/vr/ - Retro Games

[Anonymous No.8101175]

Where do I start the Yakuza franchise

[Anonymous No.8101179]

Literally by number. Start with 0 and end at 6. I'm a stickler for originals over remakes, but for 1 you should go with Kiwami. Play the original 2.

[Anonymous No.8101181]

>>8101175
I started with 0, and it didn't seem to hurt me. If I'd been cool enough to be playing it since the beginning maybe I'd have another opinion, but I jumped on the bandwagon with 0 and it was awesome.

[Anonymous No.8101221]

>>8101179
What's the deal with Kiwami 2? I see a lot of people seem to not like that one.

[Anonymous No.8101228]

Play 0 then Kiwami 1 and 2, which are remakes of the first two games. Definitely skip the PS2 version of 1 at least, you could just play the PS2 version of the second game if you really want.

[Anonymous No.8101232]

>>8101221
Some dislike the goofiness of the Dragon Engine. I don't mind it, but you need a somewhat decent PC if you wanna play it at 60. They mostly changed some dialogue and removed others. It's not as egregious as Yakuza 3 censorship, but it's still enough to warrant playing the original.

[Anonymous No.8101236]

>>8101175
Zero.
>>8101221
I've played 0, K1, and K2; I thought 2 was solid. I got a little burned out because I played all 3 back to back, but if you enjoy the story you'll like the game.

[Anonymous No.8101251]

I've been getting into the series myself lately, and man, not spoil anything but the story of 1 is not where I saw things progressing after what was set up in Zero.
Kind of surpsied Kiryu's actual first meeting with Majima isn't something that's covered in either game, and you get to see so little of that early 90's period where Kiryu was at his peak.

[Anonymous No.8101252]

>>8101221
the new engine is jank
it also hurts that kiwami 1 has maybe the best combat in the series and kiwami 2 reverts things like 3 games back

[Anonymous No.8101256]

>>8101252
It's worse than the PS2 version, though?

[Anonymous No.8101293]

>>8101175
If you're asking on /vr/ then you're presumably willing to start with the Playstation 2 games and play in the release order.
If not, then fuck off and make this thread over on /v/ instead.

>>8101179
>but for 1 you should go with Kiwami. Play the original 2.
But Kiwami 1 is the worse of the two, and arguably the worst Yakuza game period, gameplay wise.

>>8101252
>it also hurts that kiwami 1 has maybe the best combat
I've literally never seen a single person express this opinion until this thread.
The half-assed rushed budget title has the best combat in the series? Seriously? Did you even played Kiwami 1?
The way they needlessly gimp Dragon Style. The way they make it an unplayable style for 90% of the game?
The way they give all the bosses steroids and hit stun out the ass?

The game was made by the staff not working on Yakuza 6, and it shows.

[Anonymous No.8101301]

>>8101236
>I've played 0, K1, and K2
>Person who only played 0 and the remakes recommends zero first
pottery. why are you in this thread.

[Anonymous No.8101335]

>>8101175
Shenmue.

[Anonymous No.8101375]

>>8101175

I never played the originals, only the remakes and remasters and they were amazing.

[Anonymous No.8101389]

>>8101375

[Anonymous No.8101643]

>>8101175
PS2 2 is my favourite. If you could only play one game in the series I would recommend 2.
I bought it day one.
I've only played 1 and 2 on PS2.

[Anonymous No.8101678]

>played only Kiwami 1
is there any reason to keep on with the series/playing the original, are they different? I don't see the appeal at all from what I've played.
Only good thing I can say about the whole game is that they've had the decency to make the map really small and pack it with enough stuff instead of doing something like GTA, making a huge map and sprinkling it with 5 shops.
What about that Musashi spin off, how is that different?

[Anonymous No.8101683]

>>8101678
if you didn't get the appeal after playing through one of them, dont bother with the series.

[Anonymous No.8101691]

>>8101678
I see the series as being like a modern River City Ransom, attached to some engaging, and often quite silly and melodramtic crime drama storytelling. Either that appeals, or it doesn't.

[Anonymous No.8101704]

Release order.

[Anonymous No.8101707]

>>8101175
Play Shenmue 1, skip Yakuza 1, then play Shenmue 2 and skip Yakuzas 2, 3, 4, 5, 0, Kiwami and 6, then play Shenmue 1 again

[Anonymous No.8101709]

>>8101678
>is there any reason to keep on with the series
not really except maybe 0. 0 is extremely similar to 1 but it's themed around the 80s economic boom and that singular focus tightens the gameplay a lot
every game is running around japan doing stupid mini games and punching out drunkards though
>What about that Musashi spin off, how is that different?
it effectively isn't, though the sword combat flows really well

[Anonymous No.8101748]

GET FUNKY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1uNUhIgC2g

>>8101709
>0 is extremely similar to 1
lol no, everything is completely different, atmosphere, gameplay, story

[Anonymous No.8101751]

>>8101748
>lol no
we were talking about kiwami 1, the only game in the series he's played

[Anonymous No.8101960]

Kiwami 1 sucks balls. If PS2 graphics bother you, try the HD Edition version on PS3 (Japanese only).

[Anonymous No.8101991]

>>8101683
>>8101709
I see. I might give 0 a go at some point and see from there I guess, don't want to write off a series completely based on one game.
This music is pretty swell at least. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDSSW0gr9yY

[Anonymous No.8102576]

>>8101960
This. I don't get how people can recommend Kiwami 1 over OG1 with a straight face.
I get the dub is a big negative, I really wish they would localize the HD ports of 1 & 2, but gameplay-wise 1 is flat out superior to Kiwami.

Kiwami could have been so much better than it was, but it was meant to just be some shit little quick remake treat for the series' 10 year anniversary.

[Anonymous No.8102581]

>>8102576
Kiwami 1 and 2 are fun, but maybe because I I did play the originals.
I wouldn't say they substitute the originals.

[Anonymous No.8102590]

>>8102581
Neither are good substitute for the originals.
Kiwami 1 is a poor substitute because it's a bloated mess that doesn't properly capture the atmosphere of the original, and worst of all it's just a poorly designed game with a lot of really terrible boss fights and combat mechanic choices, easily the worst regression in the Yakuza series' history combat-wise.
Kiwami 2 is a poor substitute because the Dragon Engine doesn't play all that well as a brawler (at least not before Judgement) and it foolishly cuts a bunch of content from the original despite having a much bigger budget and even more asset reusage than the original already had.

Keep in mind I do like Kiwami 2, and I think Kiwami 1 is tolerable (albeit still not great) if you mod it to un-gimp the Dragon style, but the adverse reaction to the OG classics is completely unwarranted, they're poor remakes.
I'm not the kind of person who thinks remakes are always bad, but the Kiwami games are examples of remakes that just don't do what they're supposed to.

[Anonymous No.8104427]

>>8102590
Yeah, I think I may just play the originals.

[Anonymous No.8104463]

>>8101175
Play Kiwami with the original english dub. Best of both worlds..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qC-w6bJiVjE

[Anonymous No.8104659]

Tfw my order is the chad order

2 on ps2, 1 kiwami, 0
If I didnt list a game i dont care for it and only gave this series a shot cuz I saw some jav idol I jerked off to in it

[Anonymous No.8104841]

>>8101175
Release order.
>>8101179
No you fucking idiot. 0 is literally the sixth game in the series.

[Anonymous No.8104876]

>>8104841
Do you have a functioning brain?

[Anonymous No.8105321]

>>8102590
This is a series I love and I played through everything in release order.
I enjoyed both Kiwamis. It does get a bad rap, mainly from new fans going from Zero to Kiwami. These are the same people who bitched about 3.
Kiwami 1 does a few things well. I liked the added Nishikiyama scenes and keeping the style system of 0. Majima suffered the most, since it has a weird blend of og Majima and new goofy Majima. The Majima of 1 is a dark motherfucker.
Kiwami 2 is clearly much weaker than the original, which is still my favorite of the series.

That's why when people ask "where should I start with the series?" The answer should always be "release order".

[Anonymous No.8105326]

>>8104876
Get into MGS and play them chronologically and report back.

[Anonymous No.8105402]

I only played the original Yakuza 1 and have played through maybe 40% of 0. Yakuza 1 really blew me away— I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it anywhere as much as I did. 0 is a really good game too but overall it feels like more of the same, so it hasn’t blown my mind the way the first one did.

Seems like it’s got that same thing going for it as the Souls games where no matter what the first one you played will always be your favorite, so you may as well go with 0 if you’re gonna start fresh. Seems like that’s the most universally loved game in the series.

[Anonymous No.8105453]

>>8101335
Best post

[Anonymous No.8106313]

>>8101175
>Where do I start the Yakuza franchise

Spiritual predecessors before the dragon was born.

Die Hard arcade
Spikeout
Dynamite Cops
Rent A Hero
Rent A hero no.1

>>8101335
Shenmue and Virtua Fighter are shitty examples.

[Anonymous No.8106320]

>>8101293
>>8102590
This actually looks pretty soulful. Very good graphics for a PS2 game. But I'm too lazy to set up an emulator when I already got the Steam releases for peanuts.

What was changed/censored anyway? The okama characters? And how is the PS3 HD release different? Just an upscale?

[Anonymous No.8106371]

>>8106320
>What was changed/censored anyway?
They didn't censor anything from the PS2 games, you're thinking of the 3-5 remasters which censor a number of things, most notably in 3 a series of substories involving okama characters.
They did however cut a bunch of content from Kiwami 2 because they were too lazy or too rushed to include them.

>Asset flips a lot from Yakuza 6 including damn near all the models in the game and most of Kamurocho
>Reuses the Yakuza 0 Cabaret Club minigame
>Reuses the Yakuza 6 Clan minigame
>Reuses the Yakuza 2 PS2 cutscene animations
>Still manages to cut a bunch of content from the original PS2 game
>Cuts out Shinseicho entirely
>Cuts North Pink Street
>Cuts Club Adam
>Cuts Club Marietta
>Cuts down on the OST

The PS3 HD release is mostly just an upscale with small QoL changes.
We just want this localized so we don't have to tolerate the poor dubbing of Yakuza 1 and so that there's a modern re-release of the PS2 originals rather than the Kiwami games being the only one people can play without hassle.