My voice was in terrible shape at the time of the recording, but I pushed on with a few retries. I've mentioned in a community post how I won't be able to post anything next week (which would be the usual upload time), but I didn't want to leave you without a video for three weeks. Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed the topic!
They're not wrong that Y0 revived Yakuza, i became a fan and i bought tje ENTIRE franchise thanks to Y0, i was so hooked into it, the story, the gameplay, the memes, the KARAOKE, i loved everything. I completely fell in love with Yakuza thanks to 0, and now i'm in Y5 close to 6 and LAD
How TF is it even Japanese GTA? it's an entirely different series from GTA. GTA comes on the lines of Watchdogs and Saints Row while Yakuza focuses on fist fighting and an emphasis on the crime oriented story mode with a bunch of other minigames. Totally different.
It's still weird to me how Lost Judgment and Judgment seem so underrated despite how phenomenal they are. Sure, we praise it a lot in the community - but I remember when reviews for LJ came out and we were all terrified that RGG somehow missed the mark. I'm just glad that these games are available for more people to play, because Kimura's portrayal Yagami is fantastic, and boasts the best villains the franchise has ever had.
Well I can speak for lost judgment yet but judgment just seems to bore me (something that no other ryu ga gotoku game does for me)I've picked it up and put it down so many times it's a real shame I really had high hopes for it.
@@taxevaderyoshi5795 Judgment has a great story bogged down by mandatory side-cases and way too much filler. I wouldn't blame you for getting bored when the detective portions kill the momentum at times.
Western reviews of Lost Judgment bashed the game unfairly for a...certain plot twist that many sites called "problematic in light of the #metoo movement" and for the depictions of bullying being very...gratuitous. The main story was also criticized for recapping too much...which is only a problem if you blitz through it without doing any school stories or side cases. As the reviewers probably did.
@@msm3150 To be fair, they weren't wrong. There's a certain nuance that needs to be had when tackling extremely sensitive topics such as SA. A lot of people felt that it was unnecessary to drag that into the plot, and even in a phenomenal game it's still a sore spot. It's just... not great from a studio that is known to not write women very well. I hope LAD8 and LAD:Gaiden change that, because I think there's definitely room for improvement.
My favorite is Kiwami 2 because it seems the most direct and fun, I love Y0 but its replayable factor is somewhat slug due to the dialogue that cannot be skipped, while Kiwami 2 you can skip almost everything which makes it perfect for replaying, I like the combat, I like the Caberet clup it feels like a sequel to the one from Y0, and Majima's mini campaign is kind of a continuation of his arc in y0 and I liked it, I completely understand your point, it was a missed opportunity for adding more extra character for Ryuji Goda, just like they did with Nishiki in YK1 to make him a better villain, I look at Ryuji and it feels like a missed opportunity considering how charismatic he is. But despite that it is a good game.
I do not understand the critics views on Judgment and Lost Judgment . The game is technical marvel , amazing stories , top of the notch voice acting and tons of great side content . I literally cannot wrap my head around why Assassin's Creed and Cyberpunk got higher review scores than Yakuza .
Honestly for yakuza 0, I remember seeing it on sale on the playstation store for $4.99. I saw the promotional pictures and I thought it looked cool. I watched one of those before you buy vids and decided to just take a chance and buy it. Im so glad I did because I immediately became hooked on the series. Flash foward Almost 300 hours in yakuza 0, 86 hours in kiwami 1 and now 46? hours in kiwami 2 and honestly I love it. I plan on buying the rest of the series when I get there. Yakuza in general as a series is so underrated even now. My friends for example dont get why I love the series so much and I wish they’d play it so they could understand. Like that one saying “it was perfect perfect down to the last minute detail” really is yakuza. Its to the point where its one of my favorite game series of all time.
@@nicolenechita9531 you might want to kill me but my problem was it’s story, underutilisation of party characters in the plot,lack of consequences for Ichibans rashness, inconsistent of his intelligence, forgettable villains (exemptions being the ones in the finale) and personally didn’t care about Ichiban but that’s a personal problem, I really wanted to love this game
Metacritic definitely has some interesting scores for these games I definitely thought the Judgment games would be in the top 5 at least And I'm very surprised that Kiwami 2 is the second highest ranking game especially when compared to the original
@@apthegoat1 Shinseicho, I know it wasn't a big area but like every yakuza area it was proportionally kinda dense, and the whole mystery around it was pretty fun. Also dawn, as in, the time of day, is completely gone, so scenes that used to have this warm lighting to them are now just at nighttime. As well, some of the music was changed for the worse, the jazz song in the rain being the most obvious example, Hayashi also had a unique theme, which is kinda wierd that they didn't just reuse at the least. It's not like I hate the entire game, it's well above the average of anything like ubisoft, square enix, bethesda, EA, etc. In fact, the shindo fight is an example of a great improvement, better music, qte's, moveset, lighting, etc. But overall, aside from stuff like graphical improvements, minor quality-of-life, and smoother gameplay (things that prob shouldn't be ignored) the game misses more than it hits.
@@wacky-physics7506 not to mention how all of its basis are just copy and paste from 6. The menu, xp, even kiryus render on the box art is the same from 6. At least they could’ve taken a kiwami route and differentiate from its predecessor to make it really stand out. The only things that I remember from this are the nice graphics, four shine and majima construction. But that’s just my opinion.
Lost paradise doesnt actually require any prior knowledge on the source material to understand most of the plot as it explains most of the stuff heck i would say its actually one of the ways to get into the series along with the 1986 animated movie
As someone who loves both Yakuza and Fist of the North Star, the story in Lost Paradise is so bad, it hardly matters if you understand it fully or not. Still a great game, though.
@@CidGuerreiro1234 i agree with you on the most part even tho i found the new characters the game added fitting to the world especially targa he was amazing and so entertaining to watch
I have my issues with 0, but, ill forever be grateful forit for saving the series in the West. The Judgment games are severley underrated- a super popular Streamer or something needs to play them or something cause they deserve juat as much recognition and praise.
4 and 5 had some of the worst writing. But 4 had some goofy stuff and the last boss was eh. Despite that it introduced some of the best playable characters.
@@sladejosephwilson2300 The absolute dumbest part of Y4 is how they left the police chiefs gun just for him to grab TWICE. I can look between my fingers the first time even if it was dumb but the second time when he got to grab it to shoot himself was just stupidity from the main cast.
I agree with the high rank of Kiwami 2. Having those mechanical improvements structured under one of the best stories with the newest engine does make a difference!
@@GunGun-cf3ss the dynamic fighting is fun. You are not limited when fighting you can beat people up from the streets to inside a store to alleys and go across the district all without breaking out of the fight. That is really cool and different than the other games. Yakuza 6 has that I believe but not as well executed.
@@GunGun-cf3ss yeah the fighting system is best in 0 but if you really want and play a dragon engine game on PC you can install a fighting system mod that makes it the same as 0! I haven’t done that and instead adapted over time. It’s not as good fighting style but also simpler and has its own strengths. Kiwami 2 has its own strengths that way, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to go back and keep playing 0 for its strengths. Also every single game in the series has its strength.
Got into the series with Yakuza 0 and it will probably always be my favorite I have my issues with Kiwami 2 but the sub stories in that game are so goddamn good, and the game really does give the player lots of freedom to do what you want outside of the main story at pretty much any time
I started with Kiwami 2 loved the story and the gameplay then a couple of weeks later Yakuza 0 was in sale for 3,99€ so I said ok Lets buy It! And now I absolutely love this series, nowadays games are boring but Yakuza still gives the feeling that I had while playing Old Games on my PS2 or even the OG 2001 Xbox with JSRF, Halo, Dr.Muto and MX Superfly. And now I can't to buy the Remake of Ishin and play all the Yakuza games.
**Lost Judgment spoilers** 8:43 iirc there was some discourse about the whole "fakeout" thing with Mamiya and Ehara among the reviewers. Maybe that's why the score is lower.
I had so much fun when playing Kiwami after finishing 0 (which had introduced me to the series). Sure I found the story to be lacking at points in comparison, but I absolutely LOVED the Majima Everywhere system and slowly progressing and improving my Dragon Style. I feel like Kiwami was a worthy sequel and seems a bit underrated. Gameplay wise it was a freaking blast
Me too. Playing kiwami right after finishing zero is such a great experience, but if you just play kiwami on its own maybe is not the same experience, imo.
Yakuza 0 literally did revive the Yakuza series in the west, before that everyone just assumed that the Yakuza series was some weird Japanese Grand Theft Auto clone. They were literally on life support in the west when Yakuza 4 came out, as it took Yakuza 5 an entire 3 years to even come out in the west, and it only came out digitally as well. Yakuza 0 provided the perfect starting point and was a very entertaining game to watch. It had hilarious substories, and crazy minigames and just seemed super unique, a lot of people think it was ps+ / game pass which catapulted the yakuza series into the limelight but it was honestly critically acclaimed / beloved on release. It was just a good game, which is why it got so much attention, almost every youtuber had a video up about it, and all the funny parts of the game as well. The greatest marketing decision they ever did though was to make the substories as memorable as they did. So many of the substories were just legitimately hilarious and had their own little minigames, and were instantly memeable. As well just the Baka Mitai which really made the game viral.
I always felt like Yakuza 3 could be an excellent starting point. It focuses more on Kiryus emotional ties with his childhood and orphanage plus the graphics are outdated so playing it first then going to either 0 or Kiwami would be a great experience. I wish I could do it all over that way
Not really. It's not the worst starting point but you still need to know about the older ones to fully understand it. Besides the fact that opening stuff is just an epilogue of Y2.
Having just finished Lost Judgment (mostly, still got a few side-activities to do in PA + Kaito Files)... How can it possibly be that low on the list? I fall into the category of people who have 0 as their favorite, and also really like Kiwami 2. Kiwami 2 was my second favorite until now, but Lost Judgment dethroned it. Definitely the best combat in the dragon engine games.
My love of Kiwami 2 is all about how testosterone filled the final fight was with Ryuji Goda, aswell as how much of a chad Kiryu is throughout the story. The game is all style with little substance.
@@agentthorny you're acting as if grinding levels isn't boring in the other Yakuza games. Have you done the true millennium tower in Y7? The grind for that was soooo much worse
It makes me sad, that Yakuza games only get ratings between 80 and 90 percent, while a mediocre game like Zelda BotW, that's basically just an Assassin's Creed with Zelda skin, has a metacritic score of 97. That's why I completely stopped caring about reviews at all.
Love Yakuza videos! Been into it since Ryu Ga Gotoku 0 came out in Japan. That was the first one I played, very lucky for that! Now I have some version of nearly every major game in the series.
I started the series thanks to a friend who was like ‘Let’s play this new game I found, it’s on sale.’ So we both bought yakuza 0 for 5 euros which got us both into the series.
Personally i don't think Yakuza has any bad entries,they are all very good games, even the "bad" games feel like they could be high points in any other saga, having said that my experience playing them is that the installments with odd numbers of the saga are usually better than the even ones, i consider Yakuza 1 or 3 vastly better than 2,4 or 6 for example with yakuza 5 being in an strange spot that i consider better than 2,4 and 6 but worse than Zero, kiwami and 3, Yakuza 7 is phenomenal, im currently playing judgement and my impressions are very positive for the moment, can't wait to finish it and start lost judgement.
For sure, the atmosphere and the Haruka plot are pretty awesome. So many of the tropes seen in 0 come from that game, and I still think it has the best combat
I absolutely loved Judgment and want the video on it! Not too many surprises on this list, but I am damn happy to see more Yakuza content on my recommended!
As someone who recently got into yakuza with 0 in the last 2 years, my favourite overall game is Judgment with Yakuza 0 a close second. Kiwami 1 and Yakuza 7 are my least favourite for the story and the combat respectively. I feel yakuza is the only franchise where the best games for different people varies so much and I feel like it’s a huge positive. I have no idea how they give each game a unique identity but they look so similar on the surface.
I'm surprised Lost Judgement is as low as it is. It's personally my 2nd favorite in the entire series. 0 is my #1, and 7 is my #3. I'd argue that Yakuza 3 is the most important in the entire series though. It's like, my least favorite, but it did the best job fleshing out Kiriyu as a character and his motivations throughout the rest of the series.
I remember a friend of mine introduced me to the yakuza series by showing me Majima memes, and since then I fell in love with the series with my favorite being yakuza 0 and like a dragon
Metacritic averages used to be a lot lower in the past so that 75 and that 77 for the original games are actually pretty good ratings. The rating inflation in metacritic started around the very early 10s and it kinda stabilized around 2014. Id say a 75 from back then is worth an 82.5 nowadays.
it should really say something when the worst game on the series is still considered good by a lot of people. and how this series never really stumbles too hard.
I remeber seeing Angry Joe review of Zero and buying it and later Kiwami 1 and 2 on Release. Do first ended up playing Zero as my first Yakuza game this year and now I need to play them all (presuming I can find Dead Soul). Happy Playstation have sales on this titles as it helps building my Yakuza collection :)
My entry was Y6 but the game to get me hooked was Like A Dragon Gaiden. The combat is soo much smoother (I play on a series X), it might be heavy on dialogue but u can skip everything and get straight to the game. For someone who doesn't play Yakuza, Like A Dragon Gaiden was a perfect entry for me gameplay and story wise.
For me the tailing missions and stealth really make Judgement feel bogged down, it feels like Ubisoft content from the past decade even with the awesome story, but story wise it's amazing and the combat is good.
yo im playing through lad as a diehard yakuza fan and for some reason i find myself procrastinating by playing the other yakuza titles again instead of 7 lol does it get a lot better as it goes on? Cause i'm not too sure if I like the combat system too much, but I do really like the story rn.
@@wildforce1433 same here, I discovered Yakuza series from LAD. What intrigued me is the whole lotta change in the combat system of previous Yakuza games,and tbf I liked LAD combat system a lot compared to other titles
And now Infinite Wealth is above *all* of these, yeezus; game is great, though, and it has so much QoL added on from RGG7 that really helped the turn-based gameplay feel a lot more fun and a lot less like a chore, like significantly reducing random encounters and adding moving in combat, along with way more options in combat.
I feel like I'm a black sheep fan because I love all the games but my favourties are Kiwami 1,2 and 3's remaster, again I wouldn't mind playing ANY game in the franchise but it feels weird when people express dissapointment in those 3. To be fair, the only spin-offs I've played is the Judgment games and I haven't been able to play any of the non remakes/remasters
My list goes like this: (Haven't played the Judgement games nor Dead Souls yet) 1.- Yakuza 0 2.- Yakuza 5 3.-Yakuza 6 4.- Yakuza LAD 5.- Like a Dragon Kenzan 6.- Yakuza 3 7.- Yakuza K1 8.- Yakuza K2 9.- Yakuza 4
Pretty much all Yakuza games being free on PlayStation premium should help bring in so much more people to play them plus the next Yakuza release 🎉 great idea on the Devs side.
Bought Y3 when it came out on PS3 to satisfy my interest in Japan. Thought it was ok. Y4 was released on PS Plus, I fell in love with the story. Buying Y5 was a no brainer when it was released. Y0 is a masterpiece. Love wandering around Onomichi. It was good to play 1 & 2 as I bypassed them on PS2. Y:LaD is one of the best games I’ve games I’ve ever played. Love both Judgements. Just Platinumed Gaiden. Now playing Infinite Wealth. Absolutely adore this series.
Yakuza 7 is awesome and like my 2nd fav in the series but at the same time it kinda suffers from the first rpg syndrome. While they nailed the presentation the combat ended up lacking in terms of depth and didnt have much strategy other than just using your strongest attack and the occasional healing but then again as I said before it's the first one in the series so them making a properly fleshed out rpg system would be harder to pull off in this case. Luckily Yokoyama mentioned 8 combat being much more refined in the RGG summit so we can hope for JE to LJ level of improvement
For me the judgment games will always be on top after Yakuza 0 . While the Yakuza / like a dragon games are getting less serious and more about the comedy, the judgment games brought back the raw and more serious storytelling we know from the first Yakuza games. I really hope they'll release a judgment game that's about kaito, his background story is already very interesting.
Wish there was more love for the ps2 games. I went from 0 to 1&2 on the ps2 and loved them. Going to the kiwami's felt hollow and the only things I liked were better in other games. Like pocket circuit or club management
Props to you for going straight to the ps2 games after 0. I played the kiwamis first and only later checked out the originals, just to find out I way prefer them over the remakes lol
I feel like Yakuza 0 has spoiled me to the point that no other Yakuza franchise game has ever come close to topping it for me now. I've played Kiwami 1/2, some of 3 remastered (working my way through the remastered collection now), 6 because 3-5 remastered wasn't out yet, Judgment 1, Yakuza:Like a Dragon and now most recently Like a Dragon Ishin, and Yakuza LAD has been the closest to giving me the feelings I had experiencing 0 for the first time. I honestly think they peaked at that game and that's also where a huge part of their new/returning fan base started from. I really hope they replicate that feeling that 0 gave in the future, as that is my favorite game of all time and I've played 1000's of games, but until then I'll remember fondly the first time I became a real estate tycoon and a host club big boss while falling in love with a blind woman and fighting over a ridiculous plot of land. What a story and game, man.
I think J/LJ are the better Yakuza, it's a huge improvement. And I did all the Yakuza games. All of them are great, but I really think the next Yakuza games should take lessons from Judgment and Lost Judgment because those two games feel like RGGS perfected their art at an even higher level.
I just finished Yakuza Kiwami 2, and so far it has been my favorite the gameplay is awesome (RGG Engine is a blessing to this world) the story is also amazing and it has a much more cinematic style, and the characters arent assholes for being assholes
Definitely need to see a proper Kiwami 2 review from you. Going in blind 0-6 with no input from the internet and also not having played the PS2 versions, I had no idea the fans didn't like it. My favorites were 0, YK2 and 5. Also personally Y6 ran like shit on my PS4 while YK2 was way smoother and I just generally enjoyed playing more but i gotta see what I was missing
I remember playing the first yakuza on my PS2, I liked the second one as well, When 0 came out I loved that one more! First timers to Yakuza try Yakuza 0 first.
The only games I have not played at all are 4 and the first Judgment. I’ve enjoyed them all (some more than others) but I’ve not had a bad time with the 11 games I’ve played.
Same here. I really was disappointed in the main story. What saved it was the school stories because of all the game modes it gives you. Still Lost Judgment is like a 7.6 to me
I'm with ya there, i personally couldn't get into the story at all, i never cared for the school bullying thing being the entire game, seemed silly to me. I also never liked any of the new characters so it just turned into watching Yagami do stuff in the end for me. Such a let down after the phenomenal story and twists from the first game. The gameplay was top notch though along with the visuals, the Kaito DLC was also great
For Fist of the north star you dont really need to know manga, to enjoy it. I watched only a 10 anime episodes and i felt like i knew everything i need in game to enjoy it. Also, for me, its one of the best "Yakuza" game.
I'm currently binging through the series. So far only up to the ending sections of Y2/Kiwami 2, having started with 0. So not that far along overall, but hey, I started this process only around a month ago in earnest, and I'm "content 100%ing" each game (so amon fights, etc. - Just not bothering with completion list completion for the games where it's not needed for content access) I can 100% say, that as an extremely hardcore gamer, and someone that has always cared about gameplay over anything else: Kiwami 2 is so far by far my #1 entry in the series, and I do personally think it's somewhat deserving of the ranking it has... as a game. Yes, Y0's story is better. But that's really all it has that's better - Gameplay in almost every other aspect is worse, and the 2 games even share a ton of features. Yes, 0 has more "variety" in many regards, but does that really matter when said "variety" really isn't that polished? I legitimately can see myself doing stuff like challenge runs of Kiwami 2 once I finish the series. I really don't see myself doing that with 0. ...I also completely agree with Kiwami 1 being placed as low as it is because seriously, the game's just not fun comparatively. Like it's not a "bad" game by any means, but even as someone that doesn't have the same issues with it that many people do (I actually found it's damage output, etc. to be way better than most other games because it made bosses actually feel like, well, bosses. Rather than that guy you use 3 different heat actions on instead of 1.), I just... really didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did 0 or K2. To the point I was almost considering taking a break before I started up K2 because maybe 0's quality was just some kind of huge fluke - But then I ended up absolutely falling in love with K2 again once I started it up, and am now fully planning on just full binging the entire series again. K2's just fun to play. Period. And that's something that matters a lot more to many people than the story being 11/10 instead of 9/10. Because as many people have aptly put it: Even the worst games in the Yakuza/LAD/Judgement/RGG franchise are way, way, WAY better than the vast majority of other games. If the story's still compelling enough to be a driving force for your desire to continue playing the game, going beyond that really... doesn't change someone's view of the game all that much. But having some of the best gameplay out there? Well, that's a large part of why people even play video games in the first place, y'know? Most people won't really have THAT different of opinions on an 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 and 11/10 story, but when it comes to gameplay... those slight differences of going from "great" to "holy [redacted] this is amazing" are so much more noticeable in general. I'm not at all surprised that Y0 and LAD/Y7 are that high up there, because way more people have played both of them than any other game in the series, and considering how absolutely amazing the entire series is... well, y'know, that's going to lead to fairly high review scores. And Y0 is one of the most viral fluke entries I've ever seen in a game series. I've seen so many people play it that have never touched another Yakuza game in their life.
Critics are being entirely subjective. They are entitled to their opinion, of course, but what they say is not an irrefutable statement. It's just their worthless opinion. All Ryu ga Gotoku games are really good. None is better than the other, each of them has its good and not so good aspects.
@@sheevpalps3846 i felt that stupid system of bosses glowing and going supersayin to get all their health back a stupid system that made something that was awesome in zero a punishment in Kiwami
It was definitely dumb at some points, but using certain heat actions (doesn’t need to be a Kiwami) and interrupting them felt really satisfying. Besides, some parts of this combat felt more challenging than 0, which I really enjoyed. Still, I do agree that move got too annoying especially if a boss did that multiple times during a single fight
Its a shame really. Kiwami combat was the best non spinoff combat by far but there were not any opportunities to use it at its full potential. I also don’t understand wht they added the kiwami heat moves it is just gimmicky.
I'm currently playing through the series right now and I'm on 4 but so far my favorite is Kiwami 2. I never played the original version of 2 so maybe I don't see all of the issues that other people see with it but I had a lot of fun with it. The music was good (which can be said for all of the games lol), the characters were good, I liked the new engine the game used and the gameplay was nice, plus I did like the addition of the Majima Saga even though it wasn't necessary, so I have no real complaints with the game.
Kiwami 1 is great, its exactly what I'd expect from a remake especially one thats this old. It didn't FEEL low budget especially if you look at it from a standalone perspective The story is alright but by the mere existence of yakuza 0, its definitely an elevated experience to go through Oh, and you get to slap haruka
I’d say if it’s the only Yakuza game you’ve played, then K1 or K2 don’t feel low budget, but if you’ve played all of them or at least a couple, you’ll notice that most of the stuff in the Kiwami games are recycled.
@@MadDogSolo I played it chronologically so kiwami 1 was my second yakuza game Tbh, looking back, almost everything is recycled, even pocket circuit just got it's comeback
Also another thing as Im currently playing kiwami 2 I feel like it combines what was great about both 0 and kiwami 1 together. Like for kiwami 2 I love how more interactive the game is. In general it looks beautiful as well. The graphics are just up there. The only criticism I do have about kiwami 2 are the lack of dream machines (from yakuza 0), Completion points (Yes it was somewhat annoying to get but I still miss them) and In general I dont like the majima construction storyline/game mode. I really loved the club cabaret storyline and real estate storyline in yakuza 0. (Yes can you tell I love yakuza 0) But other than that I love kiwami 2.
It's not about Akiyama hahah The "mr. Not Important" is a reference to the protagonist of the infamous game Hatred who looks like Saejima in 4. Also, hero of Little Asia was in reference to Tanimura. Hope this helps!
Y0 was the game that hit right time on youtube and made tons of LP channel do it, then twictch made even more famous with reaction clips on ps4 and later on xbox via gamepass(IMO gamepass made this game almost main stream now)
Honestly, I disagree on the series being bigger and better. It is bigger, but I think bloating the games like in 5 was a bad decision that I hope they don't do again. The story got soooo long and there were so many absurd twits that I ended up finishing 5 skipping some dialogues. The Yakuza series shines the most when they keep it simple (or simpler than 5, at least). I think having just one main character (or two, like 0) helps to keep the narrative straight. The games are always over the top, yes, but 1 and 2 (and even 3) are more focus. That's why I think having 6 being a Kiryu-only adventure worked very well (they simplifying the combat didn't work as well, but anyway).
Fffffff... I just satrted the series and am finishing Yakuza 0 first. You're basically telling me I started with the best and there's no way to go but down
i wonder if critics go for story or everything because i doubt they do everything while reviewing especially with massive games like this.. for me personally they are all above 80 or even 85 except yakuza 3 🤣
Hokuto ga Gotoku's story imo was really bad, as a big fan of the series this is horrible, anime games have the reputation of having bad stories but this is really just character thrown around, the gameplay tho is rly great. Crazy that it's way lower than the mess that is kiwami 2 bc the gameplay of those games speaks of themselfs
I feel like it looks stupid on my steam profile that I skipped kiwami 1 and 3/4 remastered. I'm literally not interestered in playing through them again. 1 just felt too clunky before 2 feeling more refined. I just won't play 3 or 4 again, I know the stories very well because of the slog they were. I AM looking forward to getting to 6 though, but I have been replaying LAD going for all achievements because I love the universe. After which I'll be spending an eternity in 5 again, so I might not even get to 6 in the first half of this year haha, depending on how dedicated I want to be to the achievements or if the yakuza burnout hits again. The burnout is real and the exact reason I'm not touching the aforementioned games again... maybe later just to fill the gap but doubt.
Oh, to clarify, 6 is the only one I haven't actually played. It's not that I didn't want to. It's actually the perfect example of the yakuza burnout I mentioned. I never got around to it. By the time I was ready for yakuza again I skipped it in favour of Like A Dragon because it seemed like a refreshing change of pace with the change in gameplay. I felt like it would help motivate me to go back to 6 after since it would, again, be a switch in gameplay back to how it was. So yeah I am looking forward to it just to complete the story in my head.
Don't see how LJ can be so high yet the first bring so low, the plot was so much more interesting in the first as opposed to school bullying, but to each their own. Gameplay was definitely more smooth in LJ though, snake style was super unique
@@NeroV1L3 I take everything into account when it comes to rating the whole game. So here are my main issues with Judgment: 1. Although main story is good it gets constantly interrupted by something something uninteresting like kehin gang or introduction of new stupid game mechanic. 2. This is the worst RGG game when it comes to music. Not because it was horrible or didn't fit in, or anything like that. But you can name any other RGG game and I would immediately think of at least a few ost masterpieces that I've downloaded and listened on repeat. With Judgment there's not a single one 3. The tailing segments are biggest nightmare and I could write an essay about problems I have with them. All of which were fixed in LJ. 4. The combat while not being the worst in the series, is definitely it the bottom 3. While LJ is second best, after Kiwami 1.
tbh i used to be in love with yakuza 0 but when i tried to 100% i just stopped loving after its my 3rd favorite game in the series and now i just think kiwami is the most fun the series has given me
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
My voice was in terrible shape at the time of the recording, but I pushed on with a few retries. I've mentioned in a community post how I won't be able to post anything next week (which would be the usual upload time), but I didn't want to leave you without a video for three weeks.
Thank you for understanding and I hope you enjoyed the topic!
Take as much time as you need with the videos, they're all certified bangers
your voice sounds fine ngl
@@NyomiHendon Thank you for the continued support and the kind words! I'll keep doing my best :)
@@hedwoll1781 I appreciate the sentiment. I assure you, it was quite painful to record, but I'm glad it seems to have turned out alright in the end.
They're not wrong that Y0 revived Yakuza, i became a fan and i bought tje ENTIRE franchise thanks to Y0, i was so hooked into it, the story, the gameplay, the memes, the KARAOKE, i loved everything. I completely fell in love with Yakuza thanks to 0, and now i'm in Y5 close to 6 and LAD
Me too
@@apthegoat1 me three
Same here! Just about to wrap up part 1~
Crazy how this lined up
Same currently waiting for Ishin, already played all the others.
@@mojabaka nice aniki
“Japanese Grand Theft Auto” yes I trust the opinions of these critics
Very excited for Japanese Red Dead Redemption 2 next month
How TF is it even Japanese GTA? it's an entirely different series from GTA. GTA comes on the lines of Watchdogs and Saints Row while Yakuza focuses on fist fighting and an emphasis on the crime oriented story mode with a bunch of other minigames. Totally different.
@@Sopranos608 i couldnt tell the difference between yakuza 5 and gta 4
@@funkyoa yes that's an exception,except that Kiryu didn't work in his bro's taxi company LOL
@@Sopranos608 I'd argue they're open world rpgs about the Japanese criminal underworld.
It's still weird to me how Lost Judgment and Judgment seem so underrated despite how phenomenal they are. Sure, we praise it a lot in the community - but I remember when reviews for LJ came out and we were all terrified that RGG somehow missed the mark. I'm just glad that these games are available for more people to play, because Kimura's portrayal Yagami is fantastic, and boasts the best villains the franchise has ever had.
Well I can speak for lost judgment yet but judgment just seems to bore me (something that no other ryu ga gotoku game does for me)I've picked it up and put it down so many times it's a real shame I really had high hopes for it.
@@taxevaderyoshi5795 Judgment has a great story bogged down by mandatory side-cases and way too much filler. I wouldn't blame you for getting bored when the detective portions kill the momentum at times.
Western reviews of Lost Judgment bashed the game unfairly for a...certain plot twist that many sites called "problematic in light of the #metoo movement" and for the depictions of bullying being very...gratuitous.
The main story was also criticized for recapping too much...which is only a problem if you blitz through it without doing any school stories or side cases. As the reviewers probably did.
@@msm3150 To be fair, they weren't wrong. There's a certain nuance that needs to be had when tackling extremely sensitive topics such as SA.
A lot of people felt that it was unnecessary to drag that into the plot, and even in a phenomenal game it's still a sore spot. It's just... not great from a studio that is known to not write women very well. I hope LAD8 and LAD:Gaiden change that, because I think there's definitely room for improvement.
@@carlosldg agreed the pacing is awful and a huge turnoff shame since the story is better than LJ imo
The fact that not even one game could scratch 90 in its overall score is a shame! Critics still don't see the magic of RGG studio.
90+ is reserved for Nintendo,Fromsoft, Rockstar and Sony acc to critics.
@@thelastpersononearth9765 yep that's why you should not care about critics at all.
My favorite is Kiwami 2 because it seems the most direct and fun, I love Y0 but its replayable factor is somewhat slug due to the dialogue that cannot be skipped, while Kiwami 2 you can skip almost everything which makes it perfect for replaying, I like the combat, I like the Caberet clup it feels like a sequel to the one from Y0, and Majima's mini campaign is kind of a continuation of his arc in y0 and I liked it, I completely understand your point, it was a missed opportunity for adding more extra character for Ryuji Goda, just like they did with Nishiki in YK1 to make him a better villain, I look at Ryuji and it feels like a missed opportunity considering how charismatic he is. But despite that it is a good game.
In 0, Kiryu without the quick change clothes is a slog to play
In my opinion, Kiwami 2 has the worst and least personal story of all of them.
@@sheevpalps3846 I'm in the reverse man
kiwami 2 sucks so much lmao
@@bronmill33 still better than 0
You know that a series is great when the worst game has a rating of over 60%
Critics reviews aint worth much. Every crap is rated above 70%
I do not understand the critics views on Judgment and Lost Judgment . The game is technical marvel , amazing stories , top of the notch voice acting and tons of great side content . I literally cannot wrap my head around why Assassin's Creed and Cyberpunk got higher review scores than Yakuza .
Honestly for yakuza 0, I remember seeing it on sale on the playstation store for $4.99. I saw the promotional pictures and I thought it looked cool. I watched one of those before you buy vids and decided to just take a chance and buy it. Im so glad I did because I immediately became hooked on the series. Flash foward Almost 300 hours in yakuza 0, 86 hours in kiwami 1 and now 46? hours in kiwami 2 and honestly I love it. I plan on buying the rest of the series when I get there. Yakuza in general as a series is so underrated even now. My friends for example dont get why I love the series so much and I wish they’d play it so they could understand. Like that one saying “it was perfect perfect down to the last minute detail” really is yakuza. Its to the point where its one of my favorite game series of all time.
i feel this comment on a personal level, wish my friends would appreciate this piece of art like i do 😢
LOL I can confirm. Just need the Kiwamis and Song of Life to end the Kazuma Saga
I would make the bold claim that Judgment and Lost Judgment perfected RGG story writing
Peak videogame storytellig.
Agreed
@noimaKiwami But Kuwana-san, Sawa-sensei and all that. DON'T YOU REMEMBER SAWA-SENSEI? Anyway, I gotta go dance with cheerleaders now, bye.
I love both games. But think LJ’s story fizzled out by the end of the game.
Lost Judgment is so critically underrated like it is my second favourite
same, but then again i think 7 is overrated
@@roshaanreddy8107 7 is in fact my favourite haha
@@nicolenechita9531 honestly wished I could enjoy it I’m very jealous
@@roshaanreddy8107 yeah I understand that the change in genre might put people off but I tend to enjoy change and multiple genres
@@nicolenechita9531 you might want to kill me but my problem was it’s story, underutilisation of party characters in the plot,lack of consequences for Ichibans rashness, inconsistent of his intelligence, forgettable villains (exemptions being the ones in the finale) and personally didn’t care about Ichiban but that’s a personal problem, I really wanted to love this game
Metacritic definitely has some interesting scores for these games
I definitely thought the Judgment games would be in the top 5 at least
And I'm very surprised that Kiwami 2 is the second highest ranking game especially when compared to the original
yea, kiwami 2 is one of my least favourite because of what was lost from the original
@@wacky-physics7506 what was lost from deez nuts in yo mouth
@@wacky-physics7506 what was lost from the og 2?
@@apthegoat1 Shinseicho, I know it wasn't a big area but like every yakuza area it was proportionally kinda dense, and the whole mystery around it was pretty fun. Also dawn, as in, the time of day, is completely gone, so scenes that used to have this warm lighting to them are now just at nighttime. As well, some of the music was changed for the worse, the jazz song in the rain being the most obvious example, Hayashi also had a unique theme, which is kinda wierd that they didn't just reuse at the least. It's not like I hate the entire game, it's well above the average of anything like ubisoft, square enix, bethesda, EA, etc. In fact, the shindo fight is an example of a great improvement, better music, qte's, moveset, lighting, etc. But overall, aside from stuff like graphical improvements, minor quality-of-life, and smoother gameplay (things that prob shouldn't be ignored) the game misses more than it hits.
@@wacky-physics7506 not to mention how all of its basis are just copy and paste from 6. The menu, xp, even kiryus render on the box art is the same from 6. At least they could’ve taken a kiwami route and differentiate from its predecessor to make it really stand out. The only things that I remember from this are the nice graphics, four shine and majima construction. But that’s just my opinion.
the judgment games being that low is criminal tbh
Lost paradise doesnt actually require any prior knowledge on the source material to understand most of the plot as it explains most of the stuff heck i would say its actually one of the ways to get into the series along with the 1986 animated movie
As someone who loves both Yakuza and Fist of the North Star, the story in Lost Paradise is so bad, it hardly matters if you understand it fully or not. Still a great game, though.
@@CidGuerreiro1234 i agree with you on the most part even tho i found the new characters the game added fitting to the world especially targa he was amazing and so entertaining to watch
I have my issues with 0, but, ill forever be grateful forit for saving the series in the West.
The Judgment games are severley underrated- a super popular Streamer or something needs to play them or something cause they deserve juat as much recognition and praise.
As someone who has Yakuza 3 brain rot from it being my first actual start with the series, I'm surprised that it was higher than 4 on metacritic.
4 and 5 had some of the worst writing. But 4 had some goofy stuff and the last boss was eh. Despite that it introduced some of the best playable characters.
Yakuza 3 is just dated. But it's not a bad game.
@@sladejosephwilson2300 The absolute dumbest part of Y4 is how they left the police chiefs gun just for him to grab TWICE. I can look between my fingers the first time even if it was dumb but the second time when he got to grab it to shoot himself was just stupidity from the main cast.
@@NisseDood I forgot about that
@@sladejosephwilson2300 man wtf. Y0 and Y5 are my most favorite ones
I agree with the high rank of Kiwami 2. Having those mechanical improvements structured under one of the best stories with the newest engine does make a difference!
That's so interesting to me how some people see k2 as an upgrade to the original in every way and others like me don't find it appealing at all.
@@GunGun-cf3ss the dynamic fighting is fun. You are not limited when fighting you can beat people up from the streets to inside a store to alleys and go across the district all without breaking out of the fight. That is really cool and different than the other games. Yakuza 6 has that I believe but not as well executed.
@@SharifSourour I definitley like that aspect of the dragon engine games, but I don't really enjoy how the fighting itself feels.
@@GunGun-cf3ss yeah the fighting system is best in 0 but if you really want and play a dragon engine game on PC you can install a fighting system mod that makes it the same as 0! I haven’t done that and instead adapted over time. It’s not as good fighting style but also simpler and has its own strengths. Kiwami 2 has its own strengths that way, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to go back and keep playing 0 for its strengths. Also every single game in the series has its strength.
@@SharifSourour yeah, for sure man, it really boils down to what aspects of the games are most important to you.
Got into the series with Yakuza 0 and it will probably always be my favorite
I have my issues with Kiwami 2 but the sub stories in that game are so goddamn good, and the game really does give the player lots of freedom to do what you want outside of the main story at pretty much any time
I started with Kiwami 2 loved the story and the gameplay then a couple of weeks later Yakuza 0 was in sale for 3,99€ so I said ok Lets buy It! And now I absolutely love this series, nowadays games are boring but Yakuza still gives the feeling that I had while playing Old Games on my PS2 or even the OG 2001 Xbox with JSRF, Halo, Dr.Muto and MX Superfly.
And now I can't to buy the Remake of Ishin and play all the Yakuza games.
great video! keep up the good work!
**Lost Judgment spoilers**
8:43 iirc there was some discourse about the whole "fakeout" thing with Mamiya and Ehara among the reviewers. Maybe that's why the score is lower.
I don't see how, i don't see where the issue could be, honestly had to look up who you were talking about, completely forgot about that sequence.
I had so much fun when playing Kiwami after finishing 0 (which had introduced me to the series). Sure I found the story to be lacking at points in comparison, but I absolutely LOVED the Majima Everywhere system and slowly progressing and improving my Dragon Style. I feel like Kiwami was a worthy sequel and seems a bit underrated. Gameplay wise it was a freaking blast
Same here! I love ZERO! But when i play kiwami i fall in love.
Me too. Playing kiwami right after finishing zero is such a great experience, but if you just play kiwami on its own maybe is not the same experience, imo.
Only problem is that the combat takes time to feel enjoyable
Yakuza 0 literally did revive the Yakuza series in the west, before that everyone just assumed that the Yakuza series was some weird Japanese Grand Theft Auto clone. They were literally on life support in the west when Yakuza 4 came out, as it took Yakuza 5 an entire 3 years to even come out in the west, and it only came out digitally as well. Yakuza 0 provided the perfect starting point and was a very entertaining game to watch. It had hilarious substories, and crazy minigames and just seemed super unique, a lot of people think it was ps+ / game pass which catapulted the yakuza series into the limelight but it was honestly critically acclaimed / beloved on release. It was just a good game, which is why it got so much attention, almost every youtuber had a video up about it, and all the funny parts of the game as well.
The greatest marketing decision they ever did though was to make the substories as memorable as they did. So many of the substories were just legitimately hilarious and had their own little minigames, and were instantly memeable. As well just the Baka Mitai which really made the game viral.
I always felt like Yakuza 3 could be an excellent starting point. It focuses more on Kiryus emotional ties with his childhood and orphanage plus the graphics are outdated so playing it first then going to either 0 or Kiwami would be a great experience. I wish I could do it all over that way
Not really. It's not the worst starting point but you still need to know about the older ones to fully understand it. Besides the fact that opening stuff is just an epilogue of Y2.
Having just finished Lost Judgment (mostly, still got a few side-activities to do in PA + Kaito Files)...
How can it possibly be that low on the list? I fall into the category of people who have 0 as their favorite, and also really like Kiwami 2. Kiwami 2 was my second favorite until now, but Lost Judgment dethroned it. Definitely the best combat in the dragon engine games.
With all my love to Kiwami 2, I think that.. yeah, score is definitely should be lower lmao
Weird cause that’s a top 5 yakuza game (judgements included)
I love having to drink medicine, eat food, then run a club for money over and over again for hours just to level up.
My love of Kiwami 2 is all about how testosterone filled the final fight was with Ryuji Goda, aswell as how much of a chad Kiryu is throughout the story. The game is all style with little substance.
@@agentthorny bruh I didn't have to do all that shit to play lol, more specifically the money part
@@agentthorny you're acting as if grinding levels isn't boring in the other Yakuza games. Have you done the true millennium tower in Y7? The grind for that was soooo much worse
It makes me sad, that Yakuza games only get ratings between 80 and 90 percent, while a mediocre game like Zelda BotW, that's basically just an Assassin's Creed with Zelda skin, has a metacritic score of 97.
That's why I completely stopped caring about reviews at all.
Same finally someone who also thinks BotW isn’t that grea
6:16 I didn't know yakuza 3 was the first 3d game in the series.
Lmao
Playing through Lost Judgment now and it blows my mind it’s not higher on the list.
Love Yakuza videos! Been into it since Ryu Ga Gotoku 0 came out in Japan. That was the first one I played, very lucky for that! Now I have some version of nearly every major game in the series.
I started the series thanks to a friend who was like ‘Let’s play this new game I found, it’s on sale.’ So we both bought yakuza 0 for 5 euros which got us both into the series.
Glad I found your channel as I was getting into the latter half of the mainline games, look forward to each upload!
Personally i don't think Yakuza has any bad entries,they are all very good games, even the "bad" games feel like they could be high points in any other saga, having said that my experience playing them is that the installments with odd numbers of the saga are usually better than the even ones, i consider Yakuza 1 or 3 vastly better than 2,4 or 6 for example with yakuza 5 being in an strange spot that i consider better than 2,4 and 6 but worse than Zero, kiwami and 3, Yakuza 7 is phenomenal, im currently playing judgement and my impressions are very positive for the moment, can't wait to finish it and start lost judgement.
kiwami is just underrated, it has a very tragic story, it just needs alot of thought to see clearly
For sure, the atmosphere and the Haruka plot are pretty awesome. So many of the tropes seen in 0 come from that game, and I still think it has the best combat
I absolutely loved Judgment and want the video on it! Not too many surprises on this list, but I am damn happy to see more Yakuza content on my recommended!
As someone who recently got into yakuza with 0 in the last 2 years, my favourite overall game is Judgment with Yakuza 0 a close second. Kiwami 1 and Yakuza 7 are my least favourite for the story and the combat respectively.
I feel yakuza is the only franchise where the best games for different people varies so much and I feel like it’s a huge positive.
I have no idea how they give each game a unique identity but they look so similar on the surface.
FYI, the first psp Japanese only release of yakuza exclusive has an English subtitled patch you can emulate on pc. For those diehards out there :D
I'm surprised Lost Judgement is as low as it is. It's personally my 2nd favorite in the entire series. 0 is my #1, and 7 is my #3. I'd argue that Yakuza 3 is the most important in the entire series though. It's like, my least favorite, but it did the best job fleshing out Kiriyu as a character and his motivations throughout the rest of the series.
I remember a friend of mine introduced me to the yakuza series by showing me Majima memes, and since then I fell in love with the series with my favorite being yakuza 0 and like a dragon
I didn't even know I was playing the best one! God I need to get back into it
Get back on it ASAP trust me
@@bonkgameing I was loving hell out of it
Then ya know....college jobs and all that crap
Metacritic averages used to be a lot lower in the past so that 75 and that 77 for the original games are actually pretty good ratings. The rating inflation in metacritic started around the very early 10s and it kinda stabilized around 2014.
Id say a 75 from back then is worth an 82.5 nowadays.
I've played almost every Yakuza game and I honestly think Lost Judgement should be on the top of the list.
“I’ve yet to hear anyone speak poorly about lost judgement”
Skill up: am I a joke to you
it should really say something when the worst game on the series is still considered good by a lot of people. and how this series never really stumbles too hard.
I remeber seeing Angry Joe review of Zero and buying it and later Kiwami 1 and 2 on Release.
Do first ended up playing Zero as my first Yakuza game this year and now I need to play them all (presuming I can find Dead Soul).
Happy Playstation have sales on this titles as it helps building my Yakuza collection :)
My entry was Y6 but the game to get me hooked was Like A Dragon Gaiden. The combat is soo much smoother (I play on a series X), it might be heavy on dialogue but u can skip everything and get straight to the game. For someone who doesn't play Yakuza, Like A Dragon Gaiden was a perfect entry for me gameplay and story wise.
For me the tailing missions and stealth really make Judgement feel bogged down, it feels like Ubisoft content from the past decade even with the awesome story, but story wise it's amazing and the combat is good.
Kuze is the main reason why Yakuza 0 takes 1st place.
My favorites are 0,Six,LAD,K1&K2. I still redo and cherish the story mode of these titles every now and then.
yo im playing through lad as a diehard yakuza fan and for some reason i find myself procrastinating by playing the other yakuza titles again instead of 7 lol does it get a lot better as it goes on? Cause i'm not too sure if I like the combat system too much, but I do really like the story rn.
@@wildforce1433 same here, I discovered Yakuza series from LAD. What intrigued me is the whole lotta change in the combat system of previous Yakuza games,and tbf I liked LAD combat system a lot compared to other titles
I had a friend who refused to touch the series until I sent them a single image of Yakuza 0 Majima
They immediately became interested in the series.
My first Yakuza was 5 ... To be honest it's more classy than 0
But still i love both
And now Infinite Wealth is above *all* of these, yeezus; game is great, though, and it has so much QoL added on from RGG7 that really helped the turn-based gameplay feel a lot more fun and a lot less like a chore, like significantly reducing random encounters and adding moving in combat, along with way more options in combat.
I feel like I'm a black sheep fan because I love all the games but my favourties are Kiwami 1,2 and 3's remaster, again I wouldn't mind playing ANY game in the franchise but it feels weird when people express dissapointment in those 3. To be fair, the only spin-offs I've played is the Judgment games and I haven't been able to play any of the non remakes/remasters
My list goes like this:
(Haven't played the Judgement games nor Dead Souls yet)
1.- Yakuza 0
2.- Yakuza 5
3.-Yakuza 6
4.- Yakuza LAD
5.- Like a Dragon Kenzan
6.- Yakuza 3
7.- Yakuza K1
8.- Yakuza K2
9.- Yakuza 4
Лол, в рекомендациях зарубежный видос. Хоть это и странно, но ролик всё же получился неплохим, лайк!
Pretty much all Yakuza games being free on PlayStation premium should help bring in so much more people to play them plus the next Yakuza release 🎉 great idea on the Devs side.
Bought Y3 when it came out on PS3 to satisfy my interest in Japan. Thought it was ok. Y4 was released on PS Plus, I fell in love with the story. Buying Y5 was a no brainer when it was released. Y0 is a masterpiece. Love wandering around Onomichi. It was good to play 1 & 2 as I bypassed them on PS2. Y:LaD is one of the best games I’ve games I’ve ever played. Love both Judgements. Just Platinumed Gaiden. Now playing Infinite Wealth. Absolutely adore this series.
Yakuza 7 is awesome and like my 2nd fav in the series but at the same time it kinda suffers from the first rpg syndrome. While they nailed the presentation the combat ended up lacking in terms of depth and didnt have much strategy other than just using your strongest attack and the occasional healing but then again as I said before it's the first one in the series so them making a properly fleshed out rpg system would be harder to pull off in this case. Luckily Yokoyama mentioned 8 combat being much more refined in the RGG summit so we can hope for JE to LJ level of improvement
For me the judgment games will always be on top after Yakuza 0 . While the Yakuza / like a dragon games are getting less serious and more about the comedy, the judgment games brought back the raw and more serious storytelling we know from the first Yakuza games. I really hope they'll release a judgment game that's about kaito, his background story is already very interesting.
Curious, my top is actually the same
1. 0
2. kiwami 2
3. Like a Dragon
Wish there was more love for the ps2 games. I went from 0 to 1&2 on the ps2 and loved them. Going to the kiwami's felt hollow and the only things I liked were better in other games. Like pocket circuit or club management
Props to you for going straight to the ps2 games after 0. I played the kiwamis first and only later checked out the originals, just to find out I way prefer them over the remakes lol
I feel like Yakuza 0 has spoiled me to the point that no other Yakuza franchise game has ever come close to topping it for me now. I've played Kiwami 1/2, some of 3 remastered (working my way through the remastered collection now), 6 because 3-5 remastered wasn't out yet, Judgment 1, Yakuza:Like a Dragon and now most recently Like a Dragon Ishin, and Yakuza LAD has been the closest to giving me the feelings I had experiencing 0 for the first time. I honestly think they peaked at that game and that's also where a huge part of their new/returning fan base started from. I really hope they replicate that feeling that 0 gave in the future, as that is my favorite game of all time and I've played 1000's of games, but until then I'll remember fondly the first time I became a real estate tycoon and a host club big boss while falling in love with a blind woman and fighting over a ridiculous plot of land. What a story and game, man.
Same. 0 and lad are peak
6:45 Unreal. This game was phenomenonal
Btw is akiyama unpopular I wish they bring back as a playable character he was fun to play with
I think J/LJ are the better Yakuza, it's a huge improvement. And I did all the Yakuza games. All of them are great, but I really think the next Yakuza games should take lessons from Judgment and Lost Judgment because those two games feel like RGGS perfected their art at an even higher level.
I just finished Yakuza Kiwami 2, and so far it has been my favorite the gameplay is awesome (RGG Engine is a blessing to this world) the story is also amazing and it has a much more cinematic style, and the characters arent assholes for being assholes
I hate having to grind in yakuza: like a dragon 10 levels just to progress the story and beat bosses like Nanba or Majima and Saejima
Crazy stuff with the Judgment games. Lost Judgment is #1 for me, Judgment #2, and Yakuza 6 #3
Definitely need to see a proper Kiwami 2 review from you. Going in blind 0-6 with no input from the internet and also not having played the PS2 versions, I had no idea the fans didn't like it. My favorites were 0, YK2 and 5. Also personally Y6 ran like shit on my PS4 while YK2 was way smoother and I just generally enjoyed playing more but i gotta see what I was missing
@Eric-il5nu I havent finished LaD yet but im loving it so far. I also recently finished Judgement and its one of my top 5 rgg games.
"What Yakuza game is your favorite?"
"Yes"
I remember playing the first yakuza on my PS2, I liked the second one as well, When 0 came out I loved that one more! First timers to Yakuza try Yakuza 0 first.
I would have liked it if you had looked at the top reviews and highlighted key points that led to these scores
The only games I have not played at all are 4 and the first Judgment.
I’ve enjoyed them all (some more than others) but I’ve not had a bad time with the 11 games I’ve played.
Actually insane how high kiwami 2 is, i really think it should be way lower, like seriously how is lost judgment lower….
I actually felt kinda underwhelmed by Lost Judgment
Same here. I really was disappointed in the main story. What saved it was the school stories because of all the game modes it gives you. Still Lost Judgment is like a 7.6 to me
I'm with ya there, i personally couldn't get into the story at all, i never cared for the school bullying thing being the entire game, seemed silly to me. I also never liked any of the new characters so it just turned into watching Yagami do stuff in the end for me. Such a let down after the phenomenal story and twists from the first game. The gameplay was top notch though along with the visuals, the Kaito DLC was also great
you know what's criminal? people playing 0 and not playing 4 after. Like, dude, that's half the story from 0.
For Fist of the north star you dont really need to know manga, to enjoy it. I watched only a 10 anime episodes and i felt like i knew everything i need in game to enjoy it. Also, for me, its one of the best "Yakuza" game.
I'm currently binging through the series. So far only up to the ending sections of Y2/Kiwami 2, having started with 0. So not that far along overall, but hey, I started this process only around a month ago in earnest, and I'm "content 100%ing" each game (so amon fights, etc. - Just not bothering with completion list completion for the games where it's not needed for content access)
I can 100% say, that as an extremely hardcore gamer, and someone that has always cared about gameplay over anything else: Kiwami 2 is so far by far my #1 entry in the series, and I do personally think it's somewhat deserving of the ranking it has... as a game.
Yes, Y0's story is better. But that's really all it has that's better - Gameplay in almost every other aspect is worse, and the 2 games even share a ton of features. Yes, 0 has more "variety" in many regards, but does that really matter when said "variety" really isn't that polished?
I legitimately can see myself doing stuff like challenge runs of Kiwami 2 once I finish the series. I really don't see myself doing that with 0.
...I also completely agree with Kiwami 1 being placed as low as it is because seriously, the game's just not fun comparatively. Like it's not a "bad" game by any means, but even as someone that doesn't have the same issues with it that many people do (I actually found it's damage output, etc. to be way better than most other games because it made bosses actually feel like, well, bosses. Rather than that guy you use 3 different heat actions on instead of 1.), I just... really didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I did 0 or K2. To the point I was almost considering taking a break before I started up K2 because maybe 0's quality was just some kind of huge fluke - But then I ended up absolutely falling in love with K2 again once I started it up, and am now fully planning on just full binging the entire series again.
K2's just fun to play. Period. And that's something that matters a lot more to many people than the story being 11/10 instead of 9/10. Because as many people have aptly put it: Even the worst games in the Yakuza/LAD/Judgement/RGG franchise are way, way, WAY better than the vast majority of other games. If the story's still compelling enough to be a driving force for your desire to continue playing the game, going beyond that really... doesn't change someone's view of the game all that much. But having some of the best gameplay out there? Well, that's a large part of why people even play video games in the first place, y'know? Most people won't really have THAT different of opinions on an 8/10, 9/10, 10/10 and 11/10 story, but when it comes to gameplay... those slight differences of going from "great" to "holy [redacted] this is amazing" are so much more noticeable in general.
I'm not at all surprised that Y0 and LAD/Y7 are that high up there, because way more people have played both of them than any other game in the series, and considering how absolutely amazing the entire series is... well, y'know, that's going to lead to fairly high review scores. And Y0 is one of the most viral fluke entries I've ever seen in a game series. I've seen so many people play it that have never touched another Yakuza game in their life.
Critics are being entirely subjective. They are entitled to their opinion, of course, but what they say is not an irrefutable statement. It's just their worthless opinion.
All Ryu ga Gotoku games are really good. None is better than the other, each of them has its good and not so good aspects.
I get every issue with the 1st Kiwami. The biggest issue was the way boss fights worked in it made a lot of those fights more tedious than fun
The combat moves and style switching honestly made it the best combat in the series (except maybe 0, which has better story fights and bosses)
@@sheevpalps3846 i felt that stupid system of bosses glowing and going supersayin to get all their health back a stupid system that made something that was awesome in zero a punishment in Kiwami
It was definitely dumb at some points, but using certain heat actions (doesn’t need to be a Kiwami) and interrupting them felt really satisfying. Besides, some parts of this combat felt more challenging than 0, which I really enjoyed. Still, I do agree that move got too annoying especially if a boss did that multiple times during a single fight
Its a shame really. Kiwami combat was the best non spinoff combat by far but there were not any opportunities to use it at its full potential. I also don’t understand wht they added the kiwami heat moves it is just gimmicky.
I'm currently playing through the series right now and I'm on 4 but so far my favorite is Kiwami 2. I never played the original version of 2 so maybe I don't see all of the issues that other people see with it but I had a lot of fun with it. The music was good (which can be said for all of the games lol), the characters were good, I liked the new engine the game used and the gameplay was nice, plus I did like the addition of the Majima Saga even though it wasn't necessary, so I have no real complaints with the game.
Kiwami 1 is great, its exactly what I'd expect from a remake especially one thats this old.
It didn't FEEL low budget especially if you look at it from a standalone perspective
The story is alright but by the mere existence of yakuza 0, its definitely an elevated experience to go through
Oh, and you get to slap haruka
I’d say if it’s the only Yakuza game you’ve played, then K1 or K2 don’t feel low budget, but if you’ve played all of them or at least a couple, you’ll notice that most of the stuff in the Kiwami games are recycled.
@@MadDogSolo I played it chronologically so kiwami 1 was my second yakuza game
Tbh, looking back, almost everything is recycled, even pocket circuit just got it's comeback
yea, kiwami 2 is my fav. Prolly would love yakuza 2 but i aint playing that after having to 100% yakuza 3. Just love the story and karoke
Also another thing as Im currently playing kiwami 2 I feel like it combines what was great about both 0 and kiwami 1 together. Like for kiwami 2 I love how more interactive the game is. In general it looks beautiful as well. The graphics are just up there. The only criticism I do have about kiwami 2 are the lack of dream machines (from yakuza 0), Completion points (Yes it was somewhat annoying to get but I still miss them) and In general I dont like the majima construction storyline/game mode. I really loved the club cabaret storyline and real estate storyline in yakuza 0. (Yes can you tell I love yakuza 0) But other than that I love kiwami 2.
I’ve never read or watched anything for Fist of the North Star but the game is great
I forgot one of Akiyama’s nicknames was mr not important. So for a moment I was about to ask why you being so harsh to him
It's not about Akiyama hahah
The "mr. Not Important" is a reference to the protagonist of the infamous game Hatred who looks like Saejima in 4. Also, hero of Little Asia was in reference to Tanimura. Hope this helps!
@@gokudoni Really wow as you can it’s been a while since I played yakuza 4 lol. I was really convinced he did have the nickname mr not important.
Y0 was the game that hit right time on youtube and made tons of LP channel do it, then twictch made even more famous with reaction clips on ps4 and later on xbox via gamepass(IMO gamepass made this game almost main stream now)
Honestly, I disagree on the series being bigger and better. It is bigger, but I think bloating the games like in 5 was a bad decision that I hope they don't do again. The story got soooo long and there were so many absurd twits that I ended up finishing 5 skipping some dialogues. The Yakuza series shines the most when they keep it simple (or simpler than 5, at least). I think having just one main character (or two, like 0) helps to keep the narrative straight. The games are always over the top, yes, but 1 and 2 (and even 3) are more focus. That's why I think having 6 being a Kiryu-only adventure worked very well (they simplifying the combat didn't work as well, but anyway).
Although you aren't entirely wrong, saying the story is bad for a game but also saying you skipped some cutscenes doesn't make you very credible
Fffffff... I just satrted the series and am finishing Yakuza 0 first.
You're basically telling me I started with the best and there's no way to go but down
The series is so big it is crazy big
i wonder if critics go for story or everything because i doubt they do everything while reviewing especially with massive games like this.. for me personally they are all above 80 or even 85 except yakuza 3 🤣
Hokuto ga Gotoku's story imo was really bad, as a big fan of the series this is horrible, anime games have the reputation of having bad stories but this is really just character thrown around, the gameplay tho is rly great. Crazy that it's way lower than the mess that is kiwami 2 bc the gameplay of those games speaks of themselfs
I feel like it looks stupid on my steam profile that I skipped kiwami 1 and 3/4 remastered. I'm literally not interestered in playing through them again.
1 just felt too clunky before 2 feeling more refined. I just won't play 3 or 4 again, I know the stories very well because of the slog they were. I AM looking forward to getting to 6 though, but I have been replaying LAD going for all achievements because I love the universe. After which I'll be spending an eternity in 5 again, so I might not even get to 6 in the first half of this year haha, depending on how dedicated I want to be to the achievements or if the yakuza burnout hits again.
The burnout is real and the exact reason I'm not touching the aforementioned games again... maybe later just to fill the gap but doubt.
Oh, to clarify, 6 is the only one I haven't actually played. It's not that I didn't want to. It's actually the perfect example of the yakuza burnout I mentioned. I never got around to it.
By the time I was ready for yakuza again I skipped it in favour of Like A Dragon because it seemed like a refreshing change of pace with the change in gameplay. I felt like it would help motivate me to go back to 6 after since it would, again, be a switch in gameplay back to how it was.
So yeah I am looking forward to it just to complete the story in my head.
I’d argue that dead souls would have done better on either better hardware or if it came out when the west had a few of the games under its belt
Personally;
1. 0 or Lost judgment
3. Kiwami
4.North Star
5.4
6.6
7.5
8.3
9. Judgment
10 . Kiwami 2
Don't see how LJ can be so high yet the first bring so low, the plot was so much more interesting in the first as opposed to school bullying, but to each their own. Gameplay was definitely more smooth in LJ though, snake style was super unique
@@NeroV1L3 I take everything into account when it comes to rating the whole game. So here are my main issues with Judgment:
1. Although main story is good it gets constantly interrupted by something something uninteresting like kehin gang or introduction of new stupid game mechanic.
2. This is the worst RGG game when it comes to music. Not because it was horrible or didn't fit in, or anything like that. But you can name any other RGG game and I would immediately think of at least a few ost masterpieces that I've downloaded and listened on repeat. With Judgment there's not a single one
3. The tailing segments are biggest nightmare and I could write an essay about problems I have with them. All of which were fixed in LJ.
4. The combat while not being the worst in the series, is definitely it the bottom 3. While LJ is second best, after Kiwami 1.
tbh i used to be in love with yakuza 0 but when i tried to 100% i just stopped loving after its my 3rd favorite game in the series and now i just think kiwami is the most fun the series has given me
I never listen to critics, especially when so-called "professional critics" can barely play the games lmao
I started with 7 and loved it but the karoke pack confused me and bought it
I liked Judgement and Lost Judgement better than 7 by a large margin
For as much fun as im having with Kiwami Ishin, I still wish Dead Souls got Kiwami'd instead