Is Yakuza REALLY That Good?!
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- Опубліковано 24 січ 2024
- With Yakuza Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth inbound, it's time to take a good look at the history of this series. While they're are many "pilgrimages" that you can go on in entertainment, Yakuza is one of the best and most palatable choices you can make.
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Alucard3362: • Yakuza Kiwami - combat...
devilleon7: • Yakuza Kiwami - Majima...
Gematsu: • Yakuza: Like a Dragon ...
#Yakuza #Gaming #PlayStation
Yakuza 0 is definitely a must play
Haven't played any of the Yakuza games except Judgment (haven't completed it yet), but after Tokyo Vice recently finished the upcoming Yakuza TV series on Prime in October sounds like a welcome addition so I'll definitely check it out!
Yakuza/Like a Dragon is probably the only game series that can make you laugh out loud in one scene and then make you cry your heart out in another. It's the perfect balance of goofiness and seriousness and it has some of the most detailed open worlds you'll ever see. So yes, Yakuza is _that_ good.
Bro one of the last scenes from Gaiden man. Was sobbing for a good couple of minutes when i saw that.
@@Kruppuchinoyou mean kiryu crying? This really got me too was crying to long
Yakuza is a completely insane yet amazing series. It’s fun, it’s stylish, it knows how to balance goofiness with seriousness, and it just oozes personality. My first yakuza game was zero and I’ve loved it ever since
I think japanese overall know how to balance goofiness with seriousness. All Capcom games also, like Resident Evil or Monster Hunter, MGS too. I see it much rarer in Western games. They are more often too serious, or cringe, when trying to joke, in my experience. Not always, but lately mostly.
I’d love for some UA-camr to showcase the negatives of the series. It isn’t a 10/10 legendary series and it loves to waste your time.
@@ReuvelMusic seems that most content creators just say what people want to hear. It's either one extreme or the other.
@@ReuvelMusic they do, there are a lot of negatives but it most often does not outweigh the positives, in a sea of AAA trash this is a diamond. a lot of games waste your time by design. especially live service games.
Diving into this series a couple years ago was one of the best gaming decisions I ever made.
real
One of my gaming goals this year is to play Like a Dragon, which will be my first Yakuza/LAD game. What would you recommend order-wise based on your experience with the franchise?
@@unlucky_thir13en LAD is situated to where you can play it without the other games but not feel lost. If you want to try the other games, I recommend either starting with Yakuza 0 or just going fully parallel and playing Judgement. Yakuza 0 used to be very commonly on sale for as low as $5, but these days tends to be bundled with Yakuza Kiwami 1 & 2-which is not a bad thing! That’s a trinity of great gaming.
Judgement has no real connection to Like a Dragon, but has a similar vibe-a super serious, impactful main story sprinkled with goofy-ass sidequests.
i did the same thing... played every game from 0 to lost judgment from august - november of 2022 (thank you playstation premium) .. Played both Ishin and Gaiden on release and when i get home from work in 90 minutes i will start Like a dragon 8 ... i was 20 when the original game released and im kicking myself for not picking it up back then.
@@mullaoslo I’m still working on 5… there’s cool stuff about it, but my compulsive need to complete quests is making it much longer.
2 more hostesses -_-
Yakuza 0 is the one I'd recommend the most to anyone.
They made it work well as a new starting point, and it works great as either a standalone experience or the start of a long journey of a franchise.
Also the soundtrack and story are top tier.
Honestly 0 and Kiwami killed my interest in anything Kiryu. Especially the combat. They were so bad. I got 20 hours into Kiwami thinking "When does this get good?"
Going to jrpg with 7 and bringing in Ichi was the best decision they could have made. I love him, and I adore turn based. I was legitimately going to get Infinite Wealth day 1 until I saw Kiryu is also a main character. Now it's waiting for a sale while other games like Tekken 8, Persona 3 Reload, Dragon's Dogma 2, and FF7 Rebirth take priority
@@kainhighwind2 Kindly explain how the combat is "So bad". Because I've never heard a worse take in my entire lifetime. And Kiryu being a main character being the main reason you don't buy the game sooner is simply idiotic to me. Kiryu has evolved to a ridiculous degree, almost to the point of being a different character. He's phenomenally well written, just different from Ichi. And if you loved the combat in 7 then Infinite Wealth will make you cream your pants. It's a million times better in IW.
Yakuza 0 was my favorite one in the series. The soundtrack is a banger and I think the slightly easier combat with all three included stances was really fun. Not to mention the side content was awesome.
@Jeremus717 Completely agree. I think my favorite is either Gaiden or 0. I haven't played enough IW to know for sure, but IW is probably going to be my favorite.
One of my good friends just played Y0 as his first Yakuza experience and he can't stop talking about it. I'm so happy, I have someone to talk about this series with!
All the real ones know that Akiyama is the best character
His fighting style is fun
@@chrisr529everyone says Kiryu for Tekken but it should be Akiyama
Well yeah have you seen him dance?
With his best pal super chunk. (Sorry but since the original run of 4 that will never leave my mind.)
Honestly akiyama is definitely really charming and likable, but he’s a very shallow and surface level character
Yakuza 0 has one of the best stories in gaming imo
One of a best sound tracks too.
14 cannon Yakuza games, in chronological order:
- Yakuza 0.
- Yakuza 1 - Yakuza Kiwami 1.
- Yakuza 2 - Yakuza Kiwami 2.
- Yakuza 3 Remaster.
- Yakuza 4 Remaster.
- Black Leopard: New Chapter.
- Black Leopard: Ashura New Chapter. (Both Black Leopards are Japanese only but have English mods).
- Yakuza 5 Remaster.
- Yakuza 6 Song Of Life.
- Judgment.
- Yakuza: Like A Dragon.
- Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased his name.
- Lost Judgment.
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
And 4 non cannon titles, as well. (Edit Infinite Wealth confirmed 3 out 4 of these are actually cannon in some way to the timeline of Yakuza. So I'll add the three two my list).
Not all heroes wear capes, thanks!
@@mosesdouglas4325 you're welcome
The series is literally one of the best series Sega came up with. And I hope they continue creating these types of games.
You summed up my feelings about the franchise so well omg. I'm so used to playing as Kiryu that I prefer his games to the new Ichi ones. And don't get me wrong, I don't hate Ichiban -I was optimistic like you with Y7 but nothing really grasped me- he's such a great character that I actually am getting to love more now that I'm playing IW. The Kiryu games were just such a great balance, and his story was just written and fleshed out SO well (I know Ichiban only has TWO games right now but still) that I fell in love instantly with. The franchise is still entertaining and all but something about the Kiryu games are just so special.
Yakuza consistently puts on amazing stories better than any game franchise
In the past I played the first few hours of judgement on ps4. I got overwhelmed and backed out. Last year on the steam deck I played yakuza 0-3 and just finished 4 a week ago. I am a huge fan of this series now. The writing is so good. And the combat literally makes me burst out laughing sometimes with how over the top it gets. My goal is to get to like a dragon this year.
Oh, like a dragon man, that game got me to cry 😅 even the voice acting of the dubbed version is good! I truly appreciate how much effort they make in these games and they're not just these annually released titles with minimal changes just a new name slapped on a game barely 6 months development time improved on the previous. More games need to take their time releasing like yakuza.
I generally like the game but they reuse the plot in every series
11:09 I mean to be fair, kiryu was always clueless himself and usually got back on the trail in the stories by luck. And it's unfair to call kasuga bumbling cuz he did beat his way right to the top with his allies, sure he's not as strong as kiryu and is much more lighthearted but it's unfair to say he's bumbling around in the sense that he's weak
I had the same taboo as you with "fidelity". Yakuza 3 and 4 helped me get over it and opened a whole other can of worms now that graphics/game age stopped being an issue. I played and finished Shenmue 1 in the year 2023, good times 🥳
The issue with 5 is that its like going to your favorite restaurant and getting satisfyingly full, only to realize you still have 40% of just the meat and potatoes left, let alone everything else on the plate. By the time you finish you are just uncomfortably full and don't want to eat there again for a couple months lol. Just too much of a good thing in one go.
They were over ambitious. There was too much going on, and not all of it was good. The taxi game was cool, but overstays its welcome. The hunting game, again, severely overstays its welcome. Harukas stuff if you wanna complete it, well overstays. The multiple plotlines just dont work together that well in the end. Still like the game, but it felt bloated. Now that we have LAD:IW you can see having a shit ton of a good thing is still awesome. Because the content, in my first 18 hours, is all absolute bangers. 5 misses as often as it hits
yeah, bloat is Yakuza 5 problem. It's overly ambitious. Is it still good? Yeah totally, I'd even say it's pretty good. When Yakuza 5 hits all the right notes, it is such a stellar game but that over ambitious problem creeps in and in the more you go into the game.
I think RGG really learned from that because Yakuza 0 is still relatively big and still work better. Also Infinite Wealth seems to rival 5's scale but with better grouped together as a whole.
@@sparkyspinz9897I have never seen someone so succinctly describe my own opinion on something.
10 YEARS IN THE JOINT
BRING THAT SHIT, KAZUMA!
Hands down, Yakuza/Like A Dragon is my favorite video game series of all time. They have lots of hearts! These games can make you cry, make you sit at the edge of your seat, make you love the characters and the world.
It just has everything I love. Serious, sad, funny and all in between. Yakuza 0 is still my favorite of the series but Kiwami 2, 6, Gaiden, Judgment and Lost Judgment are all top notch too in my book. Infinite Wealth is starting to challenge that top spot, it seems haha
This is my #1 Favourite Game Series of all time!! I have 100% every game in the franchise! Storytelling and voice acting is a bar above everything else in the industry!
I started with 7, then went back to the beginning with 0 and yesterday i beat Kiwami 1, planning on playing Kiwami 2 today
I remember being 1 of only 3 people who preordered Yakuza 3 for the PS3 at my GameStop in 2009. When I picked up my copy the sales guy asked me to let him know how it was because they didn’t order any copies to sell off the shelf. Still have my OG copy
Played Kiwami and then 0 couple months ago , they were soo good , and now i am playing kiwami 2
Peak video game series
Yakuza is a banger franchise. I started with 0 and then completed the rest of the games. Every game feels mostly contained, but it feels so good as a serialized property that I can't help feel like someone starting on 7 or 8 is missing out so much.
It's like watching Infinity War and Endgame without watching the other 30 movies in the MCU beforehand. You'll enjoy it, but you're missing out on things they put in there for the long time fans.
I cannot believe you haven't played 0, gotta remedy that
Yakuza 0 was a top 10 ps4 game easily
it's a top 10 game EVER
I started playing Yakuza 0 this week!! So excited to continue!!
I spent a hundred hours in that game and never close to finishing 😊. Brilliant game, enjoy.
Yes. Some of my all time favorite games. The detail of how Japan ( an now Hawaii) is brought to life is truly remarkable. Some of the best environments and mini games ever designed; let alone amazing combat and story, and humor. I spend hours just going to the Sega arcades playing the classics alone.
All the real gamers knew I’d like a dragon you could sell stuff and take photos of all the Kappas to get the 3 million yen easily.
That's Kiryu Sama to you matty
You need to play Yakuza 0, easily the best story and just the best one in the series. Majima’s backstory is truly heartbreaking in the best way possible.
YESSS PLEASE MAKE MORE YAKUZA VIDEOS
Yakuza 0 is the best from 0-6, by far. You really need to play it.
100%! One of the best game franchises I've ever gotten the chance to fully Playthrough. I really love how well paced and structure they all are and how they connect all that way up to the most recent title
Kiwami 2's combat difference is because the fact it's the 2nd game made in the Dragon Engine
My mom bought me Yakuza 3 on the ps3 for my birthday. I fell in love with Kiryu as a character. Can't forget Majima either
Lock mentioned this episode on Summoning Sign and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since.
Yakuza is one of the unique series I've ever played. The Combat can be deep, there's themes and scenes you never see in other games, character dynamics that wouldn't regularly work, and the sub content, while largely the same.in a lot of games is still.wildly fun as fuck.
I was a huge wreck before yakuza 0 came into my life the changes the narration the way each and every character evolved throughout the series also showed me a way to change myself and also made me realise that how I may change affect people’s lives positively
IMO it’s the most dearest and best series in all of entertainment media especially the amount of twists and turns in each games’ story combined with the wierd humour that cannot be described by words but rather only be understood by playing the series all sums up to be a masterpiece that everybody should experience atleast once in their lives
FINALLY!!!!!! Commenting before watching but i hope you do a video on each game
Hell yeah I want a nice detailed critique of each game
matty, you saying that kiwami is better than kiwami 2 is quite possibly the wildest take ive ever heard from you
I've played zero, kiwami 1, kiwami 2, yakuza 3, yakuza 7 and judgement.
I love the series did plan on playing all of them but sort of fell off towards the end of yakuza 3 when the 3,4,5 collection came to ps4.
It’s so good man! I got into the December of last year and I’ve been obsessed! Currently on the 3rd onen
This series has had a hell of a run in the past few years. And Infinite Wealth seems to be keeping that run going! Now, could you do a video covering the Granblue Fantasy game that came out?
When you said baby club, i knew exactly what you meant. That's how memorable the substories are
I’m so tempted to start a physical Yakuza game collection
Man I started on Judgment and that game is fantastic, I know the Yakuza games are great. I took me 70 hours to beat most of the side mission and main story and I still only have 20 percent of the trophies. Cant wait to play Lost Judgement
Lock mentioned this episode on Summoning Sign and I’ve been looking forward to it since.
I felt exactly how you did in terms of the 'transitions in between and playing the kiryu/ichiban character dynamic' for the yakuza series.
Finally took the time to play through from zero to now seven (plus gaiden) last year and I gotta say, the switch up to me felt very easy and natural(kiryu shows up in like a dragon as well!).
I never want to see kiryu be replaced but his character is written as an old man now..sad reality=[
I hope he somehow still stays relevant or at least someone with similar traits is featured in future rgg releases 🙏
Also play zero sometime, def worth it for 1st timers and returning players.
I`m glad I`m one of the few who watched this series grow to what it is today, my first one was the very first for the PS2 back when it released and playing Yakuza 0 with all that background was perfection, one of the best games ever made.
I really agree with the thing you said about Kasuga and substory. It's funny watching Kiryu do something stupid because he's the serious and stoic type. Kasuga doing stupid things is just his nature, so it doesn't really hit me like previous titles.
2:14 I’m just about where you are with experience. Like a Dragon brought me in.
I actually started this series in October last year started from zero and started 4 the other day great series so far!
Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon was my first Yakuza game. From there, I went back and played 0 through 6 and even Gaiden. I definitely rushed through 4 and 5 somewhat as they felt like more of a slog. Some games in the franchise felt somewhat repetitive and I chose to mainline those more than others. None of them have been bad at all. I also felt pressure to catch up as I wanted to finish all of them before Infinite Wealth. The pilgrimage is worth it!
My first time in this universe was Judgment which was a spin-off and I really liked it. When I heard Yakuza was going turn based with Like a Dragon I tried it and loved it so much. I bought Infinite Wealth day one and am loving it.
I started off with lost judgement and like a dragon. Went back to 0 and played every game in the series, including ichin. My favourite games by far and has influenced me to start saving and visit Japan
I got a giftcard for my Xbox series X in 2020 and I bought Yakuza: like a dragon. I got hooked and since then I played Zero, Kiwami 1, Kiwami 2, Yakuza 3-5 remastered, 6, Judgment, Lost Judgment, Like a dragon Ishin. Basically everything that came out in the west 🤭. I became a HUGE fan of the series!
I rather recently got interested in the Yakuza franchise with how awesome Infinite Wealth looked like and decided to pick up the franchise as I saw through the Holiday Sales that I could get mainline games and also Lost Judgement. So far I have managed to beat Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami, currently playing through Yakuza Kiwami 2 and I'm hoping to complete the main series plus Judgement and Lost Judgement during this year. I have so far loved the games, I'm interested to see the entire journey and I can't wait to eventually play Infinite Wealth.
Yes.
And it's insane it took until Yakuza 0 for this series to take off outside of Japan.
This is a must play series.
I started with 3, 4 5 on playstation 3 and then 6 on playstation 4, I loved it
The answer is an enormously emphatic "Yes"
My favorite game series ever!
Goro majima will always be my fav character hands down🤟🏽🔥
When you become an expert on this series please do another retrospective
I was the opposite and got into Yakuza way before discovering and adoring Trails. I now find time for both series now I'm fully caught up so it's easier. I started Yakuza with 1 on the PS2 in 2013 and Trails with Sky in 2020. Oh and Yakuza 3 wound up being my favorite of the series. A black sheep that's actually the goat
I've played through the entirety of kiryus journey and I loved it. He's a badass, you feel powerful, and his silent demeanor makes sense for the action/beat em up. But I really love how RGG has handled Ichiban with very different but also wonderfully built characters to flank him. He's aware he isn't the sharpest knife, but his leadership style is warmth in caring and his loyalty to his people. Which is why I'm not offended that he has people follow him. Infinite wealth does well to flesh this out and expand on it with even one of the party members saying the silent part out loud.
One thing is for sure, Yakuza/like a dragon/judgement will continue to be day one purchases for me because few studios match RGG in churning out interesting open worlds with main stories you care to follow like they do. Also they always load the games up with interesting side content to breakup the main story and let you cooldown after major moments. So few games understand how great that is these days.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon was my first game in the series since I love turn based RPG's and it was my first game I played on my Series X during launch. Then they started putting all of them on Game Pass and I played them ALL! I love the series and will continue to buy every game that comes out by RGG Studios! The order which i played them is as follows excluding all the spin offs (which I also played):
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Yakuza 0
Yakuza Kiwami
Yakuza Kiwami 2
Yakuza 3
Yakuza 4
Yakuza 5
Yakuza 6
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Absolutely agree about Kiryu - Ichiban in terms of main protagonist
Your timing is impeccable good sir, I'm wrapping up Death Stranding on my Steam Deck, and i was thinking of playing Yakuza for the first time 😅
during lockdowned played 0 first and now im all caught up, cant wait for Infinite Wealth!
I love the Yakuza games!
infinite wealth is one of my favorite games ever i have played it 50 hours so far
I slammed through Yakuza 0-6 a couple of years ago, and have been in love with it ever since. I played Ishin about 5 months ago, need to be TMWEHN, then Infinite Wealth. This series is just 10/10. Don't be afraid of 3+ even though they are not remastered, you won't even notice, and you DEFINITELY don't need to 100% the games. Just play until you have naturally had enough.
got 7 on ps+ tried it out and liked it, suddenly 0 and kiwamis were on ps+ deluxe so I played through those and then the 3/4/5 remaster collection became available on ps+ deluxe and then when I got halfway through 4 Yakuza 6 showed up on ps+ deluxe then the first judgement.
I bought Lost Judgement and a day later it showed up on ps+ deluxe.
I highly recommend all of these games, Yakuza 3 is the only roadblock...emphasis on the block
I share the same sentiment with you regarding Ichiban. I like him but I love Kiryu and the previous playable characters more. Like you said, when you're doing the substory with a relatively serious character in an absurd situation, it makes for a great palette cleanser and keep the contrast between serious and funny extremely well.
With Ichiban tho, the line is more blurred now as his personality and even the main story have more comedy in it. But Yakuza 7 is still pretty good in my opinion, story-wise it's great. Ichiban is still charming and a nice contrast to Kiryu and how the series evolve. It's just that I personally prefer Kiryu , Yagami or previous characters who are relatively serious
haven't watched the video yet but the answer is YES. it is , obviously some games are not as good (for me at least i wasn't a huge fan of 3 and 5) but most of them are a fun time. started this journey a month ago and am currently at Yakuza 7.
Edit : watched the video , the 4 styles in Kiwami came from Yakuza 0 , and technically it shouldn't have been there because in 0 he still hasn't mastered the Dragon of Dojima style. but in 1 he is past that point. not that i hate its inclusion but yeah it wasn't part of the original game or the plot. unlike 0.
also the reason why combat is different from Kiwami 1 to 2 is because Kiwami 1 was released as a PS3 era game with a PS3 engine and near the release of Yakuza 5 so i believe the combat is closer to that (0 was the same) , however Kiwami 2 was on new Dragon Engine which was the Engine that i think they used first on Yakuza 6 , so its a lot closer to Yakuza 6 on that regard when it comes to visuals and combat. after you beat Kiwami 2 and play Yakuza 3-4-5 Remasters you will see that you went back to the PS3 era. Yakuza Kiwami 2 , 6 , Like A Dragon , Gaiden and Judgement games and Yakuza 8 : Infinite Wealth are all Dragon Engine.
Fire thumbnail! 🔥
Kiwami 1 was my introduction to the series also I actually returned it then wanted something to play got it again gave it a real try an loved it !
Love these games, and kiwami 1 was my first pick up on a Christmas sale years ago and since then I’ve made my way through a fair amount. Though I do feel you can hit burn out with them at just how expansive they are and sometimes there’s just too much dialouge
one of my favorite series!
I LOVE YAKUZA! Started with 7 when it came to game pass and now I've played through every title available in english! My favorites are 0, 5, 7 and Lost Judgement.
Playing on 6 at the moment and it's very fun - only problem is that Kiryu animation looks inspired by Steven Seagal. He remains emotionless when he talks and rarely blinks. But looking forward to playing Like A Dragon: The Man Who Erased His Name. I've played the first Like A Dragon and really enjoyed it especially the turn based combat that is old skool RPG
I started out with judgment ps4 then like a dragon. My exposure at the time of kiryu was lad and project x zone 2 of all things but after beating the man who erased his name i gotta give kiryu his flowers
I'm seriously considering starting this series, playing one by one very slowly, like, two games a year. I already added Yakuza Zero to my list.
Honestly, I loved the combat through all the games, and I enjoyed it all the way through, especially with the little touchups they did
Just finished infinite wealth today. It was my last game in the series, played all gake from 0 up to it, it took me 6 months to complete the all (no judgment). Amazing one if the best series I ever played. 😊
As someone who took this dive over the last few years, the transition between Kiwami 2 and 3 is....jarring
I've always been curious about Like a Dragon, it looks like such a wild mix between reality and insanity, lol
I been a fan since the first one came out back in 05
Gaiden is definitely a must
That's rad!
I love this series. It also further fuels my desire to travel to Japan.
Now play 0 Matty!
Trails games are great too!
_Is Yakuza REALLY That Good?!
_Yes, yes it is my friend
Ichiban is what got me into Yakuza, i prefer his gameplay, story, etc. it’s peak. Infinite Wealth is best JRPG i ever played as well.
I've played Yakuza 0, Kiwami 1 & 2, and Like a Dragon. I am deep into Infinite Wealth and I agree that the more you have played the better some of the moments will be. There are definitely some references I know I am missing but it hasn't hurt the overall experience for me. This game and its story has me hooked and is already looking like a Game of the Year contender IMO.
I would highly recommend playing Like a Dragon before this. I would also say playing 0 and Kiwami 1 would give enough context you would want for the series. Playing the whole series would definitely first be ideal but grinding these games back to back didn't work for me. I played 0,1, and 2 in quick succession and then fell off.
Edit: Playing these games quickly to "get caught up" is a trap IMO. These games are best taken in when you sit back and enjoy the world. Let yourself enjoy the side stories and side activities. It makes it so much better and if you are rushing to catch up it loses a lot of charm. That's what happened in 2 for me and led me to not playing these games for years.
Would never found this franchise without Game Pass
On your Point about about how Kiwami 2 combat was different. Well that's because Kiwami 2 released a year after Yakuza 6 so Kiwami 2 was trying to basically build upon that games combat system. So Kiwami 2 is less of a Yakuza 2 and more Yakuza 6 2 (the same way Kiwami 1's combat was built upon Yakuza 0's combat system.) when it comes to game play.
So I bought Judgement and Lost Judgement last year on sale and haven’t touched them yet. I plan too soon however seeing all the discourse online I hear do Kawami 1 1st but others will say yakuza 0. That’s one dilemma. The other dilemma is I want to play Judgement but I am wondering if it makes better sense to play through all the others before I get to Judgement. Somebody help me
I've played 0, 6, YLAD, and I'm currently playing through IW. I'd say 0 is definitely the best but I also liked YLAD a lot as well.
Exactly what I needed. I needed a reason to start yakuza 0 not a fan of turn based so I wanna try the OGs but I just don’t know if it’s for me.
I started off with 0, it was one of the best story in the series. However, if you decide to play in order, it gets rough when you get to 3, that's one I wished they made a Kiwami version.
I started at 6 and honestly it’s not the worst place to get into it. Still has great dumb side quests and the story is enough to get you into the whole franchise
Kiwami 1 was where I started too and it was amazing. I also definitely miss the tone of the older Yakuzas. While I like Ichiban, I struggle to connect with him because he just doesn’t feel human most of the time. Kiryu always fought for what he believed for too, but he acknowledged his flaws and gave us something to fight for in the form of Haruka. Ichiban just doesn’t have anything that really drives him in the long term of this series unless they plan on that being the recurring party members, in which I don’t care too much for tbh