talal_
2013
narrator gimmick got annoying after ending 2. was funny for a bit tho
2022
funny
2016
gorgeous gorgeous game. great score. great length. kinda scary because of the whole 'horrors of the deep' section
This review contains spoilers
(Barely did any of the side missions and only like half of the open world stuff)
good:
combat was great, gadget variety, suit skills, skill tree all added depth to the button mashing. using different moves was fun. the story was really good - i thought the otto peter dynamic was well developed so the payoff at the end felt earned. Li was interesting enough aswell and the cameos from shocker/electro/rhino/scorpion were fun.
i enjoyed the bases, i think they were the most interesting open world missions.
i think the game is a technical marvel, esp on ps5. world traversal is the best in any game i've ever played. the graphics are fantastic, the character designs and all of the suits are really high quality. did not experience any frame drops or issues bar a few crashes that only happened in one play session. visually/technically speaking this is a 10/10.
mob variety was OK, basically was armed, brute, normal, and the occasional demon with like a special ability. most didn't really require a change in playstyle but its whatever
bad:
the open world side content was horrible and very unfun to me. i rlly dont enjoy checklist design. game felt very insecure about you not finding the collectibles because it labels every single backpack...theres like no challenge or enjoyment in just going from one marker to the next. the 5 thug crimes per district were bad enough so they reskin them and give you 15 more per district lol. i understand they're there for people that just really enjoy the combat but to have them fill the open world was an annoying way to pad game time. the black cat stakeouts were short enough to not be annoying but the pigeons and the research stations were not 'fun'. the taskmaster challenges ranged from tolerable to annoying. idk man
the random non spiderman stealth missions were weird. the only one i didn't really mind was MJ at grand central (because she works with spiderman) and her sneaking around osborn's penthouse. giving miles a stealth mission on his way to work was insanely jarring n unnecessary.
i get that open world shit was 'optional' but it really isn't if you need cool suits and gadgets. having a currency associated to each type of open world content sucked, being forced to do unfun missions like rescuing pigeons instead to unlock a specific suit/power was grating. atleast you got skill points by just playing the story since the missions give you so much xp.
overall i did have fun since the story was the majority of my 21ish hour playthrough, but man i hate how much influence ubisoft has on modern day open world games.
7.5/10
good:
combat was great, gadget variety, suit skills, skill tree all added depth to the button mashing. using different moves was fun. the story was really good - i thought the otto peter dynamic was well developed so the payoff at the end felt earned. Li was interesting enough aswell and the cameos from shocker/electro/rhino/scorpion were fun.
i enjoyed the bases, i think they were the most interesting open world missions.
i think the game is a technical marvel, esp on ps5. world traversal is the best in any game i've ever played. the graphics are fantastic, the character designs and all of the suits are really high quality. did not experience any frame drops or issues bar a few crashes that only happened in one play session. visually/technically speaking this is a 10/10.
mob variety was OK, basically was armed, brute, normal, and the occasional demon with like a special ability. most didn't really require a change in playstyle but its whatever
bad:
the open world side content was horrible and very unfun to me. i rlly dont enjoy checklist design. game felt very insecure about you not finding the collectibles because it labels every single backpack...theres like no challenge or enjoyment in just going from one marker to the next. the 5 thug crimes per district were bad enough so they reskin them and give you 15 more per district lol. i understand they're there for people that just really enjoy the combat but to have them fill the open world was an annoying way to pad game time. the black cat stakeouts were short enough to not be annoying but the pigeons and the research stations were not 'fun'. the taskmaster challenges ranged from tolerable to annoying. idk man
the random non spiderman stealth missions were weird. the only one i didn't really mind was MJ at grand central (because she works with spiderman) and her sneaking around osborn's penthouse. giving miles a stealth mission on his way to work was insanely jarring n unnecessary.
i get that open world shit was 'optional' but it really isn't if you need cool suits and gadgets. having a currency associated to each type of open world content sucked, being forced to do unfun missions like rescuing pigeons instead to unlock a specific suit/power was grating. atleast you got skill points by just playing the story since the missions give you so much xp.
overall i did have fun since the story was the majority of my 21ish hour playthrough, but man i hate how much influence ubisoft has on modern day open world games.
7.5/10
2001
(Played on the original PC version w/DEP (60fps/Widescreen/HD Textures) using a Steam Deck.)
(I kept using the all weapons cheat (needed respite for gunfights cause I was using two different trackpads to aim and shoot)).
horrible controls (with a controller), no checkpoints, no world map, no gps, no trip skip, bullshit ai that fails missions on a whim, near impossible final few missions if you're playing the pc version with a controller, barely any real story, claude isnt even an actual character with thoughts and feelings but...
this game is still SO GOOD man. this shit came out in 2000 so i can forgive it for most transgressions. OST is incredible. the driving physics feel better than some recent open world releases. the radio talk is incredibly well written (despite it getting repetitive). missions can be approached with a variety of diff ways, the open world still somehow feels alive despite having little to do outside of missions. the city is gritty and grimy...if i played this shit to the end when i was a kid i would've probably loved it as much as vice city. (maybe)
mission design was kinda poor tho most of the time, but idm. long complex missions without checkpoints (like the last few) would've made me more suicidal. i wish they had longer cutscenes in this game also but i understand why they dont. i only rlly play gta for the driving, humour, mission cutscenes n world building.
great game but product of its time/10.
(I kept using the all weapons cheat (needed respite for gunfights cause I was using two different trackpads to aim and shoot)).
horrible controls (with a controller), no checkpoints, no world map, no gps, no trip skip, bullshit ai that fails missions on a whim, near impossible final few missions if you're playing the pc version with a controller, barely any real story, claude isnt even an actual character with thoughts and feelings but...
this game is still SO GOOD man. this shit came out in 2000 so i can forgive it for most transgressions. OST is incredible. the driving physics feel better than some recent open world releases. the radio talk is incredibly well written (despite it getting repetitive). missions can be approached with a variety of diff ways, the open world still somehow feels alive despite having little to do outside of missions. the city is gritty and grimy...if i played this shit to the end when i was a kid i would've probably loved it as much as vice city. (maybe)
mission design was kinda poor tho most of the time, but idm. long complex missions without checkpoints (like the last few) would've made me more suicidal. i wish they had longer cutscenes in this game also but i understand why they dont. i only rlly play gta for the driving, humour, mission cutscenes n world building.
great game but product of its time/10.
2020
very good but flawed game.
gameplay wise I think most of the level design is fantastic. you get multiple approaches to the same group of enemies and the game only rewards you with checkpoints once you clear all the enemies in an area in one go which is imo the most satisfying part of the entire experience, esp after countless deaths. every single attack being a one hit kill and enemies having actual aimbots makes every level tense too - and its a great incentive to use the levels terrain and geometry to make sure you're constantly on the run. the different abilities you get also add some sort of depth to the encounters even if a few lower the difficulty level drastically (tempest & the final ability which is a spoiler so not gonna say). i also think the enemy variety was great, each enemy forced you into a different approach which added even more depth to the combat.
aesthetically this game is incredible. the colours, the presentation, the visuals are all insanely good esp at 4k60 on the ps5 (I know theres a 120hz mode but i'd rather have crisp fidelity esp on an OLED tv). playing this on my tv was an incredibly immersive experience. the music was also incredible n matched the tone/space of the game perfectly. i think this is one of the best cyberpunk dystopias ive seen in media.
i didn't rlly care for collectibles or swords but they were a nice touch and didn't seem tooo hard to get or tooo off the beaten path so i think they were fine. i ignored over half.
onto the not so good stuff...the upgrade system sucks balls and actively annoyed me. having to play fucking tetris to conjure up a build felt so unnecessary. It was a genuine effort for me to figure out how to think of a balanced build which sucks cause it takes you out of the game and kills the pace massively. the less time you spend in menus the better in a game like this which is my personal opinion.
i think some levels suck balls though. esp the final level just being glorified crossy road/frogger was jarring. there were also a few performance drops near the end on ps5 esp once the crawlers (?) come out. game stuttered a bit there.
the mara bossfight also felt kinda...flat. I preferred the hel bossfight alot more. the elevator bossfight was ok but the difficulty spike (for me) was kinda nuts.
(i played on ps+ so im only gonna buy project HEL dlc if i ever fully own the game, which i plan on picking up on sale for PC)
gameplay wise I think most of the level design is fantastic. you get multiple approaches to the same group of enemies and the game only rewards you with checkpoints once you clear all the enemies in an area in one go which is imo the most satisfying part of the entire experience, esp after countless deaths. every single attack being a one hit kill and enemies having actual aimbots makes every level tense too - and its a great incentive to use the levels terrain and geometry to make sure you're constantly on the run. the different abilities you get also add some sort of depth to the encounters even if a few lower the difficulty level drastically (tempest & the final ability which is a spoiler so not gonna say). i also think the enemy variety was great, each enemy forced you into a different approach which added even more depth to the combat.
aesthetically this game is incredible. the colours, the presentation, the visuals are all insanely good esp at 4k60 on the ps5 (I know theres a 120hz mode but i'd rather have crisp fidelity esp on an OLED tv). playing this on my tv was an incredibly immersive experience. the music was also incredible n matched the tone/space of the game perfectly. i think this is one of the best cyberpunk dystopias ive seen in media.
i didn't rlly care for collectibles or swords but they were a nice touch and didn't seem tooo hard to get or tooo off the beaten path so i think they were fine. i ignored over half.
onto the not so good stuff...the upgrade system sucks balls and actively annoyed me. having to play fucking tetris to conjure up a build felt so unnecessary. It was a genuine effort for me to figure out how to think of a balanced build which sucks cause it takes you out of the game and kills the pace massively. the less time you spend in menus the better in a game like this which is my personal opinion.
i think some levels suck balls though. esp the final level just being glorified crossy road/frogger was jarring. there were also a few performance drops near the end on ps5 esp once the crawlers (?) come out. game stuttered a bit there.
the mara bossfight also felt kinda...flat. I preferred the hel bossfight alot more. the elevator bossfight was ok but the difficulty spike (for me) was kinda nuts.
(i played on ps+ so im only gonna buy project HEL dlc if i ever fully own the game, which i plan on picking up on sale for PC)
This review contains spoilers
disclaimer: i've finished only yakuza 0 and played 25% of kiwami before this. but most of the references arent lost on me
side content I finished:
100% business management
100% can quest
100% kart racing
100% romance workshop
100% vocational school
100% yokohama/kamurocho/sotenbori battle arenas/dungeons
stuff I didn't do at all: any gambling / poker, mahjong/shogi
positives/stuff i liked:
okay so taking all that into account i think this is the best yakuza game ive played so far.
open world wise you get 3 locations (kamurocho/sotenbori/yokohama), i've already played the first two in 0 and kiwami so to be thrown into yokohama was refreshing. (i went in blind so i just assumed it'd be set in kamurocho).
i think the open world design is fantastic, you don't need to go back home or whatever to top up mp/hp since every restaurant does the trick for like barely any cost. the silver/gold safes/clan crests make exploring and checking backstreets rewarding since most having good gear upgrades for your party or value crafting stuff. fast travel is great and avoids stuff being a chore. this game has the best side content out rn personally, found myself addicted to stuff like the kart racing/business mini games and wanting to actually max most of everything out. the game also constantly stops the story and lets you explore/do other shit before you're fully committed to moving on. there's tonnes of warnings for points of no returns and you're never forced to sit through hours and hours of story in one sitting outside of maybe the opening 5-6 hours? the constant breaks are super welcome for me especially since you'll just miss everything else on offer if you're forcefully pushed through the story.
the combat i think is good. it didn't really get stale during the 60-70 hours i played due to the job system and you get absolutely showered in abilities all with different high budget animations for each of the 20+ jobs. enemy variety was good, the sujimon system is funny and splitting abilities into 5+ categories added just a hint of tactics to them.
i thought the level progression was good, beating trash mobs doesnt really help but substories/story progression/side dungeons make the grind non existent. you never have to actually just roam around the open world fighting garbage to progress which is great, alot of games fall into this trap. levelling ichibans character traits wasn't also really a grind either with the vocational school being there + other substories.
story wise it was reallllyyyy nonsensical especially near the end. i genuinely really enjoyed the last 4-5 chapters though. thought the voice acting, animations, cutscenes and char designs (for anyone named) were great. the ost for alot of moments (lao ma/kiryu/majima/sawashiro/sotenbori to name a few) was great. i think ichiban is a more compelling protagonist than kiryu from what i've seen so far, but i guess that just comes from him being more of a clown than kiryu who is just a stoic badass. supporting cast also mostly great, I didn't really like nanba's arc that much but saeko adachi and zhao were my favs. i thought eri from the business minigame was cool too.
stuff I didn't like:
the difficulty is non existent if you finish the business mini game early. money doesn't really become an issue and while i appreciate that since it just lessens tedious grind it makes most of the game a huge cakewalk. there were random spikes like w the kiryu fight but largely i found it really easy. i also don't think the game punishes you enough for not consistently exploiting a weakness in battle. feel like you can just moonwalk your way through fights. you can also just buy up every item in supermarkets/pharmacies or whatever so picking up items during the games dungeon segments is so pointless lol. you can compare it to persona where you actually have to pick & choose your battles in the palaces and can't just take everyone out all the time with 0 reprecussions. i appreciate the lack of real tedious grind (which is present in persona) but i think there is a balance to be struck.
trash mobs/random encounters suck for the most part. i like the enemy variety and stuff sure but 5 enemies walking side by side in a narrow street while you're tryna do something else is just jarring. its harder to outrun them in this game than y0 if you don't wanna fight since sometimes there's no real space to do so. you can just make them despawn by going into an interaction menu but it's still stupid.
im not a huge fan of the part time hero system. it's the completion list from 0 just rebranded and although i appreciate progressing for doing literally anything in the game I think having SO MANY little checkboxes is jarring and unnecessary. i dont think i could even get over half the shit in pth done before backflipping off a building.
crafting was whatever. used it to get endgame weapons but largely i never paid attention to what materials or stuff i was picking up since theres too much random shit in the game.
i think the only part of the game i truly disliked were the middle chapters, i spent most of my time in chs 4-7 doing side content cause I did not feel like sitting through the story. having the option to choose was nice though.
alot of these complaints are genuinely very minor in the grand scheme of things and the game has systems that help balance them out.
i will be seated for infinite wealth.
9/10
side content I finished:
100% business management
100% can quest
100% kart racing
100% romance workshop
100% vocational school
100% yokohama/kamurocho/sotenbori battle arenas/dungeons
stuff I didn't do at all: any gambling / poker, mahjong/shogi
positives/stuff i liked:
okay so taking all that into account i think this is the best yakuza game ive played so far.
open world wise you get 3 locations (kamurocho/sotenbori/yokohama), i've already played the first two in 0 and kiwami so to be thrown into yokohama was refreshing. (i went in blind so i just assumed it'd be set in kamurocho).
i think the open world design is fantastic, you don't need to go back home or whatever to top up mp/hp since every restaurant does the trick for like barely any cost. the silver/gold safes/clan crests make exploring and checking backstreets rewarding since most having good gear upgrades for your party or value crafting stuff. fast travel is great and avoids stuff being a chore. this game has the best side content out rn personally, found myself addicted to stuff like the kart racing/business mini games and wanting to actually max most of everything out. the game also constantly stops the story and lets you explore/do other shit before you're fully committed to moving on. there's tonnes of warnings for points of no returns and you're never forced to sit through hours and hours of story in one sitting outside of maybe the opening 5-6 hours? the constant breaks are super welcome for me especially since you'll just miss everything else on offer if you're forcefully pushed through the story.
the combat i think is good. it didn't really get stale during the 60-70 hours i played due to the job system and you get absolutely showered in abilities all with different high budget animations for each of the 20+ jobs. enemy variety was good, the sujimon system is funny and splitting abilities into 5+ categories added just a hint of tactics to them.
i thought the level progression was good, beating trash mobs doesnt really help but substories/story progression/side dungeons make the grind non existent. you never have to actually just roam around the open world fighting garbage to progress which is great, alot of games fall into this trap. levelling ichibans character traits wasn't also really a grind either with the vocational school being there + other substories.
story wise it was reallllyyyy nonsensical especially near the end. i genuinely really enjoyed the last 4-5 chapters though. thought the voice acting, animations, cutscenes and char designs (for anyone named) were great. the ost for alot of moments (lao ma/kiryu/majima/sawashiro/sotenbori to name a few) was great. i think ichiban is a more compelling protagonist than kiryu from what i've seen so far, but i guess that just comes from him being more of a clown than kiryu who is just a stoic badass. supporting cast also mostly great, I didn't really like nanba's arc that much but saeko adachi and zhao were my favs. i thought eri from the business minigame was cool too.
stuff I didn't like:
the difficulty is non existent if you finish the business mini game early. money doesn't really become an issue and while i appreciate that since it just lessens tedious grind it makes most of the game a huge cakewalk. there were random spikes like w the kiryu fight but largely i found it really easy. i also don't think the game punishes you enough for not consistently exploiting a weakness in battle. feel like you can just moonwalk your way through fights. you can also just buy up every item in supermarkets/pharmacies or whatever so picking up items during the games dungeon segments is so pointless lol. you can compare it to persona where you actually have to pick & choose your battles in the palaces and can't just take everyone out all the time with 0 reprecussions. i appreciate the lack of real tedious grind (which is present in persona) but i think there is a balance to be struck.
trash mobs/random encounters suck for the most part. i like the enemy variety and stuff sure but 5 enemies walking side by side in a narrow street while you're tryna do something else is just jarring. its harder to outrun them in this game than y0 if you don't wanna fight since sometimes there's no real space to do so. you can just make them despawn by going into an interaction menu but it's still stupid.
im not a huge fan of the part time hero system. it's the completion list from 0 just rebranded and although i appreciate progressing for doing literally anything in the game I think having SO MANY little checkboxes is jarring and unnecessary. i dont think i could even get over half the shit in pth done before backflipping off a building.
crafting was whatever. used it to get endgame weapons but largely i never paid attention to what materials or stuff i was picking up since theres too much random shit in the game.
i think the only part of the game i truly disliked were the middle chapters, i spent most of my time in chs 4-7 doing side content cause I did not feel like sitting through the story. having the option to choose was nice though.
alot of these complaints are genuinely very minor in the grand scheme of things and the game has systems that help balance them out.
i will be seated for infinite wealth.
9/10
greatest of all time. zenith of the medium.
saved my life
2021
pretty much the exact same shit as fh4 with no ranked
2020
This review contains spoilers
ruined my fucking life