Start here: why Yakuza 0 is the perfect first brawl
People come into the shop asking where to start with Yakuza and we always point at the same box: Yakuza 0. It is a prequel, so there is zero homework — no seven games of backstory, just neon-soaked 1980s Tokyo and Osaka, two brilliant leads, and the series at its most generous.
Why it works for newcomers
The combat is chunky and readable: swap between fighting styles mid-brawl, grab a bicycle, and go to town. The story is a proper crime drama that takes itself seriously, then hands you a side-quest about a pop idol or a toy-car racing league five minutes later. That tonal whiplash is the series.
It also runs on nearly everything — PS3, PS4, Xbox and PC — so whatever console kaiju you feed, there is a copy that fits. Second-hand it usually lands around the A$40–50 mark complete, which is a lot of game for the money: a full run is 40-plus hours before you even touch the substories.
What to grade before you buy
On disc versions, check the back for hairline scratches near the centre ring — that is where a tired disc struggles to spin up. Every copy we shelve is booted and pushed past the opening chapter before it gets a price tag. If the save loads and the intro cutscene streams without a hitch, you are good.