Yakuza 2 Critic Reviews

Even taking the shortcomings into account, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better game than Yakuza 2 on the PS2 this year. I’m impressed with Sega being able to churn out a game of this quality, and wish they would do it more often.

Yakuza 2 is a fantastic sequel to an already great game.

Yakuza 2 is more than worth your attention. The writing is often sharp and witty, the cast of characters are wonderfully realised each with there own intricate back-story and the story is deep enough to throw off even the biggest of cynics.

Its fantastic story and satisfying combat should be experienced by fans of the Japanese criminal underworld.

While Yakuza 2 isn't vastly improved or even all that different from the first game (that will likely happen when the PS3 continuation finally hits), but what it does offer is a fantastic story that is actually interesting, sports characters that you can grow to love or hate, and plenty of twists to keep all those disparate parts fresh. Go buy this game. Seriously.

Yakuza 2 is a superior follow-up. It corrects flaws from the previous game, lends an attentive ear to fans' criticisms, keeps us interested with a strong narrative and improves the fighting.

Not only is this a brilliant sequel to an excellent crime drama but it’s simply a bigger and better action game with a lot to offer. If you liked the first game you will love this sequel.

Still, it's a damn good crime game that delivers satisfying combat, an entertaining glimpse into the Japanese criminal underworld, decent fan service for players who dug the first game, and a pretty awesome tiger-fight scene.

A highly entertaining experience from start to finish. The story really drives the game forward extremely well, and it’s helped along by good pacing, top-notch voice acting, and a complex script that will throw you for a loop several times along the way.

Five years ago Yakuza 2 would have been a system seller. Today it’s just enough reason to wipe the layers of dust off of a shelved console and give it a final send-off.

I whole-heartedly believe that anyone with even a passing interest in the brawling genre, or the Japanses criminal underworld should pick this game up. It’s a beacon, a light in a sea of mediocre. Seriously, one of the best PS2 games to come out in a very long time.

Those savvy enough to see beyond Yakuza 2's slightly dated visuals will enjoy a richly rewarding openworld brawler - one that's every bit as immersive and entertaining as the original.

It's not groundbreaking, but it is highly entertaining, and for players willing to give it some time, it will suck them in for hours.

Enjoy it, PS2 owners. This is one to savor.

Yakuza is really where Sega took much-mourned Dreamcast classic "Shenmue."

One of the last big games planned for PS2, Yakuza 2 is more that that. It's a project that shows many of the values for what Sega has been known in the past: ambition, attention for detail, and will for innovate. The games is still not perfect, but the series are showing a really interesting progression and pointing to a bright future if Toshihiro Nagoshi and his team manage to fulfill its big potential.

Arriving very late to Europe, Yakuza 2 is already showing signs of age. But despite some technical problems, it can make a good use of an interesting story, a brutal combat system and an exciting environment.

A truly remarkable game with plenty to keep you engrossed. Non-linear gameplay means you can spend plenty of hours interacting with your environment.

Its flaws are downplayed in the context of its range, its humour, its oddities, and its alternately psychopathic and pandering NPCs. It's as unusual as it is conventional.

Yakuza 2 isn't perfect by a longshot, but it's one of the exceedingly few games that makes an effort to deliver legitimately mature content aimed at, and intended for adults like me who can appreciate something a little more substantial than killing terrorists, aliens, or zombies once in awhile.