Recent reviews by Uncle Ghiral

I am someone who goes back to Jet Set Radio and Future on a near yearly basis, I've been a fan of the series since my childhood. Seeing Team Reptile's first announcement of this game activated neurons the likes other games have never done and I was dying to play this. Well, here we are.

Gameplay-wise, I think this game is a perfect fit between JSR and JSRF with a little Tony Hawk cherry on top. The game feels tight and fun to play, with features like the air boost allowing more flexibility in movement while keeping JSR's style of platforming. Challenges related to tricking are on the easy side until post-game so the challenges aren't Jet rank in JSR difficult, maybe more Jet rank in JSRF difficult.

The music, while having more chill tracks compared to JSR/F, still absolutely works with the world and theme of the game. A couple tracks I didn't vibe with but eh I also didn't vibe with a few tracks in the other games. Naganuma's tracks are of course the go-to for fans but don't sleep on 2Mello, Reso, KiloWatts, etc; there is a good variety going on there.

Story went places I wasn't really expecting, I mean not every game starts with what this one started with. While I do wish there was more voice acting than just sound clips I'd say the cinematography of the cutscenes (especially the dream levels) make up for it. It's more serious than the JSR games so if you can vibe with a colourful game getting serious then you're in for a fun ride.

Overall I recommend the game to anyone who has played JSR/F or Tony Hawk; you'll understand the game quickly and satisfaction just rolls (or manuals) in. Though for those who haven't I wouldn't put it past you to wait for a sale, as much as I think this game deserves all the love. In the end, it's a great game, and very much worth your time.

Saito Hajime of the Shinsengumi is well known in Japanese history, but many forget the 4 Corporals who were there from the start:
- Oshima Taro
- Kasuga Ichinojo
- A tiger
- An anime catgirl

A great JRPG, a great OST, a fantastic UI. This game oozes with a style and charm all of its own.
Nothing more I can say that hasn't been said 1,000 times.
...
But what I will say is that I hope Morgana gets punted into outer space.

It's been about 2 years since this game first came out, yet I still can't put into words just how much I love this game. When Ichiban was revealed I was confused about the future of the series, moreso when they revealed the genre change. All this new ♥♥♥♥? Concerning.

But... getting the game in my hands and playing through it, I grew to love Ichiban; so much in fact he flew from uneasy acceptance to my favourite character in the series. Hell, every character was great. They all bounced off of each other so well and all of the casual interactions made it feel like just some dudes and gals hitting the town. The gameplay that I was confused on them changing to was fun to play and I never felt like it got old (though there are a few things that I hope they improve on in future). The story, voice acting (both sub and dub) and themes of the game actually got emotions outta me to the point where the finale still gets me to this day.

All of this combined had turned a game I had some disinterest in into one of my top 3 games RGG has ever made. It kept surprising me, then surprised me more when I wasn't ready. Please play this game, even if JRPGs are not your thing I still urge you strongly to. Though it may not have the series' staple combat it's still packed with so much charm it's almost blinding.

Kasuga Ichiban please be my friend.

Krobus and I have entered an uneasy alliance against women.

Yakuza 3 is certainly as I remember it all the way back on the PS3. In good ways and in bad ways. A good narrative with terrible pacing; improved combat flow mixed with enemies that are too block happy, and a heat economy where the highest cost heat moves deal the equivalent of a memory foam pillow to the face. It's a rough transition to say the least, not helped by PS3 jank; but I believe it holds up as a solid experience. Y'all PC Yakuza players are certainly gonna feel awkward downgradin' from Kiwami 2 to this though lmaoooooo

As it stands, (besides the cut PS3JP content) Remastered is the most feature-complete translated version of Yakuza 3 you can get (don't be glad, this adds the Akimoto substory back and you'll wish you're playing the translated PS3 version). And hey, the boxart isn't half of Kiryu's face this time!

Thank god this game brought the series back. Now nobody will ever have to experience a wait as painful as the wait for Yakuza 5.

While a handful of content is lost on someone new to the series, the game has so much going on in it that it's both a great jumping in point and a wonderful returning point.

The story? Great. The combat? In the top 3 of the series. The side content? Hilarious, fresh, unique. And there is so much side content you'd haf'ta be a madman to 100% the game.

That's me.
I'm madman.

Play Yakuza.

This game is just pure co-op fun, no strings attached. The only things that have given me a similar enjoyment was Left 4 Dead and the Mann vs Machine mode in Team Fortress 2.
The community is so friendly that I rarely ever meet a bad sport; and while the game has kept growing the devs have done so much to make sure that no person misses out on content, it's all available, no FOMO.

If there's one game you'd wanna sink hours of time into and leave with a renewed sense of hope for teamwork and humanity (or dwarfanity?) it'd be this game.