K1 is not a game you start with. It's not 1. It's a sequel to 0 and plays as such with multiple substories outright being sequels to substories from 0, substories directly talking about the 80s as if you know about 80's Japan, Majima constantly talking about stuff from 0, Komaki's entire storyline revolves around 0, etc. This also ignores the fact that the styles got rebalanced and combat got some improvements in K1 like instant style changes which 0 didn't have.
It has minor substories tie ins and that's pretty much it
PLaying 0 first leads to people being dissapointed with >Majima's brutal character change >Nishiki being absent for 90% of the story >Kazama's death >Yumi coming out of nowhere in spite of little to no mention in 0
And overall K1 being a much worse game.
Yeah you miss out on some substory call back and in exchange you gain a much deeper appreciation for the arcs of kiryu majima and nishiki in 0
>combat got some improvements in K1
Like what lmao the boss invincibility phases? so good.
>It has minor substories tie ins and that's pretty much it
PCF, Munan Chohept, the 80's dancer substory that's a quiz where you're just expected to know the answers, Komaki, and around a fourth of Majima Everywhere is just him referencing 0. Kiryu also talks about 0 at least twice during the main story reminiscing about it (Tachibana and working in real estate).
Sure, it's not game breaking but it spells out these are not meant to be played first. >>Like what lmao the boss invincibility phases? >Instant style changes from virtually every scenario be it taking damage, dodging, attacking, etc. >Faster style changes even when not doing instant ones. >DoD is actually usable instead of hot garbage. >Brawler isn't piss weak.
Kiwami 1 was never intended to be played as a 1 replacement. It was intended to be played as a sequel to 0. Making this argument is ridiculous because either way you're playing the series the wrong way (0 or K1 first) and you're going to be all over the place with characters no matter what. Hell, you can even make the argument that going from K1 to 0 makes no sense because Majima acts nothing like he does in K1, Kazama is a character in K1 but doesn't exist in 0, Nishiki is wildly different in K1 to 0, Shimano is basically a completely different character in 0, etc.
I'd recommend you play through the franchise following the release order, From starting from the PS2 games. 0 and the Kiwami games are kind of a bonus, and build more of each other than they off of the rest of the series. If you really want to, play them in beetween 5 and 6.
So it goes: OG 1 and 2, 3 (preferably the OG japanese version), 4, 5, 0, K and K2, then 6.
>preferably the OG japanese version
Not necessary anymore, there's a patch that backports Remastered's translation and content to the EN PS3 version, it's just a bit buggy. 1&2 HD is also far more preferable if you know JP than PS2.
If you play the original 1 & 2 there's NO REASON to put yourself through kiwamis
Yes there is, it's got a plethora of new content. It's like saying if you played Ishin Kiwami there's no reason to play Ishin and vice-versa. It's not the same game or experience.
>K1 to 0 makes no sense because Majima acts nothing like he does in K1
That's moronic because the entire point of the prequel is to explain that. When you know the conclusion it's much easier to see it in 0. Nishiki is widely different but you benefit from having prior knowledge because you only saw him as a piece of shit in k1 and now you see how close he and kiryu truly were before it all went to shit.
The point I'm making is that you gain much more playing k1 and then 0 then you do playing 0 and then k1. 0 gives you expectations that are just way too high for what k1 delivers both in terms of gameplay and story, k1 having some of the worst bosses in the franchise despite the "combat improvements"
>It's not 1.
zoomers are not going to play the janky PS2 game with like 3 attacks. it is one of the better games in the series but that's irrelevant. people will either play kiwami 1 or nothing. it would be better to start with the plot that is supposed to introduce and define kiryu's character than starting anywhere else. it's also much better written than most of the rest, probably because they hired a novelist who is obviously much better than anyone who has ever touched the series >It's a sequel to 0 and plays as such with multiple substories outright being sequels to substories from 0, substories directly talking about the 80s as if you know about 80's Japan, Majima constantly talking about stuff from 0, Komaki's entire storyline revolves around 0, etc.
these are minor and mostly part of the side quests. if you play 0 first there's way more references to other games and a lot of them are in the main plot. and obviously if you play the sequels to 1, they expect you to have played 1 and so on. >This also ignores the fact that the styles got rebalanced and combat got some improvements in K1 like instant style changes which 0 didn't have.
yes, so the combat actually functions correctly. i cannot recommend playing 0, having to suffer through enemies that do not allow you to get 3 hits in a row and the disaster that is majima's entire move list.
>zoomers are not going to play the janky PS2 game with like 3 attacks.
If they're not going to play 1 on PS2 then play 0. You don't play K1 first. >it's also much better written than most of the rest
Dude, everyone here played 1, you don't need to lie to us. Two of the chapters are complete filler (Chapter 5 and 9) where nothing happens in the story at all. They just waste time. Even the Shangri-la chapter arguably just wastes time. Nishiki wasn't even a character in the original game, he had like five scenes in the entire game, two of which he doesn't even speak, and K1 had to do some heavy lifting to make you care about him at all while simultaneously running Majima into the ground as a character, especially with the new scene at the pier. >obviously if you play the sequels to 1, they expect you to have played 1 and so on.
Sure, but if you're starting with K1 then you're having this issue anyway so it's a moot point. Both games have the same issue, but 0 was expected to be played first of the two, not K1. >yes, so the combat actually functions correctly
How are you not getting this? It means going from K1 to 0 will be a downgrade. Even then going to K1 is a downgrade due to the enemies knocking you down even on basic combo hits instead of finishers which massively nerfs Beast in K1.
>K1 to 0 makes no sense because Majima acts nothing like he does in K1
That's moronic because the entire point of the prequel is to explain that. When you know the conclusion it's much easier to see it in 0. Nishiki is widely different but you benefit from having prior knowledge because you only saw him as a piece of shit in k1 and now you see how close he and kiryu truly were before it all went to shit.
The point I'm making is that you gain much more playing k1 and then 0 then you do playing 0 and then k1. 0 gives you expectations that are just way too high for what k1 delivers both in terms of gameplay and story, k1 having some of the worst bosses in the franchise despite the "combat improvements"
>That's moronic because the entire point of the prequel is to explain that.
Except we already get people complaining about this in these very threads, both 0 to K1 and K1 to 0. >and now you see how close he and kiryu truly were before it all went to shit.
Except you don't. I went in release order and knew Nishiki was a piece of shit and it makes chapter 6's ending fall completely flat and on deaf ears. I felt literally nothing. You also end up constantly watching him like a hawk and noticing how egotistical he is all game. >you gain much more playing k1 and then 0 then you do playing 0 and then k1
You deal with the same amount of issues.
>Except we already get people complaining about this in these very threads
I assume those people haven't finished 0 yet. Once you do and assuming you played k1 beforehand, majima's behavior makes perfect sense. > I felt literally nothing
Yes, people with autism have trouble relating to characters. If you didn't enjoy seeing Kiryu and Nishiki be friends during the start, when nishiki turns on the dojima to fight with you or singing judgement then the problem is you. >You deal with the same amount of issues.
No you don't.
Also another major issue going 0->k1 is that you lose one character and one city with nothing to replace it. You play kiryu with almost no new toys and no sotenbori. Makes a mediocre game feel even worse and contributes to the feeling of it being a letdown after 0
2 weeks ago
Moose
>I assume those people haven't finished 0 yet.
We're talking about people's experiences here. People have this issue regardless of which way they go, K1 to 0 or 0 to K1. K1 to 0 they don't understand why everyone is so competent or wildly different in personality (Especially considering Majima requires knowledge of 4 to make more sense) while 0 to K1 they don't understand why everyone feels like they lost brain cells or are completely different characters entirely like Shimano and Majima. It's not like 0 does a great job of explaining Majima's situation despite directly having him explain it in one of his lines because you gotta know what that line means. >If you didn't enjoy seeing Kiryu and Nishiki be friends during the start, when nishiki turns on the dojima to fight with you or singing judgement then the problem is you.
Judgement, the boat, and Little Asia stuff is fine. The trip to said karaoke and Kiryu's suit are just him bragging about how cool he is (Showing off his ego) while the stickup is a mix of sincerity and his ego in that -he- has to be the one who does it which ruins the entire scene. >No you don't.
Yes, you do. Regardless of if you start on 0 or K1 you're going to have countless call backs to previous games shoved in your face and get stuff referenced all the time. K1 has a bunch of ones for 0, Dead Souls, and I want to say one or two ones from 5 in addition to a bunch of movesets ripped straight out of 3, 5, Ishin, and 0. It's also using the modern Kamurocho map which causes continuity issues. 0 has a bunch of references for 1, 2, Ishin, 5 with minor ones for Dead Souls (Majima's shotgun and the Miracle Johnson substories) and causes continuity issues thanks to the park existing.
2 weeks ago
Anonymous
>We're talking about people's experiences here
Honestly I don't have the willpower to go through the archive so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt but Kiryu acts similar, Nishiki acts similar to the start of k1 and Majima while he does act different, steadily becomes the same as k1 majima through the game. This is a lot less jarring than finishing 0 and then seeing Majima nearly kill an underling at the start of k1 for no reason. >Showing off his ego
You keep saying that like it ruins the scenes but it doesn't? It's a part of Nishiki's character and you may or may not like it but no one in Yakuza is perfect. Kiryu spends his entire life trying to play the martyr and sacrifice himself even at the end of his arc in 6. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate his character. Nishiki is wienery yes but the story makes sure to put him in his place at several points and he is genuine in his kindness towards kiryu. >you're going to have countless call backs to previous games shoved in your face
Yeah if you play k1 first you miss callbacks to substories and that's pretty much it. If you play 0 first you miss a lot of interactions, character beats and the like. I don't consider the two to be equally bad.
2 weeks ago
Moose
>Kiryu acts similar
Never argued Kiryu but you are right with that. >Nishiki acts similar to the start of k1
Yeah, but that's a fairly short segment even if it was new to K1, and you can't really get a feel for Nishiki in the new cutscenes since he doesn't talk too much outside of to the doctor and Shimano for a bit. It's definitely better than 1's way of showing him off, make no mistake. >steadily becomes the same as k1 majima through the game
Not at all. He only becomes the Mad Dog in the final chapter of the game for like 20 minutes, specifically [spoiler]during the assault on Dojima's place to rescue Makoto and to go after Lao Gui, and it's the Mad Dog you see in the newer games which is the toned down one who isn't really coming off as crazy. It's why people have such an issue going to K1 from 0. You get this Majima who is hopped up on PCP in K1 and even in the epilogue Majima just smiles and says "Kiryu-chan" which tells you nothing about him if you started with 0. The epilogue slides beat around the bush as well. >You keep saying that like it ruins the scenes but it doesn't?
I'm mainly pointing out that it overshadows the scenes and makes what should be a powerful scene, I.e. the stickup, far less meaningful. At least is was to me. It felt like half those scenes were just lies behind a smile. >If you play 0 first you miss a lot of interactions, character beats and the like.
Point is you're missing them regardless. You start with K1 and now you've got multiple substories, Kiryu's master, and Majima constantly calling back to older games with Majima in particular loving to do it. Sure, you miss more with 0 but a huge chunk of 0's are to do with 2, 5, and Ishin so even if you're playing K1 before 0 you're missing tons regardless. There's not much referencing to 1 outside of the fact Nishiki and Shimano exist with Kazama being namedropped and Dojima being an actual character.[/spoiler]
2 weeks ago
Moose
Bah, spoilers broke so sorry about that one.
2 weeks ago
Anonymous
>He only becomes the Mad Dog in the final chapter of the game
Yes and no. He becomes more and more pissed with his hierarchy throughout the game so while he does snap during the final chapter of the game, when that happens it caps off his arc and you get where he's coming from. > it's the Mad Dog you see in the newer games which is the toned down one who isn't really coming off as crazy.
This point is valid. I'm not sure how they could have handled it better than they did but Majima calming down a lot post 3 makes it jarring when you go back to 1's majima. >the epilogue Majima just smiles and says "Kiryu-chan
I'd say this scene is one of those which benefits the most from playing k1 beforehand. I've seen people online be confused by Majima saying that. > It felt like half those scenes were just lies behind a smile
I guess that's one way to see it but I see it as how good things were before Kiryu went to jail. How tight the 2 friends were. >Point is you're missing them regardless
Yes but not all of them are created equal. What you miss with 0 feels much more impactful to the main characters and your appreciation of them. Even stuff like the Kashiwagi fight goes from just being a "Oh we're fighting him?" moment if you don't have prior knowledge to being really excited of actually seeing him fight if you do.
Let's agree to dissagree on that, I agree that the release order is the best way to play but I whole heartedly believe that if you're gonna start with either k1 or 0 you're better off starting with k1.
2 weeks ago
Moose
>He becomes more and more pissed with his hierarchy throughout the game
This is just him being frustrated at Sagawa and the situation he's in. He becomes dejected and stops caring about life after the Shimano discussion and only becomes Mad Dog-esque after he learns of what happened to Makoto. Everything up until chapter 13 or so is the same Majima you see in 4's flashbacks. It never comes off as being the Mad Dog. You can maybe argue the stuff with Nishitani's death shows a bit of it but he tones it down almost immediately after that. >if you don't have prior knowledge to being really excited of actually seeing him fight if you do.
Even with K1's context you barely know Kashiwagi. You see him right at the intro, then in the new K1 flashback, and that's it as far as I recall. His fight only really works after 2 and 3's additional scenes and interactions because even with K1 he's still some literal who.
I'd recommend you play through the franchise following the release order, From starting from the PS2 games. 0 and the Kiwami games are kind of a bonus, and build more of each other than they off of the rest of the series. If you really want to, play them in beetween 5 and 6.
So it goes: OG 1 and 2, 3 (preferably the OG japanese version), 4, 5, 0, K and K2, then 6.
the franchise did absolutely not click with me until i played 0. now i've played every game and enjoyed them all. start at whatever the frick you want if you don't care about spoilers. the stories in these games are soap opera tier anyways who the frick cares.
>Yakuza 3 >first Yakuza on a brand new console >never played the previous ones on PS2 >they start the game with felt like 10 hours of nursing annoying kids on a beach >dropped it before you even could go anywhere in the city >chance dropped of gaining a whole new fanbase
Currently playing Judgment. It's fun but the detective stuff really is hit and miss. The tailing missions are some of the most boring sequences in the entire series.
Reminder 0 has:
The best story
The best writing
The best character development
The best villains (>inb4 ryuji suckers, that moron was boring as frick, pry those nostalgia goggles off)
The most interest narrative structure with the dual protagonist dynamic where they are both off doing something else but slowly run into each other
The best soundtrack
No cringe politics (>inb4 some minor shit nobody noticed that doesn't matter. Meanwhile all the other games have RAWRR girl power, immigrants are our strength, trans rights are human rights, and it's not subtle about it at all)
The other games are all rancid turds in comparison.
>no lj
>kuckwami instead of ps2
>no gaiden
it's definitively shit
is 0 a good entry point into the franchise?
0 benefits a lot from having prior knowledge of the franchise so I'd recommand the original PS2 yakuza or even kiwami 1 rather than starting with 0
K1 is not a game you start with. It's not 1. It's a sequel to 0 and plays as such with multiple substories outright being sequels to substories from 0, substories directly talking about the 80s as if you know about 80's Japan, Majima constantly talking about stuff from 0, Komaki's entire storyline revolves around 0, etc. This also ignores the fact that the styles got rebalanced and combat got some improvements in K1 like instant style changes which 0 didn't have.
It has minor substories tie ins and that's pretty much it
PLaying 0 first leads to people being dissapointed with
>Majima's brutal character change
>Nishiki being absent for 90% of the story
>Kazama's death
>Yumi coming out of nowhere in spite of little to no mention in 0
And overall K1 being a much worse game.
Yeah you miss out on some substory call back and in exchange you gain a much deeper appreciation for the arcs of kiryu majima and nishiki in 0
>combat got some improvements in K1
Like what lmao the boss invincibility phases? so good.
>It has minor substories tie ins and that's pretty much it
PCF, Munan Chohept, the 80's dancer substory that's a quiz where you're just expected to know the answers, Komaki, and around a fourth of Majima Everywhere is just him referencing 0. Kiryu also talks about 0 at least twice during the main story reminiscing about it (Tachibana and working in real estate).
Sure, it's not game breaking but it spells out these are not meant to be played first.
>>Like what lmao the boss invincibility phases?
>Instant style changes from virtually every scenario be it taking damage, dodging, attacking, etc.
>Faster style changes even when not doing instant ones.
>DoD is actually usable instead of hot garbage.
>Brawler isn't piss weak.
Kiwami 1 was never intended to be played as a 1 replacement. It was intended to be played as a sequel to 0. Making this argument is ridiculous because either way you're playing the series the wrong way (0 or K1 first) and you're going to be all over the place with characters no matter what. Hell, you can even make the argument that going from K1 to 0 makes no sense because Majima acts nothing like he does in K1, Kazama is a character in K1 but doesn't exist in 0, Nishiki is wildly different in K1 to 0, Shimano is basically a completely different character in 0, etc.
>preferably the OG japanese version
Not necessary anymore, there's a patch that backports Remastered's translation and content to the EN PS3 version, it's just a bit buggy. 1&2 HD is also far more preferable if you know JP than PS2.
Yes there is, it's got a plethora of new content. It's like saying if you played Ishin Kiwami there's no reason to play Ishin and vice-versa. It's not the same game or experience.
>K1 to 0 makes no sense because Majima acts nothing like he does in K1
That's moronic because the entire point of the prequel is to explain that. When you know the conclusion it's much easier to see it in 0. Nishiki is widely different but you benefit from having prior knowledge because you only saw him as a piece of shit in k1 and now you see how close he and kiryu truly were before it all went to shit.
The point I'm making is that you gain much more playing k1 and then 0 then you do playing 0 and then k1. 0 gives you expectations that are just way too high for what k1 delivers both in terms of gameplay and story, k1 having some of the worst bosses in the franchise despite the "combat improvements"
>It's not 1.
zoomers are not going to play the janky PS2 game with like 3 attacks. it is one of the better games in the series but that's irrelevant. people will either play kiwami 1 or nothing. it would be better to start with the plot that is supposed to introduce and define kiryu's character than starting anywhere else. it's also much better written than most of the rest, probably because they hired a novelist who is obviously much better than anyone who has ever touched the series
>It's a sequel to 0 and plays as such with multiple substories outright being sequels to substories from 0, substories directly talking about the 80s as if you know about 80's Japan, Majima constantly talking about stuff from 0, Komaki's entire storyline revolves around 0, etc.
these are minor and mostly part of the side quests. if you play 0 first there's way more references to other games and a lot of them are in the main plot. and obviously if you play the sequels to 1, they expect you to have played 1 and so on.
>This also ignores the fact that the styles got rebalanced and combat got some improvements in K1 like instant style changes which 0 didn't have.
yes, so the combat actually functions correctly. i cannot recommend playing 0, having to suffer through enemies that do not allow you to get 3 hits in a row and the disaster that is majima's entire move list.
>zoomers are not going to play the janky PS2 game with like 3 attacks.
If they're not going to play 1 on PS2 then play 0. You don't play K1 first.
>it's also much better written than most of the rest
Dude, everyone here played 1, you don't need to lie to us. Two of the chapters are complete filler (Chapter 5 and 9) where nothing happens in the story at all. They just waste time. Even the Shangri-la chapter arguably just wastes time. Nishiki wasn't even a character in the original game, he had like five scenes in the entire game, two of which he doesn't even speak, and K1 had to do some heavy lifting to make you care about him at all while simultaneously running Majima into the ground as a character, especially with the new scene at the pier.
>obviously if you play the sequels to 1, they expect you to have played 1 and so on.
Sure, but if you're starting with K1 then you're having this issue anyway so it's a moot point. Both games have the same issue, but 0 was expected to be played first of the two, not K1.
>yes, so the combat actually functions correctly
How are you not getting this? It means going from K1 to 0 will be a downgrade. Even then going to K1 is a downgrade due to the enemies knocking you down even on basic combo hits instead of finishers which massively nerfs Beast in K1.
>That's moronic because the entire point of the prequel is to explain that.
Except we already get people complaining about this in these very threads, both 0 to K1 and K1 to 0.
>and now you see how close he and kiryu truly were before it all went to shit.
Except you don't. I went in release order and knew Nishiki was a piece of shit and it makes chapter 6's ending fall completely flat and on deaf ears. I felt literally nothing. You also end up constantly watching him like a hawk and noticing how egotistical he is all game.
>you gain much more playing k1 and then 0 then you do playing 0 and then k1
You deal with the same amount of issues.
>Except we already get people complaining about this in these very threads
I assume those people haven't finished 0 yet. Once you do and assuming you played k1 beforehand, majima's behavior makes perfect sense.
> I felt literally nothing
Yes, people with autism have trouble relating to characters. If you didn't enjoy seeing Kiryu and Nishiki be friends during the start, when nishiki turns on the dojima to fight with you or singing judgement then the problem is you.
>You deal with the same amount of issues.
No you don't.
Also another major issue going 0->k1 is that you lose one character and one city with nothing to replace it. You play kiryu with almost no new toys and no sotenbori. Makes a mediocre game feel even worse and contributes to the feeling of it being a letdown after 0
>I assume those people haven't finished 0 yet.
We're talking about people's experiences here. People have this issue regardless of which way they go, K1 to 0 or 0 to K1. K1 to 0 they don't understand why everyone is so competent or wildly different in personality (Especially considering Majima requires knowledge of 4 to make more sense) while 0 to K1 they don't understand why everyone feels like they lost brain cells or are completely different characters entirely like Shimano and Majima. It's not like 0 does a great job of explaining Majima's situation despite directly having him explain it in one of his lines because you gotta know what that line means.
>If you didn't enjoy seeing Kiryu and Nishiki be friends during the start, when nishiki turns on the dojima to fight with you or singing judgement then the problem is you.
Judgement, the boat, and Little Asia stuff is fine. The trip to said karaoke and Kiryu's suit are just him bragging about how cool he is (Showing off his ego) while the stickup is a mix of sincerity and his ego in that -he- has to be the one who does it which ruins the entire scene.
>No you don't.
Yes, you do. Regardless of if you start on 0 or K1 you're going to have countless call backs to previous games shoved in your face and get stuff referenced all the time. K1 has a bunch of ones for 0, Dead Souls, and I want to say one or two ones from 5 in addition to a bunch of movesets ripped straight out of 3, 5, Ishin, and 0. It's also using the modern Kamurocho map which causes continuity issues. 0 has a bunch of references for 1, 2, Ishin, 5 with minor ones for Dead Souls (Majima's shotgun and the Miracle Johnson substories) and causes continuity issues thanks to the park existing.
>We're talking about people's experiences here
Honestly I don't have the willpower to go through the archive so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt but Kiryu acts similar, Nishiki acts similar to the start of k1 and Majima while he does act different, steadily becomes the same as k1 majima through the game. This is a lot less jarring than finishing 0 and then seeing Majima nearly kill an underling at the start of k1 for no reason.
>Showing off his ego
You keep saying that like it ruins the scenes but it doesn't? It's a part of Nishiki's character and you may or may not like it but no one in Yakuza is perfect. Kiryu spends his entire life trying to play the martyr and sacrifice himself even at the end of his arc in 6. That doesn't mean you can't appreciate his character. Nishiki is wienery yes but the story makes sure to put him in his place at several points and he is genuine in his kindness towards kiryu.
>you're going to have countless call backs to previous games shoved in your face
Yeah if you play k1 first you miss callbacks to substories and that's pretty much it. If you play 0 first you miss a lot of interactions, character beats and the like. I don't consider the two to be equally bad.
>Kiryu acts similar
Never argued Kiryu but you are right with that.
>Nishiki acts similar to the start of k1
Yeah, but that's a fairly short segment even if it was new to K1, and you can't really get a feel for Nishiki in the new cutscenes since he doesn't talk too much outside of to the doctor and Shimano for a bit. It's definitely better than 1's way of showing him off, make no mistake.
>steadily becomes the same as k1 majima through the game
Not at all. He only becomes the Mad Dog in the final chapter of the game for like 20 minutes, specifically [spoiler]during the assault on Dojima's place to rescue Makoto and to go after Lao Gui, and it's the Mad Dog you see in the newer games which is the toned down one who isn't really coming off as crazy. It's why people have such an issue going to K1 from 0. You get this Majima who is hopped up on PCP in K1 and even in the epilogue Majima just smiles and says "Kiryu-chan" which tells you nothing about him if you started with 0. The epilogue slides beat around the bush as well.
>You keep saying that like it ruins the scenes but it doesn't?
I'm mainly pointing out that it overshadows the scenes and makes what should be a powerful scene, I.e. the stickup, far less meaningful. At least is was to me. It felt like half those scenes were just lies behind a smile.
>If you play 0 first you miss a lot of interactions, character beats and the like.
Point is you're missing them regardless. You start with K1 and now you've got multiple substories, Kiryu's master, and Majima constantly calling back to older games with Majima in particular loving to do it. Sure, you miss more with 0 but a huge chunk of 0's are to do with 2, 5, and Ishin so even if you're playing K1 before 0 you're missing tons regardless. There's not much referencing to 1 outside of the fact Nishiki and Shimano exist with Kazama being namedropped and Dojima being an actual character.[/spoiler]
Bah, spoilers broke so sorry about that one.
>He only becomes the Mad Dog in the final chapter of the game
Yes and no. He becomes more and more pissed with his hierarchy throughout the game so while he does snap during the final chapter of the game, when that happens it caps off his arc and you get where he's coming from.
> it's the Mad Dog you see in the newer games which is the toned down one who isn't really coming off as crazy.
This point is valid. I'm not sure how they could have handled it better than they did but Majima calming down a lot post 3 makes it jarring when you go back to 1's majima.
>the epilogue Majima just smiles and says "Kiryu-chan
I'd say this scene is one of those which benefits the most from playing k1 beforehand. I've seen people online be confused by Majima saying that.
> It felt like half those scenes were just lies behind a smile
I guess that's one way to see it but I see it as how good things were before Kiryu went to jail. How tight the 2 friends were.
>Point is you're missing them regardless
Yes but not all of them are created equal. What you miss with 0 feels much more impactful to the main characters and your appreciation of them. Even stuff like the Kashiwagi fight goes from just being a "Oh we're fighting him?" moment if you don't have prior knowledge to being really excited of actually seeing him fight if you do.
Let's agree to dissagree on that, I agree that the release order is the best way to play but I whole heartedly believe that if you're gonna start with either k1 or 0 you're better off starting with k1.
>He becomes more and more pissed with his hierarchy throughout the game
This is just him being frustrated at Sagawa and the situation he's in. He becomes dejected and stops caring about life after the Shimano discussion and only becomes Mad Dog-esque after he learns of what happened to Makoto. Everything up until chapter 13 or so is the same Majima you see in 4's flashbacks. It never comes off as being the Mad Dog. You can maybe argue the stuff with Nishitani's death shows a bit of it but he tones it down almost immediately after that.
>if you don't have prior knowledge to being really excited of actually seeing him fight if you do.
Even with K1's context you barely know Kashiwagi. You see him right at the intro, then in the new K1 flashback, and that's it as far as I recall. His fight only really works after 2 and 3's additional scenes and interactions because even with K1 he's still some literal who.
I'd recommend you play through the franchise following the release order, From starting from the PS2 games. 0 and the Kiwami games are kind of a bonus, and build more of each other than they off of the rest of the series. If you really want to, play them in beetween 5 and 6.
So it goes: OG 1 and 2, 3 (preferably the OG japanese version), 4, 5, 0, K and K2, then 6.
If you play the original 1 & 2 there's NO REASON to put yourself through kiwamis
>release order
>puts 6 after k2
moronbro....
I started there and played the Kiwamis after.
Unless you're autistic this is a perfectly ok way to do it.
yes
no reason to play the originals
the dub is laughable and entertaining but a mess
Not only is it a good entry point but it's the best and definitive entry point into the franchise.
please move 4 to S
3 is the only one I've played.
good news, looks like it only gets better from there
Gaiden is the best Yakuza game
>Yakuza 0
>S Tier
Phew (this is the Yakuza game I bought, havent played it yet though........)
3 is such a piece of shit with no impact on the story other than saejima
im surprised they didnt go bankrupt from making such a garbage game
If Y0 is the peak then I guess I'll drop the series then
the franchise did absolutely not click with me until i played 0. now i've played every game and enjoyed them all. start at whatever the frick you want if you don't care about spoilers. the stories in these games are soap opera tier anyways who the frick cares.
5 is 3/5ths total shit, get that junk away from 0
>5 the highest tier
>7 not rock bottom
>6 should be higher
>not understanding 3
>Yakuza 3
>first Yakuza on a brand new console
>never played the previous ones on PS2
>they start the game with felt like 10 hours of nursing annoying kids on a beach
>dropped it before you even could go anywhere in the city
>chance dropped of gaining a whole new fanbase
why they fricked it up
Yakuza 3 is a hot turd with good villains.
Then they made the remaster even worse.
Currently playing Judgment. It's fun but the detective stuff really is hit and miss. The tailing missions are some of the most boring sequences in the entire series.
Judgement starts out fun but it has a lot of stuff that's bad in my opinion. The keihei gang is top5 most ass mechanic in every yakuza gang
Reminder 0 has:
The best story
The best writing
The best character development
The best villains (>inb4 ryuji suckers, that moron was boring as frick, pry those nostalgia goggles off)
The most interest narrative structure with the dual protagonist dynamic where they are both off doing something else but slowly run into each other
The best soundtrack
No cringe politics (>inb4 some minor shit nobody noticed that doesn't matter. Meanwhile all the other games have RAWRR girl power, immigrants are our strength, trans rights are human rights, and it's not subtle about it at all)
The other games are all rancid turds in comparison.
>The best soundtrack
EL OH EL
>The best villains
Kuze and Awano were pretty cool.
Shibusawa and Lao Gui were pretty unmemorable.
They're more memorable than Y4-8's villains