That’s just annoying really. I think I’ll play some other games for a bit, read up on 2-6 and then play 0 in the future. Just quite tired of the ‘go here, do this’ format. Think I need some linear games.
Gaming Yakuza and Judgement (series)
- Thread starter mariachi-19
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
I'm doing a similar thing as @Solius attempted, a full run of all Yakuza/Like a Dragon games, only I did Yakuza 0 first. I'm currently a good 20 hours into Kiwami.
For me personally, the trick is definitely to not play them consecutively. I finished Zero about 6 months ago, with 100-150 hours on the clock. Had I started Kiwami immediately after, I'm pretty sure I would've grown tired of it. In many ways it feels like playing the exact same game again. Still fun, but I do hope there's a bit more variety in the other titles.
At this pace it'll take me a number of years to get through the series though, so I might just do Kiwami 2 straight after this one, as this feels like it should be a lot shorther than Zero.
For me personally, the trick is definitely to not play them consecutively. I finished Zero about 6 months ago, with 100-150 hours on the clock. Had I started Kiwami immediately after, I'm pretty sure I would've grown tired of it. In many ways it feels like playing the exact same game again. Still fun, but I do hope there's a bit more variety in the other titles.
At this pace it'll take me a number of years to get through the series though, so I might just do Kiwami 2 straight after this one, as this feels like it should be a lot shorther than Zero.
Yeah I messed up doing this. Though it's been a month or so since I stopped and I still don't feel like playing it again. It was basically the same game again.
Yep, I played 4 Yakuza games back to back, 0, 1, 2, 3. I had to make a huge break before playing next one.
It’s like Souls / Uber hard games. I have to play them with breaks in between as well.
On Yakuza I started with 0 which was absolutely brilliant. Then I tried Kiwani which I thought was not well written so left it half way through. After that I played Lost Judgment which I really liked and now I’m on Judgement which has started well. I quite like the Judgment games’ noir aspect to be honest - they’re both very chill and engaging at the same time.
I’m not that interested in remasters to be honest as they’ll more archaic. Like aDragon is on my to do but turn based combat turns me off.
I guess it depends on how far you go in each game. I'm not going to force myself through minigames I don't enjoy at all, but I do like checking out as many sub stories as I can. Still, 4 games in a row, sounds like a serious endeavour.
I was pretty completionist with 0 and 1, after that I mainly focused on main story, it would be much better if I played them back in the day one by one as they were coming out.
I will play 0 in the future as it's widely considered the best but yeah the whole series was too much for me.
I played the remake of 3, 4 and 5. Then I played 0, Kiwami (1) and Kiwami 2 (2). Then 6.
It might seem odd, but if you play it in order of release date then each successive game improves both visually and mechanically and keeps it fresh when you're playing back-to-back.
It might seem odd, but if you play it in order of release date then each successive game improves both visually and mechanically and keeps it fresh when you're playing back-to-back.
Yeah I'm well aware it will be a pretty jarring jump from Kiwami 2 to 3, but I usually have no problems playing older (or even ancient) games, so it'll be fine. And once you've made that jump, it'll only get better from there.
I think the important part before playing is to set a target and try not to go past it as you'll probably get burnout:
And whether you think you can play multiple Yakuza games in a row or not, please don't. Break them up with anything. Example image in spoiler tag for size
Got side tracked after doing most of Kiwami 2, playing GoWR and other stuff.
- Not arsed about trophies at all? Just complete the story.
- Like trophy hunting but not bothered if you miss out a few? Complete story, do as much of the sidequests as possible but if there's anything you know you're not good at and don't want to spend 5 billion hours failing (karaoke and disco for me), then skip all that kind of stuff. No need to spend loads of time learning mahjong if you can't do karaoke or whatever as they're all tied into a trophy.
- Have to Platinum every game you play no matter how hard? God help you.
And whether you think you can play multiple Yakuza games in a row or not, please don't. Break them up with anything. Example image in spoiler tag for size
Got side tracked after doing most of Kiwami 2, playing GoWR and other stuff.
Yup, I learned that while playing Yakuza 0. There was plenty of stuff I didn't even attempt, like shogi, all the games they play in the park, casino stuff and some others.
And then there's stuff like batting cages, darts etc that are easy to pick up but getting CP from it would be a chore and not worth it. I quickly learned to ignore all that stuff.
I don't even think about platinum trophies going into a Yakuza game.
As for playing multiple in a row, I almost never play one game exclusively anyway. Most of my time is going to Kiwami now, but I'm also playing bits of OlliOlli World and Gris here and there.
0 is the absolute best in the series and probably one of the best games I played last gen. You'd be doing yourself a disservice by not playing it.
The others are pretty skippable. If you're short on time I'd recommend 0, Kiwami 2, 6 and Like a Dragon. You can piece the rest together by watching story recaps on youtube.
I played 0,1,2 and then 6. Didn’t even notice a single difference from there. Bought the collect pion to play 4 and 5. But 4 and 5 can be skipped imo. 5 is fecking tedious. 40 hours of tedious tasks for the final 10 hours of story. 6 is very very good. Definetly recommend it.
I surprised myself and managed to get 90 points on all of the songs in Kiwami 2. For those who've played it and done the completion list, what would you say is the hardest items to do on it so I can try them first before committing myself to learning Mahjong
Your dedication to completing every minutiae of every game, especially these ones, is insane
I actually just finished Kiwami 2 last weekend, but not the full completion list because I'm not insane. Why would you do this to yourself? Good luck with something atrocious like Virtual On. I tried to beat just three levels for Haruka's request and already wished I was dead. I came to my senses and gave up.
Stuff like golf and batting can be pretty tricky, but they're manageable with good guides. Darts is super easy compared to 0 and Kiwami 1, I didn't lose a single game and once you get the best darts, you'll never miss a 180. The CPU seems to think a bull scores higher than T20 for some reason, making things ever easier. UFO catcher is a complete disaster though, easily the worst of the three games I've played.
I've not 100%ed a single Yakuza yet! Would be nice if I could complete one but won't put in the time if there's something too hard. Karaoke wasn't actually that bad once I got into the flow.Your dedication to completing every minutiae of every game, especially these ones, is insane
That's why I want to know what the hardest stuff is, so if I can't do it I won't spend the time on the more involved stuff like Mahjong.
Haruka's requests are a good shout. I briefly played Virtual On when going for the "play all minigames" trophy and that was horrible. Golf and batting were fine for me with guides, I agree. Thanks for the input.
Spent days dressing my girls up at the cabaret club and soaking in this earworm.
This and the real estate game are legit actually really entertaining.
Just finished Zero. Epic finish.
I raced through Yakuza 3 in a couple of days and I've now moved on to number 4. Y3 was pretty rough, as expected. Combat has aged poorly and most of the substories are pretty bland. The hostess training mini game is total garbage, a stark contrast with the fun and addictive cabaret club mini games in Zero and Kiwami 2. So yeah I didn't bother with most side content in that one. The Tojo clan side of the main story isn't particularly good either. I did like the different vibe of Okinawa and the more slice-of-life nature of the orphanage however.
Y4 is already off to a pretty good start. The new guy has promise and the first (and so far only) substory I did was pretty interesting. I hope the rest of the game holds up.
Y4 is already off to a pretty good start. The new guy has promise and the first (and so far only) substory I did was pretty interesting. I hope the rest of the game holds up.
Man, Yakuza 5 goes on forever, it's exhausting. There's some interesting gameplay twists in this game, but there's just too much of it. I've now made it to the final playable character and it's hard to find the motivation to start from scratch again. I'm definitely taking a break after this one. I know I told myself that after Kiwami 2, 3 and 4 as well, but this time it's true, I swear.
I don’t know how you persist with games that drag!
I adore Zero but I gave up on Kiwani after 5-6 hours - I couldn’t deal with the half baked narrative threads. So while I enjoy the stories and combat I’m wary of the remakes / remasters, in particular. Fittingly, I think the Judgement games are great. Enjoyed Lost Judgement and 3/4ths through im really liking Judgement too.
Anybody played Yakuza 6? As that was a recent to the series wasn’t it?
I adore Zero but I gave up on Kiwani after 5-6 hours - I couldn’t deal with the half baked narrative threads. So while I enjoy the stories and combat I’m wary of the remakes / remasters, in particular. Fittingly, I think the Judgement games are great. Enjoyed Lost Judgement and 3/4ths through im really liking Judgement too.
Anybody played Yakuza 6? As that was a recent to the series wasn’t it?
I wouldn't exactly call Yakuza 6 recent, it's 7 years old. It's a newer engine than Zero and Kiwami though. Kiwami 2 and Like a Dragon (technically Yakuza 7) are main line versions that were released after 6, though the former is of course just a remake.
Kiwami 1 is not a good game and I would say I enjoyed each of the remasters more, even though they feel more dated. Having said that, if you struggled with the half baked narrative threads in Kiwami, you would struggle with the remasters as well.
Yakuza/Like a Dragon is a weird series. Objectively, so much of it is complete trash. Even though I love its characters and setting, you basically need to get over the fact that most of its gameplay and writing is a mess, and pick out and enjoy the stuff you like.
Yeah my advice to anyone is to skip 5. 40 hours just to get to the last 10 good hours simply isn't worth it. Its such a draaaaag. Yakuza 0,1,2,6. That was my first run of the series and I didn't even feel lost.Man, Yakuza 5 goes on forever, it's exhausting. There's some interesting gameplay twists in this game, but there's just too much of it. I've now made it to the final playable character and it's hard to find the motivation to start from scratch again. I'm definitely taking a break after this one. I know I told myself that after Kiwami 2, 3 and 4 as well, but this time it's true, I swear.
Not sure I agree. As far as I know it's the only main line game other than 4 that has Akiyama as playable character, and you can never have enough Akiyama. I actually enjoyed Haruka's part as well, it's cool that we finally get to spend some more time with her.
I would guess most people skip all the remasters anyway, but if you're already going to give 3 and 4 a go, it would be a shame to skip 5.
I take back everything I said. Currently up to Kiwami 2…
I did it, managed to play through the entire Kiryu saga in the space of about a year. That means: Yakuza 0 through to 6, with 1 and 2 being the Kiwami versions. As a conclusion, Y6 is ... not good. As the first game in the Dragon Engine, it's rough as hell. But the worst part is the story, which is a complete abomination. The Hirose family characters are good, other than that I hated everything about it.
Quick ranking from worst to best:
6. Kiwami 1 and Yakuza 6 (can't decide, so both in last place)
5. Yakuza 3
4. Yakuza 4
3. Yakuza 5
2. Kiwami 2
1. Yakuza 0
I would say I'll miss Kamurocho... But I won't, because I'm already playing Judgement now. I'm hopeless.
Quick ranking from worst to best:
6. Kiwami 1 and Yakuza 6 (can't decide, so both in last place)
5. Yakuza 3
4. Yakuza 4
3. Yakuza 5
2. Kiwami 2
1. Yakuza 0
I would say I'll miss Kamurocho... But I won't, because I'm already playing Judgement now.
I'm hopeless.How long did it take you to get this out of your head, and also, did it ever leave your head?I did it, managed to play through the entire Kiryu saga in the space of about a year. That means: Yakuza 0 through to 6, with 1 and 2 being the Kiwami versions. As a conclusion, Y6 is ... not good. As the first game in the Dragon Engine, it's rough as hell. But the worst part is the story, which is a complete abomination. The Hirose family characters are good, other than that I hated everything about it.
Quick ranking from worst to best:
6. Kiwami 1 and Yakuza 6 (can't decide, so both in last place)
5. Yakuza 3
4. Yakuza 4
3. Yakuza 5
2. Kiwami 2
1. Yakuza 0
I would say I'll miss Kamurocho... But I won't, because I'm already playing Judgement now.
I don't think it will ever leave my head.How long did it take you to get this out of your head, and also, did it ever leave your head?
As a rhythm game enjoyer, I actually didn't mind Haruka's gameplay.Fvck yeah. New gameplay trailer for the new one. Also I know you played 1 to 6, but did you play 7? (Like a Dragon)I don't think it will ever leave my head.
Not yet, I'm trying to do the rest in release order, so I believe that's Judgement (which I'm playing now), then Like a Dragon 7, followed by Lost Judgement and Ishin. I'm really looking forward to 7 to see how the turn-based combat feels. Despite loving the series, I've never really liked the combat, so that will be a nice change of pace.
Judgement already plays like a dream compared to 6, by the way. The Dragon Engine in 6 was an aliased, shimmering, blurry mess that almost gave me a headache, especially at 30 fps. It looks so clean in Judgement and feels like a locked 60, so it's a massive improvement. The combat style is pretty fun as well. If that's the level of quality I can expect from here on out, I'm going to love the rest of them. I guess they've now moved to Unreal Engine though, which is a bit of a shame as I'm a fan of proprietary engines, just for the sake of variety.
Playing judgement. Phenomenal game
Anyone play Like a Dragon Gaiden? Finished it last week. It got a bit boring but then the last 2 chapters were epic. Why does every Yakuza game do this? Always feels boring and by the end in by at the last few chapters, they have me bawling my eyes out. Every damn time.
So good, its writing in particular is much better than any of the other games I've played. Its combat grew on me as well, wall and jump attacking are fun additions.
Is that one beat em up or turn based? I've only played Like A Dragon and I'm a sucker for turn based combat so absolutely loved it. It's up there with the most fun I've ever had in a game.
Judgement is real-time combat like the rest of the series, as far as I know only Yakuza: Like a Dragon and the upcoming Infinite Wealth are turn-based.
For some reason I liked its combat more than previous RGG titles though. I played through almost all of Y0-6 on easy because I couldn't be bothered with its combat, but found Judgement's enjoyable enough to at least get pretty good at it.
If you loved Like a Dragon you won't have to wait long for the next main game, as its releasing this month.
Judgement and Lost Judgement were both really good, a little less of the tailing suspect stuff and it would have been ever better.
I pre-ordered Infinite Wealth even though it goes against usually waiting for reviews. I know what I’m getting with these games, I loved Like a Dragon so they can have my money Day 1.
I pre-ordered Infinite Wealth even though it goes against usually waiting for reviews. I know what I’m getting with these games, I loved Like a Dragon so they can have my money Day 1.
Sweet! Had no idea about that.