Oh we goin balls out with this one. This is ludicrously yakuzacore, it's just one of those games. If you boot up this entry with no prior context of its contents as I did, the first alarm set off is a missing core in the engine room. Where's Kiryu!! Well, he's doing what he ideally should, that is not getting lunch money by breaking noses in a land with free healthcare, but that was a good question raised tho.
Before we get to him, we have to explore the lives of more Kamurocho citizens appearing out of thin air. The first of those is Akiyama, he's that one uncle, it seems everything is wrong about him but factually there's actually nothing wrong he's just that G. The second is Saejima, I don't know why thugs even bother with this one, the third is Tanimura, the chinese government made him vanish for his controversial statements in 2010. These flawed men who can handle their liquor and cigs have their own story to tell, and stories told to, because this is where substories begin to have enough fuel in them to be enjoyable.
There's not a single good minigame shared globally, I make that distinction because I got Saejima to train a bum and it was fiiiiiye. That army guy's training was also fun. And that lady Tanimura is bruisin with after he said "donde esta el luego de la cagada" (his spanish sucks). Learning to fight is more enjoyable than actually fighting, that's not a foreign concept to the average behind the scenes fan, all catehories.
On another note, they did not miss with those final bosses. It felt so much like I was playing Yakuza 3's great combat again in an even smoother way. And yes, I beat the blowjob brothers AKA the Amon familia. First entry where I get to do so and boi did I die 15 times to the hammer guy and 0 times to the 2 others, i did lose like 3 times to Jo Mama but whateveeeeeer he had that hammer so it counts as a win for hammer guy. 7_7
Before we get to him, we have to explore the lives of more Kamurocho citizens appearing out of thin air. The first of those is Akiyama, he's that one uncle, it seems everything is wrong about him but factually there's actually nothing wrong he's just that G. The second is Saejima, I don't know why thugs even bother with this one, the third is Tanimura, the chinese government made him vanish for his controversial statements in 2010. These flawed men who can handle their liquor and cigs have their own story to tell, and stories told to, because this is where substories begin to have enough fuel in them to be enjoyable.
There's not a single good minigame shared globally, I make that distinction because I got Saejima to train a bum and it was fiiiiiye. That army guy's training was also fun. And that lady Tanimura is bruisin with after he said "donde esta el luego de la cagada" (his spanish sucks). Learning to fight is more enjoyable than actually fighting, that's not a foreign concept to the average behind the scenes fan, all catehories.
On another note, they did not miss with those final bosses. It felt so much like I was playing Yakuza 3's great combat again in an even smoother way. And yes, I beat the blowjob brothers AKA the Amon familia. First entry where I get to do so and boi did I die 15 times to the hammer guy and 0 times to the 2 others, i did lose like 3 times to Jo Mama but whateveeeeeer he had that hammer so it counts as a win for hammer guy. 7_7
Oh yeah, Yakuza 4 time!
After finishing Yakuza 3, the game considered 'the bad one' and having a decent time with it, I was excited for the rest of the series going forward. This one also looked interesting, because Kiryu was sharing the spotlight with 3 other guys this time round. Stories that take place from multiple perspectives are my jam personally, so I was looking forward to this.
Part 1: Akiyama rules
So the game starts with Akiyama, and holy shit this starts great. He's charming, he's suave, he's smart. His kicking based fighting style and jazzy soundtrack reminded me heavily of Sanji from One Piece, so it was great to play a game like that without it going 'uhm acktually there are women here you can't play this guy' every five minutes. His thing is lending money to people who interest him, so most of the side content revolves around that, with nearly all of them being great, stuff like the apprentice and the money bath quest especially. Not to mention his plot of tracking down a lady while investigating a murder and getting tangled in the larger plot. It starts and end great while leaving off on a great tale for the next guy. Not a thing I'd change about the plot here. 10/10. Hopefully the next guy is even half as strong
Part 2: Saejima drools
So then the player moves onto Saejima, Majima's old partner. Okay, this seems cool. Starts off in prison with Hamazaki from the previous game, while intrigue of private prisons and corrupt cops runs abound. Narrative seems cool seeing as this guy killed 18 dudes (right?), let's see how the first combat encounter goes oh my god it sucks it sucks so hard who designed this.
Saejima's gameplay revolves around charging attacks. Not my favorite if we're being honest, seeing as Yakuza games are at their best when it's one guy against an army like a classic martial arts movie. So having Saejima just be like 'okay gimme a sec' for most of his stronger moves didn't feel right to me, especially with the prison escape sequence he does feeling awkward with a terrible boss fight. I mean three terrible boss fights. I mean the same terrible boss fight done three times. But then you get to Okinawa, experience possibly the worst scene in the game, do a decent boss fight, and leave for Kamarocho, and get to do funny side activities from the perspective of a guy who hasn't seen in city in 25 years, kinda like Kiryu in the first game and oh no wait the city is on lockdown, you have to fuck around in the sewers, and then do one boss fight in a cage match(this scene is actually good tho) and then almost directly move on to another boss fight (also pretty good) afterwards, and that's basically Saejima. Some neat writing, why does the gameplay suck so much. 3/10. Hopefully the next guy is decent.
Part 3: Tanimura is decent
Next up is Tanimura, a rookie cop who notices something's up within the force, and is on his way to figure it out. I like his story, it's mostly around the man who killed his father, while also delving into the plight of immigrants in Japanese society. I liked the twists here, and his side content is also great. It mostly seems to focus on larger chains such as him figuring out the truth about his father, as well as the training missions tying into a mystery about tracking down a killer, it's all great stuff. His combat is also pretty good, being more focused on parries and restraints, fitting for a police officer. Thing is, his chapter 4 boss dies, but he finds a traitor in the force, which'll be his great conclusion and entertaining boss fight. (foreshadowing is a narrative device yadda yadda yadda) 8/10
Part 4: Kiryu is also here
Kiryu is once again dragged into the scheme practically wearing a shirt saying 'SERIES CONTINUITY' on it. He shows a lot of personal growth here, choosing to opt for peace and forgiveness when a villain from the previous games calls for his aid, and he's back in Kamarocho before you know it. His plot is pretty much the connecting tissue that unites the Yakuza 4 (get it?) before the finale. It's where the emotional gut punches start, and all of it is classic Yakuza goodness. But it's also where the flaws in the plot start. The less said about rubber bullets the better, and the plot has a lot of 'this guy betrayed that guy BUT THEN he got betrayed by the other guy working for that guy' to the point you'll probably need a flowchart or something to keep up with who's betraying who. But anyway, the pieces are all moving, the villains are making their play, and it's time for the explosive finale.
Part 5: Who designed this finale
With all four together, it's time to hit up the tower and conclude things. This game ditches the gauntlet of goons you face on your way to the boss, but that's fine, as long as the finale is good.
Akiyama fights the guy from Tanimura's plot. Okay, bit odd, but Akiyama didn't really leave anyone to fight in his own plot, so it's whatever. Fight's fun and satisfying, thumbs up.
Saejima's fight is also pretty good (read: easy to cheese) against a person he has emotional connection to who you honestly feel kind of bad for. It's a decent fight.
Kiryu and Tanimura is awful
Kiryu's is your standard shirtless tower brawl, only made to be as annoying and unfun as possible. He has constant armour so you can barely do anything to him, blocks and dodges constantly, and has a move that I swear just makes shit phase through him which he also uses constantly. You can't even land a light combo on him before he goes 'nuh-uh' and pummels you into the dirt.
But Tanimura's fight, HOLY FUCK. Straight up, everyone involved with making this fight should be blacklisted from the industry. It's one thing to gave the main boss be a guy with a gun who takes cheap shots at you from a distance. It's another to give him bodyguards. It's another to give him a bodyguard count in the double digits who proceed to combo you constantly. But finally, they block and dodge constantly so you can't get a decent hit in, and even when you do that's when the gun comes back. Not the worst boss fight in Yakuza (Neo knockoff from 1 still takes that one) but still, dear god. Finale gets a 4/10, the story concludes nicely.
Overall, Yakuza is a game that's pretty consistently great, but the low points are among the lowest of any game I've played. averaging out my scores lands the game at a 6.6, but that feels too low, so it's like an 8. The vibes are good, it's (mostly) more Yakuza goodness, and I'm looking forward to 5
After finishing Yakuza 3, the game considered 'the bad one' and having a decent time with it, I was excited for the rest of the series going forward. This one also looked interesting, because Kiryu was sharing the spotlight with 3 other guys this time round. Stories that take place from multiple perspectives are my jam personally, so I was looking forward to this.
Part 1: Akiyama rules
So the game starts with Akiyama, and holy shit this starts great. He's charming, he's suave, he's smart. His kicking based fighting style and jazzy soundtrack reminded me heavily of Sanji from One Piece, so it was great to play a game like that without it going 'uhm acktually there are women here you can't play this guy' every five minutes. His thing is lending money to people who interest him, so most of the side content revolves around that, with nearly all of them being great, stuff like the apprentice and the money bath quest especially. Not to mention his plot of tracking down a lady while investigating a murder and getting tangled in the larger plot. It starts and end great while leaving off on a great tale for the next guy. Not a thing I'd change about the plot here. 10/10. Hopefully the next guy is even half as strong
Part 2: Saejima drools
So then the player moves onto Saejima, Majima's old partner. Okay, this seems cool. Starts off in prison with Hamazaki from the previous game, while intrigue of private prisons and corrupt cops runs abound. Narrative seems cool seeing as this guy killed 18 dudes (right?), let's see how the first combat encounter goes oh my god it sucks it sucks so hard who designed this.
Saejima's gameplay revolves around charging attacks. Not my favorite if we're being honest, seeing as Yakuza games are at their best when it's one guy against an army like a classic martial arts movie. So having Saejima just be like 'okay gimme a sec' for most of his stronger moves didn't feel right to me, especially with the prison escape sequence he does feeling awkward with a terrible boss fight. I mean three terrible boss fights. I mean the same terrible boss fight done three times. But then you get to Okinawa, experience possibly the worst scene in the game, do a decent boss fight, and leave for Kamarocho, and get to do funny side activities from the perspective of a guy who hasn't seen in city in 25 years, kinda like Kiryu in the first game and oh no wait the city is on lockdown, you have to fuck around in the sewers, and then do one boss fight in a cage match(this scene is actually good tho) and then almost directly move on to another boss fight (also pretty good) afterwards, and that's basically Saejima. Some neat writing, why does the gameplay suck so much. 3/10. Hopefully the next guy is decent.
Part 3: Tanimura is decent
Next up is Tanimura, a rookie cop who notices something's up within the force, and is on his way to figure it out. I like his story, it's mostly around the man who killed his father, while also delving into the plight of immigrants in Japanese society. I liked the twists here, and his side content is also great. It mostly seems to focus on larger chains such as him figuring out the truth about his father, as well as the training missions tying into a mystery about tracking down a killer, it's all great stuff. His combat is also pretty good, being more focused on parries and restraints, fitting for a police officer. Thing is, his chapter 4 boss dies, but he finds a traitor in the force, which'll be his great conclusion and entertaining boss fight. (foreshadowing is a narrative device yadda yadda yadda) 8/10
Part 4: Kiryu is also here
Kiryu is once again dragged into the scheme practically wearing a shirt saying 'SERIES CONTINUITY' on it. He shows a lot of personal growth here, choosing to opt for peace and forgiveness when a villain from the previous games calls for his aid, and he's back in Kamarocho before you know it. His plot is pretty much the connecting tissue that unites the Yakuza 4 (get it?) before the finale. It's where the emotional gut punches start, and all of it is classic Yakuza goodness. But it's also where the flaws in the plot start. The less said about rubber bullets the better, and the plot has a lot of 'this guy betrayed that guy BUT THEN he got betrayed by the other guy working for that guy' to the point you'll probably need a flowchart or something to keep up with who's betraying who. But anyway, the pieces are all moving, the villains are making their play, and it's time for the explosive finale.
Part 5: Who designed this finale
With all four together, it's time to hit up the tower and conclude things. This game ditches the gauntlet of goons you face on your way to the boss, but that's fine, as long as the finale is good.
Akiyama fights the guy from Tanimura's plot. Okay, bit odd, but Akiyama didn't really leave anyone to fight in his own plot, so it's whatever. Fight's fun and satisfying, thumbs up.
Saejima's fight is also pretty good (read: easy to cheese) against a person he has emotional connection to who you honestly feel kind of bad for. It's a decent fight.
Kiryu and Tanimura is awful
Kiryu's is your standard shirtless tower brawl, only made to be as annoying and unfun as possible. He has constant armour so you can barely do anything to him, blocks and dodges constantly, and has a move that I swear just makes shit phase through him which he also uses constantly. You can't even land a light combo on him before he goes 'nuh-uh' and pummels you into the dirt.
But Tanimura's fight, HOLY FUCK. Straight up, everyone involved with making this fight should be blacklisted from the industry. It's one thing to gave the main boss be a guy with a gun who takes cheap shots at you from a distance. It's another to give him bodyguards. It's another to give him a bodyguard count in the double digits who proceed to combo you constantly. But finally, they block and dodge constantly so you can't get a decent hit in, and even when you do that's when the gun comes back. Not the worst boss fight in Yakuza (Neo knockoff from 1 still takes that one) but still, dear god. Finale gets a 4/10, the story concludes nicely.
Overall, Yakuza is a game that's pretty consistently great, but the low points are among the lowest of any game I've played. averaging out my scores lands the game at a 6.6, but that feels too low, so it's like an 8. The vibes are good, it's (mostly) more Yakuza goodness, and I'm looking forward to 5
Yakuza 4 might be my least favorite entry in the series, but still is a pretty good game in it's own regard. The four different characters feature a loan shark, an escaped convict, a literal police officer and of course Kazuma Kiryu, they all have unique fighting styles and upgrades.
If you're here for the story, you'll get to experience the worst plot twists in Yakuza history and a bunch of forgettable side characters. But hey, atleast the gameplay's fun.
If you're here for the story, you'll get to experience the worst plot twists in Yakuza history and a bunch of forgettable side characters. But hey, atleast the gameplay's fun.
This is what happens when you actually get enough people to play 4 corners
THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Yakuza 4 is a game that stretches itself far too thin. Never being able to compensate enough despite its own glaring weaknesses. This is the least emotionally engaged I’ve been with an entry, easily ranking itself as being the weakest Yakuza/Like A Dragon if Kiwami didn’t exist. I knew that this along with Yakuza 3 was considered a low point in the series, but I surprisingly enjoyed 3 positively and I thought Yakuza 4 would fall under a similar camp for me. And… I was mostly wrong when I tried approaching this game with that fair outlook.
This feels the closest to matching in line with Yakuza 0 conceptually, strange that sounds to say after going through the Kiwami games. The obvious point of comparison being the series’ first experiment with multi-protagonists as a storytelling format to break up the plot. While using each protagonist’s section to direct dramatic beats that build upon the ones set up previously in the story. There are other bits that feel like paving the way for Yakuza 0 such as including Little Asia with its own narrowed underbelly buried between the walls of Kamurocho, the differing gameplay styles of each protagonist feeling like a precursor to the four brawling styles Kiryu adopts later, and obviously everything to do with Majima/Saejima which becomes important. If you’ve read between the lines of how I described these similarities, you’d notice how I’m sorta framing everything Yakuza 4 does as essential but ultimately prototypical groundwork for what a better game executed with cleanliness and style. To be fair, this is an argument that can be made for every Yakuza/Like A Dragon game to this very point, even the Kiwamis. The foundation for all of them is still rooted in an RGG who hasn't fully mastered their own craft, the identity of the series, which Yakuza 0 is an encapsulation for how far they have come since these entries were still developing. Except, even being aware that 0 is the peak these games would eventually strive to become, I still found unique value in almost every entry for what they add to the franchise. Kiwami is pretty bad, but we had to start from somewhere, even if it can’t be remade into something much greater. Kiwami 2 gets nonsensical with its own twists near the end, but it has Sayama and Ryuji Goda. Yakuza 3 added so much to Kiryu’s character and reinforced how tragic his life will be for the people closest to him. Yakuza 4, though? …beyond introducing new series favorites like Akiyama, I’m at a loss for what makes this feel like a standout entry with unique merits that isn’t already absorbed into Yakuza 0 or any other entry.
The gameplay is honestly a mixed bag even though it’s a continuation of Yakuza 3’s combat except quickstep isn’t nerfed and enemies block less. You play as four different protagonists who have different brawling playstyles in combat, and half of them just feel pretty bad to play. Saejima, especially, is no short of being awful unless you grind him to the point of being bearable in combat. Tanimura is awkward with his move set, making him pretty bad with crowd control, which is why RGG thought it was brilliant for you to use him to beat the final boss which is just Jingu from Kiwami again but somehow… worse!?! Congrats, RGG, you have given us the worst final boss in the entire franchise! You were sorta on a winning streak with some peak final bosses too! Even the side content isn’t even that good to distract yourself with! What happened over here???
The story, the more I try and let it cook in my head, leaves me with a slightly confused sour aftertaste when I reflect on it. While I can commend how bold it must’ve been for RGG to approach the next entry of a series with multiple protagonists, Kiryu in a way taking a major backseat here, it doesn’t pay off strongly. This is a very messy story with interesting and solid individual pieces, but what ties everything together is something that feels like a parody of Yakuza/Like A Dragon’s identity to this point. Yeah, I get it, Yakuza/Like A Dragon has its own tropes and clichés that I don’t doubt only continues being used in newer entries, but this feels like relying on too much that what we got are diminishing returns. It’s just twist after twist that keeps piling up, but never amounts to anything I found emotionally gripping by the end. This doesn’t really follow up on the implications I thought Yakuza 3 was going to push Kiryu towards, besides one unresolved plot thread left dangling that got folded into this game’s complicated plot. So, I was disappointed that this didn’t feel like the next dramatic chapter in his life because he’s not personally involved nor given primary focus, despite the story shoehorning in unbelievable reasons to make this still ‘personal’ for him. I didn’t even understand who was supposed to be the main antagonist or what they even wanted because they’re missing potential or straight up bad. It was so confusingly handled that they had to drag out fucking Daigo of all people from the little screen-time he has in the plot to be like some forced final baddie for Kiryu to fight one-on-one on a rooftop because this is Yakuza I guess.
Another low point in the series was something I didn't expect to come across since Kiwami. Especially one that I didn’t want to buy into the disappointment fans had because there is stuff to like here, mainly in isolation. But I can’t ignore how fragmented this one pulls everything together to make a whole I was dissatisfied with and can’t recommend without the obligation of needing to get through this to play Yakuza 5 next.
Yakuza 4 is a game that stretches itself far too thin. Never being able to compensate enough despite its own glaring weaknesses. This is the least emotionally engaged I’ve been with an entry, easily ranking itself as being the weakest Yakuza/Like A Dragon if Kiwami didn’t exist. I knew that this along with Yakuza 3 was considered a low point in the series, but I surprisingly enjoyed 3 positively and I thought Yakuza 4 would fall under a similar camp for me. And… I was mostly wrong when I tried approaching this game with that fair outlook.
This feels the closest to matching in line with Yakuza 0 conceptually, strange that sounds to say after going through the Kiwami games. The obvious point of comparison being the series’ first experiment with multi-protagonists as a storytelling format to break up the plot. While using each protagonist’s section to direct dramatic beats that build upon the ones set up previously in the story. There are other bits that feel like paving the way for Yakuza 0 such as including Little Asia with its own narrowed underbelly buried between the walls of Kamurocho, the differing gameplay styles of each protagonist feeling like a precursor to the four brawling styles Kiryu adopts later, and obviously everything to do with Majima/Saejima which becomes important. If you’ve read between the lines of how I described these similarities, you’d notice how I’m sorta framing everything Yakuza 4 does as essential but ultimately prototypical groundwork for what a better game executed with cleanliness and style. To be fair, this is an argument that can be made for every Yakuza/Like A Dragon game to this very point, even the Kiwamis. The foundation for all of them is still rooted in an RGG who hasn't fully mastered their own craft, the identity of the series, which Yakuza 0 is an encapsulation for how far they have come since these entries were still developing. Except, even being aware that 0 is the peak these games would eventually strive to become, I still found unique value in almost every entry for what they add to the franchise. Kiwami is pretty bad, but we had to start from somewhere, even if it can’t be remade into something much greater. Kiwami 2 gets nonsensical with its own twists near the end, but it has Sayama and Ryuji Goda. Yakuza 3 added so much to Kiryu’s character and reinforced how tragic his life will be for the people closest to him. Yakuza 4, though? …beyond introducing new series favorites like Akiyama, I’m at a loss for what makes this feel like a standout entry with unique merits that isn’t already absorbed into Yakuza 0 or any other entry.
The gameplay is honestly a mixed bag even though it’s a continuation of Yakuza 3’s combat except quickstep isn’t nerfed and enemies block less. You play as four different protagonists who have different brawling playstyles in combat, and half of them just feel pretty bad to play. Saejima, especially, is no short of being awful unless you grind him to the point of being bearable in combat. Tanimura is awkward with his move set, making him pretty bad with crowd control, which is why RGG thought it was brilliant for you to use him to beat the final boss which is just Jingu from Kiwami again but somehow… worse!?! Congrats, RGG, you have given us the worst final boss in the entire franchise! You were sorta on a winning streak with some peak final bosses too! Even the side content isn’t even that good to distract yourself with! What happened over here???
The story, the more I try and let it cook in my head, leaves me with a slightly confused sour aftertaste when I reflect on it. While I can commend how bold it must’ve been for RGG to approach the next entry of a series with multiple protagonists, Kiryu in a way taking a major backseat here, it doesn’t pay off strongly. This is a very messy story with interesting and solid individual pieces, but what ties everything together is something that feels like a parody of Yakuza/Like A Dragon’s identity to this point. Yeah, I get it, Yakuza/Like A Dragon has its own tropes and clichés that I don’t doubt only continues being used in newer entries, but this feels like relying on too much that what we got are diminishing returns. It’s just twist after twist that keeps piling up, but never amounts to anything I found emotionally gripping by the end. This doesn’t really follow up on the implications I thought Yakuza 3 was going to push Kiryu towards, besides one unresolved plot thread left dangling that got folded into this game’s complicated plot. So, I was disappointed that this didn’t feel like the next dramatic chapter in his life because he’s not personally involved nor given primary focus, despite the story shoehorning in unbelievable reasons to make this still ‘personal’ for him. I didn’t even understand who was supposed to be the main antagonist or what they even wanted because they’re missing potential or straight up bad. It was so confusingly handled that they had to drag out fucking Daigo of all people from the little screen-time he has in the plot to be like some forced final baddie for Kiryu to fight one-on-one on a rooftop because this is Yakuza I guess.
Another low point in the series was something I didn't expect to come across since Kiwami. Especially one that I didn’t want to buy into the disappointment fans had because there is stuff to like here, mainly in isolation. But I can’t ignore how fragmented this one pulls everything together to make a whole I was dissatisfied with and can’t recommend without the obligation of needing to get through this to play Yakuza 5 next.
despite all the complaints people have with this game, this is my favorite of the old yakuzas that didnt get full remakes
The music is awesome and I like the 4 main characters. The personal character stories are pretty good and I like the backstories as well...
However, and I hate to say it, the core story is absolute dogshit. Just ass... so ass. The most stupid mickey mouse plot twists you can ever pull. It's laughable at how bad it is
The combat is good for the most part except for a few bosses (one being a final boss which was one of the worst bosses I think I've ever experienced)
There were a decent amount of cool moments, but I think this game is just pretty average overall
However, and I hate to say it, the core story is absolute dogshit. Just ass... so ass. The most stupid mickey mouse plot twists you can ever pull. It's laughable at how bad it is
The combat is good for the most part except for a few bosses (one being a final boss which was one of the worst bosses I think I've ever experienced)
There were a decent amount of cool moments, but I think this game is just pretty average overall
This review contains spoilers
I beat this game two days ago and I have been hesitant to post my review since I've been debating what score to give it: 4,5, or a 6.
Ultimately and unfortunately, I give this game a 4 out of 10.
Lemme break down my experience with the game into 5 distinct 'chapters' like the game breaks it down between the protagonists.
Part1: Where is Kiryu?
(1 hour in as Akiyama)
Ok this guy and his story is really cool, I can fuck with this.
Part 2: Wait we're switching already to a new guy? Ok this prison stuff is interesting.
(everything with Saejima after the prison part) alright this isnt interesting at all, and this guy doesn't play that well.
Note: I almost dropped the game at this part because even the Majima fight at the end felt anticlimactic.
Part 3: Lemme give this Tanimura guy a chance.
(2 hours later) OK this guy is the least likable person in this series, when is the Kiryu or Akiyama part?
Part 4: My boy Kiryu! This is sure to be great.
(2 hours later) I cant believe how disappointing this is. We have 4 protagonists and only Kamurocho to explore where Yakuza 2 and 3 had 2 areas each, and they somehow don't treat the Kiryu chapters any better than the rest of the game.
Part 5: The end of the Kiryu chapter and the entire final chapter. I'm sure if youre still here reading this, you probably have played this game. Up until now I was sort of into the story, mostly the Yasuko part and not much else, MAYBE Tanimura's father's demise and not Tanimura himself. The scene on the rooftop at the end of chapter 16 was a roller coaster. The rubber bullet nonsense is known by this point, then Yasuko becomes a magic zombie girl who ignores getting shot and then immediately dies when she kills the other guy, then more rubber bullet nonsense. I cannot stress enough how lame a concept having rubber bullets ruining the Saejima scene is in a game like this. Top it off with a final chapter where we fight 4 guys where I felt like Arai was the only one I 'felt' like fighting from story implications. I dont even remember the senior cop guy's name because I had zero motivation to have him as a villain. It was so fucking inconsequential. ON TOP OF THAT, where 3 of the final 4 fights were 'ok,' the final fight against him is BY FAR the WORST fight in any Yakuza game I've played, and I've played 7 so far. (0-4 and both Kiwami) Who the fuck approved that? Overall the combat encounters in this game didn't feel too interesting, where even 1 on ps2 had more fun encounters. If the story is eh and the combat scenarios aren't that fun what are you even left with?
Then in the ending that whole weird part about Hana losing so much weight from not eating at all was so offputting. Leave the poor girl alone, don't make us applaud the idea that she's 'skinny' now because she was so sick she couldn't eat. I felt so bad for her and then they pull that shit out, and she takes off her glasses as if you can only be pretty if you dont wear glasses and are skinny. Such a stupid part.
This game tried new ideas and I applaud them for it but ultimately, coming off of 1-3 which all had stories and villains that I felt strongly about, to this where the whole thing just felt like it came and went, lowered my score of the game a lot. I liked Akiyama's part a lot, I wish the game had more of him and I felt they could have done Saejima better (Yes I am aware they are in part 5, btw) but Tanimura felt like he didn't belong with us.
One final thing to mention that also made me lower my view of the game: holy shit does this game feel rushed. It was made in less than 2 years, I think it was a little more than 1? and boy does it show. Hard to go into detail since it was so many little things I noticed, like the entirety of the final showdown of Saejima's chapters happening in 1 big room, where previous games would have multiple rooms for the different fights.
4/10, a bad Yakuza game.
Ultimately and unfortunately, I give this game a 4 out of 10.
Lemme break down my experience with the game into 5 distinct 'chapters' like the game breaks it down between the protagonists.
Part1: Where is Kiryu?
(1 hour in as Akiyama)
Ok this guy and his story is really cool, I can fuck with this.
Part 2: Wait we're switching already to a new guy? Ok this prison stuff is interesting.
(everything with Saejima after the prison part) alright this isnt interesting at all, and this guy doesn't play that well.
Note: I almost dropped the game at this part because even the Majima fight at the end felt anticlimactic.
Part 3: Lemme give this Tanimura guy a chance.
(2 hours later) OK this guy is the least likable person in this series, when is the Kiryu or Akiyama part?
Part 4: My boy Kiryu! This is sure to be great.
(2 hours later) I cant believe how disappointing this is. We have 4 protagonists and only Kamurocho to explore where Yakuza 2 and 3 had 2 areas each, and they somehow don't treat the Kiryu chapters any better than the rest of the game.
Part 5: The end of the Kiryu chapter and the entire final chapter. I'm sure if youre still here reading this, you probably have played this game. Up until now I was sort of into the story, mostly the Yasuko part and not much else, MAYBE Tanimura's father's demise and not Tanimura himself. The scene on the rooftop at the end of chapter 16 was a roller coaster. The rubber bullet nonsense is known by this point, then Yasuko becomes a magic zombie girl who ignores getting shot and then immediately dies when she kills the other guy, then more rubber bullet nonsense. I cannot stress enough how lame a concept having rubber bullets ruining the Saejima scene is in a game like this. Top it off with a final chapter where we fight 4 guys where I felt like Arai was the only one I 'felt' like fighting from story implications. I dont even remember the senior cop guy's name because I had zero motivation to have him as a villain. It was so fucking inconsequential. ON TOP OF THAT, where 3 of the final 4 fights were 'ok,' the final fight against him is BY FAR the WORST fight in any Yakuza game I've played, and I've played 7 so far. (0-4 and both Kiwami) Who the fuck approved that? Overall the combat encounters in this game didn't feel too interesting, where even 1 on ps2 had more fun encounters. If the story is eh and the combat scenarios aren't that fun what are you even left with?
Then in the ending that whole weird part about Hana losing so much weight from not eating at all was so offputting. Leave the poor girl alone, don't make us applaud the idea that she's 'skinny' now because she was so sick she couldn't eat. I felt so bad for her and then they pull that shit out, and she takes off her glasses as if you can only be pretty if you dont wear glasses and are skinny. Such a stupid part.
This game tried new ideas and I applaud them for it but ultimately, coming off of 1-3 which all had stories and villains that I felt strongly about, to this where the whole thing just felt like it came and went, lowered my score of the game a lot. I liked Akiyama's part a lot, I wish the game had more of him and I felt they could have done Saejima better (Yes I am aware they are in part 5, btw) but Tanimura felt like he didn't belong with us.
One final thing to mention that also made me lower my view of the game: holy shit does this game feel rushed. It was made in less than 2 years, I think it was a little more than 1? and boy does it show. Hard to go into detail since it was so many little things I noticed, like the entirety of the final showdown of Saejima's chapters happening in 1 big room, where previous games would have multiple rooms for the different fights.
4/10, a bad Yakuza game.
This review contains spoilers
me when the lad I betrayed betrays me while I betray the other guy who betrayed me but I betrayed him bu he actually survived and betrayedme nadber
Genial, historia ambiciosa e que toma riscos, dizer q o plot desse jogo é ruim é basicamente dizer que não entendeu qual a essência de yakuza até aqui, o jogo tem os momentos de personagem mais fortes (entre os 4 primeiros yakuza) e faz diversos paralelos e conexões incriveis com o yakuza 1 e yakuza 2, definitivamente uma das melhores historias da série ate agora.
It improves on the gameplay of Yakuza 3 so much with some really fun combat and mini-games and the new main characters here are sick while having some great moments in the plot but oh my god does the storytelling quality take the ugliest nosedive I've seen in the series. The plot twists are comically excessive and almost predictable (with one twist in particular being really badly handled, you will know it when you see it), certain story aspects aren't as fleshed out as they should be or just had virtually NO build-up to them especially towards the end of the game, Kiryu's overall involvement in the plot, and the story becoming way too convoluted for its own good. The ending just ends up feeling unearned because of these elements so you just end up with an incoherent messy story shooting too high for the stars. It's my least favorite of all the Yakuza/Like A Dragon games by far but at least the soundtrack is baller though.
Also insane how 3/4 of the final bosses are pretty cool but then you end on the worst boss in the entire franchise by throwing an entire squad of enemies who collectively jump and stunlock your shit while the boss keeps shooting you to hell. Straight up stupid ass fight.
Also insane how 3/4 of the final bosses are pretty cool but then you end on the worst boss in the entire franchise by throwing an entire squad of enemies who collectively jump and stunlock your shit while the boss keeps shooting you to hell. Straight up stupid ass fight.
This review contains spoilers
what a ride this was. this game truly started in one of the most unexpected ways as we are introduced to a brand new character and - even crazier than that - have him fill kiryu's role as the protagonist of the game. or, as i would later find out, have him be one out of four playable characters.
akiyama was great from the start. had a super strong introduction, characteristics and a past that made him very alluring. i can't lie and say it didn't take some getting used to, to play as someone who isn't kiryu, but the intrigue of akiyama's story line made it not as hard as i initially thought it would be. he's just super charming and his dynamic with arai, kido and hana were all fantastic from the start so i enjoyed myself even while i was missing kiryu more than ever. it got even crazier when the second protagonist of the game revealed himself to be FUCKING SAEJIMA. a character i've been anticipating since playing yakuza 0.
saejima's story is something i've been waiting and praying for for so long, so i was instantly hooked. i couldn't wait to get more context on what went down 25 years ago and i was on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to reunite with majima again. which, by the way, was incredible. their dynamic is as peak as i expected it to be and i loved all of their moments together. I LOVE MAJIMA SO MUCH. the fact that, no matter the circumstances, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS BEING FUCKING TORTURED, he saw no excuse for betrayal and wanted/expected saejima to punish him for what he did. while saejima, despite feeling betrayed and confused, replaying that day over and over again for the past 25 years, wanted nothing more than answers... that completely ruined me. he believed in majima so much. on death row for over two decades and still, he wouldn't and didn't just carelessly go after majima after escaping because he knew him better than anyone. he knew he must've had a reason for not showing up, wanted to believe it as well. not even hamazaki feeding him lies about his sworn brother deterred him from at least hearing him out. but majima did not make it that easy... he did not give up any answers without at least enduring a fight... these two will be the death of me, i swear. i love their relationship so much and the content they got definitely elevated them both a ton. yasuko was also a great addition to the story. another sibling bond ending in tragedy up on kamurocho hills... i loved her and thought her scenes, for the most part, were pretty good. i wish we'd gotten more majima content past part 2 though. i just NEED MORE of him!!!
something i appreciated with akiyama's part btw was that they tried to intigrate the hostess minigame stuff into the main story by relating it to yasuko. i still didn't really care for the gameplay but i thought that was neat. saejima's gameplay/combat was probably my least favorite in this game but i still enjoyed his section and saejima meeting kiryu and their fight on the beach made me experience every emotion known to man. i was absolutely elated to see kiryu again. not knowing whether or not he'd show up again later, i tried to savour every second of it. then i was conflicted and upset about the fact i had to fight him as saejima but glad saejima ended up collapsing instead of punching his lights out. kiryu losing a fight... is just not something i ever want to see happen lmao AND THEN we had one of the worst, if not THE worst moments in the whole franchise, which i won't get into, but it involved haruka and kiryu being a shitty dad. i'd rather move on from it and forget it ever happened. despite that, i loved seeing him even if it was brief. hamazaki's dynamic with saejima was good as well.
tanimura was another great protagonist to play. i liked his character and i overall really enjoyed how all these plot lines started to converge and how the protagonists met each other as the story progressed. he had some of the most insane things happening in his part lol. the boat chase was pretty fun. as it was happening, i didn't really know how to feel about all of that and sugiuchi and his death, but now, after finishing the game, i think i liked it. not a ton, but it wasn't bad at all. munakata was a decent antag as well. i'd say this game, alongside kiwami 1, has one of the weakest antagonist casts. arai i enjoyed though. AND OMG I LOVE KIDO. AND MINAMI. AND DAIGO. the antagonist cast is definitely better than the kiwami 1 one...
anyways, after finishing tanimura's part it finally happened... I HAD KIRYU BACK. i shed actual tears over it. that man is the love of my life. best combat/gameplay and best character in the franchise. kiryu, despite that hiccup in part 2, was PHENOMENAL in this game. the finale was another 10/10 chapter for me too. yakua just knows how to end a game. it was incredibly hype to see all four of our protagonists go up against a different opponent. tanimura really drew the short end of the stick though... having to fight like, twenty guys all on his own. was super fun though. i loved how this game tied into the previous ones i've played and how we had money fall from the sky again and how much of a full circle moment it was for akiyama. GOD, WHEN MUNAKATA SHOT HIM I STOPPED BREATHING FOR A SECOND. what they did there was CRUEL. almost gave me a fucking heart attack, thinking he would die. speaking of fake out deaths and what-not, the entire "rubber bullet" plot and reveal of saejima not actually killing anyone back in '85 was something that initially made me pause for a bit. i had to think about whether i liked that twist or not and i ultimately came to the conclusion that i did like it. it helped that i quite liked katsuragi as a character. i don't have any major issues with it, or any issues at all, really. yasuko being the one to kill katsuragi i also really liked. so much greatness...
last, but certainly not least, i need to mention how much i adore hana. MY QUEEN. i didn't really know what to think of when she came back looking as skinny as she did, but i think they played it off well. even though i wanted akiyama to kiss her more than anything in the world, i'm glad the scene didn't go there in that moment. to not have him immediately want to get his hands on her just cause her appearance changed, is something i actually appreciated but i'm still mad at him for not making a move at any point in the game. kissing yasuko instead in part 1... (i didn't mind the kiss between those two but i really need akiyama and hana to get together already!! i really hope they do/did)
so to summarize, this game was insane. i really liked the overarching plot, the multiple protagonists, how it all comes together, the finale and most of the new cast. there were some moments, both gameplay and story wise, i didn't enjoy as much as previous games and it didn't really elicit any super strong emotions in me, but i still loved it and thought it had really solid writing. my rating for it might go up in the future but i feel like a four out of five is not too shabby. i love yakuza. can't wait for yakuza 5 to destroy me.
akiyama was great from the start. had a super strong introduction, characteristics and a past that made him very alluring. i can't lie and say it didn't take some getting used to, to play as someone who isn't kiryu, but the intrigue of akiyama's story line made it not as hard as i initially thought it would be. he's just super charming and his dynamic with arai, kido and hana were all fantastic from the start so i enjoyed myself even while i was missing kiryu more than ever. it got even crazier when the second protagonist of the game revealed himself to be FUCKING SAEJIMA. a character i've been anticipating since playing yakuza 0.
saejima's story is something i've been waiting and praying for for so long, so i was instantly hooked. i couldn't wait to get more context on what went down 25 years ago and i was on the edge of my seat, waiting for him to reunite with majima again. which, by the way, was incredible. their dynamic is as peak as i expected it to be and i loved all of their moments together. I LOVE MAJIMA SO MUCH. the fact that, no matter the circumstances, EVEN THOUGH HE WAS BEING FUCKING TORTURED, he saw no excuse for betrayal and wanted/expected saejima to punish him for what he did. while saejima, despite feeling betrayed and confused, replaying that day over and over again for the past 25 years, wanted nothing more than answers... that completely ruined me. he believed in majima so much. on death row for over two decades and still, he wouldn't and didn't just carelessly go after majima after escaping because he knew him better than anyone. he knew he must've had a reason for not showing up, wanted to believe it as well. not even hamazaki feeding him lies about his sworn brother deterred him from at least hearing him out. but majima did not make it that easy... he did not give up any answers without at least enduring a fight... these two will be the death of me, i swear. i love their relationship so much and the content they got definitely elevated them both a ton. yasuko was also a great addition to the story. another sibling bond ending in tragedy up on kamurocho hills... i loved her and thought her scenes, for the most part, were pretty good. i wish we'd gotten more majima content past part 2 though. i just NEED MORE of him!!!
something i appreciated with akiyama's part btw was that they tried to intigrate the hostess minigame stuff into the main story by relating it to yasuko. i still didn't really care for the gameplay but i thought that was neat. saejima's gameplay/combat was probably my least favorite in this game but i still enjoyed his section and saejima meeting kiryu and their fight on the beach made me experience every emotion known to man. i was absolutely elated to see kiryu again. not knowing whether or not he'd show up again later, i tried to savour every second of it. then i was conflicted and upset about the fact i had to fight him as saejima but glad saejima ended up collapsing instead of punching his lights out. kiryu losing a fight... is just not something i ever want to see happen lmao AND THEN we had one of the worst, if not THE worst moments in the whole franchise, which i won't get into, but it involved haruka and kiryu being a shitty dad. i'd rather move on from it and forget it ever happened. despite that, i loved seeing him even if it was brief. hamazaki's dynamic with saejima was good as well.
tanimura was another great protagonist to play. i liked his character and i overall really enjoyed how all these plot lines started to converge and how the protagonists met each other as the story progressed. he had some of the most insane things happening in his part lol. the boat chase was pretty fun. as it was happening, i didn't really know how to feel about all of that and sugiuchi and his death, but now, after finishing the game, i think i liked it. not a ton, but it wasn't bad at all. munakata was a decent antag as well. i'd say this game, alongside kiwami 1, has one of the weakest antagonist casts. arai i enjoyed though. AND OMG I LOVE KIDO. AND MINAMI. AND DAIGO. the antagonist cast is definitely better than the kiwami 1 one...
anyways, after finishing tanimura's part it finally happened... I HAD KIRYU BACK. i shed actual tears over it. that man is the love of my life. best combat/gameplay and best character in the franchise. kiryu, despite that hiccup in part 2, was PHENOMENAL in this game. the finale was another 10/10 chapter for me too. yakua just knows how to end a game. it was incredibly hype to see all four of our protagonists go up against a different opponent. tanimura really drew the short end of the stick though... having to fight like, twenty guys all on his own. was super fun though. i loved how this game tied into the previous ones i've played and how we had money fall from the sky again and how much of a full circle moment it was for akiyama. GOD, WHEN MUNAKATA SHOT HIM I STOPPED BREATHING FOR A SECOND. what they did there was CRUEL. almost gave me a fucking heart attack, thinking he would die. speaking of fake out deaths and what-not, the entire "rubber bullet" plot and reveal of saejima not actually killing anyone back in '85 was something that initially made me pause for a bit. i had to think about whether i liked that twist or not and i ultimately came to the conclusion that i did like it. it helped that i quite liked katsuragi as a character. i don't have any major issues with it, or any issues at all, really. yasuko being the one to kill katsuragi i also really liked. so much greatness...
last, but certainly not least, i need to mention how much i adore hana. MY QUEEN. i didn't really know what to think of when she came back looking as skinny as she did, but i think they played it off well. even though i wanted akiyama to kiss her more than anything in the world, i'm glad the scene didn't go there in that moment. to not have him immediately want to get his hands on her just cause her appearance changed, is something i actually appreciated but i'm still mad at him for not making a move at any point in the game. kissing yasuko instead in part 1... (i didn't mind the kiss between those two but i really need akiyama and hana to get together already!! i really hope they do/did)
so to summarize, this game was insane. i really liked the overarching plot, the multiple protagonists, how it all comes together, the finale and most of the new cast. there were some moments, both gameplay and story wise, i didn't enjoy as much as previous games and it didn't really elicit any super strong emotions in me, but i still loved it and thought it had really solid writing. my rating for it might go up in the future but i feel like a four out of five is not too shabby. i love yakuza. can't wait for yakuza 5 to destroy me.
we oughta jump rgg for not bringing back tanimura again
I think the Yakuza writing cliches have peaked
New characters taking bullets for Kiryu
Every antagonist betrays each other
Any time a character is happy they get shot
Protag drops gun right next to antag and gets shot 3 minutes later
Date and Sudo come in with a helicopter in the finale
The tv goes dark because the cutscenes have gone on for so long
This is peak writing
New characters taking bullets for Kiryu
Every antagonist betrays each other
Any time a character is happy they get shot
Protag drops gun right next to antag and gets shot 3 minutes later
Date and Sudo come in with a helicopter in the finale
The tv goes dark because the cutscenes have gone on for so long
This is peak writing
''Nesta cidade existe homens que podem derrotar cem ou duzentos caras sozinhos''
(Antes de começar a Review, quero deixar avisado que hoje já é possível debulhar de Yakuza 4 em PT-BR no PC, a galera da Brazil Alliance fez um trampo excelente na tradução desse jogo, tornando muito mais satisfatório e gostoso de aproveitar a história dessa obra de arte!)
Bom, é com essa frase de Tanimura que começo essa review sobre Yakuza 4, eu já havia começado ele um tempo atrás no Xbox mas havia dropado por falta de tempo e vontade, mas agora que estou livre decidi recomeça-lo.
De primeira esse jogo já me pegou, eu amei a personalidade do Akiyama, aquele jeitão todo sarcástico meio cafajeste de novela brasileira dos anos 90, me fez se encantar por esse personagem e posteriormente, por sua linha de desenvolvimento.
E já que citei desenvolvimento, é muito bom falar disso nesse Yakuza aqui em específico pois ele traz na primeira vez na franquia, uma história com 4 personagens que tem seus destinos interligados, sendo eles: Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Tanimura, e por fim o clássico Kazuma Kiryu.
Deixar frisado aqui que a forma que eles fizeram de contar a história e desenrolar ali os personagens foi bastante eficiente, deixou a desejar um pouco na minha opinião no Tanimura, achei o desenvolvimento dele muito apressado e acho que essa regra de ter encurtado a historinha deles em 4 capítulos pode ter prejudicado em criar mais apego com os personagens.
Mas toda essa vibe de quarteto e a história que cada um deles vive, é bem intrigante e dá até uma certa vibe animadora ao ver a forma que cada um tem de lidar com os seus aliados, é bem bonitinho o jeito deles de demonstrar carinho.
Apesar de cada um ter uma personalidade específica e bem forte, ambos tem a mesma coisa em mente que é: Concluir o objetivo. A única coisa que se dá pra comparar entre os personagens é a determinação deles, não só ela como a coragem também.
Bom, agora sobre as substories e minigames que querendo ou não, é uma das partes essenciais pra se ter diversão no Yakuza, ela também não deixa a desejar! As side quest são divertidas pra caramba e tem umas histórias que deixam até lição de moral, não fiz todas claro, fiz o que pude. (ainda vou tirar um tempo pra explorar ele por completo), mas o tanto que completei já foi o suficiente pra eu dar nota 10 pras side desse jogo, os Minigame então seguem aquele mesmo padrão divertido, só não curti muito o joguinho da Sega la que eles botaram no fliperama, achei meio preenchedor de vazio e não me deu muita diversão, mas o Karaoke ainda continua perfeito caso estejam curiosos sobre!
Não há mais nada pra se dizer desse jogo, é uma obra de arte, quase perfeito se não fosse por uns errinhos aqui e lá, sua história é impecável e pega logo as pontas soltas do 1, só não dou 5 estrelas por que o Saejima não consegue cantar no karaoke.
(Antes de começar a Review, quero deixar avisado que hoje já é possível debulhar de Yakuza 4 em PT-BR no PC, a galera da Brazil Alliance fez um trampo excelente na tradução desse jogo, tornando muito mais satisfatório e gostoso de aproveitar a história dessa obra de arte!)
Bom, é com essa frase de Tanimura que começo essa review sobre Yakuza 4, eu já havia começado ele um tempo atrás no Xbox mas havia dropado por falta de tempo e vontade, mas agora que estou livre decidi recomeça-lo.
De primeira esse jogo já me pegou, eu amei a personalidade do Akiyama, aquele jeitão todo sarcástico meio cafajeste de novela brasileira dos anos 90, me fez se encantar por esse personagem e posteriormente, por sua linha de desenvolvimento.
E já que citei desenvolvimento, é muito bom falar disso nesse Yakuza aqui em específico pois ele traz na primeira vez na franquia, uma história com 4 personagens que tem seus destinos interligados, sendo eles: Akiyama, Taiga Saejima, Tanimura, e por fim o clássico Kazuma Kiryu.
Deixar frisado aqui que a forma que eles fizeram de contar a história e desenrolar ali os personagens foi bastante eficiente, deixou a desejar um pouco na minha opinião no Tanimura, achei o desenvolvimento dele muito apressado e acho que essa regra de ter encurtado a historinha deles em 4 capítulos pode ter prejudicado em criar mais apego com os personagens.
Mas toda essa vibe de quarteto e a história que cada um deles vive, é bem intrigante e dá até uma certa vibe animadora ao ver a forma que cada um tem de lidar com os seus aliados, é bem bonitinho o jeito deles de demonstrar carinho.
Apesar de cada um ter uma personalidade específica e bem forte, ambos tem a mesma coisa em mente que é: Concluir o objetivo. A única coisa que se dá pra comparar entre os personagens é a determinação deles, não só ela como a coragem também.
Bom, agora sobre as substories e minigames que querendo ou não, é uma das partes essenciais pra se ter diversão no Yakuza, ela também não deixa a desejar! As side quest são divertidas pra caramba e tem umas histórias que deixam até lição de moral, não fiz todas claro, fiz o que pude. (ainda vou tirar um tempo pra explorar ele por completo), mas o tanto que completei já foi o suficiente pra eu dar nota 10 pras side desse jogo, os Minigame então seguem aquele mesmo padrão divertido, só não curti muito o joguinho da Sega la que eles botaram no fliperama, achei meio preenchedor de vazio e não me deu muita diversão, mas o Karaoke ainda continua perfeito caso estejam curiosos sobre!
Não há mais nada pra se dizer desse jogo, é uma obra de arte, quase perfeito se não fosse por uns errinhos aqui e lá, sua história é impecável e pega logo as pontas soltas do 1, só não dou 5 estrelas por que o Saejima não consegue cantar no karaoke.
Yakuza 4 aged better than the third episode, that's for sure. Like all the previous games it's still a solid entry in the series, which I enjoyed for the most part. Personally, I liked that the story is full of betrayals and that we got bombarded with plot twist after plot twist. And the soap opera quality of the emotions that run through it made for yet another great Yakuza experience. But the last 2 hours or so felt really rushed.
Introducing several new main characters was quite ambitious back then, but still well done. Though, Akiyama was really the only new addition I grew quite fond of.
However, there is one thing I have to nitpick because it kind of soured the experience for me a bit. Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely adore the Yakuza franchise and that it's one of my favorites of all time..
...so with that out of the way, I need to talk about -that- scene. Yes, it's about Saejima and Haruka’s introduction scene. I understand what the writers were trying to do, but using Haruka for that was just wrong on so many levels. The excuse, “he hasn’t been around a woman in years”, is terrible because Haruka is a child, not a woman. It's gross and it made it very difficult to like Saejima afterward (I eventually did though). The idea that we're supposed to applaud Saejima for having the strength of will to not rape a child, like that isn't the base level of behaviour we expect out of anyone who wants to participate in human society, is laughable. There's literally nothing to applaud in that scene. It was neither deep nor well written, it was just bad in taste. Like I said, I love Yakuza but I will never excuse that scene like so many other fans did. It was unnecessary.
Introducing several new main characters was quite ambitious back then, but still well done. Though, Akiyama was really the only new addition I grew quite fond of.
However, there is one thing I have to nitpick because it kind of soured the experience for me a bit. Let me preface this by saying that I absolutely adore the Yakuza franchise and that it's one of my favorites of all time..
...so with that out of the way, I need to talk about -that- scene. Yes, it's about Saejima and Haruka’s introduction scene. I understand what the writers were trying to do, but using Haruka for that was just wrong on so many levels. The excuse, “he hasn’t been around a woman in years”, is terrible because Haruka is a child, not a woman. It's gross and it made it very difficult to like Saejima afterward (I eventually did though). The idea that we're supposed to applaud Saejima for having the strength of will to not rape a child, like that isn't the base level of behaviour we expect out of anyone who wants to participate in human society, is laughable. There's literally nothing to applaud in that scene. It was neither deep nor well written, it was just bad in taste. Like I said, I love Yakuza but I will never excuse that scene like so many other fans did. It was unnecessary.
This review contains spoilers
Rubber bullets.
Given the other reviews on this page, it shouldn't be a surprise how many people are taken aback or out of the story entirely through such a plot point. Quite frankly, too many people miss the point entirely, only focusing on the absurdity of such an event. Admittedly, while I think it is a bit silly, there's something about it that highlights something within Saejima's character that I feel like gets overlooked.
For an absolute brute of a man loaded to the teeth with iron ready to absolutely execute everyone within the ramen shop, it's a little strange he never goes for a headshot, no? This observation in conjunction with That Scene (Haruka) I feel like some people miss on how true to his humanity Saejima is. Even in a position where his enemy is most susceptible to a bullet straight through the eyes, Saejima never takes the shot. Most, if not, all of his gunshots land in the abdomen. A seemingly lethal yet inversely very survivable place to be shot. There are a couple of gunshots that deviate from this but all land in non-lethal locations: 2 shots to the side from the back, and a gunshot to the shoulder. The location of the final bullet shooting the leader is revealed to be just below the shoulder, where the other abdomen-deviating shots landed. Had the bullets been real, it's likely that no one would have died at all. Though the mission was to kill people, Saejima couldn't stomach having to witness the lives of people leaving in front of his eyes.
Because of his humanity, this story beat allows the rest of the game to occur, in spite of his appearances and affiliations, he is human. Though it may seem like his allegiance to his family is absolute, his allegiance to humanity is indomitable.
Now about the rest of the game I love it I wish Tanimura was in Yakuza5 i love him so much RGG please bring him bac khe's my husband i miss him thank you.
Given the other reviews on this page, it shouldn't be a surprise how many people are taken aback or out of the story entirely through such a plot point. Quite frankly, too many people miss the point entirely, only focusing on the absurdity of such an event. Admittedly, while I think it is a bit silly, there's something about it that highlights something within Saejima's character that I feel like gets overlooked.
For an absolute brute of a man loaded to the teeth with iron ready to absolutely execute everyone within the ramen shop, it's a little strange he never goes for a headshot, no? This observation in conjunction with That Scene (Haruka) I feel like some people miss on how true to his humanity Saejima is. Even in a position where his enemy is most susceptible to a bullet straight through the eyes, Saejima never takes the shot. Most, if not, all of his gunshots land in the abdomen. A seemingly lethal yet inversely very survivable place to be shot. There are a couple of gunshots that deviate from this but all land in non-lethal locations: 2 shots to the side from the back, and a gunshot to the shoulder. The location of the final bullet shooting the leader is revealed to be just below the shoulder, where the other abdomen-deviating shots landed. Had the bullets been real, it's likely that no one would have died at all. Though the mission was to kill people, Saejima couldn't stomach having to witness the lives of people leaving in front of his eyes.
Because of his humanity, this story beat allows the rest of the game to occur, in spite of his appearances and affiliations, he is human. Though it may seem like his allegiance to his family is absolute, his allegiance to humanity is indomitable.
Now about the rest of the game I love it I wish Tanimura was in Yakuza5 i love him so much RGG please bring him bac khe's my husband i miss him thank you.
This review contains spoilers
Finished playing Yakuza 4
Shun Akiyama my beloved :3
This game is fricking awesome, i thought it wasn't gonna be anything that blew my socks off because it doesn't really get a high amount of praise or a high amount of hate. The game is split into 5 different parts where you play as 4 protagonists. Kamurocho is a fun city to traverse, you can order food, play table tennis, go to the karaoke, go to a batting center etc. In part 1 you play as Shun Akiyama a handsome fella who lends money to people who pass his test. Akiyama is the 2nd most fun character to play as imo, his fighting style literally kicks ass and he has really awesome heat actions. In part 1 we also get introduced to Yasuko and Kido, both side characters that i liked. Ihara and Midorikawa are alright bosses but Daisaku Minami is a dope fight and a dope asf character who sadly gets like 1 minute of screentime. My main problem with this part is that Akiyama has the weakest substories out of all the characters, they aren't bad by any means, but they are very forgettable.
The first few chapters of part 2 are quite crazy, you see Majima with 2 eyes, the shootout scene, you break out of prison and you fight Kiryu. Saejima is a really fun character to play as, his fighting style is centered around charging powerful attacks but a nitpick i have about his combat is that he has the worst heat actions out of all the characters but they still aren't bad. Part 2 has better bosses than every part except maybe the final part. Saito is a dogshit boss but Kiryu, Ivan, Minami and Majima are all really good. Sadly we don't see Minami again after this part 😦
Saejima has really good substories especially the brother and sister ones. What keeps part 2 from being perfect is that dogshit prison break section and traversing kamurocho as Saejima is annoying as fuck because of all those damn cops.
Part 3 is the best part in my opinion.
Tanimura's combat is really great, i fuckin love his parrying and he has some pretty good heat actions. This part has the best story, it has the only somewhat decent villain in this game (Junji Sugiuchi), Tanimura has the best substories and i personally don't have any problems with this part, except that one moment where the cops were just letting Sugiuchi walk out room because they can't shoot but they can just yk arrest him?
In part 4 you finally play as Kiryu. Kiryu has easily the best combat imo because tiger drop go brr and he has the best heat actions.
The only boss fight here is Tanimura and Akiyama which is pretty solid and Kiryu's substories are really good. I really didn't like how they killed Yasuko in this part tho, you're telling me Saejima just decided to spare Katsurabitch because he just wasn't worth killing? And why was Kiryu just standing there? And why didn't Yasuko just shoot Katsuragi right when Saejima got shot? Part 5 is a good finale. They nailed Daigo, Arai and Kido's boss fight but Munakata's "boss" (which is also the last "boss" you fight) is fucking dogshit. I would've preferred if the boss was just one single strong ass bodyguard but nope lets put a bunch of enemies that dodge half of your attacks while Munakata shoots you, yep thats definitely gonna be a good fight! Only good this about this fight is the intro and also when i finally took down all those fucking bodyguards i did as many heat actions as i could on Munakata because he is a pussy ass bitch and one of the lamest villains ever, like seriously idk how they made such a painfully lame villain. Speaking of villains Katsuragi was also lame, Arai was alright but he lacked a LOT of screentime and like i said before Sugiuchi is the only somewhat decent villain that also lacks screentime but at least those 5 minutes of screentime were memorable.
Also the rubber bullets plot twist isn't as bad as some people say, i'm not gonna start spouting nonsense and say that it's actually a brilliant plot twist but it really wasn't that bad. The ost is genuinely fucking amazing, so many banger songs like the myth, material delights, for face and so much more. Overall i think this game deserves way more love, the combat is without a doubt awesome, the bosses are pretty good except for a few of them, all 4 protagonists are fucking awesome, the side content is really great, the ost is amazing and imo the dumb moments and the lame ass villains in the story, the Saejima prison break section and the final boss are what keep this game from being perfect. 9/10
Shun Akiyama my beloved :3
This game is fricking awesome, i thought it wasn't gonna be anything that blew my socks off because it doesn't really get a high amount of praise or a high amount of hate. The game is split into 5 different parts where you play as 4 protagonists. Kamurocho is a fun city to traverse, you can order food, play table tennis, go to the karaoke, go to a batting center etc. In part 1 you play as Shun Akiyama a handsome fella who lends money to people who pass his test. Akiyama is the 2nd most fun character to play as imo, his fighting style literally kicks ass and he has really awesome heat actions. In part 1 we also get introduced to Yasuko and Kido, both side characters that i liked. Ihara and Midorikawa are alright bosses but Daisaku Minami is a dope fight and a dope asf character who sadly gets like 1 minute of screentime. My main problem with this part is that Akiyama has the weakest substories out of all the characters, they aren't bad by any means, but they are very forgettable.
The first few chapters of part 2 are quite crazy, you see Majima with 2 eyes, the shootout scene, you break out of prison and you fight Kiryu. Saejima is a really fun character to play as, his fighting style is centered around charging powerful attacks but a nitpick i have about his combat is that he has the worst heat actions out of all the characters but they still aren't bad. Part 2 has better bosses than every part except maybe the final part. Saito is a dogshit boss but Kiryu, Ivan, Minami and Majima are all really good. Sadly we don't see Minami again after this part 😦
Saejima has really good substories especially the brother and sister ones. What keeps part 2 from being perfect is that dogshit prison break section and traversing kamurocho as Saejima is annoying as fuck because of all those damn cops.
Part 3 is the best part in my opinion.
Tanimura's combat is really great, i fuckin love his parrying and he has some pretty good heat actions. This part has the best story, it has the only somewhat decent villain in this game (Junji Sugiuchi), Tanimura has the best substories and i personally don't have any problems with this part, except that one moment where the cops were just letting Sugiuchi walk out room because they can't shoot but they can just yk arrest him?
In part 4 you finally play as Kiryu. Kiryu has easily the best combat imo because tiger drop go brr and he has the best heat actions.
The only boss fight here is Tanimura and Akiyama which is pretty solid and Kiryu's substories are really good. I really didn't like how they killed Yasuko in this part tho, you're telling me Saejima just decided to spare Katsurabitch because he just wasn't worth killing? And why was Kiryu just standing there? And why didn't Yasuko just shoot Katsuragi right when Saejima got shot? Part 5 is a good finale. They nailed Daigo, Arai and Kido's boss fight but Munakata's "boss" (which is also the last "boss" you fight) is fucking dogshit. I would've preferred if the boss was just one single strong ass bodyguard but nope lets put a bunch of enemies that dodge half of your attacks while Munakata shoots you, yep thats definitely gonna be a good fight! Only good this about this fight is the intro and also when i finally took down all those fucking bodyguards i did as many heat actions as i could on Munakata because he is a pussy ass bitch and one of the lamest villains ever, like seriously idk how they made such a painfully lame villain. Speaking of villains Katsuragi was also lame, Arai was alright but he lacked a LOT of screentime and like i said before Sugiuchi is the only somewhat decent villain that also lacks screentime but at least those 5 minutes of screentime were memorable.
Also the rubber bullets plot twist isn't as bad as some people say, i'm not gonna start spouting nonsense and say that it's actually a brilliant plot twist but it really wasn't that bad. The ost is genuinely fucking amazing, so many banger songs like the myth, material delights, for face and so much more. Overall i think this game deserves way more love, the combat is without a doubt awesome, the bosses are pretty good except for a few of them, all 4 protagonists are fucking awesome, the side content is really great, the ost is amazing and imo the dumb moments and the lame ass villains in the story, the Saejima prison break section and the final boss are what keep this game from being perfect. 9/10
IMPORTANT TIP: Before you go past that final point of no return, you're gonna want to complete the training sequences for Akiyama, Saejima, and Tanimura. Upon completion of each of these, you'll get a piece of armor. MAKE SURE you equip all three of them on Tanimura before you proceed with the finale. You'll thank me later.
Now that that's out of the way, I thought this was a pretty good game! For the first game in the series to have multiple playable characters, I think they pulled it off well. They're all pretty solid, except for Tanimura who, while still good, had some more annoying moments during his parts of the story than the other three (including what I referred to at the beginning; I just know it would've been terrible if i didn't follow my friends' advice). Also, as everyone else who's played has noticed, enemies grab pretty often in this game for whatever reason. It's nothing to worry about in most situations, but it can lead to some nasty combos in certain encounters, so be warned. Anyways, the story is pretty good too, but the twists do start to get kinda ridiculous. That aside, I think giving Kiryu a more minor role for the first time in order to focus on some new characters was a pretty cool choice, and I liked how their individual stories became more and more interconnected over time. I also felt like the OST was a bit weaker this time around too; still very good overall, but there definitely weren't as many standout tracks for me as there were in, say, Yakuza 0 or Yakuza 3. For all of those issues, though, I still think Yakuza 4 is very much worth playing if you've been enjoying the other games!
also they brought back the fishing minigame from the previous game and it still goes hard holy shit
Now that that's out of the way, I thought this was a pretty good game! For the first game in the series to have multiple playable characters, I think they pulled it off well. They're all pretty solid, except for Tanimura who, while still good, had some more annoying moments during his parts of the story than the other three (including what I referred to at the beginning; I just know it would've been terrible if i didn't follow my friends' advice). Also, as everyone else who's played has noticed, enemies grab pretty often in this game for whatever reason. It's nothing to worry about in most situations, but it can lead to some nasty combos in certain encounters, so be warned. Anyways, the story is pretty good too, but the twists do start to get kinda ridiculous. That aside, I think giving Kiryu a more minor role for the first time in order to focus on some new characters was a pretty cool choice, and I liked how their individual stories became more and more interconnected over time. I also felt like the OST was a bit weaker this time around too; still very good overall, but there definitely weren't as many standout tracks for me as there were in, say, Yakuza 0 or Yakuza 3. For all of those issues, though, I still think Yakuza 4 is very much worth playing if you've been enjoying the other games!
also they brought back the fishing minigame from the previous game and it still goes hard holy shit
Going into Yakuza 4, I wasn't sure of what to expect, as pretty much nobody talks about it and reception seems to be mixed, so it surprised me how much quicker and strongly the game hooked me from the start. With the multiple character setup, the city is open for you very early on, but this game also has the best progression system in the whole series, as I hear even 5 messes it up a little, letting you pick exactly which upgrade you want as long as it's not locked. This lets you get new moves quickly and have fun with the combat very easily, despite how limited every character that isn't Kiryu ends up feeling. Despite the snappy gameplay though, its first chapter is pretty slow when it comes to proper bosses (more than 8 hours for Akiyama if you go around doing side stories!) and meaty story bits, partly, because Yakuza 4 is more interested in showing us who the new protags are on a personal level, so it's not a big problem if you're into that.
Speaking of levels, they're the best in the whole series so far! In my Yakuza 3 review, I mourned how little of them there were, as this is where Yakuza's combat shines the most. Here, they throw neat twists to the combat that I'm surprised took this long for them to try, and coupled with the great progression system, they can be a great challenge as sometimes the game will put them at the beginning of a character's story and you'll have to... Think about which moves are most convenient to buy in your current situation, woah. Akiyama's has no healing items because it's at the end of his story, Saejima's has you dodge snipers while you fight and he also has some fights with time limits before this; Tanimura has you fight enemies while walking on slippery oil and Kiryu gets one that lasts like one hour, with 4 minibosses and a fight in the dark. It's great! But the finale really needed one final epic level where you switch between all 4 protags before the final bosses. You finish leveling everyone up and some of their side content, ready to take on the final challenge and it ends very quickly and underwhelmingly.
This is why I also recommend doing Amon on this one. The game doesn't require you to complete every hostess and every minigame to unlock it this time, so it's pretty easy to get to him, and the fight isn't complete stupidity for masochists either, I fought him on hard mode and I didn't even die, but it was a decent challenge and a good way to finish the game. I was actually advised against playing hard mode, people saying Saejima's first boss was one of the worst designed in the series, but it really wasn't that bad. I honestly had more trouble with the dude that chokes grenades at you on that level lol. What surprises me is that Yakuza 3 combat haters never complain about this one's combat. Maybe it is because I was on hard, but I swear, something actually IS wrong with this game because the frequency in which enemies will grab you from behind, even teleporting from 6 feet away to do so and stunlock you as 5 dudes punch you is way more egregious than any of the blocking in Yakuza 3. One quick tip for the final boss, no spoilers, get a good spear for Tanimura, trust me.
Some notes on side content: Inner Fighter sucks in this. It came up with neat twists to previous boss fights in 3, but here, they only do it with the chainsaw guy for some reason and you only get new skills from fighting Kiryu, whereas 3 gave you some with all fights, so it's a waste to do them outside of Kiryu unless you want a larger heat bar, which you don't need. There are less substories this time, but the game doesn't overwhelm you with them like 3 did, it feels like the right amount for each character. And finally, Yakuza 4 introduces a batting cage minigame that doesn't suck ass!
Now I'm gonna talk a bit about the story so get out if you haven't played it. Let's get it out of the way, the twist is fine, the first time. Most of the talk about this game's story revolves around it, but its critics seem to not realize that the whole point is that this is the shittiest, most sloppily done conspiracy ever, and the only reason it was kept that way is because someone of higher power and even more corrupt wanted in on the whole thing for bigger purposes. It doesn't invalidate Saejima's arc or his scene at the coliseum either, even if he didn't kill all those people, he still pulled the trigger each time, lived for years with the trauma and guilt, was treated like an animal in prison and lost his sister because of it. No wonder he doesn't give a shit that they were rubber bullets and he got framed. Part of this twist is obviously still motivated by the awkwardness of RGG Studio not actually wanting to have a protagonist that murdered people so savagely but also wanting to have multiple protagonists that are criminals, corrupt officers, or just kinda shitty people (Akiyama). Now, the second time this rubber bullet twist happens, it's pretty silly, but whatever.
Akiyama may have the shortest end of the stick here, I really would've liked to see more of his relationship with Arai and I think he should've been the one to fight Kido as well, he's been friends with both for years and I think this should've been the emotional crux of the conflict with the villains, but it left them without someone to fight Saejima with Katsuragi being both weak and dead. I dunno, they could've brought back the biggest hater in Japan, Saito, one last time, who would surely side with Munakata. I enjoy Munakata's design, guy never seems to blink and it makes him creepy as hell, but there's a reason these games always have the weak main villain with a gun and goons be the penultimate boss, and have a strong rival as the final boss. Maybe they could've had Daigo as the final boss, whose role here, really should've carried a lot more weight. Kiryu's just kinda reprimending him and because this is a Yakuza game, this can only be done with a shirtless fistcuff on a rooftop, but unlike Yakuza 3, it doesn't feel like it should go like this with Daigo, who looks like he knows he has no chance of winning here. I would've liked to see a Daigo that gets more corrupted by the position Kiryu mistakenly put him in, a Daigo that goes "balls out" to accomplish his goal, even if it means killing Kiryu. So we're left with Munakata for last and Tanimura is the one to fight him because it makes the most thematic sense.
A lot of it feels like they wrote the story first and designed the game second, and it would explain many of the issues with the game. The plot isn't as convoluted as it's made to be, Yakuza 3's was worse, but most of it is awkwardly dumped on Tanimura's chapter as, again, the game is more interested in exploring the characters on a personal level, where it usually shines really nicely. I especially love, once more, Hamazaki's arc. The whole "this clan is the only proof guys like us ever existed" thing really got to me, here's where RGG actually manages to fully do it, I feel empathy for a proper criminal that did terrible things, with just a few words. The game is very good overall, but its finale just deflates the whole thing and makes people think the whole thing sucks in both gameplay and story and I think it's far from it.
Special thanks to @Detchibe for this and Binary Domain's Steam key.
Boxcelios > Boxcelios II
Speaking of levels, they're the best in the whole series so far! In my Yakuza 3 review, I mourned how little of them there were, as this is where Yakuza's combat shines the most. Here, they throw neat twists to the combat that I'm surprised took this long for them to try, and coupled with the great progression system, they can be a great challenge as sometimes the game will put them at the beginning of a character's story and you'll have to... Think about which moves are most convenient to buy in your current situation, woah. Akiyama's has no healing items because it's at the end of his story, Saejima's has you dodge snipers while you fight and he also has some fights with time limits before this; Tanimura has you fight enemies while walking on slippery oil and Kiryu gets one that lasts like one hour, with 4 minibosses and a fight in the dark. It's great! But the finale really needed one final epic level where you switch between all 4 protags before the final bosses. You finish leveling everyone up and some of their side content, ready to take on the final challenge and it ends very quickly and underwhelmingly.
This is why I also recommend doing Amon on this one. The game doesn't require you to complete every hostess and every minigame to unlock it this time, so it's pretty easy to get to him, and the fight isn't complete stupidity for masochists either, I fought him on hard mode and I didn't even die, but it was a decent challenge and a good way to finish the game. I was actually advised against playing hard mode, people saying Saejima's first boss was one of the worst designed in the series, but it really wasn't that bad. I honestly had more trouble with the dude that chokes grenades at you on that level lol. What surprises me is that Yakuza 3 combat haters never complain about this one's combat. Maybe it is because I was on hard, but I swear, something actually IS wrong with this game because the frequency in which enemies will grab you from behind, even teleporting from 6 feet away to do so and stunlock you as 5 dudes punch you is way more egregious than any of the blocking in Yakuza 3. One quick tip for the final boss, no spoilers, get a good spear for Tanimura, trust me.
Some notes on side content: Inner Fighter sucks in this. It came up with neat twists to previous boss fights in 3, but here, they only do it with the chainsaw guy for some reason and you only get new skills from fighting Kiryu, whereas 3 gave you some with all fights, so it's a waste to do them outside of Kiryu unless you want a larger heat bar, which you don't need. There are less substories this time, but the game doesn't overwhelm you with them like 3 did, it feels like the right amount for each character. And finally, Yakuza 4 introduces a batting cage minigame that doesn't suck ass!
Now I'm gonna talk a bit about the story so get out if you haven't played it. Let's get it out of the way, the twist is fine, the first time. Most of the talk about this game's story revolves around it, but its critics seem to not realize that the whole point is that this is the shittiest, most sloppily done conspiracy ever, and the only reason it was kept that way is because someone of higher power and even more corrupt wanted in on the whole thing for bigger purposes. It doesn't invalidate Saejima's arc or his scene at the coliseum either, even if he didn't kill all those people, he still pulled the trigger each time, lived for years with the trauma and guilt, was treated like an animal in prison and lost his sister because of it. No wonder he doesn't give a shit that they were rubber bullets and he got framed. Part of this twist is obviously still motivated by the awkwardness of RGG Studio not actually wanting to have a protagonist that murdered people so savagely but also wanting to have multiple protagonists that are criminals, corrupt officers, or just kinda shitty people (Akiyama). Now, the second time this rubber bullet twist happens, it's pretty silly, but whatever.
Akiyama may have the shortest end of the stick here, I really would've liked to see more of his relationship with Arai and I think he should've been the one to fight Kido as well, he's been friends with both for years and I think this should've been the emotional crux of the conflict with the villains, but it left them without someone to fight Saejima with Katsuragi being both weak and dead. I dunno, they could've brought back the biggest hater in Japan, Saito, one last time, who would surely side with Munakata. I enjoy Munakata's design, guy never seems to blink and it makes him creepy as hell, but there's a reason these games always have the weak main villain with a gun and goons be the penultimate boss, and have a strong rival as the final boss. Maybe they could've had Daigo as the final boss, whose role here, really should've carried a lot more weight. Kiryu's just kinda reprimending him and because this is a Yakuza game, this can only be done with a shirtless fistcuff on a rooftop, but unlike Yakuza 3, it doesn't feel like it should go like this with Daigo, who looks like he knows he has no chance of winning here. I would've liked to see a Daigo that gets more corrupted by the position Kiryu mistakenly put him in, a Daigo that goes "balls out" to accomplish his goal, even if it means killing Kiryu. So we're left with Munakata for last and Tanimura is the one to fight him because it makes the most thematic sense.
A lot of it feels like they wrote the story first and designed the game second, and it would explain many of the issues with the game. The plot isn't as convoluted as it's made to be, Yakuza 3's was worse, but most of it is awkwardly dumped on Tanimura's chapter as, again, the game is more interested in exploring the characters on a personal level, where it usually shines really nicely. I especially love, once more, Hamazaki's arc. The whole "this clan is the only proof guys like us ever existed" thing really got to me, here's where RGG actually manages to fully do it, I feel empathy for a proper criminal that did terrible things, with just a few words. The game is very good overall, but its finale just deflates the whole thing and makes people think the whole thing sucks in both gameplay and story and I think it's far from it.
Special thanks to @Detchibe for this and Binary Domain's Steam key.
Boxcelios > Boxcelios II
Finished in 2023
I was pleasantly surprised by this installment. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like the chapter system for all the protaganists, but I loved it. Akiyama is easily became one of my all time favorite characters of the franchise. Not a big fan of the side quest tracking system of this one though.
I was pleasantly surprised by this installment. I wasn’t sure if I was gonna like the chapter system for all the protaganists, but I loved it. Akiyama is easily became one of my all time favorite characters of the franchise. Not a big fan of the side quest tracking system of this one though.
The 4 characters were a blast to play as and seeing everything come together and unfold was super satisfying. The soundtrack is amazing too. You can't go wrong with Yakuza
we are.. the yakuza 4 remastered.
not that it exactly matters if you haven't played it, but a big point that yakuza 0 makes about the life of the yakuza is the emphasis on honor above all else. daisuke kuze being a massive paragon of this honor, with his willingness to cut his finger off after the shame of being bested by kiryu, and his insistence on finally defeating him throughout the game to see who truly was the better man between the two of them. kuze's honor drove him to be better, and it was this same honor that people like taiga saejima were so fond of - the willingness to die for your family and do whatever it took is what drove him to carry out the hit that followed him for so many years, despite his chance to back out.
but that was over 20 years ago. in the time of yakuza 4, it seems men like kuze, kiryu, and saejima are nothing more than rarities, as n the pursuit of riches has usurped honor as the way of the yakuza, giving way to men like isao katsuragi who admit they could not give a rat's ass about honor and want nothing more than to live long, fulfilling lives. they're a dying breed, and as hamazaki puts it, people like kiryu have a duty to protect the tojo clan from corruption, for they're "the only proof guys like us ever existed".
generally, because of plot threads like that, i think yakuza 4 is amazing when it wants to be. saejima's story is emblematic of the game's highest points, for he's probably the most interesting character in the game due to his old-fashioned yakuza virtues clashing with the antagonists of the game and his journey of coming to make peace with the hit he carried out on the ueno seiwa clan. he bolsters goro majima as a character too, our first look underneath the mad dog personality that reveals some of the baggage he carries with him.
though saejima's part may be my favorite i don't want to discredit the others, as akiyama and tanimura are still great protagonists that are incredibly fun to watch due to their more energetic personalities and own personal drama, and kiryu is still the noble and battle-hardened man he always is, him and the game fully embracing his status as a legend, accepting the duty he has to protect the tojo clan despite his wishes to live a life free of yakuza drama in okinawa.
unfortunately when yakuza 4 is not being a very great story it gets pretty rough!
as someone who has been spending this marathon spending less on time on the substories than i originally did with 0 and k1, i still found ample time to upgrade kiryu and explore kamurocho in the first three games as the length you spend with him gave you a lot of time to do things at your own pace. in yakuza 4, however, it feels as if you really need to do everything as fast as you can before the part is over as you only get to spend about four or so chapters before your time is up and it's onto the next guy, leaving a lot of things i planned to do later in kamurocho unresolved because i only chipped away at it.
what exactly this has to do with the story, though, is it leads to parts like tanimura's feeling pretty rushed. i found myself feeling a sense of "that's it?" because with the exception of saejima's, it feels like they end as soon as they begin. there's a character in tanimura's part that barely shows up only for them to be revealed as a traitor, and then they kill themselves as retribution as soon as the reveal happens which just leaves me going "oh. that just happened ig"
arguably the far bigger problem with y4's story though is the crime drama stuff aside from saejima's arc is just largely uninteresting and gets incredibly headache-inducing to follow. betrayal after betrayal keeps happening late into the story, twist and turn keeps being pulled as that guy was wearing a bulletproof vest, oh that guy was actually shot with a rubber bullet, oh that guy actually wasn't actually shot in his vitals he was actually shot in his hip meaning he's still alive because this one guy changes allegiances more frequently than the fucking weather in florida changes in a single day and it's just like goddamnit! stop! jesus christ! it just gets annoying when the story keeps trying to pull the wool over your eyes to the point where the story becomes a bitch to follow
on the combat side of things i think it's generally more of a sidegrade compared to y3. in comparison kiryu feels much more better starting out as you have more moves given to you when you begin his part, and akiyama, tanimura and saejima are generally pretty damn fun due to the lightning-fast yet super stylish pace of akiyama and tanimura's battles, and the almost power-trippy nature of saejima's heavy and brutal combat. due to the soul orbs it's also much quicker to upgrade your characters than it was in y3 which i also appreciate.
that being said, for as much shit as people (sometimes me included) give y3's combat, i can't help but feel if y4 can sometimes reach lows faaaaar worse. this game has some of the worst and most downright frustrating battles ever to be put in a yakuza game such as tanimura and kiryu's long battles, that damn prison guard that keeps bothering you during saejima's prison break, and tanimura's final boss (which i think may just be the worst fight in this series yet). enemy attacks can get extremely frustrating to avoid when in battles like these it's extremely easy to just get wallbounded or hitstunned to hell and back, when in y2, i feel fights were much more manageable on average without feeling too easy. this was a problem in y3 as well but i feel y4 may be yakuza combat at its most annoying sometimes, and that's a hell of a statement considering my feelings on something like y1's combat
and like, i think that's pretty emblematic of my thoughts on yakuza 4 as a whole. there is a good amount of stuff in this game that i think is genuinely fantastic from a gameplay, narrative, and presentation standpoint, sometimes reaching all-new highs for the series. but other moments feel like all-new lows due to the story being needlessly convoluted towards the end, and specific combat encounters being a massive pain in the ass to handle. can't bring myself to say yakuza 4 isn't good bc of what it does right, but its flaws can very, very much bring it down from being even better.
not that it exactly matters if you haven't played it, but a big point that yakuza 0 makes about the life of the yakuza is the emphasis on honor above all else. daisuke kuze being a massive paragon of this honor, with his willingness to cut his finger off after the shame of being bested by kiryu, and his insistence on finally defeating him throughout the game to see who truly was the better man between the two of them. kuze's honor drove him to be better, and it was this same honor that people like taiga saejima were so fond of - the willingness to die for your family and do whatever it took is what drove him to carry out the hit that followed him for so many years, despite his chance to back out.
but that was over 20 years ago. in the time of yakuza 4, it seems men like kuze, kiryu, and saejima are nothing more than rarities, as n the pursuit of riches has usurped honor as the way of the yakuza, giving way to men like isao katsuragi who admit they could not give a rat's ass about honor and want nothing more than to live long, fulfilling lives. they're a dying breed, and as hamazaki puts it, people like kiryu have a duty to protect the tojo clan from corruption, for they're "the only proof guys like us ever existed".
generally, because of plot threads like that, i think yakuza 4 is amazing when it wants to be. saejima's story is emblematic of the game's highest points, for he's probably the most interesting character in the game due to his old-fashioned yakuza virtues clashing with the antagonists of the game and his journey of coming to make peace with the hit he carried out on the ueno seiwa clan. he bolsters goro majima as a character too, our first look underneath the mad dog personality that reveals some of the baggage he carries with him.
though saejima's part may be my favorite i don't want to discredit the others, as akiyama and tanimura are still great protagonists that are incredibly fun to watch due to their more energetic personalities and own personal drama, and kiryu is still the noble and battle-hardened man he always is, him and the game fully embracing his status as a legend, accepting the duty he has to protect the tojo clan despite his wishes to live a life free of yakuza drama in okinawa.
unfortunately when yakuza 4 is not being a very great story it gets pretty rough!
as someone who has been spending this marathon spending less on time on the substories than i originally did with 0 and k1, i still found ample time to upgrade kiryu and explore kamurocho in the first three games as the length you spend with him gave you a lot of time to do things at your own pace. in yakuza 4, however, it feels as if you really need to do everything as fast as you can before the part is over as you only get to spend about four or so chapters before your time is up and it's onto the next guy, leaving a lot of things i planned to do later in kamurocho unresolved because i only chipped away at it.
what exactly this has to do with the story, though, is it leads to parts like tanimura's feeling pretty rushed. i found myself feeling a sense of "that's it?" because with the exception of saejima's, it feels like they end as soon as they begin. there's a character in tanimura's part that barely shows up only for them to be revealed as a traitor, and then they kill themselves as retribution as soon as the reveal happens which just leaves me going "oh. that just happened ig"
arguably the far bigger problem with y4's story though is the crime drama stuff aside from saejima's arc is just largely uninteresting and gets incredibly headache-inducing to follow. betrayal after betrayal keeps happening late into the story, twist and turn keeps being pulled as that guy was wearing a bulletproof vest, oh that guy was actually shot with a rubber bullet, oh that guy actually wasn't actually shot in his vitals he was actually shot in his hip meaning he's still alive because this one guy changes allegiances more frequently than the fucking weather in florida changes in a single day and it's just like goddamnit! stop! jesus christ! it just gets annoying when the story keeps trying to pull the wool over your eyes to the point where the story becomes a bitch to follow
on the combat side of things i think it's generally more of a sidegrade compared to y3. in comparison kiryu feels much more better starting out as you have more moves given to you when you begin his part, and akiyama, tanimura and saejima are generally pretty damn fun due to the lightning-fast yet super stylish pace of akiyama and tanimura's battles, and the almost power-trippy nature of saejima's heavy and brutal combat. due to the soul orbs it's also much quicker to upgrade your characters than it was in y3 which i also appreciate.
that being said, for as much shit as people (sometimes me included) give y3's combat, i can't help but feel if y4 can sometimes reach lows faaaaar worse. this game has some of the worst and most downright frustrating battles ever to be put in a yakuza game such as tanimura and kiryu's long battles, that damn prison guard that keeps bothering you during saejima's prison break, and tanimura's final boss (which i think may just be the worst fight in this series yet). enemy attacks can get extremely frustrating to avoid when in battles like these it's extremely easy to just get wallbounded or hitstunned to hell and back, when in y2, i feel fights were much more manageable on average without feeling too easy. this was a problem in y3 as well but i feel y4 may be yakuza combat at its most annoying sometimes, and that's a hell of a statement considering my feelings on something like y1's combat
and like, i think that's pretty emblematic of my thoughts on yakuza 4 as a whole. there is a good amount of stuff in this game that i think is genuinely fantastic from a gameplay, narrative, and presentation standpoint, sometimes reaching all-new highs for the series. but other moments feel like all-new lows due to the story being needlessly convoluted towards the end, and specific combat encounters being a massive pain in the ass to handle. can't bring myself to say yakuza 4 isn't good bc of what it does right, but its flaws can very, very much bring it down from being even better.
"We are the Yakuza 4" -Yakuza 4
I do not like this one. It's the one I least think about it with time.
Altrough the inclusion of 4 characters was a nice addition, Yakuza 5 did it much, much better. I seriously struggle trying remembering what happen on this one. It goes to so many places I got lost mid game.
What was that final boss too? No seriously, is stupid but very funny.
I do not like this one. It's the one I least think about it with time.
Altrough the inclusion of 4 characters was a nice addition, Yakuza 5 did it much, much better. I seriously struggle trying remembering what happen on this one. It goes to so many places I got lost mid game.
What was that final boss too? No seriously, is stupid but very funny.
Excellent Story Backed Up By Tight Gameplay
Yakuza 3 Remastered wasn’t a bad game by any means but it did feel like something was missing and it’s flaws did hold it back. While Yakuza 4 Remastered isn’t perfect nor a huge step up, it’s improvements and tightening up of some elements means this is a vastly improved experience overall.
Visually, this game feels more vibrant than Yakuza 3 Remastered. Everything looks sharper and with a bit more detail or vibrant. There’s still the matter of some NPCs and non-important characters having gonk like faces or derpy expressions and there is still pop-up, but seeing restaurants and shops with people inside, and vending machine products with 3D objects inside, as just two examples, goes a long to to show that overall, the game is more graphically impressive.
The story has really increased, helped by the fact that we’re not only not just playing as Kiryu but not even starting as him! As you get to explore three new characters stories and activities (don’t worry, Kiryu is also playable). But there is more emphasis on the story as their seems to be more scenes (in game and CG).
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Ryu ga Gotoku game with weird design choices and for some reason item sharing isn’t available until end game. This is compounded by the fact that Akiyama can pick up most of the locker keys in the early game! It’s not a huge deal breaker, it’s just an odd quirk
The UI is vastly improved. It looks slicker and provides better information (with shops now telling you how much of an item you already have!), showing what materials you need for modding up front and visually and just giving you more info while looking more attractive. It can feel a bit stiff use.
Combat has gone through a slight overhaul. The way you unlock abilities mean you can tailor each character to a degree; Do you hold off and get the more expensive abilities earlier at the cost of being gimped for the early portion of each characters story or do you get what you can afford at each level-up, but make gaining those powerful abilities take a lot longer? Do you go for offensive, defensive moves or just mix-and-match? It’s not super deep but there is some options and flexibility to make it feel far less restrictive and gated like Yakuza 3 Remastered did.
Then there is actually playing the fighting part of Yakuza 4 Remastered. It feels more snappy and you feel like you have more heat options this time around. Random encounters seem to happen less frequently compared to Yakuza 3 Remastered. It can sometimes feel your enemies have unfair advantages or that they’ve been buffed to a degree, some of their attacks still have that annoying “homing” property where it seems like you’ve dodged an attack, only for it to do a curve and whack you on the back and it can be hard to get certain heat actions to activate, depending on the situation. Overall though, the combat does feel much better.
The minigames are back and some are changed for the better (examples include Coliseum isn’t as much of a drag and is more rewarding, hostess maker, while still a drag, is now just down to training three), some are the same (whether that’s good or bad depends on your skill level, patience and the ability to find strategies for games like Darts, Pool and the multitude of gambling games) and a few are worse (Fishing being the highlight). Table Tennis, a new addition, is pretty neat. Alas, no Pachinko in the Remastered version, though again that’s might be a good thing for many.
Modding is somewhat better, only held back by the lack of item sharing until the final chapter as well as the chapters being short. As such, there isn’t really much advantage to be taken unless you go out of your way (or do some obsessive planning on who gets certain locker keys). Another peculiar issue a few of the vendors are on different rooftops. Which means going to them can be a bit of a pain when you need something in particular.
Ah yes rooftops. We’re back to just exploring Kamurocho but this time we get to go to rooftops, an underground car park, an underground mini mall, a homeless shelter and even sewers. The “new” locations are small and as hinted at earlier, it’s more of a novel concept, only really being used to its fullest when doing sub-stories, modding or finding locker keys. The exception is the homeless shelter, which at least has a few additional reasons for going back to. It’d also have been nice if the rooftops were connected together. Still it is different and visually they are well designed, especially the underground car park with lovely lighting and ambient echo sounds.
Other notable gameplay elements are that chase sequences are improved and QTE’s seem a bit more forgiving.
Of course, one of the strongest elements of the Ryu ga Gotoku games is the story and here it’s fantastic. Joining Kiryu is Akiyama, the charming money lender with a huge heart of gold, Saejima a hulking figure with a legendary reputation and Tanimura, an aloof but talented cop who seeks to find the truth about his father’s murder. Joining them is an ensemble with their own motives, schemes and worldly viewpoints that bring an inevitable clash.
In regards to how these characters are; Kiryu is Kiryu, Akiyama is charismatic as hell with excellent story, Saejima has an excellent back story but overall his main story is probably the weakest and Tanimura arguably has the worst personality but has a great story. The latter is argued as the weakest link but overall this is a fine main assemble of protagonists and the rest of the cast is well done.
And it’s helped by the main story. The plot is fantastic with many awesome moments and the twists and turns are just finely done. The fact it references past games, tying up loose ends is icing on the cake. Once again, the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise is no stranger to excellent storytelling but this maybe the first game where you scream “Holy S***!” (or whatever your “OMG” cry is) at what goes down. It’s actually amazing the Yakuza 4 Remastered pulls this off as the chapters feel shorter than before. And yet the pack so much in without feeling rushed or bloated.
The excellent storytelling even goes down to the sub-stories, which have always been another strong point and now feel far more expansive. With many now having their own in-depth arc.
Yakuza 4 Remastered is highly recommended. It carries some flaws from Yakuza 3 Remastered and has still has some anachronistic Yakuza game design but the gameplay feels tighter, the plot execution is just perfect and the presentation is on point making this a very strong entry.
Rating: 8/10
Yakuza 3 Remastered wasn’t a bad game by any means but it did feel like something was missing and it’s flaws did hold it back. While Yakuza 4 Remastered isn’t perfect nor a huge step up, it’s improvements and tightening up of some elements means this is a vastly improved experience overall.
Visually, this game feels more vibrant than Yakuza 3 Remastered. Everything looks sharper and with a bit more detail or vibrant. There’s still the matter of some NPCs and non-important characters having gonk like faces or derpy expressions and there is still pop-up, but seeing restaurants and shops with people inside, and vending machine products with 3D objects inside, as just two examples, goes a long to to show that overall, the game is more graphically impressive.
The story has really increased, helped by the fact that we’re not only not just playing as Kiryu but not even starting as him! As you get to explore three new characters stories and activities (don’t worry, Kiryu is also playable). But there is more emphasis on the story as their seems to be more scenes (in game and CG).
Of course, this wouldn’t be a Ryu ga Gotoku game with weird design choices and for some reason item sharing isn’t available until end game. This is compounded by the fact that Akiyama can pick up most of the locker keys in the early game! It’s not a huge deal breaker, it’s just an odd quirk
The UI is vastly improved. It looks slicker and provides better information (with shops now telling you how much of an item you already have!), showing what materials you need for modding up front and visually and just giving you more info while looking more attractive. It can feel a bit stiff use.
Combat has gone through a slight overhaul. The way you unlock abilities mean you can tailor each character to a degree; Do you hold off and get the more expensive abilities earlier at the cost of being gimped for the early portion of each characters story or do you get what you can afford at each level-up, but make gaining those powerful abilities take a lot longer? Do you go for offensive, defensive moves or just mix-and-match? It’s not super deep but there is some options and flexibility to make it feel far less restrictive and gated like Yakuza 3 Remastered did.
Then there is actually playing the fighting part of Yakuza 4 Remastered. It feels more snappy and you feel like you have more heat options this time around. Random encounters seem to happen less frequently compared to Yakuza 3 Remastered. It can sometimes feel your enemies have unfair advantages or that they’ve been buffed to a degree, some of their attacks still have that annoying “homing” property where it seems like you’ve dodged an attack, only for it to do a curve and whack you on the back and it can be hard to get certain heat actions to activate, depending on the situation. Overall though, the combat does feel much better.
The minigames are back and some are changed for the better (examples include Coliseum isn’t as much of a drag and is more rewarding, hostess maker, while still a drag, is now just down to training three), some are the same (whether that’s good or bad depends on your skill level, patience and the ability to find strategies for games like Darts, Pool and the multitude of gambling games) and a few are worse (Fishing being the highlight). Table Tennis, a new addition, is pretty neat. Alas, no Pachinko in the Remastered version, though again that’s might be a good thing for many.
Modding is somewhat better, only held back by the lack of item sharing until the final chapter as well as the chapters being short. As such, there isn’t really much advantage to be taken unless you go out of your way (or do some obsessive planning on who gets certain locker keys). Another peculiar issue a few of the vendors are on different rooftops. Which means going to them can be a bit of a pain when you need something in particular.
Ah yes rooftops. We’re back to just exploring Kamurocho but this time we get to go to rooftops, an underground car park, an underground mini mall, a homeless shelter and even sewers. The “new” locations are small and as hinted at earlier, it’s more of a novel concept, only really being used to its fullest when doing sub-stories, modding or finding locker keys. The exception is the homeless shelter, which at least has a few additional reasons for going back to. It’d also have been nice if the rooftops were connected together. Still it is different and visually they are well designed, especially the underground car park with lovely lighting and ambient echo sounds.
Other notable gameplay elements are that chase sequences are improved and QTE’s seem a bit more forgiving.
Of course, one of the strongest elements of the Ryu ga Gotoku games is the story and here it’s fantastic. Joining Kiryu is Akiyama, the charming money lender with a huge heart of gold, Saejima a hulking figure with a legendary reputation and Tanimura, an aloof but talented cop who seeks to find the truth about his father’s murder. Joining them is an ensemble with their own motives, schemes and worldly viewpoints that bring an inevitable clash.
In regards to how these characters are; Kiryu is Kiryu, Akiyama is charismatic as hell with excellent story, Saejima has an excellent back story but overall his main story is probably the weakest and Tanimura arguably has the worst personality but has a great story. The latter is argued as the weakest link but overall this is a fine main assemble of protagonists and the rest of the cast is well done.
And it’s helped by the main story. The plot is fantastic with many awesome moments and the twists and turns are just finely done. The fact it references past games, tying up loose ends is icing on the cake. Once again, the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise is no stranger to excellent storytelling but this maybe the first game where you scream “Holy S***!” (or whatever your “OMG” cry is) at what goes down. It’s actually amazing the Yakuza 4 Remastered pulls this off as the chapters feel shorter than before. And yet the pack so much in without feeling rushed or bloated.
The excellent storytelling even goes down to the sub-stories, which have always been another strong point and now feel far more expansive. With many now having their own in-depth arc.
Yakuza 4 Remastered is highly recommended. It carries some flaws from Yakuza 3 Remastered and has still has some anachronistic Yakuza game design but the gameplay feels tighter, the plot execution is just perfect and the presentation is on point making this a very strong entry.
Rating: 8/10
I wanna continue playing this series but holy shit by the forth time this game basicly hard presses the reset button and yet again bombs me with new tutorial windows for yet another new character that will move the plot barely an ince after 10 hours Im just done.
how do you have the best gameplay in a mainline game so far with the stupidest fucking story and twists ever
FUCKING SAITO
FUCKING MUNAKATA
YOU TWO NOW ENTER THE F TIER BOSS FIGHTS IN YAKUZA (thomas glover is not alone anymore)
FUCKING MUNAKATA
YOU TWO NOW ENTER THE F TIER BOSS FIGHTS IN YAKUZA (thomas glover is not alone anymore)
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.
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.
Akiyama you have to stop. You smoke too tough. Your swag too different. Your bitch is too bad. they’ll kill you