Recent reviews by Lambda

The Yakuza games are all excellent, however this one in particular resonated with me the most despite the numerous flaws it might have. Yakuza 3 was the third mainline title and second PS3 title, this is important to note if you're coming from 0 and the Kiwamis, this will feel like a noticeable bump in the road if you've gotten accustomed to the modern Yakuza titles and remakes, as a result I implore you to check out the original PS2 titles before immediately jumping into this one to set your expectations.

If you're only interested in Yakuza's gameplay and never grew attached to the story nor characters, I would probably skip this one - where Yakuza 3 excels is in it's story, atmosphere and characters. Without getting into too much detail, the game definitely takes a bit to get going, and it will pull you into mandatory slice of life character interactions that won't be to everyone's taste, if you're able to set aside a few hours and really get yourself invested I think it really pays off.

As for the gameplay, I'm going to give a few recommendations now: when you get EXP, focus on upgrading your tech and body at first up until you meet Komaki (who at a specific point in the story will send a letter pointing to where he is) and relearn his moves. Coming from Kiwami 2's lack of a parry and especially K1's overpowered Tiger Drop, you might be conditioned to using the Tiger Drop as your counter of choice, however the Komaki Parry is far more effective as you'll have a wider window to hit it, it'll counter more attacks and allows you to accumulate more damage while they're stunned. The Daruma Tumbler also alleviates many of the problems with your quickstep introduced in the buggy "Remastered" port, at this point I'd focus on bringing heat and soul up.

So, with that in mind, I highly recommend this game if you don't mind some light grinding to sand down some of the rough edges, and you value the story, atmosphere and characters above all else. If you don't have the time nor particularly care to get super invested in the more slice of life aspect to the story and additionally want faster paced fights, I'd skip this one.

Probably tied with 6 for the worst Yakuza game on Steam currently, but the WORST Yakuza is still a damn good time and fantastic in the grand scheme. First of all, if you're new to the series I'd recommend starting with either 0 or Kiwami 1 so look else where for now - if you're coming from Kiwami 1 I'd recommend it wholeheartedly but with some caveats, if the big hook IS the gameplay then this won't do anything for you, the combat has been severely downgraded from 0 and Kiwami heck even the PS2 original. On the other hand, if the big hook for you is the story, characters and atmosphere, then Kiwami 2 will absolutely serve you well since while the Dragon Engine suffers with the combat, the seamless worlds is amazing for exploration.

Now for the people in the former group, the guys who only care about combat: I wouldn't feel too bad about skipping over this one, especially since Yakuza 3 already covers most of the story beats in Yakuza 2 right at the start anyways. But I would also recommend tracking down the original Yakuza 2, it's essentially abandonware at this point so don't feel bad if obtaining a copy comes to *that,* I can confirm it runs perfectly fine on PCSX2. If you're still dead set on the remake however, I HIGHLY recommend checking out one mod that will drastically improve your combat experience: https://www.nexusmods.com/yakuzakiwami2/mods/55

No bouncing on block, essentially this prevents that super annoying stun whenever someone you're attacking blocks. I'd consider this mod outright essential to get the most out of Kiwami 2's combat.

Overall a fantastic update to an already fantastic revolutionary video game! I'd highly recommend this to anyone interested in revisiting HL2. Combine this with MMod and you have one of the best experiences to be had with the original HL2.

A classic mod both extended and given a new coat of paint. Only real issues I have are with the fact that a lot of models swap between LD and HD, I think it's better to either stick with LD or go all out with HD models but that's just me.

An incredible remake of the original Half-Life! While this is by no means a replacement for the original, it absolutely stands up on its own!

One of the best tower defense games out there, not much else tp say.
But this is better suited for mobile now.
2009: Worth it
Now: If you have a android or iphone, get it there.

view roll sucks ass

Great game, not quite as good as the original, though. Still a must have for any steam users, although I'd shoot for the Orange Box instead.

Essentially required for Garry's Mod, otherwise not a super active multiplayer experience.

Fun chaotic game! Certainly wouldn't recommend this over TF2, but it's still quite a fun game in it's own right - just don't go into it expecting it to feel just like TF2 and you'll be fine.