All things Yakuza/Like a Dragon! - new games announced

[Keyboard Koala]

Yeah it the way Y2 kiwami looks, plays and sounds, seems like a huge step up from the previous two games. I'll feel sad having to go back to Yakuza 5 after this one

[b00dles]

28 minutes ago, Mr. Gerbik said:

It's out next month amd I can't wait either!

 

 

 

And again

 

[partious]

I recently put down Like a Dragon after 20+ hours when I realized there was going to be a bunch of tedium/grind involved in getting to the end. Choosing the jrpg style one was a big mistake in hindsight, since I have a low tolerance for grind and such. I just don't have enough gaming time to enjoy such stuff. The sheer number of games in the main series pushed me towards LAD though.

 

I was enjoying the nonsense story and wouldn't mind playing some of the other games, but reading a bit about zero (the one people always recommend starting with) people keep mentioning grinding various side activities/mini games and I get the impression it's necessary. Is this stuff actually necessary to smoothly go through the main story. For example, are there points where the game says something like "I need 10 million yen to do such and such" to force you to grind out money in some minigame?

To be honest, I'd be happy enough to play through on easy and enjoy the story and a few side missions, watch cut scenes, run from place to place with some button mashing in between, but if the side stuff is required I won't bother. I'm sure they're fun if you're in the mood but I have zero interest in anything like the stock market waste of time from LAD.

 

I completed Ishin back at the ps4 launch and don't remember anything particularly tedious/grindy aside from the high number of random fights when running down the street and vague memories of an optional slightly musou style dungeon minigame (it was a long time ago).

 

If I didn't have memories of Ishin being at least somewhat respectful of player time, I'd dismiss the entire series as not for me after my LAD experience (there is so much bloat,drudgery and tedium in that game it's close to the opposite of my gaming preferences). Where does zero fall in that regard?

[Sane]

11 minutes ago, partious said:

I recently put down Like a Dragon after 20+ hours when I realized there was going to be a bunch of tedium/grind involved in getting to the end. Choosing the jrpg style one was a big mistake in hindsight, since I have a low tolerance for grind and such. The sheer number of games in the main series pushed me towards LAD though.

 

I was enjoying the nonsense story and wouldn't mind playing some of the other games, but reading a bit about zero (the one people always recommend starting with) people keep mentioning grinding various side activities/mini games and I get the impression it's necessary. Is this stuff actually necessary to smoothly go through the main story. For example, are there points where the game says something like "I need 50 million yen to do such and such" to force you to grind out money in some minigame?

I'd be happy enough to play through on easy to be honest and enjoy the story and a few side missions, watch cut scenes, run from place to place with some button mashing in between, but if the side stuff is required I won't bother. I'm sure they're fun if you're in the mood but I have zero interest in anything like the stock market waste of time from LAD.

 

I completed Ishin back at the ps4 launch and don't remember anything particularly tedious/grindy aside from the high number of random fights when running down the street and vague memories of an optional slightly musou style dungeon minigame (it was a long time ago).

There's no grinding in 0, you can safely skip any side activities you don't like as far as I can remember. I certainly didn't do the real estate stuff. 

[Mr. Gerbik]

23 minutes ago, partious said:

I recently put down Like a Dragon after 20+ hours when I realized there was going to be a bunch of tedium/grind involved in getting to the end. Choosing the jrpg style one was a big mistake in hindsight, since I have a low tolerance for grind and such. I just don't have enough gaming time to enjoy such stuff. The sheer number of games in the main series pushed me towards LAD though.

 

I was enjoying the nonsense story and wouldn't mind playing some of the other games, but reading a bit about zero (the one people always recommend starting with) people keep mentioning grinding various side activities/mini games and I get the impression it's necessary. Is this stuff actually necessary to smoothly go through the main story. For example, are there points where the game says something like "I need 10 million yen to do such and such" to force you to grind out money in some minigame?

To be honest, I'd be happy enough to play through on easy and enjoy the story and a few side missions, watch cut scenes, run from place to place with some button mashing in between, but if the side stuff is required I won't bother. I'm sure they're fun if you're in the mood but I have zero interest in anything like the stock market waste of time from LAD.

 

I completed Ishin back at the ps4 launch and don't remember anything particularly tedious/grindy aside from the high number of random fights when running down the street and vague memories of an optional slightly musou style dungeon minigame (it was a long time ago).

 

If I didn't have memories of Ishin being at least somewhat respectful of player time, I'd dismiss the entire series as not for me after my LAD experience (there is so much bloat,drudgery and tedium in that game it's close to the opposite of my gaming preferences). Where does zero fall in that regard?

Play Yakuza 0 asap you fool

 

You'll be glad you did

[Calashnikov]

I remember having the real estate side game hoisted on me in Yak 0 and thinking wtf is this shite? I did the necessary bare minimum in order to advance the main story and thought to myself thank fuck that’s over 😮‍💨 
 

A few weeks later I had completed the entirety of the real estate side game and I loved the ever-loving shite out of the whole bastarding thing 😎 

[Lorfarius]

Plus the story is amazing in 0, one of the best in the series. Bit clunky to control now but well worth sticking with.

[Sane]

Help me, fellow Yakuza fans! I have Yakuza 5 and Judgment, which one should I play? I started 5 but after playing the newer games it's a little rough to go back to the old engine. Judgment looks very nice, but I'm not sure about the detective stuff. 

[Calashnikov]

Yakuza 5 with its jank-ass hunting and taxi-driving side-stories is majestic magical majesty, the likes of which we will never see again 🥃 I say five-dive right in, and I bailed halfway through the game two years ago. Still installed, ready for my return wherever whenever tho, str8 up 🥋 

[deerokus]

Judgement is probably the weakest of the more modern games. It's fine but I wouldn't start with it.

[JoeK]

8 hours ago, Calashnikov said:

Yakuza 5 with its jank-ass hunting and taxi-driving side-stories is majestic magical majesty, the likes of which we will never see again 🥃 I say five-dive right in, and I bailed halfway through the game two years ago. Still installed, ready for my return wherever whenever tho, str8 up 🥋 

 

I think if you can get through the interminable bits in the snow and all that bear trapping, then it becomes thoroughly incredible. That winter bit though...fucking hell that's aged terribly. 

 

But...Y5 is like this grand folly of a game where they clearly thought the series was going to finish, and they put everything in there.

 

Everything.

 

There's no filter to it, which probably leaves it being a bit too bloated, but it is a game you have to see through to the end, because it is pretty magnificent by the time you reach the end credits, and very satisfying.

 

I do have to say that I think the smaller scale of Y6 makes it my favourite of the Kiryu games (and by smaller scale that's probably leaving out the absolutely bonkers end parts). 

[Sane]

Alright, Yakuza 5 it is! Hope I can see it through to the end, it sounds like a long journey... 

[Darren]

Funnily enough I’m playing Y5 at the moment but it’s taking ages because I was up that bloody mountain and just couldn’t bring myself to play it very often. Eventually I got to a point where

 

Spoiler

yet another villager had gone missing on the hunting trail, and I was given the choice to go and rescue him or just bugger off to the city

and I was all “later losers!” and out of there as fast as my massive chunky legs could carry me.

[gossi the dog]

31 minutes ago, Darren said:

Funnily enough I’m playing Y5 at the moment but it’s taking ages because I was up that bloody mountain and just couldn’t bring myself to play it very often. Eventually I got to a point where

 

  Reveal hidden contents

yet another villager had gone missing on the hunting trail, and I was given the choice to go and rescue him or just bugger off to the city

and I was all “later losers!” and out of there as fast as my massive chunky legs could carry me.

 

The hunting is brilliant. 

[gossi the dog]

10 hours ago, Sane said:

Help me, fellow Yakuza fans! I have Yakuza 5 and Judgment, which one should I play? I started 5 but after playing the newer games it's a little rough to go back to the old engine. Judgment looks very nice, but I'm not sure about the detective stuff. 

 

Judgment has some awful detective stuff (tailing missions etc) and the protagonist isn't very likeable. I'd play Yakuza 5 first.

[Kromeo]

10 hours ago, Sane said:

Help me, fellow Yakuza fans! I have Yakuza 5 and Judgment, which one should I play? I started 5 but after playing the newer games it's a little rough to go back to the old engine. Judgment looks very nice, but I'm not sure about the detective stuff. 

 

Judgment. 

If only because it prepares you for Lost Judgment, which is the best game in the series, mayhaps (it's still a toss-up between Lost Judgment, Yakuza 0, and Like A Dragon). Lost Judgment at least has the best combat of the entire franchise, plus, it lets you ride around the city on a skateboard and beat the everliving crap out of snotty high-schoolers. It's sublime.

[Orion]

3 hours ago, Darren said:

Funnily enough I’m playing Y5 at the moment but it’s taking ages because I was up that bloody mountain and just couldn’t bring myself to play it very often. Eventually I got to a point where

 

  Hide contents

yet another villager had gone missing on the hunting trail, and I was given the choice to go and rescue him or just bugger off to the city

and I was all “later losers!” and out of there as fast as my massive chunky legs could carry me.

 

Spoiler

That is exactly what I did as well. I was never arsed enough to go back. The bear probably murdered the whole village.

 

[Kayin Amoh]

Fun fact: The Kaito Files expansion for Lost Judgment is utterly excellent as well.

[Kayin Amoh]

That Kiryu statue from before is half price, £45 down from £90. https://www.segashop.co.uk/products/ryu-ga-gotoku-yakuza-statue

[joffocakes]

Just finished off Kiwami 2, Blasted through a New Game+ Legend difficulty run in ~2h 40m by skipping cutscenes and avoiding everything I could.

 

Going from Zero/Kiwami 1 to 30fps Dragon Engine was jarring and clumsy but once I got used to it I really enjoyed the daft ragdolling of the combat. Used more weapons than I ever did in the other games too. Probably my least favourite of the four I've played so far but I still had a great time with it.

 

Yakuza 3 Remastered downloading now, I probably won't Platinum the next few though.

[joffocakes]

I'd read that the pool minigame in Yakuza 3 Remastered was a real sticking point since the X axis was incredibly sensitive when setting up shot power on the right stick and it really did lead to wild mis-hits on the cueball frustratingly often.

 

I ended up trying to work around this by playing the game via Remote Play on my laptop and using controller remapping software (reWASD, though the dual sense needs to be plugged in via a USB hub to work, rather than directly into the laptop's ports, for reasons I dont understand) to set the R2 button as the right analog's Y axis so there'd be no chance of accidental X axis movement.

 

Anyway, it worked great! But I ended up beating it directly on the PS5 anyway because the Expert CPU accidentally fouled when sinking the cueball (probably due to the cluttered table since I didnt manage to pot any of mine) so it was completely pointless. Might be a useful option for someone else, though!

[Keyboard Koala]

The Tattoos of Yakuza:

 

 

[Keyboard Koala]

Happy Birthday Goro Majima:

 

 

[tejinashi]

Freshly announced, there will be another RGG Summit this year, on 16th of June at the unfortunate time of 4am BST. But very exciting! Possible new announcements and more info on "The Man Who Erased His Name" and Like a Dragon 8.