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[abrack08]

I just started Y4 today, after seeing the bad-ass Yakuza 0 trailer at PSX and reading through the Yakuza threads that have been popping up. I'm a couple hours in and it's really fun so far. I can see why everyone likes Akiyama, he's really interesting right from the beginning.

Having trouble with some HEAT moves not activating when I think they should. Meter is full and a guy is near a guard rail or down on the ground and I press Triangle and just do a regular kick. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Also I tried Pachinko for the first time and it might literally be the most confusing thing I've ever seen, haha.

 

[5taquitos]

I just started Y4 today, after seeing the bad-ass Yakuza 0 trailer at PSX and reading through the Yakuza threads that have been popping up. I'm a couple hours in and it's really fun so far. I can see why everyone likes Akiyama, he's really interesting right from the beginning.

Having trouble with some HEAT moves not activating when I think they should. Meter is full and a guy is near a guard rail or down on the ground and I press Triangle and just do a regular kick. Anyone know what I'm doing wrong?

Also I tried Pachinko for the first time and it might literally be the most confusing thing I've ever seen hana.

To smash people in to things, you usually have to be holding them.

 

[Kain]

Just a quick summary for people who don't want to read through the OP: play all the god damn Yakuza games you can get your hands on.

That's all.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Got it for $20 new when no one cared.

I got it for $1 at goodwill.

 

[matrix-cat]

Played about six straight hours of Yakuza 4 today. This game just grabbed me pretty much immediately. I watched the recaps of 1, 2 and 3 and the combination of sharp suits, sick sideburns and what seemed like pretty regular badass showdowns where people would rip their entire suit jackets and shirts off in one smooth, delightfully nonsensical move to show off their righteous back tattoos had me so hyped up to start 4.

I love fighting dudes in this game. When I first looked through the list of unlockable moves I wondered why there were so many different kinds of taunt, but then I started realising how valuable the Heat meter was, and all of a sudden every fight became a matter of taunting as much as possible so I can fucking stomp the shit out of everyone. One of the taunts is just straight up grabbing a guy by the lapels and staring directly into his eyes. Just fucking dominating a lesser being through sheer force of masculinity; it's basically the greatest gameplay mechanic ever devised. I also stomped so many faces of downed enemies that the game informed me that my face-stomping ability leveled up, and now when I stomp a face I get a QTE prompt that transitions into this move where I do a FUCKING HANDSTAND and then rain down what I can only describe as a SUPER TURBO DEATH KNEE directly onto his face.

And the story's pretty great, too! I really didn't expect a hardboiled noir situation out of this, complete with a femme fatale blowing into my office and a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. I love the way this team does characters' faces; it's something I always liked about Binary Domain, too. Do they model them off real actors? I feel like I've seen some of these people before, particularly Detective Sugiuchi, but I'm never quite sure.

At the moment the only complaints I have are that I can't pause the cutscenes, which is a real pain, and that I could really use a way of tracking these sidequests. The game just tells you that you're looking for something on Senryo Avenue, for example, and it's up to you to first find the street on your map, then get over there, then jog up and down until you find what you're looking for. One told me to go to Children's Park, which isn't actually marked on the map at all; I only found it by chance when I was cruising around looking for faces to stomp.

But, anyway, the game seems right up my alley so far. Definitely going to check out the rest of the series after this.

 

[Dio]

One told me to go to Children's Park, which isn't actually marked on the map at all; I only found it by chance when I was cruising around looking for faces to stomp.

Well, that's one of the things about the Yakuza series. Since Kamurocho is a central location in every single Yakuza, by the time you're playing 4 you know the town as if you actually lived there and the town evolves over time but the basics remain the same, so when they ask you to go there they kinda expect you to already know where it is.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Also the villain redemption from Y3 to Y4 is great.

This is absolutely true, and I think one of the biggest things someone skipping over 3 to play 4 would miss on.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

This video was linked on NeoGAF a while ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkN9oru-qCQ

It's a really fantastic overview of the entire series and what makes it special but still keeps things spoiler free.

 

[dan2026]

So we are getting Yakuza 0 but not the remake of Yakuza 1?

 

[Dick Justice]

Yakuza 4 is incredible, though I don't know if it will endear you to Kiryu the way 3 will. But you can't really enjoy 3 unless you play 2. And if you play 2 you might as well play 1 so OMG just play 1!

But really 4 is a good starting point.

I started with 3, didn't have a problem enjoying it. The recaps helped.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

At the moment the only complaints I have are that I can't pause the cutscenes, which is a real pain, and that I could really use a way of tracking these sidequests. The game just tells you that you're looking for something on Senryo Avenue, for example, and it's up to you to first find the street on your map, then get over there, then jog up and down until you find what you're looking for. One told me to go to Children's Park, which isn't actually marked on the map at all; I only found it by chance when I was cruising around looking for faces to stomp.

Great to see that you are enjoying 4.

You can pause the cutscenes by pressing the PS button. It's not ideal but it's still better than nothing.

Yeah, they actually fixed that about sub stories with 5. Now you get a question mark on the map that tells you where you are supposed to go next

 

[Augemitbutter]

But, anyway, the game seems right up my alley so far. Definitely going to check out the rest of the series after this.

fun write-up. enjoy the game.

 

[Madison Paige]

This is very useful! I just finished up Yakuza 2 last night and am watching the digest videos for Yakuza 3 now. Very excited to get down on this and Kenzan this winter break, and maybe I'll be able to sneak 4 in there as well (I hope)!

 

[heringer]

Played about six straight hours of Yakuza 4 today. This game just grabbed me pretty much immediately. I watched the recaps of 1, 2 and 3 and the combination of sharp suits, sick sideburns and what seemed like pretty regular badass showdowns where people would rip their entire suit jackets and shirts off in one smooth, delightfully nonsensical move to show off their righteous back tattoos had me so hyped up to start 4.

I love fighting dudes in this game. When I first looked through the list of unlockable moves I wondered why there were so many different kinds of taunt, but then I started realising how valuable the Heat meter was, and all of a sudden every fight became a matter of taunting as much as possible so I can fucking stomp the shit out of everyone. One of the taunts is just straight up grabbing a guy by the lapels and staring directly into his eyes. Just fucking dominating a lesser being through sheer force of masculinity; it's basically the greatest gameplay mechanic ever devised. I also stomped so many faces of downed enemies that the game informed me that my face-stomping ability leveled up, and now when I stomp a face I get a QTE prompt that transitions into this move where I do a FUCKING HANDSTAND and then rain down what I can only describe as a SUPER TURBO DEATH KNEE directly onto his face.

And the story's pretty great, too! I really didn't expect a hardboiled noir situation out of this, complete with a femme fatale blowing into my office and a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. I love the way this team does characters' faces; it's something I always liked about Binary Domain, too. Do they model them off real actors? I feel like I've seen some of these people before, particularly Detective Sugiuchi, but I'm never quite sure.

At the moment the only complaints I have are that I can't pause the cutscenes, which is a real pain, and that I could really use a way of tracking these sidequests. The game just tells you that you're looking for something on Senryo Avenue, for example, and it's up to you to first find the street on your map, then get over there, then jog up and down until you find what you're looking for. One told me to go to Children's Park, which isn't actually marked on the map at all; I only found it by chance when I was cruising around looking for faces to stomp.

But, anyway, the game seems right up my alley so far. Definitely going to check out the rest of the series after this.

Right there with you. I just finished Yakuza 2, but after a few hours with 4 I can already tell I'll enjoy this one even more on gameplay alone, unless the story sucks. Refined controls, seamless battles, better ability distribution, new mechanics, etc. I never used taunt much in Yakuza 2 and 3, but it works so well here. It fits the character (the first one anyway) and it just looks cool.

I have one question to the experts though. Why is that some times my second dodge turns into a roll?

 

[Tenrius]

yakuza 2 is so expensive

It's relatively cheap in EU, actually.

 

[Tizoc]

If you want to 'pause cutscenes' in the PS3 games just press the PS button.

Yakuza 4 is incredible, though I don't know if it will endear you to Kiryu the way 3 will. But you can't really enjoy 3 unless you play 2. And if you play 2 you might as well play 1 so OMG just play 1!

But really 4 is a good starting point.

http://fat.gfycat.com/PartialSnivelingEmperorshrimp.webm
Wholeheartedly agree~

 

[Akiyama_AE]

So we are getting Yakuza 0 but not the remake of Yakuza 1?

depending on sales of 5 and 0 we might get Kiwami seems like the obvious choice since zero is the prequel

 

[Akiyama_AE]

Played about six straight hours of Yakuza 4 today. This game just grabbed me pretty much immediately. I watched the recaps of 1, 2 and 3 and the combination of sharp suits, sick sideburns and what seemed like pretty regular badass showdowns where people would rip their entire suit jackets and shirts off in one smooth, delightfully nonsensical move to show off their righteous back tattoos had me so hyped up to start 4.

I love fighting dudes in this game. When I first looked through the list of unlockable moves I wondered why there were so many different kinds of taunt, but then I started realising how valuable the Heat meter was, and all of a sudden every fight became a matter of taunting as much as possible so I can fucking stomp the shit out of everyone. One of the taunts is just straight up grabbing a guy by the lapels and staring directly into his eyes. Just fucking dominating a lesser being through sheer force of masculinity; it's basically the greatest gameplay mechanic ever devised. I also stomped so many faces of downed enemies that the game informed me that my face-stomping ability leveled up, and now when I stomp a face I get a QTE prompt that transitions into this move where I do a FUCKING HANDSTAND and then rain down what I can only describe as a SUPER TURBO DEATH KNEE directly onto his face.

And the story's pretty great, too! I really didn't expect a hardboiled noir situation out of this, complete with a femme fatale blowing into my office and a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top. I love the way this team does characters' faces; it's something I always liked about Binary Domain, too. Do they model them off real actors? I feel like I've seen some of these people before, particularly Detective Sugiuchi, but I'm never quite sure.

At the moment the only complaints I have are that I can't pause the cutscenes, which is a real pain, and that I could really use a way of tracking these sidequests. The game just tells you that you're looking for something on Senryo Avenue, for example, and it's up to you to first find the street on your map, then get over there, then jog up and down until you find what you're looking for. One told me to go to Children's Park, which isn't actually marked on the map at all; I only found it by chance when I was cruising around looking for faces to stomp.

But, anyway, the game seems right up my alley so far. Definitely going to check out the rest of the series after this.

When I watched the Raid 2 movie I saw the actor for the detective that was really cool I was like thats sugiuchi! and my friend was like you are damn right!

 

[kingwingin]

Thanks for making this thread!

Ive never played a yakuza before but now im really interested in playing them. Hopefully i can find the ps2 games for a decent price on ebay, yakuza 2 looks pricey

 

[brianjones]

yakuza 4 came in the mail yesterday and i ordered yakuza 3 today.. hype is real

it bums me out that i don't have a practical way of playing 1 & 2 but ill survive

if the remakes or remasters ever make it here it will be like playing more prequels after 0

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

Wow, really impressive thread OP, especially given that you've never played one! Can't wait to hear your impressions!

As someone who started at 1 in September and is almost done with 4 it's been an awesome ride and I'm happy seeing more people get into it.

Also, I could never, ever recommend anyone starting with 3. Of all the things that made me love this series, 3 had the least amount of them by far. If you can't start at 1 then definitely start at 4. I wish 1&2 would be released as PSN classics already so more people can enjoy them.

 

[cj_iwakura]

This is basically the purpose of the community thread, though? Not to hate, it's a cool OP, just seems a little redundant.

 

[Tizoc]

This is basically the purpose of the community thread, though? Not to hate, it's a cool OP, just seems a little redundant.

Eh not everyone goes to Community, besides the more Yakuza threads the better :3

 

[Breakfast at Noon]

The she mie fan in me wants too try this series, always avoided it.

Can someone link me a video that will sell me on it gameplay wise (not trailer) just so i can get a feel for it.

 

[cj_iwakura]

The she mie fan in me wants too try this series, always avoided it.

Can someone link me a video that will sell me on it gameplay wise (not trailer) just so i can get a feel for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9RrdIUpTI

 

[Tizoc]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV9RrdIUpTI

HD ver. now available!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURNR3uuHGA

The she mie fan in me wants too try this series, always avoided it.

Can someone link me a video that will sell me on it gameplay wise (not trailer) just so i can get a feel for it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkN9oru-qCQ
Check this too.

 

[StereoVsn]

If you don't have a way to play Yakuza 2 (PS2 or emulation or Japanese HD version with guide) , you should really start with 3. It has very good recaps of 1 and 2, and then you actually get to play as the main man himself, Kiryu.

Yes, start is laid back and it's fine, you get to know an awesome setting of Okinawa, meet a great side char and action picks up not that far in. As other folks have said, if you start with 4 you don't appreciate how great Kiryu is and heck, that's what Yakuza is all about.

That said, if you can play 2 , do that. Best game in the series storywise, great antagonist, awesome boss fights, it's a great great game.

 

[cj_iwakura]

HD ver. now available!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZURNR3uuHGA

Tell me I'll be able to do this in the US version.

 

[matrix-cat]

When I watched the Raid 2 movie I saw the actor for the detective that was really cool I was like thats sugiuchi! and my friend was like you are damn right!

Dude that's it! That's exactly who I was thinking of, I just couldn't place him. God, now I'm watching The Raid 2 again tonight

 

[Akiyama_AE]

Dude that's it! That's exactly who I was thinking of, I just couldn't place him. God, now I'm watching The Raid 2 again tonight

Glad I could refresh your memory

 

[Inuhanyou]

You are very welcome. And yeah, my advice would be to start with Zero if you are not sure about the PS3 titles.

I have actually finished both Kenzan and Ishin. The actual stories of those games don't have anything to do with the cast and storyline of the main series. Gameplay wise they are still Yakuza titles with their own twists but when it comes to story they have nothing to do with mainline Yakuza titles whatsoever.

They are just historical games featuring the cast from Yakuza.

Both Kenzan/Ishin are spin-off that use the Yazuka characters as virtual actors. So they take their likeness and voices but are totally different people from the mainline games. IE Ishin is about the Shinsengumi era and Kiryus likeness is used to portray Sakamoto Ryoma/ Hajime Saito of the Shinsengumi. So it's basically radical take with RGG gameplay on Japanese history. Kenzan was the same way with Kiryus likeness being used to portray the legendary Miyamoto Musashi.

Thank you guys a lot for the indepth information. I really appreciate it. I definitely am going to take my time through this series starting with Zero.

I was actually really interested in Ishin back when i had heard first heard about it on the Japanese blogs, and the swordfighting looked really cool.

I wonder why they won't localize that one for PS4? It seems like it would be easy considering its a self contained story and everything.

 

[LiK]

I always recommend playing the first game first. It does a better job explaining the world and Yakuza clans etc better than later installments. They also help create the foundation between Kiryu and many characters that return in the series including Haruka and Majima.

If you don't have access to the first 2 games, start with 3 at the earliest. 4 is a better game than 3 but I play mainly for the narrative and characters so I think it's important to play them all in order. Besides, the game in each installment has new areas and locations you get to enjoy so if you dig roaming around Japanese cities, it's a must to play them all. I LOVE the atmosphere in every single entry.

Hell, watch a LP or read up on a synopsis before jumping into a sequel blind. It'll make you appreciate the characters more.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

I always recommend playing the first game first. It does a better job explaining the world and Yakuza clans etc better than later installments. They also help create the foundation between Kiryu and many characters that return in the series including Haruka and Majima.

If you don't have access to the first 2 games, start with 3 at the earliest. 4 is a better game than 3 but I play mainly for the narrative and characters so I think it's important to play them all in order. Besides, the game in each installment has new areas and locations you get to enjoy so if you dig roaming around Japanese cities, it's a must to play them all. I LOVE the atmosphere in every single entry.

Hell, watch a LP or read up on a synopsis before jumping into a sequel blind. It'll make you appreciate the characters more.

agree, if you can, start with three.

 

[Massive Duck. C.M.]

Two was my favorite until Zero. Zero is like a whole other level.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Thank you guys a lot for the indepth information. I really appreciate it. I definitely am going to take my time through this series starting with Zero.

I was actually really interested in Ishin back when i had heard first heard about it on the Japanese blogs, and the swordfighting looked really cool.

I wonder why they won't localize that one for PS4? It seems like it would be easy considering its a self contained story and everything.

I've said this before, if I was at Sega's shoes I would definitely release Ishin in the west but after finishing it for myself I can't really fault them for not doing it tho.

Don't get me wrong the game is great and I believe that it could have done really well if Sega decided to release it here, but it's just that Ishin (and Kenzan) is clearly a title that has been made and tailored for Japanese audience. Ishin has a very patriotic feel to it and everything is centered around that theme which is perfect for Japanese (or eastern Asia in general) audience but might not be as interesting for people in other regions.

So, while I don't agree with Sega's decision for not releasing it in the west, I can sorta understand their mindset when they made that particular choice.

 

[Rean]

I'm probably gonns start this series with Yakuza 3. I already own Y4 from ps plus so I'll probably just watch the recap movies for 1 and 2 and then begin with 3.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

I always recommend playing the first game first. It does a better job explaining the world and Yakuza clans etc better than later installments. They also help create the foundation between Kiryu and many characters that return in the series including Haruka and Majima.

If you don't have access to the first 2 games, start with 3 at the earliest. 4 is a better game than 3 but I play mainly for the narrative and characters so I think it's important to play them all in order. Besides, the game in each installment has new areas and locations you get to enjoy so if you dig roaming around Japanese cities, it's a must to play them all. I LOVE the atmosphere in every single entry.

Hell, watch a LP or read up on a synopsis before jumping into a sequel blind. It'll make you appreciate the characters more.

I haven't jumped into 5 yet, but as far as I can tell 3 almost has no impact on 4's story at all? Aside from Hamazaki, but that was such a half baked ending twist anyway that it doesn't really matter. Maybe I need more time to look back on it fondly haha, but I really didn't like 3's story at all, aside from a few characters.

I'm probably gonns start this series with Yakuza 3. I already own Y4 from ps plus so I'll probably just watch the recap movies for 1 and 2 and then begin with 3.

Piece of advice, if you start finding yourself not liking the game that much, drop it and pick up 4. I know that sounds like weird advice, but 4 feels so much more like a "Yakuza" game than 3 does in the first handful of hours, that it might help. I think 3 is good for those who have played the first 2, because everything that happens in the story is relying on you having knowledge and a connection from things from the first 2 games for it to have any impact.

Either way I hope you enjoy! It's an awesome series.

 

[Mr. Nice_Guy]

Double post my bad

 

[Akiyama_AE]

Two was my favorite until Zero. Zero is like a whole other level.

zero is really good but the boss fights were wack except some in majima's side

 

[Card Boy]

I wonder if Kenzan and Ishin is playable with the Google Translate app for non-Japanese speakers?

 

[Akiyama_AE]

I wonder if Kenzan and Ishin is playable with the Google Translate app for non-Japanese speakers?

go to KHHSUBS thats how I played Kenzan and Ishin and 5 and zero

 

[Card Boy]

I started playing Yakuza 1 for the first time on PCSX2. That English dub.

go to KHHSUBS thats how I played Kenzan and Ishin and 5 and zero

except that doesn't do translation on the fly.

 

[Akiyama_AE]

except that doesn't do translation on the fly.

whoa thats a thing I didn't even know O_O

 

[PensivePen]

People kind of overstate the necessity of starting from the first game. You'll definitely get the best experience doing so, but the original can be a little rough to go back to nowadays, especially if you don't have a PS2. It also really stands out compared to the other games in that it has a much more stiff and unwieldy combat system, and the English voice acting is very hit or miss.

I started playing Yakuza 1 for the first time on PCSX2. That English dub.[/IMG]

Interesting, do those games work fine on PCSX2 now? I remember trying to play them a few years ago and they were full of odd graphical glitches. There were some hacks and fixes to remove most of them, but even then they were still prevalent in some scenes.

 

[StereoVsn]

I started playing Yakuza 1 for the first time on PCSX2. That English dub.

except that doesn't do translation on the fly.

Maybe in a few years. Right now this would be an exercise in extreme frustration.

 

[kamandi]

Great work. Subbed.

 

[Aerocrane]

Interesting, do those games work fine on PCSX2 now? I remember trying to play them a few years ago and they were full of odd graphical glitches. There were some hacks and fixes to remove most of them, but even then they were still prevalent in some scenes.

They run fine on PCSX2. If you run them at higher than native resolution you get some ghosting. Using half-pixel offset hack helps with the ghosting, but it causes a pair of black lines to appear on the screen. So really if you emulate the Yakuza games with PCSX2 it's the best to use native resolution of the game.

 

[StereoVsn]

They run fine on PCSX2. If you run them at higher than native resolution you get some ghosting. Using half-pixel offset hack helps with the ghosting, but it causes a pair of black lines to appear on the screen. So really if you emulate the Yakuza games with PCSX2 it's the best to use native resolution of the game.

I thought there was a solution to the black line issue with latest versions of the software? I mean at native res almost might as well play on PS2 (well, savestates).

 

[Schlomo]

Nice thread, but two corrections: It's "Ashura-hen", not "henu", and you also copied that same title to the description of Ishin below.

 

[LiK]

I haven't jumped into 5 yet, but as far as I can tell 3 almost has no impact on 4's story at all? Aside from Hamazaki, but that was such a half baked ending twist anyway that it doesn't really matter. Maybe I need more time to look back on it fondly haha, but I really didn't like 3's story at all, aside from a few characters.

Y3's story was def the weakest in the mainline series but there are many cool moments that I still remember. People seem divided about the whole orphanage storyline but I loved it. Felt like I was playing a J-drama of some kind. It was oddly refreshing and something I haven't seen done in other games. And I do like that the events that happen does impact Kiryu as a character in 4 and 5. I personally think it's a crucial entry in terms of developing him.

Oh yea, I also loved the location. Okinawa was a pretty cool area to run around in. I actually like walking around in it especially at night.

I started playing Yakuza 1 for the first time on PCSX2. That English dub.

I liked the dub. I thought everyone in the main cast did a pretty good job. The English VO for Haruka in particular was a real highlight. She was excellent. The only oddities with the VO were the random thugs you had to fight.