ROLLING EYES FALL
The original Yakuza is a neat little game with themes about family and not running away from your destiny. It's an often disregarded game by the fanbase, due to many "aged" aspects such as the combat and English dub. Many fans recommended I start with Yakuza 0, but I defied expectations and went with the original, as suggested by my bestie Josh_The_Fourth. That, alongside the recent undub mod that released, gave me the drive to give this series a shot, and I don't regret it one bit.
Yakuza has a pretty cool story that makes the game feel like an interactive crime drama. It's not necessarily a deep plot, but it doesn't need to be. The story still supplies plenty of plot twists along the way, and has a great message about family, one of the best examples being Date's character arc. Being paced rather well, I was constantly on my toes wanting to see what happened next, even a few scenes towards the end really pulled my heartstrings. It also helps that the voice acting I picked is really good, I don't know a lick of Japanese but every emotion is conveyed in such a great way. I especially have to give props to Kiryu's voice actor, who is a character you'd think is the generic tough guy protagonist, but he really has a soft side, and his deliveries are fantastic. Once again, while not entirely deep, I love Yakuza's plot and characters.
The combat is always the biggest complaint against Yakuza 1, and I won't defend it entirely to be honest. There's alot of clunk, the lock on sucks, and at times it can be repetitive. However... damnit this combat is just so goofy and kinetic! I love just wiping the floor with petty yakuzas who are just out for my wallet, especially when seeing the pretty hard hitting heat attacks. Enemies with guns are honestly the worst, and in my opinion the lowest point for enemy variety in this game. The bosses aren't necessarily fantastic, but the Majima fights and the final boss are actually kinda great!
Man, this game's atmosphere and presentation though. Kamurocho is a very small hub world overall, but the amount of detail and, dare I say SOUL, is amazing. The fixed cameras of the city help accentuate the scale and detail the city contains, becoming one of the most visually striking games I've seen from the PS2. The cutscenes are well directed with good quality models and animations to accompany the important moments you'll be viewing. Lastly, the soundtrack for this game I adore. It's a rather small ost overall, but damn when music IS playing it absolutely goes hard, especially the battle themes. The emphasis on hard rock and electronica(?) just evokes such a cool feeling that sends me straight back to the 2000's (in a good way.)
Yakuza is definitely a flawed experience, but I had a blast playing this. I've known about the series for nearly 2 years now, but I just never bothered playing them. And now here we are, and I am in love. Can I recommend the original Yakuza? That is a hard question. If you play exclusively modern games, I probably can't, but if you can step out of that comfort zone maybe you'll have something to like! Luckily Yakuza isn't a terribly long game (I finished it with 12 hours of play time), nor is it very difficult with a few exceptions.
Overall, I give this game a nine out of TEN YEARS IN THE JOINT MADE YOU A F-

An absolute masterpiece in game design, but in the worst possible way. A whopping 52 games in one package, and not a single one of them functions properly, can give some semblance of fun, or is even remotely worth any of your time. It's a game completely devoid of any qualities whatsoever, and it's one amazing trainwreck to behold. The most enjoyment you can even get out of this is probably just from laughing at it. I know me and my friends certainly had a great time doing that, at least. But I can't imagine you would be laughing if you were a naive little kid back in the 90's ripped off by it's absurd $200 price point.

the dark and melodramatic streets of kamurocho, contextualized by punctual camera angles, neon signs that dampen dark alleyways, and wacky inhabitants. kamurocho is alive. for every fun filled casino or arcade, an oppressive gang infested street lies just around the corner.
in the week or so since i've finished this game, i haven't stopped thinking about it. the dynamic cast of characters, the aforementioned bustling streets of kamurocho, the hard hitting sample induced rock soundtrack, and the clunky yet earnestly goofy combat; it's extremely honest and heartfelt in pursuit of a crime drama, and it certainly delivers. i think the themes of family bonds really tie everything together. the moments with the florist and his son, or date with his daughter were a bit of a deviation from the main narrative but they were ultimately for the sake of driving a point home, which i respect. yakuza 1 isn't afraid of itself unlike kiwami, it'll confidently present you its themes and gameplay without hesitation. while i do see the combat as inherently flawed it never got on my nerves or hindered my enjoyment of the game. it's clunky for sure but every attack, daft in approach, feels impactful when it connects. and with the backing of rough hardass rock beats mixed with the hip hop sample here and there, i couldn't help but be pumped up for every battle that ensued.
despite its flaws, i still appreciate yakuza 1 for what it sets out to do. the atmosphere is almost unparalleled in the ps2 library. between every freeze frame loading the next street, a sense of curiosity and infatuation follows. i don't care if kiwami is objectively better or whatever, this is the real yakuza experience to me. kiwami WISHES it could be this genuine.
BRING that shit, Kazuma.

I was wrong. Klonoa 2: Lunatea’s Veil’s original release has rightfully reclaimed its spot as my favourite game of all time (so far).

Can’t believe they screwed over the ending of DtP 4-2 this badly. Might bring myself to beat the Klonoa 2 remaster one day.

I still have hopes that one day, Bandai Namco will hire a development team with genuine passion and thorough understanding of everything Klonoa stands for to create a brand new Klonoa title, especially with sales being positive. However, as it stands, Monkeycraft only made a perfectly servicable, playable, 2.5D platformer game that has no identity, no polish and no soul. It’s contaminated by corporate greed to its core and the difference can’t be more obvious.

Not today, Klonoa, but maybe another day. It’s time for you to go…

…back to your Phantomile, the PS1 and PS2, where you truly reign supreme.

Weird GBA vibes with a pretty brilliant concept that gets executed very frustratingly. It's 3/4th's beatemup and 1/4th fighting game for the bosses, the conceit being that the stage boss is giant and lurks over you during the course of the main stage, then you power up to fight it kaiju style at the level end. Stages are paced excellently and use their runtime to really build up to each encounter, sometimes through gradual intimidation and others by surprise attacks during the third act. The mechanics are rock-solid with a good selection of swift ground and air moves in levels and satisfying, weighty attacks in boss battles. The aesthetic alone is very strong but gets bolstered further by extremely impressive animation for 1993, combining snappy fixed frames with light tweening for a very distinct look that feels one parts street fighter, another part vectorman, and will remind most people of games like fire emblem or superstar saga. There's certainly better looking games on 16-bit, but the style feels a good decade ahead of its time.

All sounds good, but the problem is that taken as finished products, both gameplay styles are executed annoyingly. Beatemup areas have very 'videogamey' one-note attack patterns; you got enemies that jump all the time, big enemies, bomber enemies, etc. Nothing here nails the beatemup conceit of taking on similarly-powered foes in mutual combat. That's where bosses come in, but goddamn are they just brutal. They're 90's fighting game goons: They are contractually obligated to have the most fiendish AI possible, on top of just having objectively better tools and frame data than you. They block constantly and none of your attacks can chip them, but THEY all get special moves that can chip you. It feels like the only legit way to beat them is exploiting them, but even that becomes a stroke of luck when their AI magically figures out your shit. Even on easy I couldn't get past negative mazinger.

Ultimately what results of mazin saga's odd ambitions is a game that's very frequently a fun button masher spliced with extremely visceral, empowering boss battles. But it's too wildly inconsistent and leaves you strung up on brick walls too often. Felt like I found a real hidden gem at first, but came out just wanting to play other beatemups instead.

The Nintendo 3DS is one of the single worst designed systems, ergonomically speaking. The very flat, boxy shape is complete hell on my hands, and to be fair it's not like it was ever designed to be clutched for long sittings. I bought all the Shin Megami Tensei games off the eshop when I found out it would be going down, not wanting to miss a chance at these titles forever (I am not paying the after market price on these, it's insane and it's only going to get worse), so I felt compelled to really sink some serious time into each one. As soon as I finished SMTIV I went right to its direct sequel, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and all it got me was a case of tendonitis.

This is no exaggeration. My right thumb began to catch and even minor amounts of use would result in a burning pain along the length of the thumb and my wrist. A month of wearing a compression glove and taking it easy and I came out the other end just fine, but that also meant a month of not playing SMTIV:A. Anyone who has quit an SMT game and come back to it later, especially during the late game like I did, can attest to how disorienting it is to jump back in. This is all a long walk to say my thoughts are a bit scattered, and the final act did not land with me as well as everything that preceded it, but I hardly fault Apocalypse for that. I fault the 3DS. Piece of junk- this handheld hurt me!!

Apocalypse is a divisive game, maligned among SMT purists for failing to capture the tone and gravitas of previous entries in the mainline series, seemingly trading on all its hallmarks for something far more in line with the tone of Persona. This is a fair criticism. It's definitely a more huggy-feely, "let's show them the super power of friendship!" kind of game, and while there's been moments of brevity in the mainline games, the writing in Apocalypse is purposefully humorous throughout. However, I like Persona. Gun to my head, the mainline games are my favorite, but I enjoy the Megami Tensei game franchise very broadly and am not so easily turned off by Apocalypse's stronger emphasis on personal bonds.

For the umpteenth time I'll mention that Nocturne is my favorite game of all time. Its somber, lonely atmosphere is unparalleled, masterfully executed. However, I am not so cold that I can't find something to enjoy about the way Apocalypse's main cast of characters grow and bond with one another. Even Navarre, who existed in IV as nothing more than a means to highlight the upper-class' disdain for the impoverished in the Kingdom of Mikado, is so fully realized as a character that I found myself smiling ear-to-ear when his character arc finally came full circle. If this game can actually get me to care about a character like that, I think it's got something going on.

Mechanically, Apocalypse makes vast improvements over IV. Difficulty balancing is a lot more sensible, though the game is plagued by a few too many boss battles that are designed to be lost (a trope I absolutely hate.) You're able to select who the guest party member is now, each with their own clearly defined utility. Their AI actually seems competent this time, far less likely to pelt a boss with an attack they're immune to, and after a certain number of turns a meter will build up that allows them and the rest of your party to unleash an all-out attack. This also buys you another turn, which set up a satisfying loop of buffing my party right before the all-out attack just to ensure I could take advantage of any "smirks" I've gained in the aftermath (a mechanic where your attacks will become critical so long as the effect is applied.) It adds another layer to a combat system that I felt was pretty well perfected already.

Navigation similarly feels better. Tokyo isn't as much of a nightmare to explore, and you actually have a functional map that isn't a total pain in the ass to use. Quests are automatically accepted, reducing the amount of times you have to jump into and out of the menu, and claiming rewards is similarly a breeze. Sidequests themselves are much more compelling, too. Whereas they were a major point of contention for me in the previous game, I actually completed most of them by the end of Apocalypse.

The visual design is much more consistent as well. IV was downright confused, with artwork for the various demons you encounter being cobbled together from multiple artists, with no attempt at unifying designs. This resulted in a lot of ugly, blurry art occupying the same screen as other demons that used high res illustrations, and several designs that pushed a bit too far away from the aesthetic design that links the Shin Megami Tensei games together. This would be like someone redesigning Pikachu to be a cockroach monster, but Charizard looks the same, it just doesn't really work. In Apocalypse, many demon designs from the previous game that failed to gel with that aesthetic were redrawn, and they look a hell of a lot better for it.

There are of course some rough patches. A few dungeons failed to land with me at all, the final dungeon in particular. Each screen looks so similar it's very difficult to get your barrings, and the maze-like structure doesn't seem entirely thought out. I was able to circumvent it several times, which actually resulted in me missing things required to advance much later. There's also just a lot of dead open space and very few enemies roaming around, with most encounters being forced by sudden ambushes, which kinda just sucks. At this point in the game I was already level 99 and had no need to continually blow through fodder.

The DLC is also just kinda so-so. The Diamond Realm DLC which brings back the main characters from Shin Megami Tensei's 1-3 definitely appeals to me from a fan service perspective, but holy hell my team composition was just not right for it at all. The DLC is meant to be tackled at such a high level, really you ought to already be at the cap, and even then it feels like you need to be carefully considering what team you're building towards well in advance, making careful use of your macca so as to not do what I did and be flat out broke with a horde of demons capable of clearing the main game, but functionally useless for the DLC you blew real money on. Whoops! I'm not sure if the DLC scales for NG+, maybe you're supposed to wait until a second run or something. I won't be doing that because I don't care to ever put my hands through that kind of agony again, and I still have two whole 3DS SMTs to beat...

Apocalypse is certainly not my favorite SMT game, probably not even in my short list of the best in the series, but it improves on IV in absolutely every way. Perhaps that's blasphemy to some SMT fans, but I don't care. This is my opinion and these are my hands and they hurt and I'm tired and I am going to BED!

i'll save my "miyazaki peaked so early" judgement for after playing For Answer but this game plays so much better than any of the souls games to me. pretty incredible directorial debut. might be strange to describe this game as "comfy" seeing as how it's about being a mercenary in a planet-destroying war between imperial corporations who recuperate anti-establishment movements to sabotage each other but as lean as the storytelling is, the friendship between the raven and fiona is really quite what makes this whole thing work for me. the "i'm glad youre alright, let's go home" at the end of every mission is so fulfilling, it's a kind of reinforcement, of acknowledging your struggles and wishing you well, i wish games that ask more of your skills like this used more often rather than exclusively relying on 'personal accomplishment' i guess as the singular emotion to go for.

One of Toaplan's two horizontal shmups that I know of, the other being Zero Wing. They're not so different at all, they're lengthy and dull and boring to look at, meanwhile the music does the best job out of anything on display.

This one has a pretty irritating mechanic with the weapon switching, though. You have four modes to switch between: pink (shoot forward), yellow (backward), green (verticals), and blue (diagonals). You'll need to use each of these pretty often, so a lot of switching around is done. The thing, though, is that you can only cycle through them in that order. So if you need to alternate back and forth between pink and yellow (which would be awfully convenient at various times), well then tough shit for you because you can't immediately go to pink from yellow, and you have to cycle all the way around until you get back there. It seems minor, but it really is annoying especially later on. Definitely bogged the experience down some.

There's a timelessness to Outrun. Despite being 35 years old and emblematic enough of the 80s for a whole aesthetic movement to bear it's name, there's nothing about Outrun that feels antiquated, old, or as if it needs anything more to nail exactly what it's aiming for. The rush of driving fast, feeling the passing breeze through your hair, and not a care in the world - that is outrun. And it's beautiful.

Yu Suzuki/AM2's early titles always have this slight sense of wonder to them. With the exception of Space Harrier, none of them are ostensibly fantastical, yet they also all have an impossible, or at least idealistic quality to them. A perfect, honest martial arts fight, blazing past countries in cars and bikes, being the top gun in a mad action movie. Not all of them are great, but they do all make me smile, and all are simple enough pleasures to relish.

Compared to it's sister game, Super Hang-On, I do think Outrun isn't quite as good. This is largely just personal preference - I like motor racing a lot and SHO is far more about that vibe, with a much greater sense of speed.

I would also probably say that despite SHO being a far, far harder game than Outrun, it's much less frustrating. The difficulty of different outrun tracks is a bit all over the place, Traffic is far more annoying to get past than it is engaging and the courses are just less tightly designed - SHO is a game that will quickly embed a list of rules regarding changes of direction which OutRun just... doesnt.

I think it's also fair to say that Outrun's handling is weird. This is the case with all super scaler racing games to an extent - they all feel like you're going more from side to side than in an actual 3D space, because you are - It's not as bad as the bizzare handling of Power Drift, but the way motorcycles corner and lose grip is just frankly more suited to the style than cars, so especially with tight turns, it can get a bit wack.

But come on, it's outrun. I almost feel like i'm uttering blasphemy picking nits in it, because thats all any fault is when you're blasting across the world in your ferrari, delightful melodies playing on the radio. For Outrun's 5 minute length, the world's worries all fade away.

The music is also why I would particularly reccomend the Switch SEGA AGES version of this - itself essentially a reporting of the 3DS version. It includes 2 new tracks - Cruising Line by Manabu Namiki and Camino a Mi Amor by Jane-Evelyn Nisperos (Chibi-Tech). They are absolutely perfect, fitting wonderfully in with the original tracks, with similar instrumentation and melody styles, and providing a bit of depth to the soundtrack. It's like they've been there the whole time, I love it.

All in all, Outrun is timeless. The very fact this version of Outrun is about the 5th to have the sega ages moniker speaks to an enduring appeal that has now legitimately lasted generations. And I imagine it will be far from the last port of this wonderful game.