Gaming Yakuza and Judgement (series)

mariachi-19

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So picked up yakuza zero at start of the year as I read it’s a great starting point if you’ve never played the series.

The game started horrendously slowly and I’m not sure why Japanese developers have this penchant for ridiculously long cut scenes and minimal gameplay. I am up to chapter 7 but not sure how much more time I’ll put into this because the gameplay doesn’t really seem worth it and it obviously lacks Kojima’s style stories to make up for the ridiculously long cut scenes.
 

izzydiggler

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I’ve also started it recently and have thought the opposite...the side missions especially are just batshit crazy and frequently hilarious. Really enjoying it.

The gameplay/camera/controls are a little fiddly but other than that...
 

esmufc07

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Never played them as there’s that fecking many. From what I’ve seen gameplay wise don’t think it would interest me that much but some seem to think they’re excellent so I’ll probably give them a go one day.
 

2mufc0

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It's a great series, just give it a go you'll most likely love it.
 

AaronRedDevil

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Yakuza is a masterclass series. Started playing them when Zero came out and now I’m a massive fan of the series. And I’m glad I haven’t played them before Zero since it made Y1 even better. Still though, I’ve been playing games for 20 years and it amazes me that I missed this entire thing and just thought they were some silly games that people like. Boy was I wrong. Yakuza Like a Dragon was amazing too, 2nd best game in the series IMO, Zero is 1st.

if I were to give advice. Just skip Y5, it’s 50 hours long and the first 40 hours are fecking tedious.
 

Massive Spanner

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Y0 is a fantastic game. Problem is it's the first Yakuza game I played and the other remasters felt a bit crap in comparison so I couldn't get into them.

Really enjoying Like a Dragon though.
 

b82REZ

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Y0 is a fantastic game. Problem is it's the first Yakuza game I played and the other remasters felt a bit crap in comparison so I couldn't get into them.

Really enjoying Like a Dragon though.
Thinking of getting this when I finish FF7R.
 

evil_geko

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Great series, it is best and worst to begin with Yakuza 0, best because of story, worst because that one is one of the best in the series by far so rest will feel kinda underwhelming after.

I recently binged Y3 and Y4, wanted to start Y5 straight away but had to make a break. Thing is I love turn based combat so I can't wait to play Like a Dragon, but I don't wanna play them out of order, just my OCD thing. :D

If FF7 remake disappointed me with no real classic battle, Like a Dragon will fill that gap.
 

Leg-End

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If you don’t like cut scenes and 0 isn’t really catching your attention I would say don’t waste any more time or money on the series.
 

tinfish

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So picked up yakuza zero at start of the year as I read it’s a great starting point if you’ve never played the series.

The game started horrendously slowly and I’m not sure why Japanese developers have this penchant for ridiculously long cut scenes and minimal gameplay. I am up to chapter 7 but not sure how much more time I’ll put into this because the gameplay doesn’t really seem worth it and it obviously lacks Kojima’s style stories to make up for the ridiculously long cut scenes.
I mean gameplay wise Yakuza 0 is no GTA. However with the excellent story I got so involved with it to the point where I would rank it as one of my top 3 games of all time. I guess I just enjoyed the story and nostalgic 80's Japan a little too much.
 

syrian_scholes

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I mean gameplay wise Yakuza 0 is no GTA. However with the excellent story I got so involved with it to the point where I would rank it as one of my top 3 games of all time. I guess I just enjoyed the story and nostalgic 80's Japan a little too much.
Are you really saying GTA has good gameplay and saying Yakuza's gameplay isn't as good? :lol:
 

tinfish

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Are you really saying GTA has good gameplay and saying Yakuza's gameplay isn't as good? :lol:
I think I may have worded it slightly wrong. What I mean to say is that GTA is a technical achievement in terms of how many things you can do within it's world...regardless if it's fun or not.

That being said Yakuza is still the better game for me obviously.
 

KirkDuyt

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If you think Kojima style rubbish is better than Yakuza's stories you are insane.

Having said that, Yakuza has a very particular kind of charm that is not for everyone I guess. It's both very serious and extremely silly at the same time. If you still don't like it after that much time, it's probably just not your thing. The fighting is very old school and a bit simplistic. The game hasnt really innovated since it's inception.
 

b82REZ

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Played a few hours of Like a Dragon last night.

Slow start but I can feel it getting its claws into me.

Just about to confront Araksawa in the restaurant.

I'm surprised I only have one party member so far but imagine I'll have a full party sooner than later.
 

AaronRedDevil

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Played a few hours of Like a Dragon last night.

Slow start but I can feel it getting its claws into me.

Just about to confront Araksawa in the restaurant.

I'm surprised I only have one party member so far but imagine I'll have a full party sooner than later.
You'll have about 6 party members from the story. 7 if you do the business mini game after where you are. It's an incredible game.
 

Massive Spanner

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Played a few hours of Like a Dragon last night.

Slow start but I can feel it getting its claws into me.

Just about to confront Araksawa in the restaurant.

I'm surprised I only have one party member so far but imagine I'll have a full party sooner than later.
It's ridiculously slow to get going. So many cutscenes. I had to force myself to go back to it early on but I'm really enjoying it now.
 

b82REZ

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It's ridiculously slow to get going. So many cutscenes. I had to force myself to go back to it early on but I'm really enjoying it now.
I expected that going in.

My only other experience with Yakuza was 3 and that was very cut scene heavy as well.

I had to restart 3 times as well because I didn't realise the PS5 upgrade hadn't installed and save data can't be transferred.
 

b82REZ

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Put a decent amount of time into this over the weekend.

It's brilliant, despite the fact it takes a dozen hours to truly get going.

There's so much to do, I still feel slightly overwhelmed by it all.
 

Leg-End

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The PS4 to PS5 upgrade rendering my PS4 progress useless as the save data doesn't go over has made me shelve it for a bit but I will definitely go back to it soon, I just can't face starting again just yet.
 

Raw

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Great series of games. Been wanting to get Like a Dragon but maybe I'll wait until I get a PS5.

Part of me wants to play the remastered versions of 1+2 but another part of me can't be bothered since I already played the originals, especially if I want to platinum them!
 

b82REZ

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The PS4 to PS5 upgrade rendering my PS4 progress useless as the save data doesn't go over has made me shelve it for a bit but I will definitely go back to it soon, I just can't face starting again just yet.
It is frustrating. I had to restart 3 times. However when you skip the cut scenes it only takes about half an hour to get to Ichi getting out of prison.
 

2mufc0

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Great series of games. Been wanting to get Like a Dragon but maybe I'll wait until I get a PS5.

Part of me wants to play the remastered versions of 1+2 but another part of me can't be bothered since I already played the originals, especially if I want to platinum them!
They are worth playing again , especially 2. They've been totally revamped so in a gameplay sense it will be like a new game.

Edit: kiwami 1 and 2 aren't remasters, they are remakes.
 

Gehrman

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I thought Like a Dragon was great as well. Looked great on a base PS4 as well. However all Yakuza games are a bit too slow my liking and to cutscene heavy. However the climax of the story is usually great.
 

b82REZ

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I really don't like the business mini game, but everywhere says I should complete it.

Any recommendations on which side quests to focus on?
 

2mufc0

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I really don't like the business mini game, but everywhere says I should complete it.

Any recommendations on which side quests to focus on?
Majima's hostess side quest really is worth it, it's also a lot more fun than Kiriyu's.
 

2mufc0

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You what? I can't seem to remember those quests in like a dragon.
My bad, thought he was talking about 0, mixed him with the OP.
 

AaronRedDevil

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I really don't like the business mini game, but everywhere says I should complete it.

Any recommendations on which side quests to focus on?
You definitely don't have to do them if you just want to complete the story. You unlock that girl Emi? But she's the same as seako. It's pretty easy after a while and it'll become addictive. Took me a while to get he hang of it.
 

Shane88

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Bizarre games but fun.

The main plot can be super serious with murder and betrayal etc but then you do a side mission where you're coaching a novice dominatrix in a playground as kids watch on.
 

Solius

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Never played these before. Starting with Kiwami which I believe is a remaster of the first game. Will do up to 6? I think. And then 0 and then Like A Dragon, obviously only if I enjoy them but i’m sure I will.
 

Massive Spanner

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Never played these before. Starting with Kiwami which I believe is a remaster of the first game. Will do up to 6? I think. And then 0 and then Like A Dragon, obviously only if I enjoy them but i’m sure I will.
0 is by far the best one, the others are a bit meh in comparison. Not sure what the right way to do it is because after 0 I couldn't get into the others at all. Maybe if you're struggling with the others just jump straight to 0 then and enjoy the ride.

Like a Dragon is a totally different type of game and story so can be played whenever, probably.
 

Solius

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0 is by far the best one, the others are a bit meh in comparison. Not sure what the right way to do it is because after 0 I couldn't get into the others at all. Maybe if you're struggling with the others just jump straight to 0 then and enjoy the ride.

Like a Dragon is a totally different type of game and story so can be played whenever, probably.
Yeah so I think I'll play 1 - 6 first as if 0 is the best I don't want the rest ruined for me by comparison.
 

Solius

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Majima is apparently hiding from me under a giant cone but I’ve checked the entire city and found 3. None of them do anything when I go up to them.
 

DatIrishFella

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Not including the remakes/remasters as I played Yakuza 1 and 2 on a PS2 emulator on PC. And I played 3,4,5 on PS3.

I'd rank the Yakuza games in order of;

Yakuza 2
Y 0
Yakuza
Y 4
Y 3
Y 5
Y 6: Song of Life

Then you have the spin off series Like A Dragon! with Ichiban and the Judgement series with Yagami, both of which are great additions to the Yakuza "universe" They hit the heights of Y2, Y0, and OG Y imo.
 

Solius

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I finished Yazuka Kiwami last night. Good game, got a bit repetitive with fighting multiple people to solve every scenario but the combat was enjoyable enough to not make it feel like a chore.

Starting Kiwami 2 later.
 

Sviken

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I finished Yazuka Kiwami last night. Good game, got a bit repetitive with fighting multiple people to solve every scenario but the combat was enjoyable enough to not make it feel like a chore.

Starting Kiwami 2 later.
That's interesting starting from Kiwami instead of 0 ,but I understand. Yep, 0 is widely considered the best, but also - Like a Dragon, but whether you'll enjoy LAD yourself will also largely depend on whether you'll like the change in the combat system. Word of warning though, be careful not to get burned out by too much playing. These games are incredibly long and 3 is going to be very frustrating combat-wise (which largely gets fixed in 4).
 

Solius

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That's interesting starting from Kiwami instead of 0 ,but I understand. Yep, 0 is widely considered the best, but also - Like a Dragon, but whether you'll enjoy LAD yourself will also largely depend on whether you'll like the change in the combat system. Word of warning though, be careful not to get burned out by too much playing. These games are incredibly long and 3 is going to be very frustrating combat-wise (which largely gets fixed in 4).
Yeah I didn't want to play the 'best' one first really. Plus this is the natural order of the games as everyone else experienced it.

I might do Kiwami 2 then and play something else because I heard 3 & 4 are a bit of a drop off.
 

Moby

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That's interesting starting from Kiwami instead of 0 ,but I understand. Yep, 0 is widely considered the best, but also - Like a Dragon, but whether you'll enjoy LAD yourself will also largely depend on whether you'll like the change in the combat system. Word of warning though, be careful not to get burned out by too much playing. These games are incredibly long and 3 is going to be very frustrating combat-wise (which largely gets fixed in 4).
I absolutely enjoyed every single bit of like a dragon. Love it to bits.
 

Solius

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Playing Kiwami 2 and I get that it improves on the first on almost every way but it still feels so samey. Was carrying on with it though until some bullshit fight against the master guy that pissed me off. The game asks if I want to continue so I say no, as in I don’t want to do that fight again. But I didn’t realise it would take me back to the main menu.

No autosaves at all. Last manual save was an hour ago. Can’t be arsed. Uninstalled.
 

mariachi-19

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Playing Kiwami 2 and I get that it improves on the first on almost every way but it still feels so samey. Was carrying on with it though until some bullshit fight against the master guy that pissed me off. The game asks if I want to continue so I say no, as in I don’t want to do that fight again. But I didn’t realise it would take me back to the main menu.

No autosaves at all. Last manual save was an hour ago. Can’t be arsed. Uninstalled.
No auto save with zero either.