Support NeoGAF

[reson8or]

Yakuza 2 is my absolute favorite in the series and I've played and finished every entry that has released in NA. Very stoked for 0 and hoping against all hope for a "Kiwami" remake of 2 in the future.

 

[tsab]

Damnit just missed the Yakuza 5 sale
Oh well I am gonna finish Y4 before this arrives

 

[Tailzo]

I think my list is

Yakuza 4
Yakuza 5
Kenzan
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 2
Yakuza (It's just so outdated, I need kiwami)
Dead Souls

So far

Edit: wait, changed my mind, 3, over 2

 

[Noisepurge]

What license? The team create these songs themselfs don't they?

Not the intro and endings, arent those just licensed stuff like Yakuza 3 intro track from Eikichi Yazawa that was cut from the western release.

 

[goldenpp72]

Bought Zero, hope it's worth it. First time I buy the series new

 

[oneida]

I think my list is

Yakuza 4
Yakuza 5
Kenzan
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 2
Yakuza (It's just so outdated, I need kiwami)
Dead Souls

So far

Edit: wait, changed my mind, 3, over 2

ewww
2 > 4 > 1 > 5 > 3

 

[Noisepurge]

List thread!

2-1-4-3-5

(DeadSouls-Kenzan-Ishin-Panthers)

 

[Tailzo]

ewww
2 > 4 > 1 > 5 > 3

Haha, wow, a very different list. Just shows that every game is good, since every game has its fans

 

[davidwhangchoi]

ewww
2 > 4 > 1 > 5 > 3

give 3 more credit, oneida =D

 

[oneida]

Haha, wow, a very different list. Just shows that every gane is good, since every game has its fans

You liked 5 more than 2 though? that surprises me a lot.

give 3 more credit, oneida =D

make me! <3

 

[Tailzo]

List thread!

2-1-4-3-5

(DeadSouls-Kenzan-Ishin-Panthers)

Wait, you liked DeadSouls more than all other spin offs?

You liked 5 more than 2 though? that surprises me a lot.


make me! <3

I loved the characters, returning ones from 4 too

 

[davidwhangchoi]

You liked 5 more than 2 though? that surprises me a lot.


make me! <3

i challenge you to a dual in virtua fighter 5 in yakuza 6 when it releases in the west on ps4 pro!!!

 

[oneida]

i challenge you to a dual in virtua fighter 5 in yakuza 6 when it releases in the west on ps4 pro!!!

deal! i'll let you pick my character.

 

[AnkiRendan]

My ranking is:

Yakuza 2
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 5
Yakuza 3
Yakuza Dead Souls

I've never played Yakuza 1. Yakuza Dead Souls was a mistake.

 

[davidwhangchoi]

deal! i'll let you pick my character.

you're on!
contrast to many, i really liked 3. maybe i'm a sucker for kind hearted stories to start. the 24th can't come soon enough =)

 

[SkylineRKR]

I like 3.

The orphanage was a chore, but I loved how the story concluded and thought Mine was a rather cool character.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I remember a side quest in 3 where one of the kids in the orphanage liked this girl, and the Dragon of Dojima was totally gonna hook him up. So you pick out some sick fashion for him, and he wears like all these clothes with an American flag on them and sunglasses, and he crashes and burns.

Them feels.

 

[MYeager]

I'd go 2 - 4 - 0 - 1 - 3 - 5

 

[oneida]

I paid for my copy of Yakuza 0 back in August.
and
I just bought my friend a copy.
please keep making good video games, sega

 

[SpikedGunner]

So this basically means that any Yakuza 0 song with lyrics is a goner? Ughhhhhh...

Not necessarily, stuff like Reign is fine, it's just any song done by an outside artist (usually a popular Japanese musician) like Eikichi Yazawa (3), Zeebra (4), Kyosuke Himuro (5), and now Sh&#333;nan no Kaze (0) is usually a cost-cutting localization measure.

Speaking of Reign, why wasn't that used as the replacement song for the opening video? could they not time it right?

What license? The team create these songs themselfs don't they?

MOST songs yes, however, Yakuza (in Japan) tends to also include songs as openings/endings/inserts from outside artists like those that I mentioned above.

I should make note that when the Yakuza 5 OST was released (digitally in Japan-only), the first volume included the theme done by Himuro (under the Gospel of Judas or something) along with an additional separate album with insert songs from Himuro featured in the game. The separate album was taken down and the first volume was updated removing the theme a while back, even before the localization of 5 was ever announced.

It happens, just a part of licensing and contracts that can sometimes plague a game.

Yeah those are still in as is the ending theme.

...wait, they kept Crimson/Kurenai? I thought it was going to get cut since it and Bubble were done by Shonan no Kaze. That is incredibly weird considering what usually happens in Yakuza localization.

 

[bishopcruz]

...wait, they kept Crimson/Kurenai? I thought it was going to get cut since it and Bubble were done by Shonan no Kaze. That is incredibly weird considering what usually happens in Yakuza localization.

If this is true it gives me hope that Sobo might get kept for Yakuza 6. That song really has to stay, even from the bit I played in that demo, it is perfect.

 

[brawly]

Easy Allies seem to have special permission to do an early look video (it's spoiler free).


Unfortunately it also confirms what I feared and knew would happen, that they replace the awesome theme song "Bubble" with a generic ass rock song

 

[Peroroncino]

Easy Allies seem to have special permission to do an early look video (it's spoiler free).


Unfortunately it also confirms what I feared and knew would happen, that they replace the awesome theme song "Bubble" with a generic ass rock song

If it was switched only during the intro then it's no biggie for me, usually songs like this I listen to on YT anyway, Yakuza intros are way too spoilery for me.

btw. this song is really effin' awesome!

 

[brawly]

If it was switched only during the intro then it's no biggie for me, usually songs like this I listen to on YT anyway, Yakuza intros are way too spoilery for me.

It used to play in the game itself, at around 5:30 in that Easy Allies video. That's meant as an introduction to Kamurocho of that time and it's soooo much better with Bubble playing.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

Quick question -

Never played Yakuza so I watched a gameplay walkthrough for Zero and when fighting, I noticed that the lead character's hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Is this in general for the entire game, a special ability or an upgrade that you can ignore?

Just curious as to why his hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Thanks.

 

[Eolz]

Easy Allies seem to have special permission to do an early look video (it's spoiler free).


also confirms what I feared and knew would happen, that they replace the awesome theme song "Bubble" with a generic ass rock song Unfortunately it

That ending was hilarious.
Shame for the opening, but it's not that bad.

 

[brawly]

Quick question -

Never played Yakuza so I watched a gameplay walkthrough for Zero and when fighting, I noticed that the lead character's hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Is this in general for the entire game, a special ability or an upgrade that you can ignore?

Just curious as to why his hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Thanks.

It means you can use a special attack (via triangle button).

 

[oneida]

Quick question -

Never played Yakuza so I watched a gameplay walkthrough for Zero and when fighting, I noticed that the lead character's hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Is this in general for the entire game, a special ability or an upgrade that you can ignore?

Just curious as to why his hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Thanks.

that is "heat"
it builds as you do damage and taunt your opponent
you can spend small amounts of it by sidestepping or save it up to a full bar, at which point you gain access to heat attacks
there are many many different heat attacks and discovering them is part of the fun

 

[Seiryoden]

Quick question -

Never played Yakuza so I watched a gameplay walkthrough for Zero and when fighting, I noticed that the lead character's hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Is this in general for the entire game, a special ability or an upgrade that you can ignore?

Just curious as to why his hands/arms are glowing when fighting. Thanks.

It's called a "Heat Action". When you have "heat" you can release the crazy finishing moves that you've probably seen in gifs and vids. If you find it off-putting or that it interferes with the grounded and realistic depiction of red-light Tokyo, I'm sorry to say that it's part of the fighting mechanic and can't be turned off Please don't let it put you off trying the game though.

 

[Peroroncino]

It used to play in the game itself, at around 5:30 in that Easy Allies video. That's meant as an introduction to Kamurocho of that time and it's soooo much better with Bubble playing.

I see it's scrapped in game, fuck, now this hurts, intro before hitting new game I could understand but in-game stuff? Nah man. :/

What's the reason for it though?

 

[Acquiescence]

2>3>4>5>1

2 is a masterpiece. Definitive Yakuza.
3 has a lovely chilled opening and a satisfying plot. Nice transition to a new gen too.
4 introduced multiple protagonists and ran with it.
5 starts off well, but the story gets very silly about halfway through (and not in a good way). Game is also way too long and bloated.
1 was ruined by an awful western dub that you can't avoid unless you understand Japanese.

 

[ubiblu]

Series rating from someone who has played them all from scratch in the past 12 months.

0 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 3 > 1 (Kiwami)

Ishin > Kenzan > Dead Souls

0 was my first Yakuza game I saw through to completion, and remains my favourite after having just beaten all 10 games (Y6 was really enjoyable!). All of the main games are absolutely worth playing, and each one adds something new and unique to the mix.

 

[Deleted member 471617]

It means you can use a special attack (via triangle button).

that is "heat"
it builds as you do damage and taunt your opponent
you can spend small amounts of it by sidestepping or save it up to a full bar, at which point you gain access to heat attacks
there are many many different heat attacks and discovering them is part of the fun

It's called a "Heat Action". When you have "heat" you can release the crazy finishing moves that you've probably seen in gifs and vids. If you find it off-putting or that it interferes with the grounded and realistic depiction of red-light Tokyo, I'm sorry to say that it's part of the fighting mechanic and can't be turned off Please don't let it put you off trying the game though.

Okay guys. I get it. Kind of like building up a rage meter or something to that affect. Thanks guys.

 

[brawly]

I see it's scrapped in game, fuck, now this hurts, intro before hitting new game I could understand but in-game stuff? Nah man. :/

What's the reason for it though?

Licensing would be my only guess. Not sure though. I hope to god Sega didn't take it out in an attempt to cater more to western audiences (highly doubt that, think we're past that).

 

[Conezays]

2>3>4>5>1
1 was ruined by an awful western dub that you can't avoid unless you understand Jaoanese.

Hah, I knew I forgot something about my criticism of 1! Definitely prefer Yakuza games with Japanese voices and English subtitles. All this positive praise of 0 has me very excited, and we get Resident Evil 7 and Nioh within the same few weeks? Great start to the year.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Bought 3 and 4 today...

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Bought 3 and 4 today...

YOOOO nice man!

 

[sn00zer]

Series rating from someone who has played them all from scratch in the past 12 months.

0 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 3 > 1 (Kiwami)

Ishin > Kenzan > Dead Souls

0 was my first Yakuza game I saw through to completion, and remains my favourite after having just beaten all 10 games (Y6 was really enjoyable!). All of the main games are absolutely worth playing, and each one adds something new and unique to the mix.

?????? damn wanted to play this

 

[kuroneko0509]

?????? damn wanted to play this

problem with kiwami is that it's just a refresh and doesn't often much new aside from story updates. but it's a good follow up for folks new to the series after zero.

for folks that have been playing since the dawn of yakuza, kiwami is pretty eh, but if you're new, you'll enjoy its continuation from zero.

 

[oneida]

?????? damn wanted to play this

yakuza 1/kiwami is one of the best games in the franchise. don't worry.

 

[Jimrpg]

My Yakuza Rankings

1. Yakuza 4 - Best story, first time with multiple characters which dramatically improved the game's pacing as there was something new to play with every 5 hours or so. Huge reiteration of Kamurocho with more areas. Tons of side quests and mini games.

2. Yakuza 1 - Awesome story that is Kazuma's most personal and still is in a long line of games. It probably hasn't aged well considering there are random battles that are hard to avoid and load times before every battle. But the concept and the core structure of the game is still there and hasn't changed too much.

3. Yakuza 3 - The game starts way too slow but the second half is fantastic. Its the first Yakuza in HD which means the mahjong is hell of a lot easier to play now amongst many things that HD was able to improve.

4. Yakuza 2 - Playing this in 2008 when the Xbox 360 and PS3 had already been out for about 2 years was a huge step back and might have jaded my opinion. It was a good game, but almost everything I liked about Yakuza 1 had changed, principally the story was not as personal this time around and I wasn't as invested as the first game. I DO need to go back and play it again and I'd love a Yakuza 2: Kiwami to be able to do so.

5. Yakuza 5 - Half of this game is really great, and the other half is not. It didn't help that they pushed the PS3 so hard that performance was really lagging at times. Some risky choices did not pay off, for example I think Part 3 should have been entirely Akiyama. Haruka's part should have been an optional side character because her section went for far too long. Is there anyone that enjoyed Saejima's dream sequence?

Yeah, embargo for preview is down, so here is also a bit of my experrence with it so far

Im 20 hours in and on chapter 10 atm. Enjoying a lot so far but it has some minor shortcomings for me.

-Both arcs are amazing, Kazuma and (specially) Majima shine a lot as protagonists. The dialogues and the story are great and very interesting.
-Some weird cutscenes choices though. There are like 4 different types of cutscenes (including two where the characters lips dont move at all). And sometimes they will have a very cinematic cutscene and then a small cut to black and keep going with a cutscenes but on a different style, which makes the pacing feel weird
-Also the overstaying of story sequences sometimes breaks the momentum of the story itself. Like there are moments that are perfect for a break with a combat segment, but before that they will throw in a long dialogue thats pretty useless that cuts the tension before the fight starts.
-Funny as hell and cool but also a bit overstaying side quests sometimes. Not a issue though, since they are very interesting.
-Side activities (Karaoke, Arcades. Clubs, etc) are all amazing and incredibly well worked. Srsly, its insane how much there is to do and how much fun even the simplest ones are. The variety is pretty great too.
-Combat is simple yet crazy fun. Beeing able to change combat styles on the fly makes it feel less like some button smash crazyness. I really like the styles itself too, very different from each other. It can become a bit repetitive when roaming the disctrics, but then in missions with enviroments designed for it its stellar.
-Upgrade systems for combat are fine and somewhat deep, but I dont feel that they are that necessary atm. I have few upgrades bought and yet Im going through the game on normal pretty easy.

So yeah, I really like the game a lot despite some stuff about its pace. I know a lot of my pros and cons here are not news at all to players that are more familiar with the series, this might be more worth it to newcomers (which are very welcome to start with this one)

Great impressions, thanks! I haven't kept up with the Japanese Yakuza 0 release so this is all new to me.

In terms of the bolded, I am really curious how reviewers are going to critique that part of the game. I mean those two things have been in every Yakuza game. Would it be fair to critique a B-tier game like Deadly Premonition in the same way as GTA V? I don't know! I don't know if its a budget issue that they can't have more cutscenes or if its just a choice made by the director. It feels jarring to Western audiences because we're so used to AAA games that don't do this. I am guessing its probably a budget and time thing and its just way easier to do dialogue boxes. Having to do 10-15 hours of cutscenes would just take the Yakuza team way longer. But they must obviously be aware of it because Yakuza 6 is pretty much all cutscenes.

The second bolded part is again a problem with Yakuza games and will probably get criticised by most reviewers. Since Yakuza 2, they have become longer and have dragged on with more unnecessary dialogue than it really needs. Yakuza 1 in that respect is really great, almost no unnecessary dialogue if I recall or maybe it was just helped by the English VA which I really liked. So they could easily cut out like 15-20% of the dialogue and the game would not lose anything.

 

[Jimrpg]

Done.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1332792

Awesome work. That's my internet reading for the day!

 

[Nekobo]

CFG games is streaming the game right now:

https://www.twitch.tv/cfggames

 

[Menitta]

Of ones I've played

4>Ishin>5>Kenzan>3>Dead Souls

Dead Souls might be the worst, but I still had a lot of fun with it. And of what I've played of 0, it'll be at the top of my list for sure.

 

[Jimrpg]

Series rating from someone who has played them all from scratch in the past 12 months.

0 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 5 > 3 > 1 (Kiwami)

Ishin > Kenzan > Dead Souls

0 was my first Yakuza game I saw through to completion, and remains my favourite after having just beaten all 10 games (Y6 was really enjoyable!). All of the main games are absolutely worth playing, and each one adds something new and unique to the mix.

Dang thats a crazy amount of Yakuza in one year!

 

[Aki-at]

Hm well for me it goes.

5 > 2 > 3 > Ishin > 4 > Kenzan > 1 > Dead Souls.

Yeah I had a blast with Kazuma and Haruka, had some of my favourite tracks in the series, most boss fights and the extra content was all my jam.

I greatly lean on more Kazuma gameplay though so 0 will probably take the cake when it releases.

 

[Menitta]

I'll always love 5 because that game gave us Taxi Heat Moves.

 

[ubiblu]

yakuza 1/kiwami is one of the best games in the franchise. don't worry.

Kiwami isn't a terrible game at all, and I really enjoyed the Majima Anywhere feature (at first anyway), but I really don't rate the story. This is at least partly due to how horribly they bastardise two of my favourite characters from Zero. Fuck the characters and their motivations in Kiwami.

Maybe this one is just a unique criticism due to playing Zero as my first Yakuza game and loving the heck out of it.

 

[MYeager]

In terms of the bolded, I am really curious how reviewers are going to critique that part of the game. I mean those two things have been in every Yakuza game.

Not like this it hasn't. Sure there's been cutscenes into dialog progression scenes but Yakuza Zero adds these really weird scenes that aren't lip synced but the back grounds are animated and are washed out. I believe it's an intentional artistic direction to differentiate specific memories as important but it's awkward as hell. I've played all the Yakua games aside from 6 and that's not in any other titles. It's not a big thing but it's a bit off-putting.

The second bolded part is again a problem with Yakuza games and will probably get criticised by most reviewers. Since Yakuza 2, they have become longer and have dragged on with more unnecessary dialogue than it really needs. Yakuza 1 in that respect is really great, almost no unnecessary dialogue if I recall or maybe it was just helped by the English VA which I really liked. So they could easily cut out like 15-20% of the dialogue and the game would not lose anything.

Man I replayed Y1 and the VA after so many other games drove me nuts it was so wooden. It also had a lot of 'Find Haruka again' moments. Remember finding dog food because she wouldn't move otherwise? I'm in chapter 8 and so far there's a lot of moments where introduction to side content drags out the story but so far the plot moves forward at a better clip despite how long it is than some of the other titles. Not as many boss battles so far. The pacing is still slow compared to games that are constantly moving forward but there's less that feels like filler compared to 5.

 

[TheDarkKnight774]

Easy Allies seem to have special permission to do an early look video (it's spoiler free).


Unfortunately it also confirms what I feared and knew would happen, that they replace the awesome theme song "Bubble" with a generic ass rock song

Now on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/uDTSzM94qt0