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Yakuza Community |OT| Complete Global Saturation
- Thread starter Son of Sparda
- Start date
I kind of want to go for the Platinum Trophy on this one, but it's stuff like this, and particularly seeing that there are three Mahjong parlours this time around that holds me back. I've never done a Yakuza Platinum because I always lose steam after like seventy hours, but I kind of feel like I have a shot with Judge Eyes because I quite enjoy all the side content so far and it seems like one of the less grindy Trophy Lists. So far I'm at about 50% overall completion with 35 hours on the clock. And I've already finished all the Batting Centre challenges, which I've never done in a Yakuza before :P
I think I'll just chip away at it and work it out as I go. Looking through the completion checklist I don't see anything that looks too bad, but I suppose I won't know until I actually start some of those tasks. I could see getting all the Drone parts turning into a huge time sink.
Judge Eyes trophy list/100% challenge is not for the faint of heart. I've been talking to some people about it and alongside the stuff mentioned above, it has a deeper focus on Shogi challenges (I posted vids on a previous page for those solutions), beating Dural in VF5, beating all rivals in Puyo Puyo, beating all races in the Drone racing (which is tough in itself) etc. Sounds like one of the hardest lists since 3 to be honest, seeing as most challenges in the series have been tame by comparison for years now.
I forgot about the arcade games. Yeah, maybe I'll just settle for finishing off all the Side Cases and Friend Events like I usually do :P
The one that cost 10k coins. Getting all of those tickets allows you to play VR infinitely.
The completion list is just as unbalanced as I'd expect. Some of this stuff is really easy (2 mil points in Space Harrier? I'd have a hard time getting under that score when having a bad run at the game and a good run should net me way more!) while others are considerably harder like Puyo. Ah Yakuza, never change! On the bright side the trophy list bar the 100% completion one is a push over from what I can see.
Sometimes I don't understand why the things that are less fun and less appealing have harder challenges. In Yakuza 0 I wouldn't mind grinding at Karaoke to get a great score, but I completed all the challenges first try, whereas Baseball, on the other hand, I don't think I'll be completing that challenge. :(
I imagine the games are so content packed and have such short deadlines, ensuring everything works takes priority over challenge balance.
I imagine the games are so content packed and have such short deadlines, ensuring everything works takes priority over challenge balance.
Baseball in Zero is the reason I don't have the CP List done.
Baseball on Judge Eyes is laughably easy though. You get a bat and gloves from a friend event which make it a joke.
Baseball difficulty is so hilariously inconsistent throughout the series. I swear it goes up and down with every release. 1 had that blasted Haruka challenge so it was easier in 2. Then 3 comes along with the EX Hard cages... 4 I forget (lets say its easier), 5 then had those stupid Maths cages but also Shinada's stuff. 0... kinda sideways as its hard but not super hard? 6 was easier since it uses Shinada's mechanics but its also got a pretty deep set of Baseball sim requirements. Kiwami 2 has you grinding more than anything to get those special moves. Not sure about Judge Eyes yet.
That's not counting Kenzan (melon slicing) and Ishin (cannonball slicing!) and both Kurohyou requirements (hit perfect games).
Most mini games tend to stick on one difficulty level I find, or get easier (pool got easier over the series) but batting was always hit or miss (sorry!)
That's not counting Kenzan (melon slicing) and Ishin (cannonball slicing!) and both Kurohyou requirements (hit perfect games).
Most mini games tend to stick on one difficulty level I find, or get easier (pool got easier over the series) but batting was always hit or miss (sorry!)
I can't remember where I read it ( I think it was an EDGE interview??) but it was confirmed that the Yakuza 0 team worked on Judge Eyes. And yeah, its certainly possible tbh.
My shogi solution was to play a computer program on the highest difficulty, do the CPU's moves, and react with whatever the AI on the computer did.
I wondered if that would work, I've not used a PC program myself for Shogi, but that certainly seems like a good idea as well. Thanks :)
Anyway, out of interest I read up on the first 12 chapters worth of Yakuza Online story via the excellent Dragon of Dojima Girl:
https://dojimasdragongirl.wordpress.com
So, while the plot is a bit basic and familiar to Yakuza 1 in spots, there is some stuff I quite like here, especially if its fleshed out in the console version (depending on just how close they stick to the mobile game):
So Ichiban's attitude is punch first and figure a plan out later. Unlike Kiryu who only fights when he sees no other option. Ichiban is really brutal as well (more on that later)
Ichiban's main cast seems pretty familiar. You have the expelled Yakuza (Ichi), his Shinji type character (Mitsu), token girl looking for revenge (Mayumi) and the detective (Kitamura)
The biggest difference is Ichiban himself. Basically he's the opposite of Kiryu. Kiryu was a legend within the Tojo, however Ichiban is anything but. He takes the rap for a crime he didn't commit because he has fierce respect for his boss Arakawa (think Kazama). Only different here is that Arakawa doesn't treat Ichiban like a son, but a tool to be discarded. He stabs Ichiban in the back early in Online's plot however Ichiban believes there is some doubt in his actions (oh boy, deathbed redemption here we come).
So Kamurocho? After the events of Yakuza 6 basically the police had gotten so sick of the Yakuza that they decided to drive them out completely - not only by getting rid of dumbass Daigo by arresting him AGAIN but also shutting down any shop/business establishment that worked with the Yakuza/received protection from the Yakuza. The Omi saw the opportunity and bribed the cops and snuck into Tokyo and have been working with the police ever since.
The rest of the Tojo were scattered after Daigo got screwed over, no word what happened to Majima/Saejima (lets assume prison for Saejima!) and the mysterious "X" has tasked Ichiban with clearing out the Omi. His friends want the same goal so that's the basic plot of the game.
So at the moment Ichiban is targeting the "big four of Omi" - 4 leaders that control part of Kamurocho. If they can take them out, they can close in on Arakawa and chase the Omi back to Osaka (where they have their main stronghold).
The key plot point for the first of the 4 kings is that he was the one responsible for doing in Mayumi's parent/grand parent. And unlike Kiryu, Ichiban basically beats the guy to death, only stopping when Mayumi begs him to stop. Its a level of brutality you basically never see from the DoD outside of Shibusawa and a couple of other rare points.
That's basically all that's been revealed so far, however there's questions over just how much of this will be used for a console game. Personally speaking, I hope quite a bit of it in structure at least - I love the friends now foes aspect (I'm a sucker for that) as well as the big 4 bosses you have to take down, that should lead to some cool plot and set pieces. Plus I really do already quite like the dynamic between Arakawa and Ichiban, its a different one to Kiryu and Kazama and should lead to a great encounter near the end of the game if handled well.
Then you have the other question - Just who the heck is the person helping/using Ichiban to drive out the Omi? Assuming its an old returning character I'd bet its one of: Daigo, Date, Florist, or even possibly Kiryu. Can't wait to find out more as more chapters are released.
Ichiban's main cast seems pretty familiar. You have the expelled Yakuza (Ichi), his Shinji type character (Mitsu), token girl looking for revenge (Mayumi) and the detective (Kitamura)
The biggest difference is Ichiban himself. Basically he's the opposite of Kiryu. Kiryu was a legend within the Tojo, however Ichiban is anything but. He takes the rap for a crime he didn't commit because he has fierce respect for his boss Arakawa (think Kazama). Only different here is that Arakawa doesn't treat Ichiban like a son, but a tool to be discarded. He stabs Ichiban in the back early in Online's plot however Ichiban believes there is some doubt in his actions (oh boy, deathbed redemption here we come).
So Kamurocho? After the events of Yakuza 6 basically the police had gotten so sick of the Yakuza that they decided to drive them out completely - not only by getting rid of dumbass Daigo by arresting him AGAIN but also shutting down any shop/business establishment that worked with the Yakuza/received protection from the Yakuza. The Omi saw the opportunity and bribed the cops and snuck into Tokyo and have been working with the police ever since.
The rest of the Tojo were scattered after Daigo got screwed over, no word what happened to Majima/Saejima (lets assume prison for Saejima!) and the mysterious "X" has tasked Ichiban with clearing out the Omi. His friends want the same goal so that's the basic plot of the game.
So at the moment Ichiban is targeting the "big four of Omi" - 4 leaders that control part of Kamurocho. If they can take them out, they can close in on Arakawa and chase the Omi back to Osaka (where they have their main stronghold).
The key plot point for the first of the 4 kings is that he was the one responsible for doing in Mayumi's parent/grand parent. And unlike Kiryu, Ichiban basically beats the guy to death, only stopping when Mayumi begs him to stop. Its a level of brutality you basically never see from the DoD outside of Shibusawa and a couple of other rare points.
That's basically all that's been revealed so far, however there's questions over just how much of this will be used for a console game. Personally speaking, I hope quite a bit of it in structure at least - I love the friends now foes aspect (I'm a sucker for that) as well as the big 4 bosses you have to take down, that should lead to some cool plot and set pieces. Plus I really do already quite like the dynamic between Arakawa and Ichiban, its a different one to Kiryu and Kazama and should lead to a great encounter near the end of the game if handled well.
Then you have the other question - Just who the heck is the person helping/using Ichiban to drive out the Omi? Assuming its an old returning character I'd bet its one of: Daigo, Date, Florist, or even possibly Kiryu. Can't wait to find out more as more chapters are released.
You guys I love Judge Eyes so much! I just finished Chapter 5, which was almost all investigation and and courtroom action, and I'm just on top of the world here. They've established such a wonderful cast of characters, and the story has me enthralled. It really does feel like a courtroom drama, with each chapter being its own episode, and RGG Studio are absolutely nailing all the fun tropes that you can cheer along with. "Don't make me come back with a warrant!" and "OBJECTION! Leading the witness!" and even some cheeky little flashback episodes.
One of my favourite things about the Yakuza series has always been the writers' command of characterization, and how they can take practically any idea and turn it into your next favourite character. Think Majima's intro in Yakuza 0, or any of the first chapter vignettes of the new playable characters in 4 and 5; one 'episode' and you're already hooked. To use the TV show analogy again, Judge Eyes has already established a full cast of regulars, and there honestly isn't a loser in the bunch. Every new face that pops up, friend or foe, present day or spectre from Yagami's past, is just so well-realized, with their own unique voice and just spot-on characterization. I love it.
One of my favourite things about the Yakuza series has always been the writers' command of characterization, and how they can take practically any idea and turn it into your next favourite character. Think Majima's intro in Yakuza 0, or any of the first chapter vignettes of the new playable characters in 4 and 5; one 'episode' and you're already hooked. To use the TV show analogy again, Judge Eyes has already established a full cast of regulars, and there honestly isn't a loser in the bunch. Every new face that pops up, friend or foe, present day or spectre from Yagami's past, is just so well-realized, with their own unique voice and just spot-on characterization. I love it.
That sounds ace. I can see where your coming from, while the stories of the Yakuza games get tropey (or just damn crazy at times) they almost always manage to create some awesome characters that you can't help warming to. Its one thing I feel they do better than any other dev out there, so when a death occurs, it usually hits hard. But also manages to get those epic moments where two characters show down against each other...
For example, Watase from Yakuza 5 - he's Omi and he's actually pretty evil in terms of his intentions. But that honor and respect he has for Kiryu lead me to really like his character basically ignoring that he's really not a good person. And speaking of the Omi, one thing for Online I found kinda interesting was that
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For example, Watase from Yakuza 5 - he's Omi and he's actually pretty evil in terms of his intentions. But that honor and respect he has for Kiryu lead me to really like his character basically ignoring that he's really not a good person. And speaking of the Omi, one thing for Online I found kinda interesting was that
While checking the story plot so far for it, I noticed that while they reference the main Omi HQ in Osaka and the 8th? chairman of the Omi, they purposely don't reveal just who runs the show now - remember that 5 leaves that vacancy wide open. I actually kinda hope its Watase leading them.
Just posting here to say thank god Kiwami was free on PS + so I gave this amazing series the chance it deserved. Glad to be a part of this community now!
How do I get Majima to actually show up at the Shine club in Kiwami? All I get is Rina every time I go there.
I had the same issue. Make sure there isn't a green icon summoning you for a grade up battle with Majima. There's also a few main story points where he won't show up until after condition met, that's where I got stuck. It's annoying because you can't do the other email challenge battles until that one, they have to be done in order
Yeah. Basically for Majima just make sure of the following:
You'v received the email that he is at the club
He's not hiding under a giant traffic cone (this was another rank up battle so I think you should have already completed this one. But if not he basically disappears completely until you find him. No random street battles or nothing)
He's not hanging out in the north east of the map (outside the public toilets) smoking. If he is, you can't do any Majima events that battle. Keep playing until he disappears.
You should in theory get messages to confirm when he is/isn't stalking you but they were always hit and miss for me.
You'v received the email that he is at the club
He's not hiding under a giant traffic cone (this was another rank up battle so I think you should have already completed this one. But if not he basically disappears completely until you find him. No random street battles or nothing)
He's not hanging out in the north east of the map (outside the public toilets) smoking. If he is, you can't do any Majima events that battle. Keep playing until he disappears.
You should in theory get messages to confirm when he is/isn't stalking you but they were always hit and miss for me.
900p. 1080p on the Pro. 6 has screen tearing on the base console as well which is eliminated when playing on the Pro.
Is K2 1080p?
edit: VGU this site claims it's 900p@30FPS, so apart from screen tearing 6 and kiwami 2 run at the same resolutions
Does Yakuza 6 have better side-content than Kiwami 2? Like how 0 was better than Kiwami in this stuff?
Yeah. All Dragon Engine games run at 900p on base consoles (I assume Judge Eyes oes as well). But thankfully the engine gets improved after 6 so screen tearing is no longer an issue.
Its 30FPS on all consoles. Hopefully PC ports emerge eventually with unlocked frame rates. I'd actually fix my PC when/if that happens.
Turns out I needed to find him hiding under the giant traffic cone.
I got the message that I can no longer feel a connection with Majima. When does he show back up?
I got the message that I can no longer feel a connection with Majima. When does he show back up?
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Progressing the main story will enable his appearances again. If he's chilling at the park in the top right corner of the map, that means you can't fight him anymore for the time being.
Another message will be sent when he's available. It'll probably be 2-3 chapters. And I just knew he was under the traffic cone. When people have these issues, its always the traffic cone!
Bought Kiwami 2 today and I am really feeling it, haven't touched Yakuza since the week 6 released and never played 2! Game is goooood and the dragon engine is so right for Yakuza. I feel like it runs better than 6, on pro? Or it's something else but I don't remeber 6 feeling this smooth to play.
Anyhow... What's next for Yakuza? Do we even know? The online game looks kind of meh / way too mobile for my taste.
Anyhow... What's next for Yakuza? Do we even know? The online game looks kind of meh / way too mobile for my taste.
Shin Ryu ga Gotoku is in production. We should get news later this year. Probably around TGS, though maybe sooner.
Mobile game is mobile ;) But yeah, the gacha element to it doesn't seem appealing at all. I've not played it at all, but I have read up on all the story released for it so far (roughly half the game I think) and it sounds pretty good. I hope Ichiban's console game uses it as a base and then fleshes it out further. I'd definitely enjoy that. Whatever Yakuza game is next will be announced in the Summer/TGS as per usual. We might get an announcement of the 3-5 ports at E3 but that's it.
And yeah, Kiwami 2 and Judge Eyes performance wise on both base and Pro improve over 6. 6 really was a case of somewhat rushing the game out for the new engine, and then Kiwami 2 an JE come along to add more content and refine the engine. So assuming they stick with this engine for a few more games, we may see something Yakuza 0 level in content in a few years time (though JE already sounds most of the way there). I doubt we'll ever see a Dragon Engine game with Yakuza 5's level of content though, that'd be an insane under taking.
Watched that earlier. Has some nice insight into Japan, and the game itself looks absolutely fantastic, especially when you realise that's just a chunk of the first chapter.
Not to mention murder on the localization team...plus an overstuffed story.
I was out for a while, so I couldn't play, but I finally finished Judge Eyes today. Non-spoiler impressions (in a spoiler tag, because some people don't want to read anything about it, actual "spoilerish" stuff is in nested spoiler tags):
Finished the game in 43 hours while completing almost all friends and side cases (63.8% total completion). I gave up in the end because some friend stuff required grinding, which I didn't feel like doing
. Because of that I just beelined the main story in the last ~3 chapters.
All in all I agree with some thoughts in the thread saying that most new features like tailing, chases etc. don't really work in the long run. They're fun 2-3 times and then become a chore, especially given how many times you have to tail someone for various side cases.
The story was really interesting until the middle, but some cool moments aside, the last 1/3 of the game was not that great. Also I hoped for more surprises. By the way, anyone expecting a Ace Attorney Kimtaku title should be aware that the game is definitely not that. The situations where you present evidence etc. are few and far between.
I also want to mention the acting. I really liked most characters, but couldn't stand Kimtaku. His bored/annoyed style of talking which barely changed no matter the situation made me really miss Kiryu.
Regarding the battle system, I think I preferred the few (0, 3, Isshin) Yakuza games I played. Having a clear split between the 1v1 and group styles is nice, but I feel like the combat doesn't flow that great until way late in the game when you upgrade combo speed. Even then, sometimes after an attack Yagami finish with a "cool" pose, which is really annoying. Speaking of combat, the "danger" system which appears fairly early in the game annoyed the hell out of me.
All the above said, I really enjoyed playing the game, since I think it's a solid title. Maybe if I played/finished more Yakuza games I'd have more complaints, but for someone relatively new to the series, I left more or less satisfied.
drone parts, casino chips
All in all I agree with some thoughts in the thread saying that most new features like tailing, chases etc. don't really work in the long run. They're fun 2-3 times and then become a chore, especially given how many times you have to tail someone for various side cases.
The story was really interesting until the middle, but some cool moments aside, the last 1/3 of the game was not that great. Also I hoped for more surprises. By the way, anyone expecting a Ace Attorney Kimtaku title should be aware that the game is definitely not that. The situations where you present evidence etc. are few and far between.
I also want to mention the acting. I really liked most characters, but couldn't stand Kimtaku. His bored/annoyed style of talking which barely changed no matter the situation made me really miss Kiryu.
Regarding the battle system, I think I preferred the few (0, 3, Isshin) Yakuza games I played. Having a clear split between the 1v1 and group styles is nice, but I feel like the combat doesn't flow that great until way late in the game when you upgrade combo speed. Even then, sometimes after an attack Yagami finish with a "cool" pose, which is really annoying. Speaking of combat, the "danger" system which appears fairly early in the game annoyed the hell out of me.
Having to defeat the same 1, 2, 3, 4 guys again and again or else someone starts chasing you every 15 seconds? No thanks. I'd much prefer if it happened once per a new leader and that's it.
Hi All,
I'm playing 0 right now (I've only played 4 and 5 before this, but it's been a while since I played those)
I'm loving the main story so keep bolting through it and I'm kind of negleting the sub stories. Is this going to be an issue or will there be a time later on where I can catch up on them all?
I'm playing 0 right now (I've only played 4 and 5 before this, but it's been a while since I played those)
I'm loving the main story so keep bolting through it and I'm kind of negleting the sub stories. Is this going to be an issue or will there be a time later on where I can catch up on them all?
Playing Virtua Fighter 2 in Kiwami 2 is hard. I have the feeling the controls aren't that good. Is it me?
Started Judge Eyes. Only done the various early bit of chapter 1 to the point where you get your first case. Gotta say, I see a few little improvements to the engine here and there - it again looks slightly better than Kiwami 2, and some new interiors here and there for pre existing places - like Kanrai you don't warp to the second floor upon entering anymore, you have stairs to climb. Just little things like that.
The demo was super generous with unlocks so I'm now just unlocking wall based moves again and they rock. Loving the music for the battle themes. Load times wise everything feels even snappier than before, basically non existent bar cutscenes once you start the game.
Also really loving some of the new heat moves. One shown in the menu involves a fish tank and... well I won't spoil it but it beats the microwave for insane pain!
Honestly, I had no problems. Seemed perfectly responsive for me. If you want to cheese VF2 just use Jeff and use his butt slam attack (I forget the exact input, its something like forwards + punch&kick together. I think you can mash it out just by pressing forward + one of the shoulder buttons (which have various button combo's tied to the buttons as shortcuts). Basically that one move hilariously brakes the AI making them either not block it, or block and get pushed back. Easy ring outs for all opponents.
The demo was super generous with unlocks so I'm now just unlocking wall based moves again and they rock. Loving the music for the battle themes. Load times wise everything feels even snappier than before, basically non existent bar cutscenes once you start the game.
Also really loving some of the new heat moves. One shown in the menu involves a fish tank and... well I won't spoil it but it beats the microwave for insane pain!
Side stories don't expire. And can be done post game via the Premium Adventure mode. Just take the game at your own pace and enjoy. Only missable things are a few chapter based trophies if you care about that sort of thing.
Honestly, I had no problems. Seemed perfectly responsive for me. If you want to cheese VF2 just use Jeff and use his butt slam attack (I forget the exact input, its something like forwards + punch&kick together. I think you can mash it out just by pressing forward + one of the shoulder buttons (which have various button combo's tied to the buttons as shortcuts). Basically that one move hilariously brakes the AI making them either not block it, or block and get pushed back. Easy ring outs for all opponents.
Oh a friend of mine said that the Ichiban game turned out to be mobile and not console but glad to hear a console game is also planned.
Judge eyes looks pretty cool as well, same yet different enough to be something new.
Are the 3-5 ports confirmed to come west?
Ichiban had two games confirmed from the outset in 2017 - the mobile game and the console game. I forget the reason for the mobile game (it was either to attract new fans or try and suck money out of peoples wallets with Gacha stuff, I'd believe either!) but I've always been more interested in the console game. I kinda hoped we'd have heard more about it last year but they shock announced Judge Eyes instead. Both games though are supposed to follow a similar story to a degree (this was mentioned again in interviews throughout last year, though its unclear at which point that the stories will deviate).
And no. No word on the remasters coming out in English yet. Maybe we get news later in the year? 4's remaster is out in just under 2 weeks now in Asia (I hope for a demo to be released next week as we tend to get with RGG games) and then we should hopefully get some news on when 5 is getting released in Asia. Maybe once they are all out we'll get news of English releases.
And no. No word on the remasters coming out in English yet. Maybe we get news later in the year? 4's remaster is out in just under 2 weeks now in Asia (I hope for a demo to be released next week as we tend to get with RGG games) and then we should hopefully get some news on when 5 is getting released in Asia. Maybe once they are all out we'll get news of English releases.
Kiwami beaten. I don't think the Kiwami heat moves for bosses were very good, and the Majima stuff felt super grindy.
So, picked back up from my chapter 4 save in Kiwami 2. The combat feels.. pretty poor coming from 0 and Kiwami. I miss rush style really bad.
So, finished the first chapter on Judge Eyes. 8 hours... and that was with me mainly just focusing on the story. Yeah. This game is going to take me quite a long time to finish if each chapter is packed with content like this!
So the first chapter introduces is preceded by a short prologue chapter that introduces Yagami and most of the other main characters and acts essentially as a tutorial to basic combat and investigation aspects. Then its into the first chapter...
The chapter focuses around one particular murder case and most of it involves a mix of gathering evidence in order to strengthen your case (sorta like a more free roam Phoenix Wright - its linear so you gotta go to all the plot points and get all the evidence) but there is one set piece about half? way through the chapter where you get the option of storming a building by force, by stealth? (I think that was an option) or using a disguise. Naturally I took the disguise route as that sounded like the most fun option - its a mix of lockpicks, finding more evidence and then when inevitably your disguise fails, good old fashioned brawling - this particular set piece I really enjoyed as you scout out the entire building via drone first before you make the choice as to how you enter, so you get a brief idea of the layout of it. Again, its linear so its not as if its hard to navigate, but I liked the extra layer of immersion.
Combat wise the set pieces have some brilliant cinematics, QTEs and EX actions you can use (and Kaito rocks as a buddy to fight beside). Difficulty wise it feels at least a notch above the last couple of Yakuza games, because EX moves aren't doing insane damage so that's nice. I like the more underpowered nature of Yagami, helps makes the longer fights last and feel more epic when you take out a boss.
There's also loads of side stuff to do which I've basically not touched yet (so really, most of the 8 hours is me doing the story) but you have friend events which mainly just require you to shop/eat at places and get to know the owners/workers and you eventually earn perks/new EX moves.
Mini game wise I've mainly just been focusing on Puyo Puyo - it had a challenge to beat all 10 rivals (required for the 100% trophy) so of course that basically means you need to win 30 consecutive times in the game. That took a few tries but I nailed it down in the end! While 90% of the trophy list is really straight forward the 100% requirement is basically what happens if you take the sheer number of requirements of Yakuza 6, then make all of them required for the trophy, not just some of them. Great for me who enjoys this stuff loads, not so good for anyone wanting an easy plat like 6 ;)
So in terms of opening chapters. This is right up there with 0 - maybe even better as stuff opens up faster and there is just so much to do. This is the kind of thing that could be sold as an episodic game (or just its own game outright) and you'd still have more content than many other games I've played. And I've still got like another dozen to clear!
Story wise the cinematics are fantastic and as expected characters are brilliant. And the chapter ends on a nice cliffhangar hook for the story to branch out further. Can't wait to play more :)
So the first chapter introduces is preceded by a short prologue chapter that introduces Yagami and most of the other main characters and acts essentially as a tutorial to basic combat and investigation aspects. Then its into the first chapter...
The chapter focuses around one particular murder case and most of it involves a mix of gathering evidence in order to strengthen your case (sorta like a more free roam Phoenix Wright - its linear so you gotta go to all the plot points and get all the evidence) but there is one set piece about half? way through the chapter where you get the option of storming a building by force, by stealth? (I think that was an option) or using a disguise. Naturally I took the disguise route as that sounded like the most fun option - its a mix of lockpicks, finding more evidence and then when inevitably your disguise fails, good old fashioned brawling - this particular set piece I really enjoyed as you scout out the entire building via drone first before you make the choice as to how you enter, so you get a brief idea of the layout of it. Again, its linear so its not as if its hard to navigate, but I liked the extra layer of immersion.
Combat wise the set pieces have some brilliant cinematics, QTEs and EX actions you can use (and Kaito rocks as a buddy to fight beside). Difficulty wise it feels at least a notch above the last couple of Yakuza games, because EX moves aren't doing insane damage so that's nice. I like the more underpowered nature of Yagami, helps makes the longer fights last and feel more epic when you take out a boss.
There's also loads of side stuff to do which I've basically not touched yet (so really, most of the 8 hours is me doing the story) but you have friend events which mainly just require you to shop/eat at places and get to know the owners/workers and you eventually earn perks/new EX moves.
Mini game wise I've mainly just been focusing on Puyo Puyo - it had a challenge to beat all 10 rivals (required for the 100% trophy) so of course that basically means you need to win 30 consecutive times in the game. That took a few tries but I nailed it down in the end! While 90% of the trophy list is really straight forward the 100% requirement is basically what happens if you take the sheer number of requirements of Yakuza 6, then make all of them required for the trophy, not just some of them. Great for me who enjoys this stuff loads, not so good for anyone wanting an easy plat like 6 ;)
So in terms of opening chapters. This is right up there with 0 - maybe even better as stuff opens up faster and there is just so much to do. This is the kind of thing that could be sold as an episodic game (or just its own game outright) and you'd still have more content than many other games I've played. And I've still got like another dozen to clear!
Story wise the cinematics are fantastic and as expected characters are brilliant. And the chapter ends on a nice cliffhangar hook for the story to branch out further. Can't wait to play more :)