Yakuza 0 Reviews
Yakuza 0 marks the franchise's first foray onto PC and does so confidently. Bursting with content and an intriguing storyline it's only held back by a few annoying bugs.
Yakuza 0 is a great game, and it's PC port keeps the game's charm completely intact.
True to form, with added focus and polish that was a bit lacking in the last few titles. Breaking the faces of Japanese miscreants never looked, felt or sounded so good. The graphics are great, the music is solid, the 80's vibe is charming, the story, while still ridiculous and fantastic, is much more coherent and focused. If you love that open-world, beat 'em up gameplay style and emotional, dramatic storytelling the series is known for you need look no further, as this game does it and does it well.
Yakuza 0 is clearly an early frontrunner for one of the best games of the year. Even after spending 80 hours with the game, I've found myself surprised by side-missions and all of the optional forms of gameplay. Heck, I’ve probably wasted thousands of yen on the UFO catcher, millions playing poker and blackjack, and tens of millions on purchasing new real estate locations and betting on fights. The overarching story is deeply satisfying, and the side missions are a bonus.
Even after a dozen years and seven (or eleven) games, Yakuza 0 is an impressive and easy invitation to its namesake’s adrenalized world.
Yakuza as a franchise has so far failed to gain any traction in the west- if ever that were to change, there is no better game than Yakuza 0 for that to happen with.
Yakuza 0 is simultaneously the best and worst starting point for newcomers like myself.
Yakuza 0’s overarching faithfulness to its time and place in history provides fascinating insight into the time, and its over-the-top cutscenes and climactic fights quickly endeared me to the series. A hefty batch of side-games and engaging, well-paced combat roped me in and sold me on my first ever Yakuza experience, but the vibrancy of its semi-fictional Japan will be what I remember most. Yakuza 0 doubles-down on series’ signature combination of hyperbolic action and self-aware comedy, while providing an honest window into a major period in recent Japanese history, and does so flawlessly.
A novel twist on familiar gameplay elements, Yakuza Zero once again delivers a unique blend of real-world immersion, humanistic storytelling, and some of the best action gameplay on the market.
It's easy to recommend Yakuza Zero to all fans of the series, as it tells a brilliant origin story that shows unseen sides of both the Kazuma and Majima personalities, and, at the same time, it's easy to dismiss this prequel as "another Yakuza game" for those whio never got to like the series. All in all, it's a solid and well written debut on PS4.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Yakuza 0 is a strong reminder of just how much potential the open world genre has for unique experiences. It’s easy to get bogged down with the long list of games that just give you a map full of tasks to complete. Yakuza 0 is not one of those games. It’s got a strong story to tell, and tons of genuinely fun and funny side ventures to partake in. On top of it all, its combat is so fun, you just might find yourself running around Japan looking for Mr. Shakedown to teach him a lesson.
It's a truly wonderful trick that Yakuza 0 plays, and rather than work out how it does it, just sit back and let this videogaming alchemy entertain you.
There hasn't been a better time to get into this underrated crime franchise than now. Yakuza 0 is both a game made for the longtime fans and for newcomers alike. While it isn't a perfect game, it's compelling narrative and characters, along with the entertaining combat and plethora of side content, make this an experience that no fan of the series should miss. If you haven't played any games in the Yakuza franchise and you're wondering what all the hubbub is about, this is where you should start.
After the success of Yakuza 0 on PlayStation 4, I hope this move to PC enables it to reach more of an audience, because those titles have been delivering quality experiences since first appearing on the PlayStation 2.
On their own, each of the above could make for a decent game, but combined they make a whole which brings home the feeling of what the Yakuza series is.
Yakuza 0s slice of eighties Japan is gaudy, over the top and gloriously unashamed of itself in all the ways a majority of PC games aren't. The combination of fast paced combat, melodrama, comedy and mini-games provide a ton of fun for the asking price and the conversion from console to PC has been a resounding success. Absolutely worth your money and time.
Yakuza 0 is a solid and fine port.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Everything you want in a Mafia game is there, and there aren't any lootboxes.
But a little bit of jank makes little difference in the grand scheme of things, and Yakuza 0 is a strong testament to the level of detail and the amount of content the series is known for.
2017 is off to a great start for gaming and Yakuza 0 leads the way with its enjoyable gameplay (albeit a little dated) and some very interesting characters and a story to die for. My favourite element of Yakuza 0 was the exploration and the craziness of some of the side missions that when mixed with the micromanagement aspect and fighting, it creates a thoroughly enjoyable experience as you battle your way through the streets of Japan to gain your Yakuza cred.