Yakuza Kiwami (PS4) Review

The first Yakuza game that I played (and reviewed) was the latest chronological entry, Yakuza 5.  I am glad to get to play Yakuza Kiwami, which is a PS4 remaster of the PS2 original game.  I'll eventually get Yakuza 0, too.  New things were added to Kiwami, making it more than a simple remaster.

The story is actually a big focus of the Yakuza series, and the story of this game is good.  Some points are predictable, but I was interested and entertained the whole way through.  Although, Kiryu needs to stop leaving unconscious enemies laying around...you think he'd learn eventually.  Anyway, the remastered character models and graphics look great, and run super smooth as you battle thugs, rescue friends, and run around Kamuracho.  It does feel like Kiryu gets stuck on the environment a lot, which is noticeable, since you run around town a lot.

I loved the brutal combat in Yakuza 5, and fully expected to love it here.  I was mostly right.  You still beat up thugs with various kicks, punches, and grabs.  As long as you hit and avoid damage, you build up a heat meter which allows you to do special (and damaging) moves that usually look extremely painful.  Some are clearly deadly.  I would like it if the heat moves were on a different button, since there were times I used it when I just wanted to use the Triangle Button attack.  Kiryu can block and dodge, but so can the enemies.  And oh boy, do they love to do that.  It's really (not) fun to watch an enemy dodge/dash around 10 times while you do nothing.  Calm down, son!

I initially started the game on normal, but the enemies were sometimes annoying.  They would dodge out of the way of every attack while their friends took cheap shots.  They like to also have cheesy get up moves that would hit me, or attack right as I got to my feet.  So I bumped it down to easy.  Trouble is, that didn't really fix it.  There are still too many enemies that just constantly dodge attack after attack unless you are in certain styles (more on that in a bit).  You also fall down...a lot.  It's really annoying.  You can mash the X Button to theoretically get up faster, but it rarely helps.  There's plenty of fights where a gun guy hangs back and just picks you off, so you fall down and his buddies can land some more cheap attacks on you.  I'll fully admit I wasn't going to learn every in-and-out of the combat system.  If I'm playing on easy, I shouldn't have to.

Kazuma Kiryu now has different stances in battle.  I don't know if this was in the original.  Each is set to a different direction on the d-pad.  They also have their own strengths, weaknesses, combos, and heat moves.  While it's fun to switch stances, there are times when it's pretty much necessary.  Some enemies are only really hit by some styles.  Switching isn't as easy or fluid as I would like, since there are only certain times you can switch.  You can stand still to do so, but that makes you an easy target.  Bosses sometimes kneel down and you can use a specific style's heat move on them for big damage.  This would be cool, but they aren't specific to the enemy.  Oh, and they heal while down, too.  Not a good combination.  Overall the styles are passable, but not as fun or fluid as I think they should be.

While your attacks and stats are lacking in the beginning, there are multiple skill grids that you can spend experience on.  The main three - body, tech, and soul - use experience levels to purchase passive and active skills.  Each "ring" has a set cost, from 1 to 85.  Yes, 85 is a lot when you are starting out, but completing the later chapters will net you a few hundred.  The fourth grid is "dragon", and you can't spend experience to level it up.  Instead, you will fill out most of it by battling the Mad Dog of Shimano, Majima.  An added feature is "Majima Everywhere", where he can jump out and attack you, or interrupt one of your fights.  Strangely, it you don't advance it much, he doesn't really appear.  This is nice because your fights won't get a lot harder randomly, but bad because the dragon style will suffer for it.

The story mode will set you back 20-25 hours.  Mine was toward the end of that, and I didn't do much extraneous stuff, just some of the side stories.  The side stories aren't marked on the map as they are in the...later(?) Yakuza 5, so I may have missed some.  After the story there is the premium mode, where you can clean up various things, and also new game plus.  Nice.  Besides that, there are several mini-games.  Bowling, karaoke, slot car racing, a glorified rock-paper-scissors card game...you get the idea.  They aren't all my cup of tea, but the slot car racing was pretty fun.

Is Yakuza Kiwami good?  Yes.  Is it fun?  Yes, mostly.  I enjoyed the story, even if the combat didn't feel as good as Yakuza 5.  There are still plenty of scenes that sell Kiryu as a legit badass.  It's easy to focus on the story, and there are a lot of extra activities to do when you are done.  It's an easy recommendation for people like me that got into the series more recently, as the story is a central focus.


The Good:
Brutal heat moves, good story, and lots to do.

The Bad:
Fighting some of the bosses is really frustrating.

The SaHD:
I am totally excited for this studio taking a swing at a Fist of the North Star game, even if Kenshiro will have to do silly side jobs.

(Review code for Yakuza Kiwami was provided by the publisher)

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 1 & 2 (Xbox One) Review

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance joins a long and growing list of games being tweaked to release on current generation platforms.  With each offering being a hit or miss, where does Ultimate Alliance 1 and 2 fall?

Before we look at how the games have translated to the newer systems, let's look at how they play as games.  Both games are action RPGs that play from an isometric point of view.  You play as a team of four heroes (or villains!), attacking and using your super powers to fight off various enemies.  You control one character at a time while the AI handles the rest.  You can jump (some characters can fly), pick up and throw objects, and in general, cause a lot of mayhem in your quest to save the day.  The games are fairly linear, moving you from one location to the next as the story dictates.

Both games play largely the same, but Ultimate Alliance 2 adds team up special moves and healing items.  The healing items are self-explanatory, although it can be tough to know who to heal since it only shows your current character's HP.  The team up moves are pretty cool, coming in several flavors (aimed, AoE, etc.) and differing depending on which characters you team up for the attack.

Combat is pretty fun, but there are a few minor quibbles I have with the game.  In the first Ultimate Alliance, it can be hard to keep track of your character.  There are times when there are swarms of enemies, explosion effects, and even parts of the environment clogging your view.  Even with the colored ring at your character's feet, it can be very easy to lose yourself.  Plus, with no healing items it is a huge pain to resurrect fallen allies, as you have to wait out a timer and retrieve them from a save point, or reach a save point and swap them out.  It's kind of a bummer when you have characters you want to use, but can't since they are still injured.

The second game's problem is more the interface.  Switching character is still on the d-pad, but their position shifts on-screen when you switch.  It doesn't actually change which direction you press, but there is a disconnect with the direction their portrait is displayed versus the direction you select them with.  I don't have this problem in the first game.  To heal or use a team-up move, you hold a button and then press another to choose who to use it on/team up with.  The problem is the button is displayed over the character, not their portrait, so it is really hard to make out which button to press when it is displayed as a tiny picture over the head of a moving character.  These aren't game-breaking, but they can be really annoying.

The Xbox One and PS4 versions are smoother than their last-gen counterparts.  Beyond that, there isn't much extra flair added to the visuals.  The pre-rendered cutscenes look the same as they were before.  Character models, areas and visual effects don't appear to be beefed up in any way besides looking smoother.  Both games ran really well with no hangups, even after playing several hours in a row.  So while they haven't been changed in any significant way, at least they run really well.

Both games each offer 12-15 hours of content, with multiple characters to use and unlock.  You can play them with others online and off.  Couch co-op players will all need to sign in, which can be a pain.  That's mostly a symptom of current gaming rather than the game, though.  Also, since the game is several years old, keeping all characters on the same screen feels a bit more restrictive than something like Diablo 3.  Strangely, the Ultimate Alliance 1 DLC is not included, but it is for Ultimate Alliance 2.  Activision has confirmed that a patch will be en route fix this, which I am hoping comes soon.  I really want to use Venom and Doom in the first game!

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 & 2 are still fun games, whether you play by yourself or with friends.  Gameplay and content hold up well to current games.  Visually, they aren't much different from their previous gen counterparts, which is a bit of a shame, considering the price tag.  If you have played them before and would like to go through them again, or are now interested in trying them out, both games hold up well and are worth playing, but maybe not at the current price.  Digital copies of the games for the previous generation of systems have been much cheaper in the past, making the pricing on this release a bit on the high side.


The Good:
The games are still really fun and have some good character choices.

The Bad:
The games look slightly better, but that's about it.  No other real changes.

The SaHD:
I'd really like to know how they missed the first game's DLC coming with it.  The version on the 360 marketplace has it in.  Did they not use that file?

(Review code for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Bundle was provided by the publisher)

Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir (PS4) Review

I still own the original Odin Sphere somewhere in my collection.  I only played it for a bit, but loved the way it looked.  Looking back, it was probably my first introduction to the fabulous art style of Vanillaware.  It was easily one of the best looking PS2 games, and on the PS4 it still looks amazing.  Environments are very detailed, and character models look good and have great animations.

Odin Sphere is a side scrolling action RPG game, and the Leifthrasir remaster has revamped the combat.  It feels really good now.  Attacking, jumping, blocking, and dodging felt very fluid and easy to grasp.  The dodge can be pretty useful, although not an "instant win" button by any means.  Launching enemies up for air combos and mixing in special attacks works seamlessly.

Since I remember having difficulty with the first boss in the original, I shamelessly put the game on easy to play.  I am glad I did.  It was really fun to tear through enemies and lay waste to big, imposing bosses.  For the most part, the controls are really responsive.  The only part I really had trouble with was Mercedes, since she plays different from the rest (although they all have unique elements).  However, there are two side-scrolling shooter sections with her, and those were awesome!

Souls can be gained from slain enemies, or from other objects in the environment.  These souls are used to power up the various skills you acquire throughout the game.  First, you have to find the corresponding crystal, which will unlock the skill.  Many skills are gained from completing battle zones, but some are hidden in an area.  There are hints on the skills as to where to acquire the crystal, so you at least have a general idea where to look for any you may have missed.  When you are looking to power up a skill with souls, it will say what the effects of leveling it up will be, and you can decide if it is worth it or not.  The skills can be assigned to different directions and the circle button, but it is possible to add more, which is cool.  You can even assign some to be midair only, giving you many options!

The other use of souls is to grow plants.  No, really.  In one of the more odd systems in the game, the characters can plant seeds on the ground, and feed it souls to have it bear fruit.  Food in the game gives experience and increases max HP, so the fruit can either be eaten or used in some cooking recipes.  While it's not bad, it feels really superfluous to grow your own.  I can't argue with the effects, though.

The map for each area seems straightforward, but the areas themselves are a bit strange.  The game is on a 2D plane, but many areas are circular rooms.  As you run right or left, you effectively run around the area, but don't change your orientation.  It works, but it can be difficult to know which way is which without the map.  Many areas have multiple exits to other ones, and you hold up and hit the X Button to change.  Again it's not the most intuitive, but it works for what it needs to, and I haven't accidentally changed zones when trying to do something else.

The story will follow one character at a time through their arc of six chapters and an epilogue.  It takes about 7-8 hours each, and there is a final arc that encompasses all of the characters.  They will weave in and out of each other's tales, and it can be a pain to keep them all straight.  A timeline is included, which does help, but it is still not the most comprehensive story.  The character order for the first five chapters is set.  I usually found myself not caring about some of the characters at the start, but thinking they were interesting by the end...just in time for me to be whisked off to another.

While the story is pretty good, interesting, and a little confusing, I feel it doesn't quite live up to the foundation they have set.  Several of the characters have great motivations for their actions, but they (and their resolutions) aren't explored as in-depth as they could be.  Many plot points just seem to happen, instead of having proper build-up.  I guess it's a better problem to have than the opposite (trying to build a huge story on a bad premise).  Since the characters' stories cross a lot, you will be visiting the same locations with each of them.  Plus, you will be fighting the same enemies, and many of the same bosses.  At least they are in a different order so it isn't the same thing five times, but you will start to predict what each boss will be before you enter the area.

While I didn't remember how the original game played very much, Leifthrasir does include the Classic Mode.  It will have the updated graphics, but everything else is from the original.  After playing it for an hour, I can see why I didn't play much of it.  It feels needlessly complicated and the combat lacks the fluidity and fun of the remaster.  I'd recommend trying it so you can appreciate Leifthrasir that much more.

I really recommend Odin Sphere: Leifthasir to any side-scrolling action or action RPG fans.  The game looks great (sorry if you are one of those poor saps that doesn't like Vanillaware's style), and is really fun to play.  The original is also present, so you can see just how much they changed (for the better).  The game is fun, slick, pretty, and gives you a nice chunk of playtime.  What more could you want?  As much as I like Dragon's Crown, I'm hoping that game eventually gets the same treatment as Odin Sphere.

The Good:
Well, obviously I adore the look of the game, so that is an easy good point.  Second, the combat feels really well done.  Most importantly of all, the game was really fun to play.

The Bad:
It can be a pain to keep the overall story timeline straight, even with the graph.  While going through with the 5 characters, you will see each location, enemy and boss several times.

The SaHD:
It bugs me that the shopkeeps keep throwing my stuff on the floor.  Just put it in my inventory!

(Review code for Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir was provided by the publisher)