Tag Archives: Yakuza 6

Blog: Slump – 05/09/18

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slump

For the past few days I’ve been racking my brain about what to write for today.  Usually something will jump out at me or I’ll be able to conjure up some topic to discuss.  This week has been a little tougher though.

It’s weird, the past few weeks I’ve slowed down a little on gaming and I’m not exactly sure why that is.  Sure the obvious answers could be things like there hasn’t been much I’ve wanted to play, or time constraints have really been at an all time high.  While those things are factors for sure, it still feels like something more is at play.

Maybe it’s the fact that I have 500+ games on my Steam library at my disposal, and instead of choosing to actually play anything, I end up choosing nothing.  Maybe as the weather gets nicer I just don’t want to spend all my time inside.  Who can say really?

When I do end up playing something, it usually tends to be something that doesn’t command a lot of my time or attention for too long.  For instance, I still play Cities Skylines cause I barely have to pay attention to it while I’m watching Netflix or whatever.  The same goes for Dragon Ball Fighter Z because a match only occupies minutes of my attention at a time.

And it isn’t like I don’t have a backlog worth digging into.  I’ve still got Far Cry 5, God of War and Yakuza 6 waiting in the wings for me.  Then I stupidly decided to start replaying Watch_Dogs 2 cause I thoroughly enjoyed that game when it came out.  I think I need like a week off to really dig into these experiences, but even if I had the time there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t just do nothing instead.

Blog: Ya-Ya-Yakuza – 04/25/18

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Video games, I play them from time to time.  This past week I indulged in this hobby of mine and played a few video games.

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YAKUZA 6: THE SONG OF LIFE

There I was, investigating the scene of a hit & run, carefully observing my surroundings when I notice a man in the distance filming me.  He’s been following me for a while.  This can’t be good.  But before I go any further with that, a different man is going to introduce me to the internet by putting me in a live-chat with a real woman who strips on camera.  Then I think I’ll go and beat the shit out of someone by swinging a bicycle at them.  But before any of that, I think I’ll go to the arcade and play a round of Virtua Fighter.

This is Yakuza 6, a game about tonal inconsistencies that sway from intensely serious to over the top hilarious.  The main quest line is your dark and gritty crime movie, while most of the side quests are complete batshit insanity.  For instance, I just watched two people fall down the stairs and then pretend they had a Freaky Friday body swapping scenario happen.  This game is lunacy and I love it.  I only wish the combat was a little better and less mashy, but it still manages to be fun and exciting despite that.

GOD OF WAR

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In stark contrast to Yakuza 6 there is God of War, the reboot/sequel I never knew I wanted.  I’ve only put in a few hours with Kratos n’ son, but I can tell that I’m going to have a blast with it.  The game is gorgeous, and heartfelt and plays phenomenally.  It’s brutal in the way that God of War should be while also reinventing itself in a meaningful way.

The most damming thing I can say about God of War is that it is an incredibly daunting and draining experience.  It has a tone and sticks to it almost always.  The little bits of levity that are there are more than welcome, but I just found it hard to play it for hours on end without needing a break.  That’s what Yakuza 6 does so well that GoW doesn’t (thus far).  While I totally respect the story it’s telling, I don’t think I personally am able to spend large stretches of time with it.  That’s why I’m going to finish up Yakuza before I dive back into God of War.

STREET FIGHTER II TURBO: HYPER FIGHTING 

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So I bought a Super Nintendo Classic, it’s wonderful and I love it.  I’ve touched a couple of games in it so far, but spent the most time with Street Fighter II.  I bounce between this and Dragon Ball Fighter Z pretty consistently when I need a fighting game fix.  There’s something pure about doing sweet uppercuts and launching sonic booms into Sagats mouth, that still holds up.

So that’s more or less what games have been in my rotation.  Video games, it turns out, are still pretty fun.