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Yakuza: Of The End designed to bring shooter fans to Yakuza
Yakuza: Of The End was ... unexpected. Not in that it's another Yakuza sequel -- we can pretty much count on those being at least annual -- but in that it's a zombie shooting game. Why would Sega take a series built around realistic criminal organizations, known for its accurate (if fictionalized) representation of Tokyo, and fill its latest entry with zombies? Where do people even find all those guns in Japan? At TGS, we asked producer Masayoshi Kikuchi about this seemingly inexplicable decision. "We want to essentially use the Yakuza universe to try our hand at different genres of games," he said. "In that effort, one of the games that hasn't been released [outside of Japan] yet, but that we've done, is a samurai-based game called Kenzan. That is our foray into utilizing the mythology and universe of Yakuza to branch out into different gameplay. The other one, obviously, is Of The End." "For us, it's a way to hopefully attract more fans to the Yakuza franchise by widening the gameplay styles that we create," Kikuchi added. In other words, Of The End hopes to attract people who love zombie shooters, and who might then discover there are other Yakuza games; albeit ones about punching street punks and running orphanages. But what about the people who already love Yakuza? Are they to simply stare at this spinoff in disbelief? "From my point of view," Kikuchi told us, "I feel that -- if you have 100 Yakuza fans, it's not going to be the case where all 100 of them will be receptive to the new direction. But however, we feel that by making something that is very enjoyable, we will be able to capture as many of the existing fan base who enjoy the games we create." [Pictured: Yakuza: Of The End TGS booth models]
First Yakuza: Of the End trailer and screens shamble out of TGS
You'll never survive the zombocalypse unless you take the time to educate yourself. Thankfully, we've got this first Yakuza: Of the End trailer and accompanying screens for you to study. Take note: These gangster fellows may be bad guys, but they're all that stands between you and the biting.
Yakuza: Of the End brings the zombie invasion to Japan
Japan's Self Defense Force is being overrun by hordes of the undead. Kamurocho (Yakuza's fictional district) is in shambles. Sure, most gangsters would run for their lives, but not returning Yakuza characters Kazuma, Goro, Ryuji and Shun. That's right -- Sega's next entry in the series is actually a shooter and features a zombie outbreak ravaging Japan, according to the latest issue of Famitsu (via Siliconera). The publisher hasn't confirmed whether the game will be released in North America; nor has Sega verified if Yakuza: Of the End is a spinoff or a main entry in the franchise (i.e., "Yakuza 5"). Regardless, producer Toshihiro Nagoshi did tell Famitsu that he doesn't believe this will be the last entry in the Yakuza series.
Kill Bill actress starring in upcoming Yakuza game
Chiaki Kuriyama may be most well known for her terrifying roles in Kill Bill and Battle Royale, but she'll soon become more familiar to gamers as "Misuzu Asaki," the heroine in the upcoming Yakuza title Ryu ga Gotoku: Of the End. Sega revealed her role to IGN and handed over a couple of images for comparison -- one of Kuriyama in the recording booth, another as her in-game character (oddly, this is the first actual image of the game that we've seen). Other Of the End screens depict additional characters -- Tetsuo Nikaido, Tomoaki Nagaham, DD, Oya-san and Daigo Dojima -- though no images have been released with any of the game's playable characters just yet. As we noted when the game's title was revealed yesterday, we expect to learn much more at next week's Tokyo Game Show.
Next Yakuza revealed as 'Ryu ga Gotoku Of the End'
Though still not announced for US launch, the next PlayStation 3 installment in the Yakuza series was just unveiled by Sega of Japan (via Andriasang). The Japanese version of the game's official website is up, introducing the title as "Ryu ga Gotoku Of the End," and showing little more than the logo. The game was first teased back in March with a shot of the Kamurocho district from previous Yakuza titles (now seen more clearly in the gallery below). More recently, Japanese audiences were treated to a teaser ad highlighting a possibly wrecked Tokyo as the game's setting. For those of you who can read Japanese, the site offers a short blurb about the game alongside computer wallpapers and a set of folder icons for both Windows and Mac. Nope, no screenshots or videos yet, just stuff with which to dress up your computer. We're hoping to see the game in action at Tokyo Game Show next week.%Gallery-101814%
Sega teases yet another Yakuza game
[Famitsu] Now that Yakuza 3 has been out in North America for a whole week and Yakuza 4 ia due to hit Japan in two days, it's definitely time for Sega to announce another one. At least, that's what Sega seems to think. At a Yakuza 4 event in Tokyo, Sega showed a teaser trailer for a new game in the series, with concept art depicting the familiar Kamurocho district of the other games. As usual, the next iteration will be produced by series creator Toshihiro Nagoshi. Codenamed "Project K," the new game appears to star a young man who "knew the graveness of the crimes he continued to commit," luckily, "fighting is his destiny," even if he "doesn't know the cruel fate that awaits." Powerful stuff! The teasers calls this new project, "A new challenge for Ryu ga Gotoku [Yakuza]," suggesting that the next game could be different in some way. Perhaps this forthcoming Yakuza will leave the story of Kazuma Kiryu behind entirely in favor of a new character. Or perhaps it'll be made for a platform other than PlayStation 3.
