Yakuza Kiwami 2 Reviews

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is ranked in the 95th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.7 / 10.0
Sep 19, 2018

Overall, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the best entries in the franchise. It's the technically most advanced and includes many improvements that significantly enhance the experience while also telling a gripping and satisfying story. It's not perfect, with a sometimes slow progression system and a few hit-and-miss additions in the side content. Some fun additions from previous iterations could've made Kiwami 2 even more special.

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86 / 100
Aug 8, 2020

For series veterans, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a great time but it doesn’t give us anything we haven’t seen many times before, with the usual environments, side-activities, and cutscene-heavy narrative exposition.

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8.5 / 10.0
Sep 15, 2018
Yakuza Kiwami 2 - Easy Allies Review video thumbnail
85 / 100
Aug 23, 2018

A story of loyalty and honor, it is peerless in the crime fiction genre. The gameplay is so varied and exhaustive even if you tend to simply solve all your problems with your fists.There are some kinks to work out about how it deals with its more lascivious content, but what this game does well, it does so well that all I want to do is get right back in to see what I missed.

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85 / 100
Aug 4, 2020

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a contender for the best game in this consistently excellent series. Its crime drama story of family, love, revenge, and pride will have you hooked. Combat has never felt as smooth or involved before, outside of certain moments. This is a gorgeous, fun, heartwarming, and extreme remake of one of the franchise's most beloved entries.

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85%
Jun 5, 2019

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a fantastic sequel, improving on almost every aspect of Kiwami 1.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2018

What better way to remake one of the earliest games in a series than by smashing its various pieces together with those of the newest entry? The Yakuza franchise truly is the gift that keeps on giving

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2018

Graphically-wise, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best in the franchise so far, but it's not only the Dragon Engine that shines: an array of mini-games, an amazing campaign and improved combat system are the stars of the show.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Aug 28, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is perfect for anyone looking to experience the best of the early Yakuza titles without sacrificing the refined gameplay mechanics and visuals

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85 / 100
Aug 27, 2018

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.

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Digiato
Arash Parsapour
Top Critic
85 / 100
Oct 17, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is among the best titles of the series like Yakuza 0. If you haven't got the chance to get yourself involved in world of Yakuza already, this is the perfect time.

Review in Persian | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
Aug 30, 2018

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.

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8.3 / 10.0
Aug 28, 2018

Yakuza’s silly sense of humor may not be everyone, but it’s complex narrative plays out like an HBO style crime thriller, so it’s worth experiencing for that alone. Fans of the series will, no doubt, have a blast with Yakuza Kiwami 2.

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8.1 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 totally revitalizes an underrated gaming classic and applies the lessons Sega learned throughout the series’ evolution. It’s still unique and even weird at times, and it can still be a little rough around the edges, but few series manage to take you deep into a criminal underworld and tell such compelling stories.

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IGN
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2018

Despite the fact that the made-for-PlayStation 4 Yakuza 6 was only released a few short months ago, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the best and most fully formed Yakuza game of 2018 even though it's a remake of a game that's now two console generations old. Its storyline is gripping, its weapons-heavy fighting system accommodates no shortage of spectacle, and it serves up plenty of enjoyable side activities – both mini and macro – to divert to or return for after the story wraps. Yakuza 0 may still be the high watermark for the series on the PS4, but Yakuza Kiwami 2 isn't too far behind.

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Edmond Tran
Top Critic
8 / 10
Aug 27, 2018

Old and new components of the Yakuza franchise combine to create one of the series' strongest entries.

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8 / 10
Aug 23, 2018

Adding to a growing list of great PS4 remakes, Yakuza: Kiwami 2 is up there with the best games in SEGA's series. While PS2-era design does rear its ugly head now and again, another brilliantly dramatic story steals the spotlight. Throw in some superb optional content, and you've got a prime Yakuza package that's ultimately very difficult to fault.

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GameMAG
ACE
Top Critic
8 / 10
Sep 9, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is an amazing remake of Yakuza 2 with superb graphics, charismatic characters, addictive gameplay and a lot of fun side quests. If you have finished Yakuza 0 and the first Kiwami already, then you should definitely play Kiwami 2.

Review in Russian | Read full review

8 / 10
Aug 23, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is clearly the update Yakuza 2 deserved. The very talented people over at Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios recreated the riveting Yakuza 2 plot while adding new side quests and activities. Even if a couple of elements from the original game are now missing, Kiwami 2 has more than enough content to keep players glued to their scree to their screens. It must also be noted that the Dragon Engine looks and runs better than it did in Yakuza 6. All in all, Kiwami 2 another great Yakuza game that fans of the series should not miss.

Review in French | Read full review

8 / 10
Aug 23, 2018

Yakuza Kiwami 2 aims to recreate one of the greatest entries in the series, and it doesn't disappoint.

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