yakuza 4
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Yakuza's many remasters are about to pay off big time
Ryu Ga Gotoku (RGG) Studio is in a fantastic position. The Sega-owned developer has just released Judgment, a well-received detective game starring Japanese actor and singer Takuya Kimura as the lead. Now, the team is turning its attention back to Yakuza, a long-running series about Kazama Kiryu and his complex, often violent entanglements with Japan's criminal underbelly.
Sega’s remastered ‘Yakuza’ bundle for PS4 comes to the US
With western interest in the Yakuza series the most passionate it's ever been, Sega is bringing remastered PlayStation 4 versions of its PlayStation 3 open-world Yakuza 3, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 games to the West. Fans can purchase The Yakuza Remastered Collection starting today for $59.99, with the remastered Yakuza 3 available to download right this moment. Sega will release the other two games in the collection on October 29th, 2019 and February 11th, 2020, respectively. If you buy The Yakuza Remastered Collection, Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 will unlock automatically once they're available.
Transistor, Yakuza 4 heading to PlayStation Plus next month
Sony has revealed next month's PlayStation Plus lineup, announcing that subscribers will receive free downloadable copies of Transistor, Yakuza 4, and more starting next week. Featured PlayStation 4 freebies for next month include Supergiant Games' Bastion follow-up Transistor and Alien Trap Games' side-scrolling action game Apotheon, while PlayStation 3 owners can expect to see Sega's open-world crime drama Yakuza 4 and Eidos Montreal's first-person stealth game Thief. The PlayStation Vita will host Jaywalkers Interactive's Kick & Fennick, and Cellar Door Games' roguelike platformer Rogue Legacy will be freely downloadable across the PlayStation 4, PS3, and Vita. All featured games will be available as free downloads for PlayStation Plus subscribers after the PlayStation Store updates on February 3. [Image: Sony]
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 trailer gets you in the mood to demonstrate
A day late and ¥82.54 short, but here's the trailer for the Yakuza 4 demo, which is now available to all PlayStation 3 owners through PSN.
PSN Tuesday: Back to the Future, Yakuza 4 demo
Nani kore? Great scott! This week's PSN update adds the Yakuza 4 demo for PlayStation Plus subscribers, while the plebs can grab it next week. Telltale also adds the first episode of its Back to the Future adventure game. Speed on past the break at 88 MPH to see what you'll be downloading in ... the future. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
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 special edition listed by UK retailer
UK retailer GAME has listed a special edition of Yakuza 4 called the "Kuro Edition" ("kuro" means "black" in Japanese), which includes a SteelBook case for the game, suitable for use as a makeshift weapon should you find yourself in a street fight on the way home. The package also includes new in-game costumes for all four characters, including wrestling outfits much like those included as bonuses with Yakuza 3. It also includes a "survival" boss rush mode, a racing mode and underground fighting arena DLC -- the perfect venue for that wrestling outfit. GAME is currently offering this edition for the same £50 price as the regular version. Sega informed Joystiq that the "Kuro Edition" is for Europe only, and won't be offered in North America.
PS Plus users to get free download of Stacking, Killzone 3 demo
February's list of PS Plus goodies has been published on the PlayStation Blog, and there are some real doozies. First up is a free copy of Double Fine's latest, Stacking, which will be available to PS Plus subscribers on its launch day, February 8. For those keeping score, Stacking's usual asking price is $15. Subscribers will also be treated to an automatic download of the Killzone 3 demo on February 8. On February 18, PS Plus users will be treated to a free download of the PlayStation Mini Let's Golf. As revealed previously by Sega, PS Plus can also snag the Yakuza 4 demo a week early on February 15. Head over to the PlayStation Blog for the full rundown of upcoming PSN and PS Plus content.
Yakuza 4 demo hits PlayStation Plus Feb. 15, rest of PSN Feb. 22
If you're wondering about the differences between Yakuza 4's four protagonists, you'll get your chance to explore the subtle variations in each one's gangster-flattening technique starting February 15 (and Feb.16 in Europe). That's when Sega will offer a downloadable demo to the elite inner circle of the PSN family, also known as "people who paid for PlayStation Plus." The rest of us low-level thugs will have to wait until the following Tuesday, February 22 (and a day later in Europe), when Sega makes the demo available to any old PSN user. If you like what you see and/or knock over with a traffic cone, you'll be able to pick up Yakuza 4 on March 15 in North America, and three days later in Europe. After the break, check out a trailer all about the game's hostesses, and see what Yakuza fans were so upset about losing from the localized version of Yakuza 3. Warning: You will be embarrassed if anyone else is in the room.
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!
