Multiplat Like A Dragon - Ishin

[RPCB]

Oh My God!

 

[dwwaino]

I was not expecting anything like that!

 

[RPCB]

Ishin is up for pre-order on the PS Store for $100. I don’t know why some games are $125, ridiculous.

 

[RPCB]

 

[dwwaino]

Available today if you got the premium edition. Anyone tried it yet? I've been on the fence all day. I'm looking at it on the store pretty keen but with Atomic Heart and Destiny 2 expansion around the corner I'm worried I'll put it down and not come back for a long time.

 

[RPCB]

Available today if you got the premium edition. Anyone tried it yet? I've been on the fence all day. I'm looking at it on the store pretty keen but with Atomic Heart and Destiny 2 expansion around the corner I'm worried I'll put it down and not come back for a long time.

I bought the standard edition so have to wait until Wednesday for it. Looking forward to this one.

 

[dwwaino]

I bought the standard edition so have to wait until Wednesday for it. Looking forward to this one.

I want to just get the standard one but I know I'll be busy with other stuff during the week. I'm so desperate for something new to play this weekend that's why I'm considering using my PS points thingies on a $30 store voucher and getting the premium then no lifing it tonight and tomorrow. I'm just starting to get my gaming mojo back after losing my dad a few weeks ago and want to play something a bit quirky.

 

[RPCB]

I want to just get the standard one but I know I'll be busy with other stuff during the week. I'm so desperate for something new to play this weekend that's why I'm considering using my PS points thingies on a $30 store voucher and getting the premium then no lifing it tonight and tomorrow. I'm just starting to get my gaming mojo back after losing my dad a few weeks ago and want to play something a bit quirky.

Jeez mate, I am so sorry to hear that about your Dad. That’s rough.

I can fully understand you wanting to get into gaming again. It’s a nice escape from life’s stresses. Keep your chin up mate!

 

[Sixpence]

I'm just starting to get my gaming mojo back after losing my dad a few weeks ago and want to play something a bit quirky.

Sorry to hear mate!

 

[dwwaino]

I bought the standard edition so have to wait until Wednesday for it. Looking forward to this one.

I caved in and got it. Used my PS points to get a $30 PSN wallet voucher and grabbed the deluxe edition. Spent a good few hours in it and am up to chapter 2 and am going to sink most of tomorrow into it too. As a Yakuza series fan I reckon you'll love it as it ticks every box. If you want an absolute laugh then look up IGN's review. Some people wonder why I give zero credence to reviewers. Well, that's a great example of why.

The change to Unreal engine is a good one. The last few games on Dragon engine weren't bad at all, but it still felt a little dated. For any costs related to Unreal licencing they will probably make back from not having to spend time and money on their own engine. I wish more developers would do this.

Also, no matter how many times they call him Ryoma, he will still always be Kiryu to me .

 

[RPCB]

I caved in and got it. Used my PS points to get a $30 PSN wallet voucher and grabbed the deluxe edition. Spent a good few hours in it and am up to chapter 2 and am going to sink most of tomorrow into it too. As a Yakuza series fan I reckon you'll love it as it ticks every box. If you want an absolute laugh then look up IGN's review. Some people wonder why I give zero credence to reviewers. Well, that's a great example of why.

The change to Unreal engine is a good one. The last few games on Dragon engine weren't bad at all, but it still felt a little dated. For any costs related to Unreal licencing they will probably make back from not having to spend time and money on their own engine. I wish more developers would do this.

Also, no matter how many times they call him Ryoma, he will still always be Kiryu to me .

So glad you’re enjoying the game and that the change to a new engine is a good one. I knew that IGN would suck before even playing the game and now you’ve just given me confirmation of that.

Haha yeah, he will always be Kiryu. The reason why this is one of the best gaming studios around is because they give the fans what they want. This remake sounds fabulous and we are getting two other Like A Dragon (although that should have been the original west title, given it’s the English translation for the series Japanese title “Ryu Ga Gotoku”, it sounds weirder that saying “Yakuza”, haha) games over the next 12 months.

 

[dwwaino]

This is awesome. I think my save is around 8 hours last I checked. Usual slow start as is normal with these games, and as usual by chapter 3 I'm completely hooked on the main story in a way few other series get me. Mind you a lot of that time has also been fishing, karaoke and other side distractions. I'm itching to hit chapter 4 though as that's when the "another life" stuff starts and I'm sure will take a bunch of time. Highlight mini boss fight so far has been a naked brawl in a bath house with a floating cloud of steam hiding the private parts.

 

[berisha]

Our review (not mine) for anyone interested in reading:

Like A Dragon: Ishin! Review

Somebody that I used to know

www.well-played.com.au

I actually didn't realise until recently that this is an old game. I assumed it was a new entry in the Yakuza world.

 

[RPCB]

This is awesome. I think my save is around 8 hours last I checked. Usual slow start as is normal with these games, and as usual by chapter 3 I'm completely hooked on the main story in a way few other series get me. Mind you a lot of that time has also been fishing, karaoke and other side distractions. I'm itching to hit chapter 4 though as that's when the "another life" stuff starts and I'm sure will take a bunch of time. Highlight mini boss fight so far has been a naked brawl in a bath house with a floating cloud of steam hiding the private parts.

Haha, these games always did have a goofy side and knows how to take the piss out of itself.

 

[RPCB]

Pre-loading the game now. The title screen on my PS5 is really going to torment me until Wednesday.

 

[dwwaino]

Haha, these games always did have a goofy side and knows how to take the piss out of itself.

My favourite part about them is they offer something different from western games. They also retain something very Japanese about the game play where nearly every western action and rpg game plays just about the same. Also this might be a loaded point but Japanese games generally aren't (yet, anyway) tainted by western... Let's call it culture and sanitisation, where the west has just about become a caricature of itself in over correction.

There are still some warts on the game that are obvious when you become accustomed to AAA blockbusters. Like the switch to Unreal doesn't magically make the game present better. It's still very much a cut and paste job. Still the same character models, textures and judging by some of the animations like facial movement when talking they are probably still the same character rigs (skeletons) from probably Zero and Kiwami games. The biggest difference is the lighting and the way materials behave. At a guess I'm going to say it's probably UE 4.24. Looking at the river water in the main town they've created a typical UE water material that moves and reflects light in ways I don't think I saw possible in Dragon Engine. The lighting is also very different in that they've gone for lighting almost exclusively from sources like torches and candles rather than global lighting. Dragon games the textures sometimes looked a bit flat due to overall global lighting and not allowing the texture's normal maps to mimic geometry as well. Trying to naturally light a scene in the absence of ray tracing is very hard and at times in some indoor areas it does unfortunately look like they got the intern to do the lighting.

 

[RPCB]

My favourite part about them is they offer something different from western games. They also retain something very Japanese about the game play where nearly every western action and rpg game plays just about the same. Also this might be a loaded point but Japanese games generally aren't (yet, anyway) tainted by western... Let's call it culture and sanitisation, where the west has just about become a caricature of itself in over correction.

I have often thought the same thing about Yakuza games. They are a nice change from playing Western games and that’s why I do love them. That and they are incredibly fun games, with a story that spans decades worth of history for a lot of the characters.

There are still some warts on the game that are obvious when you become accustomed to AAA blockbusters. Like the switch to Unreal doesn't magically make the game present better. It's still very much a cut and paste job. Still the same character models, textures and judging by some of the animations like facial movement when talking they are probably still the same character rigs (skeletons) from probably Zero and Kiwami games. The biggest difference is the lighting and the way materials behave. At a guess I'm going to say it's probably UE 4.24. Looking at the river water in the main town they've created a typical UE water material that moves and reflects light in ways I don't think I saw possible in Dragon Engine. The lighting is also very different in that they've gone for lighting almost exclusively from sources like torches and candles rather than global lighting. Dragon games the textures sometimes looked a bit flat due to overall global lighting and not allowing the texture's normal maps to mimic geometry as well. Trying to naturally light a scene in the absence of ray tracing is very hard and at times in some indoor areas it does unfortunately look like they got the intern to do the lighting.

Thanks for all of that information mate! I thought the games would look very similar to earlier games in the series, even when using a different engine, but also different enough to notice subtle differences.

 

[RPCB]

Only put in 40 minutes this morning but I can already see this will be another good one in this series. Love the fact you can pause the screen on everything, cutscenes and dialogue boxes (the last few games have been like that as well). Much easier to follow the story without missing anything.

 

[RPCB]

This is awesome. I think my save is around 8 hours last I checked. Usual slow start as is normal with these games, and as usual by chapter 3 I'm completely hooked on the main story in a way few other series get me. Mind you a lot of that time has also been fishing, karaoke and other side distractions. I'm itching to hit chapter 4 though as that's when the "another life" stuff starts and I'm sure will take a bunch of time. Highlight mini boss fight so far has been a naked brawl in a bath house with a floating cloud of steam hiding the private parts.

I just got to this part. The total freak out when “Large Man” took one step in the water and it was too hot for him and then he threw the receptionist in.

These games are such good fun.

 

[dwwaino]

I just got to this part. The total freak out when “Large Man” took one step in the water and it was too hot for him and then he threw the receptionist in.

These games are such good fun.

I didn't want to say much more because I didn't want to spoil anything for you but that part was just too funny lol. There are a couple really bonkers substories too but I'll wait until you get to them.

I've made zero progress towards the main story the last couple nights. Spent the entire time doing substories, minigames, farming etc. My only recommendation is to first spend your virtue on the virtue upgrades. Then once you hit chapter 4 you open up the "another life" stuff which is the main distraction of this game and then you can upgrade your farm and your home and stuff.

I checked out the platinum trophy guide last night out of curiosity and I don't think I'll go for it. It seems pretty straightforward but super grindy and I can't see myself putting in ~150 hours to get it. What I did see in the guide though was how to make heaps of money from chicken racing so that's what I'll be doing next.

 

[dwwaino]

Man, any dancing above beginner is so hard I absolutely struggle trying to get a clean run using any more controls than just the d-pad.

 

[RPCB]

I can’t speak highly enough about how incredible this game is. Have absolutely loved seeing all the characters from throughout the entire series, including characters from Yakuza 0, 6 and Like A Dragon that weren’t in the original Ishin, as those games hadn’t released yet when Ishin came out in 2014. This is how you do a remake.

With how successful the entire series has been in the West, I don’t see how the studio doesn’t also remake the other spin-off, Kenzan. The studio heads did talk about that possibility and said the game would need more work than Ishin as it’s a lot older (2008) and remaking it would require Ishin being successful, probably won’t have a problem there. I cant see them not remaking the game at this point, this studio has gone above and beyond for the fan base.

 

[dwwaino]

I can’t speak highly enough about how incredible this game is. Have absolutely loved seeing all the characters from throughout the entire series, including characters from Yakuza 0, 6 and Like A Dragon that weren’t in the original Ishin, as those games hadn’t released yet when Ishin came out in 2014. This is how you do a remake.

With how successful the entire series has been in the West, I don’t see how the studio doesn’t also remake the other spin-off, Kenzan. The studio heads did talk about that possibility and said the game would need more work than Ishin as it’s a lot older (2008) and remaking it would require Ishin being successful, probably won’t have a problem there. I cant see them not remaking the game at this point, this studio has gone above and beyond for the fan base.

RGG and Atlus are two of my favourite developers/publishers. I'm far from a weeb but I absolutely love the very Japanese games they put out. Sometimes I wish I actually paid attention to Japanese class in high school and didn't get permanently kicked out of it so I maybe wouldn't have to wait for western releases of all these great games.

Very early in the year and it looks to be a busy one with heaps of quality releases due this year but so far this game is my bar for GOTY set.

 

[RPCB]

I finished the story. So bloody good. This series does things to me that anytime I play a new game in the series, I feel like doing a complete series run.

And to think that we get two more “Like A Dragon” games over the next year. Truly a blessed fanbase.

 

[dwwaino]

I finished the story. So bloody good. This series does things to me that anytime I play a new game in the series, I feel like doing a complete series run.

And to think that we get two more “Like A Dragon” games over the next year. Truly a blessed fanbase.

Holy s**t what a machine . I'm still on chapter 5 because 20 odd hours later I'm still farming and stuff lol. Only just unlocked the mission things and now obsessed with my squads and trooper cards.