Yakuza 2 plunges you once more into the violent Japanese underworld. In intense brutal clashes with rival gangs, the police, and the Korean mafia, you will have opportunities to dole out more brutal punishment. As the heroic Kazuma Kiryu from the original Yakuza, explore Tokyo and now Osaka. Wander through the back alleys of Japan's underworld while trying to prevent an all-out gang war in over 16 complex, cinematic chapters written by Hase Seishu, the famous Japanese author who also wrote the first Yakuza. Endless conflicts and surprise plot twists will immerse you in a dark shadowy world where only the strongest will survive.
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Downgrade from the first game.
Yakuza 2 has always been one of the games I was most curious to play, especially since I enjoyed Kiwami 2 and always saw a lot of people who preferred the original over it, something that hadn't even crossed my mind just by watching gameplay comparisons between the two. But now, having played both versions, I completely understand those who prefer the PS2 one.
Starting with the main difference: the combat. It's no surprise to anyone that the transition to the Dragon Engine was abrupt, and it took a few games for RGG to perfect both mechanically and technically the engine. Kiwami 2 was one of the games that suffered due to the developers' inexperience with the new engine at the time. It's not uncommon for enemies to interrupt combos midway and give an annoying knockback, weird dodge mechanics, weird lock-on system, poor upgrade system, and several other issues beyond combat that I'll comment on later. It's important to note that these problems don't make the game unplayable; it's still a good game. However, returning to the original, it's impossible not to feel how much better the combat was here. I already liked the combat in the first game, but here it's even better, more fluid, varied, challenging, and fun. In fact, until Yakuza 5, this was Kiryu's best combat. It's impressive how satisfying they managed to make the combat even on limited hardware. The only aspect where the remake has an advantage over combat is the QTEs, which were obviously quite simplistic in the original and sometimes didn't work very well. But apart from that, the combat was almost perfect.
The story obviously remains unchanged between the two, except for the addition of the Majima Saga in Kiwami. However, it doesn't really change much, and the story itself is... good. The performances of each character are very convincing, and even up to the final chapters, the story is actually quite good. But near the end, there's a barrage of plot twists and betrayals after betrayals that it becomes hard to take seriously. At least the game ends with one of the best fights in the history of games to wash away the bad taste left by the previous scenes. What's incredible is that even while maintaining the same story, the remake managed to damage some scenes, whether it's due to the horrible sound effects of gunfire or stabbings, or the senseless swaps of music that completely change the tone of some scenes, especially the credits music. What the hell was that music they chose for Kiwami? Who thought that was a song that fit with the ending? And on top of that, there's the famous green filter throughout the entire game that just makes it look so, so ugly that it's practically mandatory to use mods to remove it, and even with mods, it's still not perfect. And that's even more infuriating considering how beautiful the original was for the PS2. You can't even excuse this with inexperience with the new engine; it's just one of the worst artistic decisions I've ever seen.
While it might seem like I hate Kiwami by now, no, I still like it, and we've reached a point where, for me, it undoubtedly excels: the side content. All the good substories from the original are back, while some fillers have been removed and some new ones added. The substories here are really good; there are still the irrelevant ones that basically just involve beating up a group of enemies and that's it, but they are fewer in number, and the more elaborate ones are better than the most elaborate ones from the first game. Additionally, Kiwami added more mini-games, with the main addition being the cabaret, which is as fun as it was in 0, and it really feels like what the original devs envisioned for the original mini-game, which was quite boring and simple.
Regarding some other criticisms that some have about Kiwami, such as model or OST swaps, I don't mind. Both soundtracks are incredible except for the ones I mentioned earlier, and the new models suit the characters well too. The cut district really doesn't make a difference in the overall experience.
Rating: 9/10 for the original and 7/10 for Kiwami.
Starting with the main difference: the combat. It's no surprise to anyone that the transition to the Dragon Engine was abrupt, and it took a few games for RGG to perfect both mechanically and technically the engine. Kiwami 2 was one of the games that suffered due to the developers' inexperience with the new engine at the time. It's not uncommon for enemies to interrupt combos midway and give an annoying knockback, weird dodge mechanics, weird lock-on system, poor upgrade system, and several other issues beyond combat that I'll comment on later. It's important to note that these problems don't make the game unplayable; it's still a good game. However, returning to the original, it's impossible not to feel how much better the combat was here. I already liked the combat in the first game, but here it's even better, more fluid, varied, challenging, and fun. In fact, until Yakuza 5, this was Kiryu's best combat. It's impressive how satisfying they managed to make the combat even on limited hardware. The only aspect where the remake has an advantage over combat is the QTEs, which were obviously quite simplistic in the original and sometimes didn't work very well. But apart from that, the combat was almost perfect.
The story obviously remains unchanged between the two, except for the addition of the Majima Saga in Kiwami. However, it doesn't really change much, and the story itself is... good. The performances of each character are very convincing, and even up to the final chapters, the story is actually quite good. But near the end, there's a barrage of plot twists and betrayals after betrayals that it becomes hard to take seriously. At least the game ends with one of the best fights in the history of games to wash away the bad taste left by the previous scenes. What's incredible is that even while maintaining the same story, the remake managed to damage some scenes, whether it's due to the horrible sound effects of gunfire or stabbings, or the senseless swaps of music that completely change the tone of some scenes, especially the credits music. What the hell was that music they chose for Kiwami? Who thought that was a song that fit with the ending? And on top of that, there's the famous green filter throughout the entire game that just makes it look so, so ugly that it's practically mandatory to use mods to remove it, and even with mods, it's still not perfect. And that's even more infuriating considering how beautiful the original was for the PS2. You can't even excuse this with inexperience with the new engine; it's just one of the worst artistic decisions I've ever seen.
While it might seem like I hate Kiwami by now, no, I still like it, and we've reached a point where, for me, it undoubtedly excels: the side content. All the good substories from the original are back, while some fillers have been removed and some new ones added. The substories here are really good; there are still the irrelevant ones that basically just involve beating up a group of enemies and that's it, but they are fewer in number, and the more elaborate ones are better than the most elaborate ones from the first game. Additionally, Kiwami added more mini-games, with the main addition being the cabaret, which is as fun as it was in 0, and it really feels like what the original devs envisioned for the original mini-game, which was quite boring and simple.
Regarding some other criticisms that some have about Kiwami, such as model or OST swaps, I don't mind. Both soundtracks are incredible except for the ones I mentioned earlier, and the new models suit the characters well too. The cut district really doesn't make a difference in the overall experience.
Rating: 9/10 for the original and 7/10 for Kiwami.
Só não zerei pq minha copia era pirata, tinha 2 dvds, quando era pra colocar o 2° dvd, travava.
one of the better action games on PS2. better than the first game in every way except story. it was kinda mid.
With a pretty damn short dev cycle of around 11 months, RGG got off lucky by having the groundwork of the original Yakuza laid out for them. Even still, making a sequel to be bigger and better than the original Yakuza, a game that was both made on a pretty huge scale, and had a massive budget, would still be a hefty feat. But goddamn, did they deliver.
Sure enough, Yakuza 2 manages to be bigger than its predecessor in just about every way, even if it's due to a lot of the groundwork with both combat and the overworld being laid out from the 2005 original. The vibes of Kamurocho, as well as the new Sotenbori and brief trip to Shinseicho are as on point as ever, as they were in the original. The combat's taken a massive jump, with a few essential moves from Yakuza 1 being unlocked from the start; a really cool and handy feature! There's also a lot less lock-on related issues, and small but appreciated quality of life improvements like weapons taking up their own slots on the inventory, and the ability to send an item back to the hideout if you collect something with a full inventory. There's a few new moves, some insane new Heat Moves, the good stuff. It's everything a good sequel should be, and that especially extends to the OST, and the story.
While the OST is something I'd need to give a few more listens to, mostly so I know track names and can hear them better over the sounds of punching and weapons, the music of the game was absolutely fantastic. From regular battles in the streets, to the major bosses closing off the chapters, just about every battle track had me gripping my controller, locked into the moment and only served to hype me up to kick ass. The good shit, definitely going to have it on the Spotify playlist for a bit.
And man, that story. Between expanding upon Kiryu as a character, both on his own and with his relationships with the extended cast of both returning and new cast members alike, to the much grander scope it goes onto take with Japan and Korea going to blows. Ryuji has gotta be one of the sickest rivals I've seen in a game in some time; basically the closest this series would have to a Vergil, if I had to guess. Sayama was a great female lead to tag along with Kiryu, with the pair getting a ton of both heartfelt and somber moments throughout. And Daigo was a chad who I wish got more screentime, but I'm pretty sure he shows up later throughout the series, so hell yeah. But without giving too much away, one of the best things Yakuza 2 manages to do is absolutely throttle the players with twists, especially by the end of the title. From the cold opening covering the Jingweon Massacre, all the way through to the climax, it's sincere, heartfelt, dramatic, hype, everything I look for in a great story.
And all in all? Yakuza 2's just about everything I look for in a great game. Long as it took me to complete, thanks mostly to work kicking my ass, I had an absolute blast with it from start to finish. It's one of those cases where I'm basically bordering on giving the game a flat 10/10, so consider my 9/10 subject to change. Might be my favourite of the series thus far, at least until I replay 0 at some point later down the line, though it's really the DMC3 VS 5 sort of toss up, where I could go back and forth. Excellent game regardless of any internal debate, sure glad I didn't play that whack ass remake as my first experience with the game!
Sure enough, Yakuza 2 manages to be bigger than its predecessor in just about every way, even if it's due to a lot of the groundwork with both combat and the overworld being laid out from the 2005 original. The vibes of Kamurocho, as well as the new Sotenbori and brief trip to Shinseicho are as on point as ever, as they were in the original. The combat's taken a massive jump, with a few essential moves from Yakuza 1 being unlocked from the start; a really cool and handy feature! There's also a lot less lock-on related issues, and small but appreciated quality of life improvements like weapons taking up their own slots on the inventory, and the ability to send an item back to the hideout if you collect something with a full inventory. There's a few new moves, some insane new Heat Moves, the good stuff. It's everything a good sequel should be, and that especially extends to the OST, and the story.
While the OST is something I'd need to give a few more listens to, mostly so I know track names and can hear them better over the sounds of punching and weapons, the music of the game was absolutely fantastic. From regular battles in the streets, to the major bosses closing off the chapters, just about every battle track had me gripping my controller, locked into the moment and only served to hype me up to kick ass. The good shit, definitely going to have it on the Spotify playlist for a bit.
And man, that story. Between expanding upon Kiryu as a character, both on his own and with his relationships with the extended cast of both returning and new cast members alike, to the much grander scope it goes onto take with Japan and Korea going to blows. Ryuji has gotta be one of the sickest rivals I've seen in a game in some time; basically the closest this series would have to a Vergil, if I had to guess. Sayama was a great female lead to tag along with Kiryu, with the pair getting a ton of both heartfelt and somber moments throughout. And Daigo was a chad who I wish got more screentime, but I'm pretty sure he shows up later throughout the series, so hell yeah. But without giving too much away, one of the best things Yakuza 2 manages to do is absolutely throttle the players with twists, especially by the end of the title. From the cold opening covering the Jingweon Massacre, all the way through to the climax, it's sincere, heartfelt, dramatic, hype, everything I look for in a great story.
And all in all? Yakuza 2's just about everything I look for in a great game. Long as it took me to complete, thanks mostly to work kicking my ass, I had an absolute blast with it from start to finish. It's one of those cases where I'm basically bordering on giving the game a flat 10/10, so consider my 9/10 subject to change. Might be my favourite of the series thus far, at least until I replay 0 at some point later down the line, though it's really the DMC3 VS 5 sort of toss up, where I could go back and forth. Excellent game regardless of any internal debate, sure glad I didn't play that whack ass remake as my first experience with the game!
Like yakuza 1 but better, the soundtrack is great and contains tracks composed by some of the metal gear composers. While I think kiwami 2 is good, I definitely prefer some of the things the original does, and it's unfortunate shinseicho didnt return.