What Makes the Yakuza Games So BEAUTIFUL?

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  • Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
  • Although this franchise isn't at all the 2023 equivalent of Crysis 1, they are some of the best looking games I've seen, and it all is because of how their visuals are directed. Despite the really obvious "we gotta make sure PS4s don't explode" graphics, these games create a portal into a living, breathing world, and I'm here to tell you how.
    Join the channel and become one of the LADs (Like a Dragons):
    / @snowiestangeman
    Songs:
    Ace Combat 7 - Yinshi Valley
    Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne - World Map (Real World)
    Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition - Satorl Marsh (Night)
    Yakuza 5 - Quiet Mode
    Tom Clancy’s The Division - Prologue
    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Riding (Day)
    The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Riding (Night)
    Final Fantasy XIII - The Promise
    Super Smash Bros. For Wii U & 3DS - Route 10 (Remix)
    Old School RuneScape - Medieval

Комментарии • 340

  • @SnowiestAngeman
    @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +226

    What a fantastic video! And to be uploaded on Christmas Day? I would say as an audience member that we are quite blessed with this upload!

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +95

      Man how the FUCK DO YOU SWAP ACCOUNTS ON THIS WEBSITE

    • @vastolorde2861
      @vastolorde2861 9 месяцев назад +30

      @@SnowiestAngeman alright Ichiban, time for your meds

    • @Capodoji
      @Capodoji 9 месяцев назад +3

      Never stop making vids like this bro these are so good

    • @Andrew_S1
      @Andrew_S1 9 месяцев назад +7

      Joryu forgot to change his Kiryu account.

  • @MikeJr9284
    @MikeJr9284 9 месяцев назад +414

    The atmosphere in Yakuza is such a vibe, whether it be the big cities of Kamurocho and Yokohama or the small towns like Okinawa and Onomichi.

    • @gazover_
      @gazover_ 9 месяцев назад +12

      i love onomichi because of it cozy little town vibe in wich everyone knows eachother

    • @geff16999
      @geff16999 9 месяцев назад +6

      Yakuza game make me enjoy my trip to Osaka more, man atmosphere of Dotonbori (Sotenburi irl)​is sure 2 times what's the game is

  • @chrisrandles857
    @chrisrandles857 9 месяцев назад +92

    Small areas with lots of details > big areas with minimal detail

    • @queuedjar4578
      @queuedjar4578 3 месяца назад +1

      It would depend on the game.

    • @ncshuriken
      @ncshuriken Месяц назад

      Same couple of small detailed areas in almost every game though... That gets old quite quickly, even if like me you tend to enjoy the series. They need to break this cycle of complacency. I wouldn't be surprised if Hawaii reappears in 9 sequels lol, knowing what RGG are like!

  • @KyokujiFGC
    @KyokujiFGC 9 месяцев назад +159

    The realism of Akiyama fumbling around in his office really struck me at the time. It wasn't often you saw that kind of animation in games.
    Also, at the end of the day, a lot of Kamurocho and Sotenbori being re-used can be down to them being based on Kabukicho and Dotonbori.
    The real city districts only change so much, and the same is true for their in-game counterparts.

    • @samfire3067
      @samfire3067 9 месяцев назад +5

      Almost lime real life.

  • @ROBOHOLIC1
    @ROBOHOLIC1 9 месяцев назад +139

    Yakuza 6's night time lighting and Hiroshima during sunsets were some of the most beautiful sights in the series to me. Something about those particular times and locales just felt a lot more real than later iterations.

    • @Dragonfury3000
      @Dragonfury3000 9 месяцев назад +15

      Yakuza 6 is still my favorite of the series for those reasons. The mood in 6 and the characters are all soo memorable to me.

    • @Antonchigurh893
      @Antonchigurh893 9 месяцев назад +9

      Currently playing Y6 right now. I'm in love with Hiroshima. The mini games in Hiroshima is my favorite in the series. Wished we had more baseball haha

  • @killertoadstools
    @killertoadstools 9 месяцев назад +177

    I also wanna mention the sound direction of these games. Stellar voice acting aside, strolling through Kamurocho, hearing the hustle and bustle of countless conversations, barkers and club scouts invokes a feeling of a world that's truly lived in. Then on top of that, walking past shops and restaurants with music blaring, even some renditions of karaoke songs like Kamuro Setsugekka and Machine Gun Kiss, adds to a sense of familiarity and cohesiveness. The games keep changing, with new characters and stories, but ol' familiar Kamurocho is like home at this point.

    • @jebbbungo7873
      @jebbbungo7873 9 месяцев назад +10

      that "WEEEEEEEE OOOOOOOOOOOO" siren that's in the background of like, every game that goes by every once in a while is like a soothing blanket

    • @Subpar1O1
      @Subpar1O1 8 месяцев назад

      ​@@jebbbungo7873which is really ironic since if that's an ambulance or police siren going off, the person who needs it is probably not feeling as cosy

    • @lucette5555
      @lucette5555 27 дней назад

      The Christmas music played in shops and the bowling alley 🥰

  • @ROBOHOLIC1
    @ROBOHOLIC1 9 месяцев назад +80

    The Yakuza/Like A Dragon series is so cool. I wish Japan was a real place. 😔

    • @youtubesucks1821
      @youtubesucks1821 9 месяцев назад +17

      Japan is real, it's located in our hearts

  • @chinesegirlcartoons9254
    @chinesegirlcartoons9254 9 месяцев назад +135

    I just wanted to mention your point about NPCs in Hawaii not reacting to the rain, because that's actually pretty realistic too haha.
    Honolulu (the part where LAD8 is taking place) has a pretty unique weather makeup because it's sandwiched between the mountains and the oceans. This means like 99% of the rain hits the other side of the mountains and only rarely does a cloud make it over, hence the random short lived rains that will happen multiple times a day.
    Generally for people who are just chilling on the beach just take it when it rains because you're either about to go jump in the ocean anyway or the sun will be out in 2 minutes and you'll dry back off while you relax.

  • @Banana-uf6ij
    @Banana-uf6ij 9 месяцев назад +116

    One thing I love about Yakuza is is the passage of time and how characters naturally grow and develop. The characters age with the world. Seeing Kiryu use a pager and phone booths in 0, to him using a smartphone later just feels so realistic but also somehow nostalgic.
    A lot of video games tend to neglect the passage of time and the game's timeline is similar to ours.

    • @KaitoThwBruiser
      @KaitoThwBruiser 9 месяцев назад +25

      Seeing Ichiban and Kiryu react to phones for the first time is so wholesome

    • @ROBOHOLIC1
      @ROBOHOLIC1 9 месяцев назад +29

      Kiryu's kids aging in real time broke me. Guy's been apart from them longer than he was with them, yet he still left such an impact on their lives.

    • @starmatrics
      @starmatrics 9 месяцев назад +11

      @@ROBOHOLIC1 This really hits me, especially seeing now Taichi is old enough to drink in the recent bucket list trailer

    • @ROBOHOLIC1
      @ROBOHOLIC1 9 месяцев назад +6

      @@starmatrics based on all the Taichi scenes recently. I think we found his favorite son. Lol.

    • @americanbadass88
      @americanbadass88 9 месяцев назад

      and They still have the phone booths from the 1980s that were in Zero in some parts of the city

  • @jojobrojo5062
    @jojobrojo5062 9 месяцев назад +26

    I'm still amazed at how great 6 looks despite being like 7 years old and being the first dragon engine game.

    • @Dragonfury3000
      @Dragonfury3000 9 месяцев назад +5

      6 deserves a ps5 remaster.

    • @dhdurhueur-qe5pn
      @dhdurhueur-qe5pn 9 месяцев назад +4

      The way the games are designed make them pretty timeless

    • @AxelWedstar411
      @AxelWedstar411 4 месяца назад

      Maybe it's because I was a late adoptee of 8th gen gaming - I didn't get my Xbone 'til it's successor was already announced - but all the games as far back as Kiwami look amazing to me. And Infinite Wealth is just hardcore scenery porn. 👌

  • @DavidMFBowie
    @DavidMFBowie 9 месяцев назад +40

    I love hanging out in Kabukicho in Tokyo because its insane how similar they are. You walk around and you just find Gandhara from Y0 . Ive been there 4 times, always finding new Yakuza stuff. Like the Gindaco Highball you were talking about, it moved across the street because thats where the real Gindaco highball is. I have eaten there!

  • @s0lgent
    @s0lgent 9 месяцев назад +40

    the way I made my entire family walk around Yokohama when we were there earlier this year, thinking “if Ichiban and gang can, so can we”.
    Sorry mum

  • @ralfsstuff
    @ralfsstuff 3 месяца назад +5

    The most beautiful thing about Yakuza really ist to see Kamurocho grow, change and understand why.
    Like the empty lot being where Millennium Tower will be built.
    Not needing the map anymore really was the feeling when Kamurocho in particular became a home I was fond of and always enjoyed returning to.

  • @wonderrbelle
    @wonderrbelle 9 месяцев назад +124

    i make them beautiful

    • @Yanramich
      @Yanramich 9 месяцев назад +53

      how do i delete someone else's comment

    • @calelsun
      @calelsun 8 месяцев назад +8

      ​@@Yanramich 😂 made my day and it's morning here so...thank you lol

    • @johngobble
      @johngobble 3 месяца назад +3

      thank you?

    • @trevortrevor6950
      @trevortrevor6950 2 месяца назад

      Get the hell out of here.

  • @Danker19991
    @Danker19991 9 месяцев назад +6

    All the other dragon engine games look great but the PC version of LAD looks absolutely terrible regardless of settings.

    • @xtr.7662
      @xtr.7662 9 месяцев назад

      LAD was downgraded in terms of textures, lighting, shadows, models compared the other de engine games for some reason

  • @Spalfos
    @Spalfos 9 месяцев назад +7

    I hate how this series has made me want to go visit at LEAST three completely different parts of Japan. Please Sega I don’t have travel money

  • @shinra05
    @shinra05 9 месяцев назад +2

    RGG FUMBLED with the rain from yakuza8, it looks like gta remastered rain, im dissapointed and heart broken. gonna cry and shit. but its ok

  • @gyn2-392
    @gyn2-392 9 месяцев назад +17

    Walking around with Haruka hand in hand in Okinawa is a core memory

  • @DrGrove
    @DrGrove 8 месяцев назад +3

    For me, the atmosphere and immersion work together so well. The developers also made a conscious decision by making every map in the Yakuza franchise relatively small compared to a game like Grand Theft Auto. This has allowed them to pack a bunch of details in a smaller world. They've somehow made Kamuruchu seem bigger than it actually is by stuffing it with so much detail.
    On an unrelated side note, as a consumer you get your money's worth with the Yakuza games.

  • @ikhwananimationsbeyondweeb4528
    @ikhwananimationsbeyondweeb4528 9 месяцев назад +7

    Beautiful games, like I heard from RGG before

  • @soujio9465
    @soujio9465 9 месяцев назад +47

    I'll admit it's definitely beautiful, scrolling through the sights of various cities, especially with the likes of Okinawa and Hiroshima which makes it so awesome just watching it from our perspectives playing the games. Most cities have this charm that makes it nice whether it's the immersion or how they present the atmosphere.

  • @FreakinMORI
    @FreakinMORI 9 месяцев назад +384

    Meanwhile those western audiance who don't know about yakuza but quickly jump into conlusion: "This game has a trash graphic"
    Edit: Horie Shiet mom I'm famous!!!
    Edit again: If y'all gonna start a fight in my comment, I'll tell you this: Every Game has their own beauty so stop freakin comparing this game to that game

    • @gorillaguy042
      @gorillaguy042 9 месяцев назад +110

      Or worse, calling Yakuza series ‘a copy of gta in Japan’

    • @DojimaNoRyu
      @DojimaNoRyu 9 месяцев назад +46

      If you want to make your day worse, check the comment section/live chat replay section of any Yakuza reveal video under "big" RUclips channels.

    • @MemeLordCthulhu
      @MemeLordCthulhu 9 месяцев назад +23

      ​@gorillaguy042 they probably see the name and think "generic mafia game set in japan." Meanwhile anyone that plays it is out here thinking red dead 2 was a desolate wasteland, and gta 5 had less content than an actual post apocalyptic game on the ps4

    • @P.C.16
      @P.C.16 9 месяцев назад +15

      And yet they make starfield a possible nominee for game of the year isntead of this lol, game awards too much biased lol

    • @zeroskaterz92
      @zeroskaterz92 9 месяцев назад +24

      @@P.C.16 Starfield wasn't nominee for game of the year on Game Awards. So I don't know what are you on about. Also, Gaiden originally intended to be DLC for 7.
      No DLC-turn-Standalone game has ever been nominated for game of the year period unless you can prove me wrong. Clearly you don't know wtf you're talking about.
      Also, Infinite Wealth was literally nominated for Anticipated Game for 2024.

  • @boutedecracton7572
    @boutedecracton7572 5 месяцев назад +2

    This is gonna sound dumb but the part where you are talking about the soccer field on the roof top litteraly describes what i like the most in environnement art. We often like to make stories all about characters, but a story that will grip me is one that can use the environnement to its full advantage to enhance the story. I think the Yakuza series does it perfectly with the city constently changing and having small elements that show that life is being lived in the city. Basketballs on the ground tell you that kids are playing, cans on the floor can tell you that some people are drinking.

  • @brandonizaguirre2963
    @brandonizaguirre2963 9 месяцев назад +13

    For the past 2 months, I've been binging the entire mainline games in chronological order and all I can say is that I'm such a fool for not noticing this beautiful series sooner. Yakuza 5 was way too long but enjoyed it nonetheless. Definitely will not be playing it a second time though. My next game is LAD: Ishin and I've yet to play the Judgment games. I'm also really hyped for Infinite Wealth 😊

    • @resurrecteddragon
      @resurrecteddragon 9 месяцев назад +3

      enjoy yourself man glad to see people playing the entire series of yakuza hopefully you are caught up with everything before infinite wealth releases also the 2 judgment games are one of the best in the series i really recommend them lost judgment is a top 3 rgg game for me along with like a dragon and y0

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +5

      Look forward to the Judgments because they are both INCREDIBLE. They’re my two favourites in the series

  • @Yanramich
    @Yanramich 9 месяцев назад +14

    What i like most about Yakuza world building and what i find people overlook the most is bringing out the most of of its environment and environmental storytelling by using collectables around town. Sure, you had locker keys for years, but they have no story telling or true purpose behind them aside being a collectable.
    What im talking about is what Y:LaD and Gaiden have been going with which is actually encouraging you exploring the city and seeing all those details you would normally miss.
    For my first example, i would use Gaiden, and the reason for that is quite obvious - looking up. In Yakuza games, where collectables are usually accessible on the floor or at the very least pretty close to it, you wouldn't usually stick to the skyline while exploring the city. Add to the fact that upgrades are money-driven in the game, and the fact that you can get a platinum or gold plate by just looking up, and you've got a pretty good motivator to explore the skyline looking for that damn blue circle.
    What i also like is...strangely enough, Tojo Clan crests from Y:LaD, and this leads into the second thing i like about the newer collectables - the storytelling.
    Let me give you an example: In Ijincho, random enemies can drop those crests upon winning a battle, i believe any enemy beside Chinatown ones. Picture defeating an old hobo with a cane and him dropping a yakuza family crest upon victory. Maybe he was a former Tojo member who came to Yokohama after he lost everything after the 3K. Maybe he just found the crest and wants to sell it, not quite understanding what it stands for.
    Or the crests you find on the floor. You can find them in places you'd look for the least, yet paradoxically, expect them the most - beneath trash bags, in the back of a shop, in a dark alleyway, a cramped building with empty corridors, and each one looks like it was placed there intentionally by a developer as a sort of subtext, implanting a seed for a story that was not created and does not exist in practice, but rather something that we solely make up a story for in our minds that may never be told, that we nourish in our heads.
    And i seriously hope Yakuza/LaD will keep going in that direction with these collectibles, especially as Hawaii is coming around.

  • @johnny5805
    @johnny5805 9 месяцев назад +2

    I hope they don't switch the main series to Unreal Engine, and update The Dragon Engine instead.
    Unreal's 'one size fits all' approach will make all games lose their uniqueness.

  • @metric353
    @metric353 9 месяцев назад +12

    what makes the yakuza games BEAUTIFUL is the BIG BUFF STRONG MEN that are FIGHTING each other with NO SHIRTS and RIPPLING MUSCLES and PUNCHING and BLOOD and CRIME and KARAOKE

    • @Yanramich
      @Yanramich 9 месяцев назад +6

      how do i delete this comment too

    • @the_femboy_gravemind
      @the_femboy_gravemind 6 месяцев назад

      @@Yanramichwhen you find out please do

  • @SarmInTheHat7030
    @SarmInTheHat7030 9 месяцев назад +10

    Atmosphere is one thing yakuza games always got really makes it feel alive for my favourite it probably the menu screen from both the judgement games as they both really set the mood

  • @camocamel8217
    @camocamel8217 9 месяцев назад +7

    People never really point out how Judgement and onwards some light sources at night casted dynamic shadows, and going back to 6 or Kiwami 2, besides the aliasing the lack of shadows from light sources were somewhat irritating to look at now.

  • @samuel.jpg.1080p
    @samuel.jpg.1080p 9 месяцев назад +14

    Really appreciate how you talk about the lighting and cutscenes in Ishin and Gaiden. Both games have such distinct visual touch, and look really pretty

  • @weepingblade
    @weepingblade 9 месяцев назад +5

    Snowiest i know youre a yakuza channel but you mentioned persona in your other videos and you're using SMT music. I would love to see a video about those series from you.

    • @KaitoThwBruiser
      @KaitoThwBruiser 9 месяцев назад

      Might not happen sadly but I'd like for him to at least try out Persona 2 after the new ones

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +1

      Maybe one day I will make a video about Tokyo Mirage Sessions as that was, in all seriousness, my first SMT related game I played lol

  • @butterlove1605
    @butterlove1605 9 месяцев назад +10

    This was a very perfect summary of why I just cannot get enough of this series' visuals. The rain part especially reminded me how much it actually rains in the original Yakuza 2, which really adds to the noir mystery aesthetic that game had goin' on, and it'll always upset me greatly that it never rains in Kiwami 2 outside of cutscenes.

  • @Celticjamz
    @Celticjamz 7 месяцев назад +2

    Ok, that’s it. We need a rain mod for all the yakuza games

  • @kevinyakuza
    @kevinyakuza 9 месяцев назад +5

    yakuza is that one game where I always feel at home when running around

  • @appleyapple9019
    @appleyapple9019 9 месяцев назад +3

    I like that you compliment not going for the most realistic things and just doing what comes naturally and creatively only a few sentences earlier insulting a mark rothko painting, like dude

    • @embrasaembrasa
      @embrasaembrasa 3 месяца назад +1

      Was a real bummer ngl; Rothko is a painter you have to sit with in person to really understand the appeal of. It’s like judging the art direction of a game based on a performance breakdown. Entirely missing the viscerality of genuine experience

  • @pyrojinn
    @pyrojinn 9 месяцев назад +5

    Dragon engine is one of the most beautiful engine I lay my eyes on IF I look past the various problems it has. Like bad anti aliasing until Gaiden, PS2 level NPC until the assets load completely in, bokeh depth of field that freaks out when there's transparency involved, bad frame pacing at times, the reliance on previous games assets mean you might see a familiar face get killed every single games, and many more. Still love the engine though.

  • @sethwoods5600
    @sethwoods5600 9 месяцев назад +3

    I really hope New York Hotdog opens up to watch whatever protag down like five hotdogs and three drinks like a real American.
    Side Note, ever considered an analysis about Yakuza friendly AI? They each seem pretty unique in each game, especially with the Boys in Yakuza 6.

  • @rkroo
    @rkroo 9 месяцев назад +5

    one answer: ryuji

  • @godhimself9396
    @godhimself9396 9 месяцев назад +6

    Everytime I play in a new city (currently Yokohama in Y7) I just take the time to walk around the city between quests and substories, taking in the sights and atmosphere.

  • @PAXperMortem
    @PAXperMortem 9 месяцев назад +3

    For me it is the adherence to real-world details; from traffic signs, to shops and advertisements, everything just looks like real-life Japan

  • @GomerJ
    @GomerJ 6 месяцев назад +2

    Man...New York Hot Dog, the place that took me 5 games to actually remember wasn't a place I could actually eat...
    Hands down one of the funniest jokes in Infinite Wealth was in those dumb podcasts you can listen to where the host was talking about visiting Kamurocho and that he saw NY Hot Dog and really wanted to eat there but he looked everywhere and could not figure out how to actually get inside.

  • @LaVitaNouva
    @LaVitaNouva 9 месяцев назад +14

    I use Yakuza games to revisit my favorite place in all of Japan, Dotonbori, by walking around Sotenbori, the details is damn lovely.

  • @mahemd2153
    @mahemd2153 9 месяцев назад +4

    Playing during the rain in Kiwami 1 was so good shit was beautiful

  • @CLUMSY101
    @CLUMSY101 6 месяцев назад +2

    I fuckin love this series , , I already finished playing Yakuza Kiwami, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 6, Judgement and Lost Judgement. ,,
    Yep I love Japan and ever visited several iconic places in the game, like : Kabukicho , Shibuya crossings, Tokyo Tower, Osaka, Kyoto etc etc.
    I want to play the rest, especially Isshin,, Waiting for them to discount,, Playing games is an expensive hobby today . 😅

  • @Dylamn
    @Dylamn 9 месяцев назад +5

    While open world games aren't really my favourite formula, something I always like to do when I play a new one is take a walk. A good ol' fashioned walk. No neat traversal tricks, no mounts or vehicles, no rush. Just strolling through any part of the world and enjoying the scenery. Watching the characters' slow and small footsteps, while knowing how massive the map is. That's cool as shit. Like, nobody else who played these games got to enjoy these random square kilometers of land I just took baby steps on. That's my square km now. And I can find another on literally any other part of the map.
    Of course, in Like a Dragon, you'll surely see some dastards interrupting your stroll, but the point remains.

  • @cb-xq7fi
    @cb-xq7fi 9 месяцев назад +6

    Damn, glad im not the only one who learned how to navigate yokohama through yakuza 7/ lost judgement, granted the real thing was much bigger (of course), but the layout of all the landmarks in the game and its real life equivalent was surprisingly almost the same, hell that bar district next to that one small bridge was literally one to one with the in game counterpart, when I got to the bridge I was damn near expecting pick up a rainbow pyroxene, also near that park where the bosozoku substory took place in lost judgement, I actually saw a bunch of teenagers dressed up in bosozoku clothes and christmas lights pulling a rickshaw, it was surreal.

    • @kizzmequik70four
      @kizzmequik70four 8 месяцев назад

      Only thing missing was a boss battle with a chimpanzee driving an excavator.

  • @moviedreamers8485
    @moviedreamers8485 9 месяцев назад +8

    I honestly think the lighting of Yakuza 0 is better than the lighting of Yakuza kiwami 1, mainly with the lighting during the night time. I just think 0s night time lighting looks much nicer
    Also this was a very interesting video to watch 👍

    • @KaitoThwBruiser
      @KaitoThwBruiser 9 месяцев назад +2

      I blame the green filter, after installing the Filterless mod it ends up almost looking just like 0

    • @sauronplugawy3866
      @sauronplugawy3866 9 месяцев назад +3

      It makes sense since Kiwami is more depressing than 0 and the filter emphatises it

    • @KaitoThwBruiser
      @KaitoThwBruiser 9 месяцев назад +1

      @@sauronplugawy3866 True, a filter does more than just make the game ugly

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +3

      Yeah I’m still not sure why both Kiwami 1 and 2 have that green filter. Maybe it was to add some sort of PS2 era vibe? I dunno but 0 definitely looks better than K1 that’s for sure lol

    • @butterlove1605
      @butterlove1605 9 месяцев назад

      @@SnowiestAngemanI think I remember the devs saying that it was a colour of nostalgia, hence why it's exclusive to the Kiwami games. So the PS2 idea might hold up, even if the PS2 games never had such a filter...

  • @leonelramirez9942
    @leonelramirez9942 9 месяцев назад +3

    Yesterday i finished off Gaiden and watching clips from old yakuzas (like 3 or 5) feel so weird. Like really old memories from a total another time

  • @Idk-wg9gl
    @Idk-wg9gl 9 месяцев назад +2

    the men. Most of the dudes from the yakuza series are characters who I'd bark for if I lived alone.

  • @spotcatmaster
    @spotcatmaster 9 месяцев назад +2

    we need sweaty shirtless men glistening in the moonlight

  • @Leafair2017
    @Leafair2017 9 месяцев назад +2

    I just love the phrase "one of my regularly scheduled autistic thoughts"
    me frfr

  • @Josefuumii
    @Josefuumii 9 месяцев назад +1

    Awesome video, I hope that in 8 we can finally visit the long foreshadowed NYHotdog

  • @SuperBlazeOfficial
    @SuperBlazeOfficial 9 месяцев назад +7

    The atmosphere creates some of the greatest immersion I’ve had in gaming, regardless of the craziness

  • @HajimeNoJMo
    @HajimeNoJMo 8 месяцев назад +1

    Great video and I truly enjoyed it. I haven’t had the opportunity to check out the rest of your channel, but a lot of things you praised and suggested about the series can also be found in its spiritual successor, Shenmue, a cult classic on the Dreamcast which was also made by Sega. Toshiro Nagoshi was even a producer on it! Shenmue is argued to be the very first open world game (which Yu Suzuki at the time coined as FREE, or Full Reactive Eyes Entertainment). Shenmue had magic weather (which even corresponds to the weather of the year it takes place in 1986), you could go into almost every building, open every drawer, and interact with every NPC, each with their own stories. Arguably, I still believe Shenmue is still the best open world game ever made.

  • @SkaPhilosopher
    @SkaPhilosopher 6 месяцев назад +1

    I was playing the intro to Yakuza/LaD 6 on Steam Deck on TV, which meant lower res on a big screen, and yet my girlfriend's mom thought I was watching something and that those were real people.

    • @ncshuriken
      @ncshuriken Месяц назад

      Sounds like she "Should've gone to SpecSavers" lol. The cutscenes do look good though!

  • @CyricZ
    @CyricZ 9 месяцев назад +2

    GIVE US NY HOT DOG

  • @regalcartoon5932
    @regalcartoon5932 8 месяцев назад +3

    I think that another huge thing is that every game has had Kamurocho be a main location in it, and a few games have included Sotenbori, whether it be as a major/main location like in Yakuza 0 and 5 or just a minor one for a few major story beats and moments like in Kiwami 2. This really allows to see the city change overtime, which helps you feel the history behind every little thing. It really just helps the city feel alive.

  • @NicoPezzotti712
    @NicoPezzotti712 9 месяцев назад +2

    Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza game, Ichiban is like a brother now. Could not believe how good the game was, and those side quests OMFG those side quests xD now looking to play another chapter, not sure what to buy if Like a Dragon Gaiden or Like a Dragon Ishin. (I know they don't play like Yakuza like a Dragon)

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад

      An epic game to get into the series with. In regards to Ishin or Gaiden, it can really come down to things like personal preference or the price tag, but I would definitely recommend Gaiden over Ishin. Plays a lot better and ties into the story of Infinite Wealth if you’re planning on getting that too

  • @judgementrizzy
    @judgementrizzy 9 месяцев назад +1

    When I saw the thumbnail I thought you were gonna be talking about why the protagonists are so gorgeous. It was still a great video, though.

  • @weepingblade
    @weepingblade 9 месяцев назад +2

    Its interesting how RGG decided to make up this fictional place in America called "Hawaii"

  • @imjustlikedenji5954
    @imjustlikedenji5954 9 месяцев назад +3

    Kamurocho in Yakuza 6 at night is just something else, hundreds of nights illuminating the city, the hustle and bustle
    I replayed the final battle for my Gaiden playthrough and i was blown away

  • @iExpend
    @iExpend 6 месяцев назад +1

    Lived in Hawaii for a few years and can confirm, the sky does “sneeze” like that. Always a beautiful moment.

  • @kcoda2085
    @kcoda2085 9 месяцев назад +3

    One of my favorites sights in Yakuza is going to be the "Kiryu in the middle of the sotenbori Footpath in the rain". When I see the cutscene it's just visually really sad and cool at the same time. The bad part is only the music though, its doo doo.
    Also Kiryu is literally me

  • @vengeancegaming4810
    @vengeancegaming4810 4 месяца назад

    Sotenbori at night just looks absolutely amazing, and it takes me breath away every time I stop and look around.

  • @terrancecloverfield6791
    @terrancecloverfield6791 9 месяцев назад +4

    No matter where people start in the series, Kamurocho and the other locales that our characters are living and ever changing, I really started playing with Y0, but I am able to go back in time, appreciate the changes over time as if I was there in 2010 all over again with Y3 and see what's changed, what's not, and see how this world I invest in, continues to evolve and change. Rarely do I ever feel a sense of continuity where the more time I spend with the franchise, the more I can appreciate how things age over time. The beauty of the RGG games is that it values the immersion.
    Unlike some current-year games....made by the west🙄 Never change Japan. Be your goofy selves.

    • @hihihi1q23
      @hihihi1q23 9 месяцев назад

      Simmer down, weeb. Western games are infinitely better.

  • @SkandiTV
    @SkandiTV 4 месяца назад +1

    "One of my regularly scheduled autistic thoughts..."
    I'm stealing that one

  • @MauriceMosss
    @MauriceMosss 9 месяцев назад +2

    Beauty of Japan

  • @nFyrin
    @nFyrin 9 месяцев назад +1

    The old dragon engine games had terrible image quality and a lot of lighting mistakes for how demanding they were on the GPU.

  • @CrimsonWolfStudios
    @CrimsonWolfStudios 9 месяцев назад +2

    Your story about Yokohama was pretty similar to mine with Kabukicho. I have spent so much time in Kamurocho I was able to figure out my way around the whole district just by looking around for landmarks that I remember from the game. Which is funny, because I still am guilty of having my eyes glued to the minimap to figure out where I'm going in the games lol

  • @garretwoeller7669
    @garretwoeller7669 9 месяцев назад +1

    I think of Yakuza graphics like old AC graphics they look great stylish but with enough realism to sell it like yeah it's not photorealistic but that's why this style holds up despite many games abandoning it.

  • @mihmo2663
    @mihmo2663 9 месяцев назад +2

    I just started playing these games this past March, but I've now played every single one and have Infinite Wealth pre-ordered. It has replaced Mass Effect as my all-time favorite game series.

  • @Chrissie2008
    @Chrissie2008 9 месяцев назад +2

    I'd like to bring up how pretty the hospital finale looks in Judgement, how you can see the rain trail down the windows is mesmerising

  • @RoffleHB
    @RoffleHB 9 месяцев назад +2

    Adding first person walking and a photo mode is one of the best things that came with the dragon engine. Yes, this may be a generic alleyway behind a generic 4-story building that can be fully explored for some reason. But it's a beautiful alleyway dammit! And I'm not leaving until I get the perfect shot of that fire barrel!

  • @xtr.7662
    @xtr.7662 9 месяцев назад +2

    Hopefully they dont go for ue5 ultra realistic graphics when they drop the ps4 for good in 2025 im guessing because i think these ue5 ones look uncanny with lad gaiden they achieved the perfect balance between realism and game aesthetic they just need maintain the dragon engine and incrementally improve on textures, higher poly assets, add rt and thats it

    • @joshuabrien2970
      @joshuabrien2970 9 месяцев назад +1

      I fi d it weird so many people want it to jump to unreal 5 when i th8nk whey should just make a dragon engine 2.0 and focus on improving where the dragon engine isn't as good

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +1

      Well both things are a kind of double edged sword. If they move to Unreal Engine, it means that hiring people who know how to use the engine is much easier, and that they don’t have to dedicate staff (AKA time and money) to doing upkeep on the engine. But then on the other hand they can fine tune their own in house engine to do whatever they want, and in all honesty it wouldn’t be TOO hard working on that engine considering that like 90% of each game is just… y’know… copied from the last haha. A Dragon Engine 2 would definitely be nice but we’ll just have to wait and see where they go I guess

  • @klaus.sfc01official30
    @klaus.sfc01official30 9 месяцев назад +1

    The protagonists, because like damn are they hot.
    They are so beautiful.

  • @Raffze
    @Raffze 9 месяцев назад +1

    My favorite definitely has to be Onomichi. Such a comfy beautiful area. 😊

  • @raelforke4510
    @raelforke4510 9 месяцев назад +1

    The thumbnail made me think you were going to talk about why the men are so gorgeous

  • @Grimoire7887
    @Grimoire7887 9 месяцев назад +2

    Thanks for the fantastic and insightful video, Snowy. Happy Holidays and a Happy upcoming 2024 to ya! 🎄☃️

  • @j4n1x19
    @j4n1x19 9 месяцев назад +1

    Dude, I've asked myself the same question about that door in Sotenbori!

  • @bertanderny8927
    @bertanderny8927 8 месяцев назад +1

    While some see kamurocho as ‘re used assets’ or whatever they want to throw at it, I personally really enjoy coming back almost every time. Its like my video game home now. Theres something….. comfortable about being back there. And i for one hope they use it for most of their games going forward. Traveling to other cities is fantastic and changes things up, but its always good to jump back in a taxi and go “home”.

  • @despairblitz6105
    @despairblitz6105 9 месяцев назад +1

    I've always found winter very aesthetically pleasing. so tsukimino in yakuza 5 I have a soft spot for.

  • @gorillaguy042
    @gorillaguy042 9 месяцев назад +7

    As for some unaccessible shops, rgg probably doesn’t have the license of those shops (ny hotdog). In the ending credits, there are a list of franchise/shops which were included in the yakuza games (like Don Quixote)

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +1

      You are correct about that franchise listing, but New York Hot Dog is not a real place haha

    • @lucasbosco3473
      @lucasbosco3473 8 месяцев назад +1

      That's the thing, if they have a real license to the place they'll definately make the shop accessible so you can use it on the game(Like don quixote, apa hotel and etc) but if the shop is fictional they have the freedom to choose if they want it to have an interior or not.

  • @lunaline9657
    @lunaline9657 9 месяцев назад +1

    my problem with the dragon engine games in the daytime specifically is that it just looks clunky sometimes. Like its lacking shadow detail or ambient occlusion
    especially when youre already under a shadow, it can make the characters look like they have no lighting at all

  • @moistlama4047
    @moistlama4047 9 месяцев назад +2

    You're gorgeous !

  • @Hezzadude12
    @Hezzadude12 9 месяцев назад +3

    Absolutely spot on about everything you spoke about in this video. The creative direction in these games often makes up for the fact that the graphics really aren't cutting-edge (although Gaiden looks reaaaaaaally good). The one thing for me that I just cannot stand graphically, or presentation-wise about these games are the screen space reflections. Holy crap man, they need to consider implementing RT or using higher quality cube-maps or something. The river in Sotenbori for example is a good one, when there are like those lanterns on your screen, they just become the entire river in Gaiden. It's really jarring considering the rest of the game looks so good.
    So RGG if you see this comment, please put RT Reflections in your game after IW. Everything else can remain as-is because it's all so good.
    Great video again Snowy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year - here's to 2024, which is starting off on a high note for us LADs.

    • @xtr.7662
      @xtr.7662 9 месяцев назад

      Rt reflections arent needed at all there arent many reflective surfaces nobody really cares about water what they need are rtgi for the lighting they said it themselves day scenes just doesnt look as good as night scenes and better textures

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +1

      Now that you can actually swim in the ocean, it’s more apparent that there will be a massive Ichiban casted in the waters because of the reflections lol. Who knows though maybe if they do another Unreal Engine game or make Dragon Engine 2 they might fiddle around with some raytracing, especially given how that + the SSDs are the whole schtick with current gen consoles lol

    • @Hezzadude12
      @Hezzadude12 9 месяцев назад

      @@xtr.7662 Yeah I agree with Snowy, but also it isn’t just water that matters for reflections. Of course if they add more weather and we get puddles and whatnot, it will matter a lot then, but it’s also the way things are reflected off the ground, or reflected on walls etc. In DE games you can see the SSR and culling is all messed up, so if you’re in a shiny hallway in the Kaito Files for example, you just see Kaito in the entire hallway and it’s inaccurately reflected. Plus the windows like Snowy showed in this video.
      I’m not necessarily disagreeing, I don’t think they *need* RT, I just think the screen space reflections in the DE games are really bad and should be an area of focus for the team moving forward to look at something else (like better cube maps for example like I said).

    • @xtr.7662
      @xtr.7662 9 месяцев назад

      @@Hezzadude12 they need to add rt to the pc version but i think rtgi is just more important than rt reflections they arent good but serviceable on the level of re4 remake

  • @sideburngthepeacebringer27
    @sideburngthepeacebringer27 8 месяцев назад +1

    These games is virtual tourism done well.

  • @VenusTheSandman
    @VenusTheSandman 9 месяцев назад +1

    The fact that they ain't on switch

  • @sashapinesnguyenhienhoa8003
    @sashapinesnguyenhienhoa8003 8 месяцев назад +1

    5:43 ah yes kaito dump truck truly amazing

  • @bluscout6440
    @bluscout6440 9 месяцев назад +1

    I think that.
    Devilleon7 looks hot af

  • @randomatomizer6652
    @randomatomizer6652 9 месяцев назад +6

    Good video. It's interesting that even the devs think they struggle to make day time look great in the Dragon Engine games. Night time is definitely where these games excel in terms of visuals.
    Hawaii looks honestly kind of off in some places, judging from the demo at least.

  • @joem485
    @joem485 5 месяцев назад

    What I love most to see in the Yakuza games are those little spots in alleys or on top of buildings, where there's just a fold out chair, maybe a little table, and an ashtray. Just two, maybe three, little objects in spots you'd never think to look add so much. Every time I see one of these spots, I think "Yup, there it is. Heaven on Earth."

  • @HadesHatredEdge
    @HadesHatredEdge 9 месяцев назад +1

    You are beautiful SnowiestAngeman. Beautiful..... LIKE A DRAGON.

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад

      And you are beautiful… INFINITE WEALTH

  • @seka1nix
    @seka1nix 9 месяцев назад +1

    I've always thought that the Yakuza games excel in virtual tourism. In every game, I love walking around looking at the scenery, going inside shops, and eating at restaurants. That never gets boring to me. That's the main reason I take double the hours to finish a first playthrough of a Yakuza game 😂

  • @MrKobi247
    @MrKobi247 9 месяцев назад +1

    Yoo that was my feeling sooo nice when I was walking around kamurocho I mean kabukicho and Osaka knowing the streets already just from the games! 🥹

  • @mjc0961
    @mjc0961 9 месяцев назад +1

    LET US INTO NY HOT DOG, SEGA

  • @Miguel-cg2vz
    @Miguel-cg2vz 3 месяца назад +1

    a very small detail that always annoyed me in yakuza games(for as stupid as it may sound) are the cigarretes. they never get smoked(the 3d model always stays the same), all characters put out or throw away full ass cigarretes ands thats just funny

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  3 месяца назад +1

      Yeah honestly they show off characters smoking so much but all they do is one tiny inhale and then usually litter. Like the characters must spend thousands on cigarettes they DON'T smoke haha

    • @Miguel-cg2vz
      @Miguel-cg2vz 3 месяца назад

      ​@@SnowiestAngeman the canonical explanation is probably that theyre just THAT wealthy lmaoo

  • @LucyDucy1
    @LucyDucy1 9 месяцев назад +1

    my fav location is tsukimino, it has a lot of snow and ice statues of sega statues like miku. It also has a don quijote which is always my fav shop in the series (it doesnt have anything good but i still like going there to get a pepsi lol)

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +2

      Shout out to Don Quijote in real life for selling practically everything you could ever want, and Don Quijote in the Yakuza games for selling practically nothing you would ever want lol

  • @Somari
    @Somari 9 месяцев назад +1

    merry chr snowiestangeman ❤️

  • @jebbbungo7873
    @jebbbungo7873 9 месяцев назад +1

    This is why I tell people Yakuza is my favorite anime! The cutscenes are just immaculate and really do feel like an anime you get the privelege to be a part of

  • @outlawdg
    @outlawdg 9 месяцев назад +2

    ah yeah about the rain around ichiban in infinite wealth, you hit the nail on the head. I think it was a unity tutorial I was following years ago that explained to avoid using up too much processing power generating rain across the whole map at once, usually rain in games has a rain effect around the player character to give you the illusion

    • @SnowiestAngeman
      @SnowiestAngeman  9 месяцев назад +3

      Yeah it’s definitely fair too given that the game is still gonna be on PS4 and Xbox One and they’ve tried a lot harder with their more recent games to make them run better on those platforms… but I do wish that the radius of the rain was at least a LITTLE bit bigger so it was less obvious haha