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And, both for longtime fans of the series and for those who have never heard of it, there are some things people should know about this collection before they buy it. So, without further ado, let’s look into it.
10 This Isn’t A New Collection
First and foremost, people need to know that these remasters aren’t new and neither is the collection itself. Turns out that PS4-owners have been able to buy this collection since August 2019 while PC players have just had to hold themselves over with Yakuza-related anime, or by replaying Yakuza 0, Kiwami, or Kiwami 2 over and over again.
It’s a good thing the rest of the collection finally came out because Yakuza fans are pretty dedicated. For example, some of them even managed to put together a fan-translation for a spinoff game that was never released in the West.
9 It’s Less Of A Collection & More Of A Bundle
Calling it a collection makes a bit more sense for consoles since those are all on the disc. But, when something like this gets ported to PC, it sort of works differently. On Steam, people can either buy the full Yakuza Remastered Collection as one big bundle, or they can buy each game that’s a part of it as a separate transaction.
It’s way more convenient this way, as it lets people buy the games as they play them, but it does feel a bit odd that something that was advertised as one “package” can be bought piecemeal like this.
8 The Bundle Doesn’t Include Yakuza 0 Or Kiwami 1 & 2
Like it was mentioned earlier, this collection isn’t the first time the Yakuza games have been released on PC. In fact, this collection being ported is likely only possible because of how amazingly entries like Yakuza: Like A Dragon or the Kiwami games have sold.
However, because these games were released so far apart on Steam, both Kiwami titles and Yakuza 0 aren’t sold as part of the bundle. It’s fine since they’re all on the same marketplace, but people should know ahead of time that the price tag for the Remastered Collection won’t include a good portion of the games.
7 Yakuza 6 Is Still On The Way
Along those same lines. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life hasn’t quite made it to PC yet either. The finale of Kiryu’s journey takes place in a pretty gigantic game, and it’s gonna take a little longer for its PC release than the rest of the Collection. To be more precise, it’s not coming until March 25th.
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Therefore, to get the entire Yakuza “mainline” franchise on PC, players have to buy four games separately (Kiwami 1 & 2, Like A Dragon, and Yakuza 0), then buy the Remasted Collection, wait a few months, and finally get the last one with Yakuza 6.
6 The Entire Collection Is On Gamepass
If trying to purchase all the games on Steam sounds like a bit of a complicated process, then playing them on Game Pass might be the way to go. That’s right, as of its release, people are able to experience Yakuza 0 through 5 all as part of their Game Pass membership.
Quite frankly, it’s insanely rare that almost an entire game franchise would be on Microsoft’s Game Pass, but they’ve done it, and it’s a pretty amazing deal.
5 The Quality Level Is Going To Bounce Back & Forth
The way Yakuza Kiwami 1 or 2 were developed was very different from how the remaster for Yakuza 3 was made. Kiwami is a full-on remake while Yakuza 3 is a pretty serviceable remaster that updates the textures and overall graphical fidelity into the current generation.
However, mechanically, Yakuza 3 is still a bit dated. Because of this, players will notice the highs and lows between games in terms of quality. It all gets a bit confusing, to be sure. For example, because of these remasters, the Chronological Order of what games to play first doesn’t follow their release dates, or at least not their original ones.
4 Don’t Expect More Combat Like Yakuza: Like A Dragon
Those who played Yakuza: Like A Dragon and need to experience more of its fantastic JRPG combat in the Yakuza universe are not going to be satisfied with the Remastered Collection. Don’t expect more gameplay similar to Like A Dragon, since its story and mechanics were relatively separated from the overarching Yakuza storyline.
Though, this is also why it actually works decently well as a jumping-in point. For the Remastered Collection, all of Kiryu’s combat is much less JRPG and way more beat-’em-up, so people introduced to the franchise through Yakuza: Like A Dragon should get used to this “new” combat system ASAP.
3 Getting Through All Of Them Is A Length Endeavor
If someone wants to experience all of the “mainline” Yakuza games, including Like a Dragon and Yakuza 0, they’ll be putting in quite the time commitment. None of these are short games by any definition, especially since Kiwami 1 & 2 were elongated when they were remade. On average, it takes players between 40-80 hours to get near 100% completion in just one Yakuza game.
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Yakuza 5, in particular, is so much longer than any of the others. This is all a roundabout way of saying that, if people are thinking about picking up this collection, they should be ready to put the time in.
2 Get Ready To Learn To Love Majima
Goro Majima is a big part of the Yakuza Franchise. His story is arguably equally as big as Kiryu’s, if not a little bit less so. But, the Mad Dog of Shimano takes a bit of getting used to for new players, as his wacky antics mixed with his insatiable bloodlust kind of throw people off.
However, by about one or two games in, most players seem to fall in love with Majima as a character. This is great news for people who played Yakuza 0 and were hoping that this one-eyed psychopath would be in the other games. Long story short, he absolutely is.
1 This Franchise Has A Lot Of Wacky Mini-Games In It
Lastly, people looking to pick up the Remastered Collection should know that there are an insane amount of min-games and side activities in it that they can play. Kiryu can join a bowling league, own his own hostess club, race tiny electric racecars, compete against other taxi drivers in races, play Shogi, play darts, perform Karaoke, and hundreds of other activities.
Yakuza 3, 4, 5, & especially 6 are rife with the same berth of side content that Yakuza 0 and both Kiwamis have. Therefore, get ready to buckle down and grind them out to unlock the best moves or weapons for Kiryu to use.
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