Yakuza Kiwami 2 Reviews
With a story full of well written characters and a plot that is packed full of drama and numerous twists and turns it easy to see why Yakuza 2 is still classed by many of the series’ fans as the best entry in the franchise. This remake treats the original source material with a lot of respect and retains the core of what made it so great while injecting new systems in to better suit a 2018 audience. The visual fidelity and open world traversal have been vastly improved thanks to the Dragon Engine and it has me excited to see what’s to come in the future as the other PS3 Yakuza games have been confirmed to be getting re-releases in the future.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a pure joy on every level. This game excels in every area that I feel like Western gaming completely fails. It balances amazing gameplay and storytelling seamlessly. This is why it’s so damn good. If you’ve never played a Yakuza game before, you can jump right in at this one with no problem. There is a huge optional story recap at the front of the game that will catch you up to speed. I spent about 30 hours with this one and there is still a ton of stuff to see and do. The bonus content here is crazy, from the Majima side story to the ability to play the 2-player arcade games straight from the main menus. That’s right folks, you and a friend can play Virtual On or Virtua Fighter 2 right from the main menu. This game is worth every penny of the $49.99 price tag and I would recommend this to anyone that loves a good story or open world games. If I could give this bad boy 6 out of 5 stars, I would!
Yakuza Kiwami 2 wasn’t just a continuation to the first, but a proper successor to the first. Continuing the storyline from where the first left off to implementing a ton of new features and quality of life improvements, and I look forward to seeing The Yakuza Collection (3-4-5) and Yakuza 6 release on the XB1 to continue Kiryu’s tale.
One step above the first Yakuza Kiwami. However, newcomers to the series should still start with Yakuza 0.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Existing Yakuza fans most likely already know that this is a must buy if you're on the Kiwami train. As for new players looking to jump in, You can go in order, but the game does a good recap of what you missed in the early minutes of the game. Either way, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a damn good game worthy of your time.
To sum it up, I absolutely fell in love with Yakuza Kiwami 2 and its series in general. While I never thought I would be able to love a game where it’s core component is fighting, I am absolutely glad I decided to give this game a try. While I have to admit there’s something really satisfying about beating up thieves, the story totally threw me off and got me hooked right until the end. Yakuza Kiwami 2 managed to make me care about its characters a lot and surprisingly, the mini-games were unbelievably fun.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a bit of a mixed bag for me with so many small issues, but tons of great aspects. Hopefully the next remaster will be a better one with improved gameplay, visuals, facial animations, and more. Maybe I was expecting it to be as good as Yakuza 0.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 has proven to be the best entry in the franchise thus far. It manages to deliver on all fronts and is an absolute must play for action-adventure fans and especially for those that are fans of the previous games in the series.
Overall, the game looks, sounds, and plays better and there’s just more to do. Experienced players will see a number of quality of life changes as well.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the culmination of the greatest parts of the franchise. Utilizing Yakuza 6: The Song of Life’s Dragon Engine and physics-enabled combat pairs beautifully with the high stakes tale born on the PlayStation 2 over a decade ago. I might even go as far to say that this recreation could be an even more fitting send-off for Kiryu before the series embraces its new protagonist. Simply put, Kiwami 2 is the peak of Yakuza.
SEGA has given a lot of love to the Yakuza series, at the end of 2017 he gave us Yakuza Kiwami, a totally reconstructed version of the original game for PS2 and at the beginning of this 2018 he amazed us with the magnificent final of the series with Yakuza 6. At the end of August the company Nipona brought us the remastered version of the second game that saw the light on PS2, so we moved from Kamurocho to Osaka in the world of Yakuza Kiwami 2.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Despite its lack of combat options when compared to previous titles, SEGA continues to prove why Yakuza should be up there with other franchise heavyweights with another packed installment.
The plot is fun and engaging, the multitude of distractions are a step up from its release predecessor, and Kazuma Kiryu’s steel resolve and Steve Rodgers-esque disposition makes for yet another fun romp through the seedy underworld we’ve come to know and love yet again.
Overall, Kiwami 2 is yet another stellar Yakuza re-release. This time it runs in Yakuza 6's dragon engine and it's absolutely gorgeous to look at.
Kiwami 2 is such a great game. From the wonderfully crafted story to all the returning activities, I had loads of fun diving back into the world of Yakuza. This series has become one of, if not, my favorite of all. If you would have asked me a few years ago if a Yakuza game would have been in my top tier list alongside the likes of Mass Effect, Halo, and Grand Theft Auto I would have called you crazy. But here I am devouring every little bit of the series I can get and Kiwami 2 delivers on everything I wanted more of.
An expert remake, imbued with lavish production design, superior voice-acting, flashy fighting, and hours of side content and virtual tourism.
It's nearly impossible to play Yakuza Kiwami 2 without feeling spoiled. This remake doesn't just transform an old game's visuals into something more visually palatable. It actually adds all the elements you'd expect from a modern day Yakuza title and wraps them around the bones of the most polished version of the developer's most modern game engine. Fuse these assets together with fan-favorite story and a plethora of side activities, and you have yourself not only one of the best remakes on the market, but also one of the best Yakuza titles to date.
Yakuza games are always a joy for to review. They iterate just enough each time to differentiate themselves but they always stay true to a core focus and never try to break apart an already winning formula. As it turns out, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best of the bunch.
Yakuza seems to be picking up more and more traction without showing signs of stopping, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a shining example of why that is. Despite some shallow combat, it encapsulates everything that makes a Yakuza game special. The break-neck pacing of the main story ensures its hooks get right into you, and even if you do get side-tracked by the plethora of activities available in these dense open worlds, you’ll have just as much fun. It’s a title that aims to please both fans and newcomers alike, which it pulls off with flying colors, proving once again that Yakuza is a series worthy of the attention it receives and more.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 does a superb job remaking a classic of the series. The presentation and delivery of the whole experience shows an incredible amount of dedication from the development team to make sure the momentum obtained from Zero and Kiwami could continue for the series, perhaps driven even further as it has been confirmed this will be the last true remake for the series with 3 and 4 being released as HD remasters. In a world with room for only one dragon, the Dragon of Dojima soars.