Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is a special game with an enthralling narrative that expertly weaves its new characters and plot points with the series’ past. It’s a story that’s as thrilling and intense as it is heartwarming and - occasionally - genuinely hilarious.

That said, it is a story that’s got plenty of that ‘for the fans’ energy about it. Of course, this is exactly what longtime Like a Dragon fans will want to hear. But it can understandably leave complete newcomers feeling a little lost.

Infinite Wealth knows this, though, and confidently leans into the fact that it’s a capstone on a story that’s nearly 20 years in the making. And for newer players, it still has its own narrative that’s wholly unique and captivating. But, fans who’ve stuck with Yakuza since its earliest days will be rewarded with a tale that feels deeply personal and plenty bittersweet. Best of all, Infinite Wealth hasn’t lost its ability to make you smile and laugh to balance out its bleaker moments.

Gripping narrative aside, Infinite Wealth iterates greatly on the switch to a turn-based battle system that started with 2020’s Yakuza: Like a Dragon. New and returning party members have access to even more classes and skills. Additionally, enemy AI has been vastly improved, and boss fights feel significantly less spongy while still offering a high degree of challenge.

All that plus some of the best side content in a Yakuza game to date and you have a game that could potentially take you upwards of 100 hours to finish. However, it was all so compelling that I never once felt the game was overstaying its welcome. 

Across the pond

Taking place a few years after the last game, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth sees protagonist Ichiban Kasuga resume a quiet life, helping former yakuza members ease back into the civilian world. After a viral video frames him as a fraudster, however, he’s offered the chance to escape the spotlight by trekking over to Honolulu, Hawaii. Here, his mother - once thought to be deceased - seems to be alive and well.

Aided by native Hawaiian cab driver Eric Tomizawa, exchange student Chitose Fujinomiya, and the Dragon of Dojima himself, Kazuma Kiryu, Kasuga soon learns that there’s much more to his mother’s whereabouts than initially thought. What follows is a story that - as we’ve come to expect from the series - slowly unravels a plot with multiple factions at play and potentially thousands of lives at stake.

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes a dual-protagonist approach this time around. At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about this; Kasuga is firmly positioned as the new face of the franchise, and taking time away from his story initially felt jarring. However, Kiryu’s got no shortage of unfinished business left to attend to. And as a result, his side of the story simultaneously plays out like a victory lap and more definitive closure. For the most part, though, Infinite Wealth’s story is well-paced and offers ample time to explore both Honolulu and the returning setting of Yokohama’s Isezaki Ijincho district.

It’s fantastic to see Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s cast all return, too, and here they’re better fleshed out than before. Nanba, Koichi Adachi, and Saeko Mukoda have all matured greatly, and their personalities shine brighter than ever. Additionally, the Geomijul faction’s head, Seonhee, is now a fully-fledged party member and along with Chitose adds some much-needed female rep that the previous game sorely lacked. 

Take it outside

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is clearly much more confident in the direction it’s taking the mainline series now, and this really shows in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s battle system. As such, it’s worth noting now that many of the flaws from Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s debut attempt at turn-based battling have been addressed here (as noted above) but there are plenty of additions that made me actively seek out fights in the hub cities.

The first big change you’ll notice is that characters can now move in a defined radius in battle. This opens up tons of new options in combat. You can position characters to attack an enemy from behind, guaranteeing a critical hit. Several abilities have also been reworked to activate in a long, straight line or a circular area-of-effect, thus hitting multiple targets at once. These can be occasionally tricky to line up, as enemies also tend to move around during your turn, but nailing these abilities for big damage and crowd control always feels fantastic.

There’s a whole bunch of new classes to swap your party members into. A personal favorite of mine is the Aquanaut, who fights with a surfboard and can deal huge water damage to enemies while providing buffs to allies. The Samurai’s great, too, if you’re looking for a straightforward damage powerhouse. The agile Kunoichi’s another strong addition, able to continuously boost agility which then allows other abilities to hit even harder. Oh, she can throw bees as well.

One very welcome addition here is that by leveling these classes, you’re able to carry their skills to others. Essentially, this means you can patch up a class’s weaknesses with more powerful abilities. At a certain point in the story, you’ll also unlock access to all the previous game’s classes, giving you even more options. 

Unfortunately, classes are still locked by gender. This means Saeko, Chitose, and Seonhee won’t have access to classes like Aquanaut and Action Star. And the lads won’t be able to become Geodancers or Night Queens. It’s a bit of a missed opportunity that I feel prevents the class system from being as deep as it otherwise could have been.

Stay a while

It wouldn’t be a Like a Dragon title without reams of compelling side content. Infinite Wealth provides some of the best in the series to date. You’ve got the usual helping of side stories acting as optional quests, which typically unlock handy rewards such as new weapons or helpful ‘Poundmate’ allies to call into battle.

The first of two meaty side content offerings is the Sujimon League - Pokémon battling with a delightfully Yakuza twist. Defeating enemies in battle (or at dedicated ‘Raid’ spots on the world map) gives you a chance to recruit a baddie to your side. With them, you can compete in turn-based Sujimon battles to climb your way through the ranks, even earning gym badges on the way. It’s so hilariously on the nose that I can’t help but love the cheekiness of it all. 

It’s surprisingly deep, too, with Sujimon all possessing elemental types and special abilities. Some - and I’m not kidding here - can even evolve into a much more powerful Sujimon when upgraded enough. And best of all, as I was thinking it would be awesome to use my Sujimon in actual battles, the game answered. Kasuga can unlock the unique Sujimancer class that lets him summon Sujimon to perform magical abilities. It’s so utterly charming and brilliant.

For something a bit more laid back, then, you’ve got Dondoko Island, which unlocks early in the story. Something of an Animal Crossing-style ‘home away from home,’ here you’re greeted by popular real-life Japanese mascots Gachapin and Mukku and invited to save the island from a gang of pirates. Yes, really.

Dondoko Island tasks Kasuga with cleaning up trash, catching bugs and fish, and crafting furniture and buildings to increase the island’s tourist rating. Eventually, you can even invite guests to the island to stay and spend money; many of which are familiar faces from throughout the series. Is it the most exciting content ever? No, but it’s not supposed to be. I found Dondoko Island to be a nice, laidback experience that was perfect for breaks in between the often dramatic narrative.

One last bit of side content I really loved was Aloha Links. And it’s really super simple; Kasuga can greet certain NPCs with a dedicated ‘Aloha!’ greeting button, and they’ll register to the Aloha Links app as a friend. It’s a small but very wholesome addition that comes with its own rewards, and of course invites exploration to discover all the applicable NPCs.

Overall, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth made me extremely confident in the series’ future. It presents a wholehearted, earnest story about caring for those closest to you and the importance of not leaving any regrets behind. Paired with some of the best turn-based combat I’ve played in years and a dizzying amount of quality side content, I can confidently say Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an early game of the year contender. 

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an early game of the year contender. Want to learn about our pick for last year? Consider checking out our list of the best games of 2023. 

If you’ve been waiting for a fighting game that will push you to your mental limits, but reward you through a level of satisfaction unfelt in the genre when successful, then Tekken 8 is bound to deliver. The seamless fluidity of combat will raise the hair on the back of your neck, and hits feel heavy enough to knock the air out of your lungs in real-time - Tekken 8 is nothing short of a revelation. Offering an evident step up from the previous installment to the fast-and-furious fighting game franchise, there’s a huge amount that marks Tekken 8 as what I can confidently call one of the best fighting games in recent memory.

Tekken 8's most immediate impact is the visuals, bringing the roster of beloved characters - and some new faces - to life in a way we've never seen before. But as soon as fights start flying, you'll see combat that keeps you sweaty palmed at the edge of your seat. The entire experience of Tekken 8 is designed to draw you in, stick with you, and keep you thinking about every fight to see how you can improve. Each match, character interaction, slow-motion K.O., and flurry of blows will have you analyzing how you can simply be better.  

You'll have some help getting there, though. Newly implemented control schemes such as Special Style, and the introduction of Arcade Quest - which serves as a way to get familiar with the game's basic mechanics and controls in a more hands-on way rather than a simple tutorial - also make the game more approachable than ever. For anyone who has been intimidated by Tekken in the past or anyone who’s been considering returning to the series after some time away, all of these features help you feel ready for anything no matter your skill level. 

If you don’t know, get to know 

Whether you’re looking for an expansion to the story that Tekken has been carefully weaving together since the launch of the first game in 1994, or you’re looking for a way to refine your skills and combos, Tekken 8 offers everything you need and more. For most, The Dark Awakens will be your first port of call - a single-player story mode that whisks you through the history of the game and why its ensemble is constantly going toe to toe in combat. 

This is where you get to witness the cinematic experience of Tekken 8. Cutscenes entwine together so seamlessly that you could easily re-watch the entire story without any combat and still feel as involved. As you work your way through the chapters on offer, it’s as if puzzle pieces are slotting together to help you understand the fighter’s motives and reasonings behind their fury. The campaign experience also gives you plenty of chances to test out different move sets and see which characters are fun to play so you’ll know when you’re ready to jump online. 

Although fairly short, having taken me about three hours to complete, The Dark Awakens wastes no time in answering questions that players have had about the series for years. But, even though I praise how satisfying it is to have age-old questions finally answered - or at least touched on in passing - many new players may leave with more questions than they came with. 

There is a lot to learn about Tekken before jumping into its story mode, and, while everyone gets a firm introduction to who people are and they each have their relationship with characters like Kazuya and Jin explored, there’s a firm chance that new players will complete the mode feeling nowhere near as satisfied as those returning. 

Practise makes perfect 

On the other hand, Arcade Quest is ideal for anyone more interested in honing their combat skills, filling that role better than a narrative exclusively involving the roster and lore of the series. This mode focuses on you as a Tekken player, which takes the form of a cutesy yet slightly dead-behind-the-eyes customizable avatar, and how you can become one of the best. That’s the dream, being able to waltz into an arcade and immediately assert your dominance as a top contender, but it’s not that simple. Especially not with Tekken. Luckily, the charismatic friend you meet the moment you start the mode, Max, is willing to break down everything from how to block and punish to how to pull off your first air combo as you explore arcades across the map and fight willing NPCs.

Information about how the game works is presented to you in a far more digestible way than any previous Tekken game in Arcade Quest, making it a lot easier to feel inspired to keep pushing forward rather than feeling disheartened as your opponent whips out combos you’ve never seen before. This is a feeling I’m not unfamiliar with in fighting games, but, with Arcade Quest, I could at least take some time to understand why I was missing opportunities to punish a move following a block, or where I missed a window to bring out a combo. 

The in-depth tutorial-esque game mode also ensures you have plenty of players to fight against to make sure you’ve perfected your skills in each area too. This feeds into the emphasis Tekken 8 places on how practice makes perfect. Tekken 8 wants you to know that you should constantly be striving to be better - a sentiment echoed throughout the narrative of both story modes. 

Power is everything 

The Dark Awakens and Arcade Quest set you up nicely to feel prepared enough to take the fight online,  which is where you see Tekken 8's true colors shine. As the selling point of the series, there’s always a lot of expectation resting on how Tekken’s combat has been improved over the last game, and, while it’s hard to build on a foundation that has already been set in stone, there’s something about Tekken 8 that feels utterly unmatched when compared to previous games.

Attacks in Tekken 8 carry a weight with each hit. Even basic inputs and beginner combos feel earth-shattering, which is amplified as you start to string together attacks that strip chunks from the health bar of your opponent. Because of how satisfying it feels as you start to master combos, you're motivated enough to learn more convoluted inputs which in turn, make you a fiercer competitor. You can almost physically feel the payoff when you successfully land one in a match, and before you know it, training paired with My Replay & Tips feels like a second home while you learn everything there is to know about your favorite fighter's moveset. 

The heat system, a new mechanic that lets you deliver a chain of hard-hitting attacks if timed right or at least some chip damage if you attack into a block, also helps encourage the concept of tangible impact. Hits are designed to be hard and fast when this ‘heat’ is active, and you’re capable of drastically changing the pace of a match with one well-timed activation against an unsuspecting opponent. As a result, you never know what to expect from your fellow fighters, and this is how Tekken 8 keeps you watching with bated breath and biding your time to fight back. 

Visuals and models are more polished than ever before. The larger-than-life aesthetics elevate Tekken’s roster, with costumes and poses defining personalities. These visual cues make it easier to connect with the characters you’ve been playing. Idle animations and stages ooze charm, and, if you weren’t fighting for survival in each battle, it would be incredibly easy to lose yourself in the details of the game.

Animations have also been enhanced, which makes matches just as enthralling to watch as they are to play. Moves feel explosive, and characters crash to the floor making visual impacts that stick through each battle. You can even punt your enemies straight through the walls on stages like Ortiz Farm to add to the explosive nature of each match. With Tekken 8, there’s no such thing as half effort. You’re either all in, or you’ll be quickly searching for your next opponent having taken a huge loss. The style of the game reflects this at every turn.

The fluidity of the animations and the tension created by the speed of each battle boils down to an experience unlike any other. The high I get from a win in Tekken 8 is something I find myself constantly chasing, and it’s a feeling I haven’t tapped into through games like Street Fighter 6 or Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. In comparison, Tekken 8 essentially offers it to me on a silver platter and tells me I need to work for it, bit its supportive modes are there with me every step of the way. It’s safe to say that it feels as if a new standard has been set for fighting games, and it’ll be a hard standard to exceed for whoever feels brave enough.

If you’re looking for a way to improve your playing, it’s worth checking out our guide to the best fight sticks.  

There are few controllers that are more visually striking than the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra, a seriously high-end Xbox gamepad that boasts a miniature full-color display for tweaking settings, reading messages, and assigning extra inputs while you play. It also grants the ability to conveniently adjust audio levels on the fly, which is a game-changer for folks who regularly play online with friends.

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra benefits from premium materials and excellent RGB lighting, too. The tactile mechanical switches are an absolute joy to use in everything from fighting games to first-person shooter (FPS) titles, while the Hall effect thumbsticks should help keep the controller operational without drift for years to come.

Although the lack of interchangeable thumbsticks is a minor annoyance (the included rubber thumbstick caps don’t offer quite the same versatility) the controller’s biggest shortcoming is the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 software. Buggy and ugly on both PC and mobile, it urgently needs some serious polish. 

Thankfully, the wide variety of settings that can be tweaked on the controller’s in-built display means that you can sidestep the software to a degree, but it’s still a disappointing blemish on what is otherwise comfortably one of the best Xbox controllers. 

Price and availability

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra is available to buy now for $199.99 / £179.99 (around AU$329.95). It’s available directly from the Turtle Beach website or at a range of retailers like Amazon and Best Buy in the US or Amazon, Game, and Argos in the UK. Availability seems a little more limited in Australia, but it is currently in stock in the region at JB Hi-Fi.

This price is $20 / £20 more expensive than the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, which seems reasonable given the addition of a high-tech display. This is a different story over in Australia, though, where it costs an eye-watering AU$100 more than the Elite Series 2 which is just too much to ask even with the desirable specs.

While the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra excels when it comes to controlling the headset audio of your game, if this is the one feature that you’re looking for it may be worth saving some cash and picking up the Turtle Beach Recon Controller instead. This brilliant wired alternative costs $59.95 / £49.99 / AU$99.95 and is more limited, but does give you the ability to tweak some important audio settings for a fraction of the price.

Design and features

 The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra feels absolutely fantastic in the hands. Its form factor will be familiar to anyone who has ever used the standard Xbox Wireless Controller, but with the Xbox button now moved down to accommodate a small screen. There are also four rear buttons that can be mapped to basic inputs or software features like the pro aim focus mode - which reduces thumbstick sensitivity for easier aiming.

The plastic grips themselves sport a pleasant grooved design and slight color variations between the black and bronze plastic elements, in addition to some small decals, lend the controller an almost sci-fi look. This is further enhanced by the bright RGB lighting, which runs down the grips and has a range of customizable presets. The lighting is not just for show either, as it illuminates to indicate charging and flashes red when the battery is low. 

A robust carrying case, magnetic charging stand, and wireless dongle are all included in the box, alongside four rubber thumbstick caps. There’s also a lengthy 10ft / 3m USB-C cable to plug in the stand or the controller for use over a wired connection. The wireless dongle can be slotted either directly into your PC or Xbox or into a USB port in the charging stand itself - a smart way to reduce the number of precious USB ports that the controller occupies on your system.

The real star of the show is the display, however, which can be controlled using the face buttons with the click of the input focus button (which is found right below the standard Xbox Share button). You can tweak almost any setting on the display, from button mapping, trigger and thumbstick dead zones to vibration strength, lighting, and much more.

Although it’s a little fiddly to use at first, being able to navigate complex settings without any additional software is a massive convenience. The option to save and quickly alternate between up to ten distinct profiles is similarly excellent and allows for so much more customization than the measly three profiles found on the Xbox Elite Series 2.

Even more features become available when you plug a gaming headset into the 3.5mm jack, with buttons to change the game volume, chat volume, mic gain, or even alternate between several equalizer (EQ) settings. The best of these is by far the superhuman hearing mode - which boosts certain sounds and makes it easier to hear enemies in games like Fortnite.

Performance

The Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra performs very well where it counts. The face buttons are pleasantly tactile and very responsive, which makes it perfect for a wide range of games. Although I was initially a little disconcerted by the slightly strange concave design d-pad, I actually found that it worked quite well during my testing with its shape allowing me to slide my thumb across its surface to make quick and accurate inputs.

The Hall effect thumbsticks are also smooth and of a decent size, but it’s worth noting that they cannot be removed and swapped like the Elite Series 2. While I have never personally relied on alternate thumbsticks, it is a noticeable omission at this price. 

In addition to Bluetooth connectivity, it’s compatible with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC via the controller’s proprietary dongle. I found this could be a little tricky to pair at times but, thankfully, things stay reliably connected once set up. The controller can also be used with Android phones via Bluetooth.

Battery life can vary dramatically depending on your choice of settings, with an included power saving mode reducing the brightness of the lighting and in-built display for optimum battery performance. Turtle Beach claims that the controller can last up to 30 hours during play, though I was only able to squeeze out just over 18 hours of play once I had tweaked everything to my liking. 

Although this definitely isn’t the best battery life we’ve ever seen, the on-screen battery indicator will always let you know when it's time to recharge so you’re very unlikely to actually find yourself running out of juice during a play session.

The biggest let down here is the Turtle Beach Control Center 2 software. Although it contains many of the same settings found on the controller, its janky, unappealing presentation and constant bugs make it a nightmare to actually use.

This is true for both PC and mobile versions. On the latter, I even found that the notification feature (which should allow you to read phone notifications on your controller) was far too inconsistent - at least when paired with my iPhone 13 Mini. It’s difficult to say whether this was the result of my phone settings or the controller itself, but it’s disappointing nonetheless.

Should I buy the Nacon Evol-X Pro controller?

 The color display of the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra means that it’s quite unlike anything else on the market right now. It’s a very practical addition too, as it makes changing your controller settings more convenient than ever. If you have the cash to splash and want to pay a little more for the huge amount of added functionality, this is a great choice.

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How we reviewed the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra

I used the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra as my primary controller with an Xbox Series S console for over three weeks. In addition to this, I frequently used the controller with my PC over both a wired and wireless connection.

During my time with the controller, I tested it with games such as Fortnite, Modern Warfare 3, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. I also made sure to experiment with all the available features that I could find, in addition to the controller’s companion software on PC and mobile.

If you’re shopping for Xbox accessories, see our guides to the best monitors for Xbox Series X or the best Xbox Series X headsets.