Yakuza 2 or Kiwami 2, which one is better ?

[Hardtarget01]

Guess same question goes for original Yakuza vs. Kiwami. Read that these Kiwami games are not considered by some as good their as their PS2 original versions. Is there any truth to this and what are the changes between them ?

[AugmentedSmoke]

There is small amounts of cut content in Kiwami 1 and 2 but it is usually made up for with other new content.

I personally prefer the originals due to nostalgia mostly. In all honesty the fighting is at its best in Kiwami 1 though. Kiwami 2's fighting is good but is less arcade-y imo so it's not for everyone.

I'd recommend both the originals and the Kiwami remakes but for newcomers to the series I think it makes more sense to play the Kiwami versions personally

[Nens]

I prefer originals, Kiwami remakes changed or added some stuff that I really dislike but overall they are all good games.

If you are new to the series then start with Kiwami versions. Then maybe if you'll like them enough it will be worth it to try originals and see for yourself which one you prefer.

[Utopian101]

Personally as someone who has only played 0 here on PC I found the original Yakuza 1 (not sure about 2) to be very hard to play. The combat is very clunky (can't turn mid combo) and the game is plagued with a ridiculously high amount of load times for today's standards. Also the English script is very bad. I could only get an hour in before I got fed up with the things listed.

[Ebon Wolf]

Kiwami 2 is objectively better in almost every way.

[sumolagann]

I'd just play remakes and watch whatever missing content from the originals on youtube

[Claire Higsby IRL]

It's very subjective. The combat's different and a lot of substories were removed, but a lot more were added to compensate.
I recommend one of two routes for newcomers: either start with the original PS2 games, then 3-5, then 0, then 6, or start with 0, then the Kiwamis, then 3-6. Playing both versions of 1 and 2 is optional, but still something I'd recommend regardless of which route you take.

[DEFINITELY ARNOLD]

I played the Yakuza 2 on PCSX2, I couldn't wait any longer and the story is so damn good.
I couldn't wait to play Kiwami 2 on PC.
I hope they'll release 3,4,5 and 6 to PC

[Dan_the_pest]

From a gameplay standpoint, the remakes are no doubt better. In terms of atmosphere and story? I'd say the originals are better. A big reason for me thinking this is due to how massively they retconned Majima's involvement with the stories of 1 and 2 (particularly messing up his character's motivation in 1 with the Majima everywhere system).

[Clive]

Yakuza 1 has aged fairly poorly, and Kiwami is a flat upgrade over the original in all but music (but there's a mod for that anyway)

Kiwami 2 imo is a downgrade from the original. Graphically, it's gorgeous, there's some extra content, and the Majima segment really wraps up some stuff from 0, but... Kiryu is hideously overpowered to the point where the game is boring, and they ruined several amazing scenes from the original (the bridge scene being the most notorious). The original Yakuza 2 has aged far better than the first game and is still easily worth a play even now. Kiwami 2 isn't awful, but it's a huge letdown considering it comes after the two best games in the series (0 and Kiwami 1).

[Hardtarget01]

Like I kind of guessed, pretty split 50/50. Better have all 4! Yakuza Western release was however horrible when they dubbed it into English! Yakuza speaks English in Japan ?! Think not.

[Utopian101]

İlk olarak Hardtarget01 tarafından gönderildi:

Like I kind of guessed, pretty split 50/50. Better have all 4! Yakuza Western release was however horrible when they dubbed it into English! Yakuza speaks English in Japan ?! Think not.

The english voices are not even the issue, it's just that the people who translated the game took WAY to many liberties when it came to the translation, and so what the english voices said was awful. Also I watched some videos and apparently yakuza 2 (original) does a lot to fix the various issues I had with the first game so take that as you will.