So.. Yakuza 5.. A lot of people love this game. I didn't. I loved the first chapter, the 2nd chapter is incredibly boring and has the worst mini-games the Yakuza series has ever had, Chapter 3 is great and VERY different :p, the fourth chapter wasn't very fun, by this stage, I just wanted to see how it would all end.

Overall, the combat was very well improved over 4, and while the story had some bright moments, overall it was bloated and after the first chapter, the game in my opinion took a massive dive in quality. There's a lot to love, and a lot to hate. Still, I don't regret playing it, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped I would.

I had a really good fucking time with this game. Yeah, to put it out there, this game is totally bloated. Straight up, I probably just would have removed Shinda from the game. He's cool, but dear god does it feel lamer than everything else going on.
Kiryu and Akiyama have some of the best combat in the series, full stop. I had a blast with the Tiger Drop and Akiyama's mid-air combat.
Saejima's combat is improved, for sure. But it's still not great. Shinada's is...fine. Nothing remarkable.
Haruka's gameplay fucking rules. I'm a big rhythm game guy, and hers were fun. Plus, you finally get to control her! Your child! All the character's have great Side-Stories, my fave being Kiryu's taxi driving. The main plot is a little all over the place, but it's still enjoyable. The sub-stories were also really good for the most part.
Yakuza 5 builds on the entire series thus far and is one of it's high points. Yeah, it can be a slog at times, but this game is really, really good.

With an improved engine such as Yakuza 0's, Yakuza 5 appears on the block and by god it was great. I loved 0's combat, and playing this was a nice breath of the same air that felt all new. 5 cities to explore, 5 characters play, and 5 individual stories that warm up to the climax for a shocking ending.
Gameplay has now climax heat for bigger gameplay, better minigames making for great side content, and a nice story to play through.
Each character has their own climax heat that does different attacks such as Kiryu becoming invincible with strong attacks that, unfortunately, can be blocked by bosses which I didn't like. Akiyama's is an air juggle combo for extension of said combos. Saejima's is a grapple to throw enemies around with ease to hurt others nearby. Finally, the new character, Shinada, who has another grapple against that can be used to ram into opponents and slam them to the wall for damage. You're so powerful with this and it's cool to use against street grunts. Crafting is better and doesn't require cumbersome items to make so you can bring one to Kamiyama and invest for a simple unlock. If by chance you get the food bonus gauge, then you have more reason to eat around town. Characters play the same except now with Haruka and Shinada in the mix, you get some interesting gimmicks. Shinada is a grappler and weapons master, but refuses to use bats as one because he is a baseball player which is a nice touch of detail. Haruka is a rhythm and minigame galore, where you must participate in event to gain fame. Each character also have their own sidestories like Kiryu's having a taxi driver story line, which sounds ridiculous but fits in the surreal context of Yakuza.
Story had me pulled throughout beginning and end, but the main antagonist's motivations confused me. It didn't matter much to me though cause it was interesting to go through. Character writing was good as every but it was best in Saejima and Kiryu's chapter. The pacing only felt off when playing as Shinada.
Side content was much more surreal and better for the substories and sidestories. Playing as a taxi driver for Kiryu was hilarious and silly, and Shinada's had that tone of surrealism which I liked as well. Other minigames improved like karaoke and fishing and you got to meet more new and old faces too.
A good game to finish off the ps3 line of Yakuza games, but you need to learn a lot from 1,3, and 4 to get into it. Go play it.

I was actually enjoying this game up until Saejima's part, it dragged on for way too long and any motivation I had to continue just kinda dissipated. I ended up just watching a play through but even then it just felt like a mixed bag, maybe I was just burnt out but I still wasnt enjoying it that much. Controversial opinion, but I did like Haruka's part tho since everything in her story does continue as a sorta main theme in Y6. I dont know man, I think its just how bloated it felt that made me drop playing it.