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Giant Bomb #13 | good and faithful friends ahead
- Thread starter Jimmyfenix
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stump sock
Member
Yakuza games have never been particularly good brawlers and the world isn't particularly interactive (or rather, the number of interactions available to you while exploring is low) so if what you're looking for is a sandbox to play in, they don't offer much for you.
there's a reason the sales are so low in the west. if you're not buying into the games for exactly what they're made to be, they won't be interesting to you. and a large part of what you're buying into is a giant bag of j-drama tropes that just isn't appealing to a lot of western audiences.
Dan wants the Cliff's Notes version of the game that just railroads you through the main story, but most of the diehard fans in japan and elsewhere are more interested in "living the life." it's not for him, and that's fine.
there's a reason the sales are so low in the west. if you're not buying into the games for exactly what they're made to be, they won't be interesting to you. and a large part of what you're buying into is a giant bag of j-drama tropes that just isn't appealing to a lot of western audiences.
Dan wants the Cliff's Notes version of the game that just railroads you through the main story, but most of the diehard fans in japan and elsewhere are more interested in "living the life." it's not for him, and that's fine.
Jimmyfenix
Member
Man I hope Sony steps in for this one as well. I want it so bad.
TheMrPliskin
Member
God, Yakuza 4's story was so stupid.
Hopefully 5 does well enough to warrant bringing Zero over.
Hopefully 5 does well enough to warrant bringing Zero over.
stump sock
Member
you're preaching to the choir but I'll also say that that one is more filled with the stuff Dan dislikes than almost all of the games that came before it. Frankly I could do without him bitching about having to do 15 hours of real estate management and 10 hours of nightclub management
I'd also argue that if you're playing these games for just the mainline story then you're probably also doing it wrong. 4 had some of the best substories and side characters in the entire series. Akiyama's story arc in that game is a personal highlight of the entire 500+ hours I've spent with the series.
stump sock
Member
3's pacing sucks. the story really comes together into something special but not until you've gone through at least 30 hours of game first. it's such a slow burn that it almost turned ME off and it's maybe my favorite series of all time.
it's also got some of the worst upgrade progression in the series so the combat kind of sucks for way longer than it should.
e: I see what they were going for with the story because the whole point was about dragging Kiryu kicking and screaming back into The Life, and they earn it in a way most game stories never do. what would typically be explained away as "I'm retired." "BOOM, now you're not" takes many hours of increasing pressure and hardships before the tension finally breaks. returning to Kamurocho is big, and they sold the hell out of it.
the issue is that that kind of narrative ambition is frequently at odds with the fact that you're playing a video game. living the "good life" on a beach doesn't make for compelling game mechanics usually, and the thing your character is resisting is exactly the thing that the player needs.
holistically it's a great game but the process of going through it is less than ideal.
the biggest mistake is to compare the Yakuza games to open world games like GTA. they are JRPGs. the first two especially are like that. from 3 and onwards, they made it feel like an open world game with the full 3D world but everything is still essentially a JRPG in its gameplay and brawler combat. and I personally find the world to be pretty immersive mainly because of the art direction and ambient noises/music in the world. I found myself exploring the world even if there wasn't a lot of interaction. I just liked the atmosphere a lot. I love the series to death and i'm so glad we get 5 soon.
the Yakuza stories are a slow burn and the stories are more like J-dramas combined with Crime Thriller elements to me. I find them refreshing because the stories take their time which is why I like them so much.
the Yakuza stories are a slow burn and the stories are more like J-dramas combined with Crime Thriller elements to me. I find them refreshing because the stories take their time which is why I like them so much.
TheMrPliskin
Member
Also, Kazuma Kiryu is a pretty cool dude.
stump sock
Member
0 is pretty funny because he's green in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to dealing with other people (when he's not beating them into a pulp). he's just awkward when dealing with business, women, strangers, kids...
Glitchesarecool
Member
Yakuza 4 tho.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
The only good j-dramas are nodame cantabile and GTO.
Even then the stories have been told much better in other mediums.
Even then the stories have been told much better in other mediums.
stump sock
Member
reeeeallly depends on what you mean by "good." because if you're looking for good production values and acting you're not even on the same planet as the tree you should be barking up.
if you want some good dumb fun there's plenty out there.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I mean I already have a lot of sources for dumb fun honestly.
yea, even when Y1 was released it was compared to GTA just because the premise was about triads in a modern world and not about what the game actually is. I didn't know this either until I played it myself.
Also, much thanks to Garnett for talking about Y1 back in the day on 1Up. That's when I first learned of it.
stump sock
Member
stump sock
Member
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Asians, they're all the same amirite.
let me have some fun, dammit
i'm Asian and yes, we're all the same.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
you're Asian? I had no clue, well, not sure why I would know anyways. hehe
NumberThree
Member
Like two pees in a pool.
shadyspace
Banned
I'm not Asian :/
Heh check out this looser!
Jimmyfenix
Member
what a goober
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I don't like where this is going.
NumberThree
Member
But would you drink the water? Assume an Olympic sized pool.
Glitchesarecool
Member
if a human peed in a water container the size of an olympic swimming pool would you drink that water
Edit: GODDAMNIT THREE
Edit: GODDAMNIT THREE
They seem to enjoy it. I bought the game yesterday for PS4 and really like it as well.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
How much pee is in there?
Chlorine should make everything OK right?
Is that the slogan for this year's E3?
Glitchesarecool
Member
Probably.
The question is a reference to an email last year about someone shitting in a pool-sized water container.
stump sock
Member
Jimmyfenix
Member
i got it on pre order can't wait until tomorrow.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
I just want everything to be OK. ;_;
Fantastapotamus
Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Eh, whatever. If I can swim in public pools without feeling gross, I can drink that shit too.
DID YOU KNOW (well known fact incoming) that the smell we associate with swimming pools is not chlorine but chlorine reacting with urine? Now you know. As you probably did before.
soundscream
Member
Ahhhhhhh!
They really need a driving games editor. Alex, Jeff, and Drew all play driving games but they are all terrible. Seeing Drew on UPF a few weeks ago shift like he was churning butter hurt my soul.
They really need a driving games editor. Alex, Jeff, and Drew all play driving games but they are all terrible. Seeing Drew on UPF a few weeks ago shift like he was churning butter hurt my soul.
yeah Drew, the current F1 sound is terrible.
That's why I stopped watching it.
He doesn't think the current sound is terrible. I also don#t mind it. A silly reason to stop enjoying Formula 1 tbh.
shadyspace
Banned
Patrick is the first person I've seen not like The Old Blood. Even says it has an "unforgiving" stealth section which is weird because if that jabroni Dan Ryckert has no issues with a gameplay section I can't imagine it would give anyone else any issues (besides maybe Brad).
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