A solid addition to a pretty great game, though it suffers from many of the same issues that frustrated me in the base game, and it's kinda short, honestly. There's some actual new gameplay here, and there's some cool bosses, but the overall story is just okay, and the side content is not very interesting. There isn't much weight to the story, or at least not for the characters we know for the main story. Better than the first DLC, but still would've liked more from this DLC as the seemingly final chapter of this story and also at a $20 price tag.

A strong and unique entry in the greater Yakuza franchise. It took me a little time to get into it given some of its stark differences from the Yakuza games, but it was well worth it. It has maybe the most focused narrative of any RGG game, and boasts a really strong cast of characters (and a good English dub). Its only pitfalls were some of the missions being frustrating and boring - especially the tailing missions but also some of the investigation stuff. And the combat could be fun but was definitely nothing to write home about. Probably the most unique RGG game and I am eager to start Lost Judgment.

A really strong sequel to one of my favorite games of all-time. It does waver in quality somewhat, especially towards the beginning and the end it can be very buggy at least on the Xbox version, it took me a ton of tries of restarting my save file just to clear the tutorial. However, the concept of the story is really cool and your companions are all very interesting and unique, with some memorable villains that could've used more screentime. The combat is pretty much the same as the first, but it feels a little bit easier this time around, with more ways to approach fights. Not perfect, but I still loved it.

Nearly 100 hours later, I come away a changed person. I love Final Fantasy VII so much, and this game is a near-perfect retelling and remake of that game's middle act, culminating in one of the most iconic moments in gaming. I think the whole of FF7's story is one of my favorite pieces of fiction in any medium. There is so much fun to be had in this game, but also so much sadness and pain. This game does have some fairly generic open world checklist stuff, but it was engaging enough that I was compelled to do all of it. My biggest gripe with the game is probably that some of the minigames had frustrating balancing, but that's really minor overall. The ending, though I thought I was prepared, absolutely shattered me in a way that so few games ever have. So many beautiful moments honoring the original, or Crisis Core, or Remake, it's so wonderful for a huge fan of FF7. The music is all-time, the characters are all-time, the story is all-time, and the gameplay is actually a ton of fun. I don't think it would be any exaggeration to say the third game in the FF7 Remake series is any less than my most anticipated game of all time. I have zero doubt that when 2024 is done and gone, Rebirth will easily be my GOTY.

An absolutely amazing culmination of the series so far, but one that doesn't drag its feet and gives us plenty of hope for the future of the series. Kazuma Kiryu is easily one of the greatest video game characters of all time, and this game is absolutely a worthy swan song for him. On top of that, the game reaffirms that Ichiban Kasuga, while very different from Kiryu, is an immensely great character who will be able to carry the series forward. There is so much to do in the game, from reminiscing on the highlights of the series, to playing an Animal Crossing-like minigame, to collecting knockoff Pokemon, to exploring beautiful Honolulu, and experimenting with different jobs and strategies. The game even improved on Yakuza 7's surprisingly great turn-based combat, this game has probably the best turn-based combat I've ever played, just a total blast with great variety and use of physics. The main story is also great, it may not be quite as memorable as say Yakuza 0 or the original game, but it still is another great story for Ichiban, having the torch handed to him by Kiryu, and for Kiryu, it is a near-perfect sendoff that utilizes nostalgia effectively but doesn't fully indulge the player in moments where you might be screaming for something to happen. It knows when to move on from the past rather than double down, even if it hurts.

A nice change-of-pace for the Like a Dragon franchise, it allows for a few almost entirely new combat styles that distinguish it from the rest, with a cool aesthetic and world. Sometimes, the more powerful enemies feel like sponges and the mechanics make it apparent that RGG are not experts in this style of combat, but for the most part it's quite fun. The story is a lot to handle, as is the case with most RGG games, and maybe if I had a better grasp of Japanese history it wouldn't be as convoluted. I also will say the familiar faces and voices were great, but they only served to hinder me in figuring out each character's role in the story and allegiances.