Judgment: The Complete Dragon Engine Analysis on PS4/PS4 Pro

[@hiimtruong6866]

Yakuza series are so good SEGA might as well let Kiryu be their mascott instead of Sonic.

[@hiimtruong6866]

@Garnet Sunset still when you say Yakuza the first character people say is Kiryu.

[@CaptainNight]

if you think about it, Kiryu is a well known character in Japan, and The Yakuza Series does more and sells more In Japan then Sonic games do in Japan.

[@mjc0961]

Only if every official placing of Kiryu as the mascot has a hidden Majima somewhere in it. He's gonna get you, Kiryu-chan!

[@naywahn]

@BesuBaru Sonic Adventure 3 *first...*

[@RasenRendanX]

@BesuBaru no. Sonic is still a global icon

[@Alex-oj8po]

I can always appreciate when a developer puts in the effort to create their own in-house engine.

[@gambello1195]

Tell that to EA lmao

[@jackdaft258]

@@gambello1195 The problem with EA is not that they have their own engine, it's that they force it to be used for everything even when it isn't appropriate.

[@gambello1195]

@@jackdaft258 yeah heard that they forced Bioware to use it on Mass Effect halfway through the development

[@nataliecameron]

@@gambello1195 then respawn had the right idea and used the modified source engine for titanfall

[@thecstineman]

Totally agree. I am making my own engine in Python right now, with the code somewhat based off the source port gzdoom.

[@KagatoAsuka]

The Yakuza series is easily one of the best series ever. I've been playing Judgement for the last 3 days.

[@kevinkeninson2784]

It released yesterday.

[@eandjproductions2]

@@kevinkeninson2784 It released digitally last Thursday.

[@diocub4022]

I have been playing it for 6 days, I have finished the main story, but have only did 65% total finished with the game doing the fun side quests and mini games trophies that I'm trying to achieve. OMG my life this game is my Game Of The Year :D

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

Yakuza is underrated and this game is no different. Deserves more recognition.

[@silvertayuun]

Indeed! I’ve just started playing the Yakuza series... almost 100 hours in 0 so far, at chapter 7, it’s gonna be a long journey before I get to this game 🤣

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

Silver Oh yeah it’s gonna be a very very long time especially if you do every single thing in Yakuza 0

[@lolcat]

If Yakuza is underrated why is it so popular in Japan and why is it a PlayStation hit.

[@dialmightyspartangod6717]

Lolcat Why is a Japanese game made by Japanese devs popular in Japan??? Hmm I wonder

[@jacktyler1082]

Agree!

[@TREPLE]

Yakuza is my favorite series of all time I wish more people recognize this awesome game with that top notch story especially the first one

[@Takashita_Sukakoki]

yakuza 6 was a real bore(lame sidestories and a weak end to kiryus story) in my opinion i do love the series. The combat was awful compared to 0/kiwami and the drop to 30fps with shimmering and frame drops... :/

[@wagelaseh1st74]

Yakuza 1 dan 2 were best ever

[@Moebius13200]

Problem, the games are only in japanese and english, except for Judgment which has subtitles in different languages. For example, France is the second country in the world after Japan itself for the consumption of Japanese cultural goods, including manga, animated series, video games. Imagine, in France we are 65 million people and we consume more Japanese cultural goods than the whole of the United States with nearly 400 million inhabitants. And yet, no game other than judgement is translated into our language. So it hurts the license, which is not recognized at its true value in the countries where it could be most successful, because of the publisher's stupid economic choices. You see, Judgment has reached the top 5 of sales in France and has been out of stock everywhere because it has been translated. So no, the series is not underestimated, the publisher does not do enough to make it known and by his own admission, they make Yakuza games for the Japanese public and have no expectations from outside countries. It's a bad choice, I'm convinced that with a translation into English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian and Arabic, the series would be one of the most famous Japanese video game franchises today. To talk about the game itself, I enjoy it, and it's thanks to the translation, otherwise my level in English wouldn't have been enough to understand everything.

[@PAXperMortem]

This is one of the best current-gen engines currently in existence imo and it's criminally underrated! I really hope the next game will let us explore more places within Tokyo with these extremely realistic graphics and the delicate attention to detail! It's always bothered me how much awesome stuff there seems to be beyond the map boundaries.

[@pizzagateisreal]

Hahahahaha

[@PAXperMortem]

@@pizzagateisreal ?

[@kartikayysola]

As long as Kamurocho remains the centerpiece, I'm down with exploring other Tokyo districts. The city itself is, for me, the main and most interesting character and has a lot of stories to tell.

[@pizzagateisreal]

@@PAXperMortem looks like shit

[@acehood9953]

@@pizzagateisreal As long as you know you're a loser it's all good lmao.

[@DKFProductions]

I am prOUDly gonna watch this video

[@hiimtruong6866]

I am PrOUDly gonna give you a like.

[@dazza2350]

Am I missing a reference

[@Limerain]

@@dazza2350 sponsorship

[@IkaGamma]

I am honestly excited to see how the Dragon Engine will continue to evolve in the next generation of consoles. Thanks for doing an amazing Analysis of one of my favorite games this year!

[@linhza501]

I'm from the future here and sad to say they are ditching this engine for Unreal 5, starting with Ishin remake.

[@pedrol5004]

@@linhza501 they're using UE5 just for the isshin remake, relax

[@MetalGearEnthusiast]

@@pedrol5004 you are wrong, they are using UE4 not UE5

[@DrumsBah]

I'm from further in the future, Yakuza 8 is back on the Dragon Engine

[@andersson9333]

Man this is what shenmue would have looked like in 2019

[@hiimtruong6866]

Shenmune in 2019? Just check Shenmune 3 then 😁

[@Tsobanian]

@@hiimtruong6866 Shenmue 3 doesn't look on par with Judgement. YS Net doesn't have the budget of a big Japanese company (i.e. Sega) supporting him on directing/creating Shenmue III. When DF get their hands to perform the analysis of Shenmue 3, they will have many things that will leave much to be desired....

[@hiimtruong6866]

@Angelos Tsompanidis Yeah for sure. Graphics is (somehow) worse than Fallout 76(UE4 btw) and voice acting is horrible.

[@Soulspeed68]

@@Tsobanian Yakuza team release these games every year. These games dont have a huge budget, they just know how to work efficently.

[@Angelo-wf4kf]

fallout 76 ue4? what? its not lol

[@theblackwolf8857]

I think that the Dragon Engine is too limited by the PS4 hardware, I'm curious to see the overall improvements when the PS5 will come out next year.

[@reedified6514]

Same

[@kazum9746]

Bruh moment

[@charizardoreo]

Well you can see it on next gen with Yakuza Like a Dragon on Xbox Series X. The PS5 version will probably be similar to this

[@ketrub]

tfw they just downgraded it again

[@rollcats1290]

@@ketrubhow did they downgrade it?

[@chrisbullock6477]

They are the absolute best when it comes to modeling Asians, its absolutely beautiful. love the detailed inside of stores. Love these games that have grown up writing and makes you get lost in its world and story line.

[@BocalokaTV]

This game is great, I love how the fights can extend further into the environment such as into the buildings.

[@krakent8791]

Dragon Engine is absolutely epic!

[@dr.gokiburi]

I think kamuro of the dead is based more on yakuza dead souls, especially with the inclusion of certain enemies from dead souls

[@Zahir_SMASH]

Definitely a Dead Souls tribute.

[@orbasm5]

That and Japanese Road Rash have 100% sold me, i'm getting this ASAP now lol

[@mjc0961]

1:40 - That's because they *_were_* PS3 games with PS4 ports. We just never saw the PS3 versions in the West. They were Japan only.

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

Good point. This video needed more research.

[@VexAcer]

I'm pretty sure John is saying that, just in a more indirect way. He even says Yakuza 6 is the first game made with the PS4 in mind basically acknowledging that Zero/Kiwami were not originally PS4 games.

[@jaysanj152]

Digital Foundry if you can,Yakuza kiwami 2 for PC Could use a little Analysis. Just to see how beautiful the game look like in 4k uncapped fps and testing out various Anti aliasing options.

[@swarthybullxxx]

It runs like a dream on PC. I would say it runs better than Kiwami 1.

[@PC-tan]

Alex asked and DF justs didn't seem to want to (that's what I heard)

[@CaptainNight]

@@swarthybullxxx It runs worst then Kiwami/Yakuza 0 on PC The Engine is the one to be blamed for.

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

@@swarthybullxxx it dont run better than K1 stop it. K2 pc port is riddled with issues. Check kaldaens thread on the steam forums to know more. Horrible port.

[@swarthybullxxx]

@@JAYCEEDOUBLE it runs perfectly for me on my Ryzen 5 2600x + GTX 1070ti build. Maybe it's because I play it at 1080p and I configured Windows 7 to run at full capacity for games.

[@Space_Reptile]

>looks at title ive never seen or heard of this game before >sees 2 seconds of game footage in the intro Oh its Yakuza

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Yakuza and Judgement offer a small open world but packed with details and diversity, I much prefer that over those huge and barren open worlds that you see in so many other games.

[@XxgoodbudsxX]

Ugh like rage 2....was one of the most boring open worlds I've seen in a while

[@XxgoodbudsxX]

I love the small dense open worlds

[@HatKidPeck]

As laggy as it can be, let’s just be honest if you’ve played Yakuza 0 and Kiwami a lot this is a MAJOR improvement, NO MORE LOADING SCREENS! Well sometimes.

[@Yeosprings]

I in some way like that they re-use the game world. Especially when the setting goes from the 80s to present, and seeing all the changes to the buildings with different shops & constructions etc. So many big open worlds these days like AC : Odessey give you all these locations to visit & yet you barely stick around for 5 minutes when you then head off to the next region. One of my favourite maps Vice City is small. But in that game, pretty much every area in the map played some point of significance.

[@thecstineman]

Really appreciate the quality here, and even more so with the photorealistic fidelity on the PS5 ver.

[@InwardGames]

I've never played a game in the Yakuza series, but I want to check this game out. I love the density of the city.

[@crashmer]

2:40 Impressive on-the-fly AC unit installation in the left building there.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

Never been big into the Yakuza series, but somehow I find this game more interesting and it intrigues me, I'm going to give it a shot.

[@gonzo1400]

You wont regret it. I have played it 25 hours and its amazing

[@heisenbergwhite00]

@@gonzo1400 awesome

[@ak-t7d6f]

if you end up liking it, I say give Yakuza 0 a shot

[@REAL6]

Hopefully this games makes you like the yakuza series.

[@heisenbergwhite00]

@@REAL6 it did, played yakuza 0 not to long ago it was great!

[@th00perman_]

*WOW this game looks BEAUTIFUL!* Great vid, as always!

[@corey2232]

I just bought Yakuza 0 on Steam since it was on sale & I heard good things. Haven't ever tried a Yakuza game before, so hope it's as fun as everyone says it is. Was waiting on finishing up Persona 5, but I might just jump in early & give it a go.

[@benderbendable]

i was hoping for kiwami 2 PC analysis also but it never happened

[@BIGNOIDS]

We honestly don't need it.

[@SianaGearz]

@@BIGNOIDS Why exactly?

[@Takashita_Sukakoki]

@@SianaGearz all the tehnical issues and gameplay elements are almost 1 to 1

[@EmperorOfMan]

gonna play this while a snorting massive amount of coke as protest

[@theblacklotusgaming3767]

Oh shit lol, yeah do it for that voice actor that lost his job unjustly

[@Cneqq]

this game looks gorgeous, can't wait to get it on PC

[@fazesw2343]

Good luck 😂

[@Bristow9091]

Despite being lower resolution than most games in their respective gens, the Yakuza (And Judgment) games have always looked amazing to me... especially the cutscenes, I've just finished playing Yakuza 5 and I swear the character models and animations could easily fit into so many current gen games!

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

Wow included motor raid is incredible! I love to see old model 2 games get ported as they still aren’t perfect to emulate unfortunately. I would love to see all the model 2 games get included in one of these.

[@thecattermat]

thank you for giving this game the recognition it deserves

[@spinksy173]

I wasnt going to get this, I have now pre ordered it thanks to this video lol. Great video as always DF

[@tanjib6615]

Yakuza 0 was the best game of yakuza series..jst loved it ❤️

[@stevoofd]

This is the kind of content I come to Digital Foundry for

[@ThePandaInfernal]

This is the way Shenmue 3 should look :(

[@SkillzNGameplay2.0]

Gotta love DF reviewing graphic details of a game inside of a game (VF5) lol, about to start my Judgement playthroughs been in my backlog for a while.

[@wayseboy4u]

Am addicted already to this game, I rate it 10/10, judgement.

[@kewa_design]

I still wish for a Like a Dragon : Infinite Wealth analysis

[@mr.marvin]

This is easily the best game in the Dragon Engine. I hope they make a Part 2.

[@isshintheglocksaintPlotagon]

Lost judgment

[@PILLBOXGAMING]

Damn this game looks badass! I love my PS4 Pro can't wait for the PS5!

[@gangster4208]

Lol bro imagine walking through kamurocho at nighttime in 4k60fps on ps5, or maybe even dragon engine 2

[@PILLBOXGAMING]

@@gangster4208 hell yeah bro can't wait

[@smharyanto4660]

I just hope the rumor about bc true, because I still have so many backlogs😑

[@st3ve710]

I love you guys 😭😭

[@airem5861]

Digital Foundry keep up the excellent work! Samurai Showdown next?!

[@Console_Gaming_Vids]

John says it's good, so I just bought it. I'd love to see John doing game reviews, but that would take him away from DF Retro, which I just can't live without. I'm spoiled.

[@mi-nk]

8:00 Its not temporal AA, I'm certain its SMAA or FXAA. The dragon engine uses a deferred rendering method making edges without any AA really blocky and it only gets worse on more distant objects. The only way to fix this would be upscaling/SSAA but that would be way too heavy for both the base and pro ps4.

[@gonzo1400]

This time there is TAA. They are right

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

SSAA, SMAA and FXXA are the antialiasing options in kiwami 2 pc yes but remember, this is a newer iteration of the engine so its easy to say they implemented AA improvement over what was possible on K2

[@mi-nk]

​@@JAYCEEDOUBLE 'Newer iteration of the engine'? I doubt much has been done to the engine itself much like the switch from 6 to kiwami 2.

[@nataliecameron]

The particles in this and Kiwami 2 look amazing

[@Kimarnic]

NOW ON PC

[@mauryj.3415]

PS4 has the best damm exclusives in the industry.

[@vandammage1747]

30fps...have fun

[@DatGameCollector]

@@vandammage1747 have fun playing good games.

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

@@vandammage1747 xbot with no games detected

[@vandammage1747]

@@DatGameCollector I do. I have more games than time to play. Every month I get new with gamepass.

[@DatGameCollector]

@@vandammage1747 which all run at 30fps

[@rollcats1290]

John can you do a quick video looking at the next-gen remaster of Judgment? Would love your take on the changes, as well as an updated tech analysis.

[@Sholvacri]

I see their mastery of decent Anti Aliasing is still not perfect, but looks substantially better than Kiwami 2. Having played that one on PC recently, its main flaw is the terrible aliasing everywhere, even at 4K or any form of downsampling. Hopefully they keep improving this aspect on their engine, because these games are seriously amazing, whether they're on console or PC, anyone should play them, they're fun and the characters are quite well developed and deep.

[@MrZabersuv]

this studio has never made a bad game

[@eandjproductions2]

As a huge Yakuza fan Fist of the North Star is close to being bad.

[@xXxskellingtonxXx]

Yakuza Dead Souls anyone?

[@eandjproductions2]

@@xXxskellingtonxXx Dead Souls is great. Love it.

[@OneStepToDeath420]

It's true. Yes, Dead Souls had some flaws, but it was still wacky and very solid fun. It was still a solid game. And I thought the Fist Of The North Star game was very nice.

[@Etrius0023]

@@eandjproductions2 Yeah, I wasn't a fan either. Didn't even finish the main story before I called it quits.

[@oliexe]

This game looks amazing.

[@Taorakis]

I admit, that shot at 0:14 looks real to me. Specially since it's normal for Japan to have car brands i don't know. Impressive.

[@muhithkalam9551]

That frame rate analysis was so brief. Shame that none of the Dragon engine games got a proper performance analysis in their final state.

[@vincewireless140]

Looks great. Looks to deliver a solid 9/10- 10/10 experience.

[@mohammadhussien5223]

i can't wait for the PC version!

[@theocrei669]

wait a year or more, they might be working on it rn

[@neohideo]

If you play Yakuza you may fall in love with Japan.

[@itis3000]

Performance issues is noticeable. Also there is kinda deep freezes transitions between gameplay and cutscenes. Sometimes it may stay freeze about several seconds. I touched pinball once and decided to not touch it anymore. Pinball is unresponsive af. Overall this game is great. Especially in terms of storytelling

[@derwandelndekloth7775]

The pinball game seems to be made with the Unity Engine. So maybe Unity and Dragon don't work together very well?

[@Abel-Alvarez]

SEGA's in house engine reminds me of Rockstar's RAGE engine, just magnificent.

[@Scsigs]

I hope you guys cover both the Judgment remaster AND Lost Judgment when Lost comes out.

[@destructivecactus]

16:15 twin peaks exists in same universe as yakuza series confirmed

[@rodmunch69]

For those obsessed with resolution, I again point out, ESPN is broadcast in 720p - and there are NO American US broadcasts higher than 1080i. It's not about pixel counts, it's what you do with the pixels. I'd gladly take a lower resolution to have a better looking and more active world. I wish game makers would just focus on that, do a drop dead amazing lively world and run it at 720p - you know, the same resolution as nearly everything you currently watch on TV.

[@VexAcer]

To be fair a TV broadcast isn't directly comparable to a game's output. But yeah some people are really obsessive with resolution. The main thing that matters is AA imo. Like I'd much rather take a 900p or even 720p game with good AA over 1080p once with none for example.

[@rickylovesyou]

Resources to do either are entirely different.

[@DaveGamesVT]

It looks quite nice!

[@jacktyler1082]

Thank you DF!

[@richardnash6111]

Looks great. Combat becomes even simpler and dumbed down from the earlier games though and arguably you spend more time in combat than any other mode so... but this is DF so I expect them to dwell on the most shallow aspects since they're easier to quantify

[@L0rd_0f_War]

Still playing and enjoying Yakuza 0 on PC at 4k60 with high resolution texture mods for characters. Amazing game with a lovely art style. Will play the rest of the Yakuza titles after finishing this one.

[@L0rd_0f_War]

@@jatnierdorta - I would think so, as all the Yakuza series games are being released on PC. It would be a late release on PC just like the Yakuza games. The Yakuza games are very well optimized for PC and run flawlessly at 4k60 at max settings on a 1080Ti (at around 70% GPU usage on a OC card).

[@L0rd_0f_War]

@@jatnierdorta - I am sure the game can be enjoyed at 1080p 60FPS on a more mid-range card like the RX570. Those have been on crazy sales lately at around USD 120-130, with two free games (if I remember correctly).

[@L0rd_0f_War]

@@jatnierdorta - Sure. Its not a race or anything. With PCs its not about console gens or whatever. Just build one whenever you have the time and money to do so. Console's are actually good value gaming machines, and are easy for most people to get into (and not everyone cares about 60 FPS gameplay). While PCs are more than gaming machines, but many people have laptops for such stuff.

[@WDeranged]

There seems to be a disconnect between the energetic sprinting animation and the sluggish pace at which he actually moves.

[@batmangovno]

So happy that Yakuza and RGG Studio are getting so much praise and recognition this gen! Hope this comes out for PC, I sold my PS4.

[@konsolkongendk]

I just ordered this game because of Motorraid. Been wanting that game for console ever since Saturn! :O

[@nataliecameron]

The dragon engine looks fucking incredible

[@anngo4140]

This is a gorgeous looking game in summary.

[@Satanjugend]

i wish this channel had a sponsor of some kind

[@ataksnajpera]

I love how phone bends in his back pocket ;)

[@tonysplatter]

Great game and great tech review !

[@thesch2867]

It sucks that there isn't a proper port of Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown on PS4 or PC, meanwhile SEGA just keeps porting the game as a mini game with missing features for Yakuza.

[@thegantz87]

Ever since seeing how my PC handles these games I’ll wait for the eventual release. The PS4 won’t do this justice

[@TheCasualSubculturist]

I'm more surprised they did this video instead of comparing version difference in Bloodstained.

[@NativeWarrior081]

I hope this game will support HDR! It will look so realistically good!!!!

[@redking8585]

Isn't it standard on XSX?

[@jinx20001]

I had to look twice.... The notification on my phone said "the complete dragon engine anal..." I was slightly disappointed ill be honest ha

[@prin8724]

Waiting for the look at the remaster now.

[@ibuildyourhouse]

Judgment has more games than xbox one

[@vandammage1747]

We get those games free with back compat and has achievements and online play. You only have 30fps rentals

[@painedman2314]

@@vandammage1747 sony has online play and achievements, backwards comp games still need to be bought, and gamepass is literal rentals lol no wonder you hate on sony on youtube all day, you dont have any games to play

[@mehrad1983]

I build your house LMAO

[@ibuildyourhouse]

@@mehrad1983 the sad thing about xbox one is that this is the truth😂

[@mehrad1983]

I build your house But remember more low budget AA trash coming to Gamepass, it's what Xbots deserve for praising a fraud like Phil Spencer.

[@ManofOneGod]

I hope they unlock the frame rate for ps5.

[@davidhernandez9937]

About the camera angles when fighting at 10:44: you can press L2 and change the camera angle to set the focus behind you because i too encountered that problem until i realized L2 was meant to fix that

[@shawnrice3692]

Definitely gonna wait for the PC version.

[@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435]

10:09 *That thug literally kicked the scooter so hard, the scooter was defying the law of physic for some reason**

[@KnowYourVideoGames]

Where is the Bloodstained Ritual of the Night breakdown?

[@sampleentry5253]

It's breaking down on the Switch.

[@RasenRendanX]

@@sampleentry5253 yikes

[@LiquidSpartan117]

Shenmue 3 is coming as well. What a year.

[@krishnakanth6662]

Sega adds mini arcade games in main game and EA adds loot boxes and DLC to main game which we need to buy...

[@Solidude]

I remember being impressed my MGS5 phantom pain's lighting. Okay, I think this might be the top. Nothing can look more natural than this but ... GTA 6 your turn.

[@godfreake]

Hoping you'd do a small follow-up on this one with the PS5 and Xbox version

[@JorisKeijser]

8:44 That's some top-tier phone bendage right there (in his back pocket). Apple would be proud.

[@VideoWatcher8888]

Waiting for it to release on PC. On console it's no contest.

[@melxb]

meh nothing big to cry about to have to wait for ports and crap

[@JAYCEEDOUBLE]

Pc beggar

[@sumitupadhayay2270]

Wow nice analysis thanks for sharing

[@MahoganyBlack]

So getting this game once I get my new 65” Oled for my new apartment! 😭

[@mightyhadi6132]

JUdgement = Yakuza + Ace Attorney

[@cookieface80]

More like Yakuza mixed with Shenmue.

[@mightyhadi6132]

@@cookieface80 Well ,Yakuza = Modern shenmue

[@cookieface80]

@@mightyhadi6132 They're only similar on a surface level.

[@mightyhadi6132]

@@cookieface80 I would love Shenmue get a similar level of graphic like Yakuza . But too bad it was ended on indies studios.

[@carpetfluff35]

Getting pretty tired of people doing the Ace Attorney comparison. He's a lawyer for exactly about 4 minutes in the opening cutscene. While there are courtroom scenes in the game, he does none of the defending or prosecuting. He's a detective.

[@manya3084a]

Where's my PC port damnit?! Hopefully coming soon.

[@Archangel96]

thank god this game got a port to the ps5 and the xbox series consoles now we just need a port to the pc via steam and not the epic games store

[@mushroomhead3054]

I switched my TV from game mode to cinema and it looks better.

[@Player-ym6ts]

It's not ya-GA-mi, it's ya-ga-mi. There is no stress on any syllables in Japanese.

[@GarytheDean]

Wonder how much better it would be on PC as well.