Shanbalileh

Being my first entry to the series and having played through the entirety of the franchise ever since, Yakuza 0 is the perfect starting point for newcomers while being the best Yakuza experience so far at the same time. I'll never forget how hooked up I was to it during the covid days which I hadn't been to a videogame in a really long time. The game enjoys from a masterful story telling, solid character writing and a unique atmosphere to immerse you into 80s Japan with decent enough gameplay.

65 _0%

Samurai Warriors 4 (2014) - Rated 06 Jun 2024

Having quite enjoyed the first two instalments of the series and the PS2 era of the genre in general, this game differs in many ways such as clan-based stories instead of character-based which makes sense considering the growing roster. What I don't like however is how easy it is to cheese through the game with hyper attacks which is essentially press Y to slaughter through thousands of enemies which makes for a faster and flashier gameplay at the cost of 0 challenge. Story is mediocre at best.

70 _0%

Yakuza Kiwami (2016) - Rated 06 Jun 2024

A faithful yet kind of lackluster remake of the original Yakuza. Although the game is held back by the narrative and side content of a 20 year old game and can be quite jarring coming from 0, they do add to the narrative via flashback cutscenes which really help develop characters from 0, and to the gameplay with new mechanics while overall being pretty much a carbon copy of 0 engine-wise, which is not necessarily a bad thing considering the budget given. Missed potential but still decent.

65 _0%

Total War: Rome Remastered (2021) - Rated 06 Jun 2024

A pretty lazy "remaster" for an otherwise masterpiece game. I quite dislike the UI and how unnecessary complicated they made it out to be. The visuals are also nothing to brag about. They made a few QoL improvements but multiplayer campaigns are still nowhere to be seen. The only reason I'd recommend it is for the core original game which had been borderline unplayable on modern systems. A cash grab, but worth it if you're a newcomer or plan to revisit the game after years.

50 _0%

Team Fortress 2 (2007) - Rated 06 Jun 2024

Now normally I'd give one of my favorite games of all time a 90+ rating, if it wasn't for the developers' pure neglect for the many game-breaking issues that have plagued the game for years at this point. Even if we'll never get another major update, having bots flood every server is just unacceptable for a game that not only is advertised as playable, but is actively making Valve tons of cash. A masterpiece ruined by developers or should I say, lack of ones.