Like a Dragon: Ishin!

Full of plot twists and fast-paced action, this role-playing game will keep you busy for hours exploring the streets of Kyoto. From the hunt for a murderer to the complex inner workings of the Shinsengumi and its rival gangs, Like a Dragon: Ishin! presents a rich and detailed look at life in Japan at the end of the 19th century. There's so much to do on every city street, from gambling to eating to karaoke and dancing. You could spend hours upon hours playing the various mini-games and completing the side stories and quests, but this isn't just diversionary or a waste of time. Tasks that you perform will boost your renown, making you more well known in the streets as you go from place to place. This can result in discounts in shops, receiving free items, and even virtue points, which can be used to strengthen Ryoma's skills, making him more capable in battle. It's great being rewarded for doing actions that you'd already participate in, and it makes you want to explore the entire town to complete goals. Not all of the mini-games and side quests are stellar -- some, like the viral dance craze, are just excuses to get into brawls, while others, like delivering produce to a store, are minor inconveniences. Others, such as the "relationship" mini-games with geisha, feel more awkward and out of place in this version of the franchise than its modern-day equivalent. But these hiccups aside, the country being on the brink of war makes the random fights from ronin and cutthroats in the streets feel more plausible.

Combat is more of a tactical affair than you'd expect. At the beginning, you may be able to button-mash your way to success, but as you move deeper into the game, the number of enemies that attack from all sides, the armor they wear, and the counters they perform will force you to be more deliberate in your attacks. Each one of the four fighting styles is incredibly effective and surprisingly deep, with its own set of moves, and you'll want to spend time learning strikes so that you can punch your way through opponents. What's more, you'll want to spend time cultivating and boosting your trooper cards (when you get access to them), because they'll give you bonus powers like healing in battle or magical strikes. This is important, since the difficulty in some fights can scale wildly out of balance, with enemies suddenly landing harder strikes and shrugging off your blows, and if you haven't focused on upgrading your gear, you'll find yourself in trouble. But the fastest way to get the cash and items for these enhancements is by fighting, so be prepared to grind to get what you need to fight through the story. You may also want to take notes, because the story is full of twists and curveballs that are thrown at players as the numerous plots, subplots, and schemes are revealed. But it's worth diving into, and action RPG fans will have a lot of fun diving into Like a Dragon: Ishin! for dozens of hours.