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[Fahdis]

Never played any of them. Should I chronologically play them or based on release? Any tips on 0 or Kiwami depending on recommendations on what I play first?

 

[elbourreau]

I don't think you should start with 0.

But just don't try to play every games in a row. Enjoy one. Take a break. Enjoy another, take a break etc...

 

[Shifty1897]

Play Zero first because that's where the story starts chronologically and it's one of the best so it might hook you on the series. Try not to be overwhelmed by the number of cutscenes at the beginning, it balances out as the game goes on. Do all the contextual heat actions you can find in combat because they're hilarious and awesome.

 

[Kurotri]

Start with 0 and go from there. Enjoy the ride.

 

[No BBC=Anger]

Be prepared for long cutscenes that make a typical Metal Gear Solid cutscene look like an intro to a SNES game time wise. Still pretty good though.

 

[GymWolf]

Never played any of them. Should I chronologically play them or based on release? Any tips on 0 or Kiwami depending on recommendations on what I play first?

Start with 0 is the only thing you need to know.

Don't listen to people that say otherwise.

The only bad thing is that 0 is the best yakuza game so you start with the best of the best.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Not all of them are great, Kiwami 2 was a joke, just how much of a beating can the main bad guy take? Just when you thought it was over..Yakuza 5 was my very first entry into it...Yakuza Zero was a missed opportunity in giving the game a Vice City in Japan vibe...you'd barely know you were in 1988..

 

[genesisblock]

A damn good time.

 

[RavenSan]

Start with 0 -- like others said. The game is wild. Do as much of the substories as you can. They're incredible.

Skip 5. Just do yourself a favor and watch a youtube video explaining the larger plot points. 5 is easily the worst one.

 

[Big Baller]

Id only play 0 and Like a Dragon. Maybe Judgment if you like the gameplay.

 

[NomenNescio]

More dialogue than a Tarantino film.

 

[Lokaum D+]

Boredom

 

[John Bilbo]

Men in diapers.

Spoiler: Tip

Always have about five healing items in your inventory.

 

[keefged4]

0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, LAD:Y, LAD:G, LAD:IW, Isshin, Judgment and finally Lost Judgment. In that order.

Start with 0 defo because it sets the whole saga up nicely and is one of the best entries, and sets you up with what to expect from the others.

Have fun op, its one of the best series' around. Peak Sega.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

Play Like a Dragon first, sorry Yakuza bros the turn based system is vastly superior to button mashing.

 

[Hypereides]

You're in for some "Dame da ne, dame yo":



And serving knuckle sandwiches in every corner of Kamoroucho while living out your dream as a food connoisseur.

 

[ryzzz]

You’re in for a treat. Wish I could experience these blind again.

 

[Chukhopops]

Start with 0, it has a great story and easy combat to get you into the series. Then work from there but imo you can skip K1, 4 and 5 easily (there is a recap if needed). You’ll be burnt out if you try to go through the entire series anyway.

Then you can get into the “new” series with LaD and IW. Lost Judgment is great, Gaiden and the spin-offs are kinda meh.

Prepare to cry a lot of manly tears.

 

[Drake]

They're good fun and have a lot of humor. I started with Yazuka Like a Dragon which I think is a pretty good entry into the series. Be aware it is a JRPG where the rest of the older games are all open-ish world action games. From there I then went to Yakuza 0 which is different, but still fun. You'll get burnt out on the series if you try to play too many of them in a row. They're good, but they follow a similar formula which is why ryu ga gotoku can put them out so quickly.

 

[TheTony316]

Be prepared for long cutscenes that make a typical Metal Gear Solid cutscene look like an intro to a SNES game time wise. Still pretty good though.

I don't know about that. MGS4 ending cutscene was over an hour long.

 

[Fahdis]

0 it is mofos. I'll leave the thread open for people to reminisce.

But just don't try to play every games in a row. Enjoy one. Take a break. Enjoy another, take a break etc...

That's the plan!

 

[Mhmmm 2077]

You are in for feels and tears.

 

[Aurelius]

I would start with Kiwami (remake of the first one).
You are in for FUN!

 

[Soodanim]

I played the first 10 minutes of 0 then forgot to return to it, so I'll be taking in the advice ITT

 

[Mayar]

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

What if SEGA does a Judgment X Yakuza crossover?

 

[Orbital2060]

Stick with Yakuza Zero, and dont listen to anyone saying otherwise. When uou are done and if you liked it, you have a whole world of Yakuza games to enjoy - no stress. It took me 18 months to get through Zero to Yakuza 6, taking a break in between each game.

Not all of them are great, Kiwami 2 was a joke, just how much of a beating can the main bad guy take? Just when you thought it was over..Yakuza 5 was my very first entry into it...Yakuza Zero was a missed opportunity in giving the game a Vice City in Japan vibe...you'd barely know you were in 1988..

Oof, tough luck starting with 5.

Start with 0 -- like others said. The game is wild. Do as much of the substories as you can. They're incredible.

Skip 5. Just do yourself a favor and watch a youtube video explaining the larger plot points. 5 is easily the worst one.

But you will miss out on Harukas pop idol games

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

He looks like a walking mannequin.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

About 30 hours of mindless fun until it becomes tedious and boring.

 

[STARSBarry]

Stick with Yakuza Zero, and dont listen to anyone saying otherwise. When uou are done and if you liked it, you have a whole world of Yakuza games to enjoy - no stress. It took me 18 months to get through Zero to Yakuza 6, taking a break in between each game.


Oof, tough luck starting with 5.

But you will miss out on Harukas pop idol games

Kiryu should just do it himself.

 

[HRK69]

About 30 hours of mindless fun until it becomes tedious and boring.

Sounds like a you problem honestly

 

[saintjules]

This is a very long series. I had fun with some of them so far, but you will need patience and need to be ready for long dialogue.

I have played a few of them in random order (not a good idea on my part). But start with 0 like many have mentioned.

 

[Mayar]

I needed time to write this post, so I just posted a gif of the most important character in the game - Lebido Man.
If we talk chronologically, then you should play like this:

Yakuza 0- there are options why you shouldn't start with it (due to plot points), but honestly you can ignore it.
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza 3 HD
Yakuza 4 HD
Yakuza 5 HD
Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - this is actually the end of the whole story, the game is not very big and is like a bridge between the old and new series.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Honestly people telling you to play all of them havent played them one after the other. You will get burnt out after 0 kiwami 1 and 2. I believe you should just stick with these 3 and read up the story bits/lore for the rest and then play the sixth, like a dragon and infinite wealth. Even that is a bit way too much but it is what it is.

 

[tomato shrub]

The story of Tokyo Jesus

 

[RavenSan]

But you will miss out on Harukas pop idol games

That's the sole reason I'll never replay 5. -- Not that everything else is great, but that whole chapter made me rage so hard.

 

[RavenSan]

ugh, accidental double post

 

[PrefectAboro]

As someone who's played the series since the PS2 days here's what to expect:

• Long ass cutscenes that range from cool gangster shit, to cheesy soap-opera melodrama
• A lot of PADDING and missions that aren't fun and don't relate to the main story
• Most of the NPC's don't talk (have voice acting) so you're forced to read long JRPG-like texts and when you skip them you just hear a "typewriter" tktktkktktktkktktkktktktkt expect to hear that sound for the majority of the series
• Even on the easy difficulty the enemies will ALWAYS block your attacks, gets a little annoying but satisfying when you get in your HEAT moves
• The city environment during the day/night all ends up looking the same, same alleys, shops, streets etc, hard to distinguish between the series
• Tournaments and Bossfights are enjoyable
• Yakuza 0 is the best and most beloved by fans

I tried playing Yakuza 4/5/Kiwami this year and all quit just after a couple of hours. I don't know why, it got super repetitive, the stories weren't engaging enough, and the gameplay loop didn't satisfy to keep on going. I'm definitely gonna try Like a Dragon to see how the jrpg battle system feels. And if they ever remake KENZAN (The Miyamoto Musashi story using Yakuza characters) that WILL be the BEST game because I had so much fun playing that on the PS3.

 

[vagabond-]

men not being a bunch of bitches all the time and doing cool shit, gravure idols and being old and tired of all this shit with kiryu along the games

 

[Orbital2060]

That's the sole reason I'll never replay 5. -- Not that everything else is great, but that whole chapter made me rage so hard.

I loved it if anything, it was a bit creepy with some of the pop idol quests and the fans and managers and the seedy underbelly of the whole business. The actual minigame was solid, is what I thought. I read an interview with the guy at RGG who made it, or led the team making it. I couldnt find it now when searching. But he went all up in the mechanics of the minigame, and how he designed that. As well as some insight into how he got hired at RGG, which seemed like a dream come true for him, and a long and ardous process being vetted for a position on the team.

I think that whole part of the game is kind of meant to challenge the guy players out there. I took it as such, at least. And the minigame is solid, Id love to see more of it used cos it disappeared after 5.

 

[Humdinger]

You've decided to start with Zero, which is a good choice. That's where I started, too, and it was a good intro. I played Kiwami 1 and 2 after that, then got tired and took a long break. I'm back at it with 6 now.

The main downside is the extended cutscenes, which in 6 at least feels quite excessive, and the story gets drawn out. I don't remember feeling that way in Zero, though. Keeping track of all the different names/positions/clans and shifting alliances gets confusing, too.

But I enjoy the games. They have a mix of elements - action, drama, heart, and humor - that I haven't seen in other games. They are AA budget, with lots of reused assets, but I think that's part of their charm.

p.s. The series offers a lot of mini-games. It's up to you whether you like them or not. Personally, I found them to be mostly time-wasters. Generally, I stick to the main story and side stories. You'll find a lot of the humor in the side stories, so don't skip those.

 

[wvnative]

That's the sole reason I'll never replay 5. -- Not that everything else is great, but that whole chapter made me rage so hard.

you can skip the haruka segments (the singing battles, not the entire chapter)

 

[jzbadblood]

I played the 1st one on PS2 but didn't finish it. Played the 3rd on PS3 didn't finish it. Played Dead Souls didn't finish it. Played 0 didn't finish it. Played Judgement didn't finish it. Played Ishin didn't finish it. Played Like a Dragon didn't finish it.

I don't know what to think. Lot's of cutscenes, same city in every game, gameplay is kind of repetitive. The most interesting stuff is the side stuff, but it's hard to start these now and commit to doing 30 hours of mini-games when you know you got 8 other games that are just as long and full of minigames to get through. Hell there's another coming in February.

 

[thefool]

Never played any of them. Should I chronologically play them or based on release? Any tips on 0 or Kiwami depending on recommendations on what I play first?

KINO, that's what you're in for.

There's a certain charm and levity that gaming in general lost that Yakuza captures perfectly.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Sounds like a you problem honestly

Yeah I'm probably the only person on earth who ever played a Yakuza game and had this impression

 

[Rush2112]

The main story of zero is better than any mafia movie plot I ever saw.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

A darn good time, pardon the French.

 

[MiguelItUp]

I started from Zero and I don't regret my decision. I think it makes me appreciate certain characters a bit more going that route.

Currently playing through Infinite Wealth, it's been a wild ride. Absolutely love the series.

 

[hemo memo]

A wild ride.

 

[IAmRei]

Never played any of them. Should I chronologically play them or based on release? Any tips on 0 or Kiwami depending on recommendations on what I play first?

0 first might be a good start. Unless You asked about YLD or Judgement, its separated mildly, and still can be played without prior games