Yakuza Kiwami 2 Reviews
While the main story can get too melodramatic for its own good and Majima's side story doesn't amount to much, I can recommend Yakuza Kiwami 2 on its level of presentation alone. The twists and turns of the plot kept me wanting to see what would happen next, the gorgeous production provided by the Dragon Engine left me wandering the streets just taking in the sites, and the combat is as satisfying as hitting someone you don't like with a bicycle. While I can't say that Yakuza 2 still holds up under a modern lens, I can say that this remake kept my attention to the end. And in that regard, the developers should give themselves a round of applause.
Mechanically, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best offering in the entire series. With the abundance of fun distractions, quirky side stories, break-neck and brutal combat, and the franchise's signature dark, if sometimes convoluted story, newcomers and veterans are in for a real treat.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great retelling of Yakuza 2 with a new coat of paint, new content, rebalanced gameplay, more mini-games, more sidequest… more everything! If you're a fan of the Yakuza series then you probably pre-ordered this game and are ready to take it for a spin, but if you still haven't played a game in this franchise, then you should definitely check this remake sequel thing. Even better, start with Yakuza 0 and work your way up to Yakuza 6, one game at a time, so that you're ready for when the PlayStation 3 trilogy is on PS4. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an excellent PlayStation 4 game and a must-have release.
Not once has SEGA let me down, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 is no different. It's a bloody brilliant game.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is another enjoyable instalment in the series. Switching between Kamurocho and Sotenbori with there being so much to do means the action never gets stale, and the new content offers some variety that will spice things up even for people who know Yakuza 2 inside out. That said, the features that have been cut from the original are greatly missed, and the new songs just don't have the same impact as the old ones do, most of the time. It's still definitely worth a play-through if a fan of the series (or even if only recently getting into it), but it's difficult to call it the definitive version of Yakuza 2.
If you haven't gotten into the Yakuza series, I don't know what you are waiting for. Yakuza Kiwami 2 adds new features and perfects old ones, making it one of the funnest games on the market today.
It's really quite amazing that even though this is the third Yakuza game released in the past 12 months, the formula still hasn't gotten old but rather just seems to get better.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 thrives on the back of a great villain and it is arguably the best story chapter in Kazuma Kiryu's saga. It is also the most comprehensive Yakuza game so far with plenty of mini-games and side activities to keep you engaged for a long time.
A perfect slice of Yakuza life, with added toppings of humour and a badass crime story.
You might worry that this is too much Yakuza, but there's no such thing.
Fans of Kiryu's crazy adventures will love Yakuza Kiwami 2 as it's full of over-the-top action and ridiculous scenarios.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 refreshes the formula introduced in the previous chapters. The story and characters remain top-notch, making it one of the most beautiful entries in the Yakuza series.
Review in Italian | Read full review
SEGA and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios put a ton of love and care into Yakuza Kiwami 2, and it runs flawlessly on Switch 2. If you’re like me and itching for a reason to take a plunge into the Yakuza universe, there’s no better time than the present.
The Nintendo Switch 2 port of Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great first showing for the Dragon Engine on Nintendo's hybrid system. Despite the game's frame rate being locked to 30 FPS, Yakuza Kiwami 2 looks impressive in both handheld and docked modes with very little signs of compromise. Yakuza Kiwami 2's Switch 2 port isn't perfect, but it's fully playable and enjoyable from start to finish, and it shows that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has room to make more optimizations.
Like its predecessors, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of my favorite games of the year. While it might disappoint a little with its slightly more focused combat, Kiwami 2 makes up for it with a huge range of possibilities for fun. Whether it's helping Majima in his own minigame like Tower Defense, playing in a urinal arcade, or simply challenging the Dragon of Kansai, this is a worthy evolution of the ballad of Kazuma Kiryu and his eternal quest for a peaceful life.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami 2 impresses with Dragon Engine visuals and a compelling villain, effectively utilizing the Switch 2’s hardware for fidelity. However, the experience is marred by inconsistent frame pacing and a jarring drop to 30 FPS, making it a beautiful but technically uneven sequel to its smoother predecessors.
Overall, this Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2 bundle for Nintendo Switch is great news for fans of the series and for those who want to discover its origins. There are no technical revolutions, but it is a polished, stable edition with Spanish text, ideal for enjoying anywhere. A well-rounded release at an attractive price that confirms the Dragon of Dojima is still going strong.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Featuring an impressive graphical and technical leap, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best game in the series available on the Nintendo Switch 2 so far. Some unwanted technical glitches exist here and there, but they don't dim the brilliance of an experience that is varied and very fun.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami 2 makes me believe in ports of the entire series on the Switch due to the use of the current graphics engine, even though this entire multiplatform expansion of the series after being stuck for several years in exclusivity with PlayStation seems like a dream. I believe that the more people who have access to it [the series], the better, and this game is a very good release in the franchise overall, considering its importance in laying the groundwork for titles released later.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Yakuza Kiwami 2 masterfully updates the PS2 classic, featuring gorgeous graphics and a revamped combat system based on Yakuza 6, making Sotenbori more beautiful and immersive than ever. The Nintendo Switch 2 version has proven to be an extremely competent port, maintaining graphical quality and performance close to that of other platforms.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review