Yakuza is one of the best action RPG series around, but these games are criminally underplayed. In the first episode of The Best Video Game Podcast Top SEO Search Result on Google, we give an overview of the series that will educate and fascinate newbs and time-hardened mafia bosses alike.
This is the first meaty half of a two-part dive into the series' past, present, and future, with emphasis on the most recent game, Yakuza 0. MP3 download links and streaming via GR's YouTube channel are below.
Topics with time stamps:
0:00:00 – Intro
0:02:01 – The Yakuza series in 1 minute
0:03:33 – Our experience with the series so far
0:05:50 – Yakuza is NOT like GTA
0:08:53 – Which game should you start with?
0:16:01 – Should you import the games? Which ones?
0:18:45 – Importing Yakuza Ishin and Yakuza Zero
0:24:33 – Yakuza’s hurdles to localization
0:30:20 – Sega’s marketing (or lack thereof)
0:34:15 – Tropes vs. Yakuza
0:40:41 – In-depth discussion of Yakuza Zero
0:44:05 – Why make a prequel with these characters?
0:47:40 – Japan’s 1988 economic bubble
0:53:12 – Bubble-era pop culture: beepers, disco and more
0:59:30 – 1988 Kamurocho and Soutenbori
1:03:25 – Creeping out random NPCs
1:08:08 – Combat in Yakuza Zero, Differences between 0 and 5
1:18:20 – Making it rain: money in Zero
1:20:54 – Sexual content and objectification
1:29:50 – The future of the Yakuza series
For those who'd rather stream, there's this:
Tell us what you think, even if you don't like it; but you will like it, because it's The Best Video Game Podcast Top SEO Search Result on Google.
Part 2 will go up this weekend. Thanks for listening.