Sucks I had written this off as open world schlock for so long. I really enjoyed my time with this game with a really fun story and setting with challenging combat that really opened up the further I got into it. I do have some minor issues like some of the characters being a bit goofy and the loot system being a bit overwhelming until you get the hang of it which like god of wars recent reboot that sorta makes me question if it wasn’t worth streamlining this a lot more to make things less confusing. Overall though I had a good time with this and will definitely check of the sequel I will try to write off open world games less in the future unless it’s made by Ubisoft or something.

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.

Blown away by how much more I ended up enjoying this over the original Alan Wake and Control which this game should also be considered to be a sequel to. Remedy already surprised me with Control with the amazing bizarre aesthetic they have been running with while mixing in Live Action footage seamlessly and this game is that dialled up to 10 it’s easily the best looking game I’ve played graphically and aesthetically. All the new characters are great I actually ended up enjoying their segments more than most of the Alan Wake side of the game and the combat feels miles better this time round with none of the floating furniture being thrown at you returning this time round to ruin the game. Huge recommend especially to Twin Peaks or True Detective Season One Heads really surprised how great this is Remedy are easily one of the most charming game studios on the scene right now.

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.

Never owned this when I was a kid and only really played it a couple times over friends houses so I have really little attachment to this franchise. I did enjoy parts of the gameplay such as the half baked stealth mechanics and games funny for the most part with a really fun concept but I didn’t enjoy the mission structure after the first couple hours. I imagine the sequel addresses the issues I had with the gameplay and mission structure so I’ll definitely give that a try down the line. I also found this to be another THQ remaster that looks good in parts but simultaneously really ugly it’s a shame because a game like this could really shine with a decent remaster. Despite my issues this game regularly costs like £2.50 on sale so I’d say it’s probably worth the price of admission.

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.

Really enjoyed this remake although some of the changes they have made to the art style does make me prefer the original only the little bit more. I also ended up preferring how quiet and isolating Dead Space (2008) was without a voice acted protagonist which added to the character of the original game but appreciated what they did with this remake with a voiced Issac it’s a different direction that I think will lead into the inevitable remake of Dead Space 2 in a way that may be a bit more thematically consistent than the original games.

For the first 5 hours or so I was a little worried at how similar the game was to Breath of the Wild which was probably my mistake picking this up about 2 months after completing BOTW. As soon as I left the tutorial zone and fully started to make use of the new mechanics and not just rely on old habits from BOTW it really turned things around for me. Although the sky area was heavily featured in trailers the Depths is the real standout quickly becoming one of my favourite locations in any open world game I’ve played. Weapon durability is maybe worse in this game but the weapon fuse feature really makes it more rewarding to engage enemies especially in the late game. Crafting vehicles is insanely fun and will probably result in a visit from the RSPCA after neglecting my horse for 60+ hours of gameplay in favour of the Zonite Hindenburg. Enemies are a lot more interesting in this with a lot more variety in encounters especially the Cube monster things they are really fun to fight. Somehow the art direction is even better than it was in BOTW the dragons in particular are by far the coolest I’ve seen in any piece of media. Final boss is also in my top 5 boss fights of all time the scale of it is insane and makes me question if Dark Sorcery was used at any point to pull this off on the now 7+ year old switch hardware.

Overall I really recommend this especially for people who find themselves burnt out by modern open world game design it’s really unique and well worth the £50 Nintendo games are permanently doomed to cost in CEX’s across the UK.