Yakuza: Like a Dragon

Now for something really different. Like a Dragon is the sixth core Yakuza game in the Yakuza series, a collection of wacky Japanese crime epics. However, it's an excellent place for a new player to begin, recounting an entirely fresh tale and introducing a new hero, the endearing Ichiban Kasuga. Yakuza games have always had RPG aspects, but Like a Dragon amps them up. Traditional real-time combat is replaced by a turn-based system inspired by Dragon Quest, and you can battle alongside a group of similarly bizarre characters, each with their own odd skills and abilities.

The narrative is set in Yokohama and follows Ichiban as he attempts to climb out of the gutter and establish a name for himself in the metropolis. Along the journey, he makes acquaintances, including Namba, a gruff but kind-hearted homeless guy. Like every Yakuza game, Like a Dragon is a wonderful blend of brutal violence, passionate melodrama, and silly comedy. The plot is fantastic, the characters are fantastic, and the battle has a good amount of complexity. It's more simplified than some of the other games on this list, but it's still a terrific RPG.

Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Link to buy: amzn.to/3lHntpO