Yakuza Kiwami 2 - perfect story and ending ! Song of Life and Yakuza 5 are also amazing ! But after all, there is no weak Yakuza game ! Amazing franchise 🤩
I remember asking someone from the yakuza community whats the difference between 0 and kawami and he said 0 was a party and kawami is the morning after, i love like a dragon and yakuza 5
@@ErekLadd that's fair, it was definitely on the leaner side content wise. i did REALLY love the battle arena though, being able to fight as all those different characters was a blast. sujimon in infinite wealth went crazy hard for side content too, it's kind of wild that game also has the dondoko island stuff
@@NMQ098 they're not far behind don't worry. The main thing that makes it better than alot of the others in my opinion is just that there is more. A longer story, more side content, aswell as Majima being an amazing character. Mind you i haven't played all the most recent ones, but i'm pretty surr they are the only ones who rival å in terms of amount of content. You're gonna have a blast with the series don't worry :)
My friend got me Yakuza 0 for Christmas a couple years ago. I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it has become my favorite game series of all time. Can't wait for the new one coming out in February!
Yakuza 6 will always hold a special place in my heart as it's the first game in the series I played. I went in blind not knowing anything about the series. It blew me away.
Yakuza 7 is my favourite. the entire idea to play as middle aged bozos was so fun. and Ichiban is best video game character, and I played yakuza since ps2 era. Love the series
I was stressed that the Judgement games weren't on here. Glad to hear you're already rectifying that lol. Don't forget that the 2024 RGG summit is this Friday 9/20. There are no currently announced games so everything they talk about will be brand new. I'm hoping they announce Judgement 3, Kiwami 3, and/or a remake of Kenzin or the PSP games!! But honestly, they could release Majima Making Toast and I'll still pre-order it.
@@ASphere-z5n It's crazy. I didn't love Judgement 1, and reluctantly bought Lost Judgement not knowing it was about to be my favorite of the series. Kiryu and Ichiban are better protagonists though.
Good start to the video, I also binged the Yakuza games after playing Like a Dragon in 2021 and Yup, not a bad game in the series. I have the original Yakuza on PS2, and hope to get to it this year 👍 Kiryu is the bomb, am I right, Majima is a close second, and Ichiban os basically who I'd be if I grew up in the Yakuza 😂😂 Well done on being brave enough to rank these, because like you say, they're all bangers. I don't think there's a more consistent franchise in the entire history of video games. My top 3 are - 3. Infinite Wealth 2. Yakuza 0 1. Like a Dragon But hot damn, the whole franchise is so hard to separate 😎👍
Totally agree!! Majima is so good. Such a great character!! I’d have to say Akiyama is probably my second fave. But yeah, not a bad game in the series. Amazing!!
Excellent list my friend. I've only played yakuza 0, 1 and 2. But Yakuza 0 is the top dawg story wise. Man the narrative was so compelling. Switching back and forth had me on the edge of my seat the entire game. Boy oh boy my guy Majima, what a back story.
Just finally getting to this as I wanted to really see what you had to say!!! GREAT VIDEO! I can't wait to do my own version once I finish the series! I think your list is great and makes total sense!
@DarkXenoGaming that makes literally no sense. The story of 0 is about the empty lot being in the way of development and not being able to find the owner. Did you just not follow the story? Did you never wonder what they wanted to build there? Did you not ever look at the map??
@DarkXenoGaming I'm genuinely not sure how exactly that has any relevance? The map doesn't change, it's all laid out the same in every game. The only difference is which buildings you can enter, or sometimes the names of the places in them, and the tower. And I guess the park where Bob is in 0. I can't understand how anyone can spend all that time looking at that map and never think "oh, that's [such a place] from [game]" or "wait, wasn't this an open space/different building before? Wait a second.. this is where the lot was! Now it's millennium tower???" I feel like way too many people don't actually play the Yakuza games and instead just skip from combat to combat to say they know who Majima is 🙄
I've never played a game in the series except a bit of Ishin, but now I know that this was the worst point to start. Definitely interested in Yakuza Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth. Loved this ranking man! Always so fun to watch!
@@ErekLadd Judgement is very good, Lost Judgement is top 3 material. You can also try Lost Paradise, who is absolutely not set in the Yakuza world (but in the Hokuto no Ken one) but is definitly a Yakuza game (Ken shiro is voiced by Kyriu's actor, and the the game is really good, a lot bloodiest tho)
Hello, a suggestion is to play judgement, it's in the yakuza verse but with none of the original cast or protagonists, still, one of the best narratives of all time
Love the Yakuza series! I just got into it when 0 came out and I've been playing it as they come out ever since. I still haven't played 5 or Isshin because I don't want to reach emotional burn out with the series. Also I'm surprised 6 is so high! My ranking would probably be 1. Yakuza 0 2. Like a Dragon(If it had Infinite Wealth's combat improvements it would probably be 1) 3. Gaiden(The length was extremely good for the story they wanted to tell and also I needed that extremely hard cry the ending gave me) 4. LaD IW(While everything is incredibly good it is the first time I felt like the ending left some loose ends and the dual protags made the story feel a little unbalanced pacing wise) 5. Yakuza 4 6. Yakuza Kiwami(I wasn't prepared for all the relationships and characters from 0 to be gone so I was a little harsh on this one originally) 7 Yakuza 6 8. Yakuza 3 9.Yakuza Kiwami 2 If we add in Judgment, Lost Judgment, and the Kaito Files they would probably take 4, 2, 5, and move everything else down accordingly.
@@CaptainEffort All the games are great so I would probably put it in A tier if all games I've ever played are considered, but among the Yakuza games it felt the weakest story wise to me. I may also be influenced a little bit by the complete drop off of Kaoru's relationship in 3.
@@theoneguy420 Fair enough, I made my ranking as I was playing them, so Kaoru dipping in 3 didn't affect my ranking of 2. If anything it affected my ranking of 3. And it's funny lol, for me 2 has one of my favorite stories. I think it's because the melodramatic soap opera writing really isn't my thing, so 2 having a much simpler story keeps that at a minimum compared to the others.
I just started with the Yakuza series. I'm about 45 hours into Like a Dragon and I'm hooked. I picked up Zero a while ago but I haven't played it yet. This video definitely makes me want to binge the series now lol especially with how low Like a Dragon ranked compared to the other games
Honestly for me infinite wealth is number 2 if we don't consider the judgement games. I can understand people who haven't played the whole series may not think it's that great but the whole kiryu arc was done to perfection. The memoirs of a dragon always had my heart wrench a bit. I was never a huge kiryu fan from the 6 games. My personal favs were Majima and Akiyama. But the way they concluded Kiryu's legacy here just made me appreciate him a lot more. We saw such a different side to him. Finally starting to rely on others. And in that gaining the will to continue on. And the end theme is just perfect. Kiryu thought that death is the way he can atone for his sins. He kept his desires aside thinking this is what he has to pay for his past. But by the end he realises everyone deserves a chance to reinvent themselves including him. And gains the will to live on. It's just beautiful.
I am so glad this series finally took off in the west. I remember playing it when i was like 15-16, and then, then just disappeared for ages. One of my top five game series of all time, i love the new like a dragon series, as I am also a big JRPG fan. And I think using JRPG tropes was the only way that the series could get crazier! But man... the Majima Pirate game thats coming looks so crazy and so good, I cannot wait.
Such a great series. I had a similar experience. Started with like a dragon and then played the whole series starting with 0. Lost judgement is amazing too
Like a dragon was also my first. Since ive played lost judgement, gaiden, infinite wealth, currently playing judgement and preordered yazuka pirates in hawaii.
I also binged through the Yakuza games they are incredible! I'm so glad you also rank 6 so highly I remember when it released it was bashed a little for not being as good as 2 kiwami. I'd probably swap 4 and 5 around I felt like 5 was too mini game heavy and didn't quite hit as hard as 4. But yeah 3 is the most dated those animations are poor haha. We have the same top 3 but I'd swap 6 with 2.
Yeah I loved 6. I ended up really bonding with those characters more than I thought I would. Such a great game!!! 5 was a bit too mini game heavy but I didn't mind it. Super compelling storyline though!!
Awesome ranking list! After hearing you gush about this series, it really makes me wanna get stuck into it! Shame it's not on Switch, but fingers crossed for Yakuza/Like A Dragon on Switch 2! 🤞
I've started playing my first yakuza game (0) a couple months ago. Been really grinding for 100% while I have time in the holidays and I love it. Not much left but I will have to beat it on legend on the weekends again haha can't wait to play 1 next
I did the same thing last year when I started Yakuza 0 for the very first time and played the rest of the main games, Judgement games, and Gaiden, all leading up to the release of Infinite Wealth. I will always kick myself for not discovering this amazing series sooner.
I started Yakuza with 0 and then onto kiwami 1 and 2, and I do agree the graphical difference getting to Yakuza 3 was a bit of shock at first coming off of those first 3 but man...the more I played Y3 I really did start loving the story and the characters! Still working my way through all of them but so far I think Kiwami 1 is probably my favorite right now! Though I sure do miss racing those mini cars from Yakuza 0 xD
Love to finally see some Yakuza 6 love. Haven't seen a lot of praise for the game. I do however think they should have left Kiryu with 6, perfect ending IMO
Interesting!! I thought it was a pretty near perfect game. Would be interested to know what people didn’t like. Definitely a fitting end to Kiryu’s story but I’m here for whatever comes next.
@@ErekLaddit's not that it wasn't liked. I think there was just better games. Like other games did more. I felt in 6 if you aren't in kamurocho then the other city is kind of lacking outside of the story.
Cant choose between 0 2 6. but if i would make a tier list then this: (also love all yakuza games + judgment too , the studio is my fav) S : 0,2,6 A : 1,8 (+ ishin for like a mention) B : 4,7 C : 5,3
I played like a dragon due to it being free on ps pass, ended up buying it(loved it) and then looking up the rest of the series......lore history you name it.....then played infinite wealth(pre ordered) and enjoyed it alot......this is one hell of a series and I'm kinda sad I showed up to the party so late but I'm glad I madenit
If I were doing my tier-list (I've gone all the way up to part 4 + Like a Dragon), it would be this: 1) Zero 2) Kiwami 2 3) Kiwami 4) 4th 5) Like a Dragon 6) 3rd
I personally would put 3 above 5. But apart from that I don't feel that you are far wrong with your assessment. Roll on next month for Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. That game looks bizarre but really good
wow here's my ranking and thoughts 1- Like a Dragon Ishin, I am talking about the PS4 version the most recent one because the first one was from PS3 which I never played because it was exclusively in Japanese. I love this one because battle mechanics are great, and I love this part of Japanese history called "Bakumatsu" which is the end of shogunate era, if you know about Japanese history is a very important part and the story talks a fictional narrative of many Japanese important historic figures like Sakamoto Ryoma and the Shinsengumi squad and their history like their achivements being the most notorious one the Ikedaya inn incident (Shisengumi are very famous in Japan because of TV series and animes etc) Okita Soji, Saito Hajime, Isami Kondo, Nagakura Shinpachi, Hijikata Toshizo and takes place in an old style Kyoto city, if you like this part of Japanese history and want to know about the end of Japanese samurai era you will love it, if you don't know or don't care I can understand why many people rank it so low, but for me it has to be number 1. 2- Like a Dragon, yes Infinite Wealth is a better version of this one in terms of combat system etc, among those 2 which are the ones who used JRPG turn system the newer one is better, but I love this one because of the plot, specially when we are talking about bosses, there are 2 iconic fights...one is against...well SPOILER ALERT DON'T READ AFTER THAT if you never played it (the Dragon) and the second one which was even more impressive was in the headquarters of OMI ALLIANCE against "the BEAST" and the "MAD DOG". Those 2 fights gave me goosebumps, never expected them and being a Yakuza series fan and having played from 0 to 6 before chronollogically this was a big surprise. 3- Yakuza 0, for most people is number one, I've seen this one in many rankings for me is third, yes the story is so great and you learn about the past of two of the most iconic characters, because it takes part just in the bubble era of Japan, the plot is good and interesting as well, is a good but we are talking about top 3 , all the 3 games ranked there are masterpieces but the fighting system is not as smooth as the ones of Yakuza 6 or Kiwami 2. 4- Yakuza 6, uses Dragon engine as well, I think between this one and Kiwami 2 for me they are very close, Kiwami 2 has the fighting system a little bit better developed since it was released after 6 but I love 6 story plot and the location in Onomichi was superb, it is also a personal thing since I've been to the beautiful small town of Onomichi in real life and playing Yakuza 6 brings me good memories of me being in the same arcade or the temple Senkoji up the hill. 5- Yakuza Kiwami 2, is the remake of Yakuza 2 of the original PS2, uses Dragon Engine which is so great in terms of action, is so dynamic, and it takes place in Osaka and Tokyo recreations, Kamurocho and Sotenbori, the plot is interesting 6- Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, it takes part in Honolulu, although the map is huge and the fact you can use Kiryuu and Ichiban makes the game so cool in terms of plot is not so cool considering the other games ranked above. 7- Yakuza 5, although is very nice so many characters and locations including recreations of Fukuoka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo the graphics are old, the plot is messy but there are so many minigames, specially the hunting one and the taxi driving one are so cool. 8- Yakuza Kiwami, is the remake of the original Yakuza 1 from PS1, the plot is nice but for me it has to be 8. 9- Yakuza 4, this one I think came out one year after Yakuza 3, only takes part in Kamurocho although the roofs and undergrounds look cool, the enemies and the plot are not charismatic at all. 10- Yakuza 3, the fighting system is too annoying and the enemies tend to block a lot, and the graphics are old fashioned, the only good thing I like is that part of the plot takes part in Naha, Okinawa. Dead Souls and the man who erased his name, I cannot rank them because I have never played it so don't count it too much
technically, Majima is the manager of a cabaret, and only later becomes the manager of a cabaret club. I’ve sunk a bunch of hours in the cabaret club subplot and minigame, so it’s a bit close to heart.
My list is kinda different: 1. Yakuza 6: Song of Life 2. Yakuza 0 3. Like a Dragon Gaiden 4. Yakuza 4 5. Yakuza Kiwami 2 6. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth 7. Yakuza Kiwami 8. Yakuza 5 9. Yakuza: Dead Souls 10. Like a Dragon Ishin 11. Yakuza 3 12. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
I thought i recognised that name when it popped up on my recommended. Loved the Wood & Erek podcast a few years ago. Never knew this channel existed, you've got my sub! Great list, would be curious where you put the Judgment games if you are done with them
Hey thanks!!! Glad to have you here!! Judgement games would be within my top five if counting those. Those games absolutely blew me away. Fingers crossed we get a third one soon!
I'm currently on Chapter 11 of Like a Dragon Ishin and I'm really enjoying it. I've also played from 0 to Kiwami 2 but I've been holding off on 3 to 5 because I want them to remake them instead of just playing them as remasters. I saw the love that Kiwami 1 and 2 got and was hoping for 3 to 5 to get that same treatment
Damn, you played the games in a span of 3 months without experiencing series fatigue or burnout?! That's impressive, it took me twice as long to get from 0 to 7 😅
100% - No burnout or fatigue. I really only felt it once I got to Ishin and I think that's because it was just so different. I considered it to be like one long story rather than seperate games!
I beat Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1 and 2 all between March 2020 and May 2021. I started Y3 directly after, 4 years later i just started chapter 10 of Y3... i really need to get through 3 4 and 5, i need to get back to the modern era 😂
I've recently gotten hooked on Yakuza 0. It helps that it runs incredibly well on the Steam Deck. I plan to work my way through the series, but there's no way I'm getting through it as quick as you did, Erek. How many hours do think you've put into the series as a whole, just out of curiosity so I know what I'm getting myself into 😂
Awesome!!! Yeah I played every single game on steam deck. Most of them (if not all) are deck certified so I had zero issues. As far as time, I played story only for every game. Each game ranged between 15-22 hours with Infinite Wealth taking me the most at 34 hours. So we could average like maybe 130-140 hours for the series playing story only - aside from the side content of Infinite Wealth that is must play IMO.
@ErekLadd yeah, I bought almost all the games between a couple Steam sales because they all are Deck verified besides 6. 6 says unsupported, but did it run fine on the Deck?
I haven't played the more recent ones (still waiting for a sale), but I would order them lime this: 10- Yakuza 3 9- Yakuza 6 8- Yakuza 4 7- Yakuza Kiwami 1 6- Yakuza 7 (Like a dragon) 5- Yakuza 5 4- Lost Judgment 3- Judgment 2- Yakuza Kiwami 2 1- Yakuza 0
Yakuza 3 although hasn't aged well (gameplay wise) is still top 3 for me, I loved the story, some of the characters and the Kiryu as a father twist. I can't wait untill the remake
Favorite has got to be Yakuza 2 Kiwami! Most memorable villain. and with that ending (no spoilers) could very well have been a satisfying conclusion to the series as a whole!
I started from the beginning because I heard yakuza on ps2 had a similar feel to my favorite game on Dreamcast, Shenmue. I was instantly hooked. It would be really hard for me to rank all of them but my favorite one is definitely yakuza 3
the reason tanimura was scrubbed from the yakuza records was because during the original release of yakuza 4 his face model/voice actor got into a scandel where he was accused (falsely i might add) of being in posession of drugs which in japan is a big no no which pretty much killed his acting career and forced him into retirement up until recently where he returned which is why yakuza 4 original tanimura and 4R tanimura look diffrent and why hes been scrubbed out of the series
Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza game too. I had the highest tier of Playstation Plus and Games Pass for about a year. Every now and then when I couldn't find something to watch on RUclips, I'd search Playstation Plus catalog and GamesPass with zero intention of actually playing anything. But then I saw Like A Dragon and noticed I could stream it immediately and didn’t have to download it. So I played for about 15 minutes and immediately fell in love with the game. I played up until the part where it told me to make 3 million yen. So I gave up. A year later the exact same thing happened. I was looking for something to watch on RUclips and couldn't find anything. So I checked Playstation catalog and found Lost Judgment. I watched the trailer and was so DESPERATELY bored I downloaded it and gave it a chance. Then about 10 to 15 hours in, I happened to walk into Survive Bar and recognized the face of the Bartender and I thought to myself, "WAIT A MINUTE, IS THIS A FUCKING YAKUZA GAME?!?!?!?!!??!" And after THAT moment of walking into Survive I was hooked on the whole franchise. I re downloaded Like A Dragon on Playstation and ended up getting the platinum trophy. Then i got Infinite Wealth and I platinum'ed that too. I still haven't gotten the platinum for Lost Judgment, but I did finish the original Judgment and plan on 100%ing it as well. I actually just finished Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 1 this week And just ordered Kiwami 2 and the Remastered Collection tonight. I plan on getting the platinum in all these games
Im actually quite high on Ishin, I'd put it 3rd. Some of the side quests are not that great, but I really enjoyed the main story and the historical setting, Ryoma Sakamoto was a great choice of an protagonist, I liked it so much that I went out of my way to study further the real story of the period
Hey, awesome video. Just was wondering, what were the characters you prefer in the other yakuza games? Because I really enjoyed the yakuza 7 and 8 cast
I got the platinum for 0 in October and I just got the platinum for Kiwami on Saturday. Currently, I’m playing Kiwami 2. I mean, I would probably agree that zero has the best story so far and was definitely the best intro game for the series. However, some of the mechanic changes (?) they added to Kiwami 2 make the game so much better imo. Just small things, nothing major
I always think of these games as a long running soap opera where you don't have to watch every episode, but if you do you get a lot more context. I can't really pick a favourite. You mentioned how 3 felt like a letdown, but for me it was just a logical next step for Kiryu. Dude deserved a break. The most baffling thing is at the end of Infinite Wealth if you start to think "How did we get here?". Yeah. Think through Kiryus journey from 0, and you'll go crosseyed. Just like a really good soap opera ought to.
All of these games are so great. My top 3 are : Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza dead souls And Yakuza 0. A lot of people say Yakuza dead souls is one of the worst games without actually playing it. I played with low expectations and was genuinely blown away (though that's because i like zombies mayhe a bit too much) . Glad that you played the game before ranking it lile everyone else
Honestly I did really enjoy dead souls! Not the best game in the series but it has some great moments. If anything it’s just to play a quirky spin off.
Def one of my favorite series, I'd have to base my rankings off of replayability though, 0 is goated for story but it only took 20hrs to complete casually, Kiwamis were about the same, so the Like A Dragons are high up there for me, infinite wealth you can easily sink a 100 hrs in, has alot of game within a game mechanics lol, alot of fans didn't like the turn based switch but I've always been big on turn based combat anyway and it's done fairly well there, but other than that great list!
To let you know, the Kiwami remakes actually have a lot of differences between them. Kiwami 2 actually cut a 3rd explorable city that was in the original PS2 game P.S seeing Yakuza 6 up so high was a surprise I think a lot of RGG fans have it either pretty low or somewhere in the middle.
@ErekLadd You're welcome. This video was really fun seeing a newcomers' perspective of the series, If you're interested, there are very lovey videos by Civit and Tehsnaker with retrospectives on the PS2 versions of Yakuza 1 and 2 in which they analyze and critique some of the changes that the Kiwami games made. There's also a video called The Kiwami Rant by imontheedgeofmyseat, which is a critique video that's a bit more humorous but still gets the points across nicely.
Kind of a late comment but I’d like to say that this was a great video and so fun to listen to! I actually disagree with basically the entirety of your list except for Yakuza 0’s placement, however it was still very interesting to hear your rankings and opinions on this series because it’s so different! Very fun to hear your takes! And as you said, there is no bad game in the series. My list would be: 1. Yakuza 0 2. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (IW and 0 are kinda interchangeable it depends on my mood) 3. Yakuza 5 4. Yakuza: Like a Dragon 5. Yakuza Kiwami 2 6. Yakuza 4 7. Yakuza 3 8. Yakuza 6 9. Yakuza Kiwami 1 Idk where to place Gaiden cause it was so short (also I haven’t played dead souls and I’m still playing ishin)
10:15 I'm actually of the belief that the 2005 game outshines Kiwami completely. Kiwami obviously has more refined graphics and gameplay but the extra systems and substories really bloat what was a more streamlined, straightforward narrative experience. Yakuza PS2 was my first Yakuza game and honestly I recommend people getting into the series to start with emulating it. Starting with 0 and the Kiwami games warps your expectations a lot, so when you get into 3 everything is a downgrade/backslide. I think PS2 Yakuza 2 might be my favourite game in the series even now.
What’s your favorite game in the series? 🤔 Let me know!
yakuza 0
gaiden and infinite wealth are diabolically low on ur list lol
So far, either Judgment or Gaiden or Infinite Wealth.
Toss up in between 5 and 3. I think the best writing for Kiryu is in 5 while 3 has the best tragic villain written
Yakuza Kiwami 2 - perfect story and ending ! Song of Life and Yakuza 5 are also amazing ! But after all, there is no weak Yakuza game ! Amazing franchise 🤩
Yakuza 0 is masterpiece
Totally agree!!!
Yeah its amazing. 10/10 Game for me. Not many Games can say that and i Played many.
I remember asking someone from the yakuza community whats the difference between 0 and kawami and he said 0 was a party and kawami is the morning after, i love like a dragon and yakuza 5
Noone could describe it better hahahaha, i love both games, i feel they have the best kiryu combatwise
if were based just off combat the man who erased his name feels so smooth
you must be joking, this game had the worst kiryu combat in the series - even worse than 3
Playing all these games in 4 months is absolutely insane
I played all of them in one month.
Pretty much hit one game a week. So much fun!
Agreed!
You can't make them in one week. It's like you never played them. If you didn't met Horimoto you didn't play Yakuza 3.@@ErekLadd
Yakuza 0 took me a year
gaiden at 8 hurts me a little. never cried that much for a video game before.
I know right? Seriously ugly cried so hard. Only ranked so low purely because substance vs the other games but I LOVED it.
@@ErekLadd that's fair, it was definitely on the leaner side content wise. i did REALLY love the battle arena though, being able to fight as all those different characters was a blast. sujimon in infinite wealth went crazy hard for side content too, it's kind of wild that game also has the dondoko island stuff
@@feelyourlines I know right? SO much stuff it’s overwhelming in infinite wealth 🤣
Rated low doesn't mean much in yakuza series. They all good. If it was a tier list, i doubt any of the mainline games would be lower than A.
@@morganf.1562 100% agree. No bad games in the series and nothing lower than A rank if we were to go that route. So true.
I feel good that I chose to play Yakuza 0 first with 0 knowledge of the series because a lot of people say it’s the best
Definitely agree. I had it recommended to me to play first as well and I’m glad I did!
Just finished Yakuza 0 as my first game but i feel bad that the other games won't be up to standard
@@NMQ098 they're not far behind don't worry. The main thing that makes it better than alot of the others in my opinion is just that there is more. A longer story, more side content, aswell as Majima being an amazing character. Mind you i haven't played all the most recent ones, but i'm pretty surr they are the only ones who rival å in terms of amount of content. You're gonna have a blast with the series don't worry :)
@@NMQ098 Story wise yes, but gameplay wise and world maps in ) are dwarfed by the Like a dragon
Yakuza 0 is really one of the best games ever made. I’m still trying to complete it 7 years after first finishing it. Incredible game.
Yakuza 0 is one of the best video games ever made that just happens to be a Yakuza game.
I love seeing videos like this where your passion is so obvious! I also love that you binged this series when you got into it haha
Yeah it was so good once I started I couldn’t stop!!
I'd love to comment on Infinite Wealth, but I've been on Dondoko Island for 20 hours and I may never leave
I couldn’t leave soon enough 🤣 I wasn’t super keen on it but it seems cool if you’re into that kind of thing!!
Bro I was not ready for how in-depth that mini game was. Literally could be a game all on its own.
Same , i spent around 20 hrs in dondokp island 😂
My friend got me Yakuza 0 for Christmas a couple years ago. I'm so glad I gave it a shot because it has become my favorite game series of all time. Can't wait for the new one coming out in February!
Yakuza 6 will always hold a special place in my heart as it's the first game in the series I played. I went in blind not knowing anything about the series. It blew me away.
Yakuza 7 is my favourite. the entire idea to play as middle aged bozos was so fun. and Ichiban is best video game character, and I played yakuza since ps2 era. Love the series
I was stressed that the Judgement games weren't on here. Glad to hear you're already rectifying that lol. Don't forget that the 2024 RGG summit is this Friday 9/20. There are no currently announced games so everything they talk about will be brand new. I'm hoping they announce Judgement 3, Kiwami 3, and/or a remake of Kenzin or the PSP games!! But honestly, they could release Majima Making Toast and I'll still pre-order it.
I've since finished both Judgement games and made a video on them so you might be interested in that! But yes - super excited for the RGG summit!!
Could you have ever predicted the new lad installment being majima as captain Jack sparrow
From a technical, amount of fun and gameplay standpoint, Lost Judgement is the best they've ever done. I consider it part of the yakuza franchise.
Completely agree my man. Peak yakuza title that ain’t yakuza
@@ASphere-z5n It's crazy. I didn't love Judgement 1, and reluctantly bought Lost Judgement not knowing it was about to be my favorite of the series. Kiryu and Ichiban are better protagonists though.
True... The amount of side content in that game is crazy.
in terms of plot I prefer JJdgment 1 over Judgment 2 (Lost Judgment)
@@Jhvxgir Yes plot is pretty thin in LJ2. I thought it was interesting though still.
Good start to the video, I also binged the Yakuza games after playing Like a Dragon in 2021 and Yup, not a bad game in the series.
I have the original Yakuza on PS2, and hope to get to it this year 👍
Kiryu is the bomb, am I right, Majima is a close second, and Ichiban os basically who I'd be if I grew up in the Yakuza 😂😂
Well done on being brave enough to rank these, because like you say, they're all bangers. I don't think there's a more consistent franchise in the entire history of video games.
My top 3 are -
3. Infinite Wealth
2. Yakuza 0
1. Like a Dragon
But hot damn, the whole franchise is so hard to separate 😎👍
Totally agree!! Majima is so good. Such a great character!! I’d have to say Akiyama is probably my second fave. But yeah, not a bad game in the series. Amazing!!
Excellent list my friend. I've only played yakuza 0, 1 and 2. But Yakuza 0 is the top dawg story wise. Man the narrative was so compelling. Switching back and forth had me on the edge of my seat the entire game. Boy oh boy my guy Majima, what a back story.
Glad to hear you fell into the Yakuza rabbit hole! They are indeed amazing, wholly Japanese, and quirky beyond belief. 😄
So true!! Very Japanese and I LOVE it!!!!
0 is not a game. It is a piece of art that should be displayed at a museum. Also, I hated 6 simply because they destroyed Haruka's character.
Your joy over finding this series makes me so happy! Will want to hear your opinons on majima pirate game once it drops
Just finally getting to this as I wanted to really see what you had to say!!! GREAT VIDEO! I can't wait to do my own version once I finish the series! I think your list is great and makes total sense!
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on all of the games!!
You just blew my mind that the empty lot turned into the millennium tower. Yakuza 0 was the first game I played, and never realized it!
I mean it's right there on the map, kinda hard to miss really..
@mydogeatspuke 0 was the first game I played so never put it together
@DarkXenoGaming that makes literally no sense. The story of 0 is about the empty lot being in the way of development and not being able to find the owner. Did you just not follow the story? Did you never wonder what they wanted to build there? Did you not ever look at the map??
@mydogeatspuke No. I went from 0 to LaD, then back to Kiwami, so no it didn't click with me.
@DarkXenoGaming I'm genuinely not sure how exactly that has any relevance? The map doesn't change, it's all laid out the same in every game. The only difference is which buildings you can enter, or sometimes the names of the places in them, and the tower. And I guess the park where Bob is in 0. I can't understand how anyone can spend all that time looking at that map and never think "oh, that's [such a place] from [game]" or "wait, wasn't this an open space/different building before? Wait a second.. this is where the lot was! Now it's millennium tower???" I feel like way too many people don't actually play the Yakuza games and instead just skip from combat to combat to say they know who Majima is 🙄
I've never played a game in the series except a bit of Ishin, but now I know that this was the worst point to start. Definitely interested in Yakuza Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth.
Loved this ranking man! Always so fun to watch!
You'll love Like A Dragon & Infinite Wealth!! If you get a chance to play Zero I highly recommend that as well.
Can't wait to dive deeper into this series! I've only played like a dragon and now started judgment. Great video
Nice!!!! I'm really enjoying Judgement right now. About 14 hours in!
@@ErekLadd Judgement is very good, Lost Judgement is top 3 material. You can also try Lost Paradise, who is absolutely not set in the Yakuza world (but in the Hokuto no Ken one) but is definitly a Yakuza game (Ken shiro is voiced by Kyriu's actor, and the the game is really good, a lot bloodiest tho)
i grew up with the Yakuza Series! so happy that RGG keeps blessing us with new games!!!
Hello, a suggestion is to play judgement, it's in the yakuza verse but with none of the original cast or protagonists, still, one of the best narratives of all time
and lost judgment combat is just the best in the series
Love the Yakuza series! I just got into it when 0 came out and I've been playing it as they come out ever since. I still haven't played 5 or Isshin because I don't want to reach emotional burn out with the series. Also I'm surprised 6 is so high!
My ranking would probably be
1. Yakuza 0
2. Like a Dragon(If it had Infinite Wealth's combat improvements it would probably be 1)
3. Gaiden(The length was extremely good for the story they wanted to tell and also I needed that extremely hard cry the ending gave me)
4. LaD IW(While everything is incredibly good it is the first time I felt like the ending left some loose ends and the dual protags made the story feel a little unbalanced pacing wise)
5. Yakuza 4
6. Yakuza Kiwami(I wasn't prepared for all the relationships and characters from 0 to be gone so I was a little harsh on this one originally)
7 Yakuza 6
8. Yakuza 3
9.Yakuza Kiwami 2
If we add in Judgment, Lost Judgment, and the Kaito Files they would probably take 4, 2, 5, and move everything else down accordingly.
Great ranking! Really love hearing your thoughts. I hope you can get to 5 eventually - I really enjoyed that one. And Ishin as well!
@@ErekLadd I've been working on my backlog recently so they've got a pretty good chance! Can't wait for your thoughts on the Judgment games!
Damn man, Kiwami 2 at the bottom? Usually people put 2 super high, I'm surprised.
@@CaptainEffort All the games are great so I would probably put it in A tier if all games I've ever played are considered, but among the Yakuza games it felt the weakest story wise to me. I may also be influenced a little bit by the complete drop off of Kaoru's relationship in 3.
@@theoneguy420 Fair enough, I made my ranking as I was playing them, so Kaoru dipping in 3 didn't affect my ranking of 2. If anything it affected my ranking of 3.
And it's funny lol, for me 2 has one of my favorite stories. I think it's because the melodramatic soap opera writing really isn't my thing, so 2 having a much simpler story keeps that at a minimum compared to the others.
5:39 I loved how they treated his secret identity.
I just started with the Yakuza series. I'm about 45 hours into Like a Dragon and I'm hooked. I picked up Zero a while ago but I haven't played it yet. This video definitely makes me want to binge the series now lol especially with how low Like a Dragon ranked compared to the other games
Definitely would play Zero next! Like A Dragon is really great and a good entry point into the series though.
Great content brother this was actually the game that made me feel like a gamer again especially Yakuza 0
Honestly for me infinite wealth is number 2 if we don't consider the judgement games. I can understand people who haven't played the whole series may not think it's that great but the whole kiryu arc was done to perfection.
The memoirs of a dragon always had my heart wrench a bit. I was never a huge kiryu fan from the 6 games. My personal favs were Majima and Akiyama. But the way they concluded Kiryu's legacy here just made me appreciate him a lot more. We saw such a different side to him. Finally starting to rely on others. And in that gaining the will to continue on. And the end theme is just perfect. Kiryu thought that death is the way he can atone for his sins. He kept his desires aside thinking this is what he has to pay for his past. But by the end he realises everyone deserves a chance to reinvent themselves including him. And gains the will to live on. It's just beautiful.
I am so glad this series finally took off in the west. I remember playing it when i was like 15-16, and then, then just disappeared for ages. One of my top five game series of all time, i love the new like a dragon series, as I am also a big JRPG fan. And I think using JRPG tropes was the only way that the series could get crazier! But man... the Majima Pirate game thats coming looks so crazy and so good, I cannot wait.
Great review of all the Yakuza games! I just finished Yakuza 0 - have a looooong way ahead of me! Gonna enjoy it!
Thanks!! Hope you enjoy the series - so much goodness there!
Immediately subscribed. You seem cool. I only follow a few gaming channels and you just earned a spot. Keep up the great content.
Thanks! That's very kind of you. Appreciate the support!
I’m currently playing Kiwami. I love played Zero a couple years ago and loved it. I decided I’m going to play through the series.
I finished 0,1,2 last year and now I’m starting with 3. This yakuza series is really fun to play.
It really is!!!
3 was terrrible imo 0,1,2 are peak
Such a great series. I had a similar experience. Started with like a dragon and then played the whole series starting with 0. Lost judgement is amazing too
Judgement being Free on PS Plus and taking a stab at it was what got me into the Yakuza series. I am a new comer just like you.
Like a dragon was also my first. Since ive played lost judgement, gaiden, infinite wealth, currently playing judgement and preordered yazuka pirates in hawaii.
I also binged through the Yakuza games they are incredible!
I'm so glad you also rank 6 so highly I remember when it released it was bashed a little for not being as good as 2 kiwami.
I'd probably swap 4 and 5 around I felt like 5 was too mini game heavy and didn't quite hit as hard as 4. But yeah 3 is the most dated those animations are poor haha.
We have the same top 3 but I'd swap 6 with 2.
Yeah I loved 6. I ended up really bonding with those characters more than I thought I would. Such a great game!!! 5 was a bit too mini game heavy but I didn't mind it. Super compelling storyline though!!
Don't get me started on the campaign when you have no money that was brutal haha
Awesome ranking list! After hearing you gush about this series, it really makes me wanna get stuck into it! Shame it's not on Switch, but fingers crossed for Yakuza/Like A Dragon on Switch 2! 🤞
@@uppernimbus fingers crossed!!!! Would be great!!
I started with Yakuza 0 on the Xbox and I've loved these games ever since
I've started playing my first yakuza game (0) a couple months ago. Been really grinding for 100% while I have time in the holidays and I love it. Not much left but I will have to beat it on legend on the weekends again haha can't wait to play 1 next
only time i cried to a game was metal gear solid 4, but man yakuza 0 had me feeling sad and happy with all those plot twists lol
Great video. Thanks a lot.
I did the same thing last year when I started Yakuza 0 for the very first time and played the rest of the main games, Judgement games, and Gaiden, all leading up to the release of Infinite Wealth. I will always kick myself for not discovering this amazing series sooner.
I started Yakuza with 0 and then onto kiwami 1 and 2, and I do agree the graphical difference getting to Yakuza 3 was a bit of shock at first coming off of those first 3 but man...the more I played Y3 I really did start loving the story and the characters! Still working my way through all of them but so far I think Kiwami 1 is probably my favorite right now! Though I sure do miss racing those mini cars from Yakuza 0 xD
one of the most best series game!
I actually liked the idol minigame in yakuza 5 and the new characters in Yakuza: Like a Dragon. And Infinite Wealth too
Love to finally see some Yakuza 6 love. Haven't seen a lot of praise for the game. I do however think they should have left Kiryu with 6, perfect ending IMO
Interesting!! I thought it was a pretty near perfect game. Would be interested to know what people didn’t like. Definitely a fitting end to Kiryu’s story but I’m here for whatever comes next.
@@ErekLaddit's not that it wasn't liked. I think there was just better games. Like other games did more. I felt in 6 if you aren't in kamurocho then the other city is kind of lacking outside of the story.
Cant choose between 0 2 6. but if i would make a tier list then this: (also love all yakuza games + judgment too , the studio is my fav)
S : 0,2,6
A : 1,8 (+ ishin for like a mention)
B : 4,7
C : 5,3
I played like a dragon due to it being free on ps pass, ended up buying it(loved it) and then looking up the rest of the series......lore history you name it.....then played infinite wealth(pre ordered) and enjoyed it alot......this is one hell of a series and I'm kinda sad I showed up to the party so late but I'm glad I madenit
If I were doing my tier-list (I've gone all the way up to part 4 + Like a Dragon), it would be this:
1) Zero
2) Kiwami 2
3) Kiwami
4) 4th
5) Like a Dragon
6) 3rd
I personally would put 3 above 5. But apart from that I don't feel that you are far wrong with your assessment. Roll on next month for Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. That game looks bizarre but really good
Same the death in 3 hit different 😢😭 and wasn't big on the baseball arc in 5
wow here's my ranking and thoughts
1- Like a Dragon Ishin, I am talking about the PS4 version the most recent one because the first one was from PS3 which I never played because it was exclusively in Japanese. I love this one because battle mechanics are great, and I love this part of Japanese history called "Bakumatsu" which is the end of shogunate era, if you know about Japanese history is a very important part and the story talks a fictional narrative of many Japanese important historic figures like Sakamoto Ryoma and the Shinsengumi squad and their history like their achivements being the most notorious one the Ikedaya inn incident (Shisengumi are very famous in Japan because of TV series and animes etc) Okita Soji, Saito Hajime, Isami Kondo, Nagakura Shinpachi, Hijikata Toshizo and takes place in an old style Kyoto city, if you like this part of Japanese history and want to know about the end of Japanese samurai era you will love it, if you don't know or don't care I can understand why many people rank it so low, but for me it has to be number 1.
2- Like a Dragon, yes Infinite Wealth is a better version of this one in terms of combat system etc, among those 2 which are the ones who used JRPG turn system the newer one is better, but I love this one because of the plot, specially when we are talking about bosses, there are 2 iconic fights...one is against...well SPOILER ALERT DON'T READ AFTER THAT if you never played it (the Dragon) and the second one which was even more impressive was in the headquarters of OMI ALLIANCE against "the BEAST" and the "MAD DOG". Those 2 fights gave me goosebumps, never expected them and being a Yakuza series fan and having played from 0 to 6 before chronollogically this was a big surprise.
3- Yakuza 0, for most people is number one, I've seen this one in many rankings for me is third, yes the story is so great and you learn about the past of two of the most iconic characters, because it takes part just in the bubble era of Japan, the plot is good and interesting as well, is a good but we are talking about top 3 , all the 3 games ranked there are masterpieces but the fighting system is not as smooth as the ones of Yakuza 6 or Kiwami 2.
4- Yakuza 6, uses Dragon engine as well, I think between this one and Kiwami 2 for me they are very close, Kiwami 2 has the fighting system a little bit better developed since it was released after 6 but I love 6 story plot and the location in Onomichi was superb, it is also a personal thing since I've been to the beautiful small town of Onomichi in real life and playing Yakuza 6 brings me good memories of me being in the same arcade or the temple Senkoji up the hill.
5- Yakuza Kiwami 2, is the remake of Yakuza 2 of the original PS2, uses Dragon Engine which is so great in terms of action, is so dynamic, and it takes place in Osaka and Tokyo recreations, Kamurocho and Sotenbori, the plot is interesting
6- Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, it takes part in Honolulu, although the map is huge and the fact you can use Kiryuu and Ichiban makes the game so cool in terms of plot is not so cool considering the other games ranked above.
7- Yakuza 5, although is very nice so many characters and locations including recreations of Fukuoka, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo the graphics are old, the plot is messy but there are so many minigames, specially the hunting one and the taxi driving one are so cool.
8- Yakuza Kiwami, is the remake of the original Yakuza 1 from PS1, the plot is nice but for me it has to be 8.
9- Yakuza 4, this one I think came out one year after Yakuza 3, only takes part in Kamurocho although the roofs and undergrounds look cool, the enemies and the plot are not charismatic at all.
10- Yakuza 3, the fighting system is too annoying and the enemies tend to block a lot, and the graphics are old fashioned, the only good thing I like is that part of the plot takes part in Naha, Okinawa.
Dead Souls and the man who erased his name, I cannot rank them because I have never played it so don't count it too much
thanks. I had to go Lost Judgment/Judgment at #1-2
Haruka dances are perfect and substories for her also pretty good
Judgement imo has thr best story line, you literally are always shocked with the next twist ha
technically, Majima is the manager of a cabaret, and only later becomes the manager of a cabaret club. I’ve sunk a bunch of hours in the cabaret club subplot and minigame, so it’s a bit close to heart.
My ranking would be very similar except I'd bump 4 up a bit. It's so silly and over the top and just kinda what I love about the series.
My list is kinda different:
1. Yakuza 6: Song of Life
2. Yakuza 0
3. Like a Dragon Gaiden
4. Yakuza 4
5. Yakuza Kiwami 2
6. Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth
7. Yakuza Kiwami
8. Yakuza 5
9. Yakuza: Dead Souls
10. Like a Dragon Ishin
11. Yakuza 3
12. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
I thought i recognised that name when it popped up on my recommended. Loved the Wood & Erek podcast a few years ago. Never knew this channel existed, you've got my sub!
Great list, would be curious where you put the Judgment games if you are done with them
Hey thanks!!! Glad to have you here!! Judgement games would be within my top five if counting those. Those games absolutely blew me away. Fingers crossed we get a third one soon!
I'm currently on Chapter 11 of Like a Dragon Ishin and I'm really enjoying it. I've also played from 0 to Kiwami 2 but I've been holding off on 3 to 5 because I want them to remake them instead of just playing them as remasters. I saw the love that Kiwami 1 and 2 got and was hoping for 3 to 5 to get that same treatment
Damn, you played the games in a span of 3 months without experiencing series fatigue or burnout?! That's impressive, it took me twice as long to get from 0 to 7 😅
100% - No burnout or fatigue. I really only felt it once I got to Ishin and I think that's because it was just so different. I considered it to be like one long story rather than seperate games!
I beat Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1 and 2 all between March 2020 and May 2021. I started Y3 directly after,
4 years later i just started chapter 10 of Y3... i really need to get through 3 4 and 5, i need to get back to the modern era 😂
This felt like a purely story/narrative ranking - I think if we take gameplay into consideration some may shuffle
I've recently gotten hooked on Yakuza 0. It helps that it runs incredibly well on the Steam Deck. I plan to work my way through the series, but there's no way I'm getting through it as quick as you did, Erek. How many hours do think you've put into the series as a whole, just out of curiosity so I know what I'm getting myself into 😂
Awesome!!! Yeah I played every single game on steam deck. Most of them (if not all) are deck certified so I had zero issues. As far as time, I played story only for every game. Each game ranged between 15-22 hours with Infinite Wealth taking me the most at 34 hours. So we could average like maybe 130-140 hours for the series playing story only - aside from the side content of Infinite Wealth that is must play IMO.
@ErekLadd yeah, I bought almost all the games between a couple Steam sales because they all are Deck verified besides 6. 6 says unsupported, but did it run fine on the Deck?
@@bloodless653 sorry for the late reply - yes it ran totally fine on deck!!!
@@ErekLadd totally good, dude! Thanks for taking the time to reply! And keep up the great work!
I started woth Like a dragon also. I also enjoyed Kiryu so much that i currently playing through all Games.
I haven't played the more recent ones (still waiting for a sale), but I would order them lime this:
10- Yakuza 3
9- Yakuza 6
8- Yakuza 4
7- Yakuza Kiwami 1
6- Yakuza 7 (Like a dragon)
5- Yakuza 5
4- Lost Judgment
3- Judgment
2- Yakuza Kiwami 2
1- Yakuza 0
Yakuza 3 although hasn't aged well (gameplay wise) is still top 3 for me, I loved the story, some of the characters and the Kiryu as a father twist. I can't wait untill the remake
I really enjoyed the substories on yakuza 0. currently playing yakuza 4 and I miss those funny moments.
I played the Kurohyo (Black Panther) side games on PSP. Its too long ago but I remember having a good time
Yakuza 3 is great man. One of my favourites!
Favorite has got to be Yakuza 2 Kiwami! Most memorable villain. and with that ending (no spoilers) could very well have been a satisfying conclusion to the series as a whole!
Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth and Lost Judgment have to be my Top one’s.
My personal favourit game of the series is definitely Lost Judgment. I love it soooo much. But I love all games of the series.
Judgment and Lost Judgment are amazing.
I started from the beginning because I heard yakuza on ps2 had a similar feel to my favorite game on Dreamcast, Shenmue. I was instantly hooked. It would be really hard for me to rank all of them but my favorite one is definitely yakuza 3
I just finished Yakuza Kiwami 1 and am half way through Yakuza 0
Love these games.
If you enjoyed the Yakuza games, highly recommend you check out the judgment games (which spun out of yakuza)
Yep I’m on chapter 9 of judgment right now! Loving it!
the reason tanimura was scrubbed from the yakuza records was because during the original release of yakuza 4 his face model/voice actor got into a scandel where he was accused (falsely i might add) of being in posession of drugs which in japan is a big no no which pretty much killed his acting career and forced him into retirement up until recently where he returned which is why yakuza 4 original tanimura and 4R tanimura look diffrent and why hes been scrubbed out of the series
Where do the two judgement games rank?
I never played the games but i honestly can't wait to see the 1st episode of the show when it comes out lol
i haven't played them all but for the ones I have you pretty much hit it right on the money.
Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza game too. I had the highest tier of Playstation Plus and Games Pass for about a year. Every now and then when I couldn't find something to watch on RUclips, I'd search Playstation Plus catalog and GamesPass with zero intention of actually playing anything. But then I saw Like A Dragon and noticed I could stream it immediately and didn’t have to download it. So I played for about 15 minutes and immediately fell in love with the game. I played up until the part where it told me to make 3 million yen. So I gave up. A year later the exact same thing happened. I was looking for something to watch on RUclips and couldn't find anything. So I checked Playstation catalog and found Lost Judgment. I watched the trailer and was so DESPERATELY bored I downloaded it and gave it a chance. Then about 10 to 15 hours in, I happened to walk into Survive Bar and recognized the face of the Bartender and I thought to myself, "WAIT A MINUTE, IS THIS A FUCKING YAKUZA GAME?!?!?!?!!??!" And after THAT moment of walking into Survive I was hooked on the whole franchise. I re downloaded Like A Dragon on Playstation and ended up getting the platinum trophy. Then i got Infinite Wealth and I platinum'ed that too. I still haven't gotten the platinum for Lost Judgment, but I did finish the original Judgment and plan on 100%ing it as well. I actually just finished Yakuza 0 and Kiwami 1 this week
And just ordered Kiwami 2 and the Remastered Collection tonight. I plan on getting the platinum in all these games
Gaidens ending left me in tears too...
Im actually quite high on Ishin, I'd put it 3rd. Some of the side quests are not that great, but I really enjoyed the main story and the historical setting, Ryoma Sakamoto was a great choice of an protagonist, I liked it so much that I went out of my way to study further the real story of the period
Make sure you play Judgement and Lost Judgement! Yakuza spin-offs
I like your ranking. Please do “rank yakuza protagonist” next video.
Hey, awesome video. Just was wondering, what were the characters you prefer in the other yakuza games? Because I really enjoyed the yakuza 7 and 8 cast
I got the platinum for 0 in October and I just got the platinum for Kiwami on Saturday. Currently, I’m playing Kiwami 2. I mean, I would probably agree that zero has the best story so far and was definitely the best intro game for the series. However, some of the mechanic changes (?) they added to Kiwami 2 make the game so much better imo. Just small things, nothing major
I always think of these games as a long running soap opera where you don't have to watch every episode, but if you do you get a lot more context. I can't really pick a favourite. You mentioned how 3 felt like a letdown, but for me it was just a logical next step for Kiryu. Dude deserved a break. The most baffling thing is at the end of Infinite Wealth if you start to think "How did we get here?". Yeah. Think through Kiryus journey from 0, and you'll go crosseyed. Just like a really good soap opera ought to.
All of these games are so great. My top 3 are :
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza dead souls
And Yakuza 0.
A lot of people say Yakuza dead souls is one of the worst games without actually playing it. I played with low expectations and was genuinely blown away (though that's because i like zombies mayhe a bit too much) . Glad that you played the game before ranking it lile everyone else
Honestly I did really enjoy dead souls! Not the best game in the series but it has some great moments. If anything it’s just to play a quirky spin off.
Def one of my favorite series, I'd have to base my rankings off of replayability though, 0 is goated for story but it only took 20hrs to complete casually, Kiwamis were about the same, so the Like A Dragons are high up there for me, infinite wealth you can easily sink a 100 hrs in, has alot of game within a game mechanics lol, alot of fans didn't like the turn based switch but I've always been big on turn based combat anyway and it's done fairly well there, but other than that great list!
Every Yakuza game is the best Yakuza game because they’re all Yakuza games
To let you know, the Kiwami remakes actually have a lot of differences between them. Kiwami 2 actually cut a 3rd explorable city that was in the original PS2 game
P.S seeing Yakuza 6 up so high was a surprise I think a lot of RGG fans have it either pretty low or somewhere in the middle.
Interesting! I did not know that. I need to go and play the original 1 & 2 to compare. Thanks for watching!
@ErekLadd You're welcome. This video was really fun seeing a newcomers' perspective of the series, If you're interested, there are very lovey videos by Civit and Tehsnaker with retrospectives on the PS2 versions of Yakuza 1 and 2 in which they analyze and critique some of the changes that the Kiwami games made.
There's also a video called The Kiwami Rant by imontheedgeofmyseat, which is a critique video that's a bit more humorous but still gets the points across nicely.
@@mrflithyslug9891 Thanks! Will check those out!
Yakuza 0 is one of the best games ever made I think
i'm hoping one day 3 or maybe even 4 get the kiwami treatment.
Kind of a late comment but I’d like to say that this was a great video and so fun to listen to!
I actually disagree with basically the entirety of your list except for Yakuza 0’s placement, however it was still very interesting to hear your rankings and opinions on this series because it’s so different! Very fun to hear your takes! And as you said, there is no bad game in the series.
My list would be:
1. Yakuza 0
2. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (IW and 0 are kinda interchangeable it depends on my mood)
3. Yakuza 5
4. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
5. Yakuza Kiwami 2
6. Yakuza 4
7. Yakuza 3
8. Yakuza 6
9. Yakuza Kiwami 1
Idk where to place Gaiden cause it was so short (also I haven’t played dead souls and I’m still playing ishin)
10:15 I'm actually of the belief that the 2005 game outshines Kiwami completely. Kiwami obviously has more refined graphics and gameplay but the extra systems and substories really bloat what was a more streamlined, straightforward narrative experience.
Yakuza PS2 was my first Yakuza game and honestly I recommend people getting into the series to start with emulating it. Starting with 0 and the Kiwami games warps your expectations a lot, so when you get into 3 everything is a downgrade/backslide. I think PS2 Yakuza 2 might be my favourite game in the series even now.
For me its accurate ranking,except Ishin is in my Top5, I really like combat and old Japan atmosphere