Anyone else scared for the future of this franchise?

[Rob64]

Yakuza has been one of my favorite franchises since day 1 and I'm beginning to be wary of what seems to be a sharp decline in quality recently. I would go so far as to say with few exceptions 1-Judgment(Including the remakes) are all amazing games but since 7 I just do not like what is happening to these games.

I'm getting really sick of this somewhat recent trend of beloved game series doing a complete 180 on their genre, BotW and its garbage take on an open world game, Resident Evil becoming ♥♥♥♥♥♥ first person horror games, and I hated Metal Gear Solid 5 for needlessly going open world as well. Yakuza 7 becoming an RPG is the bane of my existence. I don't hate RPGs, hell a lot of them make up my list of favorite games of all time, but I'm not coming to this franchise for that kind of gameplay. I also just think Y7 is straight up a really bad attempt at an RPG as well. There is 0 substance to its battles, no real thinking about what moves to use or party members to have, you can get through it by just using whatever you got at any given time. All the battles are are funny animations that admittedly are amusing at first but get old the 2nd or 3rd time you see them and once you start skipping them theres nothing left to like about it. The dungeons are genuinely worse and more bland than the most primitive RPGs of the early 80s, there are no interesting mechanics or themes to any of them, just a series of hallways where if you pick the wrong path you are punished with more of the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ battles and then turn back around. It's also unreasonably grind heavy(I think they were a little too inspired by Dragon Quest) and god forbid you indulge in the molecules of substance the game has and change jobs because you just signed yourself up for a basically mandatory 3 hour grind session to get it up to snuff relative to where you are in the game. Somehow everything else that isnt the main gameplay survived, it still had an alright story and on brand minigames but I just can't look past the battle system.(Don't be fooled by my low playtime on Steam, I played it on console first, the PC port is garbage btw lmao.)

Lost Judgment I was really excited for, the first Judgment I thought was one of the best games in the franchise full stop, but it let me down possibly even harder than 7 did. While the combat is at least still really fun and even expanded beyond the first game, everything else is abysmal. The story is extremely preachy and focused around bullying and when it isnt shoving that down your throat, the murder plot that takes the back seat isn't exactly great either. I don't know about the target audience for this game but I'm 27 and don't need to be told bullying kids in school is bad. All that aside the game has just been massively downgraded for no reason. Tons of minigames are just missing, almost all of the side content is in the school and deals with similar themes and gets old fast.

Actually my biggest complaint, and this will probably sound autistic but hear me out, the detail in the games 2 maps have been completely stripped out for literally no reason. So many building interiors and incidental locations are just blocked off. Stairwells you could once climb and enter little office building and clubs, gone. Entire chunks of the map from 7, now locked away behind an invisible wall. Why???? The developers really went out of their way and spent actual devtime to put restrictions on the map, to take detail away. The increased detail and immersion of the Dragon Engine games is my favorite aspect of them and is why I really love games like Y6, Kiwami 2 and Judgment. You would think for a series entirely based upon reuse of assets would be more than happy to just leave these places be and the logical next move would be to expand even further and add more, but no in this game you simply get the same maps but now they are objectively worse(7 was guilty of this too). Infact, if you play the Kaito Files DLC, areas of Kamurocho are actually even FURTHER restricted. For example: In the base game a stairwell that once led to an office room in 6 and Judgment, you can still go up the stairs but now the office door is locked for no reason. In Kaito Files, now you cant even walk up that stairwell as its roped off. Theres examples of this all over the game and I just don't understand why. Plus theres just a thousand other stupid things, a massive permanent on screen button guide at all times incase you have dementia, no more clean UI in the first person mode now its cluttered with crap, the small cutscenes are now replaced with really cheap text boxes with character portraits rather than the usual canned animations(which were better than nothing), and I could go on and on.

That leaves us with the most recent release, Ishin Kiwami. Now I know this is an older game, but when you advertise it as a remake, I expect a remake. This is a glorified straight port with some slightly better lighting thanks to Unreal Engine. As is, I don't think Ishin is very good, but it was a budget side game rushed out for the PS4 and in that context I think it's alright. I was expecting a full on remake and they could have turned it into something truly great if they really did that, but its the same exact game. To call it Ishin Kiwami is downright disingenuous, it isn't deserving of the Kiwami name at all which is probably why the International release dropped it from the title.

So what am I getting at? I think this franchise is falling off a cliff at an alarming rate. 8 plans to be another RPG and since everyone on Twitter and Reddit told them it was amazing, I doubt they're gonna change much about it. And now I can't even rely on the side series to give me the quality beat em up style games either.

Am I alone in thinking this? Genuinely curious as to what Yakuza fans on here think.

[Bankai9212]

Nothing wrong with a change, odd how they still keep dragging kiryu despite the fact he isn’t suppose to be a lead. That said compared to the other games layer entries will be compared to other turn based RPGs.

[Tereru Ooensu]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Medium Size:

Like a dragon 7 is best selling yakuza games lol. how is that a decline?

if anything it's become JRPG is what's this franchise need. it might turn off some who don't like turn based but for me i'm glad no longer we can cheese through the whole game with only one moves (yes tiger drop i'm looking at you) and it fits Ichiban character really well (and everyone loves Ichiban)

yakuza has been getting stale since 4. yakuza 5 story was too long and drag itself than necessary while yakuza 6 are just weak and i won't even bother to play it if not for it was the last game of Kiryu saga, LAD 7 is the fresh breath in the air from story and gameplay standpoint

as for the grinding stuff you don't really need it actually unless you want to do true millenium tower which is compeltly optional. i finish the story on just level 60, although Tendo kick my butt and i had to repeat the fight many times but i saw that as challenge

if there's one thing that bother me and made me worry about the future of this franchise is how they keep bring back Kiryu. like come on let the man retire in peace. it's time to move on with new protagonist. his ending in Yakuza 6 was perfect but no let's keep dragging his a** back to yakuza business and now we appearantly will get him again as playable in LAD 8 with his middle life crisis and looking like some K-pop boyband

I think people are forgetting that Kiryu is technically died. I doubt his hair is changed but is only a disguised. Also not mad about them bringing him back in the series. Kinda disappointed that he's playable. Yakuza 6 was suppose to be the end of his story but never seeing the original yakuza characters again would Habs been stupid. It's not like the new games are a alternate universe. Kiryu, Majima, Daigo and all them are still the top of the food chain. Ain't no Tojo clean without them.

[Bankai9212]

^if man from no where is any indication, per usual kiryu has no idea how to keep low. Also based on everything Diago has probably been the worst leader Tojo leader thus far.

[chasing for hugs]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Rob64:

...

So what am I getting at? I think this franchise is falling off a cliff at an alarming rate. 8 plans to be another RPG and since everyone on Twitter and Reddit told them it was amazing, I doubt they're gonna change much about it. And now I can't even rely on the side series to give me the quality beat em up style games either.

Am I alone in thinking this? Genuinely curious as to what Yakuza fans on here think.

The interplay between Beat 'em up combat, lore and variety in 0-6 is perfection. It's very unfortunate to lose such a unique experience.

The switch to turn-based combat makes development easier and opens the Yakuza franchise to a broader casual playerbase.

Like a Dragon wasn't a transition, but a cut. Everything from the past I cared about is gone and the missing change of pace (combat/casual interaction) strikes me every time.

In conclusion: Gotta move on.

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Cobalt Thunder:

There is no decline whatsoever.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the fact that the Tojo Clan, along with the Omi, disbanded in this game. Are they going to be able to come up with good enough villains and conflicts moving forward? Hopefully so.

...

"Keep the Tojo Clan safe from the cops. It's the only proof left that guys like us ever existed." - Yakuza 4

[NisseDood]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Bankai9212:

^if man from no where is any indication, per usual kiryu has no idea how to keep low. Also based on everything Diago has probably been the worst leader Tojo leader thus far.

Doubt the worst, but to be fair he got forced in to it in Y2.
Kiryu even admits he did a ♥♥♥♥ job at helping him after he forced him in to it.

[Bankai9212]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από NisseDood:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Bankai9212:

^if man from no where is any indication, per usual kiryu has no idea how to keep low. Also based on everything Diago has probably been the worst leader Tojo leader thus far.

Doubt the worst, but to be fair he got forced in to it in Y2.
Kiryu even admits he did a ♥♥♥♥ job at helping him after he forced him in to it.

While forced, diago was clearly in a downward spiral in 2. Plus in 3 when kiryu was suppose to be done with everything he left Majima in charge of watching diago.

[Paulodigital777]

Read somewhere that the team just wanted to make something different and with Ishin kinda makes this a fact, i mean Ishin is a beat up/hack and slash again so

[13LACK ORDER]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Bankai9212:

^if man from no where is any indication, per usual kiryu has no idea how to keep low. Also based on everything Diago has probably been the worst leader Tojo leader thus far.

The worst Tojo clan leader title is belong to Kiryu

Daigo given bad hand to deal with. he taken over Tojo clan when the clan was in shambles after Terada get rid most of Tojo best man only leave some ♥♥♥♥♥♥ patriach like Kanda and Hamazaki. i'm actually suprised Daigo able to keep Tojo a float for so long given the circumtances

For me Kiryu is worst tojo clan leader. he ran away and leave Tojo in the hands of freaking Terada just because he besties with Kazama. even without considering his relationship with Kazama. he was a Omi officer ffs. what kinda idiot would give someone from opposite faction a chairman seat? and even realize he screw up what did he do? once again he shoved someone else into the position to clean up his mess. Daigo has no experience to lead a yakuza faction before. he only leads some street thugs. he can choose kashiwagi but no, he choose worse option instead
and did Kiryu at least stay to provide Daigo any guidance or assistance? of course not he choose to runaway again and force Majima out of retirement to do what supposed to be his job and then have the audacity to lecture Daigo about the responsible become Tojo clan leader in Y4 while he doesn't have any

[Bankai9212]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Medium Size:

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Bankai9212:

^if man from no where is any indication, per usual kiryu has no idea how to keep low. Also based on everything Diago has probably been the worst leader Tojo leader thus far.

The worst Tojo clan leader title is belong to Kiryu

Daigo given bad hand to deal with. he taken over Tojo clan when the clan was in shambles after Terada get rid most of Tojo best man only leave some ♥♥♥♥♥♥ patriach like Kanda and Hamazaki. i'm actually suprised Daigo able to keep Tojo a float for so long given the circumtances

For me Kiryu is worst tojo clan leader. he ran away and leave Tojo in the hands of freaking Terada just because he besties with Kazama. even without considering his relationship with Kazama. he was a Omi officer ffs. what kinda idiot would give someone from opposite faction a chairman seat? and even realize he screw up what did he do? once again he shoved someone else into the position to clean up his mess. Daigo has no experience to lead a yakuza faction before. he only leads some street thugs. he can choose kashiwagi but no, he choose worse option instead
and did Kiryu at least stay to provide Daigo any guidance or assistance? of course not he choose to runaway again and force Majima out of retirement to do what supposed to be his job and then have the audacity to lecture Daigo about the responsible become Tojo clan leader in Y4 while he doesn't have any

Kiryu never wanted to lead the Tojo clan that was given to him from Kazama in a will eve then he was excommunicated by that point. As for Tarada before yakuza 2 it was the best choice at the time. If yakuza 4 was the ending to the series Kiryu would have helped but yakuza 5 exists.

[AaronAllBlacks]

The turn-based approach really gave the game a unique charm and I wouldn't want it any other way personally

[calabacina]

well, let's wait and see the 2 coming out for this year to judge. All in all, I'm happy that Sega finally started translating, it already seems like a big step forward.

on the dungeon aspect, I agree with op

[16-0]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από Medium Size:

and did Kiryu at least stay to provide Daigo any guidance or assistance? of course not he choose to runaway again and force Majima out of retirement to do what supposed to be his job and then have the audacity to lecture Daigo about the responsible become Tojo clan leader in Y4 while he doesn't have any

Basically the entire series from 2 through 6 is about Kiryu fixing Daigo's screwups. If Daigo was vaguely competent the series would have ended after two games because the writers probably would have run out of reasons to drag Kiryu back all the time.

2 - Daigo wastes his life in cabaret clubs getting loaded until Kiryu comes along and gives him an actual job beyond freeloading on his father's success.
3 - Daigo pulls a gun on a CIA officer like an idiot, gets shot, and everyone immediately begins fighting over who will succeed Daigo since no one respects him. Kiryu stops this.
4 - Daigo sells Tojo-kai out to the popo for cold, hard cash. Kiryu solves this by beating the crap out of him, then everyone somehow forgets about this episode for the rest of the series.
5 - Daigo detects a plot against him and promptly takes decisive action by fleeing like a pansy and letting Omi infiltrate his clan unchallenged.
6 - Daigo goes to jail and a bunch of random small-town hicks take over his crime empire because still no one except Kiryu respects him.
7 - Daigo completes his decade-long mission of destroying Tojo-kai from the inside..

[Irish]

no i dont "worry about the future of beloved franchises" i have a life

[J0ust]

Αναρτήθηκε αρχικά από xShapelessx:

No? Like a Dragon is the best thing Ive ever seen from this series. Its refreshing. I totally prefer it as a jrpg. I actually care about my party and characters and the progression is actually interesting for once. The combat isnt even that good in the other yakuza games if Im being real

This is the correct answer. I love the series, i love Kiryu, Majima, and all the rest. but Yakuza needed a refresh and change in direction. Like A Dragon delvers in spades and the RPG elements are a better fit for the series than anything they've attempted previously.

[valium]

Like a Dragon 7 was the best game in the series, especially after playing 3-6.