Yakuza Kiwami 2 Reviews
The streets of Kamurocho have never been more beautiful, but the story disappoints.
An expert remake, imbued with lavish production design, superior voice-acting, flashy fighting, and hours of side content and virtual tourism.
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.
As much as this is a better, more confident game than Yakuza 6, the series still has plenty of room to grow.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 doesn't hit all the notes of its predecessor, but it's still a gorgeous re-imagining of one of Sega's finest action games.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 won't make those who haven't clicked with the series yet a believer, but for fans, it's well worth the journey if you don't mind retreading some familiar ground. While the slow middle and Majima side campaign are disappointing, Kiwami 2 is still another solid entry in the Yakuza canon.
An excellent remake that manages to overcome the flaws of the original and offer a glimpse at what a next gen Yakuza game might look like.
In the end, I’d say that Yakuza Kiwami 2 is still a decent game that has a lot going for it, but I really hope that for the next remake or entry in the series they improve upon everything about the Dragon Engine if they plan on keeping it around, as well as changing up the design choices regarding how you level up and improve your character.
For my money, it is the best way to experience this particular story and improves enough of the game to make for a great time sink. Maybe certain aspects could have been tweaked to be more faithful to the source material, but the worst thing that could happen is you end up wanting to play the original to see the changes firsthand. That isn't such a terrible outcome.
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.
Fans of Kiryu's crazy adventures will love Yakuza Kiwami 2 as it's full of over-the-top action and ridiculous scenarios.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Yakuza Kiwami 2 delivers a slick fresh coat of paint onto this Japanese epic tale, while keeping the same engaging and complex story that fans know and love.
As the fourth entry in a very short time and coming after Zero and 6 means that it doesn't quite have the same impact as it did originally, with a simpler story and sidequest and battle design than those two game. Nevertheless, it remains an excellent game with its immersive content and world.
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A perfect slice of Yakuza life, with added toppings of humour and a badass crime story.