REVIEW/THOUGHTS [VIDEO GAME] -- Yakuza Kiwami 2

Playthrough Status: Beat the main story plus Majima Saga on Normal, spent some hours in Premium Adventure picking up remaining trophies I was willing to get
Approx. Length: 100+ hours (the game's timer stopped counting at 99:59:59)
Language: English (Cutscenes are voiced in Japanese with English subtitles)
Played on: PS4
Also Available for: PC, Xbox One
Type of Game: Open-world Action Adventure, Mini-games, Skill-building
Overall Impression: Crazy amazing graphics, a complex story... but not enough Majima, hahaha.

A BIG NOTE!!

For those who have read my past reviews, this is a note that I'm gonna try changing up the structure for my review blogs. I want to try shortening my blogs, but still talk about the important things (i.e. the things I wanna talk about, lol). Don't know if I'll actually succeed (I tend to blab a lot when I love something), but we'll see. 

Just like with my past reviews, I'll keep a non-spoiler section (the section you're at right now), and a "Spoiler Talk" section at the end to go into more detail on certain things and to let loose with any extra thoughts.

INTRO / BLURB

After beating Yakuza Kiwami and getting one specific trophy, I started up Yakuza Kiwami 2 (will refer to it as Kiwami 2 for the rest of the review). There were things I immediately loved... and things I didn't love so much... Overall, though, I was very satisfied. It just needed more of Majima, hahaha...

I have to say... Since this is a review about Yakuza Kiwami 2, spoilers for Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami could be present! In fact, I would be reviewing with the assumption that you've beaten both Yakuza 0 and Kiwami. If you haven't beaten those Yakuza games yet, I'd highly recommend you do before reading this review!!

WHAT I LOVED

Graphics: When I saw the night shot of Kamurocho for the first time, I held my breath -- I couldn't believe how real and amazing it looked! I'm not one who cares too much about graphics in a game, but even I couldn't help but notice this... this beautiful feat. The realistic setting added a level of immersion I didn't think could ever be achieved in a video game. For brief moments, I felt like I was really walking around in Kamurocho. I think I miss Japan a lot, hahaha.

Sidenote: even though I am 510% a loyal fangirl for Majima, I just gotta say: Daigo looks darn HOT in Kiwami 2. Okay, moving on, lol.

A shot of Kamurocho in Kiwami.

It still looks great, but you can tell you are in a video game world.

A shot of Kamurocho in Kiwami 2. Can you believe you could actually move around 

and interact with others in a realistic setting like that?! I couldn't. I was so much in awe.

Story: Aside from some elements that could have been more fleshed out, I really enjoyed the story. Some of the plot twists I could predict, but other ones surprised me.

Substories: Just like in the previous Yakuza games, many of the substories were amusing and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the voice-acting substory and the last Granny substory.

More exploratory: This was another wow factor for me. Even though things took place in Kamurocho and Sotenbori (yes, Sotenbori is back!), there were more buildings to explore... more rooftops you can get to. For a free-roaming spirit like myself (in video games), I took a lot of joy in going all over the place.

More objects to interact with: I found this really impressive. If your foot hits a soda can on the street, the can moves. When you're in a fight, you can throw a baddie into a store and the glass walls could break (try talking to the store employee after that, hehe). I think it added another fun layer of immersion. Sometimes it could go a bit too far, though. For example, if you stand on a chair or couch long enough the chair or couch would explode into pieces. I suspect this was done just in case you found yourself stuck somewhere.

I also just gotta say that I loved being able to buy drinks from the vending machines.

Pocketing weapons during battle: I thought this was a great added feature. I tend to be a cheapo when it comes to buying weapons so being able to stash weapons that drop during street fights was really appreciated.

Seamless transitions: The transition from the streets to inside a store or restaurant... the transition to a street fight... I really liked how seamless they were. It kinda gave me a sense that all these elements were connected with the rest of the world.

The camera function: I didn't realize this function until close to the end of the game. When you're not in a battle, if you press the "up" direction on your controller, you get into a camera mode where Kiryu could take pictures of the scenery. He could also take selfies and random passerbys could pose in the shot. If I had only known about this earlier. When I saw the beautiful waters of Sotenbori at night, all I kept thinking was, 'Man, I really want to take a picture!'.

A random passerby posing while in Camera mode.

An ironic self-referential line in one of the substories.

I should have paid more attention to it since I'm now going 

through the Yakuza game this substory referenced, hahaha.

WHAT I DIDN'T LOVE

Stat-building system: In 0, you could spend money to raise stats / unlock skills. In Kiwami, it was spending experience. In Kiwami 2, it is also using experience, but the experience is split into 5 different categories... and there are 4 different sections those experience points could be used on. 

I didn't like this change. The stat-building system didn't have to be this complex. I predicted that I'd end up having an excess of experience points in some categories by the game's end and I did.

Fighting style: Instead of being able to switch between four different fighting styles, you only have one fighting style. I guess I can understand if that was done to go with the context of the game (that Kiryu refined his fighting style that he could combine all four styles into one). I personally enjoyed being able to switch between styles.

Fumbly movements: This might be my own poor controls, but I found Kiryu much more fumbly when moving around. I found it a bit harder to grab somebody and I'd often bump into a door before opening and going through it. If this fumbly-ness really is the game, I'm going to guess this was a sacrifice to make the environment so interact-able.

Searching for my recruits: This is for a specific mini-game. After completing certain substories, you can possibly recruit characters for the mini-game. Only problem is that those recruitable characters are often tucked away in the strangest places... it'd be so much better if they were placed close to the actual mini-game.

Not enough Majima: This is more of my own personal gripe than anything else. I was so spoiled by the Majima Everywhere system in Kiwami that I felt... Majima-deprived in Kiwami 2. Until I finally saw him in the story, I'd say to the TV: Where are you Majima???... 

YAKUZA KIWAMI 2 VS YAKUZA 2 ON PS2

I'm going to leave this as a placeholder. I'm sure there are full playthroughs of the PS2 version on YouTube, but well... I had heard that Yakuza Kiwami 2 was very different from the PS2 version, so I wanted to experience it for myself. Whenever I get around to playing Yakuza 2, I'll fill this section out. Without having tried Yakuza 2, though, I'm pretty sure I can say that Kiwami 2 has vastly improved graphics. I've yet to see PS2 graphics trump PS4 graphics, so... (8-bit graphic styles don't count!)

STANDALONE-FRIENDLY?

I wouldn't recommend this at all. Even though there is a recap of events of Kiwami at the beginning of Kiwami 2, I don't think it's enough to build the kind of connection you'd build if you played from the beginning of the series (by beginning I mean Yakuza 0, but it is argued you could start playing from Kiwami instead). 

Just... don't, lol. I can't stop you, but I recommend playing 0 or Kiwami before Kiwami 2.

THE DISCLAIMERS (IF ANY)

This is where I list any things that could make you think twice about trying the game out with family or friends (depends on what they are okay with, I guess). They're not exactly bad per se, but more for your own awareness of it (and so you don't blame me for not saying anything!). 

I can experience these elements in a video game and get through more or less unscathed, but your mileage may vary, so I figure I should mention them.

-Just like in all the previous Yakuza games, the fights can be pretty violent and bloody. There is an option to turn down the blood, though I haven't tried it out myself.

-There is a heat move (a.k.a. special attack) at a specific convenient store where you can throw a baddie's head into the microwave. I'll admit that thinking of this makes me a little queasy... but there are several conditions to meet before even even triggering it (have the special move unlocked, be inside that specific convenient store, grab an enemy and stand a certain distance from the microwave). I went through my whole playthrough without ever seeing this heat move, so it's super easy to avoid if you don't want to see it.

-There is a mini-game where you do a photoshoot of a real life female model. The mini-game involves trying to form complete sentences that fit the context of the current conversation (I applaud that extra level of immersion). The poses the model does can be pretty provocative at times. There is no nudity, though, and it is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

MY RATING

If I had to compare, Kiwami 2 is not as good as 0, but overall is better than Kiwami. The slick graphics and being able to explore more and interact with more in the world added another level of immersion I didn't think was possible. It just needed a bit more Majima, a change to that stat-building system, a bit more detail on some plot points, and it'd be near perfect! :)

Rating: 91 / 100

Definitely check out Kiwami 2 after beating Kiwami!


Thanks for reading! I might not blog next week to balance the time I spent this week blogging.

If you have any questions / comments about anything, leave a comment or send via the Contact Form. :)

So I'll do the scrolly thing and the "Spoiler Talk" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoiler Talk" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

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SPOILER TALK

So this will be a little different from the "Spoilers" section in my other review blogs. I kinda want this section to be a place where I can unload any extra thoughts I had about Kiwami 2, even if I didn't mention it at all in the non-spoiler section. I may have already talked about some of these in the non-spoiler section but I'll go into more detail here.

THE STORY

Maybe if I had reviewed this earlier, I'd be able to point out all the plot issues with Kiwami 2 (like how did a bomb get placed in West Park without anybody noticing?). Though... to be honest... I didn't take much issues with those details. I enjoyed the story for what it was as I went, except for one thing: the make out scene between Kiryu and Sayama at the end.

Now, don't get me wrong: I don't mind Kiryu and Sayama being paired up. I was actually worried things would go similar to Kiwami and Sayama would die because she was Kiryu's current love interest. I had this fear that Kiryu would end up going through each Yakuza game seeing his love interest die... I just thought, given the current situation of a ticking bomb... to start making out... and to cue some poppy Korean (?) song... I just thought it was awkward timing. 

I mean, I get it. You're gonna die soon, so might as well express your emotions before it's too late. It just came across as really cheesy for me. Ultimately, I forgive that scene, but it was probably the only part in the story where I didn't feel immersed.

About plot points that I predicted:

-When Ryuji mentioned that Goda wasn't his real father, I had this inkling that Ryuji was one of the Jingweon survivors.

-I don't remember if there were any hints to this, but I had this hunch that Terada was still alive. 

-When Sayama cracked that disc and reacted the way that she did, I thought: 'she must be related to Ryuji'.

Plot points that I didn't predict:

-Kawara being Sayama's father. And it was revealed as he was dying... darn it ;__;

-When Kiryu was stabbed, I held my breath.

-During the car chase scene, I thought I was going to have to shoot down cars like in the previous Yakuza games. Thankfully it wasn't like that! Was this scene present in the PS2 version? Or was it added to psyche us? Hahaha. 

CABARET CLUB

I was really happy that the cabaret club came back... and that Yuki came back, too! Before Yuki was introduced, I recognized her voice. 

While I played the cabaret club, I kept thinking it'd be hilarious if Majima suddenly walked in to see Kiryu bowing and saying "Welcome". Little did I know...

To be honest, though, I personally preferred the cabaret club in 0 just a bit more. I enjoyed the music more and I thought Majima was great in his role. Kiryu was fine, but I thought the mini-conversations with the platinum hostesses worked better with Majima. Since Majima was an actual manager of a hostess club, he did those conversations as part of training the hostesses and would act as if he was a customer. When Kiryu had mini-conversations, they were actual conversations and many of Kiryu's "correct" choices seemed kinda flirty and a bit out-of-character. 

There were a couple things about the cabaret club that I really liked this time around, though: it was much easier to level up the girls, and I loved it when Majima became the announcer.

Below are intro clips of each of my platinum hostesses (and how I dressed them -- except for Yuki) :)

Koyuki! I liked her spunky personality.

Kana! I liked how her substory ended.

Aika! I liked her free-flowing nature.

Shoko! She was my favourite, based on her backstory and the conversations with her.

Yua! She was okay, I guess.

Kirara! I barely changed much when I did her makeover.

Yuki! I wanted to give her a makeover so badly (not because she wasn't dressed well -- 

I just like giving makeovers, hahaha). She really does look stunning.

I just love Majima's comment at the bottom.

I loved how they brought this back!

Yuki's inner reaction to it was hilarious.

One of the mini-conversations with Kirara. I couldn't help but choose 

Majima -- just to see what she would say.

GORO MAJIMA

I didn't go through Majima's Saga until after beating the main story, and I'm glad I did. For me, the final cutscenes wrapped up Kiwami 2 so well, I felt at peace with the game.

But let's back up for a bit.

I wish my interactions with Majima in the main story wasn't just confined to his mini-game Clan Creator, karaoke, and potentially fighting him in the Coliseum. Seriously... seeing Majima everywhere in Kiwami and being able to play against him in so many mini-games really spoiled me, hahaha.

When I realized I could invite Majima to karaoke, I was stoked. I hadn't done much karaoke before that point so I had no idea what Majima would sing. When he started singing, I was surprised with how... light-sounding the tune went. I guess I was expecting something more upbeat like "24-hour Cinderella". Then it cut to scenes of him and Makoto in 0, and I knew... I knew who he was singing to. In the middle of it I started crying hard. After all these years... he still thought about her...! He still loved her! I was expecting to have a cheery fun time with Majima, but instead I got an emotional tearfest, hahaha... <3

When I started Majima's Saga, I explored all over Kamurocho and Sotenbori, just to see what I could do as Majima. Some mini-games were locked out like not being able to play Darts against another person while other games were do-able. When you do karaoke, you still sing two times, but you can only sing "As Long As You're Happy". One neat thing is that the button presses when Majima sings it (without Kiryu cheering) is slightly different. 

It really sucks that Majima's skills couldn't be upgraded, but I'm thankful they added this saga to begin with (I'm almost certain this wasn't present in the PS2 version).

I have to applaud Kashiwagi. He took a beating from Majima in 0 but he still treated Majima as an equal and as a person. Anybody who treats Majima decently without expecting something back is a pass in my book.

When Majima got his massage from Makoto... ahh... I had no idea how it would go. Lots of tears were shed (by me) -- a mix of sad and happy tears. The music was also on point for evoking those bittersweet emotions. Majima's quiet, yet expressive reactions conveyed so many thoughts -- or, at least, I picked up many thoughts from him.

When Makoto told Majima the whole story of the watch and how she was currently very happy with her life, but that she regretted not being able to say "thanks" to the person who saved her all those years ago, Majima's quiet smile at the end told me so much (that's the screenshot above). I might be off on my interpretation, but this is what I got from Majima's smile:

-I made the right choice (to leave her to live her life and to not reveal myself)

-It was worth it (because she's happy)

-I did help her after all (because I never thought I actually helped her)

-I have a place in her heart

It was the closure Majima needed. It was the closure Makoto needed, when she received his good-bye gift in the end. There's still pain -- 'cuz it pains me that Majima sacrificed his happiness for hers -- but it wasn't all for nothing. Makoto has a happy life and Majima doesn't have to worry anymore. And now he knows that Makoto still thinks warmly of him...

Aside from writing an ending where Majima and Makoto do end up together... happy... I think what we got was the next best thing. A bit of sadness -- a bit of regret -- but loads of warmth and inner satisfaction.

I just thought up a silly interpretation. The watch Majima leaves for Makoto in 0 -- the watch she still wears and treasures -- maybe it's a symbol that Majima will always "watch" over her (in his heart). *sniffle* :')

MISCELLANEOUS

Here are some miscellaneous thoughts that didn't fit into any of the above topics, and a couple more screenshots and videos I wanted to share.

-Screw Haruka's requests, especially the Bingo Challenge one (golf). Even after looking at a guide, it took me hours and tons of tries to finally succeed. The Virtual-On request was rough, too. She really has crazy requests sometimes.

-I recently got 100% for Majima's song "As Long As You're Happy". Once I get that clip copied from the PS4 and onto the computer, I'll upload that video to this review. I've gone karaoking with Majima so many times now that I will always hear Kiryu going "Chika Chikay" at the very end.

-The intermission chats with the former construction bosses were so hilarious and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the tongue twister part. Just the thought of burly tough dudes struggling with tongue twisters... hahaha, so awesome xD

-Just like in my previous Yakuza reviews, here is a funny Yakuza-related meme I saw on Reddit. Since it's encouraged to eat a lot in Kiwami 2 to gain experience points, I figured it would be most fitting for this review, hahaha. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/i349tu/mouthwatering/

-Here's another meme. I find it darn relatable, even though I'm a girl *hugs to all the guys and gals who can relate to it*. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/ims5t0/oh_boy_i_cant_stop_crying/

And here are the screenshots and videos!

A selfie of Kiryu with Majima.

My final stats when I beat Kiwami 2. I hadn't played Majima's Saga at all yet.

I didn't realize this was a heat move until I looked it up.

I originally thought 'I guess he'd be stopped at the pole because it's a solid object'.

I thought the music transition in this substory was the most touching 

out of all the substories in Kiwami 2.

When the piano starts playing, the tears start falling...

What Granny says also does me in.

The intro scene for the final boss fight in Majima's saga.

I originally put this at the end of Goro Majima's section, but thought it was out-of-place 

'cuz of how I ended that section, so I placed it here. It really gets my blood pumping!

If you read this section, thank for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment if you wish :D

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REVIEW/THOUGHTS [VIDEO GAME] -- Yakuza Kiwami

Playthrough Status: Beat once on Normal, spent a bunch of hours in Premium Adventure picking up remaining trophies I was willing to get
Approx. Length: 80+ hours
Language: English (Cutscenes are voiced in Japanese with English subtitles)
Played on: PS4
Also Available for: PC, Xbox One
Type of Game: Open-world Action Adventure, Mini-games, Skill-building
Overall Impression: Slightly darker tone than Yakuza 0, but still very good.

A BIG NOTE!!

For those who have read my past reviews, this is a note that I'm gonna try changing up the structure for my review blogs. I want to try shortening my blogs, but still talk about the important things (i.e. the things I wanna talk about, lol). Don't know if I'll actually succeed (I tend to blab a lot when I love something), but we'll see. 

Just like with my past reviews, I'll keep a non-spoiler section (the section you're at right now), and a "Spoiler Talk" section at the end to go into more detail on certain things and to let loose with any extra thoughts.

INTRO / BLURB

Once I finished Yakuza 0, I started Yakuza Kiwami the next day (will refer to it as Kiwami for the rest of the review). I proceeded to beat Kiwami in 19 days (I beat Yakuza 0 in 28 days). That could mean one of two things -- either I really loved Kiwami and ploughed through everything quickly... or there wasn't as much to do so I did everything I wanted in a shorter time. Hmmm... which one is it...?

I have to say... Since this is a review about Yakuza Kiwami, spoilers for Yakuza 0 could be present! In fact, I would be reviewing with the assumption that you've beaten Yakuza 0. If you haven't beaten Yakuza 0 yet, I'd highly recommend you do before reading this review!!

YAKUZA KIWAMI VS YAKUZA 0

I don't know about you, but whenever I start a sequel for anything, the first thing I end up doing is comparing it against the previous thing. I can't help it and I don't mean it as a way of judgement -- it's more to determine if everything is basically the same and I can pick up where I left off, or if I'm gonna have to spend some time re-learning certain elements to "get good".

The overall structure and world remained in-tact, with the main story being gritty and serious and substories often offering a layer of ridiculousness. The setting stayed the same, too, with almost everything taking place in Kamurocho (no Sotenbori this time, unfortunately). With all that said, here's how Kiwami stacks up against Yakuza 0:

Story: Unfortunately, I thought it was a bit weaker and much darker. There were still some really good moments, but a bit lacking overall. If you enjoy darker stories, though... this could be an appeal for you, despite what was lacking.

Characters: On par. Just like in Yakuza 0, there are a lot of good, likeable characters in Kiwami.

Music: I won't lie -- it took some time for me to warm up to the music. I loved Kiwami's version of "Baka mitai" and the opening track "Virtical Point" right away. Some of the more prominently used tracks sounded dark and atmospheric. Fitting for the game's tone, but it'd sometimes put me in a grim mood while playing through the story.

Graphics: On par. It more or less felt like I was playing an extension of Yakuza 0.

Battle mechanics: It is generally the same, except for one change that I didn't like. When fighting against bosses, when their health gets to a certain point, they'll slump down and start replenishing some of their health. To counter it, you'd have to perform specific heat actions (i.e. special attacks). I thought it was a cheap way to lengthen a boss fight, 'cuz the boss can possibly do this move multiple times.

Enemy encounter rate: I don't know how they did it, but the encounter rate was so much higher in Kiwami than in Yakuza 0 and I thought the encounter rate was already really high in Yakuza 0! I ran into baddies almost every corner I turned.

Raising stats: This changed slightly. Instead of using money to raise stats and unlock more abilities, you use experience points for most of the fighting styles. While I guess that change was okay... I ended up with an excess of experience points by the end of the game. If it was still money at least I'd be able to use it.

Minigames: There's still a variety of minigames, many of them being the same as Yakuza 0. There are some new ones, too, like the photo booth and MesuKing (a glorified rock-paper-scissors game).

Is Kiwami better than Yakuza 0? No, I wouldn't say so. HOWEVER, Kiwami is still a solid game. It followed the best (Yakuza 0), so for many elements to be on par or on par with slight tweaks -- it means Kiwami still did a lot of things right! You still get to beat up baddies in a variety of ways -- you still get to experience all the side entertainment that are the minigames and substories -- you still get to experience a gritty story (even though it is a bit weak).

There's also one big change that I'll talk about in the next section.

An advertisement for something that was featured in a substory in Yakuza 0. 

It's a real pizzeria in Japan! Here's a link to the real place:

 https://www.pizza-la.co.jp/sc_englishmenu.aspx

An amusing line in a substory.

YAKUZA KIWAMI VS YAKUZA 1 ON PS2

Well, here's another section comparing Kiwami to something, and this time it is against the original Yakuza 1 on PS2! For those who don't know, Kiwami is a remake of Yakuza 1. It wasn't a straight re-master. The development team made changes and added elements to improve upon Yakuza 1 and to also connect to Yakuza 0's events.

Curious about what changed, I watched a lengthy playthrough of Yakuza 1 on YouTube. Overall, I'd say that most of the changes were vast improvements. I can't list out all the changes (I'd have to buy the PS2 version and try it out myself, which I might actually do in the future...), but here are some of them:

-Improved graphics in Kiwami. That one's a given.

-Yakuza 1 only had one fighting style, instead of the four fighting styles in Kiwami

-Yakuza 1 had English dub only for the cutscenes instead of Japanese with English subtitles. Whether or not that is an improvement would depend on your preferences

-It looked like you could only equip one piece of gear in Yakuza 1, as opposed to three in Kiwami

-Some substories changed

-Kiwami added more cutscenes to flesh out Nishiki's character and to give Majima a more prominent role.

Majima Everywhere System

This was the biggest addition to Kiwami. Where Majima played a minor part in Yakuza 1, being in only three cutscenes and two fights, in Kiwami Majima could be almost anywhere, at any time, just waiting to pick a fight with you. And after you beat him up, he'll leave to later show up somewhere else, ready to fight you.

After fighting him for maybe the 10th+ time, I can see some getting tired of the Majima Everywhere system. For myself -- I absolutely loved it. I loved being able to run into him randomly almost all the time. Before I'd stop playing for the night, I'd often seek him out, just to say hi (with my fist). You can also play some minigames against him, which I really enjoyed.

Running into Majima for the first time. I was so focused on picking up that 

coin locker key that I didn't know notice him at all. Then I 

heard an "alert" sound and next thing I knew something blue was running 

towards me so quickly that I instinctively ran away. I turned around 

when I realized it was Majima, hahaha.
You might have to click "play" twice for it to play.

Majima waiting for me to challenge him to Darts.

THE DISCLAIMERS (IF ANY)

This is where I list any things that could make you think twice about trying the game out with family or friends (depends on what they are okay with, I guess). They're not exactly bad per se, but more for your own awareness of it (and so you don't blame me for not saying anything!). 

I can experience these elements in a video game and get through more or less unscathed, but your mileage may vary, so I figure I should mention them.

-Just like in Yakuza 0, the fights can be pretty violent and bloody. I believe there is an option to turn down the blood, but I didn't actually check this time.

-There is one substory that almost seems like it is promoting smoking. It's actually promoting something else, but those who might get affected, be aware of it.

-You can go into a club and watch a woman dance... I think against a pole. I've only done it once just to see what it was like, but it is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

-You can try raising affection levels for two hostesses. Once their levels are maxed out, you get to watch a short clip of each of them in some lingerie. This is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

MY RATING

I have to give Kiwami a bit of slack, because: 

Kiwami is a remake of Yakuza 1 on the PS2. Aside from all the changes, it is still a remake of the first game in the Yakuza series. Some of the core plot points and character interactions / relationships that I would consider weak could NOT be changed since it still needed to stay canon to all the Yakuza games that got released afterwards. For me to compare it to Yakuza 0, a game that had many years and chances to polish itself, is actually pretty harsh and unfair.

If you're in for the long haul, give Kiwami a shot. The plot may be weaker, but many other elements are still solid. Every now and then I find myself kinda wanting to play it again -- mainly to square off with Majima, hahaha. If you don't want to invest that much time, then do what I suggested in my Yakuza 0 review and search up YouTube videos that showcase the story.

Rating: 88 / 100

I never did answer my question in the "Intro / Blurb". Why did Kiwami take me only 19 days to beat when it took me 28 days to beat Yakuza 0? Well, since many of the minigames were the same as Yakuza 0, I didn't feel the need to spend as much time exploring the minigames in Kiwami. Also, the story itself in Kiwami was shorter.


Thanks for reading! I guess this is a bit unorthodox to review a game by comparing it to other games, but I think I covered all the points that would be covered in a review.

If you have any questions / comments about anything, even about the new review structure (I'm still experimenting with it), leave a comment or send via the Contact Form. :)

So I'll do the scrolly thing and the "Spoiler Talk" section will appear after that. Then I'll add some more scrolly things after the "Spoiler Talk" section in case anybody wants to comment, but not see the spoilers.

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SPOILER TALK

So this will be a little different from the "Spoilers" section in my other review blogs. I kinda want this section to be a place where I can unload any extra thoughts I had about Kiwami, even if I didn't mention it at all in the non-spoiler section. I may have already talked about some of these in the non-spoiler section but I'll go into more detail here.

THE STORY

So why do I think the plot is so weak compared to Yakuza 0's story? Because it is so... darn... bleak! Everybody Kiryu cared about through his life died... Reina, Shinji, Kazama, Nishiki, Yumi. And Kazama, Nishiki, and Yumi were like his family...

Even though they still tried for a positive ending, telling Kiryu that he still has Haruka to live / fight for, it still doesn't change the fact that everybody dear to Kiryu is gone... After playing Kiwami, I felt so deflated.

I also thought the pacing was a bit rushed at certain points. I don't think Reina's character was developed enough for me to feel much when she died. And Kiryu telling Yumi that he loved her while she was dying... I can understand his want to tell her, but it felt almost one-note, likely 'cuz we didn't see much interactions between them to really understand the depth of his emotions.

There were some well-done moments, though. When Kiryu told Haruka that her mom was dead, the way his voice faltered as he said it really conveyed his deep sadness, regret, and sense of failure. The scene with Kazama revealing Sunflower orphanage's true nature and Kiryu saying that he always thought of Kazama as his father... that was very heart-wrenching. I wish Kazama didn't die... he was such a good character! T___T

PLAYING WITH TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

When I played through Kiwami, I tried to play with two different perspectives in mind:

1. If I played this as a sequel to Yakuza 0, how well does it hold up?

2. If I played this as my first introduction to the Yakuza series (as was originally intended when it first came out on the PS2), would it get me interested to play the sequels?

You already know what I think for the first perspective -- it's not as good as Yakuza 0. For the second perspective, though...

Sadly, I think the dark story would have turned me off on playing the sequels right away. Also, I think my perception of Majima would have been very different -- wild, but with a hint of complexity that would pique my curiosities. However -- after those months of brooding, I'm sure I would try out Yakuza 2, just to see what happens to Kiryu. 

I mean even as I am writing this review, Kiwami is slowly growing on me. Not the story -- the story can take a hike. But everything else -- I kinda wanna experience a bit more in that world... especially everything to do with Majima, hahaha... ;) <3

GORO MAJIMA

This guy... what a guy. My heart went out to him in Yakuza 0, and 'cuz of that, I decided to accept however crazy and wild he turned out in the later games. Only once did I have a flicker of doubt (when he held that girl hostage at the Shangri-La -- I thought he was going to kill her, something I'd not be cool with). I'm sorry, Majima -- I'll never doubt you again! *bows*

Frankly, I felt very spoiled, being able to interact with Majima so often. Unfortunately most of those interactions led to fighting... but hey! It's what Majima wanted, so I was happy to oblige. Still -- beating up on Majima often triggered my... caring nature for him so I'd say to the TV screen, "I'm sorry, Majima!" I guess it's silly, but that's how I am.

I do have to say though... one of the added cutscenes / events for Majima felt a little disjointed when connecting it to the main story. Before Kiryu goes to the Shangri-La, he gets driven out to the docks where he and Majima fight a bunch of baddies. Then Kiryu and Majima do their own fight, but one baddie is still alive and tries to shoot Kiryu. Majima takes the bullet instead and falls into the waters. Kiryu says he doesn't have time to check if Majima's okay and leaves him to get back to Kamurocho to go to Shangri-La. Then later on Majima trashes the Shangri-La while wearing a huge bandage wrapped around his waist where the bullet hit.

So... a couple things: 

1. As far as I know, Kiryu would NEVER just ditch somebody like that. He takes all the time in the world to help random strangers with their troubles but he has no time to help out a fellow friend / rival? Total BS. Kiryu just left in a hurry to leave us (the players) unsure of Majima's fate.

2. Without the fight at the dock, Majima would still trash the Shangri-La while wearing a bandage around his waist where he got stabbed in a previous chapter. Majima protected Kiryu and got stabbed. Majima's family members then scrambled to get Majima to the hospital, leaving Kiryu unsure of Majima's fate.

The added dock fight was completely unnecessary, in my opinion. If they added it to explain why Majima could still ambush Kiryu in later chapters without a bandage... then at least have Kiryu get Majima out of the waters, and make sure that he at least got help (call / text Nishida). Don't have Kiryu just abandon Majima to die in the waters! D:

Whenever I unlocked playing a minigame against him like Shogi or Pool, I did my best to lose so he'd always be around for me to challenge. When I beat him in Darts, I couldn't challenge him ever again and that made me sad... It's too bad that you have to beat him in some of the minigames in order to unlock more skills in your Dragon style. 

When Majima was first introduced to Pocket Circuit racing, I thought it was very cute. Pocket Circuit racing was the only activity that interested Majima more than his obsession with Kiryu. In any other area in Kamurocho, if Kiryu stood close to Majima, Majima would always turn to look at him. But in the Pocket Circuit area, if Kiryu stood nearby, Majima wouldn't notice at all. Despite his age, Majima can still get excited like a kid. Soo adorable! I was sad when I had to beat him to unlock more skills.

My favourite of the Majima Everywhere system. 

I love how Kiryu reacts and how Majima doesn't seem to care 
about how creepy he may look to passerbys.

I wish I could trigger this scene more than just once in the game!

Me having some fun with Zombie Majima. 

I love how Majima does his best to stay in his zombie character.

Oh, something's shaking over there... 
should I uncover it? Or leave it alone? Hahaha.

Well, I uncovered that huge cone and intentionally lost against Majima.
I like Kiryu's phrases at the end of the video.

I don't know how common knowledge this is, but I found a way 
to just chill with Majima while he's roaming the streets.

MISCELLANEOUS

Here are some miscellaneous thoughts that didn't fit into any of the above topics, and a couple more screenshots I wanted to share.

-When Kiryu borrowed all that money from Shinji (I think it was 50k) to try buying back Yumi's ring from the pawn shop and it turned out that Kiryu didn't have to pay a thing, I thought, 'Okay. Now go back to Shinji and return that money...' but then Kiryu went to jail for 10 years. When Kiryu got out he still had Shinji's money. Darn it, pay him back! Hahaha.

-As soon as I had full control of Kiryu, the first thing I did was look at the Kamurocho map to see what places were still around from Yakuza 0 and what changed. It kinda felt like roaming through old familiar streets.

-Once I learned the Tiger Drop move, I uh... used that move as often as possible. Majima didn't stand a chance against me at all after that, hahaha. Just so you all know -- the Tiger Drop move is holding R1, and then pressing the triangle button at the right time. The less powerful Tiger Drop move in the Brawler fighting style (forgot the name of the move) is also R1 + triangle, even though that skill's information text says to hold L1 (it's a typo!).

-Here is an awesome meme referencing the Majima Everywhere system. This Majima is from Kiwami 2. Just don't think too much into it and nothing will be spoiled! 
https://www.reddit.com/r/yakuzagames/comments/glmcya/bro_this_majima_everywhere_system_is_getting/

And here are the screenshots!

One of my favourite set of options in a substory.

Since I wasn't allowed to take an in-game screenshot, I took a pic with my phone. 

Here are my completion stats when I beat the game on Normal. 
Don't mind all the dust, hahaha.
I spent about 10+ hours in Premium Adventure 
getting trophies and fighting Majima.

If you read this section, thank for reading! Now to finish with more scrolly things. Feel free to comment if you wish :D

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