Current game?

[Booyakasha]

Forgot how much I love Yakuza (or Like a Dragon)/Judgement games. I always liked the combat and the amount of side content you can do, and the story in the series has (usually) been very good. I also like how Judgement gives a different perspective of Kamurocho, since you're playing as a freelance detective instead of a former Yakuza member.

Are those a bit like the old Saints Rows and 3D GTAs? They've been showing up on Game Pass a bit, and I keep thinking about giving them a try...

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I've played a bit of Yakuza. It's like Japanese GTA in theme, and it has open areas, but plays more like a brawler, a beat em up.

[Booyakasha]

...oh yeah. General lack of readily-available firearms in Japan. Duhhh.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

...oh yeah. General lack of readily-available firearms in Japan. Duhhh.

There may actually be a bit of that at some point, or in certain entries, I've only played a couple hours worth of the first one.

For what it's worth, I liked it more than GTA, but it's kinda clunky like GTA too. You know, stiff movement and combat.

[Luther]

I feel Yakuza/Judgement is more of like... a beat'em up or brawler RPG than GTA-styled? It doesn't feel anywhere sandboxy as GTA is (or anything like GTA for that matter), and there isn't really a wanted meter or dealing with the cops unless it's story related... sort of.

In one game, Judgement, if you take too long to finish a random battle on the street (bosses/story encounters don't count), the cops will chase you down, and if they catch you, you have to pay some yen. But the thing is, random battles take seconds to finish that most people don't even see the cop warning, and even then the cops are laughably easy to outrun. It's so much of an inconsequential mechanic that they took it out in Lost Judgement.

There is a LOT of sidequests in the series, though. A lot of them can range from cool and interesting... to just downright wacky. One moment, you might be helping someone fight off some thugs and solve misunderstandings, another moment you're trying to deliver a pizza to a woman because you misunderstood her when she said "bizza" (she meant to say Visa, since she's a foreigner).

I should also note, that Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and the upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, are turn based RPGs funny enough. Why? Because the new main character, Ichiban, is so much of a Dragon Quest fan that he sees battles like RPG battles (actual story reason pffft). They still have some Beat'em Up games though, Like a Dragon Gaiden is still going to be a beat'em up, and the Judgement series will stay with the beat'em up genre.

(I will also state that Yakuza: Like a Dragon took the spot for my favorite turn based RPG... really not kidding on that)

[Booyakasha]

^Wow, that's a lot of good information. Thanks, bud!

[Luther]

No prob~! Oh, just one minor correction

In Yakuza 4, one character does have to deal with the cops since he's an escaped convict. Specifically, if any cops spots him, he has to do a minigame where he has to run from them... which still happens even in the post game >w>; I remember a friend of mine had some annoyances with it.

But yeah, pretty much the Yakuza/Judgement/Like a Dragon games are Beat'em Up RPGs, I feel that's the best way to describe (most) them.

[Booyakasha]

Well, I mean, all those GTA-types have their little niches----------think my favourites of the lot are 'Just Cause', with the wacky stunts and leading rebel attacks, and 'Saboteur', with the sneakin about and moiderin nazzies covertly.

[Booyakasha]

I'm too easily distracted. Here I download a couple Yakuza/Lick a Dragon games from Game Pass back when we talked about it, and then immediately set about another playthrough of 'Borderlands'. And 'Borderlands' isn't short.

...life is short. I should be working on my backlog, not playing 'Borderlands' for the jillionth time.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I'm playing some Spelunky 2. It's more like an expansion pack than a sequel, it does have its own story but as far as the actual game goes it's pretty much the same. That's fine I guess, I loved the original anyway, but it's a really safe sequel.

[Booyakasha]

This week I started 'Fearmonium'. It's this weird metroidvania where you play a burgeoning neurosis trying to drive a guy full-on bonkers. Sort of an evil reverse 'Psychonauts'. It's pretty good so far, and I like the art-----------they opted for a sort of Cupheady style in lieu of pixels. Only complaint I have is there's a bit of slowdown when there's too much stuff onscreen. That's bad optimisation, is what that is. Still, 'Vampire Survivors' had slowdown back when it released, too, and they were able to patch that after a bit. Just gotta hope.

[Bomby]

I've been getting back into Super Mario Maker 2 because I felt like making a few new courses. It's rather enjoyable.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

I've been getting back into Super Mario Maker 2 because I felt like making a few new courses. It's rather enjoyable.

I forgot how sharing works, is it a code? I remember it being fun to try ML & DZ's stages, send the code after you're done if you feel like it.

[Booyakasha]

I'm some twelve hours into a playthrough of the XOne rerelease of 'Kingdoms of Amalur'. I knew I'd liked it a whole lot when I played it back in 2012 on the 360, but I've forgotten essentially everything that happened in it in the interim, so it's been really engrossing to me. Still one of my favourite combat systems in a game-------right up there with 'Mark of Kri' and 'Legend of Kay'.

[Booyakasha]

I played 'Saga of the Moon Priestess', a 2D Zelda-like. Short and sweet----------kind of like a four-hour LoZ, which, for like six bux, is totally acceptible.

(I mean, I'm a little annoyed because it glitched during the final bossfight and then autosaved after, so I missed an achievement. But whatever.)

[Deku Tree]

I started a second playthrough of Baldur's Gate 3, but I think I'm gonna pause that and touch on something else for a bit. Might be that I have a better time that way anyway, given that they're continuing to improve the game with patches.

I started playing a game called Spiritfarer almost entirely motivated by how pretty the soundtrack is. I didn't know the game, but I came across the soundtrack on Spotify. The game was on sale for $8, so I didn't mind giving it a chance. The animation is very pretty, and the characters are charming, but so far I haven't found the gameplay loop all that compelling. Might be something I play off and on without waiting until I've finished it to start the next game.

The next game will probably be Sea of Stars, which I got for Christmas.

[Grace in the Dark]

I next plan to play Alisa. It's a retro style horror game, with polygonal graphics and a fixed camera viewpoint.

[Booyakasha]

I've been playing 'Draw Rider'. It's kind of like a very, very bare-bones, stick-figure take on the Trials games. I like it.

[Booyakasha]

'Star Wars: Dark Forces' got remastered and rereleased. I haven't played it in over twenty years-----------it's a real walk down memory lane. Just have to get used to playing it with a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard.

[I REALLY HATE POKEMON!]

'Star Wars: Dark Forces' got remastered and rereleased. I haven't played it in over twenty years-----------it's a real walk down memory lane. Just have to get used to playing it with a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard.

I hope they remaster Dark Forces 2, I'm pretty sure that's the one I played as a kid. I only played the demo, but it started off in a hanger you were raiding or something. Oddly, I can't find footage of it.