Yakuza 4

If you're intent on playing through the Yakuza series, it's highly likely that you'll end up buying and playing Yakuza 4 along the way. You may reasonably argue that it wouldn't make sense to skip over a major entry in the saga. I understand that, and wouldn't really like to deter fans from buying it. My negative review is more a statement that Yakuza 4 is, in my opinion, the weakest instalment I've played so far.

The plot is convoluted, with a now-notorious twist in the second half that can only fail to impress. The cutscene-to-gameplay ratio is tiresome at times: you'll probably wonder at points, "when can I actually *do* something?". Overall, it feels like a chore to play. It's the first time I've abandoned a Yakuza game before the finish line; I'll read up on what I've missed ahead of playing Yakuza 5 whenever my interest in the series has recovered.