Lost Judgment is top-notch. Seriously, it took everything great about the first game and turned it up a notch. A whole extra town to explore? Fewer tailing missions? Dice & Cube is back? No mortal wounds? Dress-up with Saori? A gripping story with twists, turns, and betrayals? Even better combat and graphics than before? Yes, please!
Lost Judgment is the 11th game I've played in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series, and it seriously rocks (YK1, Y0, YK2, Y3 - Y6, Y:LaD, LaDG:TMWEHN, J, and now LJ). Its story, which begins modestly, soon grows into an intricate mystery which had me excited to see what would happen next. I don't know how they manage to have such good writing after all these entries, but they knocked it out of the park again.
Some quick things I liked:
- there are fewer tailing missions (and the ones that are here don't totally suck)
- fun searching for squirrel graffiti
- the school stories (lots of content there with an enjoyable story and worthwhile payoff)
- zipping around town on a skate board
- all the new investigation tools (and dog!)
- stealth sections
- dress-up as Saori
- extracts (tree trunk was my favorite; thought they were more difficult than in the first game)
- improved graphics and lighting (and reflections)
- no mortal wounds
- Dice & Cube is back with all new boards
- plenty of throw-backs to the first game
A few things I didn't like:
- lack of lock-picking compared to the first game (only happened like twice outside of Dice & Cube)
- parkour (it's okay during the main story, but I dislike it in Dice & Cube)
- object destruction events in Dice & Cube didn't return from the first game
- the camera resets after events in Dice & Cube
- no genuine first-person mode
- can't change disguise in platinum adventure (huge lost opportunity, guys)
Despite a few nitpicks, I think Lost Judgment is one of the greats (which is saying something, as the whole series is full of 'em). I think I preferred some of the side stories from the first game to this, but there were some definite bangers here as well. At 86 hours, I've completed the main game and all of the side stories. I just have some loose ends to tie up in Dice & Cube and also hit The Kaito Files DLC.
In short: Lost Judgment is a great game. It features a gripping story, lots of memorable characters, loads of side stories and mini-games to enjoy, and two big cities to explore. If you like the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games, picking up Lost Judgment is a no-brainer.
