Latest news with #Yakuza
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Nintendo Switch 2 review – more than good enough
There was a time when the designers of the Switch 2 were considering calling their new machine the Super Nintendo Switch. They decided against it, however, because it would be able to play original Switch games – and 1990's Super NES had no backwards compatibility with 1983's NES. After playing with it for the weekend, I'd say a more accurate name would be the Switch Pro: effectively a modernised and highly refined version of the original console, rather than a whole new generation. The larger screen and more powerful processor are the most obvious upgrades, but every facet of the console is higher spec. The larger Joy-Cons feel more robust and are easier to use – the way they magnetically clip on to the console is very pleasing. The user interface is a graceful if slightly boring iteration of the Switch's, enhanced with subtle haptic feedback and delightfully subtle bleeps and blips. The drop back to a standard LCD screen from the gorgeous Switch OLED model will annoy some, but the quality is decent and the increased display real estate makes a huge difference – it's not quite up there with the very best handheld PCs, but then it's significantly cheaper than a top-of-the-range Steam Deck or similar. I tested it with the most cinematic launch games I had – IO Interactive's extremely good value Hitman World of Assassination: Signature Edition and Yakuza 0 Director's Cut – and both provided a surprisingly epic experience in handheld mode, aided by the console's extremely good virtual surround sound (you also get full 5.1-ch Linear PCM surround if you use compatible headphones or TV). Just don't expect 4K, 60fps visuals as standard. In handheld mode, titles will run at between 720 and 1080p resolution, with 4K reserved for docked mode – though even here, only a few titles currently support full 4K resolutions. Cyberpunk 2077, for example, caps out at 1080p with the framerate at 30fps in Performance mode. In short, don't expect cutting edge PS5 Pro or PC visuals – we're looking at something between PS4 and PS5. The set-up is simple enough: switch it on, connect to the internet (via wifi or the ethernet port on the dock) and download an update. If you have a Switch it asks you to place it nearby, then copies across your user details and any games you own. The whole process took me about an hour and was completely painless, though beware – if you skip the transfer process, you won't get another chance later to port your stuff across from your original Switch. GameShare, which allows you to share compatible games with Switch or Switch 2 owners who don't have their own copy, is extremely easy too. I tried the local two-player option with Sega's lovely multiplayer puzzle battler Puyo Puyo Tetris. You simply choose the GameShare option from the game's main menu, while your friend selects GameShare from the Switch home screen; then the two seamlessly connect and you can start playing together. I'm interested to see how the feature holds up with more complex games, or with more players. For example, Survival Kids allows you to GameShare with two other consoles, which will put greater processing demands on the Switch 2 that's doing the streaming, and could therefore affect performance. For now, I was impressed, and it will work really well with forthcoming party game Super Mario Party Jamboree. GameChat, meanwhile, Nintendo's rather overdue version of in-game video chat, requires you to connect and confirm your identity via your smartphone, and then you're in. You can buy a Switch 2 Camera (£50) for this, but any old USB webcam will do. I think this may well prove a nice extra for close friends or families keen on playing together while apart; we'll have to wait and see if any forthcoming games make interesting use of it. There are some extra costs to think about. If you want to play with more than two people you may need another set of Joy-Cons, which will set you back £75, or a Pro Controller at the same price. (I tried out the officially licensed PowerA Advantage pad, which doesn't have rumble and only works in docked mode, but is a really sturdy option for Mario Kart sessions and very good value at £30.) A subscription to Nintendo Switch Online (needed for online play and, when the introductory offer runs out, GameChat) is £17.99 a year for one account, or £31.49 per year for your family. It's £34.99/£59.99 a year for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack, which offers access to a large range of retro Nintendo games from all eras and any extra content for modern games. It's a decent price when compared with other gaming subscriptions, but still another expense to manage. Finally, you may need a microSD Express card if you start running out of space for new games on the built-in 256GB. A 256GB card will cost around £50. It all adds up. As for battery life, Nintendo is promising between two and 6.5 hours. I did a mixed test in which I played Mario Kart World, downloaded and played Hitman, and used GameShare and GameChat, and got about 3.5 hours, which is not bad. Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion Should you buy one? If you somehow missed out on the original Switch, absolutely yes – it's the zenith of Nintendo's quest to make a hybrid handheld/home console, with a wide range of launch games (though currently only one genuine exclusive must-have in Mario Kart World) and the promise of many glorious exclusives to come. If you already have a Switch, it's worth the upgrade if you can afford it – the larger display, the better controllers, the social applications, all make it worth the outlay. It's reignited lounge multiplayer in our house, my sons readily deserting their rooms to play Mario Kart together, and while this interest will probably ebb and flow, it's been nice to have that back. The one incontrovertible truth is that Nintendo's games cannot be played elsewhere. No smartphone, no PC, no Xbox or PlayStation will give you access to the full-fat Mario, Animal Crossing, Pokémon or Zelda titles, and it is exciting to imagine how those experiences will be translated to a new, beautifully crafted machine with a modest armoury of fresh features. Perhaps the design team at Nintendo were right not to call it Super Switch, but for the next few years, a Switch Pro equivalent is more than good enough. The Nintendo Switch 2 is available now; £395.99
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
10 Best RPGs You Can Play on Xbox Game Pass
If you're looking for something new to play, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by the volume of games to pick from on Game Pass. One genre that really stands out is roleplaying games, with so many to choose from that take dozens of hours to complete. While Game Pass is probably the best subscription service for RPG fans, you might need a little help narrowing things down. Here are some recommendations on where to start, and what you're missing out on if you're not subscribed yet. If you are looking for a great RPG, you should check outYakuza 0. This is the prequel to the beginning of the Yakuza series, which is often referred to as a "beat 'em up RPG" because it mixes fast-paced fighting with classic roleplaying features. In it, you explore lively, fictionalized locations in 1980s Tokyo. You play as two main characters, Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima, switching throughout. Yakuza 0 has an amazing and gripping story, packed with intense, emotional moments made even better by fantastic voice acting. Outside the main story, you will find tons of extra things to do, like running businesses such as a real estate company or a cabaret club, playing minigames like karaoke, bowling, or just wandering around. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is an updated version of the beloved 2006 classic. It drops you into the huge, high-fantasy world of Cyrodiil. You start as a nameless prisoner who soon finds themselves at the heart of an epic story involving the Emperor and the desperate struggle to close off the demonic realm of Oblivion. This isn't a remake, but a remaster that has been rebuilt with the help of Unreal Engine 5, delivering a major visual upgrade that brings the world to life with stunning graphics and modern lighting effects. While it keeps the same great core gameplay and some of the original's quirky charm, it also introduces quality-of-life improvements. These improvements include sprinting, better leveling, more satisfying weapon combat, and a much cleaner user interface. Persona 3 Reload is a complete remake of the original Persona 3, updated while keeping everything that made the original so special. It is a great JRPG and social simulation game. You play as a transfer student at Gekkoukan High School, juggling school life, forming friendships, and fighting supernatural creatures called Shadows during a secret time known as the Dark Hour. A major part of the game revolves around planning your schedule using a calendar system. You can choose from different activities during the day and night, such as going to class, taking on part-time jobs, or, most importantly, hanging out with friends to strengthen your connections. When nighttime comes, or you step into the mysterious tower known as Tartarus, the gameplay switches to turn-based battles. The Outer Worlds was made by Obsidian Entertainment, a studio famous for creating well-loved RPGs like Fallout New Vegas and Knights of the Old Republic II. In this single-player, first-person sci-fi adventure, you wake up in the Halcyon colony after being lost in space for decades on a colony ship. Soon, you find yourself caught up in a dangerous conspiracy that could destroy the entire colony. One of the best things about The Outer Worlds is its strong focus on classic RPG features. The game stands out for its storytelling, characters, and world-building. The writing is sharp and full of humor, and the voice acting is excellent. While you make decisions, it's not as choice-driven as other games from the studio, but it's still a great game. Mass Effect Legendary Edition is an excellent RPG trilogy. This bundle includes the highly praised Mass Effect trilogy, along with almost all of the original downloadable content, giving you a huge amount of content to play through. You take on the role of Commander Shepard, a main character you can customize in many ways that make them feel like your true avatar. Your journey becomes the heart of a grand story about rescuing the galaxy from serious danger. One of the biggest strengths is how your tough choices have major and long-lasting effects on the story, the characters, the different groups you encounter, and even the future of entire civilizations throughout all three games. The Legendary Edition is the best way to enjoy this series, especially if you've never played before. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is included with Game Pass through EA Play. It is the much-awaited follow-up to Jedi: Fallen Order. It pushes the boundaries of what might be considered an RPG, but it incorporates many RPG elements and will have you settling into the role of a Jedi in no time. The story continues five years after the first game's events, putting you back in the shoes of Cal Kestis, who has grown into a more skilled Jedi Knight. Your journey takes place in a galaxy ruled by the harsh Empire as you try to find a place of safety. You do not need to be a Star Wars expert to enjoy the game; just knowing that an evil empire is hunting the Jedi is enough to understand the plot. The story is gripping and emotional, staying true to the spirit of Star Wars while adding Soulslike elements. Stardew Valley combines farming simulation with RPG features. You start the game by inheriting an old, neglected farm and moving to the quiet village of Pelican Town. From there, you can grow crops, venture into mines, catch fish, and get to know the locals. Stardew Valley is one of the best Game Pass games because of the freedom it gives you. You can set your own goals and take your time completing them, with no pressure to finish things quickly. The game is packed with content, including farming, raising animals, mining, fighting monsters, fishing, and taking part in fun minigames and seasonal events. You can also make friends with the villagers, form close relationships, and even start a family. The Forgotten City originally started as an award-winning Skyrim mod but became a game after its initial reception. It takes you to a beautifully designed ancient Roman city where you find yourself stuck in a strange time loop. The city is cursed by an interesting premise: if even one person commits a sin, everyone will be turned into gold. Your mission is to solve this mystery and find a way to break the loop. The loop only restarts when you decide to break the Golden Rule by committing a sin. This gives you the freedom to follow different story paths and test out decisions at your own pace before needing to reset. It's very well done and worth playing if you've never tried it before. Assassin's Creed: Origins represented a major change for the long-running Assassin's Creed series. This game moved away from its traditional action-adventure style and fully embraced the action-RPG genre. You play as Bayek of Siwa, the last Medjay, in a story that explains the beginnings of the Brotherhood of Assassins. Your adventure is fueled by a personal desire for revenge and will keep you hooked until the end. Bayek himself is a fantastic and unforgettable main character. The game avoids the repetitive mission design of older entries, instead offering multi-part stories and branching narratives with more developed characters. The side quests are a huge upgrade compared to past games. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 stands out when it comes to RPGs on Game Pass. You are brought into a world where humanity is living under a shared death sentence. Every year, a mysterious being called the Paintress awakens and paints a cursed number on her monolith, and anyone older than that number turns to smoke and vanishes. With each passing year, the number gets smaller, and more people are erased. When the Paintress writes the number 33, you join Gustave and a group of Expeditioners on a desperate mission to destroy her before she can bring death again. The story is widely praised, deeply emotional, and thought-provoking, dealing with heavy themes like loss, grief, family, and how art can help people cope with death. RPGs are one of the most popular genres in gaming. Xbox Game Pass has given many popular RPGs a chance to get their claws into more players. Seeing Yakuza on Game Pass was how I first decided to play it, and now I'm a huge fan.
Engadget
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Engadget
RGG's Project Century is now called Stranger Than Heaven
To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio first teased "Project Century" in 2024, and at Summer Game Fest it debuted a new trailer revealing the game's full name: Stranger Than Heaven . The game clearly draws on the bareknuckle brawling of the Yakuza series, but this time is set in the jazzy Japan of 1943. It's hard to get a full sense of the story from the trailer alone, but similar to RGG's previous games, it looks like Stranger Than Heaven will feature an open-world full of enemies to whoop and narrative choices that'll be as determined by who you punch as who you help. If the player character Mako Taito isn't a private eye, he does appear to be investigating something. RGG's released a Like a Dragon spin-off, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii earlier this year. Before that, it's last major entry in the melodramatic crime saga was Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth in 2024. Besides the gameplay similarities, it's not clear if Stranger Than Heaven is set in the same world as RGG's other open-world action RPGs. At the very least, it does seem incredibly stylish, though. Stranger Than Heaven is still in-development and doesn't currently have a release date.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Thug Life First Reviews: Mani Ratnam-Kamal Hassan's reunion film leaves much to be desired; fans joke, ‘pls do skip'
Fresh from the audio launch controversy that sparked outrage across Karnataka, Thug Life, the much-anticipated gangster drama directed by Mani Ratnam, has finally landed in cinemas. Co-written by Kamal Haasan himself, the film marks a massive collaboration between two titans of Tamil cinema — but early reactions suggest that the cinematic reunion hasn't quite lived up to its towering expectations. Set against a gritty backdrop, Thug Life tells the tale of mafia kingpin Sakthivel (Kamal Haasan) and his brother Manickam, who rescue a young boy named Amaran during a police shootout. As the boy grows into a man under their tutelage, the family is shattered by an attempted assassination, leading Sakthivel on a violent quest for vengeance — a journey that threatens to destroy the very foundation of his makeshift family. With an ensemble cast featuring Trisha Krishnan, Silambarasan TR Joju George, Ali Fazal, Rohit Saraf and more, the film is styled as a sprawling gangster saga that attempts to blend family drama, with stylised violence. For a film this hyped, Thug Life has received a surprisingly low response from both critics and audiences. Social media, particularly Reddit and X, is flooded with opinions — most of them far from flattering. 'How is this the best Mani and Kamal could come up with? Like this script brought them back together?' wrote one disappointed viewer. Another chimed in, 'First half is predictable coz of trailer,' while someone replied, 'Joju George and Ali Fazal are completely wasted. Trisha doesn't even bother to lip-sync through most of her portions.' Even the film's attempt at international flair raised eyebrows. 'I don't understand why they even used the word Yakuza in the film, it feels totally irrelevant, except for the fact that KH plays a gangster. Mani Ratnam seems to have no clue why he even made the second half,' remarked another user. While the cinematography and some performances — especially from Silambarasan TR — have earned praise, other aspects, like the music and pacing, failed to impress. 'Just got done. Cinematography was nice. Not an STR fan, but he did well. BGM wasn't great. All this Dhee vs Chinmayi for the song to not even be in the movie. Skip if you aren't a Kamal/Mani sir fan. Actually, pls do skip if you're a fan of theirs. 2/5 and that's me being hella generous,' one frustrated user wrote. The second half of the movie has come under particularly harsh criticism. 'Post-interval 30 minutes enraged me. Extremely convenient plot points for the main protagonist, almost laughable tbh. Sigh.' Another review echoed, 'So much potential in the first half totally destroyed in the second half. Odd BGM choices also hindered the experience. A Mani sir movie without an emotional connect is truly rare.' Whether Haasan's language comments controversy ultimately boosts or hurts the film's box office run remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Thug Life has landed with a bang — just not the one its creators might have hoped for.
Vancouver Sun
25-05-2025
- Vancouver Sun
B.C. seeks to keep $100,000 seized during Richmond drug raid with overseas ties
About $100,000 confiscated by RCMP during a 2020 raid of a Richmond home that resulted in the arrests of three Canadians on drug and weapon charges should be forfeited to the province as proceeds of crime, according to a case filed in B.C. Supreme Court. B.C.'s director of civil forfeiture filed the claim against Chun Yu Luk, Ya Bobo Chen and Shuai Yuan, who lived in a condo in the 8000 block of Cambie in Richmond, after a three year-long investigation that included trafficking connections to suspects from the Japanese Yakuza cartel, according to news reports. The three Canadians were arrested and charged with possession of drugs, possession of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, drug trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime and failure to declare taxable income, according to the lawsuit. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The money was used to commit crimes, was earned committing crimes and would result in the purchase of more drugs and money, which was 'likely to cause serious bodily harm,' it alleged. The co-accused attended hearings in Richmond provincial court between their arrests in 2020, when police searched their home with a warrant, and 2023, according to court documents. In October 2023, Chen and Luk were ordered to stand trial in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver. They attended a hearing on April 15, 2025, to set a date for their next appearance, which is scheduled for Aug. 5 for sentencing. Court records didn't show when or if the two pleaded guilty and to which charges. Meanwhile, Yuan, who faces the same charges, failed to show for his next scheduled appearance in Richmond provincial court in September 2023. There is a warrant for his arrest, according to the provincial court. A message left with RCMP's B.C. headquarters seeking more information about Yuan's legal status wasn't returned on Friday. Police allege the three Canadians shipped 12 kilograms of methamphetamine to Japan from Canada in August 2019 and another 7.7 kilograms of the same drug to Japan a month later, according to the lawsuit. Police said the second shipment was sent to the Chinese suspect in Tokyo and that he was arrested trying to leave Japan for Hong Kong through Tokyo's Haneda airport, according to a Richmond News report. The RCMP's federal serious and organized crime team searched the Richmond home a year after the arrests, it said. Luk was arrested in the lobby and police seized his cellphone and $4,723.90, and the other two were arrested in the condo, it said. RCMP said after the 2020 arrests that it had dismantled a B.C.-based international crime network after a three-year investigation. The discovery of the first shipment of drugs, concealed in protein powder containers, sparked a series of warrants and arrests with agencies across Japan and in Canada, it said. Japan Nara prefecture police arrested and charged a Japanese national and the Chinese national, both linked to the Yakuza and with importing drugs. Also seized at the Richmond home were fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, $90,715 in Canadian currency, $1,370 in U.S. currency and 302 in Chinese yen, along with two guns, one loaded and stolen, two tasers, three laptops, nine cellphones, four sets of scales and a radio jammer, the claim said. None of the allegations have been proven in court and the defendants have not filed a response.
