Despite being known as one of the weaker games of the franchise and being actively warned by fans there’s a 50% chance I could be filtered by this I really enjoyed my time with this game. I will agree it’s probably the weakest of the yakuza games I’ve played so far but the story setting and characters really kept me coming back this time round. I particularly loved the setting of Okinawa which I feel may be influenced by growing up in seaside towns myself and while the chapters revolving around this area may feel a bit laid back compared to the other games but i really enjoyed getting to see Kiryu living a selfless quiet life outside of the Yakuza. The writers here really flex the ability to introduce new characters like the orphanages children and Rikiya immediately winning you over i don’t think I’ve seen a studio do this so effortlessly aside from games made by Hideo Kojima. Despite my praise I do agree the combat can be a little goofy and the biggest filter for fans in the early game but eventually managed to get the hang of it around chapter 5. Another issue I kinda have is how fast this story wraps up as soon as the main threat is established the game kinda ends which is a little shitty considering how good these villains are with their terrible engrish.

Really enjoyed the story this time round Ryujis such a fun villain and a nice change from the ones I’ve come across in the franchise so far. While I do end up preferring the weightier combat of 0 I enjoyed combat in the dragon engine once I got used to it especially the family guy death pose Kiryu does after getting spin kicked to the head. This game also looks crazy it’s such a huge step up from the games ive played already in this franchise and was nice to see all the changes brought to the two cities in this new engine. This game also has hands down the funniest XP farming method I’ve seen in any game ever giving Kiryu a severe eating disorder to increase his power level will never not be funny. Game also immediately gets bonus points on including the Caberet Club mini game that has become a problem for me “What you like, how you like.What do you like best?” Is now permanently taking up 96% of my brain capacity alongside memorizing all the hand gestures.

At the time of my review I have completed Tomb Raider 1 and 2 in their entirety and am about to start on III. So far I am incredibly satisfied with this collection, as it makes my favorite game series instantly playable without having to deal with the nasty ass PS1 load times or the incredible flimsiness of the PC Ports. Unfortunately, for as long as they made me wait for this thing I'm kind of stunned at how bare bones the whole thing really is.

I want to state first and foremost that the use of A.I artwork is deplorable. I understand this game was no doubt made with a woeful budget by an overworked team, so I'm going to direct my anger more towards the publisher for not giving these games the respect they deserve to have a proper art team remastering the visuals. As it stands, the remastered visuals largely clash with the original artistic intent, don't line up properly along the grids, and generally look cheaper than the original's, as the original game was textured by artists and not a piece of shit A.I.

I am also annoyed at the OG visuals having a frame cap on them, allegedly due to animations being locked to 30 for the old visuals. Even though there are PC Ports available right now that have those same visuals at 60 FPS. There is no reason these games should be stuck at 30 FPS, unless the Switch was having too much trouble running these games, which I would believe.

I also lament the loss of save crystals, which I hypothesized could have been a fun difficulty adjuster for long-time fans of the series, as the save crystals made Tomb Raider 1 and 3 very intense games when you can't save scum through them. Tomb Raider 2 is borderline impossible without save scumming so there no change there.

I think the asking price for some fantastic games is worth it, even though I resent the business practices being used within the package. I also don't anticipate all the terrible discussion we are in for about how these games aged by guys who are obsessed with fucking Pokemon or whatever. If you enjoy these types of games there is a nice handy package here to play them, which honestly, is what I've been dying for for years.

The 70 hours I have spent on this game in the last couple months have ruined any social interaction I have had since I am forever cursed to have the SubStory theme playing in my head when I am accosted by crackheads walking home from work trying to sell me spice…..

But in all honesty it’s incredibly worth it this is easily one of the best times I have ever had in a video game the stories incredibly interesting blending humour and a serious tone in an effortless way with some of the most likeable characters in any piece of media I’ve experienced. Goro Majima is absolutely the highlight of this for me i wasn’t sure what to expect from a origin story for the guy who stalks you as a traffic cone in Kiwami but was completely floored by how emotional his half of the story was coming out of this as one of my favourite characters of all time.

I also really loved the gameplay as a whole I really enjoyed learning the ropes of the franchises combat in Kiwami and this is a perfected version of that system the additional protagonist also gives you access to more combat styles that are completely different to Kiryus moveset which I really enjoyed with Slugger and Breaker easily beating out anything I’ve tried so far in the franchise.

The side content as well is also some of the best I’ve come across before with me getting distracted by the story too many times by my side hustle of being a landlord and owner of a Caberet club which I’ve had to explain as being a little more sophisticated than “being a pimp” to my girlfriend on multiple occasions….

Overall 10/10 would recommend I am very grateful I succumbed to peer pressure and gave this franchise a go.

I sobbed like a baby at the end of this game.

I can't believe RGG managed to make a short game that bridges Kiryu's story between LAD 6 and 7 this damn good. Kiryu is one of my all-time favorite characters in gaming and fiction as a whole, and getting to play as him again after so long was so nice. The combat was as good as it's ever been and the final boss fight was a satisfyingly tough fight that I really enjoyed. The new characters were all great and the story, while short, did a great job at explaining what happened between 6 and 7 before Infinite Wealth comes out next year.

I love this series so fucking much, and this is up there with 0, 6 and 7 as one of my all-time favorites. Kiryu is such an amazing character, and I truly can't believe how much of an emotional gut-punch the ending was; I don't often cry at games but I feel like I've invested so much time and emotional energy into this man's journey that it almost felt cathartic to cry. This was a such a special gaming experience and I'm so glad I got to play it.