Alot of discussion of this game as it seems to me boils down to discussing why the gameplay and plot are worse than LAD7 as well as complaining about the DLC. While the DLC is not good and pretty scummy, the actual game itself both in plot and gameplay are amazing. The hate I see thrown around too is often unwarranted and I frankly can't comprehend why people are throwing around the accusations they are. The way it feels is like you didn't even play the game for yourself you just took the popular opinion because everyone throws the same shitty complaints that don't make sense in the context of the actual game.

#1 No character Development?
Are you fucking blind? First of all the two new characters are a huge focus on their arcs and development because as far as we are concerned this might be their only game in the LAD series to tell THEIR stories, so the writers and developers wanted to make sure that they were able to get their moment, but Ichiban, and Saeko and their relationship developing was a huge part of the story. All of Saeko's drink links further expanded her story and told a small tale of how see views romance that I feel is crucial to her character and her actions taken along the course of the main story. You know what I would call that? Character development. Ichibans development as he struggles to find love as a man who spent most his life in Jail, as he grapples with the final wishes of his father are shown amazing, as he finds his conviction and accepts the mantle given to him by Kiryu as the future of the Yakuza. NOT TO MENTION THE PLOT INVOLVING KIRYU AS HE GRAPPLES WITH HIS OWN DEATH, but no character development and if I had to go over everything this would be SOO long.

#2 The villians are terrible!!!!
No they are not. I cannot help that nobody can understand that the point of Bryce is despite his plans being terrible, the years had given him a god complex which was a great antithesis to Ichi, as well as the fact that Ebina isn't just the villain with daddy issues that I see people throw around, he also represents the thousands of life's that have been directly effected and will seek vengeance against the actions of the Yakuza. Not just the actions of the Yakuza the mistakes that Kiryu made as the fourth chairman, yes his MISTAKES because despite being the protag Kiryu is not absolved of all sin. The ending scene where Kiryu asks Ebina to let them live because he finally realizes he has never been walking the path of Black or White, but a gray path that he cannot change, he can only hope to repent in his last moments is beautiful.

At this rate there is a lot more I could say but I wont. I think with those two points alone that a lot of the base criticism of this game is actual baseless drivel that isn't worth being spoke from the slop lips they come from.