Like a Dragon: Ishin!

A non-canon offshoot of the Like a Dragon franchise set in the Bakumatsu era of Japan, it reimagines most of the central class as samurai and the central conflict becomes a plan to overthrow the oppressive class system of the era.  It utilizes action-based gameplay of the old games rather than the turn-based style of the most recent mainline entry, but changes things up to utilize four appropriate combat styles for the era.  Brawler is most similar to general series fare, emphasizing quick strikes and throws for crowd control; Swordsman has Ryoma wield a sword to do slower but high-damage attacks; Gunman has him use a revolver for ranged combat and elemental shots, and Wild Dancer simultaneously uses sword and gun, focusing on quick attacks and evasion but unable to block.  Leveling up is handled in a similar fashion to the Kiwami games, earning generic orbs that can be placed to unlock abilities on any the four style grids, or style-specific ones that can be swapped in once earned to allocate generic ones elsewhere.  Of course the series' staple of side content is here in full force too, with a lot of side missions to complete, Virtue to collect by fulfilling certain tasks and milestones, and minigames like fishing, singing, chopping wood and even a few anachronistic ones like Mahjong and Texas Hold-Em (and even a top-down shmup).  The feel of the game and most of its story beats and characters are largely familiar (borderline retreads) despite the change in time period, but if you want a decent non-canon tale in the Like a Dragon universe with some creative gameplay change-ups, Ishin is another fun game to spend your time with.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2023
Platform: PC, PlayStation 5, XBox Series

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

With the franchise's ninth mainline entry, it seems the Yakuza moniker has been dropped from its title entirely and it's to be known by the same moniker as its Japanese counterpart from now on.  It retains the turn-based style of the previous mainline game and introduces many improvements, tweaks and additions, but does it all add up to a more substantial game, or does Infinite Wealth just lack that special spark?

Despite some high and low points, Yakuza (or Like a Dragon now, I suppose) continues to soldier on as a franchise, offering a unique blend of quirky humor, crime drama, relatively small but immersive locales to explore and a lot of surprising humanity in spite of its general concept.  Many fans were worried when the eighth game introduced a new protagonist, changed up the style of the gameplay and seemingly left all the old drama of the series behind, but the tale of Ichiban Kasuga quickly won its share of fans as well.  Its likable cast of characters, inventive take on turn-based combat and being a general affectionate parody of RPG tropes while continuing the same high-quality storytelling and immersive design the series became known for.

Infinite Wealth continues a few years after that story, starring Ichiban and friends as they try to start new lives but ultimately get swept up in another criminal conspiracy.  They deal with some surprisingly relevant issues throughout, finding themselves out of work after becoming targeted by the internet rumor mill and the character assassination that follows.  It's nice to see this handled in a surprisingly realistic way - the heroes have no real way to fight against their haranguing in the court of public opinion without making it worse and just try to make the best of their bad situation.  Even moreso when they encounter their share of opportunists and grifters who don't even care whether the allegations against them are true and just want to punch down even further to score cheap brownie points with whatever clique they're beholden to.  It borders on fourth wall breaking at times, especially after the big gross love letter to mob justice that was Persona 5. 

Granted, it does get undermined a little as the whole hit campaign against the protagonists turns out to be part of the wider conspiracy driving the game's overarching plot, the masterminds of which are the typical straw men supervillains with no redeeming qualities or motives other than just "Being evil".  But still, it's nice to see a modern-day game where real-life problems aren't just made light of with trite speechifying, and some warped form of vigilantism is presented as the perfect solution to all of society's woes.  But even though it fails to stick the landing and veers too hard into sappy nostalgia in its final act for my liking, infectious good nature and silly side-missions and over-the-top moments add levity keep it from getting too grim and depressing.

While Yakuza: LaD's combat and RPG class system was fun for the most part, it also felt a little rushed in some respects; there was some awkward balancing at times and relatively little of the brutal environmental interactions and improvised weapon actions the series became known for.  Infinite Wealth features both new and returning classes, with each character getting at least one exclusive class and male and females each getting classes exclusive to their gender.  Many other mechanics are added too to make the combat feel more dynamic.  One change, noticeable right away, is that you can actually move around a bit before taking an action within a small circle near the spot that character's turn begins.  This not only allows you to move near breakable objects (bicycles, signs, traffic cones etc) to utilize them on your turn, but getting in close to an enemy before launching an attack will award a Proximity Bonus and do slightly more damage.  In addition, many attacks, now knock enemies around, so proper positioning before attacking becomes vital to getting the maximum effect from that.  Knocking enemies into one another (or environmental obstacles) can quickly deal heavy damage to multiple targets, and propelling them into an ally will award a free hit.

In addition to elemental strengths and weaknesses, other mechanics are adopted too.  Enemies can be "on guard", greatly reducing all the damage they take until a character manages to break their guard, either by attacking them from behind or with a throw move.  Character bonds factor into combat more too; once a character has reached a certain affinity level with another, they will sometimes do a free followup attack after that character's move.  If both characters are in close proximity when one's turn begins, they may get the opportunity to do a Chain Attack, where both characters attack in tandem while only using one character's turn. 

Kiryu is now a playable character, and his gameplay style is heavily modeled on the games where he starred in the past.  He can switch between his three fighting styles while in his default class, effectively trading some stats for others.  Brawler style is the most balanced, and allows him to perform his signature Heat Actions in specific contexts; bashing enemies into nearby cars or railings for example.  Rush Style gives him more movement range and speed at the cost of overall damage per hit, though to prevent abuse, you only get the movement bonus if you start a turn in this style and don't switch during it.  Beast style is the opposite, trading speed and movement range for raw power and making his default attack a throw-type move to break guards.  Later in the game he even gains the ability to temporarily break free of the bounds of turn-based combat and beat up on foes in real-time for a few seconds, which is pretty amusing (and fun).

 As usual, many of the skills in Ichiban's default class run off his social stats, which in the previous game are primarily raised through dialog interactions and the odd side mission.  Here, you have many more options - completing the game's many milestones will give you points toward at least one stat, as will taking certain combat options, building bonds with allies, doing various side-stories and even partaking of completely optional diversions like minigames; each round of Poker or Mahjong or Shogi or whatever else you fancy will boost your social stats by a small amount.  It does still take quite a bit of effort to max each one out, but it's less restrictive this time around.

One of my complaints about the original game was its overpriced downloadable content.  That certainly returns here, with things like costumes, item packs to level up quicker, and bonus fights being tied to paid add-ons.  Other things like item packs and experience boosters are paid extras now too, as are bonus songs to play on jukeboxes or on Ichiban's phone while strolling around town.  But one especially scummy edition is that physical releases of the game do not include a New Game Plus option; you either have to buy the Digital Deluxe or Ultimate editions that are only available as digital downloads, or purchase an upgrade pack to effectively get one of those at extra cost.  Unfortunately locking basic features (and pacing-boosting items) like this behind paid upgrades has become a common practice in Sega's games, and it doesn't look like these lame anti-consumer practices are going to abate (or get much better) anytime soon.  I certainly don't condone the practice of making games grindier just to encourage people to shell out more cash to bypass it, and the New Game Plus change is just lame, especially since it was free in numerous earlier LaD games.  If you can get the Ultimate Edition when it's on sale at a steep discount it's not as much of an issue (I got it for about $33 during one), but at launch you were effectively paying at least $40 extra on top of an already $70 price tag, which just felt predatory.  And more than a bit like they're trying to use sales of their RPG as some terrible precedent to justify price hikes in general.

Despite that major hangup, though, I can't deny that I've once again had a lot of fun playing through a Yakuza Like a Dragon game.  Ichiban and friends are just a fun crew to hang with, being some of the most relatable, earnest, down-to-earth video game protagonists out there, and always trying to do right by others no matter what kind of bad hand life deals them.  Their adventure here once again shows that there's good to be found even in the darkest corners of society and not to judge others at a glance; there's always an actual person and a story to be told behind initial appearances.  That's honestly way more mature and interesting to see unfold than about 90% of stories out there in the realm of gaming, and Yakuza does an excellent job of it, highlighting the genuine passion of its writers and developers in every tale they spin.  The overall plot is the usual corny series fare, but it's still compelling and fun to experience.  So while I'd still say to wait for a discount and pick up a digital edition even as an avowed physical collector, it's a game that's worth that wait and putting up with the scummy corporate baggage undermining its message and themes.

 

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2024
Platform: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC, XBox One, XBox Series
Recommended Version: All versions seem to be the same in terms of content, though the XBone and PS4 versions seem to have some performance issues.

Lost Judgment

The second game in the Judgment series sees Yagami and his allies return for another complex crime drama story, this time taking place largely in Ijincho.  But does it keep the faith of the Yakuza format in fine fashion, or is this one judgment that should just be lost itself?

The second game in the Judgment offshoot series from the larger Yakuza/Like a Dragon franchise, Lost Judgment once again stars Yagami, Kaito and several allies returning from the last game.  This time they're out to untangle another complex mystery involving several seemingly unconnected elements - a school with a serious bullying problem, a police officer arrested for groping, and a man found dead in an abandoned building in Ijincho.  Per Yakuza standards the story only gets more complex as it goes, though it never introduces any severely outlandish elements (unlike some of the mainline games) and ultimately remains credible and relatable.

As in the last game, Yagami is a more versatile fighter than most in the series.  He retains his two fighting styles from the previous game - Crane for a faster style with sweeping attacks (better suited to fending off groups of enemies) and Tiger (a harder-hitting style better suited for single combat), and additionally picks up two more.  One is the Snake style, based on counterattacking and disarming armed enemies (based on aikido), and the other is Boxer style, based around evasive footwork and heavy strikes. The latter is available during one of the game's many minigames, although if you purchase the School Stories DLC you can also use it during normal battles.

Being a more detective-oriented experience, the gameplay works in some related elements.  Yagami gets the aid of a directional listening device, a bug sweeper and a detective dog during various missions, which adds a little more variety to the proceedings than just walking to the next waypoint and seeing another cutscene.  Stealth and parkour segments also come into play periodically - while not particularly deep, they're also never overly long or irritating, so they're a decent if not amazing addition.  One also gets a skateboard to get around town faster than on foot, which lends itself to a couple of minigames, as well as being able to collect icons for points to trade in for various prizes.

Per series standards, there are numerous side-stories to do in Lost Judgment, with many having little bearing on the overarching story but providing a bit of levity in an otherwise fairly serious-minded game.  As much of the action takes place around a high school, though, many can also be considered an extension of the overall story, having Yagami get involved with various school clubs that all have their own subplots to untangle and minigames to complete.  Doing so of course also earns you plenty of SP and bonus items to utilize, further incentivizing their completion.  on top of that, the series' usual plethora of minigames return - mahjong, shogi, poker, blackjack, arcade games, etc.  Yagami even gets a Sega Master System in his office (oddly a western model rather than the Japanese Sega Mark III) and can play a handful of classic titles for it, with four more available if you purchase the Detective Essentials DLC.

Speaking of DLC, it's probably the best-handled DLC the series has yet had.  In addition to the story-based expansion The Kaito Files (starring Yagami's long-time ally), there are two more - the Detective Essentials pack adds a number of extras to many of the game's side missions, including new Extracts (strong temporary powerups), side stories, a new skateboard and drone frame, and a new super boss to fight at the end of the Gauntlet.  The School Stories pack, as the name implies, adds more content to each of the game's school-based minigames and side stories, including the aforementioned Boxing style becoming available outside of its school club.  Basically, while you may not want every single thing they give, they provide enough variety in each pack to make them worth a purchase overall (and aren't just lame costumes or similarly superfluous things).

So, while Lost Judgment doesn't change up the formula of the Yakuza series overly much, it does end up being one of its better entries in many respects.  With a strong and relatable story, a web of complex characters and interactions to experience that still ultimately remains grounded and human, and probably the most polished take on real-time beat-em-up styled combat the series has had to date, it's a quality game in most every respect.  And of course, it has no shortage of content to complete for die-hard series fans and completionists, with enough there to last you well over 100 hours of playtime if you want to do it all.  If you're completely worn out on Yakuza by this point this one may not do a lot to change your mind, but if the series continues to have you hooked, it's one you'll definitely be well-served by playing.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2021, 2022
Platforms: Playstation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One, XBox Series, Amazon Luna, PC

Recommended Version: All versions seem to be identical as far as I can tell.

Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

The seventh mainline Yakuza game and the first to be released exclusively for the Playstation 4 (though it has since seen PC and XBox releases as well).  It switches engines once again to the Dragon Engine, bringing a new level of realism to its visuals and a weightier feel to its combat. The gameplay also goes a bit back to basics, paring it down to one playable character again (Kiryu) and using the same experience system as Kiwami 2, with five different categories of experience earned by completing various tasks.  Its story is fittingly heavier and more personal in tone than previous entries, with Kiryu and his family and friends facing the harsh reality of age, a new threat emerging in Kamurocho and their past actions beginning to catch up to them.  A welcome, change, I feel - after several entries with plot points and conflicts and over-the-top brawls that just got more and more unbelievable and silly, it's nice to see one that's more grounded and personal again.  The story itself is a bit of a jumble, though, with a lot of elements seemingly pasted in at random, subplots abruptly dropped with no satisfying resolution and a rather abrupt and ridiculous conclusion.  A passable, if not entirely satisfying, wrap-up to the story of Kazuma Kiryu's life in the underworld.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2016, 2018, 2021
Platforms: Playstation 4, XBox One, PC

Yakuza 5

The fifth Yakuza game, the first to be passed up for a physical release in the West (only being released digitally until the Remastered Collection on PS4) and the first to get a rare 40/40 score from Famitsu, Yakuza 5 follows a similar format to 4, with four smaller stories comprised of four chapters each and a fifth that ties all of them together.  There are now a total of five playable characters - Kazuma Kiryu, Taiga Saejima and Shun Akiyama return from 4, Haruka Sawamura (a recurring character since the first game) becomes playable for the first time, and there's a new character to the series in Tatsuo Shinada.  Each of the five stories also takes place in a separate location, so there's definitely no shortage of new content in the game.  The upgrade to a new engine brings some welcome changes too; a major one is that the transition between exploration and combat is much quicker now, and the upgraded physics and denser cities (with more minigames and side content than any prior game) are a definite sight to behold as well.  A somewhat superfluous "Weapon skill" system is added, requiring you to actually wield various weapons to deal more damage and gain other benefits with them, while the leveling system remains much the same as Yakuza 4, giving you orbs each time you fill out an experience bar to spend on one of four categories of upgrades.  The core experience is now based around minigames as well - each character gets their own, with Kiryu driving a taxi for a living (this might be the only game i've played that actually encourages responsible driving - a bit of irony considering Sega also famously brought us Crazy Taxi), Taiga getting a hunting minigame in the snowy mountains of Hokkaido,  Haruka becoming a teen idol with a focus on rhythm minigames and newcomer Shinada building on the series' regular batting minigame.  Truth be told though, these are all drawn-out and boring to complete and I found myself skipping past them as much as the game would allow.  Other largely optional ones are more fun; series mainstays like mahjong, shogi, hanafuda, poker, pool and darts return, as well as new ones like air hockey, pachinko (which was widely criticized by western players for its near impenetrability), serving ramen, snowball fights and a couple of arcade games.  The underlying story does have its strong moments, though it all feels a little routine by this point in the series; there's only so many times they can reuse the cliché of someone in a close-up being suddenly shot from off-camera before you start making a drinking game out of it, after all.  Yakuza 5's new engine is a welcome improvement, but a focus on rather dull mandatory minigames, little variation on the series' usual beat-em-up combat and another by-the-book crime drama plot between the Omi and the Tojo clans all make it feel like the series is straining to put new twists on its format while also having to work within the constraints of its running canon.  Which was probably a contributing factor in shifting focus away from Kiryu and the Tojo Clan in the Judgment games and eventually a complete overhaul in the series' gameplay style with Like a Dragon.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2015, 2020, 2021
Platforms: Playstation 3, Playstation 4, XBox One, PC

Yakuza 4

The Yakuza series continued to be a strong seller, though after three games starring Kazuma (and a somewhat underwhelming storyline for the third entry), a changeup was in order.  Yakuza 4 retains the open world format of its predecessors and its familiar setting of Kamurocho, but its gameplay becomes more varied with four playable protagonists this time around, each with distinct sub-missions and playstyles.  Akayama is a faster character who fights with flashy kicks, Saejima is a slow but powerful brawler who tanks hits and fires off with heavy charged blows and throws, Tanimura uses a more methodical and defensive style of fighting (fitting his role as a police officer), and Kiryu once again utilizes his swift, hard-hitting style.  They all become embroiled in a common plot involving police corruption and a setup that took place twenty-five years prior, with each character's story broken up into four sub-chapters.  Essentially, you're playing four smaller Yakuza games with an interconnected plot rather than one large, all-encompassing experience, which helps keep the overall gameplay fresh and the story interesting as you see it unfold from each character's perspective.  Another fun and engaging dive into the world of Yakuza.

Developer: Sega CS1 R&D/Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/QLOC
Publisher: Sega
Platform: PS3, PS4, PC, XBox One
Released: 2011, 2019, 2021

Yakuza 3

The third mainline Yakuza game and the first to appear on the Playstation 3, continuing the story of Kazuma Kiryu as he attempts to run an orphanage in Okinawa, away from the bustle of Kamurocho for a good portion of the game.  Per series norms it's an open world RPG with a heavy focus on side content in the form of minigames and side-stories, but some new polish is added, like seamless transitions between exploring and combat, a chase sequence minigame and "Revelations" - silly events you can seek out to learn new special moves from.  Some content was apparently removed from the western versions of the game, though - a minigame concercing trivia about Japan, some controversial side-missions and a few more Japan-centric minigames like Shogi and Mahjong (though the majority of these would be restored to the remastered version).  Its plot also definitely isn't the series' best and just feels a bit superfluous overall.  One of the less memorable Yakuza games, but if you're a series fan you're probably going to play through it at least once anyway.

Developer: Sega CS1 R&D/Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/QLOC
Publisher: Sega
Platform: PS3, PS4, PC, XBox One
Released: 2010, 2019, 2021

Yakuza Kiwami 2

The second remake of the Yakuza series, and as one would expect, it keeps the basic story beats of Yakuza 2 intact while adding a lot in terms of the series' trademark side content.  Rather than the straightforward experience system of the previous Kiwami, experience is now divided into five different types - Strength (Red), Agility (Blue), Spirit (Yellow), Technique (Green), and Charm (Purple) and different activities award differing amounts of each.  Almost everything you do awards varying amounts of points - eating at restaurants, battling enemies, taking part in minigames, filling out various objectives on the Completion List, or just winning major battles will all allow you to boost your stats or unlock new abilities.  Per series standards, there's certainly no shortage of side-endeavors to undertake, either - running a cabaret club, playing arcade games, taking on Bouncer Missions (fights against large groups of foes with no healing items allowed), darts, mahjong, hanafuda, poker, blackjack, and many more.  A side-story focusing on Majima in the year between the first Yakuza and the second is added too, providing even more content on top of the monstrous amount that's already there.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Playstation 4, XBox One, PC
Released: 2018, 2019, 2020

Judgment

A spinoff of the prolific Yakuza franchise, Judgment marks a darker turn for a series already steeped in organized crime and all the brutality that entails.  Playing as disgraced attorney-turned-private-detective Takayuki Yagami, you find yourself in the midst of a complex plot involving several yakuza groups and a serial killer apparently targeting them.  Appropriately, Judgment puts more focus on this than simple combat, having you examine crime scenes, videos and photos for clues, question witnesses and tail discreetly tail suspects, as well as utilize disguises and lock-picking to access certain areas.  While not the best implementation of these ideas (they only ever come up in story segments and mostly just boil down to menial 'go here, click on this' task lists), it adds some new elements to the gameplay without intruding too heavily on the Yakuza format.  For that, you still get to venture around the city, battle thugs who frequently jump you, take part in various minigames and side stories, and complete a staggeringly huge number of optional goals to fill out achievement lists.  Yagami is also a more tech-savvy protagonist than previous Yakuza protagonists, so he gets a few new goodies to play with - lockpicks, drones and snapping photos play more heavily into his side missions and gameplay in general.  Basically, it's Yakuza with a dash of Phoenix Wright or LA Noire; if that sounds good to you, you'll probably enjoy Judgment.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Released: 2019
Platforms: Playstation 4 (Original), Stadia, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S (Remastered)

Yakuza: Like a Dragon

The eighth mainline game in the Yakuza series also serves as a major overhaul in design, controversially changing from from action-oriented combat to a turn-based system and integrating many more traditional RPG elements than earlier entries.  But does it prove to be another unique, quirky and fun adventure in urban Japan, or does Like a Dragon fail to set any fires?

Yakuza as a series has been a relatively formulaic one since its inception - basically a mashup of beat-em-up and RPG elements strewn with plenty of minigames spanning numerous genres - from board games to casino to racing to a rather silly (and spicy) take on Rock-Paper-Scissors.  All strewn over a general atmosphere of silliness on the backdrop of a surprisingly serious crime drama; it doesn't sound like it should all mesh together, but somehow it does, and it's little wonder people have continually come back for more for over fifteen years now.

So, when it was announced that the latest entry in the series would be a more traditional party-based RPG, there was a palpable amount of surprise involved.  In an era where mainstream RPGs had largely moved into more action-driven territory, it seemed like a pretty bizarre decision to take Yakuza's gameplay somewhere it had never gone before.  It also quickly became apparent that they weren't stopping short with it, either - combat was turn-based, and there was a much heavier focus on statistics and elemental resistances overall (and yes, characters do have a Magic stat - very strange for a series that, up to this point, was a relatively realistic one).  The characters are very aware of this too, even directly name-dropping Dragon Quest several times, poking fun at numerous genre tropes throughout and even breaking the fourth wall by referencing their "stats".  "Magic" is equally silly, having protagonists do things like conjure pigeons to attack their foes (by throwing beans), spitting booze-fueled flames, blasting the opponent with (ice-element) champagne or "summon" various characters (via a phone app) to attack their enemies or aid allies. 

It quickly becomes apparent that they're having fun with the concept, too.  In a humorous twist on RPG norms, the heroes are anything but archetypal heroes; quite the opposite in fact.  The protagonist is a kind-hearted person almost to a fault, and his foolishness causes him and everyone around him no end of trouble.  His allies are equally flawed, though they use their quirks to their advantage, doing silly things mid-fight like eliciting sympathy from an enemy for their lowly status (getting them to leave an item and exit the fight).  Fittingly, they also have job classes like "Lowlife" and "Deadbeat" for a good portion of the game before more flattering ones become available.

While combat in the game is turn-based, it nevertheless incorporates a number of series norms, as well as having a few elements be dependent on real-time events.  Similar to Mario RPG and its followups, some attacks can deal extra damage through a minigame of sorts - tapping a button or pressing one with good timing will make them more effective.  Similarly, enemy attacks can be blocked by pressing a button just before they impact, reducing the damage they inflict (this becomes trickier with attacks that hit more than once, as one must time a press for each hit).  Characters will also automatically interact with the environment to a degree during their turns, kicking nearby objects at their foe for a bit of extra damage or picking up and wielding objects nearby them as their turn begins.  Finally, some attacks will cause an enemy to be knocked down and stunned momentarily, and if another character lands a blow on them before they get back to their feet, they will do much more damage - helpful for dealing heavy blows to a boss  or taking out weaker enemies quickly.

Elements of other contemporary RPGs creep in too.  As in the Persona series, Ichiban has personality traits that level up throughout the game based on your actions and dialog choices, which in turn can unlock new substories and give him an edge in some minigames.  They will also and will improve the effectiveness of some of his own abilities and resistance to status effects.  Confidence will increase resistance to Sleep status, Charisma will make you more resistant to fear, and Kindness helps with resisting Enrage, to name a few.  While not as integral an element for character interactions as in Persona, it feels more natural than in those games - like a genuine bit of character roleplaying for the player instead of an artificial mechanic.  Boosting relationships with your allies (in conversation scenes at bars) also allows them to build up their "Drink Links" and improve their abilities and job class selections, so it's also well worth doing from a storytelling and gameplay perspective.  (It's also nice that there are no "wrong answers" during these scenes - each one boosts a different one of Ichiban's personality stats, unlike in Persona).

Like a Dragon is also the most technically impressive Yakuza game I've played so far, with its movement and physics in general feeling less stiff and "video gamey" for lack of a better term.  The world is surprisingly seamless, with very little visible loading while you're walking around the city, even when entering shops or encountering plot scenes.  There is a choice for English or Japanese VO, and both have character models perfectly lip-synced with the dialog.  Pathfinding is occasionally a bit suspect during battles, with characters getting hung up on scenery objects, but they never became inescapably stuck in the entire time I played.

The experience isn't without a big drawback, though.  There is DLC, with the pachislot minigames inexplicably being a large, separate (albeit free) download instead of just being on the disc.  They also also add couple of new job classes for $5, which seems a bit silly; I can't help but think of a Final Fantasy game trying the same stunt and getting summarily mocked for it.   Other minigame tie-in content is paid DLC as well, adding more employees to the Management mode (primarily cameos from previous games) for an extra $10 and, weighing in at a whopping $15 each, several costumes and songs for the Karaoke minigame.  All in all, I'd say skip the DLC unless you can get it at a large discount, because it's on level with the PS3 Disgaea games in terms of being horribly overpriced and simply not worth the amount asked.

Regardless of that terrible decision, though, I had a blast with Yakuza: Like a Dragon.  Being a big fan of RPGs, it was fun to see them turn genre tropes and cliches on their heads at every turn whilst simultaneously making a great example of one themselves, taking elements of classics like Dragon Quest and even modern games like Persona and weaving them into the Yakuza format whilst making significant improvements on them along the way.  Even with the changed-up gameplay it's still a Yakuza game at its core, keeping all the drama, surprising depth and sharp humor intact and even doing many of its elements better than more serious attempts by other companies.  Whether you're a newcomer or a series veteran, Like a Dragon is well worth a play.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Playstation 4, Playstation 5, XBox One, XBox Series X/S, PC
Released: 2020
Recommended Version: I have only played the PS4 version but all seem to be more or less identical.  It is worth noting that the XBox One version is optimized for play on the Series consoles.

Yakuza Kiwami

A remake of the original Yakuza from the Playstation 2 era, bringing with it over a decade of improvements to the engine and numerous features from later entries in the series.  But does Yakuza Kiwami prove to be another fun time in Kamurocho, or is this reimaginging of Kazuma's first outing just not worth a look?

Yakuza has been around in the west for quite a while, but it took a good while to accrue mainstream appeal.  In particular, the earliest Yakuza titles on the Playstation 2 were criticized for having repetitive gameplay, and owing to their relatively late release on the platform and minimal push from Sega, didn't sell particularly well in the west.  It did pick up a bit more steam in the PS3 era, where much larger disc sizes allowed for a far more in-depth and immersive experience, but it wasn't until the PS4 era that its popularity really began to soar with the launch of Yakuza 0 and Kiwami.

Both games are very similar in terms of overall design.  Not only do they run on the same engine, but combat remains quite familiar, a lot of the minigames are carried over with only minimal changes (most for the better - more on that in a bit) and even Kamurocho's overall layout is almost identical.  However, like the PS2 original, it is a very linear game for a good while before you're given any chance to roam freely - about four hours of story preface any ability to partake of minigames or subquests.  Sadly, the game also does not carry over the English voiceover from the PS2 version - only the Japanese voice track is included.

One notable changeup from 0, though, is that the game returns to a more traditional experience system seen elsewhere in the series.  Rather than using money for both items and character upgrades, you earn experience by completing side-quests and winning combat, and after filling the gauge, you get a point that can be spent on upgrades.  Rather than being broken up into trees for each of Kazuma's combat styles, though, they're broken up into broader categories.  Body for extra health and attack damage, as well as reduced damage under certain conditions; Soul for abilities tied to the Heat gauge, such as charging up when low on health or getting new finishing moves under certain conditions; Tech unlocks new moves across Kazuma's three combat styles and allows for more synergy between them (in particular, the ability to switch styles on the fly after completing a basic combo).  There is a fourth tree as well called "Dragon of Dojima" though this one cannot be upgraded by spending experience points.  I'll discuss that one a bit more below.

Another returning element from 0 are Kazuma's three primary combat styles - Brawler, which is relatively well-balanced with some skills for countering enemy attacks with Heat meter finishers; Rush, which is effective for dodging attacks and dealing a lot of weaker hits in rapid succession; and Beast, which is slow-moving but can resist knockdown and stun and plow through multiple enemies with each swing, making it best used against larger groups.  A fourth combat style appears in this game too - Dragon of Dojima style, consisting primarily of Goro Majima's moveset from Yakuza 0.  However, this one cannot be upgraded by traditional means - new nodes on the upgrade grid are only unlocked as you defeat Majima in battle.  Befitting this, Majima pops up near-constantly to fight you, with his presence indicated by both a gauge on the menu that steadily fills.  He shows up frequently between story beats as well, getting gradually tougher each time you fight him.

Full completion, as usual for the series, is a very time-consuming endeavor.  There is a ton to do in the game, with a lengthy bulleted list in the menu showing completion goals for virtually every element of it.  From defeating a certain number of foes in each of Kazuma's fighting styles to seeing a large variety of the Heat actions in the game to dining at restaurants to simply talking to NPCs, all of these things award Completion Points, which in turn can be spent to unlock rewards like alternate costumes, enemies that grant large amounts of money on defeat, or special weapons that cannot be acquired elsewhere (and, of course, tying into the Playstation 4's ever-prevalent Trophy system).  The numerous mini-games throughout are of course a big part of this too - you will have to play all of them quite a bit if you want to achieve 100% of the completion list.

Thankfully, they have taken some steps to ensure that the minigame element of Kiwami isn't nearly as much of a pain as in some other games in the series.  Not only are the goals much more reasonable this time, but the player can get some outside help elsewhere in the game.  Finding locker keys hidden throughout the world can grant the player a lot of rare and one-of-a-kind items; some of these are unique "cheat items" that can be used to grant players a one-time advantage in some minigames.  The Lucky Tile, for example, can be utilized to get a Yakuman right away in Mahjong, quickly scratching off one of the toughest completion goals to get normally.  Others will simply grant you a one-time advantage, letting you get some starting chips at minimal cost.  Even with cheat items, though, some will still take quite a while; Mahjong in particular does require you to get fairly adept at the game, and even then some goals tied to it just come down to luck and persistence.  Most of the casino games fall under this too; you will still have to play quite a bit of Baccarat, Blackjack, Poker and Roulette to get completion credit. You can also save the game at any time, though (not just at phone booths), so that can help with some of the grindier ones - quit the game and save whenever you get ahead, reload when you start to lose too much.

So, while it may not be a vastly different game from Yakuza 0 on a gameplay level, I think Kiwami is still a fine remake.  The story from the original game is kept largely intact while the gameplay retains the biggest improvements from later games in the series, making for a solid experience overall.  Those looking for a good crime drama story have a lot to enjoy in its relatively short campaign, while die-hard completionists have much to enjoy as well - combat, exploration, minigames and just exploring Kamurocho all belay a huge amount of content to explore and can easily keep a dedicated player engaged for hundreds of hours as they try to complete it all.  This is one to check out if you're looking for a quality action-RPG experience.

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Playstation 3, Playstation 4, PC, XBox One
Released: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020
Recommended version: All versions seem to be pretty much identical.

Yakuza 0

A prequel game to Sega's hit Yakuza franchise, starring series protagonists Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima in an open-world RPG experience.  But does it retain the series' charm as well as those that follow it chronologically, or is this game, like its title, a zero?

Yakuza is a modern franchise celebrated among RPG fans and open-world action fans alike, melding elements of both into a relatively realistic world of organized crime drama.  However, it also has a surprising sense of humor about itself, with a lot of exaggerated characters, silly moments and questlines and some downright funny dialog in places, so it's not all betrayals, violence and murder despite its premise.

However, despite being around since the days of the Playstation 2, it wasn't until relatively recently that its popularity really began to pick up in the west.  The series remained a low-key cult favorite throughout the PS2 and PS3 era, though its popularity was hampered by a sporadic release schedule and a lack of marketing from Sega.  When the Playstation 4 began to take off, though, Sega began to take its fanbase more seriously, releasing later games with heavy fanfare and, through an aggressively compressed schedule of updates and remakes, eventually got every mainline game in the series ported over to the platform (with the 7th entry slated for later in 2020).

Yakuza 0 - a prequel to every other game released thus far - is one of the first I recall to really take off, affording long-time fans more of what they liked while newer fans could jump on board, confident that they could understand its storyline without having played the previous games.  Sure enough, the main storyline follows Kazuma Kiryu in the earliest days of his career, being framed for a murder at a piece of real estate coveted by several members of the Dojima family.  Suspecting a cover-up among his superiors, he departs the Tojo clan and begins an investigation, hoping to clear his own name as well as his mentor's.

As ever, Yakuza makes no secret of its brutal melee combat, with vicious and bloody fights being a near-constant occurrence.  In addition to four different fighting styles, you can pick up and wield almost anything you find in the environment as an improvised weapon, from bicycles to signs to parking cones.  Building up one's heat gauge unlocks new moves, as well as special moves that play all sorts of vicious animations - pinning an enemy to a wall and unleashing a flurry of punches, picking up a downed opponent and smashing their face in, and dropping them back-first over a railing, as well as many others, make very effective and brutal ways to finish off foes.  Indeed, you get into fights so often as you wander around that finding new animations and weapons to wield becomes as much a part of the experience as quickly dispatching foes to maximize bonuses.

One can also purchase a number of upgrades for each of their four fighting styles, granting a number of positive effects - new moves, faster charging and slower decay of the Heat meter, or just extra health so you can take a few more hits in a fight.  This is done somewhat unconventionally, though, in that there isn't really an experience System in the game - instead, you spend money.  You upgrade your skill trees with it, you buy healing items at shops and bars, and equipment can be randomly acquired by spending money at vending machines or completing sidequests - both defensive items and more traditional weapons like baseball bats, knives and even firearms (though these still have limited usage, so they should be used sparingly).  Hitting certain milestones in the game, such as defeating a certain number of enemies or earning a set number of cash, also earns the player Competion Points, which can be spent at the shrine to earn upgrades, letting them dash longer, earn more money from fights, or occasionally spawn enemies that carry large amounts of money (distinguishable by their golden suits).

Yakuza as a franchise also quickly became famous for its dense design - despite the game mostly taking place in a relatively small geographical area, it's one that really does feel like a district of Tokyo, with no shortage of things to see and do.  There are a lot of shops, restaurants and bars to visit, NPCs to interact with, dozens of side-quests to undertake (only a handful of which have anything to do with the yakuza), and a lot of of full-fledged minigames give you no shortage of things to do.  Some of these are just included for fun - notably a few classic Sega arcade games like Outrun, Super Hang-On, Fantasy Zone and Space Harrier - but others can provide you tangible benefits and side-stories too.  You can earn prizes at the batting cages, compete in bowling, Mahjong and Shogi to earn money and meet new characters, and, later in the game, even have the opportunity to manage a hostess club for a variety of benefits (and reunite with numerous characters from elsewhere in the game), among many others.  One of the more controversial series additions, Pachinko, is absent in Yakuza 0, so completionists need not fear there; however, you'll still have to learn other very Asian games like Shogi and Mahjong.

Basically, Yakuza 0 was the shot in the arm the series needed.  A prequel story that allowed new players to dig into the franchise for the first time, and showing off the best of what it had to offer - dense design, inventive combat, a captivating storyline with plenty of twists, and a solid sense of humor in spite of its dark themes.  Between it and Yakuza Kiwami (a remake of the first game) and the numerous HD ports released since, the franchise has finally gotten its big break in the west, and I for one am glad it has, because Yakuza is great. 

Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Playstation 3, Playstation 4, PC, XBox One
Released: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020
Recommended version: All versions seem to be pretty much identical.

Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise

Sega's Yakuza series, having finally gained a foothold on western shores after a relatively slow start, had already spawned a few spinoffs in Japan.  One was a take on a classic anime and manga franchise, Hokuto no Ken, adapting that franchise's story to Yakuza's engine and design format.  But does Lost Paradise prove to be a head-smashing hit for fans of the series, or is this just an ill-advised crossover that unceremoniously falls dead?

You can probably guess from my screen name that I'm a big fan of Fist of the North Star, and fitting that, I've tried just about every video game related to it that I can get my hands on; sadly, most of them range from mediocre to terrible, and a few others that caught my eye (such as the Famicom RPGs) have never seen a fan translation, so Fist of the North Star has largely been left high and dry for me in the realm of gaming.  The best I've played by far is the fighting game by Arc System Works, but as it only got a home release on the Playstation 2 in Japan, it's one I had to import at considerable cost.

So naturally, when Sega announced that Hokuto ga Gotoku would be localized and brought to North America, I was excited; a game based on one of my favorite franchises in an engine that lends itself to the kind of over-the-top, extremely violent action that the series became famous for.

Sure enough, the game opens on a very strong note, pitting the player against a group of mooks, letting the player defeat them with QTE finishers (complete with gory animations), and then capping off with a duel with Shin - the first major antagonist in the show - in similar fashion, all staying relatively true to the storyline as it goes.  Basically, it was a dream come true for me as a fan.

It also led me to believe that this would be a relatively linear action game, but that quickly proved false when Ken's next stop was the city of "Eden" - a location not present in the canon Fist of the North Star series.  As it turns out, this is where a majority of the game takes place, with the player quickly introduced to a rapid succession of minigames and sidequests carried over from the Yakuza series proper.  Some are almost entirely optional, such as the casino, bartending and hostess club minigames, while others play a significant role in the game overall - completing races will allow you to upgrade your dune buggy to more efficiently explore the desert, while buying and upgrading talismans will make your character more powerful in combat in a variety of ways, for example.

As in the Yakuza series, these do make up a huge portion of the game's content, with the license of Fist of the North Star was seemingly pasted on as an afterthought.  Indeed, the only one of these that really feels at home with that franchise is the arena minigame, pitting Ken against progressively tougher groups of foes to earn points, which can then be traded in for various prizes like uncommon healing items or rare pieces of equipment.  A runner-up would be the batting minigame; instead of a baseball bat, Kenshiro swings around a steel girder, and the "balls" are now biker thugs which he sends careening into the horizon with well-placed swings.  Throughout all of them, however, they do at least keep a self-aware tone, such as having Ken stir drinks and break ice blocks and treat patients (while exploding thugs) in a comically over-the-top fashion reminiscent of his signature killing attacks.

In addition to that, the game places a significant emphasis on item and equipment crafting.  It's not enough to just buy parts for your car with winnings from races, you see - you must then venture out into the wasteland, driving over item points and finding treasures from "maps" (randomly dropped in enemy encounters) to find components, then return to town to craft said item; only then can you equip it on your car and gain its benefits.  Similarly, most equipment upgrades in the game only become available by completing sidequests, and a big portion of your new moves, skill upgrades and equipment can only be unlocked by completing various side-quests or just fighting lots of random foes to level up (arena battles grant no experience).  Basically, the game overall is a timesink by design and heavily reliant on successful completion of minigames, which doesn't fully jive with the feel of Fist of the North Star.

The game's combat works relatively well, but it does tend to get tedious, particularly as you're going to be doing quite a lot of it over the course of the adventure.  Sure, it's fun to watch enemies' heads explode after a crazy finisher animation, but as those are relatively few in number and enemies so frequent, you'll be seeing those same few animations quite a lot before you're done.  Some of the shortcomings of the engine begin to show through as well - enemies can easily gang up on you and make it difficult for you to react at times, particularly as the slightest touch from them will put you into a stunned state immediately and often leave you open to a combination attack  from numerous foes; however, most enemies, particularly the larger ones, don't get stunned at all from attacks, which can make it difficult to deal with larger groups.  Your dodge isn't much help either, as you don't seem to have any invincibility frames while doing it and the amount of ground it covers is pitifully small, meaning you have to be exact with your timing and inputs for it to be effective.  More often than not, I found it a better strategy to just take reduced damage by blocking, break lockon and run away rather than attempt to dodge, and slowly pick off weak opponents one at a time with sweep kicks as they chased me rather than try to launch into combos, then go for the biggest foes once they were relatively isolated.

The difficulty can be uneven at times as well, with the boss fights in particular feeling like a huge leap up over mundane foes; a level 25 mook is little threat, but a level 25 boss... well, that's another story.  Simply put, they take staggeringly huge amounts of damage to bring down, almost never get stunned by big attacks, and have a nasty habit of shaking out of your combinations seemingly at will to launch one of their own, which you can't easily counter as you're generally committed to an attack animation once you begin it.  Then they go into rage mode, giving themselves a massive damage boost on top of everything else, and you have a nearly unkillable, almost unstunnable behemoth chasing you down and chopping half your health bar off in a single series of hits.  In many cases, I ended up having to retreat back to town to complete more sidequests in order to power up, and even then, I had to bring quite a few healing items along for good measure before I could outlast them.

But even with its unconventional take on the Fist of the North Star series, Lost Paradise proves to be an entertaining, well-made game with quite a lot to see and do in it.  The violent nature and strong storytelling of Fist of the North Star is integrated surprisingly well into the Yakuza formula, and while it certainly has some faults with its pacing and uneven difficulty, it's a treat for those who can appreciate the many nods to the series' canon and the self-aware humor.  If nothing else, I can say that it's easily the best Fist of the North Star game to get a localized console release.

Developer: Sega CS1
Publisher: Sega
Platform: Playstation 4
Released: 2018
Recommended Version: N/A