Yeah, in the full game you have like more moves than any action game bar-DMC3/NG. So it's not just punch punch punch.
example of several situations:
1. Guy is swinging at me with a stun gun. I wait for him to strike quickly do a circle strafe 180 slide behind him (completely with shadows) and do punch -> punch -> kick -> grab into backbreaker on my knee into tossing him into the guy behind me. Then I reach down and pick up his dropped beer bottle which has now broken and turned into a broken sharb beer bottle. I quickly run up to him as he's recovering off the ground do a slow-motion bloody quick move of stabbing him in the gut with the sharp end of the beer bottle.
2. Group of enemies are trying to circle around me. I quickly do a shadow dash out of the group and then perform a running two footed full body flying quick into the group knocking them all down. I grab a nearby bike and walk over to a punk whose still on the ground. Quickly I throw the bike down on his chest only to then jump in the air and stomp both my feet into the bike smashing it into his ribs. By this time the other thugs have all gotten up so I quickly do a punch -> kick -> spinning throw that wolf does in VF which knocks everyone down again. Then since I'm weaponless I run over to the downed opponents and step on a few of their faces, grinding the soul of the shoes into their cheek. Or kicking them in the stomach lifting them back into the air.
3. I'm surrounded by a group with swords. Weaponless, I do a dash in -> dash cancelling special stomach jab which knocks the sword out of one of the guys. Now I have a wooden sword. I have learned the art of sword fighting from my hobo-drunken sword master. I circle strafe around a group, dodging and dashing in with counter-strikes until I'm full of RAGE. Then I get near a guy and slash him straight down the chest taking him out. I drop the bat and circle dash around a smaller guy to stomach punch paralyze him and grab him. I think proceed to take him near a bench where I smash his face into the bench and the get on him and do the UFC left punch right punch left punch right punch to his face until he dies. Then I run over and pick up a giant neon sign and do my best impression of lumberjack swings as I take out whoevers left from a distance. Finally I grab the one remaining guy and headbutt him bloody only to finish by walking near a wall and putting an impression of his face in it.
Oh and then there's the spinning brass knuckles, the smoke grenades, the shotgun, the baseballs (good for throwing), the chairs, desks, tables, beer crates, tongfers, spears, and of course, my best friend the medieval shield which you can throw down and impale into downed enemies as it goes right through their heart.
Yeah, and if you weren't having the time of your life doing all that in battle, you'd also be watching the best crime drama ever put in game form. With extremely well directed cutscenes and writing that's so good if they had released this same story in theaters with a word for word script it'd be in the Japanese oscars at the end of the year.
Hmmm, and forgot to mention that Kiryu Kazuma, the lead character of the game, is the most badass cool character you will ever play as in your entire gaming life. Solid Snake? Kratos? Mario? Kiryu gut punches them to the stomach and then throws them into a pond. They can swim? Well he knocks them onto their knees and their hits a homerun into their face.
Yeah...there are times when opinions can vary. But with Ryu Ga Gotoku/Yakuza there is no variance. You either love every minute that you hold the controller, or you hate gaming and cry in the corner with your Mario doll. It's that simple. Best game ever.
