All things Yakuza/Like a Dragon! - new games announced

[womblingfree]

I think this series certainly deserves a thread of its own.

I loved the first game, like Shenmue with a decent fighting system. Unfortunately like Shenmue no one bought the first one. There's been no translation of the second yet.

Next one's Kenzan and judging from these screen shots it seems they've done more than simply ported it over from PS2. It looks like it could be seriously good. This better be coming to the West!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1332/1365560683_e165f87e09.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1225/1365553939_d702b68ae4.jpg

EDIT: New TGS trailer here

[womblingfree]

From jeux France

[Rudderless]

Yakuza is one of my favourite games of the last five years. I know there was plenty wrong with it, but I loved every minute. The second was supposed to be even better, but alas, no-one bought the first so we'll never get it.

Here's hoping we get this, though it won't be the same without The Dragon of Dojima.

[cantonarv]

Whats this going to be on? PS3?

[Rudderless]

Whats this going to be on? PS3?

Yep. It's set in the 16th century, I think.

[womblingfree]

Here's hoping we get this, though it won't be the same without The Dragon of Dojima.

Here's hoping Yak 1&2 get some kind of re-release in the future. Going round Don Quixote with that music playing is the nearest you can get to being in Tokyo without a long-haul flight.

[Mad Gear]

Oh my, a PS3 game that i might just buy.

[SpikedJuice]

I was thinking of selling my copy of Yakuza, but I just don't have the heart to do it.

Nice to see they've worked hard on the hostess bars for the PS3 one.

[Blue Screen Error]

Is yakuza 1 worth playing?

Given I can get it on the cheap nowadays?

[womblingfree]

While we've been sitting around waiting for the Yakuza 2 translation (subtitles please), the Japanese have been getting toys and DVD's:

Albums...

and movies based on the games by Takashi Miike :

Trailer here!

[cantonarv]

For Yakuza 2 why the fuck was it not released here or have an English menu?

What the fuck is it about localization? Its beyond me why they just cant have a guy who can write English and Japanese to just write all the text at the same time and then just have an option to flip between the two.

If I can get a website running with seven different languages then anybody should be able to do this.

[womblingfree]

Is yakuza 1 worth playing?

Given I can get it on the cheap nowadays?

Yes, it's very fun, and recreates the atmosphere of a Japanese city really well. Lots of funny little side quests like sampling whisky and dating hostesses as well

[Monkichi 3.0]

As much as I currently dislike the PS3, a next gen version of Yakuza 1 would sell the system for me. Far, far more than 10 Metal Gears would. I'm not sure about this third one though, I like the setting in the first one. I guess a lot of it was to do with the nostalgia of when I travelled in Japan but that game got me hooked. What an amazing game it was.

[MW_Jimmy]

Is yakuza 1 worth playing?

Given I can get it on the cheap nowadays?

Just about I think.

Yakuza plays like a Shenmue prototype with a really shit storyline. Much wasted potential throughout.

[Duckula]

PS3 only?

[womblingfree]

Yakuza plays like a Shenmue prototype

Other way around!

Gameplay wise everything about Yakuza is a more streamlined and improved progression from Shenmue.

You'd rather be stacking crates and looking for sailors? Yakuza has a rather crap dog finding section for you then

[Preacher]

Yakuza isn't an awful lot like Shenmue, in all fairness. It's more like a JRPG with so-so combat, a fraction of the interactivity and an even more preposterous storyline than what I'm used to by now.

[Jolly]

Once you got past the funeral, Yakuza was funking ace.

Mark me down as mega excited.

[hanzo]

This'll happily make me buy a PS3. Looks pretty amazing!

[Blue Screen Error]

[womblingfree]

New details up at IGN.

Here's the voice actor list for Japan:

Kojiro Sasaki (voiced by Shouta Matsuda)

Nagayoshi Marume (Naoto Takenaka)

Itou, the bodyguard (Susumu Terajima)

The mysterious monk (Hiroki Matsukata)

Seijyurou Yoshioka (Masaya Kato)

Toji Gion (Takeshi Tsukamoto)

All very big names in Japan. Let's hope we get an option for subtitles this time.

Now you don't just learn new moves from training with a Master but also by witnessing events and even watching how animals move. Horseback archery looks a possiblity as well.

[Mr. Gerbik]

All very big names in Japan. Let's hope we get an option for subtitles this time.

I should bloody well hope so! It's a blu-ray disc, developers have no excuse whatsoever for not including subtitles.

[womblingfree]

I should bloody well hope so! It's a blu-ray disc, developers have no excuse whatsoever for not including subtitles.

DVD's were big enough, but it still didn't stop abominations like Siren and Tidus

[womblingfree]

A rather epic trailer from TGS:

http://www.gamevideos.com/video/id/14861

I love the way some of the characters are so obviously the ancestors of those in the original game.

[Liquid Myth]

I'm guessing that this will probably (hopefully) get an international release in order to (further) justify the budget.

[Monkichi 3.0]

Here's hoping Yak 1&2 get some kind of re-release in the future. Going round Don Quixote with that music playing is the nearest you can get to being in Tokyo without a long-haul flight.

See, now that's my problem with 3. Playing Yakuza was like walking around Tokyo, which made it great for me as it brought back memories and I could really get into the setting. I've never been to 16th century Japan so it's going to be a lot harder to get into now. Not that I don't like the setting in general, I just don't think I'll like it in THIS particular game.

It's still set to sell a PS3 to me though.

[robdood]

I love the new trailer especially the little girl asking him to kill someone at the end! Yummy.

[Mr. Gerbik]

I love the new trailer especially the little girl asking him to kill someone at the end! Yummy.

Not just someone, she wants him to kill Miyamoto Musashi

Excellent trailer, looks like I will have to buy a PS3 after all.

[robdood]

Oh man, that's awesome! I like the fact that the main character's face looks very similar to the main guy in Yakuza too; perhaps he is a distant relation?

[Mr. Gerbik]

Oh man, that's awesome! I like the fact that the main character's face looks very similar to the main guy in Yakuza too; perhaps he is a distant relation?

Well, it is said that the yakuza first appeared sometime during the Edo period, so this guy might be a distant relation and the very first yakuza in Japanese history. My Japanese is pretty poor, but I'll try to translate a part of the trailer, see if if that tells us more. Edit: Well, the guy has the same name as the one in the first Yakuza; Kazuma Kiryu.