Yakuza 6 - A Modern Masterpiece

Engaging Excellence 

Let me not mince words; Yakuza 6 is a masterpiece. The story and the characters in particular stand out as exceptional. I also enjoyed greatly the environments, music, fighting, and several of the mini games. 

The Yakuza series has been growing in popularity here in the States. For many people, Yakuza 0 was their exposure to the series. By contrast, Yakuza 6 is my first one, so hopefully I will bring a fresh perspective to this series. 


As a first time Yakuza player, I had no problem jumping right into the game. There is a prologue that recaps the previous game, and then this game is set up. The premise is simple enough to get started, and the momentum from that allows the story to introduce new characters to the series and to set up many of the games mysteries. 

Loaded up on Character 

I absolutely adore the characters in this game. They are this games greatest strength. In this obligatory Witcher 3 comparison, Yakuza 6's story and writing compelled me to emphasize and relate to these characters is much like the Witcher 3. These characters feel very much like real people whom I wanted to see succeed. Characters aren't treated like a plot device, but as as living person in that world. Everything is voice acted, like in the Witcher, which brings a cinematic feel to the game. Even the inciting incident is similar to the Witcher 3; that is, something has happened to the adopted daughter, and the main character must follow the clues to unravel the mystery.

Soon after the start, the story becomes sprawling. Characters are constantly being introduced to the point it is almost overwhelming. Thankfully during cutscenes, when an absent character is referenced, the game shows you photo of that person. Yakuza 6 didn't have the Game of Thrones problem, in regards to remembering who everyone is. Two characters who I especially enjoyed were Tsuyoshi Nagumo and Yuta Usami. Honestly though, I loved the entire Hiorse Family. 

I'm inspired by Yakuza 6's confidence. Some cutscenes are 30 minutes long. Taking control away from the player for that long is risky, meaning this game definitely isn't for everyone. If the cutscenes were cheesy or boring this game would have sank. However, I was 100% engrossed. I sought out all the cut scenes. Everything works; the exceptional voice acting, the personal and very unique cinematography, the compelling story, the subtle movement of the characters which bring them to life, and the music. I'm really interested to learn about the production of this game, especially the motion capture.

Out with the Old

Apparently, Yakuza 6 uses a new engine - the Dragon Engine. I can't say how to compares to the old engine, but I can say I really dig it. There are two aspects I really like about it: the lighting and the load times. The lighting is phenomenal. Water on the ground reflects exactly what is above it. That may not sound too impressive, but several recent games haven't had that feature (God of War). Second, the load times were extremely quick. It takes a little time when loading a brand new area, but besides that the loading times were minimal. The only improvement I want to see in Yakuza 7 is a higher resolution. I believe Yakuza 6 is 1080p on the PS4 Pro, which was distracting at times. The environments in this game are gorgeous, so I want to see them without all that shimmering. 

A Product of its Environment

Speaking of environments, I really liked the energy of Kamurocho, but I could seriously live in Hiroshima. I've seen several folks on the internet criticize Hiroshima for not having as much activity as Kamurocho, but that's missing the point. Hiroshima is meant to be slower and have a small town vibe. I really enjoyed my time there, and always looked forward to going back. There is something about the architecture and the narrow streets dug through the hillside that are iconic. The fact several characters shared my exact sentiment furthered my bond to them, even with the villains. I'm already planning my trip to Mt Misen.  

Finally, I want to give a nod to the music. It was great, and always fit the mood and helped move the story along. I'd like the own the soundtrack. 

Who is this for? If you like JRPGs, but feel like the genre has grown stale you'll love this game, just like I did. 

Infinity War - The First Comic Event Movie

The first MCU movie I saw in theaters was The Incredible Hulk. 

It was a good movie, probably 7/10, but I remember being somewhat down on it because they had recast Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, whom I loved in the first movie. I ended up liking Ed Norton's performance, but that wasn't the real reason I went to see The Hulk that day. I went because rumor had it Tony Stark was making an unprecedented move and appearing at the end of another movie. I remember this being a big deal. This was the first time a character crossed over from another movie in such a way. 

Iron Man was the first MCU film, but this was where the idea of a shared universe became reality. 

Start of a Shared Universe

Fast forward 8 years to Captain America: Civil War, which I consider the first true comic book movie. Of course, there had been other movies based on comic book characters, but those movies were missing a big part of what makes comic books so special. That is, a shared universe that allow the writer to use the "shortcut" of using characters introduced elsewhere.

When Universes Collide

That's the significance of Civil War.

Plot aside, Civil War is a very sophisticated film. It requires viewing other films, and an understanding of who these other, non-central, characters and their motivations are. It adds a richness to a movie that the movie can't earn on its own.

The Russo brothers have become the masters of character juggling. Ever since Winter Soldier, all of the Russo's characters feel well-rounded, properly motivated, and have a complete arc.

Their trajectory from Winter Soldier, to Civil War, and now Infinity War have me anticipating a character-rich movie.

The Bros That Make It Happen

This brings me to why I have such high expectations for The Avengers: Infinity War: it's taking what Civil War did and adding several more layers of complexity.

This is the movie equivalent of a comic book event. Comics have done events for decades, and now cinema will too. If Civil War was the first true comic book movie, than this is the first true comic book event movie.