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Yakuza 4 producer Yasuhiro Noguchi on re-localizing the series
Reading about Yakuza 4 is great, but you could also be playing it! And ... wearing it! We've got five copies of the game, and five t-shirts, to give away at the end of this interview. March is typically a big month for the Yakuza series. In 2010, Yakuza 3 came out in the West in March, and Yakuza 4 in Japan. This year, Yakuza 4 hit North America and Europe, and Yakuza: Of the End almost came out in Japan (but was delayed to June 9 due to the earthquake). On the occasion of 4's Western release, we spoke to producer Yasuhiro Noguchi about the changes made between the last two games, and the significant step forward Sega made in localization.
Yakuza 4 down to $40 on Amazon today
Amazon has enacted a one-day discount on Yakuza 4, allowing you to take the entire Kamurocho neighborhood and its residents home for $39.99. That's a great deal for a game that lasts anywhere from 30 to hundreds of hours. Think of it this way: If you earn your money in the way the game's heroes do -- by picking it up from hapless, idiotic gang members who dare to challenge you -- you won't have to beat up as many dudes before you can afford the game. That's good news for you, and good news for your city's weaker gangsters. [Thanks, Devon]
Yakuza 4 review: The gang's all here
Yakuza 4 breaks with the six-year-old series' tradition by putting the player in control of three new characters, each in his own chapter, with former Yakuza hero Kazuma Kiryu finally arriving in the last quarter of the game. Each character has his own storyline that intertwines with the others and the main narrative, and it's these new stories that are emphasized over the ongoing saga of the unrealistically saintly ex-yakuza Kiryu. As a result, Yakuza 4 has less baggage to deal with, and is therefore the best entry point for new players since the original game. But ... if you are going to jump into the series, I'd better warn you about some stuff.%Gallery-101156%
Yakuza 4 launch trailer serves hard-boiled escapism
Sega summons its gravelly narrator for one last look at Yakuza 4 on its launch day. In our opinion, the game is unintentionally poignant in its goofiness right now, presenting a fictionalized Japan where nobody is worried about anything but street brawling and making time with hostesses.
Visit the shady side of town with this Yakuza 4 trailer
Whether you're heading towards the karaoke bar or the seedy strip joint, nothing breaks the stride of an up-and-coming Yakuza like stopping to ask for directions. Check out the Yakuza 4 trailer below to get acquainted with the Kamurocho district, and its naughtier nooks and crannies.
The very short list of Yakuza 4's localization changes
The more senstive among you are probably still fuming about the US localization of Yakuza 3, which excised chunks of the Japanese version, including a quiz on the country's history and hostess clubs. For the good of all your blood pressures, we're happy to report you'll have much less to get steamed about when Yakuza 4 comes stateside. Siliconera reports that, though the quiz game is still MIA (its text is in images, which can't be changed), the only other alteration is to the soundtrack for the intro video. So relax. Take a deep breath. And get ready to ogle some hostesses, you creepy double-creep creep-o.
Yakuza 4 includes free DLC in North America
The Yakuza 4 "Kuro" and "Shiro" editions are exclusive to the UK and Australia, respectively, but you needn't despair if you're in North America and you want the bonus DLC. Sega announced today that all the downloadable extras from those editions will be included with every new copy of the game here. That includes the Fighting Arena, Survival, and underground car park racing modes, and costumes for all four playable characters (and for Kazuma's daughter Haruka too). In addition, pre-ordering from GameStop will give you yet another downloadable bonus: a hostess-themed dynamic theme for the XMB, which is sure to be humiliating. The only thing missing from those limited editions, then, is the fancy steelbook casing. If that's what you wanted, we suppose you can get back to despairing.
Yakuza 4 to pummel faces on March 15
Sega surprised us this afternoon, updating its "Spring 2011" release window for Yakuza 4 in North America with a March 15 release date. The title will arrive exclusively on the PlayStation 3, and, as promised, will bring back hostess clubs that were missing from Yakuza 3's North American release. A new trailer for March's mafia brawler was also released, showcasing the game's eccentric personalities and their flashy fighting moves. We'd be lying if we said we weren't most excited to play as Kazuma Kiryu -- he's the dude you see above totally flipping out.
Meet the badasses in Yakuza 4 trailers
Sega is getting all the mileage it can out of its Yakuza 4 trailer narration guy, putting his gravelly delivery to use in a series of character-specific trailers, each introducing one character's motivation for random street fights. Three have been released so far; see them after the break.
Yakuza 4 trailer sets the mood
The atmospheric English-language narration in this Yakuza 4 trailer is a bit too effective. Now, instead of the Japanese language track and English subtitles the game uses, we'll want some grizzled old guy calmly intoning nonstop about what tough guys we are and how dangerous it is in Tokyo.
Yakuza 4 producer gives us a new view of Kamurocho
The Yakuza series may be exploring left field with the fanciful zombie-attack game Yakuza: Of the End, but American audiences still have one good old jaunt around Kamurocho to look forward to: this spring's Yakuza 4, whose major innovation of four playable characters seems comfy in comparison. We spoke to producer Masayoshi Kikuchi, mostly about how Yakuza 4 has changed and improved on previous games in the series. Of course, we couldn't resist asking about Of the End, because seriously, what? Joystiq: Yakuza 3 got a lot of complaints from American gamers for the content that was removed. Will Yakuza 4 have a more complete localization? Masayoshi Kikuchi, Sega: One of the things that happened on Yakuza 3 was that the Yakuza team worked with the folks at Sega West to see how we can improve the product in terms of being able to be understood by users and broaden the user base, and one of the things that is part of the Yakuza franchise -- you have very Japanese parts of the game. They wanted to make the game easier to play. One of the decisions that was the result of that was that we decided to simplify the game by cutting sections of the game. Of course, based on the reaction that we received -- we heard the voices of our fans loud and clear -- and we will be doing as much as possible to bring the whole experience of Yakuza to the West in terms of the content, in terms of its Japaneseness.
Yakuza 4 trailer revolutionizes expensive bath products
We don't think it would really be all that nice to bathe in a hot tub of money. It makes for a pretty memorable image in this Yakuza 4 trailer, though. Head past the break to see the yen-soak. Plus guns! Explosions! Tattooed gangsters fist fighting! Men in black suits looking tough!
Sega already at work on another PS3 Yakuza
At some point, even die-hard Yakuza fans are going to grow weary of the series, and Sega is doing its best to determine exactly when that will happen. The latest Famitsu brings word from Toshihiro Nagoshi that, as development on Black Leopard: New Yakuza Chapter for PSP continues, the team is simultaneously working on another Yakuza game for PS3. This will be the seventh game in the series. Even among those suffering from Yakuza fatigue, Nagoshi's announcement that this game would feature the eyepatch-clad Goro Majima as a playable character is likely to ignite some frothing demand. Majima, the "Madman of the Shimano Family" is notable mostly for being kind of crazy, and obsessed with fighting Kazuma Kiryu. Inhabiting his life will be pretty different from following the comparatively virtuous Kazuma. "While I can't give a release time frame yet," Nagoshi said, "we're working to deliver it at a time Yakuza series fans will want." Whether he means the fans clamoring for an uninterrupted supply of Yakuza, or regular sensible people who think there should be some time between sequels, is unknown.
Preview: Yakuza 4
As I played through the combat-only demo of Yakuza 4, I noticed a small group of onlookers gather around demo station. It's not that I was fighting exceptionally well, but the fighting in Yakuza games is something of a rare spectacle, with a single tough guy weaving through a crowd of gangsters, deftly punching, kicking, dodging, stepping on faces, and bashing them with weapons ranging from swords and stun guns to traffic cones, advertising signs, and beer bottles. Whatever's handy, really. %Gallery-94713%
PS3 tops five million consoles sold in Japan
In this post-Modern Warfare 2 world, a number like five million may seem insignificant -- even laughable, to some. But hey, don't knock the PS3's latest accomplishment of selling 5,001,598 consoles in Japan. Famitsu brings us the news, along with the top-selling games on the platform so far: Final Fantasy XIII is first with 1,883,828 units, Metal Gear Solid 4 takes second with 706,461 and Yakuza 4 -- which was just released a few weeks ago -- comes in third, selling an impressive 526,093 copies so far. Gosh, the only thing that's missing is a Dragon Quest. [Via Andriasang]
Yakuza 4 heads East in March 2010
It may seem like just yesterday that we learned the release date for Yakuza 3, but that's only because it was. Just one day after Sega finally announced a Western release for Kazuma Kiryu's third adventure, the Japanese side of the company demonstrated just how far in the future it lives, by announcing a release date for the fourth game. And both release dates are in the same month. Specifically, Yakuza 4 arrives in Japan on March 18. That means, if you don't mind reading Japanese, you can be exactly one Yakuza game better than everyone else. A whole new group of hostesses awaits! As do some new playable characters. In addition to Kazuma, this game features three other playable mobsters, each with a separate storyline.
Watch Japanese girls audition for a role in Yakuza 4
There are two very important things crucial to every Yakuza game: noodles and girls. We're pretty sure you've figured out which of these topics we're covering today. Sega's upcoming PS3-exclusive Yakuza 4 will continue the franchise's penchant for featuring Japanese hostesses. This time, however, they're relying on the fan community to vote for their favorites. Andriasang has a helpful guide detailing all of the candidates, many of whom may be found on this exclusive Blu-ray disc. Remember as you peruse the various choices that you can look, but you can't play with any of these girls -- just like the game itself.
It's already time for another Yakuza
Yakuza 3 (Ryu ga Gotoku 3 in Japan) just came out in February, and Sega has already officially announced the sequel. The official Ryu ga Gotoku site revealed that a new PlayStation 3 installment is on the way. Other than the platform and the title, Ryu ga Gotoku 4: Densetsu wo Tsugu Mono (Succeed the Legend), few details are known. We can speculate that since the series is already two deep on the PS3 and we haven't seen either of those in North America, this one is also going to remain in Japan. How does Sega have time to make all these huge games so quickly anyway? If you'd like to see what some of the characters will look like in the new open-world title, GAME Watch (via Kotaku) has images of actors Hiroki Narimiya and Kenta Kiritani recording voice work and sitting for motion capture. Detailed 3D models of the actors will appear in the game. [Thanks, Marius]
