pilman
A mind as clear as a polished mirror
I hear a lot of comparisons about Yakuza being Shenmues spiritual successor on youtube, podcasts and other places on the net.
I enjoy Yakuza, I really do and it has some great gameplay elements, one of the main reasons I got into Yakuza was thanks to the Shenmue gaming boards and as it's own series, it is a fun game with some minor similarities (like sleeping dogs) but also have some very significant differences.
1) Yes they both start off in Japan, have arcades by Yu Suzuki and combat but other than that, this is where the similarities end.
2) The world, Shenmue has characters with work schedules, nearly everyone can be talked to, have work schedules, there is a dynamic weather system, true day night cycle and certain events happen at certain times of the day.
3) Story, completely different, one is a case of a young man tracking down who murdered his father and going to a foreign country to find out more about his dads past and what happened
The other about a former Yakuza struggling with the ranks of power and not selling out his loyalty to people he cares about.
I know this gets brought up once in a while but I do think it confuses new fans and can even set really poor expectations. It would be like comparing Shenmue to GTA, they are nothing alike and while some of the folks who worked on Shenmue may now be working on Yakuza, the games are completely different and that is a good thing.
I enjoy Yakuza and Shenmue both. If I want a great laugh and understanding of the Japanese psuedocultures, Yakuza is a lot of fun with its goofy fighting but also serious mafia like storyline.
Shenmue I want that stoic serious Ryo, an impatient man on a mission finding his inner self and learning, becoming humble, discovering the new and the details, the living world.
I enjoy Yakuza, I really do and it has some great gameplay elements, one of the main reasons I got into Yakuza was thanks to the Shenmue gaming boards and as it's own series, it is a fun game with some minor similarities (like sleeping dogs) but also have some very significant differences.
1) Yes they both start off in Japan, have arcades by Yu Suzuki and combat but other than that, this is where the similarities end.
2) The world, Shenmue has characters with work schedules, nearly everyone can be talked to, have work schedules, there is a dynamic weather system, true day night cycle and certain events happen at certain times of the day.
3) Story, completely different, one is a case of a young man tracking down who murdered his father and going to a foreign country to find out more about his dads past and what happened
The other about a former Yakuza struggling with the ranks of power and not selling out his loyalty to people he cares about.
I know this gets brought up once in a while but I do think it confuses new fans and can even set really poor expectations. It would be like comparing Shenmue to GTA, they are nothing alike and while some of the folks who worked on Shenmue may now be working on Yakuza, the games are completely different and that is a good thing.
I enjoy Yakuza and Shenmue both. If I want a great laugh and understanding of the Japanese psuedocultures, Yakuza is a lot of fun with its goofy fighting but also serious mafia like storyline.
Shenmue I want that stoic serious Ryo, an impatient man on a mission finding his inner self and learning, becoming humble, discovering the new and the details, the living world.