Yakuza Franchise Question

[Sinthoras_96]

Hey everyone, 

I have a few questions about the Yakuza series. Hope you can help me out

 

1. Do these games have an English ( maybe even other languages like german) localization or are they completely Japanese? 

Or is this different from game to game? 

 

2. If I would want to play them,  which order I should go for?  

 

3. I've read something about the first game being remastered for ps4 this year. Do they plan to remaster more or maybe all of the ps2 / ps3 games?  Because I would obviously prefer to play them on ps4^^

[Satoshi Ookami]

1. Mainline games are localized. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_(series)

 

Only spin-offs and 1&2 remaster for PS3 aren't. Since PS4 remaster of Yakuza 1 is coming, the PS3 remaster can be forgotten =D

 

2. As the numbering goes. Yakuza 0 is a prequel then 1-5. 1 is getting Kiwami remaster so you can wait for that.

 

3. PS2 games possibly (you can't play Yakuza with dub, you just can't) but I don't think PS3 games will be remastered. Maybe for PS5.

[Sinthoras_96]

1 minute ago, Satoshi Ookami said:

1. Mainline games are localized. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_(series)

 

Only spin-offs and 1&2 remaster for PS3 aren't. Since PS4 remaster of Yakuza 1 is coming, the PS3 remaster can be forgotten =D

 

2. As the numbering goes. Yakuza 0 is a prequel then 1-5. 1 is getting Kiwami remaster so you can wait for that

Localized means English subtitles in this case?  I would be okay with that^^

 

So, 0,1,2,3,4 and 5 are all with English subtitles? What about 6? I also read something about a western release of 6. Is it only on Japanese right now? 

[Satoshi Ookami]

Just now, Sinthoras_96 said:

Localized means English subtitles in this case?  I would be okay with that^^

Yep, English subs for sure. But there may be local EU versions with other subs, I'm not sure about these

 

1 minute ago, Sinthoras_96 said:

So, 0,1,2,3,4 and 5 are all with English subtitles?

Yes.

0 - PS4

1,2 - PS2

3,4,5 - PS3

 

2 minutes ago, Sinthoras_96 said:

What about 6? I also read something about a western release of 6. Is it only on Japanese right now? 

I omitted 6 because it's too early for that =D

SEGA did announce localization but in early 2018. Considering all possible delays, maybe summer 2018 =D

[madbuk]

18 minutes ago, Satoshi Ookami said:

Yep, English subs for sure. But there may be local EU versions with other subs, I'm not sure about these

 

Yes.

0 - PS4

1,2 - PS2

3,4,5 - PS3

 

I omitted 6 because it's too early for that =D

SEGA did announce localization but in early 2018. Considering all possible delays, maybe summer 2018 =D

Isn't 1 dubbed in English instead of just being subbed?

[Satoshi Ookami]

1 minute ago, madbuk said:

Isn't 1 dubbed in English instead of just being subbed?

Both. It's dub-only but it's subbed.

Unless you mean JP voice + ENG subs by 'subbed',

 

So... to sum it up, Yakuza 1 is ENG dub + ENG texts.

Edited March 12, 2017 by Satoshi Ookami

[Happy]

18 minutes ago, madbuk said:

Isn't 1 dubbed in English instead of just being subbed?

 

Original version of Yakuza 1 had an english dub. The remake they'll be releasing in summer will only have the japanese voices though.

[Sinthoras_96]

Thanks for the replies. I hope that they remaster the second ps2 game for ps4 too at some point. 

 

One last question: Is this Zombie spinoff any good?  From my point of view it looks like something that doesn't really fit in the series. 

[Happy]

2 minutes ago, Sinthoras_96 said:

Thanks for the replies. I hope that they remaster the second ps2 game for ps4 too at some point. 

 

One last question: Is this Zombie spinoff any good?  From my point of view it looks like something that doesn't really fit in the series. 

 

It's a solid game with extremely bad technical issues. If you really want more Yakuza and are fine with the framerate eating shit on a regular basis i'd recommend it, but you're better off starting with the main games.

[Herbalistiikka]

5 hours ago, Sinthoras_96 said:

One last question: Is this Zombie spinoff any good?  From my point of view it looks like something that doesn't really fit in the series. 

It's better than 3 & 5 for sure. And from the looks of it, will be better than 6 as well, 6 wasn't received very well after all. Both of those games are pretty abysmal overall while Dead Souls is a solid spin-off.

While I like this series it's EXTREMELY repetitive and most of the content lies in minigames which are 90% horrible, either because they're grindy, badly designed or have cheating AI. Aside from that the story quality dips a lot and hits the rock bottom with 3 & 5 at least, 6 will probably be the same from what I've heard. Also, if you were to get Zero I wouldn't recommend getting Kiwami at least at full price since it's more or less a reskin of Zero aside form the obvious story perspective.

 

From trophy perspective the only ones with semi-tolerable lists are Yakuza 4 and Dead Souls, the 100% trophies are a real pain in the ass and will burn you out real fast.

[Sicho]

I don't agree with everything the last poster said. Yakuza 3 was my first Yakuza game so I might be a bit biased since I have fond memories of it but I cannot see how the story of 3 was "abysmal" in any way. It was a damn good game and the story was captivating. (I loved the stuff with the kids in the orphanage) Also Yakuza 5 is very good, the only sour point in this game (for me) was the Haruka chapter, which was very boring to play. But all the other stuff is top! Granted, as of now, 4 and Zero are my favorites but 3 and 5 are nowhere near as bad as Herbalistiikka is making it sound.

 

Also saying the series is extremely repetitive is a bit weird, it's like saying COD or Assassin's Creed are repetitive series (which they are). Of course the games feature "more of the same" in every installment, but this is not an argument in other franchises, so why should it be an argument here?

That being said, it is true that a lot of the maps are reused throughout the series (Kamurucho and Sotenbori f.ex.) and the minigames reoccur in every game (sometimes with minor changes but there are also new minigames in every installment).

 

From a trophy perspective though, the whole franchise is a nightmare  But also here I don't agree with Herbalistiikka since he/she is saying that only 4 and Dead Souls have semi-tolerable trophy list... I find that Yakuza 0 has actually the easiest trophy list (which is why it is the first Yakuza game where I'm really trying to get the Plat). Mind you, easy does not mean it is not time-consuming, because it is. Beating the game on the highest difficulty level is slightly more challenging than it was in previous titles but some of the "worst" trophies of other installments like performing every HEAT-action or Pachinko aren't there and the completion requirements for the mini-games are more reasonable than in the other games.

 

All that being said, OP, you should probably begin with Yakuza 0. It is a prequel and it is on PS4 so it is the perfect place to start. Also it features two playable characters and does not overburden you with too many characters and story lines at once (you play up to four different characters in other installments) which makes it more palatable for starters. And when you're done with it, you could then go for the coming remake of 1.
I must say I mostly play the Yakuza games for two reasons. One is the story. I really like it and although a lot of it is over-the-top or cheesy, it is just fun! I use to say that it is a bit like a playable japanese Bud Spencer and Terence Hill movie, it that makes any sense  Basically conflicts get resolved by brawls and there's some very weird humor in it as well. It doesn't take itself too seriously although it also features enough serious stuff (it is a mobster/gangster story after all and the Yakuzas are no joke). Especially Yakuza Zero is a bit more grounded and darker than the other installments. But I digress ... I recommend playing through them chronically since the story is a big part of the appeal in my opinion.

The second reason is that it is basically the closest you can get to playing a Shenmue game without actually playing a Shenmue game. There's a lot of the Shenmue DNA in Yakuza, the fighting, the QTE's, the roaming in a city etc. But this is now the bit where playing the games chronically can become sub-optimal: Yakuza Zero is a prequel, but a recent, modern game, which means that f.ex. Yakuza 3 on PS3 can feel dated in comparison. (graphics, resolution, gameplay elements, inventory management, size of the maps etc.) So it could be "better" to play f.ex. 3, 4 and 5 on PS3 and then move to Zero and 1 Remake and 6. But since I think that story is the most important part of the games, I would still recommend playing them chronically. And who knows, maybe 3 and 4 get remakes as well. (but it's unlikely IMO)

 

Actually, there is a third reason I like these games: they are VERY Japanese. While it can sometimes be confusing or straight-out weird for westerners, it is also a really cool window into the Japanese culture, customs and life. If you are open-minded about this, these games can be enlightening.

 

Sorry for this wall of text  But forums are there for discussions, aren't they?

Edited April 18, 2017 by Sicho

[masdawg1988]

On 12/03/2017 at 0:15 PM, Sinthoras_96 said:

Thanks for the replies. I hope that they remaster the second ps2 game for ps4 too at some point.

Seems as though it may be happening