LogFAQs > #952611805

I'm largely with you on that, TC. I also had 2 hyped to me as the best Yakuza story (this was before the existence of 0, mind you) and I was left wanting.

The characters are fine conceptually, but are poorly utilized. Sayama, as you said, was just kinda there given Kiryu is the protagonist and still has to solve things. I imagine you're meant to be gawking over the fact that she's a lady cop and strong and smart so much that you don't notice she really does little of importance.

Ryuji cuts a nice menacing and bombastic figure, but his motivation is literally just "I wanna win the fight", whether it's the Tojo/Omi conflict or just fighting Kiryu because he's a dragon, too.

Also hope you liked what you saw of Yayoi Dojima. She's gone. Not in any single other game.

It's funny. I tend to have three places I rank Yakuza games:

• Exemplary - Where they're absolutely the ones I recommend to newcomers. Yakuza 0 and 7 are here.
• Great - A fun and enjoyable ride that may have some flaws but is a well put-together package. Most games end up here.
• Passable - They've still got some good stuff, or maybe quite a bit of good stuff, but glaring flaws. Kiwami and 6 are here.

I really want to include Kiwami 2 in the "Exemplary" pile, because it's a great example of the Dragon Engine and the side stuff is awesome and fun, but the story alone knocks it back down to "Great", which seems like a weird criticism, but that's how I see these games.

---

CyricZ He/him