Stranger Than Heaven May Have Forgotten One Thing That Made Yakuza Great

Spanning five cities and half a century, Stranger Than Heaven is Yakuza-maker Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s most ambitious project yet. During a half-day preview event in New York earlier in October, I played five different segments of the game, in three of the game’s five locations. As a longtime Like a Dragon fan, I came away dazzled by its sumptuous environments and fascinated by protagonist Makoto. But I'm still on the fence about certain aspects of the combat and storytelling.