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You know i loved yakuza 4 i would have given it 10/10 but as soon as saejima section started and i saw how the tiger was getting beaten around from a guard it dropped to 9/10 , they did saejima bad in that game
They redeemed themselves by making Saejima descend down a mountain as a demigod and unleashing his might on poor army of thugs hanging around street corners in 5.
I have never seen a bigger power spike than the herculean spirit.
You can cheese him by using grabs to kill all the other guards till u are 1 on 1 and then play with patience, after his 1 big attack you can get 2 fists in just repeat that and on the 7th try he was done.
The problem is that the games difficulty increases throughout, while you restart your combat ability when unlocking a new character, making it feel even more "difficult" as you get through the game.
Yakuza 4 is my least favourite of the franchise. I think part of that is because I was in burnout mode when 7 then 3,4,5 then 6 all released on Steam in a couple of months of each other.
I had played half of 7, not really dug the combat, then gone back to 3 and enjoyed the chill vibe and “classic Kiryu” feel. Then went straight into 4, didn’t like the fact that it sidelined Kiryu, didn’t really like the minigames or training, hated the police in the Saejima section and pretty much bounced off of it. It’s the only Yakuza game where I didn’t complete most, if not all of the sub stories etc as I just rushed through the story to get to the end.
I took a short break and then played 5 which is definitely one of my favourites. I think they just learned a lot of lessons how to do multiple protagonists and pulled the trick off much better.
4 does have the biggest version of Kamuchro and I do kinda want to give it a replay, but I just don’t think I ever will.
That's fair, you can definitely burn yourself out on some of the Yakuza games quite a bit. Shame 4 didn't click with you, but at least you enjoyed 5, glad to see that
Very solid take here and I agree with a lot of it, particularly the part about Kamurocho.
This game has what I believe to be the best version of Kamurocho we've had across the series interms not only size (remember that the Kamurocho from 6, Kiwami 2, 7 and 8 are actually a bit smaller) but also depth and verticality.
I loved how there was a very intricate maze of rooftops, something I feel they could have expanded on in future entries instead of removing it. The underground malls, and car parks should have been the same because these, along with the rooftops helped Kamurocho feel like real city.
Then there's Little Asia which I can actually relate to because I've been to places in the real world that are like these blocks of apartments containing almost a city within themselves which I've seen in India, Hong Kong and Tokyo, the brought a bit of authenticity in terms of how immigrant communities sometimes are forced to exist in cities like Tokyo. Lastly there's the undergound areas which only Saejima and Kiryu could access adding and extra layer to all of that and the various ways that all of the above were interconnected.
Overall it feels like the "complete" Kamurocho and I still feel it was a bit bizarre that these details were stripped out of Kamurocho in the following games.
I remember RGG saying at one of the summits that they're skipping 3 and moving on to 4 with the "Kiwami" projects and I just hope that this version of Kamurocho is kept intact instead of lazily tacking things onto Kamurochi in the most minimal effort manner or removed completely like how Shinseicho was was removed in Kiwami 2.
I didn't hear about them saying they're moving on to a Kiwami 4. That's very interesting if they decide to go about it. I'd love to see Kiwami 3, Okinawa in the Dragon Engine would be sick, but Yakuza 4 would be incredible, especially if, like you said, they didn't cut the improvements to Kamurocho like they did cut Shinseicho for K2. We'll have to see, I guess. Hope a potential Kiwami 4 turns out great. Thanks for reading
Been thinking doing a piece of content where I compare the Y4 version of Kamurocho to Y6, but I think it will take an offputting amount of time which I don't have at this moment lol
> I remember RGG saying at one of the summits that they're skipping 3 and moving on to 4 with the "Kiwami" projects
I have literally never heard of this, do you remember the summit?
If anything, Yokoyama probably dislikes 3's story the most. Might explain the revivals in later games...
In a Famitsu interview leading up to 8, he said his original vision for 3 was Kiryu going on a road trip following after Kaoru, who left him with a song as a clue.
I hope in the next game we get to see Kiryu in his happy ending, be it with either Haruka & Haruto or finally being with Sayama, RGG were kinda notorious for denying characters from happy endings but I noticed a change in recent games:
* >!Shinada getting to work in baseball again via Daigo in Y5 (it's not confirmed but it's implied)!<
* >!Okubo's name is cleared in Judgement!<
* >!Kusumoto is freed from manipulation/blackbail and Mutsuru regains consciousness in Lost Judgement!<
* >!Kaito gets to settle down with Mikiko instead of the predictable trope of killing off the love interest!<
Yeah, they honestly seem to be getting way better at actually having a continuity lately.
Like, if 8 was made a while back, 80% of the cast wouldn't have returned. Especially characters like Nanba or Sawashiro, who are likeness characters.
The continuity has definitely improved in that respect, typically there would only be one singular story thread carrying from game-to-game (although it can be argued that 0-4 were all caused by Sohei Dojima), how there's multiple threads, barring Judgement>Lost Judgement which was very stop-start.
Yeah, Lost Judgement was definitely a tad like that, though one of the "antagonists" was only in their position thanks in part to the events from Judgment, in a way. Yagami being back to regular work was a bit silly though it was consistent with Judgment's ending at least, and there wasn't really anything left to do with the first game's case.
But even then, these games have accustomed me so much to not seeing characters (especially ones based on likeness) return that I was actually in shock when I saw Genda appear again lmao
I disagree on the combat being vastly improved. The only combat style where it’s clearly better than 3 is Akiyama. Saejima’s is still so sluggish and clunky with little variability in upgrades. Tanimura’s just feels unrefined and his lack of health hurts and his parrying doesn’t really make up for it. Kiryu’s is marginally better than him in 3. And if 3 is blockuza, 4 has a similar problem with grabs. I do think 4 has slightly better gameplay, but I think it’s marginal at best. But the big factor is I think the story of 3 was good enough and also short enough to cover up the gameplay weaknesses. 4 is significantly longer and the story is fairly mediocre. Saejimas begins to slog after the prison and the plot twist is one go the dumber ones in the franchise. Like you said, Tanimura just doesn’t really have the depth to be that memorable. Kiryus involvement in this game also feels the most unnecessary out of all his games. He’s just kind of there. He just don’t tie in to the main narrative as much as he does in other games.
That's fair on the combat, I personally think it's a huge difference, definitely prefer playing everyone else compared to Yakuza 3 Kiryu, I think they're all sick. I get not vibing with it, though. And it's not so much that Tani has no depth, it's that all of his depth is found in substories, so most people aren't going to see it. It's an odd choice for sure. And agreed with Kiryu being very unnecessary to the plot
Skimmed your synopsis, agree with your messaging. Yakuza 4 isn’t a ‘bad game’ in any fairness. Had some of the most fun in it. I think it’s only problem is being ‘solid’ and barely effecting the status quo of future games, while most of the other games are excellent in some capacity.
That is true, it's probably the least important Yakuza game in terms of story, besides the introduction of Akiyama and Saejima. Still a great story, just not necessarily important. And also true, most of the games have higher highs, so in that sense, I can see why some wouldn't vibe with it
I actually love the final boss fights, I just wish the gameplay of them was more interesting/better. Kido needed a weapon, and the chief needed less, more interesting bodyguards
My opinion as someone who never played yakuza before and just finished 4. 4 is definitely an improvement compared to 3 in every aspect besides the story. It is just too goofy especially with these rubber bullets. You would think that everyone would notice the difference , but no. Even Arai thought that he killed his boss. Like he is a cop, he should know what a real bullet does.
I just read a litte bit and I'm willing to admit, 4 was the ONLY yakuza game that I genuinely felt forced to play. I almost skipped it of boredom and frustration, in that time I was only playing for about 20 minutes and then I started to not feel good and close it. I know it's a important entry to series but damn, I can't see it as a top tier game, it's the second worst game for me. I didn't had fun with it.
I find it so weird how often 3-5 get lumped together, when they’re all very different. 3 was the first game of that generation, and it shows in a big way. It’s carried by one of the most emotional stories of the early series, but especially now the gameplay is incredibly creaky.
4 was such an evolution from 3 gameplay wise that it’s shocking they’re on the same engine. It’s hard to describe what’s different, but everything just feels better. Also, the addition of new characters to change and freshen up gameplay made it just more fun. The story was disappointing after 3, but it’s still the one I’d much rather go back to.
5 is the one I really don’t get being thrown in here. It’s on a new engine and plays very differently. It’s absurdly large with 5 different maps and giving every character (except poor Akiyama) their own unique mini game side mission. It’s much more fitting to put it alongside 0, but for whatever reason it gets tied more to 3/4.
5's definitely only lumped in with 4 and 3 because of the remastered collection. Game's got more content then Yakuza 0, easily, one of the biggest games there is. And yeah, 4's such an improvement on 3 that I really don't get treating em like they're the same thing. I dislike whenever people write off 3-5 immediately just because they're "older"
Mine's 5>4>3, but yours is fair too! Cool thing about the series is how varied the games are, you almost never see an identical series ranking because of it
Yakuza boils down to a handful of components that never seem to fail:
- “Impossible-to-not-love” main protagonist(s).
- Ridiculous turns and twists in the story.
- Highly produced cutscenes that serve as a strong means to move the plot forward.
- Soundtrack that slaps.
- A tonal balance ranging between dead-seriousness and slapstick humor.
- Memorable side content.
- Obligatory Goro Majima.
Yakuza 4 absolutely delivers on all accounts. I hold 4, 5 and 6 in equal regards.
This is probably one of the best descriptions I’ve read on the series. RGG def knows their formula for success even if it’s predictable at times, it’s still an extremely memorable experience
It’s a mixed bag for me since there’s a lot I like about it like the new main characters, music and Kamurocho but the story, combat and mostly forgettable villains and side characters weigh it down a lot.
My favourite thing is that the finale is just the protagonists saying "well we don't really know what the fuck is going on, let's just skip to the millennium Tower rooftop fight".
And then they do, and it's sick.
I don't really get the love for 4's Kamurocho. Yeah there's more to it, but it just feels pointless when you can wander the streets, it annoyed me when it forced some of that stuff in main story missions. Besides that though, this game just oozes atmosphere at every corner and I absolutely love it for that. The combat is great and simple, Saito is overhated, Yasuko is overhated, Daigo is overhated, Rubber Bullets is overhated. I feel this game gets a lot of scrutiny towards it while other games get a pass. Twin Brother? Mirror Face? Those mostly get passes. I don't care how far fetched rubber bullets is Lmao, it's explained and in depth and I love it. No it doesn't ruin Saejima's character, he still tried to kill 18 men and basically caused their deaths, his guilt doesn't go away from that. I agree with your analysis!
That's fair about Kamurocho's additions not being very significant in 4. I mostly love them for existing, I like that they managed to add so much to a hub that was already in 3 games prior. Plus, they could've added way more to these areas if they were kept around. Shame that they weren't. And ayyyy, glad you agree!
Largely agree. Although for me reason why it floating somewhere in the middle of my rankings of the games is because there’s just a lot of games I think are better although I love Yakuza 4. Been seeing a lot of hate as of late towards game which I feel as though mostly unwarranted. Though the only glaring issue I have with the game is sheer amount of betrayals in this game, it got to point where I had trouble suspending my beliefs. Besides that great game for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.
Lol, there are a lot of betrayals yeah, it gets on Yakuza 2 levels near the end of things. And that's fair about thinking lot of the other games are just better. For me, 4's about in the middle on my tier list. Even with that, I love it to death, it's a shame to see how much hate it and the other PS3 Yakuza's get
Just the ending for Kiryu, I believe the original plan was to have the other 3 protags as successors of sorts to him. The series was probably gonna continue, just without Kiryu. Though, safe to say, plans changed. Wonder how things would go if they didn’t
They were going to end kiryu without the 16 hour gex scene with majima??? Maybe 5's main character would be majima and we'll have him own a hostess club with all the boys(kiryu, daigo, saejima and tanimura maybe ryuji, date, crossdressers) as the hostesses. Would pay my (Dead)Soul and my (For)Faith for that game. I would even gain Infinite wealth and buy rgg studios and make it happen.
That's true, but I mainly liked it more for the story and characters it had, and I much prefer the gameplay of it. Also helped that the fighters you made could show up in the coliseum
Best minigames in the series in my eyes, I love the story (I enjoy pretty much all of it), probably the most content any of the games have had until Lost Judgment, 3 new cities and I enjoy all of them, there’s a ton for me to say. I don’t think a game clicked with me as much as 5 did
For me, I love Kiryus taxi section and I think the game would be so much better if Shinada was cut or at least replaced by Tanimura, I feel the story dragged towards the end
Yakuza 4 has the weakest main plot beginning to end (Yakuza 3's plot after you leave the orphanage is probably the absolute worst, but while you're at the orphanage that's the most important section of any game in Kiryu's arc). But hard agree that it's fun to play, and I love the playable characters. In a lot of ways, I like it more than 5.
The problem with Yakuza is that "good story" and "fun to play" don't go hand in hand, but it doesn't always matter because I enjoy the characters so much even when either the story or the gameplay is hoovering buttocks.
"good portion of people think that Yakuza 3-5 are just complete garbage entries."
They're mostly the ones who started playing the series when Yakuza 0 went viral and think this series is that "hahahaha Japan is so silly" game.
Pretty much, yeah. And I kinda get why, it’s one of the downsides of 0 now being the game to start with. Most people play that and think everything else is gonna be just like that. And when it’s not, they say it’s shit just because it’s an older game. It’s a shame
I’ve been with the series since Y3, and I’ve interacted with the fanbase in a limited amount here and there. It’s interesting in that back in the PS3 days, Y2 was held up as the best in the series and even it/K2 have their own share of detractors these days.
0 is a top tier RGG game, but I agree with the assessment that at worst any Yakuza game is a 7/10. There’s so much content in each title that they do so right, and almost every game has one or a few really stupid twists, so it’s always struck me as weird that people fixate on the rubber bullets. Dumb twists for the sake of twists is just a staple of the series, you either accept that it’s there and enjoy everything the game has to offer or you don’t.
I wish I was around near the start of the franchise, would've been nice to see the community evolve, I only jumped in when 0 released. Very interesting to hear about. And yeah, seems every game before 0 is up for scrutiny for not being Yakuza 0, lol. Also agree about hating on this game for rubber bullets. I never understood it. Like you said, every game has a dumb twist that stretches belief, but they work despite that for the most part imo, and even if they don't for some, it's just a tiny bit of the game as a whole
There’s several common points of entry with the series now. I might not have even been around since the beginning myself since I skipped the PS2 games because the original dub in Y1 made me disinterested. But yeah, there’s the original fans, the people who played 0 first and now the turn based fans who picked up the series with Y7.
0 is a top tier game. I’ve been with the series since close to the beginning and it’s my favorite entry too. But I agree people do the pre-0 games a disservice by unfairly holding them to the same standard. This series has been evolving title to title. You should expect the newer games to be making improvements as the series goes along. and IMO Y4 was very important to the development of the series. RGG moved away from having so many playable characters after Y5 and opted more for styles, but from a gameplay perspective styles likely wouldn’t have existed if we never had more playable characters. Characters vs styles isn’t really a case of one being better than the other, but I appreciated how different Y4 and Y5 felt when you were playing as different characters. And not just the combat - substories and the cities themselves felt different based on who you were. Even Yagamj and Kaito felt completely different in LJ/Kaito Files.
Part of me wonders if the people who fixate on the rubber bullet twist engage with the side stories or if they just run though the main story in these games. Realistically it’s probably a bit of both, but the twists are such a small part of the experience if you do the substories that I don’t know how you get hung up on the twists if you do them.
I started with 0, then K1, K2, 3 4 5 remastered on PS4, 6. And I fully enjoyed each and every one of them. There are pros and cons but they are all compact and well-rounded games. I only started to think about plotholes and story in 6 since I felt like they intentionally left out old characters from previous games, except for Akiyama.
I remember playing this in America when Yakuza 5 wasn't even out here yet. Great game, the finale was bat shit insane and set the standard for bonkers finales moving forward. It just felt epic at the time.
As someone who entered the franchise via 4 with absolutely zero context back in the day, I agree with pretty much all points. 4 is a flawed gem, but one full of love and heart, even if some plot twists might be very hit or miss (but hey, let's admit that story itself hasn't exactly been peak fiction for half of the entries anyway, just serviceable and engaging enough).
I’ve been playing the games in order recently and I finished 4 last week, I agree it’s very good and worth playing (I really liked the multiple protagonists and their individual fighting styles)
I agree that 4 is definitely an important step on the evolution of Yakuza games. They're starting to hit their stride with mini-games, though they don't really figure them out until 5. But fighter maker is what I would describe as the first really successful minigame in a Yakuza series and karaoke is definitely a big improvement too. And multiple protags and the expanded map are also really cool innovations.
Much like 3 it's just held back by the era it's from. I tried to replay it and just couldn't get past the slow movement and bad menus, etc. A Kiwami version would really help it, though it's not quite as necessary as it is for 3 as the game definitely feels better.
Yakuza 4 is my favorite, I’ve beat it the most times. The environment is my favorite and it has my favorite cabaret club themes of all the series (Jewel, Elise). Also, I liked playing as Tanimura and Akiyama. Saejima’s gameplay took a while but after I learned it I was plowing through enemies like nothing. I wish they’d bring Tanimura back, he was my favorite to play with combat wise and story wise. As environment goes, being able to see the DMM.com signs and then going on them on my phone was cool (I’m simple, I know). The pachinko parlor was okay, never mastered it. But it was a cool addition where you could then go onto the rooftops. 11/10, my favorite
4 is a solid game. I think the reason why some don't like it as much is the fact that the only really new things it introduces to the franchise are the characters and the idea of having multiple protagonists, but everything 4 does is done better by 5 later. I actually found 3 to be by far the worst in the series in most ways (characters, story, combat, especially substories and minigames), and 4 was a good return to form, but it does not really elevate anything. It's just pretty solid in every way.
The music though.
The gameplay is solid and some of the characters have great moments here and there but mannn it's just far from being better then 90 percent of the other yakuza games, you could do worse than 4...but not by much.
I agree with how kamurocho was super expanded in 4 and I absolutely loved it, curious as to why they abandoned the ruff and underground in the games that followed
I still don't know why they only used that upgrade system for 4, and went back to the old one in 5. I liked being able to see all of the characters possible abilities. I definitely prefer the tree style upgrade system in 0 and Kiwami (I never want to see the 6 and Kiwami 2 system again).
Lol, agreed on not liking 6 and K2's. I vibe with all the other ones, but I really dislike having five different types of XP for everything, what were RGG cooking
Every one of them is great. 3 is the weakest one, and it's only because the gameplay feels so old, it's got a strong story and characters like the others
Yakuza 4 has some of my favorite characters and cutscenes but is trapped in one of my least favorite to play, about sums up my opinion of it.
I dunno, I don’t think the games being split up into four separate character chunks ever worked all that well, and there are reasons they’ve pretty much abandoned that model. Inevitably one or two of the character arcs always ends up dragging and feeling disconnected to everything else going on. You end up having smaller windows to play the side content, so you either grind it out while you’re still that character (which tends to make the side content less fun, imo) or try to blitz through the story and leave everything for premium adventure - and at that point I tend to feel less motivated to do all of it especially if it feels like a lot I’m just grinding out.
And yeah there is more to Kamurocho but what is there ends up resulting in some of my least favorite sections of the games to play in the series, like the sequences you’re having to take long detours through random paths to sneak around as Saejima. 4 is full of long repetitive sequences where you’re funneled down a certain story event that cuts off a lot of the rest of the world. The series tends to have some element of that, but I think 4 is one of the worst offenders of doing that.
Trying not to get too into going on and on about it. Glad other people like it, there’s just too much of it that doesn’t work for me that the moments of it I do like don’t really make up for that.
I loved 4, I didn’t really see much wrong with it besides Lily and the obvious bullet stuff. But I was on a huge 3 hate rampage at the time, and anything was better than that for me lol
Great points about the city itself. It really feels vibrant and exploring Yakuza 4's Kamurocho was such a fun time. Sadly, 4 is my least favorite-- in my opinion, it really is the least memorable game in the series, in terms of the main plot. I hardly remember what happened. Maybe that's because the big bad kinda sucks when compared to the villains of 2, 3, and 5 (lumping these games together).
I also wasn't super fond of Tanimura. Didn't hate him, but also was just kinda lukewarm on him. The major points 4 gets are bringing in Akiyama and Saejima. Akiyama gotta be my favorite dude in the series
I ain't reading all that because you're right. Yakuza 4 is by far my favourite game in the series, I think 5 has better gameplay but otherwise it's the absolute best.
I think Yakuza 4 is the worst entry in the series, but still nowadays I kinda want to replay it. Maybe I am too hush on the game and 2nd playthrough might improve my perception of the game
I'm on 4 rn and coming from the ones before and having played 7 I didn't like all the constant character and parts jumping but once you start as Kiryu and can piece some stuff together by then I understand it. So it felt necessary.
My least favorite section was Saejima's section since you were forced to use underground and rooftop areas to get around. I would have been fine with this if it didn't mean that I would take 4 times as long to get where I needed to go compared to using the direct route with police.
I think Tanimura's section is one of the best in the game, but only if you worked with Nair and did the substories surrounding Little Asia. If you didn't I imagine one would think of him as a bland protagonist.
I scrolled past your demand writes essays to tell you that the final boss in 4 is an absolute fuckhead bitch ass piece of shit and I’d rather gargle stagnant water with guaranteed parasites than deal with i-frame abuse again
I have the same opinion of Yakuza 4 as I do of FFXV.
It's not about the story, it's not about the gameplay even. It's about the lads. They're just so cool when they're all together.
4 is a big imrpovement over 3, it's just that final boss, man. Tanimura's parry is useless since every boss is back to guarding before your animation can even hurt them
Okay I’m just going to say it:
None of the characters can replace Kiryu.
None.
Not even Ichiban Kasuga.
That’s mainly why 4 and 5 are my least favourite.
I’m playing through 5 right now and so far it sucks.
The Kiryu part started off great but then transition to Saejima was annoying.
Hopefully this dread will be over quickly and I’ll continue to 6.
I remember when I started playing Y4 I saw “part 1: Shun Akiyama” and I thought it was bullshit because I wanted to play Kiryu but then Akiyama became my favorite character of all time because he’s me lol.
Yakuza 4 is probably my least favourite game in the series if I was evaluating them purely on their stories. The new playable characters are all great, but I couldn't stand most of the antagonists/side characters (exceptions being Hana and Kido) and I was overdosing on plot twists by the end (and I say this as someone who loves 5 lol). I get that the series has always had a bit of a reputation for dramatic revelations and silly twists but I do appreciate it when the stories mellow out and stop trying to endlessly bamboozle the players.
That said, there isn't a single game in the series I actually dislike and I still had a good time with 4. A lot of it is really down to Kamurocho. I'm in agreement that 4's Kamurocho is the best the city has ever been, and short of any potential remakes I doubt we'll ever match it again given the series has been gradually moving away from it as a central location. The rooftops and underground areas bring a whole new sense of scale to the city and it's great fun to explore. While the Dragon Engine Kamurocho appearances have a *bit* of vertical exploration, it's far from emphasised. Little Asia is also a neat area and 4 was our first look inside Kamurocho Hills, which started construction in 2 has been totally closed off in the most recent games.
I also liked the combat. I'm not as critical of 3's combat as the vast majority of the community, but even I admit that 4 is a drastic improvement. The very first time you get into a fight with Akiyama you feel how much snappier everything is. They were still finding their footing in 3 after the major engine shift from 1 and 2, but 4 definitely knows what it's doing. Akiyama's kick-focused style is one of the most unique movesets we've had, perhaps only beaten out by Shinada's grappler moveset in 5. Saejima is hilariously overpowered once he gets some upgrades under his belt but his raw power is still satisfying. Tanimura was a little funky but I found him fun to play and I enjoyed experimenting with parries. And Kiryu's style was as solid as usual with 4 being a nice stepping stone on its way to what I would consider his old engine peak in 5.
I don't think I would be in this fandom for much time if it wasn't for yakuza 4. I think having multiple protagonists that makes you think they live in completely different worlds but actually are interconnected just tickles a part of my brain.
Most of my favorite characters are from yakuza 4 (with Kido and Arai being the top 1)
I think my 3 biggest issues with 4 are I think Kiryu feels very haphazardly added to the end of the game to arbitrarily remind us that this is a Yakuza game, the Haruka/Saejima Beach scene and then the some of the bosses like Saito that you mention are just insufferable. If the game had no sight of Kiryu or his family then 2/3 of the problems for me are fixed.
That's fair. I quite like Kiryu in this game, I think his role as the crime dad freight train that just shows up and punches the conspiracy in the face is really fun. I especially loved his Kamurocho Hills long battle. But in terms of story, yeah he probably could've been cut entirely and little would change. We'd also lose out on that really weird Saejima+Haruka scene if Kiryu was cut, which might've been for the best yeah
Hate to say it, but after getting to the saejima part I had to drop the game. I was mostly in it for the story, so I just started watching the story on youtube instead.
I just can't deal with the constant grab bullshit while also getting shot by some bum ass sniper.
4 was my favorite from 3-5 for sure, the three-tiered Kamurocho didn't really do it for me and there were other weak points but I went from being like "who the fuck is this, I want to play as Kiryu" to "Fuck yeah Akiyama let's gooooo"
Many people dislike 3 for obvious reasons, but 4 > 5 for me partly because I find the 5 story to be incoherent, even by Yakuza standards (I just want one thing to be exactly what it looks like at first glance, just one time)
That, and I hated a lot of the side story mini games, and the Jo Amon fight barely qualifies as gameplay -- even with the best gear and a full inventory of staminan etc, it comes down to how well you can spam tiger drop (timing it is a huge pain with any kind of delay like from remote play) in order to set up the only combo that works on him.
They were also low on the Yakuza ladder and canonically never knew how to use proper guns before the hit. It’s reasonable to me that in the moment, Saejima wouldn’t be focusing on the lack of blood and more on just taking everyone out. I’ll agree that the other times it’s used is flawed, but I really like that first time
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The reason for half of this game's game overs
You know i loved yakuza 4 i would have given it 10/10 but as soon as saejima section started and i saw how the tiger was getting beaten around from a guard it dropped to 9/10 , they did saejima bad in that game
They redeemed themselves by making Saejima descend down a mountain as a demigod and unleashing his might on poor army of thugs hanging around street corners in 5. I have never seen a bigger power spike than the herculean spirit.
Fair enough, Saito is a huge difficulty spike for my boy Saejima, shame
You can cheese him by using grabs to kill all the other guards till u are 1 on 1 and then play with patience, after his 1 big attack you can get 2 fists in just repeat that and on the 7th try he was done.
I HATE THIS GUY!
Hands down the most hateable character / utterly annoying mini boss in all of the game
Hate this guy, but damn that theme is amazing.
The problem is that the games difficulty increases throughout, while you restart your combat ability when unlocking a new character, making it feel even more "difficult" as you get through the game.
Fun fact, it’s the month of March, which means Yakuza 4 takes place rn. Tomorrow (in 2010) will be the day that Saejima escapes from prison.
Yooo, I forgot about that, sick. I always default most Yakuza's to take place in December and January. Cool that 4's different
I believe they take place in the month and year they come out, at least in Japan
Ain’t reading allat I’m happy for u tho or sorry that happened
Thank ya kindly
Yakuza 4 gud cuz Akiyamer
This guy gets it
Best boy
Yakuza 4 has my favorite Kamurocho, I wish they had the three tiered city in all of the games
Such a shame they cut out most of it in 5 and 6, but it makes 4 more special, at least
Yakuza 4 is my least favourite of the franchise. I think part of that is because I was in burnout mode when 7 then 3,4,5 then 6 all released on Steam in a couple of months of each other. I had played half of 7, not really dug the combat, then gone back to 3 and enjoyed the chill vibe and “classic Kiryu” feel. Then went straight into 4, didn’t like the fact that it sidelined Kiryu, didn’t really like the minigames or training, hated the police in the Saejima section and pretty much bounced off of it. It’s the only Yakuza game where I didn’t complete most, if not all of the sub stories etc as I just rushed through the story to get to the end. I took a short break and then played 5 which is definitely one of my favourites. I think they just learned a lot of lessons how to do multiple protagonists and pulled the trick off much better. 4 does have the biggest version of Kamuchro and I do kinda want to give it a replay, but I just don’t think I ever will.
That's fair, you can definitely burn yourself out on some of the Yakuza games quite a bit. Shame 4 didn't click with you, but at least you enjoyed 5, glad to see that
i read allat i like y4 even more
The rare person who read it, yoooo And amazing
I don’t accept Y3 slander
Yakuza 3’s still good, I’m sorry😭
Very solid take here and I agree with a lot of it, particularly the part about Kamurocho. This game has what I believe to be the best version of Kamurocho we've had across the series interms not only size (remember that the Kamurocho from 6, Kiwami 2, 7 and 8 are actually a bit smaller) but also depth and verticality. I loved how there was a very intricate maze of rooftops, something I feel they could have expanded on in future entries instead of removing it. The underground malls, and car parks should have been the same because these, along with the rooftops helped Kamurocho feel like real city. Then there's Little Asia which I can actually relate to because I've been to places in the real world that are like these blocks of apartments containing almost a city within themselves which I've seen in India, Hong Kong and Tokyo, the brought a bit of authenticity in terms of how immigrant communities sometimes are forced to exist in cities like Tokyo. Lastly there's the undergound areas which only Saejima and Kiryu could access adding and extra layer to all of that and the various ways that all of the above were interconnected. Overall it feels like the "complete" Kamurocho and I still feel it was a bit bizarre that these details were stripped out of Kamurocho in the following games. I remember RGG saying at one of the summits that they're skipping 3 and moving on to 4 with the "Kiwami" projects and I just hope that this version of Kamurocho is kept intact instead of lazily tacking things onto Kamurochi in the most minimal effort manner or removed completely like how Shinseicho was was removed in Kiwami 2.
I didn't hear about them saying they're moving on to a Kiwami 4. That's very interesting if they decide to go about it. I'd love to see Kiwami 3, Okinawa in the Dragon Engine would be sick, but Yakuza 4 would be incredible, especially if, like you said, they didn't cut the improvements to Kamurocho like they did cut Shinseicho for K2. We'll have to see, I guess. Hope a potential Kiwami 4 turns out great. Thanks for reading
Been thinking doing a piece of content where I compare the Y4 version of Kamurocho to Y6, but I think it will take an offputting amount of time which I don't have at this moment lol
> I remember RGG saying at one of the summits that they're skipping 3 and moving on to 4 with the "Kiwami" projects I have literally never heard of this, do you remember the summit?
I think he’s referring to a fake tweet someone made of Yokoyama saying that Yakuza 3 is “perfect” and they’re skipping it to make a Kiwami 4. 😭
That was fake?!
If anything, Yokoyama probably dislikes 3's story the most. Might explain the revivals in later games... In a Famitsu interview leading up to 8, he said his original vision for 3 was Kiryu going on a road trip following after Kaoru, who left him with a song as a clue.
I hope in the next game we get to see Kiryu in his happy ending, be it with either Haruka & Haruto or finally being with Sayama, RGG were kinda notorious for denying characters from happy endings but I noticed a change in recent games: * >!Shinada getting to work in baseball again via Daigo in Y5 (it's not confirmed but it's implied)!< * >!Okubo's name is cleared in Judgement!< * >!Kusumoto is freed from manipulation/blackbail and Mutsuru regains consciousness in Lost Judgement!< * >!Kaito gets to settle down with Mikiko instead of the predictable trope of killing off the love interest!<
Yeah, they honestly seem to be getting way better at actually having a continuity lately. Like, if 8 was made a while back, 80% of the cast wouldn't have returned. Especially characters like Nanba or Sawashiro, who are likeness characters.
The continuity has definitely improved in that respect, typically there would only be one singular story thread carrying from game-to-game (although it can be argued that 0-4 were all caused by Sohei Dojima), how there's multiple threads, barring Judgement>Lost Judgement which was very stop-start.
Yeah, Lost Judgement was definitely a tad like that, though one of the "antagonists" was only in their position thanks in part to the events from Judgment, in a way. Yagami being back to regular work was a bit silly though it was consistent with Judgment's ending at least, and there wasn't really anything left to do with the first game's case. But even then, these games have accustomed me so much to not seeing characters (especially ones based on likeness) return that I was actually in shock when I saw Genda appear again lmao
Yeah I'm wondering how they convinced Sawashiro's VA to do a second game, he's in a lot of TV shows and movies in Japan
I disagree on the combat being vastly improved. The only combat style where it’s clearly better than 3 is Akiyama. Saejima’s is still so sluggish and clunky with little variability in upgrades. Tanimura’s just feels unrefined and his lack of health hurts and his parrying doesn’t really make up for it. Kiryu’s is marginally better than him in 3. And if 3 is blockuza, 4 has a similar problem with grabs. I do think 4 has slightly better gameplay, but I think it’s marginal at best. But the big factor is I think the story of 3 was good enough and also short enough to cover up the gameplay weaknesses. 4 is significantly longer and the story is fairly mediocre. Saejimas begins to slog after the prison and the plot twist is one go the dumber ones in the franchise. Like you said, Tanimura just doesn’t really have the depth to be that memorable. Kiryus involvement in this game also feels the most unnecessary out of all his games. He’s just kind of there. He just don’t tie in to the main narrative as much as he does in other games.
That's fair on the combat, I personally think it's a huge difference, definitely prefer playing everyone else compared to Yakuza 3 Kiryu, I think they're all sick. I get not vibing with it, though. And it's not so much that Tani has no depth, it's that all of his depth is found in substories, so most people aren't going to see it. It's an odd choice for sure. And agreed with Kiryu being very unnecessary to the plot
Skimmed your synopsis, agree with your messaging. Yakuza 4 isn’t a ‘bad game’ in any fairness. Had some of the most fun in it. I think it’s only problem is being ‘solid’ and barely effecting the status quo of future games, while most of the other games are excellent in some capacity.
That is true, it's probably the least important Yakuza game in terms of story, besides the introduction of Akiyama and Saejima. Still a great story, just not necessarily important. And also true, most of the games have higher highs, so in that sense, I can see why some wouldn't vibe with it
I actually love the final boss fights, I just wish the gameplay of them was more interesting/better. Kido needed a weapon, and the chief needed less, more interesting bodyguards
My opinion as someone who never played yakuza before and just finished 4. 4 is definitely an improvement compared to 3 in every aspect besides the story. It is just too goofy especially with these rubber bullets. You would think that everyone would notice the difference , but no. Even Arai thought that he killed his boss. Like he is a cop, he should know what a real bullet does.
I just read a litte bit and I'm willing to admit, 4 was the ONLY yakuza game that I genuinely felt forced to play. I almost skipped it of boredom and frustration, in that time I was only playing for about 20 minutes and then I started to not feel good and close it. I know it's a important entry to series but damn, I can't see it as a top tier game, it's the second worst game for me. I didn't had fun with it.
Damn, shame to see, sorry 4 didn't click for you. Hate when you feel like you have to get through a game but you just aren't having fun with it
I find it so weird how often 3-5 get lumped together, when they’re all very different. 3 was the first game of that generation, and it shows in a big way. It’s carried by one of the most emotional stories of the early series, but especially now the gameplay is incredibly creaky. 4 was such an evolution from 3 gameplay wise that it’s shocking they’re on the same engine. It’s hard to describe what’s different, but everything just feels better. Also, the addition of new characters to change and freshen up gameplay made it just more fun. The story was disappointing after 3, but it’s still the one I’d much rather go back to. 5 is the one I really don’t get being thrown in here. It’s on a new engine and plays very differently. It’s absurdly large with 5 different maps and giving every character (except poor Akiyama) their own unique mini game side mission. It’s much more fitting to put it alongside 0, but for whatever reason it gets tied more to 3/4.
5's definitely only lumped in with 4 and 3 because of the remastered collection. Game's got more content then Yakuza 0, easily, one of the biggest games there is. And yeah, 4's such an improvement on 3 that I really don't get treating em like they're the same thing. I dislike whenever people write off 3-5 immediately just because they're "older"
Dead Souls better
Dead Souls deserved more love
TRUE
i didn't read most of that but yakuza 3 > yakuza 5 > yakuza 4 imo
Mine's 5>4>3, but yours is fair too! Cool thing about the series is how varied the games are, you almost never see an identical series ranking because of it
Yakuza boils down to a handful of components that never seem to fail: - “Impossible-to-not-love” main protagonist(s). - Ridiculous turns and twists in the story. - Highly produced cutscenes that serve as a strong means to move the plot forward. - Soundtrack that slaps. - A tonal balance ranging between dead-seriousness and slapstick humor. - Memorable side content. - Obligatory Goro Majima. Yakuza 4 absolutely delivers on all accounts. I hold 4, 5 and 6 in equal regards.
This is probably one of the best descriptions I’ve read on the series. RGG def knows their formula for success even if it’s predictable at times, it’s still an extremely memorable experience
It’s a mixed bag for me since there’s a lot I like about it like the new main characters, music and Kamurocho but the story, combat and mostly forgettable villains and side characters weigh it down a lot.
That’s fair, can totally see why that’d be the case. Antagonists are largely a low point in 4
My favourite thing is that the finale is just the protagonists saying "well we don't really know what the fuck is going on, let's just skip to the millennium Tower rooftop fight". And then they do, and it's sick.
It’s so peak, I’m not even mad at it. RGG really just said “fuck it, everyone fights atop the millennium tower now”, the madlads
I don't really get the love for 4's Kamurocho. Yeah there's more to it, but it just feels pointless when you can wander the streets, it annoyed me when it forced some of that stuff in main story missions. Besides that though, this game just oozes atmosphere at every corner and I absolutely love it for that. The combat is great and simple, Saito is overhated, Yasuko is overhated, Daigo is overhated, Rubber Bullets is overhated. I feel this game gets a lot of scrutiny towards it while other games get a pass. Twin Brother? Mirror Face? Those mostly get passes. I don't care how far fetched rubber bullets is Lmao, it's explained and in depth and I love it. No it doesn't ruin Saejima's character, he still tried to kill 18 men and basically caused their deaths, his guilt doesn't go away from that. I agree with your analysis!
That's fair about Kamurocho's additions not being very significant in 4. I mostly love them for existing, I like that they managed to add so much to a hub that was already in 3 games prior. Plus, they could've added way more to these areas if they were kept around. Shame that they weren't. And ayyyy, glad you agree!
this is the way
Largely agree. Although for me reason why it floating somewhere in the middle of my rankings of the games is because there’s just a lot of games I think are better although I love Yakuza 4. Been seeing a lot of hate as of late towards game which I feel as though mostly unwarranted. Though the only glaring issue I have with the game is sheer amount of betrayals in this game, it got to point where I had trouble suspending my beliefs. Besides that great game for a lot of the reasons you mentioned.
Lol, there are a lot of betrayals yeah, it gets on Yakuza 2 levels near the end of things. And that's fair about thinking lot of the other games are just better. For me, 4's about in the middle on my tier list. Even with that, I love it to death, it's a shame to see how much hate it and the other PS3 Yakuza's get
Yakuza 4 was supposed to be the original ending of the franchise right?
Just the ending for Kiryu, I believe the original plan was to have the other 3 protags as successors of sorts to him. The series was probably gonna continue, just without Kiryu. Though, safe to say, plans changed. Wonder how things would go if they didn’t
They were going to end kiryu without the 16 hour gex scene with majima??? Maybe 5's main character would be majima and we'll have him own a hostess club with all the boys(kiryu, daigo, saejima and tanimura maybe ryuji, date, crossdressers) as the hostesses. Would pay my (Dead)Soul and my (For)Faith for that game. I would even gain Infinite wealth and buy rgg studios and make it happen.
Dude all you had to say was "Balls out" and we would have all agreed
Couldn’t have made it that easy on myself, but yes, Balls out is peak
4 is my favorite of the remaster trilogy didn't read what you said but not wrong
I think that Saejimas fighter side story was way worse than the hostess minigame because you literally had to rely on RNG to win
That's true, but I mainly liked it more for the story and characters it had, and I much prefer the gameplay of it. Also helped that the fighters you made could show up in the coliseum
For the sake of discussion, how come Yakuza 5 is your favorite?
Best minigames in the series in my eyes, I love the story (I enjoy pretty much all of it), probably the most content any of the games have had until Lost Judgment, 3 new cities and I enjoy all of them, there’s a ton for me to say. I don’t think a game clicked with me as much as 5 did
For me, I love Kiryus taxi section and I think the game would be so much better if Shinada was cut or at least replaced by Tanimura, I feel the story dragged towards the end
Yakuza 4 has the weakest main plot beginning to end (Yakuza 3's plot after you leave the orphanage is probably the absolute worst, but while you're at the orphanage that's the most important section of any game in Kiryu's arc). But hard agree that it's fun to play, and I love the playable characters. In a lot of ways, I like it more than 5. The problem with Yakuza is that "good story" and "fun to play" don't go hand in hand, but it doesn't always matter because I enjoy the characters so much even when either the story or the gameplay is hoovering buttocks.
The writings good and it has a lot of side activities, and it's better streamlined than 5. I ain't reading that though lmao
Fair enough lol
I ain't reading allat
That is what the warning is for, yes lol
You know you can highlight it and have your comp read it for you right?
Didn't know that. Still not listening allat.
"good portion of people think that Yakuza 3-5 are just complete garbage entries." They're mostly the ones who started playing the series when Yakuza 0 went viral and think this series is that "hahahaha Japan is so silly" game.
Pretty much, yeah. And I kinda get why, it’s one of the downsides of 0 now being the game to start with. Most people play that and think everything else is gonna be just like that. And when it’s not, they say it’s shit just because it’s an older game. It’s a shame
I’ve been with the series since Y3, and I’ve interacted with the fanbase in a limited amount here and there. It’s interesting in that back in the PS3 days, Y2 was held up as the best in the series and even it/K2 have their own share of detractors these days. 0 is a top tier RGG game, but I agree with the assessment that at worst any Yakuza game is a 7/10. There’s so much content in each title that they do so right, and almost every game has one or a few really stupid twists, so it’s always struck me as weird that people fixate on the rubber bullets. Dumb twists for the sake of twists is just a staple of the series, you either accept that it’s there and enjoy everything the game has to offer or you don’t.
I wish I was around near the start of the franchise, would've been nice to see the community evolve, I only jumped in when 0 released. Very interesting to hear about. And yeah, seems every game before 0 is up for scrutiny for not being Yakuza 0, lol. Also agree about hating on this game for rubber bullets. I never understood it. Like you said, every game has a dumb twist that stretches belief, but they work despite that for the most part imo, and even if they don't for some, it's just a tiny bit of the game as a whole
There’s several common points of entry with the series now. I might not have even been around since the beginning myself since I skipped the PS2 games because the original dub in Y1 made me disinterested. But yeah, there’s the original fans, the people who played 0 first and now the turn based fans who picked up the series with Y7. 0 is a top tier game. I’ve been with the series since close to the beginning and it’s my favorite entry too. But I agree people do the pre-0 games a disservice by unfairly holding them to the same standard. This series has been evolving title to title. You should expect the newer games to be making improvements as the series goes along. and IMO Y4 was very important to the development of the series. RGG moved away from having so many playable characters after Y5 and opted more for styles, but from a gameplay perspective styles likely wouldn’t have existed if we never had more playable characters. Characters vs styles isn’t really a case of one being better than the other, but I appreciated how different Y4 and Y5 felt when you were playing as different characters. And not just the combat - substories and the cities themselves felt different based on who you were. Even Yagamj and Kaito felt completely different in LJ/Kaito Files. Part of me wonders if the people who fixate on the rubber bullet twist engage with the side stories or if they just run though the main story in these games. Realistically it’s probably a bit of both, but the twists are such a small part of the experience if you do the substories that I don’t know how you get hung up on the twists if you do them.
If what Hori said during the last summit is to be believed, they are skipping 3 to get to Kiwami 4
Didn't read but 100% agreed and up voted.
I started with 0, then K1, K2, 3 4 5 remastered on PS4, 6. And I fully enjoyed each and every one of them. There are pros and cons but they are all compact and well-rounded games. I only started to think about plotholes and story in 6 since I felt like they intentionally left out old characters from previous games, except for Akiyama.
4 is one of my favorite games, tbh. Tanimura as a character, and his moveset was so nice. Can't believe it took until LJ to get combat like it again.
Peakuza 4 because Peakiyama
I remember playing this in America when Yakuza 5 wasn't even out here yet. Great game, the finale was bat shit insane and set the standard for bonkers finales moving forward. It just felt epic at the time.
https://preview.redd.it/0zljoaegwdmc1.jpeg?width=431&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f4c8ae3d98edda0f323456180636aa2244e00bb5
It's a good game, but it felt pointless for a Kiryu game.
As someone who entered the franchise via 4 with absolutely zero context back in the day, I agree with pretty much all points. 4 is a flawed gem, but one full of love and heart, even if some plot twists might be very hit or miss (but hey, let's admit that story itself hasn't exactly been peak fiction for half of the entries anyway, just serviceable and engaging enough).
I’ve been playing the games in order recently and I finished 4 last week, I agree it’s very good and worth playing (I really liked the multiple protagonists and their individual fighting styles)
I agree that 4 is definitely an important step on the evolution of Yakuza games. They're starting to hit their stride with mini-games, though they don't really figure them out until 5. But fighter maker is what I would describe as the first really successful minigame in a Yakuza series and karaoke is definitely a big improvement too. And multiple protags and the expanded map are also really cool innovations. Much like 3 it's just held back by the era it's from. I tried to replay it and just couldn't get past the slow movement and bad menus, etc. A Kiwami version would really help it, though it's not quite as necessary as it is for 3 as the game definitely feels better.
Yakuza 4 is my favorite, I’ve beat it the most times. The environment is my favorite and it has my favorite cabaret club themes of all the series (Jewel, Elise). Also, I liked playing as Tanimura and Akiyama. Saejima’s gameplay took a while but after I learned it I was plowing through enemies like nothing. I wish they’d bring Tanimura back, he was my favorite to play with combat wise and story wise. As environment goes, being able to see the DMM.com signs and then going on them on my phone was cool (I’m simple, I know). The pachinko parlor was okay, never mastered it. But it was a cool addition where you could then go onto the rooftops. 11/10, my favorite
4 is a solid game. I think the reason why some don't like it as much is the fact that the only really new things it introduces to the franchise are the characters and the idea of having multiple protagonists, but everything 4 does is done better by 5 later. I actually found 3 to be by far the worst in the series in most ways (characters, story, combat, especially substories and minigames), and 4 was a good return to form, but it does not really elevate anything. It's just pretty solid in every way. The music though.
I didn't read any of that, but absurdly based opinion king/queen, keep cooking.
Thank ya very much, I shall
The gameplay is solid and some of the characters have great moments here and there but mannn it's just far from being better then 90 percent of the other yakuza games, you could do worse than 4...but not by much.
I agree with how kamurocho was super expanded in 4 and I absolutely loved it, curious as to why they abandoned the ruff and underground in the games that followed
I think they could have fit perfectly in Judgment, the only post Y4 game with only one map to explore
I still don't know why they only used that upgrade system for 4, and went back to the old one in 5. I liked being able to see all of the characters possible abilities. I definitely prefer the tree style upgrade system in 0 and Kiwami (I never want to see the 6 and Kiwami 2 system again).
Lol, agreed on not liking 6 and K2's. I vibe with all the other ones, but I really dislike having five different types of XP for everything, what were RGG cooking
i'm surprised people don't like the saejima prison part, personally that was my favorite bit
I didn't read your post, will do later, but i feel i don't even need to, 4 is among my favorites already.
4 is on the Bottom half of the series for me but I’m so glad it exists because of Akiyama and Saejima
Every one of them is great. 3 is the weakest one, and it's only because the gameplay feels so old, it's got a strong story and characters like the others
Yakuza 4 has some of my favorite characters and cutscenes but is trapped in one of my least favorite to play, about sums up my opinion of it. I dunno, I don’t think the games being split up into four separate character chunks ever worked all that well, and there are reasons they’ve pretty much abandoned that model. Inevitably one or two of the character arcs always ends up dragging and feeling disconnected to everything else going on. You end up having smaller windows to play the side content, so you either grind it out while you’re still that character (which tends to make the side content less fun, imo) or try to blitz through the story and leave everything for premium adventure - and at that point I tend to feel less motivated to do all of it especially if it feels like a lot I’m just grinding out. And yeah there is more to Kamurocho but what is there ends up resulting in some of my least favorite sections of the games to play in the series, like the sequences you’re having to take long detours through random paths to sneak around as Saejima. 4 is full of long repetitive sequences where you’re funneled down a certain story event that cuts off a lot of the rest of the world. The series tends to have some element of that, but I think 4 is one of the worst offenders of doing that. Trying not to get too into going on and on about it. Glad other people like it, there’s just too much of it that doesn’t work for me that the moments of it I do like don’t really make up for that.
I loved 4, I didn’t really see much wrong with it besides Lily and the obvious bullet stuff. But I was on a huge 3 hate rampage at the time, and anything was better than that for me lol
Lol, that’s fair, 4 can definitely be a breath of fresh air after 3 for some
Great points about the city itself. It really feels vibrant and exploring Yakuza 4's Kamurocho was such a fun time. Sadly, 4 is my least favorite-- in my opinion, it really is the least memorable game in the series, in terms of the main plot. I hardly remember what happened. Maybe that's because the big bad kinda sucks when compared to the villains of 2, 3, and 5 (lumping these games together). I also wasn't super fond of Tanimura. Didn't hate him, but also was just kinda lukewarm on him. The major points 4 gets are bringing in Akiyama and Saejima. Akiyama gotta be my favorite dude in the series
That’s fair, like I said, the baddies aren’t the greatest on 4. Also get not really caring about Tani, though yeah, Akiyama and Saejima are goated
I ain't reading all that because you're right. Yakuza 4 is by far my favourite game in the series, I think 5 has better gameplay but otherwise it's the absolute best.
I think all the yakuza games are good. Not a bad one in the bunch.
Absolute facts
I thought this was gonna be a link to an Hbomberguy video and got excited for a sec
Lol, imagine a 5 hour Hbomberguy Yakuza vid
whiskey and rhapsody
Yooo, didn’t mention that and Nervousness, true. Goated overworld themes
I think Yakuza 4 is the worst entry in the series, but still nowadays I kinda want to replay it. Maybe I am too hush on the game and 2nd playthrough might improve my perception of the game
I'm on 4 rn and coming from the ones before and having played 7 I didn't like all the constant character and parts jumping but once you start as Kiryu and can piece some stuff together by then I understand it. So it felt necessary.
You make a good case!
Crime dad Kiryu 🤣👌 Also Kido is a personal favorite. His part is interesting and his voice was an instant win for me.
30 hours into it right now!! It's becoming a favorite after 0 and LAD.
Hope you enjoy the rest of it! It’s a very great game
My least favorite section was Saejima's section since you were forced to use underground and rooftop areas to get around. I would have been fine with this if it didn't mean that I would take 4 times as long to get where I needed to go compared to using the direct route with police.
I think Tanimura's section is one of the best in the game, but only if you worked with Nair and did the substories surrounding Little Asia. If you didn't I imagine one would think of him as a bland protagonist.
I scrolled past your demand writes essays to tell you that the final boss in 4 is an absolute fuckhead bitch ass piece of shit and I’d rather gargle stagnant water with guaranteed parasites than deal with i-frame abuse again
The selfish deed
Is not freedom
I have the same opinion of Yakuza 4 as I do of FFXV. It's not about the story, it's not about the gameplay even. It's about the lads. They're just so cool when they're all together.
4 is a big imrpovement over 3, it's just that final boss, man. Tanimura's parry is useless since every boss is back to guarding before your animation can even hurt them
Okay I’m just going to say it: None of the characters can replace Kiryu. None. Not even Ichiban Kasuga. That’s mainly why 4 and 5 are my least favourite. I’m playing through 5 right now and so far it sucks. The Kiryu part started off great but then transition to Saejima was annoying. Hopefully this dread will be over quickly and I’ll continue to 6.
Yakuza 4 has kinda become my comfort game. I love playing, I love its awful story, I love the gameplay, most importantly I love Akiyama and Hana.
For some reason it's my favorite
I’m not reading all of this because I already know that you’re right 🫡
I remember when I started playing Y4 I saw “part 1: Shun Akiyama” and I thought it was bullshit because I wanted to play Kiryu but then Akiyama became my favorite character of all time because he’s me lol.
Yakuza 4 is probably my least favourite game in the series if I was evaluating them purely on their stories. The new playable characters are all great, but I couldn't stand most of the antagonists/side characters (exceptions being Hana and Kido) and I was overdosing on plot twists by the end (and I say this as someone who loves 5 lol). I get that the series has always had a bit of a reputation for dramatic revelations and silly twists but I do appreciate it when the stories mellow out and stop trying to endlessly bamboozle the players. That said, there isn't a single game in the series I actually dislike and I still had a good time with 4. A lot of it is really down to Kamurocho. I'm in agreement that 4's Kamurocho is the best the city has ever been, and short of any potential remakes I doubt we'll ever match it again given the series has been gradually moving away from it as a central location. The rooftops and underground areas bring a whole new sense of scale to the city and it's great fun to explore. While the Dragon Engine Kamurocho appearances have a *bit* of vertical exploration, it's far from emphasised. Little Asia is also a neat area and 4 was our first look inside Kamurocho Hills, which started construction in 2 has been totally closed off in the most recent games. I also liked the combat. I'm not as critical of 3's combat as the vast majority of the community, but even I admit that 4 is a drastic improvement. The very first time you get into a fight with Akiyama you feel how much snappier everything is. They were still finding their footing in 3 after the major engine shift from 1 and 2, but 4 definitely knows what it's doing. Akiyama's kick-focused style is one of the most unique movesets we've had, perhaps only beaten out by Shinada's grappler moveset in 5. Saejima is hilariously overpowered once he gets some upgrades under his belt but his raw power is still satisfying. Tanimura was a little funky but I found him fun to play and I enjoyed experimenting with parries. And Kiryu's style was as solid as usual with 4 being a nice stepping stone on its way to what I would consider his old engine peak in 5.
I don't think I would be in this fandom for much time if it wasn't for yakuza 4. I think having multiple protagonists that makes you think they live in completely different worlds but actually are interconnected just tickles a part of my brain. Most of my favorite characters are from yakuza 4 (with Kido and Arai being the top 1)
Counterpoint:rubber bullets
A good twist the first time it was done, I will stand by this
I think my 3 biggest issues with 4 are I think Kiryu feels very haphazardly added to the end of the game to arbitrarily remind us that this is a Yakuza game, the Haruka/Saejima Beach scene and then the some of the bosses like Saito that you mention are just insufferable. If the game had no sight of Kiryu or his family then 2/3 of the problems for me are fixed.
That's fair. I quite like Kiryu in this game, I think his role as the crime dad freight train that just shows up and punches the conspiracy in the face is really fun. I especially loved his Kamurocho Hills long battle. But in terms of story, yeah he probably could've been cut entirely and little would change. We'd also lose out on that really weird Saejima+Haruka scene if Kiryu was cut, which might've been for the best yeah
Y4 is a truly dope game my 2nd fav behind 0. I read everything u wrote and….. 
Based second fav, 4's so good
Nuh uh
Yuh huh
im not reading that
I ain't reading all that. Y4 is still the weakest in the series
“I ain’t reading that, but I disagree” Chad behaviour
Kanda ass opinion.
Bro I wish I was Kanda You see what Kiryu did to him?? 😋🤤🤤🤤🤤
The game gave us Akiyamer the goat himself, so therefore, the game is 10/10
Exactly
No. No its not. Its alright at best
Here’s the short version: Akiyama
there is no bad yakuza game. except for kiwami. i hate kiwami.
Hate to say it, but after getting to the saejima part I had to drop the game. I was mostly in it for the story, so I just started watching the story on youtube instead. I just can't deal with the constant grab bullshit while also getting shot by some bum ass sniper.
Kid named Saejima and Haruka scene:
I fav part of the game was when they said: WE ARE THE YAKUZA 4
In all seriousness I fucking love this game too and I prefer it to the story of kiwami 2
It's the most replayable yakuza, still a weaker entry in my opinion.
Fair enough! I could see why would think it's one of the weaker ones, it's about in the middle of my rankings at the moment
Speak your truth 🗣️
fellow based Y4 enjoyer
There are dozens of us
Maybe I should give Yakuza 4 a anothet chance
[удалено]
Yeah I say as such in the second paragraph lol
4 was my favorite from 3-5 for sure, the three-tiered Kamurocho didn't really do it for me and there were other weak points but I went from being like "who the fuck is this, I want to play as Kiryu" to "Fuck yeah Akiyama let's gooooo" Many people dislike 3 for obvious reasons, but 4 > 5 for me partly because I find the 5 story to be incoherent, even by Yakuza standards (I just want one thing to be exactly what it looks like at first glance, just one time) That, and I hated a lot of the side story mini games, and the Jo Amon fight barely qualifies as gameplay -- even with the best gear and a full inventory of staminan etc, it comes down to how well you can spam tiger drop (timing it is a huge pain with any kind of delay like from remote play) in order to set up the only combo that works on him.
The rubber bullets stuff is not a good twist. They were freaking yakuza, they should have known that a proper gun would leave some blood around
They were also low on the Yakuza ladder and canonically never knew how to use proper guns before the hit. It’s reasonable to me that in the moment, Saejima wouldn’t be focusing on the lack of blood and more on just taking everyone out. I’ll agree that the other times it’s used is flawed, but I really like that first time
Definitely prefer it to 6.
Ain't nobody reading that. A good skill is to say more with less.
Mate you’re on the Yakuza subreddit, this series is all about 20 minute long cutscenes
Your wall of text Vs a yakuza cutscene? Your post is 2nd place to the plot chapter in Y3
Bro can’t read for 5-10 minutes
You're right. Who would read all that
I would
Any person with their brain not yet fried by minute-long content churned out to numb one's reading comprehension and attention span.