This is the final chapter in Kiryu's story, and also my least favorite. Keep in mind that the series is excellent, so that's like saying that Mega Man 1 is my least favorite Mega Man on the NES; it's still really good. I think part of my issue is that this runs on the then-new Dragon Engine, which Kiwami 2 used later on; the combat never really felt quite right to me, and that might just be a personal thing. There were also parts where you have some low-key platforming elements, but you don't have a jump button or a prompt or anything, so I found myself occasionally or even repeatedly walking into an instant death pit. There were also a few weird story beats, like the part near the beginning where Kiryu just goes berserk and does something completely out of character; you'll know it when you see it. Overall, the game just felt uncomfortable, too, but that may have been the point; right at the beginning, Kiryu says something like, "Why do I always wind up back in this damn city." It doesn't seem like much, but until then, I'd never really thought about how Kiryu had felt about it all. It could be that the game was just conveying that he's old and tired, and just wants it all to be done. Aside from that, you've got a lot of the same old elements that make the series great, starting right off with some lovable new characters and a heaping helping of melodrama. As was to be expected, the game attempts to tie up any possible loose ends in Kiryu's story by THROWING THEM ALL INTO A BLENDER AT ONCE. Great stuff. The experience system is cool, giving you 5 different kinds to earn and spend on different skills, even if what you need is a little off-balance from what you get. Plenty of substories and minigames again, with some familiar faces as well as some great new entries. You'll find more than enough to enjoy, if you've come this far.
In my opinion, this is one of the best games in the series. Just like in the previous installment, you have multiple protagonists, but this time, each has their own city to explore, and everything fits together pretty nicely. Each character has their own side story (not to be confused with substories), and even though they largely center around minigames, I found myself enjoying them quite a lot! These are almost exclusively things that shouldn't interest me at all, but they all found a way to hook me, and I played all the way through each of them. The rest of the gameplay is largely similar to that of the rest of the series... until you get to Part 4. Part 4 is just such an odd fit in almost every possible way, and I see what they were going for, but I wasn't a huge fan. The story is just what you'd expect from the series: same old over-the-top manly melodrama you've come to know and love, though this one comes with an ending that even got me all emotional. Instead, I'd like to talk about the other toppings, mostly the visuals. As I mentioned, each character has their own city, and these cities are GORGEOUS. You'll see a few familiar places, but the new ones are absolutely breathtaking; I found myself wandering for hours, just because I didn't want to move on. It's very rare that a game with a realistic visual style can grab me like this, but just about every place I went was exquisite. On top of that, the soundtrack is among the best in the series, topped perhaps only by Zero. If you're a fan of the series, this entry is not to be missed!
Another great entry in an excellent franchise, this installment is broken into 4 parts, each with its own protagonist. Some are familiar and some are brand new, but despite their completely different fighting styles and unique plotlines, it all fits together very well in the end. I liked almost all of the new characters that were introduced, including more minor characters (Hana-chan was a near-instant favorite), and of course, it all ends with an over-the-top finale that has you cheering at the top of your lungs; classic Yakuza. Each character has their own master from whom to learn moves in unique ways, and the experience system and revelations are back, as well, giving you a lot of opportunities to get stronger. There were a lot of very compelling substories in this one, too; I really like the direction everything took.
Another great entry in the series, though this one gets off to a bit of a rough start. Once your abilities develop more, it gets a lot better, though. Speaking of abilities, these might just be the most over-the-top in the series so far; the heat skills are SO satisfying and fun to use. The substories are here, of course, and just as entertaining, and the weapon modding is pretty fun, too. There are some unfortunate activities, like the running minigame that keeps popping up, but otherwise, same old Yakuza, and that's a good thing. The story is great as ever; tons of crazy twists, tonal whiplash, and yet again, somehow it manages to be great, when most other games that try this fall flat on their faces. You're now in charge of an orphanage in gorgeous Ryukyu, a tropical paradise, and there are little life challenges both there and in the bigger arena of the usual Yakuza melodrama, each just as compelling, in my eyes. I know a lot of people don't like the orphanage segments, but I did; the camaraderie and little life lessons really made them shine for me. I can't really think of any new characters that I didn't like; even the goofballs in the new family really grew on me. The only real problem story-wise is the pacing; there is SO much extra content that if you're going for completion, you might completely forget what you were even doing, even by Yakuza standards. Everything wrapped up pretty well in the end, though.
The first time I played this, it took me a while to get into it, because the Dragon Engine just looks and feels wrong at first. This review comes after a replay, which makes this the third time I've played through a Dragon Engine game, and it finally feels natural, and one thing that helps a lot is mastering Dragon Style from Kiwami. You only have one style this time, and the moves you learn are bought by five different types of experience, which you get from all kinds of activities, not just fights. If you can't get used to the fighting style, it's fairly easy to get strong weapons with infinite durability. Completion isn't too bad, either, because when it comes to minigames, Yakuza likes to keep it casual, and this is no exception. Where this game won me over as one of my favorites in the series is the incredible setpieces and writing. Some of the areas you fight your way through are very exciting, and some even have a bit of verticality to them. The drama is over-the-top, as usual, but beyond just that, the characters, new and old, are very well-written; even that mysterious someone ever lurking in the shadows becomes extremely compelling here. It's hard to pick who my favorite new or returning character would be here, but the climax is unbelievable. Oh, and fear not, Majima fans: he does get his own short side story that unlocks once you've finished the main game.
This is a remake of the first game on PS2, but plays more like Zero, down to the combat styles you have. There's a lot less to it, since it's a remake of a much older game, but given how long Yakuza games can be, compact isn't necessarily a bad thing. The biggest gameplay flaw, I'd argue is Dragon Style, which starts out very weak, but if you put in the time, it becomes excellent, and even overpowered; it's just a LOT of time you'll have to put in for it. Majima constantly stalks you as you traverse the city, too, which can be nerve-wracking, but equal parts funny for all the stunts he pulls. There aren't really any major side activities in this one, either; everything is either tied to substories or doesn't affect all that much, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, either. In terms of everything else, it's your usual Yakuza affair: the serious parts are so incredibly over-the-top that the goofy parts don't give you whiplash.
I avoided this franchise for a long time because the name makes it sound like a Grand Theft Auto knockoff, but it's really more like a non-linear Brawler at heart. The combat is fun, and there are tons of moves and bonuses to unlock, and if you don't feel like grinding, there are some side activities that make insane amounts of cash, which also functions as your experience. There are tons of other side activities and sidequest, too; everything from karaoke and OutRun to teaching a dominatrix how to keep her subs in line. Granted, not everything's a winner, but the game is pretty good about not forcing you to be completely perfect at absolutely everything; after all these years, I STILL have no idea how to play Mahjong, and it doesn't matter here. I'm usually of the opinion that side content shouldn't be all that different from the main content, but it really works for me here. The story and characters are a lot of fun, too! The main story is pretty melodramatic, and I think it's because of that that the sillier bits of side content aren't such tonal whiplash, which is one of my pet peeves in any kind of writing. The main antagonists are excellent, too; they make great rivals to clash with time and again. This is all punctuated with hard-driving rock music for your biggest battles, and it just feels great. Might be because I don't play a lot of big budget games these days, but I thought the graphics were pretty impressive too. There's a TON of content, but it's woth the time to check it out!
I really enjoyed this Platventure; right out the gate, you can swing upwards and move while attacking, and movement is very fluid. The backdash is a little weak, but it doesn't matter too much, because your shield bar is restored by striking and killing enemies, so keep up the heat, and you'll be fine. That might be the bigget selling point for me; every game is trying to be Dark Souls now, and I greatly appreciated a game that rewards a fast, aggressive playstyle. Some of the later bosses do get to being a bit quick for the recharge to work well, but there's an instant recharge that you can use the moment your shield runs out; it can be a bit much trying to pay attention to everything, but the game isn't brutally difficult at any point. Mobility upgrades are fun and interesting, and level design lets you transition very fluidly between modes of travel; everything just feels GOOD! There aren't any RPG elements or item drops or anything, but to me, that's a point in its favor; no grinding or praying to RNGzus that you FINALLY get that last item you wanted. It's not without its occasional frustrations, but it's pretty easy to overcome them. The visuals are quite pretty, with lovely particle effects, elaborate backdrops, and excellent spritework... with the occasional object that looks a little chunky, but it's few and far between. The music is interesting; not something I'd necessarily listen to outside of the game, but certainly unique, and it works well with the atmosphere. The story works pretty well with everything else, and I liked all of the characters, even if there is one in particular who isn't fleshed out all that well; he has a history with the main character, and she's certainly got some feelings about that, but none of it is ever explored. It gets everything right where it counts, though. If you're into this genre, definitely give this a look!
3D Platformers tend to be frustrating to me, because it's often difficult to know where you're supposed to stand, and one little slip means a tedious waste of time getting back to where you were. Here, traversal is so smooth, and level design is good at making you feel like you know what you're doing. With the numerous grapple points, you'll rarely find a slog if you do manage to fall. Skating around on the ocean is really fun and satisfying, too. Since there isn't any real open-world exploration, a quick-travel system would've been appreciated, but backtracking is pretty minimal, so it's not so bad. I could've done without the few racing segments, but they only give you money, which is only used to purchase cosmetics, so they're skippable. The world is absolutely beautiful, especially the water; the dark, shining colors beneath the waves and lovely skies and sunsets above come together to make an unforgettable aesthetic. Character models are fun; maybe not quite beautiful, but they have a neat cartoony aesthetic that helps to set the tone of the game. The writing, like the character artstyle, kinda screams young adult novel, but don't take that to mean that it's bad; the story is still earnest, and the characters are very likable. With all that in mind, the brass-heavy music seems a strange choice, but in the moments where it needs to be, it ramps up and becomes oddly compelling. The length is a bit shorter than it could have been, but very close to just right, and I'd much rather a game be too short than too long. This comes highly recommended to 3D Platformer fans, and also to those who'd like to be 3D Platformer fans.
As the description says, this is a chill little Adventure in which you fix up the island and photograph wildlife. The goal is to get everyone else to appreciate the local fauna enough to stop a big, gaudy hotel from being built, so it's a good cause, too. You don't have to worry about being super sneaky or getting the absolute perfect snapshot, either; it's all about taking in the sights and appreciating nature, and it does that very well. On a personal note, I loved the island where it all takes place; from the vegetation to the overall palette (especially those bright red sunsets!), it reminded me of somewhere that contains the few fond memories I have from being a kid.
