I can think of few Yakuza games with as much issues as Yakuza 5. From the messy and convoluted storyline; to the mostly weak antagonists, to its unwillingness to fully explore some of its subject matter. But I can also think of few Yakuza games I enjoyed as much as Yakuza 5. In terms of combat it's my favorite game behind Zero, the variety of its movesets and improved boss design from 4 made for so many enjoyable encounters. And the minigames are some of my favorite in the series. Taxi driving as Kiryu, hunting as Saejima, idol industry work as Haruka, baseball as Shinada; not only being mechanically enjoyable but are able to give some genuinely heartwarming stories that furthered my appreciation of the characters. But as I mentioned earlier I don't feel that positive when it comes to the main plot. Yakuza 5 has one of the most inconsistent plots in the series, having some of Yakuza’s best scenes along with one of its most messy storylines. Kiryu and Saejima’s parts have some great character work, but Saejima’s part suffers from pacing issues and the convoluted storyline. Haruka and Akiyama’s part was really fun to play, but is brought down by inconsistent character writing (Mrs Park and those two cunts from T-Set) and an unwillingness to fully explore the dark side of the idol industry. Shinada’s part was really fun because of how much I like Shinada and his relationship with Takasugi, but I didn't like a certain plot twist and the home run subplot started to bore me around the end. The final part puts on display a lot of these issues I mentioned, yet when I played that final chapter I left the game feeling really satisfied. It's a touching resolution for the main characters that puts on display what makes each of them so great, and it also includes two of my favorite boss fights of the series so far. This game is such a perfect encapsulation of what Yakuza is, flaws and all. And while I wish some things about it were different, I still had a great time playing through it, and it reminded me yet again what makes these games so special.

The more I think about it this is probably my favorite video game. It's very far from perfect, having a good amount of jank and some really weak areas in the late game. But it still manages to be such a special overall experience. The level design and atmosphere surpasses any other Soulsborne game I've played, the combat is fun and allows for so much variety, the boss roster although inconsistent has some incredible highs (Manus, Kalmeet, O&S), and it has a strong emotional element thanks to its endearing side characters and thought provoking themes. It was a bit overwhelming on my first playthrough, but upon replays it has become something of a comfort game for me. I've replayed this game 3 times now and I still have yet to get bored of it.

Exploring Racoon City Police Station for the first time is one of the best video game experiences I’ve had. The combination of tense atmosphere and intricate level design made this area both terrifying and a joy to explore; giving me a newfound interest in survival horror gaming. But unfortunately I can’t say I enjoyed the rest of the game nearly as much. The level design isn't as strong, but also suffers from some terrible boss fights and sections where you play as other characters. But besides all of that, these sections past the Police Station start placing more emphasis on the story, which I got bored of really quickly. There's nothing bad about it, but everything from the dialogue to the story beats felt so generic. Which could work if the tone of the game wasn't so self serious all the time. And on my second playthrough all these issues I had became much more apparent, slightly souring the overall experience for me. I had a lot fun with the RE2 Remake and I'm interested in playing other games in this series, but I just wish that the rest of this game lived up to those opening hours.