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The boss fights were ass in my opinion, yakuza 0 outshines this but overall a great remake of the original
11th game I've completed in 2024
Yakuza Kiwami: Moving Past Zero
Yakuza Kiwami feels more alike Yakuza 0 from the time that I've spent playing with it. It makes me regret starting with Yakuza 0 as my first Yakuza game, the gameplay is very close to 0, and the world is very close to 0, and though it is not a bad thing, it makes me wish I started the series with this game than 0. I started with Yakuza 0 because it was the first game chronologically in the Yakuza timeline, but doing so kinda ruined my expectations for Yakuza Kiwami, so in the future when I start other game series I'm unfamiliar with, like Metal Gear Solid or Kingdom Hearts, I'll go in release order. Yakuza Kiwami, after coming off of beating Yakuza 0, feels somewhat like a DLC expansion to Yakuza 0, than its own actual game. Yes, I'm aware this a remake of the original Yakuza from PS2, and for that version, I will not be mentioning anything about it, due to the fact I have not played that version, my only experience is with Yakuza Kiwami, and treating it as it's own game, not treating as how it is a remake. Yakuza Kiwami, though a remake of the original Yakuza, feels more of the same as what I've played from Yakuza 0, graphics are recycled from Yakuza 0, gameplay is near-identical to Yakuza 0, and though it isn't a bad thing, it makes me feel that there isn't anything new with Yakuza Kiwami. I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue if I started with Yakuza Kiwami as my first Yakuza game, followed the release order, and then went into Yakuza 0, but I didn't, so it is an issue to me. But let me put my dumb decision to the side, despite feeling more of the same to Yakuza 0, I still had a great time with Yakuza Kiwami. It carries the best elements of Yakuza 0's gameplay, and by playing Yakuza 0 before Yakuza Kiwami, the story is enhanced, by knowing the narrative of Yakuza 0 prior.
The gameplay feels close to Yakuza 0, it has the four different fighting styles from Yakuza 0 that you can switch between in battle, and I'm glad it came back in Yakuza Kiwami. The four different fighting styles were one of my favorite gameplay elements from Yakuza 0, and it hasn't been touched too much from how it was in Yakuza 0. One of the new additions to Yakuza Kiwami has Majima follow the player and challenge them into a battle, similar to Mr. Shakedown from Yakuza 0, but is much better than Mr. Shakedown. Mr. Shakedown was in my opinion too easy and not too much of a treat in Yakuza 0, especially if you can catch him sleeping and rob him of all his cash, but Majima is a different beast. Majima gave me a run for my money in Yakuza Kiwami, he's harder than Mr. Shakedown due to the fact Majima carries melee weapons, though he wasn't too much of a treat, and the game encourages to fight Majima to leave up Kiryu's Dragon style, which I... didn't do too much of. I'm sure Kiryu's Dragon style is great, but I just couldn't be bothered doing all the side content to level it up, when I am perfectly fine with using Brawler, Rush, and Beast for my playthrough. Graphically, it is identical to Yakuza 0, which I assume is due to Yakuza Kiwami being developed soon after Yakuza 0, which isn't a bad thing, however, for someone like me who came off of Yakuza 0, it makes it feel somewhat of the same from before. The side quests are very similar to the ones in Yakuza 0, both are very comedic, and some side quests tie into other side quests from Yakuza 0, which is kind of confusing for someone who started with this game as their first Yakuza game, and makes me wonder if SEGA wants newcomers to start with Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami, or I'm just overthinking it and they don't give a shit as long as they get money. The side quests are as fun as they were in Yakuza 0, and that's kinda all I have to say about the side quests, it's just continuing the good stuff from Yakuza 0.
As for the story, it follows the original game's story, with most of the same cast from Yakuza 0. The characters are as charming as they very in Yakuza 0, and playing Yakuza 0 before Yakuza Kiwami really enhanced the way I looked at certain characters like Nishiki and Majima. I love Kiryu's arc in this game, he becomes a much more developed character in this game, and all the events that transpire, it truly leave an impact on him. I think I probably would have snubbed Nishiki if I hadn't played Yakuza 0 before this game, but man, Nishiki's character development in this game is insane. He went from simply existing as a character, to becoming one of my favorites in the series, and Majima just shines in every moment he's in, Majima never has a moment where he is out of place, he is always welcomed into the story, and became best boi easily. As for its core narrative, I don't really have too much to say about. I believe it's a great story, and provides more substance when it came to character development than Yakuza 0, however, Yakuza 0 does have a more memorable plot, while Yakuza Kiwami has more memorable character development. Yakuza Kiwami leaves a deeper and everlasting story than Yakuza 0, however, I was more invested in Yakuza 0's story than I was during my playthrough of Yakuza Kiwami.
As for any complaints I have with Yakuza Kiwami, I've mentioned before how it feels like a DLC expansion to Yakuza 0, and though I think it wouldn't have been a big of a deal if I played this game as my first Yakuza game, and saved Yakuza 0 for after I beat Yakuza 5, that feeling of it feeling like a DLC expansion kinda soiled my experience with Yakuza Kiwami. Yakuza Kiwami is a great game, but what it does great, is done better in Yakuza 0. Yakuza 0 is longer, Yakuza 0 has more content, and Yakuza 0 has a more investing plotline than Yakuza Kiwami.
Overall, I still had a great time with Yakuza Kiwami, and I look forward to hopping into Yakuza Kiwami 2 as my next Yakuza game. Though very similar to Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami stands out with its own story and side content, character development seen in characters like Nishiki and Kiryu, and with it's deeper narrative. Yakuza Kiwami is a great time to play, regardless if you've played Yakuza 0 before, or played Yakuza: Like A Dragon, or perhaps your starting with this game as your first Yakuza game. It's a fun time, there's never a stale moment in its gameplay or story. There is always something engaging with it.
Stats:
Played on PlayStation 4 (via PS5 backwards compatibility)
Hours into Game: 13 Hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: sorry if I mentioned Yakuza 0 too much*
Yakuza Kiwami: Moving Past Zero
Yakuza Kiwami feels more alike Yakuza 0 from the time that I've spent playing with it. It makes me regret starting with Yakuza 0 as my first Yakuza game, the gameplay is very close to 0, and the world is very close to 0, and though it is not a bad thing, it makes me wish I started the series with this game than 0. I started with Yakuza 0 because it was the first game chronologically in the Yakuza timeline, but doing so kinda ruined my expectations for Yakuza Kiwami, so in the future when I start other game series I'm unfamiliar with, like Metal Gear Solid or Kingdom Hearts, I'll go in release order. Yakuza Kiwami, after coming off of beating Yakuza 0, feels somewhat like a DLC expansion to Yakuza 0, than its own actual game. Yes, I'm aware this a remake of the original Yakuza from PS2, and for that version, I will not be mentioning anything about it, due to the fact I have not played that version, my only experience is with Yakuza Kiwami, and treating it as it's own game, not treating as how it is a remake. Yakuza Kiwami, though a remake of the original Yakuza, feels more of the same as what I've played from Yakuza 0, graphics are recycled from Yakuza 0, gameplay is near-identical to Yakuza 0, and though it isn't a bad thing, it makes me feel that there isn't anything new with Yakuza Kiwami. I'm sure this wouldn't be an issue if I started with Yakuza Kiwami as my first Yakuza game, followed the release order, and then went into Yakuza 0, but I didn't, so it is an issue to me. But let me put my dumb decision to the side, despite feeling more of the same to Yakuza 0, I still had a great time with Yakuza Kiwami. It carries the best elements of Yakuza 0's gameplay, and by playing Yakuza 0 before Yakuza Kiwami, the story is enhanced, by knowing the narrative of Yakuza 0 prior.
The gameplay feels close to Yakuza 0, it has the four different fighting styles from Yakuza 0 that you can switch between in battle, and I'm glad it came back in Yakuza Kiwami. The four different fighting styles were one of my favorite gameplay elements from Yakuza 0, and it hasn't been touched too much from how it was in Yakuza 0. One of the new additions to Yakuza Kiwami has Majima follow the player and challenge them into a battle, similar to Mr. Shakedown from Yakuza 0, but is much better than Mr. Shakedown. Mr. Shakedown was in my opinion too easy and not too much of a treat in Yakuza 0, especially if you can catch him sleeping and rob him of all his cash, but Majima is a different beast. Majima gave me a run for my money in Yakuza Kiwami, he's harder than Mr. Shakedown due to the fact Majima carries melee weapons, though he wasn't too much of a treat, and the game encourages to fight Majima to leave up Kiryu's Dragon style, which I... didn't do too much of. I'm sure Kiryu's Dragon style is great, but I just couldn't be bothered doing all the side content to level it up, when I am perfectly fine with using Brawler, Rush, and Beast for my playthrough. Graphically, it is identical to Yakuza 0, which I assume is due to Yakuza Kiwami being developed soon after Yakuza 0, which isn't a bad thing, however, for someone like me who came off of Yakuza 0, it makes it feel somewhat of the same from before. The side quests are very similar to the ones in Yakuza 0, both are very comedic, and some side quests tie into other side quests from Yakuza 0, which is kind of confusing for someone who started with this game as their first Yakuza game, and makes me wonder if SEGA wants newcomers to start with Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami, or I'm just overthinking it and they don't give a shit as long as they get money. The side quests are as fun as they were in Yakuza 0, and that's kinda all I have to say about the side quests, it's just continuing the good stuff from Yakuza 0.
As for the story, it follows the original game's story, with most of the same cast from Yakuza 0. The characters are as charming as they very in Yakuza 0, and playing Yakuza 0 before Yakuza Kiwami really enhanced the way I looked at certain characters like Nishiki and Majima. I love Kiryu's arc in this game, he becomes a much more developed character in this game, and all the events that transpire, it truly leave an impact on him. I think I probably would have snubbed Nishiki if I hadn't played Yakuza 0 before this game, but man, Nishiki's character development in this game is insane. He went from simply existing as a character, to becoming one of my favorites in the series, and Majima just shines in every moment he's in, Majima never has a moment where he is out of place, he is always welcomed into the story, and became best boi easily. As for its core narrative, I don't really have too much to say about. I believe it's a great story, and provides more substance when it came to character development than Yakuza 0, however, Yakuza 0 does have a more memorable plot, while Yakuza Kiwami has more memorable character development. Yakuza Kiwami leaves a deeper and everlasting story than Yakuza 0, however, I was more invested in Yakuza 0's story than I was during my playthrough of Yakuza Kiwami.
As for any complaints I have with Yakuza Kiwami, I've mentioned before how it feels like a DLC expansion to Yakuza 0, and though I think it wouldn't have been a big of a deal if I played this game as my first Yakuza game, and saved Yakuza 0 for after I beat Yakuza 5, that feeling of it feeling like a DLC expansion kinda soiled my experience with Yakuza Kiwami. Yakuza Kiwami is a great game, but what it does great, is done better in Yakuza 0. Yakuza 0 is longer, Yakuza 0 has more content, and Yakuza 0 has a more investing plotline than Yakuza Kiwami.
Overall, I still had a great time with Yakuza Kiwami, and I look forward to hopping into Yakuza Kiwami 2 as my next Yakuza game. Though very similar to Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami stands out with its own story and side content, character development seen in characters like Nishiki and Kiryu, and with it's deeper narrative. Yakuza Kiwami is a great time to play, regardless if you've played Yakuza 0 before, or played Yakuza: Like A Dragon, or perhaps your starting with this game as your first Yakuza game. It's a fun time, there's never a stale moment in its gameplay or story. There is always something engaging with it.
Stats:
Played on PlayStation 4 (via PS5 backwards compatibility)
Hours into Game: 13 Hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: sorry if I mentioned Yakuza 0 too much*
Green
docked half a star for majima everywhere. i feel very complexly about that mechanic.
nishiki should've save scummed
A sequel to Yakuza 0 and a remake of the original game from the ps2. The story remais the same as the original but with extra cutscenes, which gives a much needed highlight on the villain and its motivations. The combat remains the same as Yakuza 0, but with some QoL improvements