Yakuza 3 Announced (No, Not Again, A New Yakuza 3)

In the latest issue of Famitsu, it was announced that SEGA's toasted Toshihiro Nagoshi has been working on Ryu ga Gotoku 3 (Yakuza 3). This isn't to be confused with Edo-era PS3 exclusive Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan!, which is actually the third Yakuza game in the franchise, but not actually Yakuza 3. Confused? According to the article, Kenzan! was a spin-off, and this newly announced game is actually the third one in the series, m'kay. Work began on the game commenced after development on Kenzan! finished, and the story picks up where Yakuza 2 left off. Well, that makes sense at least.

Yakuza 3 Announced [2chan.net]

Ryu Ga Gotoku Movie Screening In New York

Phew! Sure seems like Sega listens to fans. After the first Yakuza game was released with an English language dub, erasing the brilliant original Japanese one, people complained. Why not, you know, release the game with subtitles? It is called Yakuza and English dubbing, no matter how good, kills the mood! Well, that is, unless you're one of those can't-see-foreign-movies-with-subtitles people. For the PS2 sequel, Sega points out on the game's official site:

Authentic, cinematic sequel. The gritty, genuine portrayal of life in the Yakuza is made more realistic throughout 16 gripping chapters with a return to the original Japanese voice cast and English subtitles.

Bravo, Sega, bravo. The game does a neat job of authentically capturing Osaka's nightlife (above) — though needs more people. Still, it's a PS2 game and quite a nice looking one at that!

Games Yakuza 2 [SEGA via Sega Nerds]

Topless Yakuza Toy

Eight Incomprehensible Minutes Of Yakuza 3

Sega's Yakuza 3 (aka Ryu ga Gotoku 3 Kenzan!) is nothing if not cinematic. And while the above clip, the intro to the PlayStation 3 game, may be lacking in action beyond the first minute, the attention to detail in Toshihiro Nagoshi's open-world adventure is still impressive. Maybe it's just me, but I didn't care so much about the language barrier, only hoping that Sega gets this localized—subtitles are just fine, by the way—as soon as is humanly possible. The HD version is even easier on the eyes.

Yakuza 3 Opening Cinematic HD [GameTrailers]

Toshihiro Nagoshi? Dirty Pants.

Sega's Toshihiro Nagoshi Eats An Orgasmic Yakuza Dinner

We don't like Toshihiro Nagoshi's games quite as much as we like the man. Sure, Super Monkey Ball and Yakuza (aka Ryu Ga Gotoku) are fantastic Sega franchises, but we're far more impressed with Nagoshi's transition from run of the mill developer to a bronze god bedecked in nothing but gleaming white and leopard print. He's an awesome god.

Nagoshi descended from the heavens and touched down in Tokyo recently to sample the signature dish based on the third Yakuza game, known there as Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! Emphasis Sega's. The menu, appearing at a pair of cafes in the Tokyo area, features a trio of drinks that compliment delicious looking meat-on-stick fare and fresh salads.

For more pictures of Nagoshi eating and drinking, hit up Game Watch's coverage of the Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! PR machine in action.

Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! The Restaurant Opening [Game Watch]

Real Yakuza 3 Cafes in Tokyo For You To Drink At

The Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! publicity machine continues! The game, dubbed Yakuza 3 for the West, is a PLAYSTATION 3 exclusive and will be released in Japan in early March. How can SEGA get the Japanese population worked into a frenzy? That's right, two Ryu Ga Gotoku KENZAN! "concept bar and cafes," complete with demo kiosks and promotional videos. We can only hope the cafes will be as awesome as the Photoshopped PR pics SEGA's sending out. Doubt it, though!

I'm quite certain that anyone vacillating over their purchase of Ryu Ga Gotoku Kanzen!—we'll call it Yakuza 3, when we get it—was mostly sold on the game the second they learned of its strong turtle racing component. I can only assume that those who remain unconvinced will take one look at the game's accurate recreations of Edo era bikinis and write Sega with great haste, demanding localization of the PlayStation 3 adventure game. Dozens of screenshots, including a stellar looking rat versus snake aspect, should seal the deal.

Did 17th Century Japanese Doms Wear This?

Yakuza 3 Features A Deep Turtle Racing Engine

Give it up. Give it up for Sega and Yakuza's main man, Toshihiro Nagoshi. Not only does Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzen—to be known as Yakuza 3 outside of Japan, we're guessing—feature extraordinary cleavage, it also features turtle racing. Yes. Turtle racing. Turtle racing that you can wager on. There's some other stuff in here, too, like amazing depth and breadth of detail, pretty graphics and all that crap. But those turtles. My God!

We're thinking of giving Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 an international release.

Sega of Japan has revealed what it will be showing at next week's Tokyo Game Show, bringing a slew of new games for every platform. Not everything shown will be playable, however, with some marquee titles like Ryu ga Gotoku 3, wacko shooter Miburi & Teburi and Sega Rally appearing in video-only form (denoted with an asterisk). In better news, NiGHTS for the Wii looks like it will finally be playable. PLAYSTATION 3 games before the jump, everything else after.

PLAYSTATION 3
Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! *
Valkyrie of the Battlefield
Imabi Kisou
Sega Rally *
The Golden Compass *

Toshihiro Nagoshi In Book Form