Recent reviews by tubbz.

Man, talk about disappointment. In theory, I should love this game. A 1-3 person co-op shooter in the Control universe made by Remedy themselves without any of the money grubbing FOMO ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ of other live service games? Sounds great! But damn, even when I tried my hardest to like it, I really just can’t. Even after waiting around 8 months for updates to fix things, I still find myself struggling to continue playing due to problems baked in from the start.

Let's get the biggest issue clear first: the gunplay is downright atrocious. I’ve played nearly a dozen co-op shooters that have all come out in the last decade or two, and almost all of them to my memory have felt better to shoot than this one. From terrible gun audio to nonexistent feedback enemies give from your bullets outside the most trivial healthbars (which make visibility terrible), it just feels like I’m shooting airsoft guns or plastic replicas of what a firearm should be. It’s one of those nagging pillars of the gameplay loop that as much time as I tried to give it, I never got over it. It’s truly bad, and unless it’s entirely overhauled, no amount of new content is going to change my opinion sadly.

Worse however was gameplay pacing. I’m convinced that from playing this game solo, nobody who worked on this has played a co-op shooter, or has played them in enough detail to understand how they work. These games have ebb and flow from combat, to exploration/traversal, to objectives, and back again. No one segment of that flow should feel like a slog to get through, nor so short you’re repeating other parts of the cycle too often. Even then, these games understand that pacing for group and solo play is different, and accommodate enemy spawns, AI aggression, and objectives to scale accordingly. NONE, I repeat, NONE of those things are present here.

Enemies will spawn in hordes consecutively, seconds from the last one, not even giving the time for you to find ammo. Objectives require traversal across medium to large spaces (not to mention you’re not the fastest), so you’ll often be swarmed again before you even reach the next objective. There are no mechanics to shove hordes away, even to get some breathing room to reposition, and as stated before, seemingly no scaling for player count. When you’re suffocating with endless enemies & mediocre gunplay, with very little variation to possibly make it worthwhile, it all just ends up bringing the whole experience down in the player’s mind. Mid goes from boring to unbearable.

The “crisis kit” classes seem interesting on a surface level. As an FBC grunt, you don’t have Jesse’s psychic powers to handle the Hiss, so these encumbering backpacks of junk are your only option, within the rules of the Oldest House for the guns you wield alongside. They seem sufficient, with each filling a niche in the co-op lineup that make sense: the turret engineer, the spray medic, the mobile stunner. These lead the classes to feel complimentary to each other’s playstyles, right? Sure, but it also leads to none of them feeling capable of much on their own, which drags down solo play immensely. Each kit can handle a certain objective task well, but the other ones have you repeating the same button-tapping minigame to complete any other. When your playerbase is small, and solo lobbies are likely the only way people will be playing at some point, this will only give a sub-par experience.

The status affect system also ropes into this: there are plenty of status affects that affect you and enemies in complimentary ways akin to immersive sims. Wet enemies are vulnerable to electric shocks, fire damages over time but increases enemy speed, cold will slow hordes down, etc. However, these systems can feel cumbersome to navigate when compounded with the other problems I’ve already spoken of. Not every status is made clear to the player quickly other than wash it off, and often, these effects don’t make the pacing or balancing any more bearable, just more tedium to get through.

The game’s levels are jobsites that while their layouts don’t change, some of the assets in them do. Health and ammo stations are arranged randomly, various currency collectibles are spread around, and even the objectives themselves can vary a bit from room to room. It does make me wonder if a warping Oldest House with RNG-made levels could have been that spark to make things more interesting to replay. Personally however, I think this level of variation is serviceable, but again, when compounded with the other issues, it just makes replays even more of a chore, especially when grinding materials for perks & upgrades. I won’t even speak on those mechanics, as I don’t think they change anything significant enough, early enough, to dissuade player concerns, even after being wholly reworked twice since launch.

Finally, I don’t think this game embellishes Remedy’s core strengths: narrative and worldbuilding. There’s none of that here, even when trying to utilize the Control universe’s aesthetic fairly well. The Hiss are just there, no mention of Jesse Faden or any characters from Control, no cool FMV sequence of a new paranormal entity you have to deal with: you’re a schmuck just doing work to no end. I almost think making it a third person shooter, just so we can at least see our Firebreaker could have given it some personality (maybe even have them emote?), but it’s really just as mundane as a 9-5 job, all irony or humor ripped straight out, where you clock in, clock out, repeat for an upgrade or two or change of clothing. Not saying they had to make something so addictive you’d want to play for hours on end, but when it feels like a chore or bore to even get through 1 job, I don’t think that's successful design.

I REALLY tried to give this game a fair chance, against the naysayers at launch who called it a failure. It had so much potential, for a universe I desperately loved to see again, and felt less cynically made than a lot of multiplayer spin-offs I’ve seen die in much quicker time. But, it reminded me incessantly that Remedy REALLY hasn’t made this kind of game before and would need at least another year to get this into shape, especially as a full priced $40 release. But by now, a lot of people have already dropped it (even Remedy themselves) for better options. If the idea seems promising and you’re somewhat patient, it could be an interesting experiment to try. But anyone expecting a polished co-op experience, this is NOT that.

Not so much a traditional horror game, as it is a horror-like walking simulator.
That being said, the atmosphere, story, and general themes it poses make it one well worth experiencing with an unspoiled mind. I'm happy to have finished it, especially with Frictional having announced a spiritual successor to it to release later this year.

Honestly, it's seems like a perfect piece of groundwork for a film or mini series adaptation: body horror with several philosophical questions left for it's audience to ponder over and leave with a morose feeling NOT based from sheer terror, but existential dread. Could just be me, but until then, give this a play at least once.

To get things out of the way, if you enjoyed any of the games advertised as “from the makers of…” for this, as I have with the Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands, this game is a MUST-play: it will not disappoint. It’s a stark reminder how a simple and well-executed story, with likeable characters and believable dialogue, can pull such a wide audience and frankly, how rare that feels from a lot of modern-day releases. Even if it may seem steep for a game you can beat in less than 10 hours, the depth of narrative choice, the novel dispatch / hacking gameplay, and cinematic direction just make me yearn for a replay (which for my track record, is not something I do often).

Seriously though, the amazing cast of characters here I came to love so much that it in-turn made a lot of the choices feel a lot more difficult than from some RPGs I've played in the last 5 years. Mix that with some decent resource-management strategy gameplay that had some admirable depth, some simple hacking puzzles to mix things up, and from what I've gathered, quite a couple of endings for both individual episodes and the finale, it really felt like a good step forward for the "Telltale" genre: Adding to the choice-consequence adventure story framework with some more "proper" gameplay beyond simple mini-games, but never straying from what makes these games so memorable: good writing, characters, and direction.

For $30, I think its well worth it, but I'm just glad to be supporting games like this. Keep it coming, guys!

Honestly didn't know what to expect from this game after it's PvE co-op to PvPvE extraction transition, but what I did know was Embark truly showed their capabilities for innovation, quality, and better yet: respect for player time and experience from the past 2 years of THE FINALS.

Little did I know that they may have made the best extraction shooter for the type of player like me.

The keyword "accessible" keeps coming up when I talk about it, as games like Tarkov or Hunt Showdown always kinda scared me off at the "shoot on sight, your stash is wiped, you have to fight" mentality it seemed to drive home as the core experience. Not that I didn't respect it, it just didn't seem like something I would enjoy as a more casual shooter player. Here, the tension, atmosphere, and great sense of accomplishment from that extraction loop are still here, but the downsides feel a lot more manageable.

You can stealth around ARC and players without even needing to fire a shot, you can be diplomatic or even cooperative depending on the scenario (especially with the ARC enemies being as tough as they are), or even just go in with a free loadout to have any fun you want at no cost to your stash. Add to that an XP-based skill tree that still progresses if you die, and voluntary Expeditions instead of mandatory / automatic wipes, you can just get so addicted into "just one more raid".

Every piece of loot has value, whether for crafting, selling, or upgrading your kit, so that even if you're just finding scraps, the economy of things can make almost any extraction feel worth it. The world feels so lush, detailed, and immersive, with a soundscape I want to say is as good as these type of games can ever get. The balance of ARC being strong, and player PvP never feeling "gear-based" over tactics based makes combat feel both challenging and fair at the same time. It just all flows into raids being mini adventures that could end in a variety of ways, but almost never in ways you can't recover from or thought were boring fetch work. And just to boot, the community is ... awesome. I've never met so many people that wanted to squad up and communicate in the past 7-8 years of multiplayer games I can remember than this one.

If I could level some complaints, the cosmetic shop pricing for a paid game (even at $40) is a bit steep, with not enough flexibility that I would say makes up for it. Even if the cassette futurism aesthetic is kept in tact (which I definitely appreciate), there's room to improve here. Desync in netcode can also really make some gunfights feel cheap, as you couldn't prepare yourself to getting shot around a corner. Given Embark's work on the FINALS thus far, I have no doubt they can tackle these and any future issues quickly and adequately, while being as transparent as they can.

Arc Raiders has been a true surprise hit for me and the gaming scene in general, proving you can push the extraction genre forward without removing the parts that make it unique. It still has the frustrations of a PvPvE type of game, so it's not necessarily for everyone, but almost anyone I've seen that come to that conclusion still acknowledge the high bar this game has set. I hope it can continue for as long as Embark plans to keep it going, and I sincerely recommend you give it a shot!

Man, I have been excited for this game since it’s reveal. Even as a casual BF fan, I still remember the scale of BF4 and beauty of BF1 being some of my most memorable multiplayer experiences, years past their release. With the downfall of BF 2042, it really did feel like the franchise was doomed: falling into trends it had no need for while ignoring almost everything that fans loved about it. Yet, this game has truly reminded me (and many others) why we love this series, and that a brilliant return to form is what many of us wanted from the start. I think it’s safe to say: we are so back.

To get the obvious out there, yes. This game isn’t perfect: from smaller and more chaotic map design & questionable class progression to bad menu UI and a lackluster campaign, it showcases a lot of issues that are contextual to the dev history and other shooters out there. The campaign especially shows a clear restraint in mission design, narrative, and characters that I really hoped had improved after BF4, but really hasn’t. Presentation wise, the campaign can actually look worse than the likes of BFV and BF1’s single player content, ridden with on-rails AI that definitely shows the chains of rushed development. The tank mission especially feels so disjointed from the main narrative, so short it feels unfinished, and mechanically so simple I'm shocked it got the final cut. I don’t think it’s “absolute trash” the way some are framing it, but for what you should expect of a AAA product sold at retail price, I was hoping for more innovation here, even if a lot of other BF players didn’t care.

Technically, the game runs smooth as butter. Even while playing on a newer PC setup with a 5090, I’ve seen solid optimization and performance for this release on graphics cards as old as a decade ago. Visually, the game looks great if not a little less impressive than the likes of BFV’s grand landscapes, without any ray-tracing at launch. The key here is focused art direction, aiming for a modern warfare aesthetic that feels immersive both in scale and sound. Jet engines blaring above, tank cannons blasting below, whizzing bullets in all directions, all with the constant screams and shouts of infantry give a vibe that just sucks you in and never lets up. It’s the small flourishes of inspecting blood and mud on a gun, your soldier panicking audibly at a grenade thrown at them, and many more little details that make this presentation as good as it is.

The question over map design has certainly persisted since the open beta period, and still remains now. 9 maps at launch (roughly 1 small, 1 larger one per region and 1 remake) can already feel a little small for a game this dependent on multiplayer content, but here it feels even smaller when these maps have little down time from active combat. About half the maps at launch are infantry focused with little to no vehicle play, and even the larger ones can feel too “open” with little cover or options to approach objectives besides run and gun. Mixed with what could feel like a longer TTK, a very quick TTD, and odd weapon bloom, people missing the larger maps of BF 4 or 3 for tactical planning, squad/vehicle offensives, and levelution certainly have their complaints justified to some degree. Especially with a great new mode Escalation, that I think shows BF combat at its best, I hope we can see more maps built for this large scale warfare. Whether an overcorrection for 2042’s large and barren maps or trying to appeal to more CoD’s quick and constant combat loop, you make your own judgement. I think this definitely has room to improve, but it’s a lot easier to do so with how BF Studios has been taking feedback, as long as that combat loop itself is fun.

And man, is it ever.

Gunplay and movement feel amazing, period. It reminds me a lot of the fidelity jump Call of Duty’s Modern Warfare 2019 did for animation, sound design, graphical fidelity, and tonal immersion. This notion of “refinement” is key as that is what BF6 seems to be achieving: refining the BF core formula instead of changing it. Movement is definitely faster, while not mimicking CoD or Apex’s level of speed, but I found it just right for your choice of combat pacing. Gunplay has great feedback for kills, smooth animations for ADS, reloading, etc, and great variety for the playstyle you’re looking for. The choice for open weapons in default matchmaking I know has been contested by BF veterans, and while I can agree it makes class choice less important than it could be, it hasn’t taken away from that combat design for me. Gadget and class traits just mesh exactly as you’d hoped with a decent amount of new toys to the sandbox, with none feeling weak or useless to the squad dynamic to achieve victory. Even small innovations like dragging to revive teammates just feel so natural that I can’t see any future game not including it. As someone once said, it really does just work.

Destruction as a whole does feel a little lower a priority for this installment however. Take it from someone with over 500 hours in THE FINALS, a game with entirely destructible maps with destroying / manipulating your environment as a full front gameplay strategy to gain the edge in a match, that the destruction in BF6 really does feel more like a visual effect from your actions instead of something you actively “choose” as a gameplay tactic. Building walls can be blown open, but large towers will never collapse. There are small “levelution” moments on a few maps, but they are mostly spectacle over anything substantial to the match or combat. It absolutely keeps the visual aesthetic solid with the sounds, dust, and rubble, but gameplay wise I’ve found it to be pretty inconsequential in the larger sense. This was very much a deliberate design choice, I just wish they went a bit bolder after other games have raised the bar.

Lastly, progression wise I’ve found the game to be “fine” as a casual game I can boot up, play a few matches, then turn off, repeat. Even without boosters, the guns and attachments have been coming pretty naturally and none feel terrible to use. However, the larger class progression challenges range from smooth to near impossible. 10 headshot kills over 200m with maps like these? 6000 vehicle health repaired in a single match? It wouldn’t matter much if it wasn’t the wall between unlocking class gadgets and weapons, as these toys are what make and break a Battlefield game aiming to have longevity. At the very least, cosmetic progression (and by extent, aesthetics) at launch have been great. I could count at least 40 camos you unlock for all weapons and vehicles purely from playing that all look grounded for a modern military shooter (at least for now). I know that battlepasses, a store, and the usual are coming, but if it means things like Portal, the new Battle Royale mode, and new maps, guns, and vehicles are free going forward, I really have nothing to complain about. Portal just feels like the perfect modding tool to keep this game alive far after newer Battlefield games come, even if that comes with a few too many trying to expedite the progression system.

Overall, I’ve never felt more optimistic for the Battlefield franchise than I have before. While still containing some rough edges, this is probably the best bouncing off point for EA and BF Studios to show how influential the IP has and always will be for the first-person shooter genre, and hopefully push other games in this space to improve in light of all it’s providing. Season 1 is already looking to be a solid live service launch, and with a Battle Royale to come as well? With these maps and combat sandbox? I’m absolutely going to be giving it a try. Whether you join now or wait for the price to come down after some content releases, Battlefield 6 is here to stay, and I sincerely recommend it.

Despite any complaints that I can think of (and they exist), I really enjoyed Control. It’s such a unique experience so creatively focused in its universe, art direction, and spontaneous “weird” charm, that any gripe I have from characters, plot, or combat design kinda become nitpicks in the bigger picture. This is Remedy at some of their best work, with just enough room for a meaningful sequel: a world I’m engaged in that I would love to know more about and a good gameplay foundation ripe for improvements or innovation.

The game’s first impressions go at a mile a minute but really hit you with intriguing questions. What’s this mysterious agency? What is the Oldest House? Why is my character suddenly the “Director”? What's an Object of Power? Who’s this psychic janitor guy? It throws you headfirst into this SCP-like world, happy to explain just enough that the world grounds itself on its supernatural rules and foundations, the weapons and powers you wield, the building you’re in, the enemies, etc while never ruining the entire world’s mystery. It keeps lore and world-building coming constantly in audio tapes, documents, and live-action videos that never once got boring. Turns out an agency that documents paranormal activity and phenomena like its everyday office / research work I found REALLY cool to read into.

The brutalist office architecture, the superb use of lighting, the mind-bending setpieces and level design, the fluid world destruction utilized in combat, the ominous or bombastic use of music and punchy sound design all blend lovely into this cinematic experience I don’t often take away from games, good graphics or not. Character animations and voice acting add to this, showing the Northlight engine’s real potential in the right hands. The fact the game also runs beautifully with and without ray tracing just shows the clear direction Remedy took in creating this world, all while not sacrificing performance and playability in the process.

Yet, I also found that narrative wise, the game begins to show some cracks. While the lore / tone is fantastic, the game’s actual plot is kinda basic. The ending is so abrupt without any meaningful resolution that it could buzzkill a lot of people’s experience. Your protagonist, Jesse, is really flat as a character (almost nonexistent), with all too many internal monologues you have to listen to instead of leaving players to interpret her thoughts and reactions in her … actions and body language. It just feels at complete odds with the world building that leaves so much to the imagination, every time she quips a stupid line in her head or retells exposition anyone already got from a cutscene or conversation. Side characters also are pretty minor, not doing much to make them memorable (outside of Darling or Trench I’d say). I do hope that with the world now established, the sequel pushes a more compelling story to tell in it.

Combat and general gameplay are very good, much better than earlier Remedy games, mixing a fluid third-person shooter and evasive action game together. Gunshots are punchy, throwing random objects with telekinesis is never unsatisfying, and the power fantasy of becoming this parautilitarian “master” really kicks in as the game progresses. Levels are large enough to explore in parts, but mostly keep to linearly guide you through them storywise (with the occasional backtrack to a secret / random encounter). There does exist some light progression to simple weapon / ability upgrades that comes pretty naturally, with a little bit of endgame “grinding” if you want the best mods / strongest effects on that combat loop.

However, this is where I ran into issues. Combat feels good in bursts, with small enemy encounters being easy enough to handle, but as they get harder (either with dodging, shields, more damage / ambushing) and more frequent with backtracking to previous areas, it soon wears out its welcome. I compare it to dragon fights in Skyrim: at first, it's really engaging, cool, and fun, but after repeating the same thing over and over, it just makes you roll your eyes to do it again. I also wasn’t sure if the game wanted to be an offensive-focused power fantasy or difficult “soulslike” action game. Health is only dropped from enemies after dispatching / damaging them, yet they hit extremely hard if you get too close / aren’t evading certain attacks, with death resulting in you losing some currency used in crafting / speccing ability points, every time. Unless you actively farm for materials / mods, you may find yourself getting quite frustrated at some encounters due to this conflicting design. I think a better focus on combat to be that power fantasy (killing lots of lesser enemies quickly) with occasional bosses posing challenge, would keep the game’s pace smooth, as it does this on the final story mission and starting chapters to great effect, without feeling too easy / ruining immersion.

I really did love this game: a perfect example of what games can achieve when you have creativity firing on all cylinders, while also keeping core quality at a high level. Yeah, it's not perfect, but I'd bet any art you stare at long enough will reveal some blemishes, without taking away why you value it. Tying this game into a larger Remedy-verse of paranatural rules and characters with the Alan Wake titles has only engaged my excitement for what they develop next, and my complaints do show room for that potential. If you’ve played Alan Wake and enjoyed that, I’d recommend this as a must play: quintessential Remedy. If you haven’t, but still enjoy a cinematic action game experience that you can beat in 15-20 hours with minimal filler, you still should give this game a try. I think you’ll come to love it as well.

Maybe it's just my skepticism towards these "streamer bait friendslop" type of games, or my quick dropping of games like Lethal Company in the past, that I was initially very hesitant of ANOTHER friend-focused proximity chat game peaking everyone's mind (pun absolutely intended), whether it had horror elements or not. They may have had their fun moments, but they often lacked genuine replayability, goals, or any depth to learn, mechanics or difficulty wise. They were little more than fun party tricks that were easy to forget outside social situations.

After being egged on to try it, I have come around once again, pleasantly surprised at this game tackling a lot of those issues. PEAK's climbing and stamina systems are simple to pick up, with a nice level of depth to truly excel in mastering either to handle a higher difficulty or speedrun. Biomes provide unique challenges to overcome, items to strategize with, and keep every run feeling fresh with RNG-made layouts, and an consistent finish line to try and reach: the PEAK. It's cooperative nature feels seemless to the experience, yet not entirely constrained by it if one wants to solo it. Achievements tying to in-game outfits gives everyone fun incentives to replay the game, try different challenges, as well as customize their character without added MTX. In short, it feels actually FINISHED.

If you were at all skeptical as I was, and you happen to either have a group of friends willing to jump in, or better yet, find a group of people through this game, I think you're in for a great experience. Hell, with this game at retail being CHEAPER than those other experiences, it's even easier to at least give it a try.

Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat this: this is NOT a Killing Floor game.
It’s come as a game so devoid of its history but so blatant in its trend chasing that I’m actually astounded how they thought they were making one. From the gunplay, to the characters, to the weapons & customization, to the music, it’s just a huge letdown.
And having been one of those that really wanted PAYDAY 3 to improve and that IP to continue, I actually kinda want this to be the end of the series. Let it die in peace.

Now, I’ve never loved KF as much as other co-op shooters: simple wave shooters without interesting map RNG, objectives, or story to them I genuinely don’t find that interesting even if the shooting and class customization are good if not even great. Yet, I still played the other 2 games a decent amount more because they offered a learning curve distinct from all the others: teamwork was a necessity, classes had unique roles for the group, and map knowledge & weapon strategies gave me something to truly learn. Add some unique horror scenery, cheery British banter, and maybe some futuristic goofiness to boot, and you’ve got a stand out wave shooter that pushed you beyond CoD Zombies or even L4D.

These games had unique charm to them in so many areas that despite the simplicity, co-op gamers have loved them for decades. Even when the series would become overmonetized, or simply become too goofy than its survival horror grungey beginning, it still had a loyal fanbase. So Tripwire coming out to make a 3rd game after almost a decade after KF2 was bound to happen, right? They wouldn't let us down, right?

Quipping specialists over classic characters, grinding for weapon mods over weapon variety, no server browser, no welding doors, klunky modern movement, a useless social hub, no text chat on launch, terrible weapon audio feedback, generic metal music, and so on and so on.

There are SO many design decisions made here that feel copied from another co-op shooter or popular game without any understanding of WHY those games have those things, and not why KF3 should. Why do we need a social hub when the menu already does everything? Why do we need to scrounge up resources for weapon upgrades like it’s a damn mobile game? Why can’t we weld doors or heal each other regardless of class/perk anymore? What happened to the English banter or charm instead of constant annoying quips? Why are custom maps basically gone? Why can’t we customize match length anymore? Need I go on?

Sure, the Zeds look nicer, the M.E.A.T. system & ZED time can make satisfying gore and dismemberment, and the battlepass replacing the ludicrously expensive weapon DLC from prior games is a preferred change to running the live service. But that’s just the glossy finish on a very mediocre product. The soul is very much gone, and to be honest, it’s made repeat map playthroughs boring MUCH quicker, making any sort of long term progression and learning curve just feeling like a chore. And for what? You’ll have heard all the quips dozens of times over, maybe unlock a new outfit that will NEVER be more visually interesting than the MTX storefront, and there won’t be a shred of story to uncover anywhere. Not even a single cutscene to distinct itself.

This isn’t even going to touch on the questionable performance depending on your hardware, that’s just going to bring it down further. The fact it can be played offline is more a depressing statement of modern co-op shooters in general than a compliment by now. If you’re a newcomer, Killing Floor 2 is the better modern version of this franchise. This is absolutely not.

Never played the original Splitgate much at all, but liked the concept of Halo + Portal together that seeing the sequel getting a beta, I wanted to give it a try. How is it?

To cut it short, it's pretty fun. Shooting and movement is solid, and the general "flow" is pretty smooth when you get into a rhythm with power weapons, clutch objective plays, or a good killstreak. I can't say that the portals take away from arena type combat, but add a unique modifier to map traversal and tactics that I can respect (I also respect the no portals playlist when I don't want to deal with it). There's a general plentiful amount of modes on offer: TDM, Domination, S&D (Firecracker), and other LTM modes to come. Plus, the addition of a Forge map/mode creation tool I'm sure is going to keep community content coming for time to come.

However, I can't say the game EXCELS in any one department that it's seemingly trying to take on.
- Movement is functional for its maps, but I reckon Apex Legends feels smoother to play and move around.
- Shooting works great, weapons kick, and can feel rewarding, but I still think Halo's weapons feel better across the entire arsenal.
- Abilities, perks, and gadgets (along with the classes they are tied to) work well enough as speedster, healing, and defender roles. I still think THE FINALS gives it's 3 classes way more versatility to make them appealing to many more playstyles.
- Adding a battle royale is neat for some novelty, but I doubt it has the same level of depth as others on the market.

Maps and general art style I'm personally not loving, as the cosmetics feel like a odd hybrid of Fortnite, Warfame, and Destiny (all games I'd rather not be playing) and maps feel very "odd" to traverse naturally on foot or with portals. They at least work (gameplay isn't inhibited by their design) but they don't stand above any other arena shooter in these ways.

Lastly, the monetization & mundane controversies: I really don't care. Yeah, the marketing stunts were cringe, but people forget how E3 was known for that for years. The storefront is pretty mediocre, with no skins really standing out from earnable battle pass skins yet priced exceedingly high. (At least they listen to feedback quickly) Thankfully the battlepass is quite nice with you being able to earn everything from a simple 5 dollar investment to start. Once again, it's perfectly acceptable, but not doing that much different from what's already out there. Consider that value higher if you like the art style.

Overall, the game is perfectly fine for your arena shooter itch. I've found it's mechanics and modes novel enough for the odd couple of matches, showing me that the game's concept always had actual potential. It's a F2P game that hasn't tried to haggle me down for money at every step and turn, but gives me enough reward for the little time I just want to play for fun, I could see myself sticking around for a little while. However, this game hasn't wow'd me the same way many others did with artstyle or unique mechanics that felt present in-game. As such, I do have to wonder how LONG this game will last in the very competitive and saturated market that is the live service shooter. I definitely wish it the best, but sometimes things don't pan out for games doing things safe. I'd say give it a honest try, but keep expectations in check.

Ultimately, I think anyone interested in this title needs to be aware of is this: It's a spin-off set at a lower retail price, so the combat, writing, and general "novelty" of the experience will not be up to par with mainline LAD / Yakuza entries. I knew that from the reveal trailer alone, that this was more for the novelty of seeing Majima focused gameplay in over 7 years, reusing a decent chunk of Infinite Wealth's map and activites, with some genuine new features to draw in the attention of those looking for a pirate adventure in the LAD universe.

If you go in expecting more than that, you will find this entry very disappointing: even if that's from other action based Yakuza / Judgment games, as those have a more significant story, much more satisfying & deep combat, and minigames that were fun & novel for their respective game they were introduced. Does that immediately discount this game entirely? I don't think so.

I think of it kinda like tasty street food compared to a large and tasty full-course meal. It's not so insignificant you didn't enjoy it (quite the opposite), but too much too often will have you feeling hollow for something more filling, and it's clear that the variety will be lacking the longer you've stuck around for it. Combat is ... really easy, even compared to LAD Gaiden with all bosses' kiwami moves being very easy to counter, heavy attacks almost always landing without effort, Majima's agility making him near invulnerable to hit, and new ultimate moves (from the new Madness Gauge) just shredding any high health enemy / crowd in seconds. Ship combat isn't Skull & Bones level stupid, but it's not particularly deep either: If you've never played a single naval combat game, this should be fairly easy to pick up. Avoid cannon fire, repair, shoot back, dodge when you can. Honestly, maximizing your ship with new recruits, new upgrades, and better weapons will ensure you almost will never have to master naval tactics to finish the game, and the game does sorta force that process upon you as you progress the campaign. It's functional and flashy, just not particularly deep or hard to master.

Does the story have any significance to the LAD story at large? Not really. As an addendum to Infinite Wealth, it sorta just steals the Hawaii setting to tell a simple pirate tale with Majima as the amnesia stricken 'shounen anime' protagonist. It's not bad by any means, but it definitely isn't Yakuza 7 or 0 levels of engaging with either plot or characters. Pacing is also kinda ... bad depending on what you can tolerate. Several moments in the main story will just force you do side activities to recruit or raise funds or even just to progress past a gate, simply as filler content that's no longer optional. I get that's kinda what these spin-offs have a tendency to do, I just don't think as many like the practice. The best I can say is that side work is brief and at least, varied over the course of the game as more is introduced to you.

The worse parts of this game are simply the random crashes and odd lighting in some areas that really overbrighten certain areas and even some cutscenes with how saturated they are. Maybe it's a sign the Dragon Engine needs some tidying up & tweaking before moving on to the next bigger title, but hey, at least it's minimally annoying here.

Also, I'm probably biased in favor of this game more because it's the ONE PC port of a SEGA arcade game I played the ♥♥♥♥ out of as a kid in the arcade that I COULD NEVER BEAT: The Ocean Hunter. Damn it, SEGA, you got me good.

Generally, I'd say this game is a "fun reprieve" type of game for the LAD series. It's not "peak" as many claim it is, but it's far from unenjoyable: it knows exactly what it is, and if you don't see it as well, it's not going to try and prove otherwise. Even if it's just a novelty game to fill SEGA's release catalogue, it's far from another shoddy Assassin's Creed copy and paste job, even with the normal RGG recycling of assets. If you told me "You want a RGG game where Goro Majima becomes a pirate captain of a rocket-laced pirate ship with bikini clad women & random pervs while wielding boomerang cutlasses and shadow dopplegangers, all to go on a One Piece like adventure?", I would probably say "Aye, I would."