Board 8 > I finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon, now give me a lowdown on the rest

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Johnbobb 08/20/23 7:55:16 PM #1:	I played a demo of one of the Yakuza games like a decade ago and didn't care for it much so I never played any others of the series finished Yakuza: LAD because it was free on PS+ and (mostly) really liked it, though there are things I would change (random massive difficulty spikes to encourage grinding, excessively long [as in 1hr+] back-to-back cutscenes) I'm interested in getting into the other Yakuzas but don't know a ton about the series and it's a little tricky to sort out what's what What are the essential must-play games of the series? LAD didn't really require knowing the other games to enjoy but not sure if that's the case elsewhere? How does Judgment/LAD: Ishin/LAD Gaiden tie in to all that? I know the past games were action/adventure combat instead of turned-based. Is that the case for all of them? LAD was a like 80 hour game without even doing the Milennium Tower challenges; is that the case for all of them too? I fully dont expect to have time to play the full series if that's the case basically I'm just curious what I should know before trying to branch off into what is a not-so-straightforward series --- Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs <cite>Johnbobb posted [p:975564471] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>I played a demo of one of the Yakuza games like a decade ago and didn't care for it much so I never played any others of the seriesfinished Yakuza: LAD because it was free on PS+ and (mostly) really liked it, though there are things I would change (random massive difficulty spikes to encourage grinding, excessively long [as in 1hr+] back-to-back cutscenes)I'm interested in getting into the other Yakuzas but don't know a ton about the series and it's a little tricky to sort out what's whatWhat are the essential must-play games of the series? LAD didn't really require knowing the other games to enjoy but not sure if that's the case elsewhere?How does Judgment/LAD: Ishin/LAD Gaiden tie in to all that?I know the past games were action/adventure combat instead of turned-based. Is that the case for all of them?LAD was a like 80 hour game without even doing the Milennium Tower challenges; is that the case for all of them too? I fully dont expect to have time to play the full series if that's the casebasically I'm just curious what I should know before trying to branch off into what is a not-so-straightforward series </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Xiahou_Shake 08/20/23 8:02:19 PM #2:	Yakuza 0 is an absolute must-play and is also perfect as an introduction to the pre-LaD era. Beyond that you can do Kiwami (remake of 1 tweaked to be more of a sequel to 0) -> Kiwami 2 (likewise a remake of the second game) and then if you're really in love you can try 3-6. The best games (IMO) are 0, 5, Judgment and LaD Judgment is a(n extremely good) detective spin-off completely isolated from the other games save for the setting and some slight nods to stuff that's been happening in the world. It also has its own sequel, Lost Judgment. You can play these games pretty much anywhere - Lost Judgment does indirectly spoil a pretty big plot development from Like a Dragon, but you don't need to worry about that! Ishin is also a spin-off that's basically a samurai movie with all the characters from the other games "playing" the characters in the story. LaD Gaiden is, well, a gaiden side-story bridging the events of Yakuza 6 and the upcoming LaD sequel. All the games besides LaD are beat-em-ups at their core but between all the mini-games and other gameplay segments have spanned just about every genre at this point. LaD is exceptionally long. The average Yakuza game is about half its length with the notable exception of 5, which is a ridiculously chunky game. --- Let the voice of love take you higher, With this gathering power, go beyond even time! <cite>Xiahou_Shake posted [p:975564606] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Yakuza 0 is an absolute must-play and is also perfect as an introduction to the pre-LaD era. Beyond that you can do Kiwami (remake of 1 tweaked to be more of a sequel to 0) -> Kiwami 2 (likewise a remake of the second game) and then if you're really in love you can try 3-6. The best games (IMO) are 0, 5, Judgment and LaDJudgment is a(n extremely good) detective spin-off completely isolated from the other games save for the setting and some slight nods to stuff that's been happening in the world. It also has its own sequel, Lost Judgment. You can play these games pretty much anywhere - Lost Judgment does indirectly spoil a pretty big plot development from Like a Dragon, but you don't need to worry about that! Ishin is also a spin-off that's basically a samurai movie with all the characters from the other games "playing" the characters in the story. LaD Gaiden is, well, a gaiden side-story bridging the events of Yakuza 6 and the upcoming LaD sequel.All the games besides LaD are beat-em-ups at their core but between all the mini-games and other gameplay segments have spanned just about every genre at this point.LaD is exceptionally long. The average Yakuza game is about half its length with the notable exception of 5, which is a ridiculously chunky game. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Great_Paul 08/20/23 8:06:06 PM #3:	1) 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 2) Gaiden takes place between 6 and LaD. Less familiar with Judgment and Ishin. 3) The previous main series games are all action/adventure combat. 4) LaD is definitely the longest. 0 and 5 I think are 30+ hours, the rest range from probably 18-25. --- Bear Bro https://backloggery.com/frausky <cite>Great_Paul posted [p:975564666] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>1) 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.2) Gaiden takes place between 6 and LaD. Less familiar with Judgment and Ishin.3) The previous main series games are all action/adventure combat.4) LaD is definitely the longest. 0 and 5 I think are 30+ hours, the rest range from probably 18-25. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
tcaz2 08/20/23 8:07:23 PM #4:	Johnbobb posted... What are the essential must-play games of the series? LAD didn't really require knowing the other games to enjoy but not sure if that's the case elsewhere? I think most people would say 0, Kiwami 2, and 5. However, you will get the best experience playing them all in order starting from 0. None of the games 'require' having played the others, really- they aren't a continuous storyline, so the main plots are fairly stand alone. However, the characters arcs ARE continuous. While the main plot might not necessarily flow from one to the next, there are many callbacks and continued exploration of characters pasts and future growth that reward playing the games in order. Johnbobb posted... How does Judgment/LAD: Ishin/LAD Gaiden tie in to all that? Judgement and Lost Judgement are its own thing. You can play them whenever without worrying about the others. They star their own cast and have minimal crossover aside from being set in Kamurocho and Yokohama. Gaiden will be a shorter game that follows Kiryu and takes place between 6 and LAD (and possibly during LAD as well? We don't know). Ishin is a completely unrelated spinoff set in late 1800s Japan with the cast from the first 5 Yakuza's designs and VAs being historical characters. Johnbobb posted... I know the past games were action/adventure combat instead of turned-based. Is that the case for all of them? Yes, aside from the sequel to LAD which is coming next year, all of them are action games. Johnbobb posted... LAD was a like 80 hour game without even doing the Milennium Tower challenges; is that the case for all of them too? I fully dont expect to have time to play the full series if that's the case It depends. Some of them are just about as long (0, 5, and both Judgement games. Ishin comes close as well), but the rest (Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, 3, 4, and 6) are shorter in the 30-40ish hour range. <cite>tcaz2 posted [p:975564693] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>What are the essential must-play games of the series? LAD didn't really require knowing the other games to enjoy but not sure if that's the case elsewhere?</quote>I think most people would say 0, Kiwami 2, and 5. However, you will get the best experience playing them all in order starting from 0. None of the games 'require' having played the others, really- they aren't a continuous storyline, so the main plots are fairly stand alone. However, the characters arcs ARE continuous. While the main plot might not necessarily flow from one to the next, there are many callbacks and continued exploration of characters pasts and future growth that reward playing the games in order.Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>How does Judgment/LAD: Ishin/LAD Gaiden tie in to all that?</quote>Judgement and Lost Judgement are its own thing. You can play them whenever without worrying about the others. They star their own cast and have minimal crossover aside from being set in Kamurocho and Yokohama.Gaiden will be a shorter game that follows Kiryu and takes place between 6 and LAD (and possibly during LAD as well? We don't know).Ishin is a completely unrelated spinoff set in late 1800s Japan with the cast from the first 5 Yakuza's designs and VAs being historical characters.Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>I know the past games were action/adventure combat instead of turned-based. Is that the case for all of them?</quote>Yes, aside from the sequel to LAD which is coming next year, all of them are action games.Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>LAD was a like 80 hour game without even doing the Milennium Tower challenges; is that the case for all of them too? I fully dont expect to have time to play the full series if that's the case</quote>It depends. Some of them are just about as long (0, 5, and both Judgement games. Ishin comes close as well), but the rest (Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, 3, 4, and 6) are shorter in the 30-40ish hour range.</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Johnbobb 08/20/23 8:22:49 PM #5:	also, while I'm at it, all the Like a Dragon minigames ranked: SEGA Arcade except for the UFO Catcher Seagull Cinema Property Management Karaoke Batting Cages Dragon Kart Darts Golf Koi-Koi (I still barely understand this game but it's a lot of fun to play) Poker Can Quest Vocational School Oichi-Kabu (I didn't get a lot out of this) Blackjack (every game felt fair except this one, which feels very rigged against you) Mahjong (I'm better at it than Shogi but not by much) Shogi (I fully don't get this game) Cabaret Club (why is this considered a minigame) UFO Catcher Pachinko --- Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs <cite>Johnbobb posted [p:975564967] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>also, while I'm at it, all the Like a Dragon minigames ranked:SEGA Arcade except for the UFO CatcherSeagull CinemaProperty ManagementKaraokeBatting CagesDragon KartDartsGolfKoi-Koi (I still barely understand this game but it's a lot of fun to play)PokerCan QuestVocational SchoolOichi-Kabu (I didn't get a lot out of this)Blackjack (every game felt fair except this one, which feels very rigged against you)Mahjong (I'm better at it than Shogi but not by much)Shogi (I fully don't get this game)Cabaret Club (why is this considered a minigame)UFO CatcherPachinko </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MacArrowny 08/20/23 10:10:31 PM #6:	LaD took me by far the longest of any game in the series, as someone who tries to do most of the sidequests and more major minigames but isn't a completionist. If you try to do all the minigames and everything they will mostly be quite long games. I consider 0, Judgment, and Lost Judgment to be the best other than LaD. 1-6 have their ups and downs, but aren't on the same level overall IMO. In any case, you should probably play 0 next. --- All the stars in the sky are waiting for you. <cite>MacArrowny posted [p:975566520] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>LaD took me by far the longest of any game in the series, as someone who tries to do most of the sidequests and more major minigames but isn't a completionist. If you try to do all the minigames and everything they will mostly be quite long games.I consider 0, Judgment, and Lost Judgment to be the best other than LaD. 1-6 have their ups and downs, but aren't on the same level overall IMO.In any case, you should probably play 0 next. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
plasmabeam 08/21/23 10:55:47 AM #7:	I played Yakuza 0 back in 2019 and found it underwhelming. The story is good, but the game overal didn't click with me. It took me about 25 hours to beat, and I focused on the main story rather than side stuff. Like a Dragon, however, is one of my favorite JRPGs. I think the difference is Kasuga. I just love the guy to death. --- ~Jacksonville Jaguars~ <cite>plasmabeam posted [p:975573141] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>I played Yakuza 0 back in 2019 and found it underwhelming. The story is good, but the game overal didn't click with me. It took me about 25 hours to beat, and I focused on the main story rather than side stuff.Like a Dragon, however, is one of my favorite JRPGs. I think the difference is Kasuga. I just love the guy to death. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
plasmabeam 08/21/23 11:02:54 AM #8:	Johnbobb posted... also, while I'm at it, all the Like a Dragon minigames ranked: 1. SEGA Arcade except for the UFO Catcher 2. Seagull Cinema 3. Property Management 4. Karaoke 5. Batting Cages 6. Dragon Kart 7. Darts 8. Golf 9. Koi-Koi (I still barely understand this game but it's a lot of fun to play) 10. Poker 11. Can Quest 12. Vocational School 13. Oichi-Kabu (I didn't get a lot out of this) 14. Blackjack (every game felt fair except this one, which feels very rigged against you) 15. Mahjong (I'm better at it than Shogi but not by much) 16. Shogi (I fully don't get this game) 17. Cabaret Club (why is this considered a minigame) 18. UFO Catcher 19. Pachinko Can quest at #11? C'mon JB! That would be my #1. Loved the simplicity, the controls, and the sheer absurdity of it. Seagull Cinema was great too. REM Rams... what a concept. Property Management was mega-confusing at first, but it grew on me. I'm not sure I would've stuck with it without Eri's social links being an incentive. --- ~Jacksonville Jaguars~ <cite>plasmabeam posted [p:975573242] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>also, while I'm at it, all the Like a Dragon minigames ranked:1. SEGA Arcade except for the UFO Catcher2. Seagull Cinema3. Property Management4. Karaoke5. Batting Cages6. Dragon Kart7. Darts8. Golf9. Koi-Koi (I still barely understand this game but it's a lot of fun to play)10. Poker11. Can Quest12. Vocational School13. Oichi-Kabu (I didn't get a lot out of this)14. Blackjack (every game felt fair except this one, which feels very rigged against you)15. Mahjong (I'm better at it than Shogi but not by much)16. Shogi (I fully don't get this game)17. Cabaret Club (why is this considered a minigame)18. UFO Catcher19. Pachinko</quote>Can quest at #11? C'mon JB! That would be my #1. Loved the simplicity, the controls, and the sheer absurdity of it.Seagull Cinema was great too. REM Rams... what a concept.Property Management was mega-confusing at first, but it grew on me. I'm not sure I would've stuck with it without Eri's social links being an incentive. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
swordz9 08/21/23 11:38:44 AM #9:	Yakuza is a very fun series, but some of the minigames can be brutal especially if you play them through Stream option since it can cause delays in inputs and stuff. I also could not understand some of them at all like mahjong so Ill never Plat any Yakuza game if you gotta do all the minigames :( <cite>swordz9 posted [p:975573733] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Yakuza is a very fun series, but some of the minigames can be brutal especially if you play them through Stream option since it can cause delays in inputs and stuff. I also could not understand some of them at all like mahjong so Ill never Plat any Yakuza game if you gotta do all the minigames :(</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
squexa 08/21/23 11:50:10 AM #10:	I was in this exact same situation 2 years ago and for me, I had trouble getting into the older games because they felt dated but I really liked Judgment and Lost Judgment. It's worth pointing out that LaD7 is really long at least partially because it's uniquely turnbased, so the other games are faster. --- congrats to azuarc, our GotD2 guru! <cite>squexa posted [p:975573874] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>I was in this exact same situation 2 years ago and for me, I had trouble getting into the older games because they felt dated but I really liked Judgment and Lost Judgment.It's worth pointing out that LaD7 is really long at least partially because it's uniquely turnbased, so the other games are faster. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
tcaz2 08/21/23 12:11:31 PM #11:	Mahjong is the best minigame <cite>tcaz2 posted [p:975574204] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Mahjong is the best minigame</quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Mr_Crispy 08/21/23 11:52:58 PM #12:	Mahjong's definitely got a lot of arbitrary fizzbin like rules to it, but it gets easier to grasp it at least enough to get the completion points from it most of the time (there might be some games in the series that have some annoying requirements though like you have to win at all the tables). You probably don't have to worry about memorizing all the yakuman hands up front, since you're probably more likely to get struck by lightning than win with one of them (unless you use a cheat item) and stick to learning the basic ones that give you 1 or 2 scoring elements and maybe find a cheat sheet online for the more complicated stuff. you just kind of have to play a while, and watch what the computer goes out with and try to understand why they were able to and how it's scored. it also helps to press the menu button a lot on your turn to see if you can riichii or can declare a win by a drawn tile if you aren't sure. also it's often a bad idea to try to take tiles from other players since it opens up your hand so you basically lose potential scoring elements (having a closed hand and/or declaring riichii) and you need at least two to go out. so you probably shouldn't, unless it completes some other scoring element to make up for it or if the round is winding down to the last few drawn tiles and you need to get at least enough tiles to avoid paying a penalty to the other players when no one wins. --- The only certain death in the universe is Mother Hitton's Littul Kittons. Not changing this line until I beat Seven Heroes (2/24/07) - Fulfilled 2/20/18 <cite>Mr_Crispy posted [p:975585363] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Mahjong's definitely got a lot of arbitrary fizzbin like rules to it, but it gets easier to grasp it at least enough to get the completion points from it most of the time (there might be some games in the series that have some annoying requirements though like you have to win at all the tables).You probably don't have to worry about memorizing all the yakuman hands up front, since you're probably more likely to get struck by lightning than win with one of them (unless you use a cheat item) and stick to learning the basic ones that give you 1 or 2 scoring elements and maybe find a cheat sheet online for the more complicated stuff.you just kind of have to play a while, and watch what the computer goes out with and try to understand why they were able to and how it's scored. it also helps to press the menu button a lot on your turn to see if you can riichii or can declare a win by a drawn tile if you aren't sure. also it's often a bad idea to try to take tiles from other players since it opens up your hand so you basically lose potential scoring elements (having a closed hand and/or declaring riichii) and you need at least two to go out. so you probably shouldn't, unless it completes some other scoring element to make up for it or if the round is winding down to the last few drawn tiles and you need to get at least enough tiles to avoid paying a penalty to the other players when no one wins. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
MZero 08/22/23 12:28:44 AM #13:	mahjong sucks --- MZero, to the extreme https://www.twitch.tv/kabazame <cite>MZero posted [p:975585725] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>mahjong sucks </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Aecioo 08/22/23 12:45:46 AM #14:	Like a dragon was my intro and I loved it. I've tried to go to older games and none of its really hooked me. I have not played Judgment --- http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcb35gGx0t1qailr4o1_500.gif http://www.megavideo.com/?v=57N0YAEJ <cite>Aecioo posted [p:975585893] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Like a dragon was my intro and I loved it. I've tried to go to older games and none of its really hooked me.I have not played Judgment </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Chaeix 08/22/23 12:52:26 AM #15:	is ichi really a 2/week --- we're all buds~jc~ <DeathChicken> you are my hero for being the first person to cite National Geographic in Mercs <cite>Chaeix posted [p:975585960] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>is ichi really a 2/week </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Johnbobb 08/22/23 9:37:43 AM #16:	Chaeix posted... is ichi really a 2/week I mean i guess he doesn't really have much in the way of feats beyond surviving being shot, so I guess it depends how other Yakuza protagonists scale. He defeats ~~Kiryu~~ but it takes four people to do so. He seems better at surviving than actually dealing out damage Orbital Space Laser seems pretty strong though --- Khal Kirby, warlord of the Super Star Khalasar PSN/Steam: CheddarBBQ https://goo.gl/Diw2hs <cite>Johnbobb posted [p:975590004] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Chaeix posted... </cite><quote>is ichi really a 2/week</quote>I mean i guess he doesn't really have much in the way of feats beyond surviving being shot, so I guess it depends how other Yakuza protagonists scale. He defeats Kiryu but it takes four people to do so. He seems better at surviving than actually dealing out damageOrbital Space Laser seems pretty strong though </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Chaeix 08/23/23 8:48:34 PM #17:	Johnbobb posted... I mean i guess he doesn't really have much in the way of feats beyond surviving being shot, so I guess it depends how other Yakuza protagonists scale. He defeats ~~Kiryu~~ but it takes four people to do so. He seems better at surviving than actually dealing out damage Orbital Space Laser seems pretty strong though i looked up a video and it takes 10 full seconds for the laser to fire and hit its targets so I feel like that limits its usability --- we're all buds~jc~ <DeathChicken> you are my hero for being the first person to cite National Geographic in Mercs <cite>Chaeix posted [p:975623485] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>Johnbobb posted... </cite><quote>I mean i guess he doesn't really have much in the way of feats beyond surviving being shot, so I guess it depends how other Yakuza protagonists scale. He defeats Kiryu but it takes four people to do so. He seems better at surviving than actually dealing out damageOrbital Space Laser seems pretty strong though</quote>i looked up a video and it takes 10 full seconds for the laser to fire and hit its targets so I feel like that limits its usability </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
Bitto 08/23/23 9:19:29 PM #18:	I played a bit of Yakuza 0. It's fine, but I think I'm still firmly in the intro Judgement and Lost Judgement are great. --- SSBM_Guy "[Freud] started his scientific career by trying to explain the sexuality of a fish. And he failed." <cite>Bitto posted [p:975624169] in I finished... [t:80542159]...</cite> <quote>I played a bit of Yakuza 0. It's fine, but I think I'm still firmly in the introJudgement and Lost Judgement are great. </quote> ... Copied to Clipboard!
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Board 8 > I finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon, now give me a lowdown on the rest (+) Yeah! (+)

Board 8 > I finished Yakuza: Like a Dragon, now give me a lowdown on the rest