Ultimadrago
Member
5 or 6 might be the closest in this regard. 5 features several factions since each character starts in a different city, so different Yakuza factions are represented. But I'd say 6 is closer in terms of all out war, it heavily features the Tojo Clan, Chinese Mafia and Hiroshima Mafia fighting each other. Oh, and while they play a smaller roll, the (story spoilers). Also, you have another gang that plays a prominent roll in Yakuza 6's Gang creator side missions.Korean mafia - the Jingwon also appear which was a nice nod to Yakuza 2
Thanks! I didn't read the spoilers, but that sounds promising.
Let me take a stab at this.
Yes, it's a prequel that was meant for newcomers and fans alike. There are subtle nods here and there for fans (like some moves/styles being the more unrefined versions of what you see in future games and stuff like that) but you don't need to know about the sequels to enjoy the story.
This is more of a DMC3 kind of prequel than the MGS3 kind.
Talking about the series as a whole, the main story is mostly serious especially during the later parts of the games. But, I've played every home console game in the series (bar Yakuza 2) and I can't remember ever not being entertained by the sub-stories of the series, in some way or fashion. They are really fun.
In regards to Y0 itself, while I haven't played the game yet, in the EZA stream they showed the beginning of one of these stories and it was the sub-story number. So yeah, there should be plenty of these fun sub-stories in the game.82
Shadow already covered this one nicely, but I just wanted to add that there is never a moment like in Mafia 1 where you prepare and go after the rival gangs and stuff like that. The series is mostly focused on stories revolving around individuals who are at these organizations or have ties with them. And while at some point you have to go against rival gangs it's always more of a one versus one (or twenty depending on the situation) dial rather than gang versus gang.
Expect for that one mini-game in Yakuza 6. In that one your gang literally fights other rival groups.
Oh, wow thanks for all of the comprehensive information (on top of the already amazing OP written here). I'm pre-ordering from Amazon now!