I say this every game, but man, Yakuza 6 is on point with its side quests. Just full-on adaptations of different manga plot tropes. And I am thrilled to make Kiryu accept them, every time.
I'm very torn. On the one hand I could play Lost Judgment today.
On the other hand I kinda want to wait until that October DLC drops since part of it is a boxing fighting style. Also the other stuff in it sounds neat.
Bad news is, this is one of the slowest-starting Yakuza games I've played, I think. The first real case is actively stupid and bad and written on par with an especially lazy 90s after-school special
But once you get past that it INSTANTLY gets great, like literally immediately, it's wild
Bad news is, this is one of the slowest-starting Yakuza games I've played, I think. The first real case is actively stupid and bad and written on par with an especially lazy 90s after-school special
But once you get past that it INSTANTLY gets great, like literally immediately, it's wild
Rob Zacny was describing the opening on Waypoint and I kind of couldn't believe what I was hearing
Bad news is, this is one of the slowest-starting Yakuza games I've played, I think. The first real case is actively stupid and bad and written on par with an especially lazy 90s after-school special
But once you get past that it INSTANTLY gets great, like literally immediately, it's wild
Rob Zacny was describing the opening on Waypoint and I kind of couldn't believe what I was hearing
If anything he undersold it
I thought there would be a wink or a nudge or some ironic, "Isn't it funny we're doing this?" implications, but it is AWKWARDLY earnest
I completely love them even as I recognize that they are probably objectively bad
I'm finding the game to be a REAL uneven mess, even by Yakuza standards, but being able to zoom through the city is novel enough that I'm still having a blast
I'm having really mixed feelings on the School Stories in Lost Judgment.
On the one hand, I see what they were aiming for - finding a unifying thematic device for a bunch of side stories that revolve around mini-games. Instead of having a disco club storyline out in the world that you have to go out and stumble into, this is giving people a more signposted "Here Be Side Stories" thing. And I think that's a smart idea!
But the thing is, I'm just not sure I want to spend this much time in a high school, or at least not in this way. If they had multiple protagonists a la Yakuza 4/5, where I got to play the teen detective who heads the mystery club? I could be into that! But after the really-very-good noir story of Judgment, having so very much of this game feel like Degrassi: Nights or something is... Weird.
I even like a lot of the storytelling in the school stuff kind of on its own - I feel like I can already see the shapes of most of them, but they're executed well. It's just... Weird that Yagami is hanging around teenagers for SO goddamn much of the game. I can't fully get on board with it, but maybe I'll settle into it.
That said, the mini-games in it are pretty fun, by and large. The dance club is a barely-reskinned take on the karaoke rhythm game, so it's obviously great and the various dance moves/outfits are pleasingly unhinged. The Robot Rally is surprisingly robust and exciting, and I've been doing a LOT of it just for fun. The boxing mechanics took a little bit for me to wrap my head around (putting a weird alternate fighting system inside of your game with a fighting system is... an odd choice), but now I'm digging it and I've had some satisfyingly tense bouts.
The skateboarding competitions are very stupid, but are at least also very easy. The eSports club seems like it's just gonna be a bunch of playing Virtua Fighter, which is kinda funny.
Anyway, yeah. This is a really strange one. I'm gonna stick with it because it's a Yakuza and I want one of those right now, but after the stellar one-two punch of Judgment and Yakuza 7, this one feels less... Essential. And just a terrible onboarding point, a definite "uh, make sure you like these games already" deal. It makes what I'd probably say is the worst first impression in the whole series.
Oh also, it's genuinely very funny how many of these stories have Yagami trying to prevent bullying and how many of them require him to beat the absolute piss out of the teenagers he is ostensibly protecting
Oh also, it's genuinely very funny how many of these stories have Yagami trying to prevent bullying and how many of them require him to beat the absolute piss out of the teenagers he is ostensibly protecting
Its extremely funny that you unlock Snake style the first time you fight some teens, it seems like "Here is your designated kid punching style"
Snake seems like visually the coolest style, but I'm not sure of its particular use case. Against weapon guys, I guess?
I mean, or whenever you want to I guess, I'm just not sure yet when you need it
It's REAL handy for disarming people, yeah. And doing so in such a way that the weapon is left behind, and then you can pick it up and use it.
The one I'm struggling to find a usecase for is Crane. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a very funny style, and his reliance on his kicky little feet is pleasantly reminiscent of Akiyama, but I find the style to move slower and hit softer than Snake, but maybe I just need to unlock the right moves or something.
Robotics Club spoilers, maybe? A theory, more than anything else, but I'll hide it just in case.
Thinking about Akiyama has maybe helped me get further ahead of the Robotics Club story. I already have a theory on who the Robot Thief is (seems like it's gonna be the teacher advisor), but there's this Big Mystery about where the club gets its money. The official story is that they "found a sponsor in a shopping district in Tokyo," and I am now prepared to put some money down that Akiyama did his thing.
I also feel the fool for not seeing it sooner, but c'est la vie.
Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
I took my PS5 to work today to play during the teacher plan day and let me tell you, this whole high school part is way better when you are in a high school with a bunch of teachers all laughing and commenting on what is happening.
Johnny ChopsockyScootaloo! We have to cook!Grillin' HaysenburgersRegistered Userregular
My main concern about picking up Lost Judgement (besides my ever increasing infinite backlog) is this single question: is there anything in it that's as annoying and derailing as the Keihin Gang takeovers from the first Judgment?
My main concern about picking up Lost Judgement (besides my ever increasing infinite backlog) is this single question: is there anything in it that's as annoying and derailing as the Keihin Gang takeovers from the first Judgment?
So far, not even remotely
Also the DEEPLY annoying "serious wounds from deadly weapons" shit is gone too
My main concern about picking up Lost Judgement (besides my ever increasing infinite backlog) is this single question: is there anything in it that's as annoying and derailing as the Keihin Gang takeovers from the first Judgment?
So far, not even remotely
Also the DEEPLY annoying "serious wounds from deadly weapons" shit is gone too
Thank fucking god
FFXIV: Agran Trask
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Librarian's ghostLibrarian, Ghostbuster, and TimSporkRegistered Userregular
I’m enjoying this high school stuff but then I’m a high school teacher and beating up asshole teens has some minor appeal.
I'm wondering if this is their attempt to "soften" Yagami in the long term, the way Kiryu had his orphanage as an anchor for his soft side
If the franchise split at the Y7/Judgment juncture, and Judgment picked up the old-school mantle, did they need Yagami to have HIS, "Here's how you can cleanly see the big heart of the lead" thing?
I'm so fascinated at what motivated this shift. A solid 50% of why I'm sticking with this is, "Why was this the move?"
Not having played the game yet it does sound kinda odd seeing as how many of the trappings of film noir the first game leaned into.
A big-hearted protagonist who loves children isn't exactly what I'd expect from that genre.
Not that it matters to me. They could put Yagami into literally any situation and I'd play the game just because it's another Yakuza game.
It's interesting. Part of what I loved most about Judgment was that it took a lot of my favorite Yakuza bits and carried them into a noir story that was REALLY compelling
Lost Judgment has kept all the Yakuza bullshit I dig, but seems to be shedding the unique spice that made Judgment so special
So it's weird - it's not giving me anything I hate, and is giving me a lot of what I love, but it feels like it's taking away the secret sauce that differentiated Judgment from Yakuza
And maybe that's okay?
Man, it's been a MINUTE so I've been so uncertain about my own feelings towards a game
This stupid VR game seems to give out... a lot of money
The play passes are harder to come by than in the first Judgment, which I think is how they're balancing it, but yeah. I played it twice and netted like 800k, it's absurd
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Luckily for me I'm definitely not starting until sometime in October because Tales of Arise takes precedence for me... so this may just work out!
I both agree with this AND think that Yagami is the more interesting of the two
Probably going to wait for all the dlc and a price drop now.
As for playable characters, if they want to stick to a more light and athletic combat style they could make Sugiura playable. I thought he was cool.
I don't disagree, I think Yagami's story has a lot of good hooks. But Yagami, the man? No, away, ya borin me
Pretty much. Sometimes having a curmudgeon as a protagonist is fun.
PS4: https://store.playstation.com/ja-jp/product/JP0177-CUSA29955_00-LOSTJUDGMENTDEMO/
PS5: https://store.playstation.com/ja-jp/product/JP0177-PPSA04967_00-LOSTJUDGMENTDEMO/
Oh I'm already planning my apologies for my fogginess tomorrow morning
On the other hand I kinda want to wait until that October DLC drops since part of it is a boxing fighting style. Also the other stuff in it sounds neat.
Why you gotta do this to me RGG Studio?
At the speed I'm going I won't finish Arise until early next month anyway.
So might as well wait for the DLC.
I'm in the same spot. Then I can through in Deathloop as a shorter palate cleanser between long games.
But once you get past that it INSTANTLY gets great, like literally immediately, it's wild
Rob Zacny was describing the opening on Waypoint and I kind of couldn't believe what I was hearing
If anything he undersold it
I thought there would be a wink or a nudge or some ironic, "Isn't it funny we're doing this?" implications, but it is AWKWARDLY earnest
I completely love them even as I recognize that they are probably objectively bad
I'm finding the game to be a REAL uneven mess, even by Yakuza standards, but being able to zoom through the city is novel enough that I'm still having a blast
On the one hand, I see what they were aiming for - finding a unifying thematic device for a bunch of side stories that revolve around mini-games. Instead of having a disco club storyline out in the world that you have to go out and stumble into, this is giving people a more signposted "Here Be Side Stories" thing. And I think that's a smart idea!
But the thing is, I'm just not sure I want to spend this much time in a high school, or at least not in this way. If they had multiple protagonists a la Yakuza 4/5, where I got to play the teen detective who heads the mystery club? I could be into that! But after the really-very-good noir story of Judgment, having so very much of this game feel like Degrassi: Nights or something is... Weird.
I even like a lot of the storytelling in the school stuff kind of on its own - I feel like I can already see the shapes of most of them, but they're executed well. It's just... Weird that Yagami is hanging around teenagers for SO goddamn much of the game. I can't fully get on board with it, but maybe I'll settle into it.
That said, the mini-games in it are pretty fun, by and large. The dance club is a barely-reskinned take on the karaoke rhythm game, so it's obviously great and the various dance moves/outfits are pleasingly unhinged. The Robot Rally is surprisingly robust and exciting, and I've been doing a LOT of it just for fun. The boxing mechanics took a little bit for me to wrap my head around (putting a weird alternate fighting system inside of your game with a fighting system is... an odd choice), but now I'm digging it and I've had some satisfyingly tense bouts.
The skateboarding competitions are very stupid, but are at least also very easy. The eSports club seems like it's just gonna be a bunch of playing Virtua Fighter, which is kinda funny.
Anyway, yeah. This is a really strange one. I'm gonna stick with it because it's a Yakuza and I want one of those right now, but after the stellar one-two punch of Judgment and Yakuza 7, this one feels less... Essential. And just a terrible onboarding point, a definite "uh, make sure you like these games already" deal. It makes what I'd probably say is the worst first impression in the whole series.
Oh also, it's genuinely very funny how many of these stories have Yagami trying to prevent bullying and how many of them require him to beat the absolute piss out of the teenagers he is ostensibly protecting
Its extremely funny that you unlock Snake style the first time you fight some teens, it seems like "Here is your designated kid punching style"
I mean, or whenever you want to I guess, I'm just not sure yet when you need it
It's REAL handy for disarming people, yeah. And doing so in such a way that the weapon is left behind, and then you can pick it up and use it.
The one I'm struggling to find a usecase for is Crane. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a very funny style, and his reliance on his kicky little feet is pleasantly reminiscent of Akiyama, but I find the style to move slower and hit softer than Snake, but maybe I just need to unlock the right moves or something.
Robotics Club spoilers, maybe? A theory, more than anything else, but I'll hide it just in case.
I also feel the fool for not seeing it sooner, but c'est la vie.
Do I not have an actual crime to look into?
Steam ID XBL: JohnnyChopsocky PSN:Stud_Beefpile WiiU:JohnnyChopsocky
So far, not even remotely
Also the DEEPLY annoying "serious wounds from deadly weapons" shit is gone too
Thank fucking god
I'm slowly coming around on it, but it's SUCH a weird pivot that I will thoroughly and completely understand anybody who bounces off it
Oh yeah totally. I am super biased.
If the franchise split at the Y7/Judgment juncture, and Judgment picked up the old-school mantle, did they need Yagami to have HIS, "Here's how you can cleanly see the big heart of the lead" thing?
I'm so fascinated at what motivated this shift. A solid 50% of why I'm sticking with this is, "Why was this the move?"
A big-hearted protagonist who loves children isn't exactly what I'd expect from that genre.
Not that it matters to me. They could put Yagami into literally any situation and I'd play the game just because it's another Yakuza game.
It's interesting. Part of what I loved most about Judgment was that it took a lot of my favorite Yakuza bits and carried them into a noir story that was REALLY compelling
Lost Judgment has kept all the Yakuza bullshit I dig, but seems to be shedding the unique spice that made Judgment so special
So it's weird - it's not giving me anything I hate, and is giving me a lot of what I love, but it feels like it's taking away the secret sauce that differentiated Judgment from Yakuza
And maybe that's okay?
Man, it's been a MINUTE so I've been so uncertain about my own feelings towards a game
The play passes are harder to come by than in the first Judgment, which I think is how they're balancing it, but yeah. I played it twice and netted like 800k, it's absurd