THE FOUR NINJA TURTLES OF KAMUROCHO
Also for: Playstation 3 (original version)
When I was a kid, a good question to ask before trying a new game was: "How
do I play this?" Games were short, the controls were usually pretty simple
and the mechanics stayed intact all the way through. Later, as linear games
gave way to the freedom of the open world, a more sensible first thing to
ask would be: "What can I do in this game?" The question of "how" could wait
for later, when you had decided whether the first answer made the game worth
playing.
The Yakuza-series has so far found its identity in being a great
amalgamation of both of these questions - one initial "What can I do..."
followed by a thousand "How do I..." This has made the franchise a
smorgasbord of simple game mechanics. It's all held together by the gangster
opera at its core, always melodramatic, sometimes effectively so. In order
to cope, you occasionally need to unwind, which Yakuza always has given you
many opportunities to do.
But Yakuza 4, the fifth game in the series for me
(because Yakuza 0 was the first), is so heavily oriented around
its gangster drama it becomes like a wet blanket. The drama feels heavier
than the quality of writing can measure up to. The cutscenes drag on
forever, with long contemplative pauses for added effect. And when you
finally regain control you're often stuck in some pressing matter, cut off
from the open world. As I play Yakuza 4, I often ask myself an entirely new
question: "When will I finally get to... [insert random side activity
here]?"
Previously, I have been a bit player in most things on offer - a
jack-of-all-trades, if you will - who likes to take a break after every
major plot point. The hilarious substories have best helped me to unwind.
Secondly, let's admit it, the dating sim is pretty awesome. I also love
to slip in a game of blackjack every here and there, as well as sing my
heart out in karaoke, and win a game of bowling, puzzle pool, baseball
batting or darts. I like to give the SEGA arcade at least a few tries. All
for the sake of variation, of lifting my spirit, of resetting my mind.
In Yakuza 4, however, the story only sporadically hits a natural pause,
where free roaming makes sense or is even allowed. So once these interludes
occur I hurry to try it all at once, which takes a lot of the fun away. I
feel like I'm playing two different games that both intrude upon the other.
They are decent on a fundamental level, but make me ask why I care since it
takes so long (most Yakuza games range from 30 to 50 hours). This has never
happened before in the franchise.
Ryu ga Gotoku Studio attempted something new here, and couldn't get
it quite right. They lost the Yakuza beat.
Maybe it's because the perspective shifts between four different player
characters for the first time in the series. Kazuma Kiryu is still
around and the best - cool, dignified, smart, handsome, kind - with his
development over an entire series working in his favor. Akiyama is
also great, a charismatic loan shark of unimaginable wealth, with a kick-ass
fighting style and a mysterious past.
As for Saejima, the death row inmate, he is a surprisingly decent and
sensitive soul, but looks downright scary. Also, he feels hampered, with a
stiff fighting style and some aggravating traversal limitations. Something
about Tanimura, the dirty cop who helps immigrants, irks me. It might
just be his smug looks, or the way I really don't get a grasp on his
personality, but he's the worst of the lot.
They each have their individual storylines that sometimes intersect, and
eventually they find out their causes align. Together, they form the Ninja
Turtles of Kamurocho. They all butter up to the same femme
fatale. They pop in and out of sewers, escape the law across rooftops and
fight it out with random punks on the street. I like how the different
characters have their unique fighting styles, which makes the levelling stay
relevant throughout the entire game. You can also learn new moves through a
few different, entertaining means. I'm glad to see the revelations, where
you observe funny slapstick incidents around you, still remain.
The city of Kamurocho looks a little better as it distances itself from the
limitations of the PS2. It has grown to include a few new sections, which
isn't doing the game any favors. Finding your way through the underground
maps - a mall, a parking garage and some sewer tunnels - is a nightmare, and
one of the player characters needs to take these detours to avoid the law.
These areas don't bring a lot to the table, nor do the added loading screens
as you leave for a new area. However, I do appreciate the new focus on
Kamurocho's social situation. All the homeless people sheltering in the
sewers are a direct consequence of the Tojo clan's expansion plans. Kiryu
has played an active part in that. Through the eyes of the other three we
get a different perspective on your previous actions.
It's a decent story for quite awhile, with some good character moments. But
it also has some unsatisfactory villains, and one of the worst plot twists
I've ever seen - one that the writers could only have gotten away with under
more lighthearted circumstances. The cutscene staging is better than
anything since Yakuza 0, but that alone doesn't make it worth trading off
the fun. What bugs me the most is that three out of the four characters have
mostly drawn-out and humorless substories. They serve to deepen your
understanding of what makes these newcomers tick. To me that is
understandable. It is also unforgivable.
This is still Yakuza - you basically do all the same stuff, and to many a
big fan that might be enough. But my heart's not in it this time. You're
supposed to treat the over-the-top violence of the street fights as some
kind of slapstick, but with no comic relief the effect is numbing. The side
activities stress me out, because they only prolong the strife of the main
plot. I still enjoy this game in bits and pieces, but it never comes through
as a whole.
Ever since I played Yakuza 0 and loved it to death, I've been waiting for
the rest of the series to catch up to those impossible standards. None of
the subsequent games have been bad - heck, Yakuza Kiwami 2 even
surpassed it in a few ways, like combat, exploration and visuals. But none
have been close to match Yakuza 0:s killer combination of a touching main
story, badass non-player characters, cutscene quality and hilarious
substories. It also had the best mini-game ever: disco dancing.
With Yakuza 4 the developers tried to create a tonal shift into something
more mature, possibly to acknowledge the aging of their fanbase. The four
playable characters could easily have been reduced to two (preferrably Kiryu
and Akiyama) and the others could have become side characters. Maybe Ryu ga
Gotoku Studio got cold feet, because the last minute involvement of Kiryu
feels like an afterthought. Still, I'm glad he's here. His part of the game
feels like old-school Yakuza. Too bad it's too little, too late.
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