zandyne_
75 reviews liked by zandyne_
Max Payne 3
2012
Before this review starts, I would like to preface that this is by no means an actual, in-depth critical review of Max Payne 3. I won’t be touching the story or gameplay AT ALL in this, so let that be warned. This is purely about how I feel about Max Payne 3’s portrayal of my region of Brazil and how it affected my enjoyment of it to the point where I just can’t really stand it and think it is one of the most racist video games ever made. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Resident Evil 5 is frequently cited as a super racist video game when Max Payne 3 is literally right there and does the exact same things that game does!
The average person who played Max Payne 3 will probably not bother to do an inch of research on the country of Brazil, probably thinks Rio is the capital, and believes that it is an absolute warzone hellhole where people get shot on the street constantly. This is the kind of audience Rockstar was trying to appeal to with this game. I do not believe, even for a second, that they made this game out of respect for Brazil. They simply wanted a 3rd world country to throw their white American hero into so he could shoot and kill without a care in the world, because the 3rd world is so lawless, right? They wanted to portray their weird, twisted view of Brazil so much that they even went so far as to scan a thousand residents of the favela of Paraisópolis into the game, acting as backdrop NPCs in the chapters that do take place in the favela. You can kill actual residents of São Paulo in Max Payne 3, which is crazy once you consider how the rest of the game handles this stuff. You can sit there in your little house just outside Little Rock, Arkansas, and get your greasy hands on the controller and shoot at people who were probably paid less than a penny for their faces to be plastered onto enemies. It's the most pure depiction of the average 40-something-year-old American going to a country that doesn't belong to you and killing brown people for fun!
There is so much arrogance in Rockstar's approach to developing Max Payne 3. A huge inspiration for the game was the 2007 Brazilian movie “Tropa de Elite," which is very funny once you learn what that movie is about. It's like Rockstar saw that movie as just an average cool awesome shooter romp through a favela and not as a critique of Brazil’s problems and struggle with violence. I think taking a movie that presents a very thoughtful critique of violence and using it for their little American power fantasy video game is insanely disrespectful. But it’s not like it really matters to the audience for this game. The audience doesn’t know what "Tropa de Elite" is; most of them couldn’t even tell what language Brazil speaks, and most of them probably don’t even know Portuguese is a language. It appeals to the naive, the Americans, who think going to Brazil to shoot at some mixed-race thugs is the coolest thing in the world because they can live out their little soldier hero fantasy.
The depiction of lawful Brazilian citizens, who all seem to hate gringos and be aggressive on sight despite Brazil frequently being cited as one of the most friendly countries to foreigners, is an objectively wrong, offensive depiction. Brazilians do not hate gringos; I, being one myself and being friends with a lot of gringos and foreigners, can personally attest to this. I have been around a lot of São Paulo because I live fairly close to it and there are always gringos around, and no one minds, and in fact, most Brazilians really enjoy helping out gringos or foreigners in any way they can! Rockstar seems to have this weird, twisted idea that since it's a favela and not the clean, corporate building of the Brancos, the people are totally different. The people from the favelas are wonderful people, despite the bad hand most of them have been dealt in life: stuck in poverty, living in run-down buildings on top of other buildings, stacked up so high. They have a resilient spirit; they, to me, represent the Brazilian spirit more than any other group of people in this world, and I respect them deeply for it. I think choosing to depict these people as inherently hostile to Max, the American hero, is so disrespectful to them and their home and the culture they were raised around, and it paints a picture that is absolutely not true. I believe Rockstar chose to depict the favelas like that because it would sell. The depiction of the favelas as lawless wastelands with gangsters and thugs at every corner is the most pure evidence you could find of the ignorance of the average American writer. You can visit a country and study it, see how it is, then go home to your little flat in your little apartment and depict it in a way that would make sense to your audience, which is the American, the one you want to please because they at the end of the day give you money; the citizens of São Paulo don’t really matter in the end much at all, and their input was never needed.
Brazil already gets misrepresented by the world at large, and I am a firm believer that media can affect and alter reality and how people perceive things in significant ways. Rockstar seemed to be drawn in by the allure of Brazil that exists in the minds of only foreigners and not the actual experience of the average Brazilian. The funk, the favela, the scorching sun, the people, the beaches, the drinking, the soccer—everything that people stereotype Brazilians as is present in this game! I don’t feel proud saying this is THE game that takes place where I live, that this is THE game that is supposed to “represent” São Paulo. I personally struggled with my Brazilian identity for a long time because of certain notions and preconceptions people held and still hold against Brazilians, particularly online, which tends to get very very nasty and racist. And I cannot sit here and pretend like I am fine with the way these Americans wrote about my country and my people.
Even when you get to the real villains of the game, the Brazilian UFE and Victor Branco, the game never changes from its weird attitude towards Brazilians. Chapter 12 is literally named “The Great American Savior of the Poor,” and as ironic as Rockstar’s intent may have been while writing that, they characterize Max and Brazilians in such a way that that is actually the case! He stops the Comando Sombra, he stops the UFE, he stops political corruption, and he saves a bunch of favela citizens from getting their organs harvested. He, a white American man, really does become the savior of the poor through this game's absolutely naive and frankly stupidly racist writing. And the critique itself towards the Brazilian police and political world is absolutely shallow and warped. I mean, Victor Branco is kind of a silly caricature of a stereotypical corrupt Brazilian politician, but the game doesn’t really delve any deeper than that, and it frankly makes me quite sad. Just a few years after this game came out, Operation Car Wash started, and honestly, I wish this game had come out during that time frame so they could have developed that plot point further. But then I also worry they would’ve handled it in the worst way possible and made the most Brazilian right-wing propaganda piece video game of all time, and that thought alone sends shivers down my spine. Like Imagine in your head right now a game so right-wing Bolsonaro would probably use clips of it in his 2018 campaign. I already think the game is inherently right-leaning simply because of the way it handles a lot of the subject matter, and I honestly fear what a 2017 Max Payne 3 taking place in Brazil during the Temer era would look like...
If it seems like I have gotten emotional or angry while writing this, it is because I have! I do not live in the city of São Paulo proper; I live on the coast. But I have been to São Paulo quite often in my life due to a few of my relatives living there, and those relatives live in the parts that Max Payne 3 chose specifically to depict. It makes me sad that this is the product that was made; this is what Rockstar chose to depict of my family, my friends, and my country. To the people that live here, to the people that know and love people that live in the world Max Payne 3 chose to take place in, it is a very painful experience to go through again and again. São Paulo is really a beautiful state, and most will never ever get to experience it; only the people that have lived here would really understand how amazing and beautiful it truly can be. But to the average audience that loves Rockstar, all of this is alright and fine by them; they’re never going to feel offended, and they’re never going to have a problem with it. They’re never going to feel their blood pressure rise when the game says something so insanely racist you have to take a step back. They’re never going to wonder how their friends and family are viewed due to the negative connotations being from a favela already carried, made worse by a totally inept and ignorant development team. Because they don’t care. To the average American consumer, it is just another game set in a "shithole," a "warzone," where they get to escape their privileged realities and pretend they’re some sort of hero. Rockstar manages to reinforce every single negative stereotype about Brazil for these people. And they’re going to eat it up; they’ll believe it because they are inherently ignorant. It is a game made for Americans, not for the Brazilian people, and there is nothing more American than pretending to be a badass hero in some “shithole” where the only goal is to kill as many brown people as possible.
I have gone on a few tangents here and there, but I have stated my case. Max Payne 3 is a racist video game, plain and simple. It's not going to beat around the bush and pretend it's because Rockstar is doing it by accident because it honestly feels very deliberate. They had writers approve a lot of this stuff, and it baffles me that at no point a writer went and said how kind of messed up it all is. I will leave a single quote here that I feel perfectly illustrates what I mean by all of this:
“We’d half destroyed São Paulo’s most hallowed place of worship.” A stadium.
The average person who played Max Payne 3 will probably not bother to do an inch of research on the country of Brazil, probably thinks Rio is the capital, and believes that it is an absolute warzone hellhole where people get shot on the street constantly. This is the kind of audience Rockstar was trying to appeal to with this game. I do not believe, even for a second, that they made this game out of respect for Brazil. They simply wanted a 3rd world country to throw their white American hero into so he could shoot and kill without a care in the world, because the 3rd world is so lawless, right? They wanted to portray their weird, twisted view of Brazil so much that they even went so far as to scan a thousand residents of the favela of Paraisópolis into the game, acting as backdrop NPCs in the chapters that do take place in the favela. You can kill actual residents of São Paulo in Max Payne 3, which is crazy once you consider how the rest of the game handles this stuff. You can sit there in your little house just outside Little Rock, Arkansas, and get your greasy hands on the controller and shoot at people who were probably paid less than a penny for their faces to be plastered onto enemies. It's the most pure depiction of the average 40-something-year-old American going to a country that doesn't belong to you and killing brown people for fun!
There is so much arrogance in Rockstar's approach to developing Max Payne 3. A huge inspiration for the game was the 2007 Brazilian movie “Tropa de Elite," which is very funny once you learn what that movie is about. It's like Rockstar saw that movie as just an average cool awesome shooter romp through a favela and not as a critique of Brazil’s problems and struggle with violence. I think taking a movie that presents a very thoughtful critique of violence and using it for their little American power fantasy video game is insanely disrespectful. But it’s not like it really matters to the audience for this game. The audience doesn’t know what "Tropa de Elite" is; most of them couldn’t even tell what language Brazil speaks, and most of them probably don’t even know Portuguese is a language. It appeals to the naive, the Americans, who think going to Brazil to shoot at some mixed-race thugs is the coolest thing in the world because they can live out their little soldier hero fantasy.
The depiction of lawful Brazilian citizens, who all seem to hate gringos and be aggressive on sight despite Brazil frequently being cited as one of the most friendly countries to foreigners, is an objectively wrong, offensive depiction. Brazilians do not hate gringos; I, being one myself and being friends with a lot of gringos and foreigners, can personally attest to this. I have been around a lot of São Paulo because I live fairly close to it and there are always gringos around, and no one minds, and in fact, most Brazilians really enjoy helping out gringos or foreigners in any way they can! Rockstar seems to have this weird, twisted idea that since it's a favela and not the clean, corporate building of the Brancos, the people are totally different. The people from the favelas are wonderful people, despite the bad hand most of them have been dealt in life: stuck in poverty, living in run-down buildings on top of other buildings, stacked up so high. They have a resilient spirit; they, to me, represent the Brazilian spirit more than any other group of people in this world, and I respect them deeply for it. I think choosing to depict these people as inherently hostile to Max, the American hero, is so disrespectful to them and their home and the culture they were raised around, and it paints a picture that is absolutely not true. I believe Rockstar chose to depict the favelas like that because it would sell. The depiction of the favelas as lawless wastelands with gangsters and thugs at every corner is the most pure evidence you could find of the ignorance of the average American writer. You can visit a country and study it, see how it is, then go home to your little flat in your little apartment and depict it in a way that would make sense to your audience, which is the American, the one you want to please because they at the end of the day give you money; the citizens of São Paulo don’t really matter in the end much at all, and their input was never needed.
Brazil already gets misrepresented by the world at large, and I am a firm believer that media can affect and alter reality and how people perceive things in significant ways. Rockstar seemed to be drawn in by the allure of Brazil that exists in the minds of only foreigners and not the actual experience of the average Brazilian. The funk, the favela, the scorching sun, the people, the beaches, the drinking, the soccer—everything that people stereotype Brazilians as is present in this game! I don’t feel proud saying this is THE game that takes place where I live, that this is THE game that is supposed to “represent” São Paulo. I personally struggled with my Brazilian identity for a long time because of certain notions and preconceptions people held and still hold against Brazilians, particularly online, which tends to get very very nasty and racist. And I cannot sit here and pretend like I am fine with the way these Americans wrote about my country and my people.
Even when you get to the real villains of the game, the Brazilian UFE and Victor Branco, the game never changes from its weird attitude towards Brazilians. Chapter 12 is literally named “The Great American Savior of the Poor,” and as ironic as Rockstar’s intent may have been while writing that, they characterize Max and Brazilians in such a way that that is actually the case! He stops the Comando Sombra, he stops the UFE, he stops political corruption, and he saves a bunch of favela citizens from getting their organs harvested. He, a white American man, really does become the savior of the poor through this game's absolutely naive and frankly stupidly racist writing. And the critique itself towards the Brazilian police and political world is absolutely shallow and warped. I mean, Victor Branco is kind of a silly caricature of a stereotypical corrupt Brazilian politician, but the game doesn’t really delve any deeper than that, and it frankly makes me quite sad. Just a few years after this game came out, Operation Car Wash started, and honestly, I wish this game had come out during that time frame so they could have developed that plot point further. But then I also worry they would’ve handled it in the worst way possible and made the most Brazilian right-wing propaganda piece video game of all time, and that thought alone sends shivers down my spine. Like Imagine in your head right now a game so right-wing Bolsonaro would probably use clips of it in his 2018 campaign. I already think the game is inherently right-leaning simply because of the way it handles a lot of the subject matter, and I honestly fear what a 2017 Max Payne 3 taking place in Brazil during the Temer era would look like...
If it seems like I have gotten emotional or angry while writing this, it is because I have! I do not live in the city of São Paulo proper; I live on the coast. But I have been to São Paulo quite often in my life due to a few of my relatives living there, and those relatives live in the parts that Max Payne 3 chose specifically to depict. It makes me sad that this is the product that was made; this is what Rockstar chose to depict of my family, my friends, and my country. To the people that live here, to the people that know and love people that live in the world Max Payne 3 chose to take place in, it is a very painful experience to go through again and again. São Paulo is really a beautiful state, and most will never ever get to experience it; only the people that have lived here would really understand how amazing and beautiful it truly can be. But to the average audience that loves Rockstar, all of this is alright and fine by them; they’re never going to feel offended, and they’re never going to have a problem with it. They’re never going to feel their blood pressure rise when the game says something so insanely racist you have to take a step back. They’re never going to wonder how their friends and family are viewed due to the negative connotations being from a favela already carried, made worse by a totally inept and ignorant development team. Because they don’t care. To the average American consumer, it is just another game set in a "shithole," a "warzone," where they get to escape their privileged realities and pretend they’re some sort of hero. Rockstar manages to reinforce every single negative stereotype about Brazil for these people. And they’re going to eat it up; they’ll believe it because they are inherently ignorant. It is a game made for Americans, not for the Brazilian people, and there is nothing more American than pretending to be a badass hero in some “shithole” where the only goal is to kill as many brown people as possible.
I have gone on a few tangents here and there, but I have stated my case. Max Payne 3 is a racist video game, plain and simple. It's not going to beat around the bush and pretend it's because Rockstar is doing it by accident because it honestly feels very deliberate. They had writers approve a lot of this stuff, and it baffles me that at no point a writer went and said how kind of messed up it all is. I will leave a single quote here that I feel perfectly illustrates what I mean by all of this:
“We’d half destroyed São Paulo’s most hallowed place of worship.” A stadium.
Clannad
2004
I think a term commonly associated with romance/sol animanga and games is “wish fulfillment.” Now, from my experience, it's a term usually met with some level of disdain or condescension. “Wow what a loser, they need this thing to feel good about themselves.” And, sure, I can understand where that attitude comes from, in fact I'm like that sometimes too. But I feel it's not that simple. People come from different backgrounds, places, and circumstances. Sometimes what we need is comfort from something, even if it isn't real.
Clannad, among many, many other beloved visual novels is boiled down to the common “your friends and family are important, your life is worth living” morals, but is it a bad thing to be so commonly communicated? I would assume that Maeda and the many other writers at Key are trying to convey this, and even if they were or not, intention does not always align with found purpose. Tomoya Okazaki, our protagonist, is a great stand in for players like me to some degree. He's still his own character, but I think him being a loner to align with the usual “wish fulfillment” protagonist role really works to its benefit. No matter your background or role, there is worth in finding friends and family, whether it be genetic or found. It finally gives us purpose to those who feel so aimless in life. Clannad is not simply “wish fulfillment” at play. It's inspiring us to fulfill those wishes ourselves, and fulfill the wishes of others.
I’ve seen complaints about Clannad’s core structure before, as for some people the routes are “not interconnected enough”. But is that a problem? In my opinion, anyway, Clannad is an anthology of the multiple “what if” scenarios surrounding Okazaki’s journey in life. While Nagisa’s route is what leads to the true ending of the story, it doesn’t make the other routes pointless. Regardless of what is the “true” outcome of the story, your experiences and how you see these characters develop will always live on with the player. You get to see Okazaki give these people true happiness in life, and by the true ending, he is repaid for everything he’s done. While in gameplay the route system is a little rough around the edges with much needed polish, I think playing with a guide allows for a very smooth experience.
Playing this after my most prior Key visual novel experience, that being AIR, really opened my eyes to how well thought out and executed much of Clannad is. While AIR suffers from an overly ambitious but ultimately meaningless structure, Clannad takes a safer approach and cuts out any filler. Jun Maeda and his team really wanted to make up for the mistakes of AIR, and you can really tell from how much more polish is applied to this game. Despite this being one of the longest games I’ve ever played, Clannad rarely falls victim to artificial padding. The game gives you and makes proper use of the “skip already read text” feature, which makes hopping into your next route a very quick and easy experience. It helps that the game is split into 10+ routes that all vary in length, meaning I don’t think the game can ever burn you out from a scenario. Each route (with two exceptions, one being entirely optional) is very different overall so nothing is samey either. I’d also like to make note of the amount of content on offer, Clannad is not only long from the main game but has TONS of little secrets and extra blurbs of dialogue to discover, it really feels like the team wanted to put as much as they could onto the disc.
And that’s the overall thing I love about Clannad: it’s very polished. Not perfect, but very damn close. Clannad may seem safe or tropey, but it uses those aspects and pushes them to a wonderful and engaging extent. The current top review tries to make fun of fans of this game and I’d have to say that this person probably has never experienced joy in their life. None of the huge visual novels I’ve played so far have been flops, and Clannad is no exception either. In fact, out of the three (Higurashi, Tsukihime, Clannad) I would say this is my new favorite, and knowing that Key still has some fantastic games in their catalog for me to still try out (Kanon, Little Busters!, and Rewrite) has me so immensely excited. But none of those games, or any visual novels in the future will take away what a special experience Clannad was for me. I had taken a long break from reviews and I needed to get out of that slump, and this game was what inspired me to write a little something again, especially seeing how none of the longer reviews about this game on this site are in good faith. I wanted to fix that. Thank you for reading, and if this review manages to get even one person to fully play through this game, I’ll be happy.
Clannad, among many, many other beloved visual novels is boiled down to the common “your friends and family are important, your life is worth living” morals, but is it a bad thing to be so commonly communicated? I would assume that Maeda and the many other writers at Key are trying to convey this, and even if they were or not, intention does not always align with found purpose. Tomoya Okazaki, our protagonist, is a great stand in for players like me to some degree. He's still his own character, but I think him being a loner to align with the usual “wish fulfillment” protagonist role really works to its benefit. No matter your background or role, there is worth in finding friends and family, whether it be genetic or found. It finally gives us purpose to those who feel so aimless in life. Clannad is not simply “wish fulfillment” at play. It's inspiring us to fulfill those wishes ourselves, and fulfill the wishes of others.
I’ve seen complaints about Clannad’s core structure before, as for some people the routes are “not interconnected enough”. But is that a problem? In my opinion, anyway, Clannad is an anthology of the multiple “what if” scenarios surrounding Okazaki’s journey in life. While Nagisa’s route is what leads to the true ending of the story, it doesn’t make the other routes pointless. Regardless of what is the “true” outcome of the story, your experiences and how you see these characters develop will always live on with the player. You get to see Okazaki give these people true happiness in life, and by the true ending, he is repaid for everything he’s done. While in gameplay the route system is a little rough around the edges with much needed polish, I think playing with a guide allows for a very smooth experience.
Playing this after my most prior Key visual novel experience, that being AIR, really opened my eyes to how well thought out and executed much of Clannad is. While AIR suffers from an overly ambitious but ultimately meaningless structure, Clannad takes a safer approach and cuts out any filler. Jun Maeda and his team really wanted to make up for the mistakes of AIR, and you can really tell from how much more polish is applied to this game. Despite this being one of the longest games I’ve ever played, Clannad rarely falls victim to artificial padding. The game gives you and makes proper use of the “skip already read text” feature, which makes hopping into your next route a very quick and easy experience. It helps that the game is split into 10+ routes that all vary in length, meaning I don’t think the game can ever burn you out from a scenario. Each route (with two exceptions, one being entirely optional) is very different overall so nothing is samey either. I’d also like to make note of the amount of content on offer, Clannad is not only long from the main game but has TONS of little secrets and extra blurbs of dialogue to discover, it really feels like the team wanted to put as much as they could onto the disc.
And that’s the overall thing I love about Clannad: it’s very polished. Not perfect, but very damn close. Clannad may seem safe or tropey, but it uses those aspects and pushes them to a wonderful and engaging extent. The current top review tries to make fun of fans of this game and I’d have to say that this person probably has never experienced joy in their life. None of the huge visual novels I’ve played so far have been flops, and Clannad is no exception either. In fact, out of the three (Higurashi, Tsukihime, Clannad) I would say this is my new favorite, and knowing that Key still has some fantastic games in their catalog for me to still try out (Kanon, Little Busters!, and Rewrite) has me so immensely excited. But none of those games, or any visual novels in the future will take away what a special experience Clannad was for me. I had taken a long break from reviews and I needed to get out of that slump, and this game was what inspired me to write a little something again, especially seeing how none of the longer reviews about this game on this site are in good faith. I wanted to fix that. Thank you for reading, and if this review manages to get even one person to fully play through this game, I’ll be happy.
Robotics;Notes Elite
2014
Thematically a worse Persona 2.
No, I am not gonna elaborate any further.
No, I am not gonna elaborate any further.
Yakuza 5 Remastered
2019
this game is great i don't think its nearly as bad as some people i know say it is, the theming i feel is beaten over your head but it works really well with the core theme of the game being about dreams and what people have to do to achieve them.
the gameplay in 5 is some of the most fun i've ever had with the franchise up until this point, kiryu, saejima and shinada are so fun to play as especially with how strong kiryu is in this game. shinada is also a really interesting character and there's nothing really like him in terms of how he plays and his story which is about a dream being taken from someone and in spite of that he still gave other people dreams. shinada's story really really good and i hope he gets brought back in a future game.
overall yakuza 5 was amazing and honestly i could write more but i think what i did write is enough. 9.5/10
the gameplay in 5 is some of the most fun i've ever had with the franchise up until this point, kiryu, saejima and shinada are so fun to play as especially with how strong kiryu is in this game. shinada is also a really interesting character and there's nothing really like him in terms of how he plays and his story which is about a dream being taken from someone and in spite of that he still gave other people dreams. shinada's story really really good and i hope he gets brought back in a future game.
overall yakuza 5 was amazing and honestly i could write more but i think what i did write is enough. 9.5/10
Yakuza 5 Remastered
2019
it’s insane how each entry in this series just keeps getting better and better. this game tells an utterly massive story, with so many different plot threads that all somehow come together perfectly to create my favorite ending so far. Yakuza 5 is a story about what it means to pursue a dream, what it means to pass on that dream, and what it means not to give up. presented absolutely beautifully, somehow we’ve reached new heights in a series that already soars to those of the highest sky scrapers. I couldn’t begin to organize all of my thoughts on this game— it’s one of the biggest i’ve played in my life. It’s worth every second of it though, there really isn’t a truly bad moment here. the best iteration of the combat so far in the series, and as mentioned, an absolutely wonderful story. I have no further notes… it was kino
Never have I ever experienced a Piece of Media that has come this close to Perfection.
I am aware of its flaws, the First Chapter starts somewhat slow, the Nemesis route feels kind of weak compared to the Hero and Conqueror's route, and the amount of rape scenes it has (look I get the point it is trying to make but stop sexualizing that at least).
But its Peaks are just so high I can't help but ignore them.
The Protagonist, Minato Kageaki has so much depth and development throughout the Story it puts shame on many other well-written Characters. It's not just about that either, since the beginning of the story, it is shown how much Kageaki is brimming with charm and personality that you can't help but enjoy every moment he is on screen. Without a doubt, he's gonna stay as one of my all-time favorites.
The Themes are another highlight here, based upon War and Anti-heroism and how well it does to tackle those issues. That's not just the end of it, it also deals with Sin and Punishment, the Burden of Duty, and deals with them just as well.
I can keep going about everything it has but I don't want to add spoilers to this.
Overall, I feel like it's going to stay as one of my favorite media for a while, hoping I come across something as good again.
I am aware of its flaws, the First Chapter starts somewhat slow, the Nemesis route feels kind of weak compared to the Hero and Conqueror's route, and the amount of rape scenes it has (look I get the point it is trying to make but stop sexualizing that at least).
But its Peaks are just so high I can't help but ignore them.
The Protagonist, Minato Kageaki has so much depth and development throughout the Story it puts shame on many other well-written Characters. It's not just about that either, since the beginning of the story, it is shown how much Kageaki is brimming with charm and personality that you can't help but enjoy every moment he is on screen. Without a doubt, he's gonna stay as one of my all-time favorites.
The Themes are another highlight here, based upon War and Anti-heroism and how well it does to tackle those issues. That's not just the end of it, it also deals with Sin and Punishment, the Burden of Duty, and deals with them just as well.
I can keep going about everything it has but I don't want to add spoilers to this.
Overall, I feel like it's going to stay as one of my favorite media for a while, hoping I come across something as good again.
I love this series so much. Another absolute triumph from RGG that easily cemented itself in my top 3.
As much as I will always love Kiryu, Ichiban has grown on me immensely between LAD7 and Infinite Wealth. His relentless optimism, goofiness and loyalty is the perfect foil for Kiryu's cool, tough and solemn demeanor. They complement each other perfectly, and Infinite Wealth did an amazing job at giving them both a time to shine.
The gameplay is a ton of fun and is very much an improvement from the already great turn-based combat of 7. Mixing and matching skills from different classes, utilizing combo attacks, finding the perfect team synergy for each battle - I never got bored of the combat. I was felt fairly over-leveled by the end of the story, but the final boss still put up a decent fight that felt fair.
The amount of content in this game is absolutely absurd. I like to focus on the story during my first play-through of a game, although I did manage to do a good chunk of side stories and optional activities but still feel like I barely scratched the surface. I have a lot of clean-up to do, but with so much variety in the activities I know I'll never get bored trying to finish everything and get the platinum, which I absolutely want to do with how good this game is.
The story was also excellent, although I think I liked 7's just a bit more. I'm always impressed by how well RGG can connect all of these seemingly random plot points together into a cohesive whole, as well as how big they can make the stakes feel in each game. Just when I think they couldn't possibly come up with something as grandiose as their previous game, they always manage to outdo themselves in the next entry. I appreciated the globe-trotting adventure of Infinite Wealth, and being able to flip between the two locations and parties (with no spoilers) kept things fresh and allowed the game to keep moving at a good pace. Couple that with their ability to tackle complex themes like the homelessness epidemic, wealth inequality and the harmful effects of Internet virality and you have a really amazing narrative overall.
Before I had played LAD7 I first played through the previous games in the series to catch myself up. Going into 7 I felt really connected to this story and these characters and this world, and I was nervous that with the longer wait between 7 and Infinite Wealth that I would lose that sense of connection and have a hard time feeling immersed in the world. I'm happy to say that isn't the case - playing Infinite Wealth felt like coming home in a sense, and it didn't feel like I had missed a beat when I loaded it up for the first time. This is a really special series to me, and I'm already counting down the days until we hear about the next adventure for this goofy, lovable found family.
As much as I will always love Kiryu, Ichiban has grown on me immensely between LAD7 and Infinite Wealth. His relentless optimism, goofiness and loyalty is the perfect foil for Kiryu's cool, tough and solemn demeanor. They complement each other perfectly, and Infinite Wealth did an amazing job at giving them both a time to shine.
The gameplay is a ton of fun and is very much an improvement from the already great turn-based combat of 7. Mixing and matching skills from different classes, utilizing combo attacks, finding the perfect team synergy for each battle - I never got bored of the combat. I was felt fairly over-leveled by the end of the story, but the final boss still put up a decent fight that felt fair.
The amount of content in this game is absolutely absurd. I like to focus on the story during my first play-through of a game, although I did manage to do a good chunk of side stories and optional activities but still feel like I barely scratched the surface. I have a lot of clean-up to do, but with so much variety in the activities I know I'll never get bored trying to finish everything and get the platinum, which I absolutely want to do with how good this game is.
The story was also excellent, although I think I liked 7's just a bit more. I'm always impressed by how well RGG can connect all of these seemingly random plot points together into a cohesive whole, as well as how big they can make the stakes feel in each game. Just when I think they couldn't possibly come up with something as grandiose as their previous game, they always manage to outdo themselves in the next entry. I appreciated the globe-trotting adventure of Infinite Wealth, and being able to flip between the two locations and parties (with no spoilers) kept things fresh and allowed the game to keep moving at a good pace. Couple that with their ability to tackle complex themes like the homelessness epidemic, wealth inequality and the harmful effects of Internet virality and you have a really amazing narrative overall.
Before I had played LAD7 I first played through the previous games in the series to catch myself up. Going into 7 I felt really connected to this story and these characters and this world, and I was nervous that with the longer wait between 7 and Infinite Wealth that I would lose that sense of connection and have a hard time feeling immersed in the world. I'm happy to say that isn't the case - playing Infinite Wealth felt like coming home in a sense, and it didn't feel like I had missed a beat when I loaded it up for the first time. This is a really special series to me, and I'm already counting down the days until we hear about the next adventure for this goofy, lovable found family.
Kill the past. Secure the future.
This review contains minor spoilers for Yakuza 5, 6, 7 and Gaiden.
Kiryu has to move on from his past mistakes. Put his trust in others for the first time.
Ichiban has to secure the future for all the ex-Yakuza he helped tear down. They are human too.
Ichiban has to use the past as a stepping stone to reach for even greater highs. If he got up from rock bottom, he is capable of dreaming of greater heights. His father’s footsteps. His failed confession. A brother he didn’t have the chance to change.
Kiryu has to see a brighter tomorrow, secure what little future he has left. Even if he himself tries to deny this fact. Still too afraid to let others into his life.
Wandering around the city with Kiryu, reminiscing on all the past events you and him have been through together. The hardships you have faced against the insurmountable foes behind the many multi-layered conspiracies. The laughs you had with the side characters. The infuriation you felt whilst fighting the near-immortal Amon, or the fun you had batting your stress away at the cages. Finally being able to see some of the long lost characters. This is the life Kiryu has lived. You have seen it all through. Reminisce on it one last time.
But he can't wallow in despair. He has new friends to keep his chin up. You have been an empty, depressed shell of your former self since 2011. It’s time to gain back some of that old spark. Enjoy life whilst it lasts Kiryu. Gather some positivity, if anyone could tell you how to do that, it’d be Ichi and his gang.
This is partially Ichiban’s story after all, and what is Ichiban’s story if not a spontaneous bundle of misfits reaching for the sky?
Ichiban’s tale is always penned in the love he has for his friends. The pals he can always confide in, Adachi and Nanba. The person most unapproachable to him, Saeko. The unpredictable ex-mafia who can whip up a mean dim sum, Zhao. The initially cold, but ultimately human members of the Geomijul, Joongi and Seonhee.
Joining Ichiban’s group of middle aged do-gooders are the helpful wheelchair-bound Eiji. The cabbie who tried to rob him at gunpoint, Tomizawa. The girl who knows more than she lets on, Chitose. Lastly, the brick-faced Yakuza legend, Kiryu Kazuma himself.
Putting Kiryu in Ichibans crew was an interesting decision. These are people he has never had a heart to heart with before. Complete strangers as far as he is concerned. But it worked. The relationship between Kiryu and these people clicked. Ichiban’s cheerfulness can even tear down the greatest of walls. Kiryu quickly found that he had a lot more in common with this pick ‘n’ mix of Japan's (and Hawaii’s) most bold.
What really, really helps the bonds you forge with the party is all of the gameplay additions surrounding it. Wandering around the map could trigger a conversation where Seonhee mentions Joongi watching videos of rubber bands blowing up watermelons. Or a discussion between Ichiban and Tomizawa about hermit-crab real estate. Every one of these conversations is as enamoring as the last.
But it's not limited to just this, eat at restaurants and the crew might burn their tongues on sesame balls or talk about how their sensitive molars make the party weak to ice magic. Levelling up your bonds allows you to do tag team attacks, combo enemies with your allies, and unlock new skills and jobs to experiment with.
Everything you do with your party increases their bond level, as you increase their bond you can go out and grab drinks, usually resulting in a small character arc for that party member. Unlike 7, the characters have plenty of good moments and screen time. So it's not like Zhao or Joongi get a particularly short end of the stick like they did previously. Most of these drink links have nice conclusions, or add particularly entertaining bits of depth to the characters.
So all of this makes the party fantastic. But what's a good band of heroes without some ruthless masterminds?
The majority of the villains are quite good. Together they form a super solid antagonistic cast, though individually they are a bit hit or miss.
Yamai is the standout here. Solid design, fantastic arc, great boss fights and extremely memorable voicework to boot. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone among the fanbase who didn’t end up a fan.
Ichiban’s final boss is not bad, but it definitely will not make it to the hall of fame of RGG’s greats like Aoki, Shishido or Mine. However, Ichiban’s story does not end there. His big moment comes afterwards. His final scene, helping up someone from rock bottom through a naive, one-sided love is just so… Ichiban. The dream present in this scene never came to fruition before. But he made it possible now.
Kiryu’s final boss has a few minor issues. I really don't know why they felt the need to include a “we are not so different, he and I” moment, when I think that much was made clear. But at the same time,
I…
I APOLOGISE.
This game is nothing short of fantastic, following up on every idea, every core concept in this 9-game series is nothing short of monumental work. To be able to do it in this fashion, and deliver it with this much purpose is stunning.
Something as special as this does not come around often.
This review contains minor spoilers for Yakuza 5, 6, 7 and Gaiden.
Kiryu has to move on from his past mistakes. Put his trust in others for the first time.
Ichiban has to secure the future for all the ex-Yakuza he helped tear down. They are human too.
Ichiban has to use the past as a stepping stone to reach for even greater highs. If he got up from rock bottom, he is capable of dreaming of greater heights. His father’s footsteps. His failed confession. A brother he didn’t have the chance to change.
Kiryu has to see a brighter tomorrow, secure what little future he has left. Even if he himself tries to deny this fact. Still too afraid to let others into his life.
Wandering around the city with Kiryu, reminiscing on all the past events you and him have been through together. The hardships you have faced against the insurmountable foes behind the many multi-layered conspiracies. The laughs you had with the side characters. The infuriation you felt whilst fighting the near-immortal Amon, or the fun you had batting your stress away at the cages. Finally being able to see some of the long lost characters. This is the life Kiryu has lived. You have seen it all through. Reminisce on it one last time.
But he can't wallow in despair. He has new friends to keep his chin up. You have been an empty, depressed shell of your former self since 2011. It’s time to gain back some of that old spark. Enjoy life whilst it lasts Kiryu. Gather some positivity, if anyone could tell you how to do that, it’d be Ichi and his gang.
This is partially Ichiban’s story after all, and what is Ichiban’s story if not a spontaneous bundle of misfits reaching for the sky?
Ichiban’s tale is always penned in the love he has for his friends. The pals he can always confide in, Adachi and Nanba. The person most unapproachable to him, Saeko. The unpredictable ex-mafia who can whip up a mean dim sum, Zhao. The initially cold, but ultimately human members of the Geomijul, Joongi and Seonhee.
Joining Ichiban’s group of middle aged do-gooders are the helpful wheelchair-bound Eiji. The cabbie who tried to rob him at gunpoint, Tomizawa. The girl who knows more than she lets on, Chitose. Lastly, the brick-faced Yakuza legend, Kiryu Kazuma himself.
Putting Kiryu in Ichibans crew was an interesting decision. These are people he has never had a heart to heart with before. Complete strangers as far as he is concerned. But it worked. The relationship between Kiryu and these people clicked. Ichiban’s cheerfulness can even tear down the greatest of walls. Kiryu quickly found that he had a lot more in common with this pick ‘n’ mix of Japan's (and Hawaii’s) most bold.
What really, really helps the bonds you forge with the party is all of the gameplay additions surrounding it. Wandering around the map could trigger a conversation where Seonhee mentions Joongi watching videos of rubber bands blowing up watermelons. Or a discussion between Ichiban and Tomizawa about hermit-crab real estate. Every one of these conversations is as enamoring as the last.
But it's not limited to just this, eat at restaurants and the crew might burn their tongues on sesame balls or talk about how their sensitive molars make the party weak to ice magic. Levelling up your bonds allows you to do tag team attacks, combo enemies with your allies, and unlock new skills and jobs to experiment with.
Everything you do with your party increases their bond level, as you increase their bond you can go out and grab drinks, usually resulting in a small character arc for that party member. Unlike 7, the characters have plenty of good moments and screen time. So it's not like Zhao or Joongi get a particularly short end of the stick like they did previously. Most of these drink links have nice conclusions, or add particularly entertaining bits of depth to the characters.
So all of this makes the party fantastic. But what's a good band of heroes without some ruthless masterminds?
The majority of the villains are quite good. Together they form a super solid antagonistic cast, though individually they are a bit hit or miss.
Yamai is the standout here. Solid design, fantastic arc, great boss fights and extremely memorable voicework to boot. You’ll be hard pressed to find someone among the fanbase who didn’t end up a fan.
Ichiban’s final boss is not bad, but it definitely will not make it to the hall of fame of RGG’s greats like Aoki, Shishido or Mine. However, Ichiban’s story does not end there. His big moment comes afterwards. His final scene, helping up someone from rock bottom through a naive, one-sided love is just so… Ichiban. The dream present in this scene never came to fruition before. But he made it possible now.
Kiryu’s final boss has a few minor issues. I really don't know why they felt the need to include a “we are not so different, he and I” moment, when I think that much was made clear. But at the same time,
I…
I APOLOGISE.
This game is nothing short of fantastic, following up on every idea, every core concept in this 9-game series is nothing short of monumental work. To be able to do it in this fashion, and deliver it with this much purpose is stunning.
Something as special as this does not come around often.
Yakuza 0
2015
stupid reddit humor game with boring gameplay i honestly cant understand how can someone call this shit a masterpiece when yakuza 2 literally exists
this game is good but its not as good as people claim i think, when i first got into SMT the recommendation for the entry to the series was always either Nocturne or SMT IV. because of this i had a bit higher expectations when i started, i brought a 2DS with the game specifically in mind for the authentic experience over the at the time really buggy citra option
The game wasnt bad overall, the combat was fun, the story was kinda interesting and the storytelling itself was great but in comparison to any other game in the series ive played it was just "ok". The battle was fun BUT it was much too easy for most of the game, the gameplay loop was just OK, getting from A to B was more of a chore than it had to be, the side quests never really engaged me as much as other games. SMT IV isnt a bad game its just not a strong one like why start here when i could start with DDS (which i did) or Nocturne.
The things i can say were definitively good was that the location areas were beautiful AF like this is the best looking 3DS game ever imo, and each soundtrack is unique and fits the "post demon outbreak apocalypse tokyo" vibe a lot.
The bad was just the last act of the game was really underwhelming (i did chaos, but this applies to law as well), without being too spoilery its just after that scuffle with the "White". it was pretty strong up until after THAT battle but the final dungeon was such a letdown and so anti climactic i didnt know the final boss was actually the final boss. there was no feeling of like crazy weight or anything like i feel with every other SMT finale ive played ever, including nocturne.
there is some other stuff i dont like with the story but its more an overall criticism of mainline SMT and a bit too spoilery, overall i would say this game is worth playing like there are worse SMT gams you could have played probably and the experience was still pretty fun, just in comparison to any other title, it was the weakest experience i expected more.
(ill probably replay for the neutral route another time and realise this is the biggest coal slop ever or the some real peak)
The game wasnt bad overall, the combat was fun, the story was kinda interesting and the storytelling itself was great but in comparison to any other game in the series ive played it was just "ok". The battle was fun BUT it was much too easy for most of the game, the gameplay loop was just OK, getting from A to B was more of a chore than it had to be, the side quests never really engaged me as much as other games. SMT IV isnt a bad game its just not a strong one like why start here when i could start with DDS (which i did) or Nocturne.
The things i can say were definitively good was that the location areas were beautiful AF like this is the best looking 3DS game ever imo, and each soundtrack is unique and fits the "post demon outbreak apocalypse tokyo" vibe a lot.
The bad was just the last act of the game was really underwhelming (i did chaos, but this applies to law as well), without being too spoilery its just after that scuffle with the "White". it was pretty strong up until after THAT battle but the final dungeon was such a letdown and so anti climactic i didnt know the final boss was actually the final boss. there was no feeling of like crazy weight or anything like i feel with every other SMT finale ive played ever, including nocturne.
there is some other stuff i dont like with the story but its more an overall criticism of mainline SMT and a bit too spoilery, overall i would say this game is worth playing like there are worse SMT gams you could have played probably and the experience was still pretty fun, just in comparison to any other title, it was the weakest experience i expected more.
(ill probably replay for the neutral route another time and realise this is the biggest coal slop ever or the some real peak)
