Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

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JaySevenZero
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Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Yakuza 6: The Song of Life for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
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TomFum
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Re: 597: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Post by TomFum »

As much as i LOVE the yakuza series, I found 6 to be one of the slowest in the series, it wasnt as fun to play as some of the others but the RGG engine made it look beautiful. Our special boy Kiryu really goes through it in this game, mostly seeing how he acts awkwardly when he has to handle Haruto makes me laugh everytime. Still a fantastic game and a great way to wind up his story. Who knew yakuza could beat up ghosts as well lol
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Workyticket
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Re: 597: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Post by Workyticket »

While Yakuza 6 does take a while to get going, it ends up having arguably the biggest heart of the series. The developing relationship between Kiryu and Haruka is charming and often hilarious, and the residents of Onomichi are easy to fall in love with, quickly becoming just as much a part of the Yakuza family as the longer-serving characters.

What lingers in the mind most, however, is the game's pervasive sense of melancholy. Reminders of Kiryu's advancing years are frequent, and the suggestion Onomichi brings of a place possibly existing for him away from Kamurocho creates a palatable sense of things drawing to a close.

Of course, being a Yakuza game it still makes room for a late-stage reveal that reaches Metal Gear proportions of WTF-ness. But that balance between heart and lunacy is at the very core of Yakuza, and would we want it any other way?
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Jobobonobo
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Re: 597: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

Post by Jobobonobo »

Even just booting up Yakuza 6, with its lack of intro cinematic, ominous title screen music and Kiryu staring you dead in the face at the main menu screen you can tell that this signifies the end of an era. As a result this really is a grand culmination of all that came before it, with many references to past characters and scenarios peppered throughout as well as the development of Kiryu’s character and his relationships with series mainstays such as Daigo and Haruka. Kamurocho has never looked so good and seeing its change throughout the series really has cemented it as one of the most iconic worlds in all of gaming. Not to mention, there is some very solid Nani said throughout this game. In terms of Nani, 6 might be the best in the series in my opinion!

Since Kiwami 2 shares the same engine as this game and I dearly love that title, it stands to reason I love all the little additions of this title such as leveling up by eating at restaurants and the clan minigame. Absurdities such as Kiryu and his clan giving themselves a round of applause after they beat up a rival gang, dressing up as the mascot of Onomichi and the Hirose gang playing rugby with a baby to protect it from abduction by the Korean mafia shows that Yakuza 6 continues on its mighty tradition of blending the gritty with the daft with spectacular aplomb. Minigames are also quite enjoyable as well with spearfishing and socialising at the pub being big time sinks for me. Surprisingly while I never really bothered much with it in previous games, I really enjoyed darts in this title and felt it was a lot more polished this time around. Puyo Puyo was also a regular arcade title that I liked digging into every now and then. Substories in Yakuza 6 seemed to have a running theme of Kiryu trying to get to grips with technology with him following a drone throughout the city, helping a couple become engaged through a roaming robot, deal with a rogue AI assistant and my personal favourite, beating up an obnoxious wannabe Youtuber.

While I really enjoyed Yakuza 5, its multi character epic with its especially convoluted story made it a tad bloated at times. I appreciated that while there are some big conspiracy machinations in this narrative they do not overpower the core of this story which is Kiryu looking for Haruka after he comes out of prison and afterwards, finding out who the father of her baby is. I think Yakuza 6 shines at its brightest when it comes to the characters and themes around children trying to live up to their parent’s expectations. I really liked the Onomichi gang, especially Hirose, he oddly reminded me of some laid back old men I knew from back home and was actually really crestfallen when I heard he was the one murdering anyone with knowledge of the secret of Onomichi. Conversely, I do not think I hated anyone as much as Tsuneo Iwami and even though his boss fight was quite easy, it felt good beating the snot out of that irredeemable scumbag. And even though this will not be Kiryu’s exit from the series, I still think his decision to leave Haruka and Haruto for their protection was quite effective in its bitter-sweetness and was a powerful end to the story overall.

My only real complaint with the game is that I did not like how every weapon only had a max of three uses before it broke. But that was balanced out by Extreme mode which was great for making short work of bosses and mobs of enemies. While Kiryu will be making a return to the series, it will not be in his typical beat em up style and so in conclusion, Yakuza 6 ends up as a fantastic closing chapter to the traditional Kiryu saga with its emotionally compelling storytelling, complex characters and refined gameplay. With such a great closer, I eagerly look forward to the new turned based era of the Yakuza series.

Three word review: Kamurocho’s last hurrah
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