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[Tizoc]

The Yakuza series are Action games with RPG elements; likewise they can be seen as RPGs with Beat'em-up inspired combat.

Both are true and whichever term appeals to a certain demograph or person could interest them on the game.

However the Yakuza series offer more than one might think: There are dozens of mini games, minigames that are so simple in concept but entertainingly addictive:
Baseball
Golf
Fishing
Bowling

To name a few.

Yakuza 0 has a lot of mini games AND side quests to do, that you may find yourself spending a session just playing the minigames and sidequests rather than progressing through the game.
...and that's fine, it goes to show that this game is FULL OF CONTENT that most gamers would take for granted.
Many games are designed to go from Point A to Point B (beginning to end) but offer little inbetween far as gameplay goes.
The Yakuza series, although starting a little slow, offer the player many things to do alongside completing the main game plot.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

...

I just looked at Y5 OT one more time and the work done there is really good. So if he is free to do stuff for the beginner thread then I'll be more than happy with that.

Oh definitely. I kinda forgot about retro Sega fans to be honest. So yeah, I think those are another group of people who might find Yakuza series enjoyable.

I also liked your preliminary description of Yakuza series but as you know we still need to add to it and polish it more. Especially since Yakuza 0 adds a lot of depth to the combat with its style system (and the real time switching of them) we should mention briefly that even though the combat is a lot more simpler in comparison to other titles in the stylish action genre, it still has the potential to be enjoyable for stylish action fans like DMC and Bayonetta players.

All in all though, I like the direction that you are taking with that description.

I am but a hype man people. I can only hype stuff up blindly.

Hype is good.

Especially if we manage to hype the game in certain communities (inside and outside of GAF) when we eventually link the thread. Though it has to be moderated cause in some cases overblown hype can do more harm than good.

The Yakuza series are Action games with RPG elements; likewise they can be seen as RPGs with Beat'em-up inspired combat.

Both are true and whichever term appeals to a certain demograph or person could interest them on the game.

However the Yakuza series offer more than one might think: There are dozens of mini games, minigames that are so simple in concept but entertainingly addictive:
Baseball
Golf
Fishing
Bowling

To name a few.

Yakuza 0 has a lot of mini games AND side quests to do, that you may find yourself spending a session just playing the minigames and sidequests rather than progressing through the game.
...and that's fine, it goes to show that this game is FULL OF CONTENT that most gamers would take for granted.
Many games are designed to go from Point A to Point B (beginning to end) but offer little inbetween far as gameplay goes.
The Yakuza series, although starting a little slow, offer the player many things to do alongside completing the main game plot.

I like this description too Tizoc.

Though, I think with little changes and additions here and there we could use this for another question in our Q&A section: "What makes Yakuza games so special?"

Also, both yours and Irish's descriptions didn't say much about the story which is another strong point of the series that we have to use in order to attract new fans.

 

[Tizoc]

I am a 'gameplay' kind of guy; if a game's story or plot isn't that good or well recieved I can look past it and enjoy the gameplay (case in point Deus Ex HR and MD for example). Sadly I am not the man for the story talking @o@

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Naaah, no worries. I'm sure we'll find someone to say a little bit about story

 

[lucebuce12]

"The most violent Telenovela in gaming."


I just finished Yakuza 4 and around

Spoiler

21-22 people got shot in that game and didn't die because RUBBER FUCKING BULLETS.

 

[cj_iwakura]

While I'm all for it, and I'm definitely down to help, I don't even own a PS4 yet.

 

[Shadowman16]

Yeah they've had this going along with the regular productions(Ishin, Zero, and Kiwami) all the while working on RGG6 as well which is crazy but it makes sense and why Kiwami may have been a little light on content since they were working on this, same situation like with Dead Souls and Binary Domain. I already have my Pro money secured, haven't pre-ordered yet but I will soon, don't have a 4k tv and I use a monitor to play games on so its gonna be interesting if I can get the most out of the visuals.

In terms of Pro support for non 4K TV's I'm mainly just hoping for a stable frame rate (30FPS seems more realistic for this game) and no screen tearing. Also, the game running at 1080p and not the 900p it was running at in the demo. Any extra bells and whistles they can throw on the the game would be great too, but I just want a nice stable playable experience.
And yeah, it'd make sense that this game was being made while the spinoff games were worked on, as they could do tons of asset reuse (even though 0 had a few awesome new areas/changed parts of the cities). But it makes sense that Kiwami was... not rushed but didn't have as much time put into it so that they could release something for the fans, but also still mainly focus on 6. It would certainly explain why there were so few mini games in Kiwami, I expected 6 to be the one short on content since they are building so much from scratch (kinda like how EA chop out modes of Fifa etc. at the start of a new generation) but instead they are adding so much more! Those guys in the RGG studio are sure efficient I'll give them that!

 

[lucebuce12]

2 Questions for the folks here.

(1) Is Yakuza 6/RGG 6 going to be 1080p or 900p? Since the demo that was released was reportedly 900p but I'm hearing the final game is now 1080p?

(2)I just finished up Yakuza 4 and with the exception of the "final" substory fight, found the game pretty darn easy. I didn't even die in the entire game until that substory fight and even that was because I got greedy and didn't use an item. I'll start Y5 a week or two from now so should I start with Normal or Hard difficulty for that game?

 

[cj_iwakura]

2 Questions for the folks here.

(1) Is Yakuza 6/RGG 6 going to be 1080p or 900p? Since the demo that was released was reportedly 900p but I'm hearing the game is now 1080p?

(2)I just finished up Yakuza 4 and with the exception of the "final" substory fight, found the game pretty darn easy. I didn't even die in the entire game until that substory fight and even that was because I got greedy and didn't use an item. I'll start Y5 a week or two from now so should I start with Normal or Hard difficulty for that game?

Yakuza 5 is pretty easy. I think I died exactly once, not counting the optional fights at the arena.

 

[lucebuce12]

Yakuza 5 is pretty easy. I think I died exactly once, not counting the optional fights at the arena.

Hmm, then I'll most probably start with Hard. Thanks.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Hmm, then I'll most probably start with Hard. Thanks.

Keep in mind I did a lot of training and got a ton of extra skills. You'll need them, especially for Shinada, since he sucks.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

While I'm all for it, and I'm definitely down to help, I don't even own a PS4 yet.

Nice. Really appreciate your help

Also, if you don't have a PS4 yet then I'll advice you to wait a little bit more and then go for the Pro. I'll stick with my og PS4 since I'm happy with what we seem to be getting thus far (and I don't wanna go through the hassle of changing my current system with a new one) but if you are just jumping on the PS4 wagon now then you might as well get the best thing you can since Pro will be the definitive experience in PS4 only titles from now on.

2 Questions for the folks here.

(1) Is Yakuza 6/RGG 6 going to be 1080p or 900p? Since the demo that was released was reportedly 900p but I'm hearing the game is now 1080p?

(2)I just finished up Yakuza 4 and with the exception of the "final" substory fight, found the game pretty darn easy. I didn't even die in the entire game until that substory fight and even that was because I got greedy and didn't use an item. I'll start Y5 a week or two from now so should I start with Normal or Hard difficulty for that game?

Don't know about your first question but I personally found Y5 to be very easy on normal difficulty. It was a little tougher than Y4 but still not difficult enough to make the game very challenging.

 

[lucebuce12]

Keep in mind I did a lot of training and got a ton of extra skills. You'll need them, especially for Shinada, since he sucks.

I tend to do that with every Yakuza, do the training modes ASAP and level up as much as I can before continuing with the story/ underground Colosseum modes.

Don't know about your first question but I personally found Y5 to be very easy on normal difficulty. It was a little tougher than Y4 but still not difficult enough to make the game very challenging.

Yeah, that clinches it. Probably gonna start with Hard.

 

[The Bankslammer]

amazing

Spoiler

kashiwagi's face appears if you take a photo at the millennium tower

 

[Shadowman16]

Play Yakuza 5 on Hard mode. Like said above, its too easy on normal (and still a bit too easy on hard mode in my opinion).

amazing

Spoiler

kashiwagi's face appears if you take a photo at the millennium tower

Glad I was right on that one, I thought it was him. I wonder if you can see other ghosts round other parts of Kamuracho? Seems like this'll be a cool side story!

 

[lucebuce12]

Maybe we can see

Spoiler

Ryuji Goda's

ghost if we take a selfie in front of

Spoiler

Kamurocho Hills?

*Yakuza 2 Spoiler*

 

[cj_iwakura]

Maybe we can see

Spoiler

Ryuji Goda's

ghost if we take a selfie in front of

Spoiler

Kamurocho Hills?

*Yakuza 2 Spoiler*

We just think he's gone, Dead Souls clearly tells us he's alive and happily working at a restaurant.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Just ordered Yakuza 4 and 5! Haven't played one since the first on PS2. Can't believe I've waited this long to finally give the series a chance. Although maybe now I'll have the patience for the long story bits since that's what interests me the most out of these games.

Can't wait for 0 now and hope we get 6 too. Why didn't Sega being over Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! though? It looks awesome. Exactly the kind of samurai game I've always wanted.

Pretty sure I'm going to import it from Amazon since it's only $40 with free shipping, plus I found a huge translation guide for it online.

Also I seem to remember reading somewhere they are remaking the first game for PS4, and I don't mean the HD compilation. Did it release in Japan already or is it coming out after 6? I hope if 0 does well enough that will come over as well.

 

[Shadowman16]

Just ordered Yakuza 4 and 5! Haven't played one since the first on PS2. Can't believe I've waited this long to finally give the series a chance. Although maybe now I'll have the patience for the long story bits since that's what interests me the most out of these games.

Can't wait for 0 now and hope we get 6 too. Why didn't Sega being over Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! though? It looks awesome. Exactly the kind of samurai game I've always wanted.

Pretty sure I'm going to import it from Amazon since it's only $40 with free shipping, plus I found a huge translation guide for it online.

RGG Kenzan! never got translated either (its a samurai game just like Ishin). While it might have been skipped due to the content (Sega not having any faith that western audiences want to play a samurai game) which is a shame as the game was released in Japan at a point where there was a shortage of good current gen games available.

 

[lucebuce12]

Just ordered Yakuza 4 and 5! Haven't played one since the first on PS2. Can't believe I've waited this long to finally give the series a chance. Although maybe now I'll have the patience for the long story bits since that's what interests me the most out of these games.

Can't wait for 0 now and hope we get 6 too. Why didn't Sega being over Ryū ga Gotoku Ishin! though? It looks awesome. Exactly the kind of samurai game I've always wanted.

Pretty sure I'm going to import it from Amazon since it's only $40 with free shipping, plus I found a huge translation guide for it online.

Good on you. I think they didn't port it for the same reason they didn't port RGG Kenzan which is that they feel there simply isn't a market for a game that's set in Feudal Japan and deals with largely Japanese history. And to a certain extent, I can't help but agree with them.

The main Yakuza games barely sell in the west as it is, ones with that theme and setting are just going to not sell as much. Which sucks balls.

I wish I had the patience to import a game and play it entirely with a guide but I'd probably just be frustrating myself more than anything else I think. Maybe I'll give it a legitimate shot during the summer though.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Nice. Really appreciate your help

Also, if you don't have a PS4 yet then I'll advice you to wait a little bit more and then go for the Pro. I'll stick with my og PS4 since I'm happy with what we seem to be getting thus far (and I don't wanna go through the hassle of changing my current system with a new one) but if you are just jumping on the PS4 wagon now then you might as well get the best thing you can since Pro will be the definitive experience in PS4 only titles from now on.

Not a fan of consoles going in this direction, and I don't have the kind of hardware to take advantage of it. Also on a budget, so I'll just get the cheapest one possible when FFXV comes out. (That is my system seller.)

 

[IrishNinja]

really thinking of getting n touch with yakuzafan/etc for a hashtag thing at some point

also, about the story: a good buddy of mine (fellow gaffer bishopcruz) got further into 1 before i did, and was thrown off by expecting a true crime/gritty & grounded type yakuza story, based on the marketing/etc at the time. i think not having people prepped for yakuza's zaniness is a mistake, as the series' ability to not take itself too seriously all the time is part of why i love it so.

so i'd definitely wanna convey that in said thread too

"The most violent Telenovela in gaming."

haha this is actually perfect, since i typically sell the story as fist-to-the-sky-manly-tears

While I'm all for it, and I'm definitely down to help, I don't even own a PS4 yet.

this is the most cj statement i've heard in a while, haha

We just think he's gone, Dead Souls clearly tells us he's alive and happily working at a restaurant.

*nods* and takes pride in his work

 

[Tizoc]

There should be a sidequest in Y6 where Kiryu and Takeshi meet a takoyaki chef trying to open a new branch in Kamuro-cho and it turns out to be Ryuji Goda.
And Kiryu acts all casual around him because he knows he survived the events of Y2, AND WOULD correspond with him from time to time.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

I would be down for a hashtag twitter thingy as well, though I fear we might not find much success in that regard.

We should certainly do that to avoid people setting their expectations too high in regards to story, but still it would be a shame not to mention how good some of them are. For example I really liked the story in Yakuza 3 and 4 even with all their cheesy stuff.

Not a fan of consoles going in this direction, and I don't have the kind of hardware to take advantage of it. Also on a budget, so I'll just get the cheapest one possible when FFXV comes out. (That is my system seller.)

Oh, I hear you. As I said before I won't be jumping on the Pro wagon either so I totally get where you are coming from (especially being on the budget since I am too). And honestly even though I believe the Pro will provide the definitive experience on PS4, I don't see that huge of an improvement between the og games and Pro ones so I'm not too bothered by it either.

 

[lucebuce12]

There should be a sidequest in Y6 where Kiryu and Takeshi meet a takoyaki chef trying to open a new branch in Kamuro-cho and it turns out to be Ryuji Goda.
And Kiryu acts all casual around him because he knows he survived the events of Y2, AND WOULD correspond with him from time to time.

Or perhaps Kiryu encounters a Takoyaki chef that looks exactly like Ryuji and Kiryu does a double-take when he sees him but eventually realizes it isn't him.

When the chef asks what's wrong, he replies "Sorry, you just reminded me of another Takoyaki chef I knew. Anyway, what seems to be the problem?" and the quest continues.

 

[IrishNinja]

i mean, the series does nods alla time

Spoiler

before the amon fight in 5, the crew actually tries to call Tanimura, but he's clearly out, haha

now, kazzy's cop love interest? long gone

 

[lucebuce12]

i mean, the series does nods alla time

Spoiler

before the amon fight in 5, the crew actually tries to call Tanimura, but he's clearly out, haha

now, kazzy's cop love interest? long gone

Which is really sad though. I loved their dynamic in 2 and it was so disappointing that they just

Spoiler

wrote her out

in 3 without even bothering to give them their own goodbye cinematic.

Though it did reinforce my theory that Kazuma Kiryu is the most eligible bachelor in all of gaming that he was willing to end their relationship for the sake of her career.

 

[TreIII]

So with all of that in mind, any ideas?

A friend of mine got me to try out the first Yakuza game, via a rental, by just putting it into my head that Yakuza was, quite literally, more along the lines of the "modern River City Ransom/Kunio-kun game I always wanted". He knew that I was a fan of classical brawlers, and well, that did the trick. I came for the brawling, stayed because the narrative and all the stuff to do, kept me there.

So in that respect, I'd definitely agree that reaching out to action game fans would be the right move.

Stylish action gamers who aren't already aware of RGG/Yakuza's appeal may be a bit more turned off by the fact that the game is more of a long-winded affair if you want to see/try everything, where most games like DMC, Bayo and etc. are meant to completed in a few hours. I would just do more to reinforce what others said about how this game is meant to be enjoyed as a full length endeavor that gives you plenty of options to play it at your own speed.

 

[Shadowman16]

A friend of mine got me to try out the first Yakuza game, via a rental, by just putting it into my head that Yakuza was, quite literally, more along the lines of the "modern River City Ransom/Kunio-kun game I always wanted". He knew that I was a fan of classical brawlers, and well, that did the trick. I came for the brawling, stayed because the narrative and all the stuff to do, kept me there.

So in that respect, I'd definitely agree that reaching out to action game fans would be the right move.

Stylish action gamers who aren't already aware of RGG/Yakuza's appeal may be a bit more turned off by the fact that the game is more of a long-winded affair if you want to see/try everything, where most games like DMC, Bayo and etc. are meant to completed in a few hours. I would just do more to reinforce what others said about how this game is meant to be enjoyed as a full length endeavor that gives you plenty of options to play it at your own speed.

I agree with this, I always think of the games as spiritual sequels to side scrolling action games - sort of like Streets of Rage or Spikeout (only with better stories and tons of side stuff to do).

 

[xezuru]

Repost from another thread about Y5 because I forgot there was a community thread:

Just finished the game for the first time and it's a great game, ultimately I think it's in the bottom of the rank for me personally in the series (at least in mainline game loool), but that only shows how great the series is. The story scenarios are probably what disappointed me most in this particular game but it has great ideas on stuff like how they progress the combat system and how deep they get into side systems. All in all although it has gotten a bit rough it's still a great game and its features and promise just make me fuckin insanely hype for Yakuza 0.

So far for me I'd rank the series: 2,4,1,3,5. I actually still really like 3 and 5 but they have a lot of things I really don't want to replay and just shows how consistently good they somehow make this series. Zero literally has me thinking it could be the pinnacle of arcadey action.

 

[IrishNinja]

A friend of mine got me to try out the first Yakuza game, via a rental, by just putting it into my head that Yakuza was, quite literally, more along the lines of the "modern River City Ransom/Kunio-kun game I always wanted". He knew that I was a fan of classical brawlers, and well, that did the trick. I came for the brawling, stayed because the narrative and all the stuff to do, kept me there.

So in that respect, I'd definitely agree that reaching out to action game fans would be the right move.

Stylish action gamers who aren't already aware of RGG/Yakuza's appeal may be a bit more turned off by the fact that the game is more of a long-winded affair if you want to see/try everything, where most games like DMC, Bayo and etc. are meant to completed in a few hours. I would just do more to reinforce what others said about how this game is meant to be enjoyed as a full length endeavor that gives you plenty of options to play it at your own speed.

this is a great post - yeah, DMC/bayo/onimusha etc heads might find the RPG stuff a turn off, that's true. it was right on the tip of my tongue, but River City Ransom is a much better analogy than some of the ones ive been using! plus, there's absolutely a crowd for that which hasn't really been catered to since uh, Scott Pilgrim

Spoiler

reminds me, i need to see if Natsume is selling the next River City game online yet

 

[TreIII]

this is a great post - yeah, DMC/bayo/onimusha etc heads might find the RPG stuff a turn off, that's true. it was right on the tip of my tongue, but River City Ransom is a much better analogy than some of the ones ive been using! plus, there's absolutely a crowd for that which hasn't really been catered to since uh, Scott Pilgrim

Spoiler

reminds me, i need to see if Natsume is selling the next River City game online yet

I actually think they are, through their Amazon page. Reminds me I gotta do my part too.

But anyway...what I'm hoping is that my fellow stylish fans will be a bit more receptive of these types of action-rpgs in the near future. Between the likes of Nioh, Nier: Auto, Scalebound, Saito's Granblue game, RGG/Yakuza and likely others coming down the pipeline? It definitely seems to be a thing that the most immediate way to get that action fix now, is to give a chance to these "Action RPGs" where the pedigree is clear.

Any action game fan would be doing themselves a disservice, I'd think, if they slept on any one of these games. Especially since the pickings are currently slim as they are...

 

[Son Of Sparda]

A friend of mine got me to try out the first Yakuza game, via a rental, by just putting it into my head that Yakuza was, quite literally, more along the lines of the "modern River City Ransom/Kunio-kun game I always wanted". He knew that I was a fan of classical brawlers, and well, that did the trick. I came for the brawling, stayed because the narrative and all the stuff to do, kept me there.

So in that respect, I'd definitely agree that reaching out to action game fans would be the right move.

Stylish action gamers who aren't already aware of RGG/Yakuza's appeal may be a bit more turned off by the fact that the game is more of a long-winded affair if you want to see/try everything, where most games like DMC, Bayo and etc. are meant to completed in a few hours. I would just do more to reinforce what others said about how this game is meant to be enjoyed as a full length endeavor that gives you plenty of options to play it at your own speed.

That's a good point, Trelll. One that actually had not occurred to me before. So, yeah we need to keep this in mind and make it clear that it'll take a while before the action picks up completely. Though I think we could elaborate more on this in the questions that come afterwards and mention stuff like underground tournaments, Amon fights and all other cool combat related stuff that you can do in later parts of the game or/and in Premium Adventure mode.

I don't think I've played River City Ransom in the past so I don't know about that, but I agree with Streets of Rage comparisons. Me and a friend of mine who is another Yakuza fan, had draw that comparison before a few times when we've talked about the series in the past among ourselves.

Now with all of these stuff that we've talked about till now and keeping in mind that the description needs to also be brief and easy to read, anyone wants to take another stab at it? Irish? Tizoc? Anyone else?

Spoiler

Sorry if I'm not providing one myself guys. English isn't my native language so I'm not confident that I can come up with an interesting description.

 

[#1 defender]

Replaying the Ryu ga Gotoku 0 demo for the first time since last year, i've noticed it has quite a bit of screen tearing, which i'm not particularly fond of. I'm getting Yakuza 0 either way, but does anyone know if they solved that for the full game?

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Replaying the Ryu ga Gotoku 0 demo for the first time since last year, i've noticed it has quite a bit of screen tearing, which i'm not particularly fond of. I'm getting Yakuza 0 either way, but does anyone know if they solved that for the full game?

HBH's video said that they were still present in the full game, though iirc it was mostly in some parts of the city and during explorations.

 

[#1 defender]

HBH's video said that they were still present in the full game, though iirc it was mostly in some parts of the city and during explorations.

Hmm, ok. Hopefully it won't be too noticeable then. Thanks for the info!

 

[Shadowman16]

Screen tearing and frame drops are present in both 0 and Kiwami - mostly just at the very top of the picture, and most noticeable in Theatre Square. Its annoying, but nothing that I can't put with. This only happens when you walk around town though, when in actual fights, things are fine.
Kiwami in my opinion improves things, with fewer frame drops and tearing. Again, its mainly just at theatre square where these problems occur.

Though I did have one really weird issue with 0, the third (or fourth?) fight against a certain character had a really erratic frame rate, which is weird as its the only time a battle didn't run perfectly smooth.

Interestingly though, 0 will have PS4 Pro support (going by the PS Asia presentation picture shown in a previous page of this thread) so maybe those problems will be fixed if your playing on a PS4 Pro? I'll be upgrading this year so I'll be sure to check when the English version of 0 is released next year.

 

[IrishNinja]

Now with all of these stuff that we've talked about till now and keeping in mind that the description needs to also be brief and easy to read, anyone wants to take another stab at it? Irish? Tizoc? Anyone else?

I'm in. i'll need some help, but i love this series.

 

[Sgblues]

Yeah there was screen tearing in Zero but nothing jarring,the only thing Kiwami had a bit worse than Zero was popping on npc faces, even veering a little to the left or right you'd notice it, but luckily it doesn't happen for main characters or important npcs(like hostesses).

Would like to see how Zero runs improved on the pro.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

I'm in. i'll need some help, but i love this series.

I was hoping that you say that

It's okay, I'll help you as much as I can and I'm sure at least a few other guys would do the same. For now, work on a description that fits what we've talked about thus far and once you are done, post it here. We'll read through it and give us our opinion on how it is and which parts we should change and what we should add and whatnot.

Don't rush yourself, though. Thankfully we still have a lot of time.

Guys, while Irish works on the description we should try to come up with further necessary Q&A for the OP. I'll try to think on few myself. If you come up with any, just post them here so we can all read and comment on them.

Also, further suggestions for the OP are very welcomed.

 

[lucebuce12]

God Damn it, I thought I was strong enough to resist the temptation. But I started Y5 even though I was telling myself I was gonna wait a week.

No regrets.

 

[Dragon1893]

Went back to Y5 to do some random stuff in Premium Adventure Mode and decided to give that fucking standup comedy sidequest with Haruka another shot.
After finally clearing it after god only knows how many attempts, the revelation that there was more almost made me cry lol.
The second round also took me a while but I actually cleared the last one on my first try which was very satisfying.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Have they said anything about Y6 taking advantage of the PS4 Pro yet? After watching some of the demo it seems like it could really take advantage of the added performance.

On a side note I just ordered Ishin from Amazon. Should be here in 2-3 weeks hopefully. Don't know when I'll be able to play it though since I'll probably get it right when the big games all start coming.

 

[Bandersnatch1]

I'm finally back to playing Yakuza 5. Haruka's chapter had killed all the enthusiasm I had for the game, but thankfully the game is back to being interesting. It's a shame though, I was really hyped for her chapter and I love rhythm games, but it completely ruined the pacing for me. Praise be to Akiyama!

 

[deadfolk]

Have they said anything about Y6 taking advantage of the PS4 Pro yet? After watching some of the demo it seems like it could really take advantage of the added performance.

On a side note I just ordered Ishin from Amazon. Should be here in 2-3 weeks hopefully. Don't know when I'll be able to play it though since I'll probably get it right when the big games all start coming.

I saw posted somewhere on GAF a slide from a presentation about the Pro that had logos from many games on it, including Y0 and 6. Assuming there will be some sort of upgrade there.

 

[Dragon1893]

I'm finally back to playing Yakuza 5. Haruka's chapter had killed all the enthusiasm I had for the game, but thankfully the game is back to being interesting. It's a shame though, I was really hyped for her chapter and I love rhythm games, but it completely ruined the pacing for me. Praise be to Akiyama!

I really enjoyed her chapter, one of the most interesting story-wise imo, though it does have a slow start.

 

[Vex_]

So I just finished y5.... The only game in the series Ive played and beaten before y5 was y4 (which had a recap feature within it that I found very helpful)


What... was that? That story? The screenplay I mean, wtf was that? As entertaining as it was I couldnt help but feel like they were just doing shit just to be doing shit at one point.

Spoilers obviously:


1.

Spoiler

Why did saejima dodge those cars, only to realize he could "block" them a second later? ....and uh... he can PARRY cars? Why isnt he immortal again?

2. Kiriyu taking down an entire

Spoiler

army of yakuza on a dock by himself doesnt make any sense. Even in the fictional world of yakuza. When that happened, I needed a moment to suspend my disbelief. But it was hard to be immersed in the story after that point for a bit for me. I did NOT enjoy that.

3. What made #2 worse was then he all of a sudden gets shot. Now, see the problem with that is -- in the fight prior to this, he dodged not only missles, but hundreds of punches and shotgun wielding yakuza. WITHOUT A SCRATCH. C'mon dude. Really?

4. A guy appears on a roof (across from our protags)

Spoiler

and shoots all the protags, right? Ok. But then someone appears behind him to shoot him (the original shooter) in a "gotcha now bitch" type of way. Cool. BUT THEN, someone appears behind him to shoot him before he could deliver the final blow? C'mon dude. WTF was that? I felt like I was being trolled. Am I supposed to believe there were all of these guys waiting in the shadows together? Or even worse, THEY ARRIVED ONE AFTER ANOTHER???! Mannn...... NO! I refuse to believe that. That's stupid.

5. I can forgive all of that other BS, because hey it's a game, right? OK fine. My final complaint is a big one, and the main reason why this was so close, but so far away from being one of new fav series of all time. The combat.

Spoiler

All of those special attacks, all of those cool finishers -- worthless. Worthless when you actually need them. You know what Im talking about. When a boss shows up on your screen -- you can try to do shinadas holds and tackles, you can try to do kiriyu's cool combo finishes, you can try to do akiyama's aerial combos (starting with triangle to launch them...) but that's not happening. why? Because fuck you, that's why.

All bosses at a certain point in the game break about half of your abilities down to dust. So now your left with a two punch string, a running slide kick and run cheap tactic, and weapon moves. Grabbing them is OUT of the question... although it works SOMETIMES... just not when you need it too.

Shinada vs Baba was an absolute nightmare because he auto countered you even if he was already caught in a string (AFTER THE FIRST HIT). The problem is, they attached shinada's strings to his special TACKLES. Which is where he gets the meat of his damage. Unless you brought weapons for this fight, you arent touching this guy much with his fucking random super armor breaks. That's bullshit.

Why bother having all these moves if you cannot use them? What? use them for regular fodder on the streets?


It is just a shame, because I really like these games now. They just need to come up with a more interesting way to make the game "hard" instead of just making everyone auto combo break you all the time. The game is satisfying, just not when your fighting bosses.

***PS. seeing akiyama after all these years was like seeing and old friend again lol! He is my favorite character. I hope to see him in y6. He is so funny hehe.

 

[Son Of Sparda]

Whoa guys, slow down with the suggestions a little bit

Seriously though, no one wants to help with Beginner Guide thread? That's a little disappointing. Yakuza needs all the love and help that it can get right now.

Anyway, I came up with a bunch of stuff for Q&A. Would love to get your opinions on it:

Q: Is Yakuza 0 a good entry point to the Yakuza series?
A: Yes, it is. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the entire series. The story takes place before every other main title released in the past so you won’t have any problem understanding it.

Q: Actually, how many Yakuza game are there? How many of them are canon?
A: Well if we take spin-off titles into account then the answer will be, 2 PSP titles and 10 home console games (6 main titles, 1 remake and 3 spin-offs). And soon to be 7 main titles with the release of Yakuza 6 exclusively for PS4.

Q: Whoa, that’s a lot! Does that include the Samurai games? What’s the deal with those? Are they canon and you play as your ancestor or something?
A: That number did include Kenzan and Ishin. But no, those game are not canon. They are spin-off samurai titles that take place in different time periods of Japan. Think of them as Yakuza’s take on some historical events. So they are not even direct sequels to each other. And before you get your hopes up, neither of them have been localized and released in the west.

Q: Ah, that’s a bummer. You did mentioned 3 spin-offs though, so what’s the other one? Has that one been localized?
A: Yakuza Dead Souls, the zombie spin-off. That one is Yakuza’s take on zombies and TPS games like Left 4 Dead and action Resident Evil titles. The game does have characters from the main series and takes place in a modern setting but the story is not canon and takes place in a timeline that some events of the main series happened differently. Unlike the two samurai spin-offs, Yakuza Dead Souls has been localized and released in the west. Though, this a fun yet obviously flawed game so if you are not a fan of the series already before playing it then the chances are that you won’t like it.

Q: Are there any other good entry points to the main series besides Yakuza 0?
A: Well, Yakuza 1 would be the obvious answer. But the game hasn’t aged well at all, and finding a copy of it could prove to be a very pricy task.

While it’s true that most of the Yakuza titles have self-contained stories for the most part, but I think Yakuza 4 would be the best entry point beside Yakuza 0. Y4 introduces 3 new protagonists and the story mostly revolves around those three which makes it easier for newcomers to the series to understand and relate to it. Also the game has a recap section in its menu to bring you up to speed on the story of earlier titles.

Q: Speaking of Yakuza 1, I heard something about a remake that they made for it? Kiw-something? What’s the deal with that?
A: You are talking about Yakuza Kiwami. As you said, that’s a remake of the first Yakuza with added contents. The game has been built upon Yakuza 0’s foundations so it’ll feel pretty similar to that game. Unfortunately by the time we were writing this Q&A the game hadn’t been announced for localization so we don’t know if we’ll get it or not. But don’t let that discourage you. We still have Yakuza 0 to look forward to and I’m sure if it proves to be a profitable release in the west, Sega would be more than happy to bring the later titles in the Yakuza series to western markets.

Let me know if there are any misspells or badly worded sentences in there.

 

[deadfolk]

Whoa guys, slow down with the suggestions a little bit

Seriously though, no one wants to help with Beginner Guide thread? That's a little disappointing. Yakuza needs all the love and help that it can get right now.

Anyway, I came up with a bunch of stuff for Q&A. Would love to get your opinions on it:



Let me know if there are any misspells or badly worded sentences in there.

I take it your 6 main titles doesn't include 6 as it's not released yet? Maybe worth mentioning that one?

 

[Son Of Sparda]

I take it your 6 main titles doesn't include 6 as it's not released yet? Maybe worth mentioning that one?

Yeah. I didn't mention Yakuza 6 cause it's not out yet. Will this be better then?

A: Well if we take spin-off titles into account then the answer will be, 2 PSP titles and 10 home console games (6 main titles, 1 remake and 3 spin-offs). And soon with the release of Yakuza 6 exclusively for PS4, the home console and main series categories will get another entry added to them.