Originally a PS4 exclusive since its December 2018 release (June 2019 in the West), developer Ryu Ga Gotoku announcing a set of new-gen ports for its hit detective thriller, Judgment, is a welcome wonder for many. Utilising the technical capabilities of the new consoles, players of the Yakuza spin-off are promised smooth frame rates of 60fps along with refined visuals on PS5, Stadia and the Xbox Series X/S.
For those new to the world of Judgment or have only played the Yakuza games, it’s a very different story to the tales of Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima. Disgraced lawyer-turned-private detective, Takayuki Yagami, is tasked with hunting down an enigmatic serial killer who takes the eyes of his victims. Whilst solving cases via finding clues and engaging with the delightfully crazy gameplay world that Ryu Ga Gotoku is known for, this dark tale also takes Yagami on a journey brimming with corruption and despair.
For those who’ve already bought the game on PlayStation 4 (including yours truly), I’m afraid there’s some bittersweet news. A Sega rep has confirmed to other news outlets, like Eurogamer and IGN, that there will not be an upgrade path to PlayStation 5. So, if you wanted to enjoy the new upgrades, you’ll have to pay the full price of $39.99 (UK & other regional prices yet to be announced). Whether there’ll be cross-save functionality though, we’re still waiting on confirmation.
The rep from Sega also confirmed there won’t be a PC port either. Sorry, Steam/Epic Games Store fans. My heart goes out to you. The Stadia port is a confusing surprise within surprise to many though, since Google just announced that its internal Stadia studios are closing and starting to provide its streaming platform to third-party publishers.
Someone has made a quick side-by-side comparison of the PS5 and PS4 versions of Judgementhttps://t.co/dP6bgP9SZ8 pic.twitter.com/pe2ce9DnSa
— Nibel (@Nibellion) February 2, 2021
Nevertheless, if you’ve got a PS5, an Xbox Series X/S or one of the few people who actually bought a Stadia I guess, Judgment is an incredible game to bring to any system; upgraded 4k graphics and 60fps is just a visually sweet bonus. Going by the trailer and the side-by-side PS4-to-PS5 comparisons shared in the Nibel tweet above, these enhancements look to revitalise the immersive experience enough to make replaying Judgment an enchanting temptation that’s just too good to resist.
