

One minute you’ll be dealing with crime family assassinations and the next you’re racing miniature remote-controlled cars, or singing karaoke. Yakuza’s defining feature is its mix of serious crime drama with wacky humor and antics, and Yakuza Kiwami is filled with that. It’s arguably more interesting to explore the modern version of Kamurocho than go back in time to see what it was like during the financial boom of the 1980s.ĭespite being one of the shorter entries, Yakuza Kiwami’s story is still packed with drama and emotion. Having some context for the various crime families and the relationship between Kiryu and Nishiki can make the narrative of Yakuza 0 that much more intimate and gripping. The narrative of Yakuza Kiwami certainly feels simpler and more straightforward than other games, but that’s to its advantage. While a case can certainly be made to start with Yakuza 0, the first Yakuza also does a fantastic job of introducing the city of Kamurocho and the stoic series protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu. It’s an utterly impeccable remake that makes the first Yakuza feel like a brand new game and even adds some fascinating new mechanics into the mix. The game uses the same engine from Yakuza 0, and while the story remains the same everything else has been completely rebuilt, from cutscenes to combat. Yakuza Kiwami is a full-blown remake of the very first Yakuza game, which was originally released on PlayStation 2 in 2005. Yakuza Kiwami is easily one of the best video game remakes ever released, and it just so happens to be the perfect place to jump into the franchise as well.

#Yakuza kiwami majima racing plus#
There are a lot of Yakuza games to dig into, but one of the most underrated entries is going to be free for PlayStation Plus Extra users, starting on August 16. The Yakuza series has catapulted from obscurity to one of Sega’s biggest franchises over the past five years, with games like Judgmentand Yakuza: Like a Dragon breathing new life into the series.
