Yakuza 3 to me is a great story and your in Okinawa. Who doesn't want to go to Okinawa? Yeh it feels older but it's not unplayable like reviews make it seem. If you like Yakuza then it's a must. 4 and 5 look better and better. Just play them all. You won't regret it.
I have tried again and again to play the original yakuza games, but I’m still waiting for them to truly grab me.
Yakuza 3 is great. Y4 & Y5 were slogs and I did not care for the new style.
it is extremely funny how this came with an empty ps3 game case for yakuza 5 as if that made up for it being a digital only release in the west
Salgo yo en la colección
Games are great but i dont know if i would say its all that good of a remaster, overall feels more like a port to modern hardware. I go on all night about the quality of life features they could've adapted into all 3 games
There are a bunch of great Ryu ga Gotoku games, but these three weren't among those (for me). I didn't enjoy most of the gameplay or stories. Y5 was easily the best in this collection, but it still felt tedious and repetitive at parts.
Mid off between these three entries with a cool price tag. Still a good time experiencing more Yakuza antics and their awkward and ambitious transition in the PS3 era.
Since I finished all three of these games recently on my PC I wanted to make a quick write-up on this collection, because I have some mixed feelings about this one and I'd also like to give a quick guide on what's important about this collection to newcomers playing in either release or chronological order.
Yakuza 3
This one probably has the most substantial changes from the English PS3 version content-wise. Basically all of the substories that were cut in the original NTSC-U/PAL versions were restored aside from one substory that was cut in every version of the remaster (and for good reason too). So in terms of getting bang for your buck for English audiences, this the best version. That being said, there are some things to be aware of regarding the gameplay. Because of the boost to 60fps opposed to the original 30fps, some really awkward hindrances have occurred. Kiryu's quickstep distance is incorrect, enemies tend to block and quickstep spam more often, among other things. A handful of minigames also suffer from the framerate change too. If you're playing on PC luckily the quickstep can be fixed by changing a single file, but that's about it. If you can deal with slightly more annoying enemy AI and a couple gimped minigames then I would say this is overall the best version.
Yakuza 4
Really only two things of note here. Firstly, the quickstep distance is still wrong (but once again, can be patched on PC). Luckily, the enemy AI is identical to the PS3 release. The other change is that Tanimura's likeness has been completely altered, along with a new voice actor. Many fans prefer the new guy, but I still think it's important to know about this change because it is poor at preserving the original game. Otherwise, the game is about the same on PS3 except now in 60fps.
Yakuza 5
Basically the same. The only notable change I know about is that the lighting for character eyes is slightly off, but that's literally it. If there is some other significant difference let me know and I'll update this review.
Mods I Recommend (For PC Players)
These are just some mods I would advise you check out if you want these games to be as close to the original NTSC-J release as possible. For Yakuza 3 you should 100% get the quickstep restoration as it's just replacing a single file anyway. If you want the licensed music from the Japanese release there is a restoration patch you can use for that as well. Yakuza 4 also has a quickstep restoration and a mod that restores both licensed music and Tanimura's original face and voice acting. As for Yakuza 5, there is a licensed music restoration patch if you want that back in.
If you're a PC player with lower specs you should also install the silent patch for Yakuza 3 and 4. For whatever reason these two games (especially 3) leech off of your CPU way too much and it can lead to poor performance. My system is pretty low end so I used it.
Conclusion
Even with my mixed opinions on Yakuza 3, all of these are great and fun games worth your time and money. I'm just kinda disappointed that RGG hasn't done the best preserving these games in full capacity by making random mistakes like this with no official fix to them. I simply made this review for people who want to know the differences between the new remasters and the PS3 originals. I'm sure alot of this stuff doesn't matter to people just wanting to go through the games, and that's perfectly fine. Anyway, I hope anyone reading found this helpful, and if I made any errors please correct me in the comments!
Yakuza 3
This one probably has the most substantial changes from the English PS3 version content-wise. Basically all of the substories that were cut in the original NTSC-U/PAL versions were restored aside from one substory that was cut in every version of the remaster (and for good reason too). So in terms of getting bang for your buck for English audiences, this the best version. That being said, there are some things to be aware of regarding the gameplay. Because of the boost to 60fps opposed to the original 30fps, some really awkward hindrances have occurred. Kiryu's quickstep distance is incorrect, enemies tend to block and quickstep spam more often, among other things. A handful of minigames also suffer from the framerate change too. If you're playing on PC luckily the quickstep can be fixed by changing a single file, but that's about it. If you can deal with slightly more annoying enemy AI and a couple gimped minigames then I would say this is overall the best version.
Yakuza 4
Really only two things of note here. Firstly, the quickstep distance is still wrong (but once again, can be patched on PC). Luckily, the enemy AI is identical to the PS3 release. The other change is that Tanimura's likeness has been completely altered, along with a new voice actor. Many fans prefer the new guy, but I still think it's important to know about this change because it is poor at preserving the original game. Otherwise, the game is about the same on PS3 except now in 60fps.
Yakuza 5
Basically the same. The only notable change I know about is that the lighting for character eyes is slightly off, but that's literally it. If there is some other significant difference let me know and I'll update this review.
Mods I Recommend (For PC Players)
These are just some mods I would advise you check out if you want these games to be as close to the original NTSC-J release as possible. For Yakuza 3 you should 100% get the quickstep restoration as it's just replacing a single file anyway. If you want the licensed music from the Japanese release there is a restoration patch you can use for that as well. Yakuza 4 also has a quickstep restoration and a mod that restores both licensed music and Tanimura's original face and voice acting. As for Yakuza 5, there is a licensed music restoration patch if you want that back in.
If you're a PC player with lower specs you should also install the silent patch for Yakuza 3 and 4. For whatever reason these two games (especially 3) leech off of your CPU way too much and it can lead to poor performance. My system is pretty low end so I used it.
Conclusion
Even with my mixed opinions on Yakuza 3, all of these are great and fun games worth your time and money. I'm just kinda disappointed that RGG hasn't done the best preserving these games in full capacity by making random mistakes like this with no official fix to them. I simply made this review for people who want to know the differences between the new remasters and the PS3 originals. I'm sure alot of this stuff doesn't matter to people just wanting to go through the games, and that's perfectly fine. Anyway, I hope anyone reading found this helpful, and if I made any errors please correct me in the comments!
3 great games with excellent narrative. I whole heartedly recommend it if you already played 0, 1(kiwami) and 2(kiwami). Mind you if you jump from Kiwami 2 to 3 it will be a rough transition. I also recommend the music restoration (and Tanimura) patches for all games on PC.
Is it a copout to say my favourite Yakuza game is a collection containing three of the best?
Probably, but who cares lol.
Probably, but who cares lol.
Definitely worth it to experience the PS3 Yakuza games, I'd highly recommend these games if you've been playing the series and want to experience these games.
However, these three games are easily my least favorite in the series so far. One of the games I mostly enjoyed, despite it's flaws. One I found insulting and frustrating to play. And another left me bored out of my mind.
But, while I'm not a huge fan of the games themselves personally, as a collection, and as a remaster, this game is definitely worth the price.
However, these three games are easily my least favorite in the series so far. One of the games I mostly enjoyed, despite it's flaws. One I found insulting and frustrating to play. And another left me bored out of my mind.
But, while I'm not a huge fan of the games themselves personally, as a collection, and as a remaster, this game is definitely worth the price.
Yakuza 3: incredibly heartfelt story, dated controls made parts difficult to play
Yakuza 4: introduction of Saejima and Akiyama :)
Yakuza 5: feels a lot like playing 0, but the story is entirely too long - loved the Haruka section
Yakuza 4: introduction of Saejima and Akiyama :)
Yakuza 5: feels a lot like playing 0, but the story is entirely too long - loved the Haruka section
If this didn’t exist I would’ve never touched this series, 3 is ass, 4 is good, and 5 is based
Great collection, individual logs per game.
This is peak
The Smashin Bikes in People Heads collection
decent collection, yeah
pros:
-games look great
-games are pretty great (ignore many cases where they are not)
cons:
-yakuza 3 and 4 not having pausable cutscenes for some reason??
pros:
-games look great
-games are pretty great (ignore many cases where they are not)
cons:
-yakuza 3 and 4 not having pausable cutscenes for some reason??
Yakuza 3- Bad
Yakuza 4- Average
Yakuza 5- Awful
Collection overall- Meh (the updated localizations are amazing tho)
Yakuza 4- Average
Yakuza 5- Awful
Collection overall- Meh (the updated localizations are amazing tho)
Well its pretty a pretty darn great collection
yakuza 3 was ass and 5 was fine and yakuza 4 is fucking great
It was perfect . Perfect ( except 3 )
Yakuza 3 zzz
Forgot to log this one in after I beat the final game of the collection. Ditto to most of what others have already said about this incredible package deal.
it came with a ps3 box for yakuza 5 i love it
This game existing is such a treasure that it exists. Otherwise it would be really difficult to play the whole yakuza series. Definitely worth the price. That being said I’m not the biggest fan of these 3 games
This collection is well worth the price of admission.
Yakuza 3: Kiryu just wants a happy life, why can't he have one. I don't want to see him hurt. The enemies block 90% of your attacks, that’s not fun.
Yakuza 4: What if we made a Yakuza game with 3 new protagonist and we make you love them? They even made it so enemies don't block 90% of your attacks.
Yakuza 5: This game was pretty ambitious for its time, but maybe too ambitious. Still feel like Akiyama got the shaft out of the 5 characters.
Yakuza 3: Kiryu just wants a happy life, why can't he have one. I don't want to see him hurt. The enemies block 90% of your attacks, that’s not fun.
Yakuza 4: What if we made a Yakuza game with 3 new protagonist and we make you love them? They even made it so enemies don't block 90% of your attacks.
Yakuza 5: This game was pretty ambitious for its time, but maybe too ambitious. Still feel like Akiyama got the shaft out of the 5 characters.
Great collection. In the technical sense it's perfect. A couple games are better than others but this is still essential for any Yakuza fan.
A must have for any Yakuza fan. Some games are rougher than others, but they are all an absolute treat to play.