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The Most Comfortable Inns, Bars And Taverns In Video Games
Earlier this month we visited taverns and bars that are noisy and dangerous Now it is time to look for their exact opposite: The coziest, most calm, most peaceful places to hang out. Places that focus more on the relaxed atmosphere, the music, and advancing the game’s story, rather than getting our characters in trouble.…
By Gergo Vas Published March 19, 2013 -
The Coolest Video Games Set in Feudal Japan
It is always nice to see a video game set in the feudal, pre-industrial era of Japan. The Japanese countryside in general has a special, comforting atmosphere, and combining it with badass samurai warriors and political drama always has spectacular results. We have selected games for today’s Show Us gallery that both have these attributes,…
By Gergo Vas Published March 13, 2013 -
Sega, Where The Hell Is Yakuza 5?
I know it has flaws. Some of them completely alienating for most people. But damn it, I don’t care. The Yakuza series is just about my favourite thing on the PS3. They just do so many things that other games aren’t doing. They are (sorry Sleeping Dogs) the single best way to indulge in virtual…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 14, 2013 -
The Craziest Testosterone-Filled Japanese Video Game Characters
When it comes to Japanese developers, creating crazy, nice games isn’t the only thing they’re good at; they also design characters with pumped-to-the-max muscles, half of which don’t even exist in real life and have the size of a truck. And they are all really serious about beating the hell out of everyone around them.…
By Gergo Vas Published February 13, 2013 -
Reviews
The Yakuza TV Show is Action Packed From Beginning to End
The Yakuza franchise has definitely been one of the most popular video game properties in Japan for the last few years. Not only has there been at least one main series game every other year, but there have been several spin-off titles as well (not to mention a live-action movie). One of these titles is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I Think I Need to Join Trophy Whores Anonymous
My name is Richard and I have a problem. When it comes to games, I am a completionist. If there is a nook left unexplored or some random item that needs to be collected, I feel compelled to spend hours getting the job done. What’s odd is I don’t find it fun to do these…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Five Reasons Yakuza 5 is Not For Me
Until I sat down and played Yakuza 5, my knowledge of the Yakuza series was limited, to say the least. I knew the characters and some of the story (from wikis, friends, and the movie), but when it came down to playing the series, the most time I had spent with it was in playing…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 18, 2013 -
Reviews
The Yakuza Live-Action Movie is Black Comedy Gold
In 2007 Japanese director Miike Takashi made a live-action film adaptation of the first game in the Yakuza series: Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Despite living in Japan and being a fan of Miike’s work, I had never really gotten around to seeing the movie even in the five years since it came out. But with…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 15, 2013 -
Kotaku EastSee Yakuza 5’s Street Brawling, Taxi Driving, and Drum Playing in Action
After four main games and two spin-offs, you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Yakuza 5: weapon-filled brawling action across Japan’s major metropolitan areas. While brutal and cinematic, the brawling aspect is only the smallest part of what you can do in Yakuza 5. Many side activities return from past…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 15, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Yakuza 5 Is The Most User-Friendly Yakuza Yet
Yakuza 5 is scheduled for release in Japan next week and the developers at Sega are in full PR mode. Executive producer Toshihiro Nagoshi and producer Masayoshi Yokoyama spoke to Weekly Famitsu in a pre-release interview to talk about the latest in the Yakuza franchise. As the 5th numbered Yakuza game, the development has had…
By Toshi Nakamura Published November 29, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Virtual Mafia Bad-Ass Reduced To Pulling A Ramen Cart
Kazuma Kiryu. The “Dragon of Dojima” and one of the main protagonists of the Yakuza series. This walking powerhouse of violence has come a long way from his youthful days of beating up biker gangs through the seedy underbelly of Japan’s criminal world and to prison and back. According to his character bio, Kiryu was…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Covering a PlayStation Controller in Stickers Isn’t Very Gangster
To mark the release of crime saga Yakuza 5, Sony is putting out a special (tacky—sorry!) PS3 bundle, complete with a gold colored PS3 controller. The controller is just gold—kinda ho hum. Know what can jazz it up? Stickers. Today, Sega showed off the Yakuza 5 controller, which now comes with customized stickers. Stickers that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 16, 2012 -
Kotaku East
These Yakuza Photos Tell Brutal Tales of Chivalry
They’re called thugs. The Japanese media labels them “bouryokudan” (暴力団), or literally “violence” (暴力) “group” (団). They call themselves humanitarian outfits. The world knows them as the yakuza. Here is a glimpse inside. Photographer Anton Kusters and his brother, Malik, documented two years in the life of the Shinseikai family, which operates in Tokyo’s Shinjuku.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 5, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Two of the Ugliest PS3s I’ve Ever Seen
Hello tacky! Sony is readying two PS3 super slim specials (one for Yakuza 5 and the other for Ken’s Rage). Both are shockingly unattractive. Why are they so ugly? Well, for starters, Sony has always been really good about releasing cool looking PS3 special editions. However, with the new hardware, the ribbed face makes decoration…
By Brian Ashcraft Published October 2, 2012 -
Today I Played Taiko no Tatsujin With Virtual Gangsters
The Yakuza series of games have always been serious, testosterone-filled stories about hard men kicking each other’s asses, broken up sporadically by mini-games, activities, and general fooling around. The latest game, Yakuza 5, is no different. As previously reported, Namco Bandai’s Taiko no Tatsujin appears as a fully playable game within the Yakuza 5 game.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published September 20, 2012 -
Grand Theft Auto is Too Big. Yakuza is Too Small. Sleeping Dogs is Just Right.
Creating a compelling and enjoyable open world experience is more than just giving the player as much real estate technologically possible to play in. It’s a delicate balancing act between character and scale. Somewhere between Grand Theft Auto‘s size and Yakuza’s personality lies Sleeping Dogs That’s not to say that Grand Theft Auto IV or…
By Chris Person Published August 15, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Favorite Arrogant-Looking Chef Serves Up a Video Game Appearance
Celebrity chef Tatsuya Kawagoe is young, handsome, and an internet meme in Japan. The 40 year-old seems to have become an online gag because he’s a good-looking successful guy and sports what the Japanese call a “doyagao” (“self-satisfied look”; ドヤ顔). Besides owning restaurants and releasing his own sauces, Chef Kawagoe recorded a music single, which…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 14, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Yakuza 5 Is Like Inception. A Video Game within a…Video Game.
It’s not uncommon for video game companies to reference their own games in…their own games. But Yakuza 5, never one to turn down a tie-in, has something else: Yakuza 5 features another company’s game. Namco’s Taiko no Tatsujin appears in Sega’s upcoming gangster opus. When you visit an arcade in Yakuza 5, you can play…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 9, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Summer in Shinjuku Is Hot and Bothered
Thought Akihabara was the only, forgive the pun, hotspot in Tokyo? Nope! Shinjuku heats up in summertime, too. Website DannyChoo.com recently checked out Shinjuku and snapped some pics of the area. If you’ve played Sega’s Yakuza games, Shinjuku should look familiar as the area inspired the in-game locale. Keep your eyes out for a Robot…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
The Smart Way to do a PS2 HD Remake is With Japanese Gangsters Punching Faces
Badass Japanese soap opera (and occasionally sublime brawler) Yakuza’s first two games are getting HD re-releases on the PS3. This trailer gives us our first look at the updated editions in action. While many “HD” ports are disappointing, that shouldn’t be a problem for the Yakuza games. After all, outside of cutscenes many parts of…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 19, 2012