So Yakuza 6 is finally out in the West! How are you guys liking it?

I have played about 4-5 hours so far and I have enjoyed it a lot so far. It`s taking a bit of time getting used to how faces of familiar characters look in the new enjoy, but that`s mostly just because I have become so used to the old ones and the rest of the game is beautiful. The new town in this games is especially pretty. The new combat system also makes fights look really cool though, so far at least, while it`s more fun than the combat in for example 3 or 4 I prefer the way combat in 0 and Kiwami played.

I have enjoyed the story and characters so far, but the story is still in the early stages, so it`s hard to say how much I will end up liking it overall. The sub stories have also been solid so far.

So far the game just seems like a really solid Yakuza game. Not the best in the series, but a good addition. As I said though I am early on, so a lot can change before I reach credits.

Lastly I just wanted to mention that the Live Chat minigame contains some real gold. The translators obviously had a lot of fun writing the other members of the chatroom.

https://www.giantbomb.com/yakuza-6-the-song-of-life/3030-50874/forums/oh-i-guess-this-came-out-in-the-us-region-today-1828388/

^^My impressions here. I wouldn't mind if a mod decided to lock my thread for this one considering the title of this one is more user friendly.

Oh sorry! I should have checked more thoroughly before I made the thread. Didn`t mean to hijack your topic.

I read from the IGN review that the combat is so streamlined that there is no depth. What does everyone think of the combat so far? I played the demo and it is fairly enjoyable.

It's streamlined in the sense that you don't switch modes anymore, but I find that a welcome change, tbh. Instead of having to balance 3 different ones, they made one style enjoyable. Also you don't earn CP points anymore instead opting for a weirdish XP system that handles everything. I kinda liked the money upgrades from the previous game and this new system looks daunting, but it really is just something to get used to.

It's fine, Kiryu's fighting style is more in line with games prior to 0. I prefer the 0/Kiwami combat, but that's just because of the speed of Rush style and how fun and hectic it is, I barely used any other style in those games. There isn't really that much depth to normal group fights in Yakuza to begin with; keep dudes in front of you, punch dudes, win.
That IGN review makes a point to say that multiple styles added depth, but I can't really agree with that because you could change styles all willy nilly. Yakuza 0 had Quick-Change Clothes, now that you could call depth with all the animation cancel nonsense, but that was also broken as fuck.
Yakuza 6 combat style combines the most useful parts of each style (the same way Legend and Dragon of Dojima styles did in 0 and Kiwami), so you can mix and match with a bit more freedom.

I've actually found the combat in 6 more challenging from time to time, though that might be because I've completely neglected stat upgrades and focused on EXP gain and food related skills instead.

@shivermetimbers: The money upgrade system really only worked for 0, given the setting and the overabundance of cash you get. Every other game gives you dramatically less money, so having to deal with skill upgrades too wouldn't really work, even if they scaled the cost back.

Takes a while before it get's going. that's my only negative point so far.

Anyone getting performance problems on a regular PS4? Getting texture pop-ins especially with distant buildings.

Downloaded and waiting for some free time for me to bite into it. How much is following up from past games? I played through 0 and loved it, and want to know if I should do more for context.

It`s connected pretty heavily to most of the games in the series, but especially 5. There are recap videos in the game that will probably get you up to speed on the major plot beats (I haven`t watched them, but they have been good in the past). You will probably still be missing the emotional core of Kiryu and Haruka and their relationship (and to a lesser degree other returning characters), but the only real way of getting that is by playing the other games, so I think the recap videos are your best bet.

It does an ok job of getting you up to speed. I’d imagine playing through the whole series is still the best way to go.

I do hope they remake 3-5 in the Dragon Engine as well though. I couldn’t get into them before and a remake in this engine with the improvements (from both the devs and localization) from 0, Kiwami, and 6 would be awesome.

I finished it today and was really happy with my experience. It's a much more streamlined game compared to the 0 and 5, but I think I'm personally fine with it. It's cool that they can make both the convoluted and the simple intriguing. This is very much a Kiryu game, and there really is not much else besides him. Those who enjoyed the sheer size and scope of 5 and 0 might be a little disappointed by the 'lack' of content, though there's probably still 40 hours or so of stuff to do.

My game clock says 32 hours, and that's with quite a lot of the side stuff. I've yet to finish the baseball and the local bar scene sidestories, and I've still got cats to find and hostesses to talk to, but I've done pretty much everything else (Though apparently there's a darts storyline? I completely missed it to be honest).

I do feel like Kamurocho is a little quieter than usual and could do with an extra side activity or two. I don't think you can even play Shogi or gamble, which I've always spent a bit of time doing. That said, the main story is a big driving force and you do feel more awkward than ever spending time away from it.

Combat is okay, though I would confirm that it does feel a little streamlined compared to the last few games. It definitely feels faster though, which is very welcome.

@omgfather: a little late but hell yes. That game is blurry and choppy on a regular PS4. I bought a Pro used because the game was giving me a headache, and it's so so much better on the Pro. Some of the pop in and distance stuff is rough but in general it's much more visually consistent.

I think the combat is a step down but it's still fun swinging dudes around and knocking them through windows etc. I really like how everything feels more seamless now. In past games i'd sometimes avoid combat not because I didnt enjoy it but because I didnt want any loading screens. (they got better about that in later games) The same was true for going to bars, restaurants and arcades. I'm not really a fan of the clan stuff though. Or the baseball questline. I'll probably end up begrudgingly finishing them both though. (gotta get that Amon fight)

I've played a handful of hours now and I gotta say that the combat is... not doing it for me. Maybe it gets better but there's a sloppiness to it that comes with its being based around physics. It's hard to feel like the Dragon of Dojima when you get knocked on your ass from a garbage pail that flew in your face, or when you're rolling around from a strong punch. The ragdolls also lack a lot of weight and it seems really hard to find good environmental heat moves.

The drama is as tense as ever but the combat feels like several steps in the wrong direction. Not necessarily backward but it's pretty far from where it needs to be.

Edit: words

I've never really seen the combat in the series as something to be lauded. Just a thing you mash through to get going. I just find the moves to create space and then wail on whoever's standing.

I've enjoyed it so far. But it does indeed run pretty badly on a regular PS4. I get the feeling the FPS drops to about 20 in certain areas.

I'm enjoying the combat, but I think part of that is because it finally feels noticeably different. Although I still had fun, the combat really hadn't evolved that much since like Yakuza 3. The ragdoll effects are kinda silly (in the wrong way), but eh, that's a minor complaint.

Also I'm playing it on the standard PS4 and looks and runs better than I was expecting honestly, given what I had heard. I've definitely noticed some dips here and there, but it's tolerable, so far.

Wrote a review for the import copy, my feelings are pretty much in line with Nubster on the combat, which is why I’m still hoping Sega will bring Hokuto over eventually.

I'm having a hard time adjusting to the combat. I'd say its stiffer, but the strikes feel like they have some actual weight behind them now and I wouldn't really call that a bad thing. I've been playing since 3 and for better or worse this reminds me of that in a lot of ways. Maybe I've just gotten used to 0 and the other recent games. I don't hate it, but it's been a bit of a stumbling block.

Other than that, I would say this is a noticeable upgrade for the Yakuza engine/formula. I really like how seamless everything is, and I don't hate the 'streamlined' nature of things so far. The way food, EXP, and money (to some extent) work now are kind of interesting, and gives some added depth to some of the most charming aspects of the series. I haven't gotten far enough in to even unlock the Clan Creator stuff though, so we'll see how I feel once I get deeper in.

Half-way through it now and the combat still feels off but not in a way that costs me deaths. I've found myself eating more to top health up and take the EXP bonuses. It's odd for me to look at this game and think I'll be done with it inside 15 hours. I like how they deal with the skills stuff. There's always something to pump points into. It's occurred to me I haven't been playing as multiple characters, too. Comparisons to 3 seem apt in that respect.

Finished the game yesterday, though I ended up skipping the majority of side content because I really wanted to knock out the main story before my vacation ends. The combat I'm mixed on, but that's probably just because I've played 3 onwards and those games have always had a very specific feel to them that this game doesn't. The hits feel more weighty and natural, but I also didn't really find myself learning the moveset or the combos like I used to, and playing on Hard mode also meant that even basic enemies blocked every other attack, so even becoming more powerful didn't feel like it was helping much. The running attack is also super powerful in this game, so much so that I could run into a crowd of enemies and knock half of them out with one hit. I'm sure once I get e better handle on it I'll feel more positive on it, but overall it seemed like a step sideways.

I've heard nothing but negative things about the story leading up to the english release, so I went in ready for some garbage, but was pleasantly surprised. The narrative felt more directed than they have in a while (3, 4, and 5 all have great moments but were super unfocused and convoluted), and while there was a lack of returning characters, the new ones were well realized and fun to watch. There's a lot of stuff that feels out of character or nonsensical in the game (it's more of a soap than ever), though when it all wrapped up I came away pretty satisfied with how they decided to conclude it.

I'd rank this pretty high in the series, in terms of overall enjoyment I'd group it in with 4 and 5, but I wouldn't say it comes close to 0. Looking forward to filling in the one glaring omission to my series completion when Kiwami 2 comes out, especially because I've heard it brings back a lot of stuff 6 didn't have in the transition between engines, and everyone seems to love the story. I thought I'd come away from this game needing a long break from the series, but if anything I'm more excited to see how the series grows from here.

Interesting. It ranks quite low for me. Not sure what it was, but I didn't like any of the side content (clan creator, baseball game, etc) this time around. Couldn't get vested into the substories despite them all being voiced now. Finished through the story and think I'm done with it. I couldn't get into Kiwami that much either. Maybe Zero really set the bar too high.

I'm having a pretty tepid response to Yakuza 6 so far. I'm five or so hours in and I'm not feeling the urgency to pick it up and get back into the story, hopefully it starts to get the mystery and intrigue these games do so well. I'm skipping over a large portion of the inessential dialogue, I'm not finding it that engaging so I'm reading fast and skipping past the VO. I remember reading that this entry wasn't received as well over in Japan so I think I'll have to revise my expectations a bit going back in.

I really like the fluidity of the world and the fights now. Actually entering buildings or convenience stores is the sort of novelty feature that is a fresh experience. I found an "Evil Siri phone assistant" side quest and that was the highlight of my playtime so far. I want to get invested, I'm just waiting for the main story to grab and pull me in.

I beat the Baseball side story, and if you didn't enjoy the start don't bother slogging through to the end. I liked it for what it was, but you don't really get anything for it and the characters and dialogue are astoundingly generic. For those who are planning on seeing it though, make sure you get the pitcher from the Fishing side story. Put him as starting pitcher and just re-do games over and over again until he can crush everyone.

Clan Creator was fine, though mainly just to see the wrestlers do their wrestling things. The hostess stuff is actually pretty good, though without the mini-game from Yakuza 0 it feels a bit pointless. Glad that thing is coming back for Kiwami 2.

The local bar scene sidestory, however, is great and I highly recommend it. It's pretty easy to miss but it's just good, cheesy slice-of-life fun. It's in Onomichi on the far right, not far from the Yakuza office.

Spent 33 hours in the game: doing a chunk of the side quests, some baseball, lots of fishing (unlock the other stages by unlocking more baseball if you're stuck), and a little clan creator. Gotta say I played it mostly for the main story and was not disappointed. I love the Yakuza drama and I dearly miss my Hiroshima boys already. Doesn't stack up to Yakuza 0 but that game just had it all in my opinion.

Guess I’m in the minority but I like it more than the other Yakuza games. I’ve played all but Y2.

I feel that the pacing, amount of content, upgrade system, combat, and new engine is just about right in Y6. It might not be the best in the series in every single category mentioned above but overall it’s my favorite Yakuza game.

I was cautious when I started playing it, I heard a lot of bad things about the story, but I'm loving it and I almost finished the game.

I just miss old secondaries like Majima, but the new secondaries are also pretty good.

The only bad thing I can find about this game is a little lack of content (Understandable, is a new engine), and that I prefer the combat of Yakuza 0

I finished it yesterday. Overall I think Yakuza 0 was the stronger game, but 6 has it's moments. I guess I'm one of the weirdos who had a hard time finishing Yakuza 4 and 5 because of how huge and convoluted the series was getting, so I really appreciated a more focused story centered around my man Kiryu.

The battle system took some getting used to, and I'm still not entirely sold on it, but I feel like I can see what they were going for and I think it could be great once they refine it a bit more. The minigames were okay I guess? I usually don't mess with that stuff too much. The Clan Creator reminds me a lot of the Assassin's guild stuff from AC: Revelations, for better or worse. I still don't really understand the baseball team sim but it's fun to look at.

I think my favorite thing is the enhanced focus on food and drinks as a way to heal and gain exp and status boosts. Kiryu eating a bunch of meat from Kanrai, then running around the block a few times to make room to chug a BOSS coffee before chucking some punk through a store window is kind of all I was looking for in a Yakuza game.

Just finished it. I think the story is good for the most part, even if some of Haruka's decisions are still a little unbelievable (I kept waiting for a cutscene where she'd get to explain everything from her side, but it never comes) and guys like Majima are hardly in it. I have bigger issues with the tedious minigames: spearfishing, hostesses, and Clan Creator are all pretty bad, and trying to find all the cats without any sort of hint or location system for them is a real chore. It's like they were designed to be as monotonous as possible. Who wants to see the same video clips over and over during the chatroom stuff? Why is the majority of the baseball stuff out of your control? Why are the endings for the hostesses exactly the same? Also, I get that the Troublr missions are supposed to fill the void of having less substories, but some of them are flat out terrible, particularly the fire extinguisher ones. I usually try to do as much as I can in Yakuza games but I had a hard time mustering up the motivation for this one. But despite all that, there are plenty of memorable moments that make this a worthy entry. Hopefully they'll take their time and really flesh out the next game in the series after Kiwami 2.

I finished it a few days ago and my opinions match some others here pretty closely. In general I liked it quite a bit and it gave me a lot of the Yakuza I know and love, but the more I think about it the more nitpicky I get towards the story.

Regarding Haruka: when she woke up I was hoping for a big dump of exposition from her like @wootootee mentions above, but her and Kiryu chatted for about 5 minutes. Their emotional reunion was just kind of a wet fart. The whole baby story seemed a little straightforward too. Not the heir to the triad part of it I mean, that was pretty crazy, but right off the bat we knew that this was definitely Haruka's biological son. I was wondering if there'd be some swerve where she adopted Haruto from someone else. Maybe I'm just used to swerves from everywhere.

And ~The Secret~: W... what? What?? I guess I was hoping for something crazy, and I certainly got that. I'd love to hear what other people were speculating it was as the game went on. I thought for sure it'd be something like most high ranking yakuza or federal politicans were secretly heihaizi all along.

And in terms of gameplay, it's a bummer that sidestories weren't clearly marked on the map. I missed so many in my playthrough that I have to go back and do now with a guide just to find them.

Edit: Ono Michio better up for 2018's Best New Character in GOTY.

@pinefresh: Guess you're happy they added the Ono Michio costume as dlc ;p

I finished it too and I thought the story was kind of all over the place and not that interesting (it had a consistant theme at least) but I always feel like the highlight of these games are the characters and I liked most of them, the Hirose crew and the buddies you make at the bar were all likeable. The game could have benefitted from a Majima like presence though. (or better antagonists in general) The closest the game gets is Stardust's new manager who was a wasted character in my opinion.

Overall I liked the game quite a bit and i'm excited to play through Kiwami 2 later this year as i've forgotten most of it. (and the new story stuff looks great)

Yakuza 6 might be my favorite Yakuza game. While the fighting is a lot simpler, the game features almost none the frustrating gameplay that was present in the previous entries. Onomichi is real great location, and the new minigames are fun too. While the story is not as good as 2 or Zero was, all the new characters are charming and surprisingly deep. The more I think about the ending, the more I like it too. Hell of a game.

Also for those who are interested, I ranked all the gangsters in the game: https://www.giantbomb.com/profile/hanihani/lists/the-ranking-of-yakuza-6-gangsters-minimal-spoilers/363001/

I really enjoyed playing the game. The combat grew on me as I played. Charging, parrying, extreme heat mode were all cool additions. I wish the final boss fight was more epic. The villain wasn't the greatest. I still feel the combat was a little clunky? Felt like I was playing a Rockstar game with the way Kiryu was being unresponsive to my control inputs. Walking into restaurants to eat made it my main source of health replenishment in 6, something I only did sparingly in previous games. The whole environment was beautiful, the over-world has never been better. Side stories are fun (I especially liked the bar mini-game in Onomichi) I liked exploring the world using the first person camera. I don't understand why some of Kamurocho was barricaded off? Beat Takeshi wasn't that great of a character. Idk, I've never heard of him but he is incredibly popular in Japan apparently so that is just my cultural ignorance I guess not being amazed by his inclusion in this game.

Story and Ending Discussion (Spoilers)

Yakuza 6 is somewhere around Yakuza 3 in my head when I rank these games. One of the weaker Yakuza titles, but Yakuza games always deliver something worth while (except dead souls)

P.S. I wish I could look like Joon-gi Han, the Stardust manager. I loved his whole look. The Ono-michio side quests were really endearing! That whole town was very cool.

The Yakuza series continues to be the Fast and the Furious of video game franchises.

Ryu ga Gotoku Studio deserves a pat on the back for the Dragon engine; it is right up there with Kojima Production's Fox engine

Coming in a year late...prior I have played Yakuza O only, so let that be known.

I love it. I might be half way through or just a quarter ist hard to know, but I have to say I enjoy what I have played of teh game game. My only knock is that I feel like that game takes a solid 40 minutes to actually "get going" - that was a bit too much. Its a struggle to recap a story based game, especially one with seven prior storylines (even if one is a retcon). Nevertheless, this game has a SLOW start.

In addition, maybe it just my taste in games; but I felt like Yakuza 0 had a bit more to do. Zero had more side missions and more zany characters, or so it seems. Yakuza 6 is maybe a more refined story and a bit less melodramatic, but I think Zero was more...joyously fun.

@monkeyking1969: I've played all of the main numbered games many times and 6 is 100% lacking in side content compared to the other games. I loved the game anyway but from what I understand they ran low on time during development and scaled back on the side-story front for 6.

FYI every other game in the series has 70+ sub-stories and a few full featured mini games a-piece so they are well worth a look if you enjoyed that stuff in 0. I think 0 is probably the best of them but there's plenty of really good stuff in all the others.

If you want more of the Y6 engine with lots more side content and easily one of the best stories in the series you should really try Kiwami 2 imo.

Yeah, I was thinking I woudl tackle Kiwami and Kiwami 2 next. I probably should have bought the "multi-pack" that has Yakuza 0, Kiwami, and Kiwami 2...but I already had Zero, so I put it off to play #6 first.

@monkeyking1969: You can't go wrong playing them in order, they don't directly tie together all that much but it's fun to see the incremental effects of the passage of time on Kamurocho and some of the principle characters/organisations imo.