Yakuza Kiwami 2

If you've seen a gangster film, then you already know the old cliche: "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." That is definitely the case with Kazuma Kiryu, the stoic star of the exciting new remake of Sega's 2006 open-world action game Yakuza 2. Every time he thinks he has found a way to escape his old life, there's always something or someone who drags him back into a world filled with punching gang members in the face. And while I feel bad that Kiryu never seems to get the peace and quiet he so desperately yearns for, Yakuza Kiwami 2 makes a strong case that he's at his best when he puts everything on the line to protect the ones he loves most.

When it was first released back in 2006, Yakuza 2 was hailed by critics as a technologically ambitious sequel with a deep story full of twists and turns. Unfortunately, it didn't sell well outside of Japan, so a lot of people missed out on one of Kiryu's most tantalizing adventures. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is a much-needed remake that completely rebuilds the 12 year old game from the ground up. It uses the engine that powered this year's Yakuza 6 to create a third-person brawler that looks and feels like a modern release. The result is a night and day difference that treats the source material with the respect it deserves.

Yakuza Kiwami 2 finds Kiryu in a more peaceful and balanced place this time around. A year has passed since the events of the first game and everything has started to return to normal. But his life gets flipped upside-down when the Fifth Chairman of the Tojo Clan is gunned down in a graveyard. His dying request sends Kiryu on a dangerous mission that quickly spirals out of control. It won't take long for our hero to uncover a massive conspiracy that sees a foreign gang seemingly rise from the dead and go to war in order to right the wrongs of the past.

This sequel also introduces us to Kaoru Sayama, a young police officer who the thugs on the street call "The Yakuza Huntress." She's a strong and independent woman who has her own motivations and doesn't need Kiryu to swoop in and save the day. Well, except for a couple times when the story slips into cliches, but she's generally a tough companion who gets more to do than just be some boring love interest. Her story is largely what drives the narrative and is one of the most compelling threads in Yakuza Kiwami 2.

If you're already a fan of this series, then you'll recognize a lot of the formula here. Much like the 2006 version, this sequel goes a long way to cement what you should expect from a Yakuza game. We follow Kiryu as he explores both the red-light district of Kamurocho, as well the seedier parts of Osaka. These locations are teaming with story missions and an overwhelming amount of side-quests. It's easy to bounce from one silly task to another, all while you slowly uncover the twists and turns that make up the main quest. Just like all Yakuza games, there's a lot to do here and it's going to take you dozens of hours to see everything.

And as far as I'm concerned, that isn't a problem. There's just something about the mindless beat 'em up combat that so satisfying that I don't even mind when I get into random battles on the city streets. Instead of switching between a bunch of fighting styles like in the original Kiwami, this sequel puts the emphasis on weapons. Now you will not only be able to pick up swords, guns and baseball bats, but also pocket them and switch between them by mapping the weapons to different hotkeys. Although it's not as deep as the various fighting styles found in the original, I found that I preferred the weapon-based combat. My only complaint is that the game doesn't delete the broken swords and bats from your inventory, so you'll occasionally have to go in and manually drop them. It's a minor issue, but still annoying.

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When you're not actively beating up thugs, you'll spend much of your time taking on the various mini-games and diversions. There are all kinds of time-wasting activities to be found in Yakuza Kiwami 2, including a fun little game where you sing karaoke, throw darts, host a gentleman's club and swing for the fences at a batting range. And for those looking to escape the crime life all together, there's a Sega arcade that offers fully emulated versions of both Virtua Fighter 2 and Sega's underappreciated gem Virtual On. I always love seeing what classic arcade games Sega will include in these Yakuza sequels.

Speaking of extras, Yakuza Kiwami 2 also brings us a brand new story mode centered on fan-favorite Goro Majima. This is a completely separate game that sees the snake skin-loving gangster framed for a crime he didn't commit and forced to prove his innocence as the rest of the families come after him. I like the different attitude he brings to his story and how quick the action is. This is nowhere as long or deep as Kiryu's quest, but it does a good job of filling in the backstory and giving us brand new content.

From a story perspective, I found a lot of Yakuza Kiwami 2 to feel a little too familiar. I spent the first half of this game wondering if there would be any real surprises, since so much of it felt like the kind of gang wars and political struggles we've come to expect from this franchise. The good news is that the second half is full of surprises, especially in the final act. In fact, there may be a few too many twists in the last chapter, but it did make for one of the craziest endings I've ever seen. It goes completely off the rails in the best (and dumbest) way possible.

If you've played a Yakuza game on the PlayStation 4, then you already know how good this series can look, and this remake is no exception. Although the two cities are considerably smaller than most open-world action games, they are dense and filled with detail. Both locations have their own unique personalities and they feel like real, lived-in areas of Japan. This is a big improvement over the original game, which forced Kiryu to fight through a city filled with fixed camera angles and blocky backgrounds.

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The voice acting and music is also good, though I couldn't help but notice that there are a lot of times when the game will inexplicably switch to text for the less important conversations. It's a little jarring, to be honest. You'll be in the middle of a fully voice acted conversation and then, poof, it's nothing but text bubbles. At that point the characters just grunt and make noises while you read the rest of the conversation. That's a little disappointing, and I would lying if I said it didn't take me out of the experience. That said, there is a lot of dialog in this game, so it's understandable.

Although the formula is awfully familiar, there's no denying the quality of this remake. Yakuza Kiwami 2 offers a compelling crime story filled with over-the-top characters and beautifully-realized locations. It's also a fun big-budget beat 'em up, something we don't get enough of these days. And considering how poorly the PlayStation 2 game sold back in 2006, it's nice to see this chapter of the Kazuma Kiryu saga given a much-needed facelift. The result is thrilling action game that doesn't stray too far from the tried and true Yakuza formula.