Yakuza series

[Pink Gregory]

Finished Kiwami 2

Not much of a challenge towards the end, I had tougher fights in the arena (I had almost completely leveled up all of my stats though).  Didn't worry about unlocking all the battle/heat abilities by the end because I absolutely didn't need them, whereas in Kiwami 1 I felt obliged to do so because the last few Komaki moves were so good.

Quite liked the conclusion even though you don't get much of a feel for the events in the background; also the massive Omi invasion of Kamurocho is like 9 dudes hassling people you know.  Bit reliant on people explaining their motivations while pointing guns at other people and REVELATIONS!

Certainly enamoured with the Dragon engine; even just angling the camera up a bit over the river through Sotenbori looks incredible, and I'm playing on an original Xbox One.

Overall still loved it, I've got so much time for Kiryu being a rock-hard furrow-browed stoic in the main story and then a put-upon socially inept goof as soon as someone asks him something in the street.

[Pink Gregory]

Onto Yakuza 3 now.

Love big hench PS3 textures Kiryu and his wide walk, howled at Haruka waving 'BYE BYE' at Sayama, somewhat concerned that I can't pause cutscenes

[bgmnts]

Just bought every single fucking game bring it on. Going to get right back in it head first.

Kiwami 1 lets go.

[Spiteface]

The thing I'm noticing is going through these in "storyline" order, is that you need to brace yourself for the step backwards going from Kiwami 2 to 3. Back an entire generation.

[Mister Six]

Just bought every single fucking game bring it on. Going to get right back in it head first.

Kiwami 1 lets go.

Start with 0 if you haven't already played it. It does a lot of work on some important relationships in Kiwami 1 that get curiously short shrift, even though they're at the centre of the story (I guess because the writers were less experienced then, or the PS2 had limited space for content or something).

Just got the property management minigame in 0 and it's really just mobile-phone-game-tier "hold button to level up thing, come back when timer is up to collect money" but seeing all the weird friendships I've had pay off with impromptu bodyguard appearances in fights and such is a lot of fun.

[Pink Gregory]

The thing I'm noticing is going through these in "storyline" order, is that you need to brace yourself for the step backwards going from Kiwami 2 to 3. Back an entire generation.

I know he's supposed to be 40 odd but Kiryu's skin texture in 3 remastered is really quite something.

[Pink Gregory]

Just bought every single fucking game bring it on. Going to get right back in it head first.

Kiwami 1 lets go.

If you can't find Majima he's hiding in a giant traffic cone.  Heed these words

[Mister Six]

Was very confused to see the giant traffic cone still there 20 years earlier in Yakuza 0.

[Pink Gregory]

Haruka's mad sped up walk cycle in this is really, really funny

[Thursday]

There's something very funny about running around as Haruka in Yakuza 5 and bumping into people and knocking them over.

[Mister Six]

Just unlocked Goro's hostess club game. Thought it would be an easy way to make insane money while reading a book, but no - apparently I have to PLAY this game. The bloody cheek!

Got loads of Completion Points saved up, so I'll cash them in at the shrine to stock up on hostesses.

Is it a subtle bit of social criticism that the Kamurochō shrine has been demolished by the time Kiwami 1 rolls around?

[Pink Gregory]

I ended up really enjoying running Four Shine in Kiwami 2; it's hardly the most fleshed out minigame, but learning the hand signals and stuff, and having two of my best girls being elderly women that I basically met on the street, just about enough to make it engaging for two minutes at a time.

Currently halfwayish? through Yakuza 3.  i'm aware that it's considered the weakest in the series, and now that I'm largely in Kamurocho again (presumably I'm going back to Okinawa at some point) it is admittedly dragging a bit; but Riki is a very enjoyable and fresh feeling presence to have around, picking up all the Komaki parry moves (TIGER DROP!) was fairly low effort and quite a few of the substories are better written than a sidequest involving a generic fight, as most of them are, really warrant.

It felt really refreshing spending a good chunk of the first ten hours pootling about looking after the orphans, exploring a genuinely new place and just being at a slower pace than Tokyo. 

[letsgobrian]

Just unlocked Goro's hostess club game. Thought it would be an easy way to make insane money while reading a book, but no - apparently I have to PLAY this game. The bloody cheek!

Got loads of Completion Points saved up, so I'll cash them in at the shrine to stock up on hostesses.

Is it a subtle bit of social criticism that the Kamurochō shrine has been demolished by the time Kiwami 1 rolls around?

Wait until you get the near-complete gentrification of the area in Yakuza 6.

[Mister Six]

Ha, amazing. Does the map differ drastically from game to game, then?

[letsgobrian]

Ha, amazing. Does the map differ drastically from game to game, then?

Not too much. There's significant building work that starts in 2 and is finally complete in 5, but that's mostly only accessible as part of the plot. 4 gives you access to parts of the map you couldn't get access to before like roofs, underpasses and sewers. That's kept to some degree in 5, before being rescinded a bit in subsequent games.

6 however has a whole section of the town radically restructured, along with slightly more respectable establishments added like a gym and a cat cafe.

[Mister Six]

No dog cafe? Booo!

That sounds amazing though. Is it work a second look around Kiwami 1 (which I've already completed) before I move on to Kiwami 2, or are their maps basically the same?

[letsgobrian]

No dog cafe? Booo!

That sounds amazing though. Is it work a second look around Kiwami 1 (which I've already completed) before I move on to Kiwami 2, or are their maps basically the same?

I don't think there's too much difference beyond the aforementioned building work. Sotenbori on the other hand? Get ready for a park to mysteriously disappear in Kiwami 2 and then magically get rebuilt in Yakuza 5.

Presumably due to implementing new Dragon Engine in Kiwami 2. The park is there in Yakuza 7, so I guess they figured out how they could squeeze it in by that point.

[Cold Meat Platter]

How long do you have to play 0 before it fucking saves the game?

[Mister Six]

I don't think there's too much difference beyond the aforementioned building work. Sotenbori on the other hand? Get ready for a park to mysteriously disappear in Kiwami 2 and then magically get rebuilt in Yakuza 5.

Presumably due to implementing new Dragon Engine in Kiwami 2. The park is there in Yakuza 7, so I guess they figured out how they could squeeze it in by that point.

That's a weird choice. You'd think they would just put some barricades around it and pretend it was being refurbished or blacked to keep out the homeless or something.

[brat-sampson]

How long do you have to play 0 before it fucking saves the game?

You save manually at phone boxes, they're all indicated on the map.

I'm right at the Finale of 7 now, at last. I don't know if I should do some grinding first though, as I have a new area unlocked for that too, but I've made it past what I gather are all the major road blocks so I reckon it would be doable. Top-tier Yakuza game, loved the new cast and was very impressed by how emotional I found parts of the story (other parts, yes, ridiculous, but still fun). It can get a bit grindy, especially if you want to level you weapons up a lot, as basically the only way to get the good materials is to repeat sections of the battle arena for the guaranteed drops or grind the can collector minigame or hope for the best in one of the dungeons etc. Plus levelling up multiple jobs is a bit of an arse with having to return to a specific location to change between them. I didn't mind it too much though, and with a guide to help it's not too arduous. I think I just need to polish off Dragon Kart and level one or two personality stats for their optional quests and then I'll be good to end it.

[letsgobrian]

That's a weird choice. You'd think they would just put some barricades around it and pretend it was being refurbished or blacked to keep out the homeless or something.

I mis-remembered, it's still gone in Yakuza 7. I think the Y7 Sotenbori map may just be the YK2 map but with Don Quixote removed due to the sponsorship ending.

[Mister Six]

No Don Quixote?! Nooooo!

[Spiteface]

No Don Quixote?! Nooooo!

Yet another thing that delays me wanting to get Y7.

I love that the song plays on a loop when you go in there, just like the real Don Quijote shops.

(Don-Don-Don, Don Qui, Don Qui-jote...)

[Mister Six]

Is it worth bothering with Majima's weapon-finding shop for any reason other than gathering CP? I hardly ever use weapons anyway. Not really sure what the point is.

[brat-sampson]

I mis-remembered, it's still gone in Yakuza 7. I think the Y7 Sotenbori map may just be the YK2 map but with Don Quixote removed due to the sponsorship ending.

I was running around there today a little bit trying to fight enough mobs for a thing, and yeah, coming from Yakuza 5 it was really disorienting, like some kind of House of Leaves moment where all the right things seem to be there, but the sense of space between them all was... wrong.

Have now done *all* the substories in 7, which includes all the assessments, all personality aspects and bond levels maxed, all of Dragon Kart, all of management, max-level workshop etc. Wondering if Lv 60-odd is enough to just take it to the end or if I need to go through/grind the new Grind Zone...

[Thursday]

The battle tower with the friendly robot? Yeah you probably will, although you sound like you're already unusually high level.

[brat-sampson]

Nah, I've spent plenty of time in the Robot Battle Tower, debating if/how many times I should try and clear the Kamurocho sewers. Haven't gone in yet.

[letsgobrian]

Nah, I've spent plenty of time in the Robot Battle Tower, debating if/how many times I should try and clear the Kamurocho sewers. Haven't gone in yet.

The Kamurocho sewers are necessary for the post-game True Final Millennium Tower challenge. But at level 60 you are probably fine for the normal Millennium Tower.

What the sewers will give you is more Metal Slime encounters, sorry, Invested Vagabond encounters, to rapidly level up jobs as you would in a Dragon Quest game.

[Mister Six]

7 sounds absolutely mental.

[Spiteface]

Is it worth bothering with Majima's weapon-finding shop for any reason other than gathering CP? I hardly ever use weapons anyway. Not really sure what the point is.

I never did. Not arsed about full completion like that.