[ZaidH]

I haven't seen it yet, but I actually like the idea of cars moving around 😯 The NPCs in these games get a little too static for me sometimes, so things moving around sounds intriguing.

That's so weird lols. Oh no not grinding 😫😫😫 Note to self: Play the game with mods.

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I thought NPCs in Kiwami were active enough, and there are some cars there, too. But not like proper two-directional roads. While that it not bad per se, it is using resources and is a symptom of not packing everything in a smaller area. Normally, Yakuza locations are very iconic, on every turn you get some building or site with a real prototype. LaD has it too, but they are further in between, and cars are more a method to liven up otherwise empty space. Not ideal, to me.

Mods can help, but be careful, GamePass may ban those if you use them. Though not sure, maybe it is more lenient when it comes to singleplayer where using mods only affects your own personal experience. For multiplayer, they are a big no-no, I hear.

[ZaidH]

Ok yeah, that doesn't sound like the most optimum way to increase the size of the map 😶 Does it also have enemy encounters outside the missions? If so I'd imagine going from Point A to B to be pretty tedious.

Oh thanks for the heads-up!

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH The map does seem unreasonably bloated, yeah. and you do have encounters, the same as in the rest of the Yakuza games. They are spread wider too, though, so I'd say you do not get to fight more often than in older games, it's just that you need to run more from one fight to the next.

It is still tedious, though. Because of that turn-based mechanic, each fight takes more actual time than in older more dynamic real-time fight Yakuza games. So it takes a lot of time...

[ZaidH]

Oh lordy...

Turn-based RPGs aren't my thing (except Persona 5), so it's up to the story and characters in LAD to fully carry the game 😶

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH About characters, well... It's not that they are bad, they are not. It's just that... they are not as charismatic as before. You can sort of see what developers were trying to do, to fit new characters into the archetype of the previous ones in a retelling sort of way. Like how Ichiban as a protagonist means to follow Kiryu and have a moral compass, or how Koichi is a substitute for Date, or that Tianyou is gunning for the role of Ichiban's Majima, sort of.

But to me, while it is not bad per se, they lack...gravitas...to pull that off. If you look at them without thinking about the Yakuza baggage, then they are fine, but looking at them with Yakuza in mind, it reminded me of a bunch of kids putting on clothes of their parents and pretending to be adults. Cute, maybe even sweet, but you're not fooling anybody.

[ZaidH]

Trying to fill the shoes of giants eh 😓 Are the Judgement games also a victim of this? Here's hoping these characters create their own unique identities in Infinite Wealth 😅

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I have not tried Judgement yet, I am waiting for them to make their way into GamePass so I can do it for free. But from what I could tell, they seem to be trying to do their own thing with a different vibe, they are just set in the same universe. But also, I heard that there was some scandal again or other, so they are unlikely to make any more Judgement games.

[ZaidH]

Oh yeah I remember you mentioning that the main lead's agency were upto some tomfoolery 😐

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Yeah, though I read about it a long time ago, I do not remember what it was exactly anymore, I may need to dig it up again. If I remember correctly, I think the agency did not want to sell his likeness to video games anymore, but there could be more to it than that.