This review contains spoilers
It has been a tradition of mine, ever since Yakuza 3, to buy every game in the series on release, play some of it, and then, for one reason or another, finally get around to finishing it just before the new one comes out. So, here I am, in late October of 2023, wrapping up Lost Judgment in time for Yakuza Gaiden.
Yeah, it's Like A Dragon now, but guess what: They screwed up by calling it Yakuza to begin with, and when there are... 9??? Like A Dragons to even things up, I'll concede the nomenclature.
Anyway, I shouldn't have put this one off, because I think it's actually the best Yakuza. Combat has been massively improved from the first game, removing the bizarre overly-animated flourishes, resulting in a far more fluid and responsive feel. I also particularly enjoyed the new Snake style. With its emphasis on limb locks, judo throws, disarming enemies, and "non-violent" takedowns, it feels like the series finally making good on Tanimura's concept from Y4.
The other major boon here is the plot. While most Yakuza games feature absurdly convoluted tales of Yakuza politics, double-and-triple crosses, and various buildings exploding, Lost Judgment keeps things relatively simple. This is great, to me, because I couldn't tell you what happened in most of the mainline games. 6? Uhhh, Haruka had a baby with some random guy, Kazuma played baseball, and Takeshi Kitano summoned a submarine. Why did that happen? I dunno.
To the people who just really want to see Millennium Tower get blasted to bits, the relatively low-key plots of the Judgment games are probably underwhelming, but I love them. Honestly, they're the closest we'll probably ever get to proper Daredevil games. Turn the dub on and pretend you're playing as Mattu Murudoku. This is especially true this time, as we get the best antagonist the series has ever seen, who provides a compelling counter-view to Yagami's hard-on for the Law.
The friendship system from the last game has been replaced by the school stories, wherein Yagami ends up being a "special advisor" to pretty much every club in the school, and nobody thinks that's weird. What IS weird is how you have to do some grinding in the dance club before the others will open up, and the school stories menu will sometimes say their progress is locked when it actually isn't.
These clubs, and their accompanying minigames, are of varying quality, as you'd expect. Most of them are fine, with one exception: anyone who complains about the Robotics Club clearly didn't do the Death Races. Holy shit, you have to do SO many of them and it SUCKS, and the last few are BRUTAL. If you don't have the DLC bike, good luck!! (Speaking of DLC, I think it's pretty inexcusable that the only girlfriend available in the base game is the absolute worst one... Minato Todo 4ever)
That said, the sidestories are an essential part of the experience. I know there are people who completely ignore them, and those freaks need to be studied like orangutans. You need to have the tonal whiplash of Yagami finding out a friend has been murdered, and then immediately playing Virtua Fighter 5 in the eSports club. Or, in the middle of the story's climax, doing a little Three Stooges bit with Kaito in one of those muscle men boards with head cutouts.
Unfortunate that this series is likely dead due to insane talent agency bullshit. They had a good thing going, and Johnny's just had to blow it up! Johnny's, and their PRIDE...
10/10
[Marked as "Mastered" because I completed all school stories, all but 3 or so of the side cases, and the vast majority of the TownGo/KamuroGo missions. I'm never 100%ing a Yakuza. Are you kidding me?]
Yeah, it's Like A Dragon now, but guess what: They screwed up by calling it Yakuza to begin with, and when there are... 9??? Like A Dragons to even things up, I'll concede the nomenclature.
Anyway, I shouldn't have put this one off, because I think it's actually the best Yakuza. Combat has been massively improved from the first game, removing the bizarre overly-animated flourishes, resulting in a far more fluid and responsive feel. I also particularly enjoyed the new Snake style. With its emphasis on limb locks, judo throws, disarming enemies, and "non-violent" takedowns, it feels like the series finally making good on Tanimura's concept from Y4.
The other major boon here is the plot. While most Yakuza games feature absurdly convoluted tales of Yakuza politics, double-and-triple crosses, and various buildings exploding, Lost Judgment keeps things relatively simple. This is great, to me, because I couldn't tell you what happened in most of the mainline games. 6? Uhhh, Haruka had a baby with some random guy, Kazuma played baseball, and Takeshi Kitano summoned a submarine. Why did that happen? I dunno.
To the people who just really want to see Millennium Tower get blasted to bits, the relatively low-key plots of the Judgment games are probably underwhelming, but I love them. Honestly, they're the closest we'll probably ever get to proper Daredevil games. Turn the dub on and pretend you're playing as Mattu Murudoku. This is especially true this time, as we get the best antagonist the series has ever seen, who provides a compelling counter-view to Yagami's hard-on for the Law.
The friendship system from the last game has been replaced by the school stories, wherein Yagami ends up being a "special advisor" to pretty much every club in the school, and nobody thinks that's weird. What IS weird is how you have to do some grinding in the dance club before the others will open up, and the school stories menu will sometimes say their progress is locked when it actually isn't.
These clubs, and their accompanying minigames, are of varying quality, as you'd expect. Most of them are fine, with one exception: anyone who complains about the Robotics Club clearly didn't do the Death Races. Holy shit, you have to do SO many of them and it SUCKS, and the last few are BRUTAL. If you don't have the DLC bike, good luck!! (Speaking of DLC, I think it's pretty inexcusable that the only girlfriend available in the base game is the absolute worst one... Minato Todo 4ever)
That said, the sidestories are an essential part of the experience. I know there are people who completely ignore them, and those freaks need to be studied like orangutans. You need to have the tonal whiplash of Yagami finding out a friend has been murdered, and then immediately playing Virtua Fighter 5 in the eSports club. Or, in the middle of the story's climax, doing a little Three Stooges bit with Kaito in one of those muscle men boards with head cutouts.
Unfortunate that this series is likely dead due to insane talent agency bullshit. They had a good thing going, and Johnny's just had to blow it up! Johnny's, and their PRIDE...
10/10
[Marked as "Mastered" because I completed all school stories, all but 3 or so of the side cases, and the vast majority of the TownGo/KamuroGo missions. I'm never 100%ing a Yakuza. Are you kidding me?]