Judgment Reviews
By and large, if you already have Judgment on the PS4, its remaster is hard to recommend. There isn't much that's new here, after all, and spending additional money on a nearly identical experience doesn't make much sense. That said, if you've never played Judgment before, this is an extremely easy recommendation. It tells an excellent story, offers a ton of varied and enjoyable content, and delivers an extremely polished take on the classic Yakuza formula.
But how do you review the experience of a city? I still don't think I know. Perhaps, as Judgment understands, our experiences are too precious, too deeply personal to do more than hint at suggestions of experience. To anecdote and extrapolate. To let slip the micro moments of intimate connection to a person or space, to leave others with only the wordless emotion of a snapshot.
Judgment proves that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's gameplay approach works with a new set of realized and charismatic characters. While it was a shame to see Kiryu's journey came to an end last year, Yagami and his former Yakuza buddy Kaito may be my new favorite duo. The narrative is highly engaging, and whether you use the Japanese or the English voices, the performances are outstanding. There is so much to see and accomplish between main story missions, that it is hard to list even a small portion of what you can do.
Judgment swerves Yakuza's circuitous criminal conspiracies a few degrees off course before turning up at familiar intersections of violence, eccentricity, and drama. Novelties surrounding its private detective facade, however, breakdown into tests of patience instead of pragmatism. Judgment may be an honest amendment to Yakuza's doctrine but its most refined and exciting practices are also its most routine.
Simultaneously fresh and familiar, Judgment is an excellent first step forward for the Yakuza universe after the conclusion of Kazuma Kiryu's story.
Judgment may be linked to Yakuza's legacy, but it still provides a great reason to explore Kamurocho once again.
Judgment is without a doubt the best playing Yakuza game to date. It has all of the quality of life improvements of the Dragon Engine alongside a host of new welcome features. The combat and minigames are the best they've ever been. The narrative is interesting overall, but can feel misguided and aimless at certain points.
Lengthy, and full of twists and turns, Judgment might offer up mostly basic detective sequences but there’s plenty to love about the world depicted. Twisted Trio included.
If you like previous Yakuza games, Judgment is right up your alley. A spin off that holds its own in the fictional Kamurocho, Judgment is a worthy entry in the world of Ryu ga Gotoku's Yakuza world. And while I found the story to be sluggish and in its own way at times, it's excellent combat and unique detective mechanics kept me engaged in my more than 20+ hour playthrough. Judgment is outrageous fun at times, relaxing at others and above all else tells a great story. It's definitely one I'll be coming back to over the next few months, uncovering more of Kamurocho's secrets with its favorite detective.
Judgment is the best Yakuza game ever...expect for the fact that, formally, it is not a Yakuza game. Still, there are enough new gameplay elements to lure new players in, and enough old references for returning fans. Don't miss it.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Making a spin-off to a beloved niche series that then drops its most popular character seemed like a crazy idea at first, but Judgment is a success beyond what I could have expected. Though it never quite escapes the shadow of its older siblings, this tale of a fallen lawyer and his refusal to let go of the truth provides an experience that has a lot to offer both Yakuza fans and newcomers alike.
Detective gameplay mixed in with Yakuza DNA wrapped up in an engaging crime thriller story with superb voice acting and memorable characters.
By combining the legal proceedings of Ace Attorney with the visceral combat and open-world hijinks of Yakuza, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has turned in a new, but familiar property.
If you’ve already played the game on PS4 then there’s little here to warrant a replay. But if not, you should definitely consider picking Judgment up now that it’s available on more formats whether you’re a Yakuza fan or not.
Judgment remastered is a fine return for 2019's Yakuza spin-off. Though all of its changes are purely technical, it's the best version of this detective thriller.
Altogether, it’s a thoroughly delightful detective adventure.
Though there are some hiccups along the way, Judgment proves without a doubt that Ryu Ga Gotoku studio doesn't need Kazuma Kiryu to sell a great game.
Although I did not get to play through the original version of the game, I took the time to compare it to its original release. The developers have definitely taken the time to enhance the graphics, sounds, and gameplay. Going through, Judgment on the Xbox Series X felt like a truly polished enhancement of its original predecessor; the rerelease made me thankful that I waited rather than playing the game at launch because I was able to experience the game how the developers intended. If you have yet to try Judgment, it is worth picking it up on the Xbox Series X. If you have but it’s been a while and you are considering playing through Lost Judgment then it is something to consider picking up as well.
This development team is arguably the best that Sega has. There seems to be a consistency here that many studios lack. Judgment is a great starting point for newcomers to this style of game and one that could surprise many Yakuza players.
Fantastic story paired with relatively simplistic game-play makes judgment a great starting point to beginners of the genre, but the lack of depth in the action elements makes me confident now that Yakuza series (there are 11 games including spinoffs on PS4) would be a far more entertaining and involving game series to partake in on my PlayStation 4.