The best game in the Yakuza franchise so far and it ain't even close. Gameplay is the best, OST is peak, and the story is fantastic too even if I overall prefer the first Judgment's.
I guess if I had to explain it, I would say Judgment has a more interesting plot and stuff about Yagami, while LJ has a more fun overall cast and a much more fun antagonist. Both are top-tier in the franchise as far as I'm concerned, though!
Combat is so goddamn fun in this thanks to Yagami's returning styles getting improved upon and the addition of Snake style which is great. Plus going all in on juggling pays off. It feels a bit odd at times, though, compared to the first Judgment, since you need to rely much less on some of Yagami's unique tools like vaulting and wall jumps, which I liked because it felt like you had to be more "crafty" than in this. Nonetheless, it's fun as fuck and the best combat in the series.
I like the new "detective" mechanics a lot, including the Squirrel Search side content (although having skills locked behind random Squirrel Search targets is stupid as hell). Tailing missions being much less frequent in favor of parkour and stealth segments is also very welcome. They're a nice change of pace. I also really like how you find out about some stuff by just listening in on people's conversations on the streets, though I wish it was used more.
Also the most fun 100% by far as it has almost no grinding (besides Robotics Club parts and things like 100 Skills in Paradise VR, but nothing compared to the shit Y7 pulled right before it).
Which, on that note, I absolutely loved the side content in this. Side Cases are great, other than the "Dastardly Detective" chain which sadly makes up most of the side cases list. Which is only an issues because this game only has 42 Side Cases (without the DLC, which I have and I did because I'm on PC and it comes bundled in).
The slack, however, is vastly picked up by the School Stories side content, which is the main reason why I think LJ has the best amount and variety of side content since Y5.
There's far too many new/revamped minigames and shit for me to talk in detail, but I wanna give my opinions on them all quickly:
-Gambling 100/5, because you can get cheat items with extreme ease.
-Boxing 100/5, fucking fun as hell gimme more.
-Robotics Club 4/5, pretty fun but the only real grind for 100%. Dunno why people get filtered by this one, tho?
-Photography Club 2.5/5, funny story and gameplay concept but way too short.
-Bikers 4.5/5, fun as fuck and has banging music but can get repetitive.
-Dance Club 3.5/5, fun but the notecharts feel a bit off and the last song sucks.
-Paradise VR 2.0 4/5, anyone who prefers the OG is wrong.
-Aircelios 2/5, would be better if power ups worked differently.
-Skate Park 3/5, fun but too basic.
-Skate Racing 4.5/5, feels a little janky sometimes but otherwise fantastic.
-E-Sports Club 4/5, because VF5 is peak fighting and it's hilarious that its the only game the club plays.
-Girls' Bite 2/5, fun storyline but the bar itself is just a terrible mix of Y6 bar chat and hostess clubs.
-Drone Racing 4/5, I kinda prefer the Kamurocho tracks from the first game but it's still fun as fuck.
Lastly, I want to mention that this game made me realize that the Master System fucking sucks. The closest thing to a good game on the blasted thing is Fantasy Zone II and they basically had to remake that one to get it on par with the first game anyway!
I guess if I had to explain it, I would say Judgment has a more interesting plot and stuff about Yagami, while LJ has a more fun overall cast and a much more fun antagonist. Both are top-tier in the franchise as far as I'm concerned, though!
Combat is so goddamn fun in this thanks to Yagami's returning styles getting improved upon and the addition of Snake style which is great. Plus going all in on juggling pays off. It feels a bit odd at times, though, compared to the first Judgment, since you need to rely much less on some of Yagami's unique tools like vaulting and wall jumps, which I liked because it felt like you had to be more "crafty" than in this. Nonetheless, it's fun as fuck and the best combat in the series.
I like the new "detective" mechanics a lot, including the Squirrel Search side content (although having skills locked behind random Squirrel Search targets is stupid as hell). Tailing missions being much less frequent in favor of parkour and stealth segments is also very welcome. They're a nice change of pace. I also really like how you find out about some stuff by just listening in on people's conversations on the streets, though I wish it was used more.
Also the most fun 100% by far as it has almost no grinding (besides Robotics Club parts and things like 100 Skills in Paradise VR, but nothing compared to the shit Y7 pulled right before it).
Which, on that note, I absolutely loved the side content in this. Side Cases are great, other than the "Dastardly Detective" chain which sadly makes up most of the side cases list. Which is only an issues because this game only has 42 Side Cases (without the DLC, which I have and I did because I'm on PC and it comes bundled in).
The slack, however, is vastly picked up by the School Stories side content, which is the main reason why I think LJ has the best amount and variety of side content since Y5.
There's far too many new/revamped minigames and shit for me to talk in detail, but I wanna give my opinions on them all quickly:
-Gambling 100/5, because you can get cheat items with extreme ease.
-Boxing 100/5, fucking fun as hell gimme more.
-Robotics Club 4/5, pretty fun but the only real grind for 100%. Dunno why people get filtered by this one, tho?
-Photography Club 2.5/5, funny story and gameplay concept but way too short.
-Bikers 4.5/5, fun as fuck and has banging music but can get repetitive.
-Dance Club 3.5/5, fun but the notecharts feel a bit off and the last song sucks.
-Paradise VR 2.0 4/5, anyone who prefers the OG is wrong.
-Aircelios 2/5, would be better if power ups worked differently.
-Skate Park 3/5, fun but too basic.
-Skate Racing 4.5/5, feels a little janky sometimes but otherwise fantastic.
-E-Sports Club 4/5, because VF5 is peak fighting and it's hilarious that its the only game the club plays.
-Girls' Bite 2/5, fun storyline but the bar itself is just a terrible mix of Y6 bar chat and hostess clubs.
-Drone Racing 4/5, I kinda prefer the Kamurocho tracks from the first game but it's still fun as fuck.
Lastly, I want to mention that this game made me realize that the Master System fucking sucks. The closest thing to a good game on the blasted thing is Fantasy Zone II and they basically had to remake that one to get it on par with the first game anyway!