I thought I'd get a turn-based JRPG with funny combat skills, but instead, I found a well-written crime drama with memorable characters. (Yakuza: Like a Dragon)

I went in expecting something different, but the story really surprised me.
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Unexpected surprises make games memorable! Enjoy the ride.

Cary said:
Unexpected surprises make games memorable! Enjoy the ride.

I don’t think they make a game that is more unexpected than the Yakuza series.

Jordan said:

Cary said:
Unexpected surprises make games memorable! Enjoy the ride.

I don’t think they make a game that is more unexpected than the Yakuza series.

The randomness and weirdness is pretty much impossible to top without losing the sincerity Yakuza has. It swings between dramatic and whacky, yet feels natural and charming. That’s the most impressive part.

Cary said:
Unexpected surprises make games memorable! Enjoy the ride.

Didn’t the menu item at the bottom left “Etc.” have a different name at first, like “More,” until someone on Twitter pointed out that if they name it “Etc.” the menu’s big letters would spell SEGA? I really like this trivia. They were probably facepalming on the localization team for not thinking of it first.

I don’t know if I like this game more than 5, but its story really is top-notch.

Hadi said:
I don’t know if I like this game more than 5, but its story really is top-notch.

The story was great, but grinding got a bit dull.

Bell said:

Hadi said:
I don’t know if I like this game more than 5, but its story really is top-notch.

The story was great, but grinding got a bit dull.

Yeah, forcing the player to stop and grind in Chapter 10 was a bad choice. That tower dungeon was such a slog. At least it gave good items. OTOH, then they overcorrected in LAD8, and it’s incredibly easy to over-level if you do the side dungeons.

@Jensen
Yeah, that part was dumb. Going from level 40 trash to a level 50 boss suddenly was not a great choice. You have to reload an old save and grind for ages at an arena, beating up the same few enemies again and again. Luckily it didn’t take too long, but still.

@Mal
I mean, yes, it’s bad for those who skip activities when they become available. But it’s just one arena run with tons of XP, and you’re ready for the fight then. It’s really just people skipping that one bit.

Hadi said:
I don’t know if I like this game more than 5, but its story really is top-notch.

Damn, it’s not often I see people mention 5 as their favorite. Can’t say I don’t get it though, the story was good as always, and I really enjoyed playing as all the different characters with their own minigames. I’d probably go with 0 or Kiwami 2 as my favorite. 6 was really good too, but I was a bit burned out on Yakuza by then, so it didn’t hit as hard as I felt it could have.

@Clove
0 and LADIW are my favorites, with 5 and Kiwami 2 close behind. Strangely, I wasn’t a fan of the first LAD.

Adair said:
@Clove
0 and LADIW are my favorites, with 5 and Kiwami 2 close behind. Strangely, I wasn’t a fan of the first LAD.

I haven’t played Infinite Wealth yet. I have other games to play, so I’m waiting for a down period where I can really take my time with it. I’ve made the mistake before of buying a big game while other releases I’m interested in are close by. I usually end up dropping it to play something else, and it can take years to get back to it.

@Clove
Made the mistake before? You talk like you don’t buy every big game the moment it comes out despite your backlog, play it for an hour, jump back into other games, and forget about it for months, then get mad because now the game is 70% off.

@Adair
Lmao, I do that, but with a lot of older games as well, so new releases sometimes have to wait.

One of my favorite games ever, followed by the sequel. You’re in for another journey, get ready!

Teo said:
One of my favorite games ever, followed by the sequel. You’re in for another journey, get ready!

The Man Who Erased His Name was good too.

Whitney said:

Teo said:
One of my favorite games ever, followed by the sequel. You’re in for another journey, get ready!

The Man Who Erased His Name was good too.

All Yakuza/Like A Dragon games are good. Even the bad ones.

@Clove
Some Yakuza games just need a Kiwami more than others. 3 really needs a Kiwami where the AI knows another input besides block.

I love when Yakuza games have those crime/mafia side stories.