Recs.
Updated
SpecsUpdate
Pros
Pro Immersive world
Most open world games tend to have large empty locations, making you feel like they're there just to make you travel longer. The Yakuza series tries to solves this by making smaller, but more densely packed areas.
The environments are very detailed. There's loads of pedestrians everywhere. The streets are filled with food stalls and neon signs. Most of the locations are memorable enough that you'll soon be using landmarks for navigation instead of the minimap. All of this makes the world feel alive and fun to be in.
Pro Perfect for newcomers to the Yakuza series
If you've never played a Yakuza game before, this is the best place to start. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the other games, and it assumes that you don't know who any of the existing characters are, so it introduces you to everyone in a way that's welcoming to new players. There are a lot of winks and nods to veterans of the series, but they're not done in a way that will confuse newcomers -- in fact, they add some replay value to the game since you can go back after playing the rest of the series in order to understand these little inclusions.
This game also has one of the best stories and gameplay in the franchise, with the Yakuza staples of memorable characters, and wacky side stories mixed in with serious crime drama as you get to know Kiryu and Majima when they were younger. It's an excellent introduction to the Yakuza games as the best of the best of the franchise.
Pro Incredible English localization
Yakuza 0 is fully voiced in Japanese with an amazing English localization for Western audiences. The localization team did more than simply translate the game -- they made sure everything is relevant for a non-Japanese audience to understand and relate with. Since there's no option for English voices, the subtitles do a great job at bringing the game to life for those who don't know Japanese but still want to appreciate the culture and support the Yakuza series.
Pro Intriguing crime drama story with exciting twists and turns
Yakuza 0's story is genuinely gripping and well-written, showing the lengths people will go to in order to gain power and status or to protect the ones they care about. The story is set in 1980s Japan during a high point in the economy, with the plot kicking off with Kazuma Kiryu, a young twenty-something yakuza who gets caught up in his clan's internal battle to claim a lucrative plot of land in the middle of downtown Tokyo. He has a strong sense of honor to do what's right by his sworn yakuza family while getting to the bottom of the scheme against him from the higher-ups in his clan.
And then the story shifts every two chapters to Goro Majima, who's the manager of a fancy cabaret club as a way to pay off his debt and get back into the yakuza. He soon gets thrown into an impossible situation where he has to murder someone for the first time to get back in the business, but this of course doesn't go as planned. The way Kiryu and Majima's stories intertwine and branch off from each other is filled with several shocking plot twists that feel natural and organic. It's definitely worth experiencing at least once.
Pro Very addictive mini-games
In most titles the mini-games are poorly done, but Yakuza's developers put a lot more effort in them. As a result, they're a great way to spend time.
There's dancing, fishing, baseball, playing arcade games, slot car racing, and many more. Going to the karaoke is especially awesome. It starts out with your character just trying to sing and turns into something similar to a music video.
Pro Exciting street brawls
Even though combat in Yakuza 0 is quite simple it's also a lot of fun. It usually starts with punks looking for trouble and you stepping up to teach them a lesson.
You'll be throwing punches, kicks and various objects near you such as bikes or trash cans. Each move you land has a great impact behind it, making it all the more satisfying.
Cons
Con Not for players who dislike long, involved story cutscenes
If you don't like games that have a lot of story cutscenes, then Yakuza 0 might not be for you. The story shares the spotlight with the gameplay, so you can't really escape the long cutscenes that weave the narrative together, unless you decide to skip all of them. Even though the cutscenes are long, they make sense and they keep you engaged, though players who just aren't into this type of thing may get turned off regardless.
Con Graphics aren't that impressive
Yakuza 0 has weak textures, stiff character animations outside of cutscenes, and too many repeat copies of NPCs around the city. Invisible walls also block off the city's boundaries. Thankfully the characters and facial animations look great during story scenes, helping to make up for the poor visuals elsewhere.