All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

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The Sonic Mole

Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by The Sonic Mole »

NokkonWud wrote:
TomFum wrote:Not played the PSP version as its PSP and no one cares about it.
Don't think that's strictly true. I know several people who continue to play on their PSP and it's one of the reasons that the Vita was so anticipated; because the PSP was that good.

Surely if you really love the franchise you'd be all over the PSP versions too? Seems odd to me.
I play on my PSP loads. If you're a JRPG fan it's a superb platform. Don't take it personally Tom, I'm just sticking up for the poor little misunderstood PSP. :)
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JaySevenZero
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by JaySevenZero »

NokkonWud wrote:I am sure I saw it reported on VG247 as having a 2012 release...
It may have been reporting on the Japanese version as the HD collection is on Amazon Japan scheduled for a November 1st release. I would be genuinely surprised if we saw that over here this side of Christmas as we're almost into November and there is no mention of it anywhere. I'd expect a first quarter release next year perhaps.
Dr Mcfluffin

Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by Dr Mcfluffin »

Fine by me. Still working my way through 3 at the moment, and have 4 sitting here ready to go.

The orphanage storyline is really well done in Yakuza 3, something western games would do well to imitate. I hope to catch up by the time everyone is playing 5...phew! :o
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ratsoalbion
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by ratsoalbion »

I'm more than happy to wait until the new year for 1&2 HD (which I agree, seems likely).
I must admit, I tried to play Yakuza 1 on PS2 recently and it was partly the fuzziness and creakiness of it that put me off (though as y'all know, I'm certainly no gfx whore) so I feel this update is well timed. I think it's great that we went from it looking like the series was going to stop being released in the West to having almost every game in the series available and updates of the originals too.
:)
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AndyKurosaki
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by AndyKurosaki »

Yeah I'd be surprised if it got a release this year, it'd get buried in the COD/Assassin's Creed etc rush. Though they're already releasing Anarchy Reigns in January, and considering Sega's finiancial issues I wouldn't see them putting it out then too.
Still, fingers crossed they do us a favour and release it at some point. The series may be an acquired taste, but 3 and 4 have provided some of the best moments I've experienced on PS3.
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NokkonWud
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by NokkonWud »

ratsoalbion wrote:I'm more than happy to wait until the new year for 1&2 HD (which I agree, seems likely).
I must admit, I tried to play Yakuza 1 on PS2 recently and it was partly the fuzziness and creakiness of it that put me off (though as y'all know, I'm certainly no gfx whore) so I feel this update is well timed. I think it's great that we went from it looking like the series was going to stop being released in the West to having almost every game in the series available and updates of the originals too.
:)
I tried playing through it on PS3 and I was put off by the fact that everything I'd done and collected had to be lost because you had to use a save file to get past an area of the game (stage 4 I believe) which is glitched when played via backwards compatibility, meaning it no longer felt like *my* game. Which was a shame.
Got to say I never noticed any graphics issues with it though, I was actually impressed by how well it held up. I'm waiting for the HD Collection, next year is ideal because I'm really in no rush to complete it currently!
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KSubzero1000
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Dear SEGA in Japan,
hallowed be thy game.
Its release come,
our wait be done,
in the west as it is in the east.
Give us this day our yearly gem,
and forgive us our impatience,
as we also might forgive thy neglect.
And lead us not into piracy,
but deliver us from anguish.
Image
AMEN
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Scrustle
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by Scrustle »

We have a Yakuza thread? How did I not know we had a Yakuza thread?? Well, I'm looking forward to 6 as well. I haven't been looking too far in to it though, since it seems like there's already a lot of spoilers out there about it. There's already a big thing I've found out, forgotten about, and then been reminded of when I foolishly decided to check out some coverage, that I wish I didn't know. I'm pretty sure 6 will come West soon enough. It seems Sega has been making a new push with the series in recent years, with them bringing out 5 and 0. Now if only we could get Kenzan and Ishin too. Or the latter at the very least.

I've heard rumours that Sega have been looking at making PC ports of the games too. That would be an interesting thing to see. It would be cool to see the games running at a higher frame rate and with some other things ironed out.

Since I'm here, I might as well take the chance to link these great videos that very thoroughly go over what's so great about the games. It was quite influential in my picking up the games myself.



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KSubzero1000
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by KSubzero1000 »

Scrustle wrote:We have a Yakuza thread? How did I not know we had a Yakuza thread??
My master plan! It worked!
Great choice of videos, btw. I'll second that recommendation.
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ColinAlonso
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Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by ColinAlonso »

Well we are getting a physical release for Yakuza 0 which is an improvement so I'd say the chances for 6 being localised are high.

I hope Kiwami comes over as well, I only got into the series with the third game.
Joshihatsumitsu

Re: All Things Yakuza

Post by Joshihatsumitsu »

The only Yakuza game that I actually played through to completion would be Yakuza 3, and that was a while ago. It was on a PS3 that unfortunately bit the dust (along with a few other electronics) during a freak electrical storm last year. That save file and all my hard work, gone forever...

However, I have the memories. And having played the game and travelled to Japan, it definitely feels very Sega, and very Japanese, in the best way possible. I went to Okinawa for the first time earlier this year, and travelling around Naha on the monorail... Yakuza 3 memories were going through my mind. Granted, I'm not a good natured ex-Yakuza running an orphanage, and, unlike the game, you're not constantly stopping to fight EVERYONE, but the little details, like various (fantastic in real life) Suntory and Nikka Whisky's being available at the in-game bars, the various in game dishes (if you ever travel to Okinawa, seek out Okinawa soba, because dear god it's fantastic)... that's part of what makes the Yakuza series appealing to me.

And I do have a Japanese copy of Yakuza 0 on my shelf for the PS4 (I think I purchased from Yodabashi). I am very slowly learning Japanese, and I think I'm going to have to learn a bit more for when I finally do dive into that game. But yeah, it's an exaggerated and comical reflection of the culture, and it's a fun way to learn more about Japan.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

The only one I've ever tried is number 5 (if that was the one given away on PS+ a while back - could have been #4) I seem to remember it being okay but then I stayed thinking I needed to play the others first. Do the stories carry on?
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ratsoalbion
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by ratsoalbion »

Both 4 and 5 have been on PS+.
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Scrustle
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Scrustle »

Alex79uk wrote:The only one I've ever tried is number 5 (if that was the one given away on PS+ a while back - could have been #4) I seem to remember it being okay but then I stayed thinking I needed to play the others first. Do the stories carry on?
While each game has a story of its own, there is a through line where they do make a lot of references to previous games, or have recurring characters that they expect you to already be familiar with to a certain extent. So starting as early as possible is a good idea, but not necessary. Each game contains a recap of the previous games, but there's a whole lot to take in, and of course it's not the ideal or intended way to experience those stories. I started with 3, and I think that was probably the best point to start aside from going from the beginning. So if going back to the PS2 games is a bit far, I would advise starting with 3.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Sean »

It makes me happy that it seems Yakuza is picking up at least a little more popularity in the West. Absolutely hyped for 6, even though I'm still yet to finish 5! I just rarely turn my PS3 on anymore (and when I do, it's specifically to play Yakuza 5, at this point).
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Alex79
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

With the release of Zero and the remake of the first game on the horizon, it seems like there's never been a better time to get in to the Yakuza series, and that's exactly what I want to do.

So, would fans of the series recommend starting with Zero, the series prequel, or hanging on for the remake of the first game and then returning to Zero after having played some of the others. It's that old release order vs chronological order quandary that newcomers to the MGS series also face (ie. me, a couple of years ago).

Any thoughts? Also - assuming I play 0 and 1 on the PS4, and I already own 4 and 5 on PS3 thanks to PS+, what are my options for 2 and 3? Are remakes of those games looking likely, and also does anyone know if 4 and 5 will come to PS4? And then 6 is also in the pipeline isn't it?

It's a bloody minefield.
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KSubzero1000
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

KSubzero1000 wrote:
Alex79uk wrote: Never played that series really. I tried a bit of 5 (I think?) when it was on PS+ a couple of years back, but I hate joining series so late on, so this remake of the first game sounds pretty good to me.
It's an acquired taste for sure, but one that I would definitely recommend to try out! And while there is indeed a remake of the first game coming out soon, the one releasing next week is actually Yakuza Zero, which is a prequel to the rest of the series. And it's a great starting point which doesn't require any knowledge of the others! So you could totally try and see if it's up your alley and work your way up in chronological order afterwards if necessary. There are even some fairly believable rumors that SEGA is planning on remaking 2 and re-releasing the others on PS4 further down the line. Pretty good time to jump in, if you ask me!
*cough* Come on, man. This already answered most of your questions. :D

Yes, you can totally start with Zero and move on to the upcoming remake of the first one if you like it. Zero is great and very newcomer-friendly, I'm having a blast so far. 6 has indeed been confirmed for a western release. A remake of 2 (using the Zero engine) and PS4 ports of 3, 4 and 5 are looking relatively likely to happen at some point in the future, though nothing has officially been confirmed on that front.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Ah man, sorry!! I totally missed that, or read it then completely forgot about it! Sorry - and thanks!

:oops:
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KSubzero1000
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by KSubzero1000 »

No problem! And for the record, I think it's great that more people are starting to take an interest in this series. So I really hope you'll like Zero. But there is one thing I'd like to mention. Unlike a few generations ago, the modern video game landscape is clearly divided between big-budget AAA titles and low-tech indies with very little inbetween. Probably due to the increased development costs on modern hardware. But the Yakuza games do fit into that AA mid-tier budget niche, which can be a bit odd at first. For all intents and purposes, this series still follows its PS2-era design philosophy to the letter. So don't go in expecting the production values of something like GTA or Assassin's Creed. On the other hand, that's part of the reason why these games are able to maintain such a great sense of personality.
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Re: All things Yakuza (Ryū ga Gotoku)

Post by Alex79 »

Did a nice side mission in Yakuza 0 last night. A little kid got a video game stolen from him, and you ended up having to get it back for him in what can only be described as a genuinely funny farcical comedy. :lol:

Much has been made of the side mission content in this game, but this was the first one I've encountered and it was great. I've put 12 hours in to this now and am still only on chapter 2!
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