Yakuza / Like a Dragon
How I'd rank the RGG games I've played so far.
Just a note - my thoughts are in each note, spoilers in most. Yakuza and Yakuza Kiwami are equal.
Just a note - my thoughts are in each note, spoilers in most. Yakuza and Yakuza Kiwami are equal.
11 Games
Yeah, yeah, this one's everyone's favorite. I know. It's the game that got most people into the series, it's the game that gets memed the most, etc.
Here's the thing; I don't care. I love this game for what makes it special to me.
When I played it back when it first released on Steam in 2018-19 after a friend recommended it to me, I wasn't in a very good spot. As contrived as it sounds, this game genuinely changed my life forever. The story - mainly the themes of setting your own standards, to live your own way and not becoming complacent with how the world is, to keep fighting and adapting no matter what - hit me in a spot where I was struggling with the exact feeling. I probably wouldn't be the same person without this game. I really can't help but love it because it was part of a process that helped me figure out... well, me. It isn't the only one of it's kind, but it was the first of many. I am absolutely biased.
And while I love the humor these games have, it is right up my alley a grand majority of the time, it isn't the selling point for me. These stories, these characters, this world, this vision is what I come here for. Other people can word it much better than I can, but the balance of the drama, the absurd, and the mundane all blend together to make an important feeling - that being, life. Life is crazy. Life is boring. Life is dramatic. Life is more complex than just 3 words, obviously, but that's not the point.
Yakuza as a whole feels like it understands the balance of life to an insane degree, and throughout the series I can't say that it has ever faded. The slower moments, the funny moments, the emotional moments, all of them are treated with equal importance because just like our own lives, they all reflect back on us and form who we are. Going out with friends for food or drinks. Dealing with people you wish you wouldn't have to. Protecting someone you care about. Talking with a clerk at the grocery store. Standing up to someone, for someone. It's so deeply human from top-to-bottom, because it understands the importance of everything... and says people should keep fighting for life. You must live, even through the boring, even through the crazy, even through the painful - because you can change so much around you for the better if you do. You might remember the more striking moments, but all of it matters because a better life is possible through resilience, care, conviction, bonds. To live is to not run away.
This game is everything is just everything I love about Yakuza as a series. An Essence, if you will. Maybe I'm just too much of a meathead, maybe I worded this like shit, maybe I'm stupid, I don't know, but art like this resonates with me like no other.
I don't care about some irony-poisoned dorks who played the game for an hour, dropped it, watched a YouTuber play the substories and then parrot "it's the best game ever made because it's so wacky!", this isn't my favorite game in the series because of that chicken screenshot that circled the internet (I didn't use social media like that and still dont) , it's my favorite game in the series, and of all time, because of how much it personally means to me.
Here's the thing; I don't care. I love this game for what makes it special to me.
When I played it back when it first released on Steam in 2018-19 after a friend recommended it to me, I wasn't in a very good spot. As contrived as it sounds, this game genuinely changed my life forever. The story - mainly the themes of setting your own standards, to live your own way and not becoming complacent with how the world is, to keep fighting and adapting no matter what - hit me in a spot where I was struggling with the exact feeling. I probably wouldn't be the same person without this game. I really can't help but love it because it was part of a process that helped me figure out... well, me. It isn't the only one of it's kind, but it was the first of many. I am absolutely biased.
And while I love the humor these games have, it is right up my alley a grand majority of the time, it isn't the selling point for me. These stories, these characters, this world, this vision is what I come here for. Other people can word it much better than I can, but the balance of the drama, the absurd, and the mundane all blend together to make an important feeling - that being, life. Life is crazy. Life is boring. Life is dramatic. Life is more complex than just 3 words, obviously, but that's not the point.
Yakuza as a whole feels like it understands the balance of life to an insane degree, and throughout the series I can't say that it has ever faded. The slower moments, the funny moments, the emotional moments, all of them are treated with equal importance because just like our own lives, they all reflect back on us and form who we are. Going out with friends for food or drinks. Dealing with people you wish you wouldn't have to. Protecting someone you care about. Talking with a clerk at the grocery store. Standing up to someone, for someone. It's so deeply human from top-to-bottom, because it understands the importance of everything... and says people should keep fighting for life. You must live, even through the boring, even through the crazy, even through the painful - because you can change so much around you for the better if you do. You might remember the more striking moments, but all of it matters because a better life is possible through resilience, care, conviction, bonds. To live is to not run away.
This game is everything is just everything I love about Yakuza as a series. An Essence, if you will. Maybe I'm just too much of a meathead, maybe I worded this like shit, maybe I'm stupid, I don't know, but art like this resonates with me like no other.
I don't care about some irony-poisoned dorks who played the game for an hour, dropped it, watched a YouTuber play the substories and then parrot "it's the best game ever made because it's so wacky!", this isn't my favorite game in the series because of that chicken screenshot that circled the internet (I didn't use social media like that and still dont) , it's my favorite game in the series, and of all time, because of how much it personally means to me.
1
I'm still processing my thoughts about this game and I'll be back to write a proper opinion on it later but fuck me if this wasn't the game that got me to sob the hardest. I love Ichiban. There were a few moments where the story became a little too off-kilter for the situation, but I also think that's reflective of Ichi's own headstrong nature making him do what past protagonists would never consider.
Regardless, the core theme hits like a truck due to some life experiences I will not share here, every scene between Ichi and Arakawa was an assault on my heart for other life experiences I also won't share here, in a lot of the characters (not all) I saw echoes of old friends and family through their struggles and personalities, all shown love and respect. This game has major heart behind it.
All I will say is this story truly means a lot to me, even if I have deep issues with the overall game.
Regardless, the core theme hits like a truck due to some life experiences I will not share here, every scene between Ichi and Arakawa was an assault on my heart for other life experiences I also won't share here, in a lot of the characters (not all) I saw echoes of old friends and family through their struggles and personalities, all shown love and respect. This game has major heart behind it.
All I will say is this story truly means a lot to me, even if I have deep issues with the overall game.
2
It's peak. In seriousness, this is a good ass game.
I like Yagami - a lot of people see him as a "perfect" protagonist, I personally see a troubled protagonist that has his head on mostly straight but still makes trips over things that cloud his reasoning due to past mistakes. He's no Kiryu, but I still find him interesting as a less headstrong but more subtle, underhanded protagonist. He relies way less on brute strength and more on his wits and reasoning - which is the entire reason he unravels the huge conspiracy in the middle of the plot.
Hell, the entire vibe is different from a Yakuza game. Where Yakuza is a gangster crime drama, Judgment feels much more like a noir drama set in the same spot, to it's benefit. I wasn't able to put down the game for a while - and I'm not gonna spoil this one because I think this one needs personally experienced.
All I'll say, I love every character in this game. Not as much as the old guards or 7 main cast, but a lot of this game's characters are right on their tail.
Also a fan of the gameplay in this one - took 'em 3 tries but this is the first Dragon Engine game that actually has good feeling action combat! Flux Fissure - and Tiger as a whole, actually - is ridiculously broken but incredibly fun, and while Crane has it's problems at least it's still a pretty good crowd controller option with it's heat moves.
That being said - mortal wounds suck purely because there's only one spot to heal them if you don't buy the items to do it. Tailing sections are excessive as fuck and a lot of them kill the pacing, my god. And I swear the encounter rate got a bit excessive by the end of the game. I have other problems with the game for sure, but it's been a few years since I played so my memory is very foggy.
Phenomenal game though.
I like Yagami - a lot of people see him as a "perfect" protagonist, I personally see a troubled protagonist that has his head on mostly straight but still makes trips over things that cloud his reasoning due to past mistakes. He's no Kiryu, but I still find him interesting as a less headstrong but more subtle, underhanded protagonist. He relies way less on brute strength and more on his wits and reasoning - which is the entire reason he unravels the huge conspiracy in the middle of the plot.
Hell, the entire vibe is different from a Yakuza game. Where Yakuza is a gangster crime drama, Judgment feels much more like a noir drama set in the same spot, to it's benefit. I wasn't able to put down the game for a while - and I'm not gonna spoil this one because I think this one needs personally experienced.
All I'll say, I love every character in this game. Not as much as the old guards or 7 main cast, but a lot of this game's characters are right on their tail.
Also a fan of the gameplay in this one - took 'em 3 tries but this is the first Dragon Engine game that actually has good feeling action combat! Flux Fissure - and Tiger as a whole, actually - is ridiculously broken but incredibly fun, and while Crane has it's problems at least it's still a pretty good crowd controller option with it's heat moves.
That being said - mortal wounds suck purely because there's only one spot to heal them if you don't buy the items to do it. Tailing sections are excessive as fuck and a lot of them kill the pacing, my god. And I swear the encounter rate got a bit excessive by the end of the game. I have other problems with the game for sure, but it's been a few years since I played so my memory is very foggy.
Phenomenal game though.
3
While I have a lot of problems with Yakuza 5, namely to do with how large it is and how weirdly written the plot can be at times, the highs of this game are some of the best in the series but the lows are equally some of the lowest.
Kiryu and Shinada's sections are genuinely some of the best in the series, but Haruka/Akiyama's is a heavily mixed bag and Saejima's makes me question why he's even involved in this story barring the Majima fight. Hell, for as much as I love Shinada's section - he really doesn't impact the main plot all too much... I just don't give a shit because it's one of the most thematically resonant and real parts of any game RGG has written, ever.
A lot of people criticize the twist with Aizawa, which I understand why, but I personally love the contrast between Kurosawa and him. A dying man who rose the ranks through strength and bloodshed, realizing that he had accomplished nothing but tainting his soul, tries give the power he fought so hard for to his son as a way to spare him from the same fate - only for his son who barely gives a shit about him to fall into the same trap, due to his own dream of earning his place and gets his ass beat for it, throwing all the power he could've had away as Kiryu drags his ass outside. I personally find it to be a great twist and a phenomenal showing of why strength above all else eventually crumbles - but I get why people dislike it like Rubber Bullets before it.
Kurosawa himself I also find interesting as an antithesis of Yakuza's strongest themes - he's no warrior, no stoic dreamer, no charismatic leader, nobody with grit and principle. He's a cold pragmatist who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. An unquestioningly strong and intelligent man who follows what will benefit him - yet he's the one broken, because his strength came at a cost. He sold his soul for power, and got nothing in return outside of power. He has no bonds, not even with his son. He can't even comprehend why the main cast get to live their dreams unscathed and in glory when he did everything to achieve his own dream and has nothing at all to show for it. He hates them because they're what he could've been, but the way he did it isn't how legends are made. He isn't my favorite villain, not by a long shot, but he is great for YK5 in particular. And, hell, he kinda wins in the end with Yakuza 6. The Tojo is taken over by people like him. Pragmatists with no principles, people who are only out for themselves because it makes the "most logical sense", despite only having jealousy and hatred for those who have more conviction than they do. He's solid as an antagonist, but definitely lacks the appeal of villains like Ryuji, Mine, Sagawa, etc.
At the same time - I don't like a lot of the decisions made in this game. A big chunk of them have to do with Saejima's and Haruka's section, but I also have some issues with the finale.
With Saejima's section:
Saejima goes back to prison for literally no reason and it literally just feels like Yakuza 4 again but worse. The pacing of the entire thing is very, very awful, only getting gas in the tank at the FINAL PART of it. Saejima really doesn't have a reason to be part of the plot at all outside of giving him the Majima fight again. Not even the Baba reveal matters that much, you could've just had him show up in the other stories and his moments there are a clear showing of conflict in interest. Genuinely, why is Saejima here?
With Haruka's section:
- Haruka's section dances this weird line between condemning the idol industry and saying its problems are just necessary evils to make others happy. While it ultimately ends with a "fuck this place" via Haruka choosing her autonomy and dream of seeing her father again after seeing Park's dream through, it's just so... odd? One moment you're seeing the evils of the industry, the petty moments in between people who shouldn't be fighting but are only ensuring their survival in the industry, how lonely and isolated the idols can really be, how even one screw up can ruin their career forever - the next it's working promotions for 2 of the most notoriously terrible to work at restaurants in Japan, going against other idols over arbitrary games for fame, and starring on a TV show that's very obviously someone's wank material. But, you could argue that is incitement against the some of the weird shit idols are forced to do, I guess. The juxtaposition just doesn't sit right in my head, and I don't know if that's due to distant memories being fuzzy or the game just struggling to show both the dark and light of the industry.
- Akiyama's just here. I don't mind, I enjoy Akiyama's character, and I think the mini-arc he has about wanting to be more than just a helping hand is neat. I just don't know why he's here other than a circumstantial reason.
- I'm not saying this because "uwu soft boy would never do this!", but the offhand mention of Majima hitting Park is so odd to me. Some people very stupidly demonize Park for having an abortion, even outside of autonomy reasons she was kinda screwed either way as an idol - she either loses her dream job or she potentially hurts her husband. But also... did Park or Majima even want kids this soon into their relationship? Did Majima hit her out of shock and then divorced her because he realized what he did, or was it trying to tap into the more unpredictably angry and violent Majima from earlier in the series, compared to the more regretful and somber Majima of 3 and 4? Is the fact that they can still contact each other easily over 2 decades later a sign that they've made amends and still care about each other in some capacity, or is it just convenient for Majima that Haruka ended up with his ex-wife considering he doesn't ever acknowledge Park's death? I'm not gonna act like Majima is some saint who's justified in everything he does, he's the head of his own crime family for fucks sake and blatantly in the wrong here, it's just so jarring to not have the emotional context for an important moment considering the weight their relationship holds in the story. It leaves the reveal feeling out of place where it suddenly appears. Maybe it's a vestige of an older draft of Park where her character played a bigger role in the narrative? I don't know, I don't get the intent behind the event because there's so much context missing that anything beyond "it happened" is entirely guesswork.
With the finale:
The main problem of the finale - and this game as a whole - is that it is incredibly overambitious. To be fair, I think this is a good problem to have. I'd rather a game push itself, stumble a few times trying to be the best it can be and saying what it wants from the heart even if clumsily. That doesn't mean it isn't a problem - because holy shit by the finale it is juggling so much that it can be hard to keep track of what's going on at times if you lose focus. It bites off more than it can chew, and some of the moments that could've mattered much more with a tighter focus lose a bit of punch. It's still great overall with what I think is a near-perfect ending, but it definitely hobbles before breaking into that final sprint.
My feelings change often on this game, because how I feel about it overall is such a hard shell to crack, and honestly? Wouldn't have it any other way.
Kiryu and Shinada's sections are genuinely some of the best in the series, but Haruka/Akiyama's is a heavily mixed bag and Saejima's makes me question why he's even involved in this story barring the Majima fight. Hell, for as much as I love Shinada's section - he really doesn't impact the main plot all too much... I just don't give a shit because it's one of the most thematically resonant and real parts of any game RGG has written, ever.
A lot of people criticize the twist with Aizawa, which I understand why, but I personally love the contrast between Kurosawa and him. A dying man who rose the ranks through strength and bloodshed, realizing that he had accomplished nothing but tainting his soul, tries give the power he fought so hard for to his son as a way to spare him from the same fate - only for his son who barely gives a shit about him to fall into the same trap, due to his own dream of earning his place and gets his ass beat for it, throwing all the power he could've had away as Kiryu drags his ass outside. I personally find it to be a great twist and a phenomenal showing of why strength above all else eventually crumbles - but I get why people dislike it like Rubber Bullets before it.
Kurosawa himself I also find interesting as an antithesis of Yakuza's strongest themes - he's no warrior, no stoic dreamer, no charismatic leader, nobody with grit and principle. He's a cold pragmatist who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. An unquestioningly strong and intelligent man who follows what will benefit him - yet he's the one broken, because his strength came at a cost. He sold his soul for power, and got nothing in return outside of power. He has no bonds, not even with his son. He can't even comprehend why the main cast get to live their dreams unscathed and in glory when he did everything to achieve his own dream and has nothing at all to show for it. He hates them because they're what he could've been, but the way he did it isn't how legends are made. He isn't my favorite villain, not by a long shot, but he is great for YK5 in particular. And, hell, he kinda wins in the end with Yakuza 6. The Tojo is taken over by people like him. Pragmatists with no principles, people who are only out for themselves because it makes the "most logical sense", despite only having jealousy and hatred for those who have more conviction than they do. He's solid as an antagonist, but definitely lacks the appeal of villains like Ryuji, Mine, Sagawa, etc.
At the same time - I don't like a lot of the decisions made in this game. A big chunk of them have to do with Saejima's and Haruka's section, but I also have some issues with the finale.
With Saejima's section:
Saejima goes back to prison for literally no reason and it literally just feels like Yakuza 4 again but worse. The pacing of the entire thing is very, very awful, only getting gas in the tank at the FINAL PART of it. Saejima really doesn't have a reason to be part of the plot at all outside of giving him the Majima fight again. Not even the Baba reveal matters that much, you could've just had him show up in the other stories and his moments there are a clear showing of conflict in interest. Genuinely, why is Saejima here?
With Haruka's section:
- Haruka's section dances this weird line between condemning the idol industry and saying its problems are just necessary evils to make others happy. While it ultimately ends with a "fuck this place" via Haruka choosing her autonomy and dream of seeing her father again after seeing Park's dream through, it's just so... odd? One moment you're seeing the evils of the industry, the petty moments in between people who shouldn't be fighting but are only ensuring their survival in the industry, how lonely and isolated the idols can really be, how even one screw up can ruin their career forever - the next it's working promotions for 2 of the most notoriously terrible to work at restaurants in Japan, going against other idols over arbitrary games for fame, and starring on a TV show that's very obviously someone's wank material. But, you could argue that is incitement against the some of the weird shit idols are forced to do, I guess. The juxtaposition just doesn't sit right in my head, and I don't know if that's due to distant memories being fuzzy or the game just struggling to show both the dark and light of the industry.
- Akiyama's just here. I don't mind, I enjoy Akiyama's character, and I think the mini-arc he has about wanting to be more than just a helping hand is neat. I just don't know why he's here other than a circumstantial reason.
- I'm not saying this because "uwu soft boy would never do this!", but the offhand mention of Majima hitting Park is so odd to me. Some people very stupidly demonize Park for having an abortion, even outside of autonomy reasons she was kinda screwed either way as an idol - she either loses her dream job or she potentially hurts her husband. But also... did Park or Majima even want kids this soon into their relationship? Did Majima hit her out of shock and then divorced her because he realized what he did, or was it trying to tap into the more unpredictably angry and violent Majima from earlier in the series, compared to the more regretful and somber Majima of 3 and 4? Is the fact that they can still contact each other easily over 2 decades later a sign that they've made amends and still care about each other in some capacity, or is it just convenient for Majima that Haruka ended up with his ex-wife considering he doesn't ever acknowledge Park's death? I'm not gonna act like Majima is some saint who's justified in everything he does, he's the head of his own crime family for fucks sake and blatantly in the wrong here, it's just so jarring to not have the emotional context for an important moment considering the weight their relationship holds in the story. It leaves the reveal feeling out of place where it suddenly appears. Maybe it's a vestige of an older draft of Park where her character played a bigger role in the narrative? I don't know, I don't get the intent behind the event because there's so much context missing that anything beyond "it happened" is entirely guesswork.
With the finale:
The main problem of the finale - and this game as a whole - is that it is incredibly overambitious. To be fair, I think this is a good problem to have. I'd rather a game push itself, stumble a few times trying to be the best it can be and saying what it wants from the heart even if clumsily. That doesn't mean it isn't a problem - because holy shit by the finale it is juggling so much that it can be hard to keep track of what's going on at times if you lose focus. It bites off more than it can chew, and some of the moments that could've mattered much more with a tighter focus lose a bit of punch. It's still great overall with what I think is a near-perfect ending, but it definitely hobbles before breaking into that final sprint.
My feelings change often on this game, because how I feel about it overall is such a hard shell to crack, and honestly? Wouldn't have it any other way.
4
I absolutely love the atmosphere in this game. The presentation alone I'm definitely a sucker for, but the story is surprisingly one of the ones I think about the most.
While not the strongest story in the series, the whole "sins of the past" theme in particular I think is really striking, especially for a Kiryu just developing his series-long survivor's guilt. I also think Ryuji is one of the best villains in the series for that reason, among others - he's not only a refraction of who Kiryu could have been if his life went ever so slightly different, but also a sin of Kazama coming back to haunt Kiryu and the Tojo by sheer coincidence. A living embodiment of the theme that portrays him as a victim of circumstance, just like Kiryu is for this particular conflict. Hell, Kiryu and Ryuji obviously share a mutual respect for that reason. Maybe I'm seeing plot threads that aren't there, but I don't care. Good game.
I wish Sayama didn't instantly dip after the events of this game though, I thought she was great.
While not the strongest story in the series, the whole "sins of the past" theme in particular I think is really striking, especially for a Kiryu just developing his series-long survivor's guilt. I also think Ryuji is one of the best villains in the series for that reason, among others - he's not only a refraction of who Kiryu could have been if his life went ever so slightly different, but also a sin of Kazama coming back to haunt Kiryu and the Tojo by sheer coincidence. A living embodiment of the theme that portrays him as a victim of circumstance, just like Kiryu is for this particular conflict. Hell, Kiryu and Ryuji obviously share a mutual respect for that reason. Maybe I'm seeing plot threads that aren't there, but I don't care. Good game.
I wish Sayama didn't instantly dip after the events of this game though, I thought she was great.
5
I think 1's story holds up a lot better than most people say it does, and it very easily has the most oppressive and dreary tone in the series. Is it a masterpiece? No. Do I still think it's well-written? Yeah, it's one of my favorites in the series. The reoccuring theme of accepting responsibility - to live is not to run away - is one I'm a sucker for, and both Kiryu and Nishiki's arc I feel is a great, but not perfect, representation of it. I think other games in the series can be much stronger overall, but to say this game is bad is completely asinine. Too many people dismiss this game because Kiwami exists. I love Kiwami but I see it as a sidegrade or companion rather than a replacement.
Also the gameplay's fine. It's rough and scrappy, but there's a reason this became a series beyond it's storytelling.
Also the gameplay's fine. It's rough and scrappy, but there's a reason this became a series beyond it's storytelling.
6
Personally, I'm of the opinion that this game is really damn good. I understand people's critiques with this remake though, especially with the atmospheric changes. 1's atmosphere is entirely unmatched.
Just to get it outta the way: I am a fan of Majima Everywhere. I'm biased as a Majima fan, but I genuinely enjoy fighting him and I just love the creativity poured into the side stories it tells, the smaller moments between him and Kiryu. In my opinion it actually makes the complicated-ally/close friend status in the later games much more charming, too. Having him show up while going bowling genuinely made my session. I get why people get tired of it, though since that name is literal - he is everywhere.
Just to get it outta the way: I am a fan of Majima Everywhere. I'm biased as a Majima fan, but I genuinely enjoy fighting him and I just love the creativity poured into the side stories it tells, the smaller moments between him and Kiryu. In my opinion it actually makes the complicated-ally/close friend status in the later games much more charming, too. Having him show up while going bowling genuinely made my session. I get why people get tired of it, though since that name is literal - he is everywhere.
7
Despite me thinking Yakuza 3 is a weaker entry in the series, I actually do really like this game. The orphanage was actually one of my favorite parts of the series. The gameplay can be kinda shoddy at times but that's mostly in early game, it genuinely gets better the longer you go in.
I think it'd unironically be one of the better games in the series with 1 major change - give Mine a bigger spotlight. He is genuinely a fascinating villain, could very easily be one of the best in the series...
...if he actually had screentime, since a bunch of time that could've gone to developing his character a bit more and revealing his the most important layer of his motive pre-final boss went to the completely forgettable and genuinely awful Kanda and Tamashiro (who I think is the absolute worst antagonist in the franchise) instead. That's my only big complaint outside of a compound of smaller things that add up - remaster breaking how blocking, weapons and sidesteps work, sound design choices, pacing issues, etc.
I think it'd unironically be one of the better games in the series with 1 major change - give Mine a bigger spotlight. He is genuinely a fascinating villain, could very easily be one of the best in the series...
...if he actually had screentime, since a bunch of time that could've gone to developing his character a bit more and revealing his the most important layer of his motive pre-final boss went to the completely forgettable and genuinely awful Kanda and Tamashiro (who I think is the absolute worst antagonist in the franchise) instead. That's my only big complaint outside of a compound of smaller things that add up - remaster breaking how blocking, weapons and sidesteps work, sound design choices, pacing issues, etc.
8
Some of the strongest storytelling in the series when it really starts swinging, but held back immensely by being a Dragon Engine tech demo and some very-hard-to-swallow plot choices.
I love most of the story, I even like the twist with Daigo's letter. But fucking hell, the moment with Haruka and Kiryu made me genuinely so upset, because she says 2 words, Kiryu starts speaking, and then... nothing. For the rest of the game, until the final moments they're together.
I do however love the Young vs Old thematic it has going on, especially as a reflection of 0 - Kiryu's on the other side of the coin now. The more obvious theme is parenthood, obviously, but the split between the old (Heizo, Big Lo, Hirose, Kiryu), how they affect the lives of their children (Tsuneo, Jimmy, Yuta... Yuta again I guess since Haruka barely exists in this story?), and the differences in how they handle the new generation coming to take their reins is great. Whether they step aside willingly, admit their mistakes, help them through feelings they also lived through, or refuse to let go, it genuinely enhances the story so much - all the way to the end.
I love most of the story, I even like the twist with Daigo's letter. But fucking hell, the moment with Haruka and Kiryu made me genuinely so upset, because she says 2 words, Kiryu starts speaking, and then... nothing. For the rest of the game, until the final moments they're together.
I do however love the Young vs Old thematic it has going on, especially as a reflection of 0 - Kiryu's on the other side of the coin now. The more obvious theme is parenthood, obviously, but the split between the old (Heizo, Big Lo, Hirose, Kiryu), how they affect the lives of their children (Tsuneo, Jimmy, Yuta... Yuta again I guess since Haruka barely exists in this story?), and the differences in how they handle the new generation coming to take their reins is great. Whether they step aside willingly, admit their mistakes, help them through feelings they also lived through, or refuse to let go, it genuinely enhances the story so much - all the way to the end.
9
The introduction of Akiyama and Saejima alone were enough to sell me on the game. Tanimura is on the weaker end but I liked him too. But, I also think there are a lot of missteps once the plot strides into the main 3 villains.
Their grand plan is purposefully written as a shoddy plan that had major holes and only worked because of 1 person, yes - all of them are supposed to be pathetic, yes, but I honestly only find Sugiuchi out of the main group in any way engaging. Katsuragi is just an incredible charisma vacuum and the mastermind is just Jingu again but with the vibe of a sniveling rat. You could argue that's intentional, since every story is supposed to give a sense of familiarity to a previous entry reframed - Akiyama with 1, Saejima with 2, and Tanimura with 3. The subtitle in JP is "Successor of the Legend" - it's showing that Kamurocho will be safe without Kiryu since other people are willing to step into protect the city. Except, one problem. Most of the antagonists are not compelling.
And why is Kiryu actually here, outside of he's the Tojo problem solver and the Tojo has a problem? He ultimately does need to show up at one point but he really doesn't have any personal connection to the plot outside of the guy who stabbed him a while back says "hey remember Haruka's shitty dad? he had an accomplice that laundered the 10bil a while back". I do like the presentation of Kiryu being the legend he is at times, but he really doesn't need to be here.
Yasuko also just genuinely sucks, I don't like how she's written at all and think they could've done way better with her.
I think this story has some of the series' weakest aspects and moments, but is at least consistent for most of the game. Not like it's bad - hell, like I said Akiyama and Saejima are easily some of my favorite parts of the game and series - but it kinda fails to catch me beyond that.
Their grand plan is purposefully written as a shoddy plan that had major holes and only worked because of 1 person, yes - all of them are supposed to be pathetic, yes, but I honestly only find Sugiuchi out of the main group in any way engaging. Katsuragi is just an incredible charisma vacuum and the mastermind is just Jingu again but with the vibe of a sniveling rat. You could argue that's intentional, since every story is supposed to give a sense of familiarity to a previous entry reframed - Akiyama with 1, Saejima with 2, and Tanimura with 3. The subtitle in JP is "Successor of the Legend" - it's showing that Kamurocho will be safe without Kiryu since other people are willing to step into protect the city. Except, one problem. Most of the antagonists are not compelling.
And why is Kiryu actually here, outside of he's the Tojo problem solver and the Tojo has a problem? He ultimately does need to show up at one point but he really doesn't have any personal connection to the plot outside of the guy who stabbed him a while back says "hey remember Haruka's shitty dad? he had an accomplice that laundered the 10bil a while back". I do like the presentation of Kiryu being the legend he is at times, but he really doesn't need to be here.
Yasuko also just genuinely sucks, I don't like how she's written at all and think they could've done way better with her.
I think this story has some of the series' weakest aspects and moments, but is at least consistent for most of the game. Not like it's bad - hell, like I said Akiyama and Saejima are easily some of my favorite parts of the game and series - but it kinda fails to catch me beyond that.
10
Worst game in the series by a wide, wide margin and probably the only game in the series I'd call outright bad. Completely slaughters Yakuza 2's tone, somehow feels worse than Yakuza 6 despite being an upgraded version gameplay wise, bad boss design in ways that either make them complete jokes or infuriatingly frustrating, arguably a worse OST barring a few songs, the list goes on.
The only thing I can confidently say this has over original Yakuza 2 is graphical fidelity, some of the OST, and voice performance. That's it.
The only thing I can confidently say this has over original Yakuza 2 is graphical fidelity, some of the OST, and voice performance. That's it.
11