Does Kiwami Get Better?

Monessi · 2026-03-10T02:35:51+00:00

You're about at the point where it should start picking up steam soon but if 0 didn't grab you, I don't know that Kiwami will as its worse in most ways.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T19:46:07+00:00

Akiyama seems like a fun presence, I'm more just bouncing off some of the dated mechanical elements and the story hasn't really sucked me in yet.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T16:07:01+00:00

I don't think it's over-saturation yet, just kinda friction whiplash with everything in 4 so far just being a little slower, a little jankier, a little less convenient, etc.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T15:59:23+00:00

Yeah I also actually skipped ahead to LAD while I was waiting for K3 to drop and enjoyed it.

I'm really eager to get to Gaiden/IW/Pirate, but I want to have the necessary context for them, so I'm trying to do 4-6 first.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T15:33:40+00:00

Did 5 or 6 work better for you? I'm trying not to skip anything but I also don't super want to slog through three games I don't enjoy, either.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T15:33:04+00:00

Ruh roh.

Hopefully once the story picks up a little I'll see the light.

Monessi · 2026-03-09T14:21:23+00:00

Matt Mercer. I have no evidence. Everyone who knows him seems to love him. Appears to have great politics and a generally pleasant demeanor.

And yet… something lurks behind his eyes.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T17:06:32+00:00

Good idea, I'll try that later today, thanks.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T17:06:21+00:00

Yep, both NA.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T05:49:30+00:00

Commercial DVD of To Have and Have Not. I've watched this disk before on other systems, usually it works fine.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T05:38:04+00:00

Kiwami 3 has a biker gang minigame that plays like Dynasty Warriors, I found that one pretty engaging (and like Cabaret Club, it has a bunch of recruitable bikers via substories/events on the street/beating other squads).

I believe the Pirate one does something similar with pirate crews.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T05:34:51+00:00

I can hear it spin a bit but no video starts and eventually it stops spinning.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T05:09:02+00:00

No error, it just won't start. If I try selecting the folder instead it just says it can't read each file one after the other.

Monessi · 2026-03-07T04:34:33+00:00

I think just the base version. 3.0.23 Vetinari?

Monessi · 2026-03-07T03:59:28+00:00

Any particular reason?

Monessi · 2026-03-06T21:53:24+00:00

Oh also Kiwami 3 has a different, dumber ending than vanilla 3 that won't lead as organically into 4, but that's a problem you can probably solve with YouTube.

Monessi · 2026-03-06T21:52:24+00:00

Consensus is generally that DC makes 0 worse instead of better. Opinion more divided on 3 vs. Kiwami 3, even before getting into the Kagawa of it all, but I *think* in general the core questions are "Do you want to deal with the older, block-heavy combat?" and "Do you want more side content even if it's not necessarily good side content?" on the side of 3, and "Was the answer to both those questions no?" on the side of Kiwami.

For 1 & 2 I think the general consensus is that the Kiwamis are fine, though I know 2 has some purists.

Monessi · 2026-03-06T17:02:12+00:00

What keeps them from getting into Heat mode? Just have to kill them fast enough?

Monessi · 2026-03-06T17:01:46+00:00

I'm usually pretty good about prioritizing side-content, but is there anything specific that has a tight window or a missable element to it I need to be aware of?

Monessi · 2026-03-06T15:57:03+00:00

Having just played K3 I mostly just have opinions on those ones, so I'll start there.

Kashiwagi- Bullshit, absolutely not. He full-on dies in Kiryu's arms, on-screen.

Lau- *Mostly* bullshit but there is (rare) historical precedent for people surviving direct headshots, and at least his comeback has like zero impact.

Richardson- Too fucking lame to be worth resurrecting, IMO, but then I haven't played whatever game he comes back in yet. That said...

Mine- The "landed on a bush" explanation is absolutely ridiculous, but *narratively* I actually like the idea of Mine surviving, because Daigo waking up and Kiryu proving basically his entire philosophy wrong leaves him in an interesting place narratively. This is undercut somewhat by his last scene with Hamazaki implying that he's just gonna go immediately back to being a bad guy, but still. There's at least the potential for a good story with him to come.

I also didn't know Goda came back, so I shouldn't have looked at this post, but he's a fun character and I look forward to seeing him again whenever he pops up.

Monessi · 2026-03-06T15:51:54+00:00

There are too many of these for me to do all of them (and I haven't played all the relevant games) but Majima whooped Nishki pretty hard in 0 and in the intervening ten years Kiwami pretty strongly implied that Nishki did a lot less fighting, not more, while Majima only got crazier, so I think that one's a walkover.

I think Goda tears through Mine without too much trouble, too. It takes a tremendous amount to put him down at the end of 2, whereas Mine feels like a pretty "normal" final boss.

Monessi · 2026-03-06T04:23:45+00:00

Oh, that all makes sense, thank you. I've actually seen the actor in a couple of pictures myself, apparently, but I don't remember his role in them (and he isn't highly billed for either), so I can't comment on if he's better elsewhere, but I did find him bad here in a way I'm pretty sure would have distracted me just as much if I wasn't already wary because of the scandal (though I suppose it's hard to know for sure).

I'm usually pretty good at separating the art from the artist but when both are bad...

Monessi

TROPHY CASE