Hot take: I like the combat in this game. Later Dragon Engine games really refined it, but I kinda like the weightiness of it. The side content is also generally a lot of fun. The story kinda sucks, though

Overly aggressive spawn rates and generally rough JRPG mechanics. There are a couple plot points that really rub me the wrong way too. But other than that, it's generally a pretty enjoyable game imo

Best played immediately after Yakuza 0. The combat's a slight upgrade IMO but the story and music are just kinda.. fine.

Easily my favorite main-line game in the whole series. It balances out everything in such a satisfying way.