high melodrama, ultra-violence, and slapstick comedy
August 1, 2023 6:09 AM Subscribe
How To Get Into the Ever-Growing Yakuza Series [Game Informer] It's never been a better time to be a Yakuza fan – if only due to the sheer amount of Yakuza games there are. Across the mainline series, prequels, remakes, and spin-offs, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has released 15+ Yakuza games since 2005. But with that kind of output, it can be a little confusing to know where to start and in what order you should play the games (spoiler: not in release order or chronological order!). [Yakuza (franchise) wiki]
• How Yakuza Made A Legend Of Its Long-Time Hero Over Two Decades [Gamespot]
• How Yakuza Made A Legend Of Its Long-Time Hero Over Two Decades [Gamespot]
“Few video game characters stick around as long as Kazuma Kiryu, the long-time lead of the Yakuza / Like A Dragon franchise--and even fewer have as commanding a presence as him. It's also rare to see one character's rollercoaster of a life play out and evolve over the course of nearly 20 years, with 10 distinct entries telling that story. [...] In anticipation of both Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I caught up with RGG Studio's chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto, the voice of Kiryu himself, Takaya Kuroda, and newly minted English voice actor Yong Yea at Anime Expo 2023. While we weren't able to get into specifics of the upcoming games, we talked about Kiryu's budding relationship with co-lead Kasuga Ichiban in the new story, the complexities of building the character over the years, and the nuances of voicing a personality like him. We also got into our favorite substories and karaoke songs, if Kiryu will ever really get to rest and retire, and addressed Kiryu's new idol-influenced haircut.”• How to Play the Yakuza Games in Chronological Order [IGN]
1. Yakuza 0 (2014)• The Yakuza Devs Are Stunting On The Entire Gaming Industry [Kotaku]
2. Yakuza (2005)
3. Yakuza 2 (2006)
4. Yakuza 3 (2009)
5. Yakuza 4 (2010)
6. Yakuza 5 (2012)
7. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)
8. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)
Upcoming Releases: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name (2023) and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (2024)
“In the first episode of a multi-part series on Sega Asia’s English YouTube channel, we get a quick glance at RGG’s fashion sense. Japanese fashion is pretty captivating if you follow it. Filled with flowy silhouettes, wild colors and patterns, and an interesting blend of casual and smart aesthetics, folks in the Land of the Rising Sun know how to dress. RGG is no exception. Sure, the suits the developers wear about 40 seconds into the above video are all black, but the nuance is in the details. Two staffers have jackets with interesting markings: one with a variety of white dots and another with copious small crosses. A different staffer has a coat with tastefully accenting white lines. Three other staffers have all-over patterns, with two of the staffers’ suits having a nice sheen. If you told me this was an alternative J-Rock band and not a bunch of video game developers, I’d believe you.• After I stepped into Yakuza's world, Yakuza's world seeped into mine [Eurogamer]
Even the developers’ boots, while nondescript on the surface, really add to the developers’ collective drip. Most in the photo have round pointed-toe, glossy-looking boots with no laces like they all just stepped off the set of The Matrix or something. Two others mix things up a little bit, with one staffer having what appears to be round lace-up boots a la Dr. Martens (though maybe not that exact brand) and another seemingly wearing some very dark, perhaps suede-looking boots. Either way, RGG’s fits are on point! I may not be the fashionista that Kotaku’s Alyssa Mercante is, but I, too, am gagging over the confident simplicity RGG exudes in their almost-matching looks. It’s dope to see, especially in an industry known for some of the most predictable (graphic-tee-and-blazer) outfit combos ever.”
“There's something magical about video games set in the real world. At the intersection of the fantastical and the mundane you get to become the hero of our very own world while taking in some of the most beautiful vistas our planet has to offer, all from the comfort of your couch. For a long time, I had no particular feeling on the topic, since I had as much of a connection to contemporary Hong Kong or Seattle as I had to Skyrim and Mordor. That changed on an overcast day in March 2012, when I was living my best life as an exchange student in Japan. I had flown to Okinawa with two friends to escape the surprisingly persistent, wet cold of early March, and on our first day, while we were idly exploring the town of Naha, it began to rain and we ducked into a roofed shopping district. One of my friends urgently gestured around the damp and rundown alleyway with more fervour than it seemed to warrant at first glance and said, "Dude, we're in Yakuza!" Here we were, in a small Japanese town with a bus service that ran three times a day, feeling as if we'd just come home to something.”
Hostess game! Claw machine! Slot cars! Batting cages! Mahjong! Karaoke! Hostess game!!!
posted by avocet at 6:28 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by avocet at 6:28 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
Not to abuse the edit window: CAT CAFE MINIGAME
posted by avocet at 6:30 AM on August 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by avocet at 6:30 AM on August 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
That is one of the charms of this game universe. There are so many things to do, almost too many. You can go play a mini-game in an arcade, go drinking and karaoke, eat ramen, fight some street thugs and then contemplate why you've been betrayed and disgraced by your Yakuza boss. And thats just the first 5-6 hours of the game!! So much more.
posted by Fizz at 6:33 AM on August 1, 2023
posted by Fizz at 6:33 AM on August 1, 2023
Coincidentally, I just started the series last week, though I missed this article when digging for info on what order to play them in -- most recommendations I found went with chronologically from 0-6. At least I've got until the end of 0 to change my mind. I spent a while the other night hunting down mini games, and after playing Space Harrier for a bit my partner asked "Aren't you supposed to be finding the guy who framed you for murder or settling a land dispute or something?"
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 6:51 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 6:51 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
I’d slightly revise the playlist to add the remakes or 2 and 3, and the remastered collection of 3-5.
1. Yakuza 0 (2014)
2. Yakuza Kiwami (2016)
3. Yakuza 2 Kiwami (2018)
4. Yakuza 3 (2009) (remastered 2018)
5. Yakuza 4 (2010) (remastered 2019)
6. Yakuza 5 (2012) (remastered 2020)
7. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)
8. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)
posted by Magnakai at 6:54 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
1. Yakuza 0 (2014)
2. Yakuza Kiwami (2016)
3. Yakuza 2 Kiwami (2018)
4. Yakuza 3 (2009) (remastered 2018)
5. Yakuza 4 (2010) (remastered 2019)
6. Yakuza 5 (2012) (remastered 2020)
7. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (2016)
8. Yakuza: Like a Dragon (2020)
posted by Magnakai at 6:54 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
I've only played Yakuza 6. It is very silly. It pretends to be serious, but fails, and I think intentionally. Recommend!
posted by Pyrogenesis at 7:22 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 7:22 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Only played Yakuza 0 and had fun with it. I don't like most open world games since they're often too big, and Yakuza 0 neatly fits into that category; despite the small map sizes, there is way too much to do. I am also not a fan of most beat-em-ups and most rhythm games, so those parts of Yakuza 0 ranged from tolerable to painful.
Still, the writing, especially for the sidequests, was awesome enough that I picked up Yakuza: Like a Dragon during one of the last big Steam sales (I also loved the cabaret club management). It's currently in my never-shrinking RPG backlog.
Some bonus Yakuza/LaD fun: Kiryu's Japanese and English voice actors recently performed a duet of series karaoke staple "Baka Mitai" at Anime Expo. It's magical.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:43 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Still, the writing, especially for the sidequests, was awesome enough that I picked up Yakuza: Like a Dragon during one of the last big Steam sales (I also loved the cabaret club management). It's currently in my never-shrinking RPG backlog.
Some bonus Yakuza/LaD fun: Kiryu's Japanese and English voice actors recently performed a duet of series karaoke staple "Baka Mitai" at Anime Expo. It's magical.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:43 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
I'm a big fan of the Judgement series, which is a spinoff that uses the same world map and assets. Instead of a yakuza, you play a disbarred layer turned private detective. Similar combat mechanics, but with added investigation and tailing missions.
posted by exolstice at 8:04 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by exolstice at 8:04 AM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yakuza 6 is built around the idea that it may be a player's first Yakuza game, and features a great in-depth primer on the series' story up to that point, allowing newcomers to jump right in and experience the best-playing Yakuza game to date without needing to wade through its previous baggage.
Hahahah no. It was my first and last attempt at this series. I spent like 2h wading through an endless series of baggage in the form of cutscenes. I would press the "skip" button and it would pause to load for a moment, then bring up yet another cutscene. And another. And another. And another. After dozens of these things it would finally deign to give me a tiny driblet of gameplay, but then, more cutscenes! And then a tiny driblet of "gameplay" that consisted of walking around a house full of kids who I was expected to be delighted to catch up with from the previous games, but mostly was just drearily wandering around pushing the "talk" button on them until I found the way out. And then there were probably more cutscenes. And cutscenes. And cutscenes.
I finally got to the city the story takes place in. Got to fight a few groups of street thugs. It was okay, I guess. I'd completely forgotten what the first tiny driblet of gameplay taught me about how to fight by the time I actually had any amount of control. And then there were more fucking cutscenes and I decided I was done and it has just laid there unplayed ever since.
This is not "jumping right in". This is "read an entire novel's worth of loredump before you are allowed to play". "Jumping right in" would have been if it opened with Mr Yakuza walking into the city, with a brief voiceover about why he was back here, and letting me wander around and beat up some dudes and sing some kareoke and do all the other goofy side missions this game is supposed to have. x
If you have not tried this series and you are considering it due to this post, now you know what you are in for if you attempt this "new entry point" into this series: multiple hours of cutscenes telling you the story of all these people you are about to interact with, which might be fun if you are in the mood to sit back and watch a movie instead of make a little Yakuza action figure run around a little Yakuza action playset and giggle at all the silly minigames he comes with. Seriously if you are in that mood just put a brick on the "skip" button and go off and have a snack while it plows through all that stuff and maybe you'll enjoy this series more than I did.
posted by egypturnash at 8:46 AM on August 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
Hahahah no. It was my first and last attempt at this series. I spent like 2h wading through an endless series of baggage in the form of cutscenes. I would press the "skip" button and it would pause to load for a moment, then bring up yet another cutscene. And another. And another. And another. After dozens of these things it would finally deign to give me a tiny driblet of gameplay, but then, more cutscenes! And then a tiny driblet of "gameplay" that consisted of walking around a house full of kids who I was expected to be delighted to catch up with from the previous games, but mostly was just drearily wandering around pushing the "talk" button on them until I found the way out. And then there were probably more cutscenes. And cutscenes. And cutscenes.
I finally got to the city the story takes place in. Got to fight a few groups of street thugs. It was okay, I guess. I'd completely forgotten what the first tiny driblet of gameplay taught me about how to fight by the time I actually had any amount of control. And then there were more fucking cutscenes and I decided I was done and it has just laid there unplayed ever since.
This is not "jumping right in". This is "read an entire novel's worth of loredump before you are allowed to play". "Jumping right in" would have been if it opened with Mr Yakuza walking into the city, with a brief voiceover about why he was back here, and letting me wander around and beat up some dudes and sing some kareoke and do all the other goofy side missions this game is supposed to have. x
If you have not tried this series and you are considering it due to this post, now you know what you are in for if you attempt this "new entry point" into this series: multiple hours of cutscenes telling you the story of all these people you are about to interact with, which might be fun if you are in the mood to sit back and watch a movie instead of make a little Yakuza action figure run around a little Yakuza action playset and giggle at all the silly minigames he comes with. Seriously if you are in that mood just put a brick on the "skip" button and go off and have a snack while it plows through all that stuff and maybe you'll enjoy this series more than I did.
posted by egypturnash at 8:46 AM on August 1, 2023 [4 favorites]
I avoided the Yakuza games for a while because I thought they would be “rise through the ranks of the Yakuza games.” But they never are. The protagonists are at odds with the Yakuza; we play after they have fallen out of favor and are wandering disgraces. And these are deeply silly games. You are far more likely to be helping out a mascot or doing a bizarre quest for a shy high school student than you are to be shaking someone down for money.
It is true that the cutscene soap operas go on way too long, especially at first. Stick with them; these games are some of the best you’ll find.
posted by argybarg at 9:01 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
It is true that the cutscene soap operas go on way too long, especially at first. Stick with them; these games are some of the best you’ll find.
posted by argybarg at 9:01 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]
The gameplay in this series is sort of a mixed bag and as egypturnash references, it may not be for everyone. It slow-drips the plot through a ton of cut-scenes and is then interrupted with moments of smaller exploration, mini-games, and random beat-em-up style events that slowly provide XP and skill points. It does get more complex as it goes along but having only played TWO of these games (and not to completion, got about half-way through Yakuza 0 and am only in the opening hours of Yakuza: Like a Dragon), its something that builds over time.
I find myself jumping into this game at the end of a work-day when I'm too brain-dead to be entirely engaged with something and just want to be in another place/space and still have a fun story/adventure.
posted by Fizz at 9:02 AM on August 1, 2023
I find myself jumping into this game at the end of a work-day when I'm too brain-dead to be entirely engaged with something and just want to be in another place/space and still have a fun story/adventure.
posted by Fizz at 9:02 AM on August 1, 2023
egypturnash is right to warn us: they're definitely the longest cutscenes I've ever experienced, especially in 6, which is why I initially uninstalled 0 when I didn't save my game properly after an hour of play. It was only when I heard a podcast referencing its claw machine minigame that I tried again...
posted by avocet at 9:31 AM on August 1, 2023
posted by avocet at 9:31 AM on August 1, 2023
also each seems to have one mini game that is Too Horny To Want to Play 4 me (usually a rock-paper-scissors women's wrestling thing) but it's pretty much skippable.
posted by dismas at 10:26 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by dismas at 10:26 AM on August 1, 2023 [3 favorites]
Yakuza 0 is like, a ride or die game for me. Everyone should try it! It's SUCH a rich, beautiful, hilarious world. And the Cabaret Club minigame is fun as hellllll.
Also I really really really loved Like A Dragon. Such a perfect sendup of turn based rpg's like...dragon quest, etc. You will absolutely fall in love with the city and the characters.
I've played and finished all of the games in the series, but 0 and Like A Dragon are my 2 bestest faves.
posted by capnsue at 11:43 AM on August 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Also I really really really loved Like A Dragon. Such a perfect sendup of turn based rpg's like...dragon quest, etc. You will absolutely fall in love with the city and the characters.
I've played and finished all of the games in the series, but 0 and Like A Dragon are my 2 bestest faves.
posted by capnsue at 11:43 AM on August 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
Playing Yakuza 0 when it came out set me off on a path to play all of the games and I really cannot recommend them enough. One podcast had summed it up succinctly as "Imagine a Scorsese film occasionally interrupted by a Simpsons episode" which really sums up how fantastic some of those substories and minigames feel.
posted by aranyx at 12:51 PM on August 1, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by aranyx at 12:51 PM on August 1, 2023 [6 favorites]
I’ve watched a little of a completion play through and the games definitely do not take themselves seriously. One of these mini games is the guy sitting down in a movie theatre and trying to relax into the show but anthropomorphic sheep dudes pop up in seats next to him with flapping hands and you have to tap the corresponding button to slap them away before they bother your guy, like whack a mole, but don’t hit the anthropomorphic roosters with cymbals I don’t know why, it is extremely bizarre. Also one of your dudes has an attack where he throws seeds at an enemy and pigeons fly in to attack them. Another one your guy is riding a bicycle with a cart and you have to collect recycling for pocket change or something. Oh and so many, so many, SKIP? prompts for cutscenes, two, three even four times in a row. The world looks nice, too.
I am not sure I want to play it but it’s cool to watch.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:46 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I am not sure I want to play it but it’s cool to watch.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:46 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
omfg, "don't fall asleep at the movies", how could I forget!!!!!
posted by avocet at 5:05 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by avocet at 5:05 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I apparently adopted Yakuza Kiwami at some point, it's in my PS+ library. Might poke at it, might not. Still playing Dragon's Dogma.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:27 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:27 PM on August 1, 2023 [1 favorite]
I lucked into playing the "right" order for the games (the English versions). I started when Yakuza 0 came out on PS4, liked it immensely, and they brought out the remaining games in sequence. So I've played the mainline games in this series, and even played both Judgment games. The new one, Ishin, is awesome too, as it's set in feudal Japan.
In my case, the way I approach each game:
- get the intro chapters out of the way as quickly as possible
- in the first 'freeroam' chapter, zone in on the mahjong location
- play some advanced mahjong for cash to get the entry fee for the mahjong tournament
- get to #1 rank in the tournament, which nets you some items, and ideally some in-game mahjong achievements, which you can usually cash in for some perks as well
- for each chapter, fish out substories everywhere, and once all found, finish main chapter mission
Come for the "open" world action/RPG game, stay for the mahjong and the diaper gangsters and trashing little kids in racing/card games. A perfect series for someone looking for a bit of everything, and who doesn't mind their melodrama mixed in with sheer insanity.
Also, if you're looking for more video content re: this series, you should definitely look up devilleon on youtube. The guy has covered everything about this game.
posted by FarOutFreak at 8:00 PM on August 1, 2023
In my case, the way I approach each game:
- get the intro chapters out of the way as quickly as possible
- in the first 'freeroam' chapter, zone in on the mahjong location
- play some advanced mahjong for cash to get the entry fee for the mahjong tournament
- get to #1 rank in the tournament, which nets you some items, and ideally some in-game mahjong achievements, which you can usually cash in for some perks as well
- for each chapter, fish out substories everywhere, and once all found, finish main chapter mission
Come for the "open" world action/RPG game, stay for the mahjong and the diaper gangsters and trashing little kids in racing/card games. A perfect series for someone looking for a bit of everything, and who doesn't mind their melodrama mixed in with sheer insanity.
Also, if you're looking for more video content re: this series, you should definitely look up devilleon on youtube. The guy has covered everything about this game.
posted by FarOutFreak at 8:00 PM on August 1, 2023
I've tried to get into the Yakuza series for years, but something about the combination of lengthy narrative and constant minigames just fucks with my ADHD something fierce.
posted by ZaphodB at 11:28 PM on August 1, 2023
posted by ZaphodB at 11:28 PM on August 1, 2023
Although I watched my ex play 1-6, going back to the PS3, the first one I picked up was YLAD and I enjoyed it so much because of its turn-based style play.
The story for these games is equal parts fun and wild. You can take your time and spend hours playing mini-games or do side stories or just play the main story which really helps depending on my mood.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:49 AM on August 2, 2023
The story for these games is equal parts fun and wild. You can take your time and spend hours playing mini-games or do side stories or just play the main story which really helps depending on my mood.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 3:49 AM on August 2, 2023
I avoided these games for ages because I thought they were GTA: Japan and was thrilled to discover that they're more like River City Ransom with cutscenes and minigames. 0 is like an all-time top 5 for me.
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:48 AM on August 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 6:48 AM on August 2, 2023 [2 favorites]
I just want to say that I've only played the last one, Like a Dragon, because it was being reviewed as "strongly influenced by Persona 5", which I love. And that might be the case (Dragon Quest is the explicit influence here), but I loved the game, loved the characters, and Ichban Kasuga has become one of my favourite game characters since I started playing video games, several lifetimes ago.
I've also started Judgment, but it hasn't gripped me in the same way. I wasn't enthusiastic about having to run around Kamurocho again, and I wonder how the people who have played all six main games feel about it.
posted by LaVidaEsUnCarnaval at 10:58 AM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I've also started Judgment, but it hasn't gripped me in the same way. I wasn't enthusiastic about having to run around Kamurocho again, and I wonder how the people who have played all six main games feel about it.
posted by LaVidaEsUnCarnaval at 10:58 AM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I avoided these games for ages because I thought they were GTA: Japan and was thrilled to discover that they're more like River City Ransom with cutscenes and minigames. 0 is like an all-time top 5 for me.
I too overlooked them starting from PS2 era because I wrongly perceived them to be GTA clones. It was delightful to experience just how campy and heartwarming the games can be. Running around convenience stores in Kamurocho also scratched an itch I didn’t know I had during the travel lull of the last few pandemic years.
posted by orbit-3 at 4:37 PM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
I too overlooked them starting from PS2 era because I wrongly perceived them to be GTA clones. It was delightful to experience just how campy and heartwarming the games can be. Running around convenience stores in Kamurocho also scratched an itch I didn’t know I had during the travel lull of the last few pandemic years.
posted by orbit-3 at 4:37 PM on August 2, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by Fizz at 6:19 AM on August 1, 2023 [2 favorites]