Kotaku: Yakuza 3

Man Gets Full Yakuza Back Tattoo. It's Valued At Over $9,000.

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 09:20:00 EDT

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Back in 2010, Sega held a competition to promote Yakuza 3 with a very dedicated prize: a full back tattoo like the one Yakuza character Kazuma Kiryu sports. Somebody actually won that prize and got the tattoo. More »

The Japanese Mafia Wants You To Learn English

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 02:00:00 EST

Crime saga Yakuza 3 takes players to the belly of the beast, giving them a chance to view the underworld up close and personal. But more than hostesses and mahjong was cut from the game, including an English speaking class. More »

Sing Like Low-Life Thugs

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST

Never one to shy away from real world cross promotions, Japanese crime game Yakuza: Of The End lets gamers belt out tunes that feature two of the game's characters in the cheesy sing-a-long music video. More »

What You Might Have Seen In Gran Turismo 5 If You Weren't Going So Darn Fast

Owen Good — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 15:00:00 EST

A Yakuza 3 ad, an Engrish restaurant sign and ... George Clooney? Gran Turismo 5 is an amazingly detailed game, though some of that detail on its Tokyo race course is a bit strange. More »

Sega: Yakuza 4 Cuts Will Be Minor

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:40:00 EDT

There will be far fewer content cuts in the Western release of Yakuza 4 than in the previous overseas release of the Japanese video game crime series, a Sega of America representative told Kotaku yesterday. More »

What Do A Tokyo Cop And A Lawyer Think Of Yakuza 3?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:00:00 EDT

Real honest-to-goodness yakuza have already made their thoughts known on Sega's crime opus Yakuza 3. Now a Tokyo police officer and a yakuza lawyer weigh in on the game and suss out what's realistic and what's not. More »

Screw My Girlfriend, And I'll Review Yakuza 3

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 05:00:00 EDT

Jake Adelstein, author of the non-fiction underworld yarn Tokyo Vice, got several gangsters to review Sega's crime game Yakuza 3. But how? More »

Is This The End For Yakuza?

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 04:00:00 EDT

Sega's Yakuza series began in 2005 when the first game was released in Japan on the PlayStation 2. A sequel followed the following year, and to date there have been five games. More »

Yakuza Review Yakuza 3

Stephen Totilo — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EDT

There's a terrific feature over at BoingBoing in which writer Jake Adelstein plays Sega game Yakuza 3 with three real-life members of the Yakuza. I have selected two wonderful excerpts. More »

There Is Another New Yakuza Game (Endless!)

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:00:00 EDT

Ack! More »

Want To Explore Japanese Culture With A Yakuza Voice Actress?

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 05:00:00 EDT

She won't be alone. Oh, no. More »

Yakuza Gets A Plastic Model Car

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 08:30:00 EDT

And it's covered in stickers. Because Japanese gangsters just love stickers? More »

We Might Get Yakuza 4 After All

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 20 May 2010 01:30:00 EDT

Having campaigned for months for a localised version of Yakuza 3, many fans of the series feared that releasing the game so close to other big PS3 titles - like Final Fantasy XIII - would hurt its sales. Nope! More »

Next Yakuza Game Is PSP Bound

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 07:00:00 EDT

Project K is the newest entry in SEGA's Japanese crime franchise known as Yakuza. Unlike previous titles, it will not be a home console game. It is also getting a new protagonist. More »

Not All Yakuza Girls Are "Just" Hostesses

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 03:00:00 EDT

One at least is a porn star. But not Sayaka Araki. She's a fashion model, a DJ and a business tycoon. More »

Get Inside The Real-Life Yakuza

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:30:00 EDT

With the release of Sega's Yakuza 3 going down well with many, let's take a look at the actual Yakuza, Japan's "mafia", and see just how powerful - and accepted - they are in contemporary society. More »

Meet Yakuza 3's Real Life Tattoo Artist

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 03:30:00 EDT

One of the most interesting things about Yakuza 3 is how you keep running into men with enormous, fantastic tattoos. Well, those tats are the work of one man: Kazuaki Kitamura. More »

Yakuza 3 Review: A Foreign Film Festival

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:00:00 EDT

It's funny, for all the Japanese games you and I have ever played—and they number in the hundreds, if not thousands—few of them are Japanese in the way that Yakuza 3 is. More »

Yakuza 3 Players Say A Lot More Was Cut Than Hostess Bars

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 03:30:00 EST

Sega has made cuts to the Western version of gangland brawler Yakuza 3. The publisher says that hostess bars are gone. People playing the game say a lot more than that is missing. More »

Yakuza 3 Has More Cuts Than You First Thought

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:00:00 EST

So you thought the hostess bars were the only thing cut from Yakuza 3, a very Japanese game that's being brought to the West by Sega? Nunh unh. There are way more changes than that. More »

Five Yakuza Movies You Must See...

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:00:00 EST

...before you cut your pinkie off! With Yakuza 3 coming out in North America and Yakuza 4 coming out in Japan, is there a better time to talk about Japanese gangsters? No, no there isn't. More »

What Better Way To Say Yakuza 3 Than With Yakuza Movies

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST

Just because the West isn't getting in-game hostess bars that doesn't mean it won't be getting other cool things. You know, like yakuza movies. More »

The Exotic Locales of Japan Now With More Yakuza 3 Fighting

Brian Crecente — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:30:00 EST

Due to hit stores in the U.S. March 9, sans ancient Japanese history and hostess bars, Yakuza 3 isn't just about beating people up, there's also sightseeing. More »

Sega: Yakuza 3 Cuts Were Necessary For Western Release [UPDATE]

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:40:52 EST

A day after informing IGN that Yakuza 3 was coming to the U.S. with content cuts, Sega offered more explanation. [UPDATED with further comment from Sega to Kotaku, describing the pros and cons the company faced.] More »

Sega, You Are Once Again Making A Giant Mistake

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:00:00 EST

Yakuza 3, the crime drama from SEGA, is finally coming to the West after being released in Japan almost a year ago. The game will have subtitles. That's not what SEGA is screwing up. This is. More »

Pre-order Yakuza 3 And Bowl Like A Japanese Gangster

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:40:00 EST

Sega has announced the increasingly common pre-order bonuses for the North American version of Yakuza 3, a downloadable quartet of additions to the PlayStation 3 exclusive gangster game. Want to Battle for Survival and get more bowling challenges? Pre-order! More »

Yakuza 3's PAL Collector's Edition Is Also Its Regular Edition

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:30:00 EST

Most high profile games these days have a regular edition and a collector's edition. Yakuza 3, however - at least in PAL territories - will only have a collector's edition. Making it regular! More »

Yakuza 3 Features The Best Face Stomping Of The Generation

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:00:00 EST

We know that some PlayStation 3 owners have been enjoying the import version of Yakuza 3 for close to a year now, but not everyone has been shattering gangster cheekbones with white leather shoes, as prominently featured in this trailer. More »

Yakuza 3 Gets A New Box For Its Trip Stateside

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:30:00 EST

As you're no doubt aware, American publishers sometimes like to mess around with a foreign game's box art before releasing it in the US. Yakuza 3 is the latest target of this practice. More »

Party Like It's 2009 With Yakuza 3 Screens

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:30:00 EST

So what if Yakuza 3 has been out in Japan since forever. It's now on its way to the West, meaning we can get excited about it all over again. More »

Yakuza 3 Impressions: In English, Partly

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:00:36 EST

Yesterday's surprise announcement that the Japanese hit Yakuza 3 will be coming to America after all was followed by the surprise that the English-language version was three blocks from Kotaku's NYC office. Good reason for a short walk. More »

New Yakuza 3 Trailer Is Full Of Hot Yakuza Action

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:20:00 EST

Sega confirmed earlier today that the rumors of Yakuza 3's Western release were true, announcing a March 2010 release date for the PlayStation 3 gangster game. This new trailer, with English peppered throughout, offers further proof. More »

Yakuza 3 Heading Westward Next Year

Mike Fahey — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST

After countless indications that a Western release was unlikely, Sega has announced that Yakuza 3 is making the trip to U.S. and European PlayStation 3 consoles early next year. More »

Yakuza 3 Turns Up On Amazon Germany

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:30:00 EST

Yup. This again. Dare to dream. A listing for Yakuza 3 has appeared on Amazon Germany's site, and while we normally wouldn't bother with mysterious retail listings, Amazon Germany have quite the track record. More »

Leaked Documents Discuss PSN Imports, Date PS3 Motion Control

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:00:00 EDT

The (allegedly) leaked Sega-Sony documents from earlier this morning contain mention of a release date for the PS3's motion controller, along with the possibility of a PSN "import store". More »

Report: Yakuza 3 is Coming West

Owen Good — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:00:00 EDT

Citing unnamed sources "close to the project," 1Up reports that localization on Yakuza 3 is underway and the PlayStation 3 exclusive will be released in U.S. and European markets. More »

Sega Still Teasing A Yakuza 3 Release For The West

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:30:00 EDT

For the past few months, various comments from Sega have people hoping for a Western release of Yakuza 3 bummed. Today, however, things are sounding a little more optimistic. More »

What Do You Mean It's Not Worth Localising Yakuza 3?

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 04:30:00 EDT

Time for more Let's Fantasy! This week, we look at Sega's Yakuza 3, a game many of you would like to play, but which Sega seem intent on never releasing in the West. More »

Yakuza 3 American Release Still "Unconfirmed"

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:30:00 EDT

Keep hope alive! It seems SEGA America's Ray Almeda misspoke and gave his own personal opinion to The Examiner that Yakuza 3 will not be released in the States because of subpar Yakuza 2 sales. More »

Yakuza 3 So Not Coming To America

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:20:00 EDT

I've played the demo for Yakuza 3. It's pretty good! I loved the way it revels in the minutiae of Japanese culture, right down to the fully-stocked convenience stores. Sadly, the demo is as close as I'm going to get. More »