I feel like enough of us play these games for us to start a little topic about it.
I’ve been slowly and systematically getting through the Yakuza franchise since Yakuza 0 became one of my favourite ever games during lockdown 1. I finally Yakuza 4 this morning, and honestly, it’s very close to being my 2nd favourite in the series. Having the 4 different protagonists shakes things up just as the series really needed it, and all 4 of them are wonderful characters in their own right. Loved the story, even though it got very silly in regards to Saejima.
What lets it down is the boss fights in this game. Fuck Saito the prison guard, fuck the boss at the end of Tanimura’s chapter and fuck Tanimura’s boss fight during the finale. Really let the game down, particularly when it’s such a huge improvement over Yakuza 3.
I’m kinda a big fan of Yakuza, I binged 0-4 but now 5 has been throwing me a curve ball, I’m up in the mountains right now and I realllly don’t want to be doing what game is asking me to do. just feels out of place for a yakuza game. Zero is by far my fav and in a way its a real shame, I started the series out with the show stopper.
I been doing the same, I got into the Yakuza series earlier this year, cause I got Yakuza 0, and Kiwami, on sale, and decided to play them, and loved them, so I decided to get into the series, and play
most of the games that are playable.
So till now I have played most of them, even the spin offs, and yeah I have played
Yakuza 0
Yakuza kiwami 1
Yakuza kiwami 2
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 4
Yakuza dead souls
Yakuza 5
Yakuza 6
The 2nd samurai Yakuza game, ishin
And now starting playing like a dragon, and yeah I enjoy the series, it has its ups, and downs, but I been having fun with them.
I picked up Yakuza 0 on Steam and played a bit, using a controller as recommended.
I just couldn’t get into it, whether it was the setting or the controls, it just didn’t get on with me. I’ve read so much about this game and it was all positive, maybe the game opens up after the first hour or two but I just didn’t enjoy the start. I’ll load it back up and push on and hope I enjoy it from there.
I first played Yakuza 0 and loved it. After that I finished Kiwami 1&2 and then progressed with the HD remasters. I think my interest has slowly bogged down after 0. I started playing 5 and and now months later I still haven’t finished it. I decided to try Like a Dragon even though I had unfinished games in between, but I paid good money for it when it was on sale on steam.
Like a Dragon is a good game and all, but it seems a bit too goofy for my liking. (MGS is goofy too but I think it’s themes resonate with me better.) Now I have both 5 and LAD unfinished, maybe I will try to pick them up some time.
Yeah, Yakuza isn’t really the kind of games I’d necessarily recommend to people despite the fact that I love it due to how niche and ridiculous it is. I feel like some people expect a “Japanese GTA” which it totally isn’t, it has it’s own vibe going on, and it just doesn’t resonate with a lot of people.
For me, the goofiness is the most appealing aspect, I don’t think I’d love it half as much if it just a totally serious drama about the Japanese mob all of the time. The fact that the devs can seamlessly pivot between ridiculous silliness and an emotion punch to the gut on a sixpence is what I appreciate most about it.
Don’t forget Judgment and the sequel coming next month. It’s a pretty good game. Yakuza has a pretty gritty story (excluding side stories of courses) but Judgment is a lot more darker and noir. Honestly RGG Studio is probably one of my favorite game devs right now.
I’ll definitely get around to Judgment, I’m getting through the RGG games chronologically, so I’ll probably start it after I get through Yakuza 6.
I’m quite glad to be back in the realms of the more recent Yakuza games, I wouldn’t say the PS3 games have aged badly, but there was certainly a noticeable difference going from Kiwami 2 to 3.
Ive had to play yakuza 5 in chunks then leave it for days, sometimes weeks. Wheneever you’re just bored get an hr or 2 done to get past the monotonous parts, it gets better. (Yak 5)
I have judgement but never beat it. I’ll give it another shot but Kiryu is my dude!
That did worry me back before the game was actually released, but then I saw loads of opinions on the internet from people who were equally as fearful that said that they love the combat system in Like A Dragon, so now I’m really looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Yeah I can feel that, I just kinda feel that i’ll miss being overpowered and just beating down on jumps with Kiryu. but I guess close to 20 years of beating folks up gets old after a while. I gotta hope back into 5, finally done with the prison and mountain hunting part. I actually played all the hunting missions out, even though i trashed it earlier in this thread lol.
Got started on Yakuza 6: The Song of Life recently, I’m about halfway through and maaaaaaan, this is such an improvement on all 3 of the Remastered Trilogy games.
It might actually be my 2nd favourite in the series atm behind 0, but we’ll see how it plays out. Returning to just a single protagonist has really helped give the game tighter focus, and the story is way more cohesive and gripping. Not to mention that the game is just beautiful.
This is all i want in life. I just want to play as my boy again. these other cats are cool, dont get me wrong but I’m just not about their paths. i cant beleive 5 is still holding me back from playing it…although i did hear yak 6 on ps5 is the way to play.
I would just bail on 5 at this point, I don’t think you’re missing out on too much by not finishing it, just watch a compilation of all the story cutscenes on Youtube or something and be done with that, still not over how much I disliked that game.
Yeah you’re better off skipping it, and just YouTube it, in retrospect 5 had a lot of problems with it, gameplay, and story wise. Yakuza 6, is much more fun to play, and a better story.
Finished playing Lost Judgement, it was alright, story wise, wasn’t my favorite, compared to the first Judgement, but gameplay improved a lot, and the dlc was pretty fun, the motorcycle parts, were annoying to complete, but only took a couple tries, but the other parts were fun especially the boxing part.
Choo choo, the Yakuza train keeps on rolling. Only a few stops left to go, currently in the final stages of Judgment (which I am classing as a Yakuza game because it simply is) and then only 2 more to go after that before I’m finished. Judgment is fucking excellent, but held back by 3 really annoying things:
Stalking and following people is really slow and tedious, and since you’re a PI in this game, you’ll be doing it A LOT
The Keihin Gang are a gang that randomly show up in the open world from time to time, causing encounter rates to skyrocket and the only way to make them go away is to beat the same mini-bosses over and over again. Lame and annoying.
Mortal Damage, who thought this was a good idea. Basically, if you take a certain attack, your health bar permanently decreases until you either visit a very specific location in the end, or shell out for a very expensive healing item.
Apart from that, I’m having it as my 3rd favourite RGG game behind Yakuza 0 and Yakuza 6. Story is very gripping, combat is beautiful and the characters are a lovely bunch. Got me looking forward to Lost Judgment, but Like A Dragon comes first.
Really interesting. I’m still quite a ways from Judgement but I’m eager to crack on and get to it and the second one. I play games a fair bit less these days so I’ll give my thoughts on the Mortal Damage system in approximately 9 years.
How is the main character in Judgement? Advertisements for the second one make him seem like a proper moany anime boy who just so happens to be a detective.