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Lost Judgment - Review Thread

saintjules

Member
Game Title: Lost Judgment

Platforms:
  • Xbox Series X/S (Sep 24, 2021)
  • PlayStation 5 (Sep 24, 2021)
  • Xbox One (Sep 24, 2021)
  • PlayStation 4 (Sep 24, 2021)
Trailers:
Developer: Sega

Publisher: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

Review Aggregator:

Metacritic (PS5) (83)
Metacritic (PS4) (??)
Metacritic (Xbox Series) (80)
Metacritic (Xbox One) (??)
OpenCritic - 83 average - 84% recommended - 35 reviews


Review Quotes


Wccftech (9/10)
With its excellent detective story, extremely likable characters, and welcome improvements to combat and investigation mechanics, Lost Judgment won't disappoint any fan of the original, of the Yakuza series, or anyone looking for a very mature story. The game doesn't try to shake up the original formula, which may definitely put some players off, but this is hardly a problem when quality is as high as it is in the latest game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio.


GamingBolt (9/10)
Regardless of what few complaints I may have with Lost Judgment though, it's hard to deny just how accomplished the game really is at almost everything it sets out to do. From its extremely polished and distinct take on its predecessor's gameplay to its arresting story to the great localization to even minor touches and additions that collectively enhance the experience so much, Lost Judgment is an incredibly compelling game that is well worth playing.


Polygon (no score)
There is just so much to do in Lost Judgment, both to its benefit and detriment. The story felt so bloated by the time it hit its climax that I was relieved to see it end. Ultimately, this is another case of one step forward, two steps back for Ryu ga Gotoku Studio, just like Yakuza: Like a Dragon and its presentation of topical issues in Japan. Even though Lost Judgment tries to open a conversation about bullying and sexual harassment, those themes end up taking a back seat in favor of bombastic drama. Lost Judgment succeeds in its emulation of a Japanese legal drama, but it's a mediocre one that would have benefited from a smaller scope, or at least, a better grasp on what it's trying to comment on.


Siliconera (9/10)
Much like the flashy combat, the story also builds itself with significant momentum. It makes Lost Judgment a game that, in addition to being fun to play, really entices you to see it to its end.


Easy Allies (8/10, video review)
Over the years, Sega has kept up a brisk pace with Yakuza and its spinoffs, releasing games that share a lot of the same DNA. However, despite the similarities between them, Lost Judgment still manages to stand out and make a strong case for itself by tightening up a lot of the weaker aspects of the first game. It introduces fun and addictive side activities like the school stories and seamlessly immerses you into its world. It may seem easy to write it off as just another Yakuza-type game at first glance, but once you start to walk the streets with Yagami, you'll want to see this case through to the end.


PlayStation Universe (9/10)
A fantastic action adventure that taps directly into the root DNA of the Yakuza franchise, Lost Judgment not only manages to simultaneously boast both the darkest and the goofiest storylines of any title in the series to date, but it also stuns the player with an absolute avalanche of hugely entertaining side quests and activities. More than that though, Lost Judgment also provides solace for those who found themselves turned off by the turn-based combat system that the mainline Yakuza series now seems to favour, while welcoming newcomers to one of the best new Japanese franchises of the last two decades.


DualShockers (8.5/10)
In its culture-infused entirety, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's eastern feature has something for everybody scattered around every Japanese street corner and Lost Judgement is also a great example of what a "next-generation" title should look like.


GamesRadar (4.1/5)
Lost Judgment proves a sequel can feel overtly iterative and still succeed. There are relatively few changes to be found from Yagami's original outing outside of increased depth to an already-bombastic combat system, but that's no bad thing when what came before was so enjoyable. Lost Judgment provides laughs aplenty with a brilliant array of side cases and characters, but it crucially tackles trauma and bullying with refreshing honesty and steely conviction when it needs to.


GameSpot (7/10)
Lost Judgment improves on its predecessor by cutting down on some of the more tedious elements of its design rather than outright changing the mechanics to make the investigative side of the equation more engaging. In this sense, it's disappointing that it doesn't lean into what makes Judgment unique compared to the Yakuza series and instead remains at its best when sticking close to those origins. The story is compelling with an endearing cast of characters, the sheer amount of stuff to do is astounding, and there's still an inherent joy that comes from pummelling the city's delinquents into the ground. But it's hard not to feel disappointed that you still feel like a passenger when it breaks away from the Yakuza mould. If this is indeed our last time with Yagami and co., then it's one to cherish. There will just always be a nagging feeling that this was a missed opportunity to do something truly special.


Video Reviews






























 
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Miles708

Member
Do we know if it's possible to deactivate the command list on the bottom right? I couldn't find any option in the demo
 
As someone that didn’t care for the first game at all, SkillUp’s review was a pretty sobering watch in terms of seeing how little has changed or evolved. No way I’m buying this.

In 2 years they released 2 huge games like a dragon and now this. It was to be expected considering their track record, that the game would be pretty much the same minus locations. I mean have you played Yakuza games? Cmon. Its a stupid thing to complain. Skillup is not a fan of these games. He has not finished any of them and his "i loved them but never bothered to finish" is fucking typical bs.
 
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Reave

Member
In 2 years they released 2 huge games like a dragon and now this. It was to be expected considering their track record, that the game would be pretty much the same minus locations. I mean have you played Yakuza games? Cmon. Its a stupid thing to complain. Skillup is not a fan of these games. He has not finished any of them and his "i loved them but never bothered to finish" is fucking typical bs.
I’ve played every Yakuza, and no, I don’t think it’s stupid complaint to want these games to try moving the needle.
 
I’ve played every Yakuza, and no, I don’t think it’s stupid complaint to want these games to try moving the needle.

Obviously not, but not recommending it because it's similar is a bit...ridiculous. Value the quality of the content the game offers, not whether it's the same as previous. Imagine if ppl did that with call of duty or fifa or w/e else. Well they kinda did, after 10 iterations. This is the second game that released pretty close to the previous.
 
I’ve played every Yakuza, and no, I don’t think it’s stupid complaint to want these games to try moving the needle.
But they just did. With Yakuza 7.

This is a game explicitly for fans of the original series. Skillup never liked it afaik.

If it's more of the same good I'll be all over it.

ED: also those journos deducting points for their usual wokewatch can go smoke a Tiger Drop
 
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Killer8

Member
There is just so much to do in Lost Judgment, both to its benefit and detriment. The story felt so bloated by the time it hit its climax that I was relieved to see it end. Ultimately, this is another case of one step forward, two steps back for Ryu ga Gotoku Studio, just like Yakuza: Like a Dragon and its presentation of topical issues in Japan. Even though Lost Judgment tries to open a conversation about bullying and sexual harassment, those themes end up taking a back seat in favor of bombastic drama. Lost Judgment succeeds in its emulation of a Japanese legal drama, but it's a mediocre one that would have benefited from a smaller scope, or at least, a better grasp on what it's trying to comment on.

That Polygon quote. Got to love Western media cucks commenting on how they know more about Japanese social issues than the Japanese people making the fucking game.
 
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TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
So glad it's being well received. This studio makes great games and deserves the recognition.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
Judgment was awesome and controversial? count me in, day zero.

Like a Dragon was fantastic and all but I'm happy there is a real time battle RGG game. Its just quicker to play.
 

Saber

Gold Member
I'm pretty happy for Judgement. Its a solid series, might get this one myself.
 
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PsyEd

Member
Love the first one and still trying understand how to win the majong or whatever so I can my friendship cred up since I don't have enough xp to get the cheat item. From the reviews this one feels like 1.5 but still planning to get it during black Friday sale this year.
 

TonyK

Member
Prepurchased weeks ago. I loved the six games I played from Ryu Ga Gotoku, so this has been a blind purchase for me.
 

Amiga

Member
If Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio made Saints Row it would be one of the best games ever. these guys can combine the dumbest themes with the most serious and make it work.
 

Roufianos

Member
So they barely improved any of the trash detective elements from the original? They actually kept stalking in?

I'll still pick it up though, I love these games.
 

klosos

Member
Nice , the first was the such a under-appreciated game and for me one of the top five games of the last decade. i cant wait for next week. this and Diablo 2 at the same time. Gaming perfection.
 
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Rayderism

Member
I'm still worried that it isn't showing in my PS4's library as pre-ordered. I bought the ultimate edition, and don't currently own a PS5. When I go to PSN (either on PS4 or on PC), it says it's unavailable.....because I already own it. I just KNEW Sony would screw up this cross gen stuff.

Luckily, I do still have the pre-order confirmation receipt in my email, so if I have to, I'll call them up and bitch about it, if it doesn't let me download it soon, whether as a pre-load, or on release day.

Only thing I don't remember is if I P.O'd it through the app, the PS4 or the PC PSN.
 

Y0ssarian

Banned
Looking good. Probably won't get to play it til next year though, I've beaten Yakuza 0, Kiwami and halfway through Kiwami 2
 

nowhat

Member
I just finished the main story (but still have lots of side content to clear, will probably do a more complete run at a later date). As there is no OT, I'll post my ramblings about the game here instead. "Reviewed" on PS5. And I will be calling (Lost) Judgment Yakuza games because, let's be real, they are in all but name. "First game"/"original" refers to Judgement.

Story/writing: This will be on a very general level as not to spoil anything. I liked the story of the first game more (even if it goes a bit off the rails towards the end), but this is not bad either. A couple of interesting new characters (and conversely some that are not fleshed out at all), suitable amounts of melodrama, many variations of "Nanda.../Nanda!/Nandato!" on a regular basis. When it comes to the recurring cast from the first game, very little is done to establish them as characters or to describe their relationships with each other, it's pretty much assumed you played it or read a synopsis at the very least. The pacing is at times all over the place though, this is a very slow burner even by Yakuza standards. So at the beginning the plot moves at a glacial pace for quite a while (it could be argued for too long). And after that I feel much of the mystery is revealed way too early, I expected more misdirection and some later twists. Still, all in all an enjoyable ride. Regarding side content, I realize the mainline Yakuza games are more wacky (especially now with Ichiban as the lead) and this is the more serious series - I still would have liked more weird stuff as well. But as said, there's plenty of side content that I haven't done, so maybe the weird is there and I just haven't found it yet.

Gameplay: the combat is what you'd expect. There's now a third fighting style (I ended up mostly using just Tiger), no major changes otherwise. But then there are the detective mechanics. First the good news: compared to the first game the tailing missions suck slightly less and there's only one lock picking minigame instead of three. There are also stealth sections (basically completely linear with instafail) and climbing/platforming (again very linear and the controls are a bit clunky) - whether either was needed or wanted is debatable, but they're there now. Some new detective gadgets, although using them can be annoying. For example, the "signal detector". Of course the player moves very slowly when using it and it also picks up signals from quite far away. Ideally you'd be able to dismiss it temporarily, walk/run to a new location and then start scanning again. But pressing L3 doesn't take you back to the gadget you were using, it defaults to the investigation mode. So you'll have to select the gadget with L1/R1 and there seems to be occasional lag in that particular UI, so it's easy to accidentally go past the selection you were after. Sounds minor, and it is, but even small things can get annoying with enough repetition. The detective dog is a fun addition though.

But the largest issue for me is something carried over from the first game, the basic investigations. So you'll be moving the cursor across the screen, optionally also moving around your surroundings, hoping to find something to click (which may be quite obvious, or really not that obvious). There could be a simple way to make this a bit more tolerable - define some items in an investigation as essential, rest as optional. And that the player can end the investigation once all essential items have been examined. As it is, you have to find everything to proceed. In the final mission as you're fighting hordes of enemies in a suitably bombastic fashion and with an awesome soundtrack, there are not one but two investigations (with the same background loop you've heard too many times at that point) that completely break the flow of the mission. And you have to investigate... a path to climb. That's immediately obvious. But you must examine each part of that path, and also find/examine all the other parts in the room that aren't helpful. (Seriously, who thought including that in the final mission was a good idea?)

I get it, this series must differ somehow from mainline and as the main character is a detective, some kind of detective mechanics are an obvious choice. Just that the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. I was hoping for some major improvements over the original, but sadly it's more like there are some new features with their own issues, and the same issues the original had. For me this is a fun Yakuza game, but not that fun detective game. If there will be a third game in this series RGG really should rethink/rework much of the detective stuff, now it seems more to detract from the experience rather than contribute to it.

But not to sound too negative, the core gameplay is still as enjoyable as ever (or if you didn't like it before, this probably won't change your opinion). The skateboard is a welcome new feature - constantly fighting random street thugs gets tiresome quite quickly, it's great that you can just skate past them without triggering combat. Or alternatively, get completely shitfaced and go on a drunken skateboarding rampage, bumping into everything/everyone and causing general mayhem (there really should be a "get off the skateboard and smash someone with it" special move).

Presentation: there's a fidelity mode - didn't try it even once, 60fps is where it's at especially in a brawler like this. Runs well enough for my taste, didn't notice any major performance issues. The loading times, while not necessarily the fastest out there, are completely reasonable. I ended up using taxis very often, whereas playing previous Yakuzas on PS4 I did so quite sparingly. The Dragon Engine continues to be a bit of a mixed bag. It can look amazing at times and rather bland on others (perhaps this is more due to the assets than the engine itself). But for the love of $DEITY, please finally add some decent TAA or other post-processing to get rid of the shimmering. I think it's especially noticeable/distracting in cutscenes, which is a shame as they can look otherwise very nice. Solid soundtrack as always, the ambient/environmental sounds continue to be exceptional. No complaints about the VAs either - I don't understand Japanese, but the voices seem to fit the characters very well (didn't try the English dub).

TL;DR: on a scale of 1 to 10, for me the first game was 9-, this is 8- or maybe 7 and a half (using the full scale, so 5 would be an average game). The first game tried something new, so I'm more willing to forgive shortcomings when it comes to some of the gameplay mechanics. Here I would have expected a more refined version of the new mechanics, but that didn't happen, hence the lower score (and generally I just liked the first game a bit more). Recommendations: if you're a devoted devourer of Yakuza, you probably already bought this or will at some point. If you've played the first game and liked it, sure why not. If you haven't played the first one, start from there instead. Although if you're a complete newcomer to the Yakuza series, just get Yakuza 0 and work your way up from there if you get into it.
 
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