yakuza 3 is kind of sad to me, a good game held back by glaring issues. mine is still one of the strongest foils to kiryu and still has the coolest boss intro and battle theme in the series and most scenes with him are incredible, and i really like the story in terms of kiryu and the orphanage and all of that, but the combat is pretty weak and the actual conspiracy that drives the plot is by far the weakest in the series and it's hard to reconcile with that when the behind the scenes scheming and what not that drives the plot is too uninteresting to do that very well. equally integral to and great for kiryu's story and progression as it is uninteresting and not really worth revisiting in my opinion

gets on rollercoaster
ashley: "you don't get carsick, do you?"
leon: "you're about to find out."
fade to black
incredible work capcom

I was introduced to this game by a friend in college. I had low expectations that were quickly blown out of the water by the quality of the game. It's formulaic, as anime and anime-inspired things are, but it is fun. It sets the status quo and then shakes things up slowly in the background. Not to mention, combat is so much fun with all the variables you need to keep in mind. Be warned (if you somehow don't know about it), the content is dark. This game doesn't shy from mature themes, but it keeps it tasteful.

What an amazing story locked behind so much hand holding that I almost got separation anxiety. This game has a charming world with interesting characters; Though with how much it stops you to point you in the right direction, it's hard to really immerse yourself. It really feels like this was the beginning of Pokemon railroading you. However, the story especially with Lillie is just so tragically heart warming that I still adore this game. Great for kids, maybe less so for adults who are looking for a challenge.