Support NeoGAF

[Gorilla Shark]

I really want to try Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth looks awesome…

But I’ve only played the first few hours of Yakuza 0 back in the day. I liked it but something else came out I wanted to play more and I never went back to it.

I’m worried I’ll have no idea what’s going on in the story.

Will I be completely lost? The thought of playing 0-6 to get caught up seems crazy since it would take me a year at this point…

Should I just avoid the series at this point or will I actually know what’s going on?

 

[diffusionx]

My recommendation is to watch a summary video for 0-6 and then play 7.

 

[Werewolf Jones]

Just play Zero. It's the best one, even better than the one you wanna play so

 

[Skifi28]

7 is basically an entry point in the series sporting an entirely new cast, 0-6 knowledge is not really required. You might miss the occasional reference or cameo, but no big deal.

 

[Dzab]

Play 0, it's a great entry point to get an overall feel of the characters and recurring themes. Watch a summary on the rest and 6.
Play 7/Like a Dragon.
Watch a summary or playthrough of the newly released Gaiden, it's pretty short and doesn't drag out. Ties in nicely to the upcoming game also.
Then enjoy IW when it's out.

While 0 (and the rest) aren't 'essential' to the story, you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not playing 0.

 

[Winter John]

I couldn’t get into Zero, but I really enjoyed Dragon. The main character and the homeless storyline was a trip.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I played 1 and 2, and 3 partially back in the day, but recently I basically skipped the rest and just jumped into like a dragon instead.

 

[Paltheos]

Echoing what everyone else has said. From everything I've heard, you can skip straight to Like a Dragon, but I can speak from personal experience that Yakuza 0 is quite dope. It's worth going back to. If you don't want to replay it entirely maybe watch a summary of the events so far?

 

[EDMIX]

Zero and then 1 and 2 remake.

 

[LordCBH]

Star with either 0 or 7. Those are the best entry points.

 

[BouncyFrag]

0

 

[Orbital2060]

If youre looking to get set up for LAD Infinite Wealth: play Y6 then Like A Dragon.

edit I forgot about Gaiden.

Id start with 6 and Gaiden, then LAD1.

 

[The Cockatrice]

0-6 knowledge is not really required. You might miss the occasional reference or cameo, but no big deal.

This guy is 100% wrong. Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth continue the story of both the new protagonist Ichi and Kyriu. While in the 7th, some very important figures from the Yakuza series show up briefly, in Infinite Wealth Kyriu will be your companion and the reason for that is the continuation of his journey from 0 to 6 and Gaiden.

So here's my personal advice Gorilla Shark , watch this guy's summary




And stop at 6. Go play 6, 7, gaiden and you'll be ready for infinite wealth. Do note that Gaiden is way too expensive for what little it offers, so best to find a sale for it.

 

[yet_another_alt]

The problem with starting with 0 is that all the others will feel like downgrades in comparison.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Just play Like a Dragon. There is a reason why they started numbering the games based on the success of that soft-reboot.

 

[poodaddy]

Zero and then 1 and 2 remake.

This.

Also, I think 3 is kinda skippable honestly. Just do 4, and then if you want an absolutely gargantuan game then play 5, one of my favs.