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[Shadowman16]

any tips for the catfights? need cash desperately right now

Well the first thing I'd recommend is playing any other mini game than Cat Fighting. Your not winning money with that mini game, it takes far too long to get anywhere with it. Try the batting cage, or for much quicker cash just use Kiryu's Money Island side mission, you can get much more money much quicker with that.

But anyway, general tips for Cat Fighting:

Each girl has different stats. I found the blonde girl (with glasses) a good choice. She should have a skill that lets her sometimes do an attack as soon as the match begins. However also take a look at the girls moods when selecting a character, I read via Gamefaqs that if the girls have positive moods then they are more likely to win. No idea what this means, I played the game in Japanese and ignored this completely so have no idea if this point has any merit.

So once you've picked your character do whatever the heck you want. Its completely random rubbish and you have just as much luck at winning by randomly mashing the X button to randomly cycle through attacks than if you skillfully plan your choices (the AI almost certainly cheats anyway). If you guess your attack correctly make sure to mash the cheer button, you can power up attacks to do more damage.

So if you really want to get money doing this, save in theatre square before starting, start the mini game, bet as much as you can and then hope for the best. If you lose just reload your previous save and you'll be none the worse off.

 

[Endo Punk]

And now to play the waiting game...

 

[Jimrpg]

First impressions, 2 hours in. Maybe it was the overwhelming amount of posts mentioning how long and slow the opening hours are that set my expectations in check. Lowered them in a way. I have to say I'm an outlier here, I thought the opening was perfect. I know nothing about Kiryu as a character (first Yakuza game) but within the first 30-40 min you get good feel for the type of person he is. Without beating you over the head with backstory upfront, or forced cutscenes introducing him as a character, you are kind of just thrown in the world and get little hints here and there. I have to say I really appreciate the subtle approach to character and world building. Fantastic stuff. Already I am floored at how they can go from serious and tense scenes, to absolutely hilarious or whacky ones. Judging off of others comments, this is pretty much the series. Why am I just jumping in now?!

Couple quick points before I head back to play more.
-Localization is spot on. It cannot be said enough how good it is. Even the opening combat tutorials are hilarious and have this admirable charm.
-Really need to get used to the camera. I usually always adjust my camera and pan around while walking. The auto center and having to hold the stick in a direction so it doesn't whip back is very off putting. Not being able to point the camera up or down past a certain point is difficult as well. Just need to teach myself to hold the stick more, and in some cases adjust it less.
-I didn't expect the graphics to be that great from what I heard. Again, maybe my expectations were lowered enough off of the reviews or comments. And while that may be true polygon wise, the texture work for most of the game world is very impressive to me right now. I'm sure there are plenty of crappy textures here and there but overall from what I've seen of the city? eh this is pretty good. Maybe I expected it to be a little bit more lazy. 1080p 60fps goes a long way. While I wish it had pro support I completely understand why it doesn't (has been out for ages in Japan)

What a ride ahead of me I love this game.

That's what I'm doing, there is way too much positive reaction going on, I have to lower my expectations as so I can actually enjoy this game when I get it.

Man this game is

Spoiler

the

shit.

 

[Usobuko]

Reading this thread kinda wanna make me get back to yakuza ( beat 3 and 4 ) but I don't have a PS4 atm.

 

[cj_iwakura]

That interview with Scott Strichart is truly fantastic, especially talking about how they translate the titles again(which I appreciate).

http://michibiku.com/interview-localizing-yakuza-scott-strichart/

What happened after that is that Atlus — well me, really, me and one other editor, his name's Dirk — we went through and did a second pass on everything, taking it to that next level of localization. Where Sega had not previously done all of the kinds of bells-and-whistles-type stuff on the title cards, the chapter titles, the honorifics... all that stuff was our decision to take that in a new direction for Yakuza, especially considering we were going back to the beginning and this was kind of our opportunity to reboot the localization for the franchise.

Well in the case of those two songs, I have to say: if somebody plays this game and says ”oh, well this was two songs away from being enough content," I don't know what game they're playing. There's too much game in this game.

I've seen a lot of complaints about the songs that were replaced, and I get it — you know, they're not the ones that were taken out — but the replacement songs are always created by the Ryu ga Gotoku sound team internally, they're approved all the way up the chain. It's not like we just throw in some type of generic butt rock. (laughs) The Japanese team takes a lot of pride and care into replacing those songs if they have to.

And I agree, I actually like Y5's new OP a lot. How is 0's?

 

[ScientificPizza]

what happens if you give the stop and search guy a gun?

 

[Alastor3]

0 has a few nods to future events and characters that fans of the series would appreciate, but the story is its own thing, so no there is no need to have any prior knowledge of the series diving in. From my memory from playing the Japanese game there is only really a couple of references to (flashback) events covered in Yakuza 4 (basically how Majima got his eye patch) but that's it. Start at Yakuza 0.

Kiwami has a couple of new side missions that carry on from Yakuza 0, and the fighting system and gameplay improvements have been copied across from 0 as well. 0 feels very much like a lead into Yakuza 1, so its well worth playing 0, then moving onto Kiwami afterwards.

From there its up to you. The good news is each game has its own story, so you don't have to play each one in numerical order if you don't want to. 2 is seen by many fans as the best in the serious from a plot perspective (the villain is just plain awesome) but its only on PS2 and pretty expensive in America these days. Get it if you can though, as no remake of the game has been confirmed so currently the PS2 is the only way to experience it in English (it got an HD remaster for the PS3 and Wii U in Japan only).

3 is a real love/hate game depending on who you ask, I personally like it but others don't like the slower start (focusing on the orphanage) and some of the plot twists. I do think the main support character (Rikyia) is one of, if not the best supporting characters in the entire series. Its only on the PS3 and only available physically. It was also butchered in terms of side content when released in English (mini games and some side stories were removed completely due to Sega stupidity).

4 is often looked at the other best game in the series, three new protagonists makes it a nice point to jump into the series. Each character has unique combat styles (Seijima is a tank, Tanimura focuses on parries and counters for example). This one is definitely worth playing. It also has a couple of plot points (both in the main game, and side missions) that heavily reference both Yakuza 1 and 2. Like 3 its PS3 only.

5 is a huge game that like 3 has a divisive opinion within the community. Its got more cities and activities to take part in than any other game in the series but it can be argued that maybe it has too much. The story also has pacing problems and gets a bit too convoluted for its own good at times. I still loved the game though, just because of the sheer variety on offer in the game. Like 3-4 its PS3 only, and only available digitally in English.

6 heavily references the ending and Kiryu/Haruka plots from 5, so its probably worth playing 5 first before playing 6. However the beginning of 6's intro is basically just 5's ending so you won't feel lost skipping 5 straight for 6.

Hope that helps. Basically while the best way to experience the game is to play them in order, you very much can pick and choose which games to play if you don't want to play them all.

Do you think we will see a Yakuza 2 remake?

 

[SephLuis]

I'm mashing it as I grab him. He breaks out before the prompt even appears. I try waiting for the prompt and he breaks out.

I just don't get it, everything is so inconsistent and makes no sense.

If you grab a boss too much, he will instantly counter or get out of the grab. It's made so you don't abuse grabs too much.

If you got beast style, you can also grab him while on the ground and keep slamming. him on the ground.

any tips for the catfights? need cash desperately right now

Yeah....

pray a lot and you might win.

Got myself a digital copy after seeing the positive reception.

Quick question: I started Yakuza 5 a few weeks ago(3~hrs in), which btw is my first entry into the series. Should I beat 5 first, then play 0?

Play 0 first

 

[Shadowman16]

Do you think we will see a Yakuza 2 remake?

I personally think its likely. Its the only game in the series still using the old PS2 engine, and they have talked about potentially remaking 2-5 for the PS4. Hopefully we'll hear something around Tokyo Game Show in September if they have any plans for a new Yakuza game (as the last few years any Yakuza announcements have always happened around this time). So fingers crossed!

 

[Mupod]

Finally beat the first boss on Hard. I think I figured out what I was doing wrong. It seemed like he started getting resistant to the grabs as I spammed them, so I saved them until the end and just focused on dodging.

https://youtu.be/GuQIWR0NtNM

If that wasn't actually why, well, then who the fuck knows. I'll bring healing items to the next boss...regardless, I'm not that frustrated. I've certainly gotten a whole lot better at the game from that ordeal.

If you grab a boss too much, he will instantly counter or get out of the grab. It's made so you don't abuse grabs too much.

If you got beast style, you can also grab him while on the ground and keep slamming. him on the ground.

Oh. Little bit late but thanks anyways, lol.

 

[BlazingDarkness]

'I get the feeling this guy's not the kinda mushroom dealer you're looking for'
#dead

 

[klabautermann]

I personally think its likely. Its the only game in the series still using the old PS2 engine, and they have talked about potentially remaking 2-5 for the PS4. Hopefully we'll hear something around Tokyo Game Show in September if they have any plans for a new Yakuza game (as the last few years any Yakuza announcements have always happened around this time). So fingers crossed!

It seems going forward they want to make it more accessible, so I think it's likely especially if 0 ends up successful in the west. I really hope we do end up seeing an entire collection on PS4 so I could finally get all my slacking ass friends into this amazing series.

 

[VeryGooster]

lol the producer substory was fun

 

[robotrock]

Mr. Shakedown lol, loving just about everything here

 

[Kyrios]

You guys better hone your UFO Catcher skills and do the side quest with the little girl. I almost teared up at the end. Mad respect for Majima.

He's really a teddy bear on the inside.

 

[eyeball_kid]

First impressions, 2 hours in. Maybe it was the overwhelming amount of posts mentioning how long and slow the opening hours are that set my expectations in check. Lowered them in a way. I have to say I'm an outlier here, I thought the opening was perfect. I know nothing about Kiryu as a character (first Yakuza game) but within the first 30-40 min you get good feel for the type of person he is. Without beating you over the head with backstory upfront, or forced cutscenes introducing him as a character, you are kind of just thrown in the world and get little hints here and there. I have to say I really appreciate the subtle approach to character and world building. Fantastic stuff. Already I am floored at how they can go from serious and tense scenes, to absolutely hilarious or whacky ones. Judging off of others comments, this is pretty much the series. Why am I just jumping in now?!

Couple quick points before I head back to play more.
-Localization is spot on. It cannot be said enough how good it is. Even the opening combat tutorials are hilarious and have this admirable charm.
-Really need to get used to the camera. I usually always adjust my camera and pan around while walking. The auto center and having to hold the stick in a direction so it doesn't whip back is very off putting. Not being able to point the camera up or down past a certain point is difficult as well. Just need to teach myself to hold the stick more, and in some cases adjust it less.
-I didn't expect the graphics to be that great from what I heard. Again, maybe my expectations were lowered enough off of the reviews or comments. And while that may be true polygon wise, the texture work for most of the game world is very impressive to me right now. I'm sure there are plenty of crappy textures here and there but overall from what I've seen of the city? eh this is pretty good. Maybe I expected it to be a little bit more lazy. 1080p 60fps goes a long way. While I wish it had pro support I completely understand why it doesn't (has been out for ages in Japan)

What a ride ahead of me I love this game.

Yeah, as a first-timer this fits with what I've felt as well. I knew going in that the series is heavy on story and cutscenes, so I wasn't surprised or annoyed, though I don't have a problem with that stuff as long as it's well done. And Yakuza 0's scriptwriting is certainly well done so far. Honestly, Y0 already has some of the best dialogue I've heard in a game. It's just on another level from not only Japanese titles, but western titles as well. The character development as you say is really done deftly. I had no idea who Kiryu was going in, and I'm getting a fairly good already and I'm still in Ch. 1.

And yeah, I also agree graphically. While some of the mechanics (like the odd camera control) feel a bit antiquated, the engine looks fantastic. The character models especially, but even when Kiryu was drinking whiskey (or something)...my jaw actually dropped when I saw the reflections and image warping from the glass. The team really sweat the details, and I appreciate that stuff. Coming off of the Nioh demo it's like night and day.

That interview with Scott Strichart is truly fantastic, especially talking about how they translate the titles again(which I appreciate).

http://michibiku.com/interview-localizing-yakuza-scott-strichart/

One thing I'd hope they would have addressed but didn't is why none of the background chatter from NPCs are subtitled. Walking along you hear all these conversations and people trying to talk to you, and none of it is subtitled. Was it just too much work to do on the budget?

 

[ScientificPizza]

Stephen Spining smh

 

[cj_iwakura]

One thing I'd hope they would have addressed but didn't is why none of the background chatter from NPCs are subtitled. Walking along you hear all these conversations and people trying to talk to you, and none of it is subtitled. Was it just too much work to do on the budget?

It was in 5, sort of. Little word balloons as you passed.

 

[nickgia]

I wasn't expecting how bizarre and funny the side quests would be.
Early game side quest:

Spoiler

You tie a sweater around your neck and you're masquerading as a producer. You then bump into the real producer who is wearing the exact same thing as you. You then fight him. AMAZING.

 

[darkwing-buck]

I should've pre ordered this two best buys in my local area were sold out. I'll check another tomorrow.

 

[Hamster0]

Stephen Spining smh

That substory took me way too many tries to complete

 

[Laws00]

Ran into Mr. Shake Down

FUCK took 12,000,000 yen from me

 

[Mupod]

if I want to stock up on healing items to avoid another boss fight shitshow what should I buy?

 

[oneida]

If they remake 2 i hope it is with Y6's engine. the rooftop with kaoru...

 

[robotrock]

When do side quests start happening? I'm on chapter 2 now, just wanna make sure im not gonna miss anything

 

[lucebuce12]

Kiryu dramatically picking up the phone and suddenly trying to talk all casual in the phone club minigame never gets old.

 

[Jimrpg]

That interview with Scott Strichart is truly fantastic, especially talking about how they translate the titles again(which I appreciate).

http://michibiku.com/interview-localizing-yakuza-scott-strichart/

And I agree, I actually like Y5's new OP a lot. How is 0's?

Yes great interview, cool to see it quoted again.

They revealed quite a bit about what was happening with Sega/Atlus and the Yakuza titles, particularly about how Scott was hired back to Sega to work on THREE Yakuza titles and not just Zero. So even though the public had no idea what was happening to the series, Sega/Atlus were already planning to release all three in the west.

 

[ScientificPizza]

I fucking love this game

 

[Gigarator]

I'm only on chapter 2 but I'm having a seriously hard time with combat in this game, I really don't know why because I've never had a problem with it in the other entries in the series, but whenever I'm in a fight with 2-3 guys I'm just constantly getting pummelled and knocked down on my ass over and over. What's the trick? I've tried evading, blocking and all that but it just doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Jimrpg]

Yeah, as a first-timer this fits with what I've felt as well. I knew going in that the series is heavy on story and cutscenes, so I wasn't surprised or annoyed, though I don't have a problem with that stuff as long as it's well done. And Yakuza 0's scriptwriting is certainly well done so far. Honestly, Y0 already has some of the best dialogue I've heard in a game. It's just on another level from not only Japanese titles, but western titles as well. The character development as you say is really done deftly. I had no idea who Kiryu was going in, and I'm getting a fairly good already and I'm still in Ch. 1.

And yeah, I also agree graphically. While some of the mechanics (like the odd camera control) feel a bit antiquated, the engine looks fantastic. The character models especially, but even when Kiryu was drinking whiskey (or something)...my jaw actually dropped when I saw the reflections and image warping from the glass. The team really sweat the details, and I appreciate that stuff. Coming off of the Nioh demo it's like night and day.

One thing I'd hope they would have addressed but didn't is why none of the background chatter from NPCs are subtitled. Walking along you hear all these conversations and people trying to talk to you, and none of it is subtitled. Was it just too much work to do on the budget?

The Yakuza team does not get enough credit for the beautiful graphics and art direction on the budget they have. I can only guess that after Shenmue dropped millions of dollars on their games that when Sega commissioned the Yakuza games it was going to be on a much reduced budget. And the Yakuza games as a result of this, turns this into a strength of theirs by basing every game in Kamurocho and reusing all their existing assets each time and continually improving them as they go along.

When I played Yakuza 5, it didn't look great from a technical perspective, being at 720p/30fps on a PS3 in 2016 made it look technically worse than a lot of other things. But walking around Kamurocho, there was so much to see everywhere you look, the internal fitout of all the shops are beautifully designed, you can go to the luxury handbag shop and see various types of goods all modelled nicely. Obviously many other games do detail well like an Uncharted or The Division, but they are big games with staff in the hundreds. But I think Yakuza is able to do this, because they reuse their setting in each game. At the same time the game feels fresh, because there's a brand new story in each one and there's always lots of new stuff to see and do. Aside from Yakuza 2 when at the time I expected sequels to not recyle old stuff, I've never not liked being in Kamurocho, its always been about where I can find new stuff to do.

As for the background NPCs, based on past games, you're really not missing anything.

 

[Hierophant]

I was about to win with crazy odds with full health and the other lady came back and one hit me like what the fuck is this shit fuck catfights

 

[robotrock]

I just did that mission where you return that game to the kid and I'm crying now

 

[oneida]

I'm only on chapter 2 but I'm having a seriously hard time with combat in this game, I really don't know why because I've never had a problem with it in the other entries in the series, but whenever I'm in a fight with 2-3 guys I'm just constantly getting pummelled and knocked down on my ass over and over. What's the trick? I've tried evading, blocking and all that but it just doesn't seem to matter.

blocking and evading are important and certainly matter. just gotta get the timing down.

 

[lucebuce12]

I just did that mission where you return that game to the kid and I'm crying now

Oh that's nothing lol, there is some real emotional shit in this game and it's effective cause it just sneaks up on you.

Majima's quests in particular get surprisingly emotional.

 

[Peroroncino]

wtf how do you 'finish' these things? This game is too big lol.

By finished I meant I maxed them on the completion list and finished all related quests.

btw. BASED RUSH STYLE! I love this combat style, and I even don't have half of the options available for it.

 

[robotrock]

Oh that's nothing lol, there is some real emotional shit in this game and it's effective cause it just sneaks up on you.

Majima's quests in particular get surprisingly emotional.

Can't wait. Quest was actually hilarious too. Loving the blend of emotions I'm feeling here

 

[oneida]

Can't wait. Quest was actually hilarious too. Loving the blend of emotions I'm feeling here

it's refreshing to have a game that makes me feel anything at all

 

[Fjordson]

Man this is great so far. Haven't played Yakuza since 4 came out, so it feels good to be back in the saddle.

I'm supposed to be investigating Tachibana for the story but now that I'm able to roam around and the side quests are flowing I can't stop getting distracted.

I'm kinda digging Beast style the most so far. Probably not as efficient as Rush (I almost never take damage with that) but Beast style has great damage and the wrestling takedowns are hilariously brutal.

 

[evilpigking]

Screw it, ordered. Last Yakuza I played was the original so, should be fun.

 

[lucebuce12]

it's refreshing to have a game that makes me feel anything at all

Oh god YES.

 

[robotrock]

Bacchus makes me lol every time he pops up. Those voice samples are incredible

 

[Peroroncino]

Bacchus makes me lol every time he pops up. Those voice samples are incredible

Heeeeey boiiiii.

 

[harriet the spy]

I just started yakuza 3. But thanks to GAF I now have this. Which should I play first ? (It'd be nice to be in sync with gen for once - i played 1/2 after getting my PS3 and started 3 after getting my PS4)

 

[davidwhangchoi]

Ran into Mr. Shake Down

FUCK took 12,000,000 yen from me

I had a save right before encountering him. Reloaded and used it all up on myself in case.

 

[lmbotiva]

I don't why but im not enjoying the game at all, on chapter 2 so far, does it get any better anytime soon?

 

[lmbotiva]

I had a save right before encountering him. Reloaded and used it all up on myself in case.

How do you save lol, can't find the option

 

[Peroroncino]

How do you save lol, can't find the option

Phone booths, big S icoon on the map/minimap

 

[SephLuis]

I just started yakuza 3. But thanks to GAF I now have this. Which should I play first ? (It'd be nice to be in sync with gen for once - i played 1/2 after getting my PS3 and started 3 after getting my PS4)

Play 0, especially if you remember the events in Y1.

Y3 is the original ending for Kiryu saga, but Y0 is a much, much better game.

 

[Primethius]

Bacchus makes me lol every time he pops up. Those voice samples are incredible

Oh my god, he's amazing. I love his introduction.

"Invest in yourself!"

> Menu pops up where you literally invest in yourself to become stronger.

Completely caught me off guard.

 

[CrazyHal]

The music is so good. I would totally buy an official CD soundtrack.