Live action isnt (really) what bothered me. Its the complete lack of dialoge (it repeats so quick) and just... limited options. Seeing as they dont do in game models, you cant have them in side stories or on dates like 5 (the best hostess experience) had. If they double down on it, I wanna have them improve it at least to a point where its not as bad as it was in Gaiden.
But honestly, throw in another Model 3 game and Ill be too distracted to really care about the hostess stuff beyond what is needed for completion lol. I honestly preferred the dating app in 8, because there's some funny fakeouts in it (its one of the few chicken jokes that worked for me, among others).
Speaking of, having had a long stretch of time to play games these past 2ish weeks, Ive finished a few games, among them FINALLY finishing the story (no, not the completion lists) for Yakuza 8. Short version. Loved it, amazing game. Longer version:
Almost 200 hours on the dot, and I finished the game. Granted its one of the few times I try and do most content before finishing the game, guess I just felt compelled to do it before the credits rolled. I put that down to 8 having some of the most compelling content for me to complete in the entire series.
First off. Story stuff. Its a sorta weird game in that regard. Definitely not handled as well as 0 in terms of dual protagonist, but not handled as bad as 4/5/Dead Souls. I loved both plots, but when Kiryu's quickly started to get going, I ended up finding that one more interesting within the game world that's been established all these years. As much as I adore Ichiban and his crew, the Hawaii plot is definitely the weaker of the two. HOWEVER I do love, in classic JRPG trope fashion that they managed to do the whole Fight God type plot, but making it work within the (slightly) more grounded confines of RGG. It also cracked me up that for all his preaching and "control", Bryce is "just" a gun boss. Its just a funny counter to what these bosses usually are - beings of insane power which can take you out with an otherworldly death beam - not just a dude with a silver tongue and two guns lol. Is he one of the weakest villains in the series? ... probably. I mean, I knew he was bad news from day 1 so unlike 6's waste of space, this one was predictable and expected, and I did enjoy the overall mystery to it. He's probably gonna swim around with 4's final boss(es). Not amazing, but serviceable for the plot.
Ichiban's side of things really only (for me) suffered for me due to pacing. Yet at the same time, the more I think about it, once I get over that I actually liked all the places the plot went with the games. Its kinda hard to decide if its that big of a deal or not. Am I really gonna care that it sorta Shenmue'd its main plot point (as in, focusing on just one thing for several chapters?). Nah, probably not, looking at it more of a journey, not the destination, I adored it. But more on why later.
Kiryu's side of things? This one was handled really darn well. You always gotta wonder just how the heck they'll handle someones plot which was "resolved" badly in the end of 6, but someone, not only did the writers have a good idea with his plot in 8, but manages to not only make 6's plot AND ending better on reflection but also sorta address a number of issues with the character Ive had for years. So that's gotta be worth some sorta award... Oh, and not to mention they didnt butcher the ending like I feared, that is fantastically handled.
Kiryu's core plot of finding out that the second great disillusion is not actually a legit thing, but rather a way of sweeping up all the Yakuza and essentially turning them into slaves/killing them slowly due to a dude that has a major chip on his shoulder about Yakuza was... certainly not the way Id see it going in a million years. While it sounds balmy, it actually works because it puts Kiryu directly at odds with Ebina. Kiryu finally fucking admits that he fucked up the way he handled his five minutes as chairman, and Daigo not so subtly calls Kiryu out for not having a clue what it all felt like to handle the stuff he had to shoulder (again, because Kiryu shows up, helps for 5 minutes, then bolts when the actual work needs doing - something he's done for so many games at this point).
Its a strange, yet compelling case of where Kiryu's basically fighting for the thing he just cant give up - as in the Yakuza itself. He doesnt want thousands of people to suffer for the mistakes of his generation.
Now Ebina himself is also another somewhat unremarkable villain. Higher than a Aizawa, Iwami or 4's villains for sure, as his machinations had a clear through line, but the dude didnt exactly exude coolness, or whatever the heck dudes like Mine, Ryuji or Nishiki had. He's probably mid tier for me. Above 4-6s, but under 0-3s and 7's. I do wonder if Ebina even needed the ties to Arakawa. Feels sorta contrived. I feel his plot could have worked just as fine without that. Especially as they (smartly) kept Ichiban away from him for 90% of the game so it avoided another Aoki Ryo ending.
Overall. Adding in Kiryu's side stuff as another angle on his story, not to mention his ending, I feel that they absolutely hit a home run here with Kiryu.
Notes on the endings specifically - while the plots could be a little uneven at times, I wanna talk about the finale chapters first... They are flippin' huge. Like, the game could have easily been a chapter longer and split them up, I think its fair to say that both finale dungeons are suitably huge and they dont compromise on spectacle either.
I had to chuckle at Ichiban's, where the entire thing started to feel like Resident Evil 4, even to the point where your attacked by creatures at not one but TWO points in the journey. Its wacky, but remember Yakuza 2 started this so dont start saying this is some sort of crazy turn for the series ;) The island itself also feels like a mix of two areas of RE4, which again cracked me up... Yakuza 6 has a brief moment with a spooky area and stalker type enemy that some said was out of character for the series, well Id argue now its perfectly in character! I had a blast with the setting, the music, and the encounters. Oh, and it ties up one plot thread which I honestly thought had been ignored because its literally not mentioned for most of the game.
Also props to Ichiban by not letting Bryce go out on his own terms. I honestly saw him jumping over the edge in one of those cheesy deaths, but Ichiban actually bothering to save him is so on point for him, plus not only that, its a great subversion for a series that does that so often. 10/10 defeat there lol.
Also I assumed Eiji would have been a sub boss for Ebina, but having him be the one Ichiban saves, without throwing a punch... I loved it. But not gonna lie I was on edge the entire time thinking that he'd get sniped or something.
Kiryu's side of things is just a big ol' nostalgia trip. I actually had his finale placed at the Tojo HQ, but having them do that one earlier I suppose I should have seen the Millenium Tower coming. Its absolutely recycled from 7's version (I ran that one back to front so many times I can say that with certainty), and they even feed into the whole "Kiryu dont kill noone" with the whole helicopters bit. Both being something 6 did, and 0 did. Its a solid dungeon but Id have liked a few more new areas since Ive seen most of those floors before.
His ending though? Powerful for a different reason. He tries to reason with Ebina who is certain he'll just try again (who knows if he will), but its really just the short ending that wins it for me. Kiryu passes out and is shown rushed to the hospital, and in the post credits scene, its revealed that Haruka and Haruto know he's alive (I mean, watch the news?) and that they can see him again. And that Kiryu's actually not given up, and physically says his real name again, kinda coming full circle from 6. It feels satisfying, if maybe a tad messy on how that works. But who cares. After 12 years of sad endings, Im calling this one a win as no one died and its a happy ending. Let me have this one lol.
Speaking of Yakuza 6... I personally grew less satisfied with the ending the more I disliked the final boss (weird throughline I know). I just felt Kiryu was better than that. 6 often felt sorta... like a spinoff/side story what with how little his main cast did anything, how most of his side stories had sod all to do with his legacy, how his combat was butchered, how his ending just sorta... disrespected him and the immediate rollback that said ending gets in the post credits scene (aside the "Haruto first steps" bit, that was powerful.
Gaiden and 8 though... actually not only fix the issues I had with 6 (better plots, ending, side stories and actually using side characters galore to glance into their lives post their appearances and catch up with them) but also because these also kinda gave worth to his turn at the end of 6, and made me like the ending more. Showing that side of Kiryu where he's basically lost it all (in a matter of speaking) which goes on to make 8 especially work all the better (Gaiden's mainly just for the better final boss, amazing ending, and amazing final chapter/arena... ok most set pieces lol).
So again, that's another thing I loved about the plot. And now... the last piece. The most important thing in the games... the characters. Which since there's so many, Im only talking about a couple because Im lazy. And I havent even got to gameplay yet.
For Ichiban, honestly almost any character can be here. His great friendship with Tomi or Chitose, his ongoing bromance with Adachi (love those two as friends), or the slightly more complicated, but still terrific back and fourth he and Han get. Oh, and props to the dev team for not only giving Ichiban a great one on one moment with his mom, but not offing her. Seriously, the restraint shown in not offing characters in this game is one of the other reasons I love it. Still mad about Hanawa though
But no, I wanna talk about the MVP of this entire damn game. That's Yamai.
Yamai is probably the first real antagonist in the game you meet. Dude controls Tomizawa's life, and is initially seen as just your average Yakuza evil dude. And for a few chapters... he is. I mean, he sets fire to a wooded area just to get at Kiryu lol (this is by far one of my favourite things he does in the game, just peak Yakuza 1 levels of Majima madness). Then you have a great boss fight against him again in his spooky rundown club, where his hostesses cheer him on. And it reveals that he actually isnt a one dimensional gangster. At this point his character fleshes out a bit, with him then (reluctantly) helping Ichiban more and more, while also acting as a real badass. But rarely do villains or supporting characters get closure plot wise, so Yamai's last move is the one that sealed the deal for me - Using his own infamy in Japan, he manages to get safe passage for Lani, Akane and Ichiban's team back to Japan. This of course leads to an amazing third fight against Dwight AND a shark in one of my favourite bosses in the series. And then he bolts once they reach Japanese soil. And its all just to wrap up his plot with his former but not quite lover. Yamai then surrenders while giving up that big coat his been wearing all this time. Dude lives so that he can absolutely come back Sawakshiro style right? He's far FAR too good to be a one and done.
For Kiryu, again he gets a lot of great moments with characters, most of which are meeting up, at least from a distance with old friends from previous games. But the one I loved most is a newbie, and not even for her Kiryu interactions per se... But I just loved Seong Hee in this game. Love her no nonsense (for the most part) personality, but also love how she can be funny/goofy/not so serious as well. The game does an amazing job basically fleshing all party members out thanks to the optional dialogue, dining talks etc. that Ive probably triggered almost all of the optional hidden ones because... well they are just all that good! Love Zhao continuing his love for arcades and Sega stuff (a trait revealed in Yakuza 7), love both Han and Seong Hee getting to be shown as more than just members of the criminal underworld, love Namba's frugal advice, and just love anytime Ichiban and Adachi have a conversation as its usually hilarious.
Anyway, now onto what took me so long to finish the game. The gameplay/content...
So first off, my one minus point. The game unloads the content on you fairly slowly. So you'll be far into chapter 6 I think before all of Ichiban's stuff is unlocked and Kiryu's stuff hasnt even started by that point! If people were frustrated when Kiwami 2 pulled you away from the main plot for its two pieces of content, well Id imagine people might be more annoyed with this (bright side, this has better content).
Main content wise, Dodonko Island is insanely addictive, and probably the most fun of the big modes Ive played in years. Id say 0 with its Cabaret Club is still good/addictive (well, the first time), but look at Ishin - the Haruka stuff dragged because of the completion list, 6's Clan stuff was shallow as a puddle, 7's business management isnt much deeper AND you basically get too good, too fast at it that all challenge disappears long before hitting rank one, to the point where its a grind. Dodonko is fairly breezy in that regard, its slower at first until you get a couple of stars and get access to the farm, but its pretty easy to get standards up to the point where you'll be 5 star in no time. Its a fun ol' story, gameplay loop was perfect for me, and there's a whole completion list Ive yet to complete that's gonna take hours to do (all optional, Im just mad!)
Plus the mix of scavenging, fighting, building, fishing, catching bugs etc. Its like Animal Crossing except it isnt a waste of my time, has an ending, and lets me listen to Sega music as I play. So vastly superior ;)
Sujimon is another home run for me. I love the concept of Sujimon in 7 and them going full force on the Pokemon parody was the right choice. I loved building up and improving my team, and I still have a few I gotta catch even though Ive finished the game! Plus I wanna fill out my entire dex (missing around 25-30 mon). The story is silly yet endearing, I love the professor and Sodachi's journey. No idea how the heck they'll top this in 9... I mean, I suppose they'd need to Pokemon Gold/Silver it and basically introduce a post game story that's the size of the main game, giving rise to new mon to catch and tougher dudes to beat...
Arcade... ah my beloved arcade. Gaiden went in hard with Daytona 2 and surprise favourite FV2, and honestly I knew Id love 8s because when Spikeout and VF3 are two thirds of your headliners, its basically an instant win. Little did I expect Sega Bass Fishing to be the true addictive masterpiece of the bunch! Seriously, Ive put tons of time into this one, even without the rod controller I love it!
But onto Spikeout, my standout mini game for Y8. The combat is insanely deep here, you can do some incredibly combos that really open up enemies and even bosses, tons of moves to use, and the game is tough as nails. Its also insanely long, with a run taking well over an hour to complete, with multiple routes through it - aside the choice of mall or shipyard during stage 2, there's also some alternate paths in whichever third stage you take. I keep coming back to this one, and it took a long time to get half good at it, still not great but I understand how it works better now. And Ill be going back for more during my completion list(s) run later.
VF3 is VF. But on a slope! What is most impressive here is considering this game came out at a time when 3D fighters were still in their infancy. AM2 ups things yet again with an even deeper, prettier etc. game that also includes uneven battle grounds (something fighters rarely do). Its also a team game, so knowing one character aint enough... Im no VF pro (nowhere near close lol) but I really clicked with this one. I love a team of Sarah, Pai and Lau (sometimes Leon, sometimes Jeff). Its an incredibly impressive technical achievement that also still plays insanely well to this day.
Oh, and the UFO catcher... we got some new toys here and there, and I wonder if Im the only one that got them all? Aka let me tell you more about big box toys! Now, the ones in Hawaii and Kamurocho just require you to keep trying until you get it just right so that you get them vertically, then to fall down the hole...
But the Ijincho pocket circuit toys? Nightmares. I had to get them all TWICE as I did them with Ichiban prior to leaving for Hawaii only for Kiryu to have to do them again lol. And they are a pain in the ass. Unlike the others, the boxes can sorta get "stuck" as they may sorta half go down the hole, but not all the way. It took me longer than Ill admit to get these three, and while there's literally no point at doing so (aside completion list glory), I just couldnt not do them. Initially Id thought theyd patched the boxed stuff to be easier to get, but no its just the other location ones are easier to get, with Ijincho#s that much tougher and I dont know why!
Karaoke. A one two punch of not only including amazing new songs for everyone (well, almost everyone), but also including past songs for the 7 crew, and a shit ton of classics for Kiryu. Its a legacy mini game that's otherwise not really changed, but the sheer amount of content here keeps me coming back just because there's so many to play. Pity about Tomizawa though ;(
Hawaii activities - Crazy Drive is terrific and goes from strength to strength as I try and "clear the board" in terms of not only getting a huge high score, but also delivering to everyone. Its got that Crazy Taxi DNA (sans Bad Religion music), infused with some gorgeous Sega blue skies!
Sicko Snap was a laugh, I just wish they could have had a little more variety in how the pervs appeared. But again trying to S rank all courses is great fun, and some of the interactions with them are legit hilarious.
Legacy Activities. Not gonna cover these here because... its a long list, but what this improves on over 7 and previous games are how you can have your whole party take part in more activities now. Mahjong, Poker and the like are way more fun now that your not just playing against faceless AI characters but rather your actual in game friends. Aside the arcade for whatever silly reason... you have VF3 and Spikeout right there... you have Saeko and Zhao comment how much they love VF/Sega... why not capitalise on that? Missed opportunity.
And lastly, because this is long enough as is... combat. Which is, hands down the biggest improvement over 7.
I enjoyed 7's combat, and knew RGGS would improve it. But this much? Yeah, wasnt quite expecting that lol. First off, movement - limited it may be, but it serves a key purpose on why its better. Its just much more fun to position your team to execute combos.
Second, said team combos... I love that you can knock enemies into your team for followups. Its sorta like pinball, where your hitting enemies off your team into other enemies for big damage. It means that you wont always default to one attack because sometimes its better to bounce them about.
Guard breaks and other status effects - Feels this stuff works better in the sequel. Guard breaking is a good idea and prompts you to keep a good guard break move on hard. Status effects also feel useful especially debuffs and the like as something like Warcry + a full on defense debuff + Kiryu strong attack = life bar decimated. There is in fact strategy there, more so than what 7 had.
Area of effect indicators... perhaps the best change is seeing how your attack will effect enemies - is it wide? Will it knock back etc. Makes it much easier to damage several enemies at once.
Difficulty - Feel this sorta got overlooked in discussions to "yeah you dont grind like in 7". So here's the opinion of someone trying to make the game harder. You can absolutely do that, and it works! The first few chapters you may wanna focus on the plot until around chapter 7/8 if you want dungeons as tough as possible, but honestly you can easily just focus on enjoying your time as later fights are plenty challenging. The whole job stuff from 7 isnt as big of a deal this time, good weapons are given out like candy (I basically NEVER crafted anything, there's just little to no point to it unless you wanna be proper OP, something I saved for post game). Just equip weaker gear and you'll basically always be challenged. Whether that be doing less damage to prolong fights longer, or using worse gear so your not so defensively protected... its all legit possible and in those later chapters I never found myself OP, but also bosses werent as long as 7's.
Bosses are also improved. From better dynamic intros, to the reintroduction of QTEs, to some great flourishes in fights like proper tactics and some glorious fan service in one particular boss battle(s). Its not quite where I want it for the fusion of brawler and RPG, but its getting close.
And saving the best for last, the MVP of the game combat wise - Kiryu. Honestly if anything this proves that brawler can be done in a slightly more traditional, deeper way, retaining the feel of the older games while also embracing turn based combat. Kiryu's stances work so darn well, and are so deep - including heat moves, exclusive counters, exclusive weapon grabs for beast, and a ton of special moves that harken back to his brawler days... Im just legit amazed at how RGGS got it all to work without it feeling silly or diminished. I said it before, but Kiwami 3 could totally be turn based with this sort of effort put into the combat. I really hope we see more DOD levels of depth put into future characters.
So yeah, even if your like "ew turn based", 8 still should be tried, its amazing. And seriously, brawlers aint going anywhere lol.
I know some complain about the bloat of the game. Well to no surprise I love it the way as is. I also love Yakuza 5 the way it is, so consider that!
So all in all... I loved it. Big shocker there right? Plot was both a little wonky, but still delivered. I still love Ichiban's style and personality, he elevates his section where a lesser character would have tanked it. Kiryu proved that while he probably should have retired after 5, he's still welcome when the plot calls for it because he can still bring it.
And now I try and get the rest of the 12 months of games I have finished in just over 6 because this game went way over time for me! And I still have some post game/completion stuff to do.
Oh, and also roll on Yakuza 9.
www.segashop.co.uk
www.famitsu.com
