General Gaming Yakuza: Like a Dragon - Information Thread, update: reviews from OpenCritic posted

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

The first true post-Kiryu Yakuza game has just been shown off in Tokyo, and Yakuza 7 is changing up more than just its location.

 

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Set this time in Yokohama, and featuring new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga (this game was actually very softly announced in March, this is just a more formal and informative reveal) the game marks a serious departure for the series, with its trademark head-crunching action combat replaced by a more pedestrian turn-based system.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

[XxEvil AshxX]

Yay! Over-complicated battle systems and stat monitoring is way more fun than manually beating the shit out of someone. Can't wait for the 15-minute tutorial with five screens of text explaining what to do when the second meter to the bottom starts flashing at the same time as the icon in the upper left corner that lets you do the special move but only if your other two party members have 10% health and you manage to tap the X button when the moving arrow is in the green area of the power bar.

 

[Xbob42]

I love turn-based combat, and Yakuza has the most rote, bland ass action combat anyway, so I'm happy to see it try something different! Turn-based can also ratchet up the wackiness AND the drama depending on the situation and keep the flow of combat vs. cutscene a lot better, if done right. And now the jarring 5-second transitions of "HOOLIGANS" will make more sense and be less annoying!

 

3 minutes ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

Yay! Over-complicated battle systems and stat monitoring is way more fun than manually beating the shit out of someone. Can't wait for the 15-minute tutorial with five screens of text explaining what to do when the second meter to the bottom starts flashing at the same time as the icon in the upper left corner that lets you do the special move but only if your other two party members have 10% health and you manage to tap the X button when the moving arrow is in the green area of the power bar.

 

A man who has only heard of JRPG combat from an alien species who did not understand it. Seriously what the hell kind of turn-based games have you been playing?

[Brian]

My main concern is that Yakuza games are already too slow so adding a turn based mechanic on top of it, will make it worse.  I will reserve judgment until we see more 

[Xbob42]

4 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

My main concern is that Yakuza games are already too slow so adding a turn based mechanic on top of it, will make it worse.  I will reserve judgment until we see more 

They could compensate by having less filler battles! The games are just utterly packed with you avoiding trash fights.

[crispy4000]

10 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

A man who has only heard of JRPG combat from an alien species who did not understand it. Seriously what the hell kind of turn-based games have you been playing?

Seriously.  I want to see that game.  Sounds like an amalgamation of a JRPG, MMO, Paper Mario and digital card game.

[Dodger]

8 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

My main concern is that Yakuza games are already too slow so adding a turn based mechanic on top of it, will make it worse.  I will reserve judgment until we see more 

 

[Firewithin]

what a swerve 

[Zaku3]

I love the combat in Yakuza 0 so I am a bit concerned but will wait for gameplay vids but I am in. Crap I need to finish Zero.

[XxEvil AshxX]

29 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

A man who has only heard of JRPG combat from an alien species who did not understand it. Seriously what the hell kind of turn-based games have you been playing?

 

I've been playing JRPG's since the NES, and while my description was exaggerated and sarcastic, it wasn't entirely inaccurate to the way some of them have gotten in the past two generations.

[crispy4000]

3 hours ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

I've been playing JRPG's since the NES, and while my description was exaggerated and sarcastic, it wasn't entirely inaccurate to the way some of them have gotten in the past two generations.

 

You mean since the PS1.

 

[chakoo]

I look forward to giving the demo a shot when it comes out. I mean really there is only so much else they can do with the battle system. If you're a long time fan of the series there are already Yakuza 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Kenzan, Ishin, Dead Souls, Black Panther, Black Panther 2, Online, Fist of the North Star, Judgement, the two Kiwami remakes, and the Yakuza 0 & Ishin companion apps for vita (which have battles in them) you can play.

 

I'm actually quite excited to see the new character and city the most. 

[Xbob42]

9 hours ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

I've been playing JRPG's since the NES, and while my description was exaggerated and sarcastic, it wasn't entirely inaccurate to the way some of them have gotten in the past two generations.

You should really check out some of the more interesting titles using turn-based combat lately!

Who knows where the mechanic would be if people weren't so offended by not hitting the punch button like in literally every single other game on the planet...

[eggydoo]

I'll welcome this since whatever they did in Yakuza 6 made the combat feel really sloppy.

 

What I find more amusing is they had similar footage previously as an April's Fool joke....

[skillzdadirecta]

21 hours ago, XxEvil AshxX said:

 

I've been playing JRPG's since the NES, and while my description was exaggerated and sarcastic, it wasn't entirely inaccurate to the way some of them have gotten in the past two generations.

I get your reservations and while I agree and I always initially approach games with turn based combat with apprehension,  I find more often than not that when I do invest the time to get into them, I tend to enjoy them. At least the ones I've played to completion. I remember the old Legend of Legaia series that managed to merge fighting game mechanics and turn based combat pretty successfully.  That said I will always prefer real time combat or active time combat to turn based, and this seems like an odd direction to take the series in my opinion.

[Brian]

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#1: Yakuza: Like a Dragon. The media should be publishing detailed articles about the battle system later on, but I’ll explain the points I discussed yesterday here.

#2: “Live Command RPG Battle” means battles through command execution where the fight is constantly in motion. In a standard RPG, enemies and party members are stationary, and their actions only playback by executing commands such as “Attack.” But in Yakuza: Like a Dragon, battles are different.

#3: To be specific, this is a battle system where “characters move in real time” and “fight in a living city.”

#4: Except for some bosses, when you encounter an enemy, the battle will begin from right where you’re standing. In other words, depending on how you encounter the enemy, your starting position in the battle will change, which can both give you the upper hand or land you in a pinch. (Some enemies may also suddenly appear from hiding.)

#5: When you enter battle, enemies, party members, and even the “city” will remain in motion. They don’t stop moving. Characters will turn towards nearby enemies and keep their distance. And naturally, since these battles take place in the city, characters will fall if they bump into things like street signs or bicycles.

#6: Everything moves according to the physics of the Dragon Engine developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Through this, the “objects” that exist on the battlefield, such as bicycles, can be used as weapons or obstacles like in the action-based battles of previous games.

#7: Turn order is determined by parameters such as a character’s stats, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get the same result by attacking just any enemy. In a situation where you attack the enemy directly (by running up to them), there is a high chance that another enemy character will interrupt your attack.

#8: The situation completely changes depending on your distance from the enemy character you’re attacking, as well as the “city objects” in the area. If a bicycle or something similar rolls by, you can kick it at the enemy, or pick it up and attack with it. This action also depends on the character’s class and traits.

#9: Even enemy characters outside of those you are trying to attack may become the target of an attack or interference. For example, when you run up to a distant enemy to attack, there is a high chance of you being interrupted by another enemies in the run-up. On the other hand, depending on the technique, you can attack several enemies at once through attacks that sweep and ranged attacks.

#10: In a situation where you are blown onto the road and the like due to the impact of an attack, you may get hit by a car passing by. Naturally, you will take damage. Basically, this system is called “Live Command RPG Battle” because you fight in a space where the people and city are constantly in motion.

#11: Depending on the technique, there are some action-like operations such as repeatedly pressing a button to match the action during an attack. There is an “Auto” mode for people who want to play without worry, which automatically chooses actions based on each character’s class and traits. (However, this feature may not always act as expected.)

#12: Everything utilizes the real-time physics of the Dragon Engine we’ve built up with previous entries in the series, and no battle situation is the same. The stronger the enemy, the smarter they are, so if you find yourself in a pinch, you have various options including retreating behind other characters.

#13: In yesterday’s (September 29) announcement, we were only able to share some basic information about the battle system. Since you can change classes at Hello Work, there are variations to techniques unlike anything before, as well as various other unannounced special moves.

#14: Everyone on the team is working hard to have everyone experience this “Live Command RPG Battle” for themselves at Tokyo Game Show 2019 starting September 12! If you are attending, please stop by and play! If you are not attending, we will work hard to share information through forms such as video.

Getmatsu translating tweets about Yakuza 7 “live command” rpg battle system

 

Glad it isn’t turned based!

[skillzdadirecta]

Yes that sounds more like active time combat which seems more suitable for this game than simple turn based. Side question, in what order chronologically should the Yakuza games be played in?

[Keyser_Soze]

2 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

 Side question, in what order chronologically should the Yakuza games be played in?

 

0, Kiwami 1 & 2, 3,  4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

[skillzdadirecta]

Wasn't one of them set in ancient Japan?

[Brian]

2 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Yes that sounds more like active time combat which seems more suitable for this game than simple turn based. Side question, in what order chronologically should the Yakuza games be played in?

For Kazuma’s full story, start with 0 and end with 6. You can probably skip 4 and 5 to lessen the load.  You can read a story recap. Zero is the best Yakuza game so you may find the others a bit harder to play after it. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Wasn't one of them set in ancient Japan?

I did a Google search that took about a minute and it seems all the main games are set in more modern times and follow a chronological path with each new entry. Easy enough to follow.

 

 

I need to get back to 0. I played 10 hours or so but it was going kind of slow and I dropped off. I want to like this series and it seems like it's something I should be able to get into easily enough, so I dunno what the deal is so far.

[Keyser_Soze]

1 hour ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Wasn't one of them set in ancient Japan?

 

Maybe you're thinking of this one which is a spin-off and not part of the main games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_Ishin

 

There was also Yakuza Dead Souls which isn't part of the main games either, just some zombie killing game.

[skillzdadirecta]

48 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Maybe you're thinking of this one which is a spin-off and not part of the main games https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakuza_Ishin

 

There was also Yakuza Dead Souls which isn't part of the main games either, just some zombie killing game.

That's the one I was thinking of.

[chakoo]

2 hours ago, skillzdadirecta said:

Wasn't one of them set in ancient Japan?

Two of them were. Kenzan & Ishin, Kenza was on the ps3 and Ishin got a duel ps3/PS4 release. Both are separate stories that take place in different eras and are both side stories that have no direct relationship to the main series.

 

Sega has recently questioned about localizing Ishin.

[Xbob42]

Man answers questions on how the game is clearly turn-based

 

"Boy howdy glad it isn't turn-based!"

 

You people really think old-school JRPGs when you think turn-based, don't you? Goddamn, expand your horizons a little bit you apes!

[Pikachu]

 

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SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio are happy to announce that the latest entry in the RGG / Yakuza series, Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Japanese title - Ryu Ga Gotoku 7) is releasing in Japan on January 16, 2020, for the PlayStation®4, with a Western launch planned for 2020. Actors Shinichi Tsutsumi, Ken Yasuda, and Kiichi Nakai will be lending their appearances and voices to the game’s main cast members, with Kazuhiro Nakaya voicing the game’s main protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga.

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon introduces a new main protagonist for the first time since the series’ inception over a decade ago — Ichiban Kasuga, a low-level yakuza member looking to prove his self-worth, and follows him and his motley crew of unlikely allies as they attempt to rise from rags to riches in this modern human drama.

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is much more than just a new chapter in the Yakuza series. Much like the new English title itself, Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a complete reimagining of the franchise, a landmark to coincide with the series’ 15th anniversary. With the bulk of the game taking place in the large-scale, painstakingly-realized setting of Ijincho in Yokohama, players will explore an entirely new side of Japan never-before-seen in the series. Not only that, but Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s combat system has undergone a major overhaul, combining Yakuza’s established brawling action with a turn-based RPG battle system.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

Sounds like they’re giving it that title so they can call it an offshoot title if people end up not liking it.

[Brian]

I hope we get some gameplay videos out of TGS. 

[Keyser_Soze]

Ok, now I'm sold!

 

 

[Pikachu]

 

[Brian]

Basic mob battles seem to take too long while has me worried. Also looks like it is harder to avoid fights. 

[ThreePi]

I'm leaving TGS now. It was playable on the floor but too much of a wait. So instead I'll leave you with this picture of pretty ladies and a bathtub full of money. 

 

[darkness35]

On 9/13/2019 at 9:27 PM, Pikachu said:

 

I'm more interested in the mini-games than the game itself

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Yakuza 7 has some of the best RPG combat in a long time (Eurogamer)

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A western release date is yet to be announced but I'm not surprised - there's more of everything, and every aspect of it comes with so much story and commentary that I'm sure it takes the excellent localisation team at Sega a while to get it all done. Look forward to it - Yakuza 7 is a credit to its franchise.