Yakuza: Like A Dragon (Zero Punctuation)
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- Опубликовано: 15 дек 2020
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This week on Zero Punctuation, Yahtzee reviews Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
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Not cyberpunk, eh?
@@WinterCedar Next week.
@@theescapist what a long week it will be
Master's of the Universe? You're showing your age Yatz
@@WinterCedar It hasn't even been out a week. Give him a chance.
Important fact: Ichiban was put in charge of the company for the management minigame not because of any management qualities he possesses, but because he's named "Ichiban" and the company is named "Ichiban Confections," and the owner thought that meant something.
It was fate all along
To be fair all his friends who had work experience outside of temp jobs and extorting people refused and said he was on his own with it- and his connection to an ace buisnessman in Nick is what gets the company going again, and the same guy keeps pushing you to keep improving or he cuts you off.
Also because one of the girl's in his harem lost all the company's money
Also, ichiban literally means "the best" and isn't a common japanese name
It’s Japan what do you expect
It's funny how he's not even wrong about the inevitable shirtless boss fight on the roof of the millennium tower
Its like how you don't need to mention that there is jumping in a platformer. Its just a part of the genre, it's inevitable.
I'd give them props on *spoilers*
_____
unlike Kiryu and Nishiki, Ichiban is the only one who truly rose to the top of his own mettle. So you don't even keep the shirt off and Ichiban's treating it very seriously. So you fight unarmed and have heat moves like the old games, with the final boss's real name not even having titles, way too weak to beat you in a real fight.
I mean, they're my favourite part of each entry.
@@ratoh1710 how did you get his emoji?! I was it 0_0 look at your profile name.
Like in every other yakuza?
Only a bit of scattered insults? Oh I'm buying this one right quick!
Yahtzee generally likes the Yakuza series and this one is pretty good 👍
So you wanna be a hero?
I say do it!
Be a hero
Arey like a dragon try playing yakuza 0
That's where the series starts
agreed
@@adnan34chowdhary they have literally nothing in common. Stop trying to sneak your favorite game into things acting like they're so much alike. Just come out and say "I liked Yakuza 0, you should play that one next"
@@goodguyguan3412 lol what, they're the same fucking franchise and its the chronological start of the series dude.
And it's one of the better yakuza games to boot.
"Ichiban is likeable to pull you along on his journey." This really is the crux of why the game works.
That and the fact that it’s Yakuza, so it’s gonna be a deep great story with amazingly fun times on the way
A good character can save a bad story, a bad character can sink a good story.
The game's story is both tragic and hilarious, 'cause life can be both tragic and hilarious. It's the crux of why every Yakuza game works.
@@Dreamfillah i like that it gives the player enough credit to know that while Ichiban's optimism is wholesome (and unique in adult media as far as I'm aware), it is not something to completely aspire to.
What I like is even in-universe, the party's willing to put up with Ichiban's fantasies because he's so likable.
But Kiryu was loveable and entertaining BECAUSE he always had a frown and took everything seriously, even beating children at Pocket Circuit. Him cheering for Haruka at the karaoke was especially adorable.
actually, pocket circuit makes him emote.
Look at that expression of absolute despair when the cart flies off the track. That is the expression of a man who is deeply stunned and wounded by what he just saw.
But yeah, the fun of Kiryu is just him being so serious about the stuff he gets into in the minigames, no matter how wacky it gets. It's the whole batman thing, he makes everything funnier BECAUSE of how serious he is.
@@LordTyph serious, yet you can sense the fun in his voice. In 6 he cuts lose a lot. Especially when you go to the snack bar and get a high level. He jokes and laughs and just wants to have a good time with everyone.
@@j.vinton4039 Note, the majority of my experience with Yakuza is with Zero and Kiwami.
Wouldn't exactly call that entertaining aska.
Ichiban's emoting while being a quirky character instead of a brick wall, lets him react to the weirdness instead of just going, ah I see, it makes it more believable when he joins in, and plays along too, so you get things like his hilarious commercials for his corporation in the buisness minigame- I love how he ends up running that place, he and his crew save the current person running it from something, and when he proposes helping her, all his friends who have work experience outside of the current bum/employment office lifestyle (a former nurse, policeman, and one person who actually runs a small buisness herself) say yeah you do that and the job gets dumped on him- Thankfully he helped out an actually competant buisnessman during the prologue who helps out once or twice with advice and investing in your company.
I love the idea of what is basically a shonen protagonist in a slightly realistic world, agreeing to help someone, and basically end up a buisness giant as things escalate. You go from one cookie store to running a holding company and spuring an economic upturn in a rather run down town. All while not necessarily being the brightest bulb, unless you spend all that ceo salary on the adult education minigame to raise your stats (which feeds back into itself as some recruitable employees are only recruitable if you have certain stats high enough)
Five minutes of uninterrupted praise. Nice. I knew after one trailer that I'd like Ichiban's character
He criticised the story and combat.
He’s a very likeable character
@@PikaLink91 He didn't care about the story, he criticised the combat a bit but other than that pretty much praised everything else.
Dunno if I would call it "uninterrupted praise" but it certainly is a positive review, which is nice.
@@PikaLink91 *Uninterrupted praise.*
You forgot the part where, of the list of all characters you can choose to become your company's manager, you can select such talented businessfolk as...
_...lemme get my flash cards out here for a sec..._ ah, right-a 70-something-year-old woman with no prior experience, and an actual goddamn chicken.
And a roomba
That chicken was employee of the year though- best customer relations guy you could get for a while.
Wait, Nugget is back in buisness??!! I need NEED to play Yakuza 7.
@@kariissmol9172 It isn't Nugget, it's another chicken named Omelette.
@@guguy00 still, I like chickens!! They cute!
It’s actually really refreshing when we hear Yatzhee actually like a game.
Yeah it really is. It sometimes feels like he goes out of his way to criticise genuinely good games for no reason, e.g God of War 4, so its nice to hear him be positive for once
@@frostyblade8842 God of War 4 deserved all that criticism
Actually?
@@Robert399 yeah I realized I said it twice lol
He likes a lot more games than people seem to realise because they don't understand his tone.
I’m surprised Yahtzee didn’t do the Madonna joke and call it yakuza:like a virgin
I'm leaning towards Yakuza: Like a Surgeon.
Oh god, you got me good
I kept waiting for Yakuza like an Egyptian.
I first read that as "the Maradona joke" and was highly anticipating a joke in poor taste.
Punched for the very first time...
I have to agree that the combat could be a little more better. However with everything that's present that you can't help but be so Charmed by it that you pretty much can't help but forgive it.
I agree, with that said at the same time tho its really good for basically being thrown together mid development because fans liked an april fools joke lol
@@cius2112
Wait WHAT?!
Yakuza 7 wasn't in development before Ryu Ga Gotoku showed that April Fool's trailer?!
@@cius2112 That explains a lot.
Frankly, this is solid af for a studio that has done pretty much nothing but brawlers (and one third person shooter) for the last fifteen years. Definitely has its rough edges for sure but there's a rock-solid foundation to build on here should RGG decide to continue Ichiban's story.
I disagree frankly. I thought the combat was a massive let down that made me feel disatisfied with the game as a whole. I knew what I signed up for but I still hoped that they'd make it enjoyable overall.
Instead we got damage sponge bosses, boring repitition and a distasteful lack of polish. They supposedly took notes out of Persona's book and yet forgot to actually add the aspects that made it fun personally. They should have experimented with the turn based combat in a different franchise in my opinion.
You'd think if any game could pull off the "low level enemies flee from you once you're strong enough" it'd be one about the Yakuza...
I guess
Still fun as hell to kill 5 enemies at once with a normally low level flock of pigeons
Considering every thug and their grandpa kept picking on Kiryu despite 7 games worth of reputation he's got I think it wouldn't matter.
You do eventually get an item to prevent enemies from spawning which was nice for running around
I blame the shojin dex
Ah, yes, the title that should have won the best jrpg of the year category at the recent game awards.
What won instead?
@@XShrike0 Final Fantasy 7 remake which to me just lacks the creativity and heart which make Yakuza games stand out.
*The title that should have been nominated for and won Game of the Year
@@creepycrippleDan Now, see, I can't get mad about that, because at least FF7R is a good game. It's not like one of those fuckin' Tales of Whateveria games won.
nah their rpg department is pretty bad, but it's their first. They can improve
Funny enough, the final boss doesn't actually take place not only on the Millennium tower rooftop, but doesn't have Ichiban take off his shirt. Granted, he does for the second to last boss, lol
i mean the final boss isn't so much a full on brawl. but more a interactive cutscene.
@@romanplays1 Yakuza: Super Suplex Simulator
Technically Tendo is the last boss.
Yep, it doesn't take place on the Millenium Tower Rooftop.
It takes place precisely one floor below the rooftop.
the second last boss was really easy af, literally ichiban was taking 6 points of dmg with each hit
A Yakuza protagonist that smiles? But... That's illegal!
🤣
Well, to be fair, there's Majima in 0, Akiyama in 4/5 and Shinada in 5.
@@THENAMEISQUICKMAN Majima was usually scowling or faking some customer service, and Shinada was always drunk. So moral of the story? Smug loan sharks are the happiest people in Kamurocho
@@DavidHosey1 Considering every loan shark in Kamurocho aside from Akiyama always wants to beat up Kiryu for literally no reason, I think you're right
Oi! Kiryu does smile!
He might only smile like once or twice in the entire franchise, but he has smiled.
so basically, he loved it
Yep
8.5/10
Ichiban literally means "Number 1" in Japanese 😆
Duuuuuude! I just realized something thanks to you! British steel book version of Y7 is titled Day Ichi edtion. Day one! Duuuuuude!
It could also mean "the best"
He is number 1 in our hearts so mission accomplished .3.
Yeah I really enjoyed that as a running gag in Like A Dragon, where every time he introduces himself by his first name, nobody believes him.
And "kasuga" can mean "trash/garbage."
I'm in shock. This was the most positive I've heard Yahtzee sound in months, it's extremely unexpected but also refreshing.
Yahtzee: "Dragons don't yakuza very well"
Shadowrun: "Oh really?"
Sadly my only experience with Shadowrun is with the PC games from Harebrained, but yeah.
@@TheKyleman6 In the SNES version, you are a human, and must obtain an evil spirit to defeat a dragon, who is also a shapeshifter, that managed to obtain and profit madly from a cybersecurity agency, to the point of even have a volvano evil villain base.
To be fair he is right that they aren't great at carrying modern currency, that is why they have minions.
I'm pretty sure that in most fantasy stories they essentially do the fantasy equivalent of Yakuza-ing. But with less cutting people's fingers off and more fire breathing.
@@DavidCastro-rw9lb In the Sega Genesis version, you are a human, and must obtain the aid of a dragon, who is hispanic, in order to defeat an evil spirit who had successfully managed to win at corporate shenanigans against a AAA megacorp.
I don't know why "Yakuza Like a G6" made me laugh so much
Probably because you didn't expect such a reference in 2020. At least, I didn't...
I haven't heard that song in ages so it got me good
Thank you for commenting, so I don't have to make my own. Yes, that song hit back in like 2010. It's been almost 11 years since that stupid song dropped, lol. Glad I wasn't the only one. We effin millenials!
@@Kimbersea Your comment reads like a FBI honeypot lol
@@Kimbersea I still remember that song and im gen z.
"Dont yakuza like a dragon "
Seems like Yahtzee has missed one important thing about dragons. They here are famous for hording treasure. Though not as much a thing in eastern culture, not that I expect him to give a crap. Never the less an odd joke.
[POTENTIAL DND CAMPAIGN INTENSIFIES]
This game is great! The business aims part gets a 10/10 out of me after seeing Ichiban apologises to the shareholders in the most over the top and spectacular way 🤣
I would intentionally run the clock sometimes just to see the swan dive to bow
*leaps out the podium*
I love that part of the game, such a random thing to ad but ties into the story, gives you an awesome additional party member and gives you awesome money and perk rewards
Also funny when you bring in the chicken, chimp and giant robot roomba to rebut the shareholders.
yet i still prefer yakuza 0 business management, mind you thats probably because i spent waaaaay too much time being invested in it, ill probably change my tune after managing more businesses for 100 hours
To be honest a homeless yakuza beatnick is about as qualified as most real CEOs
On the bright side, at least Ichiban isn't an asshole to his employees like you'd expect a real CEO to be.
At least better than EAs CEO, idk about the rest of them
More qualified in some ways.
@@blackshadow-ps3fx Better than the comic book companies right now.
That’s also because most CEOs wouldn’t jump 8 feet in the air, get down on their hands and knees and apologize.
Ijincho is such a gorgeous city. A huge upgrade from hanging out in Kamurocho and Sotenbori all the time.
If the game can get such a positive review from Yahtzee then it's worth checking out
It really is!
If you like this game, you should really try yakuza 0 too
That's where the series starts
It's pure videogame with likable characters, sht ton of fun activities, side quests and a good Yakuza story thrown in as a bonus
-instead won by The Last Of Us Part 2-
I am over 100 hours in and got it on new years so yes it is
@@adnan34chowdhary no that's Yakuza 1 on the ps2
This game will be #5 of Yahtzee's end of the year games calling it now.
Yeah right next to hades and alyx
And Spiritfarer. that was the game that actually made Yahtzee cry (in a good way).
It's actually 3rd best
My favorite part is when the main character from the other games shows up and absolutely wallops your character and your just kind of like "I mean yeah, thats fair." and then are sad because you realize that no-one will ever be as cool as that guy.
Made cooler by the fight is cheesable by basically only using female party members, since one of his rules is that he doesn't hit women he will never intentionally attack them, so he's willing to kind of lose to follow his rules
It's a bit risky since you can't switch out Ichiban and if he dies you loose.
@@lefteron6804 if you level up the Hero class he gets "hero's resolve" as a universal skill that lets him survive death once and can be applied again
@@Brian-tn4cd yeah but if he attacks twice in a row he can break it then kill you.
To me that fight proved that Ichiban could stand on similar ground as Kiryu. He may fully be as cool as Kiryu yet but he's definitely going up there. ❤
I’m like one achievement away from the platinum trophy and I have to say I appreciate two things about it:
1) It’s maybe the best example of how to pass the torch from one protagonist to the next without diminishing the previous one’s impact. I won’t say how because spoilers, but the way they handled it has no risk of alienating long-time fans.
2) it’s maybe one of the funniest games I’ve played in a long time. More than once I found myself cracking up at something, usually a rather funny sub story or a absurd Heat Action.
Overall, it’s one of my favorite RPGs that I’ve played in a loooooong time.
Ichiban is basically a modern day Don Quixote, a lovable fool swept up in delusions of heroism. He even has his own Sancho Panza in Nanba, a cynic who follows the protagonist for his own gains, but later forms a genuine friendship.
Well unlike Don quixote hes not an absolute a hole that thinks his life's story is the most important of all, in the book at least, Quixote almost never comes out looking good
I’ve never played a Yakuza game, but the mere hint of Yahtzee’s positivity is already loosening my wallet
You should bro, amazing franchise.
Yakuza Zero, Judgment and Like a Dragon are all great for newcomers.
Ichiban is so likeable, he broke through the thick concrete walls around Yahtzee's heart.
If Kiryu is, as Yahtzee says, the brick wall in the raging stream that is the Yakuza series, then Ichiban is the charismatic surfer dude who can effortlessly ride the waves and look awesome while doing it. Please tell me that makes sense.
It's great that Yakuza games are now getting high quality English dubs. It'll increase their appeal in the west even more than it currently is, which is awesome! Everyone needs to experience these games
I don't understand why games need to be dubbed in some countries to have wide appeal. People in the anglosphere know how to read, right?
@@Errol246 people have their preferences. Either appeal to them or don't, simple as that
@@Errol246 Dubs when done well give a lot more personality to the characters because the voice inflections are understandable and you're not too busy trying to read subtitles to actually listen to them.
@@ninetailedfox579121 and then you have Earth Defence Force where the shitty dub is part of the fun
@@Errol246 same reason not everyone plays crpg's. Not everyone is a quick reader and others downright have trouble with it.
Love will destroy the galaxy for cash but I'm here waiting fo a differently morpheous sequel
He said that its coming next year i believe
@Ethan Johnson oh god forbid we look forward to a book, are you seriously gatekeeping types of anticipation?
More excited for this than CP2077 tbh. That's just a fact, no one can argue with that, I am more excited for this than CP2077, people like different things, deal with it.
@Ethan Johnson What are you babbling about?
@Ethan Johnson Are you alright
Ichiban is one of my favorite game protagonists of all time. Such a loveable goof ball with a really nice rags to riches story mixed into the main events.
Never thought I'd hear Yahtzee say "mood af."
Or "Tickle Me Elmo dogshit."
I thought twat was a noun, but today I learned that particular vulgarity can be used as a verb meaning to strike vigorously.
2:40 Dunkey cameo
This game, is a MASTAHPIECE
2:44 "itchy bum" lol that took me a sec
To understand the "opposite day Yakuza" deal, you need to understand three things about the Yakuza:
1. The Japanese admire anyone that doesn't live by society's constraints. Truck drivers replaced the wandering warriors of the old stories, and the yakuza generally slot into the mold of the noble samurai. In this case, the noble samurai who sacrifices himself for his daimyo and becomes a masterless samurai, doing good.
(The organizations themselves also flout society's conventions, to the point that someone from a lowborn or foreign family has an easier time working for the yakuza than working most other places. They really don't care if you're not Japanese, as long as you do your job.)
2. Part of the yakuza business model in real life is protecting your neighborhood. Not just shame-if-something-happened-to-it "protection", but actually taking care of and looking after the people who live in their territory. Truthfully, the mafia do the same thing back in Italy, though only the Japanese have actual storefronts where you can hire the yakuza for important services. So yes, the yakuza do give out money to people who need it -- not just want it -- as long as they're paid up members of the neighborhood.
(I'm not kidding. After the Kobe earthquake back in 1995, the local Yakuza hired a helicopter to fly in disaster relief supplies faster than the government could get its act together.)
3. That said, the yakuza, like the mafia, are not a single organization. Each area has its own, and they do NOT welcome interlopers who could hurt their people. So, yes, when an exiled yakuza moves into their neighborhood from a neighboring area, they're going to give him the hairy eyeball like he's trying to sell them a "genuine Rolex" for five bucks. Not helping the main character's case is being known for the shooting, for obvious reasons.
Fun fact: Yahtzee isn't quite right about the subtitle. In Japan, the entire series is known as "Like A Dragon", with this game being given the subtitle "The Whereabouts of Light and Darkness".
The only reason why any mafia do "good stuff for the neighborhood" is for PR reasons, they are not "honorable outcasts" and they actually don't give a shit about anybody, they just want to trick people into thinking they do.
@@arthurgrmg2850 Public Relations with who? The police? Definitely not with you.
No, the reason is pure self-interest. Protect the assets so you can get money from them. To paraphrase the webcomic _Starfall_, you need them alive so you can steal from them again. But that means you need to protect them from everyone else like you. It's an abusive relationship at best, but there it is. You get paid only so long as you keep your tenants/serfs/villagers/neighborhood safe. Mess up, they die, you get nothing.
That said, this is a Japanese view of the yakuza we're talking about. Just like not every truck driver is a real hero, not every yakuza member is anything approaching, or even approximating, nice. But they are in this story, because that's the story the game is telling. Much like the real-history inspiration for Robin Hood was a thief and murderer, these yakuza are good guys.
@@wandererwerewolf477 i meant PR for the japanese people as a whole, it has been said that a lot of people in japan do not mind the existence of the yakuza as they believe they are some sort of "lesser evil". If there is less push from the people of a country to clean something up than the government has less motive to do so.
With that said, what you described is also true, both of these things complement each other. They are not mutually exclusive.
Yakuza games are always more of the same and it is all I'm there for.
Like From software they understand that all we want in a sequel is more of the same with some tweaks
@@Batchall_Accepted And unlike Activision or Ubisoft they understand that you can't push one out every year or we grow bored of it.
Not broken? Don’t fix it!
It's incredible how they managed to change the main characters, setting, and gameplay entirely and yet it still feels distinctly like a Yakuza game through and through. This right here is how you do a reboot.
@@Greil9 instead they push out 5 of these games per year
"Legos"? Yahtz has gone native.
we lost him boys
what do they call them in Aussie?
@@EVO6- He's a RUclips Channel member
@@jmvt3 I think they pronounce it "laygos"
@@jmvt3 It's just "Lego;" otherwise, it'd be like saying "feets."
I think, “This is a particularly *nice* box with some *choice* toys, like Legos, and Masters of the Universe, and none of your Tickle-Me-Elmo dogshit,” is probably one of the best game descriptors I’ve ever heard from anybody.
"twatting the absolute three bean salad out of each other" I must say this is likely my favorite phrase I've ever heard from you.
I’m so happy to see this game succeed these are some of my favorite games and I was worried this one would be too different. But as usual my expectations were blow out of the water hoping the pop west takes notice with this one so gangster nagoshi can get more money to make more of these insane games
Is it worth playing if one is not a big fan of turn based combat ?
@@tonyshome absolutely, there isn’t too much strategy involved with most fights, and even though it’s turn based it weirdly feels similar to the regular combat, kind of like the regular combat but only heat moves 😂
@@tonyshome The characters and plot are so insanely well done and this has been hands down one of my favorite game casts ever. The game just has a bunch of goofy charm and the way they integrate insane RPG mechanics like magic, summons, and job changing into a modern real world setting is a huge draw for me. If you can appreciate stuff like that maybe you can get past it being turn- based.
@@tonyshome yeah hafta agree I’m not a turn based boy either and I fucking loved like a dragon
@@tonyshome for sure, especially if you wanna see some of the best dudes from the previous games come back for some of the most badass moments in the series
Yahtzee, i want to personally thank you! I've been following you for years and have never missed out on a single video. Three years ago when you put up your Yakuza Zero review i decided to give the series a try. I had never played a Yakuza game so i went into it with zero expectations. What followed was a three year rollercoaster which i would have never gone on were it not for your review. As of writing this comment i have just platinumed Yakuza: Like a Dragon which is the 6th yakuza game i have finished in the span of 6 months (i have alot of free time during the pandemic). This series speaks to me on an entirely different level compared to any other game out there and i have throughly enjoyed every installment. I will forever be grateful to you for introdicing this series to me. Even if you never see this i just want to say from the bottom of my heart: Thank you!
Yahtzee forgot to mention the giant roomba boss, the glorious Ichiban Confections commercial, and the summonable Korean movie idol.
Yahtzee has found his fifth game for the Top 5 of year. I'm calling it: Spiritfarer (#1 of course), Doom Eternal, Half-Life: Alyx, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Persona 4 Golden (while not technically a 2020 game, he won't shut up about it so it's definitely making the list).
I think Hades is going to make the list. I also doubt that Doom: Eternal makes the Top 5 since it's a pretty-much-more-of-the-same sequel to a game he liked more, see Dark Souls 2.
I'd be surprised if Doom Eternal makes it on there. It was my biggest gaming dissapointments of the year, and i remember him not being that fond of it on his ZP?
Persona 4 Golden didn't release 2020 but the Steam version did and I think it's fair to say that's where most people are going to be introduced to it. Unless there was a resurgence in PS Vita I didn't hear about.
@@arnet95 is it though? Because in my experience if you go in with the mentality you are taught in 2016 you'll get, quoth yahtzee, "your twat pulled out your nose". It is superficially similar, but in many ways it's more like a DMC that focuses on brutality while the previous one was god of war with guns, if that makes sense.
@@arnet95 I was just about to comment some of the same stuff... Doom Eternal breaks his "sequel to thing he liked which he only likes because it does more of what the first one did" rule; in addition, he actually liked it less/disliked most of the ways it was different.
(Your comparison is off though - he didn't put Dark Souls *3* on a best of list because of it, he *did* put DS2 on the list because he missed DS1 when it was released.)
Persona 4 might be a... reverse case of that rule? Yahtz said that even after playing through Persona 4 Golden twice, he still thinks Persona 5 is better, so even though 4 isn't a "sequel to thing he etcetera" I would bet the same thing applies. Plus the actual game is quite old.
So, I would bet OP money on his call, betting that neither Doom Eternal or Persona 4 is gonna be on the Top 5 list.
And I'd also +1 your thought that Hades is gonna make the list. (Didn't Pyre make that year's top 5? And there he disliked the gameplay, Hades he seemed to like up to a point)
Ahhh Yakuza. One of the pure fun gems of gaming 😍
Man, the end text is great
"You are a right Yakuza lad"
Is a great sentence that I just love the feeling to.
I can't wait for the sequel "Yakuza: An Actual Dragon" where I just play as a certain someone tearing up the idol scene and cartwheeling my way through random mooks.
Still waiting for Haruka to be able to fight like that little mini trailer we got a while back.
Yahtz, you've been a friend for more years of my life than I've been alive. Thank you, man. You're a fucking persistent one.
Was on a fucking bender then, wasn't I?
And at one point you fight a giant roomba.
Twice actually.
And then promote it to your Senior Director for your shareholding meetings.
I skipped on this game because I heard they changed the combat. Then it went on sale during the Steam sale. Man, so glad I bought it. I think it’s the best Yakuza game I’ve played now. If not the best it’s at the top.
It's a nice birthday present to see Yahtz enjoy a game in the age of Jiminy Cockthroat. Maybe he can piss all over the Game Awards next week; that'd be nice.
>Persona 4 and 5
>Earthbound
>Paper Mario
>And now Yakuza LAD
What will be the next JRPG that the guy who doesn't like JRPG's likes?
He finally got to play the right ones and now he can't get away
how the hell did you get that little yahtzee emote
@@NinetyNineNo membership perks bro
This definitely my game of the year
I didn't even know the shareholder meetings had a rock paper scissors mechanic until I got past rank 50.
I pre-ordered the game the moment they announced turn based combat. It’s my favorite combat in RPGs.
You know a game is fun when Yahtzee's highlight is unironically the business management sim with a shareholder meeting minigame
This is without a doubt my personal Game of the Year, and can easily recommend it to anyone looking for a good RPG to sink some time into.
This didn't get pushed to notifications
YT is long past broken, that's why Nick does it over Discord.
When the video is released, it doesn't go to notifications. You SHOULD get a notification for the Members post I made though...
@@theescapist I didn’t get the notification for it. It shows up if I go into the channel and go to the community tab, but no notification
One aspect that I like a lot about Like a Dragon is that your party is not made up of young spunky teens and middle schoolers like in a lot of RPGs but people at least in their forties who complain about them not getting a pension now. You don´t get many older video game characters in general so it is nice to see that shaken up.
It cracks me up every time I finish a battle and at least 1 of my party members groans about their back aching. But yeah it's great playing as older characters!
I think I get it. The protagonist is a badass in the sense that they would have no problem beating up the scariest guys in japan, but the fact that they choose to spend their free time doing ridiculous, but fun bullshit makes them lovable and charming in a way that a protagonist that is endlessly moody could not.
One of the most positive ZPs I've seen, and I couldn't agree more. I don't even like turn based JRPGs but they made it exciting somehow
Zero Punctuation indie rock track title of the week: *Benches, Traffic Cones and Passing Old Ladies* (sung by *Recruited On Opposite Day* )
Runner-up: *Evil Men In Suits* (sung by *Shareholders Meeting Minigame* )
Yakuza bosses are called dragons. Yakuza: like a boss.
From the future: On his Game of the Year review, he said this:
"I should have known this series can't even decline unless it's in an overly grandiose and drawn out manner"
As a long time Yakuza fan I assure you this is 100% lore accurate.
Well the Earthbound vibe might also come from the enemies, like the Beerserker, a drunk that comes at you with an umbrella and a trash can lid, to the city slicker, a guy who is greased up and is carrying a pool floatie that is likely begging for death after what he's likely done with it.
My favorite is the "hungry hungry homeless"
Judgment failed? This is news to me. Loved it and after finishing Like A Dragon I immediately wanted to replay Judgment.
It feels like Yahtzee decided to hate the entire game solely because he didn't like the protagonist
@@agrippa2012 damn. Shame. The ending was so hype
@@agrippa2012 What? How is Yagami hateable!?
@@wchan39 ask yahtzee, i think he hates him due to his visual character design.
Judgment is one of the best entries in the franchise for me. And Yagami was a great protagonist. I don’t know what’s wrong with this dude
Wait a minute, at 1:01 ichiban is holding the exact same body pillow I have at home lol
Yahtzee’s descriptions of Kiryu give me life.
So basically Saints Row IV of Yakuza series. Will check it out! :)
Comedy wise, yes, it's alot like the later saints rows. Yakuza in general was more of kiryu being serious all the time and somewhat occasionally getting into goofy side activities, but Ichiban does that every time he takes a step, lol. Honestly it's great on its own because you needn't have even played the past yakuza games, but if has enough to where some things will fly over your head if you haven't. It's weird, it's quirky, and it's lovable, as a whole
@Zack Smith not like persona
Saints row 4, but the entire series is retold through Genki Bowl episodes
@@sbfh014 story still has enough seriousness to it in the end though I’m guess, right? I just started my play through and am loving it so far, but I love these games for telling a deep and meaningful story with this whimsical sort of optimism and comedy
I’m mad at how bad the Shareholders meeting tutorial was.
It’s literally rock paper scissors .. I could have made so much money .....
The tutorial is the hardest thing about the share holders meeting but once you get past that its a fun mini game.
I saw a guide that basically said to have at least one of every color in your shareholder team, and it worked out pretty good for me.
It also helps to use bonuses to raise your team's motivation to max before the meeting so the attack meter can fill up faster.
Also, the guide said to have Omelette on your team at all times since her attack only needs 5 points in the meter to use, and she's a Blue employee, which is rare early on.
Is it just me or has Yahtzee been surprisingly positive about a large number of games this year?
In the past he has struggled with filling his "Top 5 best games" at the end of the year, but for once, it looks like it will be a contested list:
Doom Eternal, Spiritfarer, BPM, Hades, Yakuza and plenty more
It's been a pretty terrible year for everybody. Not to say the games listed aren't good, but perhaps Yahtzee has been extra-charitable in an year where escapism is particularly valuable.
I would play the heck out of a turn based combat game where instead of picking different attacks there’s just a big red button labeled *TWAT HIM*
5:07 He said “Legos” instead of “Lego”. America’s getting to him.
my reincarnation got that drip though
2:57 best realization ever xD and 4:19 is my favorite relatable joke
Did he just praise a game and not bludgeon it to death? I haven't seen that since his Portal review.
@Zack Smith I watched all the videos out so far and in even those you listed he still bashed pretty well unlike he did for this game.
So Yahtzee DOES positive reviews. He is getting old, omg :D
His very first review ever, Psychonauts, was pretty positive.
Nearly every Yakuza review he’s done has been positive to be fair.
Games are getting worse.
@@tonyjoestar2632 just choose the good ones, we got some real amazing ones this year, haven’t had this many since 2017
Very nice, made me laugh more than usual!
LOLed at the muscular imp without arms falling off a cliff! Also LOLed at the funny bits like granny imps and the tw*t thing
Sounds great bro i'll check it out
Love how Yahtzee sounds incredibly disappointed with a game even as he's complimenting it.
I just finished listening to, (Will save the galaxy for food) and (Will save the Galaxy for cash).
I loved them both! I laughed out loud multiple times. My favorite bit was when "Jacque Mckeown" was trying to figure out if Daniel was threatening him in the first book.
The story was great and I loved the characters!
I actually want to play this now
This was one of my favorite games of this year. By the way, it is also my first Yakuza game and I had little difficulty following along. Play this instead of Cyberpunk 2077 if you're looking for an engaging open world rpg.
Gonna play both, cause I love both so far
I think the title Like a Dragon is to do with his Tattoo and Ichiban not being Kiryu
His tattoo was a Dragonfish that is "Like a Dragon" but isn't because at the time Ichiban couldn't pull a Dragon off
unlike Kiriyu who even during his first few years as a Yakuza shook up the Tojo clan.
this is my first yakuza game- beat it first time around in about 80 hours. LOVE the management sim, love the characters, but most of all- i love ichiban. man they did such a great job on him man lol
Fatal flaw, Ichiban goes down = instant game over.
Standard JRPG schtick.
This is nice review I have ever seen him do.
Congratulations, Yakuza. See you again in a few weeks for the awards show!
'The main plot isnt the important part'
Part of me agrees but part of me wants to slap you with a bicycle...
Just finished Yakuza Zero and want to go through the series chronologically, but holy shit do I want to play this right now. Everything about it just looks so fun.
They’re about to have the entire series on game pass, so try to get that and you’ll have everything except for this and the Judgement spinoff
@@DavidHosey1 Thanks for the heads up!!
Just a question. I want to play ‘like a dragon’ but don’t want any big spoilers for the Yakuza series. Is it safe to play it just as a one off or should I wait till I tackle the whole series. I ask because I’m already invested in the story.
@@holup2691 I think it’s alright to play, you’ll technically get spoilers for the status of 3 or so characters, but as far as I know you won’t see or get spoiled much of anything else if you don’t know what to look for
If you’re loving the story so far, go for it man! You’ll get a great time with whether of this series whether you start here or 0!
Can't wait for him to do Cyberpunk. I hope he actually talks about the GAME and not the scandal around the bugs....
What game? I struggled to find one in there anywhere. There's a "moody teenager's idea of a deep philosophical question" story, there's some passable but not great shooting and some terrible stealth mechanics, and that's it. The stories in the missions themselves don't really serve to progress the main narrative arc and are more like isolated vignettes (you could more or less put them in any order without impacting anything), there's a paper-thin attempt at world building, some shiny graphics, and not a lot else. With bugs: 3/10. Without bugs: 5, maybe 6/10. Maybe in 6 months to a year when they've fixed the bugs and put back some of the things that were cut at the last minute (even as late as July this year they were removing features in a rush to release it) it'll be worth a go, but I finished the game in 15 hours and then uninstalled it.
DAME DA NEEEEEEE
DAME YO
DAME NA NO YOOOOOOOOO
24 hour Cinderella is better
look guys, it's the funny song, haha get it, funny song haha
@@THENAMEISQUICKMAN *s h u t*
look guys, it’s the funny song, haha get it, funny song haha
I actually liked the main story in this!
*I’ll make you proud Arakawa-san!!*
Most people do. Yahtzee is showing his JRPG bias again when he says the side content is more important to most players and the main stories are boring.
@@smward87 What does the main story have to do with the JRPG mechanics though?
@@numberjuan5837 Yahtzee hates JRPG stories. He finds them overly melodramatic and long winded. Which is pretty much true.
Holy shit this was amazing, you sir just earned a sub