Yakuza

Yakuza 7‘s Big Changes Are Looking Good

Since 2005, Sega has been churning out Yakuza games. They’ve pretty much all followed the same formula: beat-’em-up action, mini-games, some silliness, and riveting drama. Yakuza 7 is different, trading button mashing for role-playing-game-style commands. Gameplay-wise, this is a significant departure for the series. It stars new series protagonist Ichiban Kasuga. This is not his…

Yakuza 7 Announced, Ditches Action Combat For JRPG Battles

The first true post-Kiryu Yakuza game has just been shown off in Tokyo, and Yakuza 7 is changing up more than just its location. Set this time in Yokohama, and featuring new protagonist Ichiban Kasuga (this game was actually very softly announced in March, this is just a more formal and informative reveal) the game…

The Curse Of The Yakuza Games

The Yakuza games and their spin-offs have long starred some of Japan’s biggest celebrities. Now that some of those celebs have ended up in trouble, there are rumblings of a Yakuza curse. Dun dun dun. Earlier this year, actor and musician Pierre Taki, who appeared in the Yakuza spin-off Judgment, was picked up on drug…

Judgment: The Kotaku Review

Yakuza 6 closed the book on the story of fabled gangster Kazuma Kiryu, but Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s relentless release schedule cannot be stopped. While we know the developer is capable of different (and brilliant) things—see Binary Domain—they’ve decided to stick with the Yakuza formula in all but name with their latest game Judgment, out…

I Asked The Localization Director of Yakuza and Judgment To Tell Me A Bedtime Story

On the last night of E3 2019, as I teetered on the precipice of rest, I talked to Scott Strichart, localization director of the Yakuza series and Judgment—which is out today, by the way. He —came to my hotel room in Los Angeles for the most last-second interview possible. We discussed his career (he worked…

The Intro To Judgment, The Yakuza Team’s Latest Game, Is Perfect For Its Detective Soap Opera Vibe

Judgment, out tomorrow for Playstation 4, is the latest game from the makers of Yakuza, and it thrusts players into the shoes of a stylish private detective trying to solve a violent murder. One of Judgment’s greatest strengths is how much it leans into its television influences in order to craft a mood worthy of…

Yakuza Kiwami 2 Has Some Of The Series’ Highest Highs And Lowest Lows

Sega’s been giving out Yakuza games like candy, and I am not complaining. Last year, Yakuza Kiwami’s remaster of the first game helped new fans experience an old class. Now, we have Yakuza Kiwami 2 and while not everything from the old game holds up, there’s still a lot to love. This piece was first…

Yakuza Kiwami 2 is the latest game in the series to be making the jump from PlayStation to PC. It’ll be out on May 9.

Sega is making a new Yakuza game for PS4 that will star Ichiban Kasuga, who made his debut in Yakuza Online. Sega is holding auditions for one of the game’s female co-stars.

Fan Tries To Fix Yakuza’s PC Version, And It’s Fascinating

Silent, normally a Grand Theft Auto modder, played Yakuza 0 on PC recently and loved it. What he didn’t love, though, was the game’s lighting, which at launch was kinda busted, so he decided to get into the code and fix it himself This is normally where a lot of these kinds of stories end.…

The Yakuza Series Treats The Homeless With Empathy And Respect

Throughout the Yakuza series, we’re shown that protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is not a normal man. Despite being a member of an organized crime gang, he stubbornly sticks to his good morals even if that means the entire seedy underbelly of Kamurocho turns against him. A gruff man with a soft heart, Kiryu will help those…

Yakuza Kiwami: The Kotaku Review 

The Yakuza series combine deep melodrama with exploration through vibrant city streets. Yakuza Kiwami is a remake that recreates the feeling of the original game, adding new features to streamline the experience. It’s a glorious crime story that benefits from a fresh coat of paint. This piece was first published on August 28, 2017. We’re…

The Week In Games: Freelancers Needed On Friday

Bioware’s latest game finally arrives this week. Anthem is out for everyone this Friday, regardless of your platform or if you have EA Access. I played a few hours of the beta and had a good time. But I’m also way too busy with like four other games so I won’t be picking Anthem up…

Yakuza Kiwami, the 2016 remake of the first game in the Yakuza series, launches on PC February 19. In addition to being a great remake of a great game in a great series, it’s also only the second Yakuza game, after Yakuza 0, to come to PC. Hopefully the others follow soon.

Yakuza 0 Is Really Cheap On PC Right Now

If your New Year’s resolution was to continue building your unplayed pile of shame to unsustainable heights, then you’ll be delighted to know that the first Humble Monthly bundle of 2019 features two excellent games for $12: Yakuza 0 and Tom Clancy’s The Division. Play The Division if you like—although it’s only two more months…

The Games That Really Deserve Official Translations

Over at the indispensable Legends of Localization website, author Clyde Mandelin has rounded up a list of the most-requested official game localizations. Of course Mother 3, the sequel to EarthBound, is #1 on that list, but below that are many other excellent Japanese games in popular series that never made it over. The second-place entry…

Here is the trailer for the upcoming Yakuza 4 remaster for PlayStation 4, which includes the first footage of Toshiki Masuda as character Masayoshi Tanimura. The game will be out next January in Japan. No word yet on an international release.

After Cocaine Allegations, Yakuza 4 Gets A New Voice Actor 

In Yakuza 4‘s original PlayStation 3 release, the character Masayoshi Tanimura was played by actor Hiroki Narimiya. The upcoming PS4 remaster, however, will feature another actor. Narimiya made a name for himself as a popular TV and movie actor, starring in the live-action adaptation of Phoenix Wright as well as 2016’s Assassination Classroom: Graduation flick.…

The Yakuza Team’s Next Project Is Like Ace Attorney With Punching

Today’s PlayStation event in Japan was weird, to say the least. Attendees watched a spaceship in the shape of a DualShock 4 fly through the universe while the buttons on it talked to them in weird computer voices. A few new games did get shown at the event, though, including an action-RPG courtroom brawler from…

Yakuza Online is launching this year in Japan. The online game stars Kasuga Ichiban, the new protagonist of the Yakuza series, and is launching on iOS, Android and PC. No word yet about an international release.