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[Shadowman16]

The ending of 3 kinda ties into one particular part of Yakuza 4, but not in such a way that you'd be lost should you skip 3 (not that I recommend skipping it, the game has its issues but some of those story scenes really rock).

Also worth pointing out that 4 ties back into 1 as part of its plot (again, not in a huge way, but its there) plus many of Kiryu's side stories tie back to his previous games, so if you can play the games in order that's cool. But at no point should you really feel all that lost if you skip one.

 

[xclk07]

So, is there no tropy regarding the difficulty setting in Kiwami?

There is... have to unlock Legend (i.e. Ex Hard) first and then complete for a trophy... so minimum 2 playthroughs for thr platinum.

 

[Cronen]

Thanks guys. I would like to play 3 if possible. Have found a copy on eBay so have placed a bid!

 

[klabautermann]

I'm so pumped for all those Ryu Ga Gotoku announcements this weekend. Ichiban's story sounds interesting and I can't wait to jump into Shin RGG whenever we get that. I also haven't been able to stop watching the Hokuto ga Gotoku trailer since saturday. Game is all I can think about, man. I need it.

 

[Gacha-pin]

Latest sega streaming.
https://youtu.be/JTGFg7wyGNo?t=1h17m50s

Nagoshi says they are developing Hokuto ga Gotoku (Like the north star) on the old engine, he calls it Kiwami engine. A) easier to handle B) better for toon shading.

Now I'm feeling we get the game sooner than I thought. We will get two games (this and Shin RGG for consoles) in 2018???

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

 

[Aki-at]

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

Wait is he specifically talking about numbers from Japan/Asia or numbers from like, the recent release in the West?

 

[Gacha-pin]

You know what this series doesn't have some stupid name like Yakuza in Asia ;p

 

[Opa-Pa]

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

Whoa!! That's so great! I'm so glad it's proving profitable for them to care about the west, this is the best news!

 

[robotrock]

I think they say "dreams" more in Yakuza 5 than they say "nanomachines" in MGS4

 

[Aki-at]

You know what this series doesn't have some stupid name like Yakuza in Asia ;p

I'm sorry it's just... It sounds like the West helped paved the way for Yakuza Kiwami 2. You're blowing my mind here!

Yakuza 0 selling pretty well and preorder numbers being good for Kiwami so the team decided to make Kiwami 2... That means that the Western fanbase is something Sega actually cares about. WE DID IT BOYS AND GIRLS! We got into the promised land!

I think they say "dreams" more in Yakuza 5 than they say "nanomachines" in MGS4

There is a "yume" counter somewhere on youtube, I watched it once haha.

 

[indigo-cyclops]

Latest sega streaming.
https://youtu.be/JTGFg7wyGNo?t=1h17m50s

Nagoshi says they are developing Hokuto ga Gotoku (Like the north star) on the old engine, he calls it Kiwami engine. A) easier to handle B) better for toon shading.

Now I'm feeling we get the game sooner than I thought. We will get two games (this and Shin RGG for consoles) in 2018???

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

God that feeling that Yakuza is finally hitting it's stride and people realize that it's one hell of a series. I bet they're loving it!

 

[Coda]

There's something just so magical about this gif.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

Wait, are you sure about this? Did he specifically mentioned Yakuza for in those parts and said RGG for the Japanese games?

I really want this to be true, but it's kinda mind blowing.

 

[klabautermann]

There's something just so magical about this gif.

That Yakuza charm slapped on one of the greatest manga IPs. It's beautiful.

Also worried that this game might have branding issues in the west, but I hope we see it localized. Either way I'm probably gonna import.

 

[eyeball_kid]

I think coming off the Yakuza hype as of late, Fist of the North Star would do really well here. It takes the indefinable thing we love about Yakuza, applies it to an anime IP that most people who were around in the 90's watched, and adds a dose of Platinum over-the-top action that's metal af. I don't know how they could lose.

 

[klabautermann]

I think coming off the Yakuza hype as of late, Fist of the North Star would do really well here. It takes the indefinable thing we love about Yakuza, applies it to an anime IP that most people who were around in the 90's watched, and adds a dose of Platinum over-the-top action that's metal af. I don't know how they could lose.

They really can't, so I'm sure a localization is likely. (Guess I'm just scared of a Kenzan or Ishin situation.) Though you can't beat that title. Hokuto ga Gotoku, or Like a North Star is the coolest fucking title, man. Sad that "Yakuza" was the branding they went with out here, but oh well.

 

[Coda]

That Yakuza charm slapped on one of the greatest manga IPs. It's beautiful.

Also worried that this game might have branding issues in the west, but I hope we see it localized. Either way I'm probably gonna import.

Exactly, probably will import it too unless the release in the west is either on the same date or shortly after the Japanese release.

 

[Shadowman16]

So if FOTNS is using the Kiwami engine, is there any chance for 60FPS or is that out of the question? As that's one of the things I like most about that engine on the PS4.

Wait, are you sure about this? Did he specifically mentioned Yakuza for in those parts and said RGG for the Japanese games?

I really want this to be true, but it's kinda mind blowing.

I'd be interested about this as well. If the games are doing well enough over here that it helped greenlight Kiwami 2 I need to rethink why that game was greenlit. I always assume that Sega of Japan does whatever it wants for its Asian audience in terms of the RGG series, so if overseas sales helped contribute to Kiwami 2 even getting made, that's excellent news

 

[Jimrpg]

Latest sega streaming.
https://youtu.be/JTGFg7wyGNo?t=1h17m50s

Nagoshi says they are developing Hokuto ga Gotoku (Like the north star) on the old engine, he calls it Kiwami engine. A) easier to handle B) better for toon shading.

Now I'm feeling we get the game sooner than I thought. We will get two games (this and Shin RGG for consoles) in 2018???

He also mentions something like he and the team hesitated to make Ryu ga Gotoku Kiwami 2 but the preorder number for Yakuza Kiwami is pretty good and Yakuza 0 sold really well so let's do it.

This automatically confirms Yakuza Kiwami 2 is on the way.

That's awesome. It doesn't take long for them to spit out a new Yakuza game does it? Probably under a year, judging by his comments?

It's interesting to hear that they hesitated to make 2, sounds like it was just either a one off remake to get people into the series or they remade 1 because it was more popular or sold more (I think it sold more?).

 

[Jimrpg]

I don't know if anyone would be interested in this, seeing as this is hardly concrete information, but seeing as we're lacking sales numbers, I was curious to see how the popularity of Yakuza fared against other games so here are some order "sizes" for games from the shop I get my games from. They like to post their stock, so its good indication for me, I wouldn't take any of this as gospel, but I think Kiwami is doing well in Malaysia at the very least. This will probably be pretty different to the US, but I think Kiwami has a chance to do just as well as Zero given its lower price point.

Yakuza 0 (first picture, preorders, second picture, restock after two weeks) - Preorders obviously look low, I think at the time, most places sold out and they couldn't fill demand because of the good word of mouth. The restock shows more copies, but still not very many.

Yakuza Kiwami (first picture, steelbook, second picture, regular edition) - The steelbook here is the R1 version @ RM149 (US$35), and the R3 standard at RM99 (US$23). The steelbook was available for preorder 1 month before, so it could be why there are so many more steelbooks. A $12 difference might not sound very much to US folk, but a 50% price difference and RM50 difference is a lot so I'm actually very surprised people didn't switch over to the standard version.

Either way, Zero's good word of mouth has probably helped Kiwami sell more copies over here at least. Hopefully this means retailers can be more bullish about the series prospects and that they can spend more on marketing it. This shop was quite active in promoting Kiwami preorders.

Here's how Yakuza compares to other games preorders.

Utawarerumono: Mast of Truth (the new one) (1st order), Uncharted Lost Legacy (1st order), Persona 5 (1st order), Persona 5 (restock after two weeks)

 

[Gen X]

I wonder if any of the future Yakuza games will have more recent arcade titles like Virtua Racing, Daytona, or even Spikeout since they were known to have based the fighting style on Spikeout.

 

[Jimrpg]

I wonder if any of the future Yakuza games will have more recent arcade titles like Virtua Racing, Daytona, or even Spikeout since they were known to have based the fighting style on Spikeout.

Well I was thinking about this yesterday - I'd really like them to put Daytona in there seeing as that was a Nagoshi game. Outrunners would be a good shout as that was great in the arcades, it hardly gets a mention anymore when people talk about Outrun. Fighting Vipers, Crazy Taxi. I'd like Virtua Tennis, but that'll never happen with all the licensing issues. And we already have Virtua Fighter 5 in Yakuza 6.

 

[IrishNinja]

good post arbok26 - that's encouraging! seems to be gaining momentum, at least from preorders anyway

I wonder if any of the future Yakuza games will have more recent arcade titles like Virtua Racing, Daytona, or even Spikeout since they were known to have based the fighting style on Spikeout.

having never had a chance to play that one in the arcades, man that'd be dope
i fully expect galaxy force & power drift next time

 

[Son Of Sparda]

I wanted to say that I wanna see Puyo Puyo Tetris as a Yakuza mini-game, then I realized that's already in Yakuza 6!

Man, I can't wait to see what mini-games they have in store for Kiwami 2 and Shin RGG.

Edit: Great post arbok. Yeah, it definitely seems like Yakuza 0's word of mouth has helped Kiwami do better.

 

[The God]

Just finished my first Yakuza game in 0 (might be my GOTY) but I'm confused about 2 scenes in the ending

Spoiler

was Sera asking Majima to kill Shimano? Why didn't he?

and

Spoiler

Why do the Omi kill Sagawa

?

buying Kiwami ASAP

 

[Gacha-pin]

There's something just so magical about this gif.

This one is the spin-off version's baseball mini game and it's very easy to guess. But I wonder what type of mini game this cocktail thing is. Like Ramen stand at Nagasu in 5?

So if FOTNS is using the Kiwami engine, is there any chance for 60FPS or is that out of the question? As that's one of the things I like most about that engine on the PS4.

Hopefully.

Using the old engine is a good sigh for Hokuto ga Gotoku but the dragon engine must suit Hokuto no Ken. This Kiryu is very Kenshiro. Nagumo is already dead m9（｀・ω・´）

 

[Shadowman16]

This one is the spin-off version's baseball mini game and it's very easy to guess. But I wonder what type of mini game this cocktail thing is. Like Ramen stand at Nagasu in 5?



Hopefully.

Using the old engine is a good sigh for Hokuto ga Gotoku but the dragon engine must suit Hokuto no Ken. This Kiryu is very Kenshiro. Nagumo is already dead m9（｀・ω・´）

Good point about the new baseball/batting center mini game. Its even more dangerous than chopping cannonballs in two in Ishin (side note, I really enjoyed that, probably the most fun I had with that style of mini game outside of Shinada's stuff in 5).

 

[Opa-Pa]

Just finished my first Yakuza game in 0 (might be my GOTY) but I'm confused about 2 scenes in the ending

Spoiler

was Sera asking Majima to kill Shimano? Why didn't he?

and

Spoiler

Why do the Omi kill Sagawa

?

buying Kiwami ASAP

Spoiler

Hard to tell if Sera was asking him to make Shimano kill himself or just kill him, but Majima definitely interpreted it as he had to kill him and he couldn't do it because killing your own family's patriarch in the yakuza is pretty much asking for a living hell, and by that point he already felt he didn't have much else to live for, so he probably thought it wasn't worth it.

Sagawa is killed off for failing to get anything done after involving himself with the Tojo clan and because a high ranking Omi Alliance executive gets killed by Shimano and as you know, Sagawa is a sworn brother to Shimano.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Some Mark Hamill recordings of Majima, easily the best thing about the dub:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ajsr5RwOTE

 

[matrixman92]

Yes, finally almost done getting the platinum in Dead Souls, then I hope 5 isnt as long so I can move on to the ps4 games

*looks at trophy guide*

"Approximate amount of time to platinum : 150+ hours"

 

[IrishNinja]

only 2 chapters in & kiwami is already setting things far better with Nishki than OG yakuza 1 did, man I expected the fresh coat of paint but the extra exposition/scenes really add & fill in blanks

 

[The God]

Spoiler

Hard to tell if Sera was asking him to make Shimano kill himself or just kill him, but Majima definitely interpreted it as he had to kill him and he couldn't do it because killing your own family's patriarch in the yakuza is pretty much asking for a living hell, and by that point he already felt he didn't have much else to live for, so he probably thought it wasn't worth it.

Sagawa is killed off for failing to get anything done after involving himself with the Tojo clan and because a high ranking Omi Alliance executive gets killed by Shimano and as you know, Sagawa is a sworn brother to Shimano.

Thanks

Also, is Majima's

Spoiler

brother dead?I can't remember

 

[lucebuce12]

Thanks

Also, is Majima's

Spoiler

brother dead?I can't remember

In jail. And he's playable in Yakuza 4 and 5. And he's not his real life brother, he's his sworn brother.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

In jail. And he's playable in Yakuza 4 and 5. And he's not his real life brother, he's his sworn brother.

Just like YakuzaGAF. Right, kyodai?

 

[Shadowman16]

Yes, finally almost done getting the platinum in Dead Souls, then I hope 5 isnt as long so I can move on to the ps4 games

*looks at trophy guide*

"Approximate amount of time to platinum : 150+ hours"

Nah, its not that long. My run took me 140 hours and not a minute longer!

 

[Vorheez]

Really impressed with Kiwami so far!! When I found out it was a remake, I didn't expect it to be as smooth of a transition from 0 as it was.

 

[Aki-at]

Have you guys seen the online comic about Yakuza's development?

http://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/manga/170831

Did they give Nagoshi a beefcake body, he is no where near that buff!

 

[Opa-Pa]

Nagoshi Joestar and his Tezuka drawn team are my favorite developers for sure.

And what's with that Earthbound Beginnings bit at the end? Haha.

Edit: Iwata and Itoi too!!

 

[Solid Sora]

So I just finished Zero and I have to ask.

Is Zero, like, a special case where the story and characters got ridiculously good and everything fell perfectly into place, or is it just par the course for the series?

Because I can't imagine having 6 more games of the same level to play. This just sounds too good to be true.

I'm still mindblown by how good Zero is. Those last few Majima scenes, man.

Can't wait to start Kiwami tomorrow.

 

[klabautermann]

So I just finished Zero and I have to ask.

Is Zero, like, a special case where the story and characters got ridiculously good and everything fell perfectly into place, or is it just par the course for the series?

Because I can't imagine having 6 more games of the same level to play. This just sounds too good to be true.

I'm still mindblown by how good Zero is. Those last few Majima scenes, man.

Can't wait to start Kiwami tomorrow.

Some are better than others, but I think 2 is exceptional. I've never straight hated or not enjoyed a Yakuza's game story though.

 

[Aki-at]

So I just finished Zero and I have to ask.

Is Zero, like, a special case where the story and characters got ridiculously good and everything fell perfectly into place, or is it just par the course for the series?

Because I can't imagine having 6 more games of the same level to play. This just sounds too good to be true.

I'm still mindblown by how good Zero is. Those last few Majima scenes, man.

Can't wait to start Kiwami tomorrow.

No it's one of the better stories in the series I felt, I'd probably rank them...

2 > 1 > 0 > 3 > 4 > 5

Kiwami can go either way, I've seen plenty of people love the original's storyline as well as dislike it but it's still really well done. I can imagine after getting to know some of these characters, certain narratives will hit a lot stronger.

 

[RPGCrazied]

Playing Zero, chapter 5, shit is getting intense.

Massive spoilers.

Spoiler

Don't you dare kill that blind girl Majima!

 

[lucebuce12]

Haven't seen this posted yet. The previous mini survey about the announced Yakuza games has been replaced by this much more elaborate survey about Kiwami and future localisations.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScaE21WJ-iKMNaV1HN9KFqP2xToutQQgfoCW5lsAoxsmGcWjw/viewform

..

If you haven't played the game, we don't want your response. I'd hate to have to throw out the entire data set as useless because it was flooded by people trying to make a statement.

However, if you have played Kiwami, please fill it out. Once. Honestly. We love accurate data

 

[Soar]

Thanks Luce, will get to that survey after I'm done. Was really annoyed by all the folks inputting agenda filled data in the previous short survey. Luckily I don't have to deal with too much of that bullcrap at work.

 

[Shadowman16]

So I just finished Zero and I have to ask.

Is Zero, like, a special case where the story and characters got ridiculously good and everything fell perfectly into place, or is it just par the course for the series?

Because I can't imagine having 6 more games of the same level to play. This just sounds too good to be true.

I'm still mindblown by how good Zero is. Those last few Majima scenes, man.

Can't wait to start Kiwami tomorrow.

Each game has their moments. For example - for me 3 has a ton of great scenes that are some of the best in the series (in my opinion) but most people complain about the slow start instead. The end game is absolutely excellent, one of my favourites for sure. Even 5 which is somewhat of a mess at points still manages to have some brilliant character moments (especially Shinada) and 6 still has one of my favourite scenes in any game ending ever (even though I have other issues with the way that game was handled).

But really its just the characters that make the series. They've done such a good job in building up these characters throughout the last 10+ years, and even managed to retroactively improve some characters thanks to 0

Spoiler

Nishiki benefits the most from 0 and Kiwami for sure

. Really makes me excited to see where they go next with Shin RGG.

 

[Scotia]

Did the Yakuza Kiwami survey. Favourite question and answer was this:

Just curious: How much time do you need between Yakuza game purchases?
We know they take time to get through.

I'll Yakuza all day, every day, and not even care.

 

[Jimrpg]

So I just finished Zero and I have to ask.

Is Zero, like, a special case where the story and characters got ridiculously good and everything fell perfectly into place, or is it just par the course for the series?

Because I can't imagine having 6 more games of the same level to play. This just sounds too good to be true.

I'm still mindblown by how good Zero is. Those last few Majima scenes, man.

Can't wait to start Kiwami tomorrow.

Just my own personal opinion, but Yakuza 0 might be my favourite game of all time, its that good. Yakuza was already my favourite game series but only Yakuza 1 and 4 were really 9 out of 10 games. 0 for me was the easiest 10 ever.

With the other Yakuza titles, they were always great games but there were always some parts that didn't work as well, some slow spots, or a bit too much filler dialogue, or some rote gameplay.

In Yakuza 0 they just got everything right. They fixed everything that was wrong in 5 and really concentrated on delivering amazing moments, which is what the Yakuza series is great at. The plot itself is a huge rollercoaster ride and doesn't have any slow spots in comparison with the other titles. The number of protagonists was spot on, the number of cities perfect, the cliffhangers at the end of every chapter and swapping characters every two chapters so that the player always wants more. The Abundance of side quests, mini games and two great side activities. I only have one complaint and that is the few escort missions can be annoying when the enemies grab on to Makoto. But other than that everything ROCKED in 0. The boss fights are flat out ridiculous too.

Spoiler

The power saw guy in the construction site, the crazy chinese assassin at the end, Shibusawa fight, all the Kuze fights. And the game had the biggest impactful moment in the entire series when Tachibana took a hammer to the face and you go immediately into a Kuze fight. Game really gave me feels.

 

[Peroroncino]

Did the Yakuza Kiwami survey. Favourite question and answer was this:

The one true answer!

 

[Aki-at]

Sam Mullen was tweeting about the Yakuza AMA and said "BTW what's an Ishin?"

Surely it was just a joke, right? Ishin isn't coming over, right?

 

[Opa-Pa]

Sam Mullen was tweeting about the Yakuza AMA and said "BTW what's an Ishin?"

Surely it was just a joke, right? Ishin isn't coming over, right?

Scott's reply lmao.

Here's hoping he's not just messing around. Ishin coming over would push me into importing Kenzan though, which I really don't want to do...