SabbraCadabra wrote:
The remake is fine, but I really like the oldschool MSX graphics and music in the original game.
Making maps and taking notes would definitely help, it's really easy to get lost in those types of games. When I was little, my dad made a map of Legacy of the Wizard...I wonder if it's still around, I remember that thing being huge.
Oh, you don't need a map for that reason. Even if there wasn't an ingame map, the areas are unique enough that you build your own mental map without thinking. The problem is that there are so many weird little features that end up being important when the game actually gets difficult.
Replaying the first game, it actually seems easier than the second; there are three areas that are straightforward and you can beat the bosses of those areas very quickly. It's less constrained but there isn't anything as hellish as Icefire that you're going to wander in to thinking that it's the next area. The music is much better too.
I straight up think the second game has way too many traps. The original had a few but 2 has instant death traps in the first area and never lets up. At best your clue is that there are a few pixels protruding from a suspicious floor or ceiling, and there's a tablet nearby giving a vague hint of danger. Most of the time it's simply that an area is laid out in a way that suggests there might be a trap, with no hints. At one point there's a floor that will raise and crush you if you stand on it for too long, and there's nothing around to tell you this. There should be more restraint.
ANYWAY! I bought Yakuza 0 on Steam and I've been playing it for the second time. Here's my review:
I wrote:
Played this game nary two or three months ago on PS4 so I can sum up my opinion on the core game pretty easily: it's sick. Like Shenmue with heart. It has humour, is has some incredibly touching moments, and most importantly it has that juxtaposition between insane nonsense and grounded drama that's so common in Japanese media. Wandering around Kamurocho and diving into arcades, karaoke bars and dance clubs, while also uncovering strange events and problems to solve, legitimately made a mark on me that few games could. It made me long for a life in late 80s Tokyo.
My personal experience of the PC port has been very positive with the notable caveat that changing resolution anywhere but the title screen appears to crash the game. As widely reported the game is playable at 4K/60 on a GTX 1060 (6GB but it seems likely a 3GB would manage too?). Coming from the original game which struggled to maintain 60 and would tear consistently in certain areas of the city while looking jagged, this is positive. Given the recent release of Monster Hunter World on PC which barely if at all manages to double the framerate over console at the same settings, it's good to see a cheap port that is optimised so well that we can quadruple the resolution with better results than the original.
Oh, the other thing. £15 is a steal. Lots of respect to Sega for releasing this game at such a reasonable price without compromising on the port quality.
PS. Thanks to Kaldaien for providing tools to remove the AWFUL DoF effect.