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StarTopic YAKUZA / LIKE A DRAGON COMMUNITY |ST| A FAMIBOARDS CLAN SUBSIDIARY

Thunder84 said:
We don’t know yet. I think they said that they’d be adding some more songs that better fit the new likenesses (I.E. adding a Pledge of Demon remix for when you inevitably fight Kuze) but I only saw that in passing so I’m not confident. Whether they’d cut songs to make room for new ones is also an unknown.
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So they did add some remixes, but seemingly not for everyone?
We got remixes for Saejima (Massive Fire), Akiyama (Affected Fight), Watase (Collision of Our Souls), and Mine (Fly). No remixes for Kuze, Awano, Shibusawa, or Aizawa, apparently. The first three in particular really stand out, although I think the main reason why is that (big Ishin spoilers) Shibusawa is the final boss, and Ishin’s final boss theme is incredible. So, instead of only remixing one or two of the lieutenants themes, they left all three untouched. That’s my speculation, anyway.

I’m more interested in the characters they DID choose. Saejima and Akiyama make total sense, and Mine plays a pivotal role in the story I’m pretty sure so that kinda checks out too. But why Watase? It’s a stretch, but given that he showed up in Like a Dragon, I could see this as RGG’s way of trying to set him apart a bit more, which could signal a big role in Gaiden and 8. He’s almost certainly gonna show up in the former, but maybe he’s gonna play a bigger role in the latter, especially considering he’s part of the whole security company thing.

Hell, if we wanna get really crazy, maybe we can apply a similar line of thinking to Mine. We’ve already seen two characters from Yakuza 3 return from the grave, why not a third? Mine’s canonically one of the strongest antagonists in the series, he’d fit right in with a Kiryu JRPG party. Bring back Ryuji too while we’re at it lol
 
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Don't know if this is the place for it but be aware of the makoreactor site. Their review page has a phishing file. I opened up the review thread in the other place and my antivirus/malware program freaked out.
 
Hocot8 said:
Don't know if this is the place for it but be aware of the makoreactor site. Their review page has a phishing file. I opened up the review thread in the other place and my antivirus/malware program freaked out.
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My friend runs the site, and I've just informed him of this. He says it's a false flag, and was resolved before on the antivirus filter end, but has seemingly popped up again. They're working on getting it fixed.
 
Aurc said:
My friend runs the site, and I've just informed him of this. He says it's a false flag, and was resolved before on the antivirus filter end, but has seemingly popped up again. They're working on getting it fixed.
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That's good to hear.
 
I started Ishin yesterday and yeah if you don't like Yakuza already you will hate this.
 
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To all the people that already got the game and to all the people that will get the game : have a lot of fun ! (My copy should arrive in 10 days so I’m a bit jealous – but very happy for you guys)
 
A docuseries is being made, some great insights in this first one already.

Be warned: 7:56-8:36 has a major spoiler for Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Other content is fine, though there is some non-important LAD8 early cutscene dialogue.

 
Oh, I didn't know there was a ST for Yakuza! That's great!

I discovered the series back in 2021 with 0 and I still think it was one of the best moment of gaming in my life. Got to play Kiwami last year and yeah even if that wasn't 0, that was still pretty cool! I planned to play K2 this year but hey, Ishin's release was too much hype for me so I started playing it instead and I think I can confidently confirm that Yakuza is one of my most beloved series ever, can't wait to get through the other games.
 
Raytro said:
Oh, I didn't know there was a ST for Yakuza! That's great!

I discovered the series back in 2021 with 0 and I still think it was one of the best moment of gaming in my life. Got to play Kiwami last year and yeah even if that wasn't 0, that was still pretty cool! I planned to play K2 this year but hey, Ishin's release was too much hype for me so I started playing it instead and I think I can confidently confirm that Yakuza is one of my most beloved series ever, can't wait to get through the other games.
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Please keep us updated when you have played Kiwami 2. This game is on par with – or even better than – 0 and has my favorite final boss of every game I've played. And enjoy Ishin !
 
Party Sklar said:
Please keep us updated when you have played Kiwami 2. This game is on par with – or even better than – 0 and has my favorite final boss of every game I've played. And enjoy Ishin !
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Don't worry I'll do that, so good to share my enthusiasm with fans 😎 So far Ishin is great, I'm busy doing everything except the story as always lmao (and I have an obsession with substories so I have to do all of them 😬)
 
I tried the Ishin demo, it's mental and bags of fun (so good old Yakuza awesomeness).
Will definitely pick it up when the backlog is smaller.
 
Ishin Kiwami is just fantastic. It took my equal favourite game and just added more content, couldn't have asked for more. Loving the side content so much that I'm at 50 hours played and only in Chapter 5..
 
Finally got started, currently a bit into Chapter 3. Some early thoughts:
  • Remembering these character names is tough. I just associate them with their Yakuza names for the most part.
  • The exception to that is Takechi, who’s been great so far. Having Shibusawa portray Kiryu/Ryoma’s brother was a tall order, but Nakano has done a fantastic job so far from what I’ve seen. He’s the only character so far that feels entirely disparate from the original, and that’s really impressive. Very pleasantly surprised.
  • The combat definitely takes some time to adjust to. It’s a lot slower and more methodical. Hardly a bad thing, I welcome the change, but it’s a steep learning curve coming off of Lost Judgment.
  • I also like how varied the combat styles are. Having multiple styles was always a plus, but they generally have just felt like extensions to Kiryu’s and Yagami’s movesets for the most part. Ryoma’s styles are tailor made for certain situations, which really helps set them apart.
  • It’s weird going away from the Dragon Engine. Even if it’s a remake, Ishin obviously still carries the Yakuza 0/Kiwami DNA. Overworld movement is stilted, you can’t escape combat encounters, and loading screens are back. I get it, a lot of the Ishin code was probably reused, but nothing here is really convincing me that the series should move to Unreal anytime soon. I know why they did it for this specific game, but the Dragon Engine is perfect for the main series proper at the moment, and Ishin isn’t really convincing me otherwise.
  • The glossary is a great idea on paper, but it feels incredibly underutilized. It’s only been describing locations so far, skipping out on the vocabulary. Still feel a bit lost with some of the terminology in play.
  • Haven’t really dug into the side content yet, but it seems pretty expansive. Looking forward to that, especially since I’m pretty underleveled at the moment.
 
Thunder84 said:
It’s weird going away from the Dragon Engine. Even if it’s a remake, Ishin obviously still carries the Yakuza 0/Kiwami DNA. Overworld movement is stilted, you can’t escape combat encounters, and loading screens are back. I get it, a lot of the Ishin code was probably reused, but nothing here is really convincing me that the series should move to Unreal anytime soon.
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How are the facial animations ? In the trailers it felt like they were less realistic in UE than Dragon Engine
 
Party Sklar said:
How are the facial animations ? In the trailers it felt like they were less realistic in UE than Dragon Engine
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Haven’t paid too much attention, but I’d say they’re pretty similar to Yakuza 0/Kiwami, just like the movement. Even in Unreal, it’s very easy to tell when this game was initially made.
 
Sooo, almost 25 hours in Ishin, currently at Chapter 5, and it's an absolute blast for me so far. I don't know if it's because I only finished 2 games from this series atm but I'm feeling kinda the same excitement I felt with 0. I love the setting, I love the gameplay (those different combat styles are great), and as always the side content is just over the top. I did a lot of substories, which is one of my favorite part in Yakuza (~50 out of 72), and my only complain is that there are a lot of frienship based subs which are... Not the most interesting. But with all these people to befriend, I was able to progress a lot with
Haruka's house: I already bought everything for it as far as I know lmao

I'm waiting to see where the story will take me but yeah, I'm having a great time with the game. So sad work is back tomorrow, everything I want right now is playing THAT game.
 
I really, really like Ishin. I'm only in chapter 4 but having so much fun do far. I do miss the dragon engine, though.
 
My day off has been accepted for tomorrow: CAN'T WAIT (I'm starting Chapter 7 today after work)
 
Just finished the game. That was so fucking great.
The story took a little while to really take off, but yeah, from chapter 9 to the very end, that was such a ride. Also I found activities were a bit below 0, because I didn't find as much of these really interesting (and I'm really not into mahjong, cee-lo, etc), and a lot of substories were wayyyy too short - almost pointless for some - which disappointed me a bit since those things are like half of what I'm enjoying while playing Yakuza, but except for those details that was so cooooool. To me it's an easy 9 out of 10 (for comparison, I gave a 10/10 for 0 and 7/10 for Kiwami 1).

Next one will be Kiwami 2 for sure. I'm expecting to play it this summer, probably in august after both Zelda TotK and Pikmin 4, my two most anticipated games of the year. Can't wait! But for now I have to do some things more in Ishin, like completing substories, friendships and those combat training.
 
Party Sklar said:
Wow, you went fast ! Glad to hear you enjoyed it !
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Yeah for real I almost did nothing except playing it for the past 10 days lmao, now I can go back to a normal life 😭 47 hours played according to Steam, damn... I wasn't expecting being able to do such a thing while being employed lmao
 
Didn't expect it, but DF did an analysis of Ishin :



As often, they were very fair in the video and didn't judge the game by today's standards, approaching it more like a remaster. Personally, my only real issue with the graphical aspect of the game is the UI, which is a bit too big and simple by today's standards (especially those very ugly and basic texts above the merchant's heads).
 
Party Sklar said:
Personally, my only real issue with the graphical aspect of the game is the UI, which is a bit too big and simple by today's standards (especially those very ugly and basic texts above the merchant's heads).
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I’m only like, 2 chapters in, but I also noticed that. I took the game’s big UI elements, along with a lot of other recent games’ big UI elements as Steam Deck concessions. And maybe Switch 2 concessions? If you’re playing on a smaller screen it’s better to have big, readable UI.
 
Party Sklar said:
Didn't expect it, but DF did an analysis of Ishin :
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definitely tuned out a bit when he stated the original PS3 footage was emulated, feels like a glaring mistake to not try running it on real hardware.

i'm also surprised they didn't look into the PS4/Xbox One versions, particularly with the obvious comparison point of the original already being on PS4.
there was a noticable drop in framerate/resolution when they initally switched to the Dragon Engine (the older engine was 1080p/60 on PS4, which was taken down to 900p/30.) and it seems likely the same happened with Unreal Engine 4.
 
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Just now realized that I never dropped my thoughts into this thread. Finished the story about a week ago, along with a smattering of side content.

Overall, the game is good! Just not much more than that. The main story definitely shows its age, with the second half going way too fast for its own good. Feels like a worse version of Yakuza 3 to be honest: both games start out slowly to build up the world, and then leverage that in the rest of the story. But while Yakuza 3 generally does a good job of utilizing the orphanage in the story, Ishin struggles to effectively leverage the tension seen in Tosa and the Shinsengumi.

The story spends so much time actively shitting all over the Shinsengumi and it’s members, making them terrible as a way to throw Ryoma’s motivations into question, and it’s very effective. The argument between Takechi and Ryoma had me siding with the former, and Ryoma’s decision continually looked worse as the story went on. I loved that.

But then things just kinda…stopped? Inoue is outed as Toyo’s killer, but Inoue is long since dead and it’s hastily shoved under the rug after a quick plot reveal about the Shinsengumi. Then suddenly the Shinsengumi are good guys, and you immediately run off to fight the Shogun, then Kyo is suddenly on fire, and then Takechi is back and somehow very old now, and then you’re back in Tosa. I know that’s being a bit unfair to the story, but it goes way too fast for its own good. Feels like the writers had a checklist of plot points they needed to hit, and they did the bare minimum to accomplish that. As a result, the characters suffer.

Take Izo, for example. A rival of Ryoma’s that you’re forced to cross blades with, who now has a legitimate excuse to cut you down despite Ryoma’s good intentions. Up through chapter 5, that was a really strong character dynamic. But then Izo disappears for half of the game, randomly returns in Chapter 12, and the story portrays it as this big dramatic confrontation despite Izo not being relevant at that point whatsoever. What could’ve been a great moment instead falls completely flat, because the story moved way too fast for me to remember or care about Izo once the plot kicked into high gear.

The worst offender though is, of course, Takechi. He was brilliant through the first two chapters, the best character in the game easily. But then he goes completely offscreen until the end of the penultimate chapter, and the writers expect us to buy into him as the main antagonist? He’s a prime example of “tell, don’t show”. We never see Takechi being a rat bastard, we’re just told that he’s one by someone else. Having the kind older brother secretly be planning 10 steps ahead and sacrificing everything for his own goals is super cool for an antagonist, but we never get the chance to actually see that in action. We’re just told that he did it. He would’ve benefited immensely from a series of post-chapter cutscenes like Nishiki got in Kiwami, because as it stands he’s a huge missed opportunity. Hell, pre-Yakuza 0 Nishiki is probably his best comparison.

Story gripes aside, the game is fun! The combat styles are all really cool, and as I said before I like how diverse they are. With that being said, the game is balanced terribly. Adding in RPG mechanics does not do the game any favors, because swords dramatically outscale the guns. I had an 800+ attack sword after chapter 7 just by playing the story, while my gun was still at a measly 80 attack. The bonuses for grinding to craft a new weapon generally didn’t seem worth the time, so I just went fulltime Swordsman and was never punished for it.

The trooper cards also feel a bit underbaked. I got the legendary Tiger card, and he would instantly delete like 30% of a bosses health bar. It’s not like you can really ignore them either, because the boss’s super moves can damn near OHKO you. Bosses aren’t a marathon like they should’ve been, they’re a sprint to kill the other guy ASAP. A missed opportunity given how fun the combat is when you take your time.

The side content is also strong, but unremarkable in the grand scheme of the series. None of it really hooked me or had me laughing, and the primary side story was also quite boring. Trekking through a bunch of bland dungeons, no thank you.

I know it sounds negative, but I did still like the game. Can’t say I was really disappointed either, as it more or less met my expectations as a pre-Yakuza 0 title. It slots into the #9 spot in my rankings, below Kiwami and above 4.
 
Thunder84 said:
Just now realized that I never dropped my thoughts into this thread. Finished the story about a week ago, along with a smattering of side content.

Overall, the game is good! Just not much more than that. The main story definitely shows its age, with the second half going way too fast for its own good. Feels like a worse version of Yakuza 3 to be honest: both games start out slowly to build up the world, and then leverage that in the rest of the story. But while Yakuza 3 generally does a good job of utilizing the orphanage in the story, Ishin struggles to effectively leverage the tension seen in Tosa and the Shinsengumi.

The story spends so much time actively shitting all over the Shinsengumi and it’s members, making them terrible as a way to throw Ryoma’s motivations into question, and it’s very effective. The argument between Takechi and Ryoma had me siding with the former, and Ryoma’s decision continually looked worse as the story went on. I loved that.

But then things just kinda…stopped? Inoue is outed as Toyo’s killer, but Inoue is long since dead and it’s hastily shoved under the rug after a quick plot reveal about the Shinsengumi. Then suddenly the Shinsengumi are good guys, and you immediately run off to fight the Shogun, then Kyo is suddenly on fire, and then Takechi is back and somehow very old now, and then you’re back in Tosa. I know that’s being a bit unfair to the story, but it goes way too fast for its own good. Feels like the writers had a checklist of plot points they needed to hit, and they did the bare minimum to accomplish that. As a result, the characters suffer.

Take Izo, for example. A rival of Ryoma’s that you’re forced to cross blades with, who now has a legitimate excuse to cut you down despite Ryoma’s good intentions. Up through chapter 5, that was a really strong character dynamic. But then Izo disappears for half of the game, randomly returns in Chapter 12, and the story portrays it as this big dramatic confrontation despite Izo not being relevant at that point whatsoever. What could’ve been a great moment instead falls completely flat, because the story moved way too fast for me to remember or care about Izo once the plot kicked into high gear.

The worst offender though is, of course, Takechi. He was brilliant through the first two chapters, the best character in the game easily. But then he goes completely offscreen until the end of the penultimate chapter, and the writers expect us to buy into him as the main antagonist? He’s a prime example of “tell, don’t show”. We never see Takechi being a rat bastard, we’re just told that he’s one by someone else. Having the kind older brother secretly be planning 10 steps ahead and sacrificing everything for his own goals is super cool for an antagonist, but we never get the chance to actually see that in action. We’re just told that he did it. He would’ve benefited immensely from a series of post-chapter cutscenes like Nishiki got in Kiwami, because as it stands he’s a huge missed opportunity. Hell, pre-Yakuza 0 Nishiki is probably his best comparison.

Story gripes aside, the game is fun! The combat styles are all really cool, and as I said before I like how diverse they are. With that being said, the game is balanced terribly. Adding in RPG mechanics does not do the game any favors, because swords dramatically outscale the guns. I had an 800+ attack sword after chapter 7 just by playing the story, while my gun was still at a measly 80 attack. The bonuses for grinding to craft a new weapon generally didn’t seem worth the time, so I just went fulltime Swordsman and was never punished for it.

The trooper cards also feel a bit underbaked. I got the legendary Tiger card, and he would instantly delete like 30% of a bosses health bar. It’s not like you can really ignore them either, because the boss’s super moves can damn near OHKO you. Bosses aren’t a marathon like they should’ve been, they’re a sprint to kill the other guy ASAP. A missed opportunity given how fun the combat is when you take your time.

The side content is also strong, but unremarkable in the grand scheme of the series. None of it really hooked me or had me laughing, and the primary side story was also quite boring. Trekking through a bunch of bland dungeons, no thank you.

I know it sounds negative, but I did still like the game. Can’t say I was really disappointed either, as it more or less met my expectations as a pre-Yakuza 0 title. It slots into the #9 spot in my rankings, below Kiwami and above 4.
Click to expand...
Can't disagree with all you said here, and even if I had a great time from start to finish (to the point of giving 9/10 as I said earlier), you're pretty right especially about the balancing of the game. I had a feeling that crafting equipment was cool but the game doesn't help the player in getting involved at it, with materials being too painful imo to get and half of the equipment locked behind annoying conditions.
 
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Thunder84 said:
Just now realized that I never dropped my thoughts into this thread. Finished the story about a week ago, along with a smattering of side content.

Overall, the game is good! Just not much more than that. The main story definitely shows its age, with the second half going way too fast for its own good. Feels like a worse version of Yakuza 3 to be honest: both games start out slowly to build up the world, and then leverage that in the rest of the story. But while Yakuza 3 generally does a good job of utilizing the orphanage in the story, Ishin struggles to effectively leverage the tension seen in Tosa and the Shinsengumi.

The story spends so much time actively shitting all over the Shinsengumi and it’s members, making them terrible as a way to throw Ryoma’s motivations into question, and it’s very effective. The argument between Takechi and Ryoma had me siding with the former, and Ryoma’s decision continually looked worse as the story went on. I loved that.

But then things just kinda…stopped? Inoue is outed as Toyo’s killer, but Inoue is long since dead and it’s hastily shoved under the rug after a quick plot reveal about the Shinsengumi. Then suddenly the Shinsengumi are good guys, and you immediately run off to fight the Shogun, then Kyo is suddenly on fire, and then Takechi is back and somehow very old now, and then you’re back in Tosa. I know that’s being a bit unfair to the story, but it goes way too fast for its own good. Feels like the writers had a checklist of plot points they needed to hit, and they did the bare minimum to accomplish that. As a result, the characters suffer.

Take Izo, for example. A rival of Ryoma’s that you’re forced to cross blades with, who now has a legitimate excuse to cut you down despite Ryoma’s good intentions. Up through chapter 5, that was a really strong character dynamic. But then Izo disappears for half of the game, randomly returns in Chapter 12, and the story portrays it as this big dramatic confrontation despite Izo not being relevant at that point whatsoever. What could’ve been a great moment instead falls completely flat, because the story moved way too fast for me to remember or care about Izo once the plot kicked into high gear.

The worst offender though is, of course, Takechi. He was brilliant through the first two chapters, the best character in the game easily. But then he goes completely offscreen until the end of the penultimate chapter, and the writers expect us to buy into him as the main antagonist? He’s a prime example of “tell, don’t show”. We never see Takechi being a rat bastard, we’re just told that he’s one by someone else. Having the kind older brother secretly be planning 10 steps ahead and sacrificing everything for his own goals is super cool for an antagonist, but we never get the chance to actually see that in action. We’re just told that he did it. He would’ve benefited immensely from a series of post-chapter cutscenes like Nishiki got in Kiwami, because as it stands he’s a huge missed opportunity. Hell, pre-Yakuza 0 Nishiki is probably his best comparison.

Story gripes aside, the game is fun! The combat styles are all really cool, and as I said before I like how diverse they are. With that being said, the game is balanced terribly. Adding in RPG mechanics does not do the game any favors, because swords dramatically outscale the guns. I had an 800+ attack sword after chapter 7 just by playing the story, while my gun was still at a measly 80 attack. The bonuses for grinding to craft a new weapon generally didn’t seem worth the time, so I just went fulltime Swordsman and was never punished for it.

The trooper cards also feel a bit underbaked. I got the legendary Tiger card, and he would instantly delete like 30% of a bosses health bar. It’s not like you can really ignore them either, because the boss’s super moves can damn near OHKO you. Bosses aren’t a marathon like they should’ve been, they’re a sprint to kill the other guy ASAP. A missed opportunity given how fun the combat is when you take your time.

The side content is also strong, but unremarkable in the grand scheme of the series. None of it really hooked me or had me laughing, and the primary side story was also quite boring. Trekking through a bunch of bland dungeons, no thank you.

I know it sounds negative, but I did still like the game. Can’t say I was really disappointed either, as it more or less met my expectations as a pre-Yakuza 0 title. It slots into the #9 spot in my rankings, below Kiwami and above 4.
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Can't disagree with all you said here, and even if I had a great time from start to finish (to the point of giving 9/10 as I said earlier), you're pretty right especially about the balancing of the game. I had a feeling that crafting equipment was cool but the game doesn't help the player in getting involved at it, with materials being too painful imo to get and half of the equipment locked behind annoying conditions.
 
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(Ew, sorry for the double posting, had internet problem and my previous post got duplicated)
 
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Finally finished the game tonight (ngl I did not expect the credits to roll on a R’n’B song, but that’s on brand for the series), and I pretty much agree with everything @Thunder84 said. Although I’d be a bit more positive on the story, but that’s maybe because I studied a bit Japanese history, so for most of the beginning of the game I was just enjoying recognizing names and situations.

I wish the visuals would’ve been upgraded a bit more, it’s not ugly but you can really feel the PS3 game under it. The same goes for the gameplay, I really miss the Dragon Engine and hope they won’t stay on UE for future games. Also, in terms of gameplay, the cards makes the fights easier than in the original (from what I’ve played of it, which wasn’t so extensive) but it’s not for the worst since the bosses do so much damage. The backstories are not the best in the series, the mini-games also might be the worst since 0 (although I still spent too much hours 100% the farm to pay the whole debt).

So, overall, the story was good, the whole historical setting was fun, it was great hearing Kuze’s Theme again, and I’m so glad we were able to play it. It was a great experience, and as always after finishing up a Yakuza game I feel emotionally drained.

Now wondering which will be the next game to get the Kiwami treatment. Hoping for Yakuza 3, because there’s a lot of potential in that game, and also because I wanna relive a certain very emotional scene in 4K.
 
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xghost777 said:
We should be getting some Like A Dragon news on June 16! Excited to see Gaiden especially.

www.gematsu.com

RGG Summit Summer 2023 / Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio New Titles Presentation set for June 16

SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio will host “RGG Summit Summer 2023 / Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio New Titles Presentation” on June 16 at 12:00 JST, the companies announced. You will be able to wat…
www.gematsu.com www.gematsu.com
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Hell yeah!!

I’m expecting a Gaiden blowout, a trailer for 8, and maybe one more new thing
 
Kiryu Kazuma Joryu hype!

I don't expect anything else other than Gaiden and 8, but you never know with these RGG Studio fellows...
 
0
Would love to see them make more Gaiden titles in the future. It’s such a perfect filler subseries, and it’d pave the way for characters like Majima, Saejima, and Akiyama to get their own games. Hell, you could go even further and have games for characters like Kashiwagi, Ryuji, Shinada, whoever the hell you want. So much potential there.
 
Was just thinking about this scene from Yakuza 3 this morning for no particular reason and it warms my heart everytime

 
Party Sklar said:
Was just thinking about this scene from Yakuza 3 this morning for no particular reason and it warms my heart everytime

Click to expand...

The payoff for having had to listen to the most drawn out exposition ever, mere moments prior to this cutscene.
 
Gaiden's store page got leaked on the PS Store - releasing November 9!

The description is:

"
Erase Your Past to Protect Your Future

Once a legendary yakuza, Kazuma Kiryu faked his own death and abandoned his name for the sake of protecting his family. Now, he is thrust into conflict by a mysterious figure attempting to drive him out of hiding.

Under the codename “Joryu,” Kiryu embarks on a gripping action narrative with bone-shattering combat in vibrant locations filled with exciting characters and activities.

Ultimate Combat with Two High-Impact Fighting Styles


Dynamically switch between the Yakuza and Agent fighting styles in visceral melee combat.

With the Yakuza style, strike fear into enemies by unleashing wildly aggressive moves powered by Kiryu’s unparalleled strength and flair.

Or up the ante with the Agent style by delivering blows with absolute speed and precision, while using an array of high-tech gadgets like electrified bind wires to stun enemies then send them flying.

Strategically adapt to the situation and leverage both styles to dominate and destroy hordes of enemies.

Endless Entertainment

Whether you’re brawling in the secret Castle arena, singing a new karaoke song, enjoying a drink at the live-action cabaret club, or racing in the pocket circuit, the world offers a variety of immersive experiences.

An intriguing informant named Akame also provides thrilling sub-missions, drawing you into an epic showdown that unfolds the more you explore and enjoy Sotenbori, Yokohama and the mysterious Castle."

Like-a-Dragon-Gaiden-The-Man-Who-Erased-His-Name_2023_06-08-23_001-1024x576.jpg


https://www.gematsu.com/2023/06/lik...ate-appear-on-playstation-store-price-tracker (there's a couple more screenshots here).


It looks sooooooo good. I can't wait for November. I'm a bit bummed that it's not being set in Okinawa, but I still have hope that Y8 will take Kiryu back there.
 
Kiryu: tries very hard to stay undercover, says his name is Joryu now

Pocket Circuit Fighter as soon as he sees him:

90-D80003-AB0-B-4-A00-8-B4-C-39-E80837-A176.jpg



I assume this substory will end by Kiryu inspiring him to invest in Dragon Kart in Yokohama
 
Party Sklar said:
Kiryu: tries very hard to stay undercover, says his name is Joryu now

Pocket Circuit Fighter as soon as he sees him:

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I assume this substory will end by Kiryu inspiring him to invest in Dragon Kart in Yokohama
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I'm so happy they brought it back for one last whirl. Pocket Circuit Fighter is actually one of Kiryu's best friends throughout the series and I love their dynamic.
 
Yakuza 0 was my first Yakuza game so even though I obviously fell in love with it, I wasn’t used to the series quirks yet you could say and I didn’t explore all it had to offer like I’ve regularly done since. This is to say, somehow I basically entirely dodged Pocket Circuit Fighter and only really heard about him afterwards. I obviously encountered him in future games, but he didn’t have his minigame attached so this is something I’m really looking forward to with Gaiden.
 
It's been forever since its release, but I still haven't played 7 yet! Wondering if I'll be able to just play The Man Who Erased His Name first. I've been on hiatus from the series since finishing Judgment, so I've got 7, Lost Judgment, and Ishin! to play. The fact that we're now getting a Kiryu game set after 6, but before 7 is something I never expected, and it may end up being a super convenient place to jump back in.
 
Aurc said:
It's been forever, and I still haven't played 7 yet! Wondering if I'll be able to just play The Man Who Erased His Name first. I've been on hiatus from the series since finishing Judgment, so I've got 7, Lost Judgment, and Ishin! to play. The fact that we're now getting a Kiryu game set after 6, but before 7 is something I never expected, and it may end up being a super convenient place to jump back in.
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I imagine they’ll sneak some stuff from 7 and Lost Judgment in as fun Easter Eggs especially with Yokohama being one of the maps again. Probably best to roll right into 7 is my guess.
 
xghost777 said:
Yakuza 0 was my first Yakuza game so even though I obviously fell in love with it, I wasn’t used to the series quirks yet you could say and I didn’t explore all it had to offer like I’ve regularly done since. This is to say, somehow I basically entirely dodged Pocket Circuit Fighter and only really heard about him afterwards. I obviously encountered him in future games, but he didn’t have his minigame attached so this is something I’m really looking forward to with Gaiden.
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Pocket Circuit Fighter himself is great, as are his associated substories featured in 0 (not sure about Kiwami's, as I unfortunately never did them there!), but the minigame itself is poopie, lol. I don't think you missed anything notable, fortunately! It and the catfighting arena are some of the worst content in an otherwise masterfully made game. It's been a good while since I got my 100% in Yakuza 0, but iirc, some of the parts you had to collect to build a good enough car were annoying to obtain, and the minigame itself involved simply watching the little cars run the track, occasionally mashing a button to prevent them from flying off it. The actual gameplay was minimal. If Gaiden is bringing it back, that's rad! I just hope it's a bit more involved this time, as opposed to being a straight asset flip of 0's version.

(Side note: in Yakuza 6, there's actually a bit of broken lore between Kiryu and Pocket Circuit Fighter, as they don't seem to acknowledge or reminisce about their encounter in 2005 (Kiwami), only 1988 (0). I believe this might be because Kiwami and 6 were developed around roughly the same time, and the teams didn't communicate, or didn't bother to go back and rewrite 6's substory dialogue.)
xghost777 said:
I imagine they’ll sneak some stuff from 7 and Lost Judgment in as fun Easter Eggs especially with Yokohama being one of the maps again. Probably best to roll right into 7 is my guess.
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You're probably right. I might just play 7 first, in that case.

Speaking of reused maps: I do know that the Sotenbori featured in 7 is a direct asset flip of Kiwami 2's Sotenbori, which would normally be understandable, only there's a whole 13 years that have passed in-universe! At least change the ads and signs, RGGS. I'm hoping for an era appropriate version in Gaiden.

(Kiwami 2 above, Yakuza 7 below)
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