Dan A.

For the record, I hope I'm wrong and K3 is fine from a playable point of view, but I do have to be honest that, in spite of my rigid choice to be optimistic in spite of naivety: There's a part of me that does wonder if RGG deserves to receive this backlash.

I'm not really interested in K3 for own purchasing tbh, cause I do need a break from Yakuza anyways, but I also just earnestly have a very hard time supporting their company policies for reasons that should be obvious.

(And, fwiw, Nagoshi isn't entirely a saint himself)

I understand -why- K1 & K2 were made, but I don't really get K3. IY3, to be blunt, filtered people who just spammed rush combos by having actual enemy design and maybe they wanted to accomodate (besides the obvious cashgrabs and retcon content opportunisms that we all so care about), which is silly.

Not that recycling their gameplay was ever a bad thing, because they did constantly reinvent, expand, etc. in decently clever ways. But you'd sort of think there'd be a bit more originality and less unnecessary steps back on things they fixed between entries. But I digress:

I can't comment too much on the gameplay outside of what I've read/heard, but I have to admit that I've never really been sold on the Kiwami games being even needed especially since K1 and K2 are basically romhacks instead of actual remakes in a series loaded to the brim already with recycling.

Funny thing is, I'm not massively surprised by the practices & disappointments of RGG with YK3 as much as others. There's always been some rather questionable things in their choices, ranging from xenophobia or misogynistic in writing to constant inconsistency & corner-cutting with design choices.

the biased khazan boss tier ranking, absurdly shocked to find all of them were likeable (though the top 4 are so good I'm partially convinced the bottom 2 aren't)

And Khazan finishes with an absolutely extraordinary finale, a fight I can call one of my favorites in recent memory. This was such a surprising treat of a game, didn’t expect it.

YouTube video by kisha The First Berserker: Khazan OST - Bride of Despair I & II (FULL)

Absolutely jaw-dropping dual-phased boss OST
www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4k9...

imagine dragon

Rare to play a game with such consistently strong boss quality, but also constant escalation and diversity in demands. And if the boss isn't increasing in difficulty, it's asking new questions for you to address. Whenever I play something like that, it's incredibly satisfying.

If I finish Khazan and Maluca isn't at absolute worst a top 5 boss, consider me impressed.

Started Khazan The First Berserker. Yeah lads, this one might have the sauce.

TypewriterDA's review of Doom Eternal | Backloggd It may surprise that my experience with the FPS genre is rather minute. Some of it just has to do with preferences, some of it has to do with a real-life antipathy towards firearms. Nonetheless, a for...

I'm not into the FPS genre. I had an absolute blast with Doom Eternal though.
backloggd.com/u/Typewriter...

I didn't particularly enjoy 2025, between numerous life circumstances and the like, but I remain optimistic that the next year will be better.

While I do think E33 is overrated in many respects, its OST is genuinely great and I do have a positive outlook on its narrative. My qualms do come from its gameplay even if its fine in totality personally. I wouldn't say I played many games from 2025 spec. that wow'd me gameplay-wise.

the annual dan's game awards
GOTY: Tales of Graces F
Combat: Tales of Graces F
Character: Kazama Kiryu (LAD series)
Story: E33
Enemy Design: Doom Eternal
Boss Fight of the Year: Kosei Shishido (LAD Gaiden)
OST: E33, "Un vie un peindre"
Worst Exp of the Year: Refighting Shinobi PS2’s Final Boss

"So let's make a boss with its mechanics but somehow even less works on it"
*sigh*
For a game that thrives with its options versus a stellar, diverse enemy roster, it's a shame that only two, maybe three, bosses are fun and one of them just becomes another enemy in mobs.

I don't find the marauders difficult or bad, though I do think they are sorely lacking in interactive ways to fight and are too overcentralized with some of their abilities to become the threat in every fight immediately that they become such a missed opportunity in execution.

So Doom Eternal's boss roster has been pretty disappointing, but this final dlc is like ok we got this epic showdown in the works at the end surely this has potential.

No, it's a giant marauder yet more restrictive as far as actually engaging him.

Least the music was good.

Sometimes, I remember SMT4A's final dungeon and how it took a dozen hours to navigate.

I don't particularly take the game awards seriously and neither should anyone. Still, the E33 devs clearly love games, and that part does show in the final product. I have my criticisms of the title and hope those weaker pts don't set precedents, but I'm happy for their success.

Vengeance Is Best Served Cold: How Petr Yan Diffused 'The Machine' A breakdown of how Petr Yan avenged his greatest loss in what should be one of the finest performances of his career and in recent memory of Mixed Martial Arts - and why that matters.

Petr Yan's performance against Merab Dvalishvili stands as one of greatest in recent memory - and I am here to tell you it's even better and more important than you think it is. Here is the writeup, a postscript to endeavor to chronicle his career.
Link: open.substack.com/pub/danalber...

Doom Eternal is so good I can't even conceive of trying 2016 again.

I am on cloud thirteen

I've neglected reading as much as I used to, but I just finished 'The Count of Monte Cristo'. What a wonderful treat that was; stayed in my queue for too long.

TypewriterDA's review of Ninja Gaiden 4 | Backloggd I’ve had time to ruminate about this one for a minute. I feel that most things I write on this site naturally coincide with some level of decision. That is, I know what I feel about a title about play...

I don't know how to feel about NG4. I think it's probably okay. I did my best to like it, but it's frustrating sometimes.
backloggd.com/u/Typewriter...

Doom Eternal is utterly mental. I will be the first to say that I'm not good at FPS titles, though 2016 never made me struggle whatsoever. Eternal demands you be okay with being constantly uncomfortable and that in of itself is a reason to love it.

Had a cough for a month. Thought it was triggered by a cold/bronchitis or was asthma. Had a chest x-ray: there's nothing going on w/ my lungs. Was told it could be a mold infection or GERD. It's to the point that my diaphragm actually hurts and I'd take any suggestions.

A Devil's Advocate Overview of Petr Yan: The Rise, The Fall and The Demands of Trying to Be Great An analysis of Petr Yan's career and technical skillset in preparation of his attempt to challenge for the UFC Bantamweight title as the potential capstone to Merab Dvalishvilli's historic year.

A few years ago, Petr Yan was considered the boogeyman of the bantamweight division. Now, he faces enormous pressure as he challenges to avenge his most definitive loss. This writeup evaluates what happened as well as weighing his chances.
Link: open.substack.com/pub/danalber...