yes, yes they are.
Start with Yakuza 0, given it's a modern prequel that actually sets out the whole lore/ongoing storyline and tone. If you like the beat-em-up gameplay and actually want to see the story the whole way through, move on to Kiwami 1 and 2, but note that they're remakes of PS2 games if they seem light on or janky. Then feel free to play the HD collection if you really want to slog it out through the whole series - I hear 3 is especially rough, never played it myself.
Otherwise, you can pretty much safely move from 0 to Like a Dragon / 7 given the hard reboot in terms of protagonist and genre/playstyle (becomes turn-based combat with what I think is a pretty funny storyline justification). 0 gives you the backstory, lore and location knowledge that you really appreciate when starting from the Like a Dragon 'chapter'.
Also feel free to play spinoffs whenever/any time after 0. Judgment is like a full story spinoff but same locations, Ishin is "what if
but samurai" so character knowledge improves it, Gaiden kinda spoils 7 so is best played between Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth.also, Nugget best boy and Omlette best girl
I'd agree, with the exception that Kiryu's main upgrading mechanic in 8 doesn't make a lot of sense if you haven't played the previous Kiryu games.
fair point, I've only just bought infinite wealth so i'll keep that in mind
They are the some of the most fun games I've ever played.
If you like brawlers start with Yakuza 0 or Like a dragon: the man who erased his name.
If you like turn based rpgs, start with Yakuza: like a dragon.
Start with Yakuza 0 or Yakuza Kiwami. Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first game so obviously a good place to start, but Yakuza 0 is better imo. 0 is set before the first game so you don't need to know anything about the series to jump in. It was the first one I played and it's amazing
Yes. I started with like a Dragon (yakuza 7), but definetly reccomend starting at 0. My big problem with starting with 7 is that there's a huge level spike right at the end that really sucks if it's your first game.
You can get through them fairly quickly but If you're a completionist or get sucked into mini games you're going to lose days of your life.
Yeah, they're great, although I fell off the series hard after 7. I don't have a problem with turn based gameplay, but you should at least acknowledge some of the progress made in that genre since the 90s.
Starting with 0 is a good idea, but it might ruin the rest of the series a little because it's the best one, or at least very close to the top. Especially 3 is going to be tough to play afterwards considering it was the first PS3 one, never got a remake, and is generally considered the worst in the series.
Idk, I feel like 8 has a really polished and well done combat system. It's not as complicated and "deep" as other systems but having a basic dragon quest style system with some scene interactions and positional combos just feels good to me.
I wasn't a fan of both how much longer every single random fight was and how much harder it was to avoid them because in better JRPGs, every single level 1 enemy doesn't try to engage you. If you could've at least sped up or skipped the battle animations, that would've already made the game much better.
You do get an insta kill once you're high a enough level over the enemies but it still does play an animation. And when you're rolling around on your scooter you can just roll by and avoid almost any encounter.
I didn't know there was one, for the amount of time I played it every enemy on the streets would always attack you. That would make a lot less painful later one.
They make a return in Infinite Wealth. It is wholesome but deeply bizarre.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
Yakuza 1 on ps2 because of the really funny dub. It's a great starting place, though technically the later games are improved upon in just about every aspect.
On second thought, Yakuza 1 might be passable just by watching a cutscene supercut on YouTube.
Yeah, there's no reason to play the original instead of kiwami, just play Kiwami and then watch the original dub cut scenes on YouTube to hear some of the most talented actors perform some of the worst voice acting ever.
Do you think I would like them?
Considering the handful of games I've seen you talking about, probably not.
Then again, I've only really played Kiwami.
What about the games I don't talk about?
I know I talk about babby gaems a lot but I actually like a pretty wide range of stuff
