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LTTP: Yakuza 0. Why I have not played this before?

Yakuza is a series I've always wanted to get in to. Seemed like a more silly gta or even sleeping dogs. Is it close to that thought? These threads certainly help get me there.

Sort of. You can't drive around but there are tons activities and they are all higher quality than GTA V's (which Y0 completely shits on, my hot take of the day).
 

Nauren

Member
Thank you for this OP. You may have just convinced me to try Yakuza. I had it in my hands yesterday half tempted. I have the same opinion about open world games and also love Red Dead so I guess I'll be picking this up.
 
Thank you for this OP. You may have just convinced me to try Yakuza. I had it in my hands yesterday half tempted. I have the same opinion about open world games and also love Red Dead so I guess I'll be picking this up.

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I got the game Saturday evening and have put 10 hours into it so far, I'm hooked. I've been trying to get into this series for years and it finally got me, already preordered kiwami. I wonder if I can now go back and play the PS3 games I couldn't quite get into in the past
 
I got the game Saturday evening and have put 10 hours into it so far, I'm hooked. I've been trying to get into this series for years and it finally got me, already preordered kiwami. I wonder if I can now go back and play the PS3 games I couldn't quite get into in the past

finish the 0 and kiwami first before starting the other games, that is what they told me to do
 

Danielsan

Member
This thread reminds me that I should pick up 0. Hasn't dropped in price much it seems. Will probably need to pick it up before it actually becomes more expensive.
 
I got the game Saturday evening and have put 10 hours into it so far, I'm hooked. I've been trying to get into this series for years and it finally got me, already preordered kiwami. I wonder if I can now go back and play the PS3 games I couldn't quite get into in the past

Play 0 first, then Kiwami. Then you have two choices.

Either play Yakuza 3 -> Y4 -> Y5. OR Y4 -> Y5.

Y3 is skippable but you can't play Y5 without having played Y4 as you'll be thrust into playing with new characters that you have no idea of.
 

Danielsan

Member
Play 0 first, then Kiwami. Then you have two choices.

Either play Yakuza 3 -> Y4 -> Y5. OR Y4 -> Y5.

Y3 is skippable but you can't play Y5 without having played Y4 as you'll be thrust into playing with new characters that you have no idea of.
I actually own 3, but have never played it. If I end up liking 0, is 3 worth getting into? Or is the story lackluster?
 
I actually own 3, but have never played it. If I end up liking 0, is 3 worth getting into? Or is the story lackluster?

Y3 is definitely worth playing but the story is just not as good as Y0.

It has some great high moments (arguably some of the best in the series) but it also has some really low moments (arguably some of the lowest in the series). Still a fantastic game with great voice acting and great presentation and characters.
 

Caboose

Member
Never played a Yakuza game before 0 because PS4 is my first Sony console. My god it's been so much wacky fun, like, where has this been all my liiiiiiife.
 
I actually own 3, but have never played it. If I end up liking 0, is 3 worth getting into? Or is the story lackluster?

Yes, assuming you don't mind the time it'll take to finish it. 3 is probably the least essential Yakuza but it's still good. Nothing in the other games I've played (haven't touched 1 or 2 yet) has anything like the intro Okinawa section; while others dislike that section, I still have fond memories of the orphanage. It's also sufficiently different from both 0 and especially 4 that I think the chance of burnout is lower (but keep in mind this is coming from someone who played 0 and then jumped straight into 5, so my standards may be way different from yours).
 
i started with yakuza 4, which had a really nice and complete summary of the first three, then 5, and then zero!

Can't wait to play kiwami and 6!

there's lot of cliché and plotholes throughout the serie, but it's easily forgiven thanks to all the good parts in it, which are the characters, some story moments, the sidequests, the game never takes itself too seriously, the music and of course the battle system with all the hit moves!


Also I really want 7 to be with someon else than kiryu, i always found this character BORING as hell! he's a little bit more interesting in 0 but that's it
 
Also I really want 7 to be with someon else than kiryu, i always found this character BORING as hell! he's a little bit more interesting in 0 but that's it
Yakuza 6 is the end of Kiryu's chapter. Meaning at the very least, he won't be available as a playable character after that game.

The wait for some news regarding the new direction of the series has been killing me, the series could go ANYWHERE. Will it be the same city? Will the Yakuza play an integral role? Will the protagonist be someone we know or someone new? Will the old cast return in some way?

So. Many. Questions.

And hopefully at least some of them will be answered at TGS this year, which is where they always show off stuff related to Ryu ga Gotoku/Yakuza.
 

dralla

Member
Glad to see Yakuza newbies enjoying it. I've never played one and plan on picking this up some time this year. Too many games already in my backlog ATM D: Hopefully it goes on sale soon
 
You need to have an orange in your inventory (completely forgot where you can get one.) and then it'll automatically give you the option to do a heat move when you're near an enemy.

how you do the heat move ? It seems to be very inconsistent with me, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't

Also, is there any style that you use more than others? I am using more beast style for now. do you keep changing it or just stick with one and try to upgrade that style?
 
Bought it off the strength of feeling/level of detail in the OT on here, having only been partially interested in the series before. Had never played a game in the series but was so intrigued by what people were saying that I took the plunge.

What a fucking game. Cannot wait for Kiwami and 6.
 
how you do the heat move ? It seems to be very inconsistent with me, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't

Also, is there any style that you use more than others? I am using more beast style for now. do you keep changing it or just stick with one and try to upgrade that style?

Have an orange in your inventory, grab an opponent when you have at least 1 bar full of heat and press triangle. That'll have you pull off the move. Just don't stand new to a wall else you might trigger one of the wall heat moves instead.
 
how you do the heat move ? It seems to be very inconsistent with me, sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't

Also, is there any style that you use more than others? I am using more beast style for now. do you keep changing it or just stick with one and try to upgrade that style?
Every heat move has it's own unique requirement in terms of positioning (be in front of a wall when an enemy attacks, be behind the enemy etc) and they also have specific requirements for the heat gauge. Some require 1 bar, some 2 and some 3 so you have to be mindful of that.

In regards to my choice of style, I mainly use the Rush and Brawler Style. It's mainly because I just think that Beast style is easy mode (even though it has some fucking amazing heat moves) but the wide angle of his punches and how hard they hit means you can clear through mobs with no issues. Even on Hard, I didn't find it challenging if I just used Beast mode. For Majima, I mainly used Thug mode and switched to Slugger when I wanted to sock some fools with a bat or Dancer when I just wanted to look cool.

It's up to you in regards to styles. You can use them all, or use just one. It is a bit of a fault of the game IMO that you can use any one style and generally not have any problems. Yakuza: Ishin also had different selectable styles but each had distinct advantages and drawbacks so you couldn't just stick to one and clear through everything.
 

Capra

Member
I just started playing on Friday as well. This game is fucking amazing.

Although the core gameplay is a pretty straightforward brawler, both characters are pretty unique and the 6 fighting styles between them are a blast to upgrade and play around with. I've mostly been running with Rush for Kiryu and Slugger for Majima, but every one feels viable and swapping between them on the fly makes for some stylish and dynamic fighting. I can't wait to upgrade Majima's Breakdance some and see where that goes. I also love how many minigames there are to mess around with when the bloodshed does start to feel a bit monotonous - dancing, karaoke, the freaking complete ports of Sega arcade games, that damn UFO catcher... and I get the feeling that's just scratching the surface of what there is to do.

I feel like I've already put 10+ hours in and I'm only at the beginning of Chapter 5 of the main story right now. What have I been doing for most of that time? Sidequests. Holy shit, the random, wacky-ass sidequests in this game. They're not particularly interesting mechanically, but between the great writing and the unexpected places they go I keep finding this stupid goofy grin on my face while playing. Also, Mr. Shakedown. Hunting those fuckers down and doubling my money with some strategic "investment" is such a great feeling.

The only complaint I have so far is that I'm not allowed to use the costumes I've unlocked until the post-game, apparently. I get why it would be out of place with the pre-rendered cutscenes though, and
I just got Kiryu's white suit from the cover so I assume there will be other costume changes as the story progresses.

I think it's safe to say I'm a Yakuza fan now. Gonna take my sweet time with 0 and I might go for a pre-order to get that snazzy Kiwami steelbook in August. I just hope jumping to 6 when that comes out won't be too jarring or ruin the story of the other games.
 
I'll be doing my own LTTP in a few days, but I got to thank this thread for being one of the factors that finally got me to check out the series. It's my entry to the series and it's fantastic so far.

Yakuza is a series I've always wanted to get in to. Seemed like a more silly gta or even sleeping dogs. Is it close to that thought? These threads certainly help get me there.
It's nothing like GTA or Sleeping Dogs. I'm having hard time thinking of a game to compare it to. It's akin to a 3D action JRPG with the random battles you encounter, the inventory, stats and skill trees, and the strong narrative focus, combined with really satisfying beat-em-up brawls.

Basically just erase any notion that this is like a GTA from your mind. That's what I was kind of expecting, and it's not like that at all.
 

Jimrpg

Member
Can I say again how good this game is? It's perfect. A true masterpiece. Nagoshi San completely hit it out of the park with this one. I was a fan of Yakuza before but I probably wouldn't have given any of the games more than a 9/10 before (Yakuza 4). Yakuza 0 is the easiest 10/10 ever. He got everything right, from the protagonists, to the combat, to the mini games. The best thing about the game is the perfect story pacing and a story that works for newcomers and existing fans. That's not easy to do!

Going to start a legendary run after Kiwami. It's only a couple of months away now.
 

thiscoldblack

Unconfirmed Member
0 is my favorite main entry in the series so far. I haven't played 6 yet, though.

I also like Ishin, a side game with Yakuza characters set in the last years of the Edo period. Don't hold your breath for that one to be localized.
 

yansolo

Member
ive only played yakuza 3 on the ps3 and thought it was awesome, is it worth going back and starting from the original up to the latest? or are the older ones somewhat outdated by now?
 

jdstorm

Banned
I'll be doing my own LTTP in a few days, but I got to thank this thread for being one of the factors that finally got me to check out the series. It's my entry to the series and it's fantastic so far.


It's nothing like GTA or Sleeping Dogs. I'm having hard time thinking of a game to compare it to. It's akin to a 3D action JRPG with the random battles you encounter, the inventory, stats and skill trees, and the strong narrative focus, combined with really satisfying beat-em-up brawls.

Basically just erase any notion that this is like a GTA from your mind. That's what I was kind of expecting, and it's not like that at all.

Its more like Pokemon × Tekken as directed by John Hughes starring Donkey Kong if he were a Japanese man.
 
ive only played yakuza 3 on the ps3 and thought it was awesome, is it worth going back and starting from the original up to the latest? or are the older ones somewhat outdated by now?

No don't go back to the original, it's definitely the most dated one so just get 0(prequel to the whole series) and then Kiwami coming in a few months which is a remake of the first game. Afterwards you can play the other games if you want to keep up with the story but note that you can just watch them at the start of the PS3 games. They have movies that summarizes what happens in the games prior to the one you are on if you don't want to play all of them :).

Timeline is basically 0-Kiwami-2-3-4-5-6.

-------------------------------

Anybody on the fence who don't have the game and who're reading this thread should just get this game.....really just get it. Completely amazing from start to finish, the best place to start the series for those who never played any of them and it has more bang for your buck than the majority of games coming out nowadays.
 

Aenima

Member
ive only played yakuza 3 on the ps3 and thought it was awesome, is it worth going back and starting from the original up to the latest? or are the older ones somewhat outdated by now?

1 and 2 run on an outdated engine. But kiwami (Remake of Yakuza 1) comes out for PS4 in August if im not mistaken. Playing Yakuza 0 then Kiwami, then 4, 5 and 6 is my recomendation.
Also in Yakuza 3 and 4 too (i think) you can view the main cutscenes of all the other previous games that explain the story of what happened before. Every game has his own standalone story, but the characters stories are always a continuation so its nice to know where they came from.
 
ive only played yakuza 3 on the ps3 and thought it was awesome, is it worth going back and starting from the original up to the latest? or are the older ones somewhat outdated by now?
If you've played Y3, then do it in this order.

Y3 -> Y4 -> Y5 -> Y0 -> Y:Kiwami -> Y6

You'll be playing it in release order so that's good. Only downside is missing out on Y2 but you can go to that one after Y:Kiwami
 

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
After my post yesterday I did indeed dig out my PS3 and loaded up Yakuza 4 with the mission to try and catch up with the series. Was very surprised to see my last save was in July 2012. I have a long slog ahead. Does anyone know if Yakuza 5 supports the Dualshock 4 as #4 certainly does not and the DS3 feels like a pos.
 
I hoped there would be more insane scripted sequences like the first major fight scene where you are literally climbing through windows and throwing people out of washrooms that shit was so 90s loved it lol
 

Ferrio

Banned
Amazing game. The substories keep topping each other, just when I think I've seen it all something more weird comes along. Remember to experiment with heat moves, there's tons of them and lots of them require weapons.
 

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
Apparently Yakuza 4 now does support the DS4 since the 4.60fw update as listed here.

Pretty sure Y5 did since release but Kiryu's Another Drama requires the pressure sensitivity from the DS3's triggers, so you'd have to switch back for that.

Glad #5 supports it, I had no luck with Yakuza 4 and the DS4 earlier, didn't work at all. Shame as I only have some shoddy 3rd party DS3 and the analogue sticks just feel like a digital dpad. Makes it a real chore during the chase sequences. Need to find some new Official DS3 for cheap.
 
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