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I think a lot of the negativity also comes from misunderstanding what the game is.
Just like you, I played the game on release (on PC) and it is for me one of the best games of all time for one specific reason: immersion and story. That’s exactly what I expected from CDPR after Witcher 3 (another story and immersion focused game) and that’s exactly what I got. I didn’t expect a company known for their story focus and relatively weaker gameplay to deliver a game focused on gameplay or sandbox elements.
I think a lot of people wanted something that CDPR was never going to deliver, but it seems like Phantom Liberty is leaning more into the sandbox that people wanted and (unsurprisingly) didn’t get at release.
I highly highly recommend the entire Yakuza series if you want something story focused, with some caveats.
You’ll hear a lot about all the mini games in Yakuza but the games’ main focus is really the story. The games can take a while until they have introduced everything and you’re completely free to explore the city. Cutscenes and dialogs can be pretty long but they are all really well animated. It can sometimes be like watching a show.
Where I initially ran into issues is that I didn’t expect it to be this story heavy and just wanted to play. I highly recommend playing the whole series on Steamdeck. Since cutscenes can be long, the steamdeck’s pause and resume is really helpful.
Also, play the 2 Judgment games when you’re done with the Yakuxa series. I haven’t made it through 2 yet, but 1 was great.