Full disclosure, played this with the BetterSADX mod. The version you get from normal Steam is unacceptably bad tbh.

With the mods however, this was a super fun time. The Sonic levels controlled so well. Better than he’s controlled in recent games for sure. I was pleasantly surprised by how fun the other characters were too. The only one I didn’t really enjoy way Big, but part of that was just the controls for fishing being a little wonky.

There is a lot about this game that’s kind of annoying, but it was honestly just so fun. I’m just gonna walk away with a wonderful experience. Even though I’m only scoring it an 8, I think it’s just one of the most fun games I’ve played in a while :D

Maybe this rating will change as I sit with it more, but Idk man, this game just did not do it for me. It's weird because I enjoyed it while playing, but I felt nothing reaching the ending. It was so rushed that it felt disconnected from the game I just played. It felt like the themes the ending wanting to portray were not compatible with the rest of the story. The beginning of the story has a lot of mystery and intrigue, but around the middle point it really loses its footing and just meanders for a while. I was hoping the ending would kinda make it all work, but it just... didn't do anything for me. It doesn't help that I didn't really like most of the antagonists, barring one stand out. This is the first Yakuza game where I've really just felt nothing during the ending, and that's disappointing.

I can't in good faith call this a bad game, and I'm happy for everyone who loved it, but it just didn't work for me.

I didn't quite love this as much as most people did, but I had my fun with it. I would say the pacing was what took away the most enjoyment for me. Some parts of the game simply drag on too long to be enjoyable. In terms of the climax, I would tend to agree it's not as impactful as the original, but it's clearly more interested in being set-up for the final game in the trilogy, so I somewhat have to wait for that to be able to judge this. Overall, I enjoyed this game, and it made me appreciate the original a lot along the way, so I think that's a good thing?
8.5/10

This game is so strange because there are a lot of things I really like about it and a lot of things that I think actively make it worse. In a general sense, a bulk of my score is going towards the actual gameplay. I loved my experience with this game because it was so much fun to play. It is by far the most fun I've had with a Metal Gear game, and one of my favourite stealth games now. My only complaint with the gameplay stems from the story itself, in that chapter 2's missions are basically just repeats of chapter 1's with a few standout originals every once in a while.

The story is where my biggest contemplations stem from. In a general sense, I suppose I just don't feel like this game particularly added much. The prologue is an exciting introduction that really prepares you for the tone of the game. Then, Chapter 1 has a plotline that's seen through to the end, but it's paced so oddly that it feels like it ends right as it's beginning.

Chapter 2, on the other hand, just feels undercooked. It introduces some interesting concepts and has some of the best moments of the game, but it's really only like 5 missions long. Of course, I know the development issues this game went through, and how that surely affected the final product, but I can only judge what was made (and say "fuck you, Konami" ;P).

All in all, this is a real departure from the rest of the series in a lot of ways. It's not my favourite story, but it is definitely my favourite to play. There are things I wished had been better or fleshed out more, but as a game experience, I'm more than satisfied.