2020 is becoming a big year for gaming catalogue subscription services, Sony released PS NOW while Microsoft came up with the XBOX Game Pass. Being called the ‘Netflix of Video Games,’ these subscription services give the gamer access to a huge catalogue of hundreds of games and the ability to play them by streaming on demand for as little as $10 a month.
Yakuza 0, among others, recently added to XBOX Game Pass.
Sega is undoubtedly one of the biggest video game developers of all time, having been there almost since the birth of digital gaming – and their Yakuza series gives us a very vivid idea of how experienced and skilled these game devs are. When initially released on PS3 and PS4 in 2015, Yakuza 0 hit the markets by storm. 5 years later it’s being released on XBOX and is being shown the same amount of hype and appreciation as it did in its original launch.
Yakuza 0
The open world action/adventure late 1980s based RPG, where players navigate around Sotenbori and Kamurocho, fighting enemies who attack on the streets, unlocking side challenges , or finding one of various classic minigames, like remastered versions of original Sega arcade games including Space Harrier, Fantasy Zone and Out Run. Completing particular challenges such as reaching a high score in a particular minigame or eating every dish at a restaurant, will also reward the player with special Completion Point currency; these special completion points are spent at a shop to set up extra bonuses, like character upgrades or special items.
Character growth and customization runs on a system which gives the player additional abilities- Players buy these from a skill chart which gradually uncovers along the game’s progress. Unlike other games which use experience points (XP) to buy these special skills, players can use money earned from side quests and fights. It is considerably easier to earn money in Yakuza 0 compared to its predecessor titles, due to heavy attacks forcing opponents to drop some every time. The players can also lose cash when they come up against a boss opponent known as Mr. Shakedown, a huge enemy much more powerful than usual. If the players lose the fight they lose everything, but if they beat that same opponent they earn their money back and extra.
One of the major innovations that Yakuza 0 has to offer is the additional styles of fighting for Majima and Kiryu which can be changed in mid-battle. Kiryu has the slow yet powerful Beast style, that allows use of heavy weapons; the Brawler style, similar to the fighting styles of previous titles; and the quick Rush style (based on boxing), which focuses most on mobility. On the other hand, Majima utilizes the weapon based Slugger style, usually using baseball bats; the balanced Thug style; and the cool dance-oriented Breaker style. Finishing Majima and Kiryu’s side quests unlocks an additional, rare style of fighting for both characters, the epic “Mad Dog of Shimano”, and “Dragon of Dojima” styles.
SEGA have really outdone themselves in this game. Being one of the best games out there for a jaw-dropping 5 year streak.Their high quality graphics, fast paced intense gameplay, awesome plots like the 80s and a hell of a story, make sure they give the player the best gaming experience they can offer. There are endless game developers out there, all working extremely hard, doing their utmost best to give us new and exciting games to play, on all platforms. After all, the more time passes, the more widely accessible among all platforms games are becoming. Big console based gaming companies who have been there since day one like Sega or EA who are now designing games unlike we’ve ever seen before thanks to the advancements and innovations in technology and the fast evolving world that revolves around it, and also younger, smaller computer based companies who are just starting to gain a firm grip onto the gaming community like Mazooma Games, who have been there since the first online casinos came out in the late 90’s, which are now growing bigger than ever before.
Conclusion
For sure we will be seeing much much more of these ‘game list subscription’ services in the near future due to the huge success they are currently making. Considering the countless developers continuously designing new, exciting games, it would be impossible for us to buy and play them all, luckily now, all we need to do is pay a few dollars a month and we’d have access to hundreds and thousands of games from all around the world, without having to even download them!
