[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Yeah, in case of a loss, Ichiban can do this to win the stakeholders over:

As for commercials, there is one for Ichiban Confections:

And one for Ichiban Holdings:

You get to see them if you order a commercial service during the business game. I would not say you're missing a lot of content, but there is a bit.

Then again, stereotypical Japanese commercials are even crazier than that, I wonder why they did not play it out. Like here is one of the old actual commercials from Japan:

Yakuza, commercial with Ichiban is good and all, but you could have gone with something like this. Do better. 😉

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch LMAO ain’t no way these commercials are better rendered than the actual game cutscenes 😂😂😂 How is Ichiban’s Level 3 apology not a mainstream meme yet 😂

Japanese commercials are god-tier. There’s one I wanted to add here, but it might be a little NSFW for this forum. You can, however, look up the "Sakeru Gum" ads if you want to witness peak storytelling and plot twists 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I thought they used the same engine 🤔 As for the apology, I don't know... That business game is actually not that hard, just tedious. When I was playing it, I don't remember ever having to use that apology, my finances were never quite that bad. So maybe not many people got a chance to see it? You can start using it when the situation calls, maybe that will help 😉

Ah yes, I remember seeing it before. Next thing you know, we'll have kdramas about products... I mean, they joked about it 20 years ago in 30 Rock, come on...

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch Yeah, it’s the same engine, but Ichiban looks so much more expressive 😁 So uh, my finances were actually the opposite of "Ichiban," to the point that I’d have to use this apology if I didn’t just quit the minigame outright 😅 Pretty cool that you get rewarded with such fun stuff even when you've failed/nearing failure.

😂😂😂
I guess games like FFXV and Death Stranding really took the "pos-mens" philosophy straight to heart 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Hmm, I dunno, He looked pretty expressive after that haircut, I thought:

As for the finances, my guess is that Ichiban in general is more "comedic" than Kiryu who is all serious and brooding, I don't remember them having funny bits like that in previous Yakuza games, but Ichiban's more comic demeanour allows for it here. I mean, I can't imagine Kiryu doing an apology like that 😅

So that, at least, may be one of the good things that came out of changing the protagonist...

FFXV and Death Stranding are not the only ones. Even Mario and Alan Wake partake in pos-mens 😉

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch Oh dang the the moment where Ichiban went from Ichiban Kasuga to Ichiban Katsudon 😂


"I'LL MAKE YOU AN OFFER! IN CASH!!"
Old man Kiryu went for the straight man approach, and damnit it worked so well 😂

But yeah, LAD had strong facial animations at the beginning and end, but the middle sections felt a little flat imo

Oh god I had no idea Alan Wake used Energizer 😂😂 It’s kinda the opposite of Pos-men, cuz those batteries run out so fast 😅

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH Ichiban Katsudon may be a step too far, but I did a quick google search and did not find anyone making "Inchban Senbei". That is a bit of a missed opportunity, I think, some senbei maker could have made a deal with SEGA to make those, even as a one-time event. That is the level of product integration I would not mind seeing 😄

Kiryu did it back in the 80s, but Ichiban may have him beat, actually:

With a rolling table and an assistant and everything. Hardworking Kiryu had to do all the presentation work himself, but all Ichiban needs to do is make a clap 😉

Maybe that's the point? I mean, batteries run out very fast in the game too. Chances are, developers asked themselves "What is the fastest running-out battery on the market?" and put that into the game deliberately. So when the players ask "What kind of realism is that, why are the batteries running out every few minutes?", they will see the billboard and say "Oh, that's why. Yeah, sounds about right."

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch In an ideal world, Don Quixote would be the one selling these Ichiban Senbeis 😭 Ma man Kiryu built his career from the ground up, while Ichiban had it served to him on a golden platter 😤 #RespectJudgementKazzy

😂😂😂
God, I genuinely wish I knew how many Energizer batteries were sold because of Alan Wake 😂

[DoctorEldritch]

@ZaidH I'd settle for a less-than-ideal world where there are either Ichiban Senbeis for sale, or Don Quijote still has a deal with SEGA and is present in Yakuza games and not replaced by a police station (of all things). But our reality seems to be falling short...

Well, to be fair, both Kiryu and Ichiban have this thing where people shove responsibilities on them. Ichiban had a senbei shop pushed on him, and sure, it may have been a decent start, but Kiryu had Real Estate management thrown at him too. Not to mention later he is given the role of Four Shine manager, something even Majima got wrapped up in before. I guess that there is something about being an ex-yakuza that makes people think you're qualified for any job and trust you with their business and livelihood. I think the times when Kiryu built something from the ground up himself were when he opened an orphanage and when he got a job as a cab driver 😅

I did a quick Google search and found nothing. Maybe it is a trade secret.

[ZaidH]

@DoctorEldritch It is at times like this when I wish mods were available for consoles, cuz Yakuza games without that Don Quijote melody just doesn't hit hard 😭

I guess that there is something about being an ex-yakuza that makes people think you're qualified for any job and trust you with their business and livelihood.

Amazing observation lmao 😂 I guess businesses really value that ironclad loyalty that these old school Yakuza folks have.