QCF: Yakuza: Like A Dragon

espite all of the social and technological advancements we’ve made over the last century, there’s an old saying that still gets thrown in the face of anything progressive to this very day—the tired phrase of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” 

There are merits to the sentiment though—it isn’t often that an open-world action-adventure dynamic like that of the Yakuza series is able to work as well as it has for the last fifteen years, as each entry only worked to improve upon the foundation of the 2006 PS2 original. Fortunately, that isn’t the case here, far from it; Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's Yakuza Like A Dragon is a revival, unlike anything we’ve seen from a legacy franchise before it, taking the series to a new generation of players while successfully carrying it to new heights for longtime fans all the same.

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an, Daylight Savings time sure is weird—while everyone here at Press Pause radio can appreciate the gift of an extra hour being added during the weekend of all times, it’s still enough to make you queasy…

Still, it’s given us time to catch up on everything we’ve playing before the wave of next generation hardware hits us in a couple of weeks,  and even then, there’s no shortage of stuff to get through. This week we talk about Microsoft announcement of 100% Backwards compatibility of their older software libraries for the Xbox One and  Series X, Commuter Bicycles retailing for over thirteen-thousand dollars, Sony offering free hardware to retro-fit the PSVR headset onto the PlayStation 5, Hades,, Ginga Force, the Sony 1945MD, Way of the Warrior, The Yakuza Collection, Cyberpunk 2077 delays, the Colecovision Super Game Module, and so much more.

Unwrap whatever candy you’ve grabbed over the  holiday, as you plug in for a jam-packed episode of Press Pause Radio before heading into the GOTY season—also, if you haven’t already, be sure to vote this election however which way you can! Also, wear a fucking mask when you go outside—it help save your life, and the lives of those around you!

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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PPR Presents Late to the Party: Judgement

f I were to liken Ryu ga Gotoku Studio’s Yakuza series to a mixed drink, I would compare it to the sweet, yet effectively potent combination of Rum and Coke. It has all the thrills, and action you could ever want, while maintaining an accessible sense of pacing that can synchronize with just about anyone’s rhythm.

I can’t say the same thing out of the studio’s newest release, however; Judgment is more like Whiskey and Coke—a mixture that commands time and patience the moment you press your lips to the glass. Toting itself as a spiritual successor to Yakuza, Judgement throws a twist on the crime-drama formula from Toshihiro Nagoshi that empathizes new Detective-focused dynamics, encouraging observational skills and deduction from players instead of relying on the trademark brute-force that the world of Kamurcho is famous for offering.

While the novelty of the concept is admittedly hampered by strict pacing that drags on the early hours of Judgment through an annoying slog, the game eventually opens up into one of the most fulfilling experiences from the developer yet, consistently rewarding the commitment it demands a slower-than-usual pace that Ryu ga Gotoku design is known for.

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QCF: Yakuza Kiwami 2

fter The success of both Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life on the PlayStation 4, it was no surprise that SEGA had announced to Weekly Famitsu Magazine that it was planning to re-release the entire series of the mega-hit property onto the PlayStation 4. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the latest entry to spear-head the effort shortly after the release of Yakuza 6, an update to the second entry of the franchise, and the last one to have released on the PlayStation 2 before Yakuza had made the transition to the PlayStation 3 years later.

In what may arguably be the strangest title of the lineup in contrast to the spin-offs and seventh-generation entries, SEGA didn’t pull any punches in ensuring that Yakuza Kiwami 2 captured all of the wacky narratives and tongue-in-cheek writing of the original game. This PlayStation 4 remaster brings it all together with the new Dragon game engine that was introduced in Yakuza 6, and an assortment of other enhancements that make the trip back to the Kamurocho the best one yet.

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QCF: Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

he Yakuza franchise may owe a great deal of its legacy to Shenmue, but it’s done a great deal more on its own, and rightfully escaped the shadow that Yu Suzuki’s classic had once cast over it. Spanning across five epic chapters, a host of non-sequitur spin-offs, and a stellar prequel in its own right, Yakuza 6: The Song of Life is the newest title to enter the fold, and was announced to be the final chapter in the Ryū ga Gotoku saga.

Although the future of the property seems uncertain, SEGA hasn’t spared any expense with the finale; Kazuma Kiryu’s last hurrah is every bit of the bittersweet epic that it sets itself out to be and then some.

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QCF: Yakuza Kiwami

t’s been speculated that Grand Theft Auto III would have never gone in the direction that it did had it not been for Shenmue on the Dreamcast, and personally, I always found that contrast a bit misleading. Grand theft Auto attempted to give as much player freedom as they could, while Shenmue was aimed more at the player agency, albeit through the scope of a law-abiding protagonist who still had to adhere to things like a curfew.

Fast forward six years later, and we’re treated to a new game from SEGA titled Yakuza, an adventure that pays homage to both Shenmue and Grand Theft Auto through its unique RPG mechanics that offer a balanced blend of agency and freedom, and was successful enough to launch a new franchise for SEGA into the next decade.

A franchise that’s gone so strong that SEGA decided to release a remaster of the classic that started it all, Yakuza Kiwami for the PS4. To gauge the success of a remaster is to determine how well it can deliver the experience to both fans of the original, and new players who’re coming in fresh—Yakuza Kiwami nails both out of the park (or this case, batting cages), as the trip back to Kazama Kiryu’s misadventures in this epic crime-drama feels just as fresh as it did before.

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