people see him, seeing that Kiryu's actions from the past games built this image of him that we see come to life. This isn't Kiryu, it's the Dragon of Dojima as Kamurocho sees it. Akiyama's GOATed as a character and a fighter, Saejima's cool even though his fighting style is my least favorite of the four, and Tanimura's parry makes him the most unique. The new characters introduced through the other three's own storylines really helps make this tiny red light district I've known for 5 games deeper and more lively now. I'm a fan of the upgrade system in this game. Definitely like it more than Kiwami 2 and 3.
Somehow, I'm still not tired of this series yet. Goes to show what happens when I'm engaged with the world, and this entry continues to add new dimensions to it.
Honestly, my second favorite Yakuza game so far! Even though shit gets comically stupid and I understand why people hate this game (THAT twist and the final bosses), I think the pacing being so fast that it blindsides you with more shit actually isn't a bad decision in this case. Refreshing after 2 and 3, honestly. It's so cool to see Kiryu and the three new protagonists eventually meet up with one another. I see Kiryu's odd characterization as the way other people see him, seeing that Kiryu's actions from the past games built this image of him that we see come to life. This isn't Kiryu, it's the Dragon of Dojima as Kamurocho sees it. Akiyama's GOATed as a character and a fighter, Saejima's cool even though his fighting style is my least favorite of the four, and Tanimura's parry makes him the most unique. The new characters introduced through the other three's own storylines really helps make this tiny red light district I've known for 5 games deeper and more lively now. I'm a fan of the upgrade system in this game. Definitely like it more than Kiwami 2 and 3.
Somehow, I'm still not tired of this series yet. Goes to show what happens when I'm engaged with the world, and this entry continues to add new dimensions to it.
2018
[12/3/23]
This is the combat people were complaining about? Dude, all I had to do was press B!
That aside, I like the slower pace this game has for the majority of it, especially after the events of the previous two games. Very wholesome to see Kiryu in his dad arc, taking care of several orphans. The yakuza part of the story, however, was definitely the weak aspect. I don't blame the people who say that this game has "substory vibes" because of that. Pretty wholesome, though.
I liked this more than Kiwami 2. Probably third on my list right now.
This is the combat people were complaining about? Dude, all I had to do was press B!
That aside, I like the slower pace this game has for the majority of it, especially after the events of the previous two games. Very wholesome to see Kiryu in his dad arc, taking care of several orphans. The yakuza part of the story, however, was definitely the weak aspect. I don't blame the people who say that this game has "substory vibes" because of that. Pretty wholesome, though.
I liked this more than Kiwami 2. Probably third on my list right now.
[12/2/2023]
And we're back. And it's gone again.
(8/10)
And we're back. And it's gone again.
(8/10)
2012
[12/1/2023]
Halo 3 and Halo: Reach were both appropriate endings to the Halo franchise, both for the narrative and for the series. Historically speaking, however, if it's popular and the people keep asking, it'll never end.
As 343 Industries's debut game, Halo 4's largest issue (of which it has many) is that it has to follow up what is probably the best first-person shooter trilogy ever. This challenge is made even more difficult when the trilogy in question is famous for its story, and that said story was already wrapped up. The Covenant is gone, the Flood is gone, and humanity is saved. Even Bungie knew this, and their final two releases were set during Halo 2 and before the trilogy respectively.
So what exactly happened during the time that Master Chief was asleep, and what does he deal with now? Well, the Covenant. Again. They're a splinter faction of the original Covenant, though, which I can honestly see. As for the new enemies, we have the Prometheans. God, these guys suck. There's only three, so unlike the Covenant's six(?) that have unique roles, these guys serve multiple purposes and they're unfun to deal with. The Knights are the main enemies, being pretty tanky while also having the heavy weaponry, the ability to teleport short distances, and the ability to summon a Watcher. Crawlers are fast, fragile enemies that are the least annoying to deal with, not much to say about them. Watchers, though, fucking suck. They fly, pester us with their pistol shots, can shield other Prometheans, can throw grenades back, can ressurect fallen Knights, can spawn in Crawlers and Turrets... man. They force you to take them out first. But you want to kill the threats with more firepower first. But you'll have a harder time if Watchers are present. There are too many roles for only three enemies to fit into, and it makes Prometheans such a chore to deal with.
Ammo, for some reason, is also another issue. Why do I feel like I'm using the Famine skull whenever I play this game? Constantly swapping weapons is a thing, but this is too much.
Jumping from aliens to the people responsible for everything in the series is such an odd jump. This doesn't change in the next game. All in all, Halo 4 is definitely... a first step. Surely they don't fuck up even more.
Halo 3 and Halo: Reach were both appropriate endings to the Halo franchise, both for the narrative and for the series. Historically speaking, however, if it's popular and the people keep asking, it'll never end.
As 343 Industries's debut game, Halo 4's largest issue (of which it has many) is that it has to follow up what is probably the best first-person shooter trilogy ever. This challenge is made even more difficult when the trilogy in question is famous for its story, and that said story was already wrapped up. The Covenant is gone, the Flood is gone, and humanity is saved. Even Bungie knew this, and their final two releases were set during Halo 2 and before the trilogy respectively.
So what exactly happened during the time that Master Chief was asleep, and what does he deal with now? Well, the Covenant. Again. They're a splinter faction of the original Covenant, though, which I can honestly see. As for the new enemies, we have the Prometheans. God, these guys suck. There's only three, so unlike the Covenant's six(?) that have unique roles, these guys serve multiple purposes and they're unfun to deal with. The Knights are the main enemies, being pretty tanky while also having the heavy weaponry, the ability to teleport short distances, and the ability to summon a Watcher. Crawlers are fast, fragile enemies that are the least annoying to deal with, not much to say about them. Watchers, though, fucking suck. They fly, pester us with their pistol shots, can shield other Prometheans, can throw grenades back, can ressurect fallen Knights, can spawn in Crawlers and Turrets... man. They force you to take them out first. But you want to kill the threats with more firepower first. But you'll have a harder time if Watchers are present. There are too many roles for only three enemies to fit into, and it makes Prometheans such a chore to deal with.
Ammo, for some reason, is also another issue. Why do I feel like I'm using the Famine skull whenever I play this game? Constantly swapping weapons is a thing, but this is too much.
Jumping from aliens to the people responsible for everything in the series is such an odd jump. This doesn't change in the next game. All in all, Halo 4 is definitely... a first step. Surely they don't fuck up even more.
2010
[11/27/2023]
The end of the Bungie era of Halo. Where to go for the next main entry of the series than back? Where the original trilogy told a tale of hope admist a war where the odds are stacked against you with the Master Chief, Halo: Reach tells one of what happens when that uphill battle can't be beaten.
As a prequel, this game brings back some design choices from the first game. Health and fall damage return, although health is a bit easier to work with as it'll regenerate up to a certain point depending on how much you have. Some of the weapons you find in the game are also unique to it, which is a shame since I like some of them. The Needle Rifle supercombines in 3 shots... and that's it, really. The DMR's okay, the Concussion and Focus Rifles can go. The vehicles could also stay in the past. The Falcon is a budget Hornet which was replaced by the Wasp anyway, and the Revenant is just a mini Wraith. The obsolescence of these things just adds to the fact that this is a prequel, so them never coming back makes sense. This game's soundtrack has an undertone of desperation, but also has those moments of where you feel like you're making a difference fighting back. Key word: feel.
This game's greatest assets are the tone and characters. This is a losing battle, and if you've paid attention to the dialogue in Halo 1 and 2, you'd have known that by now. Even then, the fun of a prequel isn't in what happens. It's in how it happens. Returning to areas you've been to earlier in the campaign, burning and devoid of life, makes you wonder what or who else might fall to the Covenant next. The characters surrounding you serve to add to it, too. Noble Team is made of Spartans not individually as strong as Master Chief himself, but they make up for it with their coordination and numbers. With their own roles, personalities, and faces that we actually get to see, we witness them getting picked off one by one to emphasize just how strong the Covenant is, and how hopeless the war feels. Ultimately, you indirectly lead to the entire main Halo trilogy, and thus save all of humanity, at the cost of your own life.
After 4 games of being a hero and saving the day, the Halo franchise gets a major shift in tone, so this one is a standout as both a game and an entry in the series. Bungie ending their time with Halo with a far more bleak tone and only having a glimmer of hope at the end as the hero of our tale might be a reflection of them and the Halo series at that point in time (we know how that went). Bungie may have been able to seee what happens from outside, but Noble Six won't get to see the end of their own story. They don't know if their sacrifice actually meant anything. They have nothing but blind hope.
Ain't that a bitch?
The end of the Bungie era of Halo. Where to go for the next main entry of the series than back? Where the original trilogy told a tale of hope admist a war where the odds are stacked against you with the Master Chief, Halo: Reach tells one of what happens when that uphill battle can't be beaten.
As a prequel, this game brings back some design choices from the first game. Health and fall damage return, although health is a bit easier to work with as it'll regenerate up to a certain point depending on how much you have. Some of the weapons you find in the game are also unique to it, which is a shame since I like some of them. The Needle Rifle supercombines in 3 shots... and that's it, really. The DMR's okay, the Concussion and Focus Rifles can go. The vehicles could also stay in the past. The Falcon is a budget Hornet which was replaced by the Wasp anyway, and the Revenant is just a mini Wraith. The obsolescence of these things just adds to the fact that this is a prequel, so them never coming back makes sense. This game's soundtrack has an undertone of desperation, but also has those moments of where you feel like you're making a difference fighting back. Key word: feel.
This game's greatest assets are the tone and characters. This is a losing battle, and if you've paid attention to the dialogue in Halo 1 and 2, you'd have known that by now. Even then, the fun of a prequel isn't in what happens. It's in how it happens. Returning to areas you've been to earlier in the campaign, burning and devoid of life, makes you wonder what or who else might fall to the Covenant next. The characters surrounding you serve to add to it, too. Noble Team is made of Spartans not individually as strong as Master Chief himself, but they make up for it with their coordination and numbers. With their own roles, personalities, and faces that we actually get to see, we witness them getting picked off one by one to emphasize just how strong the Covenant is, and how hopeless the war feels. Ultimately, you indirectly lead to the entire main Halo trilogy, and thus save all of humanity, at the cost of your own life.
After 4 games of being a hero and saving the day, the Halo franchise gets a major shift in tone, so this one is a standout as both a game and an entry in the series. Bungie ending their time with Halo with a far more bleak tone and only having a glimmer of hope at the end as the hero of our tale might be a reflection of them and the Halo series at that point in time (we know how that went). Bungie may have been able to seee what happens from outside, but Noble Six won't get to see the end of their own story. They don't know if their sacrifice actually meant anything. They have nothing but blind hope.
Ain't that a bitch?
2009
[11/25/2023]
The first and only time we play as a character who is not an unstoppable killing machine (except maybe Halo 5). Witnessing the aftermath of the explosion that renders New Mombasa uninhabitable as what is effectively just another soldier, combined with the music and sense of loneliness, creates an atmosphere unique to this entry. We're introduced to Buck, who's a pretty cool guy.
The symbolism in regards to Dante's Inferno is very, VERY, apparent. I'm too dumb to analyze it, though. Gotta read it first.
The first and only time we play as a character who is not an unstoppable killing machine (except maybe Halo 5). Witnessing the aftermath of the explosion that renders New Mombasa uninhabitable as what is effectively just another soldier, combined with the music and sense of loneliness, creates an atmosphere unique to this entry. We're introduced to Buck, who's a pretty cool guy.
The symbolism in regards to Dante's Inferno is very, VERY, apparent. I'm too dumb to analyze it, though. Gotta read it first.
2017
[11/24/2023]
Wow, that EXP system was something. I think I like Kiwami 1's the most out of the three I've played so far. Favorite story's still 0.
Anyway, as for the story, it picks up at the second half and expands the scope with Sotenbori. I know it appeared in 0, but seeing this for the first time might have been awesome if I didn't.
It was kinda cool seeing everyone band together by the end against a common enemy. Final fight was badass. Overall, this wasn't as good as 0 in my eyes. Might have to wait a few games for that. At least the new engine was cool to see for the first time.
Also, what the fuck was that part of the game?
Wow, that EXP system was something. I think I like Kiwami 1's the most out of the three I've played so far. Favorite story's still 0.
Anyway, as for the story, it picks up at the second half and expands the scope with Sotenbori. I know it appeared in 0, but seeing this for the first time might have been awesome if I didn't.
It was kinda cool seeing everyone band together by the end against a common enemy. Final fight was badass. Overall, this wasn't as good as 0 in my eyes. Might have to wait a few games for that. At least the new engine was cool to see for the first time.
Also, what the fuck was that part of the game?
2007
This review contains spoilers
[11/19/2023]
Yes, I'm spoiler tagging Halo fucking 3. You need to play these if you haven't.
I already said that Halo 2 and this game are always at odds when it comes to being my favorite entry in the series alongside my favorite FPS ever, but whenever I complete Halo 3 again, it just makes that competition even more tight.
The end to a trilogy that started 6 years prior, this game goes all in on the cinematic angle to really drive the "Finish the Fight" point home. With uneasy allies following the Elites breaking off from the Covenant back in Halo 2, Truth's turn from heel to even heeler heel, the Flood's desperate final push for complete galactic saturation, and the foils of Master Chief and the Arbiter reaching the climax of their respective arcs being put together to become an iconic duo while working alongside Miranda Keyes, Sgt. Johnson, and the Elite Shipmaster, it's also aiming to keep bringing in surprises to the very end with the highest stakes possible. These events are aided by the best soundtrack in the series, all thanks to that piano.
My only real complaint is that Arbiter's arc was definitely planned to have a more elaborate resolution. He does not exist as a character between killing Truth and the end of the game. His one-liners are still badass, though. I don't have an issue with Truth becoming an outright villain, though. I'd assume he'd show his true colors and become even more dogmatic after becoming the sole Prophet of the Covenant. I'm sure there's something about religious movements being hijacked in there somewhere, even if the pre-existing one was equally murderous.
It's not unpopular to say that Halo 3's reputation is probably carried by the combined hype of being the third game in an extremely popular series, Halo 2's cliffhanger ending, and its marketing campaign. But with the approach to the campaign they took, they absolutely knew, and it worked out so damn well. Halo 3 is the spitting image of sending something out with a bang.
Yes, I'm spoiler tagging Halo fucking 3. You need to play these if you haven't.
I already said that Halo 2 and this game are always at odds when it comes to being my favorite entry in the series alongside my favorite FPS ever, but whenever I complete Halo 3 again, it just makes that competition even more tight.
The end to a trilogy that started 6 years prior, this game goes all in on the cinematic angle to really drive the "Finish the Fight" point home. With uneasy allies following the Elites breaking off from the Covenant back in Halo 2, Truth's turn from heel to even heeler heel, the Flood's desperate final push for complete galactic saturation, and the foils of Master Chief and the Arbiter reaching the climax of their respective arcs being put together to become an iconic duo while working alongside Miranda Keyes, Sgt. Johnson, and the Elite Shipmaster, it's also aiming to keep bringing in surprises to the very end with the highest stakes possible. These events are aided by the best soundtrack in the series, all thanks to that piano.
My only real complaint is that Arbiter's arc was definitely planned to have a more elaborate resolution. He does not exist as a character between killing Truth and the end of the game. His one-liners are still badass, though. I don't have an issue with Truth becoming an outright villain, though. I'd assume he'd show his true colors and become even more dogmatic after becoming the sole Prophet of the Covenant. I'm sure there's something about religious movements being hijacked in there somewhere, even if the pre-existing one was equally murderous.
It's not unpopular to say that Halo 3's reputation is probably carried by the combined hype of being the third game in an extremely popular series, Halo 2's cliffhanger ending, and its marketing campaign. But with the approach to the campaign they took, they absolutely knew, and it worked out so damn well. Halo 3 is the spitting image of sending something out with a bang.
2014
[11/17/2023]
Dude.
This game.
Where Halo 1 created a franchise, Halo 2 created a world. Two, actually. Where we saw Master Chief's accomplishment and commendation from the previous game, we saw Thel 'Vadam's failure and punishment. The UNSC's duty to prevent total galactic destruction, the Covenant's dogmatic pursuit of the Great Journey. Doubling the size of the world and its stories by expanding upon the Covenant to be more than just genocidal aliens, evolving the story and conflict to become more than a simple "humans vs. aliens war" story, helped elevate this game and the Halo series to legend status.
This and Halo 3 are constantly fighting for the position of my absolute favorite FPS of all time. Halo 2 wins by the slightest margin by virtue of the worldbuilding. Perfect sequel, and sets up an incredible finale with Halo 3.
Also, unlike CE Anniversary, this game's remaster actually looks good!
Dude.
This game.
Where Halo 1 created a franchise, Halo 2 created a world. Two, actually. Where we saw Master Chief's accomplishment and commendation from the previous game, we saw Thel 'Vadam's failure and punishment. The UNSC's duty to prevent total galactic destruction, the Covenant's dogmatic pursuit of the Great Journey. Doubling the size of the world and its stories by expanding upon the Covenant to be more than just genocidal aliens, evolving the story and conflict to become more than a simple "humans vs. aliens war" story, helped elevate this game and the Halo series to legend status.
This and Halo 3 are constantly fighting for the position of my absolute favorite FPS of all time. Halo 2 wins by the slightest margin by virtue of the worldbuilding. Perfect sequel, and sets up an incredible finale with Halo 3.
Also, unlike CE Anniversary, this game's remaster actually looks good!
2023
[11/15/2023]
yeah i'm sticking to Horizon 5
yeah i'm sticking to Horizon 5
2001
[11/14/2023]
The beginning of a new era for gaming as a whole. Birth of the two-weapon system in FPS games, awesome plot twists, and the beginning of a fucking incredible trilogy. But, god, does this game just fall apart after the sixth mission. Everything before rules, though.
The beginning of a new era for gaming as a whole. Birth of the two-weapon system in FPS games, awesome plot twists, and the beginning of a fucking incredible trilogy. But, god, does this game just fall apart after the sixth mission. Everything before rules, though.
2013
[11/11/2023]
I was planning to write a review for this game three days ago, when Risk of Rain had turned 10 years old. Unfortunately I was too busy playing Survivors of the Void on my Xbox because it finally released. That, and buying Risk of Rain Returns. Least I'm only three days late.
As I said in my Risk of Rain 2 review, I encountered a song from this game that would eventually lead me to discover this series. Best accidental discovery of my life. Eventually, I played the games in early 2021.
The original Risk of Rain is overshadowed by its sequel so hard it makes Street Fighter II look like a minor improvement in comparison. Stage traversal is the largest issue with this game. You can't move while attacking unless you're playing Huntress. It's so easy to accidentally loop because it's bound to the same button as normally going to the next stage. You need to kill every enemy before progressing to the next stage. Plenty of issues that add up to a pretty unenjoyable experience if you played Risk of Rain 2 first. Thankfully, I didn't do that.
That being said, though, this game's unique among roguelikes for its infinitely scaling difficulty and ability to pick up multiple of the same item. You could choose to beat the game normally, or you could collect so many items that you become a demigod, only smited by equally strong monsters should you last long enough. I wish more roguelikes would have a loop system like this game does.
Risk of Rain is more of a novelty to come back to 10 years after its initial release. It's gonna feel like even more of a novelty with Returns out. Beautiful game when you get the hang of it, and an even more beautiful soundtrack. Becoming God has never felt so satisfying.
I was planning to write a review for this game three days ago, when Risk of Rain had turned 10 years old. Unfortunately I was too busy playing Survivors of the Void on my Xbox because it finally released. That, and buying Risk of Rain Returns. Least I'm only three days late.
As I said in my Risk of Rain 2 review, I encountered a song from this game that would eventually lead me to discover this series. Best accidental discovery of my life. Eventually, I played the games in early 2021.
The original Risk of Rain is overshadowed by its sequel so hard it makes Street Fighter II look like a minor improvement in comparison. Stage traversal is the largest issue with this game. You can't move while attacking unless you're playing Huntress. It's so easy to accidentally loop because it's bound to the same button as normally going to the next stage. You need to kill every enemy before progressing to the next stage. Plenty of issues that add up to a pretty unenjoyable experience if you played Risk of Rain 2 first. Thankfully, I didn't do that.
That being said, though, this game's unique among roguelikes for its infinitely scaling difficulty and ability to pick up multiple of the same item. You could choose to beat the game normally, or you could collect so many items that you become a demigod, only smited by equally strong monsters should you last long enough. I wish more roguelikes would have a loop system like this game does.
Risk of Rain is more of a novelty to come back to 10 years after its initial release. It's gonna feel like even more of a novelty with Returns out. Beautiful game when you get the hang of it, and an even more beautiful soundtrack. Becoming God has never felt so satisfying.
2016
[11/8/2023]
This game is a remake of a 2005 game, and it shows. Following Yakuza 0, jumping back to a game that was pretty lacking in comparison was pretty jarring. The Majima Everywhere system did some pretty heavy lifting in regards to content aside from the story. Speaking of said story, it's a pretty good one, but it's a shame that the fact that they didn't know that Yakuza was going to be as big as it is now is very apparent here. I'm surprised I haven't gotten bored of the combat yet. Kiryu's new era in his life that we follow through to 6 has gotta be pretty interesting if we follow him for that long. I'm expecting more of this with Kiwami 2. Hopefully it's not as barebones.
This game is a remake of a 2005 game, and it shows. Following Yakuza 0, jumping back to a game that was pretty lacking in comparison was pretty jarring. The Majima Everywhere system did some pretty heavy lifting in regards to content aside from the story. Speaking of said story, it's a pretty good one, but it's a shame that the fact that they didn't know that Yakuza was going to be as big as it is now is very apparent here. I'm surprised I haven't gotten bored of the combat yet. Kiryu's new era in his life that we follow through to 6 has gotta be pretty interesting if we follow him for that long. I'm expecting more of this with Kiwami 2. Hopefully it's not as barebones.
2015
[11/1/2023]
Scrolling through the list of games on Xbox Game Pass always ended with me facing the lineup of 8, soon to be 9, mainline entries in the Yakuza series at the bottom of that list. The more times I scrolled through out of boredom, the more they showed up, and the more interested I was in trying the series out. The out of context moments and the fact that one of my favorite streamers is a fan of the franchise helped too. So, I eventually took the plunge on the 17th of October of this year.
The game's a prequel, but that doesn't mean that the whole game exists only to set up the future games or be filled with name drops that would confuse somebody whose first game is the prequel (looking at you, Resident Evil 0, or something like that I never played it). Thank god for that. This is the first game in a while to actually grip me in its story. I originally planned to do one chapter a day, but eventually it ended up becoming two chapters a day, and even three on a good day.
The gameplay's fun if you enjoy walloping people in a variety of ways and also hitting people over the head with a variety of objects. The combat's at its most thoughtful in one-on-one fights, to be honest. It kinda felt like a fighting game the moment I realized I could whiff punish and be whiff punished. Slugger Majima rules.
Depending on how much I like the next couple of games, I honestly might blaze through the series in the span of a few months before Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth drops. If my time with Yakuza 0 means anything, this is a good sign.
Scrolling through the list of games on Xbox Game Pass always ended with me facing the lineup of 8, soon to be 9, mainline entries in the Yakuza series at the bottom of that list. The more times I scrolled through out of boredom, the more they showed up, and the more interested I was in trying the series out. The out of context moments and the fact that one of my favorite streamers is a fan of the franchise helped too. So, I eventually took the plunge on the 17th of October of this year.
The game's a prequel, but that doesn't mean that the whole game exists only to set up the future games or be filled with name drops that would confuse somebody whose first game is the prequel (looking at you, Resident Evil 0, or something like that I never played it). Thank god for that. This is the first game in a while to actually grip me in its story. I originally planned to do one chapter a day, but eventually it ended up becoming two chapters a day, and even three on a good day.
The gameplay's fun if you enjoy walloping people in a variety of ways and also hitting people over the head with a variety of objects. The combat's at its most thoughtful in one-on-one fights, to be honest. It kinda felt like a fighting game the moment I realized I could whiff punish and be whiff punished. Slugger Majima rules.
Depending on how much I like the next couple of games, I honestly might blaze through the series in the span of a few months before Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth drops. If my time with Yakuza 0 means anything, this is a good sign.
2021
[10/30/2023]
My first Forza Horizon game, and my first Forza game in a hot minute. Racing comes first and foremost, but the open world and its activities is perfect if I just want to boot up the game and relax by driving whatever car I feel like at any given moment.
The game also looks beautiful. This is the only way I've seen areas of Mexico that aren't Baja. That being said, though, the depiction of the country's regions and cities is like the one thing this game got right about Mexico. It's a game set in Mexico, made by a British studio. The progtagonist is confirmed to be the same one from Forza Horizon 4, so they're British. That's kinda annoying. Even more annoying is the almost stereotypical portrayal of Mexican people. We've got a woman who won't shut up about her grandfather and his history with cars, the Vocho is apparently the only car Mexicans are a fan of, and they mix Spanish in the occasional English sentence. I guess that last one's on me for setting the game audio to English, but they should have at least gone for the occasional full sentence in Spanish or none at all before making everyone sound like they only remember what they learned in their high school Spanish class. The radio's also got like zero Mexican songs. The Drum & Bass station is cool, though.
Shoutout to this game for carrying me through my first two years of college. Now it's Motorsport's turn to carry me through the next two.
My first Forza Horizon game, and my first Forza game in a hot minute. Racing comes first and foremost, but the open world and its activities is perfect if I just want to boot up the game and relax by driving whatever car I feel like at any given moment.
The game also looks beautiful. This is the only way I've seen areas of Mexico that aren't Baja. That being said, though, the depiction of the country's regions and cities is like the one thing this game got right about Mexico. It's a game set in Mexico, made by a British studio. The progtagonist is confirmed to be the same one from Forza Horizon 4, so they're British. That's kinda annoying. Even more annoying is the almost stereotypical portrayal of Mexican people. We've got a woman who won't shut up about her grandfather and his history with cars, the Vocho is apparently the only car Mexicans are a fan of, and they mix Spanish in the occasional English sentence. I guess that last one's on me for setting the game audio to English, but they should have at least gone for the occasional full sentence in Spanish or none at all before making everyone sound like they only remember what they learned in their high school Spanish class. The radio's also got like zero Mexican songs. The Drum & Bass station is cool, though.
Shoutout to this game for carrying me through my first two years of college. Now it's Motorsport's turn to carry me through the next two.