Yakuza Kiwami 2
- July 29, 2020
- SEGA
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Get on Xbox Games Store"Yakuza Kiwami 2" is an action-adventure game set in the criminal underworld of Japan. It's a remake of the original "Yakuza 2" game, featuring enhanced graphics and gameplay mechanics. The player controls former yakuza lieutenant Kazuma Kiryu, who becomes embroiled in a brutal power struggle involving rival gangs and corrupt politicians.
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
Cloud
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PlayStation
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Xbox Game Pass
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Reviews
- Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a visually stunning remake that enhances the original game's graphics and gameplay, making it feel modern and engaging.
- The game offers a rich and compelling story filled with intrigue, betrayal, and emotional depth, along with a plethora of side missions and mini-games to keep players entertained.
- Combat is satisfying and improved, featuring a variety of upgrade paths and special moves, making battles feel dynamic and rewarding.
- The game can feel slow-paced at the beginning due to lengthy cutscenes, and some players may find the story lacks hooks until later chapters.
- The fighting style can become repetitive, and the absence of multiple fighting styles from previous entries may disappoint some fans.
- Some players feel that the writing quality has slightly declined compared to earlier titles in the series, impacting overall immersion.
- story26 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The story in the game is generally praised for its compelling narrative and engaging pacing, particularly in Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami 2, where side missions and mini-games enrich the experience. While some players find the main story repetitive or lacking in hooks, the overall content, including voiced cutscenes for side stories, adds depth and keeps the gameplay lively. The setting in Osaka and the character arcs, especially Kiryu's journey, resonate well with fans, making it a standout aspect of the series.
“Takes place in Osaka with a pretty intriguing story.”
“Awesome story and great gameplay.”
“The true send-off to Kiryu's epic journey, and a great treatment to the series' best story.”
“The fighting style gets really repetitive and it seems like the story isn't as good.”
“Kind of boring, the story does not pick up even when halfway through.”
“Beat chapter 6 and still found there are little to no story hooks.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a modernized reimagining of the second Yakuza game, featuring an open-world 3D beat-em-up style that becomes repetitive over time but is complemented by an addictive leveling system. Players can expect quality-of-life improvements in mini-games like the cabaret club and a more strategic clan creator, enhancing the overall experience. While the core gameplay may take a few hours to fully engage, it remains enjoyable and is well-integrated with the game's narrative.
“Awesome story and great gameplay.”
“If you missed or forgot the first game, there's a summary cutscene you can watch at the start of the game that keeps you up to date on what's happening leading up to this game. Gameplay: essentially an open world 3D beat-em-up.”
“Core gameplay gets repetitive after a while, but the core leveling system is really addicting as you become more powerful.”
“Will not get into core gameplay until a few hours in; this game is a complete re-imagining of the second Yakuza game from 2008 with updated modernized graphics and gameplay to make it more in tone with the latest entries in the series: Yakuza 0, Yakuza 5, and Yakuza Kiwami.”
“The cabaret club mini-game received a ton of quality of life updates and features to make the gameplay feel much better than its original outing, and the clan creator feels much more strategic and rewarding - albeit still grindy - than its debut.”
- graphics4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The graphics in this re-imagined version of the second Yakuza game have received a significant overhaul, featuring modernized character models and backgrounds that align with the latest entries in the series. Reviewers praise the superb visual quality, highlighting it as a major improvement over the original while maintaining the gripping storyline.
“This game is a complete re-imagining of the second Yakuza game from 2008 with updated, modernized graphics that align with the latest entries in the series.”
“The story remains the same as the original, but the graphics have received a significant overhaul.”
“It's not a simple up-rez in graphics; character models and backgrounds have undergone a complete rework, making it look like modern Yakuza games.”
“The story remains the same as the original, but the graphics have an overhaul.”
“It's not a simple up-rez in graphics as character models and backgrounds have a complete rework, making it look like modern Yakuza games.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players note that the game enhances emotional engagement through additional cutscenes, particularly in the ending, which contrasts with the original's minimalistic approach. They recommend experiencing Yakuza 0 and 1 beforehand to deepen the emotional investment in the story.
“There are additional cutscenes to make you more emotionally invested, especially the ending, compared to the original, which had only freeze frames with text in some instances.”
“I recommend playing Yakuza 0 and 1 first before this one, as you'll get more of an emotional investment seeing both games are prequels to this game.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is characterized by a vibrant and lively city setting, offering an abundance of engaging activities that contribute to an overall sense of fun.
“Over the top fun in such a vibrant city atmosphere with lots to do.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players note that while the cabaret club mini-game and clan creator have seen significant quality of life improvements and offer a more strategic experience, they still involve a considerable amount of grinding.
“The cabaret club mini-game received a ton of quality of life updates and features to make the gameplay feel much better than its original outing, and the clan creator feels much more strategic and rewarding - albeit still grindy - than its debut.”
