Quick Look: Yakuza: Dead Souls

Been wondering what this game was about.

So is this Yakuza 5 or is it like the one where you are a samurai and thus non canon?

Fuck yeah Weekend Quicklooks!

In before bitching and moaning!

Is this the third Souls game??

Love the Yakuza series, so I'm really excited to see this because I have no idea what the hell this is going to be.

Whoa a QL! Most excellent!

So why isn't Ryan and Jeff doing this Quick Look?

how many yakuza games are there now!

hmm not a good game

Played a bunch of 1 and loved it. I never finished it because these games are LOOONNGGG! I think my love for Japanese culture fuels most of it and allows me to deal with it's Japanese gameplay.

Oh man, I've been waiting for a game based on Nikolai Gogol for a LONG TIME. I'm glad someone stepped up to the plate. Wait, why is this game set in Japan?

@Venatio said:

So why isn't Ryan and Jeff doing this Quick Look?

They didn't meet the Klepeks quota for this month.

Whao, brad smokes?

SAY WHAAAT, awesome weekend QL extravaganza.

Oh god, I remember Jeff's QL about Yakuza 3 and 4(iirc) made me not play those games and after playing the demos... I'm not saying they are bad, just not my cup of tea.

Whao, brad smokes?

The only good part to all of Dead Souls is finally being able to play as Majima; his segment is fucking grand. But everything else... it's garbage. Shooting feels super weak (Dead Souls may go on record for having the most unsatisfying gatling gun ever) and it all gets very tedious very quickly, especially if you're trying to go through all of the sub-stories.

And the adventure elements are literally the exact same as they've always been. Nothings changed. Y'know, for as much as everybody likes to complain about CoD being an annual franchise and not really adjusting their formula too much... I think Yakuza deserves some of that flak because it's the exact same situation for the most part. Dead Souls is basically Yakuza 4 (which itself was basically Yakuza 3), just instead of some surprisingly satisfying melee combat, you've got shooting that kinda resembles the shooting in the original Dead Rising, but worse. And the adventure elements themselves are so dated as well. There becomes a stage where ''Japanese quirk'' becomes ''archaic game design'' and Yakuza has definitely reached such a stage with Dead Souls.

@DonChipotle said:

So is this Yakuza 5 or is it like the one where you are a samurai and thus non canon?

Yeah pretty much. It's like the ''Undead Nightmare'' of Yakuza.

the yakuza games are apparently (told by a friend of a friend who lives in japan) HUUUUUUUGE in japan

SUPERCHUNK!

Edit: I want this.

Sweeeeet. Thanks for all the QLs guys. Just what I need to nurse this hangover.

@Anwar said:

SAY WHAAAT, awesome weekend QL extravaganza.

Oh god, I remember Jeff's QL about Yakuza 3 and 4(iirc) made me not play those games and after playing the demos... I'm not saying they are bad, just not my cup of tea.

I remember the Yakuza 4 QL being an hour long and most of the QL was a really boring cutscene.

"Japanese Grand Theft Auto"

No, no, no. A thousand times, no.

You actually need to hire someone who knows things about Japanese video games. Seriously.

Why do they keep making these games? Do they actually sell in the US?

I personally found their not knowing the series and apologizing and such hilarious.

@AxleFGK said:

the yakuza games are apparently (told by a friend of a friend who lives in japan) HUUUUUUUGE in japan

There have been more Yakuza games than years since the first one was released. Yeah, they sell well.

So Bratrick ER of Yakuza forthcoming? :P

@RecallBerserk said:

You actually need to hire someone who knows things about Japanese video games. Seriously.

Send them a CV

There better be some kung fu zombies in this!

BTW, Patrick, where's ma Downpour QL??

@BeachThunder said:

Is this the third Souls game??

Yes this is the sequel to dark souls.

I haven't played the Yakuza games yet, but the combat in those games is predominantly melee-based, right? This game seems completely different from Yakuza 1-4 in terms of combat. Not a fan of how the shooting seems in this, although I do want to play the other games at some point.

Patrick, you should probably play the yakuza games. They are a good mix of weird, funny, bad, melodramatic and legitimately serious and interesting. I've never played Shenmu, but they are kind of a successor to that, but with better gameplay (I'm lead to believe that you just do QTE's in Shenmu, but I don't know.)

I'd say they are probably a bit under rated.

This actually the 6th yakuza game including the psp yakuza game.

@Antihippy said:

Whao, brad smokes?

fact. people smoke.

@Sanj said:

I haven't played the Yakuza games yet, but the combat in those games is predominantly melee, right? This game seems completely different from Yakuza 1-4 in terms of combat. Not a fan of the shooting in this, although I do want to play the other games at some point.

Yakuza 4 is actually a decent place to startI think. It's basically got everything that Yakuza 3/Dead Souls has (minus the shooting, but you don't want that), just it's better, more refined in some spots. Plus 3/4 of its playable characters are completely new (Shun Akiyama, the guy in the QL, is one of 'em) so it kinda makes for a surprisingly accessible entry point as you enter into the fray about as fresh as the new faces.

Doesn't look like a game for me.

Good video, nice and informative.

Look at those awesome shooting mechanics.

@n0nametaz said:

This actually the 6th yakuza game including the psp yakuza game.

Yakuza 1 & 2 on Playstation 2.

Yakuza 3,4, Kenzan & Dead Souls on Playstation 3.

Yakuza Black Panther Chronicles 1 & 2 on PSP.

Chronologically this is the 7th in the series as Yakuza Black Panther Chronicles 2 is in development.

I respect Patrick's opinion but having played all of the Yakuza games, the gameplay is really great and important in them. The fighting system in the last couple of games is some of the most brutal and visceral combat in any game. Also the story is important for this game, only reason I want to play it despite the gameplay looking like dogshit. You don't have to play the PS2 games, just play Yakuza 3 and Yakuza 4 which are amazing

@RecallBerserk said:

You actually need to hire someone who knows things about Japanese video games. Seriously.

I think this could help. Someone who could Quick Look and review JRPG's and such. Did Tales of Vesperia even get a Quick Look?

Since Brad thought Asura's Wrath was amazing, he should absolutely love the Yakuza games.

I've never played a Yakuza game, but now I want every Yakuza game. I need to get me a PS3.

Yakuza is the 2nd highest selling series in Japan, just under Monster Hunter.
and monster hunter is ban-freaking-anas in japan.

@RecallBerserk said:

You actually need to hire someone who knows things about Japanese video games. Seriously.

I think this could help. Someone who could Quick Look and review JRPG's and such. Did Tales of Vesperia even get a Quick Look?

I agree, this is the 2nd Toshihiro Nagoshi game they have done a Quick Look for, I hope they keep up the trend of exposing under appreciated games.

Having two people who don't know anything about the series on the Quick Look was a great idea. At least if you want someone answering every question with "I think..." or "I don't know." and getting most of the "I think..." answers wrong.

For starters, the normal Yakuza games have more in common with Final Fantasy than GTA with a bit of Shenmue sprinkled in. Sidequests, inventory management, equippable items, random battles, improving your stats etc. are very much JRPG-like, the limited areas you can freely explore and sometimes mundane activities like playing darts or buying a drink at a bar are reminiscent of Shenmue. And of course QTEs.

Edit: Yes, Brad, the previous games all had C.C. Lemon and a bunch of other Suntory products.

Majima's section of this game is pretty awesome. His enthusiasm for mass zombie murder is unparalleled.

@paulunga: I don't know if you know this or not but the giantbomb staff is made up of 5 guys. All of whom don't play Yakuza games. You complaining about them not knowing about the series is nonsensical. They're not here to tell you about the series influences, but show you how the game plays. Which happens to be exactly what they did.

@PimblyCharles said:

@Antihippy said:

Whao, brad smokes?

fact. people smoke.

So does Vinny, but only because Jeff overburdens him with work.