Yakuza pastebin 1.1

(Revised 8/13/2016)

Q: I've never played this series. What is it about?
A: The Yakuza games are basically sandbox beat-em-up JRPGs. The maps in these games are highly detailed with tons of food to eat, minigames to play, and people to help. The combat system is initiated in both random and story encounters. You get stronger by beating up people to get experience to learn new moves, or by finding masters who help improve your fighting style.

Q: What are the games in this series?
A: There are 6 mainline games in the series, as well as 5 spin-offs. The mainline games are as follows:
Yakuza 1 (PS2): The game that got this Japanese cash cow going. This is the only one with an English dub. Being the first game in the series, the game does not feel as refined as it's successors.

Yakuza 2 (PS2): Improves on the first game significantly. Combat feels much smoother. There is a brand new city. Kiryu punches tigers in the face. Grown men in diapers. Available in English, but since it was a niche English release came at the end of the PS2's lifetime, it's really rare, and expensive on Amazon. It may be advisable to pirate the game instead since it really is one of the best games in the series.

Yakuza 3 (PS3): After a long period of no Yakuza games in English, Sega listened to the fans and brought this over. Unlike the PS2 games, the city now connects seamlessly. Instead of Osaka, the second city in this game is Okinawa, which is a bit smaller. Warning, the game's pacing starts off slow, but don't let that dissuade you. If you've moved to this game straight from Y2, you'll have a blast from the gameplay perspective. Available in English, Physical only.

Yakuza 4 (PS3): Since playing as Kiryu all the time would probably get stale, this game introduces 3 new playable characters. Akiyama is the speedy character who is centered on kicks and dodges. Saejima is the power character who is centered around charging his attacks and gaining super armor. Tanimura is the defensive character who is centered around his parry. Available in English, Physical and Digital.

Yakuza 5 (PS3): After 3 years since the Japanese release, Sony and Sega finally released this in English. This is easily the best game since 2. Osaka from Yakuza 2 returns, as well as introducing 3 new cities, Fukuoka, Sapporo, and Nagoya. Haruka is now a playable character whose gameplay is dance battles that play like the Miku games. Tanimura has been replaced with new character Shinada. He is a character centered around combo grabs and has unique weapon movesets. Available in English, digital only.

Yakuza 0 (PS4/PS3): A prequel set in 1988. Not only does Majima finally become properly playable, but each character has 3 brand new fighting styles, as well as a secret style which lets them fight the way they do in the older games. Parodies of Michael Jackson and Steven Spielberg also appear in this game. This game will be releasing in English, but only the PS4 version, which will be both Physical and Digital. January 24, 2017 release date for US and EU.

Yakuza 6 (PS4): The presumed final chapter of Kiryu Kazuma, the series' main protagonist. After the events of 5, Kiryu is sent to prison for 4 years, and Haruka is facing backlash for abandoning the idol industry and letting the whole world know her past (smart move). Mysteriously yet unsurprisingly, Haruka is involved in a hit and run accident that possibly involves the one of the Tojo Clan patriarchs. Kiryu is back to kick some ass one "last" time in Kamurocho and Hiroshima. Releasing December 8 in Japan. No word on English localization yet.

And here are the spin-off games. Note that these games are very unlikely to get an English release, except for Dead Souls which came out in English:
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!(PS3): Before Yakuza 3 came out, the dev team wanted to experiment with the PS3 hardware. As a result, we have this game. This game is set in early Edo period Japan, right after the battle of Sekigahara, starring Kiryu as Miyamoto Musashi. While a spin-off, this game is just as long and dramatic as the main games. This game was the first game to introduce multiple fighting styles, as Musashi has 4, hand-to-hand, one-handed sword, two-handed sword, and dual wielding one handed swords.

Kurohyou: Ryu ga Gotoku Shinshou 1/2(PSP): These games have a brand new protagonist, Tatsuya. Due to system limitations, the primary gameplay is set in the underground arena as 1v1 fights.

Yakuza Dead Souls(PS3): This game is basically a zombie apocalypse set in Kamurocho with Yakuza characters. This is the playable debut of both Majima and Ryuji from Yakuza 2. This game also suffers from performance issues and repetitive gameplay. Try before you buy, and make sure that you're a big fan of the characters since the story and interactions are both pretty good.

Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin(PS4/PS3): A spin-off set in the Bakumatsu period starring Kiryu as Sakamoto Ryoma. After his father figure is killed by a mysterious masked man who uses the Shinsengumi's fighting style, Ryoma infiltrates their ranks in order to find the culprit and bring them to justice. This game also has 4 fighting styles, hand-to-hand, sword, gun, and Wild Dance (sword AND gun).

Q: Where do I start?
A: Ideally, the best place to start would be 1. However, due to the gameplay being the worst in the series, it may be advisable to skip to 2 if you cannot bear with it. If you would like to play 5 ASAP, at least play 4 on PS3. Remember, these are big games, so don't play them back to back or you will get burned out.

Q: Any more Yakuza-related goodness I can steal from this paste?
A: Movies:
Sonatine
Hana-bi
Outrage
Beyond Outrage
Violent Cop
Ichi the Killer
Dead or Alive (trilogy)
Battles Without Honor or Humanity
Tokyo Drifter
Branded to Kill
Pale Flower

Music:
Really now, this is just a chance for me to plug city pop for Yakuza 0. 80s goodness with cute girls singing, reminding you of those days that you never lived through in 1980s Japan. Here are some artists to get you started. Tons more out there for sure.

Meiko Nakahara
Seiko Matsuda
Junko Yagami
Akina Nakamori
Anri
Miki Matsubara
Keiko Kimura
Mai Yamane
Makoto Matsushita