Reviews

I cannot think of a single fighting game, that is not a simulation, that does not have some form of Fan Service. Whether it be skimpy clothes, crazy proportions, or even an over-use of sweat, oils or water, Fighting games is a huge culprit in this and frankly that isn't a problem. Some of the most memorable characters in any fighting franchise are those who define the Fan Service standards gaining them plenty of love and adoration.

However, it's not usually the Fan Service that makes the characters memorable, something that I feel that SNK, the creators of great fighters like Fatal Fury and King of Fighters, has dropped the ball on when it comes to their latest release - SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy.

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy pits Thirteen of SNK's famous female fighters, and one male fighter that gets a magical sex change, into a strange pocket dimension controlled by the perverted Kukri. He organizes a tournament to allow the heroes to escape with the losers joining his sand sculpture collections.

The story gives you just enough to make sense of why you're seeing Mai dressed up in a cow bikini and why the characters are fighting each other to a new 2 on 2 rules, but that is it. The story mode can be cleared in about 30 minutes or less and doesn't do much to reward you for taking the time to fight. There is some comedic dialog between the characters and every combination does change some cutscenes up slightly, giving you enough to replay it and be entertained for that short amount of time. The rest of the modes you can expect from SNK Heroines are about as basic as you can expect. Players can do basic VS battles with a friend or against the computer, or take on waves of enemies in Survival or take their skills online (something unfortunately I was not able to do during the review.)

Those who were expecting the deep Fighting Mechanics that SNK is known for will definitely be upset. Controls are confined to light and heavy attacks, grapples, and a special move button. Two button fighters are not we haven't seen before but it feels like the combat has been more streamlined to be a much more casual and friendly to those who don't play fighting games. Attacks and specials are modified with the use of the directional buttons, while blocks and tags are done via bumper commands.

The weirdest choice for the game is the lack of a crouch or lower strikes. It's an odd design choice as pretty much a basic function in fighting games and would probably have helped the game retain some of the deeper combat that it's missing.

That doesn't mean that the combat isn't good, combos and some strategy is still required to link combos with various tags and special abilities still require some amount of work, but the layout makes it much easier to button mash and win. Still, if you're playing a fighter with someone who may not be an enthusiast or attempting to get a younger sibling into the genre, then it serves as a great multiplayer title.

What helps is the game's unique health and stamina system. While basic attacks can be done at will, special strikes uses stamina, the sacrifice to this is that special strikes do a lot of damage and help extend combos, but the more a character's health depletes the more stamina they get in return. Matches end when a character's health drops to the red and a finishing move - Dream Finish - is used to defeat the opponent.

Still there are problems here. Tagging out does not replenish the health of the fighters but rather just the stamina, and matches end when one of the characters is knocked out. Aside from making new combos and switching moves, it feels like there is no reason for the game to include the Tag function that really benefits the other players.

If you're the type that enjoys playing dress up, then there is plenty to do here. Each character has 3 costumes can be purchased with in-game money earned by completing the story and matches. The costumes include each character's classic outfit as well as some sexy or exotic pieces, partner up with some add-ons and you can really make the character stand out in multiplayer.  This, along with various unlockable items from playing the story is where most of SNK Heroines replay value comes from.

SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy is honestly a bit of a disappointment in the eyes of a veteran fighter especially coming off of the high that was King of Fighters XIV. If you're looking for something along the lines of a brawler that would be great at parties or to throw in when you want to introduce people to the genre, then Heroines is a fine time killer.

Sega has been capitalizing on the new-found love for the adventures of Kiryu Kazuma, so far releasing 3 games within two years with amazing results. The prequel and remake of the original PS2 title helped pave a way for the emotional end of Kiryu's journey in Yakuza 6, and yet new fans still want more adventures in the Japanese crime world. (Who am I kidding, us old school fans wanted that too.)This brings us to Yakuza Kiwami 2, the second Yakuza game to come out this year and a remake of the PS2's Yakuza 2. Like the first Kiwami, Kiwami 2 features several updates to the game including additional sub-stories, new mini-games, a major graphical and quality of life update as well.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 continues one year after the 10 billion yen incident chronicled in the first game. Kiryu stepped down from the Tojo clan in order to live a quiet life with his new adopted daughter Hakura. After visiting the gravesite of those who died in the first game, Kiryu is approached by the current chairman of the Tojo, who asks his advice in a situation between the Tojo and the Omi Alliance, a rival Yakuza gang. However the meeting is a trap and the chairman is murdered, Kiryu decides to help the Tojo Clan once again by helping to stop a possible war. Like any other Yakuza game, the story from there twists and turns in a dramatic fashion as Kiryu becomes the target of multiple factions while figuring out the mastermind pulling the strings.

Kiwami 2 has the benefit of using the Dragon engine that was introduced in Yakuza 6, giving the game plenty of detail in the world and animation. In terms of gameplay, this has made the game extremely smooth, as the streets are crowded with people, combat is fast-pace and allows moving from shops on the streets to combat with no load times.

While most of the combat has remained relatively unchanged in format, as players can still pick up random weapons off the streets and use Heat actions to deliver devastating blows. However the multiple combat styles from Yakuza 0 and Kiwami are gone for heavier focus on the Dragon Style, while still delivering the flow from Yakuza 6, giving a sweet middle ground between both games.

Speaking of borrowing content from the latest iteration, Yakuza 6's Clan Creator makes a return with some massive improvements. The new Clan Creator gives more of a Tower Defense style where you have to guard construction equipment with your generals which can be hired or found by completing sub-stories. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than last time, which was a bit of a hit or miss for us.

Of course this wouldn't be a Yakuza game without plenty of side content and distractions to keep you from stopping a war between the two biggest gangs in Japan. The side stories for Kiwami 2 remain as over the top as ever but provides great rewards from new ally heat actions which can be pretty comedic (the S&M Barker and the Plumber were two of my favourites), while the Sega Arcade complete with the arcade versions of Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtual-On, as well as the return of Darts. Meanwhile a new Golf mini-game has proven to a bane in my existence with its addicting and frustrating Closest to the Hole and Bingo games.

One mini-game I didn't expect to return actually received a major update, and that would be what I like to call the "Sexy Chat". In Yakuza 6 this was represented by a cam girl show where Kiryu talked to a model online. In Kiwami 2, this mode gets much more personal as you're talking directly to the model and snapping a variety of photos as an amateur photographer. Instead of pressing buttons to chat with the model, players are able to put their on phrases together with a variety of results. This was surprising difficult to do correctly in order to unlock the next level, and for some reason left me feeling less perverted then the situation in Yakuza 6.

To add to the ridiculous mini-games is the Sega Toylets. These were real-life urinals that measured your urine's stream quantity and pressure while rewarding you with some small but entertaining games. In Yakuza, Kiryu has the option to relieve himself at a Toylet after drinking at the many restaurants in the two cities available. Players can control the force of Kiryu's stream which drains his bladder in an attempt to beat the small game. It's a weird mini-game but like everything else in Yakuza, it's somehow extremely entertaining.

Also making a return is Yakuza 0's cabaret clubs. There is an entire sub-story around this game similar to the Clan Creator, where you are able to recruit girls from Sub-Stories or by other means to work as a hostess in a club that needs help getting to the top and are thrown into a Cabaret Grand Prix. Kiryu will have to advertise the club, manage the girls, assign them to tables and take orders to keep customers happy and revenue pouring in.

It's easy to dismiss this game as more Yakuza, as much of the game is more of everything we love of the series from its dramatic gangster story, its white-knuckle brawling and its ridiculous distractions that keep the series great, but what makes Kiwami 2 stand out above the other releases so far is the vast improvement to nearly every quality of life item thanks to the Dragon Engine. Developers pushing HD remakes and re-releases need to take notes from Sega, this is how you make a remake.

Review from https://gameitall.com/yakuza-kiwami-2-review/