Huh. Color me surprised.
The talk surrounding this game is... mixed and therefore I was expecting to be disappointed. I thought the combat would be unbearable, it did, after all, earn the "blockuza" title. Well... it kinda wasn't bad.
First off - if you, like me, buy all the Yakuza games on a modern platform to play them chronologically you will be faced with a jarring jump from Kiwami 2 to Yakuza 3. After beating a full remake released in 2016 you immediately get thrown into an early PS3 title with a bumped resolution and framerate. It's not like it deeply disturbed me - it has a certain charm and the game definitely didn't age too bad, but it is nonetheless a noticeable downgrade.
But, as to not be too negative, I have to admit the game looks and feels pretty good. Definitely not ugly, although the faces on some of the background characters and some of the animations (goodness, the walking animation of the children...) are so bad that they kinda crack me up. I think the new locations, especially the beach in front of Morning Glory, look pretty great.
In terms of combat... I heard that it's messed up because of the increased framerate, the AI is not used to twice the original speed and the heat meter goes down too fast. I'm certainly willing to believe that, but I will not verify it. What I can verify is that the enemies certainly block a lot. It's not too bad when you're fighting groups of weaker enemies, the game is actually a lot of fun in those moments, but some of the bosses are really nerve-racking. By the end of the game you should have combos long enough to break through the block and get some hits in, but that doesn't really mitigate the issue. It's just annoying and time-wasting. Overall the combat feels fine, I saw no point in the weapon system that they seemed to be pushing. I didn't feel like engaging with the whole upgrade stuff so I was running around with the starting stick and it didn't deal a whole lot of damage outside of heat actions, but hey, I managed. The game is overall much easier than it's predecessors.
When it comes to wasting time, this game offers you a lot of occasions to walk around the city aimlessly until you finally bump into the person you were looking for or to chase people around the very same city. Those sequences were actually the only times that I got to see the game over screen. Also the random combat encounters are much harder to dodge because they're really not well signified. Annoying stuff.
Finally, the story. I actually think it's fantastic. Right behind 0's. A well put together conspiracy with high stakes coupled with a cast of characters that I actually cared about? And a great villain to boot? AND multiple fatherhood themes? I actually almost teared up at times. These Japanese fellas know how to get to me.
All in all, probably my 2nd favorite in the series. Hope they follow it up well with... Yakuza 4! Coming soon.
It's spring-break so I'm gonna have a lot more time to spend in Kamurocho. Expect the next review very soon.
The talk surrounding this game is... mixed and therefore I was expecting to be disappointed. I thought the combat would be unbearable, it did, after all, earn the "blockuza" title. Well... it kinda wasn't bad.
First off - if you, like me, buy all the Yakuza games on a modern platform to play them chronologically you will be faced with a jarring jump from Kiwami 2 to Yakuza 3. After beating a full remake released in 2016 you immediately get thrown into an early PS3 title with a bumped resolution and framerate. It's not like it deeply disturbed me - it has a certain charm and the game definitely didn't age too bad, but it is nonetheless a noticeable downgrade.
But, as to not be too negative, I have to admit the game looks and feels pretty good. Definitely not ugly, although the faces on some of the background characters and some of the animations (goodness, the walking animation of the children...) are so bad that they kinda crack me up. I think the new locations, especially the beach in front of Morning Glory, look pretty great.
In terms of combat... I heard that it's messed up because of the increased framerate, the AI is not used to twice the original speed and the heat meter goes down too fast. I'm certainly willing to believe that, but I will not verify it. What I can verify is that the enemies certainly block a lot. It's not too bad when you're fighting groups of weaker enemies, the game is actually a lot of fun in those moments, but some of the bosses are really nerve-racking. By the end of the game you should have combos long enough to break through the block and get some hits in, but that doesn't really mitigate the issue. It's just annoying and time-wasting. Overall the combat feels fine, I saw no point in the weapon system that they seemed to be pushing. I didn't feel like engaging with the whole upgrade stuff so I was running around with the starting stick and it didn't deal a whole lot of damage outside of heat actions, but hey, I managed. The game is overall much easier than it's predecessors.
When it comes to wasting time, this game offers you a lot of occasions to walk around the city aimlessly until you finally bump into the person you were looking for or to chase people around the very same city. Those sequences were actually the only times that I got to see the game over screen. Also the random combat encounters are much harder to dodge because they're really not well signified. Annoying stuff.
Finally, the story. I actually think it's fantastic. Right behind 0's. A well put together conspiracy with high stakes coupled with a cast of characters that I actually cared about? And a great villain to boot? AND multiple fatherhood themes? I actually almost teared up at times. These Japanese fellas know how to get to me.
All in all, probably my 2nd favorite in the series. Hope they follow it up well with... Yakuza 4! Coming soon.
It's spring-break so I'm gonna have a lot more time to spend in Kamurocho. Expect the next review very soon.
PLEASE just let this man run his orphanage in peace!!! Stop making him save his stupid fucking clan every six months!!! He's had enough!!!
By far my greatest complaint about the writing in the Yakuza games so far is that I do not give a single shit about the Tojo clan. In fact I am actively rooting for it to fail so Kiryu can have some fucking peace for five minutes. 90% of the members of this clan that we see are either scumbags or traitors, so why should I give a shit about saving it? I care more about the small time Yakuza family in Okinawa that is only introduced in this game than the Tojo clan.
By far my greatest complaint about the writing in the Yakuza games so far is that I do not give a single shit about the Tojo clan. In fact I am actively rooting for it to fail so Kiryu can have some fucking peace for five minutes. 90% of the members of this clan that we see are either scumbags or traitors, so why should I give a shit about saving it? I care more about the small time Yakuza family in Okinawa that is only introduced in this game than the Tojo clan.
Gayest Yakuza game so far fr.
Mine is the GOAT.
Mine is the GOAT.
Ok let me just start by saying, this game's combat isn't bad, it just sucks to play with no upgrades. I love this game.
On my 3rd replay, I realized this game's pacing is awful. I love the stuff with Kiryu and his orphanage but it really comes at the expense of the main plot which is pretty short and just feels off. The first 5 chapters are nothing with 2 oddly long ones.
Good game overall, 4 improves on it in every way though IMO.
On my 3rd replay, I realized this game's pacing is awful. I love the stuff with Kiryu and his orphanage but it really comes at the expense of the main plot which is pretty short and just feels off. The first 5 chapters are nothing with 2 oddly long ones.
Good game overall, 4 improves on it in every way though IMO.
podia defender menos né bother, mas o jogo é muito bom do mesmo jeito
Handily the weakest Yakuza game I've yet played, but it retains enough of what makes the series work to at least be fun even if there is a mountain of problems. For starters, this might be one of my favorite soundtracks in the series so far. The mid 2000's style just jives with me a whole lot, and has some really great tracks like Fly, Dead Run, Bruise, and Independence for Violence.
It's aged pretty well in terms of the controls and visuals, so jumping from Kiwami 2 to this wasn't as much of a jump as I expected. The main issues start to come in with combat. Enemies block all the time, and bosses are often ungrabbable. Combine this with how much health they often have, and the bosses can be a slog. The final boss was sick though.
The story is the weakest one in the series I've seen yet, too. While Kiwami 1's was not the most engaging, 3's is just terribly paced in a lot of places. They build up to reveals that are unsatisfying, have no telegraph, and are just dryly explained in a big exposition dump. The actual plot isn't bad, but the way it's put together is not great. Not to mention how it's momentum is often killed by Orphanage shenanigans. At the very least, there's some great side characters and a very good main villain.
All in all, it's fine. Mostly mediocre with some frustrating decisions bolstered by still strong characters, dumb side content, and occasionally great moments.
It's aged pretty well in terms of the controls and visuals, so jumping from Kiwami 2 to this wasn't as much of a jump as I expected. The main issues start to come in with combat. Enemies block all the time, and bosses are often ungrabbable. Combine this with how much health they often have, and the bosses can be a slog. The final boss was sick though.
The story is the weakest one in the series I've seen yet, too. While Kiwami 1's was not the most engaging, 3's is just terribly paced in a lot of places. They build up to reveals that are unsatisfying, have no telegraph, and are just dryly explained in a big exposition dump. The actual plot isn't bad, but the way it's put together is not great. Not to mention how it's momentum is often killed by Orphanage shenanigans. At the very least, there's some great side characters and a very good main villain.
All in all, it's fine. Mostly mediocre with some frustrating decisions bolstered by still strong characters, dumb side content, and occasionally great moments.
overhated
Um jogo ruim?, não
O pior da franquia?, discutivel
Um jogo chato e atrasado mecanicamente?, com toda certeza
Tem motivos pro jogo ser infame do jeito que é e eu não vou negar nenhum deles, mas o que eu posso dizer é que esse jogo, por mais chato que tenha sido depois de umas 15 horas, me divertil mais do que o Kiwami 1 (embora minha nota do 1 seja maior)
O combate é irritante já que todo mundo bloqueia tudo, redendo o famoso apelido de Blockuza pro jogo, as boss fights ficam insuportáveis por causa disso, a história é meia boca, tem 2 capitulos inteiros que são só enrrolação do Kiryu interajindo com as crianças do orfanato
Então é, pra não ficar falando mais do mesmo que todo mundo já falou sobre Yakuza 3, o jogo é bem fraco mesmo, se você for um maluco que nem eu, bota ele junto com o Kiwami 1 de jogos que tão liberados pular
O pior da franquia?, discutivel
Um jogo chato e atrasado mecanicamente?, com toda certeza
Tem motivos pro jogo ser infame do jeito que é e eu não vou negar nenhum deles, mas o que eu posso dizer é que esse jogo, por mais chato que tenha sido depois de umas 15 horas, me divertil mais do que o Kiwami 1 (embora minha nota do 1 seja maior)
O combate é irritante já que todo mundo bloqueia tudo, redendo o famoso apelido de Blockuza pro jogo, as boss fights ficam insuportáveis por causa disso, a história é meia boca, tem 2 capitulos inteiros que são só enrrolação do Kiryu interajindo com as crianças do orfanato
Então é, pra não ficar falando mais do mesmo que todo mundo já falou sobre Yakuza 3, o jogo é bem fraco mesmo, se você for um maluco que nem eu, bota ele junto com o Kiwami 1 de jogos que tão liberados pular
Esse foi oficialmente o jogo mais antigo da franquia que eu joguei. E assim ele funciona, os gráficos dão pro gasto e não são datados os controles.
História é ok, o que é ótimo nela, assim como todos os outros, são os personagens.
O real PROBLEMA desse jogo é o combate. É só chato, ele nem é difícil, o problema é os inimigos que bloqueiam praticamente todos os ataques que você da, principalmente os chefões. Então ficam lutas incrivelmente longas e sem graças porque você basicamente usa o mesmo combo que funciona um pouco melhor com todos os inimigos do jogo
No final eu já tava ficando cansado desse jogo, confesso que só terminei porque quero jogar os jogos mais recentes com o contexto dos antigos.
História é ok, o que é ótimo nela, assim como todos os outros, são os personagens.
O real PROBLEMA desse jogo é o combate. É só chato, ele nem é difícil, o problema é os inimigos que bloqueiam praticamente todos os ataques que você da, principalmente os chefões. Então ficam lutas incrivelmente longas e sem graças porque você basicamente usa o mesmo combo que funciona um pouco melhor com todos os inimigos do jogo
No final eu já tava ficando cansado desse jogo, confesso que só terminei porque quero jogar os jogos mais recentes com o contexto dos antigos.
"What the fuck!?"
--Andre Richardson, circa 2009
--Andre Richardson, circa 2009
Entré a este juego con la sabiduría popular de que ''era el peor de la saga'' o ''es una mierda jugablmente''. Lo que sí me parece verdad es que se nota un huevo que vienes a este juego tras Yakuza Kiwami 2 y el salto es curioso.
Sí, el gameplay de este juego es tosco y producto de su época: concretamente la poca efusividad de ciertos movimientos y la defensa adicional de los jefes hacía el combate no malo pero sí duro de llevar. Luego están los modos adicionales de los que he pasado mucho: me costó un montón pillar el golf, pasé del cabaret pero sí que completé las revelaciones enteras (de lo mejor de este juego)
Pero... Ya está. Esas son mis quejas respecto a este juego. He disfrutado la historia a pesar de que ha sido mucho bombo para justificar ciertas cosas simples. Pero sus personajes me han llegado a la patata. Quizás es porque conecto mucho con las historias que ocurren en localidades pequeñas pero la familia Ryudo me ha llegado al corazón. Rikiya y Mikio podrían ser mis personajes favoritos de la saga por debajo de Ichiban y su panda.
Los niños del orfanato aunque comparto que las partes de la historia principal que haces con ellos se hacen largas no son malas: son parte de la vida de Kiryu, está bien ver como les ayuda y como salen de esta juntos como una familia. Estamos haciendo lo que Kiryu quiere hacer al fin y al cabo.
Majima debería haber hecho más el Majima-baile.
Y el villano principal pues me ha parecido interesante, creo que se puede pulir un poco más en cuanto a diálogo pero sin duda lo recordaré
En resumen: Salgo contento de este juego y no l oconsidero el peor de la saga simplemente porque mi experiencia con el juego fue buena. A ver que me depara el 4.
Sí, el gameplay de este juego es tosco y producto de su época: concretamente la poca efusividad de ciertos movimientos y la defensa adicional de los jefes hacía el combate no malo pero sí duro de llevar. Luego están los modos adicionales de los que he pasado mucho: me costó un montón pillar el golf, pasé del cabaret pero sí que completé las revelaciones enteras (de lo mejor de este juego)
Pero... Ya está. Esas son mis quejas respecto a este juego. He disfrutado la historia a pesar de que ha sido mucho bombo para justificar ciertas cosas simples. Pero sus personajes me han llegado a la patata. Quizás es porque conecto mucho con las historias que ocurren en localidades pequeñas pero la familia Ryudo me ha llegado al corazón. Rikiya y Mikio podrían ser mis personajes favoritos de la saga por debajo de Ichiban y su panda.
Los niños del orfanato aunque comparto que las partes de la historia principal que haces con ellos se hacen largas no son malas: son parte de la vida de Kiryu, está bien ver como les ayuda y como salen de esta juntos como una familia. Estamos haciendo lo que Kiryu quiere hacer al fin y al cabo.
Majima debería haber hecho más el Majima-baile.
Y el villano principal pues me ha parecido interesante, creo que se puede pulir un poco más en cuanto a diálogo pero sin duda lo recordaré
En resumen: Salgo contento de este juego y no l oconsidero el peor de la saga simplemente porque mi experiencia con el juego fue buena. A ver que me depara el 4.
would easily make a grown-ass man cried all his tears
Someone called this Yakuza like a dad and I totally agree.
Dogshit combat tho.
Dogshit combat tho.
weird and wacky one for sure but i loved the kids
Blockuza fr.
rikiya rikiya rikiya rikiya
but its honestly not as bad as people say it is - once you're a few hours in, it feels like a regular yakuza game.. but i will forever dislike the amount of blocking...
but its honestly not as bad as people say it is - once you're a few hours in, it feels like a regular yakuza game.. but i will forever dislike the amount of blocking...
combat can be annoying but most of the people who hate it just suck at the game and are not capable of doing anything other than mash square if you call it blockuza you suck
lau ka long can kiss my ass tho
lau ka long can kiss my ass tho
It was a fine game but I will not be touching it ever again.
It’s really unfair that this one didn’t get the Kiwami treatment. There’s an amazing game under the older mechanics. It’s still 100% worth a play.
Gameplay was overhated and story was actually really good. Mine is the best villain in the series despite having so little screentime. Final boss is fire and top 10 of all time.
mash square square square triangle to silence a so-called "blocking simulator"-saying halfwit
Not as bad as I remember but man it can still feel rough around the edges. Mine is an autism icon.
Game gets a REALLY BAD REP DO NOT LISTE NTO THEM!!!!! I PROMISE ITS FUN YOU JUST HAVE TO GET DOUBLE FINISHING BLOW AND THEN THE KOMAKI MOVES PLEASE BELIEVE ME IGNORE THE INFO DUMP CHAPTER ITS GOOD
dad life but at what cost
Story and characters were actually really good but something about the game makes you just want to push through the story instead of really playing it. A lot of the gameplay mechanics regressed
This review contains spoilers
Listen, was this a perfect game? no, not at all. There were multiple issues regarding pacing and narrative choices, as well as overdramatization (lmfao). To be 100% honest, this game would have probably been a 10/10 if we had just stayed with the kids at the orphanage, but honestly - I find myself not caring as much about it, because all in all, this game did more for Kiryu than I could have ever wished for. It examplifies that he's both one of the most caring, wonderful people on this planet, but at the same time fundamentally and deeply flawed (which makes sense, considering his upbringing and past).
The ending was actually pretty damn cool too, Mine was an excellent character for how little screentime he had and I wish we could have seen more of him and Daigo and Kiryu...but alas...
All in all, this game is dear to my heart despite all the flaws...it genuinely made Kiryu shoot up my favourite character of all time list.
The ending was actually pretty damn cool too, Mine was an excellent character for how little screentime he had and I wish we could have seen more of him and Daigo and Kiryu...but alas...
All in all, this game is dear to my heart despite all the flaws...it genuinely made Kiryu shoot up my favourite character of all time list.
Fly
A parte mais fraca foi o meio, ponto em que a história tava 100% previsível, mas as partes em Okinawa foram muito boas e a parte final foi ótima também.
This review contains spoilers
buraku mondei
- heavy whiplash coming from K2 to this
- gameplay can be a dick ( fuck you lao )
- mine slays
- legit slept in the plot dump chapter
- fuck you mahjong
no change in ze pran
game is good 👍
- heavy whiplash coming from K2 to this
- gameplay can be a dick ( fuck you lao )
- mine slays
- legit slept in the plot dump chapter
- fuck you mahjong
no change in ze pran
game is good 👍
This review contains spoilers
An intermissive for the series: Kiryu's Great Vacation.
The stakes are arguably much lower in this game, leaving place for Kiryu to finally have a bit of a break. Of course, he never catches a break, but for the first time, we get to see him do something he likes doing.
The story focuses a lot on the orphanage, just as much as whatever's happening in the criminal world. If anything, Kiryu wants to deal with the kids much more than with the Yakuza, and for good reasons. So the game does that. Unfortunately, taking care of kids isn't what the average yakuza fan wants (and they're wrong). They want Kiryu kicking ass, not be a super cool guy. Thankfully, I get to see Kiryu be a super cool guy, so this is right up my alley.
Giving a spotlight to every child in the orphanage throughout the story was very heartwarming. I got to enjoy a casual lifestyle, while helping kids stray away from a life that the main character went for. It's a sort of atonement for Kiryu, and so his goals and actions end up being more cathartic than you'd might think. People hate this about Yakuza 3, for some reason, but again, they just want to mash Square in front of a dude blocking every attack.
Unfortunately, the story's not all sunshine and rainbows, or all good writing, for that matter. Should Rikiya, a new character in the series have any fate, perhaps giving him the one we had to witness shouldn't be as infuriating as it is, to say the least. Bonus points for dragging on his death with sappy music and, for the first time, Kiryu pouring his heart and soul for a friend he just made. I just sat there, waiting for the scene to end. In the end, Rikiya dying didn't even mean anything: There was no rhyme or reason for him to keel over, not even a motivator to keep things going. The writer(s) decided to just write off a character whom I loved from first meeting, because... ???
Yakuza 3 is also, yet again, a case of not really knowing how I should be rating an installment of a multi-part series. Combat felt watered down and kind of frustrating for different reasons from the other games: Enemies block WAY too much. You have a semi-solution to it (don't button mash). I still enjoyed it for what it was, at least... I feel like that's it. This really was an intermission for the next game, although I can't imagine someone's reaction to the ending of this game after what happens right before the credits. That'd be a right-A dick move, if nothing happened after the credits.
I also spoiled this game to someone unknowingly so I'm gonna go kick my own ass to oblivion. Be right back.
The stakes are arguably much lower in this game, leaving place for Kiryu to finally have a bit of a break. Of course, he never catches a break, but for the first time, we get to see him do something he likes doing.
The story focuses a lot on the orphanage, just as much as whatever's happening in the criminal world. If anything, Kiryu wants to deal with the kids much more than with the Yakuza, and for good reasons. So the game does that. Unfortunately, taking care of kids isn't what the average yakuza fan wants (and they're wrong). They want Kiryu kicking ass, not be a super cool guy. Thankfully, I get to see Kiryu be a super cool guy, so this is right up my alley.
Giving a spotlight to every child in the orphanage throughout the story was very heartwarming. I got to enjoy a casual lifestyle, while helping kids stray away from a life that the main character went for. It's a sort of atonement for Kiryu, and so his goals and actions end up being more cathartic than you'd might think. People hate this about Yakuza 3, for some reason, but again, they just want to mash Square in front of a dude blocking every attack.
Unfortunately, the story's not all sunshine and rainbows, or all good writing, for that matter. Should Rikiya, a new character in the series have any fate, perhaps giving him the one we had to witness shouldn't be as infuriating as it is, to say the least. Bonus points for dragging on his death with sappy music and, for the first time, Kiryu pouring his heart and soul for a friend he just made. I just sat there, waiting for the scene to end. In the end, Rikiya dying didn't even mean anything: There was no rhyme or reason for him to keel over, not even a motivator to keep things going. The writer(s) decided to just write off a character whom I loved from first meeting, because... ???
Yakuza 3 is also, yet again, a case of not really knowing how I should be rating an installment of a multi-part series. Combat felt watered down and kind of frustrating for different reasons from the other games: Enemies block WAY too much. You have a semi-solution to it (don't button mash). I still enjoyed it for what it was, at least... I feel like that's it. This really was an intermission for the next game, although I can't imagine someone's reaction to the ending of this game after what happens right before the credits. That'd be a right-A dick move, if nothing happened after the credits.
I also spoiled this game to someone unknowingly so I'm gonna go kick my own ass to oblivion. Be right back.