After many, many years of not completing this game, I finally took the time to finish it tonight. The payoff was worth it.

Though the mechanics are fairly simple, the concept, story and the comedy in it is truly nuts and should be appreciated for it's uniqueness. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone since it's so damned unique that I honestly don't think most modern gamers would enjoy it.

Started the game tonight on stream and one thing is crystal clear - this is a statement making game. The fact that the Androids are straight up 2nd-class citizens makes for what seems to be a predictable story arc, but the differences between Connor, Markus, and Kara’s stories are quite interesting at the outset.

The story aside, I REALLY like the ‘flowchart’ aspect of the game and the possible ease of going back and seeing ‘what happened if’ and it’s hidden spiderwebbing of the story.

Controls and audio are what I expect from a Quantic Dream game (played Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls), but the visuals are so much more vibrant from the PS3 games to this release. I could only imagine the photo realism of a PS5 Quantic Dream game.

Finished the game tonight and man.... there are no words to express how powerful the connection between Kratos and Atreus is and has become over the arc of the game. The 'closure' and 'exposure' at the end of the game with the foreshadowing of Ragnarok is something I'm definitely looking forward to, but want to save it for when I get to it.

Had a chance to play the game for the first time today during a very rare amount of downtime, and I'm in love with this game after giving a non-PS5 having friend the Dualsense to see what features the PS5 has. The nostalgia for PlayStation in this game and Astro is the modern and Sony equivalent of a child-friendly mascot for PlayStation. I mastered 2 of the 4 areas today and want to get back to it whenever I can.

I have to give credit to LastStandMedia’s Colin Moriarty and MrMattyPlays on this game - I started Trigger Happy Havoc: Danganronpa this morning and have got to say that the story is gripping and the premise is intriguing as all get out.

The only thing I’m struggling with is trying to keep track of all 15 characters in the game so far and their backstories (the fighter, the businessman, the swimmer, the gambler, etc.) Monokuma is as evil as he is hilarious (the ‘flagpole’ gag had me dying laughing) and his music has this strange beat to it that gets my head bobbing along.

No one has been killed yet (still in Chapter 1), so I’m sure there’s more to the game than what I’ve experienced so far, but I’m definitely interested in where it goes.

After 38 hours, I finally rolled credits on this game and was completely stunned with the Mach-1 speed of the story in the last 2 chapters. The final chapter, boss battle, music and impressive length cinematic that tied up all of the narrative loose ends (because damn there are a lot of character arks) was highly enjoyable, though I cheese'd the game a bit by using weapons and having such high attack/heat stats against the final boss.

All in all, it was an amazing time and no time wasted whatsoever. Anyone who enjoyed Yazuka 0 and Yakuza Kiwami 1 will enjoy this for all of the unique aspects that the series provides.

Finally finished the game tonight and I’m physically and emotionally drained. The story is outstanding and left me without words. The jumping challenges were some of the hardest I’ve ever seen. I’m happy to report I completed the entire game with Assist Mode off - I only died 910 times in total. :)

Started Yakuza Kiwami 2 tonight and had a few thoughts.

First, the world and characters appear to be much more detailed than “Yakuza 0” and “Yakuza Kiwami 1”, though the game seems to drop from 60fps to 30fps. I’m fine with fidelity over frame rate, but after 100 hours with one, it’s difficult adjusting to the other.

Second, the single fighting style is a nice edit, with the stats system throwing me for a complete loop - I’m finding myself eating more now than I did in the prior games.

Third, thank goodness for the graveyard ‘flashback’ sequences - the problem with playing Kiwami 1, then 0 is that my memory of the characters and their arcs are backwards or all fucked up. This game seems to rely on continuity for the story; playing the first game without character context, then playing the prequel really forced me to remember who was who. The story seems believable, and after 2 hours, I feel ‘at home’ in Sotenbori and Kamorocho, being able to remember where food shops and stores are.

Oh, that’s the last thing - be able to walk INTO shops and interact feels new in this series (to me), so it’s a nice change. 2 hours in and meeting the Dragon of Kinsai has done some nice foreshadowing. :)

Finally, after another 30 minutes and 2 hours+ yesterday, I completed the game. Phew!

Finished the final chapter solo tonight; this is an excellent local-coop party game that I’ll pull out for the occasional party I throw. Game feels like the games of old and I really enjoyed it.

Finished with the "Real Estate Royale" mini game and unlocked the [REDACTED] - MAN OH MAN was that fun to dump money into. Finished the story and... seeing where Kiryu and Majima come from in context from Yakuza Kiwami 1 adds so much more context - highly recommend anyone interested in the mainline series should start with Yakuza 0 specifically for the backstory.

My god, this game is gorgeous. Started the game tonight; everything about the game is stunning. The axe feels spectacular and the fights feel visceral. Fight with "The Stranger" was a phenomenal setpiece. Can't wait to continue the story.

Finished the main story tonight, it ended better than I thought it would. Nice, quick enjoyable campaign for a fighting game - really love NetherRealm's quality. :)

Started the game tonight; story seems a little bit of a stretch and hard to follow since I didn’t/don’t remember the story from the original. Fighting moves and combos are fun, but I’m devolving to 2-3 hit combos and button mashing, all in good fun.

Played for about 20 minutes today, the platforming is giving me Super Meat Boy vibes, but I'm already seeing the need for Assist Mode in the future. The music is really beautiful though - I can definitely see myself vibing to it in an office setting.

Whoa. That fucking ending. Wish I hadn't decided to leave the machine gun in the box though. Glad that my first RE experience was this game - really enjoyed it.

Finished Chapter 4 and 5 - gotta say that the game was just 'tight' enough to stay fresh throughout the game while being short enough to not outstay its welcome. Would recommend for horror fans looking for a quick thing to try.

Played this game during Extra Life 2022; it’s more Jackbox, and that’s a good thing. That said, the games are starting to get a little bit too complex for my taste. Gone are the days of “Quiplash”, my friends.

Played this game during Extra Life 2022 for a friend and mine’s annual tournament; this felt more ‘solid’ than previous entries, though I personally couldn’t tell any direct upgrades to the game. All in all, if you’ve played one, you’ve played them all.

Tried this game during Extra Life 2022, it’s a silly little puzzle platformer that has a charming set of characters and unique humor. I have no idea how far I am through it (going through Ray’s head now), but it’s silly fun.

Started this game during Extra Life 2022; it’s an outstanding homage to the arcade beat-em-up’s of the 80s and 90s, no questions asked. 4 of us playing locally made it to the final stages, but sadly didn’t finish it. The minor RPG elements made for a nice surprise and the trophy list doesn’t seem too harsh. I’ll come back to it whenever I have friends over again. :)

Played this game during Extra Life 2022; played and beat the two Arcade games with 3 local co-op friends and was instantly transported back to the late 80s and early 90s. The graphics aged like a fine milk, but the nostalgia was in full effect. I wish I had this many quarters as a kid!

Started this game during Extra Life 2022; I loved these games in 1999 and will love them until 2099, though my skills have and will atrophy at a pace only paralleled by a record setting sprinter.

Started playing this during Extra Life 2022; I adore this homage to the original Super Mario Brothers. Colin Moriarty’s story is superb, the gameplay is tight and the enemy designs are as adorable as they are dangerous. Made it to Level 21 and looking forward to the next 29 levels.

Started this game tonight; found the puzzle platforming to be rather simple for the opening stages. Currently stuck at "Mr. Long Arms" (stupid cymbal monkeys). So far, the 'scary' factor isn't there yet, but it's still early into the game.

Played through the entire game tonight; really fun game with a unique FPS twist that, that after 30 years of playing FPS, I had a giant smile for throughout.

Starting the game tonight; my wife has changed a bit and Daddy can’t drive worth a damn.

Tried this game for the first time; I got about 10 minutes into the beginning and mentally freaked myself out to the point to where I was scared to move. Also, fuck subways.

Finally completed the game. Extremely happy to finish the story and see it through. Pretty sure I got the best ending, so that’s a plus.