The Yakuza series is a rare series that is unwilling to jettison its long winding story arc over 9 mainline games to make it accessible for someone new to the series. I know people want to play the newest and most current game, but I please urge you to start from Yakuza 0 and work your way through each game. If you do that, your reward will be all the greater as you fall in love with these reoccurring protagonists and side characters, as Kazuma Kiryu and later, Kasuga Ichiban. You love to see characters like Date, Yuya, Akiyama, Majima, Saejima, the Florist, Daigo, and other make their appearances and help Kiryu in some way. You love to see the villains appear and then exit as they come to realize that Kiryu isn’t just the biggest most beastly bare knuckles fighter in Kamurocho, but his strength comes from his own dedication to righting wrongs, fighting injustices, and dealing with a legacy of violence and warring between the Tojo clan and various other criminal groups. A word that I’ve come to use a lot because of Infinite Wealth is legacy: at this point you get to see the legacy of all the choices made by many people fighting for a small piece of Tokyo.

Infinite Wealth was an emotional experience for me because you are reminded of the legacy of the Tojo Clan and of Kiryu. You are reminded of many moments of Kiryu’s life, and you get to see first hand how his choices have affected the people he cared about. You get to know the bittersweet answer to the question, what will the world be like without Kazuma Kiryu. You get to see a new generation of heroes take up the burden that he carried for so long, and even though it’s their biggest and most dangerous adventure yet, somehow they will come through it.

It’s a big ask, I know, but I can assure you that if you play yakuza 0 and you love it, your reward for playing this series from 0 to 8 will be great indeed; you will get to see the life of Kazuma Kiryu, a life worth viewing and experiencing. You will get to see Kasuga Ichiban and his ragtag group of friends. And you will get to play some incredible games.

Infinite Wealth has its issues, but in my opinion it’s peak yakuza. It is unafraid to make major changes to the yakuza formula while retaining the heart of what makes all these games so great. I can’t think of a series that is more deserving of being experienced. It is not the Japanese Grand Theft Auto, it is something richer and more dramatic. It is a life well lived.

Frasier Fantasy is a gameboy color game made well past the original hardware life of the handheld it’s designed for. You play Frasier Crane, Seattle radio personality and psychologist, on a mission to hold an unveiling ceremony for your new mother of pearl luncheon set. You soon realize you have three tasks to make it happen: get the grape scissors back from Niles, do your radio show, and get your dad and Eddie out of the condo before the event.

It’s a short game but it’s lovingly set in the sitcom world of Frasier, making references that fans of the show will understand; but like the show, the situations and characters are ridiculous enough to propel the comedy for all audiences. I immensely enjoyed my time playing it, and I wonder how the developer will top this title with his next one.

Best enjoyed with tossed salads and scrambled eggs.