{"id":948,"date":"2019-06-20T18:59:39","date_gmt":"2019-06-20T13:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themakoreactor.com\/?p=948"},"modified":"2021-03-10T22:56:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-10T17:26:34","slug":"judgment-ps4-review-segas-best-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themakoreactor.com\/reviews\/judgment-ps4-review-segas-best-yet\/948\/","title":{"rendered":"Judgment PS4 Review: Sega\u2019s Best Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
At first glance it would be easy to confuse Judgment as yet another game in Sega\u2019s long-running Yakuza series. After all, both are set in the fictional Japanese city of Kamurocho, feature similar combat mechanics, and have a host of mini-games to partake in. However, after playing through Judgment on the PS4 Pro, it\u2019s obvious that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has crafted something remarkably different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judgment has you in the sneakers of lawyer turned private detective Takayuki Yagami. He\u2019s a protagonist with an interesting backstory, trading the courtroom for the streets after successfully acquitting a client from murder charges only to discover said client murdered again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite these circumstances, Yagami has an edgy, smug vibe about him which is a far cry from Yakuza staple Kazuma Kiryu\u2019s almost stoic attitude across games in that franchise. He\u2019s joined by a host of equally memorable characters such as Kaito, an ex-yakuza who works with Yagami, Ayabe, a dirty cop who peddles information to the highest bidder, and perhaps my favourite, Kyohei Hamura, a yakuza captain with murky dealings aplenty. As I mentioned in my Judgment preview<\/a>, all of these roles are expertly voiced in both Japanese and English. While the former is par for the course, the latter is a an unexpected and welcome development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the first time since the original Yakuza game on the PS2 that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio opted for English voice acting as an option. For the most part it works well. The stellar cast of Greg Chun (Detective Pikachu), Yuri Lowenthal (Spider-Man PS4), Matthew Mercer (Overwatch), Cherami Leigh (NieR: Automata) and Fred Tatasciore (Metal Gear Solid 4) among others lend their voices to bring Judgment\u2019s characters to life making it a whole lot more immersive. Though this does break on occasion, such as taking on a side-quest or getting into a brawl with thugs on the street as their screams and utterances are distinctly in Japanese. It\u2019s not a major issue and switching over to Japanese voiceovers is an option if you find it too jarring though the English voice acting is so expertly done that it\u2019s worth sticking to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judgment’s story has Yagami trying to discover the identity of The Mole. That\u2019s the nickname given to a serial killer that\u2019s been murdering yakuza. His signature is gouging their eyes out before leaving them on the streets of Kamurocho. Without spoiling much, the events of Judgment are riveting. Consisting of 12 chapters (not including a prologue and epilogue), it deals with a variety of themes, some of which you wouldn\u2019t expect in a game like this. It\u2019s darker than anything else we\u2019ve seen in recent Yakuza games but its diverse elements are strung together in a cohesive fashion that had us waiting to see what new plot twist was around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to do so, there are some new gameplay elements that fit in with Yagami\u2019s profession as a detective. For one, you\u2019ll tail suspects. This has you blending into crowds or hiding behind walls before you get spotted while following them to their destination. When your target isn\u2019t in immediate view, you\u2019ll use a drone to find where they\u2019re are. Controls in these segments of play are smooth and responsive, a welcome surprise when you consider how other games tend to make a mess of using drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On occasion, you\u2019ll even investigate an area in first-person. This entails moving around a specific area, looking for clues or planting bugs where necessary. Most of the time you\u2019ll hear a cat meowing during these sections. Apparently Kamurocho has a stray cat problem because they\u2019re everywhere, even during parts of play that have strict time limits or pivotal story moments which some may find annoying. The game even acknowledges it with a trophy for discovering every cat during first-person investigations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to this, you\u2019ll pick locks by applying the right amount of pressure on the DualShock 4 analogue sticks. It\u2019s simple enough but at the same time, successfully breaking and entering in Judgment feels rather satisfying too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Combined with a combat system that\u2019s similar to Yakuza 0, which has you swapping between styles for effective crowd control and crushing one on one blows, gameplay in Judgment remains fresh and entertaining long after you\u2019re done with its 25 to 30 hour long campaign. Each of these grant you SP which you can use to gain new fight moves, increase your health, or bolster your EX moves \u2014 powerful, over the top attacks that help you topple some of the game\u2019s tougher enemies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are other features, though they\u2019re not essential for progressing through Judgment\u2019s story. These include the ability to craft extracts that allow you to gain more SP or throw bigger foes to the ground, befriend store cashiers and restaurant owners for bonuses, or even spending your money on a Kickstarter clone called Quickstarter for access to a larger set of things to do and unlock within Kamurocho. This isn\u2019t even counting the myriad of mini-games to partake in, which I\u2019ve compiled in this handy guide<\/a>. Keep in mind that if you\u2019re a fan of karaoke in past Yakuza games, that doesn\u2019t make a return here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While it\u2019s obvious that no single gameplay mechanic in Judgment is particularly innovative or creatively pathbreaking, all of them work well together and are polished enough that they\u2019re greater than the sum of their parts. They\u2019re tied to a fantastic narrative, memorable characters, and Kamurocho itself, which looks better than ever before and is filled to the brim with sights and sounds aplenty along with the odd street thug to rough up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of Kamurocho’s looks, Judgment is possibly the best looking game from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio thus far. From subtle facial animations to grand cut-scenes and every square inch of Kamurocho in between, it\u2019s incredibly detailed and is visually stunning on the PS4 Pro. Though it\u2019s not perfect with jagged edges marring the scenery from time to time. This minor grouse notwithstanding there\u2019s barely a pixel out of place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judgment for the PS4 is near perfect. A strong story, great characters, slick gameplay, and fantastic production values make it a game you shouldn\u2019t miss. It\u2019ll be interesting to see where Sega take this new series from here, but as it stands, Judgment is well worth the price of admission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Judgment from Sega and Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is near perfect. Read our full review.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,49,1158],"tags":[51,50,5,232,53,252],"tmr-platforms":[],"tmr-publishers":[],"tmr-developers":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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