rjkclarke Posted October 9, 2021 Author Share Posted October 9, 2021 1 hour ago, Copanele said: Finally I can reply to this thread been checking it for a while and it's high time I read it (especially since I saw Drakengard 3 on the first page which i still need to play) BUT I DIGRESS! Yakuza 0? hot damn I need to read that! All my years of intense English studying is finally paying off Happy to have you here man! This is probably one of the first times I've written about a game we actually have in common. I would have thought, we have got a few, I just haven't really discussed them that much yet I don't think. Wow Drakengard 3 - that seems like such a long time ago, that I wrote that review - back when I was too scared to write too much, and thought I had to discuss trophies way more than I actually do. That's a pretty decent game though Drakengard 3, so I hope you find your way to playing it at some point! It does play like a PowerPoint presentation in a few areas, but its worth powering through to get to that games awesome story! Plus I reckon you'll get a kick out of both the varied weapon system, and Zero...... I mean she's essentially the female form of God of War I-III Kratos, but with a lot more depth. I hope you enjoy the Yakuza 0 write up though. I'm going to go post it after I've written this reply. 47 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: Yo I'm super excited for your Yakuza 0 review, it's gonna be the thing that gets me back into it I already know! I've been finishing up board game/game show stuff because after finishing Family Feud I wanna do a post on games I bought in order to play with my wife, but... Hitman and Yakuza 0, they callin me That's awesome to hear - hopefully it won't woefully disappoint then! ? I did a word count just now - and it's roughly the same length as my Final Fantasy IX review - which is pretty outrageous, I went into a lot of depth on the gameplay, because it's a requested review, and I know KindaSabbath is pretty big on gameplay, so I felt like I should put a bit more effort into that, this time around. So if you have anything specific you want me to focus on in The Phantom Pain review let me know. Unrelated - but I think my keyboard is circling the drain, I think the space bar is a bit screwed - so I might need to get a new one of those soon. That's a great idea about doing a post about games you've bought to play with your wife - I'm looking forward to that one. Especially as there's quite a few other people in the checklist forum that have bought games for some very similar reasons, so that will probably open up some really interesting discussions. 56 minutes ago, YaManSmevz said: It's kind of silly really, because I know I'm gonna sink hours upon hours into gaming anyway, so why does it matter if so many hours go into one game? I wish I could explain it... gaming logic man, figure it out How I long for the days of my boyhood, when free time just seemed boundless... Nah - not really. It's completely understandable I think.....It's the same reason I haven't played it. I think It's the same reason I haven't gone back to Star Ocean 4 - I know I've got a 300 hour (at least) journey ahead of me - and as fun as that probably will be to document on here, that number is bloody terrifying, so even if I play that amount over several games, it'll still feel smaller for exactly the reasons you mentioned. Putting all of that time into one thing is scary, there's no doubt. That's definitely an upside to our younger days - yet I bet at the time we were probably saying, i wish we could go somewhere and drink beer instead of just hanging around playing video games, or something to that effect? So we can't ever win right? ? 1 hour ago, YaManSmevz said: I just might... I already know I'll be adding a few more games, with a few on deck for swaps just in case. I'm down dude, I have a fez hat and a robe, just need a box of cigars, a bottle of cognac, and a few snifter glasses! I'm gonna add a few myself, in the next update I post in there - we've got till February to get them done right? so I don't see why I can't chuck a couple more on the pile for good measure, so you should too if you want to, you've not used any swaps either right? So you can hurl a few out the window if you need to ?... I want to add some myself, because of the trophies to fight cancer event, I want to fast track a few of my games in my backlog for that event too. I'll provide the Cigars then! Maybe some Cognac too. Right..... Better go post my Yakuza 0 book ? review.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rjkclarke Posted October 9, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted October 9, 2021 (edited) Classic Review Platinum #188 Yakuza 0 (PS4) Where It All Began Obtain all other trophies. A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 3 November 2018: 2: 04: 16 PM Time Taken to Platinum : 1 month, 1 week, 3 days Platinum Rarity - 4.16% Trophy Number - #9,837 Yakuza 0 is almost the perfect blueprint for how every single prequel should be handled – be that in a cinematic, video game or literary form. Not only that, it serves as the perfect starting point for newcomers to the series. It straddles that incredibly fine line – between an introduction to the franchise and a love letter towards it for those that have been following along up to this point. If only Star Wars or Lord of the Rings had managed that. SEGA deserve all the credit for managing to maintain that tough balance throughout the course of Yakuza 0. I know plenty of people who fall on both sides in this manner – of people that have been introduced to the series with this one, or someone that played this after playing through Yakuza 5 – personally, I fall into the latter category. Yet, interestingly people in both of those camps have overwhelmingly positive things to say about this game. Now I don’t tend to let my personal feelings get in the way that often when it comes to these reviews – the thing is though, I both believe that Yakuza 0 is the absolute peak of the series as far as quality goes, and yet at the same time, it’s not my favourite entry, that’s Yakuza 5. I won’t let that cloud my judgment here of course, but I just thought I’d let anyone reading know where I personally stand on the series. Yakuza 0 sets us on a path through some of the most impactful events of two of the series most integral characters in Kiryu and Majima. We’ll get to that in more detail later though. The 1980’s as a whole across many forms of media, have led to a multitude of different audio and visual styles. In much the same way other Yakuza titles do, Yakuza 0 heavily takes inspiration from some of the greatest works of western and Japanese cinema. I’m incredibly passionate about Japanese cinema specifically (something I believe I’ve mentioned before in my Judgment review, but I won’t assume you’ve read that), so I’ll try not to bore you too much with the minutiae of all of this, however much I might like to – but suffice to say this game pays some wonderful homage’s to the cinematic outings of both Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu – and that’s not even scratching the surface when it comes to discussing other film-makers and the cinematic influences on the Yakuza series. (Perhaps that’s a post for another time?) Trust me on this one, the cinematography and the use of sound would put some film-makers to shame – that’s the kind of quality on display here. When you think of the 1980’s, depending on who you are - that tends to conjure a certain image – it’s probably fair to say Yakuza 0 presents us with a version of Tokyo and Osaka that you could definitely argue is ultra stylised. This isn’t to its detriment, it’s just hard to imagine things being quite so vibrant and neon infused – what it does do, is create a tone and an atmosphere that just exudes character and intrigue. I can think of very few instances in video games outside of this series in particular that it’s so easy to get drawn into the world it inhabits in such a powerful way. Both Kamurocho and Sotenbori (my personal favourite location in the entire series,) have never looked as interesting or as teeming with life in quite the same way they do in Yakuza 0. The two of these are a true testament to the excellent map design found in this title particularly. There’s just small and brilliant attentions to detail everywhere, that really elevate it – these have always been present in the Yakuza series of course, but in Yakuza 0’s case they enrich the atmosphere just by virtue of inclusion. I can’t claim nostalgia either, as I haven’t lived a single day in the 1980’s. It’s just a fine example of this. The champion district is an interesting curiosity – an area in Kamurocho, that I’ve always thought perfectly encapsulates the saying “you don’t want to meet them down a dark alley.” Well – that dark alley happens to be the champion district. Whilst almost everywhere else in Kamurocho is bathed in the warm glow of neon lights, barkers in long coats on every corner, and a smattering of street punks to get in your way – the champion district remains that one shady location that almost never changes from 1988 all the way up to thirty years later in Judgment. It still retains that dishevelled and run down vibe, and ironically is one of the few areas that genuinely feels like it probably belongs to the red light district of Tokyo that Kamurocho is inspired by. Some things just seemingly don’t change. Sotenbori on the other hand – geographically remains almost identical to its last appearance in Yakuza 5 – yet in Yakuza 0’s case it has an altogether different vibe, a juxtaposition of sorts. There’s something very sinister and unsettling about some of the darker corners of Sotenbori, corners which only become darker and more foreboding as you uncover more of this games plot. However, walk a few feet and you’ll be back to the vibrant neon bathed streets that seem like such an inviting place to go to sample the nightlife, or go fishing in Sotenbori’s canal. As I mentioned previously – I firmly believe Yakuza 0 is a prequel done right, and Sotenbori is a location that perfectly illustrates that – I very strongly remember saving a screenshot on my PS4 of the apartment Haruka lives at in Yakuza 5, and sending it to a friend and remarking how interesting it was that it was still there, even twenty-six years previously. I loved the fact you can find it in Yakuza 0 and see the state of repair it was in almost three decades earlier. In that same vain – I think people who return to Sotenbori in Yakuza 5, or Kiwami 2, will be able to get the same feeling when they revisit locations such as The Grand and Club Sunshine. Both the original soundtrack and the sound design excel in Yakuza 0, it’s incredibly tempting to just turn this entire review into a giant wall of blue text, by posting some of the wonderful pieces of original soundtrack, but that’d be a bit messy, so I’ll leave that joyous experience up to anyone that decides to play the game. It’s actually astounding how much effort went into writing the music for this game, almost every element has its own musical sting – it fits the era, it is atmospheric when it wants to be, and most importantly of all – you’ll not forget it in a hurry. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack as I always do whilst writing these reviews and it has given me goose bumps multiple times, as the memories of certain moments and areas of the game have come flooding back in waves. I’d argue this game probably features some of the more memorable Karaoke and Dancing mini-game songs in the series too, many of which I still listen to on a regular basis. I still listen to Koi No Disco Queen very often; in fact I’m pretty sure it’s on my iPod. Some of them have become so popular to the point where many of them have become memes; I’ll let you decide whether or not that was a good thing. The sound design in combat is particularly noteworthy, the foley artists did a particularly great job in this department, a few of the sound effects during heat actions sometimes make you cringe and smile at the same time just by how brutal they can be – the noises you hear when Kiryu or Majima pick up a dirty syringe (or as the game calls it a “mystery syringe”) off the floor and jam it into someone’s thigh, is equal parts disturbing and satisfying. Voice acting is of such a high standard in this title, almost every voice actor does a tremendously good job of conveying a characters individual emotions, this isn’t limited to the two protagonists either – the quality is abundant completely across the board - Takaya Kuroda (Kiryu) and Hidenari Ugaki (Majima) gives some of their best performances to date here, Ugaki, does a marvellous job with the weightier part he’s given in this game. Something you could argue might have gone very wrong, as Majima was a little bit lacking in character depth up to this point. It’d be incredibly easy to just wax lyrical about all of the fantastic characters in Yakuza 0. However, they are there for everyone else to discover for themselves, I’m also not going to mention the story in any great detail. Don’t be put off by that, anyone that reads my reviews will know I keep spoilers to a minimum, or avoid them entirely – Yakuza 0 is one I’m particularly mindful of, as this title has a blisteringly good story, that I’d hate to spoil for anyone. One which is told in a fairly unique way – that being two characters, in different cities, embarking on interwoven paths that you know are destined to intersect with each other, essentially means that the moment you find out something revelatory in one side, you’ll be wanting to find out more, yet get equally drawn into the plot revelations on the other side. It’s a fantastic feat of writing, to keep your attention the way that it does. Ever wondered how Kazuma Kiryu became known as The Dragon of Dojima? If you did then you’ll find out through the course of this game. Both Majima and Kiryu throughout their respective stories meet two characters, which were clearly very influential on their personalities going forward, to see both Majima and Kiryu’s embryonic stages as characters is such an interesting curiosity, yet it’s done in almost the least forceful way possible. It’s another one of the fantastic elements of the game that being a prequel brings to the table. For those who have no previous connection to Kiryu as a character, you’ll still end up seeing the character the same way, it’s just the context will be ever so slightly different. I think it’d be a fair criticism to make, that Kiryu’s evolution happens a little too quickly – again, I’m avoiding specifics, but it definitely could have happened a little more organically instead of the way in which it does here. If I was to hypothesise for a moment – I’d guess it was SEGA’s way of keeping the character familiar, yet adding a few new wrinkles to him at the same time, for anyone who wasn’t up to speed with him and was joining the series with this title. Majima on the other hand - is a completely different story. The amount of depth that Yakuza 0 brings to Goro Majima as a character is honestly astounding; in a way I’m envious of those that got to play this game first. To call Majima a character brimming with depth up to this point would be a lie – although, there have been very clear and concerted efforts to try and layer more depth into his character in both Yakuza 4 and 5. All of that helped – but I’d still struggle to consider Majima fleshed out up until now – again, he received a fair amount of development in Yakuza: Dead Souls, as do a few other key characters, but as that’s non canon (yet still absolutely worth playing,) it essentially doesn’t “matter” at all. Get to the point I bet you’re thinking? Well Yakuza 0 is an incredibly revelatory experience when it comes to Majima, I really can’t overstate that enough – it’s one of the perfect implementations of the prequel formula. For those who are aware of why he’s in exile in Osaka, seeing Majima’s gradual transformation into The Mad Dog of Shimano is a bittersweet experience, yet just as satisfying when you play the game to its conclusion. Whereas those who play the games in chronological order, are likely going to feel such a ridiculous amount of empathy towards him when you reach titles like Yakuza 4 and 5, which further peels back the curtain and allows you to see a little beyond the surface of the character. I could honestly write pages and pages of in depth character study on both Majima and Kiryu, but I’ll refrain, as the lengths of these reviews ask enough of people as they are. Yakuza 0’s gameplay - surprisingly is another one of the features that work in an incredibly fresh and interesting way as a prequel, seriously more games should consider this specific gameplay approach – did I mention I thought that aspect was good? No, I must not have done..... Honestly, it really is a surprisingly clever approach – both of the two lead protagonists aren’t quite the technical fighting machines they would later go on to be. So to reflect that - both characters have rudimentary, yet similar fighting styles to those they’d employ in later life. For those who haven’t played a Yakuza title before, the combat is reminiscent of things like Streets of Rage, yet on three dimensional planes – through both combo-ing and using weapons found in the environment you can build heat actions, which work as situational special moves, which deal extra damage – these often range from hilarious to disgustingly brutal. Essentially – let’s in the words of D-Generation X “break it down.” So, Kiryu and Majima each have three fighting styles – well, technically four, as the Legend styles are essentially your final reward to play as the characters “true fighting form”. Kiryu’s consist of Brawler, Rush and Beast styles. Each one of these contributes their own interesting wrinkle to fights, and each of them is situational in their usefulness for different reasons. Each style also ends up containing their own individual combo types, which get gradually more complex the more you upgrade the styles. Brawler is probably the style that closest resemble Kiryu’s traditional fighting style, yet far more unrefined, I appreciate the small attention to detail that the Brawler style contains a watered down tiger drop (my boss beating move of choice,) which isn’t anywhere near as effective, I suspect deliberately. Rush style, is an interesting one, in that it’s incredibly effective against single opponents, as its speedy strikes, quick dashes and movement give you a lot of manoeuvrability compared to other styles, essentially allowing you to bob and weave and chip away at a singular opponent – for veterans of the series, I’d say it’s the closest Kiryu has ever been to fighting like Akiyama does. Beast style, I’d argue is probably one of Kiryu’s most powerful fighting styles in Yakuza 0, some of the skills are an absolute necessity for crowd controlling on higher difficulties, and the sheer amount of carnage you can cause with this style, is almost second to none. Unfortunately it has one HUGE drawback, which is - it’s slower than a two legged tortoise, with wheels for back legs stuck in treacle (try saying that when you’re drunk,) but some of the combo strings allow you a lot of breathing room to control the fights. This isn’t too dissimilar to how Saejima fights in Yakuza 4 and 5, but with far less of Saejima’s agility. Kiryu’s Legend style is essentially how Kiryu plays in all of the later titles; it’s the thing I switched to permanently once I had it unlocked, as it was too tempting not to. Unfortunately I don’t think Kiryu’s three fighting style complement each other in quite the same way that Majima’s do, they offer much less fluidity to switch between in combat, but individually they’re incredibly effective. There was always a little more freedom to Majima for the developers from a gameplay perspective, because at this point he’s essentially a completely fresh character, as far as gameplay goes – he’d only been playable in Yakuza: Dead Souls previously, and as that’s essentially a third person shooter, you don’t get to play as him in the truest sense, as almost every character in that game behaves almost identical to the next. Yet in Yakuza 0 he is more of a blank canvas. Majima has access to four styles too – which are: Thug style, Slugger style, Breaker style and Legend style. Thug style is rather interesting in that it’s fairly close to how Kiryu’s brawler style works, in fact the trainer that teaches you some of the extra moves for this style is actually a very familiar face, who I’d never have expected to interact with Majima at all. I think you could definitely argue the thug style is probably the weakest element of Majima’s three styles, as it doesn’t have huge amount of damage output, crowd control of manoeuvrability. It’s fairly good for building heat actions, and from my own experience, little else. Slugger style is unique in that the style gives you a baseball bat with infinite durability, you are limited to using the bat alone in combat, but it’s incredibly good for things like isolated crowd control, you could essentially control an entire group of enemies in a cone shape in front of you with one move, giving you ample breathing room. Not only this, but it synergises tremendously well with both Thug and Breaker style. Breaker style remains probably the most useful of Majima’s abilities – aside from Legend style it’s also probably the most satisfying one to actually witness in action. It’s essentially a mixture of break dancing and Capoeira. You can probably imagine how chaotic that looks – it’s also perfect for crowd control. Breaker and Slugger style synergise incredibly well together, it’s so satisfying being able to transition from flooring thugs with a bat, then seamlessly transitioning into breaker and combo-ing people into oblivion whilst they’re still on the floor, whilst also dealing damage to anyone who happens to get caught amongst the chaos. Majima’s Legend style however is exactly what I wanted it to be, it’s satisfying, effective and incredibly enjoyable - being able to do so many of the moves that you’d only seen Majima perform in previous titles adds an extra layer of enjoyment. The ability to spin around on the spot wielding a dagger as he does in other titles was a real chef’s kiss moment, and the only one I was worried wouldn’t be a useable move. Thanks to the older nature of this games engine I found this version of Majima’s Legend style to me so much more fluid than in Kiwami 2, where the animations feel a little bit too canned, and inorganic compared to how they are here. Despite the fact the Yakuza series has never really been considered an RPG, at least not until very recently, with its turn based transition – there are so many elements of its gameplay that just seamlessly fit into that genre, without ever quite being one. You level up and gain skills in the same way you do in RPG’s, add to that the fact you have a whole raft of substories (sidequests) to enhance the gameplay experience, this gives it far more right to be called an RPG, the only difference is you don’t really have any kind of control over the narrative. It’s far more an RPG than something like Horizon: Zero Dawn is, and I often hear that game being referred to as such. I’ve often said Yakuza’s heart and soul are that of an RPG even if it isn’t one in the truest sense. As Yakuza 0 is set at the height of Japan’s bubble economy – instead of EXP in the truest sense you’d usually think of – this game treats money (which in Japan at the time, the game would suggest it essentially rained money,) as EXP points. As you’d expect there are many different ways to actually attain money – but it adds a few interesting alternatives when it comes to things such as higher difficulties, as you can essentially upgrade in a more streamlined and focused manner, if you wish to. This essentially allows you to upgrade in a more specific way, instead of having to “farm” for EXP to unlock a necessary skill. One of the things that have always been an excellent addition in the Yakuza series – are the substories, which I think are at their absolute best in Yakuza 0. They are often vastly tonally different to the main story, so they offer a welcome distraction from some of the more melodramatic and self serious moments you might find amongst the main story. It’s often very easy in games of this nature to fill out side content with pointless fetch quests – whereas, in this game particularly, they are either used as a way to introduce you to even more of the incredibly rich side content – or they end up actually being a lot more meaningful than you’d expect. Personally, I always feel more inclined to invest my time if the side content actually means something – without giving any spoilers away, there’s a substory that begins in this game, and doesn’t become fully resolved until Yakuza 6, it’s things like that, that go a long way to making you more attached to the universe as a whole. I’m not even beginning to scratch the surface with the substories – some of them are absolutely hilarious – I have so many screenshots saved to my PS4 from Yakuza 0’s substories, especially the ones featuring Miracle Jackson (Michael Jackson) and the character that is essentially just Steven Spielberg. On a funny little side note, the mushroom salesman looks just like one of my friends would if he was Japanese, which I’ve always found pretty hilarious. Aside from both the main story, and the substories, there exist two distinctive side stories, where you play two intricately different mini-games that also factor into the respective stories of both Kiryu and Majima. Kiryu’s takes the form of Real Estate Royale – which essentially works as Yakuza’s answer to monopoly. If I’m being perfectly honest, it’s far and away the weakest element of these two side activities. It doesn’t amount to very much variety outside of the Sub- Bosses you end up fighting. This is at least an interesting deviation. These however, are very fairly crucial – each one offers an individual challenge (beating their high score on Outrun for example,) that if you beat, gets you a bigger percentage controlling stake in their territory in Kamurocho, you do control their territory regardless - so long as you win the fist fight against them, but the bigger percentage stake gives you a much bigger revenue stream, which as I alluded to earlier is helpful for upgrades Majima’s side activity – Cabaret Club Czar, is not dissimilar to the hostess maker mini-game found in Yakuza 4, it just contains a whole lot more depth this time around, and most importantly of all, it’s actually enjoyable. Essentially, you assign different hostesses to different customers, and they’ll make money depending on their suitability and associated social skills. Simply put – this is the best of the two side activities, by a long stretch, which on paper you’d never expect it to be. But the frenetic pace at which the hostess sessions take place always keep you interested – on top of this, the story itself attached to this mode is rather interesting on its own merits. RGG studios must have known they were onto a winner with this particular game mode, as it reappeared in Yakuza Kiwami 2, as well as rather unusually in Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise. As the Yakuza as a series is so synonymous with its mini-games, I feel like it’d be pertinent to at least focus on them a little bit. I think you could argue that Yakuza 0 probably has some of the harder ones – in no small part due to the exclusions of “cheat items” in this game, which do somewhat trivialise some of the mini game requirements in the other titles. In a way I think that’s a benefit to Yakuza 0, this game can be a real learning experience if you just let it, which is something I’m personally incredibly thankful for. I’ve learnt to play several really intricate and interesting card games as a result of the Yakuza series – whilst I was familiar with Mahjong before, it wasn’t until some of the completion metrics in Yakuza 0 truly that you were required tolearn the ins and outs of that game. Now – I love it, and I’d be disappointed if Mahjong ever got removed from the series, but that’s not to say it’s not a fairly steep learning curve, but it’s a rewarding one nevertheless. Mahjong isn’t really scratching the surface; you can play plenty of western gambling games, along with more traditional fare like Koi- Koi (I love this one) and Oicho-Kabu. Thankfully, the game does give very in depth explanations on how to play each of these, so you never quite feel lost. Are you fond of classic SEGA arcade titles? Ever felt the need to immerse yourself in a sea of nostalgia? Well, if you have then the SEGA arcades are the place for you. It’s tremendous that entire SEGA games exist within this game; if you’re aiming for full completion you’ll be playing a lot of Outrun, Super Hang- On, Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier. It’s a love letter to SEGA’s own history that I can’t help but appreciate as an inclusion in the game. Alongside these arcade mini-games you’ll be able to play Pool, Darts, Baseball and go Bowling (I bet Roman would love Yakuza 0 right?)... Oh and make friends all over Kamurocho, talk to telephone models, and watch – how shall I say this, naughty videos. If you can think of it, you can probably do it in some form in this game. So what are you looking at to attain Yakuza 0’s gorgeous platinum trophy? Quite frankly, a lot – but I’d say for probably ninety percent of your time, you’d be enjoying yourself. you won’t spend quite as much time as you would in Yakuza 5, but the fact this game completion metrics for both characters, it means that you’d spend far more time than you would if it was just the one character that was given focus. You’re looking at a minimum of two playthroughs – one for 100% completion and another for Legend mode. This is by no means a trophy guide, but in these sections I always try and give advice where I can. In Yakuza 0’s case I’d say balance is absolutely the key, make sure to balance the side content and the main story – as tempting as it is to just power on through with the main story (and it is believe me,) you want to avoid doing that, and tackle substories when they appear. The last thing you want in any game of this nature is to have a seemingly never ending stream of side content to burn yourself out on. Be patient with things like Cat Scratch Fever and the trophy for attaining every item from every search area, they’ll come in time – they are frustrating though, but it’ll feel worth it in the end. If I was going to give any advice for Legend difficulty or EX Hard (whichever it’s called in this,), I’d suggest always taking as many of the stamina royale drinks with you wherever you can, especially as money isn’t really an issue in this game, so having the best healing items on hand is a necessity – then I’d focus on getting as many of Kiryu’s beast mode skills as possible. Essentially – that will allow you to tank a lot of damage, and output plenty of damage yourself, and with the healing items, you’ll never have to worry too much. Majima is a little simpler, in that it’s a case of learning how to fluidly combo between Slugger and Breaker, that way you can pretty much always control the flow of action. After writing this much, I think it goes without saying that I’d recommend this game – even if you never played another Yakuza game afterwards, this is a game that everyone should experience, true quality video games, films or literature (insert art form of your choice,) almost always transcend the genre or the series that they come from, and I think this is a fine example of that. This isn’t personal bias creeping in either; the game excels on almost every single level. However, If I was going to apply my own form of science and rank my own games (don’t worry, I won’t) then this would be sitting pretty high up the list I’d say. Do yourselves a favour and play this game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to @KindaSabbath for requesting this one - I tried to put as much detail as I could into discussing the gameplay, as I know you're more of a gameplay guy. So hopefully that's not too much of a chore to read through. As long as it might have taken to write, I absolutely loved writing this, and it's given me the kick up the backside I probably needed to want to start Yakuza 3, especially as @Copanele has been exploring that one very recently. There is a reason why I haven't played it yet, and it isn't difficulty related - I just wasn't quite ready to play my last game with Kiryu as a protagonist (and say goodbye) quite yet - maybe now I am. This one has been a real blast - I love this game so much, so it was lucky this came up as one of my first requested reviews. If any of you lovely folks wanted to request a specific review - then all you have to do is ask, as usual the only requirement is that I've gotten either the platinum or the 100% otherwise it's a no go - these are what has currently been requested and two more I'm aiming to put out on specific days. These are: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, The Secret of Monkey Island, Tales of Zestiria and Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock, these ones are already on the list of things coming up in the future. Other than that, you can pretty much take your pick. In the meantime I'll continue to just choose ones semi randomly to discuss. Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 (edited) Well, you pretty much put in way better words what I felt about Yakuza 0. That game did so many kickflips for me it kinda became one of my favorite games of all time. It definitely breaks top 10 for me at this moment, this game was amazing and I can't recommend it enough, the same way as it was recommended to me ! But I want to mention 3 specific things: Mahjong: I love this minigame so much! WOW! Mahjong was the game that I dreaded the most before starting the game, just to realize it's actually a variant of that blasted Melding Rummy game that I played to death in my glorious University years. After reading the "you have to do melds" I had that literal "Chotto matte a goddamn second" moment and I instantly (re)learned mahjong in 5 minutes. Nobody could stop my Riichi from that point onwards Koi Koi: this is one hell of a game, I actually fully learned the strategies in Yakuza 3 (AI is brutal there). While sadly in Yakuza 0 I was at the "hahah match the funny pictures" level, I gradually learned the intricacies of this game with Kiwami 1 and finally unlocked the full potential of planning a damn season in Yakuza 3. And THAT'S the moment this minigame was mad fun. Majima: Ok, weird thing to add him after 2 minigames but...again, only Yakuza 3 made me finally love Kiryu more than Majima (seriously though, play Yakuza 3, shitty combat aside, it's a fantastic game). As a person who started directly with Yakuza 0, Majima was by far my favorite character and his gradual turn from his Y0 persona to Kiwami 1 (+that Majima story in Kiwami 2 oh my heart) kinda made him my actual favorite character. Only in Yakuza 3 where Kiryu finally settles in(for a while...) made me really appreciate the true strength and character of the Dragon of Dojima. But until that point...it should be illegal to write a character as good as Majima ? Friggin loved the review! Kinda sad that I just now managed to fully comment on your Trophy checklist, but on the flipside I have an entire thread to read now Edited October 9, 2021 by Copanele 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 10, 2021 Author Share Posted October 10, 2021 I should have gotten back to you a little sooner - after I posted that review I went and started Legend of Kay Anniversary and decided to get hooked on that for a good few hours. 19 hours ago, Copanele said: Well, you pretty much put in way better words what I felt about Yakuza 0. That game did so many kickflips for me it kinda became one of my favorite games of all time. It definitely breaks top 10 for me at this moment, this game was amazing and I can't recommend it enough, the same way as it was recommended to me ! Thanks man! It's such a fantastic game isn't it - and it so easily becomes one of those types of game that you just want everyone to play - and to hopefully have exactly the same awesome time with it that you did! 19 hours ago, Copanele said: Mahjong: I love this minigame so much! WOW! Mahjong was the game that I dreaded the most before starting the game, just to realize it's actually a variant of that blasted Melding Rummy game that I played to death in my glorious University years. After reading the "you have to do melds" I had that literal "Chotto matte a goddamn second" moment and I instantly (re)learned mahjong in 5 minutes. Nobody could stop my Riichi from that point onwards I love it a hell of a lot too, it's one of those things I often just played for fun as well - it's such a great mini-game and that Eureka moment you described is one of the things that really cements that - it's a wonderful feeling when it just clicks and you go " ahhhh, this is how it works,silly me!" Although in the process of learning the game for a while I did start to hate every person named Ron - because I just associated that with my repeated failures - not their fault though right? Just mine for being a dumb-arse. 19 hours ago, Copanele said: Koi Koi: this is one hell of a game, I actually fully learned the strategies in Yakuza 3 (AI is brutal there). While sadly in Yakuza 0 I was at the "hahah match the funny pictures" level, I gradually learned the intricacies of this game with Kiwami 1 and finally unlocked the full potential of planning a damn season in Yakuza 3. And THAT'S the moment this minigame was mad fun. It's actually fairly complex isn't it - you can definitely get away with just doing exactly what you mentioned " MATCH THE PRETTIES," but you can absolutely destroy those mini-games in really quick succession once you know how they work, in fact I think Koi - Koi was what I used in Kiwami to help get me get a lot of those gambling points, to get the extra weapons that you need for the completion points - that was probably the part of Kiwami I enjoyed the least actually, was having to scratch around for those last few weapons to get you over that 70? I think threshold. I've never quite gotten on with Oicho - Kabu...... I know how it works, I just don't particularly enjoy it, same with Cee- Lo it's that totally random element that puts me off a little bit. Are there any mini-games that you really detested? I know you had a pretty rough time with the baseball recently - which I fear is only going to get worse for you with Yakuza 5's baseball, I seriously spent about three nights getting some of those, and the Maths Baseball mode can go fire itself into a spiky wall out of a cannon. 19 hours ago, Copanele said: Majima: Ok, weird thing to add him after 2 minigames but...again, only Yakuza 3 made me finally love Kiryu more than Majima (seriously though, play Yakuza 3, shitty combat aside, it's a fantastic game). As a person who started directly with Yakuza 0, Majima was by far my favorite character and his gradual turn from his Y0 persona to Kiwami 1 (+that Majima story in Kiwami 2 oh my heart) kinda made him my actual favorite character. Only in Yakuza 3 where Kiryu finally settles in(for a while...) made me really appreciate the true strength and character of the Dragon of Dojima. But until that point...it should be illegal to write a character as good as Majima I think I will have to fire up Yakuza 3 soon..... It's been a long time coming, I think. Oh man don't - Majima's portion of Kiwami 2 broke my heart too - I'll never quite look at a watch the same way (and that's all I'm going to say to avoid spoilers). One of my friends who loves Yakuza 0 still hasn't played the Majima part of Kiwami 2..... He's really missing out with that one, he's played Kiryu's side of Kiwami 2, so I don't know why you'd deprive yourself off that extra story. You're in for treat when you get to Yakuza 4 and 5 with Majima - I alluded to it a little in my review - but you're gonna get some more revelations, that further link Majima to Osaka - and I suspect you're going to love them, but I'll say no more about them. I've played the Yakuza games in such a bizarre order - I played the original PS2 version first back in like 2008, dropped out of the series for years, picked up Yakuza 5 instantly fell in love with the series again, then played 0,4, Kiwami, 6, Kiwami 2, Dead Souls and then Judgment.... I didn't get three until last year, as it was super expensive to get a disc copy in the UK until the remaster released - which I brought just for Yakuza 3 really, and the special edition PS3 case you get for Yakuza 5... Weird right? So that's a pretty odd order to be perfectly honest - but it's a testament to their story, that you don't get lost even if you play them in that completely odd way like I did. On Kiryu though - you've got a hell of a lot of awesome ahead of you - I'm a little jealous you'll be seeing it with completely fresh eyes - yet really looking forward to hear your thoughts on it all. I personally really like where they take his character through 4,5 and 6.... 5 Especially does a tremendously good job of exploring him in a really interesting way. 19 hours ago, Copanele said: Friggin loved the review! Kinda sad that I just now managed to fully comment on your Trophy checklist, but on the flipside I have an entire thread to read now I'm so glad you enjoyed the review - I absolutely loved writing that one - it was one of my favourite ones to write that I've written so far.... Hey better late than never right - when it comes to commenting on my checklist? ?....... Only joking, In all seriousness though, I really appreciate it, and I love that you've stopped by - especially as I've been reading yours for far longer than I was ever actively posting on this site, you were one of the big inspirations for starting my own, so it's great to have you here man! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 54 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: I should have gotten back to you a little sooner - after I posted that review I went and started Legend of Kay Anniversary and decided to get hooked on that for a good few hours. That might be my main issue as to why I don't actually check the good stuff in Trophy Checklists - I always get hooked by videogames so much that I forget to actually read stuff Games are my blessing and my curse at the same time. 56 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: It's such a fantastic game isn't it - and it so easily becomes one of those types of game that you just want everyone to play - and to hopefully have exactly the same awesome time with it that you did! I love it a hell of a lot too, it's one of those things I often just played for fun as well - it's such a great mini-game and that Eureka moment you described is one of the things that really cements that - it's a wonderful feeling when it just clicks and you go " ahhhh, this is how it works,silly me!" Although in the process of learning the game for a while I did start to hate every person named Ron - because I just associated that with my repeated failures - not their fault though right? Just mine for being a dumb-arse. It's actually fairly complex isn't it - you can definitely get away with just doing exactly what you mentioned " MATCH THE PRETTIES," but you can absolutely destroy those mini-games in really quick succession once you know how they work, in fact I think Koi - Koi was what I used in Kiwami to help get me get a lot of those gambling points, to get the extra weapons that you need for the completion points - that was probably the part of Kiwami I enjoyed the least actually, was having to scratch around for those last few weapons to get you over that 70? I think threshold. I've never quite gotten on with Oicho - Kabu...... I know how it works, I just don't particularly enjoy it, same with Cee- Lo it's that totally random element that puts me off a little bit. Are there any mini-games that you really detested? I know you had a pretty rough time with the baseball recently - which I fear is only going to get worse for you with Yakuza 5's baseball, I seriously spent about three nights getting some of those, and the Maths Baseball mode can go fire itself into a spiky wall out of a cannon. Hah that Mahjong Ron part is not entirely your fault - it IS a gambling game after all - sometimes the cheating AI just loves to pull random melds out of their asses and do some impossible combos. What I dread in mahjong is when, after the opponent declared Riichi, I put down the piece and then the entire scoring board disappears for like 1/4 of a second. I go "OH SH--" Then I see "RON" and Kiryu's disappointed face. I have failed you my dragon! Q_Q That feeling when I KNOW the Ron is coming BEFORE the message itself...it's awful. And yeah Koi-Koi was the main way to get tags in Kiwami too (stupid weapon trophy). I don't like Cho-Han, Cee-lo and Oicho-Kabu either, because they are 100% gambling and 0% strategy. Same as Blackjack and Roulette really. In Koi-Koi you can plan which cards you should go/ what seasons to go out with. As for minigames that I truly detest.. Baseball for sure. I fkin hate that minigame, it's the absolute worst. You have to play perfectly in ALL yakuza games, the minigame itself SUCKS, timing is off, trying to also balance the target is a massive headache and in Yakuza 3 you don't even have the target anymore on EX-Hard mode (I had to use a pair of dangling earphones to have an imaginary target, and I STILL had to play perfectly for that 1800 points requirement). I had little issues with any of the other minigames - and trust me, Yakuza 3 will make you pull out your hair with Pool and Bowling - it's only Baseball that I always dread. But...at least I am slightly getting better with the timing. 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: On Kiryu though - you've got a hell of a lot of awesome ahead of you - I'm a little jealous you'll be seeing it with completely fresh eyes - yet really looking forward to hear your thoughts on it all. I personally really like where they take his character through 4,5 and 6.... 5 Especially does a tremendously good job of exploring him in a really interesting way. I can't wait to see what's going on, especially since the relationship between Kiryu and Haruka just gets better and better - that kid is adorable and must be protected at all costs (unless she has some abysmal requests). But...I will take my time with the games after Yakuza 3 I need another long break, playing these games back to back is EXHAUSTING. Which reminds me, I will play Yakuza Dead Souls (even if it's not that great of a game from what people say) BUT...not so sure about Yakuza 7. It's not the switch to Ichiban, I love his goofy ass, but...the switch to turn-based, IDK about that chief. I really dislike that kind of gameplay after beating suckers with a motorcycle as Kiryu for so long. Imagine doing that to games like God of War... just doesn't go well with me. 1 hour ago, rjkclarke said: I'm so glad you enjoyed the review - I absolutely loved writing that one - it was one of my favourite ones to write that I've written so far.... Hey better late than never right - when it comes to commenting on my checklist? ....... Only joking, In all seriousness though, I really appreciate it, and I love that you've stopped by - especially as I've been reading yours for far longer than I was ever actively posting on this site, you were one of the big inspirations for starting my own, so it's great to have you here man! Part of me is still surprised that I am an inspiration for...anything, considering how my checklist is all over the place (that's my style of writing, it's not the lack of English knowledge. I just can't be consistent you know) BUT I'll take the compliment, thanks ? if anything, I am glad that I could be of help, since you ended up writing some killer stuff here. Really loved the Drakengard 3 review (need to play it myself) and the Bard's Tale review (Cary Elwes also was the main star of Robin Hood Men in Tights - one of the best comedies out there!). You REALLY need to write about your NieR Gestalt experience one day I also consider that game one of my top 10 of all time. Also if you ever end up covering more of your old platinums, really curious what you thought of the Jedi Knight games. Something tells me you tried Dark Forces too at some point just speculation though. Played those games way too much, still not sure if I have the energy to do them on PS4. But I digress at this point Best of luck with Legend of Kay! I need to get back to Yakuza 3 as well, Kiryu needs to earn his ex-yakuza paycheck by cheating old men at Oicho-Kabu! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 10, 2021 Share Posted October 10, 2021 Fantastic! There's a lot I want to talk about but I feel I haven't had a real opportunity to sit down and sort it all into a proper reply, but in the meantime you deserve a high five for yet another job well done? ...I suppose that emoji would be a high ten, wouldn't it... oh well. The sentiment stands! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 (edited) 11 hours ago, Copanele said: That might be my main issue as to why I don't actually check the good stuff in Trophy Checklists - I always get hooked by videogames so much that I forget to actually read stuff Games are my blessing and my curse at the same time. Well I can definitely relate to that one, that exact thing struck again... Although in my case - it seems every new game I play is trying to find a way to screw me over or infuriate me haha ? - there's a spot in Legend of Kay that's made my PS3 freeze about ten times now. I'm pretty sure its going to kill the poor thing soon. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: Hah that Mahjong Ron part is not entirely your fault - it IS a gambling game after all - sometimes the cheating AI just loves to pull random melds out of their asses and do some impossible combos. What I dread in mahjong is when, after the opponent declared Riichi, I put down the piece and then the entire scoring board disappears for like 1/4 of a second. I go "OH SH--" Then I see "RON" and Kiryu's disappointed face. I have failed you my dragon! Q_Q That feeling when I KNOW the Ron is coming BEFORE the message itself...it's awful. Something very similar to that happened in I think it was either Kiwami 2 or 6, or maybe even Judgment. I think they all have Mahjong tournaments, so could have been any of them to be honest. Well - I was getting royally screwed on practically every one of them because of the evil RNG. The players are always so smug about it too, which makes you want to throw the table at them. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: I don't like Cho-Han, Cee-lo and Oicho-Kabu either, because they are 100% gambling and 0% strategy. Same as Blackjack and Roulette really. In Koi-Koi you can plan which cards you should go/ what seasons to go out with. I forgot Cho-Han existed - and I don't like it either, I've seen loads of people suggest that as a way to get gambling tags, but it's far too luck dependent I thought. I do like the bit in Kiwami when Haruka is making the calls, that is the ONLY good thing to be associated with Cho-Han I'd say. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: As for minigames that I truly detest.. Baseball for sure. I fkin hate that minigame, it's the absolute worst. You have to play perfectly in ALL yakuza games, the minigame itself SUCKS, timing is off, trying to also balance the target is a massive headache and in Yakuza 3 you don't even have the target anymore on EX-Hard mode (I had to use a pair of dangling earphones to have an imaginary target, and I STILL had to play perfectly for that 1800 points requirement). I had little issues with any of the other minigames - and trust me, Yakuza 3 will make you pull out your hair with Pool and Bowling - it's only Baseball that I always dread. But...at least I am slightly getting better with the timing. In Yakuza 3-5 there is - and I'm assuming this is in the PS4 version too, and you probably already know this - but Kiryu or whoever you're controlling has a "tell" on when to press the button in the baseball mini-game. There's a point before the ball is spat out that he stops moving,and goes completely rigid, and that's the time you always know to hit the button - for what it's worth I don't like the Baseball mini-game either, although half of it is pretty decent in Yakuza 5, as it's a little more unique, as one of the characters is a Baseball Pro, so he has slightly varied gameplay. I think I might have to borrow your dangling headphones strategy myself I'm not looking forward to Pool myself, sometimes they make me want to rip my hair out - I'd probably consider Pool, or Billiards games usually one of the types of video game I'm actually pretty good at, but Yakuza's Pool physics are atrocious, and they are nothing like a real table, nor do the players ever play like real Pool players, so they've always been a bit of a frustration. You kind of have to find ways around it, can't be too much worse than Haruka's Pool request from Kiwami 1 though right? 11 hours ago, Copanele said: I can't wait to see what's going on, especially since the relationship between Kiryu and Haruka just gets better and better - that kid is adorable and must be protected at all costs (unless she has some abysmal requests). But...I will take my time with the games after Yakuza 3 I need another long break, playing these games back to back is EXHAUSTING. She does give Princess Peach a run for her money by how often she likes to get kidnapped though doesn't she...... ? That's a good approach to have man - hats off to those that can play loads of them in a row - I played three pretty close together at the tail end of 2018, and whilst I was super engaged and super interested, I was definitely a little jaded by the end of that year. I'm sure I got the Platinum for Yakuza 6 on new years eve of that year, if not it was incredibly close. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: Which reminds me, I will play Yakuza Dead Souls (even if it's not that great of a game from what people say) BUT...not so sure about Yakuza 7. It's not the switch to Ichiban, I love his goofy ass, but...the switch to turn-based, IDK about that chief. I really dislike that kind of gameplay after beating suckers with a motorcycle as Kiryu for so long. Imagine doing that to games like God of War... just doesn't go well with me. I actually quite like Dead Souls for what it is - if you go in expecting an ultra serious, weighty emotional Yakuza story, you're probably not going to find it - but it is fun, and it's pretty unique. Honestly the fact that Ryuji Goda from Yakuza 2 is playable, and in such an interesting way almost makes me want to try and find a way for it to be canon ?...... He;s awesome in that game. Gatling Gun arm and all. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: Part of me is still surprised that I am an inspiration for...anything, considering how my checklist is all over the place (that's my style of writing, it's not the lack of English knowledge. I just can't be consistent you know) BUT I'll take the compliment, thanks if anything, I am glad that I could be of help, since you ended up writing some killer stuff here. Really loved the Drakengard 3 review (need to play it myself) and the Bard's Tale review (Cary Elwes also was the main star of Robin Hood Men in Tights - one of the best comedies out there!). You REALLY need to write about your NieR Gestalt experience one day I also consider that game one of my top 10 of all time. Actually I do get that, I really do - one or two people have said the same thing to me fairly recently and I just find it a bit baffling, but it's nice to hear anyway - so I guess we both have to take it as a compliment, and see it as a positive. I wouldn't have said your checklist is all over the place, it's an underappreciated skill you have, to be able to keep people interested in what you're saying even if it's about a genre they aren't familiar with. I always enjoy reading what you have to say about fighting games, and it always nudges me in the direction of trying a few out, before I remember I have the dexterity of a LEGO man! It's not all over place, it's you. That's very much your style of writing though - and that's what makes it appealing, if we all wrote exactly like carbon copies of one another, every single checklist would feel the same, and thankfully it doesn't. That reminds me - I ought to watch Robin Hood Men in Tights again - I haven't seen that in years. I think when I initially started this checklist the thing I was looking forward to the most was talking about NieR Gestalt funnily enough (probably because I was playing Drakengard 3 (which you'll really enjoy I think) at the time) - I haven't forgotten about it either, I just put it to one side, and ended up talking about my experiences with some other things. Like covering every Tomb Raider I've gotten the platinum's in. I think this year would be ten years since I got the Platinum in NieR though, so maybe a good way to mark it might be a nice big review? Because that game got inside my heart and soul in a way that few video games had before, or have since. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: Also if you ever end up covering more of your old platinums, really curious what you thought of the Jedi Knight games. Something tells me you tried Dark Forces too at some point just speculation though. Played those games way too much, still not sure if I have the energy to do them on PS4. When I started it, I did plan on covering every single platinum or 100% I'd gotten up until starting the checklist - but at this rate, I'll be either dead or very very old by the time I actually manage that ?..... Half the problem is that I've genuinely not played many games I haven't enjoyed to some degree - it's easy to write fairly sparingly about something you didn't care about, but to write about something you detested or ridiculously loved, or loved aspects of ends up taking a while longer. Or at least that's how it is for me, can't speak for anyone else of course. ........ You'd make a good detective then - yep I have played Dark Forces too - and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot - even if it is a shameless Doom clone. I'll try and get to the two Jedi Knight games on PS4 at some point soon in that case, I only played them at the start of the year, and they're fairly fresh in my mind - although, I suspect much like you, a big part of that will be the fact I've played those games far too much myself. I had a blast playing them on PS4 that's for sure. It's an odd one actually because when I was younger I preferred Jedi Academy, and now I think I prefer Jedi Outcast -although, I still like them both of course. 11 hours ago, Copanele said: But I digress at this point Best of luck with Legend of Kay! I need to get back to Yakuza 3 as well, Kiryu needs to earn his ex-yakuza paycheck by cheating old men at Oicho-Kabu! Luck and Legend of Kay are definitely what I need by the looks of it?....... As so far it seems to be a glitchy mess. Good luck also man - You rinse those old bastards dry, they'd do the same to you..... Well maybe not, that seems a little harsh - you ever noticed that all the old/homeless people in the Yakuza games walk like they've filled their knickers with something suspicious? It cracks me up every time I see them do that weird shuffling walk/run. 6 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Fantastic! There's a lot I want to talk about but I feel I haven't had a real opportunity to sit down and sort it all into a proper reply, but in the meantime you deserve a high five for yet another job well done ...I suppose that emoji would be a high ten, wouldn't it... oh well. The sentiment stands! Thanks man- I appreciate the kind words as always - hopefully it made you want to hop back into the game? Instead of never playing it again, because you're sick to death of me talking about how much I loved it across 4000 odd words ? I look forward to whatever discussion we can all have about Yakuza 0 - I truly hope you have as good a time with it as me and Copanele clearly did. Edited October 11, 2021 by rjkclarke 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 That's a hell of a write up man! I must admit, I've never touched any of the Yakuza games - I thin I missed the boat on those back in the PS2 days, when someone - whether accurate or not - described them as "Shenmue meets GTA"... which was probably not the best reductive description for me, as I noped-out as soon as "Shenmue" escaped his lips... ? I hear nothing but good stuff about the series now though, and did actually buy Judgement, (but as we all know, buying the game is the easy part... finding time to play it is a different matter!,) but I must admit, I never really know what the ideal 'way in' to the games would be. Some say this one, as it's the chronological beginning, some say Judgement, since it's the beginning f a different, more accessible story, I've heard folks say Kiwama since it's the actual first one (I think?) and I've even considered just jumping into Like a Dragon, given that the different, more RPG, style might actually be more appealing to me personally... .. It's a puzzle-box of a series when viewed from the outside! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 On 10/9/2021 at 1:14 PM, rjkclarke said: Classic Review Platinum #188 Yakuza 0 (PS4) So! You're absolutely spot on about the art direction - everything feels so cinematic, and the transitions into gameplay segments are seamless. It looks so freakin good too... even things like facial pock marks and stubble are so clear, you feel like you're sitting right next to these guys. Right from the jump when Kiryu is gettin his talkin to, it just grabbed me. I immediately knew that this is the real deal, like I been missin out on somethin special. I admit to being pretty uneducated on Japanese cinema, my knowledge is largely limited to Kurosawa, and barely a drop of his filmography at that. Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and of course Seven Samurai are my jam, but beyond that I must confess ignorance. Shit, Ikiru has been on my must-watch list for the better part of two decades, I STILL haven't gotten around to it! All of this is to say that you absolutely should talk about cinema references and comparisons you pick up on from games like this - of course, only if you feel strongly about it - a layman like myself with a great interest but minimal knowledge would dig the hell out of that! The only influence here I was able to pick up on was Scorcese, but I mean as a westerner I suppose that's probably kinda low hanging fruit? I remember talking about how Vice City evoked very strong childhood memories of even mundane everyday things, and 0 is fascinating in that it represents a world from that era which I could never have possibly known. I don't know that it was that garish or visually loud, but I think it's entirely possible that this is a faithful portrayal of the time. I haven't decided which of the two cities I like more yet, but I can tell you that while I fuck with Kiryu, Majima has absolutely stolen my heart. His confidence, his well-hidden inner turmoil, his attitude (I love how he makes fun of everything without even seeming to do it on purpose), and of course his fighting styles. Slugger and Breaker, those are the styles that made me think that maybe I can take Mr. Shakedown after all... of course, I have to do it with Kiryu too? You hit the nail on the head about Beast style, as effective as it is, that shit is ssllllloooooowwwww. The dancing and Karaoke games are shockingly fun, although to hear @Copanele tell it, perhaps I should be nervous about the batting cages! I'm already having difficulty beating the last guy with the dancing challenges, I could only imagine what the other hundred or so other things have in store for me! Hell, I'm still nervous about Legend difficulty! The substories are excellent as well - Miracle Jackson? Dear lord. He absolutely killed me. The relentless Michael Jackson references were fucking dizzying, I loved it! Anyway, in case I didn't already say so, you did a stupendous job here (as usual). Will be getting back into this game soon! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 On 10/6/2021 at 10:40 PM, rjkclarke said: It would be weird if we agreed on everything for sure. How dare you say that about Quina ? - they'd be the perfect contestant for Come Dine With Me - " GOOD TASTIES - LOOK ZIDANE, I LEARN MUCH - AM GIVE 10/10." I do know what you mean yeah - there is an element of characters more being redundant than unlikeable I guess, even for me, there aren't a whole lot of Final Fantasy characters (at least of the main party) I truly dislike. I also had to look up who Gau was as I'd completely forgotten. I'll give you a few of mine and see what you think - Cait Sith (obviously there's a much different C word I usually put in place of Cait, it's the only one this sit censors too ?,) Amarant, Sazh (he becomes so pointless after Final Fantasy XIII) Vincent Valentine, Paine and............................. NOEL "The Sex Pest " KREISS. Haha great Come Dine With Me reference there, didn't think I'd see that and FF get linked together lol Gau is sadly very forgettable. I'll wait for a hardcore fan of Final Fantasy VI to defend them lol Sazh and the relationship with Dahj and how he tries to help the others and be a kind of father figure to Vanille etc is really good in XIII, but yes now you mention it, the rest of the trilogy sadly his use and meaning becomes lost. Vincent, well to be honest I haven't played Dirge of Cerberus (one day lol) and when I first played FFVII back in the day, I completely missed him. Didn't know he existed until years later. So can totally understand that in that context. Paine.....yeah. X-2 was like, here's Yuna and Rikku! They've changed a bit but it's part of their growth so hopefully you'll get on board, o and we also have Paine. Yey? She wasn't bad but nothing remotely stood out about her really. On 10/6/2021 at 10:40 PM, rjkclarke said: I do like the look of it - it's got some wicked sound design in it too, from what little I heard in the trailer, and some of those visuals are atmospheric as anything - so consider me interested in that game now! I'm assuming it's going to be on PS5? So until we snag a mythical beastie - we couldn't play it anyway. It's been about 11 years since I last played through the Legacy of Kain series fully myself - those games just have such a rich lore that I got so interested in when I was younger - I just wanted to know everything about it. A little bit like the Summoner series on PS2 - they just really appealed to me when I played them for some reason. Despite their being plenty of better alternatives in Summoners case. Sweet! Yeah will be interesting if that or Dead Space remake ends up being the better one lol Of course, PS5. Getting one of those is a quest in itself lol My wife has Summoner somewhere I think, I swear it was that game. Remember her saying she used to enjoy it. On 10/6/2021 at 10:40 PM, rjkclarke said: Yeah - that's the problem isn't it. Once you hear murmurs about a twist - or anything like that - then have it spoiled for you, your brain pretty much conditions you to be like - well I don't have to watch that now then. If I already know what happens. That's when you employ my "LALALALALALALALALALA NOT LISTENING" method ? Ooooooooooooooh nice that's awesome to hear you're back on RE7.... Whereabouts are you at in the game? I actually started that on Halloween last year - I hope you have a great time with it - just don't expect too much from Ethan as a character, the actual game itself I think is pretty damn good. Now I need to go write a review for Hue - which I'm sure some of you lovely folks will be pleased to know isn't actually going to be ridiculously long! Haha yes exactly! Does save time though for more gaming so you know lol Right at the moment of typing this (as I'm always so slow at responding to you! 5 days later in this instance lol) I am on the ship, but I am not Ethan. (Trying not to spoil anything, though I doubt anyone else is this far behind with this game haha) Yes, sadly Ethan is really very.....meh...... It's pretty disappointing really. The game itself is very good, very atmospheric. Certainly hard to get used to first person RE, and more so having to remember to block. (Leon, Jill etc. are too good to waste time blocking lol) 7 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: That's a hell of a write up man! I must admit, I've never touched any of the Yakuza games - I thin I missed the boat on those back in the PS2 days, when someone - whether accurate or not - described them as "Shenmue meets GTA"... which was probably not the best reductive description for me, as I noped-out as soon as "Shenmue" escaped his lips... I hear nothing but good stuff about the series now though, and did actually buy Judgement, (but as we all know, buying the game is the easy part... finding time to play it is a different matter!,) but I must admit, I never really know what the ideal 'way in' to the games would be. Some say this one, as it's the chronological beginning, some say Judgement, since it's the beginning f a different, more accessible story, I've heard folks say Kiwama since it's the actual first one (I think?) and I've even considered just jumping into Like a Dragon, given that the different, more RPG, style might actually be more appealing to me personally... .. It's a puzzle-box of a series when viewed from the outside! Hey! Someone else who has never played a Yakuza game! We can create a club of well....2 lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 3 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Hey! Someone else who has never played a Yakuza game! We can create a club of well....2 lol Haha - we do seem to be in a rapidly dwindling club now ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 11 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Haha - we do seem to be in a rapidly dwindling club now lol very much so. One of those franchises that just kind of passed me by. Happens to everyone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 (edited) 13 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: That's a hell of a write up man! I must admit, I've never touched any of the Yakuza games - I thin I missed the boat on those back in the PS2 days, when someone - whether accurate or not - described them as "Shenmue meets GTA"... which was probably not the best reductive description for me, as I noped-out as soon as "Shenmue" escaped his lips... I hear nothing but good stuff about the series now though, and did actually buy Judgement, (but as we all know, buying the game is the easy part... finding time to play it is a different matter!,) but I must admit, I never really know what the ideal 'way in' to the games would be. Some say this one, as it's the chronological beginning, some say Judgement, since it's the beginning f a different, more accessible story, I've heard folks say Kiwama since it's the actual first one (I think?) and I've even considered just jumping into Like a Dragon, given that the different, more RPG, style might actually be more appealing to me personally... .. It's a puzzle-box of a series when viewed from the outside! Thanks man! I take it you aren't a fan of Shenmue then? ? To be honest that isn't an entirely inaccurate description of the Yakuza games, if not a little bit of an oversimplified one. Although realistically Shenmue is probably more the inspiration for a lot of things in Yakuza than an actual gaming comparison.....Oh wait I'm meant to be selling this as a concept aren't I, not making you want to never play them ever! The recent ones with dubbed English dailogue in them have that same terrible voice acting in them that Shenmue does, but that's about it really - I'd actually fight people on that too if people would defend the English voice acting in Judgment. It's terrible - like bad anime dub levels of terrible. Honestly it'd make Tommy Wiseau's toes curl. Honestly - the only real similarity between Shenmue and Yakuza is the open world blueprint and not a whole lot else, and to some extent the combat. If you aren't a fan of Shenmue don't be put off the Yakuza series because of those. That is actually a pretty tough call on where you should start if you had the interest - I'd always say Yakuza 0, but that's kind of like giving someone a huge bag of crack when all they wanted was to maybe smoke a little bit of pot as an experiment. So honestly, Judgment wouldn't be the worst jumping in point - it's a good sample of what the other games in the series play like, it has an incredibly strong protagonist in Yagami and it's a fairly separate entity, and you don't need to know about any prior events to get a whole lot out of the experience. Or Yakuza: Like a Dragon is also a possibility like you said - it's from what I understand essentially a soft reboot anyway - I haven't played it myself yet, in fact I neglected to mention it when I last replied to @Copanele (oh and after about twenty crashes my PS3 decided to let me continue Legend of Kay, I just had to zoom the camera in and flick it about so no bombs appeared on screen and crashed the game) - but I'm as concerned about that one as he is. I don't mind turn based RPG's obviously, but I don't know that I want that in a Yakuza game, canned animations and long drawn out battles aren't what I want to experience when moving from side activity to side activity. I like the fact in the other games if I happened to run into some street punks, I can just pick up a rack of bicycles or throw them through a shop window, and then go into that shop and order a burger, all in one fluid gameplay motion. For someone dipping their toes in to the series Like a Dragon might be a good way to start, as it seems like that's the direction they are going anyway, going forward. Puzzle box is right dude, you hit the nail on the head with that one. 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: You're absolutely spot on about the art direction - everything feels so cinematic, and the transitions into gameplay segments are seamless. It looks so freakin good too... even things like facial pock marks and stubble are so clear, you feel like you're sitting right next to these guys. Right from the jump when Kiryu is gettin his talkin to, it just grabbed me. I immediately knew that this is the real deal, like I been missin out on somethin special. There's so many small attentions to detail like that isn't there - I remember being astounded by how detailed Kiryu's hair was..... Hear me out here, it's underrated how detailed that is, it's the first time I've really seen hair effects that really look like Asian hair - which tend to be very fine, and have a very specific kind of texture and look, and it's amazing how good a job they did with that here - sure it's only a small thing, but it really adds to the realism and immersion I think. 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I admit to being pretty uneducated on Japanese cinema, my knowledge is largely limited to Kurosawa, and barely a drop of his filmography at that. Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, and of course Seven Samurai are my jam, but beyond that I must confess ignorance. Shit, Ikiru has been on my must-watch list for the better part of two decades, I STILL haven't gotten around to it! All of this is to say that you absolutely should talk about cinema references and comparisons you pick up on from games like this - of course, only if you feel strongly about it - a layman like myself with a great interest but minimal knowledge would dig the hell out of that! The only influence here I was able to pick up on was Scorcese, but I mean as a westerner I suppose that's probably kinda low hanging fruit It's not that I wouldn't want to discuss stuff like that - but I'm worried I'd go overboard with it.... I'd definitely enjoy writing about it, but whether that would come across as being fun to read is another thing entirely. I think I could write something the length of that entire review about various pieces of cinema that the Yakuza games and Yakuza 0 specifically pay homage to, so I might pepper some more in, in the future, but I'll probably still have to put myself on a leash so I don't write too much and bore you guys senseless. If you're going to watch anything else by Kurosawa - please let it be Ikiru..... That film literally changed some of my entire outlook and perspective towards certain things in life, it might have literally helped to change me, it was that impactful for me. I'm not saying it would be for anyone else, but it's a beautiful film, with some of the most iconic cinematography I have ever seen. 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I remember talking about how Vice City evoked very strong childhood memories of even mundane everyday things, and 0 is fascinating in that it represents a world from that era which I could never have possibly known. I don't know that it was that garish or visually loud, but I think it's entirely possible that this is a faithful portrayal of the time. Oh wow - thanks for posting those clips, those were really interesting - it looks like they did a much better job than I'd actually realised, those hustling and bustling Rain soaked neon bathed streets in the game are actually not too inaccurate it would seem. 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I haven't decided which of the two cities I like more yet, but I can tell you that while I fuck with Kiryu, Majima has absolutely stolen my heart. His confidence, his well-hidden inner turmoil, his attitude (I love how he makes fun of everything without even seeming to do it on purpose), and of course his fighting styles. Slugger and Breaker, those are the styles that made me think that maybe I can take Mr. Shakedown after all... of course, I have to do it with Kiryu too You hit the nail on the head about Beast style, as effective as it is, that shit is ssllllloooooowwwww. Majima is far and away the best character in that game - he's just so much fun to walk in his shoes - to bring the amount of depth to him that they did is absolutely fantastic, super happy to hear your enjoying him. Don't worry man - there'll come a time when you'll be shaking down Mr Shakedown on the regular, and you'll be absolutely battering either of them, even on Legend difficulty. I definitely like Sotenbori more - but it's probably as a result of playing so many games with Kamurocho in - that I just tend to prefer one you see less of slightly more, it'll be really interesting to see what you think of them by the end of the game and which ones you prefer if you play any more of the games. Yakuza 5 has about 5 or 6 different locations, and I'm gutted some of them have only appeared once - because they're excellent. 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: The dancing and Karaoke games are shockingly fun, although to hear @Copanele tell it, perhaps I should be nervous about the batting cages! I'm already having difficulty beating the last guy with the dancing challenges, I could only imagine what the other hundred or so other things have in store for me! Hell, I'm still nervous about Legend difficulty! The substories are excellent as well - Miracle Jackson? Dear lord. He absolutely killed me. The relentless Michael Jackson references were fucking dizzying, I loved it! I don't remember the batting being too much of a pain in the backside in Yakuza 0 - it's the ones in Yakuza 5 that still give me nightmares. Like the Academic course, where you have to solve maths problems, and then also hit the correct part of the board with the number on it, in a small space of time, that was a real test of patience I feel your pain on those dancing challenges man - they kicked my arse too, but you'll get it - if you aren't doing it already,I'd suggest using the D-Pad to move through the boxes, as they're slightly quicker and more precise compared to the analogue sticks. Substories are just so great - just wait until you go bowling and make friends with a chicken - that also ends up working for your real estate business.... Not a person in a chicken suit either, a real chicken, with feathers and a beak. Man - Maybe that crack analogy from earlier was more apposite than I thought - as this series has me completely hooked now haha 11 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Anyway, in case I didn't already say so, you did a stupendous job here (as usual). Will be getting back into this game soon! Thanks man I'm so glad to hear that. You'll have a hell of a good time with the rest of the game I think - looking forward to your eventual review man! 6 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Haha great Come Dine With Me reference there, didn't think I'd see that and FF get linked together lol Gau is sadly very forgettable. I'll wait for a hardcore fan of Final Fantasy VI to defend them lol Sazh and the relationship with Dahj and how he tries to help the others and be a kind of father figure to Vanille etc is really good in XIII, but yes now you mention it, the rest of the trilogy sadly his use and meaning becomes lost. Vincent, well to be honest I haven't played Dirge of Cerberus (one day lol) and when I first played FFVII back in the day, I completely missed him. Didn't know he existed until years later. So can totally understand that in that context. Paine.....yeah. X-2 was like, here's Yuna and Rikku! They've changed a bit but it's part of their growth so hopefully you'll get on board, o and we also have Paine. Yey? She wasn't bad but nothing remotely stood out about her really. Well @DrBloodmoney who I believe is a hardcore Final Fantasy VI fan hasn't defended him - so if Doc isn't going to defend him, then I think quite frankly Gau can Gau fornicate himself - pun absolutely intended. Yeah - that's the sad part about Sazh in the XIII trilogy - he's actually one of my highlights from that first XIII game and after that I don't know he just feels like a spare part, more than any other character too. I didn't find Vincent for a long time myself - we weren't the only ones - although I suspect you found him before me, I'm sure I don't remember knowing he was a thing until Dirge of the Ceberus. I had remember being in Gamestation, back when they were a thing and asking why Cloud dyed his hair and had a Bandana on - to which he had to inform me that was Vincent and I felt like a right twit. Paine is definitely more a case of just being unmemorable more than unlikeable. It's mad to think that Paine has appeared in a Kingdom Hearts game - but someone more iconic like Lightning,Noctis, or Zidane never have - although Zidane has I think but it's in one of the mobile/browser titles that the Kingdom Hearts story writers seem to think we all want to play. 6 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Sweet! Yeah will be interesting if that or Dead Space remake ends up being the better one lol Of course, PS5. Getting one of those is a quest in itself lol My wife has Summoner somewhere I think, I swear it was that game. Remember her saying she used to enjoy it. We'll have to wait and see on that one - but I'm quite happy to play them both - I enjoyed the original Dead Space a whole bunch and sadly never played the others. One day I'm sure both of us will have a PS5. I hope she did - they were pretty awesome - hidden Gems for sure.I felt so bummed out when there was a leak of all the games that were allegedly coming to the PS2 on PS4 emulation thing, and both Summoners were on that list, then Sony seemed to drop doing those and they'll probably never get released again - I get excited every time THQ Nordic who own the IP announce something new in the tragic hope it's more Summoner, but it never is.... Sad times haha 6 hours ago, The_Kopite said: Right at the moment of typing this (as I'm always so slow at responding to you! 5 days later in this instance lol) I am on the ship, but I am not Ethan. (Trying not to spoil anything, though I doubt anyone else is this far behind with this game haha) Yes, sadly Ethan is really very.....meh...... It's pretty disappointing really. The game itself is very good, very atmospheric. Certainly hard to get used to first person RE, and more so having to remember to block. (Leon, Jill etc. are too good to waste time blocking lol) I know exactly which bit you mean - I thought that's one of the weaker areas of the game, but still pretty decent - the design is very cool, but it almost seems like they were thinking cool, yeah we did a bit of homage with a creepy house...... So - how about some more action guys? I'll be honest, I didn't even know there was a block until I was very far into the game - it's absolutely isn't something that comes naturally is it. I do agree on Ethan unfortunately - he's just ultra blandsville. I mean he's not quite creepy Steve from Code Veronica levels of bad, but he's as you perfectly put MEH.... that's it really - that might improve in Village and I hope it does, but he's still a bit of a wet fish here. Also...... You and Doc ought to play Yakuza.... I'll try and play something from a series I've inadvertently avoided myself - not Star Wars Battlefront though, never that Edited October 11, 2021 by rjkclarke 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 19 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Well @DrBloodmoney who I believe is a hardcore Final Fantasy VI fan hasn't defended him - so if Doc isn't going to defend him, then I think quite frankly Gau can Gau fornicate himself - pun absolutely intended. You know what the problem with Gau is? One word: Ayla. I know. Chronotrigger was a year later, but Ayla is basically the same character as Gau, except works way better, because of the time jumping aspect - and she’s more fun! Gau feels like he is not just feral, but also prehistoric - he feels like he is a cave-child from a cro-magnon era, which feels a bit out of place. A lot of characters in FFVI feel like they come from wildly different places, but Gau feels like he comes from a different game - and while that can be fun, in a game that good, feeling like you come from a different one isn’t really a plus! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 15 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: You know what the problem with Gau is? One word: Ayla. I know. Chronotrigger was a year later, but Ayla is basically the same character as Gau, except works way better, because of the time jumping aspect - and she’s more fun! Gau feels like he is not just feral, but also prehistoric - he feels like he is a cave-child from a cro-magnon era, which feels a bit out of place. A lot of characters in FFVI feel like they come from wildly different places, but Gau feels like he comes from a different game - and while that can be fun, in a game that good, feeling like you come from a different one isn’t really a plus! I hadn't really considered that - but I guess it's true. He really doesn't fit at all does he. It'd be like Spock showing up in Empire Strikes Back and putting a Vulcan Death Grip on Vader before he's about to spill all to Luke....Before everyone at home just thinks...... BUT WHY? That's my reaction when I think of Gau.... Why? I forgot he even existed till @The_Kopite mentioned him and I'm pretty fond of Final Fantasy VI - even if I haven't actually finished the entire game, I did what Smevz did with IX and played pretty close to the end and then never finished it for whatever reason - I know, I'm a terrible Final Fantasy fan right Going off of your logic. It'd be kind of like how almost all the characters that aren't Fran, Balthier and Basch in Final Fantasy XII feel like they are from a far inferior game ?..... Looking at you Vaan you painted abs freak! Gau also looks like a Pineapple - so that's an instant minus point for him there - I like Pineapples to eat, but when someone looks like one it's more than a little unsettling. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 3 minutes ago, rjkclarke said: Gau also looks like a Pineapple - so that's an instant minus point for him there - I like Pineapples to eat, but when someone looks like one it's more than a little unsettling ? He’s basically got Guile’s hair-do, Blanka’s backstory… but unfortunately, has all of Dan’s usefulness in battle… 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 I dunno man, there were so many varied characters in VI that by the end it felt like that Rick and Morty episode where they had all the weird imaginary friends multiplying in the house. I didn't really give a feral, beastboy a second thought! Besides, I liked the Veldt music, and I thought it was cool how he'd gain enemy skills? Did not consider the similarity to Ayla though! Or the pineapple likeness... you both bring up excellent points. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 2 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Don't worry man - there'll come a time when you'll be shaking down Mr Shakedown on the regular, and you'll be absolutely battering either of them, even on Legend difficulty. I certainly hope so, I got my ass handed to me in the very first boss fight - although to be fair this was before I got a solid grasp on the fighting styles, and I had all that yen chillin there and didn't know to put it towards upgrades? I will definitely watch Ikiru. It might be cuz wifey isn't much of a movie person but as of late I haven't pursued watching new (to me) movies as of late. That hobby is in need of a kickstart! Man, she don't play games, she's not a movie buff. It's a trip who you end up falling in love with, it really is! I'm sure she's probably like "how did I end up with this weirdo gamer who quotes movies and TV shows all the time??" It definitely makes sense that you'd like Sotenbori if it's the less seen locale, to me I got both at the same time and I'm lovin it. I'm still curious as to what it would've been like to start with the kiwamis. When Majima is first revealed it's definitely this build up for someone known and loved and even as a newcomer I could feel the anticipation for him to take the stage, as it were. I can't help wondering what it would be like to be one of the OGs being treated to that presentation. No matter though, it's definitely not a complaint - I'm having a good ol time with my crack? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Well @DrBloodmoney who I believe is a hardcore Final Fantasy VI fan hasn't defended him - so if Doc isn't going to defend him, then I think quite frankly Gau can Gau fornicate himself - pun absolutely intended. Yeah - that's the sad part about Sazh in the XIII trilogy - he's actually one of my highlights from that first XIII game and after that I don't know he just feels like a spare part, more than any other character too. I didn't find Vincent for a long time myself - we weren't the only ones - although I suspect you found him before me, I'm sure I don't remember knowing he was a thing until Dirge of the Ceberus. I had remember being in Gamestation, back when they were a thing and asking why Cloud dyed his hair and had a Bandana on - to which he had to inform me that was Vincent and I felt like a right twit. Paine is definitely more a case of just being unmemorable more than unlikeable. It's mad to think that Paine has appeared in a Kingdom Hearts game - but someone more iconic like Lightning,Noctis, or Zidane never have - although Zidane has I think but it's in one of the mobile/browser titles that the Kingdom Hearts story writers seem to think we all want to play. Wow, well I wouldn't have gone that far lol Yes he mentioned in this thread that VI was his favourite. Just waiting for SE to press the button on those Pixel Remasters to Playstation! Sadly yes, Sazh in the rest of the trilogy becomes the loathed personification of the "token black guy" sadly. It was really poor writing to let his character down so badly the further you go through the trilogy. Very disappointing. Haha well just mentioning Gamestation is a throwback in itself lol bought my 2nd (and to this date still going) PS3 from there. What a start to the plot of that game that would have been! Cloud in a bathroom, dying his hair and whacking on a bandana. I didn't know Paine had been in a KH game tbh, but then my knowledge of KH personally is extremely limited. God knows how many FF, KH and other franchises Square Enix has have have multiple mobile games I'll never play haha. 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: We'll have to wait and see on that one - but I'm quite happy to play them both - I enjoyed the original Dead Space a whole bunch and sadly never played the others. One day I'm sure both of us will have a PS5. I hope she did - they were pretty awesome - hidden Gems for sure.I felt so bummed out when there was a leak of all the games that were allegedly coming to the PS2 on PS4 emulation thing, and both Summoners were on that list, then Sony seemed to drop doing those and they'll probably never get released again - I get excited every time THQ Nordic who own the IP announce something new in the tragic hope it's more Summoner, but it never is.... Sad times haha Dead Space 2 is definitely worth a playthrough, back then and nowadays. Very good game and follow up to the first one imho. Very much enjoyed it. Certainly never did any of them on hardcore like lol Dead Space 3 was pretty disappointing. It was Dead Space's equivalent of Resident Evil 5 in the Re franchise in terms of the horror pretty much being gone, being lighter, more actiony etc etc. Plus the co-op too! Yes we will ? Yeah I'll have to give Summoner a crack at some point. Pity that IP's like that can just get abandoned for an inordinate amount of years. 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I know exactly which bit you mean - I thought that's one of the weaker areas of the game, but still pretty decent - the design is very cool, but it almost seems like they were thinking cool, yeah we did a bit of homage with a creepy house...... So - how about some more action guys? I'll be honest, I didn't even know there was a block until I was very far into the game - it's absolutely isn't something that comes naturally is it. I do agree on Ethan unfortunately - he's just ultra blandsville. I mean he's not quite creepy Steve from Code Veronica levels of bad, but he's as you perfectly put MEH.... that's it really - that might improve in Village and I hope it does, but he's still a bit of a wet fish here. Also...... You and Doc ought to play Yakuza.... I'll try and play something from a series I've inadvertently avoided myself - not Star Wars Battlefront though, never that Well somehow I've managed to now finish my first playthrough of RE7, so woooo to myself for that lol extremely overdue. I thought the ship part was pretty decent to be fair, I struggled at the start of the game to get into it honestly. Ethan is well...Ethan. Bit meh. The first person viewpoint took and is still taking a time to get used to and I found the early area pretty tough. Improved as it went along for me. The DLC should be interesting to go through. (Got the Gold Edition) As for the block, yep totally agree. I used it a small amount at the end of the game and that was it. I get introducing it though at the same time as an Resident Evil fan right from when the first game came out, having a block option is so unusual. Yes I hope his character will improve in Village and I think it will personally, but then I know a massive spoiler from that game which well....certainly affects that. Steve had his own charm btw, in his own way. Mostly bad but still lol He had those wicked golden pistols if I remember correctly. If I had the time, I'd give Yakuza a go. Got one on PS3 PS Plus and one on PS4 too? Or maybe I'm making that one up lol 16 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: You know what the problem with Gau is? One word: Ayla. I know. Chronotrigger was a year later, but Ayla is basically the same character as Gau, except works way better, because of the time jumping aspect - and she’s more fun! Gau feels like he is not just feral, but also prehistoric - he feels like he is a cave-child from a cro-magnon era, which feels a bit out of place. A lot of characters in FFVI feel like they come from wildly different places, but Gau feels like he comes from a different game - and while that can be fun, in a game that good, feeling like you come from a different one isn’t really a plus! I can't argue with that one bit. So I won't lol 16 hours ago, rjkclarke said: I hadn't really considered that - but I guess it's true. He really doesn't fit at all does he. It'd be like Spock showing up in Empire Strikes Back and putting a Vulcan Death Grip on Vader before he's about to spill all to Luke....Before everyone at home just thinks...... BUT WHY? That's my reaction when I think of Gau.... Why? I forgot he even existed till @The_Kopite mentioned him and I'm pretty fond of Final Fantasy VI - even if I haven't actually finished the entire game, I did what Smevz did with IX and played pretty close to the end and then never finished it for whatever reason - I know, I'm a terrible Final Fantasy fan right Going off of your logic. It'd be kind of like how almost all the characters that aren't Fran, Balthier and Basch in Final Fantasy XII feel like they are from a far inferior game ..... Looking at you Vaan you painted abs freak! Gau also looks like a Pineapple - so that's an instant minus point for him there - I like Pineapples to eat, but when someone looks like one it's more than a little unsettling. Would Spock be able to do that with Vaders thick plastic suit? It's a burning question. Clearly I missed that, so you have never finished VI and @YaManSmevz has never finished IX?! Final Fantasy blasphemy I tells ya! I demand on behalf of the whole community who care about this (so just me haha) that you both go and finish those games this very instance! Whenever that instance is, is your choices of course but demand! DEMMMAANNDDD!!! Combine Vaan and Gau together and you've got a painted abs pineapple. Just let that one sink in. 15 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: I dunno man, there were so many varied characters in VI that by the end it felt like that Rick and Morty episode where they had all the weird imaginary friends multiplying in the house. I didn't really give a feral, beastboy a second thought! Besides, I liked the Veldt music, and I thought it was cool how he'd gain enemy skills? Did not consider the similarity to Ayla though! Or the pineapple likeness... you both bring up excellent points. The veldt music rocks. Defo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 52 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Clearly I missed that, so you have never finished VI and @YaManSmevz has never finished IX?! Final Fantasy blasphemy I tells ya! I demand on behalf of the whole community who care about this (so just me haha) that you both go and finish those games this very instance! Whenever that instance is, is your choices of course but demand! DEMMMAANNDDD!!! I accept this demand and agree to do better?✊ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grotz99 Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 Very nice writeup for Yakuza 0, I agree with few spoilers as possible. I had the treat of playing that game first in the series and loved playing as Majima, I thought he was more of the main character in that one than Kiryu, but I see why...they wanted to show what triggered his personality in the series. After shedding a tear at the end of that game, I was hooked and ended up buying them all. Although, I only completed the up to 3 so far, I definitely plan on playing them all, just trying to decide what to play next; 4, Judgement or Like a Dragon. I guess it depends on what type of game I'm feeling when I get there, which will be soon after I finish this masterpiece of a game Resident Evil Village. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 On 10/12/2021 at 3:17 PM, YaManSmevz said: I accept this demand and agree to do better Haha good! Go and enjoy the awesomeness! ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadly_Ha_Ha Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 rjkclarke has always looked at my old account and said to me "Dyl- Deadly, I wish for just one [however long it takes] that I could play Brawlhalla with you." Well dude you're in luck because I was looking to get back into that game and get the 100% on this account and I'm welcoming all comers to play with me : ^ ) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 Sorry for the late replies folks! On 12/10/2021 at 0:18 AM, YaManSmevz said: I will definitely watch Ikiru. It might be cuz wifey isn't much of a movie person but as of late I haven't pursued watching new (to me) movies as of late. That hobby is in need of a kickstart! Man, she don't play games, she's not a movie buff. It's a trip who you end up falling in love with, it really is! I'm sure she's probably like "how did I end up with this weirdo gamer who quotes movies and TV shows all the time??" Film watching is one of the reasons I've not been all that productive recently with smashing through my own backlog, I usually just go and watch some film or TV I've missed out on after I've finished a game or something - so I can get a little sidetracked doing that. Ikiru though is a must watch - it's a tremendously well told story, but I mean that's doing it a disservice, it's also got breathtaking cinematography and an absolute masterclass in acting. If anything the fact you don't share those exact same interests means you connect with each other on a much deeper level, we don't have to all like the same things as our loved ones right? I had incredibly similar interests to that girl I told I loved on the very first night, and that didn't work out at all...... Which had nothing to do with the fact I told her I loved her the first time I met her, then neglected to see her again because I was too busy playing Tomb Raider....... Yeah nothing to do with that at all! On 12/10/2021 at 0:18 AM, YaManSmevz said: It definitely makes sense that you'd like Sotenbori if it's the less seen locale, to me I got both at the same time and I'm lovin it. I'm still curious as to what it would've been like to start with the kiwamis. When Majima is first revealed it's definitely this build up for someone known and loved and even as a newcomer I could feel the anticipation for him to take the stage, as it were. I can't help wondering what it would be like to be one of the OGs being treated to that presentation. No matter though, it's definitely not a complaint - I'm having a good ol time with my crack One of the best locations you only ever see in Yakuza 5, and it's this really weird Christmassy town in Nagoya that feels really unsettling and unusual, but it;s so unique at the same time. It's an odd one - because even in Yakuza Kiwami 1 Majima is more of a fleshed out character than he was previously in the original game, so I can't quite imagine how I'd feel either if I'd started with them, then went back to Yakuza 0 It felt awesome - I've been a fan of Yakuza since all the way back on PS2 - even if my fandom lapsed for a good ten years or so, I was blown away by what they did with Majima in Yakuza 0..... It's a far cry from playing Yakuza 1 all the way back in 2007-ish when I played it, with the terrible English dialogue, and Majima being played by Mark Hamill, and being a fairly one note character... So to see the amount of depth that they bring to him in Yakuza 0 and beyond is fantastic. I'm glad you're enjoying your crack! ? It's a hell of a good game/ series you have ahead of you, even if you do decide to peace out after Kiwami 2 you've still got some fantastic avenues to explore. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Wow, well I wouldn't have gone that far lol Yes he mentioned in this thread that VI was his favourite. Just waiting for SE to press the button on those Pixel Remasters to Playstation! Sadly yes, Sazh in the rest of the trilogy becomes the loathed personification of the "token black guy" sadly. It was really poor writing to let his character down so badly the further you go through the trilogy. Very disappointing. Haha well just mentioning Gamestation is a throwback in itself lol bought my 2nd (and to this date still going) PS3 from there. What a start to the plot of that game that would have been! Cloud in a bathroom, dying his hair and whacking on a bandana. I didn't know Paine had been in a KH game tbh, but then my knowledge of KH personally is extremely limited. God knows how many FF, KH and other franchises Square Enix has have have multiple mobile games I'll never play haha. To be fair - I don't feel that strongly either way about Gau - I'm quite indifferent towards him.... I just wanted to make the Gau fornicate himself pun at any cost haha! Yeah - it's shameful really what they did with Sazh, because he's pretty great in that first part of the trilogy as we've both said before. It's a wasted opportunity, especially when you think how much focus someone like Hope got in both XIII-2 and Lightning Returns. I probably bought at least a third of my gaming collection from the PS2 era from Gamestation - I used to go nuts for those 4 for £10 or 4 for £20 offers that they used to do. Got so many awesome hidden gems that way,and a fair amount of crap too, I've got some really bizarre games as a result of that kind of thing. Rikku, Yuna and Paine are all in Kingdom Hearts II ..... I'll leave you a video of them, it's pretty much spoiler free so you can watch it without worrying too much.... But yeah, they seem to abandon the Final Fantasy crossovers a bit in the recent KH titles, which is a bit of a shame. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Dead Space 2 is definitely worth a playthrough, back then and nowadays. Very good game and follow up to the first one imho. Very much enjoyed it. Certainly never did any of them on hardcore like lol Dead Space 3 was pretty disappointing. It was Dead Space's equivalent of Resident Evil 5 in the Re franchise in terms of the horror pretty much being gone, being lighter, more actiony etc etc. Plus the co-op too! I was planning to play Dead Space 2 a while back and then I heard murmurings about a PS4 release - which hasn't happened yet, so I decided to just not bother in the end. I guess it's one I ought to consider going back to. I'd heard exactly the same thing about Dead Space 3 being a little more actiony than perhaps it needed to be - I guess EA didn't learn from Capcoms mistakes with that one then. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Yeah I'll have to give Summoner a crack at some point. Pity that IP's like that can just get abandoned for an inordinate amount of years. It makes me really sad that this can happen - one of my other favourite franchises Monkey Island hasn't had a release for about ten years too. It's annoying because the guy that created them I'd read has ideas for another one, but as Disney own the rights, and he's offered to try and buy the rights to games, but Disney just aren't playing ball so that's another one that's just going to lay dormant for ages. I've got what I think is a really good idea for a Monkey Island TV series as well - but that equally would never happen, because one, the fanbase probably isn't big enough, and two,Disney seem to just prefer to pretend that the IP doesn't exist, it just happened to come as part of their purchase of Lucasfilm. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Well somehow I've managed to now finish my first playthrough of RE7, so woooo to myself for that lol extremely overdue. I thought the ship part was pretty decent to be fair, I struggled at the start of the game to get into it honestly. Ethan is well...Ethan. Bit meh. The first person viewpoint took and is still taking a time to get used to and I found the early area pretty tough. Improved as it went along for me. The DLC should be interesting to go through. (Got the Gold Edition) I'd put the DLC amongst the top three best DLC's that I've ever played, so it gets high praise from me. I don't mind the ship to be fair - I just think it ends up taking the game in a bit more of an action oriented direction - so it ends up undermining a few of the really grand steps they made toward taking the series back to its horror roots - but the ship part is perfectly fine it just doesn't gel as well with the rest of the game I don't think. I do agree on the first person camera - that's such a steep learning curve. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: As for the block, yep totally agree. I used it a small amount at the end of the game and that was it. I get introducing it though at the same time as an Resident Evil fan right from when the first game came out, having a block option is so unusual. Exactly- it's really bizarre, I don't think I ever really used it, because it doesn't feel natural too until the very last fight with Jack, when I realised you pretty much needed to, because I didn't realise it actually cut the damage you take down significantly, the game just doesn't really make that very clear,when it probably should have done. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Steve had his own charm btw, in his own way. Mostly bad but still lol He had those wicked golden pistols if I remember correctly. If I had the time, I'd give Yakuza a go. Got one on PS3 PS Plus and one on PS4 too? Or maybe I'm making that one up lol I dunno man - Steve made my skin crawl - he seems like the type of person that'd heavily breathe really close to you or touch you when you're sleeping...... He's just not for me - he can keep his golden pistols however cool they are, as far away from me as possible. Quite a few of them have been plus games in the past,so you probably down own at least one - but yeah, they're definitely quite the time investment, but in my opinion that time is incredibly well spent. On 12/10/2021 at 2:18 PM, The_Kopite said: Would Spock be able to do that with Vaders thick plastic suit? It's a burning question. Clearly I missed that, so you have never finished VI and @YaManSmevz has never finished IX?! Final Fantasy blasphemy I tells ya! I demand on behalf of the whole community who care about this (so just me haha) that you both go and finish those games this very instance! Whenever that instance is, is your choices of course but demand! DEMMMAANNDDD!!! Combine Vaan and Gau together and you've got a painted abs pineapple. Just let that one sink in. I don't think you should probably mention burning to Vader? I don't think he'd take it very well - I think he'd be giving you a little death grip of his own. ? Haha! Plastic Suit - that.........Well that just made me think of a Vader as a little PVC Gimp boy! Now I can't get it out of my brain. I'll be playing VI first if those pixel remasters come to PlayStation - I guess I could boot up my PS3 and finish it though, I'm sure it wouldn't take that long. Vaan and Gau that's a terrifying thought. I feel like Vaan and Gau in the same place would just cancel each other out, with their equal misplacement in their own respective games. I mean Gau is essentially a less hairy Captain Caveman, with none of the requisite ladies man skills that Cavey seems to posses. On 12/10/2021 at 9:39 PM, Grotz99 said: Very nice writeup for Yakuza 0, I agree with few spoilers as possible. I had the treat of playing that game first in the series and loved playing as Majima, I thought he was more of the main character in that one than Kiryu, but I see why...they wanted to show what triggered his personality in the series. After shedding a tear at the end of that game, I was hooked and ended up buying them all. Although, I only completed the up to 3 so far, I definitely plan on playing them all, just trying to decide what to play next; 4, Judgement or Like a Dragon. I guess it depends on what type of game I'm feeling when I get there, which will be soon after I finish this masterpiece of a game Resident Evil Village. Thanks Grotz! Glad you liked it. I pretty much never include spoilers - I'm so particular about avoiding them myself, that I'd feel pretty terrible if I happened to spoil something really important for someone. I feel like Yakuza 0 is probably the one that'd get most people hooked on the series to be fair, so it's such a great place to start, and I'm a little jealous you got to start them there, instead of playing them in the weird order I have. I'm actually going to play Yakuza 3 fairly soon, as it's the only part of Kiryu (as the main character) story I haven't actually played yet, not because of the difficulty, just because as I think I posted earlier in the thread it was hard to pick up a Yakuza 3 copy for a decent price for PS3. So I picked the remastered trilogy up primarily for that one game. That's ultimately up to you whichever one you pick next to play - honestly though, you've played them in chronological order so far, so why not keep that up? and chuck in Dead Souls between 4 and 5 for good measure. It's nice being able to play Judgment after 6 for example and know exactly why some locations in Kamurocho are completely inaccessible. Hope you have a great Time with Resident Evil: Village I'm looking forward to that one myself. On 14/10/2021 at 1:39 PM, Deadly_Ha_Ha said: rjkclarke has always looked at my old account and said to me "Dyl- Deadly, I wish for just one [however long it takes] that I could play Brawlhalla with you." Well dude you're in luck because I was looking to get back into that game and get the 100% on this account and I'm welcoming all comers to play with me : ^ ) Have I been sleep-messaging people again..... ? Or did someone drop sleepy-dust into my cereal and message you using my account? Haha I see what you did there Mr Ha_Ha...... I'd definitely consider it, if it wasn't about 100 hours of game time - my backlog is big enough as it is, so I wish you all the best with it, and I'm going to have to politely nope out on that one, I reckon there's plenty of people that'd love to help you out though, but I have to get through all the Star Ocean games before my body completely withers away to dust, so adding Brawlhalla into the mix probably won't make get there any faster.... Oh and the whole reviewing all of my games thing, that eats up a load more time! ? Which reminds me I actually have a review to post - two in fact... So I'd better go do that now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted October 15, 2021 Author Share Posted October 15, 2021 (edited) A Feline Flavoured New Platinum, my 350th Completion and a Bonus Review! Platinum #331 Legend of Kay: Anniversary (PS3) Platinum Collect all the other trophies to unlock A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 14 October 2021: 1:24:25: AM Time Taken to Platinum : 4 days, 1 hour, 24 minutes Platinum Rarity - 7.88% Trophy Number - #15,954 I went into Legend of Kay: Anniversary with pretty much no expectations at all. Aside from a slight bit of optimism - that I might discover a new (for me at least) hidden gem from the PS2 era. Did I find that hidden gem? Well as we go further into this review, I’m sure you’ll see what I really think about it – as there tends to be with games of this era, there’s often equal parts roughness alongside the smooth, and in some ways Legend of Kay is a case of having to best navigate those to have the most enjoyable time with it. Legend of Kay was first released in 2005 – and Legend of Kay: Anniversary is exactly what it sounds like, an anniversary – released ten years later in 2015. It’s interesting actually, considering that this is a review of the PS3 version of the game – that Legend of Kay itself a game released fairly far into the PS2’s life cycle; in the same way the anniversary edition was released equally late into the PS3’s life cycle in 2015. A time in which the PS4 had already released – almost rendering the PS3 version instantly obsolete – which I don’t think is actually that inaccurate of a description, considering the amount of glitches I ran into, more on those later. I guess it’d be fair to label Legend of Kay as a character action game, in which you fight; traverse and puzzle solve your way through linear level after linear level, to stop the evil Gorilla, Minister Shun. I’ve seen games that really don’t fit into that mould labelled as character action games, so I don’t see why Legend of Kay can’t also fit under that umbrella too. In Legend of Kay you play as the eponymous Kay, well rather obviously I suppose – it’d have been pretty odd if you fired up the game thinking, I can’t wait to see what Kay’s like as a character and then an anthropomorphic cat shows up and says “ Hey I’m Clive, and I’ll be your hero.” Although, if I’m being totally honest I might have preferred Legend of Clive as a concept, because Kay is a monumentally unlikeable character right from the very beginning. It was either a stroke of genius with characterisation, or it’s a product of the time this game was developed for; I’m going to assume it’s the latter. Now – it’s quite feasible that the developers, and the story writer thought, hey Cats are stereotypically quite indifferent right? So in our game let’s make it abundantly clear that our main character acts as if he’s completely indifferent to every single thing happening around him, and acts as brash and arrogantly as felinely possible. However, I doubt that was the case, and it was probably just the result of mimicking other games of that period. In the mid 00’s protagonists with attitude were all the rage – and Kay unfortunately joins the pretty rife ranks of tremendously unlikeable ones. You’ll no doubt find him somewhere with his fur swept to the side across his face with a wallet chain talking to The Warrior Within version of the Prince of Persia, about how things were so much better in their day, and that kids these days don’t realise how lucky they have it. So, as a main character Kay might be fundamentally very flawed and ultimately incredibly unlikeable (I’m hoping that’s not just me,) but he’s at least designed very well. Well enough that a younger person might be enticed into buying the game just because of the cover art, or the background images. In much the same way a lot of the characters and environments are well designed. In fact I’d argue the art design and the visual style, alongside the soundtrack are Legend of Kay’s strongest features. Each of the areas in the game possess their own distinct feeling and look, that means you’ll at least never feel like assets are being re-used to a frustrating degree. I have played games released fairly recently that do that - so I can’t fault that in Legend of Kay’s case, you’ll always have somewhere new and exciting to explore, as you never stay in one location for too long. For a game released in 2005 the scale of some of these locations is surprisingly impressive – for as much as I found chapter eight incredibly frustrating, the fact it had so many interconnected locations was very well constructed to give it its deserved praise. Whoever it was that designed Su Ling, Kay’s love interest – I really don’t think they should be allowed to have pets, for the pets own safety, because that is one overly sexualised female cat. I don’t think my eyes were quite prepared for the amount of bleach I had the urge to pour into them when I saw a giant pair of what I can only describe as “Cat-boobs.” Seriously – the PSOne version of Lara Croft might have looked at those and in the most prim and politest way possible said “A bit excessive don’t you think?” All of that aside however, pretty much all of the character designs are very distinct and unique, even down to the smallest areas like enemy variety, and in turn the armour variety on those enemies. Instead of opting for a lazy uninspired palette swap like games often do, they chose to give enemies distinct pieces of armour that have to be removed to be able to damage them, so as you progress further each set of enemies gets surprisingly more ornate and detailed pieces of armour, which adds a lot of depth when you consider you fight rats, crocodiles and Gorillas, along your journey. I alluded to the fact I thought the soundtrack was one of the strongest features of the game – and it absolutely is. Anyone who is familiar with Stewart Copeland’s work on the original Spyro the Dragon trilogy, would probably get a similar level of enjoyment from this titles soundtrack. It’s very reminiscent of some of those Spyro scores. It’s strange that in a game where it’s remarkably easy to tell when the score has been looped, that it really never becomes an issue – it’s a real joy to listen to, relaxing when it wants, to be atmospheric when it has to be, and also fairly memorable too. The specific sound of the music feels very appropriate too, as the game seems to be set in an approximation of China or at the very least somewhere that’d be easy to associate with China, so the music appropriately reflects that, and brings some real character to the proceedings. Equally, for a game released in 2005, it contains quite a decent amount of well made sound effects – now, whether this is a result of being a remaster, I’m not quite sure, as I’ve never played the original to make the comparison, but to hear the clink of swords and the splashes of water as crisply as you can here can be a real joy. Unfortunately when it comes to voice acting, not so much – part of my disdain for Kay as a character comes from his voice actor. I mean no disrespect to his voice actor, because he sounds like he was a fifteen year old child, but he’s awful. It’s clearly not all the actors fault, they wrote Kay to be such an abrasive character, and when you mesh that with a voice actor that sounds like he’s just in the midst of throwing a tantrum because his Mum wouldn’t let him buy the latest pack of Pokémon cards, you get a character that you really want to turn the volume down on a regular basis, or just scream SHUT UPPPP like Arnold Schwarzenegger does in Kindergarten Cop. I think the actor tries his best, but his character is written so wildly inconsistently that as a result Kay really suffers. I don’t think it’d be right to ignore some of the other voice acting too, some of it is very good – like Minister Shun for example, he’s a very believable and detestable bad guy. Yet, some of it is unfortunately a little on the nose, I always think it’s a bit hit and miss whether or not you can get away with mimicking a foreign accent in an English voice – like a Chinese-English accent in this case. It’s not really handled with any sort of subtly; if any of you are particularly familiar with Family Guy, just think of every time they make an Asian joke, that’s almost exactly what the Panda’s in this game sound like at times, some don’t sound as bad, but some of them are a little tougher to view without rolling your eyes. The gameplay in Legend of Kay is probably best described as simple yet satisfying. There isn’t a whole lot of depth to it, but it does have some, playing on the hardest difficulty - which you’d need to for the platinum does mean you have to learn some of its finer intricacies to grant you a little more survivability. You essentially have one attack button, a dodge roll and a magic attack button, all with fairly situational uses, alongside a combo meter, which honestly got me killed more often than it helped me. One of the strongest elements of the gameplay is the implementation of different weapons, you have access to Claws, Swords and a Hammer, and each one is situational in its usefulness. Claws are best used against un-armoured enemies, hammers for breaking armour, and swords can do both, but with a little less specialised effectiveness. Magic ends up being useful in almost all situations – unfortunately that comes with a huge caveat, which is in the form of a problem many games from this era suffers from, which is being able to be hit out of animations, or damaged in the middle of them, without any way to cancel out of it. For example, there’s an enemy later in the game, that regularly throws bombs, yet those bombs can damage you the second you’ve used your magic, so you’ll think the animation has finished, and you should be able to move, but you can’t so unfortunately you get hit with a bomb and lose some of your health, which on nightmare is often quite a lot. So, on that difficulty you have to really know you’re safe to use magic. Bearing all of this in mind, the combat is at least quite enjoyable – and you always have the knowledge that you must be concentrate, because complacency will almost certainly get you killed in a few hits from Gorilla wildly swinging an axe around. Legend of Kay also features races – which actually fit seamlessly into the story, as they are usually the thing that takes you from one area to the next. I quite enjoyed the inclusion of these, and whilst there is a little bit of trial and error involved when it comes to them, being able to ride a Hog (complete with Crash bandicoot reference,) a Dragon and a Wolf around is still pretty enjoyable. One really egregious thing regarding the gameplay, is the use of items and dying – it’s a sign of the era more than anything, but in this game if you die, yet used an item before you died, that item is gone forever, so it essentially becomes easier to just manually quit to the menu and reload a save, otherwise you find you use up all of your best items, only to die, and have an even harder fight ahead of you. This happened to me on the final boss too, which meant I basically had to have a perfect fight against the final boss, which has two really tough phases, as your spawn point for dying after the boss, is right next to a save point, so it’s almost unavoidable to hit the save point, if you’ve used up many good items, it makes the game even harder as a result. The PS3 version also contains one of the worst glitches I’ve ever encountered across all of the games I’ve played on PS3 – which was that at a very specific spot, you run across a bridge of falling bombs, and essentially - this is going to crash your game if you don’t tackle it a very specific way. From what I’m lead to believe, the game will crash the minute a bomb, or an explosion is caught on screen – so to get around this you either have to run as if you’re facing the camera (think the boulder or polar bear chase sections from Crash 1 and 2,) or you have to zoom in on Kay (which is what I did) and flick the right thumb-stick all over the place to stop the bombs and explosions appearing – which is pretty much all trial and error. I think my PS3 must have crashed at least twenty times in the process, which is such an unforgivable glitch to still be present in a game. What does your journey towards the platinum look like? On paper at least it’s fairly straightforward, you have to complete the game on the hardest difficulty setting, get each weapon, all health and magic upgrades, enter every demon portal and then do one extra race without touching a chilli pepper (the thing that makes the animal move faster). The problem is, nightmare difficulty really is a nightmare, it’s brutal, you die in a few hits, and enemies die in – well, it isn’t a few put it that way. Unfortunately, much like a lot of games from the time period, it has a lot of camera issues – and these will kill you just as frequently as the enemies will, which adds an even greater level of frustration – add to this, the fact that the final boss, has three phases, and the final two have no checkpoints between them, so you’ll have to re-fight the second phase if you die to the third, all this ends up making nightmare quite the frustrating experience. Other than that, so long as you follow a collectibles guide – you’ll pretty much have the platinum on completion, andat the very least the difficulty is stackable. I’m having a hard time recommending this one – I guess if you have the interest in it, then give it a whirl. It’s definitely a fairly decent game – but even putting it in the context of when it was released, nothing much really stands out about it. If you did have the desire to play it though – I can’t help but think the PS4 version is probably best the way to go, I’ve heard that version is a little less glitchy, so that removes a huge amount of the games negative factors. I find it so baffling that this game actually got a remaster – Legend of Kay, a fairly unremarkable title gets a remaster but Legacy of Kain gets forgotten for the rest of time.... Oh my poor beloved vampires – will you ever get the attention you so rightly deserve? Still, Legend of Kay is decent enough, and I’m at least glad that I played it. Is it a hidden gem? I’d say no, it’s probably not – it’d be more appropriate to say it was a turnip carved into the shape of a diamond and then haphazardly covered in tin foil. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cat Quest Review Platinum # 306 Cat Quest (PS4) Le Platinum Trophy MEOW! Originally Written: February 18 2021 A Few Trophy Stats Platinum Earned - 18 February 2021: 8:07:53: PM Time Taken to Platinum : 22 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds Platinum Rarity - 76.29% Trophy Number - #14,916 I actually ended up picking this game up because I had seen loads of people on this thread (Most Recent Platinum) and a few others talking about how fun it was. It didn't disappoint. It is a very fun game and it is very relaxing. I think the simplistic nature of the combat actually really benefits it. You could play this game in any sort of state haha, drunk, over tired you get the picture. So it is one of those games that would be really excellent to just play for a bit after a taxing day. The game has a very charming aesthetic as well, reminds me a lot of Letter Quest which is another great pick up and play type of game. Cat Quest seems to be on offer very often for a very good price, so if people are interested in it I definitely recommend it. I picked it up for under £2, so even if the game was atrocious (which it isn't) I don't think I would be eligible to complain that much anyway. It is hard to really say anything that negative about this game to be perfectly honest, it really is just quite good for what it is. It isn't perfect obviously, some of the quests do tend to get a bit repetitive if you play the game for a long period of time without taking a break. I don't know if this is available for VIta, I don't personally have one, but I think this game would be perfect for it, with the sort of "pick up and play" nature of it. Sort of how MGS: Peace Walker would have been excellent to play on a handheld, the short form mission structure is to borrow a cat pun nearly purrfect for this game. Cat Quest does a few things that I really like regarding trophies. I always like it when a trophy list practically forces you to see everything that the game has to offer especially in RPG's, which this does too. It has the pretty standard type of RPG trophies you would expect: finish the main quest, do all quests, unlock all fashion items, level your character to the max that kind of thing. None of these things really outstay their welcome. I guess you have to just think about it all in context, I think I've spent more time in games like Tales of Symphonia or in Yakuza games trying to do one specific thing that wouldn't even necessarily unlock a trophy than it took to unlock the platinum trophy for this game. it is a smaller scale game, so you tend to power through everything fairly quickly, which is no bad thing really. I'll have to pick up the sequel at some point! I couldn't really find a place in my own thread to put this review up - there just never seemed to be the right time,so I guess pairing it up with another cat focused game seems like a good idea. Although the platinum's rarity is high, don't be put off by this game, it's a fantastic game - and it'd be a pretty enjoyable time for anyone who just wanted to take the edge off and play something both relaxing and fun. This review is a relic from my dark days where I was far too worried about writing in too greater detail, I'm sure some of you would prefer I go back to that sort of shorter format, but I don't think I can now. Still - that's why this ones a little brief, but I thought I'd leave it as is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's nice to have Legend of Kay done anyway, I was always going to struggle through and finish it regardless, it's going to help give cancer a kick in the nards that it deserves - as it counts as an orange (I hope), I might have joined that Trophies to Fight Cancer event pretty early (you should too by the way) but it feels really good to finally have something tangibly chalked up that I can count as progress - so onwards and upwards, hopefully you'll be seeing a lot of pink and orange pop up in this thread in the next month or so. @YaManSmevz - I'll be getting back to the classic review thing soon too. As much as I loved writing that Yakuza 0 review it burned me out a little, so I took a few days off, especially as I knew that writing the Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain review will probably require a similar amount of detailed exploration, so I hope you don't mind the slight delay dude, I just wanted to let you know I hadn't forgotten it, and that I'll try and get it out soon. Peace Out folks! Edited February 2, 2022 by rjkclarke 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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