Organized crime makes for quite the engaging story if The Wire has taught me anything. If there's another thing The Wire teaches us, it's that some stories are a slow burn, requiring plenty of investment upfront before a big payoff later on.
Enter Yakuza 2, sure The Wire of video gaming. Loads of characters, buckets of backstory, grand plans for domination of the city seamlessly interweaved with the day-to-day lives of everyone. Going to the shops. Playing some games. Just getting by.
I know very little of the now sprawling Yakuza series. Something about Japanese organized crime gangs. Lots of fighting. Lots of side content. An awful lot of story. I never got into it because I saw it as 'too Japanese', whatever that means, so let's see what epic we've missed out on.
Fun Times
Yakuza 2 begins with a flashback to the 1980s, where we get to see some crime and some people involved in crime, and some people not involved in crime, and a fire, and the rescue of a child from firey crime.
I'm gonna be honest, I don't know what's going on, nor do I know why the present-day video is such poor quality compared to events of the past. I don't know the storyline of the Yakuza series, obviously, so I don't know how starting with Yakuza 2 is going to affect my views. Is this the highlight of the series? Is this here because it was the latest western release at the time of the 1001 list?
Whatever the reason, we're going to play this game for what it is. What does it offer? Let's find out.
There are a lot of videos, aren't there? From what I gather, Chinese gangs are trying to muscle their way into Japan and are causing some trouble in the process. But organized crime is much more nuanced than one gang beating up another, so how best to deal with events is a question to think about. And no, I've no idea what the relevance of that last clip is. Someone on a phone? Could mean anything.
All these scenes are voiced by foreign voice actors. I don't know how good they are. They sound fine, the subtitles are readable, the translation seems to make sense - not that I'm a translator. What I'm trying to say is that Yakuza 2 is going heavy on the Japanese but you'll be able to follow along.
Well, you'll be able to follow along with it, but understanding the context and the connections between the many characters, maybe not so much. Not at first, at least. I compared Yakuza to The Wire because it's the same problem: there's so much going on that you need to stay invested and pay attention to get the most out of it.
Kiryu here is the star of the show, and he's paying his respects to the fallen from the last game with Haruka, a girl he saved and is taking care of. How do I know this? Yakuza thankfully includes some recapping of events for those new to the series.
In the first recap, we learn that Kiryu is a family man without a family. His bonds are tight with Nishiki, a sort of brother from another mother, and love interest Yumi. His boss, however, tried to take advantage of her, and Nishiki killed him in response. Taking the fall to protect those he loved, Kiryu spends a decade in jail, and life outside the prison walls sure changes throughout that stretch.
Now, I said the first recap. There are a few of these, all optional, but I'm going in blind, so I want as much backstory as I can get. Bear in mind that these videos consist of much more than the few interesting images I've picked out. If you were put off by the cutscene length of Metal Gear Solid, maybe Yakuza isn't for you either. That's how long we're talking.
We're at least half an hour into Yakuza 2 and all I've done gameplay-wise is walk forward to a grave and pressed X to confirm some choices. But look at what I've missed by not playing the first Yakuza - eeeeevveeeerrrrrything. This isn't like missing a film, this is like missing a lifetime. To go back to The Wire, it's like coming into it at season 2, having missed all of the first season, and all the stories it told us.
I knew the Yakuza series was big, but I didn't know it was this deep. We are, finally, ready to begin Yakuza 2 proper, though.
Terada here is the fifth chairman of the Tojo Clan, and we were his predecessor in the first game. But we're chairman no longer. We're not even in the gang life. We've a kid to raise right, but people still seek our advice. We must have done a good job.
Time are tough, and it looks like the only way forward is an unlikely truce. After a brief chat we look set to leave on our merry way, but someone has other ideas...
Finally, at long last, the game turns into a game. A beat 'em up, and a slick one at that. These Omi Alliance boys have shot Terada, but seem happy to engage in a fistfight with us. Wrong choice, that. We're capable, to say the least.
Punch and kick combos can be thrown in multiple directions, landing with an almost Tekken-like thwack. Switching from the square button to the triangle button finishes a combo off with a powerful attack, and the circle button is used to grab and throw your opponents - either immediately, or after you've pummelled them a little.
You can also use the circle button to pick up objects, and size and weight seem to be no issue, as Kiryu picks up a stone lantern and smashes it over some unfortunate goon's head.
Smashing heads violently appears to be the function of the triangle button when you're suitably enraged. When your meter fills, any nearby foe better watch out, or they'll be watching the environment coming towards their face at remarkable speed.
It's quite violent, but I suppose that is to be expected in a game about the yakuza. After our combat tutorial ends, more cutscenes. Terada doesn't survive the assault, and we deliver the plans of his alliance to the rest of the Tojo Clan.
In any other game, I may well have thrown up a 'Frustration' heading for the amount of cutscenes that we're watching here, but Yakuza 2 needs them. You can't just have a game about beating up thugs in the street. Well, you can, but it won't have much impact if there isn't a reason or an explanation for why you're beating up thugs in the street. Beating up thugs needs a story, and Yakuza isn't a simple story. Simple stories have simple cutscenes. Yakuza 2 does not.
There is so much going on, and it feels like everything is important. The bickering amongst other clan members regarding the truce is not only obvious - not everyone is going to agree to peace with a sworn enemy - but clearly hints at a previous story, and probably future stories, between these characters.
Yakuza 2 may have an over the top story by the time we reach its end, but it seems grounded so far, or if not grounded, human. I don't know how the yakuza works, of course, but these folks feel like real people with real people problems and emotions.
Case in point, Daigo Dojima, son of the boss killed all those years ago. A man who Kiryu believes is exactly what the Tojo Clan needs right now. His mother may think otherwise...
And see we will, as Yakuza 2 finally, definitely, actually begins, after what feels like forever. The streets of Tokyo are bright and packed full of people, even in the drizzle. Somewhere in this haystack is Daigo Dojima. Let's go hunting.
Running around the streets is a little funky on account of how Kiryu moves, but it's not a chore by any means. The people chatter in the background and every now and then a green triangle can be found above someone's head, indicating that you can have a chat with them.
Sadly, none of these interactions are voiced, and the camera doesn't really want to show these lower resolution character models up close. I'm emulating the PlayStation 2 release, which runs quite well, for once, and while these screenshots don't exactly show it, it does look nice running through this city.
Hearing that a fight is going down, we run to the right street (helpfully marked on the minimap, otherwise I might be lost for a while here) and get stuck in, essentially.
Fights take place in an arena, of sorts, but I get the impression you probably could pick a fight with anyone that looked at you funny. These thugs did, and they're going to regret their decision. The L1 button blocks some attacks from the front, and the direction you point your analogue stick will allow Kiryu to attack targets behind him if you feel the need to mix things up.
It's a capable fighting system, and one that I'll need to get used to, seeing as much of the action of Yakuza 2 will come in the form of a fight. It's so action-packed that finding the right screenshot to show it off in its best light can be tricky. That is until you pick up a giant traffic cone and beat the last thug around the head with it.
This is Yakuza. Over the top, but not wacky. I remember seeing Kiryu pick up a bicycle and use that as a weapon. Not sure which game that was. I even remember wrestlers from New Japan Pro Wrestling lending their moves to his moveset in another game. Fighting is exaggerated, definitely, silly sometimes, but so good all the same. I'm liking what I'm seeing from Yakuza.
Finding Daigo, Kiryu shows how much big dick energy he has by taking the fight outside so as to not disturb the other customers. If someone willingly says that to you, surely you back down and just let the man talk to your boss, no? Clearly, I'm a lover, not a fighter, I don't know the ins and outs of this culture, but seriously. Look at the man. You don't stand a chance.
Here we go, then. Nearly an hour in and we've found Daigo, a man we want to chat with to convince him to return to clan life so that we can all live happily ever after, or something to that effect. Obviously, we can't get our point across without a fight, so let's see what he's got.
He's more capable than his underlings, that's for sure. I'm playing on Normal, despite being given the option for an Easy mode. I don't know why I didn't pick Easy, to be honest. I usually would have, especially for a story-heavy game. Will that prove to be my undoing?
With the help of a sign and some inner rage, Daigo goes down, and we have a chat with him regarding Terada's plan. It must have been a successful chat because he's on board. Not only on board but he insists he comes with us.
And that's the end of chapter one of Yakuza 2. A few fights and a lot of cutscenes, but enough to let me know that there's something to all of this Yakuza stuff...
Final Word
To call this my final word on the game is absurd; I've barely scratched the surface. In an hour of playing, I spent the vast majority watching and then mashed square to punch thugs. Out of context, that sounds rather damning. Who wants a game that you watch more than you play?
That very much depends on both the quality of the story and the game underneath it. I think I'd happily try more of this because from what I've seen of both, it's really rather good. I like stories that aren't so cut and paste that you could write them yourself, and I like gameplay that does one thing right and runs with it.
Yes, there's far more to Yakuza than that. Exploring the city, engaging with the locals, going about your business while struggling to support an entire clan, staying alive. There's a lot more going on, including stuff that I'm sure will come as a complete surprise to me. I've just got to set aside a decent chunk of time to make sure I can fit it all in.
It's not a game you drop into for a little burst of gaming. It's like reading a novel. Nobody gets settled in to read a page or two. You're there for a chapter or two, wherever they take you. You're invested and dedicated, and you need to think like that for Yakuza too.
With so many games, though, including remakes, where do you begin? Over the years, somehow, I've found myself owning Yakuza 5 for the PS3, Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the original Yakuza, for both the PS4 and PC, and Yakuza 0 for the PC as well, a prequel to the story that now spans six - no, sorry, seven - mainline games and a bunch of spinoffs.
Do I jump on board with the remakes? Do I start with 0? Do I hunt down the collection of Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 or will they get remade in future? I'll have to consult some expert advice, and I bet they won't agree with each other.
At the end of the day, though, even though I have seen an incredibly small amount of them, I know these are games that you ought to try out for yourself. I was always put off by them for being too different from what I was familiar with. That's just the definition of familiarity, isn't it? Everything is weird and unusual until it becomes familiar to you.
Yakuza is in no way familiar to me, but it's far more approachable than I thought it would be - even with absolutely no idea how best to approach it. How does that work?
FEEL THE HEAT
Since this post, I've put 37 hours into Yakuza 0, whizzed through the story of Yakuza Kiwami in 13 hours, and have just finished up a 21 hour run through Yakuza Kiwami 2, the remake of Yakuza 2 that I bought for myself as a Christmas present in the sales, and then a few weeks later saw it in another sale for even less. Bleh.
But boy are these games worth whatever money you throw at them - for me, at least. The stories are as over the top as a Metal Gear, but, importantly, grounded in the world around us. These Yakuza characters are stupidly strong, and their stories are full of bonkers twists and double-crosses, to the point where I couldn't tell you what happened in Yakuza 2 despite having finished it an hour ago, but they're all about people like you and me. Sort of.
I likened it to The Wire before I really set foot into this world, and it's a decent comparison. The Wire has a few more stories interweaved throughout, focusing on more characters at a time, but any one of those stories generally holds up, just like in Yakuza 2. I was perfectly content with following Kiryu on his journey, and as new characters came and went their separate ways, it was great to follow them too, but even better that I didn't have to follow them too closely. They were important, but not in the way that needed an encyclopedia to keep track of.
Though, as I say, it is a bit of convoluted story sometimes. I didn't worry about it too much, because after a cutscene was usually a lengthy spell of gameplay, and most of that gameplay was taken up with a fighting system that is chef's kiss good.
Each Yakuza title I've played seems to tweak it this way and that, and I can't say for certain whether that present in Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the same as that of the original Yakuza 2 - I suspect not - but the core remains the same. Spam light attacks, throw enemies out of the way, grab a weapon and go crazy or, better yet, learn a bucket load of contextual heat moves and show off in the way Yakuza is known for. They're brutal, and they're repetitive, but they're damn stylish.
Chuck in a load of side missions to pad out the world, distractions in the form of mini-games, and challenges to test your skills as a club owner and a fight club owner, sort of (though I don't know if these are Kiwami specific modes), and you've got a dense game to get stuck into. Kiwami 2 even has a brand new mini-campaign centred around fan-favourite Majima, a mentally unstable Yakuza frienemy whose story had begun to be fleshed out in Yakuza 0.
You could easily argue that Yakuza games are a bit repetitive and most of what you do isn't important at all, and I can't deny that. But it's fun, and I like having fun, even if it's mindlessly button-mashing my way through another group of thugs.
If you've not played Yakuza in any form, now is the absolute greatest time to start. Get stuck into Yakuza 0, go through the numbered entries (Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 are finally available on PC now) and branch out to the side content as you see fit. It's just that good.
Fun Facts
The first Yakuza suffered from a poorer combat system and bad English dubbing, both corrected with the release of Yakuza 2 and (one would assume) the remake Yakuza Kiwami.
Yakuza 2, developed by Sega NE R&D, first released in 2006.
Version played: PlayStation 2, 2008, via emulation.