This game is interesting and I have quite a bit to say about it as it has quite a few areas especially with having 4 characters to play as.

First off, story and unfortunatly I think im gonna have to say, this is the worst Yakuza story thus far, dont get me wrong, its still good but compared to the others, even the first game, its the worst one. And I think the problem comes down to writing and somehow making it so all 4 of the characters storys comes together fluidly and I dont think they accomplished that. Each of the characters though were really compelling and I loved each of them in there own way but the problem is, there starting point is just too different from each other apart from Kiryu's because he just kind of comes in to clean up the mess but ironically I think his is the worst in that because thats the chapter thats meant to unite everyone together. And I think its kind of a shame since it had good potential but it kind of just whiffed how everything comes together as well as its villain. The problem with its villain is, you dont know who the fuck it is half the time lmao. It keeps changing through betrayal and new information coming together to the point it just feels like there's no real villain and at the end it definitely shows it as they even bring in a fourth one just right out of left field which...doesnt make any sense at all why this guys there lmao. But apart from that, its still a good story, in terms of the individual story of each character, there actually really good and cool and each one did its character justice. They also perfectly captured each character and made each of them feel unique, like with Saejima's, your spending half of it underground because he's fleeing from the cops and Tanimura introduces the secret asian gateway section of the town you couldnt get into with the other characters before, so in terms of individual storys, they were really good...its just bringing everything together was its downfall.

Now lets talk about everything else, combat, is a huge improvement from 3's and it might even be up there in terms of top 3, every character felt so different to play as and I honestly cant decide who was my favourite to play (though im leaning toward Akiyama, the GOAT of a man lol).

The side content this time around was a bit plain and meh in my opinion, apart from Kiryu's in which you reunite with a lot of characters from the 1st game which was a really nice touch. I also liked a few select substorys from each character, especially Saejima's final one, that ones so cool hehe. I also liked all the trainers two, they were really fun. Quick shoutout to the chase minigame, they made them somehow even better in this game compared to 3's. I thought 3's was fun in most places but now it might even be my favourite mini game to play (Apart from with Saejima where your fleeing the cops and there's always that one prick outside near Serana's, that one pissed me off because there's no way to avoid him when you want to take the nearest taxi.)

Final subject, Amon boss, real disappointment. I spent freaking so long preparing for that getting so many weapons for all the characters and spreading the stamina's equally between them...and the fight's turn out to be the easiest in the series. Even 3's was harder then that shit and that one was just super long and annoying in spots but it kept me on my toes at all times. The toughest one was Jiro but it was more bullshit then hard because he kept on regenerating his health whenever you did damage but if you just lay into him with loads of weapon heat actions, he's pretty much done for.

Even though ive layed into the game in a few places, I say overall though, this is a pretty great game. Its combat is pretty fun and every protag is unique and awesome in there own way. Its story may not be up to par with the others in terms of how everything pans out at its end, its still good and the individual character chapters of there own story I think saves it hard because of how good they are.

"We are the Yakuza 4!" - Kiryu, Akiyama, Saejima and Tanimura

Alright, this one's gonna be a bit shorter. I liked Yakuza 4. In fact - I liked it very much.

Gameplay wise - very similar to Yakuza 3, but just... better. The combat feels smoother (no more blockuza) and gives you a lot more options. The four characters don't really feel that different (don't expect DMC5 level variety) but they're all enjoyable in their own right. I just need to say, they made Kiryu feel like a beast in this game and I love it. Oh, and they made the chase sections better. They're kinda fun now.

They added underground and rooftop sections to Kamurocho (TOTK?), but they really aren't that interesting. Not much to say here.

The game looks a bit better than 3. Animations are definitely improved and there is some added detail here and there, but it's still a PS3 game.

Story-wise... well. The game does feel a bit unfocused, thanks to the campaign being split between 4 different characters, but they make it work. It feels like there's a lot happening, but when you think about the story is actually kinda simple? There's a big conspiracy in the background, sure, but in terms of what actually happens in-game - not much. I do like the new characters, especially Akiyama, voiced by Koichi Yamadera. As a Cowboy Bebop enjoyer I was very happy to hear him. In general the story was fun, definitely had it's fair share of hype moments towards the end.

Coming up, Yakuza 5. There sure is a lot of people on the cover.

I know this game's story gets a bad rep, but overall this is easily one of my favourite entries in the series.

Everything from Yakuza 3 is improved, with better visuals, more protagonists, better combat and just general better everything for me.

However, Kiryu and Daigo should not have been in this game at all, they do absolutely nothing and feel as if they are there just to be on the front cover. If anything they make the story worse because of that, Kiryu should not have appeared outside of that minor cameo in Saejima's section. He's also just dumb in this game, why the fuck does he forgive Hamazaki? And how the hell did he not know who Saejima was?

The worst part of this game's plot is the obvious rubber bullets thing, which was only done so we don't play as a murderer and yeah it's dumb, like Joji Kazama levels of dumb.

I still love this game though, everything about it is great barring the previously mentioned points.

FUCK THE FINAL MUNAKATA BATTLE!