Yakuza 0

Before Yakuza 0, my experience with the series was limited to Yakuzas 1 and 3. And while I enjoyed the very basic plot 1 features quite a bit, 3 is strange as it's first 10 hours have a large focus on tending to an orphanage. Not exactly the gripping yakuza and crime-focused story you'd expect. Contrast this with what I've experienced with 0. From the start the story is compelling, entertaining, and far better written than what 1 and 3 had to offer. I'm unsure if this is due to better writing on the Japanese team's part or an improved localization on the Western front. Paired with the plot, the cutscenes throughout the game are well acted and animated (especially the fights). Yakuza 0 has a plethora of characters who are endlessly fun to love and hate. Each portrayed by Japanese actors that I personally didn't recognize but soon learned that they are rather well known within Japan.

What amounted to a 40-hour journey for me was a little slow at first. However, once Majima is introduced the plot really gets going. Yakuza 0 employs dual protagonists, the first being Kazuma Kiryu, the series' main protagonist. And the second being Goro Majima, another series regular. The two characters' plots begin separated, but of course as any good crime film would, the plots slowly intertwine. What I was surprised to find is that Majima's side of the story could potentially stand without Kazuma. Don't get me wrong, I love Kazuma, but Majima's end of the plot stands out as the better half. Majima's character development is especially intriguing when you are aware of how he usually acts in the rest of the series. He is usually just the crazy dude that will do anything for Kiryu. So when Majima first appears our expectations are subverted quite cleverly in an amazing 15 minute cutscene where we are introduced to a very calm Majima. This is because Yakuza 0 not only tells the story of how Kazuma Kiryu became the Dragon of Dojima, but also how Goro Majima became the Mad Dog of Shimano. Throughout the plot, we see how and why Majima becomes the mad dog he is later in the series. And the execution is surprisingly unexpected.

One element of continuous disappointment to me is how often the cutscenes shift from the really well-animated movie-like cutscenes to the more video game-like ones with text boxes. The cinematic ones are much more interesting to watch, so when it fades to black to change to the text box littered ones it's fairly disappointing. Also, this unevenness is a marker for when something more important happens because all the important moments are shown in the higher budget style.

Other than the story, Yakuza 0's focus is the combat, which takes some getting used to. While it is the best the combat has ever been in the Yakuza series it's still a little bit clunky and only begins to really shine once you're fully in tune with it. Both Kiryu and Majima have three distinct fighting styles that offer different play styles for dealing with one enemy, a couple, or a dozen. I felt uncomfortable with the combat at the start, but later unlocked more combat styles and skills, which serve to flesh out the system as a whole. This gave me a much better sense of control. Once I had that down, the combat system felt fantastic and I started to feel like the star of a martial arts film. Be it a random encounter with some low-level lackey, or a boss fight, combat is never unsatisfying. The bosses are especially exhilarating because they provide a a more difficult challenge and they're so fun to hate its intensely satisfying to beat them up.

There is an unbelievable amount of side content in this game. Tons of substories, which are short side missions that aren't as serious as the main story but can be cute and/or hilarious. Each serve to make you love the main characters more as each tend to show that Kazuma and Majime just want to help people. There's also plenty to be done around town like going to the arcade and playing Space Harrier, Outrun, or the UFO Catchers. You can go to restaurants to heal, get drunk (which increases your encounter rate), play billiards, bowling, mahjong, and darts. There's also karaoke, with some songs featuring some amazing music videos starring the main characters. Later on, there's a casino run by the homeless, a women's fighting league to place bets on. You can also find telephone cards hidden around town with pictures of Japanese models on them? As serious as this game can be, it can also be totally strange. I believe that's part of the appeal to this series. Much like Metal Gear Solid, Yakuza can be 100% serious, and then 100% just-plain-silly.

Yakuza 0 is the best in the series that I've played, and in terms of gameplay and quality of life, possibly the best the series has to offer. It's also an excellent entry point into the series for anyone looking to hop in. Its story is highly contained within itself and doesn't require much prior knowledge. Anyone reading this who has an interest in the series shouldn't hesitate to start with 0. Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of 1 on the 0 engine, is also a good entry point. However, it should be noted that Kiwami is a near 100% accurate remake of the original PS2 version. So although it looks and plays much better, its story and pacing is very much reflective of the what is honestly a mediocre PS2 beat-em-up. Even with my fairly limited experience with the series it is quite clear that 0 has set a new standard. 0 has garnered more attention than any other entry before and more Yakuza games have come to the West in recent years. With Yakuza 6 finally coming to the West next month (or last week if you were lucky enough), I am hopeful that Kiwami 2 and Hokuto ga Gotoku will make their way here as well. The future is bright for Yakuza and although Sega claims Kiryu's story is over, I'm so excited to see what's next