Definitely a step up from the first Kiwami since that one recycled most of its content from the game right before it.
Kiwami 2 is different from the other Yakuza games(minus 6), being on a physics based engine that affects combat and movement.
The combat system is a step down from the two games(as it's carried from Yakuza 6) chronologically before it, but it's unique enough to also not be as dull at first.
Thanks to the new physics, there's a feeling of weight in the movement that some people may like or dislike. Combos are somewhat similar to the other games, but adds a second finisher to combos. You can also use grabs that are built into every combo to swing around enemies. Charge attacks are also included which are helpful for breaking blocks, and there's also heat mode which gives Kiryu some exclusive heat actions.
Since the new engine focuses on physics, there'll be ragdolls during combat that are pretty amusing for a while. But as you go through more battles, it starts to become a bit annoying as Kiryu himself is affected by it. And unless you've been unlocking Kiryu's battle skills throughout the story, the combat will get boring the more you fight.
The story is what you'd expect from a Yakuza game, a pretty good crime drama through the eyes of a resigned 4th Chairman. The quality of substories are also what's expected of the Yakuza series, also being less intrusive compared to Zero where you can't take more than 10 steps before triggering a quest.
There are some technical issues that come with the PC version due to the framerate. It seems QLOC was focused on porting the game based on 30FPS instead of 60FPS as both offer somewhat of a different experience, affecting both combat and minigames. Playing at 30FPS fixes most of the issues, but means you'll have to switch between 30 and 60 through the menus whenever it comes to minigames that work as intended in 60. There are some fan patches to fix some of it, but they don't completely fix the problem. It would be great for QLOC to release an official patch, but looking at their history of PC ports I wouldn't expect one anytime soon.
Overall, a good Yakuza game that may be a hit or miss for some people when it comes to gameplay.
Kiwami 2 is different from the other Yakuza games(minus 6), being on a physics based engine that affects combat and movement.
The combat system is a step down from the two games(as it's carried from Yakuza 6) chronologically before it, but it's unique enough to also not be as dull at first.
Thanks to the new physics, there's a feeling of weight in the movement that some people may like or dislike. Combos are somewhat similar to the other games, but adds a second finisher to combos. You can also use grabs that are built into every combo to swing around enemies. Charge attacks are also included which are helpful for breaking blocks, and there's also heat mode which gives Kiryu some exclusive heat actions.
Since the new engine focuses on physics, there'll be ragdolls during combat that are pretty amusing for a while. But as you go through more battles, it starts to become a bit annoying as Kiryu himself is affected by it. And unless you've been unlocking Kiryu's battle skills throughout the story, the combat will get boring the more you fight.
The story is what you'd expect from a Yakuza game, a pretty good crime drama through the eyes of a resigned 4th Chairman. The quality of substories are also what's expected of the Yakuza series, also being less intrusive compared to Zero where you can't take more than 10 steps before triggering a quest.
There are some technical issues that come with the PC version due to the framerate. It seems QLOC was focused on porting the game based on 30FPS instead of 60FPS as both offer somewhat of a different experience, affecting both combat and minigames. Playing at 30FPS fixes most of the issues, but means you'll have to switch between 30 and 60 through the menus whenever it comes to minigames that work as intended in 60. There are some fan patches to fix some of it, but they don't completely fix the problem. It would be great for QLOC to release an official patch, but looking at their history of PC ports I wouldn't expect one anytime soon.
Overall, a good Yakuza game that may be a hit or miss for some people when it comes to gameplay.