Yakuza

Yakuza Kiwami’s latest gameplay trailer shows off fighting styles and arcades. A remake of the first game in the series, Kiwami has me excited to finally see where all the weirdness started but with, like, updated graphics and stuff. It’s coming to PS4 on August 29.

Next Yakuza Game Asks Famous Gangster To Chase A Roomba

The Yakuza series’ merger of story, exploration and bone-breaking combat has made for some of the best games I’ve ever played, including this year’s wonderful Yakuza 0. Last week, at E3, I had hands-on time with Yakuza Kiwami, a remake of the first game, and Yakuza 6: The Song of Life. It was awesome. Much…

Poll: The Most Popular Action-Adventure Games In Japan

Wonder what action-adventure games are most popular in Japan? Let’s find out! There might be some surprises… Then again, there might not. Famitsu already did an action game poll, but this week it published an action-adventure game one. Next week, it will be running its adventure game survey, so now let’s take a look at…

Insane Yakuza Character Gets Cute Birthday Greetings

In the Yakuza games, psychotic Goro Majima is known as “Mad Dog of Shimano” for good reason: He’s violent and bonkers. He’s also a fan favorite, which might explain the adorable birthday messages for the character.  It’s not uncommon for artists to create fan art to celebrate a character’s birthday. Majima’s b-day is May 14,…

What Yakuza Games To Play After You Finish Yakuza 0

The best thing about Yakuza 0 isn’t just that it’s a damn fine video game, it’s that it serves as the perfect entry point for newcomers to a series that is thick on gangster lore. Once you’re done, the credits roll and you are mad for more Yakuza, though, you’re left with a question: what…

The Things That Make Tokyo Feel Alive In Yakuza 0

Roaming Yakuza 0‘s busy streets is wonderful. It’s full of neon lights and interesting characters. Open worlds can struggle to find the right balance of character and curiosity but Yakuza’s Kamurucho district has both. We take a closer look at how the setting grabs player interest in this critical video. Crafting a game world that…

Yakuza 0 Demonstrates How To Answer The Phone

The following gif from Yakuza 0 explains why I am purchasing a corded phone and demonstrates how I will be answering it for the rest of my life. I have nothing more to add.

Here Is A Ridiculously Well Animated Video Game Jazz Band

When video games depict a musical performance, they usually half-ass the animations. The drummer waggles his sticks around, the guitarist scrubs at the strings, the sax player sways like a drinking bird. Not Yakuza 0, man. This game takes musicians seriously. In the video above, you can watch a brief, extremely well animated sequence where…

Without A Doubt, The Best Yakuza 6 Glitches

Not only is Yakuza a good time, but it’s glitches and bugs can be, too. And here are the best ones of all. Like any big game these days, Yakuza 6 has some glitchy parts. Such as this. Or this buggy bit when the main character went M.I.A., turning Yakuza 6 into a first-person game.…

Podcast: A Rain Of Games From Japan

This week on Kotaku Splitscreen, Jason’s out so I’m joined by our own Luke Plunkett to talk Nintendo Switch, Yakuza 0, and the hard rain of big new games coming out of Japan. It’s wild that in the space of a few months, we’ve gotten Final Fantasy XV, The Last Guardian, Gravity Rush 2, Resident Evil…

The day before Yakuza 6 comes out in Japan, its release in South Korea has been cancelled. It was supposed to come out in 2017. In an official release (via tipster Sang), PlayStation Korea said the decision was “due to the nature of the content.” Hrm…

Destroying Japanese Convenience Stores In Yakuza 6 Will Never Get Old

Never! Because in the Yakuza 6 demo, you don’t even need punches and kicks to wreak havoc on in-game convenience stores. You can just run up to them and watch stuff start flying.  See what I’m talking about in the clips below: I guess if you did run at a shelf filled with stuff, it…

Yakuza 6 and original Yakuza remake Yakuza Kiwami—the latest in the Sega-made crime series beloved in Japan and in the Luke Plunkett household—are coming to the West on PS4. Summer for Kiwami. Early 2018 for Yakuza 6 according to Sega.

Dating 101

If you don’t like Yakuza games then…look, I don’t know how or where you can get the help that you need, I just know that you need it. This is Yakuza 0, a game that’s out in the West in January 2017 (it’s been out in Japan since 2015). Don’t let the fact that it’s…

Sega’s Yakuza is getting a live-action drama in Japan. Details are scant, but it was announced in a recent live stream with Yakuza produce Toshihiro Nagoshi. 

Never Change, Yakuza

Yes, that is Beat Takeshithrowing a baby. Yakuza 6 cannot come soon enough. It’s from a trailer that Sega screened/streamed for the game at TGS yesterday, which has all the gravelly voice acting and head-punching you could ever need.

Yakuza 6 Features Cam Girls

Previous Yakuza games let players talk with virtual hostesses in bars and clubs. As a sign of the times, the upcoming entry in the long-running series features cam girls. Yep. According to Famitsu (via Siliconera), Yakuza 6 has some sort of “Live Chat” cam girl feature. It looks to be point-based, and details, which should…

Check out the latest trailer for PS4 exclusive Yakuza 6, which will be out in Japan on December 8. It’s slated to be the last entry in the Kazuma Kiryu saga. No word yet on a Western release.

Don’t Ever Change, Yakuza

Because it’s a prequel set in the 1980s, Yakuza 0 is hopefully going to be the perfect place for newcomers to jump into Sega’s story-heavy world of brutal combat and dumb-ass minigames. Because the more people who play Yakuza, the better Yakuza 0 is going to be out in English in 2017. Its E3 trailer…

Bringing Yakuza To The West Is Still Tricky

Sega’s Yakuza games are terrific. You really need to play them. Yet, they’re not always localized, and if they are, they arrive late. According to series mastermind Toshihiro Nagoshi, Sega is still trying to figure out how to appeal to Western gamers. I’d say keep doing what you’re doing, but it’s not that simple, I…