Might actually be the most disappointing game I've played all year. The low number of newcomers isn't even the worst of it, if I'm being brutally honest. The single-player content is lacking, they've completely gutted the online matchmaking for no reason, and the treatment of the English dub is absolutely appalling with supposed use of AI generation.

It's a shame, because I actually really dig a lot of what this game does mechanically. As someone who loved pulling off stylish shit in Storm 3 and 4 it was nice to see them embrace that and let players get wild with combos. Unfortunately a lot of this game's issues prevent me from playing more. Maybe down the line things will get better, but right now I think I'll just play other fighting games in the meantime.

Also holy shit, CyberConnect2 and Bandai Namco, PLEASE stop beating around the bush and implement rollback netcode. I would love all your fighting games way more if the online didn't make me wanna die.

Much more fun than the original, I think. Though it still feels held back by budgetary constraints, I think the devs are closer to realizing the game they wanted to make. Legit my biggest issues mostly relate to how stiff cancelling into certain moves can be at times, and the fact that a lot of late-game enemies love teching out of combos and it can be a wild goose chase.

But ultimately, yeah I had fun. Combat felt like a step back at first, but once you get into the rhythm of tagging to different characters mid-combo, knowing when to use your skills in a combo, etc., it becomes a lot more fun.

Also, it has one of the best New Game Plus modes I've seen in an action RPG. I don't wanna spoil it for people but like, there are much more successful, higher-budget games that don't even do what this game does with NG+, it's kinda nuts.

Played this on the PS3 HD remaster using a guide. So much better than people give it credit for. Yeah the Kiwami remakes are the shiny, newer games, and I can still have fun with them, but I really don't see them as replacements.

The Yakuza series, at least from the first game up to 0, are very clearly meant to build on each other mechanically, and it wasn't until 6 where we got our first drastic mechanical shake-up. With that in mind, it's why I recommend OG Yakuza 1 + 2 as the starting points if you can find a way to play them. Yakuza 1 is definitely Yakuza at its most "barebones", but that doesn't make it bad at all. Quite the opposite, really, I think its simplicity really add to its charm. It feels pretty snappy once you unlock more moves, with heat moves that are much more to-the-point than in later entries, feeling almost like extensions of your base moveset rather than the crazy spectacle super moves like in later games. Not saying this is better than what later games do, just that there's something equally satisfying to it, in my eyes at least.

Before I finish this write-up, I'm aware that one major barrier for people wanting to try the original PS2 games is the official translations, especially for Yakuza 1 with its, uh... "colorful" English dub. Although I do consider the HD remasters on PS3/Wii U to be the best way to "play" them, there is another option.

YouTube user Sylwahan had worked for years on an undub patch for the PS2 version of Yakuza 1 that not only restores Japanese audio, but also re-translates all the text to better fit the original dialogue, as well as a bunch of other little adjustments to make it all work seamlessly. Here's a trailer for it, with details on how to install it in the description: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXsiu9PUbxM

Last I saw on Sylwahan's Twitter, he's been working on a similar patch for Yakuza 2, which hopefully won't be as heavy work for him considering he won't have to replace the audio on it, as Yakuza 2 was never English dubbed.

Anyways, point being: I don't hate the Kiwami remakes at all (though Kiwami 1 has some really annoying design aspects), and while starting from 0 into the Kiwami remakes and so on is the most logical starting point for most because it's what's available on modern platforms (hell, it's how I started the series myself, too), I personally believe starting from the PS2 originals and onward is what truly feels the best. This is one franchise where each subsequent game evolves from what came before, I truly think it's fascinating watching this series evolve and seeing what sticks around and changes.

If you're willing to give Yakuza 1 a shot, I highly recommend it. There's a lot to this game that even the newer games don't exactly replicate, it's such a unique experience even amidst this franchise's long history.