Jotun Valhalla Edition - Review

Last year I played Sundered Eldritch Edition by Canadian based Thunder Lotus Games. It was a phenomenal game, part horror, and part Metroidvania, to me it was a perfect game. It had a great story, beautifully hand drawn visuals, an epic soundtrack along with challenging gameplay that toed the line between difficult and hair pullingly frustrating. The only downside about the whole experience is that I didn't buy the physical copy when it was released by Limited Run Games.


I love chocolate, but then again who doesn't? In the last five to ten years I have really started getting into Oreos, I tried so many varieties of them and there are few I did not like. A couple of months back I tried Cadbury's Oreo Mint Chocolate, it combined three things I love; chocolate, mint and Oreos, little to say I loved it. I didn't think it was possible to enjoy any of those parts any more than I already did but somehow combining these great things made them even greater. Playing Jotun I found myself asking was this the perfect combination of great ingredients?

Story


Jotun comes from Scandinavian Mythology and means a member of the race of giants and enemy of the Gods. The game follows Thora a Norse Warrior who is killed at sea when a storm destroys her ship. Unfortunately, dying of old age or as Thora did is considered an inglorious death and means you are unable to get into Valhalla. She is given a second chance and must defeat five Jotun and impress the Gods. Thora discusses the different areas she visits and how she came to be on that ship and her family.


Overall the story is intriguing and left me wanting to read more into Norse Mythology. A well developed story that had me care not only who Thora is but also her journey to try and reach Valhalla.

Visuals


No matter what I say about the hand-drawn visuals in Jotun it will not do them or the artists that created them justice.  The cave area feels so enclosed and treacherous, and Fe the cave boss looks amazing. Two of my favourite Jotun were Hagalaz who controls lightning and on first look seems fairly innocuous but that changes quickly. Then there is Kaunan who is a fiery smith who is the most overbearing enemy and really gave me pause.


Overall the visuals are up there as some of my most favorite and can't wait to see more games in the future from Thunder Lotus Games.


Music


The soundtrack is easily as epic as Lord of The Rings and in my opinion better, I am already listening to it for the third time today.  The music when exploring the levels differs in intensify to those of the boss fights and make each track really stand out on it's own. The score is composed by Canadian Maxime Lacoste-Lebuis, who worked on Thunder Lotus Games Sundered.


The soundtrack comes in at around an hour and there is not a single second wasted. It is by far my favorite soundtrack I have listened to this year. There is no point beating around the bush I love all the tracks and gun to my head I can't pick a favorite one. Overall the soundtrack is magnificent and even during boss fights I found the soundtrack helped keep in the zone and focused.

Gameplay


The gameplay moves between exploration and boss fights. Because of this, the boss fights feel more intense and the exploration feels more relaxing. Thora is equipped with her mighty axe which has a light and heavy attack. Then she has her roll ability, which saved my life more than a few times. Each new area you explore offers the chance to gain new abilities, improve them and increase your health bar.  Thor's Hammer was one of my favorites and can really help major damage, use it at the right time and you can really turn the tide of battle.


The boss battles are well balanced and offer a good challenge that while often tough feel achievable. Hagalaz was one of the first Jotun I took on and to me is still one of the toughest, maybe it's because he seems unassuming at first or because he can create two of himself, or maybe it was that I had to really focus on his attack patterns and my own. In case the battle was intense and defeating him was all the more satisfying.


Overall the gameplay is fantastic, well balanced and hugely enjoyable. Once you have completed the game Valhalla mode opens, give you the chance to have all abilities and upgrades and take on the Jotun again but this time much tougher.





Final Thoughts

So, after six hours how did I feel?  Pretty damn good! An intense and fun experience. The story was great, the visuals were beyond amazing, the soundtrack is one I will listen to again and again, and the gameplay was perfect.  Overall this one is a slam dunk and easily gets a 5 out of 5

Streets of Rage 4 - Review

I have been so excited for Streets Of Rage 4 to be released. I wanted a physical copy so made sure to order it from Limited Run Games. It has been over a quarter of a century since Streets of Rage 3 was released, and the series was one of my favourites growing up. I expected it would be weird playing it on the PlayStation 4 as previously I had only played it on the Mega Drive. It finally arrived last week and I could not be more eager to play a game.


In the nineties when I lived in London I went to Beanos in Croydon (long since closed) with my best friend at the time Dave. Beanos was a great music shop which managed to be small and large at the same time, it was like a mini-tower. On the top floor, there was a large TV that played movies and a couch. They sold American chocolate and made fresh milkshakes and malts. This was the first time I tried Hershey's Cookies N Creme, it was amazing. All these years on when I have one I still have fond memories and still tastes good. While playing Streets of Rage 4 I found myself asking was it just nostalgia or was it still tasty?

Story


27 years ago Mr X was finally defeated once and for all by Axel, Blaze, and the gang. The city experienced peace once more until a new syndicate took control, this time led by the children of Mr X -  Mr and Ms Y. Axel and the gang must take to the streets and take down these new powerful foes. This time sees the return of characters like Adam and Max, along with the introduction of new characters like Cherry (Adam's daughter) and Floyd - a beefcake with bionic arms.


Overall the story is pretty straight forward and simple with a few 'ooooo' moments. I really loved the story especially the fact they played homage to the previous games.

Visuals


When I first watched the trailers for Streets of Rage 4 I was unsure about the art style. I had gotten so used to the 16-bit graphics from the Mega Drive it was hard to process this new art style initially. Quickly that faded, I really like the new look, it was fresh but also had an old school feel. The levels are so vibrant and colourful, the characters look new but also so familiar. Honestly, I could not have asked for more.  Even the older bulky looking Axel looked perfect and made sense, I think the only character that did not really age was Blaze. Even the animation for attacks look fantastic, just look at the images above and below. One of my favourite looking levels was one where you are in a glass elevator which is really intense, along with being on top of a train watching the city go by.


Overall I have zip/zero to complain about, the game looks great and is a great addition to the series.



Music


I cannot overstate this but I loved the Streets of Rage soundtracks for the first three games. Kuzo Koshiro created the sound for them and it as important as the gameplay itself. He has helped create the sound for many other games including Sega's Revenge of Shinobi (another fantastic soundtrack and game).  I was excited to hear he would be returning to work on Streets of Rage 4, this time he brought some friends: Olivier Deriviere, Groundislava, XL Middleton, Keiji Yamagishi, Harumi Fujita, Mothiro Kawashima, Yoko Shimomura, Scattle, Yuro Koshira, Das Mortel and H-Pi.


The soundtrack is over an hour long and features many great tracks, in fact so many I stopped writing them down. If I had a gun to my head and could only pick five tracks they would be; The Streets, They're Back, Mr Y, Nora, Barbon, and Double Divas. Overall a great soundtrack, and while I don't like it as much as the others once I have listened to it for over a hundred hours like the others that might change.

Gameplay


The gameplay is classic side-scrolling beat em' up action, that anyone who played the previous games will be familiar with. There are however a few changes that add a new dynamic and a new level of replayability. As always there are a number of different difficulty levels from easy to mania. There is a boss challenge mode, level select mode, and a versus mode. This time you can play up to 4-players in Co-Op which is really neat. The more you play the more you can unlock, everything from the soundtrack to more characters including some of the classic look characters and for the first time you can play as Shiva, Mr X's right-hand man.


The fighting is a lot of fun, the animations and in general, the fighting is really smooth. Special moves can eat your health but if you knock out an enemy quick enough you can recoup the loss. Similar to previous games each character have their own strengths and weakness along with special moves. There a lot more weapons this time and it seems the enemies are as free to use them as you are.


There are eleven stages in the game which is the most any game in the series has featured to date. Each of them has a very different look and feel along with more than a few hazards that can be used to your advantage. Each stage has its own boss and sometimes two, this can be extremely challenging as you only have two lives per round but you can get more if you are willing to reduce your score.


Overall the gameplay is fast and tons of fun and cannot recommend it enough!




Final Thoughts


So, after just a few shorts hours how did I feel? Like I wanted to play the game over and over again. The story was fun and a nod to its predecessors. The visuals managed to be both new and retro at the same, great soundtrack (even though it not my favourite..yet). The gameplay is fun and the new modes give it a lot of replaybility. This one gets a smooth 5 out 5

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy - Review

It's been a while since I played an Uncharted 4 but I remember really enjoying it. I remember Lost Legacy coming out and at the time was unsure if the dynamic between Chloe and Nadine would work. Promptly it went out of my head until recently when a friend from work was looking to sell some games. I thought to myself 'yeah why not' and bought it from him.


One of my go-to snacks is pork scratchings - for those unsure what they are, the best thing to compare them to is hotdogs. As most of us know hotdogs are made up of lips and assholes, if there was a crispy snack version of them with the chance of finding the occasional pigs hair that's pork scratchings. I know they are bad for me, and health-wise the only thing worse would be meth. Things that don't seem very appealing are actually damn tasty and sometimes you have to take a leap of faith. Playing Uncharted: The Lost Legacy I found myself asking had taken a leap of faith paid off?

Story


Nathan Drake and the Uncharted Series is well established and loved. After the end of Uncharted 4, it seemed like Drake and given up on his life as a thief/smuggler/collector/player but fans still wanted more. Naughty Dog decided to take two established characters from the series; mercenary Nadine Ross and thief/smuggler (you get the idea) Chloe Frazer and get them to team up together. They are on a mission to find a retrieve The Tusk of Ganesh. The game has you play as Chloe Frazer, and while it would be easy to dismiss Nadine Ross as just a sidekick that is far from being the case. The two have a great dynamic and by the end of the story, I was eager to go on another journey with them.


I was like many other fans, who were unsure if the duo would work. While they were good characters in their own right they were not Nathan Drake. It turns out they stand strong in their own right and their personal stories, along with the banter and overarching story, were really good. I am hopeful that Naughty Dog was using this game to gauge fan's reaction as to whether to create a new series of games featuring the duo, but only time will tell.

Visuals 


Naughty Dog never ceases to amaze with their visuals and The Lost Legacy is no different. Trekking through India was amazing, it was like visiting another world. The ruins of a near forgot civilization are starting to be reclaimed by nature but that doesn't mean they do not still hold secrets.  It may be strange to comment on but I love the rivers and lakes, and really liked the mud hills which look and feel real.


Overall it would be hard to argue that the visuals aren't picture perfect and hope that Naughty Dog continues this trend with any future projects.

Music


The Uncharted series features some very epic music, especially the last couple of instalments. The Lost Legacy features a blend of Indian style music with a film style score sounds that work really well. The master behind this is British composer Henry Jackson, who has a rich portfolio and composed the music for; Just Cause 3, Uncharted 4, Kick-Ass 1 and 2, X-Men First Class, Wreck-It-Ralph, Captain America: Civil War and 21 Bridges.


The soundtrack comes in just a smidge over one hour and features some great tracks, my favourites being; 'The Insurgency', 'Chloe Frazer', 'Shift Change', 'Ambushed', 'This Tigers Got Claws', 'A Familiar Foe' and 'End Of The Line'. Overall an amazing soundtrack which really adds to an already epic game.

Gameplay


The gameplay is almost exactly the same as the other Uncharted games, but hey, it ain't broke why fix it? The game has you play in the third person, and there are plenty of things to climb, swing off, and explore. Sometimes Chloe would fail to grab a ledge when she should of but it wasn't enough to be an annoyance. Similar to Uncharted 4 you get to spend a good bit of time in a jeep, which is really enjoyable. The game will have you solve a few puzzles, nothing particularly taxing with the exception of one near the end of the game where you need to cast shadows on two paintings.


The gunplay is something that is always a little weak in the Uncharted series, one weapon will often not feel much more powerful or accurate as any other. While there is the option to be stealthy there is a high level of the game encouraging you to shoot the place up. Chloe's evasion roll is pretty good and as she can move quite quickly and hide behind items or in the long grass you can usually avoid getting killed.


Some of the set pieces in the games are really great, especially when it comes to climbing cliffs and old buildings. I found myself distracted sometimes and ended up falling to my death. Other times I was not sure where to go and was winging it moving from objects quickly and even got a bit of an adrenaline rush a few times.


Overall the gameplay is pretty well balanced and very much feels like you are part of an Indiana Jones-style movie, but in a good way. It might be short, but sometimes it better to keep them wanting more.




Final Thoughts


So, after a mere eight hours how did I feel? Pretty good and excited about playing more games featuring Chloe and Nadine. The story was fun and epic, the visuals were amazing, the music was so well done, and the gameplay while it had some faults it never ruined my experience. This one gets a solid 4 out of 5

Reed Remastered - Review

I love games, and as anyone that also loves games known, there is never enough time to play everything. This means having to sometimes pick and choose carefully what to spend your time playing, so for example going on the PlayStation Store and checking out Indie games and falling into a rabbit hole is never a good idea. Two hours later and (a lot less money in my bank account) I found some games that looked like fun. One of those games was Reed Remastered, and at €4.99 what did I really have to lose?


Every now and again I love a Chinese Spring Roll from a restaurant, little crispy, full of vegetables and I sometimes even lull myself into thinking they are healthy. Now if I want one (or more) I usually am getting them with another dish but if I want the solo I feel bad ordering one item and go for the frozen option. I cannot say this enough DO NOT BUY FROZEN SPRING ROLLS. They may look the same but they are not, a cheap imitation that will make you question whether you like spring rolls at all. Playing Reed Remastered I found myself was I eating a spring roll from a restaurant or a frozen abomination?

Story


You are Reed, a small white rabbit plushy looking thing who is created to stop the destruction of the digital domain. That's it. Even when completing the game there is just a small pat on the back and that is it.


Overall the story is paper-thin and for an Indie game that can be okay as long as all the other elements are good.

Visuals


I'm a sucker for a few things in this life, coconut flavoured or smelling things, head massages and pixel graphics.  The visuals in Reed Remastered are okay and, and certainly have some similarities to the game Fez.  There are friendly creatures in the world which kind of look like a fish wearing spectacles with purple hair. The enemies look like angry hairless chickens - luckily they look scarier than they are and a quick jump on their head stuns them.


Overall the game seems to borrow from other better Indie games but fails to add anything unique or interesting enough to set it apart from others.


Music


The soundtrack is rather peaceful featuring lots of ambient sounds. Unfortunately, I was unable to track down the soundtrack. The soundtrack was composed by Oleg Hosoutsou, the font used in the credits was hard to decipher so there is a chance I may have read the name incorrectly.


Overall a calming soundtrack that had nods towards the Fez soundtrack. Was the Reed Remastered soundtrack bad? No. Was is it memorable? Also no.

Gameplay


The game is a puzzle-ish platformer which has fifty levels/rooms. Like many games of this genre, they start difficult and then increase in difficulty. There are traps and many spikes that stand in your way, each level has you collect a cube and then navigate to the exit. While the game itself was not overall challenging or fun there was one element I really enjoyed - the 1-pixel of death as I call it. Old school games could be unrelenting and be a single-pixel too far in one direction or another could spell death. Reed Remastered is incredibly good at replicating this and gave me a rich feeling of nostalgia.


Overall the gameplay worked, each level could be finished in a couple of moments or minutes (depending on how many times you die). While the gameplay worked it never felt that fun and again provided nothing that has not been seen many times before.




Final Thoughts

So, after a little over two hours how did I feel? Disappointed. The story is lacking, the visuals were uninspired, the music was good enough and the gameplay worked but never felt exciting. If the game had not been so cheap I would be a lot more disappointed. In honesty, I am not sure how or why this game got remastered but I guess that is sometimes the way of things, this one gets a 2 out of 5

The Last Of Us Part 2 - Review

It's already July, how did that happen? So what I have achieved this year? Umm...played a lot of games, watched TV and gained some weight, that's good, right?  Last night I finished playing The Last of Us Part 2. Playing it was very interesting and was certainly very different from the first installment, but was that a bad thing?


The other evening I wanted takeout, I ask my better half Starfish Nolls what she wanted, now in my head, I was waiting for her to say what did I want and in my head, I was thinking pizza. She then suggested Spitjack's, it gave me pause, I checked the menu and went for a chicken and ribs combo with vegetables, mash, and an extra bit of garlic mash. It was so tasty it was crazy and am still thinking about it now (damn I'm hungry). I guess what I am saying is I went in one with an idea and when I allowed myself to be more open I was both surprised and happy. Playing The Last of Us Part 2 I found myself asking was I happy and surprised or should I have just ordered a pizza?

Story


The Last of Us Part 2 picks up a few years after the first game. We see both Ellie and Joel a little older and living in Jackson, a secure safe place with everything they could possibly want, life is good. As is often the way it is when life is good and we let our guard is down that we can get sucker-punched. Early on Ellie witnesses a brutal murder and so starts rising in her darkness that can only be quenched by revenge.


The story sees Ellie leaving the safety of Jackson to exact revenge, half the game is spent from her perspective and the second half you play as Abby the person she wishes to punish. Naughty Dog does a great job of making you feel conflicted about the two characters. It is hard to describe either character as being completely good or bad. By the end of the game, I was left struggling who's side to be on. The game has a lot of complexities to it. Revenge is damaging not only to those it is exacting it on but those are exacting it. There are many people I felt compassion and sorrow for and nothing was ever black and white but constant shades of grey.


Reading reviews and how people generally felt there a bit of backlash regarding Ellie being gay (which had already been established in the first game). Never did I feel it was dealt with ham-fistedly or hammered home, it was what it was. When it came to the transgender character I did feel it was slightly shoehorned in. There should have either be no mention of it or perhaps create a bit more discussion about it. That being said this element did not stop me in any way enjoying the story. The only real gripe I had was the endings, it felt a bit like Lord of The Rings Return of the King (not the extended edition) and was never sure if the ending I was seeing was the last one.


Overall Naughty Dog a great job of the story, it was thought-provoking, never black and white, and often toyed with my emotions. Any good sequel should be better in every way to its predecessor and Naughty Dog managed to do this perfectly in relation to the story.

Visuals


The visuals are...wow. The game looks sharp, organic and the world is really interesting to explore. There are lush forests, remnants of the old world in the form of a torn-up city, crude camps, and more sophisticated from along with dark dank areas which you want nothing more than to escape as quickly as possible. With some games it feels like you are just moving from one set piece to another, playing The Last of Us Part 2 never felt that way to me.



Overall the visuals are out of this world if you take that the studio that brought us Crash Bandicoot also brought us Uncharted and The Last of Us it is almost unbelievable. The team they have working on the visuals but in so much time to make the game look perfect. I am salivating at the idea of Naughty Dog making a follow up if for no other reason than the visuals.



Music


There are two distinct music styles used in the game, the first is hard plucked acoustic guitar to convey somber tones and gives the player pause, the other is an array of musical instruments to create a feeling of danger, threat, and sometimes intense action. The music is skillfully used in the game helping to heighten situations and but is never a constant but instead used subtly. The score is created by Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla who has been part of a number of TV Series and Films including; 21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain, and the series Making A Murder, and the band's Iris, Soluna, and Wet Picnic. The additional music is supplied by Mac Quayle who worked on Mr. Robot, American Horror Story, The Best Friend, and Bad Samaritans to know just a few.


The soundtrack runs just shy of two hours and in my opinion, is the best video game soundtrack of the year. While to me they are all great tracks there are a few that stood out for me; 'Eye for an eye',
'They're still out there', 'The WLF', and 'The Island'.


Overall an amazing soundtrack that enhanced an already great experience.

Gameplay


Onto the breast and ribs (wow without the food analogy at the beginning that would sound creepy). The game has you take on the role of both Ellie and Abby in the third-person just like the first installment. The game at its core is a survival game that feels a lot more action-packed than before. The game can be played fairly stealthily but sometimes things get loud and you got to do what you got to do.


With Ellie, her close combat weapon is a flick knife, the strongest I have ever seen and I slit a lot of throats and it never broke once. Abby has the ability to make shivs but these are only really helpful against the infected enemies known as clickers, for the most part, she uses her powerful arms to break necks. They both have similar weapons, hands guns, rifles, and bombs but I did prefer Abby's. With Abby, she has a crossbow which is powerful and you can retrieve the bolts, unlike Ellie's bow where once the arrows are fired they are gone. Ellie has the more subtle rifle whereas Abby has the semi-automatic rifle which one you get the scope equipped it was one of my number one weapons next to the hunting pistol. Standing back looking at the two characters' weapons Ellie favors a bit more subtly verses Abby's which are noisier and more powerful, which speaks to my play style.


Manuals are back, these can be found in the world and unlock skill trees to improve the character, take enough pills and you can unlock everything you need. Ellie's had some great ones for increasing health, and Abby has the ability to craft certain ammo which is really handy later on.


The combat and cover system works.....mostly. Similar to the first game the cover works most of the time but sometimes the character won't stick to cover or points the wrong way. Occasionally you would perform an action behind cover and then stand up and get spotted. NPC's traveling with you can almost walk straight in front of an enemy and can't be seen, which is jarring if when you are being stealthy. The close-quarters combat works and can be a lot of fun but sometimes an action won't be recognized and messes everything up. Gunplay works okay as well but even with certain upgrades shooting can feel slightly inaccurate.


Overall the gameplay is a lot of fun and while some annoyances from part one still linger in part two there are improvements and for the most part, did not stop me enjoying the game.





Final Thoughts


So, after thirty hours how did I feel? Happy, sad, and many other emotions. The story was a brilliant experience and while occasionally it felt a little longer in places than it needed it was still enjoyable. The visuals were incredible and the world felt so organic which made everything I did seem more important. The music was somber, dark, and intense and made for a really good soundtrack. The gameplay was pretty strong but there were certain areas that could use improvement, hopefully, if there is a part three these will get ironed out. Is the game perfect? No, but it is pretty damn close, this one gets a 4 out of 5

Command and Conquer Tiberian Dawn Remastered - Review

25 years ago Westwood Studios released Command and Conquer Tiberian Dawn. The game set the standard for real-time strategy games. I remember playing it when it first came out and then again a few years later. As PC gaming hardware improved I was no longer able to run it but never forgot about it. I have played every game in the series and while the series and the RTS genre has advanced a lot I always wanted to go back and play the original again. Fast forward 25 years and it has been remastered and released, the question is does it still hold up?


I like Jaffa Cakes, they remind of being a kid again and as an adult makes me feel like a big kid. I recently saw our local Spar had Jaffa Cake Nibbles, and I thought, yeah I want me some of those. I grabbed a bag and scoffed down most of them. Are they as good as normal Jaffa Cakes? No. But are they bad? Also no. They are just a bit a different, a slightly lesser version of the regular ones. Playing Command and Conquer Tiberian Dawn I found myself asking was it as good I remember and did remastering make it as good as the newer games in the series?

Story


The story has you pick on of two sides; GDI (Global Defence Initiative) and the Brotherhood of Nod. One is seeking to protect the world, the other to control it. There is a plant-like substance called Tiberian, it is powerful and is beginning to appear all of the planet.  The cut sequences provide a little more story but that is pretty much the whole story.


Overall the story is fairly light, and the cheesy cut sequences don't help as much as they should. To be fair though the story was pretty underwhelming the first time around and it was one of the few things that could not be altered.

Visuals


When I started playing I thought to myself the visuals look better but how much have they changed? Luckily, if you press the spacebar you can see what the game used to look like and even play the whole game that way. The visuals have been changed massively, everything looks better and smoother but without changing the core design. I think it was a great idea to be able to see what the game used to look like as it is only then I could fully appreciate the work put into it.


Overall the remastered visuals look great and getting to compare them so easily was a nice touch.



Music


When I first heard the soundtrack for Command and Conquer years ago I remember thinking how awesome it was and really wanted to have it on cassette or CD so I could keep listening to it. The composer for this legendary music is Frank Klepacki and Tiberian Sons. He has worked with Westwood Studios, Lucasarts, EA, Disney and many more. He has created the sound for the Command and Conquer series and I am already excited to play Red Alert again as it features some of his best work.


The soundtrack run at almost exactly an hour, there are no duds in it and I could listen to it again and again. Overall it is a great soundtrack and a great example of how important they are in games.

Gameplay


I really enjoy real-time strategy games, I love building up a base, having good defences, create an army and then wipe the enemy off of the map. With most modern games each side is fairly balanced, in Command and Conquer Tiberian Dawn that is not the case. GDI has the Mammoth Tank, it it impressive and pretty tough, but apart from the GDI structure and units feel weak by comparison of Nod. With Nod, they have strong defence turrets, a laser turret which destroys any unit no matter how strong. They also have flame troopers, rocket bikes, and stealth tanks.  While I enjoyed playing with both sides The Brotherhood of Nod is superior in every way.


Like the original release of the game, there are different difficulty settings and is possible to speed up the gameplay. This is invaluable once you have a good base defence and need resources to build your army.


Some people had reported glitches with some of the gameplay, maybe I was lucky or may a few patches fixed the issue. In any case, I did have any issues with the game crashing or failing to register things, which is always a plus.


Overall I enjoyed my experience and only wish that both GDI and NOD could have been a little more balanced.





Final Thoughts

So, after twenty hours how did I feel? Not bad. The story wasn't great but I can overlook this a little. The visuals were really sharp and the music was fantastic. The gameplay was pretty good but certainly could use a little balancing. Overall this one gets a 3 out of 5

Yakuza 3 Remastered - Review

I have been pretty giddy to play Yakuza 3 since the remastered collection was released, I even made sure to pre-order it. The quality of the story and gameplay of Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 were fantastic and hoped that Yakuza 3 would be the same. This was my first time playing Yakuza 3 so curious to see how the story of Kiryu Kazama would progress.


I love eating a tasty sausage (easy now), there are so many varieties and you can rarely go to wrong unless you go for the super cheap ones. I fancied sausages and mash the other day, so picked up some Tesco Finest Pork Sausages. Now they weren't bad but nowhere near the same quality, I had got used to with O'Flynn's Gourmet Sausages. Now maybe O'Flynn's had simply spoiled me with the taste and flavours of their sausages or maybe Tesco Finest Sausages weren't as good. Playing Yakuza 3 Remastered I found myself asking, what kind of sausages was I eating?

Story


The direction of the story is very different from the previous ones in the series. One side of the story sees Kiryu Kazama in Okinawa running an Orphanage, Morning Glory, with his adopted daughter Haruka. It is so sweet watching them take care of the orphans cooking, keeping house, dealing with childhood problems and different prejudices. The other side sees a change in the Tojo Clan and being on the brink of war and a sinister force at work which is far beginner than before. Kiryu is forced back into the troubles of the Tojo Clan while also trying to keep Morning Glory and its orphans safe. This time though can Kiryu really do it all or will it all come crashing down?


While there are many great elements to the game my favourite was those focused on Morning Glory, see Kiryu in a more fatherly light was really nice. There was a level of simplicity about it that was hard not to love. The Tojo Clan storyline was good but lacked a certain something and did draw me in like the other games stories had. The substories were a little shakey, where there were ones I enjoyed they did not seem as fun as the others, Okinawa substories were great for the most part but those in Kamurocho just did not have the same appeal.


Overall the stories lines were not bad but in some ways, I wish they had created a shorter game than just focused on Okinawa and the Morning Glory Orphanage rather than trying to cram so many things into it.

Visuals


The visuals....mmmm.....I.....hmmm. Getting to enjoy a new area was great and felt fresh and fun. However, the visuals were nowhere as good as they could or should have been. Obviously, there was serious remake/remaster of the first two games as they were on the PlayStation 2 and would have looked really poor if they had not. That being said I feel Sega really dropped the ball with Yakuza 3. The visuals look like an early PlayStation 3 game and while side by side comparisons of the original versus the show improvements they just are not enough. Honestly, perhaps they rushed the release due to working on Judgement and being concerned some would be released on the PlayStation 5 and would fail without serious work.


I hate to bash on a game's visuals but it hard to ignore them, perhaps I was just spoiled by the others but consistency is key and Yakuza 3 is certainly lacking that element.



Music


Thinking back on all the Yakuza games I have played so far there is a distinctly Sega sound to it. There are these fun tracks combined, guitar riff infused tracks along with epic battle tracks. Many of the sounds of Sega are created by Japanese composer Hidenori Shoji. He is a rich body of work including not only the Yakuza Series but also; Sega Tour Car Championship, Project X Zone 2 (and when 3 is released might be the only reason I buy a Nintendo Switch), and Sonic All-Star Racing to name but a few.


As always there are number of great tracks even though it feels like one of the shortest soundtracks to date. Some standout tracks for me were; 'Fly', 'Howl Of The Dragon', 'Urgency', 'Pure Malice', 'Lyricism Without Tears' and 'Fish On'.


Overall it is a fairly solid soundtrack and while it is not my favourite one of the series it did not make it any less enjoyable.

Gameplay


As always in Yakuza games there is a lot to discuss in terms of gameplay, let's start with the big one, combat.  The fighting element is fun and will feel familiar to those how have played the others in the series. There are a couple gripes I had, firstly fighting does not feel as robust as the other remastered Yakuza games, and the levelling up system. The more you fight, complete mini-games and sub-stories the more experience points you can gain. That makes sense, what does not make sense is that often you have to pick between upgrading between two abilities, for example, you can increase your health or improve the damage you do when throwing an enemy. This way of levelling up made no sense to me and is something that was unnecessary to incorporate into the game. On the plus side, there is a new way you can acquire fighting abilities, one of these by capturing people having crazy things happen to them and then blogging about it.


There is a host of mini-games including; fishing, mahjong, massage (you read that right), running, and a number of others. Then, of course, there are the classic substories, they are usually quite quick to complete and pulls you away from big responsibilities and just helping people in their day to day life, from the simple to the bizarre.


Hostesses Bar. This is an element I have really enjoyed in the series I love managing the clubs, the fun stories of the hostess and the competition in other clubs. Sadly, this was missing this time around. Instead, you get to visit hostess bars and try to win over the hostesses. That part to me seems a little bizarre, you pay a lot to be there, you are kind of expected to give gifts and to answers their questions the way they want. Now it could be just me but if you are paying to be there with them surely they should just go along with whatever you like or are into (unless it is demeaning or all-out rude). Instead, you are pretty much courting them with no guarantees they will like what you say or do. So why would you not either go to an escort or try to get with a real girl especially considering the effort you have to put in with a hostess. I am not sure if this was put in because this is how it actually works in Japan or if Sega just wanted to go in a different direction, in either case, it was not for me.


Overall the gameplay isn't bad but certainly has some shortcomings, while of course, I understand the need to change things up but as the old adage goes, if it ain't broke why try to fix it?





Final Thoughts


So, after nearly thirty hours how did I feel? A bit underwhelmed. The story had some great elements in it but felt like they tried to cram in too much. The visuals were a huge downside and hope that Yakuza 4 and 5 look a lot better. The music was reliable as always and while it was not my favourite to date in certainly is not bad. The gameplay was a little hit and miss, risks were taken that did not pay off and the combat was a little weak by comparison of the other games in the series. Overall this one slides in with a 3 out of 5