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jchansen's Yakuza 0 (PS4)
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| [March 30, 2018 12:17:35 AM]
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So this chapter I started the second chapter, which seemed to have more open ended objectives, with the first sidequests opening up. I've been having a real difficult time trying to do the dodging minigame that Kamoji introduces, and so far it's been very frustrating trying to get past it. I also started another quest helping a high school-age boy find out what is happening with his girlfriend, but haven't made any progress as I'm not yet familiar with the layout of Kamurocho. The thing that stuck me most during this play session is the freedom with which Kiryu can act now that he isn't a Yakuza. His overall goal at this point is still protecting Kamaza from Yakuza reprisal, but the way he just jumps in to help others even though he has no obligation to "protect his turf" or "show off" as a Yakuza member is striking. It sort of feeds into the idea that it doesn't necessarily matter what kind of position someone is in or what their status is, just what they are willing to act on and what they are willing to do to help others, which I find kinda endearing.
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| [March 29, 2018 01:31:44 AM]
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APOLOGIES FOR THE LATE ENTRY, FORGOT TO HIT ENTER
Today I beat the first chapter of the game, after dying twice during the long enemy gauntlet because I was still trying to learn how to switch controls and forgot that upgrading abilities was a thing I could do. I did take down Kuze on my first try without healing though, so I am proud of that. Over the course of my play session I grew very fond of Kiryu and his devotion to Kazama, willing to sacrifice his position in the Yakuza and potentially his life just to protect him. It's perhaps a cliche of the genre for the protagonist of a crime drama to be the gangster with a heart of gold, but here it feels authentic. Something about his youth coupled with his eagerness and cluelessness at the deception and manipulation surrounding him makes it easy to sympathize with him. Looking forward to continuing with the story and finding out more about this mysterious Empty Plot, but also in getting better at the game and seeing what else it has to offer. I have a feeling that the side quests are gonna offer a ton in terms of interesting dilemmas to sink one's teeth into.
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| [March 28, 2018 12:01:36 AM]
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So I decided to do my next gamelog on Yakuza 0, a franchise that I've heard a ton about but am personally very unfamiliar with. Starting the game in the glitzy streets of 80's Japan gave me a real solid feel for the kind of tone this game would be going for, and I wasn't disappointed. Kiryu's demeanor struck me as oddly noble for someone supposed to be Yakuza, but I was already familiar enough with the series to know that this is a feature not a bug. Getting into the combat, it was really fun, even though this kind of beat-em-up style was unfamiliar to me and it took some getting used to. The language barrier was also not an issue, not just because of the presence of subtitles, but because the characters are animated enough and posses such distinct designs that they are all their own recognizable characters regardless of language. Oddly enough, despite the hilarious amount of over-the-top violence being inflicted, with people being beaten with bicycles and other random objects, it didn't feel as gratuitous or problematic as it did in Shadow of Mordor. Perhaps this is just because this game is upfront about the moral duplicity of its criminal protagonist, or maybe it's because it has a more lighthearted tone, but either way it doesn't get in the way as much as murdering your faithful followers on a whim like in Shadow of Mordor, despite that game's attempts at framing the protagonist as a hero and all Orcs as irredeemably evil.
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jchansen's Yakuza 0 (PS4)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Tuesday 27 March, 2018
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