Ok, probably my last Kenzan post here for a while, just finished the game.
Short version - I still think this is basically the best game in the series, even now. It just does so much stuff right - story is excellent, characters are the right mix of returning and new awesome ones (like Seijuuro, Marume etc.) and the combat is just a blast especially once you get suitably leveled up and start unlocking all the badass training.
Longer version:
Graphically its ok, great even in places - its a game from 2008, and the teams first PS3 game so yeah its not exactly looking as good as even the remasters we just got, but thanks to it actually being 720p and not some sub HD ass like 3 was on the PS3 it at least doesn't look blurry. Cutscenes (and characters in them) look pretty great, heck even characters who are used here and then in 3 actually look better here - Mizuki is the example that springs to mind - she looks fugly in 3, but actually looks fine in this one. The other big one being Kiryu of all characters - his movement, and his head just look way better in Kenzan compared to 3 or 4 (but hey, they fix him for 5)
Environments are a mixed bag - there's some bad textures going on in many of the areas you explore, especially stuff off in the background (coupled with a not so great draw distance for NPCs) but at the same time many of the areas have a nice distinct look to them and it helps that the time of day differences really help evoke a nice sense of atmosphere in many of these places - exploring Gion at night for example is sorta beautiful - the fireworks, towns people singing and dancing and just having a great time really creates this fantastic atmosphere - meanwhile exploring the suburbs during the day has a nice bustling market place area - kids running around playing etc. while if you visit it at night you get a distinctly different vibe - with much of the bustle gone, kids are all at home and nowhere to be seen while fewer people wonder the streets. The forest path is another favourite of mine - it goes from this nice looking place during the day - leaves fluttering in the wind, travelers heading out of town, while at night its basically dead. You might see the odd person here and there wandering around, but more often than not your on your own, with just a few of Majima's bandit friends to keep you company!
Combat is great. But an acquired taste. Those looking for mindless button mashing should go elsewhere. You'll only end up flat on your ass if you try that here. Basically think Yakuza 3. Enemies aren't stupid, they will block if you attack them from the front more times than not, so you gotta be sure to use those counters, dodges and whatever else you have unlocked to open them up. But its also easy to do when you learn the quirks of the enemy AI - for example the game throws a few larger sumo style enemies at you which at first glance are unfair - they have this amazing grab from the front, and a couple of them (optional fights at that) can block sword swipes so you can't just chop them up! The trick is that if they grab you while you have your back to them, you can mash out of the grab with the circle counter - knocking them on their ass and you getting a shit ton of heat. They become a joke after I figured this out. Some larger armored enemies require the great sword to fight effectively, while most other enemies are easily dispatched with either one or two sword styles. Revelations are introduced in this game and basically most of the heat moves are unlocked here - they are technically optional but you'd be a fool to ignore them, you gain so many excellent moves from them. Likewise you'd want to pay Komaki a visit to get some really useful moves, as well as Shibusawa (not that one) who teaches you some amazing one sword style moves that are damn useful, in fact its because of him that I even beat Amon! Modding weapons also plays greatly into how combat works as you really want to get a good, fast sword as the charged triangle attacks in one sword style are greatly enhanced if you have a sword that is light/fast as the attacks come out way quicker and mess up enemies and bosses alike.
Content - its lighter on content compared to other games that come later, but then again that's because its an older game. The mini games are basically a mix of 3 things - gambling, hostess related, training. Gambling is basically the same style Japanese gambling stuff in other games, only now with amazing turtle racing (seriously, its my favourite mini game in the game), the hostess stuff is again exclusive to this game (well, except bowling). Its a nice mix of skill based games, and only really falls down against the final hostess who's amazing at everything and barely messes up (except at bowling, hey she needs one weakness else you aint finishing her side story!) Fan throwing and the rhythm mini games are also a blast to play, though the card game is just too hard for me - the AI is just way too good.
The training games are again, mainly exclusive to this with only the Arena and the Melon cutting (baseball) basically mini games that are present in other games in a similar capacity. Melon cutting I found way more fun than Baseball though, faster paced, easier on the whole as well but still with a nice skill curve to it. The game also introduces waterfall training which is another rhythm game that feels sorta like the Miku games I guess? Of course, this basic concept would be recycled and greatly improved in 3 to form the Karaoke mini game. The horseback archery is a tough one to crack, even just to unlock the moves but I found it really fun. Florist's target practice stuff was a blast as well, much easier to boot!
Completion list wise its definitely one of the trickier games in the series I've played - I never did get all the Koi Koi requirements due to how hard I found it to hit the required point scores in a 3 or 6 round game (could get 40 points in a 12 round game no problem though!). Then you have stuff like perfect archery (yeah right!), the hostess card game and certain things that seemingly can't be done on your first run? Its definitely the roughest of the bunch, never realised how much they improved it in 3 to be honest, so props to them for that!
Plot wise I loved it. They don't really bruch over the whole brothel stuff, so should a remake ever happen, I don't want to see them changing a thing. Character wise its no surprise that RGGS nailed it as they always do. Kiryu isn't the same Kiryu in the mainline series - he's quite blood thirsty (and horny) at certain points in the game and he does legit kill people in the plot. Majima again while he's a bit of a joker at points he gets the right level of crazy while still having a decent, remorseful backstory (see RGG0, you can do both crazy and dark Majima in one game...), and then you have support characters like the awesome Itou (Date), Florist, Seijuuro, Komaki (again, he gets some pretty great backstory in this), Haruka, Yoshino, Touji, but hands down my favourite is Marume - while Kojiro plays as the defacto rival for Mushashi in the game (I mean, they did want THAT battle to occur after all), its Marume who I feel gets the better character arc throughout the game - he's both a villain and someone who helps Kiryu all in one and any time when both he and Kiryu are in a scene together its always amazing! Itou would be my other pick for an awesome character, unlike Date whose rather inept in fighting, this guy is another ace swordsman and him showing up to help Kiryu against Yoshioka was one of my favourite parts of the game (well, that whole Yoshioka chapter was bloody amazing). Plot wise its weird how despite many of the main baddies get very little screen time - Kojiro shows up sparingly, like Nishiki in OG1 (not Kiwami) and Tenkai gets like 2 scenes in the entire game to display him as a threat - but he's your standard hammy baddie who really doesn't need all that much screen time! But the plot carries itself well pacing wise - the game has a few chapters that are super short in the beginning and basically just serve as setting the stage and introducing many of those characters mentioned above, and when the game opens up it doesn't really slow down or drag as the game focuses on trying to answer questions in a timely manner and juggles the major plot points (Haruka, Yoshioka and the "other" Miyomoto Mushashi) really well, with it having a nice steady stream of set pieces (Houzoin is a brilliant chapter, as is the aformentioned Yoshioka bloodbath) while also throwing some fantastic set pieces at you - the burning brothel and Ganryu both stand out as all time series greats for me.
Oh, and side stories? If the game gets a cutscene its an instant classic. Whether Kiryu is testing a flying machine, helping invent Kabuki, stopping an cattle abduction by aliens etc. its all fantastic.
Its not all perfect though. The game's main fault with me is the completion list - not the difficulty but rather how premium adventure mode sucks in Kenzan - in that it doesn't carry across all your moves etc. plus with all those missable side stories, you can quite easily get to the end of the game and find out you missed one damn side story!
The game also lacks any dynamic fight intros for bosses. Granted its a small complaint but someone like Seijuuro, Majima, Kojiro, Houzouin absolutely deserved to get one. Strange as Yakuza 1 and 2 at least had a couple sprinkled throughout each game...
Performance wise while the game is fine for the most part is does stutter a little bit at points - mainly in big fights, and if you have a ninja using a smoke bomb? Its Dead Souls FPS drops for all! Thankfully its not something that persists but rather just interfers with the fun for a couple of seconds, but still...
Oh, and I guess the biggest crime is its a Japanese PS3 game, unavailable anywhere else. More people should play the game!
Congratulations shadowman. You sure sound excited.
I've beaten all the Amons in the western games except for the one in Y0. I just can't beat Ogita in the dance battle.
Thanks :) Yeah I'm well happy at finally beating Amon. Its been on my list of things to do since I last finished the game years back, and I'm glad I finally got round to doing it.
