Released on 12/03/2010

• Yakuza 3 Review

  Life's a beach

  Yakuza's first outing on PS3 begins with a departure for the series in terms of setting. Protagonist Kiryu Kazuma has retired from a life of organised crime and set up a new home in tropical Okinawa with his adopted daughter Haruka. They run an orphanage in the idyllic seaside setting, where Kazuma teaches the children about the meaning of family and generally plays the role of father figure.

  Expectedly though, it isn't long before this peaceful existence is interrupted. A shady land ownership deal between local officials and the boss of a yakuza clan threatens the orphanage's survival, and the unfolding events see Kazuma forced to return to the shadowy past he thought he'd left behind.

  Modern-day Tokyo

  Kazuma's battle to protect his new sanctuary sees him venture to a gritty modern-day Tokyo. It's stylishly presented and the new free camera mode helps to make the densely populated city feel like a real, breathing place. Once there, Yakuza 3 mixes brawling and exploration in equal measures, with a major side helping of mini-games.

  Yakuza 3 mixes brawling and exploration in equal measures, with a major side helping of mini-games.

  The game world, which is littered with collectibles that encourage exploration, serves up hundreds of engrossing activities. You'll find yourself visiting bars and lapdancing clubs, playing billiards and golf, or singing karaoke. You can purchase items in shops and even eat in real life restaurants, and becoming a regular visitor to the city's attractions will open up side missions. These myriad distractions are often highly immersive - there's so much to do that at times you'll probably find yourself ignoring the main story quest in favour of a trip to the local arcades.

  Street Fighter

  Combat plays a major role in Yakuza 3. Punches and kicks are your best weapons as you take on low-level street punks through to crime family bosses, but there are plenty of weapons available too. Anything you can lay your hands on – from tables to bicycles - can be used to your advantage in these violent and stylish face-offs, which are usually watched by cheering crowds.

  Entering Heat mode sees Kazuma burn with a blue flame and enables him to enact some satisfyingly brutal finishing moves.

  Combat plays a major role in Yakuza 3. Punches and kicks are your best weapons as you take on low-level street punks through to crime family bosses, but there are plenty of weapons available too. Anything you can lay your hands on – from tables to bicycles - can be used to your advantage in these violent and stylish face-offs, which are usually watched by cheering crowds.

  While the combat system can feel a little loose at times, leading to plenty of button-mashing, there's a level of depth too as you're able to hone your skills by training with fight teachers to unlock new special attacks. Entering Heat mode sees Kazuma burn with a blue flame and enables him to enact some satisfyingly brutal finishing moves.

  Lost in translation?

  Thankfully Sega has managed to translate its open-world brawler, which released in Japan last year, with "99% of the content intact", so there's no reason to feel short-changed here. The game features English subtitles and all that's missing are a few Japanese history trivia sections and trips to the city's hostess clubs.

  Yakuza 3 is a title for grown-ups that offers a great blend of action, exploration and mini-games, all tied together in a slickly presented package, and is one PS3 game that will spend plenty of time occupying your console's disc tray.

  GAME's Verdict

  

  • A great story, stylishly presented.
  • The game world is full of life and amusing distractions.
  • Manages to successfully balance different game play types.

  

  • Fetch quests can retread the same city areas.
  • Combat can be a little repetitive at times.
  • Not the full game released in Japan.

  Review by: Tom 'Yakuza' Ivan
  Version Tested: PS3
  Review Published: 10.03.10

  Published: 10/03/2010

• Yakuza 3 Review

  Return of the Yak

  This riotously enjoyable mashup of Streets of Rage, Virtua Fighter and Shenmue combines the very best of SEGA's rich gaming heritage to great effect, creating a one-of-a-kind Japanese RPG-brawler.

  The follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2008 PS2 title takes the series up another notch, with another epic redemptive tale of the life of former Yakuza boss, Kiryu Kazuma. Having retreated to help run an orphanage in the remotest part of Japan, his peaceful new life is soon turned upside-down when plans to knock down the orphanage come to light.

  But in true Yakuza-style nothing is ever quite as simple as it first appears, and Kiryu soon finds himself donning his old fighting suit to go back to his old stomping ground of Tokyo to kick some gangland ass.

  Kick ass and crunch bones

  As with the previous titles in the series, the gameplay focuses squarely on a particularly satisfying brand of brutal melee combat, which strikes the perfect balance between depth and accessibility. Taking its cue from classic RPG mechanics, the experience-based levelling-up system grants you an ever-evolving array of bone-crunching manoeuvres over the course of a 20 hour-plus adventure.

  Pulling off a series of skilful combos gains you access to dozens of wince-inducing 'Heat' finishing moves which have your enemies running off in terror as you smash them face-first into the nearest inanimate object. This is gratuitous, stylised brutality at its most balletic and cinematic, and adds an extra dimension to the palpitating intensity of the martial arts on display.

  Head downtown

  But as fantastic as the brawling undoubtedly is in Yakuza 3, it's only part of the game's appeal. Continuing its uncannily accurate depiction of modern day Japan, you'll spend a lot of time immersed in fascinated awe, exploring the intricate urban streets of Tokyo and downtown Okinawa.

  Distractions abound in Yakuza 3, and between the dense and narrow alleys lay a plethora of mysterious shops and market stalls, offering an exhaustive array of items to sample and collect. Restaurants, shops and fast food joints offer realistic menus, while magazine racks  even house realistically depicted front covers to gawp at in utter confusion.

  But this spirit of realistic interaction extends to even more fully playable mini-games than before, including a wonderfully playable take on ten-pin bowling, an arcade shoot 'em up, numerous gambling games, UFO catchers, as well as golf, darts, baseball batting, pool, fishing, fighting tournaments, card games and, yes, that old Japanese staple, karaoke. Hilariously, you can even take a lady out for a date and passionately serenade her in the way that only the Japanese can.

  On top of all that, Yakuza 3 even manages to beef up the content further still, with around 100 side quests giving you no end of extra tasks to complete long after you've cleared all 12 chapters that comprise the main story. There's a truly vast amount of content available in the game, not to mention four free chunks of downloadable content to add even more to the package.

  No such thing as too much?

  There is a slight downside to this exhaustive amount of content, however, in that there's always a sense that you'll never quite get around to experiencing all of it. Add to that the near six-hours of cinematic cut-scenes to sit through, and there's a lingering suspicion that the game could have been even more enjoyable if there was someone around to rein in its ambition and cut down on some of the more self-indulgent moments. As it is, some of the more Japanese-centric content has been cut, leading to a somewhat frosty response from the community. For what it's worth, few will miss the elements that were axed.

  Overall, though, Yakuza 3 is a fascinating and unique attempt at producing a beat 'em-up role playing game.

  With its brilliant and accessible fighting system, compelling storyline and hugely enjoyable array of mini-games, it's one of the best action games to come out of Japan in ages.

  

  Konnichiwa
  + Satisfyingly brutal combat system.
  + Wonderfully immersive game world and deep narrative.
  + Huge amount of side quests and mini-games.

  Kamikaze
  - Random battles come thick and fast.
  - Some content cut for the Western release..
  - Overlong cut-scenes can be a drag.

• Yakuza to get another sequel

  Yakuza to get another sequel

  Good news for fans of the brilliant Japanese crime series - Sega has confirmed that there's another Yakuza game in the works.

  Eurogamer is reporting that the latest issue of the Japanese games magazine Famitsu announces that there's a new console title in development alongside the PSP's forthcoming Black Panther Yakuza Chapter, and that the latest game will be another PS3 exclusive.

  Series boss Toshihiro Nagoshi has said that the new game will "do honour" to the series, and that the popular character Majima Goro will be playable. The game should also have a focus on "destruction", by the sounds of it, with Nagoshi explaining, "We want to show evidence of 'there are still these possibilities for the Yakuza series'. We won't be throwing out the past methods of enjoyment, but we will be taking a scalpel to the fundamentals of the game systems."

  Due to the complexity of the games and the time needed for extensive localisation, we've only just had Yakuza 3 in Europe, with the next game in the series, Yakuza 4, getting a PS3 release next Spring. Whether the title Nagoshi's just announced is Yakuza 5 or a spin-off remains to be seen, but one thing's clear: if you're after a more Japanese take on the crime genre, you're going to be well taken care of in the years ahead.

• Zombies and forklifts confirmed for Yakuza: Of the End

  Zombies and forklifts confirmed for Yakuza: Of the End

  The PlayStation exclusive Yakuza series isn't just a great action RPG franchise in its own right: it's often seen as the spiritual successor to the wildly ambitious Shenmue games for the Dreamcast. Now SEGA's announced that the forthcoming Yakuza: Of the End will include an overt nod to those aging classics, with the inclusion of drivable forklift trucks.

  In Shenmue, forklifts allowed hero Ryo to get a bit of cash with a day job. In Of the End, however, they provide a means of tackling the game's bizarre new enemies: zombies. Rather than a straight sequel to the crime series, Of the End is billed as a fascinating off-shoot, seeing the cast of the first three games tackling hordes of the undead.

  The Japanese game mag Famitsu, which spilled the beans on the forklifts - thanks to Siliconera for the translation and Eurogamer for picking up the story - also promises tanks, armoured cars and even bulldozers in the finished game, alongside fire extinguishers, chainsaws and flamethrowers.

  There's no word yet on when Of the End will reach the UK, but fans of the series can look forward to Yakuza 4 arriving in the spring, as another PlayStation 3 exclusive.

• New Release Round Up: 12th Feb 2010

  This week's new GAME releases are all about revisiting gaming's classic series, with new franchise outings or expansions for existing blockbuster titles.
  
  Epic fantasy

  One of gaming's biggest role-playing series is finally ready to make its debut on the current generation of consoles. Final Fantasy XIII (PS3/X360) features unique worlds, memorable characters and an engrossing story that sees players plunged into an age-old conflict between the floating city of Cocoon and the mysterious land of Pulse that dwells beneath it.

  The title offers an epic quest, fantastic magic and titanic battles, all in jaw-dropping HD for the first time in the franchise's history. It's set to be one of the biggest titles of the year, taking gamers on an enchanting journey that's definitely not to be missed.
  
  

  Chaos rises

  Set in the war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising (PC) transports players into the midst of an intergalactic war between ancient enemies.

  This standalone expansion pack for the acclaimed real time strategy series introduces the Chaos Space Marines as a playable army, adds 15 new single player missions and raises the level cap from 20 to 30. It also features new multiplayer maps and fresh units for the Orks, Eldar, Tyranids and Space Marines.
  
  

  Street fighting in Tokyo

  Expertly blending combat, exploration and mini-games, Sega's open-world adventure Yakuza 3 (PS3) makes its much anticipated debut on a current generation platform.

  While all begins calmly as you step into the shoes of former criminal Kiryu Kazuma, who's now running an orphanage on the tropical island of Okinawa, it's not long before adversity strikes and forces him to return to the gritty Tokyo haunts from the first two games and the shadowy past he thought he'd left behind.

  
  

  Speeding through Green Hill Zone

  The original titles from gaming icon Sonic The Hedgehog come to the Nintendo DS for the first time. Sonic Classic Collection (DSi/DS Lite) allows fans old and new to speed through the much loved zones of the four original Sonic adventures in a bid to collect the Chaos Emeralds and save the world.

  Sonic Classic Collection boasts a new save anywhere feature, meaning the game can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime. It also features a video recounting the history of Sonic, offering gamers an in-depth look at the evolution of the speedy hedgehog.
  
  

  The biohazard threat returns

  An expanded version of last year's chart topping Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition (PS3/Xbox 360) contains two new story episodes, additional player costumes and fresh characters for Mercenaries mode - a side game that sees players shooting down as many enemies as they can within a set time limit.

  The first new chapter, "Lost in Nightmares," stars Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they investigate Umbrella Corporation founder Ozwell E. Spencer's hideaway. The second, "Desperate Escape," sees Valentine and Josh Stone fight off waves of enemies in a bid to escape from an African research facility under the darkness of night.

  
  

  Also out this week:

  • Avalon Code (DSi/DS Lite)
  • Ben 10: Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks (X360/Wii/DS/PSP/PS2)
  • Dancing on Ice (Wii)
  • Fat Princess (PSP)
  • Way of the Samurai 3 (X360/PS3)

  Published: 12/02/2010

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