All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

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Sean
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Sean »

Kicking myself for not getting Y0 yet. Too many good games out now!
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Finished Yakuza 0 yesterday.

Fantastic game and probably my favorite in the series alongside 2. The tone is noticeably darker when compared to the other games, which makes me think there might have been a new writer at the helm this time around. The decision to limit the playable characters to 2 was very much the right one, in my opinion. It helps to give each story path proper time to develop without the end result feeling bloated like in Yakuza 5. The combat is wonderfully fluid and cathartic, and the addition of different fighting styles is a nice touch that shakes things up a bit. The voice acting and cutscene direction are great, especially when considering the comparatively modest budget. The often maligned "ludonarrative dissonance" is as noticeable as ever, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. If anything, it adds to the series' charm.

There are a few plot points that didn't exactly ring true with me, but all in all, I'm glad to see the series being reinvigorated in the West with such a stellar title. The future looks promising!

PS: That semi-pervy hostess club mini-game is as silly as it is entertaining. What a fine line to walk! :D
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KSubzero1000
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

It's happeniiing!


CAN'T WAIT
Alex, you're in for a treat!

And also:


...Huh. Interesting.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Scrustle »

Really happy they're remaking Yakuza 2! That's perfect after them putting out the first remake. Means I'll finally get caught up on the whole franchise without having to track down the old PS2 versions, or getting them running on an emulator. Would also be kind of odd only doing that for a single game too.

Interesting pick for the new character. Looks like someone totally new. I was kind of hoping they might pick Akiyama, but the series has a great track record with protagonists, so it's not like I'm worried at all. Although it will be very hard to fill Kiryu's shoes. I'm kind of afraid to learn more about him too early though. That trailer is already kind of a spoiler in itself, but hey, at least it's in Japanese. Maybe he was a guy who was already in Yakuza 6. Would kind of suck if material started showing up talking about him and his role in 6 before I even get to play it.

On a different note, by copy of Kiwami arrived today. Amazon sent it out early it seems. Noticed the game isn't showing up on my trophies, which is odd. Enjoying it so far, although it does feel very obviously put together with old assets. I haven't had too much of a problem with the old PS2 elements standing out too much, but they are noticeable. Aside from that, a lot is very obviously carried over from 0 as well. Even though it is kind of expected, it doesn't exactly feel "fresh". Still fun though, and the story is new to me. Or it mostly is, considering I've watched those recap videos in 3. That was a long time ago though.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Loved Yakuza 0 but it's the only one I've played although I'm looking forward to the remakes of 1 and 2. Quick question, do the other games in the series have so many time wasting things to do like arcade games and pool and darts etc? That was a big part of the game for me.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Alex79uk wrote: August 27th, 2017, 4:51 pm Quick question, do the other games in the series have so many time wasting things to do like arcade games and pool and darts etc? That was a big part of the game for me.
Yes they do, although they did get better over time. The early games didn't have the same level of playability you might be used to. I fully expect the remakes to be similar to Zero in that regard, however.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Okay, bit of an unusual post, but I really wanted to share this so bear with me here.

So it's currently well past midnight, which means that I'm obviously busy listening to these bomb beats and contemplating mankind's destiny instead of sleeping like a normal person:



...And imagine my surprise when I scrolled down and discovered this total gem of a comment giving a detailed thematic analysis of Kiryu's influences and characterization in Yakuza Zero. I'll put it in spoiler tags, but it's a really good read for those of you who have finished the game:
Spoiler: show
One thing I've come to love and understand is Kuze's dawning realization of why Kazama wanted to hold Kiryu back at the end, knowing full well that he had the power to overwhelm the entire Yakuza, Kuze himself not realizing this until he himself lost to him 5 times in a row, and the irony that Kiryu himself has the power he was given because of those three lieutenants own actions, a weapon of their own destruction carved out of their own flaws, sharpened and perfected from their own arrogance, how they themselves helped release the essence of a dragon, created from what mounted as little more that an innocent puppy, lying helplessly, begging on the floor.

They themselves created everything Kiryu was destined to become due to his nature

One thing I'd like to point out, is can you see how Kiryu is strangely the opposite or of ALL THREE of the lieutenants PUT TOGETHER? He is the single being that can become a Ying to all three of their Yangs at once ... Awano wore flashy clothes, was greedy, cunning, and mercilessly extorted people in utmost cruelty. Kiryu wore shabby clothes, but was selfless, if a little naive, and mercifully helped any possible person who was in need.

Kuze, arrogant, wanted fame and prestige, being known as the toughest of all, Kiryu was humble, and never passed any opportunity to bow in reverance as a nobody (I mean, look at the opening).

Shibuzawa was cold and calculating, solitary, menacing, wanted nothing more than absolute power over everyone and everything. But Kiryu, he was open, warm hearted, never had excessive wit, (to the point he was a little clumsy at times), seeked the help of others, and was fully content on being nothing more than a low level dog in the eyes of everyone else, not caring about anything, more money, fame, or power, never even challenging anyone to conquer selfishly, not wanting a single thing more than the privilege of wearing the Tojo clan pin on his chest as a servant of cruel and arrogant men who mistreated him, because that's what loyalty to Kazama meant (I mean, again, just look at when he delivers the money to the debt collector at the start)

Can you see how all the above leads to the utmost irony that Kiryu effectively owes a third of the strength he gained from the start of the game to the finish to each of the three lieutenants? Like a dragon, gaining, or consuming something from each of his opponents after destroying them before the end, even if by force?

This story, the plot and themes behind it were unparalleled in every way. The symbolism in the story is so unique and incredible, the writers clearly intended all of this, and it shines like a diamond in the sun, mere moments after the carefully placed cloud of mystery dissipates and moves away from it's gaze so it can shine in the light.
Man, it just makes me so giddy inside to witness the kind of passionate enthusiasm that certain works can create. Dedicated fanbases are the best! Who needs GOTY nominations when you can move people's hearts and minds? :P

Good stuff, shyguy778. Really good stuff.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Invite him to the forum!
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by ColinAlonso »

I never looked at the comments even though I have listened to that video of Kuze's theme (Pledge of Demon, it's great) many times. Good find.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Ok, so I am about 2 hours in to Yakuza Kiwami, and enjoying it. I really loved Yakuza Zero last year, so it's just nice to be back in that world, with those characters. I have, however, got one single issue with the game so far.

Goro Majima.

In Zero, he was this ultra cool, silently menacing character, who would bend over backwards to help and charm you, but could rip your spine clean out through your skin if he felt like it. In Kiwami he's.... well, he's a dick! It's so jarring so have come from his Zero persona to this irritating clown of a man who you just want to knock out as soon as he opens his mouth.

I mean, what's that all about!? Other than that, yeah good game so far. Slow starting - obviously - but the story is already starting to pick up. Looking forward to getting more in to it.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Alex79uk wrote: February 23rd, 2018, 10:56 pm I mean, what's that all about!?
His role has been significantly expanded upon in later games, especially in Zero, but in the original Majima was little more than a secondary villain without much depth to his character. And the pointlessly repetitive Majima fights that were introduced in Kiwami only serve to make him even more annoying, as far as I can tell.

Basically, Majima got better and better as time went on. Kiwami is probably the low point as far as he's concerned.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Oops! Sega accidentally release the entire game of Yakuza 6 for free! (spoiler: you can't get it any more, before anyone gets too excited!)

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.euroga ... 6-for-free
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by stvnorman »

I happened to be online when it went live and downloaded it straight away, just out of curiousity because I’d never played a Yakuza game before. Not massively excited about it though - not sure I’m interested enough to play more than chapter one anyway!
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Genuinely, I would just play enough to see it you like the core gameplay, then forget about it and start from the beginning of the series.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

I am enjoying what I've played of this series so far, I really am, but my god how have the boss battles in these games got a free pass? I've not seen people complain about them really, and they're consistently terrible. There is no skill or technique involved, it's simply dodging and hammering away at attack until they die, making sure you heal as required. And if you're going in to a boss fight without a full stock of recovery items then forget about it, because all the fight is, is a matter of whether you have enough healing items to last the fight. That is literally all there is to it!
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Alex79uk wrote: March 2nd, 2018, 7:39 am There is no skill or technique involved, it's simply dodging and hammering away at attack until they die, making sure you heal as required. And if you're going in to a boss fight without a full stock of recovery items then forget about it, because all the fight is, is a matter of whether you have enough healing items to last the fight. That is literally all there is to it!

Spoiler: show


Just gotta learn move properties, timing and how to animation cancel like any other proper action game.
I'll admit that the games aren't exactly going out their way to teach you this stuff and that the combat systems overall are less fine-tuned for mechanical mastery than others in the genre, but the quoted is unequivocally false.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Thanks that's an interesting video. I must admit after watching that (and I apologise I forgot to reply at the time) I have tried a few more tactics and the combat does seem deeper than I'd first realised.

The story of Kiwami is a bit of a chore though after Zero, so much just running about looking for people, you can tell its the first game in the series, I'm finding it quite dull to be honest which is disappointing.

Kiwami 2 confirmed in the West for an August release though, so that's great news!
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Alex79uk wrote: March 18th, 2018, 8:08 am Kiwami 2 confirmed in the West for an August release though, so that's great news!
Indeed it is! 2's story is my favorite in the series together with Zero, so I'm glad that a new generation of players will get to experience it as well.

With that said, I've heard troubling reports about the quality of this remake, so I'm not exactly sure what to expect...
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Aleeex, look what I've gooot!

Good stuff. Don't burn yourselves out, though. :)
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

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I hear they are releasing a limited edition controller with Yakuza 4. It holds down the X button for you.

Sorry, sorry, I will leave now. That was one wordy game though.
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