Are these games actually good? I really can't tell. I kind of enjoy them myself, to an extent, but i struggle to wrap my head around the whiplashes in tone, and mechanic, and the confusing storyline, and the endless running, and fighting.. what even ? i can't

The last of the Remastered trilogy, summoned back from the PS3 days, and i must admit, all of them show their age a bit in terms of game design - hey, it was a different time. I blasted through 3 a while back, then 4 soon after, which was probably a mistake because i was dragging myself across the finish line at the end. I took a healthy break before jumping into 5, but either i did permanent damage to the Yakuza enjoyment part of my brain, or the break wasn't long enough (or maybe i'm just getting older and wiser / grumpier)

If you've played any of the trilogy, they're all fairly the same. Yakuza 4 added new playable protagonists, and now 5 adds new explorable cities (based on real world Japanese cities, naturally). None of them are as large and dense as Kamurocho, but it's definitely nice to see different areas. Otherwise it's classic Yakuza: there's a main plot, usually very noir and dramatic; zany side-quests that you get dragged into; silly busywork that's so pointless i can't help feeling like there's a hidden point; and various hobby-style activities around town. Nearly all of these things will have you punching dudes at some point, for some reason

These games are really hard to describe. I know i technically just did that, but there's a whole vibe that's impossible to convey unless you actually play a while. Still not sure if that's enough to be a "good" game (whatever that is), but as they say: "it sure is something"
And i don't think you can find that "something" anywhere else..