I love games like Grand Theft Auto that drop you into a beautiful open world and let you roam free. The problem though, is that most games that are released today seem to have some pretty barren open worlds, with little variation in quest activity, minigames, subquests, or just about any other feature you may find to be essential to make an open world game truly feel alive.

Please, don't buy another Ubisoft title. Give Yakuza a try. It's a third person, open world beat-em-up with serious dramatic storylines, wacky and funny sidequests, and a small open world that's packed to the brim with activity.

In most of these games you play as Kiryu Kazuma, a top notch gangster with a heart of gold, as he trickles through the moral perils of life in the underground, and the dangers they present. This man will go out of his way to help anybody, and will do anything for the people he cares about.

As you progress through the main storyline and its brutal and realistic portrayal, you will undoubtedly be struck with distraction, be it a stranger on the street needing your help, to the full fledged Sega arcades, minigolf, management simulators, real time strategy clan modes, collectible items, or just enjoying the city.

There are several games in the Yakuza series, so where to start? Well, the first two games were recently remade, titled Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2. Yakuza 3, 4, and 5 are to be remastered and released
this February, and Yakuza 6, the final chapter in the series story arc, was released last year. There is also a prequel titled Yakuza 0, set in the 80s. Spinoffs to the series include import titles like Yakuza Kenzan and Yakuza Inshin, which take on ninja and samurai themes, Yakuza Dead Souls, a zombie shooter, and Judgement, a detective thriller with a new protagonist and intensely detailed gameplay elements. Coming this year is Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, which will feature a new protagonist and a new city, a major change in pace for the past dozen games.

Have you ever played a Yakuza title? What's your favorite? Mine is Yakuza 2 because you can fight a tiger, but I also really like Yakuza 6 for its emotional impact.

I haven't ever played a yakuza title before but they do sound like they would be a lot of fun to play and a youtuber I'm a fan of also keeps on referencing it so I should probably look into playing one of them sometime. XD

I haven't played a lot of Yakuza, but I am a big fan of what the series promises, and I'll be playing through the entire series shortly.

I already own Zero, Kiwami 1+2, and 6. Once the remake collection is officially out, I'll be starting my playthrough of the series.

The only question for me is whether I start with 1 and do it in order of release date like they meant it to be played, or in chronological order.

Yakuza is top-notch, quality stuff. I give it my highest recommendation.