Board 8 > Raka continues playing Yakuza 0 every now and then *spoilers as I go*

(+) Yeah! (+)

Kiryu and Majima haven't killed anyone in lore. Yeah they have beaten numerous people but haven't killed anyone officialy.

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My headcanon is that the Yakuza universe is slightly parallel to our own and everything is mostly the same except that baseline humans are significantly stronger, more durable, and heal faster. Kiryu and Majima are just even better versions of that.

The exception to this is if you get shot while spouting an expository monologue.

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Off we go to Roppongi.

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Makoto wants the three heads lined up served on a silver platter! YES!

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Murphiroth posted...

My headcanon is that the Yakuza universe is slightly parallel to our own and everything is mostly the same except that baseline humans are significantly stronger, more durable, and heal faster. Kiryu and Majima are just even better versions of that.

The exception to this is if you get shot while spouting an expository monologue.

Hahaha that makes sense.

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MAKOTO IS DOWN

THIS lS NOT A DRILL

YOU'RE DEAD, MOTHERFUCKERS

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...yeah, that plot of land is so small and hidden anyway. Makes sense people are not aware.

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Wait, Sera is alive?

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I recently played this game and thought it was like a 6.5/10

good story, rather mediocre gameplay, some massively glaring flaws in the overall design such as the over-reliance for unoriginal minigames as an escape from the tedium of pressing square square square triangle for hours.

played Yakuza Kiwami too and I didn't like it much at all. Yakuza 0 has way more style, doesn't waste your time quite as much, and the dynamics between characters in the story is more interesting.

you should give a final thoughts post after you beat it

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Solioxrz362 posted...

you should give a final thoughts post after you beat it

Yep, I plan to do so.

Solioxrz362 posted...

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Geez, and I just found the Kamurocho Moneybags Investment Fund guy now.

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Kuze is the Ultros of this game.

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Kuze is a Looney Tunes character and I love him for it.

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Alright, it's our final battle.
I do appreciate the game telling me outright it'll be the final stretch of the game and advising me to make a backup save.

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Kashiwagi and the Kazama family are going all out on Dojima and Shibusawa.

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We're on a boat.

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Majima just beat up Awano the fop.

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Aaand he jumped in front of us to take Lao Guai's bullets. Uh, thanks, I guess...

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Defeated the Yao Guai and I just died once, I consider it a win. Pretty slick.

Now it's back to Kiryu and Shibussywa.

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Man Shibusawa fight went much easier than Majima's final two fights.

I love Beast Mode.

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Sera's got the lot.

The winner of the Tojo civil war is Nikkyo Alliance.

Shimano killed, uh, Dojima?

To be honest it's hard to get these factions straight.

Kiryu is back having drinks with Nishiki. He's got his white and red get up now.

Majima also got his snakeskin suit and broom hairdo. He said good bye to Saggywa, who's made his life living hell for the last...week. Yakuza relationships are complicated. But the old man was shot dead anyway so yeah.

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Man, this is so sad. Makoto doesn't recognize Majima and he doesn't want her to either. Yeah, it's probably safer that way.

Still... I'm glad to see her up and about.

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So...I think that's it for the main story of Yakuza 0!

My friend has generously let me keep the disc for now so I do want to try finishing the cabaret club...and maybe the real estate one as well.

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Make sure you've opened all of Bob's presents and use the telephone in your office

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So.

This was my first Yakuza game, though I'm aware of them somewhat before.

As some of you might remember, I had a bit of a hard time getting into the game in the beginning, since I was lost on the whole yakuza intrigue.

Even after I finished it, I'd say that the battle for power between the different yakuza factions at play didn't really grab me. However, the main story with Kiryu being framed for the murder, Majima having to look for Makoto, and everything that followed were actually quiet enjoyable!

I even liked the scenes dripping with machismo and bromance. The dramatic moments also landed quite well IMO.

However, where the game really shined was its comedic bits. They were so, so good. The bondage queen training, close encounter with the Obatarian kind, meeting Nugget, helping the human statue performer, everything about Yuki, the list goes on.

And the translation is CRAZY good. It's got character, the right amount of clarity, humor, and everything. My favorite localization blog, Legends of Localization, has many praises for this game's translation and they're so well-deserved!

As for the gameplay...
I agree that the main combat is kinda, uh, simplistic. It does its job quite well, but yeah, not outstanding or anything.
By the end, I usually simply use Beast/Slugger style for the random encounter mobs and maybe Brawler/Thug for boss battles (since the heavy styles are very punishable).

Though the unlockable abilities do add some depth, many of the advanced ones are just too...obnoxious to remember or execute. L1, then R1 + O? When holding a pole, but only ones you find on ground? Ain't nobody got time for that, especially since basic attacks work just as well.

That being said, I like the Ability system well enough, though I much prefer the passive boosts like extra HP, more damage, faster heat generation, etc. No hassle there.

When in combat, my main gripe is how easy the enemy can disrupt your attack and even soft combo lock you, especially without abilities unlocked. But even after, it's just unpleasant how easy the swarm of enemies can gang up on you.

Nevertheless, fights are still pretty easy since you can heal from the pause menu. I'm thankful for that but that kinda lessens the challenge and also make the combat flow not as well.

Also, weapons. Oh boy weapons. They are not integrated well into the combat system. It takes time to take them out. Their attacks differ for each weapon type and make the fighting modes insignificant. Some are too weak to bother using while others are OP.

And don't get me on the weapon hunting system. What a waste of money. The 'best' part is that you get 'recipes' except you can't see what the ingredients are unless you already have them! Excuse me, what the fuck?

However, I love the towns and how you traverse them. They feel so alive, with a lot to do, a lot to see, and different roads to take. As the substories dry up, though, they're becoming somewhat more stagnant.

Oh and I find the encounter system very fresh. You can run from enemies and adjust where to actually start the battle. So with Beast mode, I'd prefer places with bikes nearby. While Slugger benefits from wide open spaces. Fun.

The minigames are fine though. The ones that are just emulated IRL games like darts, pool, shogi, mahjong, etc. are cool enough distraction if I feel like it.

Karaoke is great due to the music videos. Disco is...challenging, and sometimes infuriating, but I 'get' it.

Real estate really could use more depth. After you get more managers and securities, it's just a waiting game.

Cabaret Club Czar is really good and kinda made me nostalgic of Diner Dash type games. What I'd like to see is the ability to maybe choose/develop the Sunshine Fever effect, develop the facilities/menu, and more variations on the Help! segment (maybe more gestures when you provide different menu/facilities). Though that might expand the scope a bit too much lol.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed my time with it despite its faults. I'd give it like 8/10.

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I super glad you ended up enjoying it as much as you did! Yakuza is my favorite game series at this point and Y0 is the cream of the crop. If you like what you saw here there's an absolute ton more where that came from, but perhaps moreso than any other series I'd warn you to pace yourself - it's remarkably easy to get burned out considering every game takes place at least partially, if not exclusively, in Kamurocho. The awesome familiarity and feeling of coming home quickly becomes a double-edged sword if you're playing the games back to back.

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Well it is the best Yakuza game. Also every Yakuza game has a different leveling system which doesn't makes much sense but that is how it goes. The main game is Easy true BUT the Colosseum is where you can see how good you are since you can't use items there.

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