I'm genuinely surprised that Yakuza 3 is considered one of the weaker entries of the series, as I personally had such a great time with it. The combat may be less polished than later games, but I still found it so much fun, especially in the last chapter. And like the other games, there's plenty of fun side stories and minigames to make spending time in Kamurocho and Okinawa really fun. The story may have some pacing issues, but as a whole I feel it's very strong. It puts on display what makes Kiryu such an endearing character (his kindness and empathy) but also such a tragic one (unintentionally putting those he loves in danger). This combined with some of my favorite side characters and one of my favorite antagonists made this story so compelling for me. And when it all culminated so beautifully in that final chapter, it feels very easy for me to call this one of my favorite Yakuza games.