【1988 Archives】

Playing Judgmentmade me regret never playing any of the Yakuzagames for the past decade.

Judgmentcenters around Takayuki Yagami988 Archives a private detective and former lawyer who winds up investigating a series of murders with possible ties to the Yakuza. It’s a great setup that’s rife with intrigue and drama, and the first two hours I got to play at a preview event got me hooked.

I was so hooked on everything in Judgmentthat I bought a copy of Yakuza 0, which is made by the same developer (Sega) and a pretty similar style of game. I haven’t been this excited to play a game in a while.

SEE ALSO: 'Metro Exodus' muddies up its formula with an empty open world

Along with the story and the interesting characters, one of the things that grabbed me most about Judgmentwas its style. It has so much style, style to spare.

First of all, Yagami is unbelievably cool. His mannerisms. His leather jacket. His swagger. His hair. It's all so good. He walks into situations with confidence, ready to throw down at a moment’s notice.

Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Yagami takes himself incredibly seriously and so does everyone else he runs into. That's what makes the light and funny moments so great, and there are a lot of them.

In one moment, Yagami is grilling a bar owner about a murder that took place the night before. The next moment, Yagami is beating a hooligan into the ground with a bicycle. And then to top off the evening, he’ll casually hit up a batting cage to win some prizes.

There's something so satisfying about watching the coolest people imaginable doing ridiculous things.

Between the compelling main storyline, the variety in gameplay and scenarios, a fantastic soundtrack, and a great voice cast (which is done fully in Japanese andEnglish), Judgmentfelt like it was never going to get boring, which is important for a game where the main story alone takes 30 or more hours to complete.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

For fans of the Yakuzaseries, Judgmenthas a very similar DNA, although instead of taking the reins of characters who are Yakuza and ex-Yakuza, you are more on the outside of the criminal world looking in. It makes for a very different vibe, but it’ll feel familiar to anyone who has spent at least a couple hours prowling the streets of Kamurocho, Japan in Yakuza.

I want to jump right into the full game, but that’s likely not coming to the West until this summer 2019.

So in the meantime I’m making up for lost time with the Yakuzagames and realizing I should’ve been playing this series all along.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Kingdom Hearts III continues Disney's crossover gaming magic — Games to Play Before You Die

---

Topics Gaming

• Games
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Shopping
• Entertainment
• Deals
• Life

• Honduras vs. El Salvador 2025 livestream: Watch Concacaf Gold Cup for free
• Why you should stop laughing at Trump over a stock market correction
• U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim tweets about ice cream in between qualifying runs
• Facebook sure looks like it's launching a debt collection business
• Content creation tools: How Brooke Ashley Hall uses an iPhone and drone to create viral content
• Chrissy Teigen found a creative way to get around Instagram's nudity rules
• How to free up storage on iPhone
• 'Scenes from a Marriage' is a raw, if predictable, performance powerhouse
• Thunder vs. Pacers 2025 livestream: Watch Game 7 of NBA Finals for free
• Tinder users are changing their locations to match with athletes at the Winter Olympics

• Facebook updates its mobile comment format to look more like Messenger
• How to record Snapchat hands
• The U.S. drops in the World Happiness rankings. Trump policies won't cheer us up.
• This GIF has been labeled a deadly weapon
• Why people are painting their faces green in Russia
• UK bans laptops and big smartphones on airlines from 6 countries
• Former president of Mexico slams Donald Trump's (SAD!) approval ratings
• Something is very, very wrong with Kim Kardashian's Snapchat
• Man who pleaded guilty to terrorism charges tried to hide data in a cufflink
• 'Overwatch' hero Orisa is officially out

• The two cameras Nicole Laeno uses to make viral content that looks good
• 8 people confess why they finally deleted social media
• How to use iOS message effects on your iPhone
• Instagram's Superzoom feature is the perfect meme for your precious pets
• Jools Lebron, Ruba Wilson, and more come together to discuss being LGBTQ creators.
• Instagram's Superzoom feature is the perfect meme for your precious pets
• Mike and Karen Pence 'took a seat' to protest North and South Korean unity of all things
• Pyeongchang Opening Ceremony was all about 'Gangnam Style' in 2018
• The OLED Burn
• 'Malignant' hides its twist in plain sight: 6 easter eggs you missed

• In Memoriam: The tech that died in 2025 (so far)
• Ahead of Apple's Sept. 14 event, new iPhone and AirPods details emerge
• Apple Watch 8 might have a temperature sensor
• The truly insidious 'WandaVision' bop picked up a well
• Using ChatGPT to write essays may harm critical thinking, MIT study finds
• Swiss Olympic skier Fabian Bösch rides the escalator with one arm
• U.S figure skater Mirai Nagasu lands triple axel at Winter Olympics
• This mouse riding on a cop's windshield is public enemy no. 1
• Seattle Sounders vs. PSG 2025 livestream: Watch Club World Cup for free
• No, Walmart will not be accepting Litecoin. Here's how people were duped.