The final boss fights were amazing with how (we as the players experience) these men became (/becoming) legends. Kiryu will always be my favorite main character but Majima's story hit me the hardest with his decision at the end. I'm glad you shared your journey through Yakuza, thanks Son.
I literally just beat this game last week I didn't enjoy the mini games like I do in other games tho son. Glad disco never came back in style and I always got ghosted in the telephone club. Enjoyed the story and I got slightly more use out of breaker than ya but I also didn't enjoy it very much.
@@Kris-wo4pj i think the hostess club is a lot of fun and kiryus business battle is great to maybe its 1st game syndrome but I still think its the best only rivaled by 7 for me
The saddest part of 0 was always showing how Majima went from who he was to the unhinged one we know and love. Yes I love the crazy Majima but there's something sad about watching who he was and who he became. It's like watching a sane man realizing the only way to survive an insane world is to become insane himself. And the side mission of Majima helping the little girl was always a favorite of mine in a series full of great side missions.
It is quite sad to see how in 0, Majima's Mad Dog persona was a mask to cope with the mad world of a yakuza but by the time we see him in Yakuza Kiwami 1, he became the mask with hints of the original Majima from 0 popping up every now and then. It does make it pretty heartwarming that he starts letting his Mad Dog persona slip off in games past 2 onwards where his calmer side shows up more and more while still maintaining that persona. I like to think his reunion with Makoto in Kiwami 2 and seeing her live happily reaffirmed to him that his choices were not a mistake and along with having Saejima post Yakuza 4, back it made him more at peace with himself which led to him being saner again.
@@ViniZiello As WY puts is, the sad part is knowing he's doing it while being aware of it, rather than actually being crazy and not even aware. Making me wonder, if he had a choice between a more stable sane life, would he have taken it?
I would like to say that the Majima in 0 that we see is a Majima who has heavily restrained himself in order to be presentable to the general populace. He needed to be likable and have his club meet all the necessary quotas or else his chances of getting back into the Shimano family crumble to dust. Whoever he really was back then has been pushed way down in order to meet what was expected of him. This isn’t to say that Majima going “crazy” by the end is his real personality, but my case is that I don’t think we’ve ever seen his true self, and the fact that he’s never really gotten the chance to live genuinely is tragic. It’s just my interpretation though. No matter which way you slice it, his story is sad.
@@rubyy.7374 Very interesting point actually. I saw his later years as him not being himself while you make a great point. In a sad way he always wore some mask because of his weird environment.
I literally just played it for funny bakamitai and it was on an insane sale (only like $5) and now I own all the games on steam, apart from Judgment which I still have yet to get
Yakuza 0 is an absolute masterpiece of a game. The story masterfully takes advantage of its status as a prequel, almost all the side quests are insanely memorable, the combat is fantastic, and the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal. When I hit that post-credits scene where Makoto's holding her repaired watch, I cried. I almost never cry when experiencing any story, and if a story can do that, that's how I know it truly affected me. I started the series with 0, and it has now become one of my favorite games of all time.
Immediate self edit for clarity: I know she can't exist in the other games since they were made before she came to be, therefore she really can't be done more with, BUT I just thought it was a little silly since she's not the first character to get done that way
Breaker style is the single most broken style in the game - you can stunlock enemies super easily with some of those moves, and exploit them for tons of money from random encounters
Also Kiryu's styles are generally a lot better than Majima's. Beast is way bettwer than Slugger, hitting much harder and more effectively tanking damage
Drunk Kiryu with a knife is the most broken in the game though. Farming Mr. Shakedown is so easy, the kinfe heat action basically takes down an entire bar.
I started the series with 0 last year and now I’m starting like a dragon. These games felt like they’d never end but now that I’m at the end it feels sort of melancholic.
I sadly couldn’t get into like a dragon, idk if it was yakuza burn out or the new combat but I just couldn’t enjoy it :( story seems good though from what I played.
@@pocketcircuitfighter6291 I played the judgment series already. Good games but I like the bombastic nature and political roller coaster of the mainline yakuza games. Judgment has them too but I guess for me at least Yakuza has more grit.
Welp 8 got announced with a kiryu spin off. Crazy how the main character of the series gets a spin off. And a remake of ishin. After binging these games I can say that they are getting my money for sure
@@q-tipps3854 We Yakuza fans are getting spoiled and eating well. I have no idea how RGG put out so many games while maintaining such a high level of quality
Really wish they would release the samurai spin offs in the west I think ghost of tsushima proved it would be popular esp since all the yakuza other spin offs are also popular.
@@Kris-wo4pj no, they really wouldn't. I've played Kenzan! and I can assure you that it would tank the Yakuza series' reputation here in the west. It's one of my favourite Yakuza games, but toes along the historical accuracy of 1600s prostitution and pre-modern red-light districts more than people would like. People are too soft for this game, it would demand they make some rational criticisms of Ancient Japanese approaches to sex culture. I wish Ishin! and Kenzan! got releases but they won't because western audiences find sex terrifying, and the rape of children to be an evil beyond evils. Japan's modern approach to pedophilia is still far too relaxed for western tastes. After people freaked out that Saejima leered over Haruka for a few seconds in Y3, think about how people would freak out about this scene from Kenzan!... An elderly man takes Haruka, who has already sold herself to an ageya (definitely a brothel, but that has many non-sexual services, kind of like hostess clubs in other games) and the implication is he is taking a ten year old girl to rape. The ageya burns to the ground before this point, but he specifically states that grown women are not attractive to him and tells all the adult women to leave the room, whilst almost carrying Haruka off the floor like a toddler... to go rape her.
@@AdamOwenBrowning so you're saying the game websites would freak out but it would still sell well cuz no one cares what those websites think. Also yes pedos are evil beyond evil but they existed. Most people aren't going to hate the devs for showing shit that's historically accurate. The ones that due are the people that don't play it. People also got over the that scene in yakuza 3. It's uncomfortable but makes sense it happened and shows that sajima despite being in prison for so long and supposedly killing 15 people is still a moral good person. Cuz killing 15 gang members is meh but sexually assaulting a child is evil. Japan does need to get better at dealing with sex crimes esp their pedo issue but it's a game that'll be rated m the rest of them. I don't see an issue. Also Japan can't handle western tropes that are considered childish in the west. The west isn't soft for thinking pedos are evil. This weird need to say everyone in the west is soft now is fucking stupid.
@@Kris-wo4pj Unironically yes, killing 15 gang members is more acceptable in our culture than raping a child. No, I am not saying that rag "gaming journos" would tank the series' reputation - I am saying that it is too graphic for the modern mainstream fan. They are OK with watching violence, but not sex between an old man and a ten year old. No, people didn't get over "that scene in Y3" that's why we both know exactly what we're talking about and that people got pissy about it, over 10 years later, without even needing to name it. Yes, people are too soft for Kenzan! and if you aren't offended by its themes, emulate it alongside me. Pedophilia is simply not depicted in video games - just as we don't commit pedophilia into film. Violence, sure. Gang violence, sure. Multiple murders around gang violence, yes. Pedophilia, no.
Whoever came up with the blind girl character is a genius. It's such an intensely vulnerable character. It instantly breaks your heart, when he's in there all jacked up and ready to murder, and this frail looking innocent girl comes in, thinking that you must just be a customer.
Majima's Breaker style is best when it's practically broken: in small spaces with lots of items. Majima's legs kick the objects around, dealing lots of damage to enemies in a single move. That first "Makoto" boss fight in the clinic is one of those places. You can kick all the objects around the room with the leg-spinning move and it's so small that you're essentially a blender Lee can't escape.
The story just rips my heart and it's literally the start for Kiryu and Majima. I literally started playing because in kiwami I loved Majima's madness and he was playable in zero. Now that I know why he's the mad dog.. it just hurts my heart.
i recently found your channel with your retrospective on Silent Hill. I have played most, but not all of the Silent Hill games. I follow several gaming channels that cover games from a historical or design perspective, some from a gameplay perspective and some analyse the symbolism of the writing. I subscribed to your channel because your videos are amazing. So well crafted. Well thought out and smooth writing, steading pacing with nice editing that tells the narrative but doesn't bamboozle us with a thousand clips just because they are impressive. I have also watched your Fable (which I almost got back in the day) and Yakuza (which I didn't follow) Even though I have played neither, these pieces have been fascinating, taking us through the clever game design and well-written stories. Keep up the stunning work.
My friend would tell me to play yakuza 0 for literally 2 years and one day I finally downloaded it on gamepass and was hooked from the first mission. But I had no idea how much I’d fall in love with this game. I have so many memorable moments 100%ing this that I went on to 100% Kiwami and Kiwami 2. My favorite moment was the last cigarette scene.
My entry point into the series and still my favorite, though Judgment is a close second. I was hooked the moment Kiryu drop kicked that geezer out the toilet window. It's funny to look back as well and see all these characters from the first Yakuza pop up in it, because at the time, I thought they were series mainstays. Imagine my surprise after playing Kiwami for the first time afterwards.
I'm still making my way through 0 for the first time in my plan to play through the whole series and probably not even half way through, it might be in my top 5 all time favorite games. What an amazing ride.
Im literally on the same journey as u bruh I just finished yakuza 0 and I started it about 2 months ago now I got the rest of the games to go wanted to start from the start of the game timeline and man it only gets better
It's interesting seeing someone around maybe half way or whatever through already putting it in their top 5. The game gets so much better as it keeps progressing. I was reduced to tears at one point.
I haven’t been able to watch your content in a little while considering I’m only partway through Kiwami at the moment, so I’m excited to finally catch a new video of yours! And of course I’ll watch the rest of the series as I continue through the games.
Great retrospect son! But there is one thing I'd like to talk about the Arakure Quest 3 substory and how it is a direct reference to Dragon Quest 3 which released the same year(1988) it's also the reason game releases in Japan are regulated to weekends due to so many people call sick to get the game. but still good going and can't wait for the next time on Yakuza 6
Like many other fans of the series, this game was my first and I have so many great memories with it back in 2017. I was in a Gamestop on Memorial Day that year and it was on sale for $20. I knew about the series and never tried it, but for that price I was willing to give it a shot. Ended up putting near 100 hours into it over 2 playthroughs and loved every minute. It amazed me how much care and quality was put into basically every system, the presentation, and story as a whole. Majima is such a great character in the game, and while he's not my favorite in the other games per se, I do see him in a different light considering what he went through that turned him into who he is. I'd put this up there with Metal Gear Solid 3 as a prequel that outshines all of its sequels.
I will say about the difficulty: for my first Yakuza game and playing it on hard, it was a decent challenge that eased up as I learned the combat system. I'd probably be raging if I started with something like Y3.
I have watched every single yakuza retrospective. Even though I have experienced the stories first hand it never fails to make me tear up watching the videos
The unique toss and turns of this game are magnetic. I wasn't able to play through it myself, which brought me to this video, but man, I can not wait to jump into the series from here.
The whole Yakuza series is great, but 0 is on its own league. Even if you dont want to get into a franchise, Yakuza 0 is a game everybody *has* to play.
Thank you for another excellent video. I'm surprised you didn't include the 4th fighting styles for both characters in the video, apart from that it's super inclusive and a great retrospective of this wonderful game. Keep em coming son.
@@unnamed_protagonist same. Dragon style for kiryu is only good in the fact that you can limit break it to a broken level, but majimas mad dog move set is at least as good as his other 3
I have never cried while playing video games before Yakuza. Then I played kiwami, 0, and onward. I still think about some of the things that broke my heart. Rikiya hit me the hardest though, because, I really just.. didn't see it coming
This is the one...(or zero I guess?) I've been waiting for. It's the only game I've played through in the series. The rest of your videos on this series are on the backlog to be watched when I finally complete each game.
One of the things I enjoyed about yakuza 0 was the three lieutenants you had to fight and how the three try to play to their strengths. Kuze being the brute, wanting to solve issues through violence. Awano using charisma to negotiate his way through things, willing to bribe and coerce his way through things. And then Shibusawa using his tactics to play a game of 5D chess against everyone. It shows you how they became the patriarchs and lieutenants of the dojima family without straight up dropping everything onto you through exposition dumps. How there are always multiple ways to solve every problem and tests Kiryu's will against each. I also makes you question Dojima since he has to be better than all three of them combined. I call bs on the majima wasn't made for a relationship. He's totally got that whole bromance thing with kiryu. My favourite sub stories are the mushroom dealer, the old woman for majima (who also became one of the top hostesses), and the purse phone.
Hey son, you say this game is easy, but as this is my first Yakuza game, I am actually having a fair amount of challenge for it. Being that it's the new 'entry' into the series, I'm thankful for that. Having watched your other Yakuza retrospectives, I know that the later games (chronologically) get more challenging, so I appreciate the chance to learn, instead of this entry acting like the player already is a very experienced yakuza player.
This is off topic but the thought crossed my mind. I find it a little funny that the Yakuza series was supposed to end with 6 and then loop with 0 to make a complete story. Then Judgement dropped and basically the devs were like "shit, if this is going to make money in the west, might as well keep going" and the rest is history.
I remember playing 0 when it was on discount a few months ago, and I gotta say its one of my favorite yakuza games in the series, we got to see the best of both worlds between kiryu and majima
Majima has been my favorite character throughout the series😍. It's awesome that they gave him a bigger role in Yakuza 0 rather than coming in and out in the previous entries.
Yeah, Zero was my introduction to Yakuza. I picked it up on a sale when Kiwami 2 was coming out based on a friend's suggestion. I've been in love ever since. It is weird to hear "... then this story thing happened, then this story thing, then this" when the real experience is "this happened in the story & then I went and crushed some kids at toy cars"
You know. Despite being called Yakuza in the west, you never actually play as one in the series. Except for a couple of chapters as Kiryu in 0, and Majima in Dead Souls. Other than that, the characters aren't yakuza
I accidentally bought y6 first before any other game and played it a little bit. I love karaoke and tried tonight. I loved it so I bought zero. Seeing judgement, knowing the story that ends in 6 especially with regards to nishiki hits so hard. His sworn brother was so good in 0 it hurt knowing his spiral and tonight is about kiryu regretting he wasn't there to help nishiki
I don't even have to watch this video to state my opinion: regardless of shat your opinion on the game as a whole is, son, this is the game your father played when he was abandoned by his own father and was forced to barely scrape by in whatever apartment would accept him, his sister's, and his aging cat. I would come home after working a 12hr shift to lay on my wornout mattress in the living room, hungry, and get absorbed into this game. Something about the characters, and this larger than life Yakuza member finding time between the occupational drama to race toy cars and sing karaoke, who rigidly stands for his own moral code and allegiances, resonated with me. It comes as no surprise that towards the end of the game, I had to play it in the dead of night so nobody could see me cry. Yakuza, and 0 especially, is the perfect example of video games as an artistic medium and how a good story can elevate an otherwise mundane game into something that transcends into a human experience. Because after all, we are all "Bad Boys".
Never played more than 30 min of any yakuza games but I like your videos. Although I want another Horror game or other Similar Silent Hill-esque video in the future.
Somewhat off topic. When Nishki died in Kiwami 1 I honestly didn't think he was actually dead, cause I remember someone playing yakuza 6 a while ago and I could have sworn I'd seen Nishki in that game, so his death didn't hit me as it should have
the reason that Kiryu was being horny on main during a SEGA cafe quest is because the cafe staff was modelled after and voiced by Japanese adult video stars. The in-game collectible telephone card acts as a cheeky way to introduce you to actors that voiced npc in the game. Some male characters (Mr. Shakedowns, three lieutenants of Dojima family for example) are also modelled after their voice actor. Haven’t been playing games in this series for long to tell how many times has RGG studio has casted actors in real life to play as themselves in game but it just made the game world feel much, much more real and alive.
This game is for real one of the best of the series. I Loved to play as Majima, his first cutscene is one of the absolute peak of the entire serie, and his character evolution, though being a sad story, is also very interesting and well crafted. SPOILER ALERT: I love how they made the player doubt about Tachibana (when they show you that he has "that" tattoo) and keept us conflicted for a lot of play hours. Also the whole ending and all the Nishiki moments ore pure gold, I played this game after Kiwami 1, K2, 3, 4, 5, but I suppose that playing K1 after 0 would give a lot more emphasis to the Nishiki plot.
@@omensoffate I wish, I haven’t been able to keep down food or water for almost 2 days, I throw up the medicine I’m given, plus I can’t sleep more than about 30 minutes at a time without waking up for multiple hours
I only finished Yakuza 0 less than a month ago and already I'm up to 4. 0 is close to being my favourite with Kiwami 2 quite close, though dragon engine physics are wacky where as 0 is so tightly refined I would say it's the best. Oh and Yakuza 3 combat can burn in hell, really detracted from the experience for me.
I loved Yakuza 3, but I loved it DESPITE the combat lol. I appreciate that it was still early in the series’ life, but man it was so rough and tedious that it was just barely bearable for me.
Just got this game yesterday 😂 freaking awesome starting to play all the Yakuza game this summer just bought them all on my Xbox Series X 😊 only €4,99 on the Xbox store really worth your money
How do you feel about Yakuza 0 Dad? 💴💴💴
New to this series and love it so far 😊
The final boss fights were amazing with how (we as the players experience) these men became (/becoming) legends. Kiryu will always be my favorite main character but Majima's story hit me the hardest with his decision at the end. I'm glad you shared your journey through Yakuza, thanks Son.
Its easily the best one
I literally just beat this game last week I didn't enjoy the mini games like I do in other games tho son. Glad disco never came back in style and I always got ghosted in the telephone club. Enjoyed the story and I got slightly more use out of breaker than ya but I also didn't enjoy it very much.
@@Kris-wo4pj i think the hostess club is a lot of fun and kiryus business battle is great to maybe its 1st game syndrome but I still think its the best only rivaled by 7 for me
The saddest part of 0 was always showing how Majima went from who he was to the unhinged one we know and love. Yes I love the crazy Majima but there's something sad about watching who he was and who he became. It's like watching a sane man realizing the only way to survive an insane world is to become insane himself.
And the side mission of Majima helping the little girl was always a favorite of mine in a series full of great side missions.
It is quite sad to see how in 0, Majima's Mad Dog persona was a mask to cope with the mad world of a yakuza but by the time we see him in Yakuza Kiwami 1, he became the mask with hints of the original Majima from 0 popping up every now and then.
It does make it pretty heartwarming that he starts letting his Mad Dog persona slip off in games past 2 onwards where his calmer side shows up more and more while still maintaining that persona. I like to think his reunion with Makoto in Kiwami 2 and seeing her live happily reaffirmed to him that his choices were not a mistake and along with having Saejima post Yakuza 4, back it made him more at peace with himself which led to him being saner again.
For me he chooses to behave like that. It's not like he went mad for what I understood playing.
@@ViniZiello As WY puts is, the sad part is knowing he's doing it while being aware of it, rather than actually being crazy and not even aware. Making me wonder, if he had a choice between a more stable sane life, would he have taken it?
I would like to say that the Majima in 0 that we see is a Majima who has heavily restrained himself in order to be presentable to the general populace. He needed to be likable and have his club meet all the necessary quotas or else his chances of getting back into the Shimano family crumble to dust.
Whoever he really was back then has been pushed way down in order to meet what was expected of him.
This isn’t to say that Majima going “crazy” by the end is his real personality, but my case is that I don’t think we’ve ever seen his true self, and the fact that he’s never really gotten the chance to live genuinely is tragic.
It’s just my interpretation though. No matter which way you slice it, his story is sad.
@@rubyy.7374 Very interesting point actually. I saw his later years as him not being himself while you make a great point. In a sad way he always wore some mask because of his weird environment.
With this game, I went from not caring about the Yakuza series, to It being one of my favorite gaming franchises in over 35 years of gaming.
Geezer
I literally just played it for funny bakamitai and it was on an insane sale (only like $5) and now I own all the games on steam, apart from Judgment which I still have yet to get
That was Like A Dragon for me. Now I’m playing them all through in chronological order.
FACTS! I’m replaying 0 and Kiwami after I beat Kiwami 2 and started 3, sooooooo good!
Found randomly on a PS Sale and deep dived 😂
Yakuza 0 is an absolute masterpiece of a game. The story masterfully takes advantage of its status as a prequel, almost all the side quests are insanely memorable, the combat is fantastic, and the soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal.
When I hit that post-credits scene where Makoto's holding her repaired watch, I cried. I almost never cry when experiencing any story, and if a story can do that, that's how I know it truly affected me.
I started the series with 0, and it has now become one of my favorite games of all time.
I had this exact same experience. It was my first Yakuza game, and I get it.
I will still never get over Majima and Makoto. It still makes me cry whenever I think about Y0 and Kiwami 2.
I played through Kiwami 2 last week and was sobbing after playing Majima's Saga
I cried but still chuckled that she got the character treatment of "We're not sure what they're supposed to do next, so they will now move to America"
Immediate self edit for clarity: I know she can't exist in the other games since they were made before she came to be, therefore she really can't be done more with, BUT I just thought it was a little silly since she's not the first character to get done that way
Haven't played those 2 yet. Good work spoiling them.
This and Snake having to kill The Boss are the only two moments in videogames that have made me cry.
Breaker style is the single most broken style in the game - you can stunlock enemies super easily with some of those moves, and exploit them for tons of money from random encounters
Also Kiryu's styles are generally a lot better than Majima's. Beast is way bettwer than Slugger, hitting much harder and more effectively tanking damage
It's kinda useless against bosses and stronger/bulkier enemies though which I guess balances it out
Drunk Kiryu with a knife is the most broken in the game though.
Farming Mr. Shakedown is so easy, the kinfe heat action basically takes down an entire bar.
I legit sent Awano to the Majima Blender because of it and it was satisfying to do so on hard
@@cryguy0000honestly I hate beast it's great for weapons but after that it's not exactly useful unless you want to get hit and not go to the ground
I won’t lie, I’m a sucker for emotions in games, so that moment makoto met tachibana I cried so hard! 😭 it was ridiculous but such a great moment!
I cried too, you're not alone
I started the series with 0 last year and now I’m starting like a dragon. These games felt like they’d never end but now that I’m at the end it feels sort of melancholic.
I sadly couldn’t get into like a dragon, idk if it was yakuza burn out or the new combat but I just couldn’t enjoy it :( story seems good though from what I played.
It's not the end you still have Lost judgment and by the time you play It yakuza 8 news Will probably drop out
@@pocketcircuitfighter6291 I played the judgment series already. Good games but I like the bombastic nature and political roller coaster of the mainline yakuza games. Judgment has them too but I guess for me at least Yakuza has more grit.
Welp 8 got announced with a kiryu spin off. Crazy how the main character of the series gets a spin off. And a remake of ishin. After binging these games I can say that they are getting my money for sure
@@q-tipps3854 We Yakuza fans are getting spoiled and eating well. I have no idea how RGG put out so many games while maintaining such a high level of quality
Correction about something you said: The seperate styles was introduced in the two samurai spin-offs that came out before 0, Kenzan and Ishin.
Thank you!
Really wish they would release the samurai spin offs in the west I think ghost of tsushima proved it would be popular esp since all the yakuza other spin offs are also popular.
@@Kris-wo4pj no, they really wouldn't. I've played Kenzan! and I can assure you that it would tank the Yakuza series' reputation here in the west. It's one of my favourite Yakuza games, but toes along the historical accuracy of 1600s prostitution and pre-modern red-light districts more than people would like.
People are too soft for this game, it would demand they make some rational criticisms of Ancient Japanese approaches to sex culture. I wish Ishin! and Kenzan! got releases but they won't because western audiences find sex terrifying, and the rape of children to be an evil beyond evils. Japan's modern approach to pedophilia is still far too relaxed for western tastes. After people freaked out that Saejima leered over Haruka for a few seconds in Y3, think about how people would freak out about this scene from Kenzan!...
An elderly man takes Haruka, who has already sold herself to an ageya (definitely a brothel, but that has many non-sexual services, kind of like hostess clubs in other games) and the implication is he is taking a ten year old girl to rape. The ageya burns to the ground before this point, but he specifically states that grown women are not attractive to him and tells all the adult women to leave the room, whilst almost carrying Haruka off the floor like a toddler... to go rape her.
@@AdamOwenBrowning so you're saying the game websites would freak out but it would still sell well cuz no one cares what those websites think. Also yes pedos are evil beyond evil but they existed. Most people aren't going to hate the devs for showing shit that's historically accurate. The ones that due are the people that don't play it. People also got over the that scene in yakuza 3. It's uncomfortable but makes sense it happened and shows that sajima despite being in prison for so long and supposedly killing 15 people is still a moral good person. Cuz killing 15 gang members is meh but sexually assaulting a child is evil. Japan does need to get better at dealing with sex crimes esp their pedo issue but it's a game that'll be rated m the rest of them. I don't see an issue.
Also Japan can't handle western tropes that are considered childish in the west. The west isn't soft for thinking pedos are evil. This weird need to say everyone in the west is soft now is fucking stupid.
@@Kris-wo4pj Unironically yes, killing 15 gang members is more acceptable in our culture than raping a child. No, I am not saying that rag "gaming journos" would tank the series' reputation - I am saying that it is too graphic for the modern mainstream fan. They are OK with watching violence, but not sex between an old man and a ten year old.
No, people didn't get over "that scene in Y3" that's why we both know exactly what we're talking about and that people got pissy about it, over 10 years later, without even needing to name it. Yes, people are too soft for Kenzan! and if you aren't offended by its themes, emulate it alongside me.
Pedophilia is simply not depicted in video games - just as we don't commit pedophilia into film. Violence, sure. Gang violence, sure. Multiple murders around gang violence, yes. Pedophilia, no.
I loved how Majima’s storyline was handled. It really gave me a new appreciation for the character.
This video is going straight on the fridge, son. Proud of you.
Whoever came up with the blind girl character is a genius. It's such an intensely vulnerable character. It instantly breaks your heart, when he's in there all jacked up and ready to murder, and this frail looking innocent girl comes in, thinking that you must just be a customer.
Majima's Breaker style is best when it's practically broken: in small spaces with lots of items. Majima's legs kick the objects around, dealing lots of damage to enemies in a single move. That first "Makoto" boss fight in the clinic is one of those places. You can kick all the objects around the room with the leg-spinning move and it's so small that you're essentially a blender Lee can't escape.
There are so many things in Zero that I love. Kuze is a big part of that, the story and soundtrack make this game a MASTERPIECE.
Subscribed for the "Hey Dad" gag lol. Also you have a really solid presenting voice and style
I'm always impressed with how much work you put into your videos. Well done!
The story just rips my heart and it's literally the start for Kiryu and Majima. I literally started playing because in kiwami I loved Majima's madness and he was playable in zero. Now that I know why he's the mad dog.. it just hurts my heart.
i recently found your channel with your retrospective on Silent Hill. I have played most, but not all of the Silent Hill games. I follow several gaming channels that cover games from a historical or design perspective, some from a gameplay perspective and some analyse the symbolism of the writing. I subscribed to your channel because your videos are amazing. So well crafted. Well thought out and smooth writing, steading pacing with nice editing that tells the narrative but doesn't bamboozle us with a thousand clips just because they are impressive. I have also watched your Fable (which I almost got back in the day) and Yakuza (which I didn't follow) Even though I have played neither, these pieces have been fascinating, taking us through the clever game design and well-written stories. Keep up the stunning work.
My friend would tell me to play yakuza 0 for literally 2 years and one day I finally downloaded it on gamepass and was hooked from the first mission. But I had no idea how much I’d fall in love with this game. I have so many memorable moments 100%ing this that I went on to 100% Kiwami and Kiwami 2. My favorite moment was the last cigarette scene.
I am so sorry you had to go through mahjong in all of those
@@AutumnRivers it was confusing at first but it’s not that bad once you sit down and learn it lol
Just caught up on the series, then you drop this right on time! Thanks son 💖
you're welcome Dad
The funny thing is, I started Yakuza on number 6. Found it for sale in a Target for $10 and had always heard good things.
I played 7 first, just finished 0 and am starting Kiwami
That's so funny
My entry point into the series and still my favorite, though Judgment is a close second. I was hooked the moment Kiryu drop kicked that geezer out the toilet window. It's funny to look back as well and see all these characters from the first Yakuza pop up in it, because at the time, I thought they were series mainstays. Imagine my surprise after playing Kiwami for the first time afterwards.
I'm still making my way through 0 for the first time in my plan to play through the whole series and probably not even half way through, it might be in my top 5 all time favorite games. What an amazing ride.
Im literally on the same journey as u bruh I just finished yakuza 0 and I started it about 2 months ago now I got the rest of the games to go wanted to start from the start of the game timeline and man it only gets better
It's interesting seeing someone around maybe half way or whatever through already putting it in their top 5. The game gets so much better as it keeps progressing. I was reduced to tears at one point.
I haven’t been able to watch your content in a little while considering I’m only partway through Kiwami at the moment, so I’m excited to finally catch a new video of yours! And of course I’ll watch the rest of the series as I continue through the games.
Great retrospect son! But there is one thing I'd like to talk about the Arakure Quest 3 substory and how it is a direct reference to Dragon Quest 3 which released the same year(1988) it's also the reason game releases in Japan are regulated to weekends due to so many people call sick to get the game. but still good going and can't wait for the next time on Yakuza 6
Like many other fans of the series, this game was my first and I have so many great memories with it back in 2017. I was in a Gamestop on Memorial Day that year and it was on sale for $20. I knew about the series and never tried it, but for that price I was willing to give it a shot. Ended up putting near 100 hours into it over 2 playthroughs and loved every minute. It amazed me how much care and quality was put into basically every system, the presentation, and story as a whole. Majima is such a great character in the game, and while he's not my favorite in the other games per se, I do see him in a different light considering what he went through that turned him into who he is. I'd put this up there with Metal Gear Solid 3 as a prequel that outshines all of its sequels.
That you for this clear breakdown of this wild complex story. I needed a refresher on what happened and this was perfect
Your video output is insane man seriously appreciate all the hard work you put into these can't wait to see your 6 and 7 vids!
39:30 "our heat actions take off huge chunks of his health" - shows clip of a heat action barely damaging the guy at all
I could literally listen to Try to Have Some Fun for Me on loop for hours.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the side story from 0 that includes a young version of the main enemy from 2
Especially with Majima referencing it in two ("if you don't watch out he'll steal the pants right off ya")
I will say about the difficulty: for my first Yakuza game and playing it on hard, it was a decent challenge that eased up as I learned the combat system.
I'd probably be raging if I started with something like Y3.
I have watched every single yakuza retrospective. Even though I have experienced the stories first hand it never fails to make me tear up watching the videos
I like how they even went far enough to give explanation and symbolism to the colors of the suits Kiryu wears throughout the game
The unique toss and turns of this game are magnetic. I wasn't able to play through it myself, which brought me to this video, but man, I can not wait to jump into the series from here.
The whole Yakuza series is great, but 0 is on its own league.
Even if you dont want to get into a franchise, Yakuza 0 is a game everybody *has* to play.
Thank you for another excellent video. I'm surprised you didn't include the 4th fighting styles for both characters in the video, apart from that it's super inclusive and a great retrospective of this wonderful game. Keep em coming son.
To be fair the 4th styles kinda suck in the game. Like they feel like a novelty at best and outright unfinished at worst.
From what i remember majima's is really good. Super fast unblockable attacks. I remember basically exclusively using it once i unlocked it.
@@unnamed_protagonist same. Dragon style for kiryu is only good in the fact that you can limit break it to a broken level, but majimas mad dog move set is at least as good as his other 3
I have never cried while playing video games before Yakuza. Then I played kiwami, 0, and onward. I still think about some of the things that broke my heart. Rikiya hit me the hardest though, because, I really just.. didn't see it coming
I don’t care if this video is a year old and I’ve probably watched it 3-4x. This story is so f’n good.
1:22:39 MAJIMA NOW........ SHIRTLESS!!!!!!!!!!!
New video from my favorite son, so proud of you boy!
39:30 "our heat action take off huge chunks of his health"
*Video in the background of a heat actiong taking a molecular amount of health*
This is the one...(or zero I guess?) I've been waiting for. It's the only game I've played through in the series.
The rest of your videos on this series are on the backlog to be watched when I finally complete each game.
I just started the Yakuza series. Just finished this one. Damn why did I wait so long??!!
How did I just find you?? Thank you for your long videos!
Love ur work attitude, son. U really always do some consistant good work. Iam proud of u.
fun fact: breaker is the most broken fighting style for majima and is used in the speedrun a lot especially against bosses
One of the things I enjoyed about yakuza 0 was the three lieutenants you had to fight and how the three try to play to their strengths. Kuze being the brute, wanting to solve issues through violence. Awano using charisma to negotiate his way through things, willing to bribe and coerce his way through things. And then Shibusawa using his tactics to play a game of 5D chess against everyone. It shows you how they became the patriarchs and lieutenants of the dojima family without straight up dropping everything onto you through exposition dumps. How there are always multiple ways to solve every problem and tests Kiryu's will against each. I also makes you question Dojima since he has to be better than all three of them combined.
I call bs on the majima wasn't made for a relationship. He's totally got that whole bromance thing with kiryu.
My favourite sub stories are the mushroom dealer, the old woman for majima (who also became one of the top hostesses), and the purse phone.
Let's gooooo I've been so excited for this one! commenting for algorithm now, then jumping in
Hey son, you say this game is easy, but as this is my first Yakuza game, I am actually having a fair amount of challenge for it. Being that it's the new 'entry' into the series, I'm thankful for that. Having watched your other Yakuza retrospectives, I know that the later games (chronologically) get more challenging, so I appreciate the chance to learn, instead of this entry acting like the player already is a very experienced yakuza player.
Oda is Tachibana's right-hand man.
WELL, He certainly needs one.
I'm glad I found your channel. Lotta great vids bud. Very proud and grateful of your work. Looking forward to the Yakuza like a dragon vid
This is off topic but the thought crossed my mind. I find it a little funny that the Yakuza series was supposed to end with 6 and then loop with 0 to make a complete story. Then Judgement dropped and basically the devs were like "shit, if this is going to make money in the west, might as well keep going" and the rest is history.
0 isn't the first time separate styles appears in the games. It first appears in Yakuza Ishin with hand-to-hand, sword, pistol and wild dance style.
Yakuza 0 was the first I played. And I always go to visit the empty lot in games after that. It feels like a holy place somehow
I remember playing 0 when it was on discount a few months ago, and I gotta say its one of my favorite yakuza games in the series, we got to see the best of both worlds between kiryu and majima
Ah nice, been looking forward to this one.
Ive been a fan of the yakuza series since 3, seeing how 0 made it an overnight success in the west always makes me happy ☺️
Majima has been my favorite character throughout the series😍. It's awesome that they gave him a bigger role in Yakuza 0 rather than coming in and out in the previous entries.
Problem is they kinda made a better version of Majima, and the "original" now just has me longing for how he was in Yakuza 0.
TFW when you didn’t realize you had a son, and that he has a YT channel covering your favorite games.
Finished this game today and I’m so excited to play the rest of the franchise because of how good it was!
I never though binging a retrospective on a series would get much better than another video on the series released as your binging the other videos.
The prequel that saved an entire series! I will always have a deep love for this game!
The Shibusawa OST that plays when you face him, dayum it gave me goosebumps
God damn, I spent so much time doing that cabaret mini-game. It was so fun and it made me so much money.
Thank you son you have made my day this is my favorite game in the franchise
Yeah, Zero was my introduction to Yakuza. I picked it up on a sale when Kiwami 2 was coming out based on a friend's suggestion. I've been in love ever since.
It is weird to hear "... then this story thing happened, then this story thing, then this" when the real experience is "this happened in the story & then I went and crushed some kids at toy cars"
Real estate sold me on the yakuza as a whole
I have my issues with 0, but, i am forever grateful for it for single handedly saving Yakuza getting released in The West.
WHOOOOOOO IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG
I finally beat this 2 days ago, thank you son. Proud of you.
You know. Despite being called Yakuza in the west, you never actually play as one in the series. Except for a couple of chapters as Kiryu in 0, and Majima in Dead Souls. Other than that, the characters aren't yakuza
Kyriu is in kamurocho*
YourFavoriteSon: I will talk about it in the distractions section
Another flawless video, son.
I accidentally bought y6 first before any other game and played it a little bit. I love karaoke and tried tonight. I loved it so I bought zero. Seeing judgement, knowing the story that ends in 6 especially with regards to nishiki hits so hard. His sworn brother was so good in 0 it hurt knowing his spiral and tonight is about kiryu regretting he wasn't there to help nishiki
The Kuze sewer boss fight music is one of my favorite tracks in the entire series.
I think it’s called “Demon’s Pledge”
Just completed. Oh my god. What a masterpiece.
I really love your Silent Hill retrospective and now here in Yakuza franchise, I hope you will do Ezrio Trilogy and maybe Sleeping Dogs too.
Sleeping Dogs... yeeeeesssss!
I don't even have to watch this video to state my opinion: regardless of shat your opinion on the game as a whole is, son, this is the game your father played when he was abandoned by his own father and was forced to barely scrape by in whatever apartment would accept him, his sister's, and his aging cat. I would come home after working a 12hr shift to lay on my wornout mattress in the living room, hungry, and get absorbed into this game. Something about the characters, and this larger than life Yakuza member finding time between the occupational drama to race toy cars and sing karaoke, who rigidly stands for his own moral code and allegiances, resonated with me.
It comes as no surprise that towards the end of the game, I had to play it in the dead of night so nobody could see me cry. Yakuza, and 0 especially, is the perfect example of video games as an artistic medium and how a good story can elevate an otherwise mundane game into something that transcends into a human experience. Because after all, we are all "Bad Boys".
I've been waiting for this
Yakuza 0 is the reason I even knew the Yakuza franchise exists.
1:28:16 then actually get some more health. That's gotta be the wimpiest health bar in Yakuza 0 I've ever seen for the final fight.
Never played more than 30 min of any yakuza games but I like your videos. Although I want another Horror game or other Similar Silent Hill-esque video in the future.
Thank you, son. You reminded me of how Majima is such a Good Boi.
i cant believe how much i took this game for granted. I really wish I took my time with it rather then rushing through its story
Somewhat off topic. When Nishki died in Kiwami 1 I honestly didn't think he was actually dead, cause I remember someone playing yakuza 6 a while ago and I could have sworn I'd seen Nishki in that game, so his death didn't hit me as it should have
I really wanted him to have super powers when he cut all the power for 10 seconds
the reason that Kiryu was being horny on main during a SEGA cafe quest is because the cafe staff was modelled after and voiced by Japanese adult video stars. The in-game collectible telephone card acts as a cheeky way to introduce you to actors that voiced npc in the game.
Some male characters (Mr. Shakedowns, three lieutenants of Dojima family for example) are also modelled after their voice actor.
Haven’t been playing games in this series for long to tell how many times has RGG studio has casted actors in real life to play as themselves in game but it just made the game world feel much, much more real and alive.
Majima haven't said anything to her because he was scared she'd recognize him through his voice...
Wow this episode of Sonny Boy anime is lit!
This game is for real one of the best of the series. I Loved to play as Majima, his first cutscene is one of the absolute peak of the entire serie, and his character evolution, though being a sad story, is also very interesting and well crafted.
SPOILER ALERT: I love how they made the player doubt about Tachibana (when they show you that he has "that" tattoo) and keept us conflicted for a lot of play hours. Also the whole ending and all the Nishiki moments ore pure gold, I played this game after Kiwami 1, K2, 3, 4, 5, but I suppose that playing K1 after 0 would give a lot more emphasis to the Nishiki plot.
1:50:51 it's also available to Kiryu aswell.
Just the shop itself and repairs. Only Majima can do the equipment searches
You gonna do Like a Dragon, boy? It's my favorite on tbqh
You know it
Thank you son, this will help me recover from covid.
Lol it’s easier than a common cold you will be fine
@@omensoffate I wish, I haven’t been able to keep down food or water for almost 2 days, I throw up the medicine I’m given, plus I can’t sleep more than about 30 minutes at a time without waking up for multiple hours
@@omensoffate maybe for some people lol
@@hellversity251 that’s not Covid then bud
@@omensoffate it is, just some people get it worse than others sadly
Oh yeah... Now I remember why I told myself to subscribe to this channel
I only finished Yakuza 0 less than a month ago and already I'm up to 4. 0 is close to being my favourite with Kiwami 2 quite close, though dragon engine physics are wacky where as 0 is so tightly refined I would say it's the best. Oh and Yakuza 3 combat can burn in hell, really detracted from the experience for me.
I loved Yakuza 3, but I loved it DESPITE the combat lol. I appreciate that it was still early in the series’ life, but man it was so rough and tedious that it was just barely bearable for me.
For the final boss, I would call his final fighting style is a version of kiryu dragon of dojima fighting style instead of a version of brawler style
Can’t believe I just watched seven episodes of a game review I’ve never played let alone heard of. Great job on this series!
Brother did not listen to Bacchus’ advice at the start💀(Should’ve invested in himself)
Just got this game yesterday 😂 freaking awesome starting to play all the Yakuza game this summer just bought them all on my Xbox Series X 😊 only €4,99 on the Xbox store really worth your money