Aaron Botts
It shows why people fell in love with it in the first place, and it’s a great way to fall in love with Miku and the gang all over again…or for the first time.
I really can't recommend this title enough. It may not hit as high as Zero did, but it does a damned fine job modernizing a game that fans fell in love with a decade ago. Tack that on with a budget price and an abundance of gameplay, and you'll be finding yourself among the ranks of Yakuza fans, as I have.
If for some reason you still haven’t picked this game up yet, the low price and impressive extras set should soften the blow of uncertainty. It’s a classic for a reason, and 2D Sonic games are a fantastic fit for Switch. Grab it.
Simply put, this is the return that fans have been waiting for.
Collectively speaking, this game subverts expectations in ways that make it stand out head and shoulders above the rest. For that reason alone, you should feel confident that the money you drop on this game will be money well spent. The PlayStation 4 couldn’t have received a better swan song.
I’m not going to be subtle here. I loved this game. I can never walk away from any game in this franchise unsatisfied, and I feel that even with my nitpicks and misgivings that this is a worthy successor to what many have seen as an interesting distraction to the main series. Lost Judgment stands upon the shoulders of its forebears with ease, is a joy to play, tells an intimate story with a (mostly) deft hand, and knows how to value add with the best in the series. This is not only a great sequel, it’s also a great addition in any gamer’s library. Period. Saying this is a must buy is an understatement. It’s a shining example of what a great Yakuza game can be.
FFV isn’t always the first thing classic fans may think of when the subject of the best of the classics come up, but that isn’t to say that it shouldn’t be held in the same regard as the usual suspects of “best of” conversations. It expands on prior gameplay elements in a fantastic manner, isn’t afraid to buck some tropes, and is an unsurprisingly solid game nearly 30 years later.
If you’re a hardcore Ninja Turtle fan or someone looking for a fun as hell beat ’em up to play with friends on a pizza-filled Saturday night, you’re going to have a lot of fun no matter what crowd you find yourself in. It succeeds in bridging the past and present, and knows how to hit the mark for any fan. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is a worthy follow-up to an arcade/console classic, and a game worthy of counting itself as one of the genre’s best examples of how to do a beat ’em up right. This is Turtle Power at its absolute best.
In an age of unnecessary grit and brown tones, it's nice to be reminded that there are games out there that can succeed at being compelling, functionally competent, and beautiful at the same time.
The amount of content stuffed in here makes the game a really good value for the asking price. It's worth a pickup, but make sure you prepare yourself for a serious test of skill.
You will find yourself laughing quite a bit at every ridiculous encounter you’ll come across, and those worried that this game may not live up to what came before it should rest easy. This is a trip into the mountains well worth taking, even if you missed out on its predecessor.
Sukeban did a fantastic job with building a cyberpunk world that feels organic, writing characters that are believable and (mostly) easy to love, and giving us a gameplay experience that would give those who are reluctant to the simple flow of visual novels a legitimate shot. I really enjoyed my time in Glitch City, and I think you will too.
The story may be somewhat weak, but don’t let that deter you from picking this one up. Even though the game is short (my playthrough was about 4 hours), this is definitely something worth looking at.
Putting this game back in my hands reminded me how enjoyable it is to relish in goofy ridiculousness. Even if it is a naturally short ride down memory lane, it’s a game well worth revisiting.
Not only does it stay true to what people love about these titles, but it’s a goodbye to one of the most compelling protagonists I’ve ever played in a video game. If this is your first trip to Kamurocho, you’re going to enjoy yourself without question.
The plot is fun and engaging, the multitude of distractions are a step up from its release predecessor, and Kazuma Kiryu’s steel resolve and Steve Rodgers-esque disposition makes for yet another fun romp through the seedy underworld we’ve come to know and love yet again.
I think that longtime fans will enjoy this one, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that this could also serve as a starting point for newcomers as well. Atelier games are remarkably consistent in quality. Even though Lulua may not blow the doors off in a number of ways, it’s a nice little game that knows how to show you a good time.
If you’re looking for a more accessible bar of entry to the Yakuza franchise, this is a strong entry with the studio stepping outside of its comfort zone a little bit. Thankfully, their experiment is a success.
Regardless, Banana Blitz HD is the definitive version of an era of Monkey Ball that desperately needs to make a comeback by either remaking the original two games or a creating new entry altogether. This is one of those instances where the quality of life improvements are noticeable, and it's worth your money being able to play it on the go at all.
While Yakuza 4 Remastered doesn’t offer much in the way of quality of life updates or any substantial presentation improvements, the entire package is still solid. It knows what it is and what it wants to do, and is ultimately an improvement over its direct predecessor in a number of ways.