June 2026
Actually managed to post semi on time. Of course despite that victory I have fallen to the ways of the Summer Sale (and still have a chance to do even more damage). Well, like the nihilist said on their death bed, “Here goes nothing.”
Bionic Commando Rearmed
A classic game remade with fresh 3D graphics. Had a bit of trouble reading my gamepad and some of the interfacing feels weird. Controls are extra weird and had to acclimate to the button layout each time I booted it up (sometimes even between missions). I actually really REALLY dislike the controls. Moving while swinging or hanging from your arm automatically makes you jump (rather than a direction and input like other games). Cycling through weapons is a pain not to mention I only found a use for a few.
It is a classic game so it does come with classic difficulty. I.e. you die quickly, jumps need to be pretty accurate, limited lives, and pits mean death. The hacking game was actually pretty fun although feels limited in it’s variety. Bosses are gimmicky which is fun but then you realize there’s only a few types of bosses and they reuse them with only slightly different variations. Final boss was a bit of a letdown and lacked challenge or uniqueness.
At it’s base it is a third person RPG that feels a bit like the Witcher or an early Bioware game in how it allows multiple combat options instead of being restricted to a single class, companion choices, and moral choices that effect your path and end. HOWEVER, it doesn’t move much past the base and feels more like a structure that was meant to be built on much more.
Graphics are pretty poor given it’s release time and lacks any sense of style. Most scenery and creature/person designs are flat and bland. Combat is clunky while animations and dialogue are a slog. Skill trees lack diversity or interesting/good skills. Armor is a letdown as it does very little relying more on dodging and parrying. You get a wide array of fire based spells but again it seemed like only a few were worth investment. Side quests are not only basic but easily missable as the game almost expects you to frequently talk to NPCs hoping they spring a quest on. Is it too much to ask for proper quest indicators? It’s laughable how there are only about 3 “main” hub areas with smaller surrounding dungeon-ish areas for you to actually fight monsters and do quests. The final area feeling particularly small as you reach an end to your abrupt journey. Companions lack much to say despite the game suggesting you talk with them frequently to increase companionship and often have the depth or interest of a piece of blank paper.
Ultimately, this game needs much more work and time to make an interesting game out of. As it is, it’s a short bland journey with little going for it. For it’s price, particularly discounted I suppose it’s not terrible but definitely worth spending several dollars more for a better game in the genre.
Nice little island adventure filled with boss fights. More of the same but you do get the chance to play as Ms. Chalice. Unfortunately to do so you do need to use up an equipment slot, but given her abilities it’s a bit of a fair trade. Not sure it’s entirely worth it’s full price.
For the most part it is more classic KoF but one thing really irks me about this… WHERE IS THE MUSIC?!! Most stages and fights have no music and rely on sort of ambient sound and does it make you realize fighting games NEED some sort of consistent OST. As always, great pixel work. This copy allows for online fights and gallery view but sadly does not have an actual practice mode. Though the gameplay is solid, there is technically better games in the series around this time particularly that with actual music but if you are sweeping up the series not too terrible to add. A semi-reluctant positive review. Last few achievements require online play, so unless I rig it with another person… it's not happening.
Preferred Fighters/Team: Terry Bogard, Blue Marry, Mai, Benimaru
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
1
1
4
56
Given this was a more character action focused game I was expecting to like this game a lot more than I did. Don’t get me wrong I LIKED it but it doesn’t stand out nearly as much as it should have given it’s premise. For starters this is the first Majima-only game. Additionally, we are also pirates. It should be mentioned now but this game reuses A LOT of assets from Like A Dragon 8, so be prepared to encounter a lot of the same enemies, characters, mechanics (not including turn based combat), and mini-games.
That’s right we get to go wild with the Mad Dog himself and with him we get far more combat options, a new style, and aerial combat. This does break away from the mostly straight forward beat-em-up style combat from most of the other series. Unfortunately, the combat still feels limited and most of all… clunky. This is partly due to the fact that the jump, run, and use button are all bound to the x/cross often creating awkward moments as you are trying to do any one of these things. There also felt to be considerable delay when trying to do any action making interactions feel awkward. Despite all of this newness, the heat actions also feel particularly stifled with extremely area specific uses, one of which requires an item you will almost never run into. The new pirate style is fun especially once you start getting more skills and abilities, many of which inherit aspects from Ichiban’s journey.
The story is fine as it ultimately does not go nearly as crazy as it’s concept would imply. After all we are supposed to be freaking pirates, this should be an especially grand adventure. Unfortunately it is fairly stifled as it runs a lot of the same Crime Drama beats as any other Yakuza. Even somewhat more stifling is that this isn’t really Majima’s journey but more him assisting Noah, a child that helps him when he first washes ashore, to have a chance to explore and get away from his poor island. Some familiar faces with a lot of newer forgettable ones. A lot of this game is extremely small dungeon islands, a revisit to LaD’s Honolulu area, and a couple other smaller hub islands in which to engage in story, battles, and mini-games.
Ships and mini-games. Mini-games, again, are largely reused from the previous title(s) with some added flair and objectives. The more new mini-games include Goro Goro Kitchen which have you do a few repeat tasks to make food for yourself and/or others. It gets a bit repetitive especially with how annoying it is to gather ingredients and for the most part you don’t really need to cook with how easy it is to get items. The other is Bang Bang batting which basically serves as a replacement to the batting center. Ship battles are pretty decent once you get the hang of the drifting and how battles work with the right equipment but does lose it’s appeal pretty fast. This is largely due to how frequent you can run into encounters and how absolutely sluggish the sailing actually feels. I mean it just feels so SLOW trying to get between islands and it certainly doesn’t look like you have any speed. Luckily you can unlock fast travel points but that does feel like it defeats a bit of the purpose for the sailing journey, ya know?
Ultimately it’s still an enjoyable game but fails to improve on any previous games failings or allow itself to go truly crazy. Like, why are so many interactions piece meal? Why do I have to craft items individually instead of being able to craft multiple copies at once? Why is gathering items just the absolute worse??? Also, though I did platinum the game, there are still some in game challenges I want to finish out for the hard clear.
Nioh DLC
1
2
10
58
I dropped the base game for years until I finally took it upon myself to finish and complete the base content. Having generally enjoyed my journey I then waited years for the DLC to go on sale so I can fully complete the first game in it’s entirety. Boy oh boy is that going to be at task because the DLC is just stuck at max difficulty. Each DLC has 2-3 story missions with some side missions, new weapon types, and new spirit guardians. These stories link together so you should play them in order.
Dragon of the North - Feels more of the same of the base game. A lot of levels feel pretty generic and enemy diversity is pretty low. Odachi is a powerful but slow new weapon type that likes to switch between high and low stance. Bosses are incredibly rude with small spaces. One of the last bosses was pretty fun though and reminded me a lot of a Soul Calibur type character.
Defiant Honour - Much more interesting DLC as we get fun trench based levels amidst an ongoing battlefield. Though the environmentals can be a bit annoying it is such a breath of fresh air compared to Dragon of the North. Tonfa are pretty fun as they are fast and seem to excel in breaking guard while still maintaining some power. Bosses feel a little more balanced though this is in part due to the fact that the arenas allow you a little more cheese potential but at least is unique in it’s design.
Bloodshed’s End - This reminded me a LOT of the endgame of the base story (I think it literally takes place in the same castle). For the most part is good and even allows you to fight alongside notable NPC companions. However, the final boss is mad easy meanwhile the side content is some of the hardest challenges you’ll face without properly grinding. The finale does make me wish more was fleshed out in this DLC trilogy considering it is meant to be the final chapter and last we’ll see of most if not all characters.
I’m currently settling for just beating them once through but once I get the spirit back up I’ll go back for the grind that is required to get everything done.
Other Games
Lucy Got Problems - Beaten -> Completed
Steam Review