For the better part of the last decade, I have told everyone I've ever met to play Yakuza. This wild enthusiasm for the spiritual (and arguably far more enjoyable) successor to the Shenmue series masks a villainous betrayal: until now, I've never played Yakuza 2. 

Sometime in the latter days of the PlayStation 2's lifespan, Yakuza 2 launched in the tumultuous wake of the Nintendo Wii and, like many enjoyable things that released in that window, was left adrift while shiny new console madness surged. Soon the resale market would snatch it up, and at its zenith, you could rarely find a copy for less than $70. 

By the time I realized my mistake (in 2009 when Yakuza 3 slipped quietly onto the PS3) returning to 2 was prohibitively difficult. Blessedly, Yakuza 3 had all the details conveniently stuffed in its main menu as if Sega knew exactly how ashamed we all were for missing out. 

Yakuza Kiwami 2 faces a much different world than its predecessor: Yakuza is popular. Somehow all the fanatics won out and players clamoring for meaningful single player experiences realized what they'd missed. Kiwami 2 does not have to fight for recognition, it has it and instead acts as a bridge between what Yakuza once was and what Yakuza 6 intends to change. 

A New Face

From the start, Kiwami 2 is bolder than last year's remake of Yakuza 1. Rather than continue with the competent but slightly dated engine used from Yakuza 5 through Kiwami, Ryu ga Gotoku studio opted to use the current gen tools designed for Yakuza 6. The effect is shocking at first, with Kamurocho now swimming in hazy, wet lighting as Kiryu slips in and out of the path of pedestrians. The city finally feels seedy and artificial where previously it felt like a slightly troubled but otherwise typical urban environment. 

Yakuza 6 fundamentally changed key aspects of how players interact with the world that I'm pleased to see carried on. The multi-faceted experience point system that rewards you for eating food, fighting, and experiencing the substories in 6 is back and a welcome change to the sphere grid styles in 0 and Kiwami. 

Before 6, going out to eat, finding substories and mini-games weren't necessarily required. With the advanced experience system, you can track how eating certain foods, drinking, and engaging with the hopelessly troubled denizens of both Kamurocho and Sotenbori impacts Kiryu's personal growth. In Kiwami 2, Kiryu is a grizzled 39-year-old who isn't out to reclaim his former glory but arrives as a powerful adult. His journey is different and informed by how you choose to let him engage. 

This also carries on into combat. As you stop street punks from hassling street barkers or help shop cashiers adjust to working in customer service, you'll unlock the ability to summon location-specific heat action assists. Depending on where you are when a battle takes place, you have a chance to trigger various interactions once you unlock the option with experience points.

I highly recommend taking your time with Kiwami 2 and opening up as many of these little side story connections as possible. When you're throwing hot kettles on street thugs or bashing them through racks of bikes with massive comedy fans you'll see the nonsensical heart of the Yakuza series shining through. Not everything is a grim-dark struggle between warring crime families. Sometimes you're trying to avoid taking your pants off for a photographer. 

Modern Osaka

Much like Yakuza 0, the story reaches across Japan as the steadily declining Tojo Clan tries to avoid an all-out war with the Omi Alliance. Rather than splitting the narrative between two characters across the map, Kiryu travels between Osaka's Sotenbori and Kamurocho in Tokyo to broker peace with the Omi Alliance and.... run a hostess club. 

Sotenburi is largely similar to how Goro Majima left it in 1988, only glitzier as the cabaret club he managed now dominates the market and the giant crab outside Kani Douraku moves as pedestrians meander past. Some pathways like the park where hobos hang out and the covered outdoor mall are not open to you in 2006 Osaka but the seamless transition from street view to the inside of buildings more than makes up for the decreased navigable space. 

Walking into restaurants and convenience stores without loading is the most freeing feeling after spending the last few months playing through Yakuza 0 and Kiwami again. Even battles take on a more fluid and world-aware style, where if you start fighting outside a Poppo, the battle transitions seamlessly into letting you trash the store as you hurl enemies through the sliding glass doors. 

Majima Returns

New to the Kiwami version of 2 is a Majima-focused side campaign explaining what happened between him crashing a construction truck through the front door of a soapland in Yakuza 1 to now. He's since left the Tojo clan and has taken up residence in the subterranean redlight district below Kamurocho known as Purgatory. 

Originally, Majima was not quite as prominent in the series and not considered a protagonist until Yakuza 0. His involvement with Kiryu's life grew exponentially through Yakuza 3 and beyond, making him a beloved if somewhat unsettling foil to Kiryu's perpetual stoicism. Sometimes efforts to retcon events for interesting characters can backfire but so far every revelation about the Mad Dog of Shimano's past fits delicately into place.

Personally, I'm glad Majima isn't constantly attacking me as I run around this time. The Majima Everywhere leveling system from Yakuza Kiwami was novel at first but grew tedious over time. I'll take fleshed out story content with Majima over repeatedly running away from him while trying to get a smile burger.

Clan Creator and Beyond

If you've played Yakuza 6 and enjoyed the semi-tower defense mini-game called Clan Creator you'll be happy to know it's back in Kiwami 2, this time focusing on Majima's construction business and defending it from aggressive real estate barons. I'm not the biggest fan of tower defense if I'm honest. I don't enjoy the hectic plate-spinning aspect and much prefer having direct control over units on a ground level ala Valkyria Chronicles.

Clan Creator in Kiwami 2 seems fine, though less glitzy than 6's star-studded version. I'd much prefer to have Pocket Circuit racing back from 5, 0, and Kiwami but even the stadium seems to have vanished in 2. 

The most notable mini-game addition, however, is Sega's infamous Toylet games. In every Sega Arcade you'll find a man eager to tell you all about Sega's initiative to keep restrooms clean by helping men aim when they pee. Enter a bathroom in an arcade in Kiwami 2 and Kiryu will be able to use his urine to play rather juvenile but otherwise silly mini-games. If you want to get the most out of your toylets experience you'll need to keep track of your urine levels via a bracket the ever-so-helpful Sega rep gives Kiryu. Have I mentioned that sometimes this series is just nonsense?

No, I Do Not Want to Take Pictures of Girls While Convincing Them to Undress

As much as I adore brawling through Japanese streets and finding the strangest people I can to interact with, I'm completely over "sexy" substories and mini-games.  As the header for this section suggests, the chatting up girls aspect from Yakuza 0 is now combined with the  "risque" videos Kiryu and Majima could watch to create a perfect storm of discomfort.

While walking down the street near West Park I was pulled into a substory even Kiryu didn't seem eager to engage with that asked me to take pictures of girls, as many as I'd like, for a small fee. What followed was an intensely awkward conversation with a video of a girl parading around her living room being vaguely flirtatious. Kiryu had to say all the right things to get a better "photo" and possibly convince her to undress further.

I get it. There's an audience for these elements and I don't object to "taking pictures of girls" being a factor in Yakuza Kiwami 2. I simply wanted some warning that it was happening. I sat through a lot of the videos available in Yakuza 0 to get CP points so Majima could have more hostesses and I think I've had my fill of utterly mundane sexual experiences.

What's truly frustrating is piecing together correct sentences for Kiryu feels like as much of a guessing game as the conversation system in early Shin Megami Tensei titles. Something is lost in the localization here that just makes for a somewhat creepy experience. 

Though I do want to give a shoutout to the video store sequences in Kiwami 2. Much like in 0, you pay a little money to watch videos you collect only this time you're simply watching Kiryu react to them, not the videos themselves. Some are racy, others are horror movies or romantic dramas. I much prefer this wink at naughtiness over the bold-faced 'look at this girl' option. 

Conclusion

I no longer have to feel ashamed that I missed out on playing Yakuza 2 back in 2006. Sega's dedication to remaking and remastering the early entries in the series is heavily informed by the successes found in later games and it works. Going back and filtering the grizzly story of two crime worlds colliding through the glitter-soaked chaos of mini-games, comically over-the-top fighting, and unbridled and sometimes bawdy humor makes the Yakuza world feel more alive than it ever has.  

Kiwami 2 is not without some needling annoyances, but I appreciate that I don't love every choice or substory. I can choose to make my Yakuza experience what I want it to be without compromising the story. 

At its core, Yakuza Kiwami 2 is beautiful nonsense that is free to do as it pleases. It is the herald for change in the series, building on what Yakuza 6 implemented and freeing itself in the process.

Now is a perfect time to launch a full playthrough of the series beginning with 0. by the time you make it to Kiwami 2, Kiwami 3 will likely be on the horizon and you can suddenly live in the moment and pretend you were never distracted by the world outside of Yakuza that you failed to enjoy the absurdity within. 

Notice: Sega provided a preview key for this review. Yakuza Kiwami 2 launches August 28, 2018 in North America.