Sega locks NG+ behind a paywall for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

https://www.pcgamer.com/like-a-dragon-infinite-wealth-is-making-the-utterly-bizarre-decision-to-lock-new-game-behind-a-dollar15-upgrade/?utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com

When it comes to trying to experience everything a sprawling hundred-hour RPG has to offer, New Game+ can often be an essential tool for running through a game a second or third time without causing too much psychological damage. Some games, like the Persona series, even require a NG+ run if you want the full completionist adventure.

It makes it all the more baffling, then, that Sega's upcoming Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is locking its New Game+ mode behind its Deluxe and Ultimate editions, which cost an extra $15 and $40 on top of the base game respectively. This is a series which, traditionally, has had its own features locked behind a NG+ run such as the legendary difficulty mode.

Specifically, NG+ is being folded into the 'Master Vacation Bundle' which isn't included with the game's base version. According to the game's official websitethe bundle also includes a bonus dungeon, special sujimon (from a Pokémon-like mode), resort guests, outfits "and more."

Frustratingly, none of these specifics are included on the game's Steam page. It lists out each edition and what bundles you get for them, but fails to detail what's included in each one. That means if you're just going by the Steam page it's perfectly reasonable to assume that a series which has traditionally included NG+ for no extra price would, in fact, have it in its standard edition.

Wow, that is crazy! Hopefully this doesn't become a trend. Thoughts, SW? Makes me not want to support the game at launch.

I hope this becomes the norm like $70 games. Gamers have a preference to abusive practices.😂

Dumb. But it's Yakuza. One playthrough is more than enough.

Not that I'm getting this.

You'll still buy it. And normalize it.

Oh oh spaghettio

You know how we like it. 😏

SEGA is like a dead man walking. It should be put to sleep. 💤

Well was thinking of buying it, now I definitely won’t bother!

I think this would not help in growing the audience for this series and may even turn some curious people off. On PC it probably could get modded out so easily. I wonder how they arrived at this decision.

Someone could probably make an obvious joke on the "Infinite Wealth" subtitle. Probably Kotaku.

It seems that they were heading in that direction with what I've seen from playing their more recent games. I got the complete editions for pretty cheap and with it, you can cheese through certain sections, essentially cheats. This doesn't surprise me. I still got three more games to go through until it's time for Infinite Wealth. Hopefully it will be on sale by then and not shit.

This has NG+? It looks like an endless experience of mini-games.

Will definitely wait for Christmas for Infinite Wealth to go on sale. I never gotten into the series though have Yakuza Like A Dragon to keep me busy and the rest of the games in the franchise.

Well that’s pretty lame.

This is Ubisoft level of scam, but at the same time, what game has a good NG+? They don't exist. First playthrough on the highest difficulty and going as thorough as possible is the way to play video games, and if you disagree, you're wrong, and should get a life.

@hardwenzen: the good NG+ of Star Field buddy why you hate this game it give you so much new todo when you start again.

Nice bait, but i ain't biting. There isn't a single thing in the whole game that is done properly in Starfield. This is why 98.8% of its playerbase left within 2 weeks.

doesn't matter...I think its absolutely fine for sega to try and get more money out of the gamers, this is just the free market. Personally I don't buy games day 1, so it has no bearing on me, and the yakuza games tend to get discounted heavily after a few months anyways. If I ever do decide to buy it, the price will probably be $20 for the deluxe ultimate edition or something along those lines. Sega and normal gamers are happy, the day 1 gamers are mad, but who cares.

God DAMN that is some bullshit.

First, we have Ubisoft saying "Hey gamers, go **** yerselves" but if that's not enough, SEGA comes in 'hold my beer' fashion and is like "Hey, if you want to experience the game again but with slightly tweaked settings that were literally no inconvenience for us to add into the game, you have to pay more!"

They'll probably give the typical Japanese response of "We are just protecting our IP."

The thing is, I can see developers just rebelling against this wholesale. Like "Man, this is nonsense!" But the suits....ahhhhhhh, the suits....they're the ones that call the shots, and they're going to see this, and they're going to see people buying it, and they're going to apply this to all their games.

Yeah, it's fucked.

It's a really bad move for a series that has been generated a ton of goodwill over the years. I mean, the game will probably be amazing, but everyone will remember it for this.

**** Sega. Thought they were the good guys. I wonder whats next, a paywall to unlock the last chapter? You heard it first here

Yup. Putting paywalls on stuff that should be free or unlocked through gameplay is the norm and has been for while. That game companies tries to do even more of that is not shocking at all, and I see no reason why this is more outrageous than what games currently are doing and have been doing for years. Just how we pay full price for half a game now, we will soon pay full price for 20% of the game. This is the bed we made.

I bet plenty of you morons will buy this game too, TC included. "Look how shit this game I'm rewarding with money is".