[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I am looking forward to Yakuza 0, per reviews that game and Like a Dragon are the best-selling ones in the whole franchise (to date). Maybe it rides on the "80s nostalgia wave" that is happening at this time? If so, nice following of global trends from the studio. I am almost done with the Taiga bit now, so about halfway through.

It is interesting how in most cases video games these days use the likeness of a real-life celebrity, Call of Duty do that a lot, for example, but it is rare to see an actual celebrity being themselves in the game like they did with Tatsuya. And the fact that they incorporated him into the substory plot and dish exposure is a very nice touch, others should take notes indeed!

I enjoy very much their work with songs, they do not just use songs or make VAs record their own versions but add those whimsical elements, as you said, it does play on MC development. And it really does add to the whole "fun absurdity" of this universe.

I am intrigued as to who you mean. There is Haruka in this game, her gameplay is different from others, but then there is also that Tatsuo Shinada character who I know nothing about. I'll get back to you once I am done with both of them.

And here is the Yakuza game haiku:

Land of rising sun
Gameplay dances with the plot
Great entertainment

[ZaidH]

I haven't played Yakuza 6 and Like a Dragon yet, but man Yakuza 0 deserves those amazing sales numbers. It's not only the best Yakuza game (for me), but it's easily among my top 10 games of all time list😤 That's the game that I really want you and @M2lobaz to play😁

Now that you mention it, I can't think of any celebrity who actually played themselves in a game. Yakuza keeps innovating 💪

That Haiku is elite!

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I did finish the Taiga part yesterday. Poor guy, he keeps getting betrayed as if it's his hobby. Like his back has a sticky note that says "stab here". But at least he handled it better this time around.

And now I am all in Yakuza 5: Idolmaker Chapter. Not the most ideal development, I am not that good at rhythmic games. But oh well, at least I'll be back to controlling Shun soon enough.

[ZaidH]

Lmao that's Taiga in a nutshell😂

If I remember right, there's an item in the game which reduces the frequency of random encounters on the streets. You can try using it if this section of the game proves to be tedious😄

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH There are no random encounters for Haruka, though there are those "Dance Battles" you can have on the streets, but you need to initiate those yourself. So it is all good on that front, but there is just this huge amount of rhythmic games with her, those dancing, singing, running, handshaking games and whatnot, it gets overwhelming a bit.

Not to mention that she is a bit of a diversion from the main plot. It's like:

"There is a traitor in the Tojo clan! Unknown mastermind is manipulating yakuza on a national scale! The living legend makes a comeback, the police are on high alert, and an escaped convict joins in the fray! Daring escape! Snowmobile chase! GIANT BEAR!!! Betrayal! Whatever will happen next?!

And now, we're interrupting your usual broadcast for some teen schoolgirl idol drama.

But I am almost done with her now, soon Shun will take over.

[DoctorEldritch]

I just realised Haruka and Freddy Krueger seem to buy clothes at the same store.



How about that...

[ZaidH]

Oh I might be misremembering things then 🫥 I was alright with the gameplay in that section, but man did some of those fan interactions weird me out 😣

Lmao that description 😂😂😂 This is to me, is the charm of Yakuza games lols.

At first I actually thought Haruka's clothes were modded lols.

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Those fan interactions are bizarre, that's true, but then again, they have that "that's so Japan" vibe to them as well, my main issue with them is that there are just so many of them. It'd be nicer if they cut the amount of content in half there, it feels like they are fishing for play hours a bit (then again, who doesn't). Same for the Saejima mountain substory.

But now I am done with Haruka over the weekend, done with Shun too, and moved to the next part with Tatsuo Shinada. Not sure how I feel about him yet, I just started his Chapter 2, so I'll get back to you about how I feel after I see character development (if any). So far it feels a bit that developers wanted to create a "relatable character that fits the world". That is to say, out of the 4 of them, Kiryu is a living legend, Taiga is a yakuza convict and Shun is a banker-turned-homeless-turned-millionaire, and they are all interesting but not relatable on a personal level in real life (except for moral compass, maybe).

Tatsuo, on the other hand, is not that special and plays into the whole "lost dream" concept, which is sadly popular and relatable. But, to add conflict and drama, developers made his dream and fall to be on a grander scale. Not sure how I like him as a character yet.

But what I can say is that his side story about baseball is boring so far. Out of them all, I like the Kiryu taxi the most, it actually gives some insight into Japan culture. Idol dancing also does, but less so, and mountain hunting or baseball batting have even less. Not to mention that rooster racing thing... Not that they are completely without merit, but I wish that the substance vs. content ratio was a bit better in those.

Nope, no mods there. Though Haruka does not always wear that, only in selected scenes, she normally has a grey hoodie. So when she was wearing stripes, I was always thinking "who does this remind me of?" And then I finally got it.

[ZaidH]

Yeah there's definitely some filler in that Haruka part😅 I weep for the brave souls that aim for 100% completion😭

So it was Shinada's part that I didn't enjoy much. Really liked his personality, but good god his combat is just underwhelming. Still, I was glad to see a character who was affected by all these Yakuza big shots. There's gotta be collateral damage amidst all this mayhem eh😅

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I do not go for 100% in the Yakuza series. Though I usually end up completing everything except Heat Actions and Minigames. I am after completing things that give you content pieces, and those 2 don't really do that, and their completion prizes are usually not that impressive either (as opposed to completing substories, for example).

I like Shinada as a character, that goofy rascal, though he thinks about sex just a tad too much. Maybe occupational hazard. About combat, I am not sure, I have a few issues with it so far. Yeah, he is not as good as any of the remaining 3, and seems like he was intended as a "weapon wielder", but I just stick to that "tackle" special move of his, if you do it against the wall, then no enemy has a chance to break it, so it is his go-to move for me. But what that does mean is that he only has that one technique that he can really use, not much room for variety with him.

There's always been some collateral, though, Harukas mother or Taiga's sister, to name a couple. But yeah, this time we got to be the collateral rather than just see it happen.