New Review Posted: Yakuza

Daniel Weissenberger · 11-30-2006, 12:10 AM

Then I take a look at Yakuza, and likes what I see:

"In this age of cynical disillusionment, the Yakuza is perhaps the only international crime organization that North Americans can still look on with any kind of nostalgia. The once mysterious tongs are now thought of as little more than drug running slave traffickers. The Mafia’s suave counterculture image replaced by balding men with four fourth-grade educations clad in track suits, partially because they're too fat to wear anything else and but mostly because they just don't care about their personal appearance. Heck, John Gotti was known as the "dapper don" because he wore a suit every day, not just to court. Yet somehow, and perhaps this is just here in North America, the Yakuza have retained their sense of mystery and wonder. Whether it’s an accurate depiction or not, to the outside observer, they still all dress up in nice suits and go to elaborate ceremonies where music is played by slowly plucking one string at a time on some kind of Japanese mandolin thing. Then there’s the fact that they cut off their own fingers when they’ve made a mistake. Somehow tubby guys ogling strippers and then getting shot to death in a parking lot just can’t compete. So, even if it didn’t have anything else going for it, at least Yakuza has one heck of a setting."

So what happens with that setting? Find out here!

Boy · 11-30-2006, 01:30 AM

Hmm, overall a nice review Danny. And good call on the lack of irony. I noticed that as well. I kept comparing it to God of War in my mind, since both tried for the same mature tone, with one succeeding and the other failing miserably.

I'm kind of disappointed you didn't call it a modern day River City Ransom though. I think it's closer to that than either Shenmue or Streets of Rage (though I did make the mistake of calling it 'modern day streets of rage' early on).

Gene Park · 11-30-2006, 02:15 PM

Wow. you've convinced me to pick it up!!

Snack Eater · 11-30-2006, 03:36 PM

The story, last I left it, was sporadically good. I didn't see much evidence of this greatness you speak of, although perhaps I wasn't deep enough into it.

Daniel Weissenberger · 11-30-2006, 03:36 PM

Boy are you right about the River City Ransom comparison - somehow it just didn't occur to me while I was playing the game, but now it all seems so obvious...

Nice to hear that, Gene - the more people who buy Yakuza, the more people likely it is that the already-completed sequel will be translated and brought over here as well.

As for the story, without giving too much away, it gets better the farther you get into the game - heck, there were even a few twists that I didn't see coming - can't remember the last time that happened in a video game.

Boy · 11-30-2006, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC_Danny

Nice to hear that, Gene - the more people who buy Yakuza, the more people likely it is that the already-completed sequel will be translated and brought over here as well.

Not to mention that the more people who buy a Sega game that is actually y'know...good might encourage Sega to get their act in shape.

Gene Park · 12-01-2006, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC_Danny

Boy are you right about the River City Ransom comparison - somehow it just didn't occur to me while I was playing the game, but now it all seems so obvious...

Nice to hear that, Gene - the more people who buy Yakuza, the more people likely it is that the already-completed sequel will be translated and brought over here as well.

As for the story, without giving too much away, it gets better the farther you get into the game - heck, there were even a few twists that I didn't see coming - can't remember the last time that happened in a video game.

I picked up the game, and am being frustrated at the funeral scene. But so far the game is serviceable. I suppose I could be asking more from the fighting engine. I think it's a little stiff, especially in terms of the animation. I wish someone would resurrect The Collective's fighting engine for Buffy and Indiana Jones. I felt they were just as rigid, but better animated and allowed for multi-directional combat fairly well.

The story so far is OK, and I'm hoping you're right it does get better. There's a few times where I think the F-bombs are a little too much, but at least they're vocalized pretty naturally.

All in all, I love the shopping bits. I do understand where the Shenmue comparisons come from, but I think the similarities are more superficial than anything else.

I'm glad to have supported this game, and I now understand why it's only an 8.0, despite you stating it traverses into greatness territory.

P.S. I really need to buy a CRT or EDTV for myself. Playing PS2 games on HDTV really ruins the experience somewhat, when everything looks so muddied.

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-01-2006, 07:46 PM

Don't worry, once you start learning new moves, the multi-direcitonal combat becomes much easier - the longer you play the game, the better the whole combat experience gets, actually. I had some trouble with the funeral myself - it was the first time the game offered to let me switch over to Easy mode.

As hard as it was, though, by the time I was done I had a firm grasp on the fighting - how important using weapons was, taking every opporunity to use environmental damage. It's actually a pretty good training level for the rest of the game.

You're still pretty early in the game, the actual plot has just kicked in, and things just build from there. I'm no fan of swearing in games, but here it actually seemed appropriate. The good voice acting helped out in that area a whole lot.

Gene Park · 12-01-2006, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GC_Danny

Don't worry, once you start learning new moves, the multi-direcitonal combat becomes much easier - the longer you play the game, the better the whole combat experience gets, actually. I had some trouble with the funeral myself - it was the first time the game offered to let me switch over to Easy mode.

As hard as it was, though, by the time I was done I had a firm grasp on the fighting - how important using weapons was, taking every opporunity to use environmental damage. It's actually a pretty good training level for the rest of the game.

You're still pretty early in the game, the actual plot has just kicked in, and things just build from there. I'm no fan of swearing in games, but here it actually seemed appropriate. The good voice acting helped out in that area a whole lot.

I'm a fan of swearing done naturally, and when it's not too noticeable. I hate it when games look like theyre trying too hard to be mature, and end up sounding like me in fourth grade when I wanted to show how cool I was by saying fuck this and fuck that over and over again. I thought some of the later Rockstar games, Manhunt and San Andreas, did it well. Shenmue II did it pretty shittily.

Yakuza isn't so bad in terms of swearing, but it got noticeable when that one Stardust host kept dropping F-bombs. But the voice acting for the primary characters is top notch, basically because the voice actors are actual actors.

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-01-2006, 08:12 PM

The voice acting is top-notch--with few exceptions, people seem to have been cast based on ability as opposed to name recognition. The only problems I had were with Michael Madsen and Eliza Dushku, who both seem fundamentally wrong for their parts, but both are in the game so little that I didn't mind it too much.

Boy · 12-02-2006, 01:35 AM

Wow, I had no idea these people were in the game. I knew Mark Hamill was in it, and I thought he did a good job, but I didn't know anyone else with a "name" was in there.

You guys are making me want to play the game again.

Snack Eater · 12-10-2006, 07:30 PM

So I beat Yakuza. I don't feel like I wasted my time, but I would argue the contention that it has one of the best stories ever in a game. It's good, don't get me wrong, but overly convoluted and the drama is ruined by the translation.

Daniel Weissenberger · 12-13-2006, 11:35 PM

See, I didn't have a problem with the translation at all, mostly because I thought the voice actors did such a good job.

Sure, there were convolutions, but from my point of view, I'd rather have a story that I had to pay close attention to than one where I can skip through the story without missing much.

Also, I was fond of the characterisations.

Snack Eater · 12-14-2006, 08:43 AM

The dramatic stuff near the end doesn't connect, and I blame this either on the translation or the original script. The acting never impressed me, as it's still stuck in that in-between zone where it manages to be unnatural and competently performed at the same time. At best it's a good anime dub. It would also help if publishers realize that Michael Madsen does not a good performance make. He's been good in about two or three movies, and at least two of them were directed by Quentin Tarantino, who can get a good performance out of anybody, possibly through threatening violence with his chin.

I may or may not have a little, say, second opinion on this. Depends on if y'all say pretty please.