mochamaki
52 Reviews liked by mochamaki
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
Replayed on PC with the Legend Remix K1 mod this time around, alongside some other small mods to enhance the experience (original ost, green filter disabled etc). Let me just say that the combat thanks to this fantastic mod was GREAT, and being able to unlock Dragon Style through EXP made the combat a million times more fun.
The increased EXP drop from enemies also makes the early game upgrades feel much less bloated leading to a better balance overall. By endgame I had every single ability unlocked except the Komaki moves, which might be a bit overkill but I think it made the game very fun. Every moveset has also been a bit tweaked making this possibly THE most robust combat system in the entire franchise, and this is all just a fan's work!
Bosses also are a bit more tolerable as they lack heal states, now having super attacks that are VERY dangerous and you should exercise caution when they are being used. I still think the boss design is significantly weaker than the original, but I'd definitely take this over vanilla unmodded Kiwami.
Somehow to even further prove my point that Majima Everywhere is a bad mechanic is that I was absolutely BOMBARDED with Majima fights during this playthrough, ending the playthrough with an S RANK (I ended with D Rank on PS4), which is enough proof that the system being RNG is complete bullshit. I did enjoy the new encounters I viewed this time but it overall felt redundant because I could just unlock these upgrades with normal EXP.
I wouldn't really recommend playing Kiwami like this for your first experience, I'd still just say play the original, BUT this is a great option if you were a bit disappointed with K1's combat flaws and want to see a more polished battle system made by fans. Sometimes a mod can change many things....
The increased EXP drop from enemies also makes the early game upgrades feel much less bloated leading to a better balance overall. By endgame I had every single ability unlocked except the Komaki moves, which might be a bit overkill but I think it made the game very fun. Every moveset has also been a bit tweaked making this possibly THE most robust combat system in the entire franchise, and this is all just a fan's work!
Bosses also are a bit more tolerable as they lack heal states, now having super attacks that are VERY dangerous and you should exercise caution when they are being used. I still think the boss design is significantly weaker than the original, but I'd definitely take this over vanilla unmodded Kiwami.
Somehow to even further prove my point that Majima Everywhere is a bad mechanic is that I was absolutely BOMBARDED with Majima fights during this playthrough, ending the playthrough with an S RANK (I ended with D Rank on PS4), which is enough proof that the system being RNG is complete bullshit. I did enjoy the new encounters I viewed this time but it overall felt redundant because I could just unlock these upgrades with normal EXP.
I wouldn't really recommend playing Kiwami like this for your first experience, I'd still just say play the original, BUT this is a great option if you were a bit disappointed with K1's combat flaws and want to see a more polished battle system made by fans. Sometimes a mod can change many things....
Judgment
2018
HOLY FUCKING SHIT.
A short but fascinating experience, definitely a step up from the first game in every noticeable way. Loved the way it handled it's narrative and I like how it doesn't just seek to answer the questions from the first game, yet builds and expands upon them in such a way that a lot more left is for interpretation. Really liked the writing style as well, and if you're a fan of this game I highly recommend The Silver Case, which tells it's narrative in a similar fashion.
Air Combat
1995
For 3 years, I knew it was going to happen eventually. Well, I guess today is the day when I finally start the Ace Combat series.
Going into the first entry, I really had little excitement for it, and after playing through it and seeing all it has to offer, I think the game can be summed up in one word. Simple. Being a title early in the PlayStation 1's lifespan, I don't think it has much to offer, but it does everything it sets out to do pretty well.
Visually, it's far from the PlayStation 1's best, not to mention the poor draw distance, which can really hurt this game at times due to the fact that it's a plane simulation game where you can't see more than 3 feet ahead of you. Regardless, I do think there's something to appreciate about the game's art direction. As stated prior, it's very simple but it's not really a downside for me. I like the colorful markings on each aircraft. I like the world map. I like the debriefing scenes where the most simple infographics appear while a guy who obviously recorded all of his lines in one afternoon tries his best to dictate what needs to be done.
On the gameplay front, I expected it to be much worse than it actually was. Sure, it's nothing amazing, but once you get the hang of it, it works. It's fun. Sure it's not all great; the stats for each aircraft feel like lies and the guns near useless. Not to mention the fact that the auto-aim often aimed at the wrong target, and how sometimes dogfights could be very weak. But all in all, it's good. The two levels where you fly in the ravines are my favorites.
While you're mowing down oil fields, ships, and other aircraft the game's soundtrack is there to keep you company, and yeah it's good. Each track is a jam and I can almost feel the wind blowing in my hair as I listen to this this. Yeah it's nothing groundbreaking but you'll find yourself going along to some of the tunes, they fit the vibe of this game very well.
If I'm honest I have no clue why I played this game, even my friend who is an Ace Combat fan just told me to start with 7. Still, the first game's not really bad, moreso "useless". You can really see the arcade origins of this game seep through, and looking at the mechanics it's easy to see why this game is a perfect fit for the "pick up and play" nature of arcades. Really the most striking thing about this game is the realisation I had that these types of games don't really exist anymore, which is really a byproduct of the progression of games as a medium. If this game released today, I think there'd be an outrage if Bandai was expecting us to cough up $60 bucks for this, but time is a funny thing. Whether you think the extinction of these types of games on home consoles is something to mourn or not is up to you, personally I don't really care. As it stands, Ace Combat is a fun game that you can beat in an afternoon, so if you're interested, I'd recommend giving it a shot, if not no worries. I'm sure even Ace Combat fans don't really care for this.
P.S: I'm not calling it "Air Combat", what a lame ass name.
Going into the first entry, I really had little excitement for it, and after playing through it and seeing all it has to offer, I think the game can be summed up in one word. Simple. Being a title early in the PlayStation 1's lifespan, I don't think it has much to offer, but it does everything it sets out to do pretty well.
Visually, it's far from the PlayStation 1's best, not to mention the poor draw distance, which can really hurt this game at times due to the fact that it's a plane simulation game where you can't see more than 3 feet ahead of you. Regardless, I do think there's something to appreciate about the game's art direction. As stated prior, it's very simple but it's not really a downside for me. I like the colorful markings on each aircraft. I like the world map. I like the debriefing scenes where the most simple infographics appear while a guy who obviously recorded all of his lines in one afternoon tries his best to dictate what needs to be done.
On the gameplay front, I expected it to be much worse than it actually was. Sure, it's nothing amazing, but once you get the hang of it, it works. It's fun. Sure it's not all great; the stats for each aircraft feel like lies and the guns near useless. Not to mention the fact that the auto-aim often aimed at the wrong target, and how sometimes dogfights could be very weak. But all in all, it's good. The two levels where you fly in the ravines are my favorites.
While you're mowing down oil fields, ships, and other aircraft the game's soundtrack is there to keep you company, and yeah it's good. Each track is a jam and I can almost feel the wind blowing in my hair as I listen to this this. Yeah it's nothing groundbreaking but you'll find yourself going along to some of the tunes, they fit the vibe of this game very well.
If I'm honest I have no clue why I played this game, even my friend who is an Ace Combat fan just told me to start with 7. Still, the first game's not really bad, moreso "useless". You can really see the arcade origins of this game seep through, and looking at the mechanics it's easy to see why this game is a perfect fit for the "pick up and play" nature of arcades. Really the most striking thing about this game is the realisation I had that these types of games don't really exist anymore, which is really a byproduct of the progression of games as a medium. If this game released today, I think there'd be an outrage if Bandai was expecting us to cough up $60 bucks for this, but time is a funny thing. Whether you think the extinction of these types of games on home consoles is something to mourn or not is up to you, personally I don't really care. As it stands, Ace Combat is a fun game that you can beat in an afternoon, so if you're interested, I'd recommend giving it a shot, if not no worries. I'm sure even Ace Combat fans don't really care for this.
P.S: I'm not calling it "Air Combat", what a lame ass name.
I really don't care for the direction this game takes. The first AITSF game was not a masterpiece but I consider it to be a great return to form for Uchikoshi, and I was glad to see that his team could output quality-looking stuff after VLR and ZTD were a bit disappointing in the visuals department, and the writing, characters, and the very cool gameplay idea of Somnium, having to wade through and play along with the logic of someones dream to direct them to revealing information which furthers your case, was really really awesome. I was very happy with it.
While AINI continues to improve on the visuals department, I'm really sorry to see that it's a downgrade in pretty much every other department.
Characters have their personalities gimped or are mostly shelved only to make returning gags from AITSF or are the victim of M Night Shyamalan tier twists, the story lacks a real meaningful hook and the ongoing mystery simply is not as interesting as either of the AITSF routes and often takes hilariously stupid turns that harm not only this game but the original too, and ohhh god they destroyed any complexity in regards to Somnium. Gone is every object having multiple ways to interact with it, gone is the creative thinking asked of the player to steer somnium in the right direction, and gone is the branching that somniums used to provide within the story. The somniums were the highlight of the original whenever they came up, and now it's just a linear chore of a break from the linear chore of a story. Even Zero Time Dilemma, despite being a complete mess story and presentation-wise, still managed to deliver a fulfilling gameplay loop on-par with 999 & VLR, there's no excuse here.
It's depressing, I had a lot of faith in both the team and the sequel, but it's a complete rejection of what I enjoyed in the original. Why did the team take it in this direction, I wonder? Who knows. May Team Zero Escape move on to another original IP because they've squandered this one.
While AINI continues to improve on the visuals department, I'm really sorry to see that it's a downgrade in pretty much every other department.
Characters have their personalities gimped or are mostly shelved only to make returning gags from AITSF or are the victim of M Night Shyamalan tier twists, the story lacks a real meaningful hook and the ongoing mystery simply is not as interesting as either of the AITSF routes and often takes hilariously stupid turns that harm not only this game but the original too, and ohhh god they destroyed any complexity in regards to Somnium. Gone is every object having multiple ways to interact with it, gone is the creative thinking asked of the player to steer somnium in the right direction, and gone is the branching that somniums used to provide within the story. The somniums were the highlight of the original whenever they came up, and now it's just a linear chore of a break from the linear chore of a story. Even Zero Time Dilemma, despite being a complete mess story and presentation-wise, still managed to deliver a fulfilling gameplay loop on-par with 999 & VLR, there's no excuse here.
It's depressing, I had a lot of faith in both the team and the sequel, but it's a complete rejection of what I enjoyed in the original. Why did the team take it in this direction, I wonder? Who knows. May Team Zero Escape move on to another original IP because they've squandered this one.
One time I walked 13,000 steps to my destination because I was scared of taking the bus this is kinda like that I think
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
A bumbling pile of mediocrity. I'm not going to lie, the story of the original Yakuza is not the greatest. It's a B-movie story with some very weak plot points
But that game had a lot of charm and character, it tried to make up for it's fault by placing a bigger emphasis on atmosphere, music, substories, and tried to make itself be memorable despite it's forgettable story. I think it succeeded, the original Yakuza is something I respect heavily but I still realize it's flaws
Kiwami 1 completely guts all of that, gone is the dark gritty atmosphere of Kamurocho, instead it's replaced by green lighting which hardly distinguishes itself from 0, especially during daytime. It's odd that Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4's Kamurochos look and feel completely different stylistically, yet Kiwami couldn't manage that
The music has been replaced by tracks which are remakes of the original ones, and all of them are just worse besides Virtical Point. I like For Who's Sake, but the original music is better to the point where it's kinda baffling why it got replaced
The substories of the original had their own memorable cutscenes but they're all completely replaced by generic textboxes which gut the emotion
Not to mention Majima everywhere, which completely sells the wrong image of him to the point where people get to Yakuza 3 and go "wait why isn't Majima so goofy anymore???" It actually sucks, the Majima you meet in the original Yakuza felt like a menace and you never knew him. Here he's made into a joke
This game is just a Yakuza 0 reskin through and through, but it has none of the charm what made 0 better than it. It's got a worse story than 0, more fluff than 0, worse atmosphere than 0, worse side content than 0. Only thing it actually does better is the combat, which is only a slight improvement.
Do yourself a favour and play the original Yakuza 1 with the Yakuza Restored patch.
But that game had a lot of charm and character, it tried to make up for it's fault by placing a bigger emphasis on atmosphere, music, substories, and tried to make itself be memorable despite it's forgettable story. I think it succeeded, the original Yakuza is something I respect heavily but I still realize it's flaws
Kiwami 1 completely guts all of that, gone is the dark gritty atmosphere of Kamurocho, instead it's replaced by green lighting which hardly distinguishes itself from 0, especially during daytime. It's odd that Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4's Kamurochos look and feel completely different stylistically, yet Kiwami couldn't manage that
The music has been replaced by tracks which are remakes of the original ones, and all of them are just worse besides Virtical Point. I like For Who's Sake, but the original music is better to the point where it's kinda baffling why it got replaced
The substories of the original had their own memorable cutscenes but they're all completely replaced by generic textboxes which gut the emotion
Not to mention Majima everywhere, which completely sells the wrong image of him to the point where people get to Yakuza 3 and go "wait why isn't Majima so goofy anymore???" It actually sucks, the Majima you meet in the original Yakuza felt like a menace and you never knew him. Here he's made into a joke
This game is just a Yakuza 0 reskin through and through, but it has none of the charm what made 0 better than it. It's got a worse story than 0, more fluff than 0, worse atmosphere than 0, worse side content than 0. Only thing it actually does better is the combat, which is only a slight improvement.
Do yourself a favour and play the original Yakuza 1 with the Yakuza Restored patch.
so many memories..
đđđ°đ¸ đđźđ.
Around three years ago, I played Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for the first time. I really enjoyed it for what it is, it's not good, don't get me wrong, but it's a damn fun game if you're able to turn your mind off. The same holds true for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, which I played around the same timeframe as well. I loved it, the writing isn't really good, but it was fun to play that game despite its flaws. Then, of course, I got to Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. A game I've been utterly confused by for so long now. Then around 2 years later, I met someone so insistent on Danganronpa V3 being some high kino, and I thought maybe I let it fly over my head, so I decided on a replay some time in the future.
Danganronpa V3 is admittedly a step up in every department from the first two games. The UI is much better, the music is genuinely amazing, I enjoyed the cast, and the writing of some of the later cases are genuinely good. Then there's Case 6. I keep running through it in my head as it moves about in there back and forth. The twist is genuinely something I'd normally adore, as the game forces me to confront the state of Danganronpa and what it's become. But I wish I could love it.
The problem with V3's twist is how much it wants to convince you about how it recognizes the faults of Danganronpa when it just doesn't. The impact of this twist nullifies when you consider that this game is written no different from any other Danganronpa game for the first 5 cases. Why do I have to give it praise for a message that I'm fond of and agree with when I know for a fact that it's handled so poorly that you're left with a sour taste in your mouth as you play through the final case? What am I praising? The existence of the message? I like the message but if it's not executed well I can't help but feel as though this game has huge missed potential.
Maybe I'm being hypocritical, maybe I'm being too harsh, but I can't agree with the lens that this game is supposed to be a parody of Danganronpa when it reuses the same tropes and plot points from the first two games but without the satirization. A parody that doesn't parody isn't a parody. It's a copy. Thing is, I'd probably forgive this game for playing into the Danganronpa formula if Danganronpa 2 didn't exist, but when that game already copied a lot of plot threads from the first game, I have to ask. Is this a parody, or is this just how the game was genuinely written? I think the direction of what the message of this game actually is was decided quite late into development, which is why it doesn't quite stick the landing. What really creates a huge dent in the twist is the fact that the game is written like a normal Danganronpa game for 90% of its playtime, which really doesn't mesh well with the message. It's hard for me at certain points to even say that if it was on purpose or a product of poor writing.
There's an emptiness that was felt in my heart when a major scene happened in Case 6. This isn't a game about Hope vs Despair. I thought it was about truth at first, but no. It's about Faith. V3 is a rejection of Danganronpa, and I absolutely love that concept; I just don't love V3. But I don't hate it either, there's a genuine heartfelt message that was put into this game and it's wrong for me to deny that, it's wrong for you to deny that.
The "fuck you" at the beginning of this review wasn't towards the game itself but to V3's loudest critics. I've seen many people call V3 an unsalvagable dumpster fire and rank it as one of their least favorite pieces of fiction. It leaves me utterly confused because 9 times out of 10, these people never even enjoyed the first 2 games to begin with. So what the fuck are you getting mad at? That the game series you've always hated has another bad entry? That your suspicions were confirmed? Danganronpa bad, LOL? The V3 hate doesn't bother me when it's by someone who enjoyed the first two games, or by someone who critiques V3 on its own merits. It's really the people who've never enjoyed Danganronpa in the first place calling this an "embarrassment" that confuses me because this game LITERALLY admits to Danganronpa being bad, but somehow that's not enough. Where does this sheer hatred even come from if you're not a fan of the first two entries? Most of these people deny the message's existence in the first place, which I'll never agree with. I may not like Kodaka's writing all that much, but he agrees with you, and that's still not enough for you, so what else do you want? If somehow a Danganronpa game is utterly loathed by you, then I'm genuinely baffled because at worst these games are nothing worse than a schlocky murder mystery with corny themes.
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony aims high, and I'm sorry to say it kinda misses the mark, but I'll never deny the message Kodaka was trying to say. I apologize to my friend who wanted me to replay V3 to like it as much as him, while I can't say this is a 10/10, I do completely see why you like this game so much. I was reminded a lot of my memories of playing Danganronpa three years ago. Starting Trigger Happy Havoc at 5 am, not knowing what it is, spending 14 hours on Goodbye Despair at one play session, and being left confused at the end of Killing Harmony. I love this series, it's bad, but I had so much fun. So I don't care. I'm glad Kodaka was able to end it on his own terms, and I really hope Rain Code can knock it out of the park.
Concerning the ending, yeah, this "fiction" did touch me. I'll miss it, and I wanna go back to the time when I was able to turn my brain off and have fun with these games. But, in classic series fashion, I'm told to move on, so I will. But alas, I will miss you.
Goodbye, Danganronpa.
Around three years ago, I played Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc for the first time. I really enjoyed it for what it is, it's not good, don't get me wrong, but it's a damn fun game if you're able to turn your mind off. The same holds true for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair, which I played around the same timeframe as well. I loved it, the writing isn't really good, but it was fun to play that game despite its flaws. Then, of course, I got to Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony. A game I've been utterly confused by for so long now. Then around 2 years later, I met someone so insistent on Danganronpa V3 being some high kino, and I thought maybe I let it fly over my head, so I decided on a replay some time in the future.
Danganronpa V3 is admittedly a step up in every department from the first two games. The UI is much better, the music is genuinely amazing, I enjoyed the cast, and the writing of some of the later cases are genuinely good. Then there's Case 6. I keep running through it in my head as it moves about in there back and forth. The twist is genuinely something I'd normally adore, as the game forces me to confront the state of Danganronpa and what it's become. But I wish I could love it.
The problem with V3's twist is how much it wants to convince you about how it recognizes the faults of Danganronpa when it just doesn't. The impact of this twist nullifies when you consider that this game is written no different from any other Danganronpa game for the first 5 cases. Why do I have to give it praise for a message that I'm fond of and agree with when I know for a fact that it's handled so poorly that you're left with a sour taste in your mouth as you play through the final case? What am I praising? The existence of the message? I like the message but if it's not executed well I can't help but feel as though this game has huge missed potential.
Maybe I'm being hypocritical, maybe I'm being too harsh, but I can't agree with the lens that this game is supposed to be a parody of Danganronpa when it reuses the same tropes and plot points from the first two games but without the satirization. A parody that doesn't parody isn't a parody. It's a copy. Thing is, I'd probably forgive this game for playing into the Danganronpa formula if Danganronpa 2 didn't exist, but when that game already copied a lot of plot threads from the first game, I have to ask. Is this a parody, or is this just how the game was genuinely written? I think the direction of what the message of this game actually is was decided quite late into development, which is why it doesn't quite stick the landing. What really creates a huge dent in the twist is the fact that the game is written like a normal Danganronpa game for 90% of its playtime, which really doesn't mesh well with the message. It's hard for me at certain points to even say that if it was on purpose or a product of poor writing.
There's an emptiness that was felt in my heart when a major scene happened in Case 6. This isn't a game about Hope vs Despair. I thought it was about truth at first, but no. It's about Faith. V3 is a rejection of Danganronpa, and I absolutely love that concept; I just don't love V3. But I don't hate it either, there's a genuine heartfelt message that was put into this game and it's wrong for me to deny that, it's wrong for you to deny that.
The "fuck you" at the beginning of this review wasn't towards the game itself but to V3's loudest critics. I've seen many people call V3 an unsalvagable dumpster fire and rank it as one of their least favorite pieces of fiction. It leaves me utterly confused because 9 times out of 10, these people never even enjoyed the first 2 games to begin with. So what the fuck are you getting mad at? That the game series you've always hated has another bad entry? That your suspicions were confirmed? Danganronpa bad, LOL? The V3 hate doesn't bother me when it's by someone who enjoyed the first two games, or by someone who critiques V3 on its own merits. It's really the people who've never enjoyed Danganronpa in the first place calling this an "embarrassment" that confuses me because this game LITERALLY admits to Danganronpa being bad, but somehow that's not enough. Where does this sheer hatred even come from if you're not a fan of the first two entries? Most of these people deny the message's existence in the first place, which I'll never agree with. I may not like Kodaka's writing all that much, but he agrees with you, and that's still not enough for you, so what else do you want? If somehow a Danganronpa game is utterly loathed by you, then I'm genuinely baffled because at worst these games are nothing worse than a schlocky murder mystery with corny themes.
Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony aims high, and I'm sorry to say it kinda misses the mark, but I'll never deny the message Kodaka was trying to say. I apologize to my friend who wanted me to replay V3 to like it as much as him, while I can't say this is a 10/10, I do completely see why you like this game so much. I was reminded a lot of my memories of playing Danganronpa three years ago. Starting Trigger Happy Havoc at 5 am, not knowing what it is, spending 14 hours on Goodbye Despair at one play session, and being left confused at the end of Killing Harmony. I love this series, it's bad, but I had so much fun. So I don't care. I'm glad Kodaka was able to end it on his own terms, and I really hope Rain Code can knock it out of the park.
Concerning the ending, yeah, this "fiction" did touch me. I'll miss it, and I wanna go back to the time when I was able to turn my brain off and have fun with these games. But, in classic series fashion, I'm told to move on, so I will. But alas, I will miss you.
Goodbye, Danganronpa.
This review contains spoilers
Danganronpa sucks, this is a sentiment most of my friends hold towards the series and despite my enjoyment of the second game, itâs an opinion Iâve shared on the series too. The last game that I ever thought would also hold this sentiment was Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony itself.
At its core V3 attempts, and succeeds, to make a meta-statement on the over-saturation and milking of seriesâ, consumer entitlement and what happens when the same thing is demanded over and over again, all of this being done while the game parodies itself and Danganronpa as a whole.
What V3 shows us is what happens when new danganronpa games, animes, mangas, spin-offs, adaptations are demanded, we get left with a cruel cycle of a cruel game that lacks any sort of originality or creativity. The V3 in the games title actually standing for 53, is an incredibly blunt jab at the milking of the series by the point of this games release, while the repetition of certain aspects in the murders of the game, as they parallel murders from the previous games, is a great point about the lack of creativity that comes from something being milked. Towards the ending, Tsumigi/Junko 53 constantly refers to herself and her plan as a perfect copy, this being another point about the lack of originality in such a worn out series, you could even read her cosplays of previous characters during this point of the game as commentary on the fanservice usually expected towards the end of a Danganronpa game. The game refers to Junko showing up and the hope and despair themes as an expected constant of the franchise, something that cannot change because what people want more then anything is the same thing over and over, and that line of thinking is something the game heavily discourages.
On a textual level, the main theme of V3 is Lies and Truths but towards the end of the game it almost awkwardly shifts to returning to the seriesâ staple themes of hope and despair, this shift is a great drilling in of those points the game is making about creativity and such, Danganronpa must be about hope and despair so the game goes back to being about hope despair before the protagonists reject Danganronpa and itâs main themes to forge their own path away from killing games.
One of the main messages of the game is that fiction can change the world, and itâs the main theme which I think is what lends the ending an optimistic tone rather than the cynicism youâd expect from the a game that appears to have a lot of self loathing towards itself and the series as a whole. This message is quite pertinent and strong, a reminder that even if the game was just a fiction in its own universe it can still hold weight but constantly demanding more of the same thing, the same killing games over and over is bad and that Danganronpa is something oversaturated that needs to end.
While I do enjoy the majority of the cast, along with most of the chapters and trials, it is one of the main ways that the game satirises the series. Something that I think ties into this idea, while also tying into the themes of Danganronpa as a piece of fiction, is how one note some of the characters feel. Tsumigi believes fictional characters to be unimportant nothingness so her character, as someone vapid and unimportant until the final few minutes, reflects this. Kaede after receiving her ultimate talent has about 70% of her character become piano references. This like of thinking could be applied to most characters, and while most of them (Miu, Maki and Kokichi being the ones that spoke to me the most) have pretty good arcs and inner conflicts, I think they are unequivocally âDanganronpaâ in a way to satirise the seriesâ reliance on tropes and to be an introspective mocking of its own writing.
The overall murders and mysteries in V3 I found pretty compelling but with the way they repeat aspects from previous games while also paralleling them, it again relates to that idea of unoriginality in an oversaturated series while also poking fun at that other games in the series for relying so heavy on a formulaic structure.
My biggest criticism with V3 is that I feel it doesnât go far enough with its satirising of Danganronpa. I definitely think it parodies the series in a lot of ways but Iâm still left feeling like it couldâve been more extreme with mocking the worst tropes of the series, this definitely wouldâve helped the twist land with a much better execution too.
The one undeniably great thing about V3 is itâs soundtrack. Just like itâs predecessors, Masafumi Takada created a masterpiece of a video game ost with a variety of amazing tracks all perfectly suiting the scenes they accompany, it also flawlessly reuses tracks from previous games. The highlight of Danganronpa gameplay are the trials and they wouldnât be nearly as amazing without the brilliant songs that are used throughout the sequences, the same could be said for how much songs like Beautiful Lie bring to the atmosphere while exploring the setting. Killing Game Completion Ceremony is the soundtracks greatest song, it carries a sense of somber melancholy littered with slight hope which perfectly captures the essence of the ending, it is the perfect musical accompaniment for the end of Danganronpa.
What V3 provides is the perfect ending for a series as flawed and ridiculed as Danganronpa, a stark and bold comment on over saturation of art and the perversion of a seriesâ original purpose, while also providing some good characters who tie back into the theme of fiction. It is certainly not perfect, and it isnât the best execution of such a shocking twist but for what it says about itself, itâs franchise and fiction as a whole, itâs something I canât help but love. Itâs a simple game but even then I feel like I havenât touched on many of the aspects I adore from it, simply a flawed but brilliant work of fiction.
At its core V3 attempts, and succeeds, to make a meta-statement on the over-saturation and milking of seriesâ, consumer entitlement and what happens when the same thing is demanded over and over again, all of this being done while the game parodies itself and Danganronpa as a whole.
What V3 shows us is what happens when new danganronpa games, animes, mangas, spin-offs, adaptations are demanded, we get left with a cruel cycle of a cruel game that lacks any sort of originality or creativity. The V3 in the games title actually standing for 53, is an incredibly blunt jab at the milking of the series by the point of this games release, while the repetition of certain aspects in the murders of the game, as they parallel murders from the previous games, is a great point about the lack of creativity that comes from something being milked. Towards the ending, Tsumigi/Junko 53 constantly refers to herself and her plan as a perfect copy, this being another point about the lack of originality in such a worn out series, you could even read her cosplays of previous characters during this point of the game as commentary on the fanservice usually expected towards the end of a Danganronpa game. The game refers to Junko showing up and the hope and despair themes as an expected constant of the franchise, something that cannot change because what people want more then anything is the same thing over and over, and that line of thinking is something the game heavily discourages.
On a textual level, the main theme of V3 is Lies and Truths but towards the end of the game it almost awkwardly shifts to returning to the seriesâ staple themes of hope and despair, this shift is a great drilling in of those points the game is making about creativity and such, Danganronpa must be about hope and despair so the game goes back to being about hope despair before the protagonists reject Danganronpa and itâs main themes to forge their own path away from killing games.
One of the main messages of the game is that fiction can change the world, and itâs the main theme which I think is what lends the ending an optimistic tone rather than the cynicism youâd expect from the a game that appears to have a lot of self loathing towards itself and the series as a whole. This message is quite pertinent and strong, a reminder that even if the game was just a fiction in its own universe it can still hold weight but constantly demanding more of the same thing, the same killing games over and over is bad and that Danganronpa is something oversaturated that needs to end.
While I do enjoy the majority of the cast, along with most of the chapters and trials, it is one of the main ways that the game satirises the series. Something that I think ties into this idea, while also tying into the themes of Danganronpa as a piece of fiction, is how one note some of the characters feel. Tsumigi believes fictional characters to be unimportant nothingness so her character, as someone vapid and unimportant until the final few minutes, reflects this. Kaede after receiving her ultimate talent has about 70% of her character become piano references. This like of thinking could be applied to most characters, and while most of them (Miu, Maki and Kokichi being the ones that spoke to me the most) have pretty good arcs and inner conflicts, I think they are unequivocally âDanganronpaâ in a way to satirise the seriesâ reliance on tropes and to be an introspective mocking of its own writing.
The overall murders and mysteries in V3 I found pretty compelling but with the way they repeat aspects from previous games while also paralleling them, it again relates to that idea of unoriginality in an oversaturated series while also poking fun at that other games in the series for relying so heavy on a formulaic structure.
My biggest criticism with V3 is that I feel it doesnât go far enough with its satirising of Danganronpa. I definitely think it parodies the series in a lot of ways but Iâm still left feeling like it couldâve been more extreme with mocking the worst tropes of the series, this definitely wouldâve helped the twist land with a much better execution too.
The one undeniably great thing about V3 is itâs soundtrack. Just like itâs predecessors, Masafumi Takada created a masterpiece of a video game ost with a variety of amazing tracks all perfectly suiting the scenes they accompany, it also flawlessly reuses tracks from previous games. The highlight of Danganronpa gameplay are the trials and they wouldnât be nearly as amazing without the brilliant songs that are used throughout the sequences, the same could be said for how much songs like Beautiful Lie bring to the atmosphere while exploring the setting. Killing Game Completion Ceremony is the soundtracks greatest song, it carries a sense of somber melancholy littered with slight hope which perfectly captures the essence of the ending, it is the perfect musical accompaniment for the end of Danganronpa.
What V3 provides is the perfect ending for a series as flawed and ridiculed as Danganronpa, a stark and bold comment on over saturation of art and the perversion of a seriesâ original purpose, while also providing some good characters who tie back into the theme of fiction. It is certainly not perfect, and it isnât the best execution of such a shocking twist but for what it says about itself, itâs franchise and fiction as a whole, itâs something I canât help but love. Itâs a simple game but even then I feel like I havenât touched on many of the aspects I adore from it, simply a flawed but brilliant work of fiction.
Yakuza 5 Remastered
2019
an impressive study on what makes yakuza tick. crosses a line that the other ps3 titles wouldnât dare to even tread near. each character is pushed to their absolute limits, placing them under a stern spotlight that shakes the audienceâs hearts incessantly. its length is often criticized but realistically demonstrates what a pure, fully thought-out yakuza experience looks like. every part is given their own respective time to shine in full.
where yakuza 5 succeeds is not in the grandiose scope of its overarching narrative (though i do like it better than the previous two titles), rather in the intimate character moments - kiryuâs stoicism against mayumiâs passion, saejima intently conversing with his cellmate recluses, park & harukaâs heart-to-hearts, shinada clashing with familiar faces from yesteryear - the seriesâ writing is at its peak here. thereâs some real thought provoking analysis on each of our protagonists. truly feels like the whole team gave it their all in coordinating the entire experience to insure it felt balanced and emotionally rousing. this is the ultimate blend of every strength this series holds. and fortunately it doesnât feature a climax that puts the entire narrativeâs quality into question.
some other positives i canât highlight enough would be the gameplay and sheer scope of everything. the combat is some of the most fun iâve had since 2; i especially enjoy the frequent brawls filled with massive clusters of enemies. i thought they were formidable tests of your skills, almost feeling like a musou at points with how it demands precise spacial awareness to minimize damage taken. wandering around the new and old recontextualized cities in the new engine was just as immersive as it was for me when i sank into 1 & 2âs thick metropolises. something about them here feels more polished than in 3 or 4.
nothing gets left out, nothing is undercooked, and most importantly everything is impactful. i absolutely love the finale and how it wraps up everyoneâs characters. kiryuâs final moments are some bone-chilling stuff. yakuza 5 is the quintessential embodiment of what this series stands for.
where yakuza 5 succeeds is not in the grandiose scope of its overarching narrative (though i do like it better than the previous two titles), rather in the intimate character moments - kiryuâs stoicism against mayumiâs passion, saejima intently conversing with his cellmate recluses, park & harukaâs heart-to-hearts, shinada clashing with familiar faces from yesteryear - the seriesâ writing is at its peak here. thereâs some real thought provoking analysis on each of our protagonists. truly feels like the whole team gave it their all in coordinating the entire experience to insure it felt balanced and emotionally rousing. this is the ultimate blend of every strength this series holds. and fortunately it doesnât feature a climax that puts the entire narrativeâs quality into question.
some other positives i canât highlight enough would be the gameplay and sheer scope of everything. the combat is some of the most fun iâve had since 2; i especially enjoy the frequent brawls filled with massive clusters of enemies. i thought they were formidable tests of your skills, almost feeling like a musou at points with how it demands precise spacial awareness to minimize damage taken. wandering around the new and old recontextualized cities in the new engine was just as immersive as it was for me when i sank into 1 & 2âs thick metropolises. something about them here feels more polished than in 3 or 4.
nothing gets left out, nothing is undercooked, and most importantly everything is impactful. i absolutely love the finale and how it wraps up everyoneâs characters. kiryuâs final moments are some bone-chilling stuff. yakuza 5 is the quintessential embodiment of what this series stands for.
Yakuza 5
2012
Great game. Shinada alone makes this game all worth it. Then this game goes the extra mile and has great music, great combat, all the protagonists are great (even Haruka), and a legitimately good main antagonist (no, the final boss of the game is not the main antagonist, get that through your head)
Any criticism I've seen directed towards this game is almost always applicable to Yakuza 0 as well, which people curiously don't criticise even though it has the same problems
It's better than 0 anyway
Any criticism I've seen directed towards this game is almost always applicable to Yakuza 0 as well, which people curiously don't criticise even though it has the same problems
It's better than 0 anyway
Yakuza 3
2009
A great game that's unfairly treated by players who don't know that the tactic of spamming attacks does not work in this game, and instead of learning the moves (Komaki Parry and Tiger Drop) which will help them play better and not spam attacks, they instead criticise the game
I do agree Yakuza 3 has a boss AI problem, not combat. The bosses in Yakuza 3 do genuinely block a lot, even with the moves I listed, and they're so weirdly perfect at dodging your attacks that it gets annoying. But the combat itself is very solid
As for the story, this game is legitimately peak Kiryu Kazuma. The first few chapters are criticised because Kiryu's being a dad which people find odd for some reason. Also a few people don't like they made Kiryu a paragon in this game, which is completely untrue, he becomes a paragon over the course of Yakuza 1. And it's super odd that Kiryu being a "paragon" is seen as a legitimate criticism, when the other time Kiryu wasn't being a paragon was Yakuza 0, and he's mediocre as hell in that game
Peak fiction, learn Komaki Parry and Tiger Drop, Y3 better than 0 ez
I do agree Yakuza 3 has a boss AI problem, not combat. The bosses in Yakuza 3 do genuinely block a lot, even with the moves I listed, and they're so weirdly perfect at dodging your attacks that it gets annoying. But the combat itself is very solid
As for the story, this game is legitimately peak Kiryu Kazuma. The first few chapters are criticised because Kiryu's being a dad which people find odd for some reason. Also a few people don't like they made Kiryu a paragon in this game, which is completely untrue, he becomes a paragon over the course of Yakuza 1. And it's super odd that Kiryu being a "paragon" is seen as a legitimate criticism, when the other time Kiryu wasn't being a paragon was Yakuza 0, and he's mediocre as hell in that game
Peak fiction, learn Komaki Parry and Tiger Drop, Y3 better than 0 ez
despite how fucked up we and the world can be, we move on, sometimes painfully, but such is inevitable.
putting out something pretty minimal without whole ton of thought, mainly piecing together shit i wrote on discord
i really enjoyed the subtext about capitalism and societal influence, also how theres no real resolution. itâs an outlet for its creators to express, it doesnt try and convince you thereâs something wrong with this futuristic dystopia where basically everyone is fucked up and corporate corruption overwhelms, it simply just manifests. whether itâs âgoodâ or âbadâ is simply up to the playerâs interpretation. i found myself in this morally gray area, seeing the overarching corrupt madness that influences everyoneâs moods as a bit depressing yet motivational for some. this is how their world is and despite how it operates, people move forward. acceptance of the circumstances has sank in and acceptance of others also in the process, everyone is in the same boat. dogs, machines, talking brains; you name it. all in mutual understanding of one another.
i think some of the more sexual content can be pretty uncomfortable but itâs only very prevalent in one character and part of it does help build upon how shitty the world is, sexual desires overcome in the face of hopelessness.
characters are all super cool and i had been expecting the story to be more grandiose but iâm glad it wasnt in the end. a short but sweet small outlook into a much larger world we still donât have a complete grasp on, but ultimately thats okay and not even its citizens fully have a grasp on it. lots of neat writing and exchanges that both satisfy with being fun and contributing to the overall ideas. itâs quirky in its own way. a fun and cozy time where you can forget and just be with these tragic yet lovable people. the infamy of the foot-tapping soundtrack also delivered. maintaining that level of intimacy with its audience that resonates. at the end i was kinda like âthats it?â but thinking about it more, va-11 hall-a doesnât overstay its welcome at all and does exactly what it sets out to do. def one of my most memorable experiences with the genre. iâm a sucker for anything post-modern or cyberpunk related.
putting out something pretty minimal without whole ton of thought, mainly piecing together shit i wrote on discord
i really enjoyed the subtext about capitalism and societal influence, also how theres no real resolution. itâs an outlet for its creators to express, it doesnt try and convince you thereâs something wrong with this futuristic dystopia where basically everyone is fucked up and corporate corruption overwhelms, it simply just manifests. whether itâs âgoodâ or âbadâ is simply up to the playerâs interpretation. i found myself in this morally gray area, seeing the overarching corrupt madness that influences everyoneâs moods as a bit depressing yet motivational for some. this is how their world is and despite how it operates, people move forward. acceptance of the circumstances has sank in and acceptance of others also in the process, everyone is in the same boat. dogs, machines, talking brains; you name it. all in mutual understanding of one another.
i think some of the more sexual content can be pretty uncomfortable but itâs only very prevalent in one character and part of it does help build upon how shitty the world is, sexual desires overcome in the face of hopelessness.
characters are all super cool and i had been expecting the story to be more grandiose but iâm glad it wasnt in the end. a short but sweet small outlook into a much larger world we still donât have a complete grasp on, but ultimately thats okay and not even its citizens fully have a grasp on it. lots of neat writing and exchanges that both satisfy with being fun and contributing to the overall ideas. itâs quirky in its own way. a fun and cozy time where you can forget and just be with these tragic yet lovable people. the infamy of the foot-tapping soundtrack also delivered. maintaining that level of intimacy with its audience that resonates. at the end i was kinda like âthats it?â but thinking about it more, va-11 hall-a doesnât overstay its welcome at all and does exactly what it sets out to do. def one of my most memorable experiences with the genre. iâm a sucker for anything post-modern or cyberpunk related.
Yakuza Kiwami
2016
RULING DIES OUT
I don't really know how to start this review. It's hard for me to put into words how I feel about this game, it's perception given by others, and my already strong feelings for the source material it's based on. I should preface this review by saying I don't think Yakuza Kiwami is a bad game, but I think it's an absolute failure as a remake and several other things. Everything about the original game that made it so unique is... simply gone. The fantastic atmosphere, stellar soundtrack, rock solid pacing, it's not present anymore.
Visually this game is just extremely bland. The aesthetic is simply copy pasted from Yakuza 0 but now without the 80's flair from that game, making it look so bleak and uninspired. The game still looks good, sure. But none of it's original vibe is even close to being present. The dingy, lived in streets of Kamurocho, filled with a nasty underbelly hidden from the average citizen... missing. Everything feels just a bit too sterile. The residents of Kamurocho no longer feel like individuals who live here and have their own lives to attend to, it's just generic NPCs transiting.
The combat is "technically" better than the original, but I also don't care. It's the exact same as Yakuza 0 with some slight enhancements, that's great! Maybe make your enemies better designed around this. I won't act like Yakuza 1's bosses were particularly amazing, but they were fun and quick. Now these bosses have became absolutely loaded with health, even having the ability to entirely regenerate full bars if you don't have the correct heat action to stop them. Everything is so much more bloated for NO reason. All of these enhancements to 0's combat would be perfect in a game that ISN'T THIS ONE. Every boss is worse than the original, the only one even being close in quality is the final boss... yeah. I'm being serious.
Even the music is worse. They're not exactly bad remixes I guess but they're so much less interesting and several tracks are flat out missing. It doesn't help that this game doesn't ever USE any of the music it has for normal battles aside from like, 3 themes. The remix for the chapter 10 boss, Turning Point, is horrid. It maintains nothing that made the source so atmospheric and emotional, now becoming a lame trap remix pretty much.
Pacing was another major strength of Yakuza 1. While I still managed to finish Kiwami in a similar length of time, everything generally felt more drawn out for no reason. For example, in chapter 3 you pick up this one item pretty quickly and move on. Kiwami, however, decides to slightly draw this out by adding a couple extra steps after finding the item and like - literally what is the point. SERIOUSLY. Thanks for wasting my time, I guess?
Majima everywhere is another detriment to both the pace and tone of the story. Majima in og 1 only appeared like three times, and I a story context it made sense. For some reason in this game however Majima has gone full cockstalker mode and will stop at nothing to fight you in both scripted events and random battles. Now, to be nice for a second, I like the scripted events! They're charming. But why are they in this game? It's extremely inconsistent with his presence in the main story, now being this goofball of a character compared to his gritty maniacal self in the main narrative. Who is this even trying to appeal to? Majima didn't act like this in 0, nor did he in 1. It's like RGG thought the original game was too mature so they needed the game to be sillier like 0, so they threw in a popular character from that game and wrote up a bunch of wacky scenarios. I don't get it man.
And that's sort of just what my problem is. I don't understand what this game wants to be. Is it trying to turn Yakuza 1's story into a sequel to 0's? Well, I'm sorry but... the game wasn't written like that. It was meant to be viewed in it's original context with no future retcons or whatever. Then is it trying to be a remake of 1 that preserves what the original intended to be? Well it surely didn't do that either! Copying 80% of the content and assets from 0 alongside even cutting a couple substories, cutscenes, and songs from the source material is a major red flag and a sign that your remake isn't working. The game is simply just lazy.
I'm tired of this whole common mentality that Kiwami is better than 1 because it has new things to tie into 0, because Kiwami doesn't improve upon... ANYTHING from it's source. I genuinely can't think of a single thing this game did better than the original. "They added Nishiki backstory cutscenes!!" They're superfluous. They elaborate upon things we didn't need to know and isn't enough to warrant a full blown remake of a perfectly solid game.
I don't really know how to structure or end this review at all, because quite honestly I'm just writing off of pure instinct. I'm sorry this review has been so negative but like, I'm just disappointed. It's a pointless remake that isn't worthy of replacing Yakuza 1. At all. Easily the weakest RGG game I've played so far, being ""okay"" at best. And that does not cut it for this studio period. Skip this one. Play the original instead.
I don't really know how to start this review. It's hard for me to put into words how I feel about this game, it's perception given by others, and my already strong feelings for the source material it's based on. I should preface this review by saying I don't think Yakuza Kiwami is a bad game, but I think it's an absolute failure as a remake and several other things. Everything about the original game that made it so unique is... simply gone. The fantastic atmosphere, stellar soundtrack, rock solid pacing, it's not present anymore.
Visually this game is just extremely bland. The aesthetic is simply copy pasted from Yakuza 0 but now without the 80's flair from that game, making it look so bleak and uninspired. The game still looks good, sure. But none of it's original vibe is even close to being present. The dingy, lived in streets of Kamurocho, filled with a nasty underbelly hidden from the average citizen... missing. Everything feels just a bit too sterile. The residents of Kamurocho no longer feel like individuals who live here and have their own lives to attend to, it's just generic NPCs transiting.
The combat is "technically" better than the original, but I also don't care. It's the exact same as Yakuza 0 with some slight enhancements, that's great! Maybe make your enemies better designed around this. I won't act like Yakuza 1's bosses were particularly amazing, but they were fun and quick. Now these bosses have became absolutely loaded with health, even having the ability to entirely regenerate full bars if you don't have the correct heat action to stop them. Everything is so much more bloated for NO reason. All of these enhancements to 0's combat would be perfect in a game that ISN'T THIS ONE. Every boss is worse than the original, the only one even being close in quality is the final boss... yeah. I'm being serious.
Even the music is worse. They're not exactly bad remixes I guess but they're so much less interesting and several tracks are flat out missing. It doesn't help that this game doesn't ever USE any of the music it has for normal battles aside from like, 3 themes. The remix for the chapter 10 boss, Turning Point, is horrid. It maintains nothing that made the source so atmospheric and emotional, now becoming a lame trap remix pretty much.
Pacing was another major strength of Yakuza 1. While I still managed to finish Kiwami in a similar length of time, everything generally felt more drawn out for no reason. For example, in chapter 3 you pick up this one item pretty quickly and move on. Kiwami, however, decides to slightly draw this out by adding a couple extra steps after finding the item and like - literally what is the point. SERIOUSLY. Thanks for wasting my time, I guess?
Majima everywhere is another detriment to both the pace and tone of the story. Majima in og 1 only appeared like three times, and I a story context it made sense. For some reason in this game however Majima has gone full cockstalker mode and will stop at nothing to fight you in both scripted events and random battles. Now, to be nice for a second, I like the scripted events! They're charming. But why are they in this game? It's extremely inconsistent with his presence in the main story, now being this goofball of a character compared to his gritty maniacal self in the main narrative. Who is this even trying to appeal to? Majima didn't act like this in 0, nor did he in 1. It's like RGG thought the original game was too mature so they needed the game to be sillier like 0, so they threw in a popular character from that game and wrote up a bunch of wacky scenarios. I don't get it man.
And that's sort of just what my problem is. I don't understand what this game wants to be. Is it trying to turn Yakuza 1's story into a sequel to 0's? Well, I'm sorry but... the game wasn't written like that. It was meant to be viewed in it's original context with no future retcons or whatever. Then is it trying to be a remake of 1 that preserves what the original intended to be? Well it surely didn't do that either! Copying 80% of the content and assets from 0 alongside even cutting a couple substories, cutscenes, and songs from the source material is a major red flag and a sign that your remake isn't working. The game is simply just lazy.
I'm tired of this whole common mentality that Kiwami is better than 1 because it has new things to tie into 0, because Kiwami doesn't improve upon... ANYTHING from it's source. I genuinely can't think of a single thing this game did better than the original. "They added Nishiki backstory cutscenes!!" They're superfluous. They elaborate upon things we didn't need to know and isn't enough to warrant a full blown remake of a perfectly solid game.
I don't really know how to structure or end this review at all, because quite honestly I'm just writing off of pure instinct. I'm sorry this review has been so negative but like, I'm just disappointed. It's a pointless remake that isn't worthy of replacing Yakuza 1. At all. Easily the weakest RGG game I've played so far, being ""okay"" at best. And that does not cut it for this studio period. Skip this one. Play the original instead.