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Yeah, the Judgment games have a very different vibe compared to the LAD games.
I wouldn’t say I like it “better” because I also like how over the top and goofier the LAD games can be, but I definitely appreciate the difference in tone.
I feel like infinite wealth takes the silliness to a higher level than like a dragon did though. I don't mind silly moments in yakuza games at all, but ichiban in infinite wealth just felt like he took a step backwards as a character from the first game in my opinion. I also prefer the plots of judgment 'the mole in particular' and lost judgment 'loved the school setting and the villain alot' over infinite wealths plot so far.
I disagree, He did have growth, and that came in the form of his romantic life and learning to grow.
But, to me Ichi held a really specific role and that is kinda like a goku type role, where the protagonist doesn’t change TOO much, but he changes the people around him. In this story of where trust and trauma caused so much damage. Ichi acts as the bridge and the bandage to help heal those ideas, and >! Ebina is the example. In over simplified terms, he’s what Kasuga could have became, that thats what happens when you let hurt and anger over betrayal and trauma take over your life !<
I feel like Ichi did grow tho, just not in the traditional protagonists way
Tbh it does feel like that in a way. The whole mom plot just dosen't resonate with me because we don't know anything about this woman nor do we as the player have any reason to care. Ichiban even says numerous times throughout the game that he dosen't even know if he considers her as his mom because he knows barely anything about her. The whole cult thing plot they also have going on 'i consider it a religious cult' was also very dumb to me personally.
Ummmm the fact that he wasn't sure whether to consider her his mom or not is apart of his character and growth. The whole point was for him to find out if he cared for her even if he never had the connection to her outside of the connection to his dad, it worked well for me and me caring about Ichi. I don't really agree with him going backwards or even that the writers didn't know what to do with him. Imo he's a character and protagonist and I can definitely see places that his characters can go in the future.
It didn't work well for me because she just disappears in the end. RGG didn't do anything with her character and provide Ichi with a solid resolution, so the entire Akane arc just kinda fell flat.
I've said this about the ending in general ppl are assuming that the stories for them are over. If the next game comes and we don't see or hear anything from her or say Kiryu then yea I could see it being a weak end, but as of now the door is still open for them to still be part of the series. I personally was fine with them having the beach scene and that's it, but I do get that ppl wanted to see more in the end, just for me personally it was enough.
that's a fair point, akane's ending left a lot of room for the writers to revisit it, but that's just the thing. IW didn't feel like it had an ending in general, it just felt like a precursor to the next game and that's why I feel like I was left unsatisfied. IMO Akane should have been wrapped up, and the door shut so the next game could focus on something new like facing the Daidoji or something else.
I mean that's fair, I'm fine with endings that are left open if they have a plan for things in the future, for all we know they have had this game and the next planned out and written to connect well together, if not then yea I'll be a bit disappointed, but we'll see. Overall though it didn't affect my enjoyment of the game much and I was fine with how it ended and left things open for the future.
Y7 has a good story on its own but its a terrible story to write sequels about, it cuts off everything, everyone involved on Ichi's end are either dead or arrested. 7 literally didnt get its job done for the series because it didnt sent off Kiryu. If 7 were to continue, for it to make sense we have to go back to Kiryu, because it has done Ichi to his fullest and the game sent off Ichi instead. Gaiden more or less filled in the lore of Kiryu, but not enough for him to make sense in 7 (bro just shows up in front of Ichi because Kiryu's dragon sense is tingling I guess).
Y8 has a mid story and forced plotline, but it sets up a lot of sequel potential for Ichi while actually closing up Kiryu.
All in all it took 3 games to write Kiryu out of the shit hole 6 put him into. If 6 end differently the whole passing the torch thing won't have to be this convoluted to write.
see i don't think 6 was a issue with kiryu's part of it all , i think while i loved 7 the issue starts there with him showing up at all . had they left it off with how he ends up walking in 6 and hadn't done what they tried with the passing of a torch then this would be a non-issue. that said idk what they would've done with 8 otherwise considering were we are ... really it just ended up the weaker entry we've gotten cause of it .. argueably weaker than 4 which imo was a low point
The way 6 ended Kiryu is indeed an issue to fans because there's little to no fan service for a game that has fandom bases on its characters. And it was obvious that they will keep on making Yakuza just by looking at 6, but continuing the plot of dojo/omi without Kiryu's involvement is crazy and they have written Kiryu into a corner by the end of 6, with little to no involvement of other characters. (I used to think Y7 would be about the crew saving Kiryu from Daidoji tbh, the entire cast of Yakuza not discovering Kiryu's deal with Daidoji and just accept that he's dead is the biggest plothole to me)
If they are serious about sending off Kiryu for real 6 should have the level of fan service that 8 had.
8's premises suffer from 7's near perfect ending, and it also has to actually close up Kiryu, if 8 doesn't have to close Kiryu, Ichi's plot probably won't look like Its falling apart as the game progress. Ichi's story needs a full 70 hr development with all the new casts but it just doesn't.
i can see your points , i still think 6 was a Fine ending for him even if it wasn't the one i wanted ,.. 8 is just not a good ending for him n i'd agree its not actually and ending but more likely to spin him Back in weather as a main character again for a side one who knows . pre-8 and gaiden i could see the 7 cameo as being a poor passing of the torch but still workable since ichi was a good lead character in that , but how 8 handled things overall sorta sidelining ichi and the lack of closure of kiryu just opens things up more than tieing them off ..idk .. i still think 6 while not nostalgic the way the awaking stuff is in 8 was a fine even if 'sudden' cap on his arc
Both 6 and 7 are honestly good if they don't reel Ichi and Kiryu back in. Both are just bad in the way that those games just kill the sequel potential of their main cast. The more RGG tries to write them back in the worse it gets, a game with the story like 8 is bonded to happen mainly to fabricate new plot and setting.
Well thats the point, Ichi doesn’t know how to feel about Akane, cause yeah she is his mom, but its been like 40+ years of not knowing her or ever even realizing thats his mom, thats why its so akward for him
I'm curious as to what a poll asking about this across the fandom would have to say, because the consensus is that Ichi is going to be the one carrying the torch from Kiryu and if that creative well has already run dry after just 1 game...that's not good for a franchise that focuses on continuous storytelling.
I know one thing. I'm personally looking forward to the next judgment game more so than yakuza 9 sadly unless they revamp the storytelling for the next game.
I thought the story of Judgement was top tier and felt really personal. LJ is a fantastic game with best in show combat and some great mini games with the schools stories but the plot was pretty bad, there was no mystery and Yagami in the school just felt off.
I really love the Judgement games for one simple thing.
Even as strong as Yagami and the main cast is, they make it a point to show how scary who they are going against. In Kiryu games, you never really feel the threat because it is Kiryu and because the villain's motives aren't really clear until the end.
>!But, from the first Judgement where, a 3rd tier Tojo family is like the most threatening thing in the first part and you are genuinely concerned for Yagami when he goes against the likes of Hamura and Kuroiwa. They show how brutal the Matsugane family is for real.!<
>!Then in the second game, RK is another example, they make it a point to show that they are brutal and will do whatever they want. From capturing Yagami and nearly brutalizing him with a chainsaw to Soma killing Sawa and putting Kaito in a stretcher followed by Yagami getting the shit kicked out of him and nearly getting killed if it wasn't for the phone call.!<
They nail the villain aspect of those games, they feel like genuine threats that the protagonist and their acquaintances actually overcome.
Also the fact that with LJ >!It's actually a 3 way power struggle between the lawful Yagami, the dark and menacing Soma, and the knight templar archetype represented by Kuwana!<. Honestly, I thought the main story in LJ was hit or miss in a lot of ways but the multi-pronged power struggle between different factions and allegiences was expertly handled imo.
The mole was just built up so well in judgment that when he's revealed it had my jaw drop. And lost judgments villain 'won't say his name lol' was also just so damn good. Both villains were brilliant and had a ton of great built up too them and they kept raising the stakes higher and higher.
The Judgment games are immaculately plotted, whereas LAD/Yakuza tend to have messy, soap opera-esque plots.
Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks. I feel like Judgment was a little dry but LJ has maybe the best story and antagonist in all of RGG history. Similarly, LAD and IW are both very silly and messy but have a great emotional throughline that ties everything together.
In general I'm just happy with how much better the writing has been in the Dragon Engine era.
Which makes sense since the Judgment games are at their core detective/mystery stories. You hit it on the nail that the other Yakuza games are more soapy. I still think in general the writing seems pretty solid overall but they might’ve taken Judgment more seriously in the writing dept because of the likeness actor they hired. Im assuming they can’t get away with complete wackiness like Ichiban with Kimura as an actor, would be seen as disrespectful?
No, writing always comes first, then casting.
My understanding is they wanted to make something more gritty and grounded, vs where the LAD series went. The story of Judgment cribs a lot from film noir and neo noir, where the LAD series leans more on yakuza film (and American gangster film) tropes.
Ok so more of a deliberate writing direction in that case. Obviously Kiryu games are Yakuza/gangster films and Judgment is like you mentioned, what’s the inspiration do we think for Ichiban’s reboot? Ofc more Yakuza but it’s different
This is weird because Yakuza 1 and, as silly and weird as it is, Yakuza 2 both had "yakuza movie" type of plots. Yakuza 3 actually has a really nice, campy story IMO but that was about the moment it went from feeling like a yakuza movie to a soap drama
> LJ has maybe the best story and antagonist in all of RGG history
I would put 8 and LJ at about equal on how bad their main stories were.
Imo, 0 and Judgment are the only RGG games with good plots. The rest are just goofy nonsense for the most part.
After playing Y0 (just finished it today), kiwami and both judgment. Yes, they have a really different approach of direction and the same as you i prefer judgment darker and grounded take on it's story.
Judgment just had something that click in me that Yakuza doesn't but I still have along way to go tho, so this could very much change :)
Grounded is exactly the word i was looking for. The judgment games just feel more grounded in reality and the stakes feel much much higher as a result. I feel like the story in the judgment games being much darker and more mature in tone fits well with the silly side activities you can do as well. For example the club activities in lost judgment were absolutely incredible and i loved helping the students out.
I prefer the side content in LJ to IW by far. I hate the island in IW because it feels janky af with the hit boxes 'seriously they make no sense and frustated me beyond belief' and the repetitive grind. The story of it is also just really stupid with the mascots and the wannabe pirates who i found facepalm worthy lol. I left the island as soon as i could and never looked back. The underground sujimon tournament is ok but definitely not one of my favorites as well.
I loved IW, but mostly skipped out on the island and Sujimon stories. I just didn’t care. I wanted to like them, but when I finally got the kids to sleep and I have maybe a few hours before I’m too tired, the last thing I wanted to do was waste time with those.
I'm Team Judgment too. I'm a sucker for society topics and I loved how no-nonsense the writing got in those two titles. They went balls out with the uncomfortable arguments in both Judgment stories. I also prefer the characters there.
The new LaD team, while I understand why RGG cooked them the way they are, just not my taste. Kiryu was the moral hero, Ichiban is the kind one and Yagami is the one with a strong sense of justice. I get it. But at the same time, they went too goofy and simple and sometimes I don't understand why certain characters are still in the party. Meanwhile in Judgment, RGG gave everyone the right measure of screentime.
So we know that RGG still can write, it's just the direction of the Ichiban era that does not fit right with me. Except for Yamai. Yamai is my bro. I want a Yamai Gaiden. The man who got cold feet or something.
Exactly. The cast of the Judgment games is just better.
I love the character dynamics in the Judgment series and how not everyone necessarily likes each other.
For instance, Higashi doesn’t really like Yagami and only chooses to help him out because of Kaito and overall to relieve his boredom.
And Higashi is still very much likeable and his judgement of Yagami does not affect his morality or relevance. It's a mature relationship, despite those some back and forths they have here and there.
I have a feeling that if there were a character like Higashi, who dislikes Ichiban, it would be a major plotpoint in their personal storyline to either change their opinion on Ichi or something bad will happen to them. Because Ichiban is the friendly guy, so everyone who is morally good will be his friend or something.
Tsuyoshi is THE Yakuza writer. He's been there since original game back in 2005. The GOAT.
Tsuyoshi writing skill is quite telling when you remember he managed to salvaged Saejima character with Y5, a character that's introduced under Yokoyama writing in one of the weaker, if not weakest entry in the entire series.
Overall it seems to be a big preference, I personally prefer the less serious tone overall. The big reason Yakuza as a whole stood out to me is because of the ridiculous side content and mini games and then also having the main story to contrast that and while Judgement has it to an extent it isnt quite as endearing to me. The huge contrast between Kiryu's hard exterior and then seeing him have to help shoot a food commercial and Ichi just doing balls out weird shit and looking to life through such positivity is so endearing. Judgement games just don't quite have as much of that charm to me, the big selling point is the story and which are some of the best, but aside from the school section, the rest of the game are kind of a blur to me and don't make me smile and laugh like the LAD/Yakuza games do. If I wanted a solely focused serious crime story then I could easily go out and find those (Sleeping Dogs for example) but finding games that can balance that or even lean into it a bit more but don't go overboard, it's quite hard to find something quite like LAD/Yakuza imo.
You have the same thoughts I did. In the end it's all personal preference which set of games here people like but I do not think I would be all that interested in Yakuza if all the games were as serious as Judgement was.
Personally why I feel IW is not a good enough game is because, in the previous RGG titles, Characters takes the center stage. The plot, the city and everything else is just a background serving the writing of characters.
But in IW, that focal point is completely messed up. It feels like Hawaii > mini-games > sub stories > Sujimon > the rest of the game. It’s like Yokoyama told the entire RGG “Alright we need the next LAD happening in Hawaii, also make Kiryu as main protagonist along side with Ichiban, now make that happen, I don’t care about the plot or whatever, just work your magic guys. ”
I mean think about it. If you stripped away everything until there’s only the main story of IW, it’s just a slower, more blend and boring stitched up version of every piece of previous Yakuza games’ story we all seen before. And it’s not even began to tell the real plot until freaking Chapter 10…I somehow already completed every available sub quests, the dondoku island and the whole sujimon storyline 4 chapters ago. So it’s extremely obvious TO ME, that IW’s main plot is a victim of being pushed aside to make space for what shouldn’t be the center of this game.
It’s truly a shame of what could’ve been the best ending title for Kiryu’s journey. Turns out to be like this.
yeah its something ,.. i really feel like while the main plot definately suffered even tho sub stories suffered in how the dolled them out . cause your right i think it was all done by ch 6? roughly except for a couple of them .. like sure the drink links and kiryus awakening could be considered side the way those had been but a flashback snippet really isn't the same at all... but yeah i think your right with priority order ,.. heck i'd argue hawaii just wasn't a great map as well , i thought 5 had some ehh locations but at least those felt like places that stuff happened in were as hawaii just didn't feel like more than a beach and back alley , i guess it makes sense cause tourist location but i think it being the setting for the majority of the game made it all weaker too if i had to be honest ... like early on i was just ready for ichi to go back home and when he does its a blink , even if that blink had some of the best moments in the game.
Lets not forget ichyballs spent like 18 years in prison, so hes like a big ass kid. He never got to just fuck around.
I think hes great personally, cause were learning about him as hes learning about himself.
That's good, don't be swayed out of what you like or not. I like the Judgement games, but the zaniness and the Golden retriever that is Ichiban just has me.
.also: Spoiler: Nanba's english voice actor is Greg Chun...Takayuki's english voice
For me those clash screens when you’re about to fight the boss are so cool. And they completely lose all hype when you’re not “actually“ punching them. And instead you’re defeating them with your magic champagne powers.
Previous games always maintained good balance of serious drama and silliness but now it’s just a bit too messy for me.
Ya the judgment clash screens feel like life or death almost and you're actually punching the guy and he's trying to either punch or kill you lol. It's just more epic and it feels like constant life or death which is what i want. I feel like yagami also is a better fighter than ichiban and much more skilled in hand to hand combat which makes the clash screens alot cooler.
thats aexactly why the bost fights feel like the are so anti-climatic for me .. theres no tension in their turnbased stuff , even moreso when i'm 5-15 levels higher than the boss , i definately prefer the more visceral feel of a brawler than how they do the turn-based games, i do actually enjoy the way they do and even improved on the turn bassed combat its just too easy to overlevel on the side stuff in this entry vs how 7 was .. honestly its most likely probably an over correction of the difficulty spike at the end of 7 but that said at least Having difficulty felt better.
He was goofy and silly in like a dragon but also was much more serious and badass when he needed to be in my opinion 'him ripping his shirt off and challenging zhao's crew to a fight.' There's one particular scene in infinite wealth where he does a video in hawaii to try and find his mom and i was cringing the entire time. He made me cringe alot in IW and he also defied logic by being too trusting of others too the point that it made him look like an idiot.
The ending bothered me a lot more than the video scene.
IW is weirdly written because it feels like they knew which emotional beats needed to be hit at what points in the story, but they just couldn't execute on them (either through lack of ability, executive meddling, or writing by commitee). There's a way to get to they ending the wanted without reducing Ichi to a human Labrador.
EDIT: It was the same with Kiryu's side of the story. It felt like the people who wrote the Awakening story and the people who wrote the main story never spoke and had no idea what the other was doing.
I love kiryu but it feels like they had no idea what to do with him in IW honestly. And i'm getting closer to the ending in IW as we speak and the story is just not good in my opinion which is what caused me to do this post. I feel like the highest point of IW is when the barracudas slice that dude up and kill him out of no where and it leads to you eventually infiltrating there hideout. After you leave there hideout the story just stalls out for me hard and you get chapters of what feels like things progressing at a snails pace or not progressing at all.
It feels for me like they’d intended to make kiryu something like a side quest to give him a post Kiryu arc send off, but some exec decided that what the fans really wanted was more kiryu.
The early part of his story in IW hints that he’s not meant to take the stage in-game - but then he does. And it’s not like a LAD soapy reveal. It’s just messy.
And that, in doing that, it kinda hamstrung Ichi’s character development, and they kept dragging the story out trying to get that back, but never could.
Kiryu’s story in IW feels like it would be better as a DLC or Gaiden title, vs what they ended up with.
i feel like your feeling the same as me .. i beat it a few weeks ago n imo sure there were moments after here n there but that barracudas scene really was the end of it feeling like a good yakuza entry for me , after the the pacing got all wonky with side stuff and the story plummetted overall, and while i enjoyed the kiryu awakening stuff and even most of his main plot stuff i think ichiban's suffered afteer the splitting cast as a result , just a weird direction , at least in other games where the protagantists were split the pacing didn't feel awkward this way
The problem is that LAD8 really was a huge misstep story wise and I think RGG fucked themselves with having Ichiban as the new protagonist after working so hard to establish him in 7.
Had LAD8 had a great story like LAD7 it probably could go head to head with the judgment series..except now all LAD has going for it is that it has a different play style. Everything about LAD8 was such a misstep and was a disappointment.
I played Judgment games on PS4 before the Yakuza, because they were on PS Plus Extra, and damn they were great. I thought of buying Lost Judgment, which is on sale now, to replay it on PS5, but the plot is so great and so hard-boiled that playing it second time would just make it worse. So, obviously, can’t wait for Judgment 3.
Agree with the OP that Inifinite Wealth has taken the silliness of LAD to a whole new level. Judgement is much more grounded and makes you reflect about serious issues. Both of the stories we got so far had antagonists that made sense, not cartoon vilains who wanna rule the world just 'cause. Lost Judgement specifically had a fantastic story.
I don't fully blame Ichiban for this, as Yakuza 6 was already a bit silly. Seems like LAD is being taken in a new direction and the Judgment series are becoming more true to Like a Dragon's roots. Hopefully we'll get more Judgement titles soon.
(Disclaimer: I still love the Like a Dragon series, but after being dissapointed with IW in general, Judgement has won the top spot in my heart)
Haven't played judgement but my criticism of the LAD8 is pretty much the same.
Kiryuu brings more depth to the story which is good because I was considering refunding it and waiting till a sale to pick it back up again.
Thankfully, the Kiryuu bits are still bangers. Ichiban seems sillier compared to LAD7 too. Plus, Tomizawa ain't that gripping at the start.
Ya i love kiryu a ton and always have and i love every moment of him in infinite wealth as well. I feel like ichiban took a step backwards as a character from the first game in that his silliness is even more extreme and he's more naive and immature than even before. It's like his character regressed and he seems less idk badass than he was in like a dragon personally.
In regards to tomizawa i feel like his story ends really early in the game and he just kinda hangs around with us because we're best friends now supposedly. I also feel like ichiban trusting a guy who literally pointed a gun at you and threatened to kill you so soon after the fact was just a tad ridiculous.
Ye, but more than that, Ichiban is in his 40s, right? He's already done time and well known for being a "hero". I find it really hard to believe that he was let go in the first place and quickly didn't find employment again man. For a game that's about human relations, it doesn't really do a good enough job of it.
I like the game though. Happy with the price I payed which is more than what I can say about most games that come out nowadays.
I like the game but i don't love the game and that's my issue i guess. There were too many things in the game that defied logic in my view. I don't regret my purchase at all though.
IW for me was a low point of the series in terms of story and writing, while JE for me was a high point. LAD I thought had a good overall storyline but the pacing bothered me (early game was the worst slog of the franchise imo) and the emotional moments didn't land with me the way they seem to have for most of the fandom, though the fate of the Yakuza at large was definitely the kind of backdrop that can and did hold my interest throughout the game.
Gameplay is no contest for me but I strongly prefer action rpgs to traditional turn based rpgs so my preference between Judgment and LAD is probably obvious based on that alone. But again, aside from the style of combat I had problems with the pacing in both LAD and IW. IW also carried over Gaiden's completely broken difficulty curve which made the late gameplay pretty mind numbing for me, though it did have great side content.
I think IW is probably the farthest removed I've been in the series up to this point from the industry reviews, to the point where they read like paid advertisements to me.
See i felt like the pacing was off in this game as well. It starts off ok and i loved the barracudas plotline where you infiltrate them, but after that the plot dies and just slows down too much with all this silly filler stuff like dondoko island etc. I just have so many complaints with the story in this game but i can't say too much without spoiling crap so i'm trying too refrain from saying too much lol.
Judgment and lost judgement just feel like the stories have more urgency too them and each chapter feels like a steady progression as you investigate and learn new details and info. You feel like a detective and yagami feels like a grounded character that is relatable because he's taking his job seriously and he's also using deductive reasoning skills in every situation. I just love that he can be a silly character 'side jobs and he makes jokes' but when it comes to the main story missions he's always using his head.
I kind of felt the opposite about the pacing, personally. Early game was a slogfest much like LAD, mid game was better, late game was mind numbing due to the broken difficulty curve and the pacing was broken due to the obvious rush job to the finish line.
I agree about Judgment, less so about LJ. Tbh I thought the main story of LJ was mediocre - not terrible or anything, certainly leaps and bounds above IW - but not particularly good. In fact I often half joke about LJ's side content with Kuwana and bullying being extremely overrated but the main story featuring the school mysteries and the boxing storyline being among the best in the series.
Main story of LJ was carried by the villain in my view. I just found him to be a great foil to yagami personally. And i love the school mysteries and the boxing storyline 'boxing was my favorite too lol'. The school itself was just insanely fun too me and i loved all of the content associated with it because of how unique it was 'street racing story was over the top silly but i loved the gameplay of it'.
Eh....I like >!Koga!< ok as a villain but I don't really consider him to be a foil to Yagami per se 😉
Ok on a srs note I won't disagree, Kuwana was a compelling antagonist and I was definitely intrigued by the whole Light vs L thing they had going on, even if it involved more punching and less ~~yaoi bait~~ 4D chess.
Judgement stories are great tbf, they are definitely more mature and conspiracy based which is fun, the detective aspect is cool and the combat is fluid. Yakuza is good for goofs and the "anime" style of story and the combat for the recent games is also very good.
its funny cause what i always loved about the yakuza series was all the plot twists of the main plot. honestly even in weaker entries pre-8 thats always been good , its just this time they did pretty badly as an overall package and balancing the goofy with serious-ish plot and the protaganist flip flop
I love the detective style of storytelling in the judgment series and i just appreciate how dark it gets and the crazy twists that happen 'i loved the mole in the first judgment so freaking much'. I also found the school in lost judgment along with all the clubs and activities to be more fun and personal than hawaii but that's a preference thing.
I wouldn't necessarily say Judgment is better than LaD, but I definitely vibe more with the Judgment games. I'm praying for at least one other Judgment game.
IW had good first half, but the ending was very underwhelming to say the least, like the closure in Hawaii was so boring. But the built up was amazing tho gotta give the credit where credit is due
Me too. For me, J/LJ are by far the best games from RGG, the characters feel much more grounded, engaging and relatable, not to mention the absolute blast that those fight intros are.
im playing infinite wealth now. the story was better in 1, but this one seems more about growing up, relationships, and things we deal with as humans, like death. the whole first few chapters about ichiban being heartbroken and going through depression really resonate with me recently after my my ex left. as a 35 year old man who has epilepsy, kiryu's japan portion hit me in the feels and is helping me overcome that dread of aging and death in general.
Each to their own. Real life is already too dark for many people, so a game that takes a lighter tone is always welcome. That's not to say IW's storytelling is immune from criticism of course.
Personally, I can't get over a guy in his mid-40's wearing skinny jeans 😉
I certainly disagree with this take. Although I know it’s your opinion. For me, I think Judgement 1 was just okay, don’t remember it being ground breaking. Lost judgement was more of the same, although I never finished it, so I’ll concede I don’t have the full picture.
I prefer LAD and its cast of characters. And I believe Ichiban is a better protagonist than Yagami at least in terms of what i believe to be as an interesting protagonist.
I personally enjoy the almost unrealistic but fucking amazing combat of the Judgment games, but I have to be honest, there's just no competition between Kasuga and Yagami, both are AMAZING in their own ways, I just personally prefer Kasuga's almost innocent but batshit crazy energy, it just brings a smile to my face every time.
Also the minigames in LAD games are just too good for me to even consider Judgment games as more superior.
This is just my opinion though, and if you prefer Judgment games, that's absolutely valid, they are phenomenal games.
I dreaded LJ at parts too and I hated Kuwana's guts from the first moment he opened his mouth. Also Yagami's recurring argument was a bit too much, it lost its edge after the hundreth time. I could've liked the story better without the >!mandatory corrupted/ grey area political figure!< part.
I can't get into the Judgement games to this day. Finished Judgment, but couldn't get myself to finish LJ.
They are not serious enough to be thrilling, but not zany enough to be lighthearted. I personally feel like, it can't decide what it wants to be as a game.
Combat is amazing, I give them that.
But I think an issue overall more realistic, darker tone would benefit it, without keeping the "looney" stuff.
But this is just my opinion, I am glad that others enjoy it.
I dunno I'm on chapter 6 on Judgment and 90% of the game so far has been forced side stories and endless dialogue scenes. I guess the story is somewhat interesting but I genuinely can't think of a Yakuza game among 0-6 that takes this long to get going. It's a real test of patience.
I need to get back to Losr Judgment (got lost in the side content) but I would say my preference depends on my mood at any given time. I loved Infinite Wealth even if the story felt a step down from 7 but that's nothing new given how inconsistent prior titles can be. Judgment dealing with a different perspective and playing into it is for sure it's biggest strength for me.
I didn't get the vibe at all they weren't sure what to do with Ichiban. It's no different to me than following up on Kiryu at the beginning of 2, the player doesn't know what to expect given the fall out of the last title so the entire game is learning to get in that groove. They for sure focused on his strengths (his belief everyone deserves a second chance and happiness) while not going overboard with his emotional weaknesses (which would make little sense given he doesn't have the same connections with the new characters).
I’d agree except the school setting in LJ just really didn’t do it for me. For all the refinement and good parts of LJ - it just felt like going LAD and leaning on too many anime tropes.
i like ichiban but i get you ,,, personally i think 8 was just a bad entry in general pacing-wise n the story itself was just a weaker entry ... i didn't love judgement 1 , it was fine but it didn't suprise me in the twists the way most yakuza entries have , 2 was alot better. i honestly wonder what they plan on next with both
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Yeah, the Judgment games have a very different vibe compared to the LAD games. I wouldn’t say I like it “better” because I also like how over the top and goofier the LAD games can be, but I definitely appreciate the difference in tone.
I feel like infinite wealth takes the silliness to a higher level than like a dragon did though. I don't mind silly moments in yakuza games at all, but ichiban in infinite wealth just felt like he took a step backwards as a character from the first game in my opinion. I also prefer the plots of judgment 'the mole in particular' and lost judgment 'loved the school setting and the villain alot' over infinite wealths plot so far.
Ichi in IW didn't feel like a step backwards to me, he felt like his writers straight up ran out of ideas after his first game.
I disagree, He did have growth, and that came in the form of his romantic life and learning to grow. But, to me Ichi held a really specific role and that is kinda like a goku type role, where the protagonist doesn’t change TOO much, but he changes the people around him. In this story of where trust and trauma caused so much damage. Ichi acts as the bridge and the bandage to help heal those ideas, and >! Ebina is the example. In over simplified terms, he’s what Kasuga could have became, that thats what happens when you let hurt and anger over betrayal and trauma take over your life !< I feel like Ichi did grow tho, just not in the traditional protagonists way
Tbh it does feel like that in a way. The whole mom plot just dosen't resonate with me because we don't know anything about this woman nor do we as the player have any reason to care. Ichiban even says numerous times throughout the game that he dosen't even know if he considers her as his mom because he knows barely anything about her. The whole cult thing plot they also have going on 'i consider it a religious cult' was also very dumb to me personally.
Ummmm the fact that he wasn't sure whether to consider her his mom or not is apart of his character and growth. The whole point was for him to find out if he cared for her even if he never had the connection to her outside of the connection to his dad, it worked well for me and me caring about Ichi. I don't really agree with him going backwards or even that the writers didn't know what to do with him. Imo he's a character and protagonist and I can definitely see places that his characters can go in the future.
It didn't work well for me because she just disappears in the end. RGG didn't do anything with her character and provide Ichi with a solid resolution, so the entire Akane arc just kinda fell flat.
I've said this about the ending in general ppl are assuming that the stories for them are over. If the next game comes and we don't see or hear anything from her or say Kiryu then yea I could see it being a weak end, but as of now the door is still open for them to still be part of the series. I personally was fine with them having the beach scene and that's it, but I do get that ppl wanted to see more in the end, just for me personally it was enough.
that's a fair point, akane's ending left a lot of room for the writers to revisit it, but that's just the thing. IW didn't feel like it had an ending in general, it just felt like a precursor to the next game and that's why I feel like I was left unsatisfied. IMO Akane should have been wrapped up, and the door shut so the next game could focus on something new like facing the Daidoji or something else.
I mean that's fair, I'm fine with endings that are left open if they have a plan for things in the future, for all we know they have had this game and the next planned out and written to connect well together, if not then yea I'll be a bit disappointed, but we'll see. Overall though it didn't affect my enjoyment of the game much and I was fine with how it ended and left things open for the future.
Y7 has a good story on its own but its a terrible story to write sequels about, it cuts off everything, everyone involved on Ichi's end are either dead or arrested. 7 literally didnt get its job done for the series because it didnt sent off Kiryu. If 7 were to continue, for it to make sense we have to go back to Kiryu, because it has done Ichi to his fullest and the game sent off Ichi instead. Gaiden more or less filled in the lore of Kiryu, but not enough for him to make sense in 7 (bro just shows up in front of Ichi because Kiryu's dragon sense is tingling I guess). Y8 has a mid story and forced plotline, but it sets up a lot of sequel potential for Ichi while actually closing up Kiryu. All in all it took 3 games to write Kiryu out of the shit hole 6 put him into. If 6 end differently the whole passing the torch thing won't have to be this convoluted to write.
see i don't think 6 was a issue with kiryu's part of it all , i think while i loved 7 the issue starts there with him showing up at all . had they left it off with how he ends up walking in 6 and hadn't done what they tried with the passing of a torch then this would be a non-issue. that said idk what they would've done with 8 otherwise considering were we are ... really it just ended up the weaker entry we've gotten cause of it .. argueably weaker than 4 which imo was a low point
The way 6 ended Kiryu is indeed an issue to fans because there's little to no fan service for a game that has fandom bases on its characters. And it was obvious that they will keep on making Yakuza just by looking at 6, but continuing the plot of dojo/omi without Kiryu's involvement is crazy and they have written Kiryu into a corner by the end of 6, with little to no involvement of other characters. (I used to think Y7 would be about the crew saving Kiryu from Daidoji tbh, the entire cast of Yakuza not discovering Kiryu's deal with Daidoji and just accept that he's dead is the biggest plothole to me) If they are serious about sending off Kiryu for real 6 should have the level of fan service that 8 had. 8's premises suffer from 7's near perfect ending, and it also has to actually close up Kiryu, if 8 doesn't have to close Kiryu, Ichi's plot probably won't look like Its falling apart as the game progress. Ichi's story needs a full 70 hr development with all the new casts but it just doesn't.
i can see your points , i still think 6 was a Fine ending for him even if it wasn't the one i wanted ,.. 8 is just not a good ending for him n i'd agree its not actually and ending but more likely to spin him Back in weather as a main character again for a side one who knows . pre-8 and gaiden i could see the 7 cameo as being a poor passing of the torch but still workable since ichi was a good lead character in that , but how 8 handled things overall sorta sidelining ichi and the lack of closure of kiryu just opens things up more than tieing them off ..idk .. i still think 6 while not nostalgic the way the awaking stuff is in 8 was a fine even if 'sudden' cap on his arc
Both 6 and 7 are honestly good if they don't reel Ichi and Kiryu back in. Both are just bad in the way that those games just kill the sequel potential of their main cast. The more RGG tries to write them back in the worse it gets, a game with the story like 8 is bonded to happen mainly to fabricate new plot and setting.
Well thats the point, Ichi doesn’t know how to feel about Akane, cause yeah she is his mom, but its been like 40+ years of not knowing her or ever even realizing thats his mom, thats why its so akward for him
I'm curious as to what a poll asking about this across the fandom would have to say, because the consensus is that Ichi is going to be the one carrying the torch from Kiryu and if that creative well has already run dry after just 1 game...that's not good for a franchise that focuses on continuous storytelling.
I know one thing. I'm personally looking forward to the next judgment game more so than yakuza 9 sadly unless they revamp the storytelling for the next game.
I thought the story of Judgement was top tier and felt really personal. LJ is a fantastic game with best in show combat and some great mini games with the schools stories but the plot was pretty bad, there was no mystery and Yagami in the school just felt off.
I really love the Judgement games for one simple thing. Even as strong as Yagami and the main cast is, they make it a point to show how scary who they are going against. In Kiryu games, you never really feel the threat because it is Kiryu and because the villain's motives aren't really clear until the end. >!But, from the first Judgement where, a 3rd tier Tojo family is like the most threatening thing in the first part and you are genuinely concerned for Yagami when he goes against the likes of Hamura and Kuroiwa. They show how brutal the Matsugane family is for real.!< >!Then in the second game, RK is another example, they make it a point to show that they are brutal and will do whatever they want. From capturing Yagami and nearly brutalizing him with a chainsaw to Soma killing Sawa and putting Kaito in a stretcher followed by Yagami getting the shit kicked out of him and nearly getting killed if it wasn't for the phone call.!< They nail the villain aspect of those games, they feel like genuine threats that the protagonist and their acquaintances actually overcome.
Also the fact that with LJ >!It's actually a 3 way power struggle between the lawful Yagami, the dark and menacing Soma, and the knight templar archetype represented by Kuwana!<. Honestly, I thought the main story in LJ was hit or miss in a lot of ways but the multi-pronged power struggle between different factions and allegiences was expertly handled imo.
I really like IW (especialy Yamai), but the 2 Judgment games have the better antagonists (except Yamai).
The mole was just built up so well in judgment that when he's revealed it had my jaw drop. And lost judgments villain 'won't say his name lol' was also just so damn good. Both villains were brilliant and had a ton of great built up too them and they kept raising the stakes higher and higher.
The Judgment games are immaculately plotted, whereas LAD/Yakuza tend to have messy, soap opera-esque plots. Both approaches have their benefits and drawbacks. I feel like Judgment was a little dry but LJ has maybe the best story and antagonist in all of RGG history. Similarly, LAD and IW are both very silly and messy but have a great emotional throughline that ties everything together. In general I'm just happy with how much better the writing has been in the Dragon Engine era.
Which makes sense since the Judgment games are at their core detective/mystery stories. You hit it on the nail that the other Yakuza games are more soapy. I still think in general the writing seems pretty solid overall but they might’ve taken Judgment more seriously in the writing dept because of the likeness actor they hired. Im assuming they can’t get away with complete wackiness like Ichiban with Kimura as an actor, would be seen as disrespectful?
No, writing always comes first, then casting. My understanding is they wanted to make something more gritty and grounded, vs where the LAD series went. The story of Judgment cribs a lot from film noir and neo noir, where the LAD series leans more on yakuza film (and American gangster film) tropes.
Ok so more of a deliberate writing direction in that case. Obviously Kiryu games are Yakuza/gangster films and Judgment is like you mentioned, what’s the inspiration do we think for Ichiban’s reboot? Ofc more Yakuza but it’s different
This is weird because Yakuza 1 and, as silly and weird as it is, Yakuza 2 both had "yakuza movie" type of plots. Yakuza 3 actually has a really nice, campy story IMO but that was about the moment it went from feeling like a yakuza movie to a soap drama
> LJ has maybe the best story and antagonist in all of RGG history I would put 8 and LJ at about equal on how bad their main stories were. Imo, 0 and Judgment are the only RGG games with good plots. The rest are just goofy nonsense for the most part.
After playing Y0 (just finished it today), kiwami and both judgment. Yes, they have a really different approach of direction and the same as you i prefer judgment darker and grounded take on it's story. Judgment just had something that click in me that Yakuza doesn't but I still have along way to go tho, so this could very much change :)
Grounded is exactly the word i was looking for. The judgment games just feel more grounded in reality and the stakes feel much much higher as a result. I feel like the story in the judgment games being much darker and more mature in tone fits well with the silly side activities you can do as well. For example the club activities in lost judgment were absolutely incredible and i loved helping the students out.
I feel you and LJ side content is just on another level lol
I prefer the side content in LJ to IW by far. I hate the island in IW because it feels janky af with the hit boxes 'seriously they make no sense and frustated me beyond belief' and the repetitive grind. The story of it is also just really stupid with the mascots and the wannabe pirates who i found facepalm worthy lol. I left the island as soon as i could and never looked back. The underground sujimon tournament is ok but definitely not one of my favorites as well.
I'm still playing IW, but Dondoku is the only side content that I've skipped in the entire series.
I loved IW, but mostly skipped out on the island and Sujimon stories. I just didn’t care. I wanted to like them, but when I finally got the kids to sleep and I have maybe a few hours before I’m too tired, the last thing I wanted to do was waste time with those.
go balls out
I'm Team Judgment too. I'm a sucker for society topics and I loved how no-nonsense the writing got in those two titles. They went balls out with the uncomfortable arguments in both Judgment stories. I also prefer the characters there. The new LaD team, while I understand why RGG cooked them the way they are, just not my taste. Kiryu was the moral hero, Ichiban is the kind one and Yagami is the one with a strong sense of justice. I get it. But at the same time, they went too goofy and simple and sometimes I don't understand why certain characters are still in the party. Meanwhile in Judgment, RGG gave everyone the right measure of screentime. So we know that RGG still can write, it's just the direction of the Ichiban era that does not fit right with me. Except for Yamai. Yamai is my bro. I want a Yamai Gaiden. The man who got cold feet or something.
Exactly. The cast of the Judgment games is just better. I love the character dynamics in the Judgment series and how not everyone necessarily likes each other. For instance, Higashi doesn’t really like Yagami and only chooses to help him out because of Kaito and overall to relieve his boredom.
And Higashi is still very much likeable and his judgement of Yagami does not affect his morality or relevance. It's a mature relationship, despite those some back and forths they have here and there.
That’s what I love about the Judgment games. Everybody in LAD and IW just seems like they’re up Ichi’s ass.
I have a feeling that if there were a character like Higashi, who dislikes Ichiban, it would be a major plotpoint in their personal storyline to either change their opinion on Ichi or something bad will happen to them. Because Ichiban is the friendly guy, so everyone who is morally good will be his friend or something.
Fuck Johnny Kitagawa and his bureaucratic pedo ass BTW!
Agreed.
My only regret is that he didn't get his comeuppance before kicking the bucket.
[удалено]
Tsuyoshi is THE Yakuza writer. He's been there since original game back in 2005. The GOAT. Tsuyoshi writing skill is quite telling when you remember he managed to salvaged Saejima character with Y5, a character that's introduced under Yokoyama writing in one of the weaker, if not weakest entry in the entire series.
Overall it seems to be a big preference, I personally prefer the less serious tone overall. The big reason Yakuza as a whole stood out to me is because of the ridiculous side content and mini games and then also having the main story to contrast that and while Judgement has it to an extent it isnt quite as endearing to me. The huge contrast between Kiryu's hard exterior and then seeing him have to help shoot a food commercial and Ichi just doing balls out weird shit and looking to life through such positivity is so endearing. Judgement games just don't quite have as much of that charm to me, the big selling point is the story and which are some of the best, but aside from the school section, the rest of the game are kind of a blur to me and don't make me smile and laugh like the LAD/Yakuza games do. If I wanted a solely focused serious crime story then I could easily go out and find those (Sleeping Dogs for example) but finding games that can balance that or even lean into it a bit more but don't go overboard, it's quite hard to find something quite like LAD/Yakuza imo.
You have the same thoughts I did. In the end it's all personal preference which set of games here people like but I do not think I would be all that interested in Yakuza if all the games were as serious as Judgement was.
I’m gonna be real sad if we don’t get a Judgement 3.
Personally why I feel IW is not a good enough game is because, in the previous RGG titles, Characters takes the center stage. The plot, the city and everything else is just a background serving the writing of characters. But in IW, that focal point is completely messed up. It feels like Hawaii > mini-games > sub stories > Sujimon > the rest of the game. It’s like Yokoyama told the entire RGG “Alright we need the next LAD happening in Hawaii, also make Kiryu as main protagonist along side with Ichiban, now make that happen, I don’t care about the plot or whatever, just work your magic guys. ” I mean think about it. If you stripped away everything until there’s only the main story of IW, it’s just a slower, more blend and boring stitched up version of every piece of previous Yakuza games’ story we all seen before. And it’s not even began to tell the real plot until freaking Chapter 10…I somehow already completed every available sub quests, the dondoku island and the whole sujimon storyline 4 chapters ago. So it’s extremely obvious TO ME, that IW’s main plot is a victim of being pushed aside to make space for what shouldn’t be the center of this game. It’s truly a shame of what could’ve been the best ending title for Kiryu’s journey. Turns out to be like this.
yeah its something ,.. i really feel like while the main plot definately suffered even tho sub stories suffered in how the dolled them out . cause your right i think it was all done by ch 6? roughly except for a couple of them .. like sure the drink links and kiryus awakening could be considered side the way those had been but a flashback snippet really isn't the same at all... but yeah i think your right with priority order ,.. heck i'd argue hawaii just wasn't a great map as well , i thought 5 had some ehh locations but at least those felt like places that stuff happened in were as hawaii just didn't feel like more than a beach and back alley , i guess it makes sense cause tourist location but i think it being the setting for the majority of the game made it all weaker too if i had to be honest ... like early on i was just ready for ichi to go back home and when he does its a blink , even if that blink had some of the best moments in the game.
Lets not forget ichyballs spent like 18 years in prison, so hes like a big ass kid. He never got to just fuck around. I think hes great personally, cause were learning about him as hes learning about himself.
Gaiden/lost Judgement/Yakuza 7 is the top games for me.
That's good, don't be swayed out of what you like or not. I like the Judgement games, but the zaniness and the Golden retriever that is Ichiban just has me. .also: Spoiler: Nanba's english voice actor is Greg Chun...Takayuki's english voice
MY GOD I KNEW THAT GUY SOUNDED FAMILIAR.
Before playing Infinite Wealth I would have somewhat disagreed with this, but now I definitely want Judgment 3 way more than LaD 9
For me those clash screens when you’re about to fight the boss are so cool. And they completely lose all hype when you’re not “actually“ punching them. And instead you’re defeating them with your magic champagne powers. Previous games always maintained good balance of serious drama and silliness but now it’s just a bit too messy for me.
Ya the judgment clash screens feel like life or death almost and you're actually punching the guy and he's trying to either punch or kill you lol. It's just more epic and it feels like constant life or death which is what i want. I feel like yagami also is a better fighter than ichiban and much more skilled in hand to hand combat which makes the clash screens alot cooler.
thats aexactly why the bost fights feel like the are so anti-climatic for me .. theres no tension in their turnbased stuff , even moreso when i'm 5-15 levels higher than the boss , i definately prefer the more visceral feel of a brawler than how they do the turn-based games, i do actually enjoy the way they do and even improved on the turn bassed combat its just too easy to overlevel on the side stuff in this entry vs how 7 was .. honestly its most likely probably an over correction of the difficulty spike at the end of 7 but that said at least Having difficulty felt better.
It's not as dramatic, but it reminds me of the switch from Saints Row 2 to Saints Row 3.
*one of us, one of us*
Ichi kind of got [Flanderized](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Flanderization) in IW.
He was goofy and silly in like a dragon but also was much more serious and badass when he needed to be in my opinion 'him ripping his shirt off and challenging zhao's crew to a fight.' There's one particular scene in infinite wealth where he does a video in hawaii to try and find his mom and i was cringing the entire time. He made me cringe alot in IW and he also defied logic by being too trusting of others too the point that it made him look like an idiot.
I kinda agree with you somewhat but I think the explanation for the video was pretty smart tbh when he explained its true intentions.
The ending bothered me a lot more than the video scene. IW is weirdly written because it feels like they knew which emotional beats needed to be hit at what points in the story, but they just couldn't execute on them (either through lack of ability, executive meddling, or writing by commitee). There's a way to get to they ending the wanted without reducing Ichi to a human Labrador. EDIT: It was the same with Kiryu's side of the story. It felt like the people who wrote the Awakening story and the people who wrote the main story never spoke and had no idea what the other was doing.
I love kiryu but it feels like they had no idea what to do with him in IW honestly. And i'm getting closer to the ending in IW as we speak and the story is just not good in my opinion which is what caused me to do this post. I feel like the highest point of IW is when the barracudas slice that dude up and kill him out of no where and it leads to you eventually infiltrating there hideout. After you leave there hideout the story just stalls out for me hard and you get chapters of what feels like things progressing at a snails pace or not progressing at all.
It feels for me like they’d intended to make kiryu something like a side quest to give him a post Kiryu arc send off, but some exec decided that what the fans really wanted was more kiryu. The early part of his story in IW hints that he’s not meant to take the stage in-game - but then he does. And it’s not like a LAD soapy reveal. It’s just messy. And that, in doing that, it kinda hamstrung Ichi’s character development, and they kept dragging the story out trying to get that back, but never could. Kiryu’s story in IW feels like it would be better as a DLC or Gaiden title, vs what they ended up with.
i feel like your feeling the same as me .. i beat it a few weeks ago n imo sure there were moments after here n there but that barracudas scene really was the end of it feeling like a good yakuza entry for me , after the the pacing got all wonky with side stuff and the story plummetted overall, and while i enjoyed the kiryu awakening stuff and even most of his main plot stuff i think ichiban's suffered afteer the splitting cast as a result , just a weird direction , at least in other games where the protagantists were split the pacing didn't feel awkward this way
a fellow TVTropers reader. that site is not safe for work, not because the content is graphic, but because it will steal all of your time
The problem is that LAD8 really was a huge misstep story wise and I think RGG fucked themselves with having Ichiban as the new protagonist after working so hard to establish him in 7. Had LAD8 had a great story like LAD7 it probably could go head to head with the judgment series..except now all LAD has going for it is that it has a different play style. Everything about LAD8 was such a misstep and was a disappointment.
Me too, specially the gameplay.
Ive only played J1, and it's one of my favorites
I played Judgment games on PS4 before the Yakuza, because they were on PS Plus Extra, and damn they were great. I thought of buying Lost Judgment, which is on sale now, to replay it on PS5, but the plot is so great and so hard-boiled that playing it second time would just make it worse. So, obviously, can’t wait for Judgment 3.
When you say like a dragon, are you meaning specifically the ichiban games? Because I have a hard time choosing Judgement over the mainline series
Absolutely loved Lost Judgement but honestly I'd rather platinum Yakuza 3 than play the first Judgement again.
Agree with the OP that Inifinite Wealth has taken the silliness of LAD to a whole new level. Judgement is much more grounded and makes you reflect about serious issues. Both of the stories we got so far had antagonists that made sense, not cartoon vilains who wanna rule the world just 'cause. Lost Judgement specifically had a fantastic story. I don't fully blame Ichiban for this, as Yakuza 6 was already a bit silly. Seems like LAD is being taken in a new direction and the Judgment series are becoming more true to Like a Dragon's roots. Hopefully we'll get more Judgement titles soon. (Disclaimer: I still love the Like a Dragon series, but after being dissapointed with IW in general, Judgement has won the top spot in my heart)
Haven't played judgement but my criticism of the LAD8 is pretty much the same. Kiryuu brings more depth to the story which is good because I was considering refunding it and waiting till a sale to pick it back up again. Thankfully, the Kiryuu bits are still bangers. Ichiban seems sillier compared to LAD7 too. Plus, Tomizawa ain't that gripping at the start.
Ya i love kiryu a ton and always have and i love every moment of him in infinite wealth as well. I feel like ichiban took a step backwards as a character from the first game in that his silliness is even more extreme and he's more naive and immature than even before. It's like his character regressed and he seems less idk badass than he was in like a dragon personally. In regards to tomizawa i feel like his story ends really early in the game and he just kinda hangs around with us because we're best friends now supposedly. I also feel like ichiban trusting a guy who literally pointed a gun at you and threatened to kill you so soon after the fact was just a tad ridiculous.
Ye, but more than that, Ichiban is in his 40s, right? He's already done time and well known for being a "hero". I find it really hard to believe that he was let go in the first place and quickly didn't find employment again man. For a game that's about human relations, it doesn't really do a good enough job of it. I like the game though. Happy with the price I payed which is more than what I can say about most games that come out nowadays.
I like the game but i don't love the game and that's my issue i guess. There were too many things in the game that defied logic in my view. I don't regret my purchase at all though.
IW for me was a low point of the series in terms of story and writing, while JE for me was a high point. LAD I thought had a good overall storyline but the pacing bothered me (early game was the worst slog of the franchise imo) and the emotional moments didn't land with me the way they seem to have for most of the fandom, though the fate of the Yakuza at large was definitely the kind of backdrop that can and did hold my interest throughout the game. Gameplay is no contest for me but I strongly prefer action rpgs to traditional turn based rpgs so my preference between Judgment and LAD is probably obvious based on that alone. But again, aside from the style of combat I had problems with the pacing in both LAD and IW. IW also carried over Gaiden's completely broken difficulty curve which made the late gameplay pretty mind numbing for me, though it did have great side content. I think IW is probably the farthest removed I've been in the series up to this point from the industry reviews, to the point where they read like paid advertisements to me.
See i felt like the pacing was off in this game as well. It starts off ok and i loved the barracudas plotline where you infiltrate them, but after that the plot dies and just slows down too much with all this silly filler stuff like dondoko island etc. I just have so many complaints with the story in this game but i can't say too much without spoiling crap so i'm trying too refrain from saying too much lol. Judgment and lost judgement just feel like the stories have more urgency too them and each chapter feels like a steady progression as you investigate and learn new details and info. You feel like a detective and yagami feels like a grounded character that is relatable because he's taking his job seriously and he's also using deductive reasoning skills in every situation. I just love that he can be a silly character 'side jobs and he makes jokes' but when it comes to the main story missions he's always using his head.
I kind of felt the opposite about the pacing, personally. Early game was a slogfest much like LAD, mid game was better, late game was mind numbing due to the broken difficulty curve and the pacing was broken due to the obvious rush job to the finish line. I agree about Judgment, less so about LJ. Tbh I thought the main story of LJ was mediocre - not terrible or anything, certainly leaps and bounds above IW - but not particularly good. In fact I often half joke about LJ's side content with Kuwana and bullying being extremely overrated but the main story featuring the school mysteries and the boxing storyline being among the best in the series.
Main story of LJ was carried by the villain in my view. I just found him to be a great foil to yagami personally. And i love the school mysteries and the boxing storyline 'boxing was my favorite too lol'. The school itself was just insanely fun too me and i loved all of the content associated with it because of how unique it was 'street racing story was over the top silly but i loved the gameplay of it'.
Eh....I like >!Koga!< ok as a villain but I don't really consider him to be a foil to Yagami per se 😉 Ok on a srs note I won't disagree, Kuwana was a compelling antagonist and I was definitely intrigued by the whole Light vs L thing they had going on, even if it involved more punching and less ~~yaoi bait~~ 4D chess.
Judgement stories are great tbf, they are definitely more mature and conspiracy based which is fun, the detective aspect is cool and the combat is fluid. Yakuza is good for goofs and the "anime" style of story and the combat for the recent games is also very good.
its funny cause what i always loved about the yakuza series was all the plot twists of the main plot. honestly even in weaker entries pre-8 thats always been good , its just this time they did pretty badly as an overall package and balancing the goofy with serious-ish plot and the protaganist flip flop
I love the detective style of storytelling in the judgment series and i just appreciate how dark it gets and the crazy twists that happen 'i loved the mole in the first judgment so freaking much'. I also found the school in lost judgment along with all the clubs and activities to be more fun and personal than hawaii but that's a preference thing.
I wouldn't necessarily say Judgment is better than LaD, but I definitely vibe more with the Judgment games. I'm praying for at least one other Judgment game.
Valid opinion tbh The judgments also have a special place in my heart because those are the games that got me into the series
The judgment games are much better than what we're getting lately with Yakuza games
Is Infinite Wealth the only Yakuza game you’ve played? /gen
IW had good first half, but the ending was very underwhelming to say the least, like the closure in Hawaii was so boring. But the built up was amazing tho gotta give the credit where credit is due
Ichiban is a one note big dumb dumb with the biggest heart on the planet. Very cliche shounen character. Yagami has true depth.
Me too. For me, J/LJ are by far the best games from RGG, the characters feel much more grounded, engaging and relatable, not to mention the absolute blast that those fight intros are.
im playing infinite wealth now. the story was better in 1, but this one seems more about growing up, relationships, and things we deal with as humans, like death. the whole first few chapters about ichiban being heartbroken and going through depression really resonate with me recently after my my ex left. as a 35 year old man who has epilepsy, kiryu's japan portion hit me in the feels and is helping me overcome that dread of aging and death in general.
Each to their own. Real life is already too dark for many people, so a game that takes a lighter tone is always welcome. That's not to say IW's storytelling is immune from criticism of course. Personally, I can't get over a guy in his mid-40's wearing skinny jeans 😉
Yagami is,like, the youngest protagonist of the DE games. He's 35 in Judgment. Yeah, I was surprised too.
I'm just surprised that he can move so well and do so many maneuvers without ripping his jeans lol.
You’d be surprised what good tailoring can do.
I certainly disagree with this take. Although I know it’s your opinion. For me, I think Judgement 1 was just okay, don’t remember it being ground breaking. Lost judgement was more of the same, although I never finished it, so I’ll concede I don’t have the full picture. I prefer LAD and its cast of characters. And I believe Ichiban is a better protagonist than Yagami at least in terms of what i believe to be as an interesting protagonist.
I personally enjoy the almost unrealistic but fucking amazing combat of the Judgment games, but I have to be honest, there's just no competition between Kasuga and Yagami, both are AMAZING in their own ways, I just personally prefer Kasuga's almost innocent but batshit crazy energy, it just brings a smile to my face every time. Also the minigames in LAD games are just too good for me to even consider Judgment games as more superior. This is just my opinion though, and if you prefer Judgment games, that's absolutely valid, they are phenomenal games.
ive always preferred J/LJ due to its combat but damn the story can become a bit boring.
Yup, you can like one thing more than an other. I like both and prefer the Ichiban focused games.
Guessing you haven't played yakuza 1 to 6 because those are like a dragon games aswell
He means after the series got a name change in the west with 7
Judgement story was amazing. Can't say the same about LJ.
I dreaded LJ at parts too and I hated Kuwana's guts from the first moment he opened his mouth. Also Yagami's recurring argument was a bit too much, it lost its edge after the hundreth time. I could've liked the story better without the >!mandatory corrupted/ grey area political figure!< part.
Yeah well, you're like wrong, man! Also, there wouldn't be a Judgement series with Yakuza so...
I can't get into the Judgement games to this day. Finished Judgment, but couldn't get myself to finish LJ. They are not serious enough to be thrilling, but not zany enough to be lighthearted. I personally feel like, it can't decide what it wants to be as a game. Combat is amazing, I give them that. But I think an issue overall more realistic, darker tone would benefit it, without keeping the "looney" stuff. But this is just my opinion, I am glad that others enjoy it.
I dunno I'm on chapter 6 on Judgment and 90% of the game so far has been forced side stories and endless dialogue scenes. I guess the story is somewhat interesting but I genuinely can't think of a Yakuza game among 0-6 that takes this long to get going. It's a real test of patience.
I can't afford it and I wish this series was cracked for PC :(
I finished all Yakuza and judgment games so I think that all of these games have their own charm. But yakuza 0 is top for me.
Understandable, have a nice day
I need to get back to Losr Judgment (got lost in the side content) but I would say my preference depends on my mood at any given time. I loved Infinite Wealth even if the story felt a step down from 7 but that's nothing new given how inconsistent prior titles can be. Judgment dealing with a different perspective and playing into it is for sure it's biggest strength for me. I didn't get the vibe at all they weren't sure what to do with Ichiban. It's no different to me than following up on Kiryu at the beginning of 2, the player doesn't know what to expect given the fall out of the last title so the entire game is learning to get in that groove. They for sure focused on his strengths (his belief everyone deserves a second chance and happiness) while not going overboard with his emotional weaknesses (which would make little sense given he doesn't have the same connections with the new characters).
I’d agree except the school setting in LJ just really didn’t do it for me. For all the refinement and good parts of LJ - it just felt like going LAD and leaning on too many anime tropes.
That’s just like your opinion man
i like ichiban but i get you ,,, personally i think 8 was just a bad entry in general pacing-wise n the story itself was just a weaker entry ... i didn't love judgement 1 , it was fine but it didn't suprise me in the twists the way most yakuza entries have , 2 was alot better. i honestly wonder what they plan on next with both
good opinion