Back to Kamurocho
The story of KazumaKiryu has been completed, but we now have another excuse to revisit it. Rejoice Xbox gamers, Yakuza is finally on your console and now is the time to experience this opus in all its glory starting from the beginning. Yakuza is a series that lay dormant for years,never appreciated for how good it really was. With the resurgence of the games on PS4 it is now back in the public eye, with the final chapter and the origin chapters both releasing within the last two years. Now Xbox players can kick off the journey with Yakuza Zero. This is the perfect starting point and time for a whole new set of players to discover the awesomeness of Kiryu.
I have said a lot about Yakuza over the years. I even reviewed Zero on PS4 when it came out, so I am not going to go into massive detail in this review. If you want the full blow out check out my review of the game when it initially launched. This review is more of a manifesto as to why Xbox players should care about this series. Now that Sega is bringing it to Microsoft’s machines, it is time for everyone to experience how great these games are.
MSRP: $19.99
Platforms: XB1 (reviewed), PS4, PC, PS3
Price I’d Pay: $19.99
First things first: Yakuza games are massive. They are basically worlds that players can interact with, but not necessarily like other open-world games. Fetch quests and collection mechanics are not the name of the game. Instead Yakuza is more of a collection of experiences. Players can play darts, go bowling, play classic Sega games, or even choreograph a dance video. Wackiness is the name of the game, and the side stories in Yakuza are some of the most entertaining practices in absurd. Players can train dominatrix’s or be a producer on a TV show. The sky is the limit.
Experiencing the world is what these games are all about. There is fighting sure, but a lot of it is listening to conversations. The origins of Kiryu are super interesting. Yes there is a lot of talking and dialogue, but I never once found it boring or uninteresting. Watching how he came to be the Dragon of Dojima only sets up the wild tales that happen in the following six games. Yes there is a lot of ground to cover, but it never once gets boring.
Yakuza Zero was a bridge for me. I had never played these games in their original form, so when this game dropped on PS4 I took it upon myself to discover the series. Since then I have played multiple titles, and when this dropped on Xbox One I immediately jumped back in and logged ten hours in two days. There is just something about the series that really scratches an itch other games simply do not. I love the world, I adore the characters, and for one of the few times in gaming, I love hearing the stories. Yakuza is a series that deserves to be played and I will celebrate it every time it makes a new console appearance.
The Xbox One version looks just as good if not a little better than its PS4 counterpart. It runs at a higher resolution and the world feels alive. It still has markings of its PS3 building, but it looks great regardless. I cannot wait to play Kiwami and Kiwami 2 on Xbox as well, as I never got a chance to finish those when they originally released. If for some reason you have not experienced the series there has never been a better time. The PS4 version is always on sale, it is in Game Pass for both Xbox and PC. Do not hesitate, play Yakuza and join me in experiencing one of the most unique and interesting games of the generation.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
