Judgment

 PlayStation 5
Judgment Image
Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 143 Ratings

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  • Summary: From the makers of the acclaimed Yakuza series, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Judgment is the dramatic tale of a disgraced lawyer seeking redemption in a world rife with corruption and despair. Investigate the seedy Red Light District of Kamurocho by stepping into the mind of private detectiveFrom the makers of the acclaimed Yakuza series, Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, Judgment is the dramatic tale of a disgraced lawyer seeking redemption in a world rife with corruption and despair. Investigate the seedy Red Light District of Kamurocho by stepping into the mind of private detective Takayuki Yagami and utilize innovative investigation systems to uncover the secrets that lie deep within Kamurocho's corrupt underbelly. Experience visceral combat with two unique combat styles. Take down groups of thugs with sweeping blows in Crane Style, then switch to Tiger to overwhelm a single foe with a series of powerful strikes. Practice mixing-and-matching styles in combat in conjunction with a wide variety of skills, weapons, and powerful (and hilarious) EX Actions to unlock a whole new dimension in combat.… Expand
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Judgment - Official PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, And Stadia Announcement Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Feb 15, 2022
    100
    An excursion into the Japanese universe, with charismatic characters, an elaborate story, emotions and humor. One also forgives the game for the fact that the hero is not a member of the yakuza this time.
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Hobby Consolas
    Apr 22, 2021
    90
    Judgment for PS5 is even better: a great detective story set in Kamurocho, with 4K resolution, 60 FPS and small changes in minigames It also includes every DLC (items for Yagami Office and consumables).
  3. The Mako Reactor
    Jun 3, 2021
    90
    Judgment on PS5 is easily the definitive way to experience one of Sega's best games and while there isn't much incentive for people who played it already to double dip, newcomers have a fantastic experience waiting for them with this remaster.
  4. Worth Playing
    Apr 26, 2021
    85
    All in all, Judgment is still one of the better titles in the Yakuza franchise. The biggest flaw it had and continues to have is that it feels a bit too familiar and a bit too safe, but it's a lot easier to accept that in the wake of Yakuza: Like A Dragon. The plot is interesting, the characters are fun, the gameplay is charming, and overall, it's just a darn good game. If you're looking for another entry in the Yakuza franchise, then Judgment is the way to go. Now we just have to wait for news about the upcoming sequel....
  5. GameMAG
    May 9, 2021
    80
    Next gen console systems gave a new life to an already beautiful game. Judgment have plenty of unique charm, even compared to other games in main Yakuza series, so if you like Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio games, and a good detective story is something you can enjoy, then don't miss this title.
  6. Screen Rant
    Apr 22, 2021
    80
    Judgment on PS5 is the best version of a great game, with no hiccups in the transition to current-gen consoles and a few exceptional benefits for players to enjoy. Judgment remains, like a crucial discovery in Yagami's case, strong evidence that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio knows its way around compelling crime narratives in a way few other developers can aspire towards. Like its setting, it's not perfect in any sense, but also like Kamurocho, the flaws are another reason to get drawn in, and Judgment on PS5 is a must-play for anyone who enjoys a good detective story.
  7. GameCritics
    May 10, 2021
    60
    Judgment is a wonderful title that’s absolutely worth playing. New players coming in at $40 will have a fantastic time, and Ryu Ga Gotoku’s work comes with the highest possible recommendation, but the choice to burn owners of the original PS4 release was the wrong one.

See all 34 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 32
  3. Negative: 1 out of 32
  1. Neotanshuk
    Apr 27, 2021
    10
    really amazing..............................................................................................................................
  2. ChelseazazSwe
    Oct 8, 2021
    10
    just amazing. story, combat, soundtrack everything in this game. After you played Judgment you don't want to miss Lost Judgment. this seriesjust amazing. story, combat, soundtrack everything in this game. After you played Judgment you don't want to miss Lost Judgment. this series is amazing!… Expand
  4. Manziflex
    Jan 1, 2023
    10
    Still playing It. Found It very fun and entertaining. Love the story, seems Shenmue in Yakuza world. Love It.
    Great graphics, facial are    Still playing It. Found It very fun and entertaining. Love the story, seems Shenmue in Yakuza world. Love It.
    Great graphics, facial are really good even if Is old generation style.
    Good sound, nothing special but good.
    Longevity Is the real deal of this game.
    Remembers me Shenmue 1 on Dreamcast.
    One of the best title of Sega played since now.
    I really appreciated. A must play    … Expand
  5. marvsfontanilla
    May 29, 2021
    9
    Story: 9
    Graphics: 9
    Sound: 9
    Gameplay: 8
    Game Time: 60 Hours (Main Story + Extra)
  6. framptHERO
    Oct 17, 2021
    9
    Превосходная игра. Одна из лучших для пс4 и пс5. Боевка ни чуть не уступает оригинальной серии, а иногда даже и превосходит. Простая графика,Превосходная игра. Одна из лучших для пс4 и пс5. Боевка ни чуть не уступает оригинальной серии, а иногда даже и превосходит. Простая графика, но благодаря художникам всё выглядит предельно красиво. В сюжетном плане игра интригует до самого конца.

    Make Russian Subtitles please    … Expand
  7. SplitMind
    Jul 22, 2021
    7
    Judgement follows on from the Yakuza series where we saw Kiryu retire and the mainline series diverge into RPG with Like A Dragon. JudgementJudgement follows on from the Yakuza series where we saw Kiryu retire and the mainline series diverge into RPG with Like A Dragon. Judgement tries to stay true to the Kiryu days of Yakuza games. It achieve this fairly well, for better or worse.

    The graphics I don't think have ever looked better. The PS5 can give Kamurocho the depth and gloss it needs as well as the smooth textures and FPS. The problem I have is that I don't think Kamurocho is as vibrant as previous games - the neon-strewn Tenkaichi Street isn't quite the same. I also experienced quite a bit of pop in with enemies when I was running around, making combat tricky to avoid but fortunately I rarely wanted to avoid it. Overall there is definitely a step-up with graphics, but as a PS4 upgrade this isn't really pushing the envelope like I would expect.

    I want to comment on the sound in this game as I was playing the English dubs and found the English voices sounded a lot like Japanese actors trying to convey an American accent, which is unintentionally humorous.

    The gameplay of Yakuza is what deflated my enthusiasm quite a bit. All the familiar tropes are there, so if you are playing in the hopes of 'more Yakuza' then you likely won't be disappointed. However, the combat I found lacking and one-dimensional since there were only two styles. The thing that irritated me most about combat was how easy it is to get stun-locked or knocked over, making me put the difficulty down to easy just to make combat more enjoyable as enemy health bars also become notoriously huge in Yakuza games.

    What also really grinded my gears about Judgement unlike mainline Yakuza games is that they added a tailing mission mechanic here. This is a dreadfully tedious mission design where you literally walk slowly behind a character and hide when they look over their shoulder for you. This is on the same level as escort missions and both belong in the archives of game design that should never be used, or at least used as a one-off. There are quite a few of these missions and they are so horrendously monotonous that they irritated me to no end when I enjoyed the fast-paced combat.

    The gameplay and the story merge in the next few things I want to talk about. Judgement can be a game with pacing issues. It suffers from arbitrary design between cut-scenes progressing automatically and others where I need to constantly press X like that device in The Simpsons where Homer gets really fat. I like conversations flowing smoothly and being able sit back and take it all in.

    This brings me to my other issue with Judgement - I found the story just too bloody long. I was on chapter five thinking I was doing well, only to look online and see that there were 11 chapters. I was already bored of most of the mechanics an tropes, so this really put me off going any further, which is a shame as the story did interest me but was littered with filler too. Some of the side quests were as usual quirky and humorous, but padded out the game too much for my liking. Having said that, again if you want more Yakuza and appreciate a longer story then you might absolutely love Judgement.

    Overall, Judgement gets off to a very strong start and feels familiar but modern, however the familiar tropes and mini-games have long worn off their novelty for me and the story just isn't concise enough for my impatient tastebuds. The combat isn't quite as satisfying as previous games and the main protagonist seems to have the least personality. Having said that, if you love the Yakuza series and simply want more, this could be right up your Tenkaichi Street.    … Expand
  8. Skitto85
    Jun 10, 2021
    3
    Omission: I did not finish this game. In fact I barely played a few hours.
    I had wanted it for a while after reading PS4 reviews and bought    Omission: I did not finish this game. In fact I barely played a few hours.
    I had wanted it for a while after reading PS4 reviews and bought when it was re-released for PS5. Honestly, I have no idea what the hype is about....
    For me, there is very little to enjoy about this game.
    The graphics are OK for a PS4 game upgraded for PS5 but everything else just feels amateurish.
    The gameplay feels so dated and repetitive. You wander round the small, uninteresting area and continuously meet groups of thugs on basically every street corner who want to have a fight with you for no apparent reason and the fight mechanics themselves are very basic and repetitive. Then there's the story which I'm sure gets more intersting and you progress but it revolves around you just going from one place to another which all looks basically the same and clicking the buttons you're told to which completes the task and sends you off to another identical looking place to do the same again. It just isn't interesting or pretty to look at. I traded it in for Ghost of Tsushima and was instantly glad I did.    … Expand

See all 32 User Reviews

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Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
57
#57 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

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