Recent reviews by blue

my favorite game of the original kiryu brawler series (0-6).

i would say to truly enjoy it you sort of need to have played 1-5, which is a tall ask. you can very well play it without having played previous entries, but then i would say most of the emotional impact is diminished. story is also tightly packed in this and doesn't really waste any time, it mostly gets to the point throughout the entire run ti,e

also my favorite in terms of side activities - i by far prefer this version of the "rts" minigame (clan creator) over kiwami 2's, the sidequests are much more engaging, and (unpopular opinion?) i prefer this (and kiwami's) version of the exp system. is it better? don't know, but i like it more!!

i do not think the game aged well. there's better contemporary beat em up you can play over this one. level progression isn't all that fun either.

if you can muster a group of friends then maybe it's still worth a look, but it's a strong maybe. i fully realize i am not being very fair since i am posting this 13 years after release, and i did enjoy it... a decade ago.

not something you play for the story, but more than makes up for it with a fun combat system. requires essentially to consider your best options, and the investment in return is to choose which inventory items you desire to invest in.

for the price it's at, if you are any level of RPG enthusiast, it deserves at least a strong strong strong consideration from you.

the filters are particularly bad for this collection but i do think it's the best way to legally enjoy these games. it's the zero games with all the good (gameplay) and the bad (technical limitations like screen crunch on the GBA) of the originals.

the save checkpoint system is the best compromise in terms of difficulty toggle the legacy collections have had (rewind from legacy 1, weird checkpoints from legacy 2, and rookie hunter from the X collections), and i think it works fantastic here.

as for the games, Zero 2 and 3 are my favorite, and i don't think anything hits quite like the opening to Zero 2. Zero 1 is still a weird little game and honestly should be played at least once to see what it's like. Zero 4 has a banger ending setpiece.

biggest issue i've had on steam deck is that the main menu's background just does not render properly, which i suppose is minor but still worth mentioning. had no real issue with any game in terms of performance.

overall, a really good package that i think is worth playing!!!

i think the best way to describe yakuza 5 is "grander than life".

it's the most ambitious yakuza game. it's the most *yakuza* yakuza game. there's so much to do in terms of activities, side quests, mini games, side story arcs for the main cast that a lot of people feel overwhelmed by it. it also affects the pacing. which is fair and valid criticism.

but personally none of that bogged me down. i found the game absolutely engrossing from start to finish, and it's hard for me to get the characters out of my head.

if you like yakuza it's more of that. if you dislike yakuza, i do not think this game will change your mind. but i'll think about this game for a long time after i'll be done with it.

much like warioware, this game stresses me out and makes me feel dumb

thjank you for game

megaman x6 is a good reminder of why sometimes series have to end

as for the actual collection, it handles and plays well, as well as these games can, at any rate. unlike the first collection i guess the second one is mostly to see the back half of the series and to see what the rest of the series was like. really not much more else to say!

even in spite of seemingly existing input lag, i still had a mostly decent time playing x1 through 4. the only real issue i ran into personally is not even input lag, but that X1 through 3 are genuinely hard games. from all the praise i've seen these games get over the years i genuinely thought they would be easier but no turns out they're hard.

a not bad way to experience the classics i guess? though do yourself a favor and turn off the pixel smoothing filter. i don't understand why it even exists.

this game is good but whatever you do dont just put your first 3 levels into mind only just a piece of helpful advice haha have fun!!

also the game is really hard. like insanely so. buy at your own risk?

the game is visually impressive in its presentation, and has an interesting narrative

unfortunately, it's dull in every other aspect : exploration, combat, handling, you name it. nothing about the game made me want to keep playing. the only solace is that it is not particularly long.

would not recommend it.