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Yakuza 0. 1/24/17 Less than a month to go. Let's make a difference.

Jimrpg

Member
Op, you missed out the fact that right now on EU psn at least yakuza 4, 5 and dead souls are heavily discounted and people who still own thier ps3s, and never touched the series, can get in on some excellent yakuza action before 0 drops.

I'd say add the sale links to the op.

By far the yakuza games are my favourite game series, well tied with GTA anyway, currently playing through 5 and loving the gameplay loop and variety dearly.


I can see why people feel y4 story is stronger but the massively improved gameplay systems, variety, different types of activities, and sheer amount of content puts it above 4 for me.

Will do in a few hours when I get home, along with a few other things. Thanks for the suggestion!
 

sublimit

Banned
Great thread OP.Man there are some seriously devoted Western Yakuza fans out there,i hope Nagoshi and his team know this.

I'll buy Yakuza 0 on day 1 just to support the continuous localization of the series even though i will not be able to play it for a long time.
 

StaSeb

Member
I am loving the hype in this thread. And I think the hype is as awesome, because we kind of know exactly what we will get. A bit nuanced, but mostly one amazingly good formula. And it does not get boring. Every game so far - except DS and even that had something going on for it - generally surpassed the previous one. Or at least were good enough to satisfy that Yakuza-itch.

Rarely does a series iterate that well while evolving quite slowly in terms of systems,controls, tech, tone and setting. And it is still kind of a low-budget-affair. I am loving this fact.

Makes me wonder and scare a little, what a AAA-yakuza backed by a serious ambition to make it a wordwide hit would look like? Could that ever happen? Would it be CAPCOM-style crazieness in terms of content like in RE6? Would it have that sterile, but obsessively detailed look of a Gran Turismo? Wouild it be kind of western in its design?

Oh boy, I am rambling. Last thing I want to say: i love that I have to press X two times to pick up any item in the game. Such crappy design. One button press should be enough. But for me this belongs to Yakuza. Love it!
 

Riposte

Member
Whoever is making the OT, please put this image somewhere in it, thank you.

Cv9YubrWcAADLf8.jpg
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
I know probably a lot of people has already asked this but what makes Yakuza so great?

If you've played Shenmue or know about it, think of it as a much better version of Shenmue with actual and engaging gameplay and combat.

If you've never heard of Shenmue, this is like a cross between an RPG and a 3D Beat em up. Amazing stories and some of the best fleshed out characters in video games and really well rendered Japanese locales.

In short: They're really good games.
 
Op, you missed out the fact that right now on EU psn at least yakuza 4, 5 and dead souls are heavily discounted and people who still own thier ps3s, and never touched the series, can get in on some excellent yakuza action before 0 drops.

I wish I could, but I have the 60gb PS3 and simply have no room to install 4 or 5. Hopefully they will re-envision 3 and 4 the way they did with 1.
 
I'm pledged for 0 and Kiwami.

I only ever bought and played Yakuza 3, and despite the game featuring a pretty good series of catch-up movies, I still felt kind of lost, and I did not actually get attached to the story enough to continue on to 4 and 5. 0 and Kiwami are presenting a chance to go from the literal start of everything.

I may or may not buy 6 -- gonna be a heck of a jump from Kiwami to 6 story-wise... But I don't think 6 looks gorgeous and it does have great looking gameplay, but being lost in regards to the story (or at best, detached) in 3 was not super enjoyable.
 
Slow? What do you mean?

At least in Ishin I thought it was alright overall.

When you're gonna open the lockers, there's an animation for opening the thing, then you get a splash screen with the item, then you get a message that your inventory is full, then you finally get the menu to send the item to the item box, then you get a confirmation message, then you repeat all of that every single god damn time if you're opening several lockers at once. Everything is just...slow.

never played ishin, tho
 

EricB

Member
Preordered 0 yesterday, wouldn't miss it for anything. I had already purchased a physical copy of the Korean language version long ago, but then the English localization was announced so I sold it.

I'm about half way through Yakuza 2 on PS2 so hopefully I can finish that off before this releases. I already own all the others except Kenzan! (which I beat and sold - wish they'd put it up on PSN), Kiwami, and 6. Have only completed 1, 3, and Kenzan! so I still have a lot to look forward to.
 
I can't wait after finally getting into the series with 4. Now if only I could convince some of my friends to get into this.

"Oh, so this is like GTA?"

How do you respond to that?

If you say yes: "Gotcha, cool, I'll just go play GTA now".

If you say, no, it's kind of a mix between RPG and brawler that..."Okay, cool, I'll just go play FIFA now."

I think next time I just answer no without any kind of follow up and if they start to inquire I'll just snap at them for no reason and go home, maybe that'll work?
I show friends Persona 5 to try to get them into it as I am and I get the same question lol. Can't convince everyone.
 
Semi Relevant: I was looking for Yakuza hype gifs when I discovered this was in my hometown.

http://yakuzalounge.com/

Yakuza Lounge: Japanese Taste, Portland Style

During the mid-Edo Period of Japanese feudalism the Yakuza caste was made up of misfits and undesirables easily identified by their elaborate tattoos and non-conformist hairdos. The Yakuza formed extended “families” and lived off the feudal grid in their own secluded villages and neighborhoods. Our restaurant name pays homage to these original black sheep of a highly structured society. We like to think they’d feel right at home in Portland, amongst our own merry bands of beautiful outcasts.

I am going to have to go check this place out.
 

bnx

Member
I preordered as soon as it went live on Amazon. Might even preorder a Gamestop copy for the exclusive poster.
 
So jumping into the franchise with 0 is gonna be ok?

It's supposed to be the prequel to the entire rest of the series. It might elucidate elements about the characters that long-time fans will get a bit of fanservice in seeing, but literally nothing else in the series will have happened just yet. I'd say that qualifies as a good starting point. Kiwami (also now announced for West release in 2017) is a remake of Yakuza 1, so it will basically serve as a direct follow up.

Seems like a second chance for people to get into this series and establish with the earlier plot roots of the franchise, with the debut of the first game on PS2 having been the first opportunity.

I don't know for certain, however, as I only ever played Yakuza 3 on PS3 when it launched in North America. That was a tough one to get into, even with their earnest and decent attempt to include some catch-up videos that covered the first two games.
 

Mentok

Banned
What an awesome job OP! I've got my pre-order in already (did it the first day EB had it in their system). SUPER pumped for this!
 

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I'm pledged for 0 and Kiwami.

I only ever bought and played Yakuza 3, and despite the game featuring a pretty good series of catch-up movies, I still felt kind of lost, and I did not actually get attached to the story enough to continue on to 4 and 5. 0 and Kiwami are presenting a chance to go from the literal start of everything.

I may or may not buy 6 -- gonna be a heck of a jump from Kiwami to 6 story-wise... But I don't think 6 looks gorgeous and it does have great looking gameplay, but being lost in regards to the story (or at best, detached) in 3 was not super enjoyable.
As someone who started with 4...

Once you play 0 and Kiwami, I'd just jump to 4. 4 is a great starting point for newcomers and has a nice recap video of 2 (which is supposedly the best in the series, but latecomers like us have to deal with the dated graphics and gameplay). I don't know what 3's video was like, but 4's recap was sufficient enough.

If 2 is the only missing link, the story will be more than enjoyable enough. 4 is a reboot of sorts, and if you've played 1 and 3, you'll know more than enough to understand all the references in 5.
 

thiscoldblack

Unconfirmed Member
I bought the Japanese version and will buy the North American version. I am hoping with this release we can finally prove Sega that the Yakuza series has a home in the west as well.
 
I am filled with shame and remorse for not posting in this thread earlier.

First played Yakuza via an awful demo of the original which was bundled with a gaming mag. Didn't give it a fair shake until the announcement of Yakuza 2's western release.

Never looked back.

From Yakuza 3 onwards, waiting for the games to be localised has been an ordeal, with no encouraging messages or hints to speak of, and Sega reps saying how difficult it is to bring them over.

Then Gio steps on stage, and delivers the most beautiful news.

I am still in shock at the thought of playing 3 more games of "We are not worthy - the series".
 

moribund112

Neo Member
I support this series 100%. I played the first Yakuza on PS2 way back in the day, in English. The dub's quality gave it the same kind of charm playing Shenmue does. Yeah, it's bad, but who cares? The game is fun and the story is great.

Played Yakuza 2 on PS2 also, alas only in Japanese. Still was a great title.

Played the butchered Yakuza 3 in English and was just happy to have it come over.

Played 4 and 5 and loved both. I wish they released a physical version of 5.

Have played both Kiwami and Zero in Chinese on my PS4. I can't wait to see a great English translation. They're beautiful games and Majima is a *beast* in Kiwami.
 

kewlmyc

Member
Probably won't play it when it comes out due to Tales of Berseria coming out I think the same day and going to Japan a few weeks later, but I am buying it day one to support the series. It's my first game in the series, so I'm looking forward to it.
 

Brazil

Living in the shadow of Amaz
I'd pick it up regardless, but having the option to pick it up physical is freaking great.
 

Atomski

Member
I'd probably check the series out if it was on more platforms. I really don't get why third party devs release niche games on one platform and expect good sales.
 
I wish I could, but I have the 60gb PS3 and simply have no room to install 4 or 5. Hopefully they will re-envision 3 and 4 the way they did with 1.


I'd say get a 128gb or 250gb standard drive, which should be incredibly cheap nowadays, and buy the games. Likewise buy y4 or y5 and YouTube one or the other. Y4 has recaps of the previous 3 games.
 
One of my freelance projects is writing a preview of a game, so I'll probably pick this game. I'll even stream it to like five followers on Twitch, because fuck you this game is so good.
 
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