[Canova]

Yakuza - PS2 Yakuza 2 - PS2 Yakuza Kenzan! - PS3 (Japanese only) Yakuza 3 - PS3 Yakuza 4 - PS3 Yakuza: Black Panther - PSP (Japanese only) Yakuza of the End - PS3 (Japanese only) I suggest you play them in order.

Yakuza of the End better come across the pond

[androvsky]

Dumb question, what platforms are the first two on for America? Also are 3 and 4 PS3 only?

1 and 2 are PS2 only. Kenzan, 3, 4, and Of the End are PS3 only. Black Panther is PSP only.

[Canova]

So the 3 people who will buy this game ........

you and .....who are the other 2?

;)

[canadian crowe]

Yakuza of the End better come across the pond

It was all but Confirmed in a developer interview.

[explodet]

what's that game add-on content card?

According to the card, it is:

- Unique costumes for Akiyama, Saejima, Tanimura, Kiryu and Haruka
- Endless Survival Tag mode
- Battle King mode
- Speed King Championship mode

And with a big asterisk, it states:
* Completed game save file required to access this content

Looks like the same stuff that's described in the OP.

[Totobeni]

Yakuza of the End better come across the pond

not before freaking Kenzan.

The best Samurai game ever created should be the priority for SEGA, not that another zombie apocalypse game.


They should put the two spin-offs ( Kenzan and The End) together in one disc, it's the best solution I guess.

[quinntendopower]

should have my platinum for yakuza 3 today, then i will be 100% ready for 4.

hopefully they have it at the homefront midnight launch.

[sixteen-bit]

not before freaking Kenzan. The best Samurai game ever created should be the priority for SEGA, not that another zombie apocalypse game. They should put the two spin of ( Kenzan and The End) together in one disc, it's best solution I guess.

I'm with you there. Kenzan interests me way more.

[Yoshichan]

should have my platinum for yakuza 3 today, then i will be 100% ready for 4. hopefully they have it at the homefront midnight launch.

So you're not burnt out after playing so much Golf, Chinese gambling and fishing?

[quinntendopower]

i probably spent 30 minutes on getting -5 in golf, that wasn't too bad. the hardest thing was probably the EX hard batting cage. those 20 foot breaking curves were driving me crazy

don't get me started on Koi-Koi! I think i spent almost 4 hours....

i was in xbox parties for most of my grinding, so I didn't feel the burn so much.

just did mission 101 last night, talk about a bad ass secret boss, reminded me of Rodin from Bayonetta or something.

[Audioboxer]

Eurogamer.se - 6/10
IGN - 6.5/10

Don't really think this is a series that sells off reviews in the west, it sells to it's own niche fanbase and that's it.

[firehawk12]

Eurogamer.se - 6/10 IGN - 6.5/10 Don't really think this is a series that sells off reviews in the west, it sells to it's own niche fanbase and that's it.

Pretty much. It's as much a cash-in as Dragon Age 2, but made for an even nerdier audience.

[bernardobri]

As much as I'd love to play that in English (finished the import with a very vague idea of exactly what was going on outside of punching dudes), I can't imagine the amount it would cost to translate (tons and tons of loooong cut scenes) could be justified considering how much projected sales would be on PSP But I'm all for supporting Syn Sophia (AKI), love that fighting engine

Wait, the devs of WWF No Mercy were involved on Black Panther? Huh...

[M_Night]

Reviewers seem to hate cycling through all those text sections but I love it.

[atomsk]

Wait, the devs of WWF No Mercy were involved on Black Panther? Huh...

The engine is a refined version of the Def Jam FFNY engine, with different fighting styles and such.

Not sure how much involvement they had outside that though

I remember in an interview they said they'd like to do another wrestling game but no one will pay them to make it.

[Audioboxer]

Pretty much. It's as much a cash-in as Dragon Age 2, but made for an even nerdier audience.

I guess that's the reason they've gone tits ahoy with The End.

[matmanx1]

My Gamestop already has this (and Shogun TW) in stock although it's definitely still street dated for Tuesday. However if you were planning on going to a midnight event on Monday night you could pick up Yakuza 4 then. I'm actually considering it and I never go to those things...

Then again, this is Yakuza we're talking about here!

[canadian crowe]

I wonder if all Eb Games are selling it. Has anybody in Toronto gotten it yet?

[luffeN]

It's 36 Euro at Zavvi

[schennmu]

As usual lol @ reviews, who cares.

It's 36 Euro at Zavvi

Thanks, too good to pass up. Fuck the Kuro edition, can't get on PSN anyway to download the costumes :p

[DiresuDR]

While I tend to ignore reviews for the Yakuza series, I wanted to ask of those that imported it...is 4 really worse than 3 or is it just a matter of western reviews being bothered by certain Yakuza series staples more than the fans are? I personally love this series (One of my top 10 fav series of all time) and from what I seen 4 is pretty much what I expected it to be except for the additional playable characters.

Also...since Black Panther is not coming here, is it worth importing, or is it unplayable if you can't read Japanese? Hearing that AKI was involved really makes me want to play this one even more than I already did. Loved FFNY...

[dragonflys545]

Got it WOOOOO!

[33-Hit-Combo]

Eurogamer.se - 6/10 IGN - 6.5/10 Don't really think this is a series that sells off reviews in the west, it sells to it's own niche fanbase and that's it.

It really bothers me that Eurogamer have given it a 6/10 despite the fact that it's not particularly different from Y3. Sure it still retains a lot of its flaws, but I don't believe games should be rated with respect to its predecessors.

[An Owl With Knees]

Reviewers seem to hate cycling through all those text sections but I love it.

Agreed.

There is a certain joyous experience in hearing the multi-toned text conversations, with the audio effects from the city looming over it.

[Withnail]

It really bothers me that Eurogamer have given it a 6/10 despite the fact that it's not particularly different from Y3. Sure it still retains a lot of its flaws, but I don't believe games should be rated with respect to its predecessors.

There are several versions of Eurogamer BTW, and Eurogamer.net gave it 8 when they reviewed the import copy last year. :)

[33-Hit-Combo]

There are several versions of Eurogamer BTW, and Eurogamer.net gave it 8 when they reviewed the import copy last year. :)

That's... Confusing. Thanks.

[hamchan]

Yeah the Eurogamer review of the Japanese version is spot on I think.

That IGN review is pretty terribly written. Not as bad as his Dead Space 2 review but still pretty damn bad. Reads like it was written by someone in high school who didn't give a shit about what they were writing.

Like:

It's fun and brutal. There's a sick satisfaction to the final blow I'd land and the slow motion tumble my victim would take while spewing out blood. I dig the fighting, but boss fights are cheap. The AI could pull off moves I couldn't and never missed a move due to the lackluster targeting like I did.

WHAT!?

[~Kinggi~]

Disappointed by the scores and to hear the story isnt great in this one. Probably wait for a 30$ price point or so.

[canadian crowe]

Disappointed by the scores and to hear the story isnt great in this one. Probably wait for a 30$ price point or so.

I'm on board as long as the story is less political than the last one.

[~Kinggi~]

I'm on board as long as the story is less political than the last one.

I want to get it as i have supported this series by buying the first 3 games, and ill probably buy the 4th but i really dont know if its worth the 60$.

If i had a lot more video content to watch, like some early walkthroughs and stuff i might be able to get a better idea but it seems too risky right now. Trying to conserve my monies.

[Augemitbutter]

i don't think the yakuza community is going to get influenced by review scores.

but the average joe will be.

[Tguy]

I thought I heard from fans that the story of Yakuza 4 is the best or at least better than Yakuza 3. Anyone who imported, can you comment?

[hamchan]

The story of this game shits all over Yakuza 3, I don't know what the IGN reviewer is smoking. Yakuza 3 has the worst story in the series.

[schennmu]

Disappointed by the scores and to hear the story isnt great in this one. Probably wait for a 30$ price point or so.

Disappointed by Eurogamer Sweden and IGN? Come on son...

[GeoramA]

The story of this game shits all over Yakuza 3, I don't know what the IGN reviewer is smoking. Yakuza 3 has the worst story in the series.

I actually liked the orphanage storyline. It was a nice way to show off Kazuma's softer side. But it also showed how quickly he can transform into a vengeful, stone-cold gangster when people he cares for are fucked with.

But the stuff with politicians and the whole thing with the land deal did nothing for me. I even skipped a few of those cut-scenes.

[IrishNinja]

The story of this game shits all over Yakuza 3, I don't know what the IGN reviewer is smoking. Yakuza 3 has the worst story in the series.

see, im here looking forward to 3 before 4, and this is kinda sad to hear. i'm not expecting 2's story (sadly) but i do expect to be more interested than i was at parts of 1.

[Dragonzord]

Disappointed by the scores and to hear the story isnt great in this one. Probably wait for a 30$ price point or so.

You sound like you want to be disappointed

[corporate cheerleader]

Just got a text message, I can pick up my copy now! :) Will edit this post later with pictures.



Install screen is pretty cool, but it would be better if they showed more than the 4 biographies of the main characters.

And there's no way I'm hanging that calendar in my room. There's still room in the toilet.

[rvy]

I must be the only fella who doesn't like the boxart. I mean, it's better than Yakuza 3, but that doesn't make it good.

[Hero of Canton]

Agreed. There is a certain joyous experience in hearing the multi-toned text conversations, with the audio effects from the city looming over it.

It's blatantly a way of breaking up the cutscenes so the dialogue can cover a lot of ground without you having to wait for all the pauses and without slowing down the action too much, giving the player something to do, even if it's just tapping X to proceed. It's quite obviously a design decision rather than a technical limitation, and just about all the key scenes are fully voiced anyway.

I've been playing for 62 hours and have only now reached the last chapter. Deja vu? Sure, the city overground is the same, but then you've got huge new areas on the rooftops and underground (and in the sewers) and the four fighting styles are really different, adding much needed variety to the combat. And there's an absolute ton of asides, including several substantial side-quests.

And the story's superb. 3 had some really emotionally satisfying moments (basically the whole of Chapter 11) but this weaves a far more interesting yarn. There are some genuine surprises (two plot twists completely knocked me sideways), it's darker than the last game and it's brilliant the way the four stories slot together.

Moreover, the new characters are superb - Saejima initially seems irredeemable, but as his chapter progresses you'll really grow to like him. Shun Akiyama is instantly likeable, and by the end I was wondering whether I even preferred him to Kazuma. Tanimura won't win everyone over (he's perhaps too much of a pretty boy for that) but his fighting style is awesome, and he has two of the best story moments. Then you get your hands on the Dragon of Dojima once more and it's like coming home.

It's hard to imagine any Yakuza fan not loving this, and with recaps of the first three games, it's perhaps the slickest and most accessible way for newcomers to finally jump in.

As for the complaints about the story being too dense, there's a character tree in the menu and reminiscence sequences that offer helpful reminders of anything you might have forgotten. And if you're not following it - even if, say, you've been side-tracked by the addictive pursuit of finding all the locker keys - you're really not paying attention. It's not that complicated.

It's a pity most reviewers seem to miss or forget some of the game's greatest achievements and focus on the fact that, compared to western open-world games - which it shouldn't really be put next to anyway, it's an RPG - it has certain technical limitations. That is not, in my opinion, reason enough to mark it down.

[Snapshot King]

In all honesty I could care less what the reviews or even general perception about these games are. Y3 clearly sold well enough to justify 4, and I'm sure that'll continue. Long as they keep coming out over here then I'm happy.

[GeoramA]

I must be the only fella who doesn't like the boxart. I mean, it's better than Yakuza 3, but that doesn't make it good.

Well that's a first. What don't you like about it?

[graywolf323]

Just got a text message, I can pick up my copy now! :) Will edit this post later with pictures. Install screen is pretty cool, but it would be better if they showed more than the 4 biographies of the main characters. And there's no way I'm hanging that calendar in my room. There's still room in the toilet.

where did the calendar come from? o_O

[El Rauha]

Steelbook edition you are mine!

[M_Night]

Steelbook edition you are mine!

+me

Come on GAME ship it early!

[warpaint]

am going to buy this when i see it in store

[corporate cheerleader]

where did the calendar come from? o_O

That's a pre-order bonus in a couple of countries.

[rvy]

Well that's a first. What don't you like about it?

The colors, the 3D models with added blacks, the red stripe on the background.



Still the best. Stylish.

[momolicious]

wow IGN reviewed it at 6.5

[CartridgeBlower]

wow IGN reviewed it at 6.5

Greg Miller seems like the kind of wannabe prankster who would review a game like that just to feed off the fanboy hatemail that will now surely follow.