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LTTP: Yakuza 0, aka what black magic makes this so amazing

Word. Before I looked at the YakuzaGaf related threads on here, Yakuza was a series I'd never played. I'd heard of it but really did not have much interest at all.

A week later I was not just interested in giving it a go but was convinced that I needed to pre-order Yakuza 0. A month later I'd put almost 100 hours into it and become a Hostess Club obsessive. A week after that I pre-ordered Kiwami.

I wanna be your girrrrrrrrllllll...

Haha are you me?! I love that menu song.

I am crazy about cabaret management too.
I could spend forever doing that.

Plan on finishing the five rival club saga story soon now that I've completed the main story.
 
OléGunner;242037216 said:
Must feel good when a series you've enjoyed for so long really has its breakout moment.
YakuzaGaf has been non stop with getting others to play this finally and with good reason.

So yeah thanks YakuzaGaf, I'm now fiending for Kiwami.

it does and on a double level :

first, we were close to never have any Yakuza game localized, ever again. Sales were abyssimals, part because of poor marketing part lack of marketing.

second, Yakuza 0 is a very good game and we got to enjoy it surrounded with so many people discovering the game like us or new comers discovering Yakuza as a whole...

They really pushed it well this time, and in a smart way : it's a prequel so it's a perfect entry point. It's also the most silly Yakuza game because of the crazy 80s setting and yet the most gritty with Majima's story.
 
Edit: do not equip charismatic autobiography.
giphy.gif
 
Have finished the main story last week and still playing this because the side content is so good. Yakuza 0 is such a wonderful game.

A little bit flustered by the last chapters because the combat system still has some flaws but it really is some nitpicking compared to everything this game does right. Can't wait for Kiwami
 

KyleCross

Member
Everytime I see one of these threads lately I want to cry tears of joy.

It's been a hard 12 years, but the series is finally starting to get attention in the US. I still don't know what resulted in the strike of popularity 0 got, but I don't care. I'm just so glad.

Dz6Ah9F.gif
 

Markoman

Member
More Badass is on a gourmet trip lately. First EDF 4.1 now Yakuza 0.
Yakuza 0 is my first Yakuza game, too. 125 hours in, both business side stories completed and currently chapter 15. Fantaaaaastic game.

They could've sold me the club managing sim for 20$. The music when you hit the party mode alone is worth it.

The story up to this point is one of the best in gaming imo. The whole setup at the beginning feels kind of banal and almost trivial, but the way it unfolds into this clever web of intrigues and epic Yakuza hirachy jazz is simply amazing. I also like how you encounter one badass after another, you'll always think "shit, is this guy going to shred me to pieces?".

Kuze is the best real life actor used in a video game, if you ask me.
 
Kuze is the best real life actor used in a video game, if you ask me.

Kuze rocks. Definitely one of my favourite characters in the series and the likeness to his real life actor is amazing. I love how well the series does this kind of thing (6 does this really well as well).

It's been a hard 12 years, but the series is finally starting to get attention in the US. I still don't know what resulted in the strike of popularity 0 got, but I don't care. I'm just so glad.

I assumed it was a mix between social media really shining a spot light on the game, and it being a prequel which made a much easier jump in point for the series. And having a remake of the first game coming next is a great move.
 
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.
 
OléGunner;242042997 said:
Haha are you me?! I love that menu song.

I am crazy about cabaret management too.
I could spend forever doing that.

Plan on finishing the five rival club saga story soon now that I've completed the main story.

Hahaha :). Song is just so, so good.

Cabaret management is the best, I certainly enjoyed it a lot more than the real estate stuff with Kiryu, fun as that can be. Definitely worth competing that quest line - it gets very, very silly but is very satisfying. I've not been back to the game for a little while but tempted to go back and rank up one of the platinum characters to their max level for the trophy.

Genuinely think if they fleshed out the cabaret management as a digital standalone game I'd pay for it.
 

120v

Member
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.

just started the game... definitely the worst part. not a deal breaker but i haven't pressed X to pass up so much xeroxed text since the PS2 era
 

Harmen

Member
Yes, it is a really great game. Probably my GOTY.

Yakuza 0 is a masterclass on how to handle villains in videogames. The buildup to their fights are so great, and their motivations are excellently laid out during Yakuza 0's meaty plot. And it is also a masterclass on how to handle a prequel. It enhances the plot of several of it's sequels and is also a great entry point, while delivering a complete story that stands on it's own perfectly.
 

Markoman

Member
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.

I can see this being a problem for some players. On the other hand, I assume that most of praise in the Yakuza threads is a result of the amazing world building. I never thought that I would be able to sit through endless dialogues in a game again, but that's exactly what makes Yakuza so great: it's a perfect video game world - something that can't be done in any other medium. The silly stuff perfectly exist next to the dark stuff (end chapter 14 was brutal af) - it just works and the huge amount of dialogue just helps with fleshing out the game world. Like it or not. Personally, regarding this aspect I enjoy Yakuza 0 much more than Witcher 3 which for me had a too strong disconnect after 20 hours of playing the game.
 

danmaku

Member
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.

This is certainly a problem, there's a lot of verbose dialogues that go in circles over and over and over. I suspect is partially due to the nature of Japanese language, kinda like characters often repeat a name or a word of a sentence they just heard, but the final effect isn't very good. After a while you get used to it, I guess. It's especially funny when someone says "let's get straight to the point". And then he doesn't, of course.
 

Harmen

Member
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.

I greatly enjoyed the dialouge in this game and think many do. Only during it's initial hours I found the characters a bit too elaborate, but all these characters having actual conversations, rather than short bursts of exposition or a string of one liners, added much to my immersion and love for the cast. I think the writing and localisation are on point.
 
I've 3 & 4 on the PS3 (via Plus) but never played either of them, would it be worth it or just jump in with Zero on the Pro?
I assume you mean Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5. Y3 never even got a digital release, much less for "free" on Plus.

You now have two options.

You can first play Yakuza 4 then Yakuza 5. Then move on to Yakuza 0 then Yakuza: Kiwami. This is the one I'd recommend since Yakuza 4 is a great point of entry into the series because it introduces entirely new characters, new protagonists, new villains and a whole new arc to the story. You'll also be playing in the order that the game were released so that's cool too.

Alternatively, you can first play Yakuza 0 -> Yakuza: Kiwami -> Yakuza 4 -> Yakuza 5. The benefit to this is that you'll have a much better appreciation for Kiryu and Haruka by the time you play 4 and 5. But it will be a bit of an adjustment period going back to Yakuza 4 and 5 after having played Y0/Y:K. Mainly because of the FPS difference but those games also have some Quality of life improvements which can feel missed when going back to the older games. But it's still worthwhile.
 
I started with Yakuza 4 and moved onto Yakuza 5 later but I never finished either of them. Put like 20 hours into each, and really enjoyed what I played, but the pacing in 0 is worlds better than it was in the previous two games.

Yakuza 0 is a masterclass on how to handle villains in videogames.

0 has a bunch of great villains and cool build-ups to Boss fights.
Unfortunatly the most boring villain turns out to be the main villain.
 
I started 4 but time constraints and the location of my PS3 make it a bit of a hassle to play right now. I have 5 as well thanks to PS+ but I'm not sure if I should just move on to 0 and Kiwami.
 
I greatly enjoyed the dialouge in this game and think many do. Only during it's initial hours I found the characters a bit too elaborate, but all these characters having actual conversations, rather than short bursts of exposition or a string of one liners, added much to my immersion and love for the cast. I think the writing and localisation are on point.

It's a part of the game I enjoyed a lot almost because of just how elaborate it is. Maybe the timing was right as I hadn't played a long story-focused single player game in quite some time and I really enjoyed actually sitting back and immersing myself in the universe.

Sometimes it was hammy, sometimes it was incredibly poignant, but I can only think of a few occasions where I felt like I wanted to skip the dialogue. As others have said, Yakuza 0 some how manages to walk this line between being really silly and incredibly serious, yet somehow nails both. The story can be macho to an absurd, funny level at one point but also incredibly poignant and effecting the next.

Normally I'd find it a bit frustrating but with Yakuza 0 I found the long cut scenes and long dialogue broke up the exploration really nicely for me. For one, it kept me focused - the story being intriguing enough to me that my annoyingly compulsive behaviour about exploring every nook and cranny of the open world was trumped by wanting to hear the next story beat. That was largely down to the exposition from those long dialogue sequences. Secondly, it fitted the vibe of the game and broke things up. I'd explore for a while, do some side quests, have an intense battle or whatever and I always knew a 10 minute 'break' was coming. I'd have a cigarette (side note: this game is terrible if you smoke, it seems to encourage you to spark up a lot...) and treat those sections like mini movies or something. I enjoyed that in a way I wouldn't normally with most games. After playing a lot of competitive stuff/games with broadly just 'intense' moment to moment gameplay, an experience in an interesting world that allowed me to just sit back and soak it in now and again was really, really welcome.
 

Švejk

Member
You guys aren't helping me... Ya'll are making me want this game so bad, but my cheap ass-edness won't allow me to buy a game at $60 right now. Just recently finished Nier:A and was needing something to tie me over till Destiny 2.... hhhnnnnggg
 

Menitta

Member
The Yakuza series really is a gem Diamond plate. They've got some of the most entertaining side quests in the RPG genre. I'm hoping 0 is the P3/4 of the series where it starts to really get a bigger cult following than it already has.
 

Markoman

Member
You guys aren't helping me... Ya'll are making me want this game so bad, but my cheap ass-edness won't allow me to buy a game at $60 right now. Just recently finished Nier:A and was needing something to tie me over till Destiny 2.... hhhnnnnggg

Isn't is around 40$ now, or buy used? Just do it, game has so much content.
 
What amazes me is that in these threads nobody ever talks about the incredible amount of useless dragging dialogs in the game.

I love the combat, the setting, the characters, the overall crazyness... but damn STOP TALKING GUYS. Especially when it's such bad writing that is just explanation after explanation or awkward humor like some of the side quests (the one where you have to pretend you are a film producer is sooooo long and nlt even dubbed !).

I wish I had the strenght you guys have to not be bored to death by these dialogs because everything else is pure fun.
Actually I found a lot of the dialogue to feel well-written and natural, at least between Kiryu and his friend or Majima and Sagawa.
 

danmaku

Member
0 has a bunch of great villains and cool build-ups to Boss fights.
Unfortunatly the most boring villain turns out to be the main villain.

Actually I liked how the most chill and calculating villain ends up being the most dangerous. Kuze, on the other hand, is a great villain but is also overused. You fight him too many times and by the end he becomes kind of a joke.
 
I love these games but I'm still holding back from getting this. Is this worth getting if one is burned out of the series (I've finished all the games except for 5 as I got burned out with that one)?
 

FreeMufasa

Junior Member
Always blows my mind how far behind you man are on these games. Just getting 0 and we've already done Kiwami and 6 in the mean time. Good game still
 

Murkas

Member
Actually I liked how the most chill and calculating villain ends up being the most dangerous. Kuze, on the other hand, is a great villain but is also overused. You fight him too many times and by the end he becomes kind of a joke.

But the sad remix of his song when you fight him for the last time though.
 
I love these games but I'm still holding back from getting this. Is this worth getting if one is burned out of the series (I've finished all the games except for 5 as I got burned out with that one)?

0 is far more focused than 5 was. I love 5, but story wise it was a bit of a mess to follow thanks to the game jumping about a lot and then messily tying together the loose ends at the end of the story. 0 has Kiryu's and Majima's stories run paralell (you switch character after every two chapters) so the flow is far more constant and coherant.

But depending on when you played 5, I'd just recommend waiting until you have the itch to play the series again. I purposely space my playthroughs for the series out to avoid getting burned out on the series.
 

CHC

Member
Lately I've been regretting buying this game at full price when it launched - not because I've disliked what I've played but simply because I have not actually had any time to touch the damn thing!

This thread and the other LTTP a day or two ago made me feel good about supporting it, as well as eager to actually play it soon. I think once I get done with Hollow Knight I'm going to get into Yakuza.
 
There's definitely something magic about the Yakuza games. It's mix of serious, OTT crazy Japanese, mini games, light RPG elements and beat 'em up mechanics, all make it wonderfully entertaining and really satisfying to play.
 
0 is far more focused than 5 was. I love 5, but story wise it was a bit of a mess to follow thanks to the game jumping about a lot and then messily tying together the loose ends at the end of the story. 0 has Kiryu's and Majima's stories run paralell (you switch character after every two chapters) so the flow is far more constant and coherant.

But depending on when you played 5, I'd just recommend waiting until you have the itch to play the series again. I purposely space my playthroughs for the series out to avoid getting burned out on the series.

I appreciate the response, I haven't played 5 since last August. I was going to wait until I felt like jumping in, but seeing monthly thread like this about how great 0 is, is gradually pushing me to just bite the bullet.
 

jdstorm

Banned
I appreciate the response, I haven't played 5 since last August. I was going to wait until I felt like jumping in, but seeing monthly thread like this about how great 0 is, is gradually pushing me to just bite the bullet.

For what its worth. Yakuza 5 was my entry to the series when it was on PS+ last year. I mostly liked it but rushed through 60% of the game and beat it in probably 10 to 20 hours.

I have close to 75 Hours in Yakuza 0 and am contemplating a legendary playthrough.
 
I was another convert. 0 seemed like a great starting point as a new player. 200 hours and the platinum later and I pre ordered Yakuza Kiwami.

I loved the writing, characters, story, music and humour. Easily my GOTY so far out of nowhere...
 
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