People say "Separate the art from the artist" but oftentimes, the artist and their sick and twisted perversions are so intertwined with their work that it doesn't even matter, and this is the prime example of that, and even if it weren't, the artist is still bad enough as is without his shit hypothetically not being in the game
That and this game is just horrible; a shoddily coded, barely optimized mess that doesn't even have its main bulk of the game coded in; and it's been 10 fucking years since the game started development!
That and this game is just horrible; a shoddily coded, barely optimized mess that doesn't even have its main bulk of the game coded in; and it's been 10 fucking years since the game started development!
The story may be a bit of a whatever excuse plot (fog king? more like fog "doesn't connect the future" king), Kino and Nene are just Reyn and Sharla reskins, but hey, we get to see more of Shulk and Melia, a peek at a post-XC1 final boss world, and we finally get to explore the cut content of Bionis Shoulder that has actually been refurbished since its unused debut, and it's more of the same Xenoblade 1 combat we all know and love, so that's awesome
WE MEASURE FIND TREASURE PONSPECTORS TIL WE DIE
WE MEASURE FIND TREASURE PONSPECTORS TIL WE DIE
2021
The absolute best game to play when your internet is down, and lucky for this review, it went down a few hours ago so I played this game, but it went back up again just now so W
2007
The combat and enemies and openworld are on the basic side, but Travis himself, and the game's immense charm and style, addicting gameplay loop, witty writing, damn solid music and unique and fun boss fights (except Speed Buster lmao) outweigh the previously mentioned negatives by tenfold.
So in short; It's Suda51, what can I say? That guy's an enigma on the level of Hideo Kojima or Yoko Taro, and all of his unique ideologies and worldviews certainly carry over here, and that makes the game and the experience of playing it unlike any other.
So in short; It's Suda51, what can I say? That guy's an enigma on the level of Hideo Kojima or Yoko Taro, and all of his unique ideologies and worldviews certainly carry over here, and that makes the game and the experience of playing it unlike any other.
2021
This review contains spoilers
Lost Judgment (alongside its companion DLC; The Kaito Files, both make an absolutely killer combo, as one brilliantly supplements the other) is by far the best game RGG Studios have EVER put out to date.
Nearly everything is in tip-top shape and quite the improvement over the last game; the combat, with its wide variety of combo options and approaches to encounters; for starters, the preexisting styles; Crane and Tiger are actually viable and useful in encounters unlike the last time, and we have two new styles; Snake and Boxer, and while Snake is an awesome and fresh new style with plenty of fun mechanics, Boxer falls a little bit short but is still fun in combos. Oh, and there's also the boss fights, the side content and activities, as Seiryo High is a brilliant, unique, and brand new setting for the RGG franchise, the music, the writing, the character interactions, and the majority of the new characters: with my favorites of the bunch being Kuwana, who is the best antagonist in the franchise, Sawa, and Amasawa, who is the best substory character the franchise has seen, (although there are duds like Koda and Bando), hell even Akutsu, Tesso and Soma, as relatively minor as they all are, are still pretty great and memorable despite their lack of screentime comparatively, and there's also the storytelling, which is deliciously gripping, enthralling, and morally complex all the way through, and on par with the great storytelling of the previous game, maybe even slightly better, as the first game had a bit of an issue with its pacing.
Even though the narrative's government conspiracy kind of trips over itself in the last few chapters of the game, the positives far outweigh the negatives, as I think it's a very refreshing, unique, and engrossing story narrative, tackling themes and topics the mainline Yakuza series wouldn't even dare to touch, like bullying and suicide, and what kind of damages it inflicts upon society and its people, and how various people get caught in the crossfire of it all. People might say the story's worse because it's less personal; and I'd say I disagree with that notion because while it may be a bit less personal than the first game, it still fits the Yagami squad's M.O as detectives, taking on various morally complex jobs and stories, and it does the job perfectly.
The only things that fall a bit too flat here are the detective and courtroom aspects, as they feel way too simplistic and tacked-on, and don't really require too much critical thinking to solve, and that Mafuyu does absolutely fucking nothing in this game, and by GOD, I hope JE3 fixes that because these two issues have been plaguing the Judgment series since day one. There are also some other small gripes I have, like some of the bullies' redemption arcs feel a wee bit rushed (looking at you Akane and especially Sakaki who barely counts as a character compared to the other two and on his own), and the sexual harassment plotpoints being a bit weird (they technically make sense but still feel lowkey in poor taste), that and the boxart is uhh... yeah it's bad, not even gonna sugarcoat it. But, despite the negatives, I'd say that the game is still more than the sum of its parts in the best way possible.
If I had to describe this game's narrative in a single word, it would be... morally grey. No one's right in this whole situation, but no one is wrong either, and no single perspective is correct, and that's the beauty of it all, honestly, I rarely see video games approach morally gray topics like that, and I'd say Lost Judgment aces it pretty well! so in short, it's absolutely peak, play the Judgment games now!
See you in Judgment 3! (it's gonna come out sooner or later by the way, Johnny's and Associates is out of commission, and Takuya Kimura has a YT channel, and there's also that big announcement Yokoyama was talking about https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/1740800530056712454 so it's only a matter of when at this point)
Nearly everything is in tip-top shape and quite the improvement over the last game; the combat, with its wide variety of combo options and approaches to encounters; for starters, the preexisting styles; Crane and Tiger are actually viable and useful in encounters unlike the last time, and we have two new styles; Snake and Boxer, and while Snake is an awesome and fresh new style with plenty of fun mechanics, Boxer falls a little bit short but is still fun in combos. Oh, and there's also the boss fights, the side content and activities, as Seiryo High is a brilliant, unique, and brand new setting for the RGG franchise, the music, the writing, the character interactions, and the majority of the new characters: with my favorites of the bunch being Kuwana, who is the best antagonist in the franchise, Sawa, and Amasawa, who is the best substory character the franchise has seen, (although there are duds like Koda and Bando), hell even Akutsu, Tesso and Soma, as relatively minor as they all are, are still pretty great and memorable despite their lack of screentime comparatively, and there's also the storytelling, which is deliciously gripping, enthralling, and morally complex all the way through, and on par with the great storytelling of the previous game, maybe even slightly better, as the first game had a bit of an issue with its pacing.
Even though the narrative's government conspiracy kind of trips over itself in the last few chapters of the game, the positives far outweigh the negatives, as I think it's a very refreshing, unique, and engrossing story narrative, tackling themes and topics the mainline Yakuza series wouldn't even dare to touch, like bullying and suicide, and what kind of damages it inflicts upon society and its people, and how various people get caught in the crossfire of it all. People might say the story's worse because it's less personal; and I'd say I disagree with that notion because while it may be a bit less personal than the first game, it still fits the Yagami squad's M.O as detectives, taking on various morally complex jobs and stories, and it does the job perfectly.
The only things that fall a bit too flat here are the detective and courtroom aspects, as they feel way too simplistic and tacked-on, and don't really require too much critical thinking to solve, and that Mafuyu does absolutely fucking nothing in this game, and by GOD, I hope JE3 fixes that because these two issues have been plaguing the Judgment series since day one. There are also some other small gripes I have, like some of the bullies' redemption arcs feel a wee bit rushed (looking at you Akane and especially Sakaki who barely counts as a character compared to the other two and on his own), and the sexual harassment plotpoints being a bit weird (they technically make sense but still feel lowkey in poor taste), that and the boxart is uhh... yeah it's bad, not even gonna sugarcoat it. But, despite the negatives, I'd say that the game is still more than the sum of its parts in the best way possible.
If I had to describe this game's narrative in a single word, it would be... morally grey. No one's right in this whole situation, but no one is wrong either, and no single perspective is correct, and that's the beauty of it all, honestly, I rarely see video games approach morally gray topics like that, and I'd say Lost Judgment aces it pretty well! so in short, it's absolutely peak, play the Judgment games now!
See you in Judgment 3! (it's gonna come out sooner or later by the way, Johnny's and Associates is out of commission, and Takuya Kimura has a YT channel, and there's also that big announcement Yokoyama was talking about https://twitter.com/Okami13_/status/1740800530056712454 so it's only a matter of when at this point)
2003
This game feels like you're locked up in a mental asylum with 5 hyenas on fire, and you get to hear their miserable squeals of agony as you get to watch them die right in front of your eyes, as all but one thought endlessly rings through your head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJTK_iNA5s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FJTK_iNA5s
2016
Just thinking about this game makes me feel like I'm having an anal evacuation
Whatever the fuck they did to the Persona 3 cast in this game (looking at you Akihiko, why the FUCK did they turn him into an empty-headed meathead???? that's like completely missing the point of his original character) is a travesty and I will not stand for it
I do not remember anything about this game besides the funny Hokuto Shinken antics, and for good reason, this game is painfully dull and forgettable, although it's certainly better than most of the licensed video game slop that comes out of the video game industry
2003
Anyone who unironically likes this game is a dangerous masochist that needs to get help immediately :troll:
Pro-tip though; just watch a video game movie of this game and wait for a remake, because the godawful gameplay squanders everything remotely good about this game (like the story, atmosphere, music and characters)
Pro-tip though; just watch a video game movie of this game and wait for a remake, because the godawful gameplay squanders everything remotely good about this game (like the story, atmosphere, music and characters)
2007
Now that Reload is out, I'll be real, I think that this game has aged just about as well as milk on a hot summer day (hyperbole probably)
2024
Damn, I'm like 7.5 hours into this game and I can see that this remake is peak
The characterization, the gameplay, Tartarus, the voice acting, the pacing, the exploration, the aesthetic, everything is an absolute improvement over the original and is just simply better (although unavoidable battle sounds a bit weaker lol)
Pick this one up ASAP, you won't regret it
The characterization, the gameplay, Tartarus, the voice acting, the pacing, the exploration, the aesthetic, everything is an absolute improvement over the original and is just simply better (although unavoidable battle sounds a bit weaker lol)
Pick this one up ASAP, you won't regret it
2019
One of the most 'OK" games of all time but hey at least it put Aleks Le the GOAT on the map
Yakuza: Like a Dragon (also commonly known as Yakuza 7) is easily at its best when it covers the simple, endearing, and legitimately heartfelt themes of family and friendship, Ichiban's personal life story, and his relationships with his closest relatives, like Jo Sawashiro, Masumi and Masato Arakawa, and hell I'd say Ichi himself is one of my favorite RGG protags alongside idk Yagami, Kaito, or Shinada, albeit he's a bit too hyperactive for my tastes, and relies a bit too much on "quirky gamer references" (futaba sakura moment) and that keeps him a bit lower than these three.
But, it's easily at its worst when it does the usual conventional but needlessly convoluted and arguably ridiculous Yakuza plots we've all come to know which starts happening around chapter 7, when more and more stuff starts getting revealed, like the counterfeit money schemes, the betrayals, the needless withholding of information (looking at YOU Seonhee lmfao), the unnecessary deaths, the stupid yakuza world politics, clan wars, ridiculously huge criminal plots, and of course fucking Mirror Face, the plot device of all plot devices :skull:
Other than that, I'd say a majority of the protagonists and antagonists except Ichiban himself, his closest relatives. and the very first members of your party, those being Adachi and Nanba, aren't really all that deep or fleshed out in the long run (a few of them being Ishioda, Eri, and god forbid Seonhee, as she has practically zero personality besides being "great value" Ada Wong with a K-pop filter slapped on top), and the Drink Links (Social Links in RGG language) don't do enough to amend the issue (except for Han's which contains very crucial lore about his character), and the RPG gameplay is pretty barebones compared to the other big JRPG games out, like Persona, Dragon Quest, or even the earlier Final Fantasy titles, but it still feels like there's effort put into the whole package; as it's still relatively fun, and requires quite a bit of thought and strategy put into it (excluding some boss fights which are just spamming your best moves until they die) That, and I can excuse a lot of it, seeing as it's still their first turn-based RPG game, so they'll most definitely polish it up in Yakuza 8.
But, it's easily at its worst when it does the usual conventional but needlessly convoluted and arguably ridiculous Yakuza plots we've all come to know which starts happening around chapter 7, when more and more stuff starts getting revealed, like the counterfeit money schemes, the betrayals, the needless withholding of information (looking at YOU Seonhee lmfao), the unnecessary deaths, the stupid yakuza world politics, clan wars, ridiculously huge criminal plots, and of course fucking Mirror Face, the plot device of all plot devices :skull:
Other than that, I'd say a majority of the protagonists and antagonists except Ichiban himself, his closest relatives. and the very first members of your party, those being Adachi and Nanba, aren't really all that deep or fleshed out in the long run (a few of them being Ishioda, Eri, and god forbid Seonhee, as she has practically zero personality besides being "great value" Ada Wong with a K-pop filter slapped on top), and the Drink Links (Social Links in RGG language) don't do enough to amend the issue (except for Han's which contains very crucial lore about his character), and the RPG gameplay is pretty barebones compared to the other big JRPG games out, like Persona, Dragon Quest, or even the earlier Final Fantasy titles, but it still feels like there's effort put into the whole package; as it's still relatively fun, and requires quite a bit of thought and strategy put into it (excluding some boss fights which are just spamming your best moves until they die) That, and I can excuse a lot of it, seeing as it's still their first turn-based RPG game, so they'll most definitely polish it up in Yakuza 8.
Man, you can tell this game wasn't written by Suda, because it pretty much lacks everything that made the first game fun, witty, charming, and unique in the first place, and feels like a glorified filler episode that you can easily skip going forward to TSA, except for the Kimmy fight and the second to last fight. Other than that, you can feel that they tried with the combat, but it feels very floaty in comparison to 1's tighter combat, the open world is borderline nonexistent, and it doesn't try to improve upon the so-so open world foundation set by the first game (even NMH3 tried that lmao) the levels feel frustrating (looking at you Shinobu) and the characters feel like caricatures of their previous incarnations (also looking at you Shinobu)
You know what? This game's Shinobu and her section represent everything wrong with this game; frustrating levels, half-baked boss and enemy design, unsatisfying gameplay, and shallow writing.
You know what? This game's Shinobu and her section represent everything wrong with this game; frustrating levels, half-baked boss and enemy design, unsatisfying gameplay, and shallow writing.