An incredible game. Underappreciated and typically unknown, this game is one of the best games you've never played.
Yakuza 2 is probably one of the greatest games to come to the PS2, and the last great hoorah for the system. I won't spend any time dealing with the story, or the gameplay. It's a complete sequel of the first game, and you -need- to watch the gameplay and trailers, yourself.
Pros:
The combat has been upgraded from the first game. It's still similar, the lock-on is touchy, but you can now attack in other directions which make fights with 5 other enemies manageable. New animations for weapons have been added, as well as new HEAT actions that are simply amazing to watch. You never get over how sick it is to slam a person's head into a wall, and then knee their head while it's against the wall, too. New moves, in general, really expand the game.
The story is excellent. Just pure brilliance. The game is almost on par with the MGS series with how much it captivates you and draws you in. It clocks in at 25+ hours, at least, without completeing every single mission. There are 16+ chapters, and the drama is never overwhelmingly disapointing.
And the champagne call. Oh my god, the champagne call.
Cons:
The camera angles at times are still twitchy at times.
The visuals were supposed to be progressive scan capable, as the box printed, but it isn't. I'm sure they made improvements to make it look better, but unfortunately, playing it on my PS2 made it look only slightly better then the first Yakuza. That fact, alone, took this game down from being a masterpiece, along with the loading between moving through parts of the city. It's still somewhat annoying, as it was in the first game.
The lock-on is twitchy sometimes.
Final thoughts:
Buy the game. It's amazing. If you want a game with great action, great replayability (A LOT to unlock and enjoy, including the underground colliseum), and great story, you NEED to buy this game.