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Message: [QUOTE="Aziamuth, post: 98230, member: 16"] A while ago, me and Yousef wrote an article about how Yakuza changed. If you're interested in reading it, it's [URL='https://retrogametalk.com/threads/yakuza-isnt-what-it-used-to-be.4317/']here[/URL]. I still stand for what I said at the time, and I'm sure Yousef does (if anything, stronger, given our recent convos about Yakuza Pirates). However, I've come to a conclusion (precisely from those conversations). In the article, I pointed out that the franchise lost something that it used to have. In Yousef's words, a certain "je-ne-sais-quoi". Well, I finally know what that "something is". The games are more taxing. I don't mean this literally, of course. You're not paying more taxes for buying a new Like a Dragon game, haha. No. Rather, I mean "mentally exhausting". Compare, say, Yakuza 5 with Infinite Wealth. Both games are filled to the brim with side content and are considered to be very long. In fact, Yakuza 5 takes longer to 100% because of how much side content is, despite the fact that the story itself is shorter. Despite that, Yakuza 5 never feels as mentally demanding. And this is because [B]mini-games are completely mandatory in Infinite Wealth[/B]. "B-but Aziamuth! In Yakuza 5, side stories are also mandatory, and take longer to get them over with than the minigames in Infinite Wealth". That's true. However, in Yakuza 5, those side stories [B]are tied to the stories of each character[/B], so at least they serve a narrative purpose. Whether that narrative purpose is well executed or not, that's up to debate. In Infinite Wealth, that's not the case. All mini-games are spoonfed and simply happen because the game demands it. Also, Infinite Wealth doesn't let your curiosity run wild the same way Yakuza 5 does. You see, in Yakuza 5 every character (save for Akiyama) has an additional unique minigame. However, finding that minigame is completely optional, and it's tied to a substory (that's usually well written). In Infinite Wealth, you're given everything in a silver platter, so as not to miss out on something. Last, but not least, and this is a minor gripe, but those forced minigames in Infinite Wealth take away a substory, so you actually have less substories than you think you have. Frankly, at the end of the day it wouldn't matter as much if that wasn't the only way IW is mentally taxing in comparison to previous entries... but that's a story for another day... (or for the comments!) [/QUOTE]

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