I think this opens a really interesting argument that I can't work out the answer to.
Sonic 1 is still a fantastic game and I would recommend it to any youngster getting into gaming. Sonic Adventure (As much as i love it) if we are honest plays terribly. I'd tell you to go straight to Generations.
So 3D ages badly? Right? Wrong!!! For the last week or so I have been playing the remake of NiGHTS and the visuals are great. Colourful, bright and the design and imagination is superb.
I think it comes down to a mix of design,art style & genre. JSR, the 2D Sonics, NiGHTs are brilliant to play now. Yet games like GTA3 and FIFA etc. are dreadful (Vice City is acceptable for soundtrack alone). This is because essentially brand new versions of these games have been created and the actual gameplay has evolved.
To bring this all on topic. I guess the question is does Yakuza 1 have enough of the elements to warrant it as a play in its own right. Or is Yakuza 4 what GTA4 is to GTA3, a slicker, visually better version with the bad bits removed?