It's remarkable how much a generic and uninspired name can undermine a game's success. Despite being a spin-off of the Yakuza series, it should have been as or more successful than the rest of it.
It's got the same quality of storyline that the rest of the series has (whether you think those stories are quality is really more of a personal preference), along with the counterbalance of batshit crazy side stories. But it also has better combat and more varied gameplay because of the investigation and courtroom aspects. But when you call a game Judgment and leave it at that, it's really hard for anyone to get excited. Particularly when the cover art isn't real interesting either.
Marketing and branding shortcomings aside, I absolutely love the game. It was my introduction to the whole Yakuza series (a series I'm now a huge fan of), and it kept me engaged from start to finish. Actually, it kept me engaged after the finish. Like many games in the series, there were tons of side quests and I spent probably another 5 or 6 hours checking them out even after the credits for the main game rolled by. There was just too much weirdness that I had to see. Case in point, there's a panty thief in the game called Ass Catchum. I don't care who you are, that's a major selling point and proof of the game's quality.
It's remarkable how much a generic and uninspired name can undermine a game's success. Despite being a spin-off of the Yakuza series, it should have been as or more successful than the rest of it.
It's got the same quality of storyline that the rest of the series has (whether you think those stories are quality is really more of a personal preference), along with the counterbalance of batshit crazy side stories. But it also has better combat and more varied gameplay because of the investigation and courtroom aspects. But when you call a game Judgment and leave it at that, it's really hard for anyone to get excited. Particularly when the cover art isn't real interesting either.
Marketing and branding shortcomings aside, I absolutely love the game. It was my introduction to the whole Yakuza series (a series I'm now a huge fan of), and it kept me engaged from start to finish. Actually, it kept me engaged after the finish. Like many games in the series, there were tons of side quests and I spent probably another 5 or 6 hours checking them out even after the credits for the main game rolled by. There was just too much weirdness that I had to see. Case in point, there's a panty thief in the game called Ass Catchum. I don't care who you are, that's a major selling point and proof of the game's quality.