Yakuza (computer game)
| Yakuza | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Sega Entertainment R&D # 1 | ||
| Publisher | Sega | ||
| Senior Developer |
Toshihiro Nagoshi (Producer) Hase Seishu (Author) |
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
 December 8, 2005 September 5, 2006 September 15, 2006 
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| platform | PlayStation 2 | ||
| genre | Action adventure | ||
| Game mode | Single player | ||
| control | Gamepad | ||
| medium | DVD | ||
| Age rating |
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Yakuza ( Japanese 龍 が 如 く , Ryū ga Gotoku , Eng. "Like a dragon") is an action adventure game developed and distributed by Sega for the PlayStation 2 from 2005. It is about Kazuma Kiryu, a former member of Japanese Mafia ( Yakuza ) who, after ten years in prison, immediately finds himself in the power struggle for the supremacy of his former clan.
Although it was very successful in Asia and praised internationally by the trade press, the game did not sell as expected in the West despite full localization (English dubbing, including subtitles in several languages) and a large-scale advertising campaign. Nevertheless, the title received several sequels, which were finally released on the European and American markets with a long delay. In 2016, Sega released Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the game with revised graphics, improved game functions and minor adjustments to the narrative.
action
The game tells the story of the life of Kazuma Kiryu, a member of the Tojo clan of the local yakuza .
After he went to prison for his best friend, Akira "Nishiki" Nishikiyama, and is released after ten years, Kazuma realizes that things have changed in the fictional Tokyo district of Kamurocho (a replica of Kabukichō , a district of Shinjuku ) during his absence Has. Due to the crime that Kazuma has undertaken, he is no longer welcome with the Yakuza, which is why he decides to seek out his old flame, Yumi Sawamura, but finds that she has been swallowed up by the earth. In the end, it turns out that Nishiki, whose sentence he was serving, is now the boss of a clan himself. Ambition and megalomania have changed him, and every means, no matter how ruthless, is right for him to gain control over the underworld of Kamurochos.
The supremacy of the Tojo clan within the Yakuza is fragile and the clans united below have been fighting for power and influence for some time. This power struggle could soon come to an end, however, as ten billion yen were stolen from the Tojo clan. Those who manage to find the money can claim leadership over the underworld of Kamurochos.
Gameplay
Yakuza has often been compared to Sega's Shenmue series (1999-2002), in which Toshihiro Nagoshi, producer and supervisor of Yakuza and its sequels, was also involved.
Similar to Shenmue , the player can move around in a limited interactive world that he can explore freely , similar to open-world games such as the Grand Theft Auto saga. To advance the story, Kazuma accepts orders from NPCs . These end, not infrequently, in an exchange of blows.
As in Shenmue , typical adventure elements alternate with action-packed close combat sequences. The player must defeat one or more opponents by performing martial arts attacks or by using objects as weapons to advance . He also has so-called "heat" attacks at his disposal, which cause a lot of damage, but can only be carried out if a bar provided for this, the "heat gauge", is filled accordingly. The more "heat" you have, the more devastating the attacks that it can cause. "Heat" is obtained through successfully executed combos and defeated enemies. During the course of the game, Kazuma's skills, such as his strength or speed, can be increased by leveling up using experience points, and he also meets people who can teach him additional fighting techniques.
Aside from assignments and fights, Yakuza offers an insight into the nightlife of a Japanese city with its arcades, bars, cabarets and casinos. All of these locations enrich the gameplay with various mini-games. Typically Japanese is the dialogue with hostesses who, depending on the answer, react differently and even fall in love with Kazuma.
reception
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Yakuza received mostly positive reviews ( Metacritic : 75%).
"Yakuza vividly portrays modern Japan and its organized crime families, but it pulls its punches before delivering a truly great action game or a completely satisfying story."
"Yakuza vividly portrays modern Japan and its organized crime families, but it is too reluctant to make a really great action game or a completely satisfactory story."
New releases
Ryū ga Gotoku 1 & 2 HD edition
On November 1st, 2012, Sega released an HD remaster of the first two Yakuza parts for PlayStation 3 on the Japanese market.
On August 8, 2013, the series was released for the first time on another console family with the port of the HD remaster for Wii U.
Yakuza Kiwami
On January 21, 2016 Sega released Ryu ga Gotoku: Kiwami ( 龍 が 如 く ： 極 ), a revised version of the original game for PlayStation 3 and 4 in Japan . It resembles the game technically and in terms of content to the previously published Yakuza 0 , a prehistory to the first part. As a result, the player can now switch seamlessly between four different fighting styles in the fights. The graphics have also been significantly revised and the plot has been cleaned up with new game sections and minor adjustments to logic gaps in relation to the rest of the series.
Film adaptations
In 2007, a film adaptation of the material called Like a Dragon , directed by Takashi Miike, was released .
Sequels
A successor, Yakuza 2 , was released in Japan on December 7, 2006 under the title Ryū ga Gotoku 2 , which was only released in the USA and Europe at the end of September 2008. An offshoot called Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan has now appeared for the PlayStation 3 ! , which takes place in the Japanese Middle Ages, and Ryū ga Gotoku 3 .
One year after the Japanese first release, Yakuza 4 appeared in Europe on March 18, 2011 , in which four instead of just one protagonist can be played for the first time. Yakuza 5 was released in December 2012, which is only available in the West in December 2015 including all DLCs and only via Sony's PlayStation Store.
On January 24, 2017, almost two years after the Japanese release, the prequel Yakuza 0 ( Yakuza Zero ) was released in the West and, together with the Yakuza Kiwami (Japanese release January 2016), which was released on August 29, 2017 , which greatly expanded this and reached A completely modernized remake of the original from 2005, new groups of players who could now join the series without having to worry about the complex plot or the ongoing story.
The Yakuza 6 - The Song of Life , which was released in Japan on December 8, 2016 , is expected to be released on March 20, 2018 in the European and American markets.
Web links
- Official website of the game series
- Official Japanese website
- Yakuza at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ IGN US : Test IGN
- ↑ a b Gamespot : Test Gamespot
- ↑ a b Metacritic : Yakuza rating , accessed on June 3, 2018.