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[Backflip]

Finally got the Platinum Trophy last night. It was a lot easier to do than in Yakuza 3. I thought that the Extra Hard mode was pretty easy. I didn't have the golden gun to go through it but didn't lose one fight. Using weapons during Tanimura's last fight helped though.

I can't wait for Of The End.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

I picked the game up on day 1 and just got around to starting it a week ago due to being so busy.

Holy fuck.

This is easily the best game I've played this year. It's literally everything I wanted from a Yakuza game... awesome story, awesome gameplay, and tons to do. I was pretty amazed by how well-done the new characters were. I honestly think I liked Akiyama even better than Kiryu. I played through it in about 25 hours, not paying a whole lot of attention to the side quests (but definitely taking on some of them) and absolutely loved the game from start to finish.

Frankly, I don't care if they never make another "real" Yakuza game. This was all I could ask for, and I'm entirely satisfied.

 

[firehawk12]

Apologies for pimping, but here are some of my thoughts on the awesomeness of the game in essay form:

http://bitmob.com/articles/why-yakuza-4-may-be-the-rpg-of-the-year
(I figure I'd want someone to read it. :lol)

tl;dr version - a deep, mature story set in a close approximation of real life with lots of content in terms of engaging side quests and over a dozen mini games.

Comments welcome.

 

[MiniBossBattle]

Finally Platinumed Yakuza 4 after 67 hours. Pachinko was the worst but those side stories were honestly my favorite part. Glad they has 4 very different character with different play styles.

I hope more people get past the subtitles, long cutscenes and non fantasy setting because this game is a blast.

 

[IrishNinja]

damn, i somehow took 100 hours to plat, good job! and yeah, i didnt follow pachinko very well even with a guide, so i just used 2 get rich quick or whatever cards one after the other, took less than 10 minutes that way.

i prefer native language voice acting/subs, and really dig the setting myself, so these were all pluses for me, though i can clearly see where all of it adds to it being a niche title.

 

[luxarific]

Can't get Akiyama's final substory trigger to show up. ;_; At least the no. 1 hostess training is over with, damn that was tedious.

 

[Mikhal]

You probably can't trigger it because

Spoiler

Hana left and you need her for the substory.

If that's the case, you'll have to do it later.

 

[IrishNinja]

which one? some are easier to do in the last chapter when the game's basically on pause till you're ready to move on.

*edit ^ yeah, that's prolly the one, exact thing happened to me too.

 

[luxarific]

You probably can't trigger it because

Spoiler

Hana left and you need her for the substory.

If that's the case, you'll have to do it later.

Urk, thanks. Didn't realize that was a precondition. ;_;

 

[Suzuki Yu]

SEGA just announced today the "Ryu Ga Gotoku THE BEST Original Soundtrack" and it will contain the best music from the entire series including RGG1,2,KENZAN,3,4 and the upcoming game "OF THE END" slated for release in June 30th.

for music list:
http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/news/detail/414.html

 

[Riposte]

Just realized I should probably care about 'End because of the music.

 

[boutrosinit]

I adore this game.

Be warned, on Hard mode, the second character chapter starts off much harder than the prior, but stick to the S, S, S, Hold T,, release, T, T combo for great prosperity.

 

[Augemitbutter]

SEGA just announced today the "Ryu Ga Gotoku THE BEST Original Soundtrack" and it will contain the best music from the entire series including RGG1,2,KENZAN,3,4 and the upcoming game "OF THE END" slated for release in June 30th.

that's damn cool. i'll get this CD if the selection is good enough.

 

[IrishNinja]

ah, just saw the OST post...nice! cant wait for the track listing, thanks suzuki.

 

[klee123]

I'll probably end up getting that OST. It has most of the tracks I liked from each game. Saves me from buying every OST

 

[GotchaForce]

I gave tauriner to the kitten instead of milk as a laugh when playing the big guy. Then I got milk and no prompt would show up to talk to it or anyone around it. Did I screw myself?

 

[Edgeward]

I gave tauriner to the kitten instead of milk as a laugh when playing the big guy. Then I got milk and no prompt would show up to talk to it or anyone around it. Did I screw myself?

Probably, Yakuza sidequests can default to failed states, or "Incomplete" It won't interfere with trophies though, I do believe they even tell you with a prompt that it won't. Goddam wish it was implemented in Y3.

 

[firehawk12]

I believe you can redo the sidequests in Premium Adventure mode, but I might be wrong about that.

 

[Kazzy]

I believe you can redo the sidequests in Premium Adventure mode, but I might be wrong about that.

You're not wrong, I did the bulk of Akiyama's in the main game but after a while I got burnt out and just wanted to carry on with the story. I did all the rest after I had completed all the acts.

4 is a lot better in that regard, I remember a lot of minor sidequests been completely sensitive to what point you had reached in the story. Pretty much all of them are accessible again just before the final bosses, whereas they were completely missable before.

 

[daycru]

So this is great, right? Loved, loved, loved 3 and haven't bought a game in a while.

 

[Mikhal]

You're not wrong, I did the bulk of Akiyama's in the main game but after a while I got burnt out and just wanted to carry on with the story. I did all the rest after I had completed all the acts.

4 is a lot better in that regard, I remember a lot of minor sidequests been completely sensitive to what point you had reached in the story. Pretty much all of them are accessible again just before the final bosses, whereas they were completely missable before.

You're right that you can do missed submissions by loading your game up in Premium Adventure; but the issue in discussion is whether or not you can redo a submission after you earned an incomplete on it already. I think the answer is a no unless you start up a NEW Premium Adventure which resets your status in all the missions. The incomplete will still count towards trophies and any items/events you can get from doing them all so if that's all you care about, there's no need to worry.

So this is great, right? Loved, loved, loved 3 and haven't bought a game in a while.

It's great. I (and many other people) prefer it over Yakuza 3.

 

[IrishNinja]

So this is great, right? Loved, loved, loved 3 and haven't bought a game in a while.

aw, man, if you dug 3 that much, you're in for a treat. with the exception of the new map in Okinawa, i can't think of a part where 4 doesn't surpass it.

it's also less than $40 at amazon right now!

 

[Gravijah]

Does Y4 have an awesome arcade with a UFO catcher?

 

[slaughterking]

Yeah, it does.

 

[Tizoc]

Does Y4 have an awesome arcade with a UFO catcher?

....yes it does.

Well I've spent a total of 80-ish hours and got the trophy for beating the game on Extra Hard, I've managed to get 85% trophies which is MORE THAN TWICE of how many Trophies I got in Y3 (35% lol).
Not in the mood to waste my time getting the hostess trophies or the mini games ones, but will try to convince my friend to borrow it off me someday.

Here's hoping Of the end gets announced in E3 for a 2012 English release, Karaoke Majima GO!

 

[IrishNinja]

Does Y4 have an awesome arcade with a UFO catcher?

matter of fact, it has that and Boxcelios 2 (with 1 unlockable!), which is kinda like an old school WAIT I KNOW YOU, GIT OUTTA MAH THREADS

Here's hoping Of the end gets announced in E3 for a 2012 English release, Karaoke Majima GO!

this, so hard. more Akiyama, plus playable Majima? FUCK YES. im tired of replaying the demo.

 

[Gravijah]

It was an important question. Thank you.

....yes it does.

Well I've spent a total of 80-ish hours and got the trophy for beating the game on Extra Hard, I've managed to get 85% trophies which is MORE THAN TWICE of how many Trophies I got in Y3 (35% lol).

I think I ended up with around 30-40% of the trophies in Y3... Ended up putting the game down though.

 

[Cheska]

So I finished Yakuza 3 while PSN was down and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed the game . So naturally, I went out and bought Yakuza 4 immediately after.

I was having a blast with parts 1 and 2 ( Akiyama is easily one of my favorite characters) but it seems like the difficulty has spiked up in part 3. I was also expecting not to like the cop as much

Spoiler

since they made him appear super corrupt, but he's turning out to be a pretty decent person so far.

Story is intriguing and just keeps getting better with each scene.

 

[hamchan]

Did we ever find out how well this game sold? They're probably going to localize OF THE END either way but it would be reassuring to know this game sold decently.

 

[Cheska]

Why Yakuza, why? Part 4 spoilers:

Spoiler

Why did Yasuko have to die? She was a pretty important part of the story, and I felt like the same message could have been received if they and just seriously injured her.

 

[fooyee]

does it get better? I've just started running the hostess bar and so far I liked Yakuza 3 a whole lot more.

I'm not really liking the new mechanics, like chasing and story wise nothing seems to pertain to Akiyama.

 

[Melhisedek]

I'm pretty limited when it comes to free time (baby boy running about and causing mischief) but I would still like to play at least one Yakuza and one Persona title before they are so old I write them off. Now I can find Yakuza 3 really cheap, but for a few quids more I can get 4.

Is it really worth it to play them both? I would already be missing out on a lot of story as I haven't played first two. In this case money is not the issue, time is... What say you GAF?

 

[slaughterking]

Story-wise Yakuza 4 works better as a standalone title I'd say. It ties up some loose ends from the first two games, but overall it introduces more completely new characters and plot points for you to focus on.
I'd still give Yakuza 3 the edge personally just because it had a much needed diversion with a second city to play in, but since it's your first Yakuza I doubt it'll bother you very much to only play in Kamurocho in the fourth game.
So I guess I recommend Yakuza 4 to you.

 

[Cheska]

Is it really worth it to play them both? I would already be missing out on a lot of story as I haven't played first two. In this case money is not the issue, time is... What say you GAF?

I really loved the story in Yakuza 4. Length wise they are both around the same if you are trying to just experience the main game, but you can easily pour 50 plus hours if you want to 100% everything. There's an option in both Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4 that catches you up on the previous games, so if you start with Yakuza 4 and watch the scenes you should be able to understand what some of the references are

 

[infinityBCRT]

I just finished playing Yakuza 3 (didn't play the first two) and now am playing Yakuza 4 and I'm amazed that they were able to fix all of the bad/broken mechanics in Yakuza 3 for Yakuza 4 considering they only had just over a year to make the game.

- like the new leveling up system. with the Y3 system I never really paid attention to the progression of moves I was unlocking. With the new system you definitely know what new moves you're getting.
- like that they got rid of holding/tapping R2 for running during a Chase. Was way too tiring on my finger
- like that they made the chases easier in general, the difficulty was ridiculous in Y3. I think the quick turn mechanic also helps
- like that they indicate where stairs are. I'd get lost quite a bit in Y3 when there was a shop I had to go to which wasn't on the same floor I was at
- like the expanded city, feels a lot more alive with more areas to go to
- like that the story is not completely linear-- at least early on. You get thrown multiple things to do at once
- the fighting system seems to be a little bit more fluid

 

[iSurvivedTheOutage]

ill get this someday i just hope amazon keeps it under 40 bux

 

[Yaska]

Started this game myself. So far the story is awesome. Just wish the map would be better.

 

[fooyee]

Just finished the game, it was thoroughly enjoyable but man, some of the storytelling felt so lazy.

How many times do we have to beat down an opponent, have a dialog sequence and then have him pull a gun from nowhere, or have a crucial dialog scene, be standing out in the open, and the guy gets sniped before his last sentence.

That type of shit comes off as too easy, and the developers do it multiple times in the game, wtf.

 

[StMeph]

Just finished the game, it was thoroughly enjoyable but man, some of the storytelling felt so lazy.

How many times do we have to beat down an opponent, have a dialog sequence and then have him pull a gun from nowhere, or have a crucial dialog scene, be standing out in the open, and the guy gets sniped before his last sentence.

That type of shit comes off as too easy, and the developers do it multiple times in the game, wtf.

I have to agree somewhat. I just finished the game this past weekend, and have to admit that I didn't feel like it was vastly superior to Yakuza 3 (I have no frame of reference to compare it to 1 or 2, given my limited exposure to them only through the Reminisce files in 3 and 4).

I understand that there are genre conventions, and that, as a game, protagonists are generally designed to be inherently likable, but the storytelling in Yakuza 3 and 4 really is kind of lazy. The sentimental stuff is too melodramatic (Saki's plot points and Rikiya in Y3), and there are too many deaths by self-sacrifice for them to actually be meaningful. Seriously. It happens entirely too often.

Ch 2 and 4:

Spoiler

Hamazaki sacrifices himself to save you. Twice.

Ch 4:

Spoiler

Katsuragi at the top of Kamurocho Hills. Seriously. Why did Yasuko get shot? Because no one learned their lesson.

Ch 5:

Spoiler

Who else KNEW that as soon as Arai tossed the gun aside at the end that Munakata would get it for a final shot?

It's stuff like that. Cliche of cliches.

Still, it was fun. The individual characters' playstyles were different enough to seriously contrast with each other, and Chapter 5 was great. In the end,

Spoiler

Arai's character felt like a second Mine, in the way it fleshed out. I could see Kido being taken in by Saejima as his lieutenant.

 

[mattiewheels]

I just started chapter 2 of this, it's my first Yakuza game. So far it's been gooood, really top notch stuff. I'm surprised I haven't done more fighting by now, bit the cinematics are well directed and stunning.

 

[Replicant]

Welp! I just remember I haven't finished this when I started Infamous and Mass Effect 2. I thought I'd finish everyone's side story first but I got bored. How difficult is the last boss if I am not at the highest level yet (20, right?)? I think only Kazuma is at level 19. Everyone else is hovering around 13-15.

 

[DryvBy]

I got this and 3 yesterday. I played several hours of 4 and didn't want to put it down. The game is incredibly fun! Feels much like Shenmue or a heavily story based Streets of Rage. Why doesn't Sega try for this type of quality in all the games they publish?

 

[MikeE21286]

Got my copy in from theAmazon deal where they had it for $25.

Starting this weekend!

 

[The Crimson Kid]

Quick question for any vets of Yakuza 3 and 4:

How does the difficulty on Hard in Y4 compare to Hard in Y3?

I played Y3 on Hard and while normal enemies were fine, bosses took way too much damage and it sucked all the fun out of those battles for me.

I'm about to start Y4 and I want to know if this problem is still around in 4. I would really like to play on Hard because I've heard Normal isn't very challenging, but I won't do Hard if it means all the boss battles get artificially lengthened to the point of absurdity as a result.

 

[Acquiescence]

SEGA just announced today the "Ryu Ga Gotoku THE BEST Original Soundtrack" and it will contain the best music from the entire series including RGG1,2,KENZAN,3,4 and the upcoming game "OF THE END" slated for release in June 30th.

for music list:
http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/news/detail/414.html

Want! Look at that cover art, it's exquisite. Such a simple yet effective image, and something that really encapsulates the series as a whole. Well...that and introducing the faces of lowlife thugs to sturdy concrete walls, but I'll take Kazuma and Haruka holding hands over that any day of the week.

 

[Backflip]

Well I thought that the difficulty on Hard in Yakuza 4 was a lot easier than in Yakuza 3. I managed to beat Yakuza 4 on Extra Hard without having the golden gun, and that would have been a pain to do in Yakuza 3.

 

[Rain_ng]

Agreed, Cover is fantastic.

Funk Goes On will remain my fave random fight Music ever.

 

[CartridgeBlower]

Quick question for any vets of Yakuza 3 and 4:

How does the difficulty on Hard in Y4 compare to Hard in Y3?

I played Y3 on Hard and while normal enemies were fine, bosses took way too much damage and it sucked all the fun out of those battles for me.

I'm about to start Y4 and I want to know if this problem is still around in 4. I would really like to play on Hard because I've heard Normal isn't very challenging, but I won't do Hard if it means all the boss battles get artificially lengthened to the point of absurdity as a result.

I'm also interested in this. Y3 on Normal was way too easy for the random battles, and made a lot of them a chore. I'd like them to be more engaging, but not at the price of extremely long and hard boss battles. Is hard difficulty in Y4 better balanced than it was in Y3?

 

[UnluckyKate]

30 hours into the game, just arrived in Kamurocho with Saejima. This game is godlike.

 

[Totobeni]

The game was a major disappointed to me.

Story-wise Yakuza 4 is really the worst one of the series,If it was just about Akiyama it might turned to be something good, after his arc everything went downhill to hell, It's not just the stupid cliches or the smh-worthy chain of betrayals and, the entire thing felt so stupid and everything was just a fucking rehashed plots, it was like an unfunny parody of Yakuza stories.

Story overall.Yakuza 1=Kenzan >Yakuza 3>Yakuza 2>>>>>>>>>>Yakuza 4

But it's not only that, even the side quest just sucks smelly ass and hairy balls here,they feels soulless compared to the previous installments, most of the side quest bored me to sleep, that never happened to me before Yakuza game, I love the side quest in Yakuza games buy not in Yakuza 4, it seems like they put them here just because other Yakuza games has them, and the game is just short (I mean really really short) without the side quests.

One City was also a major major disappointment here, we got two cities in Yakuza 2 and Yakuza 3 then downgraded to one in Yakuza 4, yeah it's now has more areas with roofs and shits and more lead characters, but it's still the same city.

And even on the villains side, it's the weakest Yakuza game, it's not even funny, there is serious lack of badass evil Yakuza guys, we goot badass motherfukers yakuzas in the other games ( and fucking Yusaku Matsuda's hottest son as Sasaki Kojiro in Kenzan) here wat..nothing only bunch of boring idiots ,and only Minami was kinda decent(but just got disappeared completely halfway through).



Series overall
Kenzan>Yakuza 1>Yakuza 3> Yakuza 2>Yakuza 4.


If there is a Yakuza 5 after Yakuza the End Zombie one I hope Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team get their shit together again.