Lost Judgment

[Thursday]

Best to make a place to separate any chat about it from Yakuza discussion.

On Chapter 3 at the moment and really enjoying to return to the traditional combat style, and I particularly tend to like the faster styles, so I'm really enjoying what they've done with this.

It's very funny that the game is like "Yeah guess we'll beat the shit out of school students, can't see any issue with that." Truly a dream come true.

[letsgobrian]

During Chapter 5 I ended up saying out loud

Spoiler alert

"Ah my old enemy, the Ministry of Health"

[close]

.

I got the deluxe edition with the DLC, not really dipped into the School Stories bit so far, but the extra girlfriends have strong opening missions. And they are certainly getting their worth out of the improved cat models.

The occasional small nods to the Yakuza 7 are nice too, just enough to confirm that the nonsense that happened there was real, but not too much as to warp the tone too far in that direction.

The tiniest criticism I have so far is that early on you get cut scenes that none of the protagonists are present for and I had to remind myself that my knowledge of the case was more than Yagami's at that point and adjust my questioning accordingly.

[Mister Six]

I've heard that they've basically split the franchise into serious and fighty in the Judgments and daft RPG in the Yakuzas. So are the Judgment games pretty po-faced, with no silly side missions or anything?

[letsgobrian]

I've heard that they've basically split the franchise into serious and fighty in the Judgments and daft RPG in the Yakuzas. So are the Judgment games pretty po-faced, with no silly side missions or anything?

There's silly side missions, just not quite as silly. And often involve various detective skills before the inevitable fisticuffs in the street.

[Mister Six]

Ah, grand. I couldn't take something completely po-faced.

[letsgobrian]

Ah, grand. I couldn't take something completely po-faced.

Now I've got a bit further into Lost Judgment I should add that some of the powers of the extracts (potions made of garbage) are especially unhinged this time around.

[Thursday]

I just met a detective dog, so daft substories are certainly a thing.

[Mister Six]

SOLD.

[Timothy]

Does this game have tail missions? I really disliked those in the first one.

[letsgobrian]

Does this game have tail missions? I really disliked those in the first one.

A lot less. I'm at chapter 10 and I think I've done 2. And one of those was the tutorial.

[oggyraiding]

I've played about 20 hours and am only on chapter 6. Of the school stories mini games, boxing is great, girls' bar is acceptable, Virtua Fighter 5 is Virtua Fighter 5, skateboarding is pointlessly easy, dancing is fine except you have to do each song four times which isn't so fun, death races are clunky, and robot wars is terrible. Though I'm thankful that all of them so far are easy enough to pick up. I'm just hoping there isn't a mahjong or shogi club.

[letsgobrian]

Part way through Chapter 10 the random encounter challenge ramps up considerably as someone suddenly gave everyone weapons to attack me with.

Like the first game, the mystery of the story drove me fairly rapidly through the chapters, I think was about 24 hours of play when I hit that Chapter. I've slowed down now and headed back to the School Stories, searching for squirrels and befriending cats.

Still not entirely sure what you do with the purple keywords you get from being a nosey parker and listening to strangers' conversations. Do they come into play for later side stories? I think there's only been a couple that went straight to an active side story on overhearing them for me.

[oggyraiding]

Finished the story today, it seemed to follow the template of a lot of the Yakuza series in that the final hour or so is full of fights against dozens of opponents, and then boss battles against foes with seven health bars. I used the extract which gives you fire attacks and that trivialised the final two bosses. Really good game, probably my favourite in the Yakuza series, but almost too much content.

[Thursday]

I'm on Chapter 8 and all the dark and gritty turns in the plot have sort of put me off the main story a bit, and I'm just diving right in to all the school stories instead.

[Thursday]

Hey look, it's a sidequest about CookdandBombd

[Timothy]

Is it necessary to finish the first game to understand the story in this one?

[Thursday]

I wouldn't say it's essential, although I think there's moments you'll have a better time with it if you have played it. Is there much reason to skip the first one?

[Timothy]

I wouldn't say it's essential, although I think there's moments you'll have a better time with it if you have played it. Is there much reason to skip the first one?

I quit because of the tail missions. I was probably in a bad mood when I played that game. Maybe I should just try again and play Lost Judgment after that. :)