LogFAQs > #901207606

The game does have some serious pacing issues, mainly because of the two protagonists. You'll play two chapters, then switch to the other character to play two chapters and switch back. Often times, the game leaves one character at a cliffhanger and then cuts over to the other. This can get annoying because the story was just going from great to amazing. I wish instead that I was able to switch between Majima and Kiryu anytime I want and play their scenarios in any order up till the finale, GTA5 style, but I'm getting ahead of myself. The game also forced me to fight the same boss FIVE times, with minor changes. Kuze was a great villain but he just never learned and I got sick of beating him up at the end. The combat itself can get repetitive when fighting random thugs, but luckily you can avoid them if you throw money at them. Boss fights, besides the aforementioned Kuze, are quite exciting. The last few are well choreographed and intense. The combat system is copy-and-pasted to Kiwami 1, where it's a bit more polished though.

Speaking of the villains, the characters and the acting are superb. Majima is one of the coolest protagonists I've ever been able to play and has some of the funniest lines in the entire game. Kiryu is cool, too, as always. The villains, many of whom are based off of real-life Japanese actors, perform well too. Especially the three Dojima Captains. The story has plenty of twists and turns to keep you invested, with a central mystery that slowly unravels over the course of the game. Best is the ending, which is probably about an hour long.

What makes Yakuza 0 such a great game and top ten worthy is that it blew all my expectations away, and got me addicted to a series I've completely avoided for some reason until now. The other thing, is that it is one of the few JRPGs (shoot me for calling it that, I don't care) I've played that is aimed at a more mature audience. No more teenage heroes solving teenage problems while saving the world, no more awkward romances, this game runs with the rule of cool and turns out to be... manly. It's awesome how far this series has come and I'm glad it's getting more mainstream attention now, because I'm now a big time fan.