Yakuza series
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Rajaah
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Agreed, that's how I would have done it.
Is Judgment (and Lost Judgment) actually a Yakuza side-story? AKA is it the same world etc? Or is it just made by the same people in the same style?
While I'm at it, is Judgment (and presumably LJ) particularly worth playing? I finished the entire Yakuza series and wanted more, but I've heard negative things about Judgment. And it certainly didn't get any of the hype that Yakuza did.
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spronk
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Judgment is a spin off, you meet a few characters from Yakuza and the setting is Kamarucho so its all the same locations, heavy asset reuse from Y0 and/or Y6.
Its a decent game, I don't like it as much as the Yakuza series but its basically more of the same. If you like Yakuza you'll like it, if you didn't like Yakuza... you won't. Its main story is weaker imo, but the side stories and detective mode stuff are fun.
Yakuza Like A Dragon (Y7) is imo the best game of the series, especially for the huge QoL improvements, the excellent English VA, and goofy main character. The combat is a bit wonky but I've never thought the Yakuza real time combat was amazing, just kinda fun in a "mortal kombat mash buttons" kind of way.
Its a decent game, I don't like it as much as the Yakuza series but its basically more of the same. If you like Yakuza you'll like it, if you didn't like Yakuza... you won't. Its main story is weaker imo, but the side stories and detective mode stuff are fun.
Yakuza Like A Dragon (Y7) is imo the best game of the series, especially for the huge QoL improvements, the excellent English VA, and goofy main character. The combat is a bit wonky but I've never thought the Yakuza real time combat was amazing, just kinda fun in a "mortal kombat mash buttons" kind of way.
Rajaah
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Yeah I agree on Y7 being the best now. Y0 is 2nd for me.
So Judgment uses the engine from Y0? Which is also the engine from YK1, right? So presumably LJ will use the superior YK2 engine, I would hope. I loved YK2 for how amazing it looked, and 3/4 were pretty lacking after that with their PS3 remastered graphics. Though I will say Y5 was pretty damn stunning for a PS3 game and the visuals there didn't bother me at all.
I guess what I'm saying is I hope LJ looks as good as Kiwami 2.
Vorph
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Original release of Judgment used Dragon Engine, same as YK2, Y6, and Y7. XSX/PS5 remaster is an even more updated version, more or less the same as what LJ will use. Judgment on XSX already looks much nicer than YK2, so LJ should be the same or better still.
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Rajaah
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joz123
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If there are less tailing missions then I am in. Got tired of them in Judgment.
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Rajaah
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Same here. I actually tapped out on Judgment and cancelled my LJ preorder.
As a guy who loved the fuck out of all seven Yakuza games and REALLY loved the RPG follow-up, I thought for sure that I'd like Judgment. Was hoping it'd be more like a Yakuza 7 that stayed in the original format rather than becoming an RPG.
Unfortunately...it's just missing something, and there are a lot of tedious mechanics. The tailing missions are a bit obnoxious, but I really dislike the "find something on this screen you're trapped on where you have to comb it pixel by pixel". That shit wasn't fun in Metroid: Other M and it isn't fun here.
The fights seem to be very tertiary behind a bunch of gameplay mechanics that I'm not that into. I like the detective theme and being on the other side of the law in Kamurocho. However, the fights were like 10% of the gameplay while the investigations were the rest and it got tiring. In the regular Yakuza games it was more like the reverse of that, with combat being like 90% of the gameplay while 10% were gathering info etc.
So yeah, much to my surprise, I gave up on this one around 12 hours in. The sunk cost fallacy had already kicked in so it wasn't easy to stop playing, kept thinking it'd get more fun if I pushed a bit further. There was a point in like Chapter 5 or so where I just went "what am I doing with my time" while I was stuck in an alleyway examining random debris and couldn't find whatever it was you're supposed to find before it lets you move again, and I just croaked.
Anyway, RIP Judgment. I'll just wait patiently for Like A Dragon II. Maybe we'll get some DLC for LAD1 so I have a reason to play more of that. I never got the ultimate weapon (the electric bat on the cover) and only had the 2nd-best weapon at the end, so I could do that.
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Vorph
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Tailing missions never really bothered me at all. It was almost impossible to get caught and have to redo the whole thing, and none of them were particularly long anyway.
Drone races, though... that shit can suck a dick. Worst mini-game in the series by far, and even with all the cheater parts it was a pain in the ass to win races. The drone controls were awful no matter what scheme you chose, and even piloting the thing during the story was horrible.
Definitely sounds good enough to buy right away if you're a fan of the series (the first game still isn't on Game Pass, probably due to the shit going on with the retarded talent agency that reps the "idol" who voices Yagami in Japanese, so it's going to be a looooooooooong time before this gets there). I'm a sucker for steelbooks too, and Gamestop has one as their preorder bonus.
Drone races, though... that shit can suck a dick. Worst mini-game in the series by far, and even with all the cheater parts it was a pain in the ass to win races. The drone controls were awful no matter what scheme you chose, and even piloting the thing during the story was horrible.
Definitely sounds good enough to buy right away if you're a fan of the series (the first game still isn't on Game Pass, probably due to the shit going on with the retarded talent agency that reps the "idol" who voices Yagami in Japanese, so it's going to be a looooooooooong time before this gets there). I'm a sucker for steelbooks too, and Gamestop has one as their preorder bonus.
Vorph
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Dude opens the video saying he's played a handful of hours of Y0 and Y6 and barely scratched the surface of Y7 or the first Judgment. Kind of hard to take seriously after that.
spronk
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gamestop has a nice exclusive steelbook
i'm on the fence, i'd probably like it but i just finished Y4 a few months ago and probably need still 3-5 months to play another yakuza game. might pick it up at GS, may just wait
i'm on the fence, i'd probably like it but i just finished Y4 a few months ago and probably need still 3-5 months to play another yakuza game. might pick it up at GS, may just wait
Vorph
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Yeah, that's what got me off the fence even though I have no intention of playing the game right away either. I buy almost exclusively physical copies still and even though I don't give a shit about any of the other "collector" aspects of gaming I can't say no to a nice steelbook instead of another ugly plastic case.
Chimney
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So I started up Yakuza: Like a Dragon last night on a whim as the first Yakuza game I've played. 7 hours later I had to force myself off to sleep. What a great blend of everything I like in games. Even the clunkiness adds to the charm. After I beat this I'm going to do Zero, Kiwami and decide if I will run the rest of the series (depends on what those remasters look like graphically ;D) or just try out Judgement.
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spronk
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yeah just pace yourself the games mostly all take place in the same basic 3 maps so its easy to get bored, LAD is probably the best game in the series due to being the newest and having full, excellent English VA (rest are all in japanese i think). But I've enjoyed all of them, and at this point I've played everything except yakuza 5 and judgment 2.
i basically play 1 every year and its been a great run, especially now that all of them are on ps5/xbox. They are almost all free on game pass too, i think missing just judgment 1 & 2.
i basically play 1 every year and its been a great run, especially now that all of them are on ps5/xbox. They are almost all free on game pass too, i think missing just judgment 1 & 2.
Chimney
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I downloaded the ones on gamepass already. I am not a completionist so mostly just focused on main story quest and the occasional not out of the way side quest to stem off the repetitive nature of the world. Just got to chapter 9 last night and still enjoying it immensely.
Chimney
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So I wrapped up Yakuza LAD. Is there anything worthwhile to seek out in NG+?
I basically did everything major; ran business, weapons to first EX, all mini games, most if not all sidequests etc.
Loved the game overall.
I will say the only things that were kind of dumb are the ability to get way powerful gear early on that trivialized everything (I don't think I replaced non weapon gear from L10 until L50 when I could reliably farm the arena for the handful of armor pieces) and the poison poundmate making the tanky but otherwise bland bosses also trivial.
I basically did everything major; ran business, weapons to first EX, all mini games, most if not all sidequests etc.
Loved the game overall.
I will say the only things that were kind of dumb are the ability to get way powerful gear early on that trivialized everything (I don't think I replaced non weapon gear from L10 until L50 when I could reliably farm the arena for the handful of armor pieces) and the poison poundmate making the tanky but otherwise bland bosses also trivial.