Edgeworth is supposed to dealing with a whole nother' ballpark here, mediating international conflicts instead of a lowly Japanifornian courtroom, but it sure feels like he's at the same level since the drama is almost never treated with the correspondingly greater gravity.

Mires itself deeper into the conflicted direction of AJ by splitting the story between 3 main characters. Phoenix has completely reverted back from his cunning hobo persona to mentorish straight man, which would be fine except that none of the characters that made him interesting in the first place are still around. Apollo is absent for most of the game as if the writers are making fun of his lack of a role in his own game, and when he isn't, it's so he can shock you by being different than he was in AJ. Athena is certainly the most audacious, and in my opinion, effective addition, but for most of the game it feels like she's just there to fill the cheery sidekick void. Top it off with some callbacks that don't really achieve anything and a weirdly Kingdom Heartsy ending, and you have an appreciation for the series as a whole. For what it's worth, the new writers can emulate Shu's surrealist comedy to a tee.

Passing the baton to the next generation except not because Phoenix is still the main character in every way that matters and Apollo is just another 'straight man' protag to balance out the offbeat comedy (until the next game, maybe).

The best one.

Not as bad as people say it is. It started the Fey family plotline that would make 3 so good, and fleshed out the non-Edgeworth main cast.

Definitely the most consistent game in the series next to 3. It only struggles with having to develop the main cast and establish a central plotline at the same time, which doesn't quite come into fruition until the last (2) case(s), a flaw that is expected in the establishing entry, but central nonetheless.

One of the most uneven games in the series. Some of the maps are incredible, and some are horrendous slogs. It has some of the highest route customization via an overabundance of available units, but that means that most of the characters are pretty bland since the game has to accommodate for so many. If you're going for a hard mode run, buckle up and stay away from Sacae. Shoutout to my man Bartre, the only good axe unit in the game.

An unfortunate product of being the third gba title. Even though its maps and enemies offer a more diverse selection, its new additions often feel like they exist just to differentiate itself from the Elibe titles, and not always for the better. For instance, fe8 has a two-pronged promotion tree unlike fe6 or 7, but the standard promotion lines are almost always superior to the new ones. Its greatest sin is just being too easy. Even without grinding, the game gives you so much free stuff that even newcomers can get through hard mode no problem, courtesy of Seth.

Extremely rare: anime game that doesn't get caught up in the fact that it's an anime game. Its grounded characters and unrelentingly grim atmosphere really make it feel like its own thing instead of just a fan project. Its greatest weakness is simply being a fan project, and therefore having comparatively simpler game mechanics and simpler puzzles.

DMC's over-the-top comedy finds its peak with a younger, far better voiced Dante. The opening cutscene alone belongs on display for younger devs to learn from. Despite how hard it is to take DMC seriously most of the time, the story is a surprisingly competent and even almost poignant at times, especially when compared to every other DMC game. Though what really puts DMC3 at the top even with its outdated mechanics and sometimes confusing level design are the bosses. Almost every boss fight is about keeping up with their tempo, and will in all likelihood take you multiple tries. Even the easier bosses have such a foreboding ethos that beating them still feels like an achievement. 4 and 5 have their share of great fights too, but only one of them matches up to 3's heights in my opinion (and 3 does the same fight but better anyway).

So many little things have been changed between this entry and Kiwami 1 (most notably, the game engine previously used by 6) that at times it feels like I'm playing a completely different game series. Though once you get used to the distinct lack of style-swapping, the floatier than usual control, and overcomplicated upgrade system, you'll find that it's still at its core Yakuza. The story and substories are way stronger than Kiwami 1, both in their ability to conduct comedy and tragedy, but they still find themselves struggling to reach 0's highs. If there's one thing that Kiwami 2 can match 0 in though, it's side-content (even if some of it is partially recycled from 0). The Majima Saga is disappointingly short, even if it is a treat to play as Majima again, and I enjoyed Majima Construction, though I can say for sure that most would not.

Even though it's kinda just a tech demo, what with the short runtime and ultra-simplistic gameplay, Luigi's Mansion is inexplicably a masterclass in atmosphere and sound design. The ghost growls, Luigi's footsteps and nervous whistling, the little piano chimes, and most of all: the " boss key get!" sound? Peerless. I'm actually upset that nothing else comes close.

Worth playing after 0 just for the streamlined skill tree (Tiger Drop time) and Majima Everywhere System (the irrefutable highlight of the game), but otherwise it's thoroughly a step down from Yakuza 0. Kiwami's greatest weakness is its adherence to the original's nowhere plot, which is so bad that even the new Nishiki cutscenes + 0's backstory can't make him a good villain since he barely does anything during the main story. I can't fault it too much on that since the entire series is predicated on the first entry after all, but I will.

The most refined DMC to date, but it falters in ways that its predecessors excelled in. It tries to take itself more seriously towards the midpoint forward, but the material is for the most part just a retread of 3's themes only done worse (at least they made Nero all cool and self-actualized). The first 10 levels or so look great, but they quickly lose flavor for me with the dichromic Qilphoth chapters. Even if 4 was straight-up an incomplete game, its environments felt much more lively here. Worst of all, it has some great bosses that are undercut by a lower difficulty. This could be completely avoided by having SoS mode available by default, but oh well. My complaints can't detract from the fact that Nero is a resounding step-up and Dante is still a euphoric aneurysm to control. V isn't too bad either, just awkward.

Like Left 4 Dead without the self-awareness. It's a blast with friends and its camp isn't without charm, but any semblance of horror has been thoroughly washed away, and the level design just isn't as memorable as RE4's locales. Do not play solo, you will not have fun.

I like Majima. He's my favorite.

Okay get this: what if we tripled the length of levels, made the teamwork mechanics and menus nearly unusable, upped the plot's camp by a factor of 20 without any of the charm, made every enemy either annoying or boring, improved the melee combat put also neutered it with a puny stamina gauge, added stealth sections that don't work, and made the game as visually dreary as possible at all times? At least you can still mess with your teammate, so it's not all bad.