This game is weird because part of me wants to recommend playing it before 0 since the gameplay is just a worse version of 0 and you'd enjoy it more having it be your first Yakuza game (It actually was my first), but playing 0 first is almost mandatory due to it building the relationship between Kiryu and Nishiki so much more making the story of this game much more hard-hitting and compelling.

Anyway you slice it the game is solid with a really good story and great characters, but the side content just doesn't match up and the combat system is much more clunky than 0 despite coming out after.