EWB Gaming Club

[RPS]

Hey everybody. 

With there being more and more time to play games and more ways ever of playing games, I was thinking it would be swell if we implemented some form of a monthly thread where we all play the same game and chat and discuss it. This is easy these days due to GamePass and other like subscription services. I was thinking we would start in May based upon a game we all picked. 

For this month, I will use games that are available on GamePass that I am aware are available on multiple platforms (ie, PC and Playstation - sorry Switch exclusive gamers!). I will leave this up until Friday when we will start playing the first game selected. I have selected 11 games. While there are other games that could have been selected, I tried to pick a mix of newer titles, older titles, short games, long games, big budget games and smaller indie games. 

In the words of the famous plumbers - let's a go. 

[Krabby]

I'll definitely be a reader!

[Your Mom]

This should be fun

[9 to 5]

@Subject Delta chose your A Way Out partner.

[OctoberRaven]

 

[RPS]

I will be closing voting in 8 hours or so, but it looks like Yakuza 0 will be the first game to play. Everyone get downloading it quick. I was actually between Celeste and Yazukza 0. I have never played Yazuka 0 before! 

[Ruki]

1 hour ago, RPS said:

I will be closing voting in 8 hours or so, but it looks like Yakuza 0 will be the first game to play. Everyone get downloading it quick. I was actually between Celeste and Yazukza 0. I have never played Yazuka 0 before! 

You are in for a treat.

[OctoberRaven]

Serious Crime Drama.

[RPS]

Yakuza 0 it is! Try and finish in the month of May. I'm loading it up now and will get my thoughts in by the end of the weekend.

[DavidMarrio]

If you've never played it you are sure in for a treat! 

[RPS]

I am a couple of hours into the game. My very initial thoughts: 

• There is way more story than I thought there was going to be. I was not keeping track, but the first fight was 20 minutes or so into the game. 
• I kind of wish there was voice acting in English.
• I like the action of the game, it feels very fun. But I presume the big pull of the game is the story. 

[Bobfoc]

31 minutes ago, RPS said:

I like the action of the game, it feels very fun. But I presume the big pull of the game is the story. 

I'm not sure. I'd say the biggest attraction is the town itself and all the side activities you can do.

[OctoberRaven]

3 hours ago, RPS said:

I am a couple of hours into the game. My very initial thoughts: 

• There is way more story than I thought there was going to be. I was not keeping track, but the first fight was 20 minutes or so into the game. 
• I kind of wish there was voice acting in English.
• I like the action of the game, it feels very fun. But I presume the big pull of the game is the story. 

Yeah, Yakuza 0 can be very RPGish in story pacing. Rest assured, there is PLENTY of action, but there's also a ton of cinematic storytelling too. The cutscenes are AMAZING.

As far as the voice acting goes, well the decision to go Japanese-only for VAs goes back to original game, which had a very slapdash acting job where the only person who really gave a shit was Mark Hamill. They all did this thing where they changed the stretched length of the English VA to match the length of Japanese VA, leading to some very weird tempo of speech, and a few things got lost in translation. They went Japanese-only from then on and the vast, VAST majority of the English-speaking fanbase agreed that was the way to go.

As to what Bobfoc said, the side quests and minigames are a huge part of this game's appeal, especially in the case of 0 which has not only has your standard sidequest material, but also a management sim and also a real estate side story, the two of which can take almost as long as the main story to complete. All the sidequests are wonderfully written to.

Gameplay tip: When you get Beast style, that's going to be your main go-to for random encounters and crowd control. You can easily multi-KO people with Heat actions, and your main grappling Heat action is basically a crucifix-style tombstone piledriver. Thug is good against people with guns and bosses and Rush is... well, you can move fast. Yeah, get your 200 KOs with Rush and avoid it from then on cause it kinda sucks IMO. 

Oh, and the first time you see the really tall dude... just don't get hit by him at all. Don't even try to fight. And when you see him in the overworld, avoid him until you're sure you're ready. He CAN be beaten, but not at the state you're likely to be in when he's introduced. You have to either be really good, prepped for him, or ideally both.

[RPS]

Question - do all the mini-games get unlocked at a certain point or can I only play some depending on where I am in the story? 

[OctoberRaven]

4 hours ago, RPS said:

Question - do all the mini-games get unlocked at a certain point or can I only play some depending on where I am in the story? 

IIRC, the only ones that unlock as you progress are the casino, two of the arcade games (which you unlock through sidequesting) and the catfight club. Otherwise, as long as you're not in a mission (and thus there's no (/) signs on your map limiting where you can go where you want.

Also, be warned: The slot car minigame and related sidequests can get HARD later on. You basically have to have a perfect build for the track in question in the last few races.

[Ruki]

1 hour ago, OctoberRaven said:

IIRC, the only ones that unlock as you progress are the casino, two of the arcade games (which you unlock through sidequesting) and the catfight club. Otherwise, as long as you're not in a mission (and thus there's no (/) signs on your map limiting where you can go where you want.

Also, be warned: The slot car minigame and related sidequests can get HARD later on. You basically have to have a perfect build for the track in question in the last few races.

I liked the stock cars.... until it got too hard.

[OctoberRaven]

1 hour ago, Ruki Returns said:

I liked the stock cars.... until it got too hard.

Beating it may be necessary to get 100% in the real estate side-story, though. You CAN complete it without it, I think, but that side-story is also really lucrative for money during late game.

[RPS]

I am not sure if anyone is playing Yakuza but I am really into the crane games and collecting stuffed animals. 

[Ruki]

32 minutes ago, RPS said:

I am not sure if anyone is playing Yakuza but I am really into the crane games and collecting stuffed animals. 

I started Yakuza 5 last night! I also did one of the crane games where you had to get a stick in a hole (it is just as dirty as it sounds).