The perfect finale to such a legendary protagonist. This game cemented Kiryu as my favorite character all time and Yakuza as my second favorite franchise. This game is the first game to make me actually cry. Yeah, it's damn good.

This game moves past the multiple character idea in favor of going back to how it all began. Kiryu and Kamurocho. I liked this a lot because while the last two games executed the protagonists quite well, I just thought it was time to back to solo Kiryu. As a result, this game is much shorter in comparison to 5, but I frankly don't mind it. I would much rather it tells its story at a good pace rather than bloat it for no real reason. Besides, the side content in this game is also pretty good so there's no reason to skip out on it. Ideally, you're gonna wanna do the majority of however much side content you want to do prior to chapter 8, because chapter 8 is when things REALLY start heating up and you will not wanna put the controller down.

This game starts immediately following the stunning ending of Yakuza 5 and I really like that as I don't believe another game in the series has done that before. The entire prologue is very very good. Made me tear up a little bit at some moments and is a great set up to the events of this game.

I don't wanna get into story specifics because that would spoil 5 and also this game. Additionally I want people to enjoy it and take it in for themselves. All I will say is that it's VERY good and it will make you shed some tears that's for sure. The last third or so of the game is an absolute rollercoaster of emotions and I loved every single second of it. The Villains are quite good, although the main villain is someone who is formidable but I can't take him seriously sometimes when I see his face lmao. Haruka also has a big role in this game but I won't discuss it due to major spoilers. If you're a fan of her like I am, then you're emotions are gonna be all over the place.

This was the first version of the Dragon Engine so it does have a few issues but for a first attempt this is still quite good. One issue is the weighty feel of your character. It's great when you're running and have momentum but trying to quickly evade or make a turn is kinda rough, so for combat you gotta have a good read on you're opponent. Didn't bother me personally that much but I can see it being a bigger issue for others. They also for some reason changed the heat system for this game for no real reason. Instead of dedicated bar for Heat it's not orbs for some reason. Heat actions have also been decreased by a decent amount. This is to incentivize you to use the new "Extreme Heat Mode", which is basically just a mode where you take damage but there is no stun so you can just unleash a big combo, and if you do it well enough then it will finish with a cool finisher. I didn't like this change honestly, I already loved the previous system so this felt pretty unnecessary, it's not bad just not what I would've wanted. Other than those two issues I have no issues at all with the Dragon Engine. If you want a little bit more insight for the Dragon Engine then you can go back to my Kiwami 2 review.

Both Cities in this game, Kamurocho and Onomichi, are very good. Kamurocho still has everything we love from previous entries so that was great to explore again in this engine. Onomichi is a district in Hiroshima that isn't occupied by the Tojo or the Omi, so seeing another yakuza group here was pretty cool. The yakuza group Kiryu becomes friends with here are really good and a contender for best sidekicks. Nagumo and Yuta were my favorites and I hope we get to see them in another game down the line. This city has a cool layout and is fun to explore but man there isn't much to do here in terms of entertainment. Which I suppose does make sense thematically but I would've like at least a bar for Karaoke. Regardless Onomichi is a pretty cool city and I really appreciate it.

Now onto the side content. The substories in this game are stellar. The writing is top notch and I love to see how an aging Kiryu handles and reacts to these situations now after years of them. The Karaoke in this game is just amazing. Some absolute gems like "Today is a Diamond" or "Hands". Don't be fooled by the latter, it will mess you up emotionally. The other minigames in the Sega Club are also great as usual.

The characters are all pretty great. Kiryu is simply wonderful and I'll let the game speak for itself. The Onomichi gang is pretty awesome and I really loved them by the end. Someya, Lo, Iwami, Sugai, Kurusu, and a few others I won't mention due to spoilers, were all simply fantastic villains. Someya and Lo are all timers for me. Haruka is great, our old buddy Akiyama is also nice to see periodically through the game, as is Date. A really great cast of characters all round.

Voice Acting is just wow. Left me speechless a lot of the time due to the sheer passion from Takaya Kuroda and co. The music is just on a whole nother level man. Banger after banger, this is definitely the best OST in the series and that's not an easy achievement either, especially with 0 and 2 being so good. "Destiny" is also my favorite track in the series now. The violinist was having the time of his life on that track man. Plus the events that take place afterwards also hit so incredibly hard. This is an OST I haven't been able to get out of my head for a week and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

Now critically this game is a 9/10 in my eyes, but the last third of the game is so incredibly impactful that I had to make this a 10/10. The raw emotion this game and this franchise as a whole has got out of me is a surprise I never saw coming. Getting into Yakuza because of the Baka Mitai meme a year ago was one of the best choices I've made. These games have taught me so much but at the same time just given me so many laughs along the way as well. This is a franchise I will not soon forget, because Yakuza truly, is one of a kind.
10/10

PS. If you wanna get into the games I'd recommend this order 0 > Kiwami > Kiwami 2 > 3 >4 > 5 > 6. All the games can be found on Gamepass and are regularly on sale on PSN and Steam. Hope you enjoy the journey as I did!

The return to form we've been waiting for. This is a MASSIVE upgrade over Super.

Potentially the most important thing is that you can play this game with a Pro controller. It was absolute hell playing Super with just a single joycon. Your joycon could drift, be uncomfortable as hell, only two people can play unless you buy more of that 70 dollar scam. Seriously I really appreciate the Pro controller support.

This game also doesn't have any gimmicks like MP9 or MP10. It's simply a collection of the first 3 Mario Party's and is really good. It has 5 boards which I'll admit isn't a ton but it's still more than Super. Plus these maps are pretty cool and won't get boring quickly thanks to how well made they are. Minigame selection is also pretty great with there being a ton of them. It's also been optimized well so the minigames are actually fun to play this time around.

In another great move, the game lets you play the board game online instead of just minigames by themselves like Super did. It will also save the game after each turn if you have to go and wanna pick up the game later. This was a surprising but all in all fantastic choice. This is going to be very useful that's for sure.

The only thing I can confidently say that Super does better than this however, is the roster. The roster for this game is pretty bare bones with only the essential characters. This game is rumored to get DLC so I hope that happens so it could not only expand the roster but increase the amount of boards as well.

The hub world isn't important but I just really liked it so I'm gonna mention it. The hub world has a good amount of options. It has your Mario Party, Mt. Minigames (Minigames only), the shop to buy stickers, music, and other Mario Party Legacy stuff which I thought was quite cool. It also lets you play online, offline, or even local which I think was a nice addition to have all their bases covered.

Again, not important but I love this addition, that being the Stickers. Stickers are just little emotes you can use in game or buy from the shop. I just really like the art and thought they were another great addition.

This is a return to form for the Mario Party franchise. It doesn't have any annoying gimmicks, has proper controller support, VERY good online support out the box with consistent connections, and is just a really fun time. If you've been disappointed by the last few games in this series than this is a game you need to pick up. I'm gonna be playing this game for a while. Mario Party is finally back.
9/10

Friends have recommended me this game for about a year before I decided to give it a go and well, they were absolutely right about it. It's a great top down shooter that can be completed in 8 hours or less depending on your skill.

Even if it's very basic I really like the visual style of the game it's very flashy and really fits the tone. I also really like that it's set in the 80s since I can't think of many games in this setting. Some good music as well with further helps establish the tone and atmosphere of the game. Just great presentation all round.

The gameplay is just a top down shooter with some really challenging levels that are near impossible to beat on your first or even fifth run through them. You'll have to experiment a bit to really get to know the ins and outs of the level before you beat it and it's really satisfying when you beat it. Some of these levels are just so brutal, especially chapter 15 where you have to be very precise in your movement and aim for 3-5 quick consecutive shots. While it was VERY satisfying when I did it, it's also the single mission that will prevent me from playing this game again lol.

Overall this is a pretty great indie game and I highly recommend it for 8 or so hours of fun. It regularly goes on sale for around 2 dollars along with its sequel which I hope to play sometime in the next few months.
8/10

It's really just the definitive package for this series. It includes the main campaigns for the first two games along with a TON of DLC to go through. It's got hours and hours of fun and argument between friends (that may ruin friendships). I can really only recommend if you have 4 friends to play it in couch co-op. It obviously supports 1-3 players but I think 4 is easily the most fun. It also helps if they're ok at video games (and slicing the damn lettuce) but it's really not necessary as I've played this with family members who don't play video games. Anyways a great game with tons of content.
9/10

This is a super late review but I still remember my experience with this game quite well. And to carry on from how I opened the previous review, my friends were right yet again, this game was even better than the original.

The gameplay is more or less the same but there's a clear difference to people who played the previous game. Things have been polished and made to feel better as a whole. It's improved upon in a big way. Slight nitpicks is the level design is really irritating sometimes and the levels also feel a bit more linear compared to the first game or even some of the other levels in this game. I really liked the concept of playing as multiple characters with a large variety of weapons. It kept everything really fresh and engaging. As I expected going into this game, it's not exactly easy. It's inevitable it'll take you a decent amount of tries before you finally get it right. I never minded because it was really fun to experiment and the gameplay loop is just so much fun.It was satisfying to finally beat the level each and every time.

I'm not gonna talk too much about the story cuz I want to keep this spoiler free but, it's a big step up from the first game (which I still liked) and the ending especially is insane. Going back to the multiple playable characters, it was really cool to see all their storylines tie into the larger narrative.

This is an amazing indie game and I think it's a little underrated and underappreciated going off the average rating. I highly recommend this to everyone but only after you've played the first game because the story will make much more sense after playing that game.
9/10

Another amazing story that is slightly weaker than the original game's, but is made up for by one of the series best antagonists. A truly perfect opposite to Yagami, an amazing clash of ideals. Gameplay is also by far the most polished and satisfying in the series, all 4 styles are so much fun to use, The school stories and substories are also much more enjoyable than its predecessors. It seriously is one of the best games Ryu Ga Gotoku have made thus far and I cannot wait to play Kaito Files while we wait for Like A Dragon: Gaiden. Highly recommend for veterans of the series.
9/10