First of all, thanks to everyone for the generous outpouring of praise. I've seen so many of your posts and comments over the last year and I can't tell you how much those positive feelings mean to me.
Honestly up to this point I've been hesitant to post here. It's one of those weird things where people know you by reputation more than by direct engagement, and honestly it seemed a little scary to me to try to just step into a community that views you a certain way. Also it takes me a while to try new things like... Reddit in general. This is the most active on Reddit I've ever been.
That said, through all my years I've never seen a community more positive, welcoming, and supportive than the Yakuza fandom. It really speaks to this series' quality that the subject of Japanese crime is such a good focal point for a great fandom.
So to avoid awkward weirdness, I'm basically just... here now? I guess? I'm not trying to pretend to be a celebrity or anything. I'm just looking to participate. I figure it was either this or stealthily comment and finagle my way into conversations, and I think I'd rather be upfront in this case.
EDIT (2/9/2021) - Oh gosh this is amazing. Let me address some of the more common questions in this post:
Favorite game in the series: Yakuza 0
Least favorite game in the series: Yakuza 1 and by association, Yakuza Kiwami, although I insist that no Yakuza game falls lower than a 7/10.
Favorite protagonist: Akiyama, for his perfect combination of suave and slob.

Hey everyone!
The winner from last week's giveaway is unclejibjab.
We're going to be giving away a code for Assassin's Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft Connect) and all you have to do is to comment below the craziest setting you can think of for an Assassin's Creed Game and we'll pick our favorite one by 1/22/21 4:00 PM CST.
Good luck!
Edit: Remember, the more detail you put in to your setting the better.
Edit 2: Thanks to Dr_Yakuza for having the best (at least from the mod team's perspective) idea! You can see his idea here

Subreddit Wiki still looking for contributors!

Have any questions about where to start with the series? Struggling with Mahjong? Want to know where to get Yakuza games and merch in Japan?
Check out our subreddit wiki for answers to all your FAQs!
If you're interested in becoming a contributor please message us or leave a comment down below.
Also If you have a question that's not answered please feel free to ask it in this thread or join the discord. We will be happy to answer any random question!
Yakuza Games Discord
Yakuza Games Twitter

PC/Xbox Ports of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 Remastered have released on Game Pass and Steam!

Todays a day to celebrate! Many will finally get access to some of the most spicy titles in the Yakuza catalogue.
Each title is available individually for 20 dollars, or 40 dollars for all 3 bundled! Or if you have Xbox Game Pass, the titles are available to you for free on Xbox and PC!
If you have any questions about the ports or series, feel free to drop by our Discord Server! We're always happy to have more fans to talk to!
They can be purchased at the links below for their respective platforms
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/18730/Yakuza_Remastered_Collection/
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/the-yakuza-remastered-collection/9n5jx0cg1svc?atc=true
I hope everyone has fun, it's so great to see more accessibility for the series! :)
(Yakuza 6 awaits)

Karaoke Survivor Series!

Friends, Today is no longer a Diamond.
Ah yes, the secret depression song that hides behind an upbeat tone for the most part. Look up the lyrics at your own risk, might be a cryfest. Gotta say though, I love this song and thought it was a bit underrated before seeing it get so high here, so I'm pleasantly surprised!
I think with that, we're down to our Golden 4, the 4 juggernauts of Yakuza Karaoke. Let's see how they perform......
Gone too soon...:

The songs on the board are:

Sent to Haruka's Pit of Doom:

Haruka's Magnum Opus

So Much More

This is going to be a long one but we need to find out what the best karaoke song in the series is!
We're getting there though lads, eventually, one day.
(If I dont keep forgetting to put up the weekly post. I think I got it pretty decently this time)
Remember to pick your LEAST favorite in the series.
Karaoke Survivor Round 11 Strawpoll Link
Have any questions about where to start with the series? Struggling with Mahjong? Want to know where to get Yakuza games and merch in Japan?
Check out our subreddit wiki for answers to all your FAQs
If you're interested in becoming a contributor please message us or leave a comment down below.
Also If you have a question that's not answered please feel free to ask it in this thread. We will be happy to answer any random question!
Remember to post your thoughts on the results, the songs or anything else in the comments!
~~~~~~~~
Don't have much to say this week as I'm stretched for time, but I hope you are all having a good one!
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, that's all
Cheers! -Coaster

INTRODUCTION (can be skipped)
So a over a week ago i started thinking about how many Japanese expressions i was learning from ~~wasting months~~ spending so much time here watching streams despite not having learnt formally a bit of Japanese. I ended up gathering all the terms, inside jokes i read and heard a lot in the streams to make idk some starter pack meme or test to post lol. But then i thought that maybe it would be more useful to make it a more in deep dictionary. We have many new people coming from the EN side or translated clips and some of them are understandably thrown off or scared on watching something which is 99% in a language you don't know. This isn't the first time someone has tried to do this, there was a very complete post 3 months ago (https://www.reddit.com/Hololive/comments/icgxaq/a_guide_to_basic_written_hololive_japanese/) but from that time till now we have 3x more subscribers and this was more focused on written posts. Mine is different.
The focus of this one is mostly two things: That you learn enough things to get a tiny tiny grasp on what's going on streams if there isn't enough translation and than you can get and join in in most inside jokes even if you aren't into the weaboo culture stuff.
HOW TO USE
Trying to study this is a pointless endeavour. Just look it over with CTRL+F (too lazy to order it alphabetically now) when you hear some term you want an explanation on or some inside term that you don't get fully. The first word is how the word is in romanji (latin alphabet) and then how is written in Japanese (normally hiragana) in case you want to use it. The dictionary divided into 3 sections for ease of use. This isn't a complete rundown of all the Hololive lingo because it would be waay too long and or a Japanese language course because it goes over my knowledge and as a language is way too nuanced and contextual to teach in one post. But i'm open for submissions and corrections from japanese speakers, i only did the work to research every term from others!
If you need a more complex translation althrough it's far from perfect, it's always recommended that you use DeepL (https://www.deepl.com/en/translator)
DICTIONARY:
Basic Japanese expressions:

Ohayo (おはよう): “Good morning”. Casual form of “Ohayo gozaimasu” (おはようございます)
Konnichiwa (こんにちは): “Good afternoon”
Konbanwa (こんばんは): “Good evening”
Oyasumi (おやすみ): “Good night”. Casual form of Oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい)
Hontouni? (本当に): “Really?”. Also it's used in the same way as "really x" in English to emphasize something.
Arigatou (ありがとう): “Thank you”. Casual form of Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます)
Omedetou! (おめでとう): Congratulations! Casual form of Omedetou gozaimasu (おめでとうございます)
Otsukaresama (お疲れ様): A good translation would be "Thank you for your hard work", more like a common generic expression to say goodbye to co-workers and friends after a work day or meeting. Check out the entry on "otsu-" in the Hololive section to see how they transform the word as a goodbye in their streams.
Tadaima (ただいま): A popular expression you tell someone when you come back home. Here they use it when after they had to leave the stream.
Okaeri (おかえり): What you reply when someone says "Tadaima".
Gommenasai (ごめんなさい): "I'm sorry". The short casual form "Gomen" (ごめん) is really common.
Sumimasen (すみません): Another polite way of saying "I'm sorry" but can be more versatile like the English "Excuse me"
Kudasai (下さい), Onegaishimasu (お願いします) : The two main ways to say "please" in Japanese. You will find them mostly at the end of a phrase to 'soften' the blow. Ex: "Yamete Kudasai" = "Please stop". Onegaishimasu is considered a bit more formal and polite but both are used often.
Yamete (やめて): One form of pleading someone to stop something, usually as part of やめてください (yamete kudasai) which is a bit more polite. Also you hear sometimes Yamero (やめろ) which is the more imperative serious form. As with many expressions in Japanese the more commanding and absolute expressions are used more often between men while the softer more polite forms are used more often between women. [That's one of the reasons japanese natives can usually detect if you have been taught mostly by a male/female teacher] In my experience watching streams they do use Yamero often though.
Yabai (やばい): Literally means "risky/dangerous" but it used in the meaning of "dangerously too much of something". It can be used both with positive or negative connotations, like something that is overwhelmingly well-done, a situation in a horror game that is so scary that makes you panic or a youtube thumbnail that is way too spicy to be allowed without banning the stream. It's a common casual term between young Japanese people, not something to be used in a formal context. As with other words ending in -ai the pronuntiation got slurred to -e resulting in “Yabe”. More recently some in chat are writing it like “Yab”.
Naruhodo (なるほど): "I see!", "I get it now!"
Wakatta (わかった): "I understood!" Sometimes they don't wakatta at all, though.
kuso (くそ): It means "shit" and it used in this context exactly the same way you would use it English, like "damn" or "fuck".
Ureshii (嬉しい): “I’m glad”/”That makes me happy”
Bikkurishita (びっくりした): “That surprised/scared me”
Mou ikkai (もう一回): “One more!”, as in “one more try”/”one last game” …
Oishii (美味しい) : “Delicious/Tasty”. Men may use more often Umai (うまい) which is considered more crude and slangy as a term. Umai can also mean “good [at doing something]/skilled at”
Ojisan (おじさん): Literally “Uncle” but frequently used as “middle-age man/mister”. In Hololive (at least) it’s implied this person is some kind of creepy pervert with younger girls when used as adjective for one of their members. Ex: “Watame Oji-san” = “Wata-oji”
Totemo (とても ) : “Very”. Really used generic word but native speakers may prefer more nuanced words depending on the context in the same way you don’t use “very” all the time.
Meccha (めっちゃ): An informal adverb used to do a superlative version of “very” like “supeextremely”. It comes from youth slang in the Kansai region that got popular with the general youth (probably thanks to TV comedians). Other popular words for this adverb are “chou” (チョー) and “sugoku” (すごく)
Mecha kucha (めっちゃくっちゃ): Something that is really: a mess, absurd, all over the place... It could be the origin of Meccha (めっちゃ)
Ikuzo! (行くぞ): “Let’s go!”/”Let’s do it!”
Saikou (最高): “The highest/maximum”
Minna (みんな): “Everyone”, as in everyone in the chat. Minna is the casual form of the word that get used among groups of friends. The polite version when you need a more formal address to an audience is Mina-san (皆さん)
Daijobu (大丈夫 ) : “It’s ok/fine”. You can hear them asking this in question form (something like “Is everything okay?/Are you okay?”) to the chat whenever something (audio, video, connection, missing something important in a game) seems wrong or the chat starts being too agitated.
Nani? (なに): "What?" Also the appropiate way to reply when you get to know you're already dead.
Doko? (どこ?) : “Where?”
Sasuga (さすが ): “As expected of...” In the overseas chat it’s used both as praise of someone’s abilities (as in “You’re great as playing this game (as we all knew already!)” so you’re impressed even knowing their previous reputation) or to mock ironically flaws in character (affectionally). In native Japanese I’m not so sure if this second meaning it’s used as much but Sasuga itself is pretty more nuanced as an expression.
Kawaii (かわいい): “Cute”
Kowai (こわい): “Scary”
Kakkoii (かっこいい): “Cool”
Itai (痛い) : Literally "Painful, hurt" but used as an onomatopoeia of "Ouch!"
Uta (歌): “Song”. A stream dedicated to singing is called "utawaku" (歌枠)
Ganbatte! (がんばって): “You can do it!”, a way to root/cheer for the success of someone
Chotto matte (ちょっと待って): "Wait a minute/ a moment". Chotto is an small amount(ちょっと) and Matte (まって) is "to wait"
Urusai (うるさい): Literally "[Too] Noisy/Loud", in practice it means "Shut up!"
Senpai ( 先輩): Your senior. In Japanese and other Asian cultures this is really important because respecting, serving and being loyal to your seniors (both elders and work/school seniors) is still a fundamental part of the social etiquette. Nowadays though it has been losing some relevance over a westernized meritocratic system so it has opened itself to a more superficial relationship in some places. You will see Kiryu Coco talk about “Paisen” (ぱいせん) which how you call your senpais when you’re really close together.
Kouhai (後輩): Your Junior. In Asiatic cultures the Senpais also have some duties over treating their kouhai according to the social etiquette which includes things like taking care of them as emotional support of to take them under their wings to show them all the ropes of the job.
Sensei (先生): "Teacheprofessor"
Tensai (天才): "Genius". Or at least they claim to be for comical effect.
Sugoi (すごい): Almost always you’ll hear it, it means “Awesome!” or “Impressive!” but hilariously enough it can mean the exact opposite too: “Horrible, Awful”. This is because it’s nuanced in the same way that “Awesome” is: something so overwhelmingly impressive that causes awe, good or bad.
Tanoshii(楽しい): “Fun”, “Pleasant”
Chigau (違う) : “Wrong”, “different”
Tadashi (正しい): “Correct”, “right”
Kimoi (キモイ): Slang for "Gross/creepy/disgusting", literally "bad feeling".
Kimochi (きもち): "feeling". Its most known variation, for reasons, is kimochii which means "good feeling" which includes the particle -ii to mean "good".
Baka (ばか): "Stupid/Fool/Idiot". The king of the swearwords. Shiranui Flare, Tsunomaki Watame and Shirakami Fubuki are self-named as the "Bakatare [stupid, idiotic] trio" due to their antics while playing games in collabs
Daisuki (大好き): "I like you a lot" with suki (好き) meaning "i like you"
Aishiteru (愛している) : "I love you" but in real life it's like a really really strong "i love you". Stories tell that even some married couples doubt on using this, so it's more rare to use in Japan than in overseas. Shouldn't have to remind everyone, but for both this and "daisuki" don't take them too seriously when they use them in streams, they like to play with them hyperbolically or to make a comedy bit.
Muzukashii (むずかしい): "Difficult/Hard". For example Haachama wrote once "English muzukashi OMG"
Hazukashii (はずかしい): "Embarrased/shy"
Mite! (見て！): "Look!"
Yokatta (よかった): Can be used as the past form of being good (so "It was good") but you're going to hear it with the meaning of "I'm glad to hear that", "What a relief [to know that now]"
Are? (あれ?): "Huh?"
Yatta! (ヤッタ!): "I did it, yay!"
Yoroshiku (よろしく): You hear it mostly is the form of Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (よろしくおねがいします) A natural translation would be like "Please treat me well/be kind to me" and it's a custom you say whenever you introduce yourself to other people to express your hope to start with a good relationship. In formal business japanese this phrase is used really really often not only in introductions but after asking for favors.

Japanese Internet and popular culture expressions:

Gachi Koi (ガチ恋): An expression from idol culture. Literally means "serious love" but a better translation would probably be "super obsessive fan" as you can guess from the first translation. With time the expression has soften and is used many times in a exaggerated/joking context. I think it's used more often by male fans.
Gap Moe: Moe is used very often in anime/otaky culture and is some specifics aspects of a character that makes them cute and really, deeply attractive to you (Althrough the word has to a surprinsingly complex meaning with some nuances and has expanded to general hobbies). Gap here means the difference between different aspects of the personality of someone. So putting both together, it means the stark contrast of different personalities of someone that makes them really attractive to you. For example, the anime "yandere" archetype of a sweet girl that is a psychopath when she get jealous, or a clumsy character that is a pro at some game.
Seiso (清楚): Literally means "pure, wholesome, uncorrupted (of knowing sexual and other adult stuff)" and it refers to some archetype of idols that used to be the ideal expected from of them. Nowadays many fans still take this seriously but it's more often a running joke. For example in Hololive is common for a streamer to say something perverted and when the chat points it out them saying they aren't perverts but seiso idols. If you ask me, modern "seiso" idols are a bit more more about attitude (agency) than purity, a way they chose to act after they look at the abyss (of degenerancy) rather than being some virginal person. In that meaning you can actually be both seiso and degenerate at different times.
wwwwwwwww : In Japanese "warai" means "to laugh".. Writing a w is faster than that, specially in a western keyboard and that's how it came to be in online culture. So it's their way to say "hahahaha". You can see it as a final "w" at the end of many messages if you were confused before. I guess there it means more like "lol".
Kusa, Big 草 : 草 (kusa) is a kanji for grass. As the story goes (that has been explained sooo many times in this subreddit lol) for japanese users the "wwwww" look like blades of grass, hence 草 ended up as a short hand for that so it means something like lol/lmao. It's something you always see in Hololive JP streams' chats. Big 草 is a beautiful example of cross-cultural interactions, like japanglish.
KSZK (くそざこ): Acronym of “kuso zako”. Literally “shitty noob”. Someone who does something pathetically really amateur (unprofessional). For example, oversleeping a scheduled stream or having their stream disconnected due to shitty internet connection. Coco has a recurring segment of this in Asacoco but please don’t take it too seriously, it’s mostly a way to poke fun at her work pals. The majority of the audience are more amused by these problems than angry.
Kaigai niki (海外ニキ): Comes from “Kaigai aniki”, literally “overseas [elder] brothers” = "overseas bros". It means the worldwide community of fans outside of Japan. The japanese fanbase is the "nihon-niki". For the female fanbase the word is "neki" and for the specific fanbase of both men and women they use both like "nekiniki/nikineki"
RTA: Literally means “Real Time Attack” and is what the Japanese use to talk about speedruns.
Haishin (配信): “Stream/Broadcast”. Also used, “Housou” (放送)
888888: Used as sort of onomatopoeia of clapping. Also, it’s a pun between “Pachi”, which means clapping and “Hachi”, which means 8.
Batsu game (罰ゲーム): A punishment you do for losing to someone or failing to do something. If you have watched Japanese variety TV before you will know this is almost its own genre of entertainment. For Vtubers, it’s mostly just playing horror games or eating spicy food.
Taikyuu (耐久): “Endurance”. In this context it’s used to talk about “endurance streams” which are stream that won’t end until some (hard) goal/milestone gets completed like beating a game in one go or winning an online match of some battle royale game.
Zatsudan (雑談): "Free chat/Idle chat". What you know as "Just chatting" if you come from Twitch culture. Exactly what it says in the tin, the streamer talks about things that has happened to them or plan to happen and interact for a bit with the chat. A stream with zatsudan is a zatsudanwaku (雑談枠).
Doki Doki (ドキドキ): Onomatopoeia of a beating heart. So you can guess it get used to emphasize nerve-wracking situations or romantic interactions in a goofy way.
Guru guru (ぐるぐる): A sound of something that goes around in circles. They use this to talk about the emoji for loading/buffering in a stream.

Hololive-related expressions and inside jokes:

Mama, papa: That's "mom" and "dad" in Spanish, in case you didn't know. They aren't talking about their biological fathers but instead the ones who designed their character Live2D avatar and the person who rigged the animations. Vtubers have a really grateful, supportive relation with the artists that made them come to life. Other words are used for this like mamma/mammy/mamman or the japanese equivalents hahaue (母上) / chichiue (父上).
FAQ: A way to pronounce "fuck you" (the q sounds similar). When you are so elite as Sakura Miko, you discover it's a really flexible word to react, greet each other, confess your love, apologize...
10Q: "Thank you."
Yubi Yubi: One catchphrase of many of our doggo Inugami Korone. Korone has a fascination with the criminal underworld customs and vocabulary (In fact, she used to have a section in Asacoco about this very thing). Yubi means finger and in yakuza (Japanese mafia) culture it is the one thing you get chopped off when you commit a grave mistake. In Korone's first stream this started as a joke she found funny. The gag evolved into her being an insecure doggo making a collection that wants to take your fingers as a safe deposit to ensure you stay watching all the stream (which can be really long) before her giving your fingers back. The fate of your fingers is decided in the sketch at the end of most streams which is some sort of improvised and hilarious bizarre short story to see if you get them back. Spoiler: You usually get them back but not in the best state. And then you explode and die for some reason.
Nyahello: The standard greeting of elite shrine maiden Sakura Miko. Also written sometimes as "nyahallo". A reference to the greeting "Yahallo!" from Oregairu (Abbreviation of the name of light novel/manga/anime "Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru", known in English as "My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected") character Yui Yuigahama. This is because Tanaka Yuuichi was both the character designer of Oregairu and Miko herself originally (but not currently).
Peko Peko Peko: A catchphrase of mischievous rabbit Usada Pekora. In anime some characters have some finish particles to their phrases like "-desu" or "-aru" that never happens in real life but for Japanese natives it makes them sound cuter. For Pekora the particle is "-peko". In her lore (please don't take it seriously) this is because she comes from the country of Pekoland. There they speak Pekolandish in which somehow every word is "peko". Pekora uses this expression often to laugh before doing some mischievous plan or to mock them after they lose to her. Sometimes wrote with arrows [PE↗️ KO↘️ PE↗️ KO↘️ PE↗️ KO↘️ PE ↗️ KO↘️] to represent the very characteristic changes of pitch she does while saying it. Once you hear it you will never forget it.
Asacoco: Really early morning show (in JST) hosted by dragon Kiryu Coco in her channel 3 days per week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). In the show Coco talks about Hololive related news from announcements or milestones to funny moments of the previous days. Asacoco is also the name of some undescribed ficticious drug Coco sells in many forms in ads during the show. It's implicit the very same show somehow is the drug too so when you don't watch it, you feel withdrawal symptoms if you don’t get more doses.
Tee Tee (ていてい/てぇてぇ): It's used to describe pure, cute, heartwarming, affectionate moments between 2 or more vtubers. It’s an internet variation of toutoi (尊い) which means “precious”.
Otsu- (korone, nomaki…): In Japanese a common way to say goodbye/hello in the job or other contexts is お疲れ様 (otsukaresama, a crude translation is "Thanks for your hard work, you must be tired") In Hololive [and other vtubers] many make it cutesy by changing -karesama for their name or some expression to say goodbye to the audience and for the audience to say goodbye to them. There's too many to put here but for example Inugami Korone says "Otsukorone", Tsunomaki Watame says "Otsunomaki", Pekora says "Ostupeko", Tokoyami Towa says "Otsuyappi"... Some other do use completely different expressions, check out Hololive fan wikis for that.
Gaming onion: The head of Minato Aqua's first Live2D model looks like a purple onion. Aqua is also a really good hard-working gamer. Both together are a affectionate way to poke fun at her. Recently, she complained after watching a clip of Hololive EN Amelia Watson mentioning her as a "certain vegetable senpai"; which could lead in the future to the nickname "yasai senpai" as yasai means vegetable in japanese and it has some rhythm to it.
Crazy comedian rabbit: A way for overseas fans to refer jokingly to Usada Pekora because of her comedy hijinks and blessed comedic timing. Also how they reply when Pekora says she's an idol. Hey, she can still be your favorite crazy comedian rabbit idol!
Akipella: A portmanteau of Aki + a capella due to the habit of accidentally muting the BGM of Aki Rosenthal during her singing streams. Her fans are pretty creative about adding Aki- to some other words.
HAACHAMA CHAMA~!: Catchy greeting of Haachama (aka Akai Haato). Haachama used to be like some alter personality of Haato which is crazier and almost supernatural but recently Akai Haato is dead because Haachama killed her (at least that’s what she says). In her videos she uses this greeting very very often, sometimes in the middle of songs she sings in some sort of deranged brainwashing chant way to get her viewers insane and to subscribe to her. In my personal experience, it works.
Kitsuneko (キツネコ). In Japanese "kitsune" is "fox" and neko is "cat". This portmanteau means "foxcat". Our friend and wholesome meme queen Shirakami Fubuki is based on an original mythological arctic fox. Her name in fact can be read as "White god Blizzard" (foxes are a common trope in JP mythology). The thing is that the audience doesn't always agree, they think she's cat. She plays into it by saying so many times that "she isn't a cat but a fox" or doing random cat noises. So her public thinks now maybe she has been a kitsuneko all along.
TMT: Acronym for “Towa Maji Tenshi” which means “Towa is really an Angel”. Tokoyami Towa tries really hard to show she’s a true evil demon but her continuous acts of kindness and inability to do evil things make her fans think otherwise. This acronym usually gets spammed whenever Towa appears or get mentioned on a stream.
PPTenshi: Hololive resident angel Amane Kanata did her debut livestream using Powerpoint (PPT). “Tenshi” means “angel”. Over time the meaning became a backcronym because there are many words that could fit like “Perfect Pitch”,”Poor Precious”, “Pure Power”…
Watamelon: Fluffy sheep Tsunomaki Watame + watermelon = Watamelon. She was made aware of this pun and she started wearing a watermelon helmet for a few streams and even released a (silly) mini song about having a “watamelon head”. Other related puns: “Watamelody”, “sheep-posting”, ”membersheep”.
Haato Basic: Overseas nickname for Akai Haato (Haachama) due to her cooking streams and videos being comparably as cursed as comedy youtuber HowToBasic.
Piki Piki Piiman: Cutey expression for someone who is being pissed off/salty/frustrated at some task, like at a videogame. Piiman means “green pepper”. That’s why Korone has a pepper in her coffee during her streams.
スーパーチャットタイム : In romanji it's "suppa chatto time". The other show Kiryu Coco does is a weekly meme review of this very subreddit with Hololive guests, which is a fun way of bridging the language gap between both communities and to make the Hololivers bond a bit more with their overseas fanbases since Japan has a totally different meme culture and you never know how they would react (althrough you end up discovering meme humor is universal). Anyways, in the show Coco translates the memes to Japanese and doesn't like when someone adds a shitty google-translate Japanese translation or random japanglish but the guests usually love this kind of awkward dorky japanese. One of the shitty japanese that stuck was this one and is used as some sort of call by viewers to send waves of donations.
量子チキンスープグラスビッグチュングス: It doesn't mean anything. Really. It's an intentionally meaningless expression only made with the purpose of pissing off Coco after she scold the overseas community over shitty Japanese translations.
Shuba Shuba Shuba: Quirky catchphrase of Oozora Subaru when she’s excited, it somehow sounds like a duck. Subaru originally doesn’t have anything to do with ducks but the meme caught up when she did an unintentional Donald Duck imitation in an ASMR stream (really) and from there she likes to use duck drawings in her streams. She has acknowledged that she took inspiration of “Peko Peko Peko” when looking for a catchphrase.
Ahoy~! : Greeting of pirate captain [cosplayer] Houshou Marine and by extension chat spam whenever something related to pirates appear in a stream.
Kensetsu (建設): “Construction” as in “Construction company”. This is a normal word but I didn’t know where to put it lol. In Hololive’s Minecraft server they love their big building/art/automation projects, with their main builders having their own made-up construction company and “employees” sometimes helping out. The ones building the most for now are Aqua, Pekora, Haachama and Subaru.
AKUKIN: Alter ego of Minato Aqua which is an affectionate parody of really popular Japanese Youtuber HikakinTV and comes with the meme sunglasses. Currently the CEO of AKUKIN Kensetsu.
[]-chou (-長) [Kaichou, Senchou, Danchou....]: The relevant meaning of the root kanji chou 長 for this definition is "chief/head/leader" and is used to mark many profession are the boss of others. In Hololive, this trend caught like wildfire and now many members use this as some sort of nickname.

---- For example: Houshou Marine is the Senchou (船長) or "Ship Captain", Shirogane Noel is the Danchou (団長) or ----"[Military] Party Leader", Kiryu Coco is the Kaichou (会長) or "Chairman of a Company/association [in this instance ----it's implied the association is a criminal one]", Takanashi Kiara is the Tenchou (店長) or "Store Manager" [of her ----made-up business KFP], some others claim to be the Sachou (社長) or "CEO/President of a company"...

Subreddit Wiki still looking for contributors!

Have any questions about where to start with the series? Struggling with Mahjong? Want to know where to get Yakuza games and merch in Japan?
Check out our subreddit wiki for answers to all your FAQs!
If you're interested in becoming a contributor please message us or leave a comment down below.
Discord
Yakuza Games Twitter

FAQ megathread

You probably already saw it, but we know have a thread that answers common questions for newcomers and you can ask any random question!

Karaoke Survivor Series!

A-Am I reading this right?
Bakamitai has been eliminated. I was absolutely not expecting it to go out out so early. It's not my favourite song (MGK for life baby), but it's definitely the most popular song in the series so it's really surprising to see it go. ~~This is truly a dame dane mo-~~
I'm looking forward to seeing what the top song will turn out to be!
Gone too soon...:

The songs on the board are:

Sent to Haruka's Pit of Doom:

Haruka's Magnum Opus

So Much More

This is going to be a long one but we need to find out what the best karaoke song in the series is!
We're getting really close to the end lads. Let's see what the top 3 has to offer!
Remember to pick your LEAST favorite in the series.
Karaoke Survivor Round 12 Strawpoll Link
^{don't vote for machine gun kiss please}
Remember to post your thoughts on the results, the songs or anything else in the comments!

https://imgur.com/a/wScqrrV
Oh boy have I been waiting for this one! Tonite's movie is Johnny Mnemonic). Johnny fucking Mnemonic. One of my favorite good bad movies from the 90's and it's got Keanu AND it's cyberpunk as fuck being written by the godfather of cyberpunk himself, William Gibson. Strap in, this post is a long one. Check the trailer.
To sum it up, this movie is about the eponymous Johnny (a data courier), that uses a neural implant to hide his wares, who is doing 'one last deal' before paying to have his implant removed. You see, to use the implant, he had to dump a chunk of his long term memory, his childhood to be specific. But oh oh, turns out he's got data that a large corp with yakuza ties and also the data in his head is literally killing him, so he needs a dolphin to hack his brain to get out. Simple right?
This movie has a special place in my heart because I am a giant William Gibson nerd. So first off, a little primer for those not familiar with Gibson. He did not invent the cyberpunk genre, or even name it (though he is credited with being the originator of the term 'cyberspace'), but his book Neuromancer became so big and popular in the 80's that it came to stand as the de facto bible of the cyberpunk genre (I think it's sequel, Count Zero, is better though). Either way, his 'sprawl' trilogy of books (named after the nickname for the singular mass of city that the east coast became) is foundational to the genre as well as his collection of short stories, Burning Chrome, of which Johnny Mnemonic is one of.
This movie had so much potential, but ended up being a classic example of a promising movie bogged down by film-by-committee studio meddling. Initially imagined as a low budged, possibly black and white film, the original script, written by Gibson and director Robert Longo, didn't gain traction from the studios (I will talk a bit about this early script later). Eventually it was picked up by Sony, but they wanted them to make the movie bigger. From there things snowballed. They had gotten Keanu on board just before he really blew up with Speed (and in fact the execs demanded that they have a scene with him in a bus because of that) and so they really started medling with things, then they decided they wanted them to write Dolph Lundgren into the script, and Takeshi Kitano (who was, in all honesty, quite good) and on and on. Robert Longo, this being his first and only attempt at movie making (the whole experience turned him off of it) simply wasn't able to effectively keep this movie together.
Despite it's shortcomings (and there are many) I still love this movie for being one of the most unabashedly pure attempts at translating the cyberpunk genre's style into film. Even far more successful movies in the genre don't pack as much of the world into their movies as this does.
So now I am going to take a few paragraphs and lists and go into some of the differences between things (I told you this post is big). Spoilers from here on out for those who haven't seen the movie.
First thing to note is the difference between the short story and the movie. The short story actually fits into a larger world/storyline that Gibson has. One of the main characters of Neuromancer, a street samurai named Molly, is actually in the short story (though due to film rights issues, in the movie she got replaced by the less interesting Jane). In fact, in the book Neuromancer, Molly talks about what happened to Johnny after the events of the story (he died, the yakuza waited a few years and eventually sent another, more successful, operative to kill him). The structure of the story is a bit different, with the dolphin Jones being someone they meet before the Lo-Teks (who in the story basically just help them deal with the yakuza) and they already had gotten the data out of his head before going up to 'heaven' (which in the story is actually just bolted to the top of the geodesic dome that covers the city). Also, the data in Johnny's head never was killing him in the story, it was just dangerous data to have because Ralfie had been a dumbass and didn't know that it was data that belonged to the yakuza, and the street had a code that you don't fuck with the yakuza.
Lets circle back to that earlier script. So me, being the obsessive fan that I am, I collect things. Among those things is a copy of a very early draft of the script. Here are several favorites of the many differences between that script and the filming script:

First off, it isn't the yakuza after Johnny, but the mafia. But the mafia had gotten bought out by the yakuza years ago so it's still *technically* the yakuza, but Takahashi has been replaced by an old mafia boss character who is lost and distraught in this new world that he doesn't understand any more and resentful of his Japanese overlords. This is actually kind of an interesting angle that I wish the movie had.
Spider betrays everybody and tells the mafia boss where to find them
Jones' heroin addiction (only hinted at in the movie) is much more on display in this script, with Jones himself haggling Johnny and Jane for more junk if he will work for them
- Jones has a voice synthesizer in this script and his voice is described as being a like a cross between 'Micky Mouse and W. C. Fields' and is very unnerving
Ralfie no longer has his two bodyguards (known as 'the magnetic dog sisters') and they are now instead hired muscle for the mafia
The entire tone of the script is far more rough and degraded. Lots of concrete jungle shit.

Now that's not the only earlier script. After the movie came out, they published a book that contains a slightly earlier version of the script than their shooting script, and the short story. Of course, I have this too. The main differences between that script and the shooting script were:

The street preacher has a few more scenes (some of which are in the Japanese cut, more on that later) where he speaks to his congregation and stands nude for them for cult reasons.
There are more scenes with Takahashi that cover his grief over his daughter's death, and his dislike of Shinji
They make it much more clear that the 'ghost in the machine' character (the woman who was a Pharmakon exec who was digitally imprinted into an AI) was actually Johnny's mother.
- Fun fact, the actress who played that character was the director's wife, and the main scientist character in the Twelve Monkeys TV series "Initiate splinter sequence")

So I mentioned that there is a Japanese cut of the movie. There is, it's about 9 minutes longer and I will link to a video compilation of the cut scenes in the comments. Aside from the length of the movie, it has a different soundtrack and score than the US cut's. Incidentally, this is the second alternate score, as there was an entire score written by the band Black Rain that got cut early on in the film-making process. Basically, the cut has a few of those extra scenes mentioned above with the street preacher and with Takahashi. They also edit the 'hack your own brain' scene differently (and much less coherently in my opinion).
Okay, finally, I will talk about the adaptations of the movie. Yes, there were spin-off products:

There was a terrible full motion video game made of the movie (so yeah, the whole movie was re-shot with terrible actors (well they did get Issac Hayes to take over J-Bone) and a shoestring budget for this game). I own this game. It's terrible. I will link to a YouTuber's review of it.
There was a novelization of the movie (so a novel, based on the movie, based on the short story). This is different from the book they released that had the story and script by the way. It apparently just makes up a bunch of extra stuff too (as movie novelizations sometimes do).
There was also an abridged and somewhat radio-dramatized version of the novelization released on audiobook (so an audiobook, based on a novel, based on a movie, based on a short story). I actually own the novelization and the audiobook (which is actually surprisingly rare, the only Johnny Mnemonic audiobook you will find on the net is the audiobook of the short story), but I have surprisingly never gotten around to reading or listening to them. I had planned to listen to my recently-acquired audiobook first during a drive to Chicago, but then the pandemic happened.
Also, not really a spin-off, but they made a hat, which I also have. The front has a warning about storage capacity. The back says "Hack Your Own Brain." It's terrible. I love it.

Okay, so if you read this far through this rambling brain-dump of a post, I commend you. I will be more than happy to share further info if wanted.
Johnny Mnemonic is available for rent from Amazon and YouTube
Links:

A comprehensive review of the movie
The extra scenes from the Japanese cut (this is actually a video I made and uploaded years ago, apologies for the bad translations of the Japanese dialogue)
The 'How Did This Get Made' podcast episode about Johnny Mnemonic (it's really funny to watch them go from hating this movie to loving how bonkers it is)
The 'Fix-a-Flick' podcast episode about Johnny Mnemonic (a re-envisioning of the movie that attempts to 'fix' the movie)

The previous movies in the countdown:

Subreddit Wiki still looking for contributors!

Have any questions about where to start with the series? Struggling with Mahjong? Want to know where to get Yakuza games and merch in Japan?
Check out our subreddit wiki for answers to all your FAQs!
If you're interested in becoming a contributor please message us or leave a comment down below.
Also If you have a question that's not answered please feel free to ask it in this thread. We will be happy to answer any random question!
Yakuza Games Discord
Yakuza Games Twitter

The yakuzagames Mahjong Tournament Series Continues!

Ello Ello!
The yakuzagames mahjong tournament series continues this Friday at 8pm UK / 3pm EST with more ranking matches!
It will be taking place on our Discord and will run until the 5th of April.
At 3pm EST/8pm UK time on the 15th we'll be kicking off with a series of ranked matches streamed with commentary and other fun stuff so be sure to tune in!
More information can be found within the Discord but the prize will be a choice of an Xbox, Steam or Playstation gift card.
(Also if you're not confident at mahjong and would like to learn and practice, there are almost daily practice games being played on the server with people more than willing to help out newcomers!)
Link to Discord Server: https://discord.gg/yakuzagames
(Also, if you want to hang out for a movie night of Spider-Man 2 (2004) with us, come over to the discord on Saturday at 11pm UK / 6PM EST!)

PC Ports of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 Remastered Incoming!

As many of our PC Kyoudai know, the sacred PC ports are almost upon us on the 28th of January.
We hope you enjoy the titles you have so patiently waited for and can't wait for new discussion of the series! The steam page is not up quuuuuuuuite yet, but hopefully it should be soon. (With all titles available bundled and individually of course).
(Also Yakuza 6 in March, super interested in how that turns out!)

Karaoke Survivor Series!

Sou Tonight konya mo
mata Tonight tameiki tsuku hitorikiri ja
uwagakenai omoide
naa Tonight chikai no
sou Tonight basho de matsu yo konna yoru wa
omae ni aeru kigashite
Goodbye the good ol' days of 88...... and goodbye Tonight.....
The song that can well up a storm of tears, the song of nostalgia and longing, and uh, a lot of depression. I'll miss it in the way that I am happy I don't have to shed anymore tears.
Gone too soon...:

The songs on the board are:

Sent to Haruka's Pit of Doom:

Haruka's Magnum Opus

So Much More

This is going to be a long one but we need to find out what the best karaoke song in the series is!
We're getting there though lads, eventually, one day.
(If I dont keep forgetting to put up the weekly post. tugs at collar)
Remember to pick your LEAST favorite in the series.
Karaoke Survivor Round 10 Strawpoll Link
Have any questions about where to start with the series? Struggling with Mahjong? Want to know where to get Yakuza games and merch in Japan?
Check out our subreddit wiki for answers to all your FAQs
If you're interested in becoming a contributor please message us or leave a comment down below.
Also If you have a question that's not answered please feel free to ask it in this thread. We will be happy to answer any random question!
Remember to post your thoughts on the results, the songs or anything else in the comments!
~~~~~~~~
I've been in a funk lately, but I hope all of you have been doing a bit better! In the meantime I've been jamming out to Little Big Planet's Soundtrack which is a wonderful mix of different music across the world! Not exactly sure why I am mentioning it, but it's just something nice I think more people would enjoy knowing about! :)
Cheers! -Coaster

Jumping on the bandwagon before it becomes irrelevant, I'd like to talk about the games I played in 2020. This may have been the best year of gaming for me, in no small part to finally building a gaming PC for Christmas in 2019. I kept track of everything I played [amounting to 30 games, over 90% patient], so I will present them chronologically. I'll try to keep it short since there are so many. I did make posts here for a few of them, so I'll be sure to link those as well. Also I played many of the games with my girlfriend, so I will denote those with "GF" next to the title. So without further ado:
Dark Souls Remastered (January - February) - patientgamers post (for all the FromSoft games) 2020 marks the year I finally took the plunge into the FromSoft games, and I absolutely love them. I actually made a post for all of them that goes into more detail on my experiences with them. Most importantly here, DSR was my favorite of the bunch, the interconnected world was wonderful and I now live for the challenge. I beat every boss in each of the Soulsborne games [plus DLC] without any assistance from my friends, and I'd love to do it again!
What Remains of Edith Finch (February) [GF] This was the first of many walking sims I played this year. The setting is super interesting and the story is very sad. I actually replayed it a couple of weeks ago with my girlfriend, and I had forgotten just how sad it was. Definitely one of my favorite walking sims.
The Beginner's Guide (February) This game was alright. I liked Stanley Parable, and I knew this one was short so it was worth giving it a shot.
Baba Is You (February - March) What an innovative game. I haven't beaten it yet, because it just gets so difficult by the end, but I enjoyed scratching my brain to think outside the box. I come back to it every now and then. Good to just hop in.
Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin (February - March) This was quite a brutal transition from DSR, but by the end I loved it, even with all of its quirks. Had some of the hardest bosses in the SoulsBorne games in my opinion. Fuck all of the Brume Tower bosses in particular.
Journey (March) [GF] And here was the start of quarantine. I was fortunate enough that I continued working as usual [but from home], but my girlfriend was out for several months starting in March. Since she had so much time, we decided to play through games together, starting with this one. It was a nice little... journey.
Bloodborne (April) Now I already know I'm going to get some heat [as per usual], but Bloodborne is my least favorite of the FromSoft games that I played. It is an excellent game, aesthetic is great, and I even got the platinum, but I just preferred the gameplay of Souls more [hot take, I know]. I know I said I beat all Soulsborne bosses solo, but I did do the Chalice Dungeons with my friends because it was just so much more fun that way. Bloodborne 2 WHEN??
The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (April) [GF] An okay walking sim, probably my least favorite of the bunch I played with my girlfriend. Very easy to accidentally skip entire sections of the game.
Nier Automata (May) At first I wasn't a huge fan of the gameplay, but by the second ending I was totally onboard. Music was very good, and I liked the.. uhh.. graphics. Unfortunately, I didn't realize you could blast their clothes off until I was farming out the last trophies for the platinum...
Gone Home (May) [GF] Easily my favorite walking sim of the bunch. The somber realism of the setting and the slow buildup of the narrative was very emotional for me. It will surely stay in my mind for years to come.
Dark Souls III (May - June) The controls on this one were so sharp. By this point, I felt like a master of Souls games, so I didn't die nearly as much as I did previously... until the DLC. Gael, Midir, and Friede absolutely kicked my ass and made me scream, but eventually I prevailed. Also special shout out to Nameless King for almost breaking my spirit.
Little Misfortune (June) [GF] I played KillMonday's other game Fran Bow a few years ago, and I have to say they did even better with this one. The main character is cute and I love tonal dissonance. Some jokes fall a little flat, but overall it's pretty funny/sad. My girlfriend and I still quote some of the dialogue. Eager for their next game.
A Short Hike (July) [GF] I cannot believe how relaxing this short little game is. You can easily lose track of time just exploring around, you almost forget what the goal is, which I guess is the point of the game. In a word: poignant.
Man of Medan (July) I played this one with my sister since we played Until Dawn together years ago. The ending of this game is what I've been looking for in horror for ages, so it was definitely well received on my end. We're probably going to play Little Hope in the next few weeks [impatient, I know]!
Later Alligator (July) [GF] I am a huge fan of quirky characters and silly dialogues [like in Mother or Undertale], and this game was no different. We made sure to exhaust every line of dialogue available to us, and this wacky not-so-little family definitely has a lot to say.
Sekiro (July - August) My second favorite FromSoft game after DSR. Foremost, the aesthetic was spectacular. Gameplay is drastically different from Souls, so I got my ass handed to me up until the Guardian Ape, in which something clicked and I started to get the hang of it. By the end I felt like a god, despite Demon of Hatred and Sword Saint absolutely kicking my ass for hours. I felt so empty not having any more SoulsBorne games to play, though I guess I have the new remake to look forward to some day. And Elden Ring...
Aragami (September) Very interesting right after Sekiro. Played this one with my friend, we competed to see who could get the most kills. It's been a while since I've been able to play an online co-op campaign, so that was loads of fun. Excited to play the sequel in a few months.
Ape Out (October) I got gamepass from discord nitro so I made sure to play through some of the games I didn't already have. Man this one was wild. The music got me super pumped, had to make sure not to play it before bed lol.
DARQ (October) [GF] A nice spooky little puzzle game for Halloween month. My girlfriend definitely got scared at some of the creepier parts, so I couldn't help but laugh. I had her take the controls for the second DLC and she damn near jumped off the couch at one part!
Gato Roboto (October) Another game I played on GamePass. I've always loved metroidvanias, so this was a total nostalgia blast for me. Short, sweet, and it has a cute little kitty.
Gorogoa (October) [GF] I've been eying this one for a while, but I played it so fast that I don't remember it all that much. I do remember feeling like a genius on some of the puzzles though.
INSIDE (October) [GF] I was a huge fan of LIMBO back in the day, and this has all that and more. As we went deeper and deeper we started to understand more and more, yet less and less of what the point of the game was. The ending was a real thinker and I'm still thinking about it.
Helltaker (November) [GF] Very short little puzzle game. Surprised I didn't get to it sooner as it was free and I am rather fond of demon girls ;p
Florence (November) [GF] Another super short one, but emotional nonetheless. It was at this point that I realized I want to play all of the Annapurna published games.
Outer Wilds (November) - patientgamers post And here we have my GOTY. I love everything about this game. The sense of adventure, the knowledge you gain along the way, the ultimate message of the game. My biggest "play if you haven't yet" of the year.
ABZU (November) [GF] We called this one Water Journey. My girlfriend was on controls for most of this one. Nice, relaxing, and beautiful settings.
Yakuza 0 (November - Ongoing) I haven't beat this yet, in fact, I probably have another 50 hours to go, but I'm already all in: characterization is incredible and the story is captivating. The combat isn't all that interesting, but sometime it feels good to just pummel some hooligans.
Return of the Obra Dinn (December) [GF] My runner up GOTY. I was going to make a post but like 3 other people had posted about it that week [total coincidence, I swear!], so this will have to do. It's so innovative and a real head scratcher. My girlfriend and I piecing everything together was a great bonding experience.
And that's it!
Hope all of that wasn't too long winded. If you want more information about any game in particular, feel free to ask and I will try to respond! Hoping everyone here has a patient and productive 2021.

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
pinpac12 - Granblue Fantasy, FEH, MHGU, Digimon Cyber Sleuth
Toadinator2000 - Gravity Rush
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
pinpac12 - Granblue Fantasy, FEH, MHGU, Digimon Cyber Sleuth
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
pinpac12 - Granblue Fantasy, FEH, MHGU, Digimon Cyber Sleuth
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

One of my favorite video game series of all times is the Yakuza series. The narrative, gameplay, everything about it I absolutely love. I bought Yakuza 0 a few days back, as it is the only game in the series I have not yet played. I bought it off the PSN Store for $9.99!! I'm absolutely in love with it.
So yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my online gaming friends. I was telling him all about the game, how much I loved it, etc. Well he expressed interest in wanting to play it too! Money is pretty tight for him, so I offered to PayPal him the money to get it. He did his usual polite "oh no it's fine I'm sure I have some extra money I can use to get it". Well I PayPal'd him the money for the game plus a little extra for food or whatever he wanted. PayPal gives you the option to send a message along with the money. Me, in my infinite wisdom, sent the message "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY YAKUZA MONEY".
Apparently, when sending money to someone online, using the name of an organized crime syndicate is not the best thing to do. PayPal does not send the money, and tells me my payment is pending while it undergoes an investigation, and that the process will take no more than 72 hours. Fast forward to tonight, I get an email from PayPal saying that they have now restricted my access to my account and that I have to go through steps to resolve the process.
I follow their link, and there is the payment in question. In the text box provided, I then have to explain to them the context of the message and that the money is for a game called Yakuza 0, and that I, a US Citizen who does not have a passport and has never been out of the country, never arrested or even pulled over, am not a member of the Japanese Yakuza.
I am now waiting for PayPal to review my written statement and hopefully this is all resolved.
TL;DR I used the word "Yakuza" in a PayPal transaction and now paypal thinks I am a member of the Yakuza
Edit: WOW This is my first post that has ever taken off, I was not expecting to wake up to this. Thank you all the support and for my first reddit gold as well! I'm glad you all found this entertaining!
Edit 2: WE MADE IT TO THE FRONT PAGE

Unsurprisingly, I had a lot of time to play games this year... I don't think that's uncommon among people on this sub. I managed to finish over 100 games this year so I wanted to share some of the ones I enjoyed most.
A few notes:

These are games I finished in 2020, they didn't necessarily come out in 2020 (only a few did).
I love retro stuff but all these are games I finished for the FIRST time this year, so it trends newer. This also means I couldn't make Yakuza 5 all 20 choices.
Rankings are subjective so don't @ me. Also very loose, some stuff probably deserved to be higher, some lower, whatever.

#20 - Resident Evil 2 Remake
The original RE2 is my favorite of all the RE games, so this remake had a pretty high bar to hit. Thankfully, it met my expectations in almost every regard. In fact, it's one of the best remakes I've ever played. For an actual single playthrough, I think RE2make might be the better game, but the A/B scenarios in OG RE2 are more interesting and the way the characters' stories interact are neater, and the original is more rewarding to re-run. I think most people other than crusty old fucks like me would enjoy the new version more, though. The game is absolutely gorgeous, the controls and gameplay are on point, and Mr. X made me poop my pants. Big ups to Capcom for nailing it.
#19 - Metroid: Other M
Yes, I liked this game. I bought it 10 years ago at Blockbuster when they were closing down for like $5, and never touched it because everybody said it was bad. Well, I'd finally reached the point where I had finished every other Metroid game so I thought, oh, why not. Is it perfect? No - but I'll be damned if I didn't like it anyway. The map is great fun to traverse, Samus' abilities feel great to use as always, it's a fun mix between Prime aesthetics and the style of the 2D Metroids. The controls can be awkward at times, but largely work pretty well; the story is awful, but the aesthetic design is great. It's certainly still one of the lesser Metroid titles, but I REALLY like Metroid, so to me that means it's still pretty damn fun.
#18 - Golf Story
That one Switch eShop exclusive that everybody has to try. It's the closest thing to Camelot's Mario Golf games from the early 2000s we've had since, but it's a bit of a different beast. A golf-RPG hybrid... but instead of being pure golf all the time, it varies between actual golf tournaments and using golf mechanics to do silly stuff for missions. It's also got frolf! And... drone golf. Yeah, that's a thing here. The game has a charming humor to it, and a cute pixel aesthetic. And it has GALF. What more could you want? If you want a golf game but aren't the type to go for sim-golf this is a no-brainer.
#17 - Streets of Rage 4
RE2 nailed the remake; Streets of Rage 4 nailed the continuation. SEGA farmed this one out similar to how they did Sonic Mania, and it paid off. The people who made this game clearly LOVE Streets of Rage and it shows. Honestly, this did pretty much everything I would have wanted for a new SoR game... the animations are gorgeous, the music is awesome, the movesets are wicked, the new special meter mechanic is one of the best in any beat-em-up ever, the game hits the perfect length (longer than the originals but short enough to be great to replay) plus multiple modes like a boss rush and arcade mode. It's just stupid fun.
#16 - Blood: Fresh Supply
Blood is excellent all-around, but I can see why I bounced off of it as a kid - it has a really strange, kind of awful difficulty curve (my one real criticism about the game) - it starts out pretty damn difficult and gets progressively easier unlike most games of that style where the difficulty typically ramps up as you go along. The game is very much a HORROR kind of experience too, and I'm not really into horror games or horror movies so much but this hits the right notes, the weapons get progressively cooler as you go along, the game does a lot with the Build Engine. Fresh Supply also includes the expansions, both of which are quite good. I loved Duke3D as a kid but could never get into Blood... glad I finally dove in this year.
#15 - Wii Sports Resort
Wii Sports? Pff, that's for babies. I skipped this one because, well, it's for dirty casuals. Recently I was on a Wii kick and decided to pick it up and finally gave it a go - I wrote a thread about it here.
#14 - Final Fantasy XIV
I'm not a huge MMO guy, but I've gotten into the FF games over the last few years. When quarantine started in March, I decided to dive into FFXIV's free trial and I didn't regret it. Quickly hit the level cap in a couple jobs and decided to buy the full game, then burned through FFXIV and all of its expansions. The free trial has been expanded now to cover all of A Realm Reborn (the base game) and Heavensward (first expansion)... if you're interested in it, then go play the free trial now, you won't regret it. And if you do, it was free. Great game for someone like me - it has a compelling story unlike WoW (in my opinion), it's very easy to play solo, and while you do have to do instances for story missions, they do a great job making them compelling for people to replay so you never have trouble finding a party with the LFG tool.
#13 - Pikmin 3
It's Pikmin. All the Pikmin games are fantastic. I also replayed the first two games this year and then Pikmin 3 for the first time at the start of the pandemic - they're great feel-good games and they made me feel good, baby. Cannot recommend them enough. They're cute, they're brisk, they're compelling all the way through, and they're also a blast to casually speedrun (or more seriously if you're into that). Pikmin 3 gets a little weird to juggle with 3 captains, but you get used to it, and honestly it's really only later in the game that you really have to use all 3 anyway - for the most part you can just use 2 for most stuff. But the game expands on all the stuff the previous games did right and delivers a great 3rd entry, maybe the best of them all.
#12 - Disco Elysium
There's very little bad I can say about DE. What a great game. I don't normally go in for CRPGs, but this game grabbed me. The writing is absolutely superb, some of the best I've ever seen in any video game ever. The only part of it I didn't like was the "you have amnesia" conceit but I get why they decided to use it for role playing purposes. The game builds a fascinating little world, and delivers a great story with no shortage of dark humor along the way. It deserves to be higher, but like I said CRPG stuff isn't usually my thing, and so while I adored the writing the game did progress a little slow for me at points, particularly when trying to find the next place to go/explore/investigate.
#11 - SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE
I really enjoyed the original SUPERHOT, but it had one major problem: there just wasn't enough. Not enough... anything. Not enough weapons, not enough levels, not enough MEAT. It was short and sweet, didn't outstay its welcome but I wanted more. Well, here comes MCD, the true sequel, and it delivers a lot more. Not only that, but it delivers it right. The game doesn't throw that much bullshit your way - it's level after level, challenge after challenge, ramping up the difficulty juuust right and making its gameplay satisfying all the way to the end. Well, maybe not the verrry end which I didn't find that great, but all the rest was awesome.
#10 - Control
Full disclosure: I played this one on my Series X and it worked amazingly but I've heard it's a bit rough on some other systems. The game itself, dang. I always enjoy Remedy's games, and this is my favorite they've done since Max Payne. I just played it recently, so I'm still formulating and thinking about it. It may deserve to be a lot higher, here. Awesome art design, fun gameplay, great soundtrack, cool story/premise. It has a good amount of side content too, and I haven't played through all of it yet but intend on doing so.
#9 - Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
I've fallen out of love with SW thanks to the movies, and I put off playing Fallen Order until it hit Game Pass. But... damn was it fun. I'm a fan of the Souls games, and FO clearly takes inspiration from them, combined with a dose of Metroid Prime. This is very much the kind of Star Wars Jedi game I wanted for a long time. It still has its issues - the story in particular is kinda light for how long the game is, and while I actually really liked most of the characters the main character is kinda milquetoasty. But damn, does it hit the right notes. Lengthy campaign that never drags, plenty of areas and collectibles to explore off the beaten path if you want to. Everything really comes together here nicely and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.
#8 - River City Girls
This is probably way higher than most people would put it, but for me it just hit the spot. I liked the game's humor and art, I loved the attitude, and, well, it's River City Ransom! RCR might be my #1 favorite NES game, and having played a handful of the sequels, River City Girls is the best of all the ones I've played by far. The writing is legit funny - not eye-rolling funny, which is something I appreciate - and the movesets have a ton of variety. You only get two playable characters from the get go unlike SoR4's larger cast, although you can actually unlock some secret ones - I don't know how different they are though as I have only played through the game once. Like the original River City Ransom, River City Girls is a beat-em-up with RPG elements, and as such is a much longer playthrough than stuff like Streets of Rage which is more conducive to replays. Will definitely revisit it again for more co-op, though!
#7 - Night in the Woods
I just finished this so there might be recency bias here, but I really enjoyed this game. I stayed away from it for a while because of all the stuff that happened with Holowka, but eventually came around and decided to play it after it got put into the itch.io Racial Justice bundle (although I played it on XBOX, not PC). There isn't that much game here, NITW is very much a narrative-focused walk-around-and-talk-around game, but you get to choose your way through different bits of content along the way. I can definitely see a second playthrough being worth it though the game is fairly long (8 hours?). Remember when I said River City Girls had funny writing? Yeah, NITW is genuinely hilarious, but also heartbreaking, too. It ought to be - it relies on the strength of its writing, and it can because it's great. Plus all the art design is really nice, too.
#6 - Donkey Kong Country - Tropical Freeze
Wee bit different than Blood... I had a Wii U but this is the one game that always eluded me. I got it for Xmas last year and boy, is it a fun time. I love DKC Returns, and this is DKC Returns kicked up a notch. It also maintains the decent difficulty level of DKC Returns, which I really appreciated - levels can get challenging, but you always have plenty of lives (at least I did) so game overs aren't really a worry. A fantastic platformer that sits up there with the best 2D platformers ever, IMO. It probably deserves to be higher. Oh well.
#5 - Subnautica
Obviously this game is a favorite in this sub, so I'm not gonna beat it to death. I played it at the start of this year and it was a great time - the kinda game that grabs you and doesn't let go until you're finished. I don't see much reason to replay it unfortunately, though I'd like a reason - and the game was also very buggy even when I played it long after release. But the pros outweigh the cons, and it's a very memorable experience as anybody who played it will probably attest.
#4 - Sin & Punishment: Star Successor
Talk about underappreciated. Like Metroid: Other M, this is another Wii game I picked up on clearance and never touched it until this year. I wrote a thread about this game here.
#3 - F-Zero X
Am I seriously trying to sell you on a game where you race what look like blurry triangles through a polygonal nightmare? Yes, yes I am. It's an N64 game that runs at 60fps. It's very difficult. It has awesome tracks, tons of racers, insane speed, and a face-melting soundtrack that immediately gets my blood boiling. This is the most rewarding and entertaining racing game I've played in a while. I have owned this game for a while, and had played it, but never really got into it... well, invest yourself a little and it pays off. I binged a bunch of the Wipeout games last yeaearly this year, and got around to thinking... why haven't I ever played F-Zero X much? It's a 3D futuristic racer too, is it not? Oh, it is, and it blows every Wipeout game out of the water. Many people sing the praises of F-Zero GX, and I have that game too and have never really gotten into it - but after spending time with X, I've been convinced I need to give it a better chance (I just find GX incredibly hard, moreso than X's already high difficulty). F-Zero X gets major bonus points for having a random-course-generator that creates some absolutely INSANE tracks once you earn the right to be abused by it.
#2 - Ori and the Will of the Wisps
I'm someone who really enjoys a great Metroidvania, but I feel the genre peaked with the Castlevania games of the mid-2000s and the enormous glut of indie metroidvanias has a) left me tired of them and b) never lived up to that promise. I'm including stuff in here that people absolutely revere like Hollow Knight (which I liked but didn't love). Ori was the exception, because it found this fantastic place where it was kind of a Metroidvania, but really focused more on incredibly fluid platforming than RPG elements, combat etc. Ori and the Will of the Wisps built on everything the first game did, and did it better. It's also probably the best-looking video game I've ever played. It did everything I wanted out of a sequel to Ori.
If I was to give a GOTY 2020 award... Ori and the Will of the Wisps would win it, hands down. It's baffling to me that it wasn't a more common sight on GOTY lists this year.
#1 - Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Okay, it wouldn't win my GOTY 2020 award - so why is it #1?
ACNH just built upon what previous Animal Crossing games did and did it better (well, mostly - but the stuff that is missing is being added in over time, and the improvements far outweight the absences). I already loved Animal Crossing, but not only was I hyped for ACNH - it came at the absolute perfect time. But what really made this my #1 game this year is how much time I spent with it (hundreds of hours), and more importantly that I spent a lot of it with my wife. We share an island and still play it every day or every other day, and it's really nice to have a little world to share especially when the real world is not super amazing right now... and we can still get away to an island paradise despite having to cancel our trip for our 1st wedding anniversary this year.
But as for the game itself... hey, it's Animal Crossing, with crafting, with more customization than ever, with updates coming over time (which is not something I'm usually super into, but for AC it is absolutely perfect because it keeps the community engaged) and obviously this game has hit AC's popularity into the stratosphere, to the point that even people I know who don't play games at all know what it is and want to try it.
HONORABLE MENTIONS

Yakuza 5 - Because I played it again this year, and it's the game that keeps on giving. I haven't played #7 yet but I'm pumped to do so next year.
Hades - An excellent game, worthy of all its praise, but not patient yet!
Jetpac - the 1983 ZX Spectrum game. I played it in Rare Replay, and goddamn this game grabbed me. I don't know what it is, but it's rare that an old-school arcade-style game can grab and hold my attention and this one did it for hours.

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
pinpac12 - Granblue Fantasy, FEH, MHGU, Digimon Cyber Sleuth
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

I actually finished 50 games this year, but six of them can't be discussed on here yet because they aren't old enough. This list is in chronological order, with a rating system out of 5 because my normal rating system might be a little too confusing to explain in a Reddit post. For reference, anything I provide a 3 or above is something that I enjoyed, but a 4 or better means I would safely recommend it. 3.5/5 games are worth playing, but only when they're on sale, while 3/5 games are only worth it at a deep discount. My top and bottom 5 are at the end of the list.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order - 3.5/5
There isn't an original bone in this game's body, and yet I had a ton of fun with it. While it doesn't do anything particularly well, this game feels a lot more exhilarating to play than most of the games it borrows things from. I wish this game was a little more unique (and had a fast travel option) but it's a very solid experience overall.
Devil May Cry V - 4/5
This was my first Devil May Cry game, and I really liked it overall. Nero and Dante were a lot of fun to play as, and the bosses were particularly enjoyable, especially the final boss. Honestly though, I was not a fan of the V segments and thought they slowed the game down (though I have nothing against him as a character), and I ended up having to take breaks extremely frequently because of how much it hurt my wrist playing as him. If V was used a little less often, I probably would've enjoyed the game more, but I still loved it.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus - 3/5
Probably the most disappointing game of the year for me. I really liked The New Order but thought a sequel would really elevate it, and instead I was left unimpressed. It's a fine game, but it mostly just retreads the same grounds as its predecessor while throwing jokes around at major story moments so much that I thought I was playing something straight out of the MCU. Because I wanted the sequel to actually expand on the groundwork that TNO left, I was left pretty underwhelmed with this game, and I'm concerned that the inevitable sequel will also miss the mark if the co-op game is anything to go off of.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - 4.5/5
This is the first Fire Emblem I've been able to get into after trying and failing with Awakening and The Sacred Stones. I loved it, though, mainly for the characters. I did the Golden Deer route as I was told it was the most beginner-friendly, but I quickly fell in love with Claude and his merry band of misfits. Very entertaining game overall that set the groundwork for my love of another RPG with social aspects that I'll discuss later.
Luigi's Mansion 3 - 4/5
I have quite the soft spot for this game. I played through about half of the game in co-op with my family and really enjoyed it. It's a very well-designed game, and is filled to the brim with little details that help give the world a lot more charm. I just wish that the controls were a little better, because everyone in my family (as well as myself) struggled with the controls in this game.
Metro 2033 - 3.5/5
A great game unfortunately held back by technical issues. This definitely would've been my favorite of the three Metro games if I had played the Redux version, but I played the original instead because I got it for free like 5 years ago. The tense atmosphere, the supernatural wonder, and really everything that makes Metro, well, Metro, was nailed in this game, but I had so many game-breaking bugs that I had to bump this game down a bit. It's still a great game if you manage to look past those bugs, though.
What Remains of Edith Finch - 4/5
For a while, this was my favorite "short but sweet" game. I'm usually pretty dismissive towards walking simulators, but every so often they tend to really nail their stories, and Edith Finch is one of those games. I really enjoyed the story of Lewis Finch in the fish factory in particular, but I found all of them to be pretty good in their own right. Great experience overall.
Metro: Last Light - 4/5
Probably my favorite Metro game since 2033 lacked the polish it desperately needed. It definitely looks and feels better to play, though there were a few levels that were absolutely TERRIBLE to go through. This was still a very enjoyable game and I managed to blow through it in two or three sittings because of how hooked I was.
Dear Esther - 2.5/5
This is the first game of 2020 that I didn't really like! I know many people adore this game, but I think it's just a little too primitive nowadays. The visuals are good and I really loved the narrator's voice, but I didn't connect with the story and it was just too slow for me. I can respect it for being an interactive art piece more or less released when that sort of thing wasn't as popular, but it shows its age and I walked out of this one feeling bored more than anything.
DOOM Eternal - 4.5/5
Thankfully, that boredom left by Dear Esther was quickly alleviated by this amazing title. It's challenging, cathartic, and kept my feeble gamer brain engaged almost the entire time. This might be the best gameplay loop in a game I've ever seen, and currently stands as a near-perfect FPS and one of my favorite shooters of all-time. There's a lot of little issues (like that stupid purple goo that adds nothing) that keep it from being a 5/5 for me, but I still adored this title. Also, Marauders are a great enemy type and I will die on this hill if I have to.
Metro Exodus - 4/5
The open world levels were a little underwhelming, and the voice acting was pretty bad. However, when the game was great, it was REALLY great. The times where you're underground in a tight, claustrophobic corridor are incredible. I also really enjoyed the story, the visuals, and really everything else. It's a great series that ended on a great note, but I wish it stuck to being a linear FPS instead since those parts worked so well here.
Borderlands 3 - 4/5
Gameplay-wise, this game is stellar, and I can't imagine going back to the older games after seeing how smooth the gunplay is. The story is an absolute mess, though, and I hate Ava with every fiber of my being. Great game overall because of how ridiculously fun the game is to play, but its insultingly bad story stops me from scoring it higher than a 4/5.
Valley - 3/5
Why did this game try to be a shooter? It did not need to be a shooter. It's so much fun running around at insanely high speeds, but then the game takes that away so you can blast enemies with a life/death mechanic that barely ever gets explored. I had fun with it overall, but this game really did NOT need combat to be fun.
Untitled Goose Game - 3.5/5
Honestly, there isn't much to talk about here. It's exactly what it looks like, and not much else. It's funny, interesting, and pretty creative, but definitely not a revolutionary indie game like some make it out to be. It's still fun if you're bored one evening, though.
Red Dead Redemption 2 - 4.5/5
This game is a technical achievement and a masterclass in almost every way, from the story to the world. What stops it from being a 5/5, then? The gameplay. It's fun to play when you're roaming around doing side stories, but main missions just derail into shooting galleries and the game suffers pretty heavily from a serious case of ludonarrative dissonance. I wish the gameplay was more improved, but I still LOVED my time with this game and Arthur Morgan's character alone elevated this title for me.
Astral Chain - 4/5
Really interesting game I haven't seen much discussion about. It's unabashedly a Platinum game, and it's a total blast to play. I found the core gameplay loop to be really enjoyable (the music in this game is also fantastic) because I liked going through the gradual transition of being a detective uncovering a mystery to slashing down enemies with my cool alien robot thing, but I do hope that the story and detective segments get expanded upon in the sequel.
GRIS - 3.5/5
Not a lot to say for this one, either. I liked the art style, the music was beautiful, and the story was pretty well-told. It didn't blow me away, mainly because I wasn't totally sold on parts of the gameplay, but it's still a solid title worth checking out.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider - 3.5/5
This game was a little underwhelming, but I still liked it. I appreciated that the game decided to go back to being more of an old-school Tomb Raider game, but the game becomes more boring in the process because the puzzles themselves just weren't interesting or stimulating enough. I do like the insane amount of options you have in this game, though, and I hope other games in the future offer those same accessibility options.
Return of the Obra Dinn - 4.5/5
I loved Lucas Pope's previous game, Papers Please, and I love this one even more. I'm honestly not too big on the art style (mainly because it gives me a headache after a while), nor do I like the game's ending, but this game made me feel like a detective and I took notes on top of notes. It requires a lot of thinking, but it is so unbelievably satisfying when you start connecting the dots. Every time I need a little dopamine rush, I just listen to that little jingle and I'm a happy camper.
A Way Out - 3.5/5
Honestly, I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I wish you spent more time actually breaking out of the prison because that was my favorite part of the game, but it's a pretty fun co-op experience that's very accessible for players who aren't as skilled. I also enjoyed how the climax was handled, even if I had a suspicion something like that would happen.
A Plague Tale: Innocence - 3.5/5
This game was certainly interesting. It was a pretty unique premise, and it started great (especially the atmosphere), but the novelty of the premise wore off after a while and the game derailed by becoming more action-oriented, which also got rid of the unsettling atmosphere. By the end of the game, the original premise had become so unbelievably corny that it soured my opinion of the game. I still had fun with it, though, and those great first few hours definitely save the game from falling into mediocrity.
Sonic Forces - 1/5
No.
Outer Wilds - 4.5/5
Reddit loves this game, and for good reason. But to discuss why would mean losing some of the magic of the game itself. For those curious: I'm a sucker for games with a time loop mechanic like Majora's Mask and The Sexy Brutale, and that combined with the incredible feeling of discovery this game gives you made it an amazing experience. It gets a little annoyingly obtuse at times, but I still loved it.
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - 4.5/5
After hearing so much about how Origami King compares to this game online, I decided to finally finish this game, and I'm very glad I did. I stopped at the slowest point in the game, so trudging through that got me completely hooked on the game's amazing writing, characters, and combat. My only complaint is that there is way too much backtracking.
Hollow Knight - 5/5
There's a new thread about how amazing Hollow Knight is every couple of days on this sub, so I'll keep this brief. It's got everything that makes Dark Souls so memorable, while also adding some extra charm and polish to really make this game stand out. Easily my favorite game I played this year.
Xeodrifter - 3/5
It's fine, I guess. I wasn't too big on how they reused the same boss fight seven(?) times but I played this on my 3DS and thought the 3D effect was cool. It's nothing remarkable, but it's not terrible either.
A Short Hike - 4/5
Man, I love this game. So much so that I wish there was more to it. But it's called "A Short Hike", so I guess that'd defeat the purpose of it. This game manages to have the charm of Animal Crossing, while also providing a really sweet story and plenty of side activities for you to do. This surpassed Edith Finch for my favorite short game of the year, but it didn't hold that crown until the end unfortunately.
Mirror's Edge - 3.5/5
It's pretty good. It's a pretty novel idea, though I think the game is way better during the fast paced parkour segments. I loved the visual style and the music as well. The combat was what really held this game back, I think. It did not work as seamlessly as it should've, though I hear Catalyst improved on this aspect.
Persona 4 Golden - 4.5/5
Remember how I said Three Houses laid the groundwork for my love of another game? It's this one. This was my first Persona game, and man, I got HOOKED. I can totally see why people love this series now, and I would love to play 5 if it ever comes to PC.
Control - 3.5/5
Honestly, I didn't click with this one like a lot of other people did. I liked the world, the visual design, and the gameplay when you had all of the different abilities, but the story, after doing a great job of building up the mystery (and the Ashtray Maze was incredible), ended with barely a whimper. There's plenty to like here, I just don't think it's as remarkable as some people make it out to be.
Last Day of June - 2/5
Oh God. This game. It started okay and the idea seemed like it could be really interesting, and then it stumbled very quickly and never recovered. This game was so unbelievably boring. I was already getting burnt out after the first "level" so to speak. I also found the character designs to be freaky, and while the music and environments were okay, what sealed my dislike for this game was the absolutely atrocious ending that completely contradicts this game's themes. I wanted to like this game, I really tried to, but it lost me very early on and wasn't able to hook me back in, and the ending was just salt on the wound.
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - 4.5/5
But hey, at least this game turned out to be really fun. I have a big soft spot for Xenoblade 2 despite its many flaws, and I can see why so many people love this game after playing it. I loved the main story and it was always interesting throughout my >40 hours of playtime, I liked how cohesive the world design felt, and the soundtrack is one of my favorites of the year. This is definitely my favorite RPG on the Switch at the time of writing this.
Super Mario 64 - 4.5/5
I didn't play Super Mario 64 for the first time until 2020. Surprise! Regardless, I really enjoyed this game. It's definitely dated and shows its age in more ways than one, but I have a lot of respect for it anyway and there's some amazing design choices that were lost in some of the later 3D Mario games, like being able to choose which stars you want to go for. I had a lot of fun with this game nearly 25 years after its release, and I'm glad I finally got to experience it.
Vampyr - 3/5
A flawed gem, but one I have a big soft spot for. I liked how all the characters were connected to one another, and the atmosphere was excellent. The game's very janky and does suffer from ludonarrative dissonance, but I still enjoyed the game anyway in spite of its many flaws.
Resident Evil 2 (2019) - 4/5
I'm not a horror game guy by any means, but I told myself that I'd play through this game for Halloween, and I did. It's a lot of fun, and while it took me a while to appreciate Mr. X, I can see why this game is so well-regarded. I just wish that the sewer segment didn't drag as much as it did, because the horror wore off there and it just got boring more than anything. Regardless, this game is one of my new favorites within the horror genre and I'm excited to see how the RE4 remake turns out.
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build - 3/5
This game is honestly pretty adorable, but the magic wears off and I was pretty done with it by the end. I did like the little twist they did, but I didn't find the game to be that interesting overall. I can at least give it brownie points for having a bit of charm, though.
Yakuza 0 - 4.5/5
Initially I gave this game a 4/5, but after a few weeks of finishing it, I bumped it up to a 4.5/5 because I definitely grew to love this game even more after playing a certain extremely-hyped controversial AAA title that happened to release in December. The sheer amount of things you can do in this game is ridiculous, and the high quality side stories helped keep the game interesting when the story slowed down. Not to mention the music, which is full of bangers. I'm looking forward to playing the rest of the Yakuza series in 2021.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP - 3/5
Not bad. I really liked the music and the art style grew on me over time, but I couldn't totally figure out what kind of vibe the game was going for and the gameplay was extremely boring.
Florence - 3.5/5
This was a pleasant surprise. I knew the game was short, but I didn't expect to get emotional towards the end of it. Sure, the game's nothing remarkable, but it has a lot of heart and tells its story well, so I thought it was a good 30 minute experience.
Ori and the Blind Forest - 3.5/5
After giving up in the Ginso Tree years ago, I decided to come back to this game so I could try Will of the Wisps. I liked it a lot, especially the music and visuals, but the combat was completely pointless. I think the game would've benefitted more as a pure 2D platformer, because the combat doesn't add anything. Also, the Forlorn Ruins were way too tedious. I never want to set foot in there again.
Journey - 4.5/5
After A Short Hike did such a great job, I thought it would remain supreme as my favorite short title of the year, but Journey swooped in at the last minute and took the top honors. I adored this game, and it's such a magical experience with a buddy. My partner ended up playing through the whole game with me in one sitting, and it really added to the experience I think. While I wish the ending was a little more interesting, everything else here was amazing and I loved every second of it. Definitely a prime example of the "games are art" argument.
ABZU - 3.5/5
Poor ABZU. Playing this game shortly after Journey probably ruined it a little because of how much I adored Journey. Regardless, it's a fun little game that looks absolutely gorgeous and doesn't overstay its welcome. I didn't really care about the story, but the visuals alone helped keep me entertained.
Tacoma - 3.5/5
This was another pleasant surprise. I'm not a fan of Gone Home so I thought I'd be bored with this game, but Tacoma is pretty good. I liked the way they presented the story, and while I didn't care about how it ended, I thought the little twist was pretty neat. I wish it was more of a game instead of a walking simulator, but I still liked this game more than I thought I would.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps - 4/5
And last but not least, there's Will of the Wisps. I found that this game was a massive improvement over The Blind Forest, and a lot of the issues I had with that game were fixed in this one. The movement was far more enjoyable here and combat was finally given a purpose. This game is very obviously inspired by Hollow Knight, which isn't a bad thing because I adored Hollow Knight, but it takes a LOT of things from that game. It fell off a little towards the end in terms of level design, but overall I was very happy with how Will of the Wisps turned out and felt it was a great improvement over The Blind Forest.
Top 5:

Hollow Knight (5/5)
DOOM Eternal (4.5/5)
Persona 4 Golden (4.5/5)
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (4.5/5)
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (4.5/5)

Bottom 5:

Sonic Forces (1/5)
Last Day of June (2/5)
Dear Esther (2.5/5)
A Good Snowman is Hard to Build (3/5)
Xeodrifter (3/5)

If anyone's curious, I also have a spreadsheet I made that has these games scored with my preferred rating system that I'm happy to provide. Overall, I liked a large majority of the games I played in 2020, and I'm excited to see what kinds of great stuff I play in 2021.
EDIT: Made the list easier to read.
EDIT 2: Just consulted my spreadsheet and realized that Xeodrifter was rated lower than Valley, so I swapped them out in the bottom five.

Welcome to Everybody Plays Anything, the place for all Fire Emblem fans to post their playthroughs of their favorite non-FE games (or FE games, I don't care)! Feel free to start up any game your heart so desires!
Current ongoing playthroughs:
PuritanPuree - Oldschool Runescape, Genshin Impact
Gravity_Queen - Final Fantasy XIV
lycheetea - Yakuza Kiwami
GullibleParsley08 - Trails of Coldsteel 2
Beddict - Final Fantasy XIV
NN010 - The Medium, Cyberpunk 2077, FE Awakening & 3H
pinpac12 - Granblue Fantasy, FEH, MHGU, Digimon Cyber Sleuth
Hopefully lots of you will join in on the fun! Enjoy everybody's playthroughs!
Yesterday's Update

Hello all!
Last year, I decided to track all of the games I played for 2019 and write down my thoughts on them. It was my personal project as I play a lot of games and wanted to have a written history of what I played and see my opinions and experiences with them. I ended up doing that and decided to post them to /patientgamers and I got a ton of positive feedback and had a blast discussing with everyone about the games I played and I heard about what everyone else was playing! (If you're interested in seeing last year's list, here it is)
Through that post, I received some constructive criticism and feedback that I implemented in my own spreadsheet for this project for 2020. If you all don't mind, I would like to share the games I finished this year as well! I have added my time spent in the game, the achievements earned, and contracted it in an easier to read format. I've never used table formatting on Reddit before, so hopefully it looks alright (kinda worried about mobile, so please let me know!)
I hope you all enjoy reading and please let me know of any thoughts, concerns, or opinions on all I wrote below. Thanks!
(Also the dates are in MM/DD/YYYY format as I am from the US.)

Date Started	Date Completed	Title	Platform	Time Spent	Recommend?	Achievements Earned	Thoughts/Opinions
12/21/19	12/21/19	Refunt	Steam	1.1 hrs	Yes	9 of 10 (90%) achievements earned	A cute little platforming game. Takes less than 30 minutes to beat, but what a wonderful 30 minutes they were. The object in this game is to go and jump on some buttons. That's it. But the way this game was crafted makes it pretty entertaining. The environment looks nice and the movement is smooth I could see some design space not being used to it's full potential, but I'm happy with what has been put out there. After your initial run of the game, some achievements will want you to run through a few more times. I did so and found to enjoy the speedruns and stuff I did post-game. If you have some spare change, I recommend putting in towards this game.
12/29/19	12/31/19	A Hat in Time	Steam	13.9 hrs	Yes	20 of 46 (43%) achievements earned	Man, 20 minutes into this game I knew it was going to be something special. This game has it all: cute characters, cute interactions, cute landscapes, cute everything. This game snuck in at the end of my year and is easily one of my favorite games played this year. Being one of the best platformers I have ever played, this game will rank highly with the likes of Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 for years to come. With how much character and personality this game oozes, I wouldn't be surprised if this hits highly with you all as well. If you have a chance, please play this game. So so so good.
5/23/17	1/3/20	The Witcher 2	Steam	54.3 hrs	Maybe	31 of 52 (60%) Achievements earned	In my opinion, kind of the odd one out of the Witcher franchise. Having beaten the first one and now currently playing the third one, I can honestly say I enjoyed the second one the least. The pacing of this game feels slow, a boss made me drop the game thrice (the kraken) and overall, I didn't have that great of a time with it. The characters seemed very dull and I didn't care much for them anyways. I would recommend skipping this one as the gameplay is not fun. The story is there, sure, but I'd recommend just watching a YouTube video of a story overview.
1/23/20	1/23/20	HATCH	Steam	1.3 hrs	Yes	N/A	Hatch is an odd game, but in a good way. The goal here is to climb a uniquely shaped "mountain" all while avoiding the sun's glare. That's right, the sun. For some reason, being within view of the sun (which looks more of a Greek symbol than a sun) will slowly drain the life out of you. Starting out you hatch from a giant egg, for a reason that was lost on me, and then talk to some elder guy that tells you "Sun bad, top of mountain good" in more or less words. And that's it. Now you gotta climb this giant ass mountain that has a whale orbiting it. The climbing mechanics are, angle-based, I guess? You cannot climb up and acute angles or right angles; only obtuse angles for you! Any obtuse angle you see, you can start climbing vertically or horizontally on it at your will. You'll encounter some odd scenes on your way up to the peak, but a little too few for my tastes. Overall, this game was weird enough to keep my attention. I think there could have been more assets up the mountain to keep me motivated to press on (as falling can really dampen your will to continue) but overall, it was a great short game. Once again, great short experience that I enjoyed.
???	2/2/20	The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	Switch	50+ hrs	Yes	N/A	Talk about a journey. What hasn't been said about this game that I can say? Probably nothing, so prepare for things you've already heard. BotW is an excellent open-world action/adventure game. The feeling you get when you obtain the glider and float all around the world is not like any other I've had in the past with open world games. This world feels like a true sandbox, with interactions between the player, enemies, items, and other assets you would never think of. The creative ways to defeat certain puzzles or bosses I've seen is honestly mind-blowing. Utilizing all of the powers given to Link in certain ways really lets you take a look on how much care and attention to detail and love was put into this game. Knowing that I could cook for half an hour and then go around and tackle certain environments I wasn't prepared for was all good fun, but have you ever fished by creating ice blocks underneath the fish you eyed and then glided over like a hawk to grab it? This game can and does provide almost non-stop entertainment. A true reason to own a Switch.
2/3/20	2/5/20	The Cat Lady	Steam	6.5 hrs	Maybe	14 of 25 (56%) achievements earned	The Cat Lady is an odd bag of assorted treats. First off, the beginning is a real drag. It takes about 1.5 hours to get into the meat of the game. Once you're there, it grabs your attention suddenly. Before that, it is very easy to bounce off. This game has a unique art style that isn't up my alley, but unique nonetheless. The gameplay is very much a standard point-and-click, but the mouse is NEVER used. Going into this, I think the lack of mouse support is detrimental to the game as it could very easily be implemented, but instead it wants me to use my arrow keys (which personally is never too comfortable). The story is what you're here for. This game deals with depression, self-harm, abuse, and other darker subjects. I believe it handles these well, but really start to lose its steam in the middle of the game. In either chapter 4 or 5, the game has another dull hour or hour and a half. Overall, the story stays interesting (albeit a little predictable) but overall was worth my time. To finish up, the gameplay here is weak and it takes some dedication to stick with this game, but if you do you're rewarded with a gritty story that still holds up after 8 years.
2/1/20	2/6/20	Whispers of a Machine	Steam	6.2 hrs	Maybe	11 of 25 (44%) achievements earned	Whispers of a Machine is a pretty standard point-and-click adventure game with an intriguing atmosphere. With a story revolving around mysterious murders happening around a town after the fall of robotic and AI, Whispers of a Machine contains mystery and twists that you might see coming. I found the story to be very interesting and different, but the twists and turns it holds onto for the last hour or two are pretty standard. I feel like I've seen the same elements and storytelling design in multiple movies and read them in multiple books. I wish the story was a little more polished, as I thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and world-building the game had. The "Post-Collapse" world felt real and like something that could happen in our world. The character designs were varied and left impressions (I thoughly enjoyed the robot ventriloquist) few characters were stale in their personalities. The gameplay and puzzles were pretty basic, but I did get stuck once or twice and had to reference a guide (classic adventure game feeling). Overall, I don't feel like I wasted my time with Whispers, I just wish the story felt as unique as the world it lived in.
3/11/20	3/11/20	The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game	Steam	0.6 hrs	Yes	6 of 6 (100%) achievements earned	A cute detective game with pretty decent humor. You play as a frog detective that goes to an island that has haunted tendencies. At said island, you'll talk and interact with other interesting animal characters while trying to solve the mystery at hand. I really enjoy the art style here as it is light-hearted and welcoming. The humor is also in the same vein, as it's pretty cute one liners and things of that nature. Overall, a very good half-hour of content. I do think it could have been longer without overstaying its welcome, but I am looking forward to playing the other episodes whenever I get around to it. Overall, definitely recommended if you're needing a small break from the regular game rotation you have. A true breath of fresh air.
4/3/19	2/9/20	Minit	Steam	2.1 hrs	Yes	14 of 27 (52%) achievements earned	A nice spin on the traditional indie platformerpg. In Minit, you have 60 seconds to explore, solve puzzles, and well, live. You'll need to find items to progress through certain areas (a la metroidvanias) and gather upgrades to keep progressing. I thought the life timer was a unique twist that makes you think outside of the box while increasing the feel of accomplishment. I enjoyed my time with this game, however, there were one or two points where I had no idea how to keep progressing and needed to look up the solution to continue. Overall, pretty happy with this game. Not a ton of memorable moments besides the 60 second timer mechanic though.
4/6/20	4/7/20	Resident Evil 3	Steam	11.7 hrs	Maybe	21 of 32 (66%) achievements earned	One of my favorite series and the sequel to my favorite game of last year. Resident Evil 3 Remake does fail to deliver on the same caliber of content as Resident Evil 2 Remake did, but it was still a fun experience. Nemesis is definitely not as frightening (or annoying) as Mr. X was, but he is still a force to be reckoned with. If you've played RE2, then you'll notice the shortcomings pretty early on in this game. The story's pacing and feel is not as good, the campaign is not as long, and it is lacking the replayability it's older brother had. However, I still recommend this game to Resident Evil fans, albeit on a discount as $60 for the amount of content you'll receive is asking too much. Also, Resident Evil Resistance (the multiplayer component tied into this game) is unbalanced and basically dead on arrival. I didn't need to play too much of it to see that it was a unnecessary rushed multiplayer game that needed balancing changes. I haven't played it since launch, so they may have fixed some issues, but even if they did, I wasn't too impressed with it to go back and check it out.
4/10/20	4/10/20	198X	Steam	1.3 hrs	Yes	8 of 14 (57%) achievements earned	A short and sweet journey through the 80's and 90's genre of games. I'm a real sucker for these type of indie games that know how to capitalize on a feel from years back and that merge different classic genres into one game. From a Streets of Rage clone to a Phantasy Star clone, there's probably a game or two in here that is reminiscent of something from your childhood. However, this game is pretty short and is supposed to be episode one of a series, but the developers have been pretty quiet and there's no updates or news about EP2. If you're looking for a relatively short blast from the past type game, I'd recommend this one. Nothing too revolutionary, but a fun game to chill and finish in a night.
4/10/20	4/11/20	The Adventure Pals	Steam	8.0 hrs	Maybe	31 of 31 (100%) achievements earned	Adventure Pals feels like a mix between The Oatmeal web-comics and Donkey Kong Country. It's definitely an interesting game and pretty fun, but doesn't really standout from the others. It wants to be a zany platformer with a ton of jokes, but it really feels like it just CTRL+C/CTRL+V'd for each world, but with a different theme. I think the story is also sub-par and the characters don't seem meaningful enough. There are a handful of characters that were funny, but that's just because their design was interesting or they had a clever one-liner. Overall, I can't recommend or tell people to stay away from this one. If you get this in a bundle, it's a good bundle member if that makes sense.
5/13/20	5/17/20	Quantum Break	Steam	12.9 hrs	Yes	31 of 42 (74%) achievements earned	This game was a trip! Time travel story done right. I don't want to say too much about the story as that's what makes the game special. Something I enjoy in my daily life is a change of pace and this game really hits that cord. Choices matter in this game as they directly impact the story and impact the TV show. That's right, there's a show built into this game. After every chapter, you get a ~20min live action show that goes through some background story and is affected by the decisions you make in the game as well as certain items you may come across while playing. I think this is a great idea as some chapters were taking a little too long gameplay wise, but after watching an episode at the chapter's end, I was ready to jump back into the game. The quality of the show is pretty great for being integrated into a video game. There are some actors you may recognize from other shows like Spartacus and X-men. The combat in this game is pretty decent (I've read most of the complaints are about the combat, but I didn't mind it at all.) you have certain powers to use in combat like a shield, stop time, etc. I played on the hardest difficulty and all the combat was pretty intensive so that might be the secret to enjoying it a little more. Overall, great story, interesting concept of a show within a game, decent combat. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for an interesting and enthralling story that doesn't mind/looks forward to a TV break in-between the gameplay.
6/6/20	6/12/20	Supraland	Steam	12.4 hrs	Yes	44 of 101 (44%) achievements earned	If you're sitting there thinking to yourself, "I've been feeling pretty smart recently! I think I need to be grounded in my intelligence." this game is for you. I don't play a lot of extreme puzzle games (i.e. Zachtronics), but this game made me feel like a real dum-dum. Supraland is a first person puzzle/metroidvania game with some solid humor and pop culture references. The gameplay consists of going to a new area, finding new upgrades, solving puzzles with said upgrades, rinse, and repeat. This is a formula that a lot of other games do, but Supraland has enough variety that it keeps it pretty fresh. You'll amass different tools throughout your time with Surpaland each with their own uses and some you'll need to think outside of the box with. There are also optional chests hidden around that upgrade health, damage, and other stats. I will say, this game rewards exploring. There was one time where I thought I was getting somewhere I was not supposed to in the map and I worked for about half an hour to get where I wanted to get by abusing a mechanic. Turns out the game expected me to do so, as there was a chest WAY up above and exactly where I was trying to get to. Consider me surprised and impressed. If anything you've read interests you at all, please check out this game. It has great puzzles and mechanics that keep you coming back for more. There is a DLC planned to release soon and I will be jumping on that as soon as it releases.
6/14/20	6/17/20	Crossing Souls	Steam	11.1 hrs	Nope	22 of 32 (69%) achievements earned	Basically, Stranger Things: The Game, but not great. This has all the elements of being a fun, campy, teen 80's movie (of which I am a sucker for), but it falls apart or rather never comes together. Personally, I think all of the characters fall flat and I never really cared for any of them. The combat is just button mashing and uneventful with just an attack and dodge button (and the dodge only works half the time). I don't know, the game was just kind of a bore-fest and now thinking back, I am not sure why I ended up finishing it. The story is probably the best part of the game, but that doesn't say much unfortunately. The collectables weren't worth going out of my way to collect and I usually enjoy doing so. There really isn't much left to say. I wouldn't recommend this game to most people. It has potential, but never capitalizes on it.
6/17/20	6/18/20	Black: The Fall	Steam	4.8 hrs	Yes	14 of 14 (100%) achievements earned	I'd call this a weekend puzzle game. Black: The Fall has dark overtones and light platforming, but it truly shines in its puzzles. The variety in each section of Black keeps it fresh. You start with using a laser to control other people and direct them to certain objects, then that laser is used for activating devices and doors, and then later you get the cutest robot companion to direct, solve puzzles, and navigate around. I'll be honest, I didn't really get the point of the story until the very end. Don't know if that was how it was supposed to happen, but it is what it is. Having said that, I believe the story is about something I do not have a lot of knowledge on so I don't think I can rate the story. That being said, the overall atmosphere and feel of the game's tone is dark and makes you feel unwanted. Overall, game has some solid puzzles and tone. I'd recommend if you're looking for a game to finish in a weekend.
6/18/20	6/20/20	Titanfall 2	Steam	7.1 hrs	Yes	N/A	Every time Titanfall 2 is brought up, all I heard about it was its terrific campaign. It always interested me, but I just never got around to it. Well, recently it released on Steam for $10 and I figured now is as good of a time as any. Guys, Titanfall 2 has a terrific campaign. The movement feels so fluid, swift, and seamless. Jumping into a giant mech has never felt more badass. Huge action scenes with the world's most agile pilot or battling mech against mechs, this game never really lets up. The story was pretty interesting, however I wish the bad guys had more of a character profile or meant more to the story. They all had unique looks, but the battles were a little same-y and during the credits when it went past everyone, I felt like I should have cared more about the baddies than I actually did. That's really my only complaint about this game's story though. Everything else was top-notch. If you're looking for a FPS that is different and high action, check this out especially since it is super cheap as of the time of writing this. For the multiplayer, I've only played a handful of matches. I believe I have only done team deathmatch with mechs, but I need to jump in a little more and explore all the other game modes. It does have the same multiplayer progress as a Call of Duty where there are class loadouts and unlocks for guns and such. Please check this game out if you can. Best FPS campaign I've played in years.
6/24/20	6/24/20	Paratopic	Steam	1.3 hrs	No	20 of 20 (100%) achievements earned	Paratopic was not what I was expecting going into it. I bought it on a whim as it was a horror game with positive reviews, a unique art style, and from what I read revolved around VHS tapes. All of these things I found interesting, so I grabbed it. Playing it now, it was not necessarily what I expected and I don't know if that is a good thing or not. First off, the game is roughly 40 minutes long, but I went ahead and played it through twice back-to-back. I finished it twice because I have no idea what the hell happened in the game. I don't know if it was just me not able to piece together the possible 3 timelines together or me not making sense of anything in the game. The story throws so much at you in abrupt segments, it's really difficult to piece it together in the first (or even second) playthrough. I'm planning on reading or watching a synopsis of the story, but figured I should write this first as I didn't want to be influenced by outside sources. Gameplay is alright. Basically a walking simulator with some minor driving segments. Art style is great as I expected. Music is alright as well. Overall, this is a hard one to recommend. I'm not terribly pleased with my time with the game, so I don't think I can recommend it at all. The game should be right up my alley, but it missed all marks for me. EDIT: I watched a video over Paratopic and a lot of stuff did go over my head. I'll not be editing my review as it was my thoughts, but I know see the game for what it is. However, I still do not think I can recommend it.
6/28/20	6/28/20	We Were Here	Steam	1.4 hrs	Yes	17 of 26 (65%) achievements earned	We Were Here is a free co-op game that has two sequels. My girlfriend and I were going to get one of the sequels before we realized there was a free entry to the series. Overall, I was pleased with this free co-op experience. The game relies on one person being a "Librarian" and the other the "Explorer". Since my girlfriend is a librarian in real life, it only made sense she jumped on that role. The librarian in We Were Here is in charge of information. They are placed in a large room with books, maps, items, and the like all over. It is their job to go through all of the information at their disposal and find out what info is needed for the explorer to navigate to the next room. On the other side of things, the explorer is locked in a room with cryptic letters and needs to figure out which ones to press and in what order. Communication in this game is done through an in-game walkie-talkie. How this usually goes is the explorer tells the librarian what is around them in the current room and the librarian rushes to something that correlates in their room and tells the necessary info to the explorer. The explorer then does what they need to do and TADAH, the next door opened and everyone is led to the next puzzle. Overall, this was a fun experience. There was one puzzle that caused some confusion, but exiting the game and switching roles gave us enough perspective that we got through that one easily. If you're looking for a short co-op experience to go through with a friend or loved one, there is no reason not to try this game. It is free, remember?
6/26/20	6/29/20	Layers of Fear 2	Steam	5.1 hrs	No	17 of 32 (53%) achievements earned	Layers of Fear 2 was a pretty big disappointment for me. I really enjoyed the first game in the Layers of Fear series and played through it multiple times. It was the game I would make friends play whenever they wanted to watch or play through a horror game. Layers of Fear 2 really can't live up to that. The setting of being on a boat and having movies be a large story story element are interesting and provides a lot of creative and experimental potential for the story and horror elements. However, I still wasn't ever spooked or nervous besides from a few cheap jump-scares. The main antagonist is literally just a glob of what looks to be white paint and the only thing that catches you off guard about it is that it comes out of nowhere sometimes. There is nothing about the actual "monster" that is scary or unsettling. The game showed its hand pretty early on with this antagonist because you know that as soon as you see it, you're in a chase scene. Also, this is really the only thing that can hurt you. Knowing this makes every other horror element of the game less intense as you know it can't really cause you harm. Having a predictable mechanic or knowing what you need to avoid or look out for in a horror game can cause the urgency and the unknown to become known and understandable. That may not make tons of sense, but part of the horror of games (in my opinion) is not necessarily knowing what is going on within an intense and unsettling atmosphere. Layers of Fear 2 shows its hand after the first act. Once I got to the second or third act of the game, I just found myself basically walking through a not-so-spooky haunted boat. There really isn't much to it other than that. Additionally, having mannequins as the main humanoid presence within the game was creepy at first, but when you see then as the only humanoid asset for all of the game's five chapters, it gets old very quick. On the positive side of things, I will say that I took more screenshots within Layers of Fear 2 than I have with any other game because it can be downright beautiful in some areas. The setting and atmosphere of certain areas of the game were jaw dropping, so it's too bad the game and story side of things were yawn-inducing.
6/29/20	6/30/20	Oneiros	Steam	2.8 hrs	Yes	21 of 21 (100%) achievements earned	Oneiros is basically a room-escape game on acid. I enjoyed the humor and atmosphere the game brought to the table and had minimal complaints about the game in the entire ~3 hours it takes to complete. Let's start with the complaints: The inventory system is slow, cumbersome, and basic. Having an item wheel whenever you have 7+ items at a time is an oversight and I don't see why this couldn't be turned into a grid-based inventory system. At the very least, let me see all the items I have at once. The only other complaint is the protagonist's voice wore me down towards the end of the game. There's nothing wrong with it inherently (I'd even go as far to say the VA is pretty good), but it just grated on me after hearing it for awhile. Now, the positive in this game are the puzzles are interesting and unique, the one character you actually meet in person is entertaining and funny, and the humor of the game is light-hearted and nice (however I can't tell you how many games have QR codes that just get you rick-rolled.) In the end, this is an easy game to recommend to any first person puzzle fans that want a nice ~3 hours stroll through a surreal journey.
6/30/20	7/1/20	Remnant: From the Ashes	Steam	10.5 hrs	Yes	25 of 45 (56%) achievements earned	Remnant was sold to me (and many others) as "Dark Souls with guns". I played this through with a friend and we both had a really good time! The story is nothing to write home about, but the randomized maps, random boss encounters, and the bosses themselves were very fun. Combat is pretty tight, however, we played through the game on normal and found it was a little too easy to run through. Looking back, we do wish we would have played it on hard to start. Regardless, I think this is a very solid co-op game and can easily recommend it to friends to play through it, but I don't think it would be as fun when playing solo. My only main criticisms about Remnant is that the game felt a little short and the loot felt a little too spread out.
6/25/20	7/6/20	Hypnospace Outlaw	Steam	5.7 hrs	Maybe	8 of 14 (57%) achievements earned	Hypnospace was a mixed bag for me. I definitely dug the aesthetic and the 90's geocities feel of the game. I think Hypnospace really nailed that aspect of the game and got the ENTIRE feel of early internet down perfectly. The story was fun to roll through and kept me interested. The only reason why I can't recommend this to everyone is that if you aren't interested in early internet nostalgia or aren't interested in reading everything, then this game isn't for you. There were a few nights where I was not in the mood to play this or almost fell asleep while playing. I don't think this game has a very high engagement factor. Maybe it's just me, I dunno. Overall, this is more of an experience than a game. An experience I would recommend for anyone familiar with the early internet times.
7/25/20	8/1/20	Silent Hill 3	PS2	5 hrs	Yes	N/A	I've bounced off of this game multiple times in the past, but after some motivation by the newest Dead By Daylight DLC, I decided it was finally time to sit down and finish this game. In short, I did thoroughly enjoy this game. I was not a huge fan of the story ( I know it's a solid story, it just wasn't my type of story), but I did enjoy the characters, monsters, and environment. The shopping mall and the amusement park were the highlights for me, personally. I was irked by the subway level as all of the areas look the same and felt like a giant maze. It's unfortunate the subway level is pretty early in the game as it has made me put down the game before and I am sure it is the same for many others. Overall, a solid entry to the Silent Hill franchise, although it has a rocky start. Silent Hill 2 still holds its place as my favorite in the series and Silent Hill 3 is definitely a good sequel to it.
8/2/20	8/4/20	Dread X Collection	Steam	5.2 hrs	Yes	11 of 11 (100%) achievements earned	This is a small collection of Indie horror games. Each one a unique experience. I really enjoyed the variety of the game and the uniqueness each one brought to the table. I would say I enjoyed 75-80% of these games. I won't get into detail about any of them here, but look it up for yourself and don't spoil any of them before you play them.
8/8/20	8/9/20	Call of Cthulu (2018)	Steam	9.3 hrs	Maybe	38 of 49 (78%) achievements earned	Interesting game, but kind of a slog. This is a lovecraftian game that doesn't really do anything to set itself apart from the rest. The writing is the best part of this game. Gameplay is average at best, pacing is horrid, but the story and characters remain interesting enough for me to stick with it and play it through. I wouldn't recommend this game to most, but if it is on a pretty deep discount, you could do worse.
8/21/20	8/22/20	Dread X Collection Vol. 2	Steam	8.6 hrs	Maybe	13 of 13 (100%) achievements earned	I was super excited about this sequel as I loved the first and the experiences it brought. This one changes things up as instead of just a menu to select the games, you must venture through a mansion of sorts and solve puzzles to unlock games. I LOVED this as it added atmosphere and intrigue to something that used to just be a menu screen. Great improvement. HOWEVER, I feel like the quality of games in this one suffered horribly. I didn't enjoy most of them. A lot of them were more janky than the originals and less of these had smart or unique ideas. That isn't to say some of these are still good! There are truly some shining moments with some of these games, but they overall fail in comparison to the original cast. I will stick with this series for as long as it goes on, but they definitely need to see some improvements in the quality of games or ideas.
8/27/20	9/5/20	Control	Steam	30.3 hrs	Yes	53 of 67 (79%) achievements earned	Control was a blast. The story felt so fresh as being influenced by SCP leads to a ton of creative freedom and new ideas that do not show up often. Combat was a blast and the powers you grew to have were varied and useful enough to provide fun benefits. On this topic, I do want to point out that the skill tree was pretty boring to say the least. Definitely the most boring part of the game. ANYWAYS, the story was super sweet as well as the writing for all of the items and characters. I don't want to say too much as I believe most people should experience this game and its story. Overall, highly recommend as it is a game you are not likely to forget anytime soon. If I could wipe my memory of this game to try it again for the first time, I would.
10/4/20	10/5/20	Tokyo Dark	Steam	7.1 hrs	Maybe	30 of 44 (68%) achievements earned	A Visual novel that could have been more. Tokyo Dark is a visual novel/Point and Click mystery/horror game. Detective Ito has been haunted by a case involving a young girl and must get to the bottom of it to save her partner. The game was a kickstarted game that raised quite a bit of money from its backers (just FYI). My overall feelings about this game are scattered. For one, I was pretty interested in the story as it has a darker tone and is actually pretty interesting with its turns and twists. However, it might be just me, but the anime feel of the game was slightly off-putting. I like anime and have no issues with it at all, but the theme and feel of the game and its atmosphere did not share the same emotions felt as the visuals presented. Granted, the visuals are great. Great 2D environments, characters, and everything. BUT I just felt almost conflicted with the art style and the game itself. Not a big deal, just took me out of the element sometimes. The story is pretty good as well! I don't want to get into it too much, but I always wanted to keep pushing ahead to see where things went story-wise. Characters are pretty okay. No one was really a standout in the story besides the antagonist and protagonist (however I did enjoy the cat from the cat cafe. Which cat and which cat cafe is up to you to find out). The gameplay was nothing much, you move around with the mouse and click ahead to advance dialogue. Writing was pretty decent, but nothing too crazy. As mentioned before, not a ton of characters stood out to me. Most were bland. The story was the main reason I stuck around. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind reading a ton and wants a short interesting adventure they can finish casually in a weekend. I think this game took be ~6 hours for a full playthrough, but then I went back to do some stuff I missed.
2/7/20	10/10/20	Outlast 2	Steam	9.2 Hrs	Maybe	13 of 24 (54%) achievements earned	While not as impressionable as the first, Outlast 2 does dive into the religious horror quite well. Having more of a coherent storyline and an emphasis on varied environments, Outlast 2 just didn't hit all the buttons like its predecessor did. There's nothing really wrong with the game (other than a pretty weak ending IMO), but I think the whole "hide here to avoid a game over" horror genre needs more variety. I am interested to see how Outlast Trials does, seeing how it is a multiplayeco-op Outlast coming next year. I believe multiplayeco-op makes horror LESS scary, but who knows.
11/15/20	11/15/20	The Room Two	Steam	2.2 hrs	Yes	7 of 7 (100%) achievements earned	One of the most popular puzzle games out there, the 2nd is a fine game to exercise your brain a bit. I played this one with my partner and we had great time doing so. I will say, random clicking to figure out the next step did happen quite a bit, but that comes with the genre, right? Maybe I am just not too good at puzzles. Overall, definitely recommend this game and the rest of the series. I will be playing Room 3 sometime in the near future, assuming it is just as good as the others before it.
9/25/20	11/18/20	Yakuza 0	Steam	51.2 hrs	Yes	25 of 55 (45%) achievements earned	One of the most dense, most entertaining, and most believable open world games out there. What haven't you heard about this game yet? The story is a fantastic gang drama built around one event that spirals out of control. The characters are memorable, lovable, and downright hilarious. The gameplay is tight, energizing, and rewarding. The side missions are intriguing, fun, and downright weird. Please do yourself a favor and play this game. Never has there been (in my opinion) so much variety in a game like this.
12/18/20	12/20/20	The Last of Us Part 2	PS5	~25 hrs	Yes	17 of 28 (42%) trophies earned	The Last of Us is a game that I played through multiple times. One of the games that I vividly remember and hold close to my heart. TLOU2 is pretty close to that. I will say that I "No-Life"'d this game. Putting in around 25 hours into this in a weekend just because I could not put the controller down. This game puts its claws in you QUICK. I don't want to go over any story elements or anything like that as I was able to dodge spoilers myself for this long, but it is fantastic. I do have some of my own strong opinions about how the game wanted you to feel, but I won't put those here because spoilers. But holy shit, this game will stick with me for a bit. The gameplay is still tense, stressful, and strategic just like the first. I really enjoyed my time with this one and can see how it won so many awards. I know people have strong feelings about this game, one way or another, but I am a fan. I don't think it dethrones the first Last of Us for me, but it sits right by it in my head.

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