I want to play the Yakuza series

I want to play the Yakuza series.
Should I start with the PS2 games?

Start with Kenzan, then play Ishin and ignore the rest.

Start at 3, then 4, then 5. Then decide if you want to swallow the rest.

Start with you mom, give your dad's dick a rest.

the remake of the first game will be out in a couple of months.

You can either wait and start with that, or start now with the original ps2 version. 1 and 2 have the best stories so you definitely want to play them.

Release order OP.

1 and 2 can be emulated. 1 has English dubbed voices so just enjoy the silly voices. 2 is one of the best entries in the series. There is a remake of 1 coming out in a couple of months for PS4 however. Maybe you can just start with 2 and play 1 when it comes out.

3, 4 and 5 are on PS3. Then get 0 on PS4 and wait for 6.

If you're that big of a fan you can try some of the spinoffs.

If you're gonna play Kiwami instead of 1 you're better off starting with 0 which is out now.

0, 1 (or kiwami), 2, 3, 4, dead souls, 5

ishin and kenzan are also good if you understand japanese

ps. people who say 2 is good are lying

Why would you recommend the prequel first?

>people who say 2 is good are lying
This is a lie.

>should i start with PS2

Correct. But you knoew before making this thread right? Release order. Any one arguing for anything less are simply unable to, and with emulation abailable as well you have at least an alternative to hunting down the originals.

>start at 3

Fucking no. Wot?

>"Should I start with the first game in the series?"

Yes. Always do that

it's a good starting point. good if you care about character development

Kiwami got several changes to fit better with 0 and some references to it too.

because it doesn't spoil anything serious, story-wise
it mentions a few characters who show up later in the series, but it doesn't tell you "in x years, this guy's gonna try to kill so-and-so" or anything like that

If only they had some system of ordering the games to assist people in knowing which to play first.
0 is really good, but you'll miss some of the dramatic irony.
It's like asking what order to watch the Star Wars movies, if the prequels weren't terrible.

To be honest I feel it would be jarring as hell to go from 0 to the PS2 games. I'd prefer going through the games as they constantly improve.

first ps3 yakuza, solid game, has recap of 1 and 2

Fag since 2005 here, i can understand the context of someone telling newbies to do this. When they play 1, or more likely Kiwami in a few months, the relationship between Kiryu and Nishkimai in Zero, will make the plot of 1/Kiwami feel more real. They have a uniuiqe opurtunity that we old fags did not.

Nah. Just play 1 & 2. For what reason not to?

didnt age well and they both have bad/weird plots. i'm currently struggling through 2 and i really hate how different kiryu's personality is and how they're making kaoru's character completely useless so kiryu can save the day

>they both have bad/weird plots

Yakuza is not for you. No loss to us, but don't fuck up the new kids, it's either release order or Yakuza 0-Kiwami for them.

2 easily has the best story in the series. Don't listen to this idiot.

I finished 2 recently and found it to be a drag/not that fun. The shitty camera system just made combat frustrating for me personally

I mean sure he could start with 1 and 2 but 3 already has a story recap that works well explaining everything that happens in 1 and 2 and he can continue on from there. He can take either option.

Yakuza games are like a great soap opera. Play it in 1hr daily chunks in chronological order and learn Japanese in the meantime. Also watch Takeshi Kitano's movies.

i've played all of the games and enjoyed 3-5 and the spin-offs so much more than 1 and 2. it would be better for new fans to just skip 1 and 2 if they aren't super into old ps2 games.

>just watch it, or don't maybe, i mean, you COULD play the actual video games

Just fucking play it. Look, i know i got it back in 05 so you could argue thst means it was "ok for that time" but i only played Silent Hill as a series for the first time 2 years ago. I started with Silent Hill 1 on the PlayStation. In two-thousand-fucking-fifteen. Shit was good, SH3 is now one of my most favorite games ever. My point is, only fags act like you can't go back.

Thats not a good reason though, your only point is "i don't like this old fart stuff, so they shouldn't either." It's like a fag turning round to you now and saying "PS3 games are unplayable gramps."

Yakuza ps2 games are great and graphically wise stand up today (yakuza 2 was one of the latest games in ps2 library).
The only downside is that Yakuza 1 is dubbed but the voice acting is damn good.

Son i'm older than you and been playing games older than you have before you have been born so don't give me this about not going back.

Secondly you retarded fuck what you quoted was nothing remotely to what I fucking said. Try getting some reading comprehension first.

i'm just saying the stories are shit, the characters are shit and the controls are shit

>yakuza 1 voice acting is good

did we play a different game?

compare it to any localized japanese game

Yakuza Zero -> Yakuza Kiwami -> Yakuza 1 -> Yakuza 2 -> Yakuza 3 -> Yakuza 4 -> Yakuza 5 -> Yakuza 6

IF you want extra stuff play Ishin and Kenzan
If you want a laugh, watch Like a Dragon by Takashi Miike or play Dead Souls

I suggest you listen to me...

Ahhh fuck I misread your last few words as a personal attack and got defensive about it but now I realise it was to mean something else. I guess i'm the one who needs reading comprehension so I apologise.

they're all shit but it doesnt make the y1 dub any less garbage

>when you played only one yakuza game and you start seeing bikes as deadly street fighting weapons

>when you played all yakuza games and you see everything as a deadly street fighting weapon

Thanks anons, I'll start with the Yakuza 1 then.

faggot

So when is Nagoshi gonna announce the next game already? Some people started hyping the May 30th stream for some reason and loads of people got disappointed. Don't tell me we need to wait until TGS or PSX

there was rumors of a yakuza dating game being in development

What, like Kokoro Ga Gotoku? Please

Take this as just my opinion. Yakuza 1 controls really badly compared to Yakuza 2. The story in 1 is really good, just like all Yakuza games, but in my opinion you can watch the recap in Yakuza 2 and start from there.

There is no need to be this upset

If he has never played a Yakuza game, how the fuck will he know that? He will just feel like the next game is better, just like the rest of us did in release order.

I started with yakuza 1 last month.
Finished it but it's tedious as fuck toward the end and I don't really feel motivated at all to start the next games.

They're not exactly short games, why risk him dropping a fantastic series because the first game may or may not hook him, whereas the second and onward are almost a guaranteed sale.

Case in point

this is the reason why you shouldnt start with 1 or 2

Did we user? There is no risk. If he doesn't like Yakuza then he doean't like Yakuza, what is this logic?

Nishiki was a shit villain until 0 made him bro tier

0 -> Kiwami is the correct way to start

1 is pretty short.

So what? He just doesn't like Yakuza.

3 is the worst one, get out of here.

i loved 3! taking care of the orphanage and the kids was lovely and i really enjoyed the story.

>i really enjoyed the worst story of the series.
FTFY

all yakuza games are kinda bad storywise if you think about it

If you got a PS4 then you should start with Yakuza 0 and then wait for the remake of part 1, which is coming out this year.

How does 2 improve on 1?
I loved the adorable haruka and the combat was great but parts of the game like the hobo town, gun fights, etc just seemed so janky.

start with zero then Kiwami then 3(if you can find it) 4 5 6. if you cant find 3 just watch the story before playing 4
what did you expect its a seinen anime in video game form

It's a melodramatic Yakuza movie in video game form. Not everything's fucking anime.

No. Starting by 3 is a huge mistake, because you will not feel or get Kiryu is having that life.
Shit makes more sense if you play 1, 2 and 3 all in a row.

2's gameplay is better, have better heat actions and tag team heat actions. Characters are even better and best tracks in the series.
But just don't over do it by doing everything in the game, I mean unlockable shit or the requests. Just do what you can and if you enjoyed then play a 2nd playthrough like a year later or so

Depends on how do you feel about craziness in your Yakuza drama. There's tiger punching, castles inside castles and Majima being animu-tier bonkers. Oh and some of the most hilarious substories in the series.

Kiryu is a fucking paragon of righteousness
almost all villains gets their redemption
every games story has the same end which is Kiryu saving the day yet again through perseverance, GUTS and friendship
all other important characters and playable characters are at their base righteous and good
if you honestly think yakuza is not something straight out of weekly manga you are delusional

>adorable Haruka

Until 3. In the 4th game it starts, in 5 is "oh no" and 6"I RAISED A CHILD FOR THIS?"