Judgment (2018)

I'm going to be all over the place with this writeup. First, I thought the story was really good, honestly maybe top 2 with Yakuza 0. The only thing I didn't like is the trial near the end of the game, something about it just felt off, but the actual ending in the hospital was great. Also, the credits cutscene was just really sweet and awesome.

The gameplay I feel like is on the stronger tier of Yakuza games, the wall moves were really satisfying and cool, and the running heat moves were also cool. I will say it felt a little bit more spammy and just light light then triple finisher than in most games, but idk, it's Yakuza combat in the end, and I enjoyed it for the most part which is about as much as I could want. I think the sidequests were pretty good, excepet for the now worst part of the game, THE FUCKING TRAILING MISSIONS. Whoever came up with these should be fired, they are way too common (mainly in sidequests) and they are just boring as sin. The chase parts are also not super engaging but they are infinitely more exciting than the trailing.

Lastly, I will say that the game suffered something that I felt like Like a Dragon also suffered in, and that's that the cutscenes weren't always up to par, and too many important scences used in game rendered instead of the full on cutscene rendered, sometimes it really took me out of it. I might just be nostalgia remembering Yakuza 0, but I feel like 0 had the perfect mix and balance, and neither Judgement or Like a Dragon had it. One other thing I didn't like but also didn't hate is the whole friendship system, it felt like an annoying thing to grind to be able to get more sidequests, but sometimes the friend stuff was basically a fun sidequest in in itself, so it wasn't too bad.

Overall, in my top tier of RGG Yakuza games, and I would say a solid 8/10. Story is one of the best of these games, the combat for a Yakuza game was decent, the sidequest stuff I interacted with was fun. The only downsides are the terrible trailing missions and some weird cutscene stuff.

I accidentally erased my saves on my xbox console and cloud saves and LOST THE 20-30 HOURS I PUT IN! I am so upset. I hate how Xbox UX works! This is not the first time I have done it but it is the first time for a game I have not finished yet!

I did it last night right before bed and now I cannot go back to playing it, maybe later..... F***!!

Okay, they gotta patch in some save-state fixes. I played about an hour of chapter 3 and quit out, assuming it had autosaved. No such luck. Brought me back to the good ol' days of memory cards and losing progress in Final Fantasy... except now it's not the good ol' days. Shouldn't be having hour-long losses in games that autosave nowadays.

Otherwise, totally digging it. Fun and quirky. I didn't know I've always wanted to play a game with a side quest where you track down a panty-snatcher. This game really is a treat so far. (About 7 hours in.)

Wow, what a game. I can't say I didn't have some frustrations with parts of this game (the combat mechanics are pretty stiff), but overall, I absolutely loved this experience. I can't think of a single bad character in the game that I didn't like, including the "bad guys". The characters are all incredibly well developed and the story is absolutely superb. Also, the English voice acting blew me away.

I can't wait for the next entry in this series to be released.

I loved the story thought it was crazier than Zero even peoples motivations and stuff were understandable just really fucked up. You know Judgment actually felt more darker than Yakuza more serious and stuff had a different tone it felt like. Yagami in english is amazing in my opinion especially him talking to Okubo when he starts crying. I liked a lot of characters than again we have different perspectives cause of the voices but, Kaito was funny as shit and dumb, than you had Higashi lol kept going to his ass knew he was getting tired of us in his damn hideout. Genda was great when he was sad about Shintani and worried losing Yagami. Saori was great the host stuff lol trying to bribe her and the honey trap was cool her damn cake lmao. Hoshino was great kept defending Saori than the end when Yagami left him he had to step up. Hamura was a bastard lol that one part when he got Higashi to shoot the guy saying he was getting turned on and shit lmao. Mafuyu was great wasnt in it to much but she did some great things had great moments with her and her disguising herself. Okubo was awesome man if we found out he really did murder them i would have been crushed but it was obvious it was a set up. I think the stand out character was Emi. They built her up through one flashback part thats all it took lol something that devs cant do a whole game is build someone up but all it took was the ADD and court part and than realizing she gets killed after that was so fucked up but just amazing character developement . Suguira was awesome started realizing he was probably something of Emi when he got pissed at Yagami for not seeing Okubo. Kuroiwa was another awesome character him being a cop and a killer, it reminded me of this korean tv show, The killer doesnt hide and will be out there killing people and he knows you don't have any evidence so he'll keep getting away over and over just taunting you that you can't do nothing, its basically what Kuroiwa was when Yagami found out, it was just fucking awesome face to face in that interogation room not to mention the introduction to him! Omg! The slow mo of him walking coming in im just like "Oh Fuck" lmao Hamura said it to than he just started gunning people down just crazy shit. Than a lot of side case characters were great just tons of great characters in story and side cases. Also you noticed Yagami was different, every encounter he had a team with him mostly since hes not a Yakuza he cant take on many people i though that was a nice touch. Most of the Yakuza characters will take on 50 guys by thereselves lol

But yeah i loved Judgment a lot i just realized 2 might not happen the game sold really well especially in japan sold 95% of the copies got great scores but Yagami being modeled after and voiced by an actor in japanese might cost a lot of money to get him back so idk hopefully Judgment is its own thing it gets more sequels expands on more detective stuff needs more court cases felt it was lacking. The tailing did get repetitive a bit but i think if they expand it more add new stuff if they do a sequel which they'll always expand and make new things, they have done it every game.like this game had no repeated moves when your doing the triangle heat action. All that was new animations nothing copy and paste so if 2 comes it'll be great, but Judgment is definately a 10 game for me Yakuza Zero still my top Yakuza Studio game, but all Yakuzas are fantastic Fist of The North Star is to and look out for Sakura Wars cause thats next by them.

A new game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the people known for the Yakuza series. Judgment is one part gritty crime investigation/law drama, one part beat-em-up, and one part zany situations/side stories that the Yakuza games are famous for.

Instead of playing as the stoic Kiryu or the crazy Majima, this time you play as Yagami - A disgraced ex-lawyer who has become a private investigator based in Kamurocho, Tokyo. While looking into a string of horrific murders where each victim has had their eyes gouged out. Yagami finds himself caught up in a web of conspiracies and plots that seems to only go deeper and deeper.

Combat is more fluid and agile compared to Yakuza. But still has the same brawler/beat-em-up style

As opposed to Kiryu randomly stumbling into side missions, Yagami tends to seek out problems that need solving. Which I think takes away from the almost unreal nature of side stories from previous games. Also the tailing mechanic in the game is kind of annoying and slow. I get why it’s there but they could have spiced it up a bit if you ask me.

If you're a fan of the Yakuza games then you'll feel right at home here. Kamurocho is basically the same it's always been, filled with shops, restaurants, bars, hostess clubs, underground casinos, arcades and lots of strange people who need your help. Even if you've never played a Yakuza game before it's still a great game in its own right, as well as a good entry point into the series. There are no spoilers or returning characters from the other games so you won’t feel left out.

Every time I start a new Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio game I think to myself "this is probably the one that disappoints me." This is the fifth game I've played in barely more than two years, all on the PlayStation 4. Surely I'll get sick of exploring subtly different permutations of Kamurocho sooner or later, right?

Apparently not yet!

Judgment has everything I want in a Yakuza game: A setting that feels intimate and alive, a cast of endearing characters, unpredictable villains, goofy side quests and varied mini-games.

Takayuki Yagami solves problems with a bit less punching than Kazuma Kiryu, which makes the battles that do occur feel slightly out of place. And the tailing missions occasionally grow a tad monotonous. But these are nits to pick in a consistently stellar experience. It never felt like a chore to play this game.

If you've been interested in the Yakuza series but weren't sure whether to start with Zero or Kiwami, this standalone entry might be a less intimidating entry point. And if you're a longtime fan who worried that Kiryu was essential to the franchise, you should really give this a shot.

Now only three more left to play before Yakuza 7 comes out... 😅

Who would have thought a Yakuza spin-off could actually become a solid property?

Judgment (yes with the typo) was one hell of a trip, revisiting Kamurocho! Fantastic voice acting with one hell of an ending sequence. They literally warn you to get enough sleep before the intensity that is the final phase of the game.

If you've missed out on this one, blindly pick up a copy.

i know i have an important job to do to help clean up the seedy underbelly of kamurocho but i really want to play darts right now...

one of my least favorite thing in story telling is the last second save by a surprise person

current temperature: simmering (aka hot - but i don't have enough time to play as much as i want so i keep having to get back into the groove)
cool moment: any tag team EX moves between yagumi and kaito
cool sounds/songs: the low brooding badass yakuza voice acting & the dartslive sounds
snacks: ice coffee & dark chocolate oreos
🍱⚾️🎯

The story starts as a serial killer mystery, so it had me from jump. It grows into a larger conspiracy and makes for a good detective story. It goes to some dark places. It starts out with Yagami as a young detective who got his defendant off a murder charge. That same defendant then killed his girlfriend right after that leading to Yagami quitting being a lawyer to become a private detective. Even with material like that, there's still some really fun moments in the main story. One of my favorite missions in the game is when Yagami has to give Saori a makeover. It's something I've never done in a video game before, and I probably took way too long deciding her hair style, clothes, and makeup. I was proud of my results though. She looked good. I don't know why I wasn't expecting the story to be as good as it was, but I was impressed. The cast is good too. I love that it has English voice acting this time around. That wasn't an option in Yakuza Kiwami.

The side quests are just as good as the main quest which makes this better than most games of this style. It's usually one is good and the other isn't. The side quests are mostly silly. Most of the humor of the game is in these quests. My favorite series of quests is around a trio of expert perverts that steal women's underwear and grab butts. The butt-grabber's name was "Ass Catchem". I had to applaud that. You can also date women in this game. The game doesn't limit you to one even after you become a couple. That makes Yagami an asshole, but I'm glad that this is an option. I want to get to know the other women because these story lines are good.

This game is long. It's around 50 hours, and I felt that time. I think that's too long because you are stuck to the same small neighborhood the whole time. I got tired of running around to the same places over and over again especially when a group a guys pick a fight with you every few minutes. At least the combat holds up throughout the game. It remains challenging and fun. You can unlock more moves. Most of these movies are context-based such as moves you can use when you are next to a wall or when you grab an enemy. Some of these get pretty elaborate. There is one I saw once where I knocked a guy into oncoming traffic, saved him from getting hit by a car, and then knocking him out with a punch. It was hilarious.

I have played Yakuza Kiwami and 6. Judgment is definitely better than them. I would 100% this game if I had the time. Everything thing I've tried in the game so far felt worthwhile.