Yakuza - Page 16 of 21

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 East

See 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

Kotaku East

Yakuza 1 and Yakuza 2 Are Getting HD Versions

This is definitely a thing. More PS2 games—Yakuza 1 and 2—are getting HD versions for the PS3. The single set will be out later this year in Japan with HD graphics and tweaks like shorter load times. [ゲーム情報！ゲームのはなし]

By Brian Ashcraft Published July 18, 2012

Kotaku East

Do These Yakuza Characters Look Like Their Real-Life Counterparts? Some, Yes.

Sega’s Yakuza series of crime games always pride themselves on top-notch voice acting and realistic faces. The games continually get some of the biggest names in Japan to lend their voices (and mugs) to the games. Today, Sega released a series of voice cast photos with their in-game counterparts. These are famous (and talented) folks,…

By Brian Ashcraft Published July 17, 2012

Kotaku East

You Can Drive A Cab, Shoot A Deer, Dance On Stage, And Hit A Ball In Yakuza 5

In the Yakuza series, the protagonists do many things: Lead mobs, beat each other up, meet porn stars in clubs… Now, in Yakuza 5, it looks like we’ll be offered another perspective on the multiple protagonists where they’ll partake in other activities while they don’t pursue suspects, solve mysteries, or uncover conspiracies. Yakuza 5 will…

By Toshi Nakamura Published July 12, 2012

Kotaku East

The Porn Star Had a Perfect Name, But She Still Didn’t Win

Sega’s Yakuza gangster games and porn stars are no strangers. A few years back, adult film star Rio made it to the final selection process to see which hopefuls would appear in the game. Then, there was the Yakuza hostess who starred in an adult movie after appearing in Yakuza 4… This go round another…

By Brian Ashcraft Published July 12, 2012

Kotaku East

Yakuza 5 Plot Sounds Epic, But There Will Still Be Porn Stars

With the announcement that Yakuza 5 will feature 5 main characters in 5 major cities across Japan, and a new game engine to upgrade the outdated look of the series, Sega has released a teaser site and revealed the back story of the new chapter. Back Story: 2010. The feud between the two yakuza clans,…

By Toshi Nakamura Published May 24, 2012

Yakuza 5 Is a Brand New Yakuza, Ready To Punch Your Face In

Sega’s Yakuza games (above) are wonderful. They have great dialogue. Great cutscenes. And cool combat. Yet, they feel like PlayStation 2 games. They’re not—they are PS3 games. But they feel so last gen, due to the tech that powers them. That is going to change with the upcoming Yakuza 5. According to the upcoming issue…

By Brian Ashcraft Published May 23, 2012

Kotaku East

Confessions of an American Hostess: Getting Paid to Drink with Men

“You have to pet their egos,” said Elizabeth. “That’s what a hostess does.” Now, in her early 30’s and married, Elizabeth is living a very different life but was still eager to share her experiences. But only a few years ago, she spent six months working at a hostess club here in Japan. Elizabeth came…

By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 20, 2012