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Yakuza: Like a Dragon. Nice change of pace from previous Yakuzas! (Spoiler-free)
- Thread starter InfiniteCombo
- Start date
- LTTP
GymWolf
Member
Very manly, kudos!I got you bro
TwiztidElf
Member
I just want to add some non-spoiler thoughts on the discussion around the difficulty spike and grinding.
It is very obvious when you hit it. And it is very obvious where you have to grind to obtain maximum XP yield (it literally tells you).
For me, someone who doesn't commit hard to side quests, but still did quite a lot of them, I think I had maybe 2 (3 tops) hours of grinding.
But as I've said, for me, this was some of the most enjoyable grinding I ever had. It barely felt like grinding.
I was laughing a lot at it due to the wacky enemies and how cliched it all was. It feels like it is mocking its own genre.
By the time I got to this point, I was so heavily committed to the game and enjoying the story so much, there is no way I would have let it stop me, even if it was boring grinding.
And the pay offs afterwards are so sweet and so worth it.
If you're the sort of person who doesn't mind a little grinding while watching your characters level up, you'll get through this painlessly.
If you absolutely hate grinding, yeah, this is going to be a problem.
It is very obvious when you hit it. And it is very obvious where you have to grind to obtain maximum XP yield (it literally tells you).
For me, someone who doesn't commit hard to side quests, but still did quite a lot of them, I think I had maybe 2 (3 tops) hours of grinding.
But as I've said, for me, this was some of the most enjoyable grinding I ever had. It barely felt like grinding.
I was laughing a lot at it due to the wacky enemies and how cliched it all was. It feels like it is mocking its own genre.
By the time I got to this point, I was so heavily committed to the game and enjoying the story so much, there is no way I would have let it stop me, even if it was boring grinding.
And the pay offs afterwards are so sweet and so worth it.
If you're the sort of person who doesn't mind a little grinding while watching your characters level up, you'll get through this painlessly.
If you absolutely hate grinding, yeah, this is going to be a problem.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Excellent writeup.
I'm like you -- if I'm enjoying a game THAT much, I don't let a temporary inconvenience stop me.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Oh yeah. For Ultrawide monitor people: as you can see from my screenshots in the OP, the gameplay is in 21:9 just fine. But cutscenes, menus, etc are still in 16:9 though.
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EDMIX
Member
lol I'm happy you loved it, its an amazing series.
In regards to Neil Druckmann, he made an amazing series we've yet to ever see with such a theme about humanity and how cruel it can be and those clinging on to hope. They both just make different games to be compared and this is coming from a super fanboy of both IP lol
Yakuza is amazing, but it suspends a massive amount of reality to enjoy and you have to be in a Anime like state to get the most of it as the series is deep into that type of anime trope thing. I love the characters in Yakuza almost like a anime, manga or comic book, as in I love the world they are written for and the fit the world that was made for them, but its also not a type of writing that I'd ever use to bash another director/writer as they are just too different to argue making one like the other would benefit something.
Look at it like this, if you take Yakuza's story and make it about the crips and bloods, it literally becomes comically bad as I don't think most would take it seriously and it becomes more funny then something good or something , Yakuza at its best is when you get the anime tropes and allow that level of belief to be suspended to enjoy it for what it is. On the other hand if you take a Crips vs Bloods story and have Neil Druckmann write it, for what it would be, it would be as dark as that gang war actually is vs some weird campy melodrama.
So they are imho the best at doing a story, based on the tone and setting their work is in. Its very, very hard to compare imho. I don't think either would be able to do each other's style btw
Imru’ al-Qays
Member
The combat system is a lot better than the usual Yakuza combat but the story is so incredibly slow paced. It has a serious case of modern JRPG dialog bloat.
I don't see any difference with the previous games in this aspect. Most of the games in the series very slow in the first few chapters but speed up later, and the same true for LAD i think. Maybe you feeling that way because game became slower in general due to turn-based combat.
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InfiniteCombo
Banned
Chapter 3. We finally get a glimpse of the tattoo:
Just as I was starting to miss Adachi, we get this fucking guy. Is every character in this game really this awesome?
Let's go Nanba!!
(LMAO at the enemy names: "Capitalist Punisher"..... "Burnout Bully"
)
Per Yakuza tradition, anything and everything can be a minigame. "CAN" be... get it? LMAO I'll show myself out
Real talk though, even a homeless can collecting thing is made into a minigame.
Just as I was starting to miss Adachi, we get this fucking guy. Is every character in this game really this awesome?
Let's go Nanba!!
(LMAO at the enemy names: "Capitalist Punisher"..... "Burnout Bully"
)
Per Yakuza tradition, anything and everything can be a minigame. "CAN" be... get it? LMAO I'll show myself out
Real talk though, even a homeless can collecting thing is made into a minigame.
PlayofSparta
Member
yeah but can you do this in LAD?
lol
lol
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Not yet, but I'm pretty sure a bunch of cool shit is in store.
By the way, that dude whose video you linked, he's definitely the best at Yakuza combat. His Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Ishin videos are insane.
PlayofSparta
Member
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Meh, that one is alright... He's got much better ones.
Bulletbrain
Member
I certain equipped item helps with this, much like other Yakuza games. And then there is always the auto combat option.
I haven't played all the Yakuza games, but this one is nipping at the heels of Yakuza 0, which is my favourite one. 0 had a few more really high notes, story wise.
Shifty
Member
I need to get around to this. I was sold on it the moment I saw new fella pull Excalibat out of the ground in Yakuza's signature over-the-top style, but was still burned out from back-to-backing Zero and Kiwami when it came out.
Seeing people put it up there with Zero is encouraging - I watched through TehSnakerer's 5-hour analysis of that game the other day and it reminded me of all the things that make it an amazing Yakuza title. They absolutely smashed it as a 20th anniversary project, so if the bar of quality is up there for LAD then I'm in for a great time.
Now excuse me, I need to go and listen to Trouble Shooting Star on loop for several hours.
Seeing people put it up there with Zero is encouraging - I watched through TehSnakerer's 5-hour analysis of that game the other day and it reminded me of all the things that make it an amazing Yakuza title. They absolutely smashed it as a 20th anniversary project, so if the bar of quality is up there for LAD then I'm in for a great time.
Now excuse me, I need to go and listen to Trouble Shooting Star on loop for several hours.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Shit. I took on a random street battle and got my ass kicked. Lost half my cash. Fuck (Not a biggie, making that cash back quickly)
(As always, full image resolution is 3440x1440, just shrinking them for post purposes, but you can click for full res.)
This game is fucking awesome. So it turns out our boy Ichi has now gone full-blown Dragon Quest:
After this, the way Ichi "sees" the enemies is almost an alternative/"Dragon Quest" universe. This exchange is fucking money, though, had me cracking up.
Ichi:
Adachi responds:
This game just has so much incredible content to offer. The dialogue is top notch the entire time; these writers are truly fantastic. (Props to the translators/localizers, of course.)
I'm not even gonna explain the next two pictures, will just add them completely out of context.
(Not a biggie, making that cash back quickly)(As always, full image resolution is 3440x1440, just shrinking them for post purposes, but you can click for full res.)
This game is fucking awesome. So it turns out our boy Ichi has now gone full-blown Dragon Quest:
After this, the way Ichi "sees" the enemies is almost an alternative/"Dragon Quest" universe. This exchange is fucking money, though, had me cracking up.
Ichi:
Adachi responds:
This game just has so much incredible content to offer. The dialogue is top notch the entire time; these writers are truly fantastic. (Props to the translators/localizers, of course.)
I'm not even gonna explain the next two pictures, will just add them completely out of context.
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InfiniteCombo
Banned
Random things I love about the personality of this game so far:
- One of the things that have put me off from JRPGs (and anime) in the past is just how "young-centric" it tends to be. It's always the tired trope of High School Students Saving the World™. Not this game. The main characters in this game are OLD (relatively speaking.) Ichi is 42. Nanba is 41. Adachi is 59. There are jokes about it in the game and the whole thing is handled very well.
- Substories are pretty awesome so far, I would say practically on par with Yakuza 0. Oh, speaking of which.
- The game takes an interesting perspective: so far, the narrative is sympathetic (almost favorable?) to "society's rejects." Prostitutes, the homeless, etc -- maybe sympathetic is stretching it, but the game definitely gives you a "hey, at least try to see it from their perspective" narrative.
As a joke: I'm pretty sure
Javthusiast
will recognize all of these chicks even without the name tags
- One of the things that have put me off from JRPGs (and anime) in the past is just how "young-centric" it tends to be. It's always the tired trope of High School Students Saving the World™. Not this game. The main characters in this game are OLD (relatively speaking.) Ichi is 42. Nanba is 41. Adachi is 59. There are jokes about it in the game and the whole thing is handled very well.
- Substories are pretty awesome so far, I would say practically on par with Yakuza 0. Oh, speaking of which.
This game brings the "Yakuza 0 sad theme" back!
- The game takes an interesting perspective: so far, the narrative is sympathetic (almost favorable?) to "society's rejects." Prostitutes, the homeless, etc -- maybe sympathetic is stretching it, but the game definitely gives you a "hey, at least try to see it from their perspective" narrative.
As a joke: I'm pretty sure
Javthusiast
will recognize all of these chicks even without the name tags
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BouncyFrag
Member
Great thread! Thanks for reminding me to jump into this.
SCB3
Member
Fantastic game, I made a LTTP on it last year and cannot wait for the next game
After this if you want more, Judgement is also fantastic (I plan on playing Lost Judgement over Xmas I think, depends how much Xenoblade 2 takes if it burns me out and Crisis Core Remake is due around then)
The only piece of advice I'll give is make sure you do the Business management and the Battle Tour stuff, the rewards from them are amazing
After this if you want more, Judgement is also fantastic (I plan on playing Lost Judgement over Xmas I think, depends how much Xenoblade 2 takes if it burns me out and Crisis Core Remake is due around then)
The only piece of advice I'll give is make sure you do the Business management and the Battle Tour stuff, the rewards from them are amazing
InfiniteCombo
Banned
It really is a fantastic game so far. I'm loving it. And again, this is from someone who never played turn-based JRPGs before.
Yeah I was wondering whether I wanted to use an existing thread, but people sometimes get weird about "necro bumping" of threads. So to not get derailed with "necro-bump" nonsense, I just created a fresh thread.
I would love to play Judgement, unfortunately I'm PC only and Judgement is stuck on PlayStation consoles. I still want to play it, so some day, if I ever get around to buying a PS5, Judgement is one of the first games I'll get for it. But if it comes to PC, even better.
Yeah! Thanks for this! And in general, I will take any gameplay tips people want to give me.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Ichiban has hair physics. I'm dead serious about this, his hair is animated.
I'm trying to capture that in a gif with the AMD Adrenalin app, which has a "Capture Instant GIF" feature... but in the 10 seconds I was wrestling with it last night, I couldn't get it to work. Will try again soon.
I'm trying to capture that in a gif with the AMD Adrenalin app, which has a "Capture Instant GIF" feature... but in the 10 seconds I was wrestling with it last night, I couldn't get it to work. Will try again soon.
SkylineRKR
Member
Judgment 1 and 2 are fantastic and among the top tier for me. Lost Judgment was my GOTY last year. 1 is a who dun it, and 2 is about finding the reason why someone did it. I liked both stories. LJ has a completely optional school story arc thats very good. But all Yakuza stories are good imo, they all feature awesome villains and good guys. I personally enjoy all the cutscenes and banter. Kuze is the biggest bad ass in all of Yakuza. And his 2 boss themes reflect it. Try me!
Business management in LaD by the way, is pretty cool. It starts off kind of tough, and demands some actual salary and people management etc but it becomes too easy. I did it with the default crew and didn't really go out to recruit. But finish it by all means, I did it straight when it was available I think. The rewards from it are crucial. You'll also be loaded, which you will need if you want to craft but this is not needed for a fresh run. However, some powerful late game poundmates can cost millions just to cast once. My general rule is always to at least finish the 'big' sidequests like the hostess and real estate stuff in 0, the bar talks and hostess in 6 etc. I only never liked the RTS battles of Kiwami 2 and 6.
Business management in LaD by the way, is pretty cool. It starts off kind of tough, and demands some actual salary and people management etc but it becomes too easy. I did it with the default crew and didn't really go out to recruit. But finish it by all means, I did it straight when it was available I think. The rewards from it are crucial. You'll also be loaded, which you will need if you want to craft but this is not needed for a fresh run. However, some powerful late game poundmates can cost millions just to cast once. My general rule is always to at least finish the 'big' sidequests like the hostess and real estate stuff in 0, the bar talks and hostess in 6 etc. I only never liked the RTS battles of Kiwami 2 and 6.
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InfiniteCombo
Banned
It absolutely would hit the spot. I see your avatar (not just one of the best characters in the Yakuza franchise, but one of the best characters in gaming, period). So you know the tone, the type of characters, and the settings to expect from a Yakuza game. So far, this game has them all (and some of the more "ridiculous" aspects are dialed up to 11, but so far everything works really really well).
Kiwami 2 and 6 are both FANTASTIC games as well, so do get to those at some point.
Kazza
Member
Maybe the Dragon Engine combat of 2 and 6 would mix things up a bit, but LaD would be a bigger palette cleanser for sure.
Haha, I honestly forgot what avatar I have at the moment, but yeah he's great! I like pretty much all the Yakuza characters TBH, even Saejima.
Agreed with what you said about it be refreshing to have a Japanese game with some grizzly middle aged dudes rather than the usual young anime pretty boys. Maybe that's just because I'm fast becoming a member of the former group myself, haha!
Keep the (non-spoiler) updates coming!
InfiniteCombo
Banned
That's right. This is not spoiling anything but do know that the beat em up combat of Kiwami 2 and 6 is "simplified" compared to the likes of 0, Kiwami 1, and Ishin.
But, it's still pretty fun combat though, and all the other benefits you get from switching to the Dragon Engine make up for the shallower combat coming from 0/Kiwami 1.
I would play a full game dedicated to Akiyama, that's how much I like the character.
LMAO middle aged crew for the win
It's not just that, it's that it doesn't line up with real life. I know Japan has some sort of obsession with youth, but, in real life, like... What the fuck does a high school student know about anything (compared to a reasonable adult)?
Absolutely, that was my plan! Glad you're enjoying the thread man, cheers!
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Touch fuzZy. get BizZay
Member
Even though I already love Yakuza, this one really stuck with me. I still think about the characters sometimes.
When I want to sell people on the game and give them an idea of it's flavour, I use this short 20 second video of the resurrection spell which I think sums things up nicely:
When I want to sell people on the game and give them an idea of it's flavour, I use this short 20 second video of the resurrection spell which I think sums things up nicely:
InfiniteCombo
Banned
I tried making a gif of how the home screen changes after Ichi goes all Dragon Quest on you.
Alright, here goes nothing...
EDIT: Holy shit, it worked! Just max it out for better viewing. Now imagine that at 3440x1440, at a high framerate. Awesome home screen!
EDIT 2: Only works on mobile? I got it to display once on my desktop, but then it wouldn't display again. But on mobile it works reliably. Oh well...
Alright, here goes nothing...
EDIT: Holy shit, it worked! Just max it out for better viewing. Now imagine that at 3440x1440, at a high framerate. Awesome home screen!
EDIT 2: Only works on mobile? I got it to display once on my desktop, but then it wouldn't display again. But on mobile it works reliably. Oh well...
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Javthusiast
Banned
Random things I love about the personality of this game so far:
- One of the things that have put me off from JRPGs (and anime) in the past is just how "young-centric" it tends to be. It's always the tired trope of High School Students Saving the World™. Not this game. The main characters in this game are OLD (relatively speaking.) Ichi is 42. Nanba is 41. Adachi is 59. There are jokes about it in the game and the whole thing is handled very well.
- Substories are pretty awesome so far, I would say practically on par with Yakuza 0. Oh, speaking of which.This game brings the "Yakuza 0 sad theme" back!
- The game takes an interesting perspective: so far, the narrative is sympathetic (almost favorable?) to "society's rejects." Prostitutes, the homeless, etc -- maybe sympathetic is stretching it, but the game definitely gives you a "hey, at least try to see it from their perspective" narrative.
As a joke: I'm pretty sure
Can confrm recognized most, even if some names would not immediately come to me I have definitely seen their work.
ShaquilleOatmeal
Member
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is the best game Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has ever made.
And it's not even close.
And it's not even close.
chilleverest
Member
Its not much but im proud to say i was one of those who played yakuza since its inception but this will be the first one i will be skipping. I just cannot get over the turn based fighting system. Its just not yakuza for me.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
I respect your opinion, but admittedly a lot of their games are pretty enjoyable. 0 is great, Kiwami (despite mostly shitty substories) is great. Kiwami 2 and 6 are great. I haven't played the Judgement games so I can't comment on those, but from everything I've read they're great too.
Too bad. But, not every game is for everyone.
ShaquilleOatmeal
Member
Oh no, I'm not saying their games aren't great. If anything, most of their titles are.
What I am saying is that Like A Dragon is still lightyears beyond the rest. It's just that good - not that the rest of their portfolio is that bad.
itsjustJEFF
Member
I haven't played one of the Yakuza games in some time because of the combat. It got stale to me and was no longer fun... I had no idea this was turn-based! I might have to look into this one.
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InfiniteCombo
Banned
Went through what I imagine is the first of many "dungeons" to come. This was a story one. Really good design. Balanced, decent set of enemy waves, good amount of healing items and other things scattered throughout. Not really that much of a maze (although there is a maze-like part towards the end, but it's really a non-factor when you can access the map at all times).
Because this is the first dungeon, the game doesn't allow you to go in without armor and gear. (I couldn't quite tell if it was just for Ichiban, or for the whole party; regardless I got armor and gear for everybody).
Yo, can I get that samurai armor in the back? That shit looks sick!
Interesting.... instead of one giant boss, this one had 3 mini-bosses that you fight at the same time:
Beat the chapter. At the beginning of the new chapter, met someone new:
FUCK yeah, my party is growing (not spoilery at all; I mean, she's on the cover of the damn game):
I really like the stats. It's pretty basic but for a turn-based JRPG newbie like me. not overwhelming. You have your total level (you can see I'm "Level 15" with the guys, and 14 with Saeko because she just joined), and then your job level. The job centric stuff is cool, I hope I can do different jobs with the characters. (Right there you can see the little icon showing the job types for each: "Hero" for Ichi, "Homeless" for Nanba, "Detective" for Adachi, and "Hostess" for Saeko).
Beyond that, each party member has a metric shit ton of individual statistics: Charm, Courage, etc. And then there are offensive and defensive stats.
Also it seems that the plot is just getting started, and while the overall plot is getting kind of serious, the game is still doing almost a masterful balance between the overarching serious stuff, and then the interpersonal "deeper" stuff, and then of course the comedy. You can't have a Yakuza game without the comedy.
Because this is the first dungeon, the game doesn't allow you to go in without armor and gear. (I couldn't quite tell if it was just for Ichiban, or for the whole party; regardless I got armor and gear for everybody).
Yo, can I get that samurai armor in the back? That shit looks sick!
Interesting.... instead of one giant boss, this one had 3 mini-bosses that you fight at the same time:
Beat the chapter. At the beginning of the new chapter, met someone new:
FUCK yeah, my party is growing (not spoilery at all; I mean, she's on the cover of the damn game
):
I really like the stats. It's pretty basic but for a turn-based JRPG newbie like me. not overwhelming. You have your total level (you can see I'm "Level 15" with the guys, and 14 with Saeko because she just joined), and then your job level. The job centric stuff is cool, I hope I can do different jobs with the characters. (Right there you can see the little icon showing the job types for each: "Hero" for Ichi, "Homeless" for Nanba, "Detective" for Adachi, and "Hostess" for Saeko).
Beyond that, each party member has a metric shit ton of individual statistics: Charm, Courage, etc. And then there are offensive and defensive stats.
Also it seems that the plot is just getting started, and while the overall plot is getting kind of serious, the game is still doing almost a masterful balance between the overarching serious stuff, and then the interpersonal "deeper" stuff, and then of course the comedy. You can't have a Yakuza game without the comedy.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Right, another screenshot dump. (Might start putting pictures behind quotes if it gets to be too much...)
See the last picture in my post above? Those are the main/story outfits for the party. But I bought one of them Deluxe editions or whatever, and it came with a shit ton of DLC. Which means, of course, costumes.
These are my current battle outfits:
Ichiban (the main character) as Kazuma Kiryu (the main character; note that Ichiban's actual main outfit is mostly just a color-swapped version of Kiryu's)
Nanba (currently my party's second in command?) as Goro Majima (arguably the series' second in command?)
Adachi (the cop working with the main yakuza character) as Makoto Date (the cop who works with the main yakuza character)
Saeko (the main girl in the party) as the idol version of Haruka Sawamura (the main girl in the series)
Wait, Saeko, he was trying to do... what, now!?!?
Our boy Ichi so charming that even grandmas hit on him:
This is not spoilery, but I found it pretty funny: the game has an activist group called "Bleach Japan" who are as annoying in the game as real activists can be in real life. (I think their initials being "BJ" seems to be done intentionally by the writers, it's just too funny)
Especially irritating is the main dweeb who's the leader of the group. I think the developers gave him a purposely punchable face:
Alright, and now here's a "no context" picture dump. This game is amazing:
See the last picture in my post above? Those are the main/story outfits for the party. But I bought one of them Deluxe editions or whatever, and it came with a shit ton of DLC. Which means, of course, costumes.
These are my current battle outfits:
Ichiban (the main character) as Kazuma Kiryu (the main character; note that Ichiban's actual main outfit is mostly just a color-swapped version of Kiryu's)
Nanba (currently my party's second in command?) as Goro Majima (arguably the series' second in command?)
Adachi (the cop working with the main yakuza character) as Makoto Date (the cop who works with the main yakuza character)
Saeko (the main girl in the party) as the idol version of Haruka Sawamura (the main girl in the series)
Wait, Saeko, he was trying to do... what, now!?!?
Our boy Ichi so charming that even grandmas hit on him:
This is not spoilery, but I found it pretty funny: the game has an activist group called "Bleach Japan" who are as annoying in the game as real activists can be in real life. (I think their initials being "BJ" seems to be done intentionally by the writers, it's just too funny)
Especially irritating is the main dweeb who's the leader of the group. I think the developers gave him a purposely punchable face:
Alright, and now here's a "no context" picture dump. This game is amazing:
Shifty
Member
I was going try to find the bat gif and make a big deal out of bumping this, but what do you know - the thread is alive and well, just buried by the daily churn
Which is a long winded way of saying I bit the bullet and started LAD. At just shy of 9 hours in, I think I'm around where
InfiniteCombo
's last post left off, having just gotten my fourth party member.
And frankly, what took me so long? I've had a big dumb grin plastered across my face the whole time.
Characters
Fantastic. As the second coming of Japanese Jesus, Ichiban is brilliant. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way Kiryu couldn't, and his infatuation with Dragon Quest is adorable on top of providing 101 different ways for the game to tickle at the fourth wall.
It was smart to use the prison angle as a way to time-tunnel an old-school honourable Yakuza into the future too, seeing as the series is edging ever closer towards the present day and 'just business' attitudes that come with it.
It also feels like his soapland origins had a knock-on effect on the game's subject matter, where it's not afraid to shine a spotlight on the grime and grey areas, and be frank about it.
Kiryu's games touched on those themes, but it feels like we've dived in head-first now we have a protagonist who was born from them.
For instance, Kiryu would never threaten to dump an industrial-size bucket of used cum rags on a bunch of irritating slacktivist protestors juvenile humor really isn't my bag, but that scene was hilarious in context.
Also, being a party-based game is huge. It's like RGG studio looked at this one shot from Yakuza 4:
Then said "why not a whole game of this?"
And yeah, right on. Having a supporting cast who orbit the protag as a retinue rather than at cutscene distance is really enjoyable. I got that 'no, come back!!' feeling for the first time in decades at the first 'X has left the party' prompt.
They're a perfect foil for Ichi's anachronism and hotheadedness, and the IRL analogs to JRPG class archetypes work better than they have any right to.
Storytelling
As far as I'm concerned, Yakuza has now beaten TV at its own game.
I recently sunk 30+ hours of my life into the Battlestar Galactica reboot from the 2000s, and while the first couple of seasons were top-notch submarine drama in space, everything after that was an exponential death-dive into ruined characters and plot contrivances, ultimately resulting in a frustrating experience that failed to pay off most of what it set up.
This seems to be a recurring pattern in modern TV, where a series will blast out of the gates like a rocket before gradually running out of steam, shitting all over itself, and getting taken off the air. It can be for various reasons, such as the writers failing to plan ahead, running out of subject matter, or simply blowing all of their resources on shock value before realising that all the characters the audience cares about are fucking dead, but in my experience has become the rule rather than the exception. Nothing actually manages to stick the landing anymore.
Going through the first few chapters of LAD, I got that same first-season feeling of being completely hooked by a compelling story. Except here, it comes with the implicit contract that it'll actually end in a satisfying manner, because it's a singular piece of media from a team with a pedigree for good storytelling. Not seasonal, not episodic, an honest to goodness complete story that will use dramatic devices for their intended purpose instead of as a way to ensure the audience comes back next week. Holy shit.
Granted, I can't really say that for sure until I finish it, but given the overall positive reception and aforementioned pedigree, I'm very confident.
Combat
Alright, hear me out. Have you ever seen Fullmetal Alchemist? Because what I think we have here is a case of equivalent exchange.
Consider the current landscape for turn-based JRPGs; in terms of really big hitters, you've got Dragon Quest, and you've got Persona. If you're not down for weeb dating simulators, that's half of your options up in smoke already.
Yes, there are mid-budget entries like Octopath available, and mainline SMT just about still exists in handheld form, but I'm talking AAA here - Lost Odyssey tier.
So: Since the industry transmuted all of its other top-flight JRPG franchises into action games with stats - arguably culminating in FF7R given how legendary the original is - the universe deemed that something had to give, and turned Yakuza into an amazing turn based JRPG to balance everything out.
Realistically speaking, it comes down to RGG studio reading the landscape and making a bold call at the conjunction of several opportune moments, but I still like the FMA analogy. Especially considering that FF7R turned out slightly monstrous for a certain slice of the fanbase
And I'm surprised to say it, but I think I forgot that turn-based can be as good as if not better than action given the appropriate context. I just needed a genuinely top example to remind me of that, and here it is.
Function-versus-function is still king for pure action titles, but for story-heavy stat games I think I'd rather take turns and strategize. Action RPGs are such a wack compromise between the two extremes.
...
Anyhow, I've only covered the tip of the mental iceberg, but I think that's enough trying to organize my muddled and numerous thoughts on the game into a post for now. It's time for some more Yakuza
Which is a long winded way of saying I bit the bullet and started LAD. At just shy of 9 hours in, I think I'm around where
InfiniteCombo
's last post left off, having just gotten my fourth party member.And frankly, what took me so long? I've had a big dumb grin plastered across my face the whole time.
Characters
Fantastic. As the second coming of Japanese Jesus, Ichiban is brilliant. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way Kiryu couldn't, and his infatuation with Dragon Quest is adorable on top of providing 101 different ways for the game to tickle at the fourth wall.
It was smart to use the prison angle as a way to time-tunnel an old-school honourable Yakuza into the future too, seeing as the series is edging ever closer towards the present day and 'just business' attitudes that come with it.
It also feels like his soapland origins had a knock-on effect on the game's subject matter, where it's not afraid to shine a spotlight on the grime and grey areas, and be frank about it.
Kiryu's games touched on those themes, but it feels like we've dived in head-first now we have a protagonist who was born from them.
For instance, Kiryu would never threaten to dump an industrial-size bucket of used cum rags on a bunch of irritating slacktivist protestors
juvenile humor really isn't my bag, but that scene was hilarious in context.Also, being a party-based game is huge. It's like RGG studio looked at this one shot from Yakuza 4:
Then said "why not a whole game of this?"
And yeah, right on. Having a supporting cast who orbit the protag as a retinue rather than at cutscene distance is really enjoyable. I got that 'no, come back!!' feeling for the first time in decades at the first 'X has left the party' prompt.
They're a perfect foil for Ichi's anachronism and hotheadedness, and the IRL analogs to JRPG class archetypes work better than they have any right to.
Storytelling
As far as I'm concerned, Yakuza has now beaten TV at its own game.
I recently sunk 30+ hours of my life into the Battlestar Galactica reboot from the 2000s, and while the first couple of seasons were top-notch submarine drama in space, everything after that was an exponential death-dive into ruined characters and plot contrivances, ultimately resulting in a frustrating experience that failed to pay off most of what it set up.
This seems to be a recurring pattern in modern TV, where a series will blast out of the gates like a rocket before gradually running out of steam, shitting all over itself, and getting taken off the air. It can be for various reasons, such as the writers failing to plan ahead, running out of subject matter, or simply blowing all of their resources on shock value before realising that all the characters the audience cares about are fucking dead, but in my experience has become the rule rather than the exception. Nothing actually manages to stick the landing anymore.
Going through the first few chapters of LAD, I got that same first-season feeling of being completely hooked by a compelling story. Except here, it comes with the implicit contract that it'll actually end in a satisfying manner, because it's a singular piece of media from a team with a pedigree for good storytelling. Not seasonal, not episodic, an honest to goodness complete story that will use dramatic devices for their intended purpose instead of as a way to ensure the audience comes back next week. Holy shit.
Granted, I can't really say that for sure until I finish it, but given the overall positive reception and aforementioned pedigree, I'm very confident.
Combat
Alright, hear me out. Have you ever seen Fullmetal Alchemist? Because what I think we have here is a case of equivalent exchange.
Consider the current landscape for turn-based JRPGs; in terms of really big hitters, you've got Dragon Quest, and you've got Persona. If you're not down for weeb dating simulators, that's half of your options up in smoke already.
Yes, there are mid-budget entries like Octopath available, and mainline SMT just about still exists in handheld form, but I'm talking AAA here - Lost Odyssey tier.
So: Since the industry transmuted all of its other top-flight JRPG franchises into action games with stats - arguably culminating in FF7R given how legendary the original is - the universe deemed that something had to give, and turned Yakuza into an amazing turn based JRPG to balance everything out.
Realistically speaking, it comes down to RGG studio reading the landscape and making a bold call at the conjunction of several opportune moments, but I still like the FMA analogy. Especially considering that FF7R turned out slightly monstrous for a certain slice of the fanbase
And I'm surprised to say it, but I think I forgot that turn-based can be as good as if not better than action given the appropriate context. I just needed a genuinely top example to remind me of that, and here it is.
Function-versus-function is still king for pure action titles, but for story-heavy stat games I think I'd rather take turns and strategize. Action RPGs are such a wack compromise between the two extremes.
...
Anyhow, I've only covered the tip of the mental iceberg, but I think that's enough trying to organize my muddled and numerous thoughts on the game into a post for now. It's time for some more Yakuza
Last edited:
Bluecondor
Member
LAD is such a great game. My avatar is a character you encounter later in the game (NO SPOILERS).
The characters are relatable and you really get to know their various quirks by playing the game with them (everything from boss fights and long missions to having drinks at bars, meals and various other activities.
The business management game (while repetitive after awhile) really caught my attention. In the late game, you need a lot of money to get the highest level weapons and armor, etc. I really enjoy games that have an economy that matches the game's progression. I don't like games in which it is too heavy of a grind to make enough money to buy the items you need to play late game/end game. I also don't enjoy games in which you make so much money that you can easily buy everything and then become overpowered. LAD has some really nice weapons and items in the late game/end game that require you to make some serious money (which is challenging, but still rather enjoyable).
The characters are relatable and you really get to know their various quirks by playing the game with them (everything from boss fights and long missions to having drinks at bars, meals and various other activities.
The business management game (while repetitive after awhile) really caught my attention. In the late game, you need a lot of money to get the highest level weapons and armor, etc. I really enjoy games that have an economy that matches the game's progression. I don't like games in which it is too heavy of a grind to make enough money to buy the items you need to play late game/end game. I also don't enjoy games in which you make so much money that you can easily buy everything and then become overpowered. LAD has some really nice weapons and items in the late game/end game that require you to make some serious money (which is challenging, but still rather enjoyable).
InfiniteCombo
Banned
This is seriously one of the best posts I've read on this forum, EVER.I was going try to find the bat gif and make a big deal out of bumping this, but what do you know - the thread is alive and well, just buried by the daily churn
Which is a long winded way of saying I bit the bullet and started LAD. At just shy of 9 hours in, I think I'm around where
And frankly, what took me so long? I've had a big dumb grin plastered across my face the whole time.
Characters
Fantastic. As the second coming of Japanese Jesus, Ichiban is brilliant. He wears his heart on his sleeve in a way Kiryu couldn't, and his infatuation with Dragon Quest is adorable on top of providing 101 different ways for the game to tickle at the fourth wall.
It was smart to use the prison angle as a way to time-tunnel an old-school honourable Yakuza into the future too, seeing as the series is edging ever closer towards the present day and 'just business' attitudes that come with it.
It also feels like his soapland origins had a knock-on effect on the game's subject matter, where it's not afraid to shine a spotlight on the grime and grey areas, and be frank about it.
Kiryu's games touched on those themes, but it feels like we've dived in head-first now we have a protagonist who was born from them.
For instance, Kiryu would never threaten to dump an industrial-size bucket of used cum rags on a bunch of irritating slacktivist protestors
Also, being a party-based game is huge. It's like RGG studio looked at this one shot from Yakuza 4:
Then said "why not a whole game of this?"
And yeah, right on. Having a supporting cast who orbit the protag as a retinue rather than at cutscene distance is really enjoyable. I got that 'no, come back!!' feeling for the first time in decades at the first 'X has left the party' prompt.
They're a perfect foil for Ichi's anachronism and hotheadedness, and the IRL analogs to JRPG class archetypes work better than they have any right to.
Storytelling
As far as I'm concerned, Yakuza has now beaten TV at its own game.
I recently sunk 30+ hours of my life into the Battlestar Galactica reboot from the 2000s, and while the first couple of seasons were top-notch submarine drama in space, everything after that was an exponential death-dive into ruined characters and plot contrivances, ultimately resulting in a frustrating experience that failed to pay off most of what it set up.
This seems to be a recurring pattern in modern TV, where a series will blast out of the gates like a rocket before gradually running out of steam, shitting all over itself, and getting taken off the air. It can be for various reasons, such as the writers failing to plan ahead, running out of subject matter, or simply blowing all of their resources on shock value before realising that all the characters the audience cares about are fucking dead, but in my experience has become the rule rather than the exception. Nothing actually manages to stick the landing anymore.
Going through the first few chapters of LAD, I got that same first-season feeling of being completely hooked by a compelling story. Except here, it comes with the implicit contract that it'll actually end in a satisfying manner, because it's a singular piece of media from a team with a pedigree for good storytelling. Not seasonal, not episodic, an honest to goodness complete story that will use dramatic devices for their intended purpose instead of as a way to ensure the audience comes back next week. Holy shit.
Granted, I can't really say that for sure until I finish it, but given the overall positive reception and aforementioned pedigree, I'm very confident.
Combat
Alright, hear me out. Have you ever seen Fullmetal Alchemist? Because what I think we have here is a case of equivalent exchange.
Consider the current landscape for turn-based JRPGs; in terms of really big hitters, you've got Dragon Quest, and you've got Persona. If you're not down for weeb dating simulators, that's half of your options up in smoke already.
Yes, there are mid-budget entries like Octopath available, and mainline SMT just about still exists in handheld form, but I'm talking AAA here - Lost Odyssey tier.
So: Since the industry transmuted all of its other top-flight JRPG franchises into action games with stats - arguably culminating in FF7R given how legendary the original is - the universe deemed that something had to give, and turned Yakuza into an amazing turn based JRPG to balance everything out.
Realistically speaking, it comes down to RGG studio reading the landscape and making a bold call at the conjunction of several opportune moments, but I still like the FMA analogy. Especially considering that FF7R turned out slightly monstrous for a certain slice of the fanbase
And I'm surprised to say it, but I think I forgot that turn-based can be as good as if not better than action given the appropriate context. I just needed a genuinely top example to remind me of that, and here it is.
Function-versus-function is still king for pure action titles, but for story-heavy stat games I think I'd rather take turns and strategize. Action RPGs are such a wack compromise between the two extremes.
...
Anyhow, I've only covered the tip of the mental iceberg, but I think that's enough trying to organize my muddled and numerous thoughts on the game into a post for now. It's time for some more Yakuza
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Oh shit, I'm confused.... I thought your avatar was related to the Yakuza 6 character?LAD is such a great game. My avatar is a character you encounter later in the game (NO SPOILERS).
The characters are relatable and you really get to know their various quirks by playing the game with them (everything from boss fights and long missions to having drinks at bars, meals and various other activities.
The business management game (while repetitive after awhile) really caught my attention. In the late game, you need a lot of money to get the highest level weapons and armor, etc. I really enjoy games that have an economy that matches the game's progression. I don't like games in which it is too heavy of a grind to make enough money to buy the items you need to play late game/end game. I also don't enjoy games in which you make so much money that you can easily buy everything and then become overpowered. LAD has some really nice weapons and items in the late game/end game that require you to make some serious money (which is challenging, but still rather enjoyable).
I forget what his name is, in my head he was just "Korean Vergil"
EDIT: fuck, I just remembered! Joon-Gi Han! That's the name of the Yakuza 6 dude!
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NanaMiku
Member
They actually explain it in the game. They have connection lol
Bulletbrain
Member
Waiting patiently for OP and Shifty to get to the legendary difficulty spike. Those were incredibly hype AND difficult in equal measure.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Yeah I'll keep updating this thread since some of you are engaging, but at the rate it's going I think
Shifty
is gonna get there before me.I've got a lot of life shit going on (work has ramped up, going on dates with chicks, and on top of that my car was parked and some moron crashed into it so now I'm dealing with the fallout from that) so my playtime has slowed down a bit.
Shifty
Member
Business minigame unlocked! Time to forget the main story and bolster my powerlevel with borderline-illegal amounts of capital.
Except not - the game is so well paced it thought three steps ahead and gently, temporarily, locked me out of it after the first big milestone so the main quest had chance to get its hooks back in. Well played, well played.
Though so far I'm at chapter 9 and it's been smooth sailing - no deaths, and only two party members KOed. The visit to restaurant row to try and stop the Ijin Three going to war seemed like it was going to spike a bit, but simmered back down after.
I got access to an optional hard dungeon as well, though I'm giving that one a rain check while my tolerance for sewer levels recovers...
On a related note, does the combat balance gradually tilt toward status effects and buffs as the game goes on? So far I've been feeling pretty comfortable with the naive solution of burning MP on offensive specials, and abusing followups and weaknesses where I can get them.
Except not - the game is so well paced it thought three steps ahead and gently, temporarily, locked me out of it after the first big milestone so the main quest had chance to get its hooks back in. Well played, well played.
Business Girl is such a busted party member! At this point in the game she regularly wipes two mooks off the board on turn 1 with that thumbtack special.
Based on the titles given to certain notable characters, that word has some scary connotations
Though so far I'm at chapter 9 and it's been smooth sailing - no deaths, and only two party members KOed. The visit to restaurant row to try and stop the Ijin Three going to war seemed like it was going to spike a bit, but simmered back down after.
I got access to an optional hard dungeon as well, though I'm giving that one a rain check while my tolerance for sewer levels recovers...
On a related note, does the combat balance gradually tilt toward status effects and buffs as the game goes on? So far I've been feeling pretty comfortable with the naive solution of burning MP on offensive specials, and abusing followups and weaknesses where I can get them.
Well, at least 2/3 are good problems to have! Sorry to hear about your car thoughYeah I'll keep updating this thread since some of you are engaging, but at the rate it's going I think
I've got a lot of life shit going on (work has ramped up, going on dates with chicks, and on top of that my car was parked and some moron crashed into it so now I'm dealing with the fallout from that) so my playtime has slowed down a bit.
InfiniteCombo
Banned
Haha no worries bro, it's just an administrative headache and car insurance companies are a pain in the ass to deal with (accident wasn't my fault at all, my car was parked and I wasn't even in the car!). But at least to make up for that, I just came from a very successful date, lolBusiness minigame unlocked! Time to forget the main story and bolster my powerlevel with borderline-illegal amounts of capital.
Except not - the game is so well paced it thought three steps ahead and gently, temporarily, locked me out of it after the first big milestone so the main quest had chance to get its hooks back in. Well played, well played.
Business Girl is such a busted party member! At this point in the game she regularly wipes two mooks off the board on turn 1 with that thumbtack special.
Based on the titles given to certain notable characters, that word has some scary connotations
Though so far I'm at chapter 9 and it's been smooth sailing - no deaths, and only two party members KOed. The visit to restaurant row to try and stop the Ijin Three going to war seemed like it was going to spike a bit, but simmered back down after.
I got access to an optional hard dungeon as well, though I'm giving that one a rain check while my tolerance for sewer levels recovers...
On a related note, does the combat balance gradually tilt toward status effects and buffs as the game goes on? So far I've been feeling pretty comfortable with the naive solution of burning MP on offensive specials, and abusing followups and weaknesses where I can get them.
Well, at least 2/3 are good problems to have! Sorry to hear about your car though
Also, I think we might be at the same point? I also unlocked the business minigame (I think if you look at the pictures I posted a couple of posts above, you'll recognize Eri and her grandma? That's when you're introduced to the business minigame, I think?)
Wait never mind I read your spoiler and
Eri hasn't joined my party yet 
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Gambit2483
Member
First part sounds like an actual Yakuza game...not sure about that "spoiler" thoughBusiness minigame unlocked! Time to forget the main story and bolster my powerlevel with borderline-illegal amounts of capital.
Except not - the game is so well paced it thought three steps ahead and gently, temporarily, locked me out of it after the first big milestone so the main quest had chance to get its hooks back in. Well played, well played.
Business Girl is such a busted party member! At this point in the game she regularly wipes two mooks off the board on turn 1 with that thumbtack special.
Based on the titles given to certain notable characters, that word has some scary connotations
Though so far I'm at chapter 9 and it's been smooth sailing - no deaths, and only two party members KOed. The visit to restaurant row to try and stop the Ijin Three going to war seemed like it was going to spike a bit, but simmered back down after.
I got access to an optional hard dungeon as well, though I'm giving that one a rain check while my tolerance for sewer levels recovers...
On a related note, does the combat balance gradually tilt toward status effects and buffs as the game goes on? So far I've been feeling pretty comfortable with the naive solution of burning MP on offensive specials, and abusing followups and weaknesses where I can get them.
Well, at least 2/3 are good problems to have! Sorry to hear about your car though
