Ever since starting the Yakuza franchise with Yakuza 0, Kiryu has been my favorite character and, over time, he ultimately became my favorite fictional protagonist in anything I've ever experienced. When I played Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the last thing I expected was to see him in it and playing Gaiden right after finishing Like A Dragon was the best decision I could've made.

A lot of questions went through my head upon Kiryu's arrival in the previous game and I wondered if the time between his big comeback and after his fake death in 6 would be something they'd explore here and I couldn't be happier with the fact that that is exactly what I got.

From the very start, this game captured me with its stunning presentation, incredible graphics and amazing soundtrack and it had me on the edge of my seat, hanging on to every word, to find out what Kiryu has been up to in his absence. I think every Yakuza game is one that explores Kiryu's character well, making us understand his motivation and ambitions in life, what he most wants to protect and how he feels about everything he's doing or had to do. This game - alongside 0, 5, 6 and Kiwami 2 - has, without a doubt, some of the BEST content for Kiryu and the journey he's been on. The confrontation at Omi Headquarters, his final fight against Shishido and him watching the surveillance footage Hanawa showed him, is one of my favorite and one of the best stretches in the entire franchise. It shows us exactly who Kiryu is and the whole game, up until that point, showcases who he's always been, a retrospection of his entire legacy up until now. It all culminates here. The coliseum for example was such a thrilling and emotional experience to me for that reason.

The way RGG handled this entire game, making it into such a spectacle and this big recollection and, in the end, giving us such an incredibly heartwarming and also heart wrenching moment for Kiryu - it was all masterful. This now truly feels like a new chapter in his life and I, for one, have no clue what 8 has in store for me, but I know it'll be brilliant. Especially after what I've experienced in Gaiden.

This game is absolute perfection to me. From the plot integration and connection it has to previous and upcoming games, to the character writing and gameplay - I have zero complaints. The combat is the best it's ever been. The Akame Network was an evolution and perfected system whose predecessors (Tanimura's police scanner in 4, Troublr in 6 and the Part Time Hero stuff from Like A Dragon) I've always enjoyed. The side content and sub stories reached a new high, with some feeling absolutely necessary to experience, and only enhanced the story and overall game for me. My first session playing this lasted almost 10 hours, which for me, as someone who isn't hugely into gaming in the first place, was previously unheard of (and I could've kept playing as well).

The newly introduced characters and side cast were also brilliant. Shishido, Tsuruno, Hanawa, Akame and Nishitani all stole my heart. I never thought I'd hear the name Nishitani ever again and to make it into what they did, was genius. Can't have a Yakuza game without some secret Koreans in it, but it works wonderfully. Him taking on that name and Nishitani's dynamics with Kiryu, Shishido, Tsuruno and Watase were more than I could've asked for.

Shishido had one of the best character arcs in this game, with one of the most well written betrayals in the series so far. Hanawa was probably my favorite newly introduced character though. All of his moments with Kiryu made me adore him and the end threw me for a loop. I NEED TO KNOW WHERE HE KNOWS KIRYU FROM. WHO EXACTLY IS/WAS HE. I'm sure I'll figure it out on my own or Infinite Wealth will tell me. There was so much depth and complexity in every new character presented and already existing characters that made an appearance had me hold back screams. Just simply seeing Ichiban made me lose it. Seeing that whole dissolution from Like A Dragon from Kiryu's perspective was something I was hoping for since starting the game and finding out when it takes place in the timeline. A great first meeting between the Dragon of Dojima and Hero of Yokohama. I know their dynamic will continue to impress and engage me. They made my brain melt every time they've come across each other. I love them both so much. To see all the other legendary Yakuza alongside Kiryu was amazing as well. Between Majima not wanting Kiryu to leave so quickly again and Daigo finally seeing his father figure again for the first time after his alleged death, the tears just wouldn't stop flowing. Not a single moment felt wasted, every little thing elevated everyone currently on screen I still can't believe it's all real.

Gaiden even managed to do something I never deemed possible which is give more substance to Yumi and make me dislike her less. I'm still not a fan of Yumi. I'll probably always think she was handled poorly in Kiwami 1 and her lack of personality made it hard for me to imagine that what Kiryu said - that the perfect wedding destination for her would be Hawaii - is something she actually believed (I couldn't tell you if that fit with her characterization or not, we barely got anything) BUT I have to say this is the first time in the franchise where from Kiryu's side of things, his feelings towards her actually felt believable. I never liked the execution their "romance" got in Kiwami 1 and I never cared when she was mentioned in following games, but it works here, which I'm very happy about. His story starts with picking up the ring and ends with him putting it down, a very fitting end.

So yeah, Kiryu is still without a doubt the best protagonist I've come across and this game was a class act in efficiency with great visuals and fun gameplay.

Will Kashiwagi and Kiryu ever meet again? Will Kiryu ever get to reunite with his family back in Okinawa or his family within the now dissolved Tojo clan? Is he having a nice time on Hawaii? I'm sure I'll find out once Infinite Wealth releases and I get to play it. Until then, "Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name" will remain my new favorite game I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Did I mention that before by the way? This is now my favorite game of all time. Truly a life changing experience that will stick with me for many years to come.

You know RGG are at the top of their game when a short spinoff is lowkey life changing if you don't play about kiryu. Truly believe this series is at its best whenever it tries out new things and places their characters under a new light, which is ironic considering this is such a love letter to the series at the same time, paying off years of investment like it's nothing. I'd say that's the best way to describe it, a game that manages to be so new and refined by building itself from everything the series has achieved so far and wearing it proudly. Needless to say it was everything i wanted it to be and it tore my heart into little pieces 10/10 i need shishido

Undoubtedly my favorite Kiryu content in the series. Like a Dragon Gaiden explores his character in ways that the series hadn't done prior, using this experience as a reflection of all the games that came before this. Through substories and the Colisseum, we relive or remember some of Kiryu's most important journeys and I couldn't be happier how it was handled. Even material I wasn't a fan of prior, like Yumi's character and the supposed love Kiryu felt for her, felt more believable and served a better narrative in this definitive sequel.
In its short runtime, it manages to bring a beautiful closing chapter to Kiryu and I'm incredibly grateful for the elegance and grace Gaiden treated him with.
Most of all, I'm incredibly happy we got a vulnerable and deeply emotional scene from Kiryu at the end, grieving the fact that he absolutely misses, needed and won't see his kids again. It broke my heart, but it truly solidified him as one of the best protagonists in fiction for me. It's all I wanted.

Judgment reintroduces us to Kamurocho in a brand new light to all the mainline Yakuza games. As a detective, the way Judgment presents Kamurocho to us gives a different perspective to the town we've become so familiar with, despite the familiar combat system.
The intrigue of Judgment comes mostly from its mystery, unveiling the truth bit by bit, chapter by chapter, you inch closer to the dark side of Kamurocho and its people while the allies you make along the way shine a hopeful light on the good of the town. In the web of lies and deceit that gets construed around you, you find that everyone has their own reasoning, their own stake in this game. Nothing is as it seems, but all comes to light at the end.
Particularly from chapter 4 onwards, the game does an incredible job at keeping you interested every step of the way, leaving just the right amount of questions whenever there's new answers. The emotional involvement of the main players brings out the best of the character work and is consistently engaging, particularly for Yagami, Kaito and a few others.
Although it does take its time with its slow start to truly get going and bring forth this grand mystery that you get eager to solve. This time is used to get acquainted with our main characters, although this characterization could've been used elsewhere, but this is not something that brings down the enjoyment of Judgment.

What does bring down the enjoyment is the treatment of one particular character. Saori Shirosaki, one of the attorneys at Genda Law Office, is consistently underutilized and as the only female member of the law office, gets the least amount of attention. Genda, Hoshino and even Shintani get plenty of focus and characterization throughout the story, but Saori is instead treated like a sexual object to be used and gawked at. In two instances, she has to infiltrate a space to seduce men to get information or to get blackmail material on them. In the first instance, Saori finds herself pretending to be a hostess, where the narrative criticizes this workspace through a secondary character, Mika who airs her grievances in the industry and how the murder related to the case affected her. While the message from the narrative is very much welcome, Judgment isn't able to take a true stance against the industry when it's treated as a fun minigame to dress up Saori and have men ogle at her on the streets. This was disappointing, but far from the worst thing.
However, in the second instance Saori pretends to be a journalist to seduce the director of ADDC. Because he has a perverted side, she is practically forced to flirt with him and unveil parts of her body. The player can choose to go further too, unbuttoning her blouse even further. Towards the end, you're able to capture the director grab Saori's ass on video and the job is done. You have the blackmail of him sexually harassing Saori and the section is thankfully over, but not before we get a line on how Saori might secretly be enjoying this.
I didn't intend to be overtly negative in this review as I thoroughly enjoyed the game and think it's a great entry into the series as a spin-off, but the two sections with Saori simply being objectified and used bogged the game down a lot. Very unfortunate, because I could've seen myself loving this game otherwise.

For the longest time, I had only played this game once. Through an emulator, a younger me had a hard time figuring out the controls and I remember struggling with the gameplay a lot. So now, several years later, I expected to not vibe with the gameplay a lot, despite the amazing story. But the game proved me wrong. I had a blast re-experiencing this game, experimenting anywhere I felt comfortable to and the game actively encouraged me to do so.

But more than that, I was immediately captivated by the story and world of Metal Gear Solid once again. Getting to play as a character that I have always adored in this franchise, experiencing his origins and the relationships he formed on his path to becoming the legendary Big Boss gave me such a deeper appreciation for his character.

What I deeply appreciate about Metal Gear Solid 3 is its contrast with the first two Solid games in the series. They end on a high thematic note, both celebrating life in a sense. But this entry chooses to do something else. The thematic resonance relies on the understanding of Big Boss's presence in the series. As an antagonist, a man with a wrong and messed up ideology. And here, we see it shaped from the one person he idolized and loved. The Boss - who is a captivating and beautiful character on her own - has a dream for this world. A dream that forms and shapes Naked Snake into the Big Boss that we know today.

"And no one will ever understand her. That was her final mission."

Even Big Boss fell victim to that.

(Spoilers ahead)
(idk why I marked it as spoiler and it's still not for me lmao)

Kiwami 1 has been a really interesting one for me, on one hand it really feels like a dated first game in a few ways from story to side content. I'm not someone who notices poorly implemented stuff really easily on first watch if I'm immersed but even I noticed how ass and reused like 80% of the sub-stories are, which they clearly brought forward from the OG first game. The story feels like a very dated and underdeveloped love story with uninteresting parts in the middle, and most of the side content and fighting mechanic is the same stuff carried from and done better in 0, but I definitely understand since they came out around the same time and this was meant to be the first game, and at the end of the day I still enjoyed it regardless.

Now to the positives which outweighs the negatives for me easily, the start and ending to the story is really good. I definitely wished Nishiki was developed more but considering how he was in the OG game I'm satisfied with it. Seeing him spiral into envy, mistrust and hatred towards everyone around him due to the stigma surrounding Kiryu was tragic and inevitable. It's heartbreaking caring for someone as you sworn brother, knowing how to made them suffer then have everyone say you are inferior in every way, as you lose everything important to you. I also love the significance and symbolism of the final battle, the koi swimming up the river eventually turning into a dragon, in a way it represents in the final battle that Nishiki was on the verge or was on equal terms with Kiryu and I love it, all the while For Whose Sake was playing, RGG really knows how to make a great final boss. Kiryu's perspective is also really interesting as a civilian who he lost everything except Haruka by the end of Kiwami in contrast to 0 where he was still a hopeful rising yakuza. Listening to Tonight -restart from this night- really hits different after this too. There's not a lot of side character that are memorable but I still really like Date and Shinji.

Now to Majima Everywhere, which is still the most memorable part of the game, overall it was a blast. I did get REALLY annoyed towards the end because I fought him like at least 60 times and some with like 5 health bars and I was getting like super tired, but I still love the mechanic. His interaction with Kiryu in this game are gold, all bangers. Whenever he just shows up to ambush you from the sewers when you are low on health is the most rage-inducing yet funniest thing of all time and it is absolutely cathartic. It's a nice test going up against all four of his styles. I also love that you get to challenge him in minigames. The highlight moments include when you lose to him in bowling and he does the mr walking erection turkey dance, truly a peak gaming moment. Also when he discovers Kiryu's pocket circuit stadium and Kiryu begging him to leave his haven and willingly wants to fight him while Majima wants to play, I love both of them so fucking much man. Not to mention Goromi, Zombie, Idol and Officer Majima, he is truly the greatest achievement in gaming history.