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Back in 2000, there was a little unknown gem on Sega Dreamcast called 'Shenmue', which became a huge financial flop despite the universal critical praises. Its sequel only showed up in Japan and later ported to the original X-Box after Dreamcast's demise. Shenmue was the game that invented QTE (Quick Time Event) that are so frequently used by many games like Resident Evil 4, Heavy Rain and God of War series.
Yakuza 3 is the third installment of the popular Japanese action adventure game series by Sega that inherit all the characteristics of Shenmue series. But it is this installment that finally exceeds everything Shenmue tried to be in spades with so much more contents and depths. Yakuza series was understandably not well-known outside Japan at all due to its quirky and idiosyncratic eccentricity stemming from distictively Japanese culture. Make no mistake, this is one of the most popular game in Japan. With population half as big as the U.S. but so much diversities in different genres of video games (each game is targeted speficically for intended demographic rather than potential demographic as here in the U.S.), half-million copies sold is viewed as bona-fide success. With sensible budget and half-million copies means good profits and the next sequel. The fourth one has just been released in Japan. There have been tons and tons of games on PS and Nintendo consoles that never make outside Japan, and Yakuza series are one of the rare ones that are available here in the U.S.
Warning to fans of GTA or the likes and JRPG; Yakuza 3 is not a console RPG or GTA-clone, as many would describe it. It's a grand style action adventure game that indeed plays very much like JRPG but so jam-packed with contents that it put arguably all console RPG to shame and gives even the longest CRPG like 'Oblivion' or 'Fallout 3' some serious run for its money. Don't be surprise to clock in over 100 hours to unlock 100 percent completion percentage. Beside the main story, which gives you good 20-25 hours, the game is overflowing with substories and side activities. Plus you can always engage in street fight at certain points. On and all, if you ever played either of Shenmue, you'll know exactly what you're getting into. This really is 'Shenmue' reincarnated, so if you ever moaned about the demise of the series, pick this up without any hesitation.
Its fighting mechanics is Sega's own 'Streets of Rage' style beat-them-up brawler with some depth. Just don't expect more complicated fighting game like Sega's own 'Virtua Fighter'. But the actual fighting is much more brutal, violent, bone-crunching and over the top than the unrealistic arcady fighting games that let you shoot fireball from your eyes so you will have a heck of a time engaging in combat. It's really fun.
The story is thoroughly Japanese and also very realistic and real-life related like actual Japanese TV drama. The plot progresses via dynamic cutscenes and static dialogues. While each literation in the series offers a self-contain story arc but you would have much more emotional resonance if you've already played the first two on PS2. It also have many recurring themes overlapping from the first two. Luckily, the game gives you full rundown of the story of the first two games with cutscenes directly lifted from the PS2 games.
However, the game only offers Japanese soundtrack with English subtitle, due to huge cultural differences between Japanese and western nations, the game will be difficult to get into for a lot of people. Don't be surprised if you don't understand many of customs, references and logics. Pacing would also make things difficult for more casual gamers who are used to quick access and fast-paced run-of-the-mill action game. This is an action adventure game that heavily focuses on human drama. Episodic and sometimes brutal, sometimes poignant, but always humane and realistic, it requires you to read and reminisce a lot as a main character on the way.
Visual is indeed very impressive. Facial model is the most impressive aspect and on par with 'Heavy Rain'. The graphical style opts for photo-realism so everything is very real-life like. But the jagged character models and color imperfection signal that this is still a video game. While not exactly 'Uncharted 2' or 'God of War 3', this is one fine looking game.
Controversy surrounding the contents cut from the original Japanese version are indeed true.
Cut content from the western version of Yakuza 3 includes:
-"Loser" (Japanese theme song by Eikichi Yazawa)
-Wooing women in hostess clubs
-Managing a hostess club
-Mahjong mini-game
-Shogi mini-game
-Massage parlor mini-game
-Answer X Answer trivia game
-Convenience store magazine browsing (you can only see the covers)
-A handful of sub-missions all related to aforementioned cut contents (26 out of 126 substories to be precise)
The official explanation of the cut is due to the cultural gap between Japanese and westerners, Sega worried that it would not resonate as much with western gamers with the axed contents. I personally call this a load of crap for Yakuza 1 and 2 previously had massage parlor, casino, hostess club mini games. I assure you that the omitted contents really don't change the game at all. Only some of the extra side activities are cut and the game is already jam-packed with side activities. But it would be much nicer to maintain the integrity of the original work.
It's been a crazy couple of months for me. From belated port of 'Star Ocean: The Last Hope', revolutionary 3D adventure game called 'Heavy Rain' to highly controversial yet solid 'Final Fantasy XIII' and the return of the king in 'God of War 3', it really has been taxing on my budget. Now 'Yakuza 3' is another excellent addition to already impressive Playstation library filled with diversified entries, variaties and quality. With 'Fallout: New Vegas', 'Two Worlds II', 'Arcania: A Gothic Tale', 'God of War III', 'MGS: Peace Walker', 'Metroid: Other M', and possibly another Zelda, my urges and passion for CRPG and action adventure games will be thoroughly satisfied in the year 2010.
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I feel very torn in writing this review, as the release of Yakuza 3 in the US is the big carrot we must chase to get Yakuza 4 (which comes out in Japan a mere week after this release in the US) released stateside.
SEGA, I need you guys to pay attention. There's obviously been some miscommunication and misunderstanding in how this all should work. Ryu Ga Gotoku 3, the original Japanese title, is a fine and stellar game. It has a fantastic story, excellent mini games, substories and submissions to follow, and does what I feel is serve as an excellent representation of life in Japan, more to the point of life as a Japanese gangster.
The seedy underbelly and the familiar touches to anyone who has been to either Okinawa or Kabuki-cho in Shibuya are going to see massively detailed recreations at work here.
There was clearly a lot of love poured into the Japanese release. The US release, Yakuza 3, seems to have been the victim of time and poor project management. SEGA dodged questions for months regarding a western release of Yakuza 3, and when they finally announced their intentions, did so with the heaviest reservations possible.
To back this up a little bit, SEGA has had a troubled past with the series on the PS2 in the US. It's never been a high selling title, touted as a GTA game set in Japan. It's not really. It's basically Shenmue with more fighting, more gangsters, and a lot of seedy underbelly. There's no looking for sailors here or running off to look for a mirror. Your character is haunted by the violence surrounding his life and wants to be rid of the life he can never leave.
SEGA took the opportunity to take a heavy black marker to the full content of the Japanese release and started making deep and heavy cuts to the content.
Much was said about the Hostess Bar missions being cut for lack of purpose to the western audience, or that they removed the massage parlor in Kamuro-cho (the fake name for the real life Kabuki-cho).
I'm not here to defend or deny the need for those missions or content. What I'm far more worried about is how whitewashed and rushed the final product has become. There are large chunks of side story sub missions missing from the US release that were in the Japanese version. Missions that had absolutely nothing to do with the Hostess Bars or any illicit activity. Cutting Shogi and Mahjong? It's questionable why this was cut, but not Koi Koi or Oichi-ku.
I'm really disturbed that SEGA has set a trend in threatening the customer with regard to bringing the series stateside, but I want to contrast my concerns regarding the game with a very pertinent statement from Sega's own staffers.
Aaron Webber:
"It's not a question I can really answer for you, but I would encourage all fans of the series to show their support for Yakuza by picking up a copy [of Yakuza 3]. At the end of the day, numbers often speak loudest."
Speaking that the best way to see Yakuza 4 get localized in the US is to buy Yakuza 3 is an upsetting trend to someone who sees so much changed between the US and Japanese versions of the game.
SEGA, if you want to address this properly, tell the fans that when Yakuza 4 gets released stateside that it will not receive any cuts, that the gameplay, Nihongo-esque weirdness and all, will be fully intact.
As it is now, I have to rate the game with 4 stars because, it's identical to the Japanese version, but what's been cut is stuff that SEGA is deceiving it's customers into believing wasn't important to the original game.
When you release a game that's about life as a Japanese person, in Japan, cutting stuff that the western audience wouldn't understand is a ludicrous and silly decision to make at the expense of what is already a stellar title.
Buy Yakuza 3 Now
You're being surrounded by a bunch of yakuza punks in a small children's park. They were hassling a woman, trying to take her
back to their boss, until you and your buddy stepped in. Soon, you're fending off these five or six thugs with kicks, uppercuts
and curb stomps. All of a sudden, when it just comes down to you and one other punk, you spy a pair of pliers lying on the
ground; you don't know why they're there, but you don't give it a second thought and quickly snag them. In a heartbeat, you've
taken the last punk in a headlock and messily ripped one of his teeth from his mouth, throwing him to ground and watching him
roll around in pain. This isn't the latest blockbuster action flick; it's just one of the many crazy moments from the superb world of "Yakuza 3."
Story: A-
An ex-yakuza chairman, Kazuma Kiryu left behind his path of violence and destruction in order to open up an orphanage on the
island of Okinawa. After a brief period of peace, he's soon sucked back into the world of violence when a developer threatens
to run him and the orphans he cares for out of their home, in order to build a resort and military base so as to stimulate
Okinawa's waning economy. This sets off a series of events both serious and lighthearted in nature. Moments of violence
and gritty crime drama are interspersed with missions which involve taking care of your kids and finding food for a stray dog.
Unlike the plot of "Grand Theft Auto IV", which was a more or less monotoned look at the criminal underworld, "Yakuza 3" crafts
a truly complex and intricate web of a plot, laced with heart-pounding action sequences and more conspiracies than you can
shake a stick at.
Gameplay: A+
To some, this may seem like a run-the-mill button-mashing affair; you've got your square button for light attacks, triangle for
heavy attacks, and circle for grab. However, this is prevented from getting stale by the colorful assortment of moves Kazuma
has at his disposal, as well as the fact that a great deal of objects can be picked up and wielded with deadly proficiency.
Hammer a street punk down to the ground with a nearby bicycle, or smash a boss stage in the face with a leather sofa. How
much enjoyment the combat provides is directly tied to just how much you like wreaking untold levels of unrealistic violence.
Very light RPG elements are also involved, as you gather experience from beating up gang members and helping out citizens, which
can be applied towards health expansions and new fight moves.
As far as exploration is concerned, you guide Kazuma through the streets of Okinawa and Tokyo, searching for side-missions while
at the same time following the main plot of the game. A few of the locations you can visit include weapons shops, crowded market-
places and seedy bars. Wandering the crowded streets never gets dull, because much like the random battles of a traditional RPG,
there is always a threat of some lone punk stepping out of the shadows and challenging you to a fight. There are no load screens
between the battles and the exploration, which makes it all the more enjoyable. "Yakuza 3" has the right balance of action and
exploration, striking the right chord with both seasoned gamers and newbies alike.
Sound: A-
The game includes superb voice acting, which is all in Japanese, and a varied soundtrack which jumps from J-Pop, to orchestral
pieces, then all the way to classic Japanese enka music. Sound always fits the mood perfectly in this game, and that is a big
feat in and of itself.
Graphics: A
It's rare to find such an accurate depiction of Japan in a video game ("Persona 4" did a pretty decent job; however, it was a little
fantastical because of the overall tone of the game itself), but "Yakuza 3" nails it spot-on. Streets are packed to the brim with
people, tiny alleyways are all over the place, and real-world locations are rendered with the utmost accuracy. Also noteworthy is
the use of real Japanese products (Boss canned coffee, C.C. Lemon, and Young Magazine, to name a few), which add to the overall
authenticity of the game.
Character models are very well constructed, facial movements are convincing and never feel strained, and the aforementioned
locations you visit are truly immersing. The only complaint I can warrant are the deceptive cutscenes, which are gorgeous, but
then set you up for thinking the in-game graphics look THAT good, which they definitely do not. Not that the in-game graphics
are BAD, but they definitely aren't as beautiful as the cutscenes would lead you to believe.
IN THE END:
"Yakuza 3" stands as one of the exclusive titles that PS3 owners can flaunt proudly. Japanophiles will love it for it's accurate
portrayal of the country they love so much, and action junkies will love the variety of ways they can defeat their enemies (Hint:
handheld flamethrower + random goon's face= good times!). If you have PS3, then there's really no reason you shouldn't be playing
this game.
OVERALL GRADE: A+
Note: For those (like me) who didn't play the first two entries in this series, and fear that they will be alienated by the plot, don't
worry: from the main menu, you can access two extended cutscenes which explain the events leading up to "Yakuza 3." Plus, the story is
really easy to jump into, and after about five to ten hours of play, you have a good idea of who's who in the plot.
Read Best Reviews of Yakuza 3 Here
I saw this game in a local K-Mart (yes, they still exist), and decided to pick it up for ten bucks. If I knew then what I know now, I would have paid 60 for it. The fact is, Yakuza 3 is one of the gems of the system.
I don't know about the Japanese version, or the cuts that were made. I would assume that the dating mini-game is expanded considerably. If this is the case, it's one of the best things Sega could have done. Maybe Mahjongg was fun, though.
Anyway, this is a review of the AMERICAN version of Yakuza, dependent only on the content found there. And that content, despite the cuts, is vast, and it is mostly excellent. Of course you have the main game, which is a great combination of JRPG and Final Fight (not Grand Theft Auto, as many people have claimed). Let's start with the fighting: it is excellent. Arcade-style brawler action really hits the spot. The controls are mostly tight, the moves are simple enough to allow for progress into the game, and complex enough to keep the player from getting bored. Even after over 300 random encounters, I still find myself enjoying the action. The finishing moves are great, the counter-attacks are fantastic, and the HEAT system (which I won't explain here think of it as the special move system) is fantastic. I never get tired of seeing my character kick the crap out of enemies using special moves.
The bosses are generally difficult (at least on Hard difficulty), and require significantly better technique than the random encounter. Bosses fight differently, so don't expect that the same tactics will work all the time (although I find the dash-punch combo is pretty much unstoppable, as long as you're patient).
The JRPG aspect might put off some potential players, but I think it's great. It's equal parts hilariously cheesy and gripping. I won't spoil story, but you'll see what I mean. Dialogue can drag on, however, and because the game's language is Japanese, you are pretty much forced to sit and read subtitles continuously. I don't find it bad at all, but buyer beware if you don't like your games talky, you might want to look elsewhere.
On top of the main game are numerous minigames, and for the most part, they are a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed the pool and golf minigames, and the karaoke rhythm game is hilarious. A fishing minigame seems almost required in Japanese RPGs, and this one is actually pretty fun. There are also batting cage minigames, darts, an arcade, etc. These aren't quite as fun as the two I mentioned, but they are well above passable. All in all, they paid attention to the minigames, and it shows. Woven into many of these mingames are subplots. There is a long hitman mission that essentially has you fighting some extra bosses. This is OK, but I found it tiresome after 10 extra bosses or so. There are also random stories which can be engaged by talking to people on the street. These are a mixed bag. Most of them end up involving a standard random fight at the end, which is somewhat unexciting. There are a few exceptions (I enjoyed the movie subplot, e.g.), but all in all, the fun lies mostly in finding these missions, not playing them. There are other collectables in the game (e.g. there are 100 locker keys hidden across the two cities, and many of these are nigh impossible to find on your own), but this mostly wraps up the game description.
All in all, I love this game. So, why the star deduction? Well, there are certain elements that just don't cut it. There are numerous chase scenes in the game. I hate them (particularly at night time). Generally, they require you to memorize the terrain in order to catch the perpetrator, and this really lacks the heart-pounding excitement you would expect. In one particularly odious encounter, I was trying to avoid cops, but kept running the wrong path. It didn't really matter, as I could just retry the whole thing, so what's the point?
The camera often betrays you. There is no devoted "lock-on" within the game. Rather, you can take a fighting stance, which kind of targets your punches. The problem is that at times, the camera will just drift and you can't see your opponent. At times, the bosses can be cruel, and losing track of them can really hurt you. In the same vein, the computer just cheats sometimes. Occasionally, you will be forced to go through QTEs while fighting bosses. These themselves are fine, but the problem is that they govern cut scenes. Too often, the cut scene drags a bit, and when you regain full control of your character, the enemy has already launched into a combo. Cheap as hell, but what are you going to do?
The in-game map is a real problem It would have been nice to be able to place points on your map for particular hotspots. Instead, I find that I have to constantly return to the map in the pause menu. This map itself is not particularly user-friendly, mind you, but it's a real pain to constantly refer to this thing, and you'll be doing it a lot.
But all in all, you really can't go wrong with this one, particularly for the current sweet price. I would highly recommend it overall, and I hope that Persona 5 takes a cue from this for its in-town interactions.
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I really did not know what to expect from this game, as I was not really familiar with the franchise. But, based on recommendations, I decided to take a chance. I am very glad I did. It is nearly impossible to categorize this game, so I will not even try. Before you begin play, you can watch videos that explain the events of the first two Yakuza games. So, if you did not already know, you play as a former crime boss who now wants nothing more than to retire and run an orphanage on the beach (just like all former crime bosses). But, of course, life does not work out that way and you are soon caught up in it once again. The game-play involves a lot of walking around various parts of Japan completing various objectives. The main story is very good, but what really makes this game stand out are the numerous side missions. Everything from tracking down treats for a stray dog, to mediating disputes at the orphanage, and, oh yeah, beating up on Yakuza thugs. Combat, of which there is a lot, is very much arcade style, and can start to feel old rather quickly. Fortunately, the game-play is more than varied enough. Side missions will keep you busy for some time, playing bit parts in movies, taking girls out on dates, going to hostess clubs, helping citizens find lost children, etc. In fact, there is almost too much to do in this game so that you have a difficult time deciding what to do next. When you are not doing missions, there is still plenty to keep you busy. Get a drink at the local bar, shop at the many convenience stores and pawn shops (most items serve to replenish health and you can also obtain weapons, etc.), sample the fare at the many restaurants (eating food replenishes your health), go to the batting cages, hang out at the betting parlor, go bowling, visit the video arcade, get a massage, play some pool or some darts, etc. etc. These alone are so much fun that you can easily play this game for an entire day and not even undertake a single mission. If you are looking for something that will keep you busy for days on end, and you are able to look past the odd mixture of cutesy Japanese style (e.g. buying ice cream for young orphan girls in an effort to increase their "affinity" meter) and the Yakuza underworld, then I definitely recommend that you give this game a try.
