Yakuza (7): Like a Dragon - Gotta Dispatch 'Em All!

[Down by Law]

Yakuza games are so short, starting over isn't going to be a problem! 

 

 

Sarcasm of course what the fuck are Sony doing? 

[Mr. Gerbik]

It's probably why at some point Microsoft made a clean break with old Xbox Live. The basic design decisions made way back in the day, probably aren't going to be ideal 5 to 10 years later with everything going digital.

 

It's a shame, but like I said I'm genuinely surprised. When I suggested playing the PS4 version of Yakuza 7 on BC wasn't so bad, my thinking was that there's bound to be fuck all difference between the versions. Probably a higher resolution, more stable frame rate and that's it - so waiting for the PS5 version isn't really necessary. But now you might want to wait after all because of this

 

Edit: in response to @moosegrinder

[Yobo Ahoy]

Exactly, it's only in the last couple of years we've got Yak games that were genuinely built for PS4 rather than the previous gen.

[Ferine]

Both Sony and Microsoft's systems work essentially the same way, insofar as saves aren't compatible between the 'same' game if it's considered a separate product. The Witcher 3 GOTY is an example, which you'll note has separate Trophies/Achievements to the original release and saves don't work between versions, whether you're on PS4 or Xbox.

 

Smart Delivery means that the game is considered the same product on all iterations of Xbox, it'll just adjust graphical/asset configuration depending on what it's running on; think of it like a PC game that automatically applies config files. Naturally this means saves work across all platforms, and similarly Achievements are unified.

 

Then you have games that come with next-gen upgrades but are not Smart Delivery even on Xbox, like CoD, EA's titles, Avengers, etc. In a lot of cases these are service-based games that can carry over (some) progress via a server in lieu of actual save files being interoperable; presumably they'll have separate Trophies/Achievements. But what about games like Control or The Witcher 3 that don't hit a server? Well, as far as I can see none of them are promising cross-generation saves on Xbox or PlayStation at this time. Maybe they can figure something out, like a one-time save conversion process that has to be built per game, but that could well be impossible: I don't know if one game can properly dig through another's save data.

 

To bring it back to Yakuza, then: as a certified Smart Delivery title (a.k.a. the same game across generations) Sega don't need to do anything for saves to work, whilst on PlayStation they would need to do something and they're not going to.

[Mr. Gerbik]

18 minutes ago, Ferine said:

To bring it back to Yakuza, then: as a certified Smart Delivery title (a.k.a. the same game across generations) Sega don't need to do anything for saves to work, whilst on PlayStation they would need to do something and they're not going to.

Like I said in the PS5 thread, I'm not even sure this is on Sega. Or else by your logic, you would say in regards to Spider-Man: "on Playstation, Sony would need to do something and they're not going to". Maybe it's not even technically possible on PS5.

 

Anyway, timed exclusives always suck but usually they're a year or so. From November to March isn't that long, but yeah it still sucks.

[SqueakyG]

The anticipation to play Yakuza 7 (for some reason I must use its Japanese name) might be the deciding factor for when I get a next-gen console, and which one.

 

The past generation was totally the PS4 generation for me. After Microsoft screwed up the Xbox One launch with Kinect and other nonsense, I never truly liked the Xbox One brand. But I totally liked the PS4 -- its dashboard, its style, its games. Then Yakuza. Oh Yakuza! I have played an entire epic series of games that I didn't know existed, and played them ALL on PS4. I cannot mentally separate Yakuza from the Playstation brand. I just assumed I would absolutely play Yakuza 7 on Playstation.

 

But I don't want to be playing Yakuza 7 at 30fps if Series X bros get to play it at 60.

[Yobo Ahoy]

I couldn't tell you what FPS any Yakuza games were, I tend to put technical quibbles aside when playing these games as it's not really the reason I play them. The latest few games finally look decent but still don't really compare to some of the heavy hitters from even early in the generation. 

 

Having said that, I'm not sure I've ever experienced a bug or crash in a Yak game which is preferable to bells and whistles as far as I'm concerned.

[Gambit]

Yeah, I'm going to be happy with just the standard PS4 version. It still looks great from footage and I feel this game is hardly going to benefit that much from the added power of next gen hardware.

[Harsin]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I don't think I'll be getting Yakuza 7 at launch despite planning to buy an Xbox Series X.

 

I bought the collection and wanted to play every mainstream Yakuza entry before this one (had already played Zero, Kiwamis 1 and 2 and Yakuza 6). So been working my way through them slowly since last year. I was fairly on track to finish them and have some downtime in between until Yakuza 5. By God, that's a big ol' bloated game that made me start to think maybe you can have too much Yakuza. Finally finished it, but I feel like I need time for my batteries to recharge, lest I damage my love for the series by diving straight into another one.

 

 

[lordscotland]

26 minutes ago, Harsin said:

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I don't think I'll be getting Yakuza 7 at launch despite planning to buy an Xbox Series X.

 

I bought the collection and wanted to play every mainstream Yakuza entry before this one (had already played Zero, Kiwamis 1 and 2 and Yakuza 6). So been working my way through them slowly since last year. I was fairly on track to finish them and have some downtime in between until Yakuza 5. By God, that's a big ol' bloated game that made me start to think maybe you can have too much Yakuza. Finally finished it, but I feel like I need time for my batteries to recharge, lest I damage my love for the series by diving straight into another one.

 

 

For what it’s worth, 6 feels relatively brief, particularly compared to 5. It was the first on the new engine so it’s not quite as crammed with diversions 

[Sarlaccfood]

29 minutes ago, Harsin said:

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I don't think I'll be getting Yakuza 7 at launch despite planning to buy an Xbox Series X.

 

I bought the collection and wanted to play every mainstream Yakuza entry before this one (had already played Zero, Kiwamis 1 and 2 and Yakuza 6). So been working my way through them slowly since last year. I was fairly on track to finish them and have some downtime in between until Yakuza 5. By God, that's a big ol' bloated game that made me start to think maybe you can have too much Yakuza. Finally finished it, but I feel like I need time for my batteries to recharge, lest I damage my love for the series by diving straight into another one.

 

 

God yeah I could never do two in a row. I got the PS3 remasters next after finishing Kiwami 2 a few months back and am only just starting to get the itch now. 

I’ll be on PS6 by the time I get to Like a Dragon.

 

[Harsin]

9 minutes ago, lordscotland said:

For what it’s worth, 6 feels relatively brief, particularly compared to 5. It was the first on the new engine so it’s not quite as crammed with diversions 

I've already played 6 and the story I pieced together in my head from the start where it shows snippets from the end of 5 was actually better than 5.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I'm glad I kept up with the series since the first one on PS2 I'm ready to go day one gimme dat new Yakuza

[Sarlaccfood]

1 hour ago, Harsin said:

I've already played 6 and the story I pieced together in my head from the start where it shows snippets from the end of 5 was actually better than 5.

Would you say it’s worth skipping then?

[Mr Ben]

Skipping 5?!? Heresy. How can you skip this?!?

 

In all honesty the "worst" part of 5 is probably Saejima's prison stuff, which dragged on a bit long.

[Sarlaccfood]

Alright I’m back in baby!

[Gambit]

5 also has the great Haruka stuff.

 

Its a better game than 4 which had the two worst playable characters (Saejima and whatever the cop was called).

[Cheyenne]

Tanimura's playstyle is one of my absolute favourites. There is no Heat Action better than slapping the cuffs on someone.

[HarryBizzle]

7 hours ago, Mr Ben said:

In all honesty the "worst" part of 5 is probably Saejima's prison stuff, which dragged on a bit long.

I think that’s where I gave up. Absolutely brutal. 
 

I haven’t finished 0 but don’t have a PS4 anymore and don’t want to replay 20 hours on the game pass version. 
 

Is 6 coming to Xbox? I’ve not played it. 

[Mr. Gerbik]

53 minutes ago, HarryBizzle said:

I think that’s where I gave up. Absolutely brutal. 
 

I haven’t finished 0 but don’t have a PS4 anymore and don’t want to replay 20 hours on the game pass version. 
 

Is 6 coming to Xbox? I’ve not played it. 

If you ever buy a PS5 and if you were playing the digital version on PS4 (edit: oh maybe not I guess you could use the PS4 disc in your PS5 - maybe) and if you made sure to upload your save to the cloud, there's a chance you could continue via BC on PS5.

 

6 is the Kiwami engine so I always assumed it would turn up on PC at some point, which in turn indicates an imminent Xbox release. So far nothing, but who knows after 7 is out. It would be great to also have the 3,4,5 remasters and 6 available on PC and Xbox. The entire saga on each platform.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I just remembered that this game has already been out in Japan for ages abd given the initial controversial reception - how was it received in the end? According to wikipedia:

Quote

Reception

 

Review score

Famitsu

 38/40

 

Sales

Yakuza: Like a Dragon was the best selling print game during its first 4 days on sale in Japan, with 156,993 retail copies sold.[21] By March 2020, a total of 400,000 digital and physical copies had been sold in Asia and Japan.

 

Awards

Yakuza: Like a Dragon was awarded a Japan Game Awards Award for Excellence in the Future Division at the Tokyo Game Show 2019.

So in the end everyone loved it after all? 

[Purin]

Do you need to have played any of the other games to get into this?

[Garwoofoo]

5 minutes ago, Purin said:

Do you need to have played any of the other games to get into this?

I’m assuming not - it’s a new character and a new play style - but I’m sure it’ll be stuffed with callbacks for those that have played everything else in the series. 
 

Most of the Yakuza games are fairly standalone to be honest, they introduce their plots and characters each time. Though they’re definitely best played in order. 

[Mr. Gerbik]

5 minutes ago, Purin said:

Do you need to have played any of the other games to get into this?

Probably not, it's a fresh start. New protagonist, new saga, new genre even.  Haven't played it yet, but I imagine it will be as a good a jumping on point as Yakuza Zero (which is the perfect jumping on point for the previous saga) or even better.

[Purin]

thanks

[Qazimod]

I’ll be going in having not played a Yak game since the second PS2 one (and Kiwami on +); I know everyone will be screaming at me to play one of the older Yaks first, but I wasn’t really fanatical about the games and this looks like a much more interesting direction...

[Mr. Gerbik]

25 minutes ago, Qazimod said:

I know everyone will be screaming at me to play one of the older Yaks first,

No, not at all. As has been said before this one is a perfect jumping on point. New saga, new protagonist.

 

Do we need to put this in thread title maybe, @Harsin? Edit: also as an advertisement for those who would otherwise not realize this is a great launch game to get if they don't read this thread.

[SqueakyG]

I marathoned 3-4-5 Remastered during the Covid lockdown earlier in the year. I didn't really get burned out... possibly because it was Covid lockdown. Those three games covered the 3 months I was furloughed from work.

 

I think I'm ready for 7 because of how different it will be. Different protagonist, very different combat, mostly a different location.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I wish we could pos thread title changes now that they're integrated in-between the actual posts. Instead I'll say: thanks @Harsin

[Qazimod]