@Pason Jayne Not trying to start a flamewar or anything but if you think The Grinch on PS1 is better than Cat in The Hat on Xbox, PS2 and PC (not the GBA version ew) then you're just wrong :\
@@wulf2863 A shame that Cory in The House never got a good game, I understand your love for the DS game but you have to realize it's garbage bro /: Maybe it's better they don't make a game because the final 2 seasons where pretty bad, maybe just focusing on season's 2-4 like the DS game did would be better.
I love how the ending is just ... "NUMBER ONE... I already made 5 hours of content about it, go watch that. But yeah its a good game." Perfect way to understate the magnitude of this hit 👍
Yakuza 4's biggest problem is all the fucking betrayals it pulls out at the end. I love me some chronic backstabbing syndrome but it just got ridiculous. Also characters surviving things they had no business surviving. I don't care about rubber bullets in Saejima's backstory, that was foreshadowed, but it was overused solely for the purpose of making dramatic death scenes only to say that they were alive all along, which doesn't happen nearly as much before or since. If we see a character get shot on screen and have a dramatic death scene, they are dead. Oh also certain enemies are super grab happy and that can get annoying
I hate the rubber bullet twist because of how easily it can be seen through. Katsuragi did jackshit in tampering with the scene of the crime which allowed Munakata to easily debunk it. The final boss exists because Katsuragi was too busy sniffing his own farts.
@@randomduck8679 Yes but that's the point. The point is that it's a shabby ass cover up. That is EXACTLY WHY the plot happens. Because Katsuragi DIDN'T do his due diligence in the cover up and Munakata figured out the blatantly obvious contradictions. It's easy to see through because it's SUPPOSED to be and it is directly pointed out in the story
Katsuragi and Sugiuchi were too young and too ambitious back in 1985, so of course their plan would be filled with holes. That's the entire point of their plan, that the only reason the plan worked at the time was because of Munakata.
Am i the only one who thinks that 6 is amazing. I recently completed them all and i love the ending to 6, textbook Kiryu imo, suffers so others can be happy. My top 3 - 0,6,5
@@vreeaxz6966 Yakuza 3 was great for me bc I actually had to think and experiment with my combos other than just square square square triangle triangle all the time
DISCLAIMER- Lost Paradise’s story isn’t a complete piece of crap, I was being a bit harsh for dramatic effect. It has it’s issues but there is still some stuff that made the source material dope
Watching this now with 7, the Ishin remake, and Lost Judgement, the improvements the team has made is incredible to the series. So, SO excited for 8 and Gaiden.
It's surprising how much the same my sentiment is to yours. I think their best stretch of games was 5-Ishin-0. The level of polish with those 3 titles is insane. Loved all 3 of them. And while the Dragon Engine stumbled, with the upcoming release of 7, I believe it'll be on its peak form
Great list mate, we pretty much share the same ranking only I'll personally switch out 2 and 4. Even years later 2 still holds up as one of the best games in the franchise with my favourite story in the series.
i recently finished 6, and honestly i agree with the position you put it in, i feel like it was a fun game and the story was interesting, but what ruined it for me was the abrupt ending, it just felt rushed, like the last level wasnt meant to be the last, so many questions and storylines just thrown out the window
I don't know what's Kenzan exactly but I'm slightly interested in playing/trying Dead Souls but I'm not American (nor japanese) so I can't find it anywhere
@@Chillwave6 Kenzan is a yakuza game but as a samurai. You play as Miyamoto Musashi (modeled after Kiryu) who was a real life person. No idea how historically accurate it is but I think it has a fan translation.
Thanks for the review. I jumped into 0 thanks to the Baka Mitai meme, and dang 60 hours deep and this game's got me hooked. Good to know Kiwami and Kiwami 2 are not quite there, so I will take a break from the series before jumping into it. Wishing for more of the series to come to PC, it's an absolute treat.
ya know. i still think a yakuza game set in a zombie apocalypse can work. just make kiryu immune and have him manhandle the zombies. there are zombie beat-em-ups.
Personally I think Kiwami 2 was waayyy better then kiwami 1 but that's just me also I think Yakuza 6 deserved to be a bit higher on the list, other then that though great list 👍
Besides the start of 2, it kind of felt like you were going from place to place, like a delivery man. I love kiwami 1 beggining and the whole story around Kazama and Shimano. But overall, i enjoyed Kiwami 2 alot more, specially gameplay wise, it felt alot smother.
Kiwami 1 was good but reused wayyy too much from yakuza 0 and was a like a 10 hour experience or something short like that Majima everywhere was a great idea tho
Yakuza 0 was the first Yakuza game i had. It had so much content and awesome story that don't feel bland. Though i kinda wish the combat would be on the level of Yakuza Kiwami. I understand that 0 is where Kiryu began to have his legend style, but Kiwami's combat is much more fun.
Lol I'm on Kiwami 2 at the moment. Slowly working my way through the series but they are a completionist nightmare. So much stuff to do and some of the minigames can be tough as nails. I still love it though
@@theoarguellopaz1454 I actually got sidetracked with Skyrim SE because I decided to buy it on a whim to replay since I hadn't played Skyrim in years. I'm gonna 100% Skyrim first before going back to K2. Good luck with Y0, it's one of my favorite games of all time but completing it takes ages. Worth it though!
@@DavidHosey1 I literally just beat 6. My rank: 1. 0 (Reminds me of Halo 2 but much better. Kiryu and Majima are fun and great to use. Never got bored. And the villains are easy to remember because they're so good 2. 5 (Taiga's story was boring but Kiryu, Akiyama, Shinado and Haruka's stories made up for it. Especially the final chapter 3. 6 (Had me scared something bad happens to Kiryu the whole time due to a spoiler but was happy I watched all the end credits. Great story all around and great ending. Dragon engine is sometimes annoying. Hate the ragdolling.) 4. Kiwami 2 (Good story, good antagonist, good everything. Sometimes annoyed with the dragon engine) 5. 4 (Good story and character development. Almost was my #3 or #2 until I played 5 and 6) 6. Kiwami (Great to me. My first Yakuza game. I like running smashing heads through the Tojo Headquarters and the soundtrack. It's the reasons I enjoy the rest of the series 7. 3 (Great game and made me cry the most. Might be the "weakest" of the series but still amazing. Compared to the rest im the seriesit's a 7.8/10. Compared to most modern games a 10/10.)
I disagree with the Yakuza 5 story complaint. The whole thing, start to end, is fantastic imo minus that stopover in the mountains where Saejima learns to hunt while Baba bleeds out or whatever. It is absolutely incredible and it uses suspense and intrigue perfectly, it perfects what 4 tried and failed to do and in that regard its even better than 0 and Judgement, which are no slouches
I think the problem with 5's story isn't necessarily the tone but rather that the events in the story itself don't make a lot of sense. For example, whatever the hell happened to Morinaga? He's built up as a big villain at the end of Kiryu's part and even gets his own unique boss moveset, and then just disappears from the story entirely and never returns. It gets even more confusing when Aizawa was desperately searching for him and nearly died in the process, but we eventually learn that he actually just killed him? Why was he looking for someone he killed? And why did he even kill him, they were working for the same guy?
My two favorites are 0 and Kiwami 2. Both had great stories, great antagonists, lots of stuff to do and both were pivotal moments that shaped Kiryu’s motivations and solidified his Dragon status. My least favorite has been 5. Too much was going on, and it was such a slog that I blew off all the side missions to just get it over with.
That’s how I felt about kiwami 2. I even hit on easy mode whenever they asked cos the game sucked so much and was pretty much a drag. Why is kiwami 2 your favourite, I’m intrigued why you think this
@@roshaanreddy8107 I guess cause Ryuji was that cool and people liked Kaoru and Kiryu together. I hate how every twist but one is basically confirmed before it's revealed.
We should get a Kenzan and Ishin Remastered pack for the PS5 in America like they did with Yakuza 1 & 2 HD in Japan. Still wish that came out in America but I'm playing it anyway...
Yakuza 3's boss fights don't get good until Joji I think. All of the bosses before Joji sucks, but then you get Joji, Mine, and Andre. That makes up for the bad fights to that point.
Game completely missed the appealing factor of the combat. Playing again with the gf right now and it's just crazy how the boss battles aren't that interesting, but instead are drawn out by intense blocking and little stagger.
Lau Ka Long was awful in Y3. It was just block, get staggered then stunlocked into oblivion. Its a shame the combat was so flawed because the story was fantastic, but yeah the combat really lets it down in my eyes
Dead Souls is quite a good game despite being strange since Ryu Ga Gotoku Series is about fighting but it still one of my favorite for PS3 game besides Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 and 5. But every Ryu Ga Gotoku series has it's own charm with their Spin-off game so it depends on people preferences
The narrative of Yakuza 5 was too slow at the beginning which make me decided to watch recap instead. Now I regret it because the twist is soooo awesome.
Nope mine too! Loved everything about it, the story was great, Ryuji was a phenomenal villain, the combat feels incredible and the amount of side content is insane. Plus be my baby is probably my favourite side quest ever, I've never laughed so hard at a gamd
these games showed up on gamepass and i randomly decided to download kiwami first cuz the reviews for 0 were way higher and im so glad i did, i am going to play thru 1-6 before i start 0 and buy like a dragon so i can truly appreciate the series in "release" order. I am so excited
@@stackattack5678 0 is a prequel tho, it was made after the other games, normally watching a prequel before seeing the original movie does not add much to it overall. +kiwami is not as good as 0, id rather not play the best game in the series first cuz the rest will be more tedious and less exciting after that.
@@2live4u95 without playing 0 i wouldnt give a shit about half of the characters in kiwami at all it might be a remake of a ps2 game but they didnt really try to make the game stand on its own but i do like the combat better than 0 im on kiwami 2 at the moment and not really liking the combat but i am excited for 4 and 5
Funnily enough, Yakuza 3 felt more like a finale than Yakuza 6. It's the game where Kiryu fights arguably his strongest opponents (Mine and Joji and maybeeee Andre), and it's the game where Kiryu finally comes to terms with Kazama's death and leaving the Tojo Clan.
I don’t think Andre is up there with Mine After his fight with Mine Kiryu wasn’t even able to stand Compare that to every other final boss the only ones he was exhausted after were ones where he had previous injuries to deal with (like aizawa)
@Basedlander so? He fought the entire jingweon mafia, then Ryuji, then fought Terada, got shot twice, then had to fight Ryuji again, or Aizawa where he was on the verge of passing out from blood loss most of the fight then he passed out after it Mine was the only boss that left Kiryu unable to fight after their fight that Kiryu didn’t have a major injury before fighting
I'm reading the captions. "Four massive side quests that are each fun to progress through" shows up as "for massive side quests that are each fun tube aggressive"
FLUX I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I have played the demo for Yakuza 7 and it was really fun. I have not played the full game yet. I’m waiting for an English release this time given that it’s a turn based RPG
Good video. I’m currently playing Kawami 2 and I made the mistake of starting off with Kawami 1 then played Yakuza 0 so my storyline is all over the place I was only able to play these games because of the Game Pass on the Xbox one I wish I could play the other games but there are no more on the game pass 😔
for me Y0 is best game ever i got nerly 200hours spend in game good list but i would have swap 6 with 2 but basicly its in the same tier its ok. i kind dont like this new flashy engine of combat system its so anoying. + im happy that u choose Joji Fuma/Kazama theme song for Y3 intruduction ♥
Idk if you know but a korohyou 2 (have i written that right?) Fan translation (which is way better than the fan translation of the first ) is in the works it seems even tho we do not get an official one we get a fan translation somewhere next year
Y6 is slept on. It’s Kiryu’s swan song. And the family theme fits into the overarching story. The only reason people don’t like it is because of the new dragon engine. It dropped frames a lot of times. Kiwami 2 is the same engine, just refined.
I feel like xbox's release of the Yakuza games screwed me up, starting with zero only yo know its downhill from there kinda sucks. But still I played both zero and kiwami and cant wait for kiwami 2
It's not really downhill if you started with 0, but rather a roller coaster ride, lmao. Kiwami 1 and 2 are fantastic, but Y3 will be a complete nose dive in quality. Not a bad game at all, but being the third game in the series, it's ultra unrefined compared with the newer games. But things really pick back up with 4 and 5 with its multiple playable characters. Having Kiryu and Majima playable in 0 was cool, but now you got 4 playable characters.
You know why i think 0,5 and probably ishin (have not played it cuz you know still waiting for a remaster) are the best games? Because not only theese games are great but the engine they used smh works completly fluid on my crappy old laptop and i mean if this is not an accomplishment idk anymore
Yakuza 5: "Four sidequests, that are each fun to progress through..." *Me thinking back to Saejima slowly walking through the snow. Going prone. Taking aim. Taking a shot. Going to the animal. Collecting the stuff. Going back. Selling it. Going onto the mountain again. And repeat.* *Me then thinking back to Kiryu racing the same 3 tracks 12 times, with the only strategy involved being to save the Y moves until last round.* *Me then thinking about several hours of samey rhythm games with Haruka.* "... Rich story..." *Me thinking back to the game barely even touching the main story after 30 hours, because of all the damn side content and filler.* I can see that you're a fan of the "more is more" motto.
Nah the sidequest stuff isn't for everyone, which is why you can skip it. But the story is legitimately rich as hell and more well written than most any others, with barely any filler forced onto you. Not "more is more," but more quality is more and better quality for the game
@@DavidHosey1 ... Really? Which part of the main story touched you the most? I will be honest, I was kinda unimpressed by virtually all of it. Kiryu finishes his storyline, a new villain reveals himself and then you never see him again for 10-30 hours of gameplay. By the time he's back, you're like "... who? Oh right, that guy." And this "...who?" problem has spread to basically all the villains. The stories are already really short, because it had to be split into four parts, but the villains in them don't even show up until the last bit. So when you're confronting them, it's really lackluster. And this rushed tone hits basically every part of the game. By the end of Tatsuo's story, the people who betrayed him and played a major part in the story... just turn themselves in and disappear from the story completely. And then get replaced by Daigo who *happened* to go to the same school with Tatsuo and also has some allegedly deep connection with him, that the writers just completely pulled right out of their-... 'idea box'. I could go on, but seriously, what about the story did you like?
@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel I can’t really agree for your thoughts on the villains and overall pacing. The parts themselves are already very meaty, with about 20 hours or so per part if not per character if you mix in a few substories or side story things. That gives you more to an enough time to come to terms with people in the story. In Kiryu’s story, I found Morinaga, Aizawa, Yahata, the detective (Kurosawa), Watase, and the Yamagsa chairman to all be interesting and compelling, while all also clearly having hidden agendas that foreshadow greater involvement. My only problems were Aoyama and the chairman’s daughter being quick plot points more than characters (tho they were representative of other things for Kiryu’s saga so far so it makes sense) and Aizawa getting foreshadowing but being killed off (which was an already fishy off-screen death that was made clear later on (still one of the best final bosses ever imo)) Or for Saejima’s section, I don’t see anything that people really could criticize. Sure the 15 minutes of imagining the city with your cellmates is a drag, but everything else goes from tense to exciting to intriguing and doesn’t really let up. It continues Saejima’s character arc perfectly, as the game does for the other returning characters as well. It gives amazing levels to play, reveals other parts of the plot that are already starting to connect together, and make it clear that the detective is gonna be one of the main antagonists at the end of Saejima’s section. I know people complain about the hunting being slow, but you are only required to do about 1 mission and you’re done, so I never got that I could go on for the other 3 and the finale, but I think you get the point. The game relies on the mystery on a first run, which can be hit or miss for some based on what they personally pick up on. I can understand people having problems with parts of the plot concerning some like Aizawa, Majima, Kurosawa, Daigo, and some others if they don’t catch onto some of the mysteries themselves. But if you do, the game is a fun ride to discover for each character and the finale. Or on repeated runs you’ll be able to see how everything connects more easily, and start seeing what you once thought was a plothold as an actually logically answered thing. It makes the plot very cohesive, sensible, and enjoyable imo. And it’s because of the connections you make in the story, either through mystery solving or repeated runs, that all of the characters are parts are even more memorable and important. I’ve never had a problem keeping up with names, allegiances, factions, or betrayals in the series, but 5 was one of the easiest to keep track of purely due to how it all tying together makes it even more memorable As for certain plotlines being somewhat completed after a given character’s part, I think that’s kinda the point. Kiryu takes down one of the Tojo traitors, Saejima deals with freelance factions from Kurosawa, Haruka starts moving up and works with Akiyama to resolve Park’s legacy, and Shinada takes down the main people that wronged him. They all get their own arcs before going and finishing the arcs completely in the finale. It’s kinda like the arcs you have your characters go through in something like Mass Effect, and probably one of the best ways to tell stories that affect both plot and characters in full with meaningful development Oh and for that Daigo Shinada connection, I never saw any real problem with that. It’s reasonable to assume all of the people in any series (save Kiryu since we see basically all of his life story) have other people that are important in their lives even if we don’t see those connections directly. Take Yakuza 7, and how people in Nanba’s family are very important at certain points even tho they never actually appear iirc. So if the series uses that to tell meaningful Daigo development and show a civilian perspective of this story, then I’m definitely down for that. Shinada is a welcome addition that the game definitely benefits from story-wise TLDR: the stories of this series are top tier, tho this one benefits heavily from being observant, as doing so adds to the story immensely
@@DavidHosey1 "Benefits heavily from being observant", as if you had to be terrible observant for the story. The storyline who thought that we wouldn't recognize Daigo instantly, the moment he shows up in disguise and then play his reveal as if it would blow our minds. I think we just have very different tastes in what is a fulfilling story and good pacing. But in contrast, I would offer Yakuza 0, which actually does have a story that builds up, actually does take time to develop its villains and gives almost every semi-important character an arc to travel along. It kinda falls apart near the end, when it gets a bit too convoluted, but it's still far better than 5 in my opinion. Heck, even 4 was better. It also split its story in four, which was a mistake in my opinion, but at least the stories weren't completely segregated from another and continued the common, main plot line. Saejima's story in 5, on the other hand is basically: "He faffs around in prison, learns Majima is allegedly dead, faffs around some more, then spends 10 ingame hours on a mountain where the story just goes into a coma for a while, before going to the city in order to learn something, only to learn nothing." And then it ends! This is just not satisfying storytelling to me. Also, while you can skip sidecontent, that doesn't change that it was intended as a part of the full narrative. Someone thought that this would be a good thing to add, both narratively and gameplay wise. A boring, slugging sidegame with a storyline that just ends with "Saejima is a nice guy" again.
@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel I don't wanna come off as rude or anything but I really just don't get your points and think you're blowing difficulties with the story out of proportion and into failures on the plot itself The Daigo thing wasn't supposed to be the biggest reveal for us, it's just the drama playing up the scene that he's starting to reveal himself at all. Surprisingly enough I have friends who were observant and caught the Kurosawa and Aizawa twists way early but somehow didn't realize that was Daigo lmao. But nah, it wasn't parts of the story like that that I was talking about. Like I said, you have to be more observant to catch the foreshadowed twists early on your first time around, such as Aizawa, Kurosawa, Majima, etc. If you are in the actually needed instances, the story benefits greatly, both on first and repeated playthroughs. If not, then it's still good, but you yourself have to be content with not seeing the full picture. Not because of some fault on the story and game, but just cause you might've missed it I agree that 0 is one of the best stories in the medium, but where I'm confused is how it's convoluted. Like at all lol. I can understand 4, 5, or 7 if you don't pick up on foreshadowing, setups, and the like, but 0? All of the Yakuza games are relatively straight forward stories honestly, so I can't really call any of their main stories convoluted. But 0 is one of the most straight forward, even out of this series. Honestly if you got confused in 0's story idk what to say, cause while missing stuff in 5 is reasonable enough I don't see how anyone could in games like 0 or 1 lmao I think 4 is very well done as well, and yea it's nice how since it's all centered on Kamurocho you get tighter amounts of focus through the four parts. But again, I think you're kinda missing what actually happened in 5. He went to prison again as a response to the plot of 4, discovered conspiracies, was manipulated as a part of Kurosawa's plan through Baba and his people, escaped, developed alongside the enemy without realizing, uncovered more of the conspiracy than basically anyone else before the finale, and went off with Kurosawa to Kamurocho. That's a lot, especially considering you can relegate what Saejima did to just escape prison, go to Kamurocho, faff around looking for Sasai, faff around looking for Majima, and then it ends. Stories can be simplified, but it takes away the rather key and important details imo The side stories were never meant to be played in full alongside the main story as part of the official canon experience. That's why they're called side stories lol. Hence why they do less development for the corresponding characters and more give insight into how they're thinking and feeling instead. This is why you can easily choose to do about 5 minutes of taxi, 15 of hunting, and 15 of baseball throughout the entire game, and still get a complete and full experience when it comes the the development of the characters. They don't change by the end of their side stories (save for maybe Haruka since her side story is also her main story in a weird way) making it more of an immersive minigame exclusive to each character I think that we both have very similar ideas as to what makes a good story, just that we're unfortunately seeing the same thing from opposite points of view. Stories are the most important parts of most of my favorite games, so it's important they have a story that builds up, takes time to develop its villains and gives almost every semi-important character an arc to travel along. Yakuza is honestly one of the best stories that's done this, 5 included, but you just have to be able to view and follow along with it to really get the most out of it. I hope you can eventually, cause most of this series is some of the best storytelling you can get, which is great!
Maybe I should go back and replay Fist of the North Star. It really disappointed me and I found the combat system barebones as shit. Felt like i had seen everything there was to see of it after 4 hours in. Apparently i didn’t get far enough into it.
This is my list and it’s pretty similar to yours (I haven’t played Dead souls, the japanese exclusive games or the original Y1 and Y2): Least favourite: Yakuza 3 Yakuza 6 Yakuza Kiwami 2 Yakuza Kiwami Judgment Yakuza 4 Yakuza 0 Yakuza 5 (for me i practically love Y5 and Y0 equally but for me Y0 was a lot less balanced gameplay wise e.g you could farm money way too easily because of mr shakedown, beast was stupidly good for multiple enemies, Dragon style was utter garbage, etc)
Great Video! Since the Remaster Collection, im playing all Yakuza games again and rank them too. Im happy that you like Ishin so much. I still want to play this game but im still holding back because of the language. Also, finally someone loves Yakuza 5 like i am^^ But i have one thing to say: "In Yakuza 4, they DONT BLOCK AS MUCH AS IN YAKUZA 3?" Sry, i just was so shocked about that opinion, because i played it last week an i nearly killed myself, because of these fights xDD Especially the finale with Tanimura and his 10+ enemies + guns + knifes and what not. For me, it was the worst battle system^^
I’m happy that you enjoyed the video so much, as for that yakuza 4 thing. That finale with Tanimura is kind of the exception to the rule cause it’s an awful fight. The rest of the game tho, blocking isn’t an issue at least from what I played on the PS3. Planning on replaying it soon through the remaster
just started yakuza 0 like week ago. and been like a blast man. follow up with kiwami --" and i just finished it in 2 days like wtf why they kill almost everyone. does kiwami 2 really worth it?
I would say for me the list goes from best to worst: Yakuza 0, Kiwami 2 and 6 are tied, Yakuza 5, Yakuza 4, and Kiwami are tied. Haven't tried three, and I dont plan on ever trying it. Might play Yakuza 7 though.
Wow im confused by some of you guys. So far I've beaten yakuza 0, K1, k2, and am playing through 3 right now. Gotta say kiwami 2 was fucking excellent, much better than K1, though I still hold it and all of them in very high regard. Beside 1 story moment, majima constructions a bit boring, and the creepy real life model photoshoot minigame, K2 was damn near perfect.
"The daddy daycare shit is one of the best parts of Yakuza 3" "Doing nothing but spamming grabs and the tiger drop that you dont get until halfway through the game and will miss if you dont go to a random corner of the map that has nothing over there is good combat guys" "Yakuza 4 has good combat and the story wasn't THAT bad" "Yakuza 2 has good pacing" Did we play the same games?...
I don't agree with KIwami 1 having more soul than Kiwami 2, I feel like it has so little soul since it takes so much from the other games. Kiwami 2 has soul and adds more new things it just sucks ass what they add.
I'd definetely put 4 in 'good games that REALLY FUCKING upset me' tier. I mean, Akiyama's in it, Akiyama has mad fucking juggles in it, Akiyama is just vibing and swagging in it, and Saejima's there, and Saejima's great, such a good character, also Akiyama's there too, and that moment in the coliseum was so great, could have had Akiyama there but still it was pretty great, and then the Sugiuchi fight, just so good, I'm not a huge fan of Tanimura but still it was a really good, emotional moment, and also Akiyama's in this game, in case I didn't say it yet, but then... Then the finale happens... Oh my fucking god, that finale sucks so bad. Jesus christ. And almost all the villains are underdeveloped and/or nonsensical, like fuck how many times does Arai switch sides, he just forgot to have the crazy twist where he gets an actual compelling personality and proper motives, and then there's the fucking uuh Katsuragi, I forgot his name and had to look him up he's so damn boring, leads some fucking no-name uninteresting clan whose only significance should have been getting shot and killed by Saejima (but they don't get killed of course because ha ha rubber bullets) but Daigo and the Tojo still lick his balls for some fucking reason and while we're on that topic why is Daigo such a fucking pussy in this game, why is the Tojo so weak and pathetic, why the fuck does he betray Kiryu like that without any proper buildup, like if larger sections of the game were dedicated to his struggles maybe I'd buy it but this way it's practically character assassination, and just why, why is this game's finale like this, who the hell wrote this, oh my god, why? Akiyama's in it though so it's pretty alright.
@@imontheedgeofmyseat thanks, just wanted to mention ur review for yakuza 1 and 2 and the kiwami rant was really good I'm hoping u do more reviews soon
There's Yakuza 0 and then there's everything else. Amazing goddamn game.
Yakuza zero is crap.
@@doge2629 You're wrong, Skidmarks.
GTX 1050 Games & Benchmarks lol
teppolundgren skidmarks lmao
Best one is 5, but most fans never even got past 0 sadly
#1: Cat in The Hat on PS2
@Pason Jayne Not trying to start a flamewar or anything but if you think The Grinch on PS1 is better than Cat in The Hat on Xbox, PS2 and PC (not the GBA version ew) then you're just wrong :\
Nah, cory in the house on ds was the best
@@wulf2863 A shame that Cory in The House never got a good game, I understand your love for the DS game but you have to realize it's garbage bro /:
Maybe it's better they don't make a game because the final 2 seasons where pretty bad, maybe just focusing on season's 2-4 like the DS game did would be better.
Digimon Ruble Arena 2 on ps1 . Gangsta game
Does cat in the hat on ps2 have the tiger drop? Let me rephrase. Should the cat in the hat on ps2 have the tiger drop?
I love how the ending is just ... "NUMBER ONE... I already made 5 hours of content about it, go watch that. But yeah its a good game." Perfect way to understate the magnitude of this hit 👍
Yakuza 4's biggest problem is all the fucking betrayals it pulls out at the end. I love me some chronic backstabbing syndrome but it just got ridiculous. Also characters surviving things they had no business surviving. I don't care about rubber bullets in Saejima's backstory, that was foreshadowed, but it was overused solely for the purpose of making dramatic death scenes only to say that they were alive all along, which doesn't happen nearly as much before or since. If we see a character get shot on screen and have a dramatic death scene, they are dead.
Oh also certain enemies are super grab happy and that can get annoying
I hate the rubber bullet twist because of how easily it can be seen through. Katsuragi did jackshit in tampering with the scene of the crime which allowed Munakata to easily debunk it. The final boss exists because Katsuragi was too busy sniffing his own farts.
@@randomduck8679 Yes but that's the point. The point is that it's a shabby ass cover up. That is EXACTLY WHY the plot happens. Because Katsuragi DIDN'T do his due diligence in the cover up and Munakata figured out the blatantly obvious contradictions. It's easy to see through because it's SUPPOSED to be and it is directly pointed out in the story
@@aneonfoxtribute But Katsuragi was smart enough to bend the Tojo Clan to his will and he expected his dumb plan to succeed despite so many holes.
Katsuragi and Sugiuchi were too young and too ambitious back in 1985, so of course their plan would be filled with holes. That's the entire point of their plan, that the only reason the plan worked at the time was because of Munakata.
Number 1: Simpsons Hit And Run
Am i the only one who thinks that 6 is amazing. I recently completed them all and i love the ending to 6, textbook Kiryu imo, suffers so others can be happy.
My top 3 - 0,6,5
6 at least beats out 3 and Kiwami 2, it's definitely not the worst game
Honestly all yakuza games are so enjoyable, its a great formula that works everytime
Yakuza 3:
@@xdoi7881 yakuza 3 was better than kiwami 2 though
@@guy229 mfs who hate y3 has major skill issues imo "the blocking is annoying!!!" yeah just hit their backs 💀
@@bubblines or better yet, just grab
@@vreeaxz6966 Yakuza 3 was great for me bc I actually had to think and experiment with my combos other than just square square square triangle triangle all the time
DISCLAIMER- Lost Paradise’s story isn’t a complete piece of crap, I was being a bit harsh for dramatic effect. It has it’s issues but there is still some stuff that made the source material dope
Lost paradise was fire and the most challenging of the serious
@@nickneal4463 most challenging of the serious
@@bobbyhill5701 Yep de mos channeling o' de cerials. Problem? (It's English btw)
Watching this now with 7, the Ishin remake, and Lost Judgement, the improvements the team has made is incredible to the series. So, SO excited for 8 and Gaiden.
It's surprising how much the same my sentiment is to yours. I think their best stretch of games was 5-Ishin-0. The level of polish with those 3 titles is insane. Loved all 3 of them. And while the Dragon Engine stumbled, with the upcoming release of 7, I believe it'll be on its peak form
Judgement-LAD-LJ was just as good of a stretch imo
my favorite game is 3 to be honest i loved the end so much
Great list mate, we pretty much share the same ranking only I'll personally switch out 2 and 4. Even years later 2 still holds up as one of the best games in the franchise with my favourite story in the series.
Great video. Appreciate your unique and balanced take on this amazing series. Will definitely purchase these games and support this studio. Thanks
Yakuza 4, 5 and 0 were the best imo, peaking at Yakuza 0. It’s the Devil May Cry 3 and MGS3 of the series, (ironically all prequels)
That's not irony. That's coincidence
Metal gear is garbage
@@V_For_Vigilante no it isn't lmao, its one of the best series out their, it only fell apart after 5
I prefer devil may cry 5 personally but 3 is still good
MGS2 is the best Metal Gear game.
Such a nicely done and satisfying video. Thanks, man
i recently finished 6, and honestly i agree with the position you put it in, i feel like it was a fun game and the story was interesting, but what ruined it for me was the abrupt ending, it just felt rushed, like the last level wasnt meant to be the last, so many questions and storylines just thrown out the window
Man I really hope Kenzan and Ishin get localized one day.
I don't know what's Kenzan exactly but I'm slightly interested in playing/trying Dead Souls but I'm not American (nor japanese) so I can't find it anywhere
@@Chillwave6 Kenzan is a yakuza game but as a samurai. You play as Miyamoto Musashi (modeled after Kiryu) who was a real life person. No idea how historically accurate it is but I think it has a fan translation.
@@randomduck8679 So are Kenzan and Ishin very similar in the time and overall style?
@@Chillwave6 Ishin is set about 200 years later. It seems it's quite similar to 0.
@@Chillwave6 hi guys
Thanks for the review. I jumped into 0 thanks to the Baka Mitai meme, and dang 60 hours deep and this game's got me hooked. Good to know Kiwami and Kiwami 2 are not quite there, so I will take a break from the series before jumping into it. Wishing for more of the series to come to PC, it's an absolute treat.
have you played K1&2?
I downloaded it just for the karaoke but no, this games isnt only about the karaoke.
ya know. i still think a yakuza game set in a zombie apocalypse can work.
just make kiryu immune and have him manhandle the zombies.
there are zombie beat-em-ups.
Or maybe the zombie "bite" ones are just them grabbing and trying to throw you and if you break free you survive that zombie.
Yeah, the Kurohyo music is amazing, and that is no wonder as the composer is the god damn *funky uncle Hideki Naganuma* also known as skankfunk
Thanks, Eddy
Personally I think Kiwami 2 was waayyy better then kiwami 1 but that's just me also I think Yakuza 6 deserved to be a bit higher on the list, other then that though great list 👍
Kiwami 2 is definitely better than Kiwami 1.
Besides the start of 2, it kind of felt like you were going from place to place, like a delivery man. I love kiwami 1 beggining and the whole story around Kazama and Shimano. But overall, i enjoyed Kiwami 2 alot more, specially gameplay wise, it felt alot smother.
Kiwami 1 was good but reused wayyy too much from yakuza 0 and was a like a 10 hour experience or something short like that
Majima everywhere was a great idea tho
The Aerohead Experience well some people think it’s now a generic bad beat em up which don’t agree but opinions are opinions.
i thought 2 had better story but i preferred the gameplay and minigames of 1. 2s cabaret was addicting tho lol
Just wanted to say after hearing you talk about Kenzan I decided to buy it and so far I am loving it
Kenzin looks so cool
One of the biggest flaws of Y6 and arguably the entire series is not making Someya the main villain.
I love how I was so distracted by that cute pig video in the intro I wasn’t paying attention at all to what he was saying..
Yakuza 0 was the first Yakuza game i had. It had so much content and awesome story that don't feel bland.
Though i kinda wish the combat would be on the level of Yakuza Kiwami. I understand that 0 is where Kiryu began to have his legend style, but Kiwami's combat is much more fun.
I'm in the mood for bacon now
Yakuza 5 is love
Lol I'm on Kiwami 2 at the moment. Slowly working my way through the series but they are a completionist nightmare. So much stuff to do and some of the minigames can be tough as nails. I still love it though
Heh, i'm tryng to get 100% on Yakuza 0, and as a completionist is a HELL, but funny as hello to. I barely got 97% in 160 hours
How is your completion on Yakuza k2?
@@theoarguellopaz1454 I actually got sidetracked with Skyrim SE because I decided to buy it on a whim to replay since I hadn't played Skyrim in years. I'm gonna 100% Skyrim first before going back to K2. Good luck with Y0, it's one of my favorite games of all time but completing it takes ages. Worth it though!
@@massivegat5087 Pathetic
6 doesn't seem so bad. I have most of the trophies from about 45 hours.
I loved 6.... it was my first Yakuza game 😄
I would be so confused, I hate not knowing whatsgoing on story wise. I gotta start from the beginning
You should start on 0 mate but yeah you do you i guess
I just finished 4 now to the peak again, I stared with 0 a few months ago, next were Kiwami 1 & 2, then 3 & 4 Remasters
OMG!! then I can't wait for u to play yakuza 5 TT so good
How do you like 5? I personally think it's one of the best stories
@@DavidHosey1 I literally just beat 6. My rank:
1. 0 (Reminds me of Halo 2 but much better. Kiryu and Majima are fun and great to use. Never got bored. And the villains are easy to remember because they're so good
2. 5 (Taiga's story was boring but Kiryu, Akiyama, Shinado and Haruka's stories made up for it. Especially the final chapter
3. 6 (Had me scared something bad happens to Kiryu the whole time due to a spoiler but was happy I watched all the end credits. Great story all around and great ending. Dragon engine is sometimes annoying. Hate the ragdolling.)
4. Kiwami 2 (Good story, good antagonist, good everything. Sometimes annoyed with the dragon engine)
5. 4 (Good story and character development. Almost was my #3 or #2 until I played 5 and 6)
6. Kiwami (Great to me. My first Yakuza game. I like running smashing heads through the Tojo Headquarters and the soundtrack. It's the reasons I enjoy the rest of the series
7. 3 (Great game and made me cry the most. Might be the "weakest" of the series but still amazing. Compared to the rest im the seriesit's a 7.8/10. Compared to most modern games a 10/10.)
I disagree with the Yakuza 5 story complaint. The whole thing, start to end, is fantastic imo minus that stopover in the mountains where Saejima learns to hunt while Baba bleeds out or whatever. It is absolutely incredible and it uses suspense and intrigue perfectly, it perfects what 4 tried and failed to do and in that regard its even better than 0 and Judgement, which are no slouches
I think the problem with 5's story isn't necessarily the tone but rather that the events in the story itself don't make a lot of sense. For example, whatever the hell happened to Morinaga? He's built up as a big villain at the end of Kiryu's part and even gets his own unique boss moveset, and then just disappears from the story entirely and never returns. It gets even more confusing when Aizawa was desperately searching for him and nearly died in the process, but we eventually learn that he actually just killed him? Why was he looking for someone he killed? And why did he even kill him, they were working for the same guy?
@@b.blobbentein5774 I can get that as a complaint, I was disappointed too,, but its also not really a big deal.
Saejima part with the hunting was the worst part of the game...
My two favorites are 0 and Kiwami 2. Both had great stories, great antagonists, lots of stuff to do and both were pivotal moments that shaped Kiryu’s motivations and solidified his Dragon status. My least favorite has been 5. Too much was going on, and it was such a slog that I blew off all the side missions to just get it over with.
That’s how I felt about kiwami 2. I even hit on easy mode whenever they asked cos the game sucked so much and was pretty much a drag. Why is kiwami 2 your favourite, I’m intrigued why you think this
2tooReal - just a personal favorite. 5 tried to do too much.
@@bkmixups1796 agreed I hated the story and I still don’t know why everyone says it’s second to 0
@@roshaanreddy8107 I guess cause Ryuji was that cool and people liked Kaoru and Kiryu together. I hate how every twist but one is basically confirmed before it's revealed.
@@randomduck8679 I mean you get a whole game strengthening their relationship to have it erased in the next game
We should get a Kenzan and Ishin Remastered pack for the PS5 in America like they did with Yakuza 1 & 2 HD in Japan. Still wish that came out in America but I'm playing it anyway...
You won't believe this but
Yakuza dead soul is my very first game before playing other yakuza which happens to be yakuza kiwami then yakuza zero
Yakuza 3's boss fights don't get good until Joji I think. All of the bosses before Joji sucks, but then you get Joji, Mine, and Andre. That makes up for the bad fights to that point.
aneonfoxtribute I agree
Mine and Joji are some of my favourite bosses in the series.
I agree, Yakuza 3 had some insane blocking. I always start on hard, so that was the first thing I noticed.
Game completely missed the appealing factor of the combat. Playing again with the gf right now and it's just crazy how the boss battles aren't that interesting, but instead are drawn out by intense blocking and little stagger.
@@Lakross101 agreed Yakuza 3 is my least favorite in terms of combat
Lau Ka Long was awful in Y3. It was just block, get staggered then stunlocked into oblivion. Its a shame the combat was so flawed because the story was fantastic, but yeah the combat really lets it down in my eyes
@@chrisclayden8160 He wasn't so bad with his hand to hand phase but fuck that spear.
Dead Souls is quite a good game despite being strange since Ryu Ga Gotoku Series is about fighting but it still one of my favorite for PS3 game besides Ryu Ga Gotoku 4 and 5. But every Ryu Ga Gotoku series has it's own charm with their Spin-off game so it depends on people preferences
The narrative of Yakuza 5 was too slow at the beginning which make me decided to watch recap instead. Now I regret it because the twist is soooo awesome.
As a fellow Dobb hound i really appreciate your use of "bloody"
Seriously, the automated chapter separation calling Kiwami 1 "Zero Light" and Kurohyou "Curry Hyowon" is so fucking funny
“Yakuza Asian” for Ishin too lol
Am I the only one that has kiwami 2 as their favorite
Nope mine too! Loved everything about it, the story was great, Ryuji was a phenomenal villain, the combat feels incredible and the amount of side content is insane. Plus be my baby is probably my favourite side quest ever, I've never laughed so hard at a gamd
these games showed up on gamepass and i randomly decided to download kiwami first cuz the reviews for 0 were way higher and im so glad i did, i am going to play thru 1-6 before i start 0 and buy like a dragon so i can truly appreciate the series in "release" order. I am so excited
Should have played 0 first makes the other games way better knowing the backstory
@@stackattack5678 0 is a prequel tho, it was made after the other games, normally watching a prequel before seeing the original movie does not add much to it overall. +kiwami is not as good as 0, id rather not play the best game in the series first cuz the rest will be more tedious and less exciting after that.
@@2live4u95 without playing 0 i wouldnt give a shit about half of the characters in kiwami at all it might be a remake of a ps2 game but they didnt really try to make the game stand on its own but i do like the combat better than 0 im on kiwami 2 at the moment and not really liking the combat but i am excited for 4 and 5
Funnily enough, Yakuza 3 felt more like a finale than Yakuza 6. It's the game where Kiryu fights arguably his strongest opponents (Mine and Joji and maybeeee Andre), and it's the game where Kiryu finally comes to terms with Kazama's death and leaving the Tojo Clan.
I don’t think Andre is up there with Mine
After his fight with Mine Kiryu wasn’t even able to stand
Compare that to every other final boss the only ones he was exhausted after were ones where he had previous injuries to deal with (like aizawa)
@Basedlander so?
He fought the entire jingweon mafia, then Ryuji, then fought Terada, got shot twice, then had to fight Ryuji again, or Aizawa where he was on the verge of passing out from blood loss most of the fight then he passed out after it
Mine was the only boss that left Kiryu unable to fight after their fight that Kiryu didn’t have a major injury before fighting
If Majima Was Available on yakuza 5 and 4 i will die
i judge the games on how hard i cry at the end
c'mon man why you gotta do that to kiryu in the thumbnail bro
wdym he looking sexy?
Buzzcut kiryu
I'm reading the captions. "Four massive side quests that are each fun to progress through" shows up as "for massive side quests that are each fun tube aggressive"
fun tube
Great video, and a story summary thing for Kenzan would be very epic and cool.
was wondering have you played yakuza like a dragon and what are your thoughts on the combat ? great video by the way
FLUX I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I have played the demo for Yakuza 7 and it was really fun. I have not played the full game yet. I’m waiting for an English release this time given that it’s a turn based RPG
FLUX that game looks great
Yakuza 7 sucks they turned it into a turn based game. It’s ruined
one man army Yeah you’re either a troll or you are just shitting on the game because it is new
Lord Faggatron not all of us want to play FF or Parasite eve turn based combat. That shit takes too long.
Out of the remastered collection, which is the best yakuza game on it cus I'm about to play it
Yakuza 5
Good video. I’m currently playing Kawami 2 and I made the mistake of starting off with Kawami 1 then played Yakuza 0 so my storyline is all over the place I was only able to play these games because of the Game Pass on the Xbox one I wish I could play the other games but there are no more on the game pass 😔
Buy the games, you will not regret it
Very good video
man everyone's so hard on YK2, it's my 2nd favorite overall.
Great Video subbd
0:29 mmmmm bacon
i have never seen kiwami 2 and yakuza 6 this low
The dragon engine certainly looks nice but it's so much worse than the older engine.
Definitely, 30fps sucks for me
for me Y0 is best game ever i got nerly 200hours spend in game
good list but i would have swap 6 with 2 but basicly its in the same tier its ok.
i kind dont like this new flashy engine of combat system its so anoying.
+ im happy that u choose Joji Fuma/Kazama theme song for Y3 intruduction ♥
ayo pls rerank when the 3 yakuza games come out bro
Kiwami 2 is my favourite game is the series...
Idk if you know but a korohyou 2 (have i written that right?) Fan translation (which is way better than the fan translation of the first ) is in the works it seems even tho we do not get an official one we get a fan translation somewhere next year
20:00 Ishin finally got translated!!!
I really liked Yakuza 6, I would not say it is so bad. It is one of my favourite ones just behind Kiwami 2 and 0
I liked Yakuza 6 but man that ending im conflicted on. Tore my fucking heart out
@@lionheart0624 agreed
Y6 is slept on. It’s Kiryu’s swan song. And the family theme fits into the overarching story. The only reason people don’t like it is because of the new dragon engine. It dropped frames a lot of times. Kiwami 2 is the same engine, just refined.
Damn, Yakuza 5 above Kiwami 2, and 3 above it along with Yakuza 6
As it should be
I like kiwami more then 0
Yakuza part 3: Block is unbreakable
I will feel so much better when I don't have to see the worst painful graphics from Kiwami 2 again. 3, 4 and 5 should be less painful, like Kiwami 1.
5:22 until their sales are down lmao
Not really
I feel like xbox's release of the Yakuza games screwed me up, starting with zero only yo know its downhill from there kinda sucks. But still I played both zero and kiwami and cant wait for kiwami 2
I liked Kiwami as much as 0, it's your own opinion. Each of these games is better than most of the stuff being put out there anyway.
Yeah they're all great but they could have made so much more with the kiwami games, it's a shame really
It's not really downhill if you started with 0, but rather a roller coaster ride, lmao. Kiwami 1 and 2 are fantastic, but Y3 will be a complete nose dive in quality. Not a bad game at all, but being the third game in the series, it's ultra unrefined compared with the newer games. But things really pick back up with 4 and 5 with its multiple playable characters. Having Kiryu and Majima playable in 0 was cool, but now you got 4 playable characters.
Am I the only person who doesn't really think Yakuza 0 isn't that great? It's a good game, but not the best one...
Yeah u are the only one who thinks that, Yakuza 0 has the best Yakuza formula in the series
very nice :^]!
You know why i think 0,5 and probably ishin (have not played it cuz you know still waiting for a remaster) are the best games? Because not only theese games are great but the engine they used smh works completly fluid on my crappy old laptop and i mean if this is not an accomplishment idk anymore
Whats the source video on the pig in the beginning?
Mabel the Mini Pig
@@imontheedgeofmyseat ty sm i couldnt find it
Theres a def jam yakuza game? I just got into yakuza but i loved fight for new york
There's a patch for those psp games that translate them if you can emulate, highly recommend!
@@imontheedgeofmyseat i have to check that out, just beat yakuza 4
Can you review the other Yakuza games like lost paradise and judgement
Judgment is so good I have yet to beat Lost Paradise though
This ranking is completely based
before i thought yakuza ishin was like a joke, boy i was wrong
Yakuza 5:
"Four sidequests, that are each fun to progress through..."
*Me thinking back to Saejima slowly walking through the snow. Going prone. Taking aim. Taking a shot. Going to the animal. Collecting the stuff. Going back. Selling it. Going onto the mountain again. And repeat.*
*Me then thinking back to Kiryu racing the same 3 tracks 12 times, with the only strategy involved being to save the Y moves until last round.*
*Me then thinking about several hours of samey rhythm games with Haruka.*
"... Rich story..."
*Me thinking back to the game barely even touching the main story after 30 hours, because of all the damn side content and filler.*
I can see that you're a fan of the "more is more" motto.
Nah the sidequest stuff isn't for everyone, which is why you can skip it. But the story is legitimately rich as hell and more well written than most any others, with barely any filler forced onto you. Not "more is more," but more quality is more and better quality for the game
@@DavidHosey1
... Really?
Which part of the main story touched you the most? I will be honest, I was kinda unimpressed by virtually all of it.
Kiryu finishes his storyline, a new villain reveals himself and then you never see him again for 10-30 hours of gameplay. By the time he's back, you're like "... who? Oh right, that guy."
And this "...who?" problem has spread to basically all the villains. The stories are already really short, because it had to be split into four parts, but the villains in them don't even show up until the last bit. So when you're confronting them, it's really lackluster. And this rushed tone hits basically every part of the game.
By the end of Tatsuo's story, the people who betrayed him and played a major part in the story... just turn themselves in and disappear from the story completely. And then get replaced by Daigo who *happened* to go to the same school with Tatsuo and also has some allegedly deep connection with him, that the writers just completely pulled right out of their-... 'idea box'.
I could go on, but seriously, what about the story did you like?
@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel I can’t really agree for your thoughts on the villains and overall pacing. The parts themselves are already very meaty, with about 20 hours or so per part if not per character if you mix in a few substories or side story things. That gives you more to an enough time to come to terms with people in the story.
In Kiryu’s story, I found Morinaga, Aizawa, Yahata, the detective (Kurosawa), Watase, and the Yamagsa chairman to all be interesting and compelling, while all also clearly having hidden agendas that foreshadow greater involvement. My only problems were Aoyama and the chairman’s daughter being quick plot points more than characters (tho they were representative of other things for Kiryu’s saga so far so it makes sense) and Aizawa getting foreshadowing but being killed off (which was an already fishy off-screen death that was made clear later on (still one of the best final bosses ever imo))
Or for Saejima’s section, I don’t see anything that people really could criticize. Sure the 15 minutes of imagining the city with your cellmates is a drag, but everything else goes from tense to exciting to intriguing and doesn’t really let up. It continues Saejima’s character arc perfectly, as the game does for the other returning characters as well. It gives amazing levels to play, reveals other parts of the plot that are already starting to connect together, and make it clear that the detective is gonna be one of the main antagonists at the end of Saejima’s section. I know people complain about the hunting being slow, but you are only required to do about 1 mission and you’re done, so I never got that
I could go on for the other 3 and the finale, but I think you get the point. The game relies on the mystery on a first run, which can be hit or miss for some based on what they personally pick up on. I can understand people having problems with parts of the plot concerning some like Aizawa, Majima, Kurosawa, Daigo, and some others if they don’t catch onto some of the mysteries themselves. But if you do, the game is a fun ride to discover for each character and the finale. Or on repeated runs you’ll be able to see how everything connects more easily, and start seeing what you once thought was a plothold as an actually logically answered thing. It makes the plot very cohesive, sensible, and enjoyable imo. And it’s because of the connections you make in the story, either through mystery solving or repeated runs, that all of the characters are parts are even more memorable and important. I’ve never had a problem keeping up with names, allegiances, factions, or betrayals in the series, but 5 was one of the easiest to keep track of purely due to how it all tying together makes it even more memorable
As for certain plotlines being somewhat completed after a given character’s part, I think that’s kinda the point. Kiryu takes down one of the Tojo traitors, Saejima deals with freelance factions from Kurosawa, Haruka starts moving up and works with Akiyama to resolve Park’s legacy, and Shinada takes down the main people that wronged him. They all get their own arcs before going and finishing the arcs completely in the finale. It’s kinda like the arcs you have your characters go through in something like Mass Effect, and probably one of the best ways to tell stories that affect both plot and characters in full with meaningful development
Oh and for that Daigo Shinada connection, I never saw any real problem with that. It’s reasonable to assume all of the people in any series (save Kiryu since we see basically all of his life story) have other people that are important in their lives even if we don’t see those connections directly. Take Yakuza 7, and how people in Nanba’s family are very important at certain points even tho they never actually appear iirc. So if the series uses that to tell meaningful Daigo development and show a civilian perspective of this story, then I’m definitely down for that. Shinada is a welcome addition that the game definitely benefits from story-wise
TLDR: the stories of this series are top tier, tho this one benefits heavily from being observant, as doing so adds to the story immensely
@@DavidHosey1
"Benefits heavily from being observant", as if you had to be terrible observant for the story. The storyline who thought that we wouldn't recognize Daigo instantly, the moment he shows up in disguise and then play his reveal as if it would blow our minds.
I think we just have very different tastes in what is a fulfilling story and good pacing. But in contrast, I would offer Yakuza 0, which actually does have a story that builds up, actually does take time to develop its villains and gives almost every semi-important character an arc to travel along. It kinda falls apart near the end, when it gets a bit too convoluted, but it's still far better than 5 in my opinion.
Heck, even 4 was better. It also split its story in four, which was a mistake in my opinion, but at least the stories weren't completely segregated from another and continued the common, main plot line. Saejima's story in 5, on the other hand is basically:
"He faffs around in prison, learns Majima is allegedly dead, faffs around some more, then spends 10 ingame hours on a mountain where the story just goes into a coma for a while, before going to the city in order to learn something, only to learn nothing." And then it ends! This is just not satisfying storytelling to me.
Also, while you can skip sidecontent, that doesn't change that it was intended as a part of the full narrative. Someone thought that this would be a good thing to add, both narratively and gameplay wise. A boring, slugging sidegame with a storyline that just ends with "Saejima is a nice guy" again.
@@ALookIntoTheEulenspiegel I don't wanna come off as rude or anything but I really just don't get your points and think you're blowing difficulties with the story out of proportion and into failures on the plot itself
The Daigo thing wasn't supposed to be the biggest reveal for us, it's just the drama playing up the scene that he's starting to reveal himself at all. Surprisingly enough I have friends who were observant and caught the Kurosawa and Aizawa twists way early but somehow didn't realize that was Daigo lmao. But nah, it wasn't parts of the story like that that I was talking about. Like I said, you have to be more observant to catch the foreshadowed twists early on your first time around, such as Aizawa, Kurosawa, Majima, etc. If you are in the actually needed instances, the story benefits greatly, both on first and repeated playthroughs. If not, then it's still good, but you yourself have to be content with not seeing the full picture. Not because of some fault on the story and game, but just cause you might've missed it
I agree that 0 is one of the best stories in the medium, but where I'm confused is how it's convoluted. Like at all lol. I can understand 4, 5, or 7 if you don't pick up on foreshadowing, setups, and the like, but 0? All of the Yakuza games are relatively straight forward stories honestly, so I can't really call any of their main stories convoluted. But 0 is one of the most straight forward, even out of this series. Honestly if you got confused in 0's story idk what to say, cause while missing stuff in 5 is reasonable enough I don't see how anyone could in games like 0 or 1 lmao
I think 4 is very well done as well, and yea it's nice how since it's all centered on Kamurocho you get tighter amounts of focus through the four parts. But again, I think you're kinda missing what actually happened in 5. He went to prison again as a response to the plot of 4, discovered conspiracies, was manipulated as a part of Kurosawa's plan through Baba and his people, escaped, developed alongside the enemy without realizing, uncovered more of the conspiracy than basically anyone else before the finale, and went off with Kurosawa to Kamurocho. That's a lot, especially considering you can relegate what Saejima did to just escape prison, go to Kamurocho, faff around looking for Sasai, faff around looking for Majima, and then it ends. Stories can be simplified, but it takes away the rather key and important details imo
The side stories were never meant to be played in full alongside the main story as part of the official canon experience. That's why they're called side stories lol. Hence why they do less development for the corresponding characters and more give insight into how they're thinking and feeling instead. This is why you can easily choose to do about 5 minutes of taxi, 15 of hunting, and 15 of baseball throughout the entire game, and still get a complete and full experience when it comes the the development of the characters. They don't change by the end of their side stories (save for maybe Haruka since her side story is also her main story in a weird way) making it more of an immersive minigame exclusive to each character
I think that we both have very similar ideas as to what makes a good story, just that we're unfortunately seeing the same thing from opposite points of view. Stories are the most important parts of most of my favorite games, so it's important they have a story that builds up, takes time to develop its villains and gives almost every semi-important character an arc to travel along. Yakuza is honestly one of the best stories that's done this, 5 included, but you just have to be able to view and follow along with it to really get the most out of it. I hope you can eventually, cause most of this series is some of the best storytelling you can get, which is great!
Maybe I should go back and replay Fist of the North Star. It really disappointed me and I found the combat system barebones as shit. Felt like i had seen everything there was to see of it after 4 hours in. Apparently i didn’t get far enough into it.
This is my list and it’s pretty similar to yours (I haven’t played Dead souls, the japanese exclusive games or the original Y1 and Y2):
Least favourite:
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 6
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza Kiwami
Judgment
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 0
Yakuza 5 (for me i practically love Y5 and Y0 equally but for me Y0 was a lot less balanced gameplay wise e.g you could farm money way too easily because of mr shakedown, beast was stupidly good for multiple enemies, Dragon style was utter garbage, etc)
man, i hate yakuza 3 as much as i love it, i hate combat so much but soundtrack is amazing, story is great and i love okinawa atmosphere
20:00 Thia aged like the most fine wine of all time
Yakuza like a dragon review soon?
Hopefully cus his reviews are good imo
Great Video! Since the Remaster Collection, im playing all Yakuza games again and rank them too. Im happy that you like Ishin so much. I still want to play this game but im still holding back because of the language. Also, finally someone loves Yakuza 5 like i am^^ But i have one thing to say: "In Yakuza 4, they DONT BLOCK AS MUCH AS IN YAKUZA 3?" Sry, i just was so shocked about that opinion, because i played it last week an i nearly killed myself, because of these fights xDD Especially the finale with Tanimura and his 10+ enemies + guns + knifes and what not. For me, it was the worst battle system^^
I’m happy that you enjoyed the video so much, as for that yakuza 4 thing. That finale with Tanimura is kind of the exception to the rule cause it’s an awful fight. The rest of the game tho, blocking isn’t an issue at least from what I played on the PS3. Planning on replaying it soon through the remaster
Yeah that fight was really annoying tested my patience.
Damn, Yakuza 0 was the first game I’ve played in the series, every other game so far has been a let down..
just started yakuza 0 like week ago. and been like a blast man. follow up with kiwami --" and i just finished it in 2 days like wtf why they kill almost everyone. does kiwami 2 really worth it?
It's a double edged sword. That's why when I tell my friends to play 0, come with the expectation that this is the best in the series.
I would say for me the list goes from best to worst: Yakuza 0, Kiwami 2 and 6 are tied, Yakuza 5, Yakuza 4, and Kiwami are tied. Haven't tried three, and I dont plan on ever trying it. Might play Yakuza 7 though.
3 is really good. what
Hey for the yakuza gamers here can I ask something
Whats the next yakuza game if you finished yakuza kimawi 2?
Yakuza 3
@@imontheedgeofmyseat Aight thanks
I don't know, what number comes after 2?
@@lysis1611 10?
Hot take, I liked Dead Souls better than 1 and 6.
Just talking on story does kiwami 2 have a good one?
aidan o neill yes
underrated as fuck
I don't think yakuza 0 Is the best like others say, it's good but it's not the best in the series. My favourite is kiwami 2
Same here actually
@Good Hunter Yakuza 2 and Kiwami 2 are the same game
@Good Hunter yes it's the same game😂
sam woodward was here
Wow im confused by some of you guys. So far I've beaten yakuza 0, K1, k2, and am playing through 3 right now. Gotta say kiwami 2 was fucking excellent, much better than K1, though I still hold it and all of them in very high regard. Beside 1 story moment, majima constructions a bit boring, and the creepy real life model photoshoot minigame, K2 was damn near perfect.
0
7
Kiwami 2
5
3
6
Kiwami 1
4 shitty story with the worst character in the series being the most important character
I got a like notification and would like to update this because i was only halfway through 6.
0
7
5
6
Kiwami 2
3
Kiwami 1
4
"The daddy daycare shit is one of the best parts of Yakuza 3"
"Doing nothing but spamming grabs and the tiger drop that you dont get until halfway through the game and will miss if you dont go to a random corner of the map that has nothing over there is good combat guys"
"Yakuza 4 has good combat and the story wasn't THAT bad"
"Yakuza 2 has good pacing"
Did we play the same games?...
I got a glock in my rari
17 shots no 38!
how many times did u say ''game''or''games'' like 1000
I don't agree with KIwami 1 having more soul than Kiwami 2, I feel like it has so little soul since it takes so much from the other games. Kiwami 2 has soul and adds more new things it just sucks ass what they add.
I'd definetely put 4 in 'good games that REALLY FUCKING upset me' tier. I mean, Akiyama's in it, Akiyama has mad fucking juggles in it, Akiyama is just vibing and swagging in it, and Saejima's there, and Saejima's great, such a good character, also Akiyama's there too, and that moment in the coliseum was so great, could have had Akiyama there but still it was pretty great, and then the Sugiuchi fight, just so good, I'm not a huge fan of Tanimura but still it was a really good, emotional moment, and also Akiyama's in this game, in case I didn't say it yet, but then... Then the finale happens... Oh my fucking god, that finale sucks so bad. Jesus christ. And almost all the villains are underdeveloped and/or nonsensical, like fuck how many times does Arai switch sides, he just forgot to have the crazy twist where he gets an actual compelling personality and proper motives, and then there's the fucking uuh Katsuragi, I forgot his name and had to look him up he's so damn boring, leads some fucking no-name uninteresting clan whose only significance should have been getting shot and killed by Saejima (but they don't get killed of course because ha ha rubber bullets) but Daigo and the Tojo still lick his balls for some fucking reason and while we're on that topic why is Daigo such a fucking pussy in this game, why is the Tojo so weak and pathetic, why the fuck does he betray Kiryu like that without any proper buildup, like if larger sections of the game were dedicated to his struggles maybe I'd buy it but this way it's practically character assassination, and just why, why is this game's finale like this, who the hell wrote this, oh my god, why? Akiyama's in it though so it's pretty alright.
oh yeah and the final boss is very very fun and I really enjoyed it (honest)
Song at 7:07?
Tatsuro Yamashita- Human
@@imontheedgeofmyseat thanks, just wanted to mention ur review for yakuza 1 and 2 and the kiwami rant was really good I'm hoping u do more reviews soon