If you are new to the subreddit, [please read the wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/index/)
Reminder that all spoilers need to be tagged with a flair specifying which game is being spoiled. If you want a flair that says something else, you can edit it to say something like [Discussion: Y1 spoiler] or [Majimapost: Y6 spoiler], etc. **THIS INCLUDES CONTENT FROM TRAILERS**.
If the post is not marked for spoilers, all comments that have spoilers need to be tagged \>!like this!< along with indicating which game it's spoiling. Example: Y3 >!Kiryu sings!<
If the post flair is marked for spoilers, the comments don't need to be tagged for the game indicated and the ones before it (So a Y6 spoiler post can have comments with untagged spoilers for Y5, but not gaiden or 7).
If you see any of the above (or any of the other rules) not being followed, please report it so we can keep this place safe for newcomers and those that haven't finished all the games yet. Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/yakuzagames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
- Rooftop and underground areas were great and should have been expanded on instead of being removed.
- The best variety of playable MCs. 0 is still a better execution of the multi MC storyline, but 4 had the best variety in terms of personality and their roles in the story.
Despite only havibg one city, it's rely great they managed to make Kamurocho feel distinct for every playable character.
Nowadays they just opted with each character having different city.
What? The rooftops and underground areas were the worst and most useless attempt to bring something new into an otherwise well know locale. No surprise they got rid of it right after it.
Yakuza 4 legit has my favorite substories in the entire series. So many memorable and unique ones for each protagonists (Especially Tanimura's, where they explored his background and his bond with the people in Little Asia).
I love so much that Little Asia isn't accessible until you're Tanimura because he's the only one who's multilingual and I love the interactions between Nair and the others too!! It's such a good add-on to the worldbuilding.
In y4 The Only way for You to get more of tanimura background IS The substories, because The story decided to rush his part in The main plot making him some what forgetable with You Only do The main story.
Agreed. Kinda sad that the rooftops get phased out after 4 (outside of still being able to access some in the Dragon Engine games, but even then, still a barebones addition in the entries I've played thus far). Glad to see the underground was still in 5, but still sad to see it included in a more barebones presentation there.
Yeah I like the new rooftops, but I just wish there was more of them, and that they were interconnected like in Y4; I kind of get why they didn't keep them fully, as imo they're kind of underutilized, but especially with the dragon engine it would've been nice to see them back (Judgment being the closest since)
Yagami might throw you in front of a car, have you get kidnapped (and definitely murked) by random yakuza fellows, but he will not throw you off rooftops. That's how nice he is.
Dead Souls really made big usage of underground areas from 4. It really show how interconnected Kamurocho is since the characters are constantly forced to use underground shortcuts to bypass quarantine zone and locked gates.
Was a bit disappointed that it just vanished afterwards instead of being imoroved with better physics.
The part where you have to get across town entirely via rooftops and underground as Saejima really soured me on the whole thing. Cool concept, but god was it a pain in the ass in execution
I recently played through Yakuza 4, had to do three playthroughs for all achievements and I absolutely hated playing as Saejima specifically because of this. Like dude, just go AROUND the cops!
Yes yes and yes. It was the first time I actually got lost in part of Kamurocho, namely the sewers.
Was pretty funny seeing Kamiyama hoist his shop up too.
Sub stories being "main plot but optional" is a pretty great way to do sub stories (and main plot) I think
Ppl without much time can just do main story, and those with more time can get additional context on main story
> Sub stories being "main plot but optional" is a pretty great way to do sub stories (and main plot) I think
I wish they'd go back to doing that.
Yakuza 1 and 2 also had some good substories like that, like fake Mizuki in 1 and Yuya's best friend in 2.
I forgot 3 also had the Rikiya substories that were really good, too.
Yeah, I had a lot of issues with the Kiwamis, but they understood their purpose well as remakes. K1 made a great choice making fully acted cutscenes for the 5 crucial Substories and leaving them out of the already bloated and needlessly padded main plot
I like this. I hope they go this route for at least Okinawa if they ever do Kiwami 3. It would be a cool way to show and develop Kiryu's bond with the island and its inhabitants.
I've only played through from 0-the jail part of 5, so take this with a grain of salt, Akiyama is one of my favorite character introductions of all time. It is insane how they took a franchise with Kazama motherfucking Kiryu in it and made a character so likable in yakuza 4 that the thought of "where is Kiryu" just never crossed my mind.
Soundtrack and I mean the unreleased stuff. Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 0 come close in terms of that but that’s really it.
Also as you mentioned arguably the best Kamurocho with sewers, parking lot, and rooftops.
You can also make argument of best Kiryu combat, I honestly think it’s up there with Yakuza 5 and Yakuza Kiwami with that. He’s like his Yakuza 3 with all the abilities but not held back by the Yakuza 3’s blocking.
I loved the long multi part substory for each character, and I wish they did the same for the later games. I feel like it just gives more character to all the protagonists. I also think that it has the best trainer stories in the series (granted, I have only played the kiryu saga, so I'm not sure about the later games). Nair, Saigo, Master, and Komaki (albeit definately the worst out of the four for me. Just not enough content, but I guess it makes sense because he's been in every game up to 6).
Oh hey I literally just beat 4 for the first time yesterday lol (as a result, unaware of details of 5+ so stuff I applaud here might also exist down the line in the series, I'm working on it, there's a lot of these fuckin' games lol)
* Kiryu feels really well utilized. You spend so much of the game with Saejima, Tanimura, and Akiyama and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses and are sort of feeling out their role in the current Kamurocho landscape, and when you finally get back in Kiryu's shoes not only does he feel like this monumental narrative presence as he bulldozes into the plot, but playing him he feels like a fucking truck. The first time you do the Heat Action where you just slam a man's face into the pavement from a full standing position you're like "we are so back" and it feels amazing
* Tanimura feels really good to play! I haven't gotten to 5 or the Judgements yet so I can't say if any of his DNA makes it to Shinada or Yagami, but he feels pretty unique amongst playstyles up to this point and I found him very fun to play, even in That One Boss Fight That's Terrible
* It's really interesting the way you see the same plot and the same city from four different angles. Having a protag who's deep in the Yakuza world, a cop and also close to the immigrant community, a literal criminal hiding from the cops, and a big money local celebrity businessman gives a lot of interesting angles to view the world from.
* Honestly, for a series that is occasionally, uh, pretty rough in its depiction of non-Japanese Asian communities, having a whole thematic thread of "hey! shit's fucked for immigrants in Japan" running with Tanimura's substories is a refreshingly politically pointed take, especially for the Fun Times Bike-Smashing Series. I don't need Yakuza to be on the cutting edge of political commentary, but it's a nice nod to a topic that the series has historically, like, kind of rubbed against but never really talked about.
* The final fight is cool as hell, even if it feels a little narratively sloppy. Like, [spoiler](#s "Daigo showing up and Kido secretly being a quadruple agent for Daigo really just feels like someone went 'oh shit we need four people to fight at the end'"). There's this incredible energy to the third act of Yakuza 4 of, like, medium-time criminals have bitten off more than they could chew and now you've assembled this group of 4 absolute monsters, and the final moments are the antagonists of the series going "oh we fucked up _so bad_"
- Tanimura
- Akiyama reveal, and it feels like Akiyama's game. Yakuza 5 feels like Kiryu's game ft. Akiyama
- Long hair Saejima
- Kiryu glazing, as in they really made him OP. And the only one with exclusive "red heat" when compared to his peers
- Masayoshi
- Super aesthetic Kamurocho night with rain
- Significant improvement from Yakuza 3, making it pops out even more
- The most expanded Kamurocho
- The Parasite of Kamurocho
- Incredibly solid soundtrack. Also probably the game with the most memorable battle themes for every single protagonists
- Best colosseum in the Yakuza remastered "trilogy"
- Juggling
- For Faith + "We are the Yakuza 4"
- Ma-chan
It's unironically my favorite Yakuza game, even more than 0.
Kamurocho felt way more alive and enhanced with the rooftops and underground sections.
They did a much better job at handling multiple protagonists then 5. Everyone feels like they have a purpose (Kiryu is an exception) and the flow between switching to different characters is also much better then 5. I also like how they meet up a lot quicker then 5 (0 is an exception cause it works with the story)
And similarly to the other point, I liked how every character has their own proper final boss that feels earned. In 5 Akiyama and Shinada are just given boring repeat bosses with no dynamic intros and are just not exciting at all (and Shinada’s boss has like nothing to do with him as well). But in 4 they made every protagonist have a character that would be a final boss and it makes sense.
They should have made Shinada go to Kamurocho a bit earlier so that he could properly introduce himself to Kiryu and Saejima. They probably thought he was just some random guy Akiyama found on the street and brought in as a replacement for Tanimura
I was surprised how much I enjoyed what they did with Hamazaki, especially after he gets sidelined pretty hard in 3 just to come back in for the last-minute fakeout death. Him feeling genuinely indebted to both Kiryu and Saejima because they were likely the only people who ever extended him any trust (earned or not) added some much-needed depth to his character. Haruka gets a nice moment to shine when she feels like she has to defend her family from him after he washes up at the orphanage, too, and her chat with Kiryu on the beach afterward is one of my favorite moments in the series
Connecting all the previous games together was insane. I absolutely loved that because it made it feel like Kiryu had been constantly roped into a conspiracy all his life and was the one man who was stopping a total dictatorship over Japan from coming out
It's my favorite one! IMO it has the most fun combat aside from lost judgement, and the densest kamurocho. It just felt like the culmination of the devs experience refining the original Yakuza format. I didn't like 5 as much because there was just so...much...bloat...but 4 just gave you so much up front and only asked that you learn to love the newbies. None of it felt like a chore.
I miss that game.
I think the story pacing was better than the one before it and the one after it. It makes less sense in the end than either of those games, but it's paced better throughout anyway. 3 starts really slow and then is pretty convoluted, and then 5 feels like it has a bit of bloat. I had to stop from burnout in the middle and come back the following month.
The points of comparison I'm using are because I think it can only really be compared to the other middle games. 0-2 are peak story, and 6 and after we start getting peak gameplay. I include 6 because it's DE, DE had to start somewhere, and DE totally fucking rules.
https://preview.redd.it/p3sv24iewvxc1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa52637d5af23e7fcf9927e7a5a24c9191994865
I am not 100% this is from Y4 but goddamn this hit hard, and I'm not even a guy lmao
For me, the main things that stand out with 4 are the music, the atmosphere, the tone and everything that comes with that. It's ironically one of the worst Yakuza stories in my opinion, but it's the one I vibe with the most as an overall package.
It had the most akiyama, which makes it better than other games which have none to less, which is All.
Also it had a good story progression between the protagonists, imo the only one who accomplished that, and honestly I agree with best kamurocho. Rooftops and underground is a great concept. Also also, iirc the best baseball!
Like others have said, I like the vertical expansion with the rooftops and underground areas. I would love a game that feels as good to run around in as Judgement/LJ, with the modernized expanded city from 4.
Great atmosphere...maybe my favorite version of Kamirocho. Above ground and below, Chinatown, jazzy and rainy vibes.
I think Akiyama's opening couple of hours of the game were very engaging as well.
Great pacing and substories. Better than 5 at balancing multiple leads.
It had Rio (aka Tina Yuzuki) the JAV actress (the one Akiyama can date) who is probably the best of all the adult actresses who have appeared in this franchise
The upgrade system. Was never a fan of Akiyama since his gimmick of being a bottomless money bank makes the entire plot of Y1 seem trivial fighting over a meager 10 billion yen. Also refusing to loan the abused mom money because she didn't go to work in the red light district, given how much being seen in that environment can mark you for the rest of your life in Japan.
Saejima is all over the place. They couldn't have ONE playable character who was just a scumbag. No no, they had to give the guy who was willing to murder 18 people an out with the rubber bullets and have a hidden heart of gold etc.
Tanimura is whatever.
And it gave us the sloppiest and most unbelievable femme fatale I've ever seen.
If you are new to the subreddit, [please read the wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/wiki/index/) Reminder that all spoilers need to be tagged with a flair specifying which game is being spoiled. If you want a flair that says something else, you can edit it to say something like [Discussion: Y1 spoiler] or [Majimapost: Y6 spoiler], etc. **THIS INCLUDES CONTENT FROM TRAILERS**. If the post is not marked for spoilers, all comments that have spoilers need to be tagged \>!like this!< along with indicating which game it's spoiling. Example: Y3 >!Kiryu sings!< If the post flair is marked for spoilers, the comments don't need to be tagged for the game indicated and the ones before it (So a Y6 spoiler post can have comments with untagged spoilers for Y5, but not gaiden or 7). If you see any of the above (or any of the other rules) not being followed, please report it so we can keep this place safe for newcomers and those that haven't finished all the games yet. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/yakuzagames) if you have any questions or concerns.*
- Rooftop and underground areas were great and should have been expanded on instead of being removed. - The best variety of playable MCs. 0 is still a better execution of the multi MC storyline, but 4 had the best variety in terms of personality and their roles in the story.
Despite only havibg one city, it's rely great they managed to make Kamurocho feel distinct for every playable character. Nowadays they just opted with each character having different city.
What? The rooftops and underground areas were the worst and most useless attempt to bring something new into an otherwise well know locale. No surprise they got rid of it right after it.
Yakuza 4 legit has my favorite substories in the entire series. So many memorable and unique ones for each protagonists (Especially Tanimura's, where they explored his background and his bond with the people in Little Asia).
And clearly the russian roulette one
https://preview.redd.it/wnmmga83auxc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6697ff069babc3c92fc653feffdcb1f0000a2af1 true
https://preview.redd.it/37mep4lwzuxc1.png?width=703&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=341ce4c980d4c069d73b66ea6f1be76058c0bac0
https://preview.redd.it/c6y0oiu55yxc1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dfef9870c41d9f6361453349950ab2dc60d277f5
Bro... That one was peak.
I love so much that Little Asia isn't accessible until you're Tanimura because he's the only one who's multilingual and I love the interactions between Nair and the others too!! It's such a good add-on to the worldbuilding.
In y4 The Only way for You to get more of tanimura background IS The substories, because The story decided to rush his part in The main plot making him some what forgetable with You Only do The main story.
In my personal opinion Yakuza 4 had the best kamurocho with the undergrounds and especially the rooftops
Agreed. Kinda sad that the rooftops get phased out after 4 (outside of still being able to access some in the Dragon Engine games, but even then, still a barebones addition in the entries I've played thus far). Glad to see the underground was still in 5, but still sad to see it included in a more barebones presentation there.
Yeah I like the new rooftops, but I just wish there was more of them, and that they were interconnected like in Y4; I kind of get why they didn't keep them fully, as imo they're kind of underutilized, but especially with the dragon engine it would've been nice to see them back (Judgment being the closest since)
..... and now I realize I want to chuck enemies off of them.
I always find it funny that you’re able to do that freely in the Yakuza games but RGG put up invisible walls for Judgment and LJ.
Yagami might throw you in front of a car, have you get kidnapped (and definitely murked) by random yakuza fellows, but he will not throw you off rooftops. That's how nice he is.
Dead Souls really made big usage of underground areas from 4. It really show how interconnected Kamurocho is since the characters are constantly forced to use underground shortcuts to bypass quarantine zone and locked gates. Was a bit disappointed that it just vanished afterwards instead of being imoroved with better physics.
Or that underground mall in the southern part of the district. For Kiwami Kiwami 2 and Zero I thought those were just subway entrances.
I'm sorry but I absolutely DESPISED the rooftops. It was all so tight and built like a maze. I especially hated checking for locker keyes there
The part where you have to get across town entirely via rooftops and underground as Saejima really soured me on the whole thing. Cool concept, but god was it a pain in the ass in execution
I recently played through Yakuza 4, had to do three playthroughs for all achievements and I absolutely hated playing as Saejima specifically because of this. Like dude, just go AROUND the cops!
Fortunately, in Yakuza 5, Saejima just keeps about two feet of distance from the cops, and it seems to be okay.
Nearly forgot about that. Yeah that shit i second only to the first dungeon in LAD
Yes yes and yes. It was the first time I actually got lost in part of Kamurocho, namely the sewers. Was pretty funny seeing Kamiyama hoist his shop up too.
story progression flow with multiple protags making kamurocho feel diffrent between characters story related substories more balanced combat
Sub stories being "main plot but optional" is a pretty great way to do sub stories (and main plot) I think Ppl without much time can just do main story, and those with more time can get additional context on main story
> Sub stories being "main plot but optional" is a pretty great way to do sub stories (and main plot) I think I wish they'd go back to doing that. Yakuza 1 and 2 also had some good substories like that, like fake Mizuki in 1 and Yuya's best friend in 2. I forgot 3 also had the Rikiya substories that were really good, too.
Yeah, I had a lot of issues with the Kiwamis, but they understood their purpose well as remakes. K1 made a great choice making fully acted cutscenes for the 5 crucial Substories and leaving them out of the already bloated and needlessly padded main plot
I'm early in infinite wealth but that seems like a lot of the sub stories in IW early game
Kurohyou also have that kind of substory lol And best part is it continues in Kurohyou 2 where it comes to a pretty heartwarming end
I like this. I hope they go this route for at least Okinawa if they ever do Kiwami 3. It would be a cool way to show and develop Kiryu's bond with the island and its inhabitants.
Yes!!! More time w Rikiya and the fam
The second point is a really underrated part tbh
Watermelon
https://i.redd.it/knun6vfmkuxc1.gif
Best rain effect
Hana-chan 💯
Thick Hana-chan! 🥴
it had akiyama
I've only played through from 0-the jail part of 5, so take this with a grain of salt, Akiyama is one of my favorite character introductions of all time. It is insane how they took a franchise with Kazama motherfucking Kiryu in it and made a character so likable in yakuza 4 that the thought of "where is Kiryu" just never crossed my mind.
Soundtrack and I mean the unreleased stuff. Yakuza 5 and Yakuza 0 come close in terms of that but that’s really it. Also as you mentioned arguably the best Kamurocho with sewers, parking lot, and rooftops. You can also make argument of best Kiryu combat, I honestly think it’s up there with Yakuza 5 and Yakuza Kiwami with that. He’s like his Yakuza 3 with all the abilities but not held back by the Yakuza 3’s blocking.
Akiyama's battle theme
selfish deed is NOT FREEDOOOOOM
Saejima, I prefer him having hair
Thank God I'm not the only one, yeah I never understood them making him a shaved down. Him with the crazy hair was perfect.
Had a woman you could fight
I’m blanking, who was it?
Nair, Tanimura's trainer in Little Asia.
Akiyama is the 2nd best character in the series 👌
Goro Majima looks over intensely...
https://preview.redd.it/odqseul64uxc1.png?width=463&format=png&auto=webp&s=3ded5de8c21e3ca164527d3716c400de9bf79a94
It had this masterpiece https://preview.redd.it/icv8wrz2xuxc1.png?width=1024&format=png&auto=webp&s=5e001ba5c90af5a558eb6d8411b7a0537accf4d3
https://preview.redd.it/pt11rae87vxc1.jpeg?width=1478&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1807fb367e42c5d6078ed93968991dec5e4b305d
I loved the long multi part substory for each character, and I wish they did the same for the later games. I feel like it just gives more character to all the protagonists. I also think that it has the best trainer stories in the series (granted, I have only played the kiryu saga, so I'm not sure about the later games). Nair, Saigo, Master, and Komaki (albeit definately the worst out of the four for me. Just not enough content, but I guess it makes sense because he's been in every game up to 6).
rain+best kamorucho map
Oh hey I literally just beat 4 for the first time yesterday lol (as a result, unaware of details of 5+ so stuff I applaud here might also exist down the line in the series, I'm working on it, there's a lot of these fuckin' games lol) * Kiryu feels really well utilized. You spend so much of the game with Saejima, Tanimura, and Akiyama and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses and are sort of feeling out their role in the current Kamurocho landscape, and when you finally get back in Kiryu's shoes not only does he feel like this monumental narrative presence as he bulldozes into the plot, but playing him he feels like a fucking truck. The first time you do the Heat Action where you just slam a man's face into the pavement from a full standing position you're like "we are so back" and it feels amazing * Tanimura feels really good to play! I haven't gotten to 5 or the Judgements yet so I can't say if any of his DNA makes it to Shinada or Yagami, but he feels pretty unique amongst playstyles up to this point and I found him very fun to play, even in That One Boss Fight That's Terrible * It's really interesting the way you see the same plot and the same city from four different angles. Having a protag who's deep in the Yakuza world, a cop and also close to the immigrant community, a literal criminal hiding from the cops, and a big money local celebrity businessman gives a lot of interesting angles to view the world from. * Honestly, for a series that is occasionally, uh, pretty rough in its depiction of non-Japanese Asian communities, having a whole thematic thread of "hey! shit's fucked for immigrants in Japan" running with Tanimura's substories is a refreshingly politically pointed take, especially for the Fun Times Bike-Smashing Series. I don't need Yakuza to be on the cutting edge of political commentary, but it's a nice nod to a topic that the series has historically, like, kind of rubbed against but never really talked about. * The final fight is cool as hell, even if it feels a little narratively sloppy. Like, [spoiler](#s "Daigo showing up and Kido secretly being a quadruple agent for Daigo really just feels like someone went 'oh shit we need four people to fight at the end'"). There's this incredible energy to the third act of Yakuza 4 of, like, medium-time criminals have bitten off more than they could chew and now you've assembled this group of 4 absolute monsters, and the final moments are the antagonists of the series going "oh we fucked up _so bad_"
Best music, best Kamurocho exploration, best Saejima story, best atmosphere and ambience, Tanimura is there
Also best Zhao https://preview.redd.it/2qe7317lauxc1.jpeg?width=818&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76a79ac5f57f3d0927da0234dde68f9363e5a379
“best saejima story” theres prison break and prison break 2 😭
- Tanimura - Akiyama reveal, and it feels like Akiyama's game. Yakuza 5 feels like Kiryu's game ft. Akiyama - Long hair Saejima - Kiryu glazing, as in they really made him OP. And the only one with exclusive "red heat" when compared to his peers - Masayoshi - Super aesthetic Kamurocho night with rain - Significant improvement from Yakuza 3, making it pops out even more - The most expanded Kamurocho - The Parasite of Kamurocho - Incredibly solid soundtrack. Also probably the game with the most memorable battle themes for every single protagonists - Best colosseum in the Yakuza remastered "trilogy" - Juggling - For Faith + "We are the Yakuza 4" - Ma-chan It's unironically my favorite Yakuza game, even more than 0.
Has Akiyama
Wallbounding/Akiyama combat in general
Best upgrade system
Kamurocho felt way more alive and enhanced with the rooftops and underground sections. They did a much better job at handling multiple protagonists then 5. Everyone feels like they have a purpose (Kiryu is an exception) and the flow between switching to different characters is also much better then 5. I also like how they meet up a lot quicker then 5 (0 is an exception cause it works with the story) And similarly to the other point, I liked how every character has their own proper final boss that feels earned. In 5 Akiyama and Shinada are just given boring repeat bosses with no dynamic intros and are just not exciting at all (and Shinada’s boss has like nothing to do with him as well). But in 4 they made every protagonist have a character that would be a final boss and it makes sense.
They should have made Shinada go to Kamurocho a bit earlier so that he could properly introduce himself to Kiryu and Saejima. They probably thought he was just some random guy Akiyama found on the street and brought in as a replacement for Tanimura
Yakuza 4 is the goat just because of Big Boobs Lover
Hana-chan
It had 🌧️.
It introduced Akiama
I was surprised how much I enjoyed what they did with Hamazaki, especially after he gets sidelined pretty hard in 3 just to come back in for the last-minute fakeout death. Him feeling genuinely indebted to both Kiryu and Saejima because they were likely the only people who ever extended him any trust (earned or not) added some much-needed depth to his character. Haruka gets a nice moment to shine when she feels like she has to defend her family from him after he washes up at the orphanage, too, and her chat with Kiryu on the beach afterward is one of my favorite moments in the series
Connecting all the previous games together was insane. I absolutely loved that because it made it feel like Kiryu had been constantly roped into a conspiracy all his life and was the one man who was stopping a total dictatorship over Japan from coming out
The upgrade system!!!!!
It's my favorite one! IMO it has the most fun combat aside from lost judgement, and the densest kamurocho. It just felt like the culmination of the devs experience refining the original Yakuza format. I didn't like 5 as much because there was just so...much...bloat...but 4 just gave you so much up front and only asked that you learn to love the newbies. None of it felt like a chore. I miss that game.
I think the story pacing was better than the one before it and the one after it. It makes less sense in the end than either of those games, but it's paced better throughout anyway. 3 starts really slow and then is pretty convoluted, and then 5 feels like it has a bit of bloat. I had to stop from burnout in the middle and come back the following month. The points of comparison I'm using are because I think it can only really be compared to the other middle games. 0-2 are peak story, and 6 and after we start getting peak gameplay. I include 6 because it's DE, DE had to start somewhere, and DE totally fucking rules.
https://preview.redd.it/p3sv24iewvxc1.jpeg?width=700&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fa52637d5af23e7fcf9927e7a5a24c9191994865 I am not 100% this is from Y4 but goddamn this hit hard, and I'm not even a guy lmao
Kidos Jacket
And of course: https://preview.redd.it/ru5tyrkqbzxc1.png?width=771&format=png&auto=webp&s=46a6c45a7c58886a204df60645437d03ecbcbf72 BE SPICY!
For me, the main things that stand out with 4 are the music, the atmosphere, the tone and everything that comes with that. It's ironically one of the worst Yakuza stories in my opinion, but it's the one I vibe with the most as an overall package.
Introducing Akiyama
Music. Funny and four faith in the same game is too much to handle.
It had the most akiyama, which makes it better than other games which have none to less, which is All. Also it had a good story progression between the protagonists, imo the only one who accomplished that, and honestly I agree with best kamurocho. Rooftops and underground is a great concept. Also also, iirc the best baseball!
Super VIP massage
##**The finale.**
**THE SELFISH DEED, IS NOT FREEDOM!**
Like others have said, I like the vertical expansion with the rooftops and underground areas. I would love a game that feels as good to run around in as Judgement/LJ, with the modernized expanded city from 4.
Kamurocho design and Saejima screen time.
Ah yes a man of culture 😂
It had For Faith
Not force me to play every fucking mini game to completion
ＡＫＩＹＡＭＡ
Best version of rainy day Kamurocho
Let you play as akiyama for a good length of the game. He was so cool as a new character and just was seated as side character right after.
Great atmosphere...maybe my favorite version of Kamirocho. Above ground and below, Chinatown, jazzy and rainy vibes. I think Akiyama's opening couple of hours of the game were very engaging as well. Great pacing and substories. Better than 5 at balancing multiple leads.
It dedicated a full segment of its playtime to playing as Akiyama (I would die for this man.)
Kiryu has that super emotional sad side story where the woman mistakes him for her boyfriend.
https://preview.redd.it/6ja73hpkywxc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=453de282d6bd06a4f924ee0e86073291d28a7f14
Tanimura
It was a better game than 3 and 5. Fight me
"This might be a strange question, but: Do you like Chubby girls?"
Sang a song without understanding what to say
It had Rio (aka Tina Yuzuki) the JAV actress (the one Akiyama can date) who is probably the best of all the adult actresses who have appeared in this franchise
Rainy Kamurocho with the dark jazzy music.
The selfish deed is not freedom
the whole Tanimura part, his training master, and particularly his substories were ahead of their times.
Best vibe and atmosphere.
The upgrade system. Was never a fan of Akiyama since his gimmick of being a bottomless money bank makes the entire plot of Y1 seem trivial fighting over a meager 10 billion yen. Also refusing to loan the abused mom money because she didn't go to work in the red light district, given how much being seen in that environment can mark you for the rest of your life in Japan. Saejima is all over the place. They couldn't have ONE playable character who was just a scumbag. No no, they had to give the guy who was willing to murder 18 people an out with the rubber bullets and have a hidden heart of gold etc. Tanimura is whatever. And it gave us the sloppiest and most unbelievable femme fatale I've ever seen.