It's not full voiced, which would've been awesome, but all cg scenes and most story scenes are voiced. Of course you get the usual voice here and there in the game. Plus you will hear "you are already dead" a lot.
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Hokuto ga Gotoku|OT|You are already importing.
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It's not full voiced, which would've been awesome, but all cg scenes and most story scenes are voiced. Of course you get the usual voice here and there in the game. Plus you will hear "you are already dead" a lot.
At least most of it is voiced - thats good to hear.
I'm finishing up the Blu-ray TV series of "Hokoto No Ken" and I'll have a spoiler-free review of it for you guys when I'm finished :)
Yeah, Glad they had a chance to mix things up nicely compared to past games. Though after doing chapter 3 I think that is my favourite boss so far, it was really fun, and the QTE at the end of the fight was really well done - visually stunning for sure. The game gets even better now I have more of my fighting system unlocked so I can juggle enemies in the air!
Anyway, onto chapter 4 now, slowly more things are getting unlocked, hopefully once I hit chapter 5 I can start doing side stuff, as my only tiny complaint in this game is the slow build to unlocking the side stuff. Makes the game feel shorter than it actually is as I'm going through the story mode at a fair old pace.
Ok, spent the rest of the day basically just playing this game (hint, that means its really good ;) )
I'll try to not make it a habit of double posting, but since I've put some time into the side content (or some of it at least) I wanted to share my impressions of that stuff so far:
Baseball/"Batting Cage" - So the mainstay mini game that appears in every Yakuza game is back. And much like Kenzan and Ishin they've put a new spin on it! This time you are trying to hit evil guys that ride toward you on motorcycles. You basically just have to move the cursor and hit the circle button at the right time. The real difference here is the timing - most Yakuza games are really lenient in timing for this mini game in the pass I found, but this time you really gotta be precise else you won't stand a chance of getting a home run. Not sure on the completion requirements for the mini game yet, but I've managed to S rank both the first and second courses pretty quick just by getting 3-4 home runs per try. Once you get the timing down for the mini game this seems really fun. Its also really funny seeing enemies fly off into the sky and the backing music track that accompanies it is really nice to listen to. Nothing all that revolutionary really, but its still good fun to play and its a nice twist on a main stay mini game.
Casino - Nothing much to say here as its just as it always was in past Yakuza games. The only real difference (and this is a super nice touch) is that all the items in the casino (the boards, cards etc.) show signs of wear and tear which is in keeping with the theme of the series.
Exploring the wasteland - I spent a bit of time gathering supplies while I also played around with the combat system some more and I actually like the handling for the buggy at the moment. The very loose nature of the controls lets me powerslide with wreckless abandon, something no other game lets me do these days since arcade racers are all but dead. When not gathering supplies or getting in huge fights I was treasure hunting - when you defeat enemies (either in the wasteland or in Eden) you might get a treasure map. This marks a spot on the map that basically you have to drive to. So far I mainly got car parts, though I also found a briefcase that contained a music cassette from Phantasy Star Online 2! Guessing once I start the arcade side of things I'll have the opportunity to find the arcade gamess via these maps.
Races - Not really done anything here. I can only compete in a trial race and that's it. What's weird is that I get no BP for finishing it. Also, no other races unlock upon finishing it. Lastly, I've got several "junk" items for my buggy that I (or Bat) should be able to repair I guess? Though again maybe I'm just not far enough into the game for this option to become available?
Arena - Ah, my other favourite place to be (the other being the arcade). Its not really all that complicated in this game - you fight a shit ton of enemies over 3 rounds. Win and you get ranked up etc. Straight forward but really fun at the same time. Unlike past Yakuza games you fight groups of enemies (at least so far) instead of just one on one brawls. Its also not easy - since the combat in this game has you fighting quite a few aggressive enemies at once you need to be on your guard and finish off enemies quick (especially the huge bastards with hammers).
Cabaret Club - Everyones favourite mini game from Yakuza 0 is back (well, I preferred Outrun actually ;) ) and its mainly the same however its greatly sped up. You unlock hostesses and select the most compatible to entertain the guest, however most guests only stay for a few seconds as opposed to the longer times they stayed in Kiwami 2 and 0. This just makes things more fast paced. There's also some sort of system for dealing with problem customers (aka exploding them) but I've not used any of these methods yet. Oh, and you can assign more than one hostess to entertain a guest (maximum is two hostesses per guest). Its got a nice backing music track to it as well. I'd argue that this is more fun than Kiwami 2's version, if only because of these changes. Kiwami 2 has a brilliant storyline to go along with the mode, but I appreciate the changes in gameplay that Hokuto introduces. Means its not just a carbon copy which is great.
Bar tending - Maybe my favourite addition is the drinks mixing stuff. Its basically 3 mini games - shake the controller, quickly mash buttons or rotate the right analogue stick. Its mainly fantastic just for the finish animations where Kenshiro mixes the drinks, never fails to make me laugh. Plus you get side stories where you listen to patrons woes. Awesome stuff, I really wouldn't be against them somehow bringing this into the main Yakuza series somehow.
Bounty Hunting - fight goons and get paid big bucks. As you go the enemies and their goons get tougher. Its hardly rocket science but it is darn fun! (I just really love the combat). This is also an important side activity as it seems like other than bartering that its your main source of income, so make sure to knock out a few of these early on to build up some cash reserves (you'll need the cash for healing items and armor!)
I've still got several other things to unlock, can't wait to get to the arcade and clinic :)
And now for spoilery boss fight stuff:
.
So all in all I'm loving the game. The combat gets better the more I play, the bosses have been universally excellent so far and the side content is classic Yakuza all over. One question on upgrades though - is there another way to get red/blue/orangee etc. orbs? As I've got a couple from finishing chapters and that's it, I wanted to unlock more counter moves.
I'll try to not make it a habit of double posting, but since I've put some time into the side content (or some of it at least) I wanted to share my impressions of that stuff so far:
Baseball/"Batting Cage" - So the mainstay mini game that appears in every Yakuza game is back. And much like Kenzan and Ishin they've put a new spin on it! This time you are trying to hit evil guys that ride toward you on motorcycles. You basically just have to move the cursor and hit the circle button at the right time. The real difference here is the timing - most Yakuza games are really lenient in timing for this mini game in the pass I found, but this time you really gotta be precise else you won't stand a chance of getting a home run. Not sure on the completion requirements for the mini game yet, but I've managed to S rank both the first and second courses pretty quick just by getting 3-4 home runs per try. Once you get the timing down for the mini game this seems really fun. Its also really funny seeing enemies fly off into the sky and the backing music track that accompanies it is really nice to listen to. Nothing all that revolutionary really, but its still good fun to play and its a nice twist on a main stay mini game.
Casino - Nothing much to say here as its just as it always was in past Yakuza games. The only real difference (and this is a super nice touch) is that all the items in the casino (the boards, cards etc.) show signs of wear and tear which is in keeping with the theme of the series.
Exploring the wasteland - I spent a bit of time gathering supplies while I also played around with the combat system some more and I actually like the handling for the buggy at the moment. The very loose nature of the controls lets me powerslide with wreckless abandon, something no other game lets me do these days since arcade racers are all but dead. When not gathering supplies or getting in huge fights I was treasure hunting - when you defeat enemies (either in the wasteland or in Eden) you might get a treasure map. This marks a spot on the map that basically you have to drive to. So far I mainly got car parts, though I also found a briefcase that contained a music cassette from Phantasy Star Online 2! Guessing once I start the arcade side of things I'll have the opportunity to find the arcade gamess via these maps.
Races - Not really done anything here. I can only compete in a trial race and that's it. What's weird is that I get no BP for finishing it. Also, no other races unlock upon finishing it. Lastly, I've got several "junk" items for my buggy that I (or Bat) should be able to repair I guess? Though again maybe I'm just not far enough into the game for this option to become available?
Arena - Ah, my other favourite place to be (the other being the arcade). Its not really all that complicated in this game - you fight a shit ton of enemies over 3 rounds. Win and you get ranked up etc. Straight forward but really fun at the same time. Unlike past Yakuza games you fight groups of enemies (at least so far) instead of just one on one brawls. Its also not easy - since the combat in this game has you fighting quite a few aggressive enemies at once you need to be on your guard and finish off enemies quick (especially the huge bastards with hammers).
Cabaret Club - Everyones favourite mini game from Yakuza 0 is back (well, I preferred Outrun actually ;) ) and its mainly the same however its greatly sped up. You unlock hostesses and select the most compatible to entertain the guest, however most guests only stay for a few seconds as opposed to the longer times they stayed in Kiwami 2 and 0. This just makes things more fast paced. There's also some sort of system for dealing with problem customers (aka exploding them) but I've not used any of these methods yet. Oh, and you can assign more than one hostess to entertain a guest (maximum is two hostesses per guest). Its got a nice backing music track to it as well. I'd argue that this is more fun than Kiwami 2's version, if only because of these changes. Kiwami 2 has a brilliant storyline to go along with the mode, but I appreciate the changes in gameplay that Hokuto introduces. Means its not just a carbon copy which is great.
Bar tending - Maybe my favourite addition is the drinks mixing stuff. Its basically 3 mini games - shake the controller, quickly mash buttons or rotate the right analogue stick. Its mainly fantastic just for the finish animations where Kenshiro mixes the drinks, never fails to make me laugh. Plus you get side stories where you listen to patrons woes. Awesome stuff, I really wouldn't be against them somehow bringing this into the main Yakuza series somehow.
Bounty Hunting - fight goons and get paid big bucks. As you go the enemies and their goons get tougher. Its hardly rocket science but it is darn fun! (I just really love the combat). This is also an important side activity as it seems like other than bartering that its your main source of income, so make sure to knock out a few of these early on to build up some cash reserves (you'll need the cash for healing items and armor!)
I've still got several other things to unlock, can't wait to get to the arcade and clinic :)
And now for spoilery boss fight stuff:
Chapter 4's bosses were great. Toki was a tough bastard to fight, I've actually yet to beat him. I'll give it a shot later when I can train with him again. I love his moves though, he's just as awesome as I remember. The prison warden whose name I can't spell was also a tough bastard to beat. A couple of his moves really dealt damage but I got him after a couple of tries. However its chapter 5 that really impressed me - Rei is easily the hardest boss I've fought in the series (as in, the Yakuza series) outside of Amon. He's fast, he hits hard, and you need to use all your moves *(charge attacks especially) and air juggle combos if you hope to damage him at all. He took me around 6 times before I beat him on hard mode but I loved the fight. Its got a well done dynamic intro, badass QTE segment and a fight that really felt satisfying to win. I really hope the main Yakuza series adopts this level of difficulty for hard mode going forward.
So all in all I'm loving the game. The combat gets better the more I play, the bosses have been universally excellent so far and the side content is classic Yakuza all over. One question on upgrades though - is there another way to get red/blue/orangee etc. orbs? As I've got a couple from finishing chapters and that's it, I wanted to unlock more counter moves.
One way to unlock more of the green blue orange orbs is you can purchase a green blue orange vial from using your race points or your arena points. Go to the exchange points option at both places, purchase them, then use the item you receive. Then voila, a new orb! I've gotten a lot of them in the endgame that way. Also sometimes you'll win them from the mini games. Got at least one from the night club so far. One thing I can't figure out is how you actually get yellow orbs. I need to find more now.
Great impressions on the game! The combat is fantastic, my favorite of all the yakuza games. Oh and wait till you have to try extreme difficulty in the battling game. It's brutal! Also didn't know there were more music tracks to be found in the wasteland. I'll need to do some of the treasure hunts now that I've unlocked the whole wasteland.
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Wonderful impressions! Please keep them coming!
I have 2 questions for you or anyone else that's played the game:
1). You mentioned counter moves - are they actual counters/reversals that have to be precisely done to counter or "guard impact" an attack?
2). Armor and upgrades - can you actually change Kenshiro's appearance based on the armor you buy? I'm really hoping for his outfit from Hokuto No Ken 2!
Good to know about the orbs. Gives me more reason to hit the side content! And yeah, the combat is up there with the best in the Yakuza games for sure, the flow of the combat in this game is glorious and the bosses are really well designed.
I always try to do the treasure hunts when they become available, I still need better tires etc. to reach more areas. But in one instance as opposed to a large crate, I found a smaller briefcase that had the music cassette in it :) Hopefully there are a couple from other Sega games - Yakuza is a shoe in, I'd lose my mind if we get any track from Streets of Rage, Jet Set Radio or especially Shenmue!
For counters - you can get both types. Some moves are precise counters (think Tiger Drop from the main series) while other counters are performed by holding L1 (block) and pressing circle when prompted - so far I've got one against hand to hand attacks and one to counter the dart moves (this attack is hilarious). There are also ones for weapon based enemies which I really want.
As for armor, you don't get any visual changes unfortunately. There are some costumes you can unlock, but this is stuff like Kenshiro's Tux but that's it (and Kiryu if your like me and got the premium DLC!).
That sounds amazing!
Hopefully with the DLC Japan is receiving [and with a possible Western release], Hokoto Ga Gotoku will include some extra costumes relating specifically to the anime and manga.
Yeah, I do love me some optional costumes in the Yakuza series. Not sure I'd buy them myself, I always loved that they've been free previously.
Anyway, for anyone else needing some more decent English translations, this site is great for some of the mini games:
https://dojimasdragongirl.wordpress.com/
Looks like I just need to play a little more into the main story this chapter to start unlocking more buggy stuff :)
Anyway, for anyone else needing some more decent English translations, this site is great for some of the mini games:
https://dojimasdragongirl.wordpress.com/
Looks like I just need to play a little more into the main story this chapter to start unlocking more buggy stuff :)
I haven't seen any review talk about this yet; but isn't there a mini-game relating to Kenshiro being a street vendor and throwing food to people?
I believe there should be, I've not encountered it yet. Rin works at a food stall in the market and I believe its tied to this somehow. However at the moment all I can do is exchange random goods with her to build up a friendship gauge. So chances are, it occurs after that.
Also - heads up for completionists out there. Turns out that its technically possible to screw yourself out of 100%ing the game. Part of the 100% requires you to complete all medal challenges (do various combat moves in certain locations. One of which (medal 26) requires you to do some sort of aerial combo on a normal size enemy. You an technically level yourself up so much that you won't be able to perform the moves as you kill them in one hit. I'll investigate more tonight, but this will be my focus first so that I get all of these before powering up too much.
Ok, just a further note on trophy completion and 100%ing the game. As mentioned above combat medals are one of many little optional extras in the game. Basically when you use the quick kill move (gained at the start of chapter 5) you can start unlocking different enemy shouts (remember the crazy vid showing off you grabbing an enemy shout and wielding it as a weapon? That kind of thing!)
So the list is here:
http://dswiipspwikips3.jp/hokuto-ga-gotoku/cheats-data/abeshi-collections.html
And is also viewable in the game menu (second option from the bottom, then third in the sub menu). Now here is where things can get tricky if you rush ahead with leveling up too much:
The list requires you to visit each part of the wasteland (shown in the guide, and denoted in the in game list) and perform a few quick kill moves on enemies - basic stuff. Basically square > circle quick kill. Or square x5 then circle quick kill. Or how about knocking one of the weakest enemies into the air, then doing an air kill on them (best way using the "X" dodge move > Triangle which acts as a launcher, then doing a circle quick kill in mid air - making sure the enemy is in the kill state already, if not hit him once or twice but be careful as they have super low health).
That last example can be a game breaker if your not careful. As it turns out if you level up Kenshiro too much early on (spending orbs on strength) you can make it possible to kill these weaker enemies in 1 hit. Making it impossible to knock them into the air, and thusly making it impossible to land the kill. This is #26 in the list of shouts you unlock. If your short this one make sure you get it super early in the game. Just get into a fight outside of Eden (need to be in the wasteland) and then knock one of the "medium" enemies into the air (they are the same size as Kenshiro and often wield crossbows and the like) and do the kill move.
Basically as you need to do certain kills in each region of the wasteland (and a few in Eden as well) its very much worth saving the strength leveling up until after you get all the gear to reach all the parts of the wasteland. The medals are dead easy to get (so far) so it shouldn't take very long at all the grind them out. I've managed to get all of the ones available to me at the moment (roughly half) and just need to unlock the rest of the map to get the rest.
And the great thing about the quick kill moves is the items you get from killed enemies. Basically, from what I could tell so far you can get:
small blue orb (from the tiny wolverine/choi like enemies) which gives you a bit of burst power.
Medium/large enemies give you larger burst orbs which fill the burst gauge even faster
Fat enemies - these give you the large "scream" weapon which you can wield like a two handed weapon in other Yakuza games. Its really powerful, so well worth using to clear out swaths of enemies super quick
Huge enemies - green orbs. These give you health, anything from a small heath boost to all your health back. Absolutely worth getting as your certainly going to need them.
Its interesting to see just how much they packed into the combat in this game, I can't help but feel I'll spend another 10 odd hours on the game and still be discovering more new stuff! Oh, and speaking of burst powers, absolutely buy the jumping moves the first chance you get (X,X, Triangle - X,X, Square) as these are super useful. The triangle move is an amazing crowd clearing move, the square move is an amazing mid air combo. Both are very useful.
So the list is here:
http://dswiipspwikips3.jp/hokuto-ga-gotoku/cheats-data/abeshi-collections.html
And is also viewable in the game menu (second option from the bottom, then third in the sub menu). Now here is where things can get tricky if you rush ahead with leveling up too much:
The list requires you to visit each part of the wasteland (shown in the guide, and denoted in the in game list) and perform a few quick kill moves on enemies - basic stuff. Basically square > circle quick kill. Or square x5 then circle quick kill. Or how about knocking one of the weakest enemies into the air, then doing an air kill on them (best way using the "X" dodge move > Triangle which acts as a launcher, then doing a circle quick kill in mid air - making sure the enemy is in the kill state already, if not hit him once or twice but be careful as they have super low health).
That last example can be a game breaker if your not careful. As it turns out if you level up Kenshiro too much early on (spending orbs on strength) you can make it possible to kill these weaker enemies in 1 hit. Making it impossible to knock them into the air, and thusly making it impossible to land the kill. This is #26 in the list of shouts you unlock. If your short this one make sure you get it super early in the game. Just get into a fight outside of Eden (need to be in the wasteland) and then knock one of the "medium" enemies into the air (they are the same size as Kenshiro and often wield crossbows and the like) and do the kill move.
Basically as you need to do certain kills in each region of the wasteland (and a few in Eden as well) its very much worth saving the strength leveling up until after you get all the gear to reach all the parts of the wasteland. The medals are dead easy to get (so far) so it shouldn't take very long at all the grind them out. I've managed to get all of the ones available to me at the moment (roughly half) and just need to unlock the rest of the map to get the rest.
And the great thing about the quick kill moves is the items you get from killed enemies. Basically, from what I could tell so far you can get:
small blue orb (from the tiny wolverine/choi like enemies) which gives you a bit of burst power.
Medium/large enemies give you larger burst orbs which fill the burst gauge even faster
Fat enemies - these give you the large "scream" weapon which you can wield like a two handed weapon in other Yakuza games. Its really powerful, so well worth using to clear out swaths of enemies super quick
Huge enemies - green orbs. These give you health, anything from a small heath boost to all your health back. Absolutely worth getting as your certainly going to need them.
Its interesting to see just how much they packed into the combat in this game, I can't help but feel I'll spend another 10 odd hours on the game and still be discovering more new stuff! Oh, and speaking of burst powers, absolutely buy the jumping moves the first chance you get (X,X, Triangle - X,X, Square) as these are super useful. The triangle move is an amazing crowd clearing move, the square move is an amazing mid air combo. Both are very useful.
Thank you again for your ongoing impressions and play reviews! Please keep them coming!
I've finished the first part of the "Hokuto No Ken/Fist Of The North Star: The Complete Series Collection" [the first 109 episodes] and have been watching Hokuto No Ken 2/Fist Of The North Star 2 and I'm about 10 hours away from finishing it - I'll post my full review of the complete TV series when I'm done!
So far, it's a blast!!
I also found about this recently. It really does suck since I'm not very good at getting those awards and when I found out I was like oh no how am I going to do this? I do have hope though that because I opened up the wasteland I have also encountered a lot more very high-level enemies. In some parts the wasteland our enemies with yellow arrows on top. They can be very very very high-level characters to fight. I'm just hoping that there's one that will allow me to get that award before it's too late.
The particular award (#26) has to be done on a low level enemy out in the starting highland area (basically right outside of Eden). Which is a tad annoying as if you didn't look into this side of things early on your screwed out of the plat :( You'd have to do a new playthrough and do the combat medals again, since by the sounds of it a NG+ run on EX Hard still would have you to overpowered to get it. Really glad I found this one out early as its the exact kind of thing I obsess over! (had the same thing trying to get all of the heat moves in Yakuza 2 to unlock the Amon fights a few years back!)
No problem, I'll certainly be posting more as I play :) Next up is the need to progress further into the story to unlock better buggy gear to reach more areas in the wasteland, so I might push forward on the story slightly tonight (as it should be soon that I get this ability), but I might do some more arena and side stuff first! This is pretty much my favourite point in any Yakuza game - where I realise that I have so much side stuff to do that I just spend hours doing random stuff before I get back to the main story. Good times!
I'm streaming some gameplay of the game now if anyone is interested in watching, please follow too if you like, trying to build my followers.
http://twitch.tv/onimatiq
Uploaded some Kiryu DLC gameplay as well:
http://twitch.tv/onimatiq
Uploaded some Kiryu DLC gameplay as well:
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Ok, mini update today as I've not managed to play for too long but I have managed to do some more new side content:
Fighting Arena part 2:
So I put a little more time in the fighting arena, but I might have to wait for a little while before trying again as its pretty darn hard! The second arena tournament has purple health bar enemies and they are pretty tough. I'm not upgrading my strength just yet until I get all the death cries, and its not exactly worth tackling the arena until you power up a bit!
However I did quickly give another side of the arena a quick try, the "Duel" mode:
So as well as fighting in big tournaments where you fight lots of enemies, you also have the option to fight enemies 1 on 1. These enemies seem to be based on previous boss characters, as the boss I (narrowly) beat had Shin's moves list. Rules are simple, beat the boss. And as expected they are pretty tough! What's also interesting is that after you beat the boss, they "level up" so the next time you fight them they will be stronger. I also assume you get a better reward for beating them but again until I power up I'll hold off on playing this mode.
So next up is the healing rhythm action mini game. This is straight forward, just hit the button prompts in a timely manor, they are timed to the music to make things easier. But I just love the concept of this mini game. Rather than singing a Karaoke song, Kenshiro is using his Hokuto Shinken abilities to heal the sick (each button prompt has Kenshiro moving to a new patient to heal them), while also laying a beat down on thugs that barge into the clinic! (bash the button on screen several times to beat up thugs).
I've only done one song, so can't really comment much on the difficulty yet, but I found it fairly straight forward so far. I found it easy to get "perfect" hits on notes, so grabbed an S rank pretty quick. Also managed a full combo run on the song after a little trying (haven't managed a perfect run on the song though, that'd be pretty tough).
All in all this mini game is a nice spin on Karaoke. And seeing as its one of my favourite mini games in the main series I'm glad they figured out how to get it working in this spinoff.
Next up, Rin's market stall:
So this is a fairly straight forward activity. It seems to consist of two parts (so far). The first part is Rin asking for certain items. These can either be found in the wasteland, or gotten in Eden one way or another. Giving Rin the requested supplies will have her friendship gauge increase. Once it is full, she will give Kenshiro another shopping list of things she needs, this time you have a time limit and have to run around Eden finding the supplies. Once you get them all you get a funny little cutscene of Kenshiro dishing out groceries to patrons. Its fairly straight forward, and has a few side stories tied to it.
Cabaret Club part 2:
So, I had a further read of the rules and changes this version of the CC includes, and am impressed at just how much more I like it than Kiwami 2's (which I already loved.
So on top of my previous points, here are the main things to take into consideration:
Rather than having 5 main competitions you build up to completing (like in 0 and Kiwami 2), you have many smaller missions to complete. Each mission involves you needing to do a different thing (like getting one hostess sales above a certain limit, or making sure no customer leaves unsatisfied etc.)
Its a really cool change as it makes it feel less "repetitive", not that it was ever really repetitive, but it certainly gives it more depth.Additionally, each mission lists the different types of customers you will get visiting the club (these change on a mission by mission basis). Different customers have different preferences, so you need to change the hostesses you have working to suit their needs.
The other new mechanic is tied to the much faster pace of the club shifts. So as mentioned previously customers stick around for much less time in HGG, and the aim of the game this time is for the hostess(es) to deplete the customer's money gauge. This is done by matching customers with hostesses that match their requirements (so a cute hostess etc.)
If the customers money gauge is depleted then they leave the club and you get a big spender customer enter the club who give you much more money especially if you match them with hostesses they like!
A note on skills in this mini game. As far as I can tell, hand gestures and requests tied to them are gone. But you still have a 3 level skill gauge that builds up. Hostesses have their own skills that can be used to heal themselves (they still have stamina gauges) or drain the customer money gauge quicker. Stuff like that.
Now if your customer is unhappy, you can choose from your pre selected choices (that are selected from the main menu). Basically you have apologies to customers (good for normal people) or secret techniques (good for thugs!) Some missions will have more thugs than others, so you need to tailor your choices wisely! These are also tied to a gauge, the secret techniques require 1-3 bars to use.
All in all I LOVE what they've done to this mini game. Kiwami 2's version carried it on an existing brilliant system and excellent story, but HGG has a much needed refinement to the core concept that I think works great. The idea of missions and such work great in making the mini game feel fresh. I was initially concerned that this was brought back, as having played Kiwami 2 recently I thought I'd be a bit overloaded on the mini game already but I'm glad to say its definitely not the case here.
Also, small update on combat. I now have counter secret moves for 1 handed enemies and the tiny midget guys. Makes combat even better. Definitely worth unlocking the counter secret moves when you can.
Fighting Arena part 2:
So I put a little more time in the fighting arena, but I might have to wait for a little while before trying again as its pretty darn hard! The second arena tournament has purple health bar enemies and they are pretty tough. I'm not upgrading my strength just yet until I get all the death cries, and its not exactly worth tackling the arena until you power up a bit!
However I did quickly give another side of the arena a quick try, the "Duel" mode:
So as well as fighting in big tournaments where you fight lots of enemies, you also have the option to fight enemies 1 on 1. These enemies seem to be based on previous boss characters, as the boss I (narrowly) beat had Shin's moves list. Rules are simple, beat the boss. And as expected they are pretty tough! What's also interesting is that after you beat the boss, they "level up" so the next time you fight them they will be stronger. I also assume you get a better reward for beating them but again until I power up I'll hold off on playing this mode.
So next up is the healing rhythm action mini game. This is straight forward, just hit the button prompts in a timely manor, they are timed to the music to make things easier. But I just love the concept of this mini game. Rather than singing a Karaoke song, Kenshiro is using his Hokuto Shinken abilities to heal the sick (each button prompt has Kenshiro moving to a new patient to heal them), while also laying a beat down on thugs that barge into the clinic! (bash the button on screen several times to beat up thugs).
I've only done one song, so can't really comment much on the difficulty yet, but I found it fairly straight forward so far. I found it easy to get "perfect" hits on notes, so grabbed an S rank pretty quick. Also managed a full combo run on the song after a little trying (haven't managed a perfect run on the song though, that'd be pretty tough).
All in all this mini game is a nice spin on Karaoke. And seeing as its one of my favourite mini games in the main series I'm glad they figured out how to get it working in this spinoff.
Next up, Rin's market stall:
So this is a fairly straight forward activity. It seems to consist of two parts (so far). The first part is Rin asking for certain items. These can either be found in the wasteland, or gotten in Eden one way or another. Giving Rin the requested supplies will have her friendship gauge increase. Once it is full, she will give Kenshiro another shopping list of things she needs, this time you have a time limit and have to run around Eden finding the supplies. Once you get them all you get a funny little cutscene of Kenshiro dishing out groceries to patrons. Its fairly straight forward, and has a few side stories tied to it.
Cabaret Club part 2:
So, I had a further read of the rules and changes this version of the CC includes, and am impressed at just how much more I like it than Kiwami 2's (which I already loved.
So on top of my previous points, here are the main things to take into consideration:
Rather than having 5 main competitions you build up to completing (like in 0 and Kiwami 2), you have many smaller missions to complete. Each mission involves you needing to do a different thing (like getting one hostess sales above a certain limit, or making sure no customer leaves unsatisfied etc.)
Its a really cool change as it makes it feel less "repetitive", not that it was ever really repetitive, but it certainly gives it more depth.Additionally, each mission lists the different types of customers you will get visiting the club (these change on a mission by mission basis). Different customers have different preferences, so you need to change the hostesses you have working to suit their needs.
The other new mechanic is tied to the much faster pace of the club shifts. So as mentioned previously customers stick around for much less time in HGG, and the aim of the game this time is for the hostess(es) to deplete the customer's money gauge. This is done by matching customers with hostesses that match their requirements (so a cute hostess etc.)
If the customers money gauge is depleted then they leave the club and you get a big spender customer enter the club who give you much more money especially if you match them with hostesses they like!
A note on skills in this mini game. As far as I can tell, hand gestures and requests tied to them are gone. But you still have a 3 level skill gauge that builds up. Hostesses have their own skills that can be used to heal themselves (they still have stamina gauges) or drain the customer money gauge quicker. Stuff like that.
Now if your customer is unhappy, you can choose from your pre selected choices (that are selected from the main menu). Basically you have apologies to customers (good for normal people) or secret techniques (good for thugs!) Some missions will have more thugs than others, so you need to tailor your choices wisely! These are also tied to a gauge, the secret techniques require 1-3 bars to use.
All in all I LOVE what they've done to this mini game. Kiwami 2's version carried it on an existing brilliant system and excellent story, but HGG has a much needed refinement to the core concept that I think works great. The idea of missions and such work great in making the mini game feel fresh. I was initially concerned that this was brought back, as having played Kiwami 2 recently I thought I'd be a bit overloaded on the mini game already but I'm glad to say its definitely not the case here.
Also, small update on combat. I now have counter secret moves for 1 handed enemies and the tiny midget guys. Makes combat even better. Definitely worth unlocking the counter secret moves when you can.
By counter, does it actually show you block their attack before countering?
Not for those no. You activate them by holding L1 and hitting circle when prompted but for the little guys counter Kenshiro ko's them before they even touch the ground! Seeing as how annoying they can be, seeing that counter was oh so satisfying
Are there any counters where Kenshiro blocks a punch first, or snatches a punch mid strike, holds it and counters?
I love counter moves, sorry lol!
One of the main counters you unlock is one that Toki teaches you. Its a bit hard to describe, but basically as the enemy punches Kenshiro, he kinda grabs the enemy and quickly slides past them (so he's facing their backs, and can get a good combo in on them before they can react!)
There's also some sort of tiger drop style counter by the sounds of it but I've not unlocked that yet and tons of other moves I've not unlocked (been focusing on secret technique moves). I'll let you know if I come across any others.
That sounds awesome!
Yes, please keep me apprised of all the counters :)
One counter that I completely forgot, that is basically this description you mentioned earlier:
Kenshiro snatches a punch mid strike, holds it and counters
This is actually a counter, not sure how I missed this! If you do the L1+circle counter when an enemy swings a punch at you, Kenshiro will grab the enemies arm mid punch, then do some funky pressure point Hokuto Shinken shenanigans and the enemy explodes! Its quite an invaluable move and can dispose of enemies handily.
Right, chapter 6 down. Damn it that was a cool boss fight (completely unprepared for it!). The fight was a pretty tough one, as usual you take quite a bit of damage but can only really deal damage if you combo (as otherwise your dealing almost no damage what so ever!) Took me a couple of tries, but I got some really cool combos in so it felt rather epic! Loved the second half of the fight when things got serious!
Anyway, did some more side stuff, but only a little:
Races/car upgrades:
So as part of the main game you unlock races and the ability to upgrade your buggy, which is essential to reach new areas. With races, its basically Desert Initial D at times, with you racing on the remains of highways! I don't personally have any issues with the car handling, I find it quite alright so far. For races you have to "discover" new race courses while you explore the wasteland. I've only unlocked one further race course so far, when you reach a viable race course there is a person waiting that will have a short chat with you about making it a race course etc. Then you can race on it. Races give you BP which can be spent on upgrades (either for Kenshiro or your buggy). Its a fun little mode, not quite as amazing as Kiryu's taxi races in 5 but close.
Death Batting (aka wasteland baseball) update:
So I've been playing more of this mode, and managed to S rank the third course after a couple of tries. After watching some youtube vids it was mentioned that a more concrete way of getting Ultimate hits (homeruns) is to aim the cursor at the wheel of the bike (or just a hair above). Then the rest is timing. This worked for me really well, still tough thanks to the timing but it definitely improved my game on the third course.
So next up is
.
Oh, and while exploring the wastelands on a treasure hunt, I got me a new cassette via a treasure map. Now I can once again ride to the wonderful Magical Sound Shower :) So good!
Anyway, did some more side stuff, but only a little:
Races/car upgrades:
So as part of the main game you unlock races and the ability to upgrade your buggy, which is essential to reach new areas. With races, its basically Desert Initial D at times, with you racing on the remains of highways! I don't personally have any issues with the car handling, I find it quite alright so far. For races you have to "discover" new race courses while you explore the wasteland. I've only unlocked one further race course so far, when you reach a viable race course there is a person waiting that will have a short chat with you about making it a race course etc. Then you can race on it. Races give you BP which can be spent on upgrades (either for Kenshiro or your buggy). Its a fun little mode, not quite as amazing as Kiryu's taxi races in 5 but close.
Death Batting (aka wasteland baseball) update:
So I've been playing more of this mode, and managed to S rank the third course after a couple of tries. After watching some youtube vids it was mentioned that a more concrete way of getting Ultimate hits (homeruns) is to aim the cursor at the wheel of the bike (or just a hair above). Then the rest is timing. This worked for me really well, still tough thanks to the timing but it definitely improved my game on the third course.
So next up is
Souther/Souzer/however you spell/[pronounce his name!
Oh, and while exploring the wastelands on a treasure hunt, I got me a new cassette via a treasure map. Now I can once again ride to the wonderful Magical Sound Shower :) So good!
What the heck? I actually made story progress! Well, that's only because chapter 7 is linear and doesn't let me do any side stuff!
Anyway, the game is really hotting up now, throwing at you longer fights (against goons) like other Yakuza games usually do (glad I spent that time leveling up and unlocking more moves!
Now the boss fight of this particular chapter is one I'd been looking forward to, mainly to see how he was done since he's one of the most important/powerful characters in the manga,
My knowledge of the series is somewhat limited, but I believe they really did the character justice in this boss fight.
This is all topped off with a brilliant piece of music for the boss fight. I can't even imagine what the last couple of fights in the game is going to be like.
Anyway, the game is really hotting up now, throwing at you longer fights (against goons) like other Yakuza games usually do (glad I spent that time leveling up and unlocking more moves!
Now the boss fight of this particular chapter is one I'd been looking forward to, mainly to see how he was done since he's one of the most important/powerful characters in the manga,
Souther
My knowledge of the series is somewhat limited, but I believe they really did the character justice in this boss fight.
The whole reversed vital organs thing comes into play when you start the fight as Kenshiro is unable to use his Hokuto powers to finish off Souther, and so you can't use any of your secret techniques for the first half to 2/3 of the fight. It makes it pretty darn hard, as Souther himself can still trounce you if your not careful!
After some cool transitions in the fight Kenshiro realises what is going on and you can use your secret techniques again. This all climaxes to a brilliant end QTE that looks as awesome as expected.
After some cool transitions in the fight Kenshiro realises what is going on and you can use your secret techniques again. This all climaxes to a brilliant end QTE that looks as awesome as expected.
This is all topped off with a brilliant piece of music for the boss fight. I can't even imagine what the last couple of fights in the game is going to be like.
GOAT Fist of the North Star/Hokuto No Ken game right here folks.
Side content time tonight! Basically been doing a mix of side stories, bounty missions and mini games. Ranked Rin up a bit more with her market stall which in turn unlocked the ability for me to get back out in the wasteland (seems that the two were tied together somehow?) Anyway, thanks to clearing a few more side stories I've managed to open up a bit more of the wasteland map, which lets me get better items and fight some stronger enemies (which helps with my completion list!)
The only new thing I really started tonight was the arcade side story path. Basically when you start the side story you meet the owner of the arcade, and he shows you an empty room :( He requests Kenshiro to sell him any machines he comes across during his travels.
Getting the machines is technically luck - you get treasure maps from defeating enemies (randomly) and when locating the treasure you can get a myriad of different things - car parts, music, even arcade machines! I've been quite lucky to find two so far - Outrun (YAY!) and the UFO Catcher crane game (I assume complete with an unlimited supply of toys?!)
I've only played Outrun so far, and its the same port they've been using in Yakuza 0 and 6 - so basically it rocks. Only played it once so far, but I'm loving it all over again. A real time sink for sure!
Next up is some more bounty hunting, training with Toki and unlocking more upgrade options for my buggy.
The only new thing I really started tonight was the arcade side story path. Basically when you start the side story you meet the owner of the arcade, and he shows you an empty room :( He requests Kenshiro to sell him any machines he comes across during his travels.
Getting the machines is technically luck - you get treasure maps from defeating enemies (randomly) and when locating the treasure you can get a myriad of different things - car parts, music, even arcade machines! I've been quite lucky to find two so far - Outrun (YAY!) and the UFO Catcher crane game (I assume complete with an unlimited supply of toys?!)
I've only played Outrun so far, and its the same port they've been using in Yakuza 0 and 6 - so basically it rocks. Only played it once so far, but I'm loving it all over again. A real time sink for sure!
Next up is some more bounty hunting, training with Toki and unlocking more upgrade options for my buggy.
I'm loving these impressions!
The game sounds so fun - I'm waiting on my copy to arrive and it sounds like it was money well spent :)
Here is Gameblog's review (written by me): http://www.gameblog.fr/tests/3021-hokuto-ga-gotoku-ps4
I gave it 7/10. I believe the game can be enjoyed by both Hokuto no Ken and Yakuza fans. Those two franchises are like a match made in heaven. I just wish SEGA's Japanese games would let us take screenshots!
Now I wonder what a City Hunter Yakuza game would look like.
I gave it 7/10. I believe the game can be enjoyed by both Hokuto no Ken and Yakuza fans. Those two franchises are like a match made in heaven. I just wish SEGA's Japanese games would let us take screenshots!
Now I wonder what a City Hunter Yakuza game would look like.
Great review :) I find myself agree with almost all your points, bar the ones about recycled content (I had no issue with this myself) and the engine (mainly because I love 60FPS, a section of Yakuza fans I've seen actually prefer this choice, because they have a strange dislike to the dragon engine!)
Really the only issues I see myself having with the game is the length (story mode is fairly short) and the 100% grind (its... grindy!). But I still have 4 chapters left to go, so I'll see how I feel when I eventually finish it myself (which looks like it won't be anytime soon seeing as I'm still deep into doing side content!
Really the only issues I see myself having with the game is the length (story mode is fairly short) and the 100% grind (its... grindy!). But I still have 4 chapters left to go, so I'll see how I feel when I eventually finish it myself (which looks like it won't be anytime soon seeing as I'm still deep into doing side content!
Terrible opinion on bosses. Honestly, I can't agree on that at all. I mean, its true the bosses have high health, but this just means you actually need to use all the tools at your disposal to open them up. And this gets easier as you learn Toki's moves and other secret techniques. You can whittle bosses down quite easily by using juggle combo's as well, that's what they are there for - open the bosses up with a great combo, hit them with a QTE to cause major damage. Plus, burst mode is your friend in bosses, amplifies your damage output so much (as long as you've been upgrading) and it gives you even more moves to play with. And to boost your attack, burst etc. you can use Zodiac amulets to improve things further. Personally I welcomed the challenge the bosses brought, no idea what its like on normal difficulty by comparison but I love how it feels on hard mode. Souther actually feels as brutal and tough as you'd expect.
Anyway, rant over!
More side progress made. Opened up almost all of the wastelands map now and have crossed the 50% completion barrier. Still plugging away at the side content as I've still got quite a bit to do, but I did manage to complete my arcade now, and S rank all the death batting courses. Managed to perfect rank almost all the songs completed so far as well (got 3 left I think).
As a matter of fact, yes!
Done some Toki training and got given a ton of other orbs that let me level up. So here's what I have unlocked today:
Secret Techniques:
A couple of giant enemy exclusive moves. A welcome addition seeing as how much of a bastard then can be. One move has you spring up into the air and do a precise kick causing them to explode, the other is one that the team actually ripped off for Yakuza Kiwami a couple of years back where Kenshiro knocks the enemy into the air, punches him several times before finishing the enemy off with one final, deadly hit. The second of which is a new fav of mine!
Speaking of air finishers - I've now got moves that I can launch from either the sway uppercut, or square x2, triangle x2 combo's that launch flashy finishers where Kenshiro leaps into the air for cool finishers.
Also, you have a couple of cool multi enemy moves - one is where you jam your thumb into the temple of one enemy, dodge another enemies attack then do the same to the second enemy. Then smash their heads together causing them to explode!
The second (and personal favourite) comes courtesy of Toki - if you dodge then hit circle when enemies are in a weakened state you will shoot a wave of energy from either hand (into separate enemies) causing them both to contort then explode. Its a really flashy and fun QTE.
Normal counter wise and again, learned from Toki you can press L1 and Square to go into a parrying state, if any enemy strikes you for the brief window you'll automatically leap into the air (like when in burst mode) and have options to counter the enemy from there. Super useful move for sure, especially against larger enemies and bosses.
In general unlocks, I've been playing the Sega MKIII HnK game you get from the desert, and its ok. Its your average retro fare, pretty hard until you know what to do and not all that amazing. Its no Castlevania/Ninja Gaiden that's for sure (still has bloody annoying birds though, that bit is the same!)
Also unlocked the theme to Enduro Racer for when driving. Its wonderful! Now I want ER for Shin RGG's arcade though. And I definitely want Ichiban to be able to buy consoles/games with in game currency for Shin RGG, I mean, Shenmue let you win copies of Space Harrier and Hang On in the first game, and HGG gives you the original HnK...
That all sounds so awesome! Please keep the detailed impressions coming!
The latest issue of Famitsu has an article about the creation of Hokuto Ga Gotoku. I hope that someone will translate it as it looks really interesting:
https://twitter.com/famitsu/status/981126686094737408
https://twitter.com/famitsu/status/981126686094737408
Sweet, there's at least two really good translators doing HGG stuff at the moment, so hopefully one of them picks it up (or at least gives us the rundown). Wonder if we could get a sequel in the future?
So, small update with regards to trophy/completionists out there. There was an issue with this game regarding one of the death screams in the game (number 26) should you upgrade Kenshiro past a certain point. Good news! A new piece of armour (an amulet/bracelet) is being released as a free download (don't think I got it in the last patch, so probably next weeks patch) that will reduce your attack power substantially, allowing you to grab the missing death cry (or just make the game obscenely tough!)
Good to see that RGG studio is addressing this, as it seems like quite a few people were a bit annoyed at this issue going by one of the discord servers I read.
Anyway, made some small progress on chapter 8's story today, should finally finish it tomorrow (ended up doing some races instead!)
Also thanks to the free DLC I managed to unlock several new moves today, a few improvements on my current combo strings that give you some pretty awesome extended combos along with a cool new counter used in burst mode (basically feels like the tiger drop from Yakuza, except its not as powerful but does have an enormous window of opportunity to use it, so its dead easy to perform).
Also managed to clear 1 million off my debt at the hostess club. Just another 998 mill to go :(
Good to see that RGG studio is addressing this, as it seems like quite a few people were a bit annoyed at this issue going by one of the discord servers I read.
Anyway, made some small progress on chapter 8's story today, should finally finish it tomorrow (ended up doing some races instead!)
Also thanks to the free DLC I managed to unlock several new moves today, a few improvements on my current combo strings that give you some pretty awesome extended combos along with a cool new counter used in burst mode (basically feels like the tiger drop from Yakuza, except its not as powerful but does have an enormous window of opportunity to use it, so its dead easy to perform).
Also managed to clear 1 million off my debt at the hostess club. Just another 998 mill to go :(
the game's already showing signs of price clearance backlash in japan, dropping to around 3000~5000 jpy for new and secondhand copies
it seems to be getting some pretty brutal review scores on amazon jp too, though the standards seem a bit tighter for the japanese fanbase (RGG6 recieved very similar user feedback)
hopefully it doesn't have much bearing on a potential localization, though i'm far more likely to give in and import it if the price keeps lowering like this lol
it seems to be getting some pretty brutal review scores on amazon jp too, though the standards seem a bit tighter for the japanese fanbase (RGG6 recieved very similar user feedback)
hopefully it doesn't have much bearing on a potential localization, though i'm far more likely to give in and import it if the price keeps lowering like this lol
Considering the games been out a month the timing for the price lowering is pretty normal on used copies. Haven't seen any new copies that low yet, but probably will happen. Same happens with all the Ryu ga Gotoku games. I would take amazon japan reviews with a grain of salt. Sometimes they are good and sometimes they are just used as a soapbox to complain about some insanely small insignificant issue.
I doubt it would have much of an impact of localization. I mean look at all the real so called "bomb" games with horrible reviews that get instant locialzation to the west. However by the time it does reach the west I expect the Japanese price to be hard to pass up for some.
Considering how much backlash 6 got due to lack of content over there this really doesn't surprise me much, nor do I really find it that unjustified considering the price point. By all accounts I've read the game is considerably shorter than every other game in the series, and considering how hyper linear the first 5 (of like 11...) chapters are this was clearly a quick and dirty "budget" game. I don't really mind considering I find it astounding and am profoundly greatful the game even happened at all, but again I understand people being upset by it. They probably should have priced it a little cheaper out of the gate to minimize the backlash, but eh. Can't be changed now.
Personally I benched the game and am waiting on SY or KHHS to get the game done, but am satisfied with what I've played thus far and then some (through C5).
Dunno what's going on with KHHS though. Been nearly a month and not a peep =\
The game got plenty of positive feedback on release, without checking the reviews on Amazon, I'd wager recent ones were complaining about an oversight that made the platinum trophy unobtainable for many people due to Kenshiro being overlevelled after a certain point in the game. As I mentioned above this issue has already been fixed by Sega. Either that or HnK fans are complaining about the story, since aside from taking several major plot cues from the series, it goes off in its own direction by chapter 7-8 for sure. Not that I'm really complaining, I'm still really enjoying the game.
And also, Amazon Japan reviews love to complain about anything. Yakuza 6's "backlash" was over reactions for the most part, and what's just as funny was that Famitsu readers voted Yakuza 6 as one of the best adventure games (of all time) after its release along with Yakuza 0 and both Shenmue's. My point being, people over react and its not really the best place to judge balanced opinion. Also, unlike 6 and Kiwami 2 I see other importers opinions of the game on one of the discord channels I frequent being way more positive. Make of that what you will.
Anyway, spent more time on the game today, finally cleared chapter 8. The
fight is broken up into two pieces - with the first bit being essentially a First person perspective mini game where you have to fend him off without moving from your spot. Its a cool concept, not too tricky and has some awesome QTE's associated with it. Then the real fight begins, and weirdly its one of the easier bosses in the game, though again the QTE's looked fab and the voice acting on him was top notch. Onto chapter 9 now, which will no doubt take me a long time since I'm doing load of side stuff again. I've also opened up all of the wasteland map now, and let me tell you the southern most part of the map is no joke - the enemies there (just the random encounters) are bloody brutal, and I'm not exactly underleveled for my point in the game!
On that note - I do like how they made enemies in different areas more dangerous - you go from the red arrows on your map (weak entry level enemies), to purple enemies (more powerful, but with a bit of leveling nothing to worry about), then yellow (these guys are more dangerous, deal out a bit of damage and should be approached with caution), blue (warning, these guys mean business!) and lastly (so far) gold (brutally difficult so far!). Hopefully Yakuza adopts this concept more for Shin RGG, its nice to have more dangerous enemies for a change, especially later in the game when you get more powerful.
Also been spending way too much time on the Sega MKIII version of HnK. Got to the final boss (Raoh) and can get his health all the way down but I can't land the killing blow on him... yet.
And also, Amazon Japan reviews love to complain about anything. Yakuza 6's "backlash" was over reactions for the most part, and what's just as funny was that Famitsu readers voted Yakuza 6 as one of the best adventure games (of all time) after its release along with Yakuza 0 and both Shenmue's. My point being, people over react and its not really the best place to judge balanced opinion. Also, unlike 6 and Kiwami 2 I see other importers opinions of the game on one of the discord channels I frequent being way more positive. Make of that what you will.
Anyway, spent more time on the game today, finally cleared chapter 8. The
Jagi
On that note - I do like how they made enemies in different areas more dangerous - you go from the red arrows on your map (weak entry level enemies), to purple enemies (more powerful, but with a bit of leveling nothing to worry about), then yellow (these guys are more dangerous, deal out a bit of damage and should be approached with caution), blue (warning, these guys mean business!) and lastly (so far) gold (brutally difficult so far!). Hopefully Yakuza adopts this concept more for Shin RGG, its nice to have more dangerous enemies for a change, especially later in the game when you get more powerful.
Also been spending way too much time on the Sega MKIII version of HnK. Got to the final boss (Raoh) and can get his health all the way down but I can't land the killing blow on him... yet.
Yeah Amazon Japan reviews just tend to not be the best place to go for a good comprehensive opinion on games most of the time. Too many times it becomes the Japanese nets equivalent of an angry youtuber complaining about some issue. And usually it's something small but really makes people angry. Most of the negative reviews I've seen have complained about the bug, thankfully fixed, or the story not being a 100% exact retelling (I'm not sure what people we're expecting there), and the games "shortness." But there are plenty of good reviews too out there. Not just in Amazon but other places online in Japan and multiple media outlets (which I know people tend to not want to take seriously didn't to no proof rumors of unethical practices, but there are plenty of places you can check that are very reliable.) so yeah as everyone says keep that in mind. Plus most of us here who have played it to the end love it!
By the way hearing that issue regarding preventing getting that badge has been fixed makes me very happy. I'll have to go back and finish up my endgame quests and all soon to try and get those badges as well
Yeah, there was apparently quite a bit of noise on twitter as well for the badge issue, so it was smart of the team to address it rather than to ignore it outright. I'm around 4 badges short of the lot now, however the four I need are from incredibly high level enemies from the strongest area in the game, so am waiting a bit more before tackling them again. Did venture back there briefly though for an S rank treasure map, which unlocked a piece of music from Yakuza (the original Receive You track from Yakuza 1 on the PS2) and managed to unlock the final race along the way!
Also, bounty hunting wise I've gotten to the point where
. He's now taken his rightful place in the arena to fight. Bet he'll be beastly in later fights, I dread the point where he pulls out his legendary counter move!
Speaking of the arena, did more of that today as well, between being more powered up and having more moves its going very well, definitely one of my favourite things to do in the game.
60%ish complete now and still loving the game, can't put it down!
Also, bounty hunting wise I've gotten to the point where
old man Komaki has turned up. Yay for cameos!
Speaking of the arena, did more of that today as well, between being more powered up and having more moves its going very well, definitely one of my favourite things to do in the game.
60%ish complete now and still loving the game, can't put it down!
Ok. 9 chapters down and I'm nearing the end of the game (only have a couple more chapters to clear). To balance my praise of the game in this thread, I'll speak about some of the things I think the sequel can improve upon:
Game (story) length:
I definitely wish the game story was longer. Both because it would have given them a little more time to flesh out a couple of characters, and also because the game definitely feels a bit on the short side. This brings me to my second point;
More set pieces:
The main game focus for HGG is either the huge enemy brawls (must be 20+ enemies in some random battles in the wastelands) and the boss fights. These are two things the game does incredibly well, perhaps the best in any Yakuza game ever. Especially as the combat system feels so darn good to use. But, I do miss my biggere set pieces from other Yakuza games (you know the ones, long battles against lots of enemies). The game lacks variety in areas you explore, no doubt hampered slightly by being focused around Eden, and being in a post apocalyptic wasteland as a whole. I hope for any sequel that might get made though they up the set piece quota, because as good as the bosses are in this game (so very good!) it'd be nice to have something epic leading up to them to maintain that pace.
More new mini games:
I love the new mini games in HGG. I also love how they tweak other mini games to better work in the environment (baseball is a blast, and the rhythm game was great fun as well) but I do hope that any sequel gets new arcade/console games. 90% of my time has been on the Sega MKIII game as opposed to the other games. Now technically the MKIII game is also the weakest of the 4 games included, but its also the freshest feeling for me, I've enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of the game and would hope that we could get stuff like Enduro Racer for a sequel just to freshen things up. Not to say I've still not put some decent time into the other arcade games, but I'm saving my main runs for Yakuza 6 since I have difficulty options in that game so I can see more of the stages in Outrun and Super Hang On more easily.
That's really all I would change. The game itself is fantastic, I've still not been able to put it down (currently sitting at 73% done and 50% of the trophies unlocked). I've managed to clear my club debt (took less time than I thought), S rank the batting game, Perfect or full combo all the songs, get up to Raoh on the MKIII game (and now know how to beat him consistently) and have done tons of the arena and completion lists. There's still plenty to do if your a completionist in the series like me, and thankfully the grind, while annoying at times is still less annoying (way less annoying in my opinion) than Ishins. And while I do want the next game to be longer, I do also kinda appreciate its shortness as it has been the perfect game to play between Kiwami 2 and GOW coming out next week.
Game (story) length:
I definitely wish the game story was longer. Both because it would have given them a little more time to flesh out a couple of characters, and also because the game definitely feels a bit on the short side. This brings me to my second point;
More set pieces:
The main game focus for HGG is either the huge enemy brawls (must be 20+ enemies in some random battles in the wastelands) and the boss fights. These are two things the game does incredibly well, perhaps the best in any Yakuza game ever. Especially as the combat system feels so darn good to use. But, I do miss my biggere set pieces from other Yakuza games (you know the ones, long battles against lots of enemies). The game lacks variety in areas you explore, no doubt hampered slightly by being focused around Eden, and being in a post apocalyptic wasteland as a whole. I hope for any sequel that might get made though they up the set piece quota, because as good as the bosses are in this game (so very good!) it'd be nice to have something epic leading up to them to maintain that pace.
More new mini games:
I love the new mini games in HGG. I also love how they tweak other mini games to better work in the environment (baseball is a blast, and the rhythm game was great fun as well) but I do hope that any sequel gets new arcade/console games. 90% of my time has been on the Sega MKIII game as opposed to the other games. Now technically the MKIII game is also the weakest of the 4 games included, but its also the freshest feeling for me, I've enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of the game and would hope that we could get stuff like Enduro Racer for a sequel just to freshen things up. Not to say I've still not put some decent time into the other arcade games, but I'm saving my main runs for Yakuza 6 since I have difficulty options in that game so I can see more of the stages in Outrun and Super Hang On more easily.
That's really all I would change. The game itself is fantastic, I've still not been able to put it down (currently sitting at 73% done and 50% of the trophies unlocked). I've managed to clear my club debt (took less time than I thought), S rank the batting game, Perfect or full combo all the songs, get up to Raoh on the MKIII game (and now know how to beat him consistently) and have done tons of the arena and completion lists. There's still plenty to do if your a completionist in the series like me, and thankfully the grind, while annoying at times is still less annoying (way less annoying in my opinion) than Ishins. And while I do want the next game to be longer, I do also kinda appreciate its shortness as it has been the perfect game to play between Kiwami 2 and GOW coming out next week.