Recent reviews by BandBoxBrawl

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name serves as a conclusion to the Kiryu saga of the franchise. It is to Yakuza: Like a Dragon what Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is to Marvel's Spider-Man - it feels like it's both a game and an expansion.

The main story is rather short, clocking in at five chapters, with substories and Coliseum progression being a story requirement. The minigames are as plentiful as ever, including the return of the beloved Pocket Circuit. The Cabaret Hostess minigame has undergone a drastic change, using FMV for the hostesses rather than an in-game model as used in prior games - these ladies were determined via a competition and, yes, include famed VTuber kson.

The new Agent Style is fun to use, particularly with the gadgets, though some may opt for the more familiar Yakuza Style. It's best to maintain a balance of the two, like with Judgment's Crane and Tiger Styles.

Is this game worth the retail price? That depends on how you look at a Yakuza / Like a Dragon game. If you enjoy a lot of what these games have to offer aside from the story, I'd say this price, cheaper than most other high-budget games released in this time frame, is absolutely worthwhile. If you're just here for the story, though, it'd probably be best to wait for a sale.

This game is easily some of the most fun I've had in a long while. It wears its Bloodborne inspiration on its sleeve while also bringing with it a twisted, fun kart racer with that beautiful PS1 aesthetic, replicated incredibly well. Lilith may be relatively new to the world of indie game development but her skill, dedication and passion to the craft is embodied in her work.

Plus, well, it's free - why wouldn't a person at least give it a shot?

It's Payday 2. You've already heard the good news from a lot of people. It's fun, it's challenging, it has mod support... just get it if you want fun.

pizza time has both pizza and pizzazz

As fun now as it was back then. Now if only they re-released the sequel...

Halo MCC is the perfect entry to the series for any newcomers - you've got the first six games in an incredible package, Plus it has mod support so you can play InfernoPlus's chaotic mods so that's a cool community win.

Skullgirls is a fighting game classic with its groovy soundtrack, fun characters, brilliant story... just play the damn thing.

Idol Showdown is certainly a fun game - the combos are brimming with uniqueness and the Collab mechanic adds even more flair to a game already full of flair. As a (currently) noob to the game, I fell in love after the first match I played. It's also gladdening to see single-player content - offline battles, an arcade mode, and even what looks like a story mode!

But what can make this better?

More characters, for starters. There's currently eight playable VTubers with three more in development (who knows who THEY'LL be...?) and nine Collab VTubers, making a grand total of 20 included in the game in some playable form. That's already pretty good, but we can go higher. I know the game's, well, Hololive-focused but including even more VTubers in the future - even some from other companies - would be an absolute blast. It'd be the Smash Ultimate of VTuber-based fighting games, of which there are surprisingly few. (Hey, if that wouldn't work, there's an idea for a sequel...!)

Achievement support would also be a great addition for achievement hunters such as myself but, obviously, not everybody's into that sort of thing, nor is it always necessary. I feel it would be a great way to not only show mastery of the game, but provide some incentive for people that may not try other modes to, well, try other modes, other characters, maybe even some super-specific stuff.

Also, v-sync would be a nice touch, make the game a bit smoother.

Aside from that? Honestly, I don't think there's much else. The game's already spectacular - but hey, that's kinda the thing about fan games, isn't it? These people truly care not just about the source material, but the very thing they're making. Sure, for some more experienced experts at fighting games, the game does have some flaws, but I'm not a fighting game expert - I'm a filthy casual and, despite whatever flaws it may or may not have, there's no denying the overall positive reception it's garnered. It's well-earned.

bro it's a classic why wouldn't you

But seriously, Cookie Clicker is a game that pioneered the Clicker genre for years - and now it's on Steam. With achievement and Workshop support. Just play it already and drown yourself in the glory of cookies and milk.

A sequel that hits even harder than its predecessor. Not only do you have a larger open world, you also have assorted side missions involving other members of Batman's signature Rogues Gallery, an incredible plot, playable Catwoman, and great additions to the freeflow combat that make it even more engaging.

There's also a lot more Riddler challenges that'll test your brain, and the Harley Quinn's Revenge bonus story that lets you play as Robin - and he's badass too!

Long story short: did you like Arkham Asylum? You'll LOVE Arkham City.