• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Yakuza Community Thread - FEEL THE HEAT!

Kimaka

Member
Yakuza 3

Telling Haruka, who is 11, that she is in charge of eight kids and asking her to look after a grown ass man is poor decision making on Kiryu's part. I would be surprised if she doesn't get kidnapped again. Kiryu is a dumb welling meaning dad.
 
It's ok, they've got that
fat Okinawan Yakuza guy to help look after them
.
2.0
 
I've already finished Y4 and now I'm planning on replaying it starting tomorrow.

Should I do a New game plus or is the "Legend" difficulty unlocked?

I think it was called very hard in that game, and if you've already finished it, then it should be unlocked.

Though, you have to know that for Platinum, you have to finish the game on both hard and very hard difficulty.
 

Scotia

Banned
Just finished Yakuza 3, absolutely loved it. Will post impressions like I did for Kiwami soon. Will hopefully start Yakuza 4 tomorrow, really looking forward to it.
 
Yakuza 3, early chapter 11:
The character profiles says that Kashiwagi has been killed by the CIA, but Kiryu never mentions that to Kazama. He just asked about Daigo and Nakahara. Did I miss something?
 
Guys, I've been reading that Yakuza AMA and I think most of us had forgotten about the Yakuza Experience thing. I think from now on, whenever someone new to the series asks where they should go after Zero and Kiwami, we should also mention Yakuza Experience as a non-spoilery option to get caught up with the series and get ready for Yakuza 6.

http://yakuza.sega.com/experience/index
 
about to get started on yakuza 5, if I did mini game master then I should have no trouble here right? I know u basically have to do literally everything in the game
 
Yakuza 3, early chapter 11:
The character profiles says that Kashiwagi has been killed by the CIA, but Kiryu never mentions that to Kazama. He just asked about Daigo and Nakahara. Did I miss something?
Cause I'm sure a member of the CIA would know about that.
Just finished Yakuza 3, absolutely loved it. Will post impressions like I did for Kiwami soon. Will hopefully start Yakuza 4 tomorrow, really looking forward to it.
ayy, we'll start playing Y4 at around the same time!
 
At the point of no return in Saejima's chapter, definitely understand why this is considered a series low point if you avoid any optional activities.

Bunch of running in a circle, tutorials, and then a pretty flat mystery quest.
 
I think it was called very hard in that game, and if you've already finished it, then it should be unlocked.

Though, you have to know that for Platinum, you have to finish the game on both hard and very hard difficulty.
Thanks Kyuodai! Not really going for the platinum anyway but good to know.

At the point of no return in Saejima's chapter, definitely understand why this is considered a series low point if you avoid any optional activities.

Bunch of running in a circle, tutorials, and then a pretty flat mystery quest.
Saejima's chapter really was the low point of the game.

and Shinada's was the high point IMO.
 
Thanks Kyuodai! Not really going for the platinum anyway but good to know.

Saejima's chapter really was the low point of the game.

and Shinada's was the high point IMO.
Yeah, just going full circle with my question earlier in the thread. If this is the worst, I'm in for a ride.
 
It's actually not bad, just after Kiryu's chapter feels very restrictive.

I thought Haruka's chapter was the worst, since it felt the most repetitive. I did like the comedy duo subquest though.
 

ZeroD

Member
So far I'm enjoying Y6, the dragon engine is pretty impressive. I'm also enjoying the return to one fight style. Might not be for everyone but it keeps things simple for me.

I'm not far because I'm just walking around fighting but it's very melancholic. Even the start screen is subdued. Just Kiriyu staring at the screen while somber music plays.

I've heard bad things about the ending but I'm hoping I won't be disappointed.
 

Scotia

Banned
So now that I've finished Yakuza 3, here are some of my thoughts on it. Spoilers for the game are below so watch out if you haven't played it.

•I really enjoyed this one. It was still a Yakuza game but it felt so different at the same time which was great.
•I'd heard that the orphanage stuff at the start of the game is quite boring, but I honestly think it ended up being my favourite part of the game. After seeing what Kiryu went through in Kiwami (obviously can't talk about Yakuza 2) it felt good seeing him having a somewhat quiet life looking after these kids.
•Okinawa was beautiful, especially Sunshine Orphanage and the beach near it. I really hope we go back there in future games.
•Haruka continues to be the best kid in any game I've ever played.
•I also thought the other kids in the orphanage were pretty good, though some stood out more than others.
•The Ryudo Family were great in this, though I didn't really like Mikio that much until
he took a sledgehammer to the head.
•
RIKIYA ;_;
•I loved Nakahara in this, despite not really liking him when I first met him. The part in Chapter 2 that nearly made me cry was when
Saki's mother walked out on her again and Kiryu tells Nakahara to look at Saki's sketchbook and he sees a really lovely drawing of him that she drew, thanking him for looking after her. I don't know why, it just really got to me.
•Depite being quite meh on him in other games,
Kashiwagi's death got to me pretty well. With Kashiwagi now dead, Kiryu's the only notable one left from the Kazama Family.
•Speaking of Kazama, I really didn't like
the whole 'he had a brother that looks exactly like him that no one knew about' twist. Just felt really cheap and a bit lazy, despite me liking Joji.
•Also speaking of Kazama, the whole Fuma thing kept on confusing me. I hope this is the only game that does it.
•Mine was such a fantastic character that
I actually hated the fact he died. I would have loved to see him in other games, but oh well.
•
Everything to do with Black Monday and the CIA felt a bit weird to me. Just didn't expect to see something like that in a Yakuza game. Was also really weird to see a character talk in English lol. Also thought it was great that the leader of a major black market weapons dealer being hunted by the CIA was in plain sight the whole game, just wandering around Kamurocho and standing next to Joji etc.
•Kanda and Hamazaki were alright, but they kinda paled in comparison to Nishiki and Shimano imo.
Was very disappointed that Hamazaki literally disappeared for nearly the entire game.
•
I also think that the cutscene where Hamazaki stabs Kiryu would have been way more effective if I didn't already know there were three more games after this one lol
•Rikiya was such a good character (one of the best in the series imo) that
it upset me when he died. I'd have loved to have seen him in other games, but at least he had a great role in this game.
•The scene where they
destroy the Orphanage was great. I was so angry when they destroyed the dog house and knocked down the building that it actually made me feel uncomfortable that I had to witness it.

I think that's all I can think of for now. I absolutely loved this game. It felt so unique compared to Kiwami and 0 yet still had the same fimilarity to make it a Yakuza game. I'd probably give it a 9.5. It was better than Kiwami, but 0 is still the GOAT (so far). At the moment, I think my ranking of the games would be like this:

0 > 3 > 1

So I'm going to start Yakuza 4 later tonight and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't know much about it other than it was the first Yakuza game to feature multiple protagonists, but I can't wait to dive in!
 
Yeah, 3 had some absolutely brilliant moments. The whole bit
at the bull ring with Saki finally talking, and of course Rikiya dying is pretty much the best moment in the series for me, only beaten by a couple of scenes. Its insanely powerful and well done.
.

The whole
stabbing bit with Hamazaki was undone by the cutscene after the credits which showed Kiryu fine. It'd have been better not showing that and not revealing anything about Kiryu prior to 4 launching if possible. Don't worry though, you've not seen the last of Hamazaki
.

The whole stupid Fuma thing is gone from 4 onwards. Basically Sega were really stupid when it came to deciding how to translate Yakuza 1 initially so they changed his name to Fuma and that stuck for 2 and 3. Then the translation team for 4 and up went in and fixed his name (and they fixed the Sunshine Orphanage dog back to Mami from "Rex").

Agree 100% on Haruka. Also agree about Kashiwagi, and I think the dev team might agree as well. I mean
he didn't do much in 1 and 2 bar a couple of scenes, but after his death he seemed to get used far better - he's essential in Ishin and really good in 0 as well. Really wish he'd have been used more
.
 
•Also speaking of Kazama, the whole Fuma thing kept on confusing me. I hope this is the only game that does it.
That's because they for some reason changed names in the translations of the first three Yakuza games before realizing that people aren't idiots and can tell the difference between Kazuma and Kazama.
•
I also think that the cutscene where Hamazaki stabs Kiryu would have been way more effective if I didn't already know there were three more games after this one lol
!
Or ... you know... if there wasn't a post credits scene
showing Kiryu with the kids at Sunshine at the end!
 

Scotia

Banned
Yeah, 3 had some absolutely brilliant moments. The whole bit
at the bull ring with Saki finally talking, and of course Rikiya dying is pretty much the best moment in the series for me, only beaten by a couple of scenes. Its insanely powerful and well done.
.

Yeah, the part in the
bull ring
is so far one of my favourite scenes in Yakuza. It was just so well done.

That's because they for some reason changed names in the translations of the first three Yakuza games before realizing that people aren't idiots and can tell the difference between Kazuma and Kazama.

That's what I thought was the case but I almost didn't want to believe it because, just like you said, people aren't fucking idiots.

That's because they for some reason changed names in the translations of the first three Yakuza games before realizing that people aren't idiots and can tell the difference between Kazuma and Kazama.
Or ... you know... if there wasn't a post credits scene
showing Kiryu with the kids at Sunshine at the end!

Yeah I was aware of the
post-credit scene
, that was just my first thought when he actually
got stabbed
.
 
Done with 3. I feel like it's the opposite of Kiwami. In Kiwami, I felt like it had a very strong plot, but they lacked the experience needed to execute to its full potential. 3 had a much weaker plot, but also a much stronger execution. The presentation was amazing, with strong dialogue and well-directed cutscenes.

But that applies to the second half mostly, really. I thought the first half was fantastic. Top quality stuff. I loved Okinawa and Sunshine. The first few chapters where you have to take care of the orphans were some of my favorite bits in the whole series so far. I loved the Ryudo Family, Saki, and especially Rikiya, one of the series's finest characters. The conflict in those chapters was simple but engaging, and it was really refreshing seeing Kiryu leading a happy life. Things felt so fresh.

It's when the Yakuza plot starts that things get a bit less engaging.

  • What was the need for the "Kazama's young brother" plotline? What did it add the to the plot? If it was any other Japanese CIA agent the plot would work the exact same way. There was really no need for a lost brother that rocks the same mustache and haircut as his older dead brother just to confuse people.
  • l'm still sour on the Kashiwagi death. Why didn't Kiryu bring it up when he talked to Joji? The character profiles say that the CIA killed him, but I find zero reasons to really, especially after Joji explained that the other two shooting were just accidents, while this was blatant assassination.
  • lf Black Monday was part of the CIA all along, then they must've known that the base thing was a trap. Why were they still trying to pass it?

That's said, it also had some of the strongest moments in the series so far.

  • THE ORPHANAGE T_T!!
  • SAKI T_T!!!!!
  • RIKIYA T_T!!!!!!!!!

Overall, while I think that this game has the weakest plot so far, it also has too many highs to make up for it, and I still loved it.

0 > 3 >= Kiwami

4 is well regarded as one of the best in the series, so I can't wait to get to it later today.
 
Please spoiler tag the plot-relevant details. Ever since Y0 and Kiwami, we've gotten a lot of newcomers and we try to keep things spoiler free here to accommodate newcomers!
 
Please spoiler tag the plot-relevant details. Ever since Y0 and Kiwami, we've gotten a lot of newcomers and we try to keep things spoiler free here to accommodate newcomers!

The spoiler tags were around the whole list but it seems it doesn't work that way so I had to tag the points individually. Sorry for the inconvenience.
 
No worries! Wow, what a coincidence that we got two people posting their Y3 impressions on the same day :D

My personal opinion of Y3 is that it's the
most inconsistent Yakuza (plot-wise). It has the lowest lows (BRACKU MUNDAY!, "BEAUTIFURU EYES, JUZT RIKE MY BRUZZAH",) but also has the highest highs (Darn it Rikiya :( and Mine and the whole Okinawa family scenes).

I've always ranked it highly though because I felt Mine was such a great final fight and was such a cathartic experience having him see that his beliefs were true. The only real friend he had in this world was Daigo.

The new additions they made in terms of combat I just LOVED them. The finishers you can use on bosses *kisses fingertips*

Really sucks that they removed so much content from the game though :(
 

Scotia

Banned
Done with 3. I feel like it's the opposite of Kiwami. In Kiwami, I felt like it had a very strong plot, but they lacked the experience needed to execute to its full potential. 3 had a much weaker plot, but also a much stronger execution. The presentation was amazing, with strong dialogue and well-directed cutscenes.

But that applies to the second half mostly, really. I thought the first half was fantastic. Top quality stuff. I loved Okinawa and Sunshine. The first few chapters where you have to take care of the orphans were some of my favorite bits in the whole series so far. I loved the Ryudo Family, Saki, and especially Rikiya, one of the series's finest characters. The conflict in those chapters was simple but engaging, and it was really refreshing seeing Kiryu leading a happy life. Things felt so fresh.

It's when the Yakuza plot starts that things get a bit less engaging.

  • What was the need for the "Kazama's young brother" plotline? What did it add the to the plot? If it was any other Japanese CIA agent the plot would work the exact same way. There was really no need for a lost brother that rocks the same mustache and haircut as his older dead brother just to confuse people.
  • l'm still sour on the Kashiwagi death. Why didn't Kiryu bring it up when he talked to Joji? The character profiles say that the CIA killed him, but I find zero reasons to really, especially after Joji explained that the other two shooting were just accidents, while this was blatant assassination.
  • lf Black Monday was part of the CIA all along, then they must've known that the base thing was a trap. Why were they still trying to pass it?

That's said, it also had some of the strongest moments in the series so far.

  • THE ORPHANAGE T_T!!
  • SAKI T_T!!!!!
  • RIKIYA T_T!!!!!!!!!

Overall, while I think that this game has the weakest plot so far, it also has too many highs to make up for it, and I still loved it.

0 > 3 >= Kiwami

4 is well regarded as one of the best in the series, so I can't wait to get to it later today.

Pretty much agree with all of this. The first half, the
bull ring scene
and
Mine
were easily the best parts of the game for me. Everything else was decent to meh. I still prefer this game to Kiwami/1 though, mainly because 3's positives are so strong that it kind of outweighs the negatives, imo.
 

Scotia

Banned
I loved the blog posts where you take a photo of something and then you learn a move from it. Now I know where that gif comes from lol

tenor.gif
 
Also Yakuza 3 has the second best final boss fight in the series IMO. After Yakuza
2
.

Eh, I'd probably put 5's above almost everything purely from a gameplay point of view, its just so damn good. Its just such a pity that the character is the second worst choice for a finale in the series...

That said, I'd pretty much put Ishin at the top in terms of everything. The setting, music, build up, character choice, hype moments, cut scenes/QTE's etc. Its just so damn perfect (in fact the last 2-3 chapters of Ishin are pretty much perfect in my opinion). Just such a crime its Japan only.

Then again, I've just finished 0 and I'd put that right near the top as well. It'd be easier to pick my least favourite final bosses than it would picking my best.
 

Scotia

Banned
I really liked Yakuza 0's final boss fight, but I think
Shibusawa
is my least favourite boss out of the games I've played so far. I don't know, I just didn't think he was as good as
Nishiki and Mine
.
 
Mine
is amazing. Agree on him being second best, after the final fight in
2.
Although I haven't played Ishin yet.

Also, I put Y3 over Y4. Although Y4 is a tremendous game.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
You guys, all the Y3 love makes me happy... And reading about those scenes again almost makes me tear up, dammit!

IMO it has some of the most emotionally impactful scenes in the series along with 5, and overall it feels like the most "human" Yakuza game if that makes sense. Hell, I agree Joji, BM, etc are lame as hell, but the rest was so good that I didn't mind.

Also, I think it's the only game in the series that employs the silly "out of nowhere final boss" trope well. Like not only was he pretty cool and the final battle amazing, but contextually it makes sense and feels like the way they used all the bad guys was to subvert expectations and it delivered.

Oh and
RIKIYAAAA ;_; such a lovable goof. I was already tearing up seeing him die and Kazuma crying, but then there was the orphanage scene which has to be one of the most devastating things I've seen in a game.

I really liked Yakuza 0's final boss fight, but I think
Shibusawa
is my least favourite boss out of the games I've played so far. I don't know, I just didn't think he was as good as
Nishiki and Mine
.

Unfortunately Yakuza starts doing this silly thing where it pulls bad guys out of its ass at the last moment and makes them the masterminds and it never works as intended. It gets worse as the series goes on too... Yakuza 5 is the worst offender yet.
 
They used a pretty classic
"destroying the family home"
trope but
GOD FUCKING DAMN IT that shit hurt. They didn't even leave the damn dog alone :(
 
I haven't played Ishin, but if that final boss track is anything to go by, it must be fantastic.

sega plz remaster Kenzan and release as double pack with ishin plz plz fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
 
Unfortunately Yakuza starts doing this silly thing where it pulls bad guys out of its ass at the last moment and makes them the masterminds and it never works as intended. It gets worse as the series goes on too... Yakuza 5 is the worst offender yet.
This is why Yakuza 2
IS THE GOATEST GOAT OF ALL GOATS. IT IS THE GOAT GOAT.
 
Well, Joji gave us this song.

But I agree that they managed to make Mine pretty sympathetic in the end.
I really felt for him when his secretary gave the response in the end that she did. Felt really fucking bad for him.

In general, Y4 and Y5 villains were pretty carbitch. Hope Y6 rectifies that.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
Oh about the Fuma thing lmao. Yesterday, reading the AMA, there was actually a fan asking the localization team why "Kiryu was named Kazama after his father but still has a different last name", completely convinced they were blood related too lol, I was in disbelief. I guess the name change wasn't completely unjustified!

This is why Yakuza 2
IS THE GOATEST GOAT OF ALL GOATS. IT IS THE GOAT GOAT.
Yeah, actually
1 and 2 also did this, 2 in particular was absolutely ridiculous, but they only did it for the villain and the final bosses themselves were the characters you expected to fight all along and they were incredible (1 as in Kiwami anyway)
 

Scotia

Banned
In 3 I loved hearing the characters say a word in Japanese and the subtitles say something completely different lmao. For example, every time someone talked about Kazama you'd hear the word Kazama but the subtitles would say Fuma. I thought it was hilarious.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
I know people are fond of "Kazzy" but I always found it patronizing that you can clearly hear them say a completely different name. I much prefer the way the new localization team handles names and especially honorifics.

In the older games they didn't even make for the lack of honorifics with stuff like "mister" for -san and -sama, losing a lot of context for how the characters perceive each other. I'll miss Uncle Kaz though, I REALLY hope Haruka doesn't call him "mister" in Kiwami 2 and Y6 :/
 

Scotia

Banned
I agree it does feel really patronising. Like, when Majima calls him Kiryu-chan and the subtitles say Kazzy despite the fact I can fucking HEAR him say Kiryu-chan ffs. Just leave it as it is. I'm glad the new localisation team handles it the way 0 and Kiwami does.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
OH.

Never mind! I was so fixated on her calling him mister up to the end that the last scene flew right over my head. God bless.
 

Opa-Pa

Member
Scott and I had an extended discussion about where the 'flip' would happen. We got you ;)

You really did haha. The fact that you care enough to include a flip at all speaks volumes, great work guys.

Did Kiwami add a bunch of Nishiki scenes? I'm glad I started with 0 because you get to know him better.

It did. You pretty much get a new cutscene at the end of every chapter, it improves the story significantly.
 

Yu Narukami

Member
I just read that Y6 has DLC packs similar to loot boxes where there is a chance to draw better and rarer characters for gang battles. Apparently they are even categorised like in a gacha game. Is that true?
 
Top Bottom