Yet it’s the most recent entry that nabs it - a visually gorgeous outing that, despite being a cross-generational release, feels like the first of the genre to make use of the power of PS5 and Xbox Series X. It’s not just the visual spectacle, though - the complex themes of colonisation and oppression are some of the deepest the series has ever attempted, centred on the technologically advanced Renans and the Dahnan people oppressed by them. Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's RevengeĪlmost any of the Yakuza series could have taken this spot - special shout out to Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the gloriously bonkers 2020 entry that had a homeless party member attack enemies with pigeons - but in the end it was this remake of the 2005 PS2 original that snagged it.ĭual protagonists Alphen, a Dahnan slave, and Shionne, a Renan noble on the run, form the core of a fantastic cast of playable characters, while Arise delivers the finest version of the series’ speedy “Linear Motion Battle System” yet seen. The tragic tale of Kiryu Kazama, who takes the fall for a crime he didn’t commit only to be betrayed by his yakuza clan’s patriarch, remains as powerful as ever, but the modern glow up improves the game underlying the gripping crime drama.
