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Yakuza Kiwami releases 8/29. Let's celebrate with an Avatar thread! (over 100 inside)

E

EmiPrime

Member
arbok26 said:
Yeah I think Yakuza 5 is probably better played if the player explores more and does more side activities and mini games. That way it's not a constant stream of cutscenes after cutscenes. I think the last two parts with shinada and the finale are pretty great though.
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That's probably my problem. My backlog is so large that I don't do many side missions in games especially in games that are long enough as it is. I will soldier through eventually but it doesn't help that Saejima is my least favourite character in the entire series. I am okay with two characters in 0 but I hope that the series dalliance of having 4+ playable characters died definitively with the PS3.

Revisiting 1 via Kiwami with its simpler story and Kiryu's interactions with Date will be a nice reminder of why I loved this series.
 
J

Jimrpg

Member
Shadowman16 said:
That's the way I always played it, had few to no issues with 5 myself. Well bar the dream stuff with Seijima - well actually the pacing on Seijima was out of wack in my opinion. Having only one chapter in the city where 75%ish of activities were was bad pacing for sure. I love the main story bits of the prison area (especially the antagonist), loved the mountain town and hunting but spending two chapters in prison was a bad move. They should have condensed the two chapters into one, then given Seijima two chapters in the city to to balance things out.

Then again they'd still need all the cutscenes in the prison part to flesh out the characters in order to make some of Seijima's best side stories make sense...
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The mountain felt really limited to me, there wasn't enough people to talk to, and things to do. I wasn't that overly interested in the hunting because I wanted to get to the city which made me push ahead with the story and forget about the hunting. Would have been better if I did more of the hunting honestly.

Baba wasn't a very interesting character and neither is Saejima as a person in general so the prison storyline got kinda boring fast. Compared to Yakuza 4's prison storyline, Y4's was much better from memory. Saejima's chapter in Y4 worked because the whole gang assassination was a huge plot point for the series and the whole thing was done so well. In Y5 there isn't as strong of a narrative to pull him through his chapter.
 
J

Jimrpg

Member
EmiPrime said:
That's probably my problem. My backlog is so large that I don't do many side missions in games especially in games that are long enough as it is. I will soldier through eventually but it doesn't help that Saejima is my least favourite character in the entire series. I am okay with two characters in 0 but I hope that the series dalliance of having 4+ playable characters died definitively with the PS3.

Revisiting 1 via Kiwami with its simpler story and Kiryu's interactions with Date will be a nice reminder of why I loved this series.
Click to expand...

Oh you haven't played 0?

It's freaking great. You can always go back to 5 later. Play 0 first!
 
Zurick

Zurick

Banned
Thanks a ton dude. Took this one
1UymSZJ.jpg



Great idea!
 
C

CannonFodder52

Member
arbok26 said:
.
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Y5 is definitely a low point, but for whatever reason I liked the mountain and prison segments. Well, I didn't like the dreams and yea, there is a lot more intrigue tied to the main plot with Y4's prison.

I thought it was pretty endearing to help this old dude who had previously saved me. Felt like I was was able to leave and move on to the city but had to make a conscious decision to stay behind and help him get his revenge. If I recall, at the time I wasn't aware I'd be able to come back to the hunting town if I left.

I remember it being my favorite of the major side stories in that game.
 
S

Shadowman16

Member
arbok26 said:
The mountain felt really limited to me, there wasn't enough people to talk to, and things to do. I wasn't that overly interested in the hunting because I wanted to get to the city which made me push ahead with the story and forget about the hunting. Would have been better if I did more of the hunting honestly.

Baba wasn't a very interesting character and neither is Saejima as a person in general so the prison storyline got kinda boring fast. Compared to Yakuza 4's prison storyline, Y4's was much better from memory. Saejima's chapter in Y4 worked because the whole gang assassination was a huge plot point for the series and the whole thing was done so well. In Y5 there isn't as strong of a narrative to pull him through his chapter.
Click to expand...

See, I loved the isolation in the mountain. Just me and the animals, slowly hunting them, fighting the giant bear and finally killing the golden dear.

Then again, I like Seijima as a character anyway, probably one of the few people who do! Quite liked Baba as well, especially the end to his story arc.
 
L

LordGorchnik

Member
Hey Yakuza crew. I've always wanted to try this series out.

What's the best way that I can get my hands on all the main titles and play them? I know 1 and 2 were originally on PS2 but that's not an option for me. Emulator?

If possible, I'd like to play them in standard order. 1-5.
 
L

lucebuce12

Member
LordGorchnik said:
Hey Yakuza crew. I've always wanted to try this series out.

What's the best way that I can get my hands on all the main titles and play them? I know 1 and 2 were originally on PS2 but that's not an option for me. Emulator?

If possible, I'd like to play them in standard order. 1-5.
Click to expand...
All right bud, here ya go.
  • Ideal Order: Yakuza 1 and 2 (emulator) -> Yakuza 3,4 and 5 (PS3) -> Yakuza 0,Kiwami(you don't NEED to play Kiwami but what the hey, buy it to support i) and Yakuza 6 (PS4).
  • Second best Order: Yakuza 4 and 5 (PS3) -> Yakuza 0, Kiwami and Yakuza 6 (PS4)
  • Third best Order: Yakuza 0, Kiwami (PS4) -> Yakuza 3,4 and 5 (PS3) -> Yakuza 6(PS4)
  • Fourth best Order: Yakuza 0, Kiwami and Yakuza 6 (PS4)

I can't recommend someone play Yakuza 2 without having played 1, and I can't recommend someone play Yakuza 3 without having played Yakuza 2 so you NEED to have played those in order IMO.

Yakuza 4 is the second best entry point into the series since it introduces 3 new protagonists, a whole new bunch of characters and new storylines.

Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the entire series so it's the third best entry point.

Finding a copy of Yakuza 1 and 2 can prove to be a bit difficult. Sad fact is, those games are rare. Yakuza 3 is retail only but finding a copy isn't too difficult especially if you're willing to go used. Yakuza 4 and onwards are all easy to find retail as well as available digitally so no issues there.

SIDE NOTE: Yakuza 4 was the PS+ game for the month of February 2015, and Yakuza 5 was the PS+ game for the month of August 2016 so if you had an active PS+ subscription during that time and got those games, you probably still have them but you'll need to have an active subscription to PS+ to play them.
 
Humdinger

Humdinger

Member
LordGorchnik said:
Hey Yakuza crew. I've always wanted to try this series out.

What's the best way that I can get my hands on all the main titles and play them? I know 1 and 2 were originally on PS2 but that's not an option for me. Emulator?

If possible, I'd like to play them in standard order. 1-5.
Click to expand...

If you want to play #1 first, Yakuza Kiwami (a remake of the first game) is out in a few weeks. You could start there, rather than try to emulate the old game. They've remade it from the ground up and added about 30 minutes of footage to it.

I'm a newcomer to Yakuza. I thought about starting with Kiwami, but most people advised me to start with Yakuza 0 instead, which I did, and that was a good move. Yakuza 0 was made recently, but it's a prequel, it sets everything up, introduces you to the world and the characters. It has a great story, and I think it's a perfect entry point for newcomers.
 
S

Son Of Sparda

Member
LordGorchnik said:
Hey Yakuza crew. I've always wanted to try this series out.

What's the best way that I can get my hands on all the main titles and play them? I know 1 and 2 were originally on PS2 but that's not an option for me. Emulator?

If possible, I'd like to play them in standard order. 1-5.
Click to expand...
I think the best place to start the series right now would be:

Yakuza 0 -> Yakuza Kiwami (both are on PS4)

That's how you should start it. Even if you think Yakuza 1 should be played first, trust me, you wanna go with that order instead. Now after that you can either play Yakuza 2 and 3 or jump straight to Yakuza 4 and continue the series from there. The reason that I say that is because:

A) Yakuza 4 is also a great starting point and has 3 new protags.
B) Yakuza 2 is hard to find and Yakuza 3 has a very very slow start that might turn you off.

After playing Yakuza 4 and 5 (which are on PS3), you are ready for Yakuza 6 (PS4) which will be released here early next year.

Just be careful and spread the games a bit, since Yakuza fatigue is a very real thing.
 
L

LordGorchnik

Member
So Kiwami is a remake of 1? Could I not start there, then head to 2 (emulator), then 3, 4, and 5 on PS3 and then 6 on PS4? Given that 1&2 are pricey it's either going to be emulator for those or go with the remake.
 
C

Charlouie Jonesman

Banned
LordGorchnik said:
So Kiwami is a remake of 1? Could I not start there, then head to 2 (emulator), then 3, 4, and 5 on PS3 and then 6 on PS4? Given that 1&2 are pricey it's either going to be emulator for those or go with the remake.
Click to expand...

You could. Or you could start with 0, which takes place before 1/Kiwami. Now you could argue that 0 was written with the already existing games in mind and there are a couple of references to later games. But then again, Kiwami came after 0 and adds some scenes and substories that build upon stuff that's introduced in 0.
 
J

Jimrpg

Member
Shadowman16 said:
See, I loved the isolation in the mountain. Just me and the animals, slowly hunting them, fighting the giant bear and finally killing the golden dear.

Then again, I like Seijima as a character anyway, probably one of the few people who do! Quite liked Baba as well, especially the end to his story arc.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Baba fight Shinada at the end? Plot got derailed a bit at the end for me haha.

LordGorchnik said:
Hey Yakuza crew. I've always wanted to try this series out.

What's the best way that I can get my hands on all the main titles and play them? I know 1 and 2 were originally on PS2 but that's not an option for me. Emulator?

If possible, I'd like to play them in standard order. 1-5.
Click to expand...

Going to agree with Son of Sparda on this one. 0 and Kiwami for now.

Don't forget if you enjoy these games, most of them are pretty long. Do you have time to start from the start and play through every single one in release order? Yakuza 0 is the best one in my opinion, and you'd have to play thru 5 other mainline games before you get to it. You could easily be wondering why fans loves this series, when you're playing through a somewhat archaic game from 10 years ago.

Secondly, 0 on its own has a 25 hour main story, with about 20 hours of side stories, another 40 hours side activities/mini games. Kiwami is the same but a bit shorter. Here you already have 100-150 hours of content.

After you play 0 and Kiwami, you could then play Yakuza 2-5. You could play just the main story in every single Yakuza game, but I don't think it would be as enjoyable to do that. Suffice to say with 7 mainline games and 3 spinoffs, you'll never be short of Yakuza content so just play 0 and Kiwami and start with the latest ones.
 
A

Alfredo

Member
As someone without a PS4, I started with the original Yakuza 1 after buying the recent reprints of 1, 2, and 3.

I played through 1 and 2, and I'm currently on 3. I've been loving the journey so far.

I really hope they do a "Kiwami" for second game, though. I can imagine it'll be really hard to go from Yakuza 0/Kiwami's gameplay to the original Yakuza 2.
 
S

sasliquid

Member
Thanks to the above advice I realised I own 4+5 on ps+.

After Kiwami should I drag the old PS3 out for those or skip straight to 6?
 
L

lucebuce12

Member
sasliquid said:
Thanks to the above advice I realised I own 4+5 on ps+.

After Kiwami should I drag the old PS3 out for those or skip straight to 6?
Click to expand...

6 takes place directly after the events of Y5 so the link does matter.

And you basically will feel very lost with the characters if you haven't played Y4.

So after Kiwami, play Y4 and Y5 before going to Y6.
 
S

Son Of Sparda

Member
sasliquid said:
Thanks to the above advice I realised I own 4+5 on ps+.

After Kiwami should I drag the old PS3 out for those or skip straight to 6?
Click to expand...
Yeah, after Kiwami you should at least give Yakuza 4 a try, since you already have it. Ideally you should finish Y5 as well, but Y5 is imo the weakest entry in the series so feel free to skip it if you didn't find yourself enjoying it.
D-Man said:
Anyone mind adding the new banner to my avatar?

WM3g7T7.png
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GEW1463.png
 
A

Assanova

Member
Out of curiosity, why are they releasing this so soon after Yakuza 0? Has it even been a year yet? I'm just now getting into the meat of Yakuza 0, and it doesn't feel like it has been out for that long.
 
C

CannonFodder52

Member
Assanova said:
Out of curiosity, why are they releasing this so soon after Yakuza 0? Has it even been a year yet? I'm just now getting into the meat of Yakuza 0, and it doesn't feel like it has been out for that long.
Click to expand...

I guess, they could have spaced it more. But fans have been waiting for these titles to release in the west for quite a while.

Yakuza 0 originally came out in March 2015
Kiwami came out in January 2016

aechris said:
Hell yeah, I'll rock Fighter!!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Fighter is a legend
 
pots555

pots555

Member
I have the fifth one just sitting there on my PS3. Just gotta finish my playtrough oh the fourth one before starting it. I guess I'll wait after Kiwami.
 
S

SolidSnakex

Member
Assanova said:
Out of curiosity, why are they releasing this so soon after Yakuza 0? Has it even been a year yet? I'm just now getting into the meat of Yakuza 0, and it doesn't feel like it has been out for that long.
Click to expand...

Well, Kiwami and 6 came out in the same year in Japan (although they were at the beginning and end of the year). The short length here is likely just down to them being backed up in terms of releases. Just to put things into perspective, Yakuza 0, Kiwami and 6 had all been released in Japan because 0 was released in the west.
 
S

sasliquid

Member
CannonFodder52 said:
Play 4 at least, imo.
Click to expand...

lucebuce12 said:
6 takes place directly after the events of Y5 so the link does matter.

And you basically will feel very lost with the characters if you haven't played Y4.

So after Kiwami, play Y4 and Y5 before going to Y6.
Click to expand...

Cool so I'll go K->4 ->5 ->6
So I'll have to miss out on 2 and 3.

Are all the games relatively stand alone plots or are they like arcs or all intergrel to one another?
 
L

lucebuce12

Member
sasliquid said:
Cool so I'll go K->4 ->5 ->6
So I'll have to miss out on 2 and 3.

Are all the games relatively stand alone plots or are they like arcs or all intergrel to one another?
Click to expand...

All the games are standalone. The effects of the previous games have little effect on the overall story of the next ones. The only game that has a strong effect, is going Y5 -> Y6 since it continue DIRECTLY after the end of Y5.

Usually the other games have a small timeskip or take place somewhere new.

But they're all pretty much standalone, you don't even really need to have played Y5 to enjoy Y6, it just helps get what's going on at the absolute start and then we see it again, timeskip.

And if you thought you liked Kiryu and Majima, wait until you meet Akiyama who is one of the protagonists in Y4 and Y5. He is fucking awesome.
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
Just finished Zero.

I am really excited for this. I wish I had discovered Yakuza earlier. Not sure I can go back to playing the PS2/PS3 games.

Well, maybe I could do the PS3 games.
 
L

lucebuce12

Member
Proteus said:
Just finished Zero.

I am really excited for this. I wish I had discovered Yakuza earlier. Not sure I can go back to playing the PS2/PS3 games.

Well, maybe I could do the PS3 games.
Click to expand...
After Kiwami, you really only have Yakuza 2 as the only PS2 game left.

You should do what sasliquid is doing and go Y0 -> Y:kiwami -> Y4 -> Y5 -> Y6.
 
K

KyleCross

Member
Just realized after being avatar-quoted that the banner makes my avatar look naked. Screw it, Yakuza is worth the strange looks!
lucebuce12 said:
You should do what sasliquid is doing and go Y0 -> Y:kiwami -> Y4 -> Y5 -> Y6.
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Nonononono! Definitely play Yakuza 2, PS2 or not. It's the best in the series. Do not skip it. Yakuza 3 is also pretty great, it just has a slow start.
 
R

Rnr1224

Member
I'm recently playing the whole series after 0 and have completely fallen in love. I am about halfway through 3 now and enjoying it immensely. Its really cool to play them all back to back and see all of the changes and improvements to the world and the gameplay as well.

I'd love if someone could add the yakuza supporter tag to my avatar as well :)
 
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