Leading up to Nightreign’s arrival, I had no idea what this game was. If anything, I thought it was a PvEvP experience. Well, I’ve been proven wrong, and my goodness, this is enjoyable.

Dropping in with two other homies, slaying iconic series bosses, pulling out insane clutches, and getting demolished is a core formula that’s hooked me.

Don’t get me wrong, no crossplay in 2025 is grounds for treason, and the game’s instant death of stamina means I’m standing in the open without energy way too often.

But gosh darn it, if I said I’m not having fun, I’d be lying.

I’m excited to see how FromSoft handles Nightreign moving forward. They’ve already introduced remix bosses, and hopefully, future content updates include quality-of-life improvements to matchmaking and more.

Solid start for Nightreign.

FBC: Firebreak is literally on fire

Much like Nightreign, FBC: Firebreak was predetermined to be frowned upon by myself and the masses. Why is Remedy Entertainment, the king of single-player experiences, dipping into the live service genre?

I don’t know what I expected, and while I had some hope they’d hit the ground running, I feel like the current outcome isn’t surprising, although very disappointing.

FBC: Firebreak in its current state… isn’t good.

I could cherry-pick clips from when I played or from streams I’ve watched, but in an industry dominated by Helldivers 2 and molded by Left 4 Dead, Firebreak feels like the predecessor to the live service horde shooter in all the wrong ways.

Firebreak is boring; why do I have to destroy an obscene amount of sticky notes? The gunplay is awful in the sense that I feel like I’m shooting and hitting nothing. The onboarding is so lackluster that you could skip it and feel like nothing was lost, but then you’d be confused about what’s going on.

Don’t worry; the game does very little to explain the lore, further leaving potential fans in the dust.

Why is it $40? GamePass is the actual savior here, and this isn’t an ad.

I could keep piling on this game, but that’s my opinion. Remedy announced plans to adjust the title moving forward, but after reading it, I felt a sense of sadness because why weren’t these plans implemented before the game’s launch?

I’m sure Remedy will do something good here in the long run, but this was a huge miss.

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii marks the end of my year-long pilgrimage

In March 2024, I took a leap of faith and spent $30 for six Yakuza titles. My goal was to catch up to present-day Like a Dragon and understand why the series is so revered.

Fast forward a bit, and I’ve finally reached the end of my pilgrimage, with Majima Skull & Bones being the latest entry. It’s been a hell of a ride, full of highs and long hours (it took me 70 hours to beat Infinite Wealth).

With a plethora of recurring characters, the shift from beat ‘em up to RPG (Infinite Wealth is the GOAT), the evolution of characters, outlandish storylines, and activities, every single entry has a boatload of content. My hat is off to developer RGG for how the studio’s handled this series since its inception.

That said, I’m excited to take a break from them once Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is over. For all the highs I’ve experienced, the continuous use of characters and settings has me a little burnt out. That’s what I get for playing them consecutively.

With the journey coming to a close, my eyes turn towards the future of RGG. I was excited when Project Century was revealed, and now I’m stoked for Stranger Than Heaven after the full reveal earlier this month.

Sotenbori for the 15th time?

I’ll be there, no matter what.

RGG for life.

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Let me know what you’ve been playing below!