KeenGamer: "What's the best Yakuza game? With so many games in this formerly niche Japanese series, it's time to take a look at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' catalogue and rank which games reign above others. The Yakuza series has been subject to many memes due to its wackiness and goofy side activities, but the games also feature a dark storyline with serious characters."
Many indies try to capture the magic of Nintendo's urban RPG, but the game that comes closest is SEGA's crime drama, Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
Fahad from eXputer: "Yakuza combat trades the series' classic brawling for menus and strategy, leaving some fans missing the beat-'em-up thrill."
It completely murdered the series for me. I love beatem ups, it's my favorite genre, always has been. The Yakuza series has always been the golden standard of that in my opinion and the annoying part is that they only went turn-based because of the reaction to a April fool's joke. Turn-based was something that I could never really get into despite trying. I wish I could get into it but it just does nothing for me and so when this game decided to go turn-based it just completely killed my favorite series which just really sucks.
I finished LaD and LaD:IW and still am of the opinion that the combat is absolute trash. Just the same couple animations over and over and over and over and SO much grind to unlock each new animation for each job. Really absolutely despise the combat and the systems built around the combat - still played through them though and would definitely put IW up there as a GOTY contender. Theres soooooo much more to do outside of the combat and the storytelling has just gotten phenomenal - but god damn i wish it had the classic combat.
You don't like any turn-based games or just the turn-based gameplay in the Yakuza games? I ask because I haven't started any Yakuza games and I was going start with either 0 or Kiwami 1 because I also like beatem ups more than turn-based. Although I don't mind turn-based games such as Persona, FF series or a good JRPG.
I don't like turn based, i tried over the years especially cause a lot of turn based JRPGs look rad af. But it's like nails on a chalkboard for me. Rare acceptions wete like pokemon and World of Final Fantasy. I actually own a copy of Persona 5 royal to try and tackle some day, but im honestly kinda afraid it's not gonna click for me either.
Playing yakuza 0 for the first time now. My first yakuza game ever.... Really enjoying it. Love all the little random beat em up battles and learning the systems.
Any game I'm interested in that uses a turn-based combat system gets the YouTube treatment. I tried playing turn-based many times before and I hate it with every atom of my being.
One example: regular mobs that you could have one-punched and moved on already take ages as everyone reaches their place, uses their attacks one-by-one then you get your turn and still miss with 99% so-called accuracy, yeah, I ain't sitting through all that shiz.
lets not pretend that yakuzas beat 'em up "battle system" was anything but basic.
thats not why ppl love the series.
That's a huge part of why the og fans loved the series, not the only reason, but certainly a big part.
As someone who owns yakuza like a dragon series games and have played almost all of them but ever since the went to turn base, I tried it just wasn’t for me
It really sucks because we are the fans who had been sporting the series since day one and then we are the ones left behind. And we have new fans coming in telling us how we are wrong For disliking this new change in the gameplay
This, so much this! I've completely abandoned the fanbase/community because of this. Every time i express how this killed the series for me, all the new fans start lecturing ME on how im "wrong" and how the beatem up combat was somehow terrible. So i rarely even attempt to engage anymore.
I've been one of those old school ps2 fans. I've yet to play the new ones. I'm getting there though. I think I'll like them but just don't know yet. Ironic though is cause I wonder how many yakuza fans who hate the turn based combat are the same ones that love ff16.
So Pokemon’s combat worked for you but Like a Dragon didn’t? Is it the extra depth to the combat do you think?
Maybe? 🤷♂️ I always give them a shot, but if it doesn't do anything for me im not going to force myself to play a game where i don't enjoy the gameplay.
I love the turn based battle system but I do wish they would have split the series into two franchises, the ones with Kiryu follow the classic battle system while the new ones with Ichiban do turn based combat
Least then both fans could have been happy and they could have cycled between each of them to keep things fresh.
I think that was the plan. The Yakuza series has finished ditching the old combat system with Gaiden and moving forward would go with turn-based combat. Whereas the Judgment series would keep the beat 'em up style and bring it to newer heights. But there were all those rumors about the actor from the Judgment series and his agency were not willing to renew the contract, so we might never get any new games there.
Funny thing is i think the turn based would have fit the Judgement series more as the protagonist is more of a thinking man.
I just finished getting all the yakuzas for ps4 and ps5. I've played up till 4 on ps3 and ps2 but then there was the whole not bringing 5 to the west bs back then. Anyway since then I haven't really played so I started all the way at 0 playing/streaming and plan on working my way up. I look forward to the new ones but I'm not sure how they'll turn out yet. I do love turn based though.
You're in for the single greatest series of all time my man. If you've already played 3 4 and 5, maybe skip them and watch a plot synopsis. They've aged really poorly - 3 in particular
@amplitude
I've played it since yakuza 1 on ps2 lol. Just back during ps3 they weren't going to bring yakuza 5 west due to sales of the series(if I remember right, or maybe no physical) so I stopped. Hadn't played in years. Yea yakuza is one of my favorite series. Top notch stuff right here.
I used to love using an arcade stick for these games. It's really really fun this way.
Pure turn-based games seem like a thing from the past when devs were trying to do something more cinematic but could not.
I 100 percent disagree. There's nothing wrong with turn based. I feel action games most of the time are way to over the top. Give me a turn based game any day of the week. Aside from a handful of action jrpgs like star ocean and such.
That makes no sense. There's an entire audience for strategic games, they're not worse or better
Not for me and I’m glad they made this shift. It’s been an incredibly fun game to play and honestly one of the highlights this year for me.
Who needs realism when you can throw a bike at a man dressed in a bin bag?
they're all gems, that's like a parent choosing between their children
All the Yakuza games are great but I'd only agree with this list in the fact that Yakuza 0 is clearly the best game in the series. It's actually in my top 5-10 favorite games of all time.
I love this series and every one of them. Like a Dragon is my favorite, but honestly they’re all excellent.
Another flawed list, and typical to rate Yakuza 0 as first. You cannot replace Yakuza 2 with Yakuza Kiwami 2, they are not the same game with the story altered/rushed with no where near the same impact.
I get many have come into the series as new fans but if you were fortunate enough to play them in order as they released over the 15 years then you would know Yakuza 2 is hands down still the best.