Kotaku 
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Denver, 4:45 AM
Wed Nov 25
53 posts in the last 24 hours
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07/31/09
Let's hope it does happen. I mean hey...there doesn't have to be any waste of time with english voice acting at all. JUST translate everything. I would love to learn Japanese some day...but that would take some time...before I get my hands on an imported copy.
So...let's just see...
07/31/09
Oh please localize it, with Kenzan on a bonus disc to boot!!!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, after having my heart crushed a few posts ago saying NO to this, this leaves me some shred of hope.
Oh Kotaku, why must you fluctuate my emotions!
07/31/09
07/31/09
If you want to sell a game Sega; make sure you release it, when the console it is on is still the top dog. Also, marketing, lots of marketing. Even go on out there and say: "THIS IS THE JAPANESE GTA!!!" People will eat it up. The reviews will speak for themselves. Having played the game; I can safely say it will sell like crazy, if you market it right. Kazuma is a badass and everyone loves badasses. Point that out.
Signed, CY.
P.S. Let Sonic die before you make him a gay vamp, going out at night looking for cheap hookers with blow, and stealing their rings.
07/31/09
The math's simple, folks.
Look, the way I see it, if Sega were Namco, they would release it cheaply a couple of years later in order to make money for flagship titles that they actually care about. There could be, like, eight Ryu Ga Gotoku games, and we'd only see three, provided each consecutive release sold well enough to make a necessary projected profit that would put them on target to reach their budget needs for the next Tekken or Soul Calibur.
Just be thankful you got the first two games, guys.
07/31/09
What's more, how do you figure that it's more expensive? They have dialogue to translate, and... that's it. They don't, thankfully, translate store signs or other cultural references to make it feel American. So perhaps the game has more dialogue to translate, or more menus to rejigger, but that's not a function of it being a PS3 game. Now, the comparable costs of their respective dev kits could be a factor, but is that seriously going to be a consideration with a game that sold 200k units in ONE DAY when properly advertised?
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
07/31/09
And define ninja-secret. The game appeared on shelves everywhere. You make it sound as if nobody was aware of the game's existence. And how does it reflect on the sales of a PS3 entry in the series? It's the third game in the series. Less people will buy it if they haven't played the first two. You think Final Fantasy X would've sold as well as it did without a pedigree of past games to back it up? If you say yes, you're fooling yourself.
And it sold 200,000 copies in ONE DAY in JAPAN. Is this country Japan? You left that part out.
If you believe that Japanese sales = American sales, then I don't know how to help you.
In a country that's still purchasing and playing GTAIV, a game for which DLC is STILL being released, putting Yakuza 3 out on the streets is a VERY risky investment, especially considering the game will not sell as well as it did in its natural habitat. It wouldn't even sell comparably. I don't know what makes you think this country is dying to play Yakuza 3 and that the game would break even within a week. They would even have to spend MORE money on advertising the game in order to spur more sales, which may not even happen.
Which sounds better? A cheap, quiet release in order to cater to a dedicated fanbase who will buy the game without fail, or a big, flashy, hyped-up, expensive release to attract more customers at a higher cost to the company? The first one is safe, the second is risky.
And if they hide behind the belief that poor sales of the second game is what may have doomed the third, then you're probably lucky they even gave you the second game.
07/31/09
In order to sell more copies of Yakuza 3 in America I have come up with an amazing solution.
Change the title of your game to "Gang Wars: The Asian Sector"
This will alleviate confusion and give the added benefit of wanna be bang gangers being pulled to your game like magnets to a giant chocolate milk filled fridge.
You are welcome,
-Me
07/31/09
Advertise Yakuza 3 in the states a lot more and maybe people will buy the damn thing. Later you can re-release the game bundled with the first two games and even more people will buy it. I thought this up about 5 minutes after reading the article last night about it not coming stateside.
Sega you are being retarded and we wants us some Japanese gangster shit. Also I want the ability to wear a Fedora in that game...I'm not sure if that's possible.
07/31/09
07/31/09
You know what else is a bad title? Resident Evil.
Don't get me wrong, I am all for titles remaining the same. Tekken was in talks for a long time to get changed. I know a couple guys who championed to keep it "Tekken." Can you imagine it being called "Fighting Fist Champions" or something like that?
But Yakuza has proven to not succeed over here. So either change the title and rebrand it to appeal to USA audiences, or advertise the shit out of it like Zombonk said.
07/31/09
07/31/09
although i havent picked up the previous yakuza games, if this one got an american release.. id go get it day one. this is one of the few sega games left that have that distinct sega feel to them.
07/31/09
No, we must not want or need anything from SEGA. When SEGA release anything of it's own free will. Only then, will they see the light and be released from the dark shackle that binds them.
07/31/09
07/30/09
Ray Almeda's words don't lose much credibility from The Examiner telling you they weren't Sega's official stance on the subject.
07/30/09
This game has more buzz than Brutal Legend (it seems like) whenever it's mentioned, all you have to do is throw the switch SEGA.
07/30/09
Yes, I agree.
In practically every thread about Yakuza, the comments are almost always wildly positive, especially when referring to Yakuza 2. And for those of us that played the Yakuza 3 demo, we're even more impressed.
Sega has a captive audience here, and a built-in fanbase that can only get bigger with a newer, bigger, better game in the franchise.
Come on Sega, US. Push Yakuza. Sell it to the US as a straight-up street brawler game. Sell it on the fighting alone and watch it vanish off the shelves.
07/30/09
If not, my second offer: I will whore myself in the offices of Sega giving away free handjobs in return for a U.S. release of Yakuza 3.
Sincerely,
Se7enthSamurai
07/31/09
07/30/09
Look, I personally didn't have a problem with the latest Sonic game. But I'll say this much I sure as hell would have traded that game for Y3 and Kenzan! Of the two games, the latest Sonic is the one I could have lived with them keeping in Japan only with no US release. Because let's face it, that game is import friendly for the most part. Run really fast, get all the gold rings you see, and then run fast some more to keep from losing them.
Please give this series a fighting chance here in the US and Europe too. It has earned every bit of that right, to have a fighting chance. Y2 didn't have a fighting chance so at least give that chance to Y3 and Kenzan.
Normally, when the first entries in a series sell poorly and the company as well as the producer say no more sequels outside Japan, I totally understand that. It's just a smart business decision. But in the case of this series, it was a bit different. Especially in the case of Y2 it came out so late in the PS2's life. Granted they didn't advertise it well but still it's a bit different of a situation to me and in the case of this series, a final all or nothing chance in the US and Europe is what they need to give it.
To Sega and the Producer: You can fix this. Just announce a US/EU release and this time market the hell out of it and inform people what the series IS and ISN'T. If you give it a final chance here I will gladly pick up a copy.
07/30/09
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07/31/09
07/31/09
or you know.. be witty