Ishin is a solid game, but not as good as some of the series better games. It was released just prior to Y0 and the dated mechanics does unfortunately show even in this "remastered" version.
The story starts off interesting, but I never really got hooked by it and never got much better afterwards. The plot twists are mostly foreseeable and the big reveals are lackluster. It also lacked big epic moments from other Yakuza titles.
Characters are solid throughout, but not much of a standout. It was nice seeing many Yakuza characters appear in the game and the different roles they were given. Kiryu as Ryoma was about 95% the same person, but some of the differences were nice to see like him acting like a lazy bum at one point. Other characters were pretty much the same as their Yakuza counterparts which is both good and bad I guess.
Combat is very much in line with Y0, but not quite as good. Gun style is pretty boring and the hybrid Wild Dance style is missing something that elevates it to a different level. Brawler added a parry mechanic which is nice, but otherwise lacks the depth that Kiryu's style normally has. Sword style felt clunky early on, but did got much better towards the end.
As someone who has already gotten used to the Dragon Engine games, seeing the loading for pre and post battles with mobs is quite annoying. Even picking things up from the ground takes a while to load.
Kyo is a decent setting, but not quite as interesting as Kamurocho or Yakuza's other major city hubs.
The game has a ton of content on par with other Yakuza games, but there wasn't a unique side activity that I really liked. The Second Life Farm Sim wasn't as engaging as I liked.
Overall, it's a decent game with a lot of content, but it doesn't feel up to par with some of the best in the series. I guess the change in setting is a nice change of pace, but it really needed a bigger makeover. Even then, it wouldn't make the story better than it already is.
The story starts off interesting, but I never really got hooked by it and never got much better afterwards. The plot twists are mostly foreseeable and the big reveals are lackluster. It also lacked big epic moments from other Yakuza titles.
Characters are solid throughout, but not much of a standout. It was nice seeing many Yakuza characters appear in the game and the different roles they were given. Kiryu as Ryoma was about 95% the same person, but some of the differences were nice to see like him acting like a lazy bum at one point. Other characters were pretty much the same as their Yakuza counterparts which is both good and bad I guess.
Combat is very much in line with Y0, but not quite as good. Gun style is pretty boring and the hybrid Wild Dance style is missing something that elevates it to a different level. Brawler added a parry mechanic which is nice, but otherwise lacks the depth that Kiryu's style normally has. Sword style felt clunky early on, but did got much better towards the end.
As someone who has already gotten used to the Dragon Engine games, seeing the loading for pre and post battles with mobs is quite annoying. Even picking things up from the ground takes a while to load.
Kyo is a decent setting, but not quite as interesting as Kamurocho or Yakuza's other major city hubs.
The game has a ton of content on par with other Yakuza games, but there wasn't a unique side activity that I really liked. The Second Life Farm Sim wasn't as engaging as I liked.
Overall, it's a decent game with a lot of content, but it doesn't feel up to par with some of the best in the series. I guess the change in setting is a nice change of pace, but it really needed a bigger makeover. Even then, it wouldn't make the story better than it already is.