Recent reviews by fruits party

TL;DR: IW > Y:LAD for gameplay, Y:LAD > IW for story

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a tough game for me to review because the game makes such a strong impression at the beginning and builds up a lot of steam before crashing and burning in the narrative department towards the end. It felt like a lot of the energy I invested in this game went to places that left me dissatisfied and unsure of what to think. The end of the campaign really did sour my overall thoughts on the game until I stepped away for a few weeks to reevaluate my feelings towards this newest installment, and now I feel ready to give it a review.

Infinite Wealth builds upon the foundation established by Yakuza: Like a Dragon and its turn-based RPG mechanics and gives the player more ways to interact with the battle environments. From limited free-range positioning to tag team attacks to range indicators, this game does a great job of polishing the combat up and making it more responsive, satisfying, and cohesive without breaking what worked. The new jobs available in this game feel fresh and fun and overall more varied than the jobs from the previous entry with the skills they provide, and the game places less emphasis on job levels which prevents you from feeling weak as hell when trying to grow a new job from level 1. The new skill inheritance mechanic that lets you pluck a smattering of skills from other jobs is a wonderful addition that really allows you to build a skill set to your liking. There's still a couple pieces of jank leftover from the prequel, but overall the combat has enough improvements to make it a cut above LaD and its relatively clunky, limited affair.

There is a wealth of new minigames and side activities to try, but I must admit that not all of them are winners. Crazy Delivery is a fun Crazy Taxi homage that tasks you with delivering conspicuous floating fast foodstuffs. Dondoko Island is a fun Animal Crossing analogue that trades cutesy laid-back charm for pirate-smacking island trimming. The newest selection of old arcade games this time around are great fun and an awesome bit of added value for those who love when older obscure games get ported to modern systems. Unfortunately for me, the rest of the side content is not super duper enjoyable or interesting. I fear that I am alone in saying this, but I really could not care less about the Pokemon ripoff that is the Sujimon League. What started as a funny nod to the PokeDex in LaD has turned into an entire subgame that, in my opinion, is just a little too ridiculous for me to want to invest a significant amount of time in. At the time of this review, I have barely dipped into this mode, and will probably save it for last if I ever get around to it. The rest of the content, such as Miss Match and Sicko Snap, are not especially appealing to me either. Longtime Yakuza fans will be happy to know that series staples like batting and mahjong are still kicking, at least, and provide a reliable if not especially exciting bit of entertainment for the traditional yakuza.

The story is perhaps the element that leaves me feeling most conflicted. This game has a strong beginning, and I love the direction that a lot of the characters from the previous game took in this game, save for a forced romantic subplot that I could barely stand to see play out. For the most part, this game keeps that forward energy going into the middle and introduces interesting elements and characters who are very much their own people with their own motivations and outlooks on their situations. The new Hawaii setting is a breath of fresh air for the series, and opens up the possibilities of more international Like a Dragon entries down the line. Unfortunately, the game has a tendency to have one foot planted very squarely in the past by reintroducing elements and characters from previous games in ways that feel extremely convoluted and puzzling. The game forcing a lot of the side content into the main story progression really compromises the pacing at various points and leaves me wanting to skip through the tutorials as quickly as possible to get back to the actual story. This is not a new issue for this series, but it is at its most egregious with this game's amount of side content. The game's story packs on too many plot points at once as it nears the last couple chapters and consequentially leaves a lot of threads loose and story elements undercooked, and by the end I was left fairly unsatisfied with its resolution. I feel like the story would have been much stronger if it had less going on and put more focus on less characters.

I must revisit my statement about this game being tough for me to review because it really sucks to have a great-playing game be bogged down by so many elements that could have been much better, but I still have a lot of love for what they did right. The RPG mechanics are an improvement over its predecessor and there is a lot of content to sift through for gamers who want a large title to sink their teeth into. A good chunk of that content was not for me, but there is undoubtedly enough minigames to have something for everybody. The story has a lot of promise that ultimately goes unfulfilled, but the overall message of the ending is at least thematically on par with the beginning. This game, much like our beloved protagonist Ichiban Kasuga, has its heart in the right place, even if it ♥♥♥♥♥ up some of the time.

A nice twist on the Portal formula. Adding a third portal option with its own nuanced mechanics does a lot to increase the perceived challenge of each puzzle, and it left me thinking pretty long and hard on some levels. Once you wrap your head around the rules of the time portal, you'll feel the satisfaction from clearing what seemed at first glance to be a real thinker. The music is excellent and very much like the base game, and I thought it was a nice touch that the present and future versions of a given room had slight differences in the instrumentation. If you're looking for some brain-bending Portal fun, I would highly recommend it.

Who would have thought that a series that primarily plays like a brawler could transition so well into the turn-based RPG genre? Actually, I think it makes a lot of sense once you take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

I am a relatively new fan of Yakuza, having gotten into it a couple years ago with 0. I fell in love with the series and its unique ability to achieve tonal dissonance without skipping a beat and feeling unpleasantly jarring, expertly weaving in between genuinely impactful, mature storylines and silly, outrageous detours in many forms. They tend to be on the lengthy side, especially for the kind of genre it plays as, so really it already had the groundwork for a great RPG game, barring actual RPG mechanics.

With that in mind, Yakuza's tendency to last long and burn slow is a perfect fit for a JRPG. Like most of the games in the series, the beginning is very slow, almost to a fault, what with its need to establish the many characters and motivations that will take place throughout the game. You might get frustrated at the pace, you might even feel like quitting. However, like most of the games, when the story gets going, it REALLY gets going. Many people consider 0 to have the best story in the game; in my opinion, Like A Dragon's story is as good if not better than 0's, and that's high praise for sure. There is also, for the first time since the first Yakuza game, an English dub for the main characters (though weirdly enough, not for a lot of NPCs, creating a strange dissonance), and the voices are well-cast and acted, though I personally prefer the Japanese dub.

The characters are a joy, and new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga will win your heart, if you give him a chance. He starts off brutish and a little dim, but he quickly shows his soft side and fierce sense of loyalty for his friends and comrades, and feels very different from previous protagonists. His party members, including Nanba, Adachi, and Saeko, are also all generally well-rounded and fun characters, and the group's unlikely bond is a treat to watch play out as you play.

The gameplay, meanwhile, is pretty fun and interesting. Though the shift from beat-em-up to turn-based fighting might seem like two complete opposites, there are enough real-time elements of battle to make it feel more involved and engaging. There are a wealth of jobs (classes) to pick per character to help shape the perfect team for the situation, and experimenting between them makes for a deep, fulfilling battle system. Plus, the game proudly keeps the off-kilter sense of humor that the series is known for alive, and a lot of your attacks and the situations you find yourself in will almost absolutely make you smile, if not laugh out loud.

If there are any faults to bring up, I must say that inventory management is fairly clunky, with no option to sort items manually in different ways. There is also a somewhat sudden difficulty spike several chapters in, which heavily encourages grinding and can jeopardize the pacing of the story. Speaking of the story, there's a point where the story is muddled with convoluted reveals and head-scratching elements that may leave you disappointed. Finally, as of the writing of this review on December 29th, 2020, a number of games in the arcades simply do not start up, rendering parts of the game completely unplayable.

Still, despite its flaws, I feel like Yakuza: Like A Dragon is an incredible game that is well-worth your time, especially if you are a fan of Yakuza, JPRGs, super-silly humor, and stories with heart and strong character. The genre-shift was risky, and ultimately paid off brilliantly.

TL;DR: this game is extremely good pls play it

Simply incredible. One of my favorite games of all time. The most fun I've had with a video game in a long time!

I bought this game on a whim because I heard from a friend that it was great, and it's a no-brainer if you want to get into the series as it's a prequel. The first hour or so is a bit slow, but not the boring kind; the pace is more thoughtful and impactful than you'd expect from an action game, but the plot quickly picks up after the basis is established. Fighting is also incredibly satisfying; I'm not much of a beat em up guy, but the combat is very fluid and simple to learn while being very deep; once you upgrade your fighting styles, you'll have a wealth of special abilities to pull off. The characters are very interesting and memorable. The story is very captivating and suspenseful, the acting is well done, and I found it incredibly hard to put down.

Actually, several times I did put the main story down, but not because I got bored. I simply got distracted with the many substories, mini games, and business ventures the game threw at me. Seriously, there's several game's worth of content in Yakuza 0 to be found in these side activities, and a lot of them are great fun. Meanwhile, the substories (side missions) are often hilarious and touching, and what's amazing is that a lot of them are actually quite memorable. I'll never forget the woman who asked for bizza, or the couple who did crossword puzzles, or the Obatarian (shudder). I truly think there's something for everyone within the side content. I dare say, it rivals the quality of the main game in its own way. I'm 90+ hours in at the time of this review, and I've still got about a third of the game left to 100% complete. This game is an absolute steal at $20; hell, this game could be $60 and I'd still find it worth every penny.

Any complaints I have are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things, but I may as well list some gripes for honesty's sake.
-Having to find businesses to buy/partner with for Kiryu's and Majima's without any markers is a chore
-Some mini games are lame, in my opinion. Betting on catfights is pretty much completely randomized and that's no fun. Personally I don't care for Pocket Racing. The telephone club game is somewhat fun if you like gallery shooter kinds of games, but the outcomes of success are rarely satisfying or intriguing.
-I wish healing items/store-bought foods would indicate how much health you recover, like how restaurants show how much health every menu item will replenish.

Overall, this game is fan-freakin-tastic, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for an action game with a thrilling plot, badass combat, hilarious moments, tons of content, and a touch of humanity.

For starters, go in knowing that it's a port of a mobile game and you'll be much better off. I'm not sure how more touched up it is (if at all) compared to that version but still keep that in mind.

Anyway, this game feels very much like diet Human Revolution; it's not as big, pretty, or challenging, but it still retains the spirit of that game in a compact package. The graphics are decent and capture the HR style well. There's quite a bit of dialogue, a good number of augmentations, and the controls for a 360 controller are well-done. (I haven't played with M+KB so I'm not sure how that is)

My only real gripe with the game is that it's fairly short and feels like it ends somewhat abruptly. Again, since it's a mobile game, I'm not too surprised on the length, but the execution could've been better or more climactic.

With all that said, I recommend this game for fans of the series who are looking for a fun spin-off title with a different protagonist. To everyone else, I would say play this after playing the other games so you can (hopefully) become a Deus Ex fan and look at this with a different viewpoint.

very fun competitive shooter, think counter strike but in a wild west setting and no bomb planting

there are different game modes such as a payload and break bad where you have to get money through kills or completing objectives like delivering gold, but i feel the game is most fun when it's just simple (team) deathmatch. it's fun and frantic while being slower paced than games like counter strike or call of duty as there are no automatic weapons at all, making aim even more important. another thing that sets it apart from most games is that the number of kills don't really matter as much as what weapon you used to get those kills. this "notoriety" system grants more notoriety points based on the tier of the weapon, as well as for extra things like shooting someone's hat off or kicking them off a ledge into a pit. it's a great way to encourage using weaker weaponry in the midst of stronger, higher-tiered weapons.

my only real gripe with the game is that the collision detection for the environment feels a little too precise. i keep getting caught on little things like tables, stairs, and the like. same goes with drinking whiskey for health, it feels like you have to be a bit too precise in hovering over it. makes it hard to drink while on the run and paranoid with a 13 kill streak and 10 health. sometimes my shots don't land but i don't fault the game for that, it's probably just server issues. it's hard to find things to complain about when the game is completely, utterly free with no strings attatched

all in all, i love this game, and of course, pass the whiskey

I've never played this game in its heyday, so I can't comment on whether it used to be good or not. However, in its current state of relative obscurity, I would not recommend this, especially to newcomers. People who are good at this game (presumably veterans) seem to be fairly rude and not very helpful; the elitism is strong with this community. There are more grenades than World at War. It feels kind of spray-and-pray-ish to me (although I am a novice so I'm probably wrong). The recoil is crazy on the guns, which I guess is more of a nitpick than anything, but it's annoying. I think the biggest problem is simply that it gets no love, which at this point it will probably never get, and that leaves it in this state of obscurity.

This game is a breath of fresh air for the zombie genre. It is like a mix of Left 4 Dead, Resident Evil, and Dead Rising in that the action is intense and there are plenty of items scattered about. The game features separate inventory wheels for items and ammo, so players can manage their held items and their ammunition separately. While there are a plethora of melee weapons in this game (from a small kitchen knife to a fire axe to a chainsaw), there are not nearly as many ranged weapons laying around, forcing you to conserve these guns and their ammo as that is also not common. The game emphasizes making use out of each round as there are tons of zombies to kill with limited ammo in the area.

This game is also very slow-paced. Your characer moves fairly slowly, and the zombies are even slower, although they are quite strong individually as a single zombie has the potential to screw the player over via bleeding or infection. Each action the player takes, from reloading to switching weapons to swinging a hacthet, feels very slow and heavy, so the player has to make sure that their actions are as precise as possible. The slow pace of the game augments the tense feeling of survival, and although this game is fairly easy to understand in terms of gameplay and mechanics, it is quite challenging to beat without at least a little bit of teamwork and cooperation. This game is very fun and addicting to play, and each zombie kill is satisfying with the occasional zombie head exploding bloodily.

Of course, it is not perfect. The "zones" mode, where players must defend certain areas of a map from zombies, does not exactly fit the slow pace of the game because it can take players quite a bit of time to conquer crowds of zombies, which can allow other zombies to take over an area. I also do not like the fact that players cannot move through each other, which would be much appreciated as it can be easy to get temporarily trapped by a player standing in a doorway or hall, allowing a zombie an open opportunity to grab you. Finally, I would like to be able to spawn as soon as I connect to a server. Connecting to a game in progress can be rather dull sometimes as you are forced to watch the players who were already in the server.

Despite its issues, NMRiH is one of my favorite games on Steam, and the best part about it is that it's completely free. Heck, if this game were to cost money, I would buy it. I definitely recommend this amazing game.

This game has some great writing, stylish graphics that look even better in motion, gives you choices (some of which are very story-changing), and some pretty great voice acting all rolled into one must-play series :)

When compared to its sister expansion, Blue Shift, this game is of much higher quality in terms of plot, feel, weapons (and there are some seriously cool weapons like the Barnacle, a long-tongued Xen alien), and best of all, action! While both expansions are short, this game is quite a bit longer than Blue Shift (OP is about half the length of the original Half-Life). Both are great additions to the Half-Life series, but between the two, Opposing Force is the much better game!