Just get 0 unless you insist on playing in release order. You can always come back to 5 before 6.
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LTTP: Yakuza 0, aka what black magic makes this so amazing
- Thread starter More_Badass
- Start date
Just get 0 unless you insist on playing in release order. You can always come back to 5 before 6.
More_Badass
Member
I'm in the same spot as you, according to your most recent post in the other thread. Not having any knowledge about the series or characters makes everything that much more tense. I'm not even sure if the Majima and Kiryu storylines are happening concurrently, and have no clue how the two storylines will even connect.
But these writers are great at the chapter cliffhanger. The end of Chapter 4 was so good.
MadClacker
Member
I'm really curious on what people will think of Yakuza 6 when it releases. Of course I won't spoil anything, but I think personally, for long time fans such as myself, it's a pretty damn big letdown. However, for new fans with little to no attachment to the many other characters that appeared over the 10 year stretch, I think they'll enjoy it quite a bit more. It's definitely the most divisive in the series. Not so much for what they do with the gameplay (I like that quite a lot actually) but the narrative and how they handle Kiryu's final chapter, along with some other questionable decisions - not so much. I'll still be there day one of course!
I will forever maintain that Yakuza 0 is the best in the series. So much humor and style to the whole thing. A contained and cohesive story (helped by the fact it's the first in the timeline) along with fast and responsive gameplay. I'm so happy that many of you jumped in with this game, it's a great flavor of what the series has to offer, and in my opinion - the peak. That said, I'd still urge newcomers to play through the entire series any way they can. I cannot wait to play through Kiwami again later this year. I realize those who've played the Japanese copy have their issues with Kiwami, as do I, but ultimately I found it to be a great game, and supplements Yakuza 0 wonderfully as a double feature. It'll probably be my go-to method of playing through the original story now, if only for consistency.
Can't wait for August 29th!!
I will forever maintain that Yakuza 0 is the best in the series. So much humor and style to the whole thing. A contained and cohesive story (helped by the fact it's the first in the timeline) along with fast and responsive gameplay. I'm so happy that many of you jumped in with this game, it's a great flavor of what the series has to offer, and in my opinion - the peak. That said, I'd still urge newcomers to play through the entire series any way they can. I cannot wait to play through Kiwami again later this year. I realize those who've played the Japanese copy have their issues with Kiwami, as do I, but ultimately I found it to be a great game, and supplements Yakuza 0 wonderfully as a double feature. It'll probably be my go-to method of playing through the original story now, if only for consistency.
Can't wait for August 29th!!
There's a lot to love here in terms of the style and overall presentation, but I find myself unable to stick with it for long periods of time
The combat really is PS2-tier. As much as I enjoy the finishing melee animations, the moment to moment "mash square and hope you don't get locked into an enemy attack chain" isn't at all fun.
I love the cutscenes, again, thanks to the style, translation, and voice work, but the narrative becomes a problem where there are HUGE stretches of voiceless text between characters that go on forever.
I found myself zoning out and missing important bits of info because of how often I'm bombarded with text. I get that this game doesn't have the budget to voice every line of dialogue, but god damn, find a way to balance that out next time. This didn't seem to bother me in the side-quests, which are excellent, but whenever that method was used to deliver the main narrative, I started to doze off.
Even with that issue, I'm still invested in Kiryu. I find him to be compelling and I want to know how his story unfolds. I only just got to Mojima, but I'm sure he'll be a great character as well. I only wish these characters were in a greater game.
I hope Kiwami is an improvement.
The combat really is PS2-tier. As much as I enjoy the finishing melee animations, the moment to moment "mash square and hope you don't get locked into an enemy attack chain" isn't at all fun.
I love the cutscenes, again, thanks to the style, translation, and voice work, but the narrative becomes a problem where there are HUGE stretches of voiceless text between characters that go on forever.
I found myself zoning out and missing important bits of info because of how often I'm bombarded with text. I get that this game doesn't have the budget to voice every line of dialogue, but god damn, find a way to balance that out next time. This didn't seem to bother me in the side-quests, which are excellent, but whenever that method was used to deliver the main narrative, I started to doze off.
Even with that issue, I'm still invested in Kiryu. I find him to be compelling and I want to know how his story unfolds. I only just got to Mojima, but I'm sure he'll be a great character as well. I only wish these characters were in a greater game.
I hope Kiwami is an improvement.
Ceallach
Smells like fresh rosebuds
There is a Yakuza movie, a prequel short as well as a side story drama series.
But me at every Yakuza release
I only wish that Majima has more in this game. His transition into the psycho Majima we see later isn't really explored as well as I wish.
Yakuza 0 is my first Yakuza game as well. I completely agree with the sentiments of the OP. I am a convert, I've already pre-ordered the Steel Case edition of Kiwami and am absolutely in love with this franchise now. It's been an incredibly long time to play a game that in such a short time, has gotten me invested in almost every character I've come across. Even the most mundane activities are incredibly fun because the characters are so endearing.
To be honest, If I were to correlate Yakuza to another game, I would go with Persona. Persona is filled with a ton of activities and side elements that aren't all that fleshed out or great on their own, but when you center everything around amazing characters and the concept of building genuine friendships, all of a sudden, everything becomes magical.
To be honest, If I were to correlate Yakuza to another game, I would go with Persona. Persona is filled with a ton of activities and side elements that aren't all that fleshed out or great on their own, but when you center everything around amazing characters and the concept of building genuine friendships, all of a sudden, everything becomes magical.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
You're gonna have a good time right up until the end credits my friend and then you'll wanna get to Kiwami ASAP
Shadowman16
Member
Yeah, I'm wondering about this as well. I also loved the gameplay and most of the narrative (loved the new Hiroshima characters) but my main gripes with 6's story were:
The final boss. Why... Kiryu faced off against Jingu then Nishiki, Terrada then Ryuuji, Mine and Andre, Daigo Dojima! Then in 5 and 6 he faces off against people with daddy issues in one way or another. Only difference is 5 wasn't his last chapter and the set piece itself was really epic while in 6 it was a solid fight, and all the build up did rock it just felt anti climatic compared to the other bad asses who you'd fought up to this point.
The other issue was with the big reveal (the whole thing with the war ship), it just lacked the impact for me.
The other issue was with the big reveal (the whole thing with the war ship), it just lacked the impact for me.
Definitely can't wait to replay it in English though, and can't wait for whatever the team do next in terms of sequels.
shadow_shogun
Member
Thanks for both your input, my mind has been made. I'll get it this week.
davidwhangchoi
Member
everyone buy this game, mods love it!
Booker.DeWitt
Member
I really hope they remake 2, 3, 4 , 5, I really want to play those games before I play 6, and the issue I don;t want to play on outdated system/engine
Shadowman16
Member
That's my dream scenario. Some sort of Yakuza 2 remake to bring it in line engine wise with the newer games in the series, and remasters of 3-5 (with 3 getting all its content this time) for the PS4 so I can enjoy the entire main series on the PS4. But I'd love Kenzan to also get a port as that rocks.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
Add Nier to the list as well, practically an action JRPG and another amazing game.
Oh yeah, I'd love to play Kenzan and Ishin too.. But it's probably faster to learn Japanese than hope for English release haha
Mr. Nice_Guy
Member
Couldn't ave summed it up better myself. I've gone on at length with my friends who jumped into 0 about how the directing of the main cutscenes and the side quest ones re just so self aware that it leaves no serious or comedic moment unutilized. Welcome to the club OP!
More_Badass
Member
What's so flawed about it?
Shadowman16
Member
If your not averse to using guides then you could play both that way. There are excellent guides for both games. Not as intuitive as playing the games without a guide, but for me it was still very fun playing the games (and at least I got to play the games, as both have some amazing set pieces and stories).
Booker.DeWitt
Member
Hey OP, I think you'd really enjoy watching this video. It discusses the way Yakuza 0 handles tonality and why it doesn't fall for the usual "ludonarrative dissonance" trap. It really captures at least part of why I personally enjoyed the game so much; you might agree with it too.
Haven't played a Nier game but it does look amazing from what Ive seen and heard. This truly is a year for JRPGs though
Gravity Rush 2? Dunno if it is really an rpg...
Persona 5
Nier:Automata
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Yakuza 0
Yakuza Kiwami
Dragon Quest XI (In Japan)
Ni no Kuni 2
Nioh
Fire Emblem Echoes
YS Origins
Caligula
Dragon Quest Heroes 2
Tales of Beseria
Summon Nights 6
Xonoblade Chronicles 2
Kindom Hearts 2.8
Tokyo Xanadu
Digimon Next Order
The list goes on and on. The only thing that dampens it that comes to mind immediately is the depressingly nonsensical spinoff Valkyria Revolutions.
GinoFelino
Member
I'd say the story is better when there's still a lot of intrigue and mystery, and gets less interesting as it goes on. It never ever gets boring or uninteresting though.
Well worth seeing through to the end. Just make sure you don't burn yourself out before you get there.
Don't forget Ys VIII too. It's a good time to be a JRPG fan. Well, bad for time management and wallets but good for options and quality.
MadClacker
Member
Here's my take / mini review on Yakuza 6. Very minor spoilers. No story details. You have been warned.
I just felt the game's narrative and how they handled many of the characters was very sloppy, and in some cases - outright terrible. You have Majima, undoubtedly the most marketable and recognizable character in the entire franchise, been there since day one, and he appears in the intro, epilogue, and ... I think that's it? What's more, he's in the background and barely has a role to play. Same applies to Saejima. You have a wealth of characters to use and they do nothing with them. Instead, we (mostly) get a whole new cast of characters that, while I liked them, I wasn't as emotionally invested.
I understand this is Kiryu's final game, and not necessarily Akiyama's, Majima, Saejima, etc - but to barely feature them at all felt INCREDIBLY wasteful.
Another issue I had with the game was how the whole thing felt devoid of any real humor or playfulness that the series had a reputation for to offset the serious crime drama narrative. It had SOME, but nothing to the degree of past games. This was far more grounded and serious, and I felt that the game suffered a bit because of that. The side activities and playspots - while neat, where hard to access and, I think in some cases, only available post game. Side stories didn't have the same level of quirkiness of charm that past games did either, with the exception of a few. I dunno, it just didn't have that same balance of batshit insane and serious narrative that I've come to expect from the series.
Another thing that's not balanced is the cutscene to gameplay ratio. This is the MGS4 or MGS2 of the series for sure. I have always praised the cinematic direction of the cutscenes in the Yakuza franchise, but GODDAMN there were a lot in this one. They also weren't as engaging or exciting either for the most part. Mostly just standing around talking back and forth. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with text or long cutscenes - I mean, shit, I love this series to death, but here I felt they went WAY overboard. The sprinkling of actual gameplay that's not involving massive brawls seemed to be spent largely running back and forth between the same handful of locations. Onomichi was a great looking location, but I felt you barely saw, or rather interacted, with much of the town. Kamurocho, while more true to scale (which was appreciated), had areas completely inaccessible, and like Onomichi, you visited far fewer areas within the town. It just felt far more limited in scope.
It's not all bad though. I did enjoy the heavier and more impactful fight engine. The ragdoll physics bring a sense of weight to the whole thing, which while massively over the top - retained the sense of arcadey fun the series is known for. Bringing a fight into a Convenience store and watching the place get absolutely trashed as you throw people around is a FANTASTIC sight to behold (even if the shop owner refuses to serve you after the fight, haha!) I particularly appreciated the bigger brawls where you have 8+ enemies to fight at a time, and seeing as you're often fighting with a companion or two, it wasn't that unusual to have over a dozen people all fighting at once. It felt pretty epic to participate in such larger scaled fights, even if the individual health bars over NPC's heads made everything look a bit messy or hard to follow at times. I'd go so far as to say the final chapter or two of the game had some of the most thrilling fight sequences the series has to offer - NOT including the final boss, which I thought was rather weak by comparison. The way heat is used added a refreshing dynamic to combat, and upgrade mechanics were pretty straightforward and easy to understand too. Heat moves themselves, however, were FAR fewer in quantity and many weapons seemed to share the same animation. I don't recall in my 25+ hours coming across any unique / oddball weapons with heat animations like the orange juice or salt shaker from Yakuza 0 for example.
I could go on and on, and maybe I will if people ask for it - but while I mostly enjoyed my time with Yakuza 6, and give praise to many of the technical improvements made to the game thanks to the Dragon engine, I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a slog at times, and honestly - not all that engaging. Perhaps some of my issues lie within the language barrier, but I never felt this way about Yakuza 0, Kiwami, or even Ishin, games I originally played from beginning to end in Japanese (I don't understand a word of the language, by the way).
If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. I'm still pre-ordering the moment I can, and I DO look forward to replaying it in English, though I don't think it'll be one I replay as often as other games in the franchise.
I understand this is Kiryu's final game, and not necessarily Akiyama's, Majima, Saejima, etc - but to barely feature them at all felt INCREDIBLY wasteful.
Another issue I had with the game was how the whole thing felt devoid of any real humor or playfulness that the series had a reputation for to offset the serious crime drama narrative. It had SOME, but nothing to the degree of past games. This was far more grounded and serious, and I felt that the game suffered a bit because of that. The side activities and playspots - while neat, where hard to access and, I think in some cases, only available post game. Side stories didn't have the same level of quirkiness of charm that past games did either, with the exception of a few. I dunno, it just didn't have that same balance of batshit insane and serious narrative that I've come to expect from the series.
Another thing that's not balanced is the cutscene to gameplay ratio. This is the MGS4 or MGS2 of the series for sure. I have always praised the cinematic direction of the cutscenes in the Yakuza franchise, but GODDAMN there were a lot in this one. They also weren't as engaging or exciting either for the most part. Mostly just standing around talking back and forth. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with text or long cutscenes - I mean, shit, I love this series to death, but here I felt they went WAY overboard. The sprinkling of actual gameplay that's not involving massive brawls seemed to be spent largely running back and forth between the same handful of locations. Onomichi was a great looking location, but I felt you barely saw, or rather interacted, with much of the town. Kamurocho, while more true to scale (which was appreciated), had areas completely inaccessible, and like Onomichi, you visited far fewer areas within the town. It just felt far more limited in scope.
It's not all bad though. I did enjoy the heavier and more impactful fight engine. The ragdoll physics bring a sense of weight to the whole thing, which while massively over the top - retained the sense of arcadey fun the series is known for. Bringing a fight into a Convenience store and watching the place get absolutely trashed as you throw people around is a FANTASTIC sight to behold (even if the shop owner refuses to serve you after the fight, haha!) I particularly appreciated the bigger brawls where you have 8+ enemies to fight at a time, and seeing as you're often fighting with a companion or two, it wasn't that unusual to have over a dozen people all fighting at once. It felt pretty epic to participate in such larger scaled fights, even if the individual health bars over NPC's heads made everything look a bit messy or hard to follow at times. I'd go so far as to say the final chapter or two of the game had some of the most thrilling fight sequences the series has to offer - NOT including the final boss, which I thought was rather weak by comparison. The way heat is used added a refreshing dynamic to combat, and upgrade mechanics were pretty straightforward and easy to understand too. Heat moves themselves, however, were FAR fewer in quantity and many weapons seemed to share the same animation. I don't recall in my 25+ hours coming across any unique / oddball weapons with heat animations like the orange juice or salt shaker from Yakuza 0 for example.
I could go on and on, and maybe I will if people ask for it - but while I mostly enjoyed my time with Yakuza 6, and give praise to many of the technical improvements made to the game thanks to the Dragon engine, I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel like a slog at times, and honestly - not all that engaging. Perhaps some of my issues lie within the language barrier, but I never felt this way about Yakuza 0, Kiwami, or even Ishin, games I originally played from beginning to end in Japanese (I don't understand a word of the language, by the way).
If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer. I'm still pre-ordering the moment I can, and I DO look forward to replaying it in English, though I don't think it'll be one I replay as often as other games in the franchise.
As a Yakuza series veteran, it sucks to hear Kiryu's story doesn't get the satisfying conclusion it deserves. I'm noticing this trend with recent Japanese series that don't end on a high note, like Danganronpa and Zero escape.
I just finished Yakuza 0 last night and the ending gave me the same feeling I felt for both Yakuza 1 and 2 which I thought were the best in the series.
August can't come soon enough
AuthenticM
Member
After Metal Gear, yes.
bonchooski
Member
After reading this and previous threads I just bought it on PSN so hopefully it'll be download when I get home later. It looks to fucked up (in a good way) to pass up.
MadClacker
Member
Yeah it could have certainly ended better. As it is, it's just adequate. Certainly not as ballsy as I was hoping. That said, my issues with it fall largely with things outside how they wrap up Kiryu's story.
DarkConfidant
Member
That was my first Yakuza game, and I too was surprised at how amazing the game was. Definitely one of best games I've played this year, if not for the writing alone.
Son Of Sparda
Member
It's not.
Kiwami is a budget release remake of the first Yakuza game, with Yakuza 0's engine. Mechanic wise don't expect to see anything new in that game.
Yakuza 6 on the other hand will give you the improvements that you are looking for. For one, the entire game is voiced (even sub stories). Yakuza 6 also adds the ability to go in and out of buildings (even during fights) without any transitions. It also overhauls the fighting engine and gives it a more modern feeling.
So, don't expect those improvements in Kiwami but look forward to them in Yakuza 6.
More_Badass
Member
Oh, that sounds awesome. When is it (and Kiwami) releasing in the US? I don't import stuff. Or at least I haven't tried it yet
Son Of Sparda
Member
Kiwami is the end of August ($29.99, both digital and retail) and Yakuza 6 is early 2018.
Charlouie Jonesman
Banned
Kiwami is coming out at the end of August for 30 bucks.
Edit: Sparda, I'll stuff a box of nails down your throat and stomp an orange on your face.
Edit 2: Also, I'll utterly destroy you in a dance battle.
Peroroncino
Member
Yakuza renaissance? Yakuze renaissance.
I'm glad so many people on GAF got around to play it and even enjoy it, it's an amazing series that despite being old and mostly sticking to the same formula [only tweaking it a bit over the years], manages to be still somehow fresh, unique and fun with each entry.
Oh, and I wouldn't be myself if I didn't use this thread as an occasion to say
.
I'm glad so many people on GAF got around to play it and even enjoy it, it's an amazing series that despite being old and mostly sticking to the same formula [only tweaking it a bit over the years], manages to be still somehow fresh, unique and fun with each entry.
Oh, and I wouldn't be myself if I didn't use this thread as an occasion to say
REMEMBER THAT KIWAMI COMES OUT SOON
I'm ashamed I can't just start one of these games and play it end to end... I always put it down for 6-12 months in the middle, finally finish it, want MOAR, get the next game, and repeat the cycle... but then I stopped mid way into Yakuza 3.
Such fantastic games... I can't deny. I should get Zero, play that, then restart Yakuza 3 some other time.
Such fantastic games... I can't deny. I should get Zero, play that, then restart Yakuza 3 some other time.
Son Of Sparda
Member
slightconfuse
Banned
Zero was my first game as well and I am now a fan of this series.
Having AV idols as hostesses in the game is something I believe started with Yakuza 3, maybe it was 4? But yeah, it's one of the series trademarks at this point.