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Yakuza 0 |OT| Yes, you can start with this one!

So I finally beat both
Amons
and man was I beat.

(Bonus boss spoilers)

So was fine, his cannon makes him pretty immobile and his helicopter drops benefit you, but man Jo was the real deal. Had to cheese it by spamming slugger heat moves in his Mad Dog phase.
 

Ultimadrago

Member
I've asked this before, but can you just sell off the sea creatures you catch, or is there another use for them, other than for that one Majima substory?

Kiryu also has a sidequest involving sea creatures and a sushi restaurant, so if you're completing them all and haven't done that one yet there's that. If you've already done that or aren't fussed, no other use I can think of.

So I finally beat both
Amons
and man was I beat.

(Bonus boss spoilers)

So was fine, his cannon makes him pretty immobile and his helicopter drops benefit you, but man Jo was the real deal. Had to cheese it by spamming slugger heat moves in his Mad Dog phase.

Hah, this actually turned out opposite for me. For
So and Kiryu, I had forgotten about armor. So the first few times I went to the fight essentially naked and the cannon Stun+Dark Blast was always a one-hit kill. Majima, having access to Dragon and Tiger already had much better armor which I think helped in my fight against Jo. I used Mad Dog style almost the entire time with a mix of some Slugger Heat. Once I actually remembered armor existed for Kiryu, I was able to dispatch So much easier the next fight around.
 
Kiryu also has a sidequest involving sea creatures and a sushi restaurant, so if you're completing them all and haven't done that one yet there's that. If you've already done that or aren't fussed, no other use I can think of.



Hah, this actually turned out opposite for me. For
So and Kiryu, I had forgotten about armor. So the first few times I went to the fight essentially naked and the cannon Stun+Dark Blast was always a one-hit kill. Majima, having access to Dragon and Tiger already had much better armor which I think helped in my fight against Jo. I used Mad Dog style almost the entire time with a mix of some Slugger Heat. Once I actually remembered armor existed for Kiryu, I was able to dispatch So much easier the next fight around.

I always found Mad Dog style to be really weak in dealing damage. Is there some proper way to use it? It eats up Heat a lot, and there's no easy way to build it back up without switching styles.

Never bothered with crafting (but I do love the photos and the music) so my Majima was pretty weak even with all abilities maxed out. My Kiryu only had Brawler maxed out and I didn't even use Brawler in the fight lol.
 
Did you defeat his club in the final cabaret battle?

Cause then you're supposed to
fight him one-on-one, and then you're supposed to go to the grand for the big resolution (a tough fight so bring healing items)


It is, but only on JPN or HK PSN. You need to make an account for that region, access the store and "buy" the free demo. Then log in with the account on your ps4, go to library and download and play.

The demo will be restricted to the first chapter and most of the side stuff will be locked. You don't even need to download the full game, just the initial 12 or 13 GB of the game is enough for the content that you're allowed to access.

You can check it out, but I HIGHLY suggest skipping through all of the cutscenes, just in case.

already have a japanese account, and yeah i intended to skip the cutscene, i'm currently downloading it right now! thanks
 

Ultimadrago

Member
I always found Mad Dog style to be really weak in dealing damage. Is there some proper way to use it? It eats up Heat a lot, and there's no easy way to build it back up without switching styles.

Never bothered with crafting (but I do love the photos and the music) so my Majima was pretty weak even with all abilities maxed out. My Kiryu only had Brawler maxed out and I didn't even use Brawler in the fight lol.

A proper way to use it? Not really,
I like the near invincibility you get from the Triangle confirm, It finds itself both gaining and expending Heat. Breaker style is much better at building and maintaining damage than all of Majima's other styles though. If I hadn't slept on it until Climax/Legendary Mode, I would have likely used that instead! (Though Jo's armor may have been a bit of a problem).

I got into crafting a lot in end-game for favorite items. I suppose it helped a lot with those fights. My Kiryu only had Beast maxed at the time and I wasn't able to use it until So lost the cannon. Even with him munching through my super armor, I don't think I minded because for me he was much easier once he lost it!
 

GeeTeeCee

Member
When you're running the cabaret club, is it better to prioritise what a customer wants (love, party, skill etc) or focus on the type of hostess a customer prefers (beauty, cute, funny, sexy)?
 
When you're running the cabaret club, is it better to prioritise what a customer wants (love, party, skill etc) or focus on the type of hostess a customer prefers (beauty, cute, funny, sexy)?


The former is far more important. So go wild with your make up.

Also, protip: time stops when you're choosing a hostess for a customer, so don't rush.
 

GeeTeeCee

Member
The former is far more important. So go wild with your make up.

Also, protip: time stops when you're choosing a hostess for a customer, so don't rush.

Thanks for the help, I've spent nearly three hours this morning doing almost nothing except the cabaret minigame. Nearly 40 hours played and I'm still on Chapter 7...
 
Thanks for the help, I've spent nearly three hours this morning doing almost nothing except the cabaret minigame. Nearly 40 hours played and I'm still on Chapter 7...

Heh, I know the feeling. The minigame itself is really fun, the money you get is just a bonus.

Also, a complete sidenote, I wanna gush on how awesome the
final fight with Kuze was. The music is now somber and emotional and both Kuze and Kiryu don't hate each other anymore. They just want to have a good fight and using Rush to dodge and sidestep his attacks felt so good. You could feel the mutual respect both have for each other and the scene where Kuze reveals Shibusawa's whereabouts was just icing on the cake. Such a great battle and such a great character.
 
Don't think 0 is better than 2 maybe 1.

Need Kiwami right fucking now and a remake of 2 and I'll be golden.

Incredible game.

What's the level system in Kiwami? Wasn't as much a fan of the 0 system, felt too gated per chapter.
 
Finished the game early this morning. 94 hours, 66% completion.

These last cutscenes just cemented my belief that this game is a fucking masterpiece.

I'm actually kinda worried about Kiwami and the rest of the franchise because I just don't see how anything can measure up to that story and these characters, Majima in particular.

Fuckin' GOTY man.
 

Aki-at

Member
Finished the game early this morning. 94 hours, 66% completion.

These last cutscenes just cemented my belief that this game is a fucking masterpiece.

I'm actually kinda worried about Kiwami and the rest of the franchise because I just don't see how anything can measure up to that story and these characters, Majima in particular.

Fuckin' GOTY man.

Whilst many put 0 rightly at the top, I still feel characters like Ryuji Goda and Yoshitaka Mine were far better antagonist because of the screen time and presence they received in their scenes. Then there are characters like Makoto Date and Kaoru Sayama who served well as Kiryu's allies and the latter having a genuinely well writen relationship. Let's not forget there are characters that leave an impact with you be it Rikiya Shimabukuro or Goh Hamazaki... basically what I'm trying to say don't take Yakuza 0 as an oddity, the series is full of well writen characters.

Plot can fluctuate though depending on how much suspension of belief you have. 5 is generally regarded as the worst but I feel 2 and then 1 are the strongest narratives and have decent emotional impact.
 
Do not equip the Charismatic Autobiography.

Yeah, do not equip the Charismatic Autobiography.

So anyway, I'm in chapter 10 now and
I'm supposed to meet Tachibana at this park. So I go there and there's this huge collection of gambling hobos. Was the park area accessible right from the beginning and I just never noticed it, or did it just open now?
 
Yeah, do not equip the Charismatic Autobiography.

So anyway, I'm im chapter 10 now and
I'm supposed to meet Tachibana at this park. So I go there and there's this huge collection of gambling hobos. Was the park area accessible right from the beginning and I just never noticed it, or did it just open now?

It just opened now.
 
Although I'm still quite early in pursuit of the main campaign, around the fourth chapter, I've greatly been enjoying my time with the world thus far! Wish that I could have it finished prior to the release of Horizon and I'm still worrisome over the side-content being a little too bloated to sustain my interest as someone diving into the series for the first time, but I refuse to waver until I see it through until the end! If it isn't too much trouble, I had a few more questions that I'd like to ask for Yakuza aficionados out there and thanks again in advance for the replies! I'm trying to avoid spoilers somewhat, but I welcome them on the chance their necessary for clarity.

01) Are the "Mr. Shakedown" encounters a persistent feature throughout the entirety of the game or does beating the character a set number of times permanently stop them from happening as part of the sub-story list? I was wondering if I should prioritize defeating him to ensure that I'm not caught off guard with a bunch of dough later on.

02) Are there any installments that don't have a post-game completion mode thus making it impossible to chase side material after the main story is finished?

03) A rather specific inquiry. I'm in the process of procuring all the major installments thus far, but I recall there being a notable amount of side content for Yakuza 3 getting trimmed as part of the Western localization process. What would everyone recommend as the best possible way to experience this installment: bite the bullet with the English PS3 release for translation convenience at the cost of all the scrapped stuff (no hostess management, 20+ side stories, etc.), import a Japanese copy with everything present while resorting to online sources for completion (which I'll be doing for Kenzan, Ishin and Yakuza 5 as a physical collector), or hold out for the possibility of a PS4 remaster of the series? I admittedly have a loose-disc of the English version, but I'm looking to have a complete copy for reference.

[...] Kiwami is absolutely not the Twin Snakes equivalent of Yakuza 1.
[...] Overall, it's an awesome remake and you can pick up once it hits the US.
I wanted to thank the both of you for your responses toward my inquiries. As a newcomer to the series, it really helps center my expectations for the madness that I'm looking forward to experiencing in the long run!
 
1. Mr Shakedown is a persistent feature.

2. I forgot if more recent Yakuza games have it, but older games don't.

3. The question, really is how long do you intend to take your time to see this series through.

If you aim to finish the entire franchise within 2 years, then biting the bullet probably makes the most sense. Any plans to remaster/remake 3-5 isn't going to materialise anytime soon. Chronologically a remake of 2 is clearly a higher priority.

But if it's a franchise you would like to take your time playing through over several years, then you can just pick up Kiwami later, then play Kenzan in Japanese, fingers crossed for Y2 remake, then follow the trail from there.
 
01) Are the "Mr. Shakedown" encounters a persistent feature throughout the entirety of the game or does beating the character a set number of times permanently stop them from happening as part of the sub-story list? I was wondering if I should prioritize defeating him to ensure that I'm not caught off guard with a bunch of dough later on.

02) Are there any installments that don't have a post-game completion mode thus making it impossible to chase side material after the main story is finished?

03) A rather specific inquiry. I'm in the process of procuring all the major installments thus far, but I recall there being a notable amount of side content for Yakuza 3 getting trimmed as part of the Western localization process. What would everyone recommend as the best possible way to experience this installment: bite the bullet with the English PS3 release for translation convenience at the cost of all the scrapped stuff (no hostess management, 20+ side stories, etc.), import a Japanese copy with everything present while resorting to online sources for completion (which I'll be doing for Kenzan, Ishin and Yakuza 5 as a physical collector), or hold out for the possibility of a PS4 remaster of the series? I admittedly have a loose-disc of the English version, but I'm looking to have a complete copy for reference.!
01)The substories only trigger when meeting the 4 of them for the first time (2 for each character). You defeat one, then the other shows up. There is a CP requirement which goes up to 10 so beating them 10 times I believe gets you three CP points. Then there is no requirement. They do keep showing up though, so it's a pretty nice way to farm cash if you're good at taking him down.

02) I don't think so. The only one that might have had something like that is Yakuza 1, and we got Kiwami for that. Yakuza 2's is a bit odd, cause you have to do all substories from scratch but in regards to "experiencing" them all at least once, it's worthwhile.

03)The chances of a Yakuza 3 remaster coming out any time soon is quite unlikely tbh. Even if they announced something, it'd still be quite a ways off so I'd recommend not going that route if possible. Yes, you can certainly go the physical route but know that your enjoyment will be rather limited because of having to read the story through a guide constantly. Still a fantastic game though.

And know that Yakuza 4 and 5 were part of PS+, with 5 being the game for August 2016. Sure, you can buy the physical edition if you truly want, but my suggestion would be to play the english translation regardless, there is just too much that's lost if you use a guide and a game of Yakuza 5's size and scope does not lend itself to understanding everything through a guide. Assuming there even is one that explains the story.
 
One more question. Who was
the female doctor at the end? She looked suspiciuously main character-y in quality but only ended up being in three scenes. I'm assuming a guest celebrity appearance?
 
One more question. Who was
the female doctor at the end? She looked suspiciuously main character-y in quality but only ended up being in three scenes. I'm assuming a guest celebrity appearance?
I too thought that was weird until I googled it and found the answer on gamefaqs.

"She is a prototype render for Kiwami's Reina. Probably just thrown in towards the end of development to save time and cost."
Source for Spoiler.

Yeah if yakuza 2 through 5 don't get a remake, nor do they become available in PS now, I'm going to watch their stories and play 6 then.
2 MIGHT get a remake.

3-4-5 will never get a remake, remaster at best. Expect news by TGS 2017 at the latest.

I really hope that isn't a genuine spoiler.
It's one of those confusing AF things that you won't really get until you play the game.
 
Yeah, that took me some time on Hard. I had a bunch of Royales, Sacrifice Stones & Guns to take out anyone firing at me in advance. Was still a hard fight though, kind of wish I had stopped around chapter 12 to soak up the CP and real estate.

come to think of it I do have a gun with a few bullets and a katana on me. Don't imagine it'll do much damage though.
 

SephLuis

Member
03) A rather specific inquiry. I'm in the process of procuring all the major installments thus far, but I recall there being a notable amount of side content for Yakuza 3 getting trimmed as part of the Western localization process. What would everyone recommend as the best possible way to experience this installment: bite the bullet with the English PS3 release for translation convenience at the cost of all the scrapped stuff (no hostess management, 20+ side stories, etc.), import a Japanese copy with everything present while resorting to online sources for completion (which I'll be doing for Kenzan, Ishin and Yakuza 5 as a physical collector), or hold out for the possibility of a PS4 remaster of the series? I admittedly have a loose-disc of the English version, but I'm looking to have a complete copy for reference.

I wanted to thank the both of you for your responses toward my inquiries. As a newcomer to the series, it really helps center my expectations for the madness that I'm looking forward to experiencing in the long run!

The others already answered the first and second questions, but if you intent to play the series be careful of burnout. For example, Yakuza 5 has so much content that some players end up quitting before finishing the main story.

My recommendation would be for you to wait Kiwami to play next. It's very similar in structure to Yakuza 0.

Regarding Y2-Y5 you can play them all in english. I do understand the issue with the cut content, but I believe your overall experience will be better without having to use a guide. Kenzan and Ishin are the only cases that you will need the game and those games are amazing.

Regarding the remake of Y2 and remaster of Y3-Y5, it will take a while. Y2 remake wasn't even announced officially yet and it could quite some time to be localized. The remasters might happen, but just after Y2 remake.

I would say for you to not wait because someone made a reprint for the older games. While Yakuza 3 and 4 weren't too much expensive or difficult to find, Yakuza 2 was. I would at least get that ASAP.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
The only bad thing to me about real estate is you can't do everything from anywhere. Having to go back to collect sucks.
 
Speaking of weapons, the whole "crafting" part, if you can call it that, where you sent agents to search for parts is entirely pointless, but I do it anyway because I love the result screens and the music is pretty rad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfzk5WyqM_8
It's really only pointless if you make the mistake most people make of not doing it early enough. You can get some awesome freaking weapons through that mode. It's a worthwhile invest IMO.

Freaking lightsabers, cannons, stop signs, weapons that don't degrade and other wacky AF shit.
 
It's really only pointless if you make the mistake most people make of not doing it early enough. You can get some awesome freaking weapons through that mode. It's a worthwhile invest IMO.

Freaking lightsabers, cannons, stop signs, weapons that don't degrade and other wacky AF shit.

I guess. I just never even think of making use of any weapons in these games, except for the shit that's lying around.
 
I guess. I just never even think of making use of any weapons in these games, except for the shit that's lying around.

The training and different heat moves that Majima gets through the Dragon and Tiger training makes a lot of it worthwhile.

Still entirely optional though. Works wonders in keeping the encounters fresh.
 
The training and different heat moves that Majima gets through the Dragon and Tiger training makes a lot of it worthwhile.

Still entirely optional though.

I don't know how I'd beat Mr. Shakedown in their later fights without those weapons. They are very helpful. Plus it makes the combat more fun and varied. Those Heat moves are amazing as well, shame so many people miss out on them.
 
Having some of the better knives is so worth it as Majima when using his
Legend style
with the upgrade that negates durability loss on the 1st Heat bar.
 
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