Multiplat Yakuza games

[dwwaino]

I think I'm finally committing my start until finish of mainline Yakuza games and wanted to talk about them. This includes the Judgement games, Like a Dragon and anything in the same universe. Instead of convoluting everything and bumping all the threads I thought maybe it was a better idea to chuck general discussion about the entire series into one thread and we can still use individual threads for the games as they release. This may also help others wanting to get into the series as IMO it is one of the greatest crime dramas ever told. I know RPCB is a massive Yakuza nerd and will definitely join in.

I've finished Kiwami 1 and making my way through 2 currently as I never played it. Kind of reluctant to go to Y3 and 4 next but I think I'll just have to even if it's to speed through the story. I never played 1 and 2 originally so it's my first time with K1 and K2. Absolutely loving K2 by the way. I think the first one I ever played was 4 and didn't like it due to the multiple characters (I think that's the one?) but I'm sure to have a greater appreciation of it now. This is in preparation for the next entries.

Feel free to rank them, suggest entry titles or just whatever about them. I think besides a couple of the more recent non-Yakuza named titles (like Judgement games and Ishin) they are all included in both PS Plus and Game Pass subscriptions.

Yakuza 0 might be an obvious place to start being a prequel to all Yakuza games, but it wasn't made until much later and IMO Kiwami (Kiwami 1 and 2 are complete remakes of Y1 and 2) is probably the best place to start to know the characters and the starting events first. Judgement and Lost Judgement are also brilliant to get a taste of the universe and the style of series without needing any prior understanding.

 

[RPCB]

I think I'm finally committing my start until finish of mainline Yakuza games and wanted to talk about them. This includes the Judgement games, Like a Dragon and anything in the same universe.

Haha, mate, great minds think alike. I started Yakuza 0 about a week and a half ago. Today I finished Yakuza Kiwami. I am going through play 0-6, then take a bit of a break to squeeze Gaiden in next, releases in November. Then I will play Yakuza: Like A Dragon in Japanese, because foolishly, my only two play throughs are the English dub and the Japanese voice acting is just phenomenal.

Instead of convoluting everything and bumping all the threads I thought maybe it was a better idea to chuck general discussion about the entire series into one thread and we can still use individual threads for the games as they release. This may also help others wanting to get into the series as IMO it is one of the greatest crime dramas ever told. I know RPCB is a massive Yakuza nerd and will definitely join in.

Yeah, absolutely mate. This thread definitely works as a hub for Yakuza 0-6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon as that is a game that has been out a few years. Then just continue on discussing the recently released/future games in their respective threads.

I've finished Kiwami 1 and making my way through 2 currently as I never played it. Kind of reluctant to go to Y3 and 4 next but I think I'll just have to even if it's to speed through the story. I never played 1 and 2 originally so it's my first time with K1 and K2. Absolutely loving K2 by the way. I think the first one I ever played was 4 and didn't like it due to the multiple characters (I think that's the one?) but I'm sure to have a greater appreciation of it now. This is in preparation for the next entries.

Same feelings about Yakuza 3. It’s one of the shorter Yakuza games and you can skip lots of stuff in the main story (those boring Sunflower/fetch quests) but it’s very difficult to even control in the game and I reckon it would be the perfect Yakuza game to give the Kiwami treatment.

Yakuza 4 (4 main characters) and 5 (5 main characters, Haruka and Akiyama share Part 3 of the story) were the first ones I played, they were PS Plus games on PS3. I never forget about them and then a few years later they were all getting released on current consoles, awesome.

Feel free to rank them, suggest entry titles or just whatever about them. I think besides a couple of the more recent non-Yakuza named titles (like Judgement games and Ishin) they are all included in both PS Plus and Game Pass subscriptions.

So, so hard to rank this masterpiece of a series. Yakuza 3 would be last in any case.

Yakuza 0 might be an obvious place to start being a prequel to all Yakuza games, but it wasn't made until much later and IMO Kiwami (Kiwami 1 and 2 are complete remakes of Y1 and 2) is probably the best place to start to know the characters and the starting events first. Judgement and Lost Judgement are also brilliant to get a taste of the universe and the style of series without needing any prior understanding.

As I very recently started the series again and played 0 and Kiwami/1. I can say absolutely start with Yakuza 0. It’s set in 1988. Kiwami starts off in 1995, however, most of the story takes place in 2005. More of a reason is that Kiwami just jumps into the story where you only hear about all this backstory of stuff that has happened. Yakuza 0 shows you that backstory. Yakuza 0, although made much later, was made with that thought in mind to play it before Kiwami.

Whoever is on PS4/PS5, all the games are on PS Plus Deluxe. Yakuza 3-5 are in the “Classic Catalogue”. And Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 6 and Like A Dragon are in the main “Game Catalogue.

 

[dwwaino]

Haha, mate, great minds think alike. I started Yakuza 0 about a week and a half ago. Today I finished Yakuza Kiwami. I am going through play 0-6, then take a bit of a break to squeeze Gaiden in next, releases in November. Then I will play Yakuza: Like A Dragon in Japanese, because foolishly, my only two play throughs are the English dub and the Japanese voice acting is just phenomenal.


Yeah, absolutely mate. This thread definitely works as a hub for Yakuza 0-6 and Yakuza: Like A Dragon as that is a game that has been out a few years. Then just continue on discussing the recently released/future games in their respective threads.



Same feelings about Yakuza 3. It’s one of the shorter Yakuza games and you can skip lots of stuff in the main story (those boring Sunflower/fetch quests) but it’s very difficult to even control in the game and I reckon it would be the perfect Yakuza game to give the Kiwami treatment.

Yakuza 4 (4 main characters) and 5 (5 main characters, Haruka and Akiyama share Part 3 of the story) were the first ones I played, they were PS Plus games on PS3. I never forget about them and then a few years later they were all getting released on current consoles, awesome.


So, so hard to rank this masterpiece of a series. Yakuza 3 would be last in any case.


As I very recently started the series again and and played 0 and Kiwami/1. I can say absolutely start with Yakuza 0. It’s set in 1988. Kiwami starts off in 1995, however, most of the story takes place in 2005.

Whoever is on PS5, all the games are on PS Plus Deluxe. Yakuza 3-5 are in the “Classic Catalogue”. And Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 6 and Like A Dragon are in the main “Game Catalogue.

Have you tried the remasters on PS5? If I've got it right then Kiwami 2 is the latest iteration of the Dragon engine and the remaster of 3 is going back to the Kenzen engine. My worry will be not being able to get into it properly if it feels too dated. I think it's 5? that doesn't feel too dated despite being a remaster because it was a later Kenzen engine release while 6 was the first? on Dragon. It's not so much visuals but I often read about controls of 3 feeling especially dated.

But yeah for my playthrough I started with K1 because I've previously played 0 a couple times and considering the amount of time needed to commit I'll come back to it eventually. K1 was nuts. I spent nearly 40 hours and did about 85% of the sub stories yet my completion stats said only 49%. I imagine a lot of that is stuff like mini games which I didn't bother much with and getting Majima Everywhere to only A. I think I'll spend far more time in K2 though because of the cabaret stuff and I actually enjoy the mini games lol. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are stunning in K2 too. I just wish it had a PS5 patch because initially it was jarring coming from 60fps of 0 and K1 to 30fps.

 

[mickelboy182]

These are such 'comfort' games for me, find them so compelling in their goofyness.

 

[dwwaino]

These are such 'comfort' games for me, find them so compelling in their goofyness.

"Kiryu it's urgent, you must hurry"

Sure, will just swing by karaoke, golf and help some guy buy women's panties on the way.

 

[mickelboy182]

"Kiryu it's urgent, you must hurry"

Sure, will just swing by karaoke, golf and help some guy buy women's panties on the way.

The blunt seriousness amidst the absurdity will never not make me smile.

 

[RPCB]

Have you tried the remasters on PS5? If I've got it right then Kiwami 2 is the latest iteration of the Dragon engine and the remaster of 3 is going back to the Kenzen engine. My worry will be not being able to get into it properly if it feels too dated. I think it's 5? that doesn't feel too dated despite being a remaster because it was a later Kenzen engine release while 6 was the first? on Dragon. It's not so much visuals but I often read about controls of 3 feeling especially dated.

Yeah, I have played them all on PS5, either through backwards compat or a PS5 version. I am not sure exactly what the game engines are but I do know Y3 is the most dated, in terms the gameplay, sometimes feels like you’re controlling a tank. The cutscene visuals in Yakuza 3 are really nice however, obviously a PS3 game but could also pass for a PS4 game. Yakuza 4 and 5 gameplay/visuals improve on it.

Only suggestion I would have with Yakuza 3 and 4 is have a YouTube walkthrough open as you can’t pause any cutscenes. Unless you’re a fast reader and then it won’t matter.

But yeah for my playthrough I started with K1 because I've previously played 0 a couple times and considering the amount of time needed to commit I'll come back to it eventually. K1 was nuts. I spent nearly 40 hours and did about 85% of the sub stories yet my completion stats said only 49%. I imagine a lot of that is stuff like mini games which I didn't bother much with and getting Majima Everywhere to only A. I think I'll spend far more time in K2 though because of the cabaret stuff and I actually enjoy the mini games lol. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are stunning in K2 too. I just wish it had a PS5 patch because initially it was jarring coming from 60fps of 0 and K1 to 30fps.

Yakuza 2 is a great game, so can’t wait to get back into it. It had one of the greatest antagonist in it.

 

[dwwaino]

UFO catcher in 2 is way harder than 1 . I still haven't got the guy who wants the toy in Sotenbori because you can't spin the camera 90 degrees so it's really hard to line up. Also feels more rigged like IRL claw catcher machines lol.

 

[RPCB]

These are such 'comfort' games for me, find them so compelling in their goofyness.

These games are downright hilarious at times.

 

[dwwaino]

Like a Dragon and fighting the Yakuza in nappies who drink baby formula.

Majima in general.

 

[RPCB]

Anyone else think that Yakuza have some of the best character models in gaming for villains? I genuinely don’t know who frightens me more out of Lao Gui and Kanai.

 

[dwwaino]

Lao Gui is great.

I loved Kuze. He seemed like the kind of baddie that would exist in real life, as in he wasn't written over the top, and would be absolutely terrifying to be in the presence of.

Wouldn't go as far as calling him an antagonist because he was more in the background but Shimano was a little more on the ridiculous side. More like a bad guy you'd see in a comic.

 

[RPCB]

Lao Gui is great.

I loved Kuze. He seemed like the kind of baddie that would exist in real life, as in he wasn't written over the top, and would be absolutely terrifying to be in the presence of.

Wouldn't go as far as calling him an antagonist because he was more in the background but Shimano was a little more on the ridiculous side. More like a bad guy you'd see in a comic.

I think the most real to life characters are the ones modelled after their voice actor. Awano, Kuze and Shibusawa etc.

Shimano is definitely on the ridiculous side. Majima is next level though.

 

[RPCB]

English dubs for Gaiden and Infinite Wealth/8 confirmed with a new voice actor for Kiryu. Yong Yea replaces Darryl Kurylo from Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

 

[dwwaino]

I still struggle with the idea of an english speaking Kiryu.

 

[RPCB]

I still struggle with the idea of an english speaking Kiryu.

Yeah, that’s why I did myself a disservice playing LAD in English. Wasn’t too bad with the new characters for the game but then some of the original Yakuza characters appeared and I would be lying if it wasn’t jarring to hear these Japanese characters speaking English. Will definitely replay LAD in Japanese and choose Japanese for Gaiden and Infinite Wealth on release.

 

[dwwaino]

I'll never finish K2 at this rate. Over 20 hours in and still only chapter 6. I have sunk so much time into the cabaret club and Majima Constructions. The completion list says I've done a massive chunk of sub stories so that's one thing out of the way.

I think 0 was my favourite previously but K2 has shot to first. 80s Kamurocho was cool and 0 had some of the best story telling, but as a package K2 is doing it for me. I've read that many down rate K2 purely due to the combat and not having the different styles but I actually like it. Don't have to memorise all the different combos for the different styles . I think it's the identical Kamurocho to Judgement as well? This version of the city looks stunning.

Dreading going to Y3 at this stage. I was contemplating just skipping it and watching the cut scenes on YouTube but I think I'll just chuck it on easy and power through the main story. I haven't played Y4 since PS3 but apparently it isn't anywhere near as dated.

 

[Duck Farmer]

I'll never finish K2 at this rate. Over 20 hours in and still only chapter 6. I have sunk so much time into the cabaret club and Majima Constructions. The completion list says I've done a massive chunk of sub stories so that's one thing out of the way.

I think 0 was my favourite previously but K2 has shot to first. 80s Kamurocho was cool and 0 had some of the best story telling, but as a package K2 is doing it for me. I've read that many down rate K2 purely due to the combat and not having the different styles but I actually like it. Don't have to memorise all the different combos for the different styles . I think it's the identical Kamurocho to Judgement as well? This version of the city looks stunning.

Dreading going to Y3 at this stage. I was contemplating just skipping it and watching the cut scenes on YouTube but I think I'll just chuck it on easy and power through the main story. I haven't played Y4 since PS3 but apparently it isn't anywhere near as dated.

K2 should be next on my list. Having come late to the series I've played 0 and K1. However, I'm now thinking I should skip directly to LAD.

 

[dwwaino]

K2 should be next on my list. Having come late to the series I've played 0 and K1. However, I'm now thinking I should skip directly to LAD.

LAD, as in Y7 (because the naming is going to be pretty convoluted to new comers shortly) is fantastic but it's also so different due to location, protagonist and turn based combat. It also doesn't require any previous knowledge of the series.

Have you played the Judgement games? Judgement and Lost Judgement are absolutely awesome too and a great point to go next if the remasters are a little too dated. I would need to double check because it has been a while since I played Judgement but I'm pretty sure it's the same engine and version of Kamurocho as K2. It also has an english dub that doesn't seem out of place. Then Lost Judgment is based in the same map of Yokohama as Like a Dragon.

At some point it would be good to at least read or watch a summary of the main Yakuza games though if you're planning on playing the next entry, LAD Gaiden - Man who erased his name, as it will be a return to Kiryu's story.

 

[RPCB]

I'll never finish K2 at this rate. Over 20 hours in and still only chapter 6. I have sunk so much time into the cabaret club and Majima Constructions. The completion list says I've done a massive chunk of sub stories so that's one thing out of the way.

I think 0 was my favourite previously but K2 has shot to first. 80s Kamurocho was cool and 0 had some of the best story telling, but as a package K2 is doing it for me. I've read that many down rate K2 purely due to the combat and not having the different styles but I actually like it. Don't have to memorise all the different combos for the different styles . I think it's the identical Kamurocho to Judgement as well? This version of the city looks stunning.

Dreading going to Y3 at this stage. I was contemplating just skipping it and watching the cut scenes on YouTube but I think I'll just chuck it on easy and power through the main story. I haven't played Y4 since PS3 but apparently it isn't anywhere near as dated.

That is actually the recommended (so I have read, several times) way to play it. Reason being is the combat is still quite difficult on easy. If Y3 ever got the Kiwami treatment, the game would be a breeze on easy. But because it’s basically a PS3 game played on modern consoles, it makes for a challenging experience still.

 

[Duck Farmer]

LAD, as in Y7 (because the naming is going to be pretty convoluted to new comers shortly) is fantastic but it's also so different due to location, protagonist and turn based combat. It also doesn't require any previous knowledge of the series.

Have you played the Judgement games? Judgement and Lost Judgement are absolutely awesome too and a great point to go next if the remasters are a little too dated. I would need to double check because it has been a while since I played Judgement but I'm pretty sure it's the same engine and version of Kamurocho as K2. It also has an english dub that doesn't seem out of place. Then Lost Judgment is based in the same map of Yokohama as Like a Dragon.

At some point it would be good to at least read or watch a summary of the main Yakuza games though if you're planning on playing the next entry, LAD Gaiden - Man who erased his name, as it will be a return to Kiryu's story.

Haven't played any Judgement games. Would like to play K2 through Y6 before LAD but there's so much other good stuff to play and I've only one lifetime hence the thought about jumping straight to LAD and going forward from there with the future releases.

 

[RPCB]

LAD, as in Y7 (because the naming is going to be pretty convoluted to new comers shortly) is fantastic but it's also so different due to location, protagonist and turn based combat. It also doesn't require any previous knowledge of the series.

I actually don’t mind the name change and I like how it’s been handled.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon (new protagonists) > Smooth name change transition into > Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (sequel).

The game I would have kept as Yakuza is Gaiden. I think “Yakuza Gaiden“ suits it more as it feels like a true Part 7.

Have you played the Judgement games? Judgement and Lost Judgement are absolutely awesome too and a great point to go next if the remasters are a little too dated. I would need to double check because it has been a while since I played Judgement but I'm pretty sure it's the same engine and version of Kamurocho as K2. It also has an english dub that doesn't seem out of place. Then Lost Judgment is based in the same map of Yokohama as Like a Dragon.

At some point it would be good to at least read or watch a summary of the main Yakuza games though if you're planning on playing the next entry, LAD Gaiden - Man who erased his name, as it will be a return to Kiryu's story.

I checked on Wikipedia i and it says for Judgment, “The game uses the Dragon Engine to produce graphics similar to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. “

 

[dwwaino]

I actually don’t mind the name change and I like how it’s been handled.

Yakuza: Like A Dragon (new protagonists) > Smooth name change transition into > Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (sequel).

The game I would have kept as Yakuza is Gaiden. I think “Yakuza Gaiden“ suits it more as it feels like a true Part 7.


I checked on Wikipedia i and it says for Judgment, “The game uses the Dragon Engine to produce graphics similar to Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. “

Made me look it up again because I always forget but I'll post for posterity. Games that share engines:

Magical V engine: 3 and 4

Proprietary engine with I believe unknown name: 5, 0, K1

Dragon engine: 6, 7 (LAD), K2, Judgement, Lost Judgement

The latest Ishin remake (OG Japanese release was same engine as Y5) I believe is UE4 and the coming games are UE5?

While these things might seem trivial to some they really help with understanding when the games were developed and if you like/dislike one from the family you might have the same reaction to the others.

 

[RPCB]

dwwaino , I have read about your apprehension with playing Y3. Have you played the game before and that’s why or would it be your first time playing it? I can say that absolutely play it, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you only watched a YouTube recap. Yes, some of the story stuff is boring (Sunflower) but the main Yakuza stuff is still very good. You can watch a recap but you wouldn’t be experiencing the story/battles for yourself. I know I said I would rank Y3 bottom of the list but in a series where the other 6 games in the Y0-6 saga are bordering on great, Y3 is still a good game.

I think you will wind up liking the game a lot now that I think about what it’s about. Definitely play it yourself.

 

[dwwaino]

dwwaino , I have read about your apprehension with playing Y3. Have you played the game before and that’s why or would it be your first time playing it? I can say that absolutely play it, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you only watched a YouTube recap. Yes, some of the story stuff is boring (Sunflower) but the main Yakuza stuff is still very good. You can watch a recap but you wouldn’t be experiencing the story/battles for yourself. I know I said I would rank Y3 bottom of the list but in a series where the other 6 games in the Y0-6 saga are bordering on great, Y3 is still a good game.

I think you will wind up liking the game a lot now that I think about what it’s about. Definitely play it yourself.

Y4 was the first I played back on PS4 but didn't appreciate it much at the time. Never went back to 3 but went forward in the series and the appreciation grew. I'm just preparing myself for how jarring it might be going from K2 which is among the latest and most polished version of the engine and releases to a (albeit remastered) PS3 game. I don't doubt the content is still fantastic, I just horror stories about the combat and moment to moment gameplay being quite dated. Like I said, I'm going to bang it on easy and power through it. I think it's nearly time to hang up K2. I've finished the cabaret stuff and most sub stories. I need to finish this lifetime