To be honest, I have been on a bit of an RPG kick lately, and with the upcoming release of Dragon Quest 1&2 HD-2D Remake (they really need to find better names for these) it really had me yearning for a good retro JRPG. There’s something about the setup for these games that really scratch an itch.

Man, oh, man. There is a lot to unpack here. I’m not sure how well I’m going to relay information here, and I know there are a ton of RGG and Yakuza fans out there, so hopefully I don’t ruffle too many feathers by mis-representing the story and the bajillion characters introduced in this game.

I get to consider this the very first Ys game I’ve ever completed. As in, actually watched the credits roll. I’ve gotten to the very end of Ys I and Ys II, then realized how utterly ridiculous those games got and put them back on the virtual shelf.

Yeah, I realize I’m late to the party. Much like every other Xbox gamer, I only recently dived into hell with the recent release of the game on Xbox consoles. Eager to spread my democracy, I didn’t pay much attention at first to the rather scant collection of armor and tools at my disposal.

The Silent Hill series as a whole has been a bit of a conundrum. It was a cool series that started with a great game, had a sequel that many consider to be one of the best survival horror experiences ever, and then…