DOJIMADOG
10 reviews liked by DOJIMADOG
This review contains spoilers
As a prequel to Infinite Wealth, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is solid and sets the groundwork for what could very well be an amazing send off for one of gaming's most iconic protagonists. But as the continuation to what I thought was already an amazing send off for the character, this doesn't really justify bringing him back and brings its own issues that muddle the entire experience.
First things first and WOW is this game a looker. For something made in just six months time RGG really didn't pull any punches with the engine, showcasing what just might be the prettiest game on the aging Dragon Engine. This impressiveness also bleeds into the gameplay, with some of the most crowded fights in franchise history that manage to not kill the frame rate and delivers a pretty solid experience throughout. Both styles are fine but I had a lot of issues getting used to how Agent worked because of how slow so much of it felt, with only the Whip and Rocket Boots being effective (the drone felt like ass and the Cigar was too slow). Yakuza though was an amazing style and just might be my new favorite style for Kiryu, being a great mix of the various slower styles that really packs a punch. Story was pretty solid besides the elephant in the room, with it being a pretty entertaining story within 7s plotline that still manages to be engaging and more importantly its own thing. Was actually shocked how much I loved its main villians too, with the final boss in particular being one of the best Kiryu has faced in both gameplay terms and narrative.
SPOILERS FOR Y6/7/GAIDEN
This might be one of my more controversial takes but here it is: I absolutely adore 6s ending and consider it one of the best ways they could've sent Kiryu off while staying true to his character. I say all this because this game does not justify AT ALL why they decided to bring him back for Infinite Wealth. The decision to expand the Daidoji Faction to being yet another secret society that has ties to the criminal underworld feels so odd and the decision to essentially force Kiryu into it worse. I don't necessarily hate the idea that he's doing it for the Orphanage but the fact that they're put in danger MULTIPLE TIMES in the story just feels like it spits in the face of the entire point of 6s bittersweet finale. It also decides to ruin LADs cameo of Kiryu with it being revealed that the entire climax of this game happened in the same timeframe as his first scene in 7, which makes his abrupt appearance less special. Also funny detail but legitimately everyone knows its Kiryu but still call him his alias, mainly because his only disguise is some shitty sunglasses (should've went with his dumb IW design at least it'd make sense).
END SPOILERS
Besides the spoilers my biggest issue with Gaiden is how fucking awful the progression is. Because of how short the experience is they decided to go back to the money system from 0 which isn't bad in theory (0 is one of my favorite leveling systems in the franchise). Where it all goes wrong is how they decided to distribute money in this game, as for SOME REASON you don't get anything from story/boss encounters and have to rely on side content to get the cheddar (side content THAT YOU'RE REQUIRED TO DO FOR PROGRESSION WHY DO THAT IN AN ALREADY SHORT GAME RGG). This leads into the second issue where some of these upgrades are really expensive and make choosing a wrong upgrade feel incredibly punishing, with some of the endgame stuff costing upwards to 3 million yen (the most a substory will give is 1 million). As I mentioned before Agent felt incredibly finnicky to use and its because of just how much you need to upgrade for it to feel effective, with each gadget requiring insane amounts of money to make viable which made me gravitate towards Yakuza because of how much cheaper it costs to upgrade. As I've said before I don't mind the idea but the execution is complete dogshit and makes this the second worst leveling in series history (only behind Y6/K2s atrocious system).
Infinite Wealth is shaping up to be one of the best games in the Yakuza franchise, so it's sad to see Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name be a somewhat middling bridge. Maybe when IW finally does come out I can look back on this one more fondly but as of now Kiryu should've went away like Song Of Life obviously intended.
7/10
First things first and WOW is this game a looker. For something made in just six months time RGG really didn't pull any punches with the engine, showcasing what just might be the prettiest game on the aging Dragon Engine. This impressiveness also bleeds into the gameplay, with some of the most crowded fights in franchise history that manage to not kill the frame rate and delivers a pretty solid experience throughout. Both styles are fine but I had a lot of issues getting used to how Agent worked because of how slow so much of it felt, with only the Whip and Rocket Boots being effective (the drone felt like ass and the Cigar was too slow). Yakuza though was an amazing style and just might be my new favorite style for Kiryu, being a great mix of the various slower styles that really packs a punch. Story was pretty solid besides the elephant in the room, with it being a pretty entertaining story within 7s plotline that still manages to be engaging and more importantly its own thing. Was actually shocked how much I loved its main villians too, with the final boss in particular being one of the best Kiryu has faced in both gameplay terms and narrative.
SPOILERS FOR Y6/7/GAIDEN
This might be one of my more controversial takes but here it is: I absolutely adore 6s ending and consider it one of the best ways they could've sent Kiryu off while staying true to his character. I say all this because this game does not justify AT ALL why they decided to bring him back for Infinite Wealth. The decision to expand the Daidoji Faction to being yet another secret society that has ties to the criminal underworld feels so odd and the decision to essentially force Kiryu into it worse. I don't necessarily hate the idea that he's doing it for the Orphanage but the fact that they're put in danger MULTIPLE TIMES in the story just feels like it spits in the face of the entire point of 6s bittersweet finale. It also decides to ruin LADs cameo of Kiryu with it being revealed that the entire climax of this game happened in the same timeframe as his first scene in 7, which makes his abrupt appearance less special. Also funny detail but legitimately everyone knows its Kiryu but still call him his alias, mainly because his only disguise is some shitty sunglasses (should've went with his dumb IW design at least it'd make sense).
END SPOILERS
Besides the spoilers my biggest issue with Gaiden is how fucking awful the progression is. Because of how short the experience is they decided to go back to the money system from 0 which isn't bad in theory (0 is one of my favorite leveling systems in the franchise). Where it all goes wrong is how they decided to distribute money in this game, as for SOME REASON you don't get anything from story/boss encounters and have to rely on side content to get the cheddar (side content THAT YOU'RE REQUIRED TO DO FOR PROGRESSION WHY DO THAT IN AN ALREADY SHORT GAME RGG). This leads into the second issue where some of these upgrades are really expensive and make choosing a wrong upgrade feel incredibly punishing, with some of the endgame stuff costing upwards to 3 million yen (the most a substory will give is 1 million). As I mentioned before Agent felt incredibly finnicky to use and its because of just how much you need to upgrade for it to feel effective, with each gadget requiring insane amounts of money to make viable which made me gravitate towards Yakuza because of how much cheaper it costs to upgrade. As I've said before I don't mind the idea but the execution is complete dogshit and makes this the second worst leveling in series history (only behind Y6/K2s atrocious system).
Infinite Wealth is shaping up to be one of the best games in the Yakuza franchise, so it's sad to see Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name be a somewhat middling bridge. Maybe when IW finally does come out I can look back on this one more fondly but as of now Kiryu should've went away like Song Of Life obviously intended.
7/10
what the fuck
like, really, what the fuck
like, really, what the fuck
Big Boss proved to me that autistic rizz is real
Illbleed
2001
"Any prize for Backloggd reviewers?"
Note: no prize for Backloggd reviewers.
Note: no prize for Backloggd reviewers.
yakuza 3 2
Paper Mario TTYD64
2023
My family traveled a lot for work. Flying from state to state, resting in a variety of hotel rooms. Back in the early 00s, some hotel rooms came with game systems. For $10 an hour, you could play from a short selection of N64 or Gamecube games. In the 2010s, these would be replaced with PS3s and you would have to rent from a nearby Redboxes. And by that point, my brother had his Xbox he'd lug across the country and I had my DS. But those 00s were a very specific era for us in hotel gaming. My brother often got frustrated with wasting any precious second because there was such a hard financial limit to how far we could play. I was well aware that my parents were never going to approve anything past the $20 mark. But I couldn't help but dither around in these worlds. The first two hours of Paper Mario 64 and TTYD are permanently etched into my mind. I remember every corner, every NPC conversation, every polygonal line and invisible wall. Its impossible for me to be objective when it comes to Paper Mario.
Which is partly why this game hit such a strange euphoria for me.
TTYD64 primarily involves adding TTYD mechanics into 64. That's already a great sales pitch. The gameplay flows smoother and there's more intent to unravel in how you approach the game. Accounting for partner health and additional badges adds such an important spice to the game's feel. I feel like I'm planning more than before and making considerations on top of that.
But elDexter and his modding team go above and beyond. To unlock the new badges or upgrades, they aren't content to simply give those skills to you. Instead, new areas are carefully crafted into this game's world. And suddenly, my perfect memory of this game runs up against entire new ideas. A hole in the ground that didn't exist before, a crack in the wall, a new path in the forest, a back alley in the shopping district. Filled with puzzles or characters or even recreated TTYD level screens, there's so much elaborate care in this game. Its not front-loaded or back-loaded, its carefully measured out across the game's entire length.
The game has other important features, things that ease the game's pace. Difficulty modes, cutscene skipping, randomizers, challenge modes, New Game +. All carefully built to provide more to a game people love. To a game I love. You can truly feel how deeply the team cared about this game and wanted to provide every bit of polish possible. Just like me, they could play this game a million times and still find joy in discovering something new.
I can't be objective about anything Paper Mario. Its carved into my soul. Seeing other people who feel the same way leaves a special mark in my heart. It doesn't matter if this mod rules or if it sucks (hint: it rules). That feeling of pure creative joy is gonna stick with me for a long time. Worth the price of admission for that.
Which is partly why this game hit such a strange euphoria for me.
TTYD64 primarily involves adding TTYD mechanics into 64. That's already a great sales pitch. The gameplay flows smoother and there's more intent to unravel in how you approach the game. Accounting for partner health and additional badges adds such an important spice to the game's feel. I feel like I'm planning more than before and making considerations on top of that.
But elDexter and his modding team go above and beyond. To unlock the new badges or upgrades, they aren't content to simply give those skills to you. Instead, new areas are carefully crafted into this game's world. And suddenly, my perfect memory of this game runs up against entire new ideas. A hole in the ground that didn't exist before, a crack in the wall, a new path in the forest, a back alley in the shopping district. Filled with puzzles or characters or even recreated TTYD level screens, there's so much elaborate care in this game. Its not front-loaded or back-loaded, its carefully measured out across the game's entire length.
The game has other important features, things that ease the game's pace. Difficulty modes, cutscene skipping, randomizers, challenge modes, New Game +. All carefully built to provide more to a game people love. To a game I love. You can truly feel how deeply the team cared about this game and wanted to provide every bit of polish possible. Just like me, they could play this game a million times and still find joy in discovering something new.
I can't be objective about anything Paper Mario. Its carved into my soul. Seeing other people who feel the same way leaves a special mark in my heart. It doesn't matter if this mod rules or if it sucks (hint: it rules). That feeling of pure creative joy is gonna stick with me for a long time. Worth the price of admission for that.
THE CREATORS OF 2017'S MOST DISAPPOINTING GAME OF THE YEAR PROUDLY PRESENT: 2023'S MOST DISAPPOINTING GAME OF THE YEAR
Pizza Tower
2023
I fucking suck at this game it's awesome
Super Monkey Ball 2
2002
Cruel and unusual punishment
Super Monkey Ball 2
2002
this happened to my buddy Lardo