As a fan of Yakuza/Like a Dragon series I only recently discovered this game. No wonder, because it was Japan exclusive and man... we really were robbed for that.
Thanks to the english translation team that made a patch. Really made an impact here.
Not many games on PSP were mainly story-driven, luckily this game offers a unique perspective on a new character, Ukyo Tatsuya. A usual two-bit thug who was a lone wolf but later in the game tries to find his philosophy of fighting. A really well-written character and player starts sympathize with him more and more as story goes on.
Substories on the other hand... weren't that memorising. Yeah, there are a few which goes on and on(i.e. gang wars), but mostly they are forgetful. And you also can collect 101 cats for an old man... it is a notorious experience.
Minigames themselves aren't that exciting comparing to the main series, however there is a variety. In karaoke you just mash a button until time runs out; In baseball you, as usual, hit the ball, but because of the bad camera placement, it's hard to tell when you must hit the ball and etc.
There are also part-time jobs, but they are mostly time-consuming if you aren't careful with money management(and believe me, you MUST have a certain amount of money for story at the very least).
Fighting is unique. Yes, it IS a PSP game, so you won't have a similar experience like in yakuza 1 or 2. However, it isn't bad! There are a lot of fighting styles and each of them has unique fighting animations and methods of dealing with an enemy.
There is a downside though, leveling up these fighting styles can be tricky and if you're not careful enough you'll be completing the game with maximum of half the style that are in the game. Luckily, I aknowledged the problem before it was too late and managed to discover almost every style.
Leveling up your punches, kick and etc costs money though, and I can't say that they are balanced. But it's not like you'll have a lot of money to begin with so whatever.
Also there's a random encounter problem which is similar to Yakuza 5. If you know, you know, but if you don't... let's say you're going to fight a lot of yankees(or run away from cops, it depends).
Music is FIRE! Every song was made specifically for this game and I find it really interesting on how composers were dedicated to make thess banger songs. Hideki Naganuma himself took part in making music for this game and you can hear it. Almost every song is awesome and you won't get tired of hearing it. I, in particular, fell in love with the main theme "MUPPET". So much drive and excitement in this song, I love it.
In conclusion, a good introduction of a new character in Yakuza/LAD series while being a PSP game. Such a shame that not many could experince this game in western territory. If you like Yakuza/LAD series then you should definitely try this game.
Thanks to the english translation team that made a patch. Really made an impact here.
Not many games on PSP were mainly story-driven, luckily this game offers a unique perspective on a new character, Ukyo Tatsuya. A usual two-bit thug who was a lone wolf but later in the game tries to find his philosophy of fighting. A really well-written character and player starts sympathize with him more and more as story goes on.
Substories on the other hand... weren't that memorising. Yeah, there are a few which goes on and on(i.e. gang wars), but mostly they are forgetful. And you also can collect 101 cats for an old man... it is a notorious experience.
Minigames themselves aren't that exciting comparing to the main series, however there is a variety. In karaoke you just mash a button until time runs out; In baseball you, as usual, hit the ball, but because of the bad camera placement, it's hard to tell when you must hit the ball and etc.
There are also part-time jobs, but they are mostly time-consuming if you aren't careful with money management(and believe me, you MUST have a certain amount of money for story at the very least).
Fighting is unique. Yes, it IS a PSP game, so you won't have a similar experience like in yakuza 1 or 2. However, it isn't bad! There are a lot of fighting styles and each of them has unique fighting animations and methods of dealing with an enemy.
There is a downside though, leveling up these fighting styles can be tricky and if you're not careful enough you'll be completing the game with maximum of half the style that are in the game. Luckily, I aknowledged the problem before it was too late and managed to discover almost every style.
Leveling up your punches, kick and etc costs money though, and I can't say that they are balanced. But it's not like you'll have a lot of money to begin with so whatever.
Also there's a random encounter problem which is similar to Yakuza 5. If you know, you know, but if you don't... let's say you're going to fight a lot of yankees(or run away from cops, it depends).
Music is FIRE! Every song was made specifically for this game and I find it really interesting on how composers were dedicated to make thess banger songs. Hideki Naganuma himself took part in making music for this game and you can hear it. Almost every song is awesome and you won't get tired of hearing it. I, in particular, fell in love with the main theme "MUPPET". So much drive and excitement in this song, I love it.
In conclusion, a good introduction of a new character in Yakuza/LAD series while being a PSP game. Such a shame that not many could experince this game in western territory. If you like Yakuza/LAD series then you should definitely try this game.