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Yakuza KIWAMI |OT| Translator's Note: "KIWAMI" means "EXTREME"

chogidogs

Member
Kinda sad that the Pocket Circuit string of quests is short on this one. On 0 it was pretty long but it did make me want to get better.
 
My first post on GAF and really looking forward to play this when I'm back from holiday.
I learned so much about the series just by browsing on the pages here.
Started with Yakuza 3 and really loved that even though I see some people disliking it I really loved the father figure they tried to implent into the game.

Hey pal, welcome!

Yea, YakuzaGAF is great. If you haven't already, check out the Yakuza Community Thread for chill discussion on the older games too.

I'd also agree with you, Yakuza 3 is incredible. I love the pacing of that title, the vibes, the setting,
Mine.
It's at top of my need to replay list at the moment.
 

Basarili

Neo Member
Hey pal, welcome!

Yea, YakuzaGAF is great. If you haven't already, check out the Yakuza Community Thread for chill discussion on the older games too.

I'd also agree with you, Yakuza 3 is incredible. I love the pacing of that title, the vibes, the setting,
Mine.
It's at top of my need to replay list at the moment.

Hello,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I would love to replay it too and even hope they announce a remaster of 3,4 and 5 for PS4.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
I'll finally be able to play my copy of Kiwami soon! Any general "Don't Equip Charismatic Autobiography"-tier tips I should keep in mind? I should be completing most sidequests, so any tips on those or mini-games would be appreciated too.
 
I'll finally be able to play my copy of Kiwami soon! Any general "Don't Equip Charismatic Autobiography"-tier tips I should keep in mind? I should be completing most sidequests, so any tips on those or mini-games would be appreciated too.

Yes. First of all, here's a guide for all the ideal builds for Pocket Racing. You can get parts from weapons dealers and Don Quijote (I think) and the Pawn shop as well as of course at the track it self.

(i) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY

(ii) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC PHOTO

(iii) You get EXP pretty handily by beating Majima and doing quests so I don't think you'll be starved for it.

(iv) When you get access to Komaki by clearing through the story mode, try to unlock Tiger Drop as quickly as possible. It makes the Majima fights a freaking cake walk.

(v) This game on Hard is harder than Yakuza 0 on Hard.

(vi) Unlike previous Yakuza games, you can save at any place in the world by opening up the main menu and using save.

(vii) MesuKing is a wholesome game, fun for the whole family and kids of all ages.

(viii) Remember that this is a remake of not just a PS2 game, the first ever PS2 Yakuza game. So expect the general story cutscenes and beats to be "simplistic" as compared to some of the cinematic experiences we've seen throughout the series.

(ix) You get the Trouble finder accessory that marks starting points for substories through getting enough CP points and redeeming them at Bob who stands near the entrance to Shinjuku street (Near Serena). Also some of the substories can only be started/continued if you have Haruka with you. You can do those quests during certain parts of the story where you can have Haruka walk with you, or after finishing the main story and walking about in Premium Adventure.

(x) Git gud

EDIT:
(xi) Don't forget to go back to main menu after beating some of the stages in Climax Battle mode, before closing the game.

I lost my progression on Proving Grounds 1 through 8, because I just closed the game without coming back to main menu :(
 
Beat the game. And thus Yakuza started the tradition of Kiryu leaving the guy he just beat up alone with a weapon nearby leading to fatal results. Also starts the tradition of fucking Kiryu over at every turn.
 
D

Deleted member 30609

Unconfirmed Member
Finally playing this after Zero. It's a tad hard to get into after how fucking on point Zero was tonally -- I can really feel the age of this game.

I just finished the funeral scene, and so far the flashbacks with Nishki are far and away the most interesting thing happening so far. After how careful the character work was in Zero, there's a bit of whiplash here with how obvious the main players are behaving.

I mean, I'm going to keep playing it and I'm taking it all in knowing the context (ie it's age), but I've lowered the difficulty and -- well -- my expectations. It's cool to see where it all began, though.

I'm fascinated at how this came to be. Like, are they literally using the same data as the PS2 game on some level? Some of the cutscenes direction and facial expressions feel really, really old.

Also, I'm impressed at how much reuse they've been able to get out of the Zero assets. It's cool to see a game use the same sets to tell a different story. I wish it happened more often.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Yes. First of all, here's a guide for all the ideal builds for Pocket Racing. You can get parts from weapons dealers and Don Quijote (I think) and the Pawn shop as well as of course at the track it self.

(i) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY

(ii) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC PHOTO

(iii) You get EXP pretty handily by beating Majima and doing quests so I don't think you'll be starved for it.

(iv) When you get access to Komaki by clearing through the story mode, try to unlock Tiger Drop as quickly as possible. It makes the Majima fights a freaking cake walk.

(v) This game on Hard is harder than Yakuza 0 on Hard.

(vi) Unlike previous Yakuza games, you can save at any place in the world by opening up the main menu and using save.

(vii) MesuKing is a wholesome game, fun for the whole family and kids of all ages.

(viii) Remember that this is a remake of not just a PS2 game, the first ever PS2 Yakuza game. So expect the general story cutscenes and beats to be "simplistic" as compared to some of the cinematic experiences we've seen throughout the series.

(ix) You get the Trouble finder accessory that marks starting points for substories through getting enough CP points and redeeming them at Bob who stands near the entrance to Shinjuku street (Near Serena). Also some of the substories can only be started/continued if you have Haruka with you. You can do those quests during certain parts of the story where you can have Haruka walk with you, or after finishing the main story and walking about in Premium Adventure.

(x) Git gud

Thanks luce!
 

A.J.

Banned
So Majima stopped appearing for me after Rank F was maxed. I received and email telling me to go to the Shrine, but only Rina is there. I'm on chapter 11 and I haven't seen him in a long while. Am I doing something wrong?

Edit: Nevermind. I figured it out.
 

KillLaCam

Banned
Just beat it. It was awesome but I think they were a little too faithful to the original with the boss fights. 0 had way more fun bosses imo.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
I just started playing Kiwami (finished three chapters so far). I don't mind it's the same map as in Yakuza 0, because I play it mostly for the main story and the substories. I'm not sure what to think about Goro Majima stalking you throughout the game like Nemesis in RE3. ;p Maybe I'll like it eventually.
 

_Ryo_

Member
Still playing and enjoying. On Chapter 13. Again, I cant stress enough how much I hate the "Majima Everywhere" system. I am at the point where I feek like intentionally losing so I can get on with the story.

I will say, I am loving the game but there are quite a few annoying things. Like at really dramatic moments you are running down the street, going to your next location, the music is thumping with an intense rhythm and suddenly a completely random sub story activates, the intense music gone, you are expected to do some mundane task,you complete it and another sub story immediately activates. Just by heading to the place you are supposed to go


Majima Everywhere and these types of substories completely break the pacing of the game and seriously hamper my enjoyment of it. Also I feel Majima is a super unfair fight everytime.
 

Cess007

Member
I'm at chapter 11.

I already passed the infamous
car chase scene
, and I gotta say. I loved it. I don't know why some people hated it, I thought it was a fun as in Y0. Also, I gotta say, the game does an incredible job of making Nishikiyama a good villain.
 
I loved it. I don't know why some people hated it, I thought it was a fun as in Y0.
.
GKSGOtE.gif
 

xezuru

Member
I'm back in infinite mahjong hell for that last 6ish percent of completion to 100% the game and I feel like im even worse at it then Y0 where I had zero knowledge 🙈
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Is there any way you can check every Locker Key you have in detail via the Menu? Similar to the gallery for gravure cards in Yakuza 0?

Edit: Nevermind, i guess you can only cross-reference at the lockers themselves. :S
 

bryanee

Member
I finished this today and I have to say I was disappointed especially coming off of the awesome Zero. As much as I adore Majima the Majima system really got old fast even though there was some genuinely awesome moments during it (
Zombies, Hostess etc
). The substories just seemed really mundane for the most part as well.

My biggest gripe are the bosses. Just cheap fights.

That being said I loved the story and characters and the combat. And because I have played Zero I had extra emotional attachments to a bunch of characters and if I never did play Zero I'm not sure the story for Kiwami would have hit as hard.

Looking forward to 6 and Kiwami 2.
 
I'm at chapter 11.

I already passed the infamous
car chase scene
, and I gotta say. I loved it. I don't know why some people hated it, I thought it was a fun as in Y0. Also, I gotta say, the game does an incredible job of making Nishikiyama a good villain.

Because your gun doesn't do nearly enough damage, the enemies are bullet sponges, a gun in a rail shooter shouldn't have kickback, and bullet time shouldn't slow you down, too.

After the third time I failed it I had to take a time out to go smoke and scream about how I felt like I was playing the most poorly designed sequence in modern gaming.
 

sikkinixx

Member
So... am I supposed to match enemies fighting styles or something? I just beat the funeral boss about 3 hours in and it took *forever*. I feel like all I can do is mash square and fit triangle now and again. I don't really have much of a move set. Even in random street battles I'm getting smacked around a lot, especially when there are a group of guys.

I played with some when the original came out and don't remember having issues, but this game is kicking my ass. From figuring out how to upgrade to the fighting it's a lot to take in.
 

explodet

Member
So... am I supposed to match enemies fighting styles or something? I just beat the funeral boss about 3 hours in and it took *forever*. I feel like all I can do is mash square and fit triangle now and again. I don't really have much of a move set. Even in random street battles I'm getting smacked around a lot, especially when there are a group of guys.

I played with some when the original came out and don't remember having issues, but this game is kicking my ass. From figuring out how to upgrade to the fighting it's a lot to take in.
Keep at it, I personally felt the curve is a lot smoother from that point on.
That particular boss had a ton of health, way more than necessary.

The really important unlocks are the Essence of Extreme Brawler/Rush/Beast under Soul (I think) in which you can knock the bosses out of those recovery phases. And yes, in that regard you'll need to match the style they're using too - if they're glowing blue, switch to Brawler and use the heat move that pops up. Yellow is Beast and Purple is Rush.

You'll need the heat to activate it though, which is why I learned to carry around Staminan drinks all the time.
 

sikkinixx

Member
Keep at it, I personally felt the curve is a lot smoother from that point on.
That particular boss had a ton of health, way more than necessary.

The really important unlocks are the Essence of Extreme Brawler/Rush/Beast under Soul (I think) in which you can knock the bosses out of those recovery phases. And yes, in that regard you'll need to match the style they're using too - if they're glowing blue, switch to Brawler and use the heat move that pops up. Yellow is Beast and Purple is Rush.

You'll need the heat to activate it though, which is why I learned to carry around Staminan drinks all the time.

Ah okay. Thanks. How do I use heat moves? I know when I grab a dude or when they are do I can hit triangle to basically insta-kill them if my meter is full but I can’t grab the boss and never knocked him down.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
Is it safe to sell anything from lockers that says "You can get a hefty fee, It belongs in a museum, etc." safely? I don't require the items for anything else I don't think, but they're new from Zero's.
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Majima is literally everywhere
 
I think I'm done with Kiwami. Platinum Adventure just isn't as fun to do as Zero's; I like to mix up my activities and there just isn't enough interesting stuff to do in this one. And many of the side stories just aren't as good. Ended up at about 40% completion, 46 stories completed.
 

Smilebomb

Neo Member
Still playing and enjoying. On Chapter 13. Again, I cant stress enough how much I hate the "Majima Everywhere" system. I am at the point where I feek like intentionally losing so I can get on with the story.

I will say, I am loving the game but there are quite a few annoying things. Like at really dramatic moments you are running down the street, going to your next location, the music is thumping with an intense rhythm and suddenly a completely random sub story activates, the intense music gone, you are expected to do some mundane task,you complete it and another sub story immediately activates. Just by heading to the place you are supposed to go


Majima Everywhere and these types of substories completely break the pacing of the game and seriously hamper my enjoyment of it. Also I feel Majima is a super unfair fight everytime.
Lightning Fist and Komaki Tiger Drop completely stomp Majima (or any bossfight for that matter). Strafe backwards and wait for him to start whiffing a combo, stop strafing and time the counterhit.

Body Counter also works, but the timing on that feels weird imo.
 

Murkas

Member
On the final chapter:

Overall I like the game and yeah it helps if you see it as a £20 expansion to Yakuza 0, having said that I didn't really enjoy the boss battles. Don't like the whittle them down and do a Kiwami heat attack, makes all the fights feel the same especially after the awesome boss fights from 0 with its fight specific QTEs. It reminds me of Yakuza 3 where you get the boss low on health and then get that choice between 3 moves, headbutt/dropkick/chain throws, felt as repetitive.

I seem to be having a problem with the Purgatory teacher, I'm on the where you fight the masked the guy, when he gets low on health I have to use a Kiwami action for Dragon of Dojima, which I don't have so he regenerates his health...

Also saw the (pre finale chapter spoilers)
Yuki is Mikumi
twist coming right at the start lol.

I haven't played the original PS2 versions and 5, but is it me or is Majima starting to get flanderised? Don't remember him being this wacky in 3 and 4. More insane sadistic crazy.
 

xezuru

Member
I haven't played the original PS2 versions and 5, but is it me or is Majima starting to get flanderised? Don't remember him being this wacky in 3 and 4. More insane sadistic crazy.

Yeah, kind of, it's been built up over the years from him kind of just being a literal thug joker to kiwamified version. Honestly, I never thought of Majima as crazy, just an eccentric asshole since you literally never see majima do any stupid shit when it really matters and he's at tojo meetings and shit, he only does that shit with kiryu, but I digress it's just silly side shit and that's what people love and besides the EXTREME farming I do like most of the new Majima shit with tiny lore bits. Shit.
 
On the final chapter:

Overall I like the game and yeah it helps if you see it as a £20 expansion to Yakuza 0, having said that I didn't really enjoy the boss battles. Don't like the whittle them down and do a Kiwami heat attack, makes all the fights feel the same especially after the awesome boss fights from 0 with its fight specific QTEs. It reminds me of Yakuza 3 where you get the boss low on health and then get that choice between 3 moves, headbutt/dropkick/chain throws, felt as repetitive.

I seem to be having a problem with the Purgatory teacher, I'm on the where you fight the masked the guy, when he gets low on health I have to use a Kiwami action for Dragon of Dojima, which I don't have so he regenerates his health...

Also saw the (pre finale chapter spoilers)
Yuki is Mikumi
twist coming right at the start lol.

I haven't played the original PS2 versions and 5, but is it me or is Majima starting to get flanderised? Don't remember him being this wacky in 3 and 4. More insane sadistic crazy.

Man, a Majima/Flanders crossover would be the weirdest thing ever...! If anything 0 actually sent Majima back the other way personality wise. He's always been portrayed as a bit of a maniac. Though usually its been portrayed as him being a psycho and always up for a fight against Kiryu. The only difference really in Kiwami was that he came up with all these elaborate scenarios in order to fight Kiryu - like the
Hostess club, bar man, zombies, cop Majima etc.
. Though I blame some of this on Majima's soaring popularity. I remember around Ishin/0 he was voted I believe the most popular character in the series (it was either him or Kiryu, with the other being second).

So they've been trying to put Majima into the games as much as possible. Ishin had him as one of the main characters and he's done fantastically in that. Easily one of the highlights of that great game.
Obviously 0 let you play as him, it was sort of weird to see a more subdued Majima but it lines up quite nicely with his flashbacks with Seijima in 4.
Thankfully in Kiwami 2 we are getting an extra Majima scenario, which I prefer to his use in Kiwami, as I think they'll more effectively use him in the story, Kiwami's issue with me was more to do with the frequency of the encounters toward the end of the game, plus 100% required you to fight him an awful lot (thankfully the tiger drop exists for this purpose!)
 
Yes. First of all, here's a guide for all the ideal builds for Pocket Racing. You can get parts from weapons dealers and Don Quijote (I think) and the Pawn shop as well as of course at the track it self.

(i) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC AUTOBIOGRAPHY

(ii) DON'T EQUIP THE CHARISMATIC PHOTO

(iii) You get EXP pretty handily by beating Majima and doing quests so I don't think you'll be starved for it.

(iv) When you get access to Komaki by clearing through the story mode, try to unlock Tiger Drop as quickly as possible. It makes the Majima fights a freaking cake walk.

(v) This game on Hard is harder than Yakuza 0 on Hard.

(vi) Unlike previous Yakuza games, you can save at any place in the world by opening up the main menu and using save.

(vii) MesuKing is a wholesome game, fun for the whole family and kids of all ages.

(viii) Remember that this is a remake of not just a PS2 game, the first ever PS2 Yakuza game. So expect the general story cutscenes and beats to be "simplistic" as compared to some of the cinematic experiences we've seen throughout the series.

(ix) You get the Trouble finder accessory that marks starting points for substories through getting enough CP points and redeeming them at Bob who stands near the entrance to Shinjuku street (Near Serena). Also some of the substories can only be started/continued if you have Haruka with you. You can do those quests during certain parts of the story where you can have Haruka walk with you, or after finishing the main story and walking about in Premium Adventure.

(x) Git gud
(xi) Don't forget to go back to main menu after beating some of the stages in Climax Battle mode, before closing the game.

I lost my progress on Proving Grounds 1 through 8, because I just closed the game without coming back to main menu :(
 

explodet

Member
Ah okay. Thanks. How do I use heat moves? I know when I grab a dude or when they are do I can hit triangle to basically insta-kill them if my meter is full but I can’t grab the boss and never knocked him down.
Dunno if you still need this info, but yeah, just hit triangle. The heat prompt is all you need to know when a heat move can be used.
 

chogidogs

Member
I just finished this yesterday and woof,
they really did spring cleaning on the characters, huh? I feel like Kiryu and Majima are the only ones left from now.

So are 4 and 5 worth playing? I decided the just watch a video for 3 and it seems fine so far.
 
I just finished this yesterday and woof,
they really did spring cleaning on the characters, huh? I feel like Kiyu and Maxima are the only ones left from now.

So are 4 and 5 worth playing? I decided the just watch a video for 3 and it seems fine so far.
Y4 and Y5 are both great games. But Y5's story is uhhh, not so hot. It has some standout moments but as a whole just ehh. Y6 DOES continue on directly after the end of Y5, the only Yakuza game to do so. Both are definitely worth playing though.

Also I love your names for the characters. Maxima from KoF crossing over into Yakuza would be dope.
 
I just finished this yesterday and woof,
they really did spring cleaning on the characters, huh? I feel like Kiryu and Majima are the only ones left from now.

So are 4 and 5 worth playing? I decided the just watch a video for 3 and it seems fine so far.
4 is really good. You should definitely play it.

5 isn't bad but it's a bit bloated. It is the most content rich Yakuza game tho.
 
5's worth it more for the gameplay. Has some really awesome combat scenarios throughout the entire game though some questionable story points. 5 also has Shinada who is awesome.

4 is just a bit on the easy side, but its an excellent game so its well worth playing.

Really though, if you've played any Yakuza game and enjoyed it then you already know what your getting. Awesome characters, cool fights, lots of crazy side content...
 
Does Yakuza feel similarly to Sleeping Dogs? I really loved Sleeping Dogs, and Yakuza looks like the closest thing to it!

I just wonder if all of the games will get the KIWAMI touch. Is it possible that the feudal Japan Yakuza will come to the west in a KIWAMI version?
 
Do you really wanna risk upsetting your Karma? Do you really wanna disrespect the BUDDHA?

Doesn't do anything, just sell it.

Aww, I was hoping there'd be a Majima scene associated with it!

Does Yakuza feel similarly to Sleeping Dogs? I really loved Sleeping Dogs, and Yakuza looks like the closest thing to it!

I just wonder if all of the games will get the KIWAMI touch. Is it possible that the feudal Japan Yakuza will come to the west in a KIWAMI version?

At this point there is probably zero chance Kenzai or Ishin will be localized. But who knows, maybe a remaster down the line could open the door again.

I love Sleeping Dogs, but the only significant resemblance between that and Yakuza is the setting and story genre, and even then we're talking Hong Kong versus Tokyo. In terms of gameplay, Sleeping Dogs is much more similar to GTA than it is to Yakuza. That said, if you liked the HK crime drama aspects, Yakuza is indeed the closest you're going to get to that.
 

Mesharey

Member
I just finished this yesterday and woof,
they really did spring cleaning on the characters, huh? I feel like Kiryu and Majima are the only ones left from now.

So are 4 and 5 worth playing? I decided the just watch a video for 3 and it seems fine so far.
4 is amazing, I finished it few days ago and currently playing Y5, Y5 is kinda a different Yakuza game, I'm on the 3rd character now.
 
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