yakuza 5
Latest
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.
Yakuza 5 coming to western PlayStations in 2015
The Yakuza series is headed west. Sony announced during its PlayStation Experience keynote that Yakuza 5 will be coming to stateside PlayStation 3 systems next year, while Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls (both previously available in disc form for the PS3) will be available on the PSN starting this week. [Image: Sega]
Sega teases August 24 Yakuza announcement
Sega plans to announce something on August 24, and while it appears to be related to the long-running Yakuza series, it's unknown exactly what the publisher has in store. Pay a visit to the Ryu Ga Gotoku website - that's the Japanese title of the Yakuza franchise - and you'll find the message seen above. Those who don't speak Japanese aren't missing much as the message roughly translates to the title of the series, and the words "9 p.m., August 24." That text also links to a Nico Video page which will presumably play host to whatever sort of announcement Sega is plotting. Whether Sega is planning to unveil a new Yakuza entry or not, fans outside of Japan shouldn't get their hopes too high that the series might leave its native country. Though a handful of Yakuza games have received localization over the years, the series' two most recent entries, Yakuza 5 and Yakuza Ishin, remain in Japan with no known plans for release elsewhere in the world. [Image: Sega]
Sega CCO: No current plans for Yakuza 5 in the West
Sega Sammy CCO Toshihiro Nagoshi recently told Edge that the Yakuza development team is focusing on their Japan-exclusive PS3 and PS4 launch title, Yakuza Ishin, rather than localizing 2012's Yakuza 5 for Western audiences. Ishin is a spin-off set in the late Edo period in Japan and will feature some form of Vita Cross-Play. Nagoshi explained that due to the Yakuza team's size, they decided to pass up working on a port of Y5 to focus solely on Ishin. Nagoshi feels that he and his team "owe it to PlayStation fans" for Ishin to be a PS4 launch title, "even if it means a bit of pressure." Nagoshi expressed interest in localizing Ishin for other territories, provided the Yakuza team finds the manpower and money to do so. Yazuka: Dead Souls was the last game in the series to be launched outside of Japan.
Virtua Fighter 2 spotted in Yakuza 5's arcades
One of the arcade games available within Yakuza 5's Club Sega game centers is Virtua Fighter 2, available in both revision 2.0 and 2.1 of the arcade game. The tenuous link to Virtua Fighter makes the Yakuza series even more Shenmue-like!Meanwhile, the lascivious table tennis of past games has been replaced with an equally humiliating air hockey game, with the goal of staring at hostesses' cleavage, basically. It's a good thing these activities are fully optional.Other minigames within Yakuza 5 include river fishing, snowball fights, and batting cages, along with ... chicken races? Taiko Drum Master is also available in arcades.
Yakuza 5 and Fist of the North Star inspire ... interesting PS3 special editions
The first special-edition releases of the new toploading PS3 have been revealed for Japan, and they're ... uh ... different, and made in honor of two games that definitely won't have special-edition hardware elsewhere. The Yakuza 5 "Emblem Edition" (above) features gold emblems of the virtual crime families featured in the series around the edges of the 250GB system, and a gold controller to match, along with a special themed USB drive. It's due in Japan December 6.The Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 "Legend Edition" has character art in white along the periphery of the black system, with a controller that is supposed to feature a Big Dipper design, but which looks a lot like it's been pooped on by birds. It'll be released on December 20.
Yakuza 5's five cities and five stories in two trailers
New trailers for Yakuza 5 introduce all the protagonists, the new locations (based on real Japanese cities), and the storyline. Oh, and a bunch of crowds being beaten with random objects.
Monster Hunter 4 playable at TGS, Capcom and Sega unveil lineups
A playable version of Monster Hunter 4 is coming to this year's Tokyo Game Show, Capcom announced on its newly launched TGS portal.The company also unveiled its current lineup for the show, with Resident Evil 6, DmC, Lost Planet 3 and EX Troopers joining the 3DS Monster Hunter. Meanwhile, Sega also unveiled its current line-up, which features Yakuza 5, Yakuza 1 & 2 HD, and Phantasy Star Online 2. So, no surprises there – yet.The show runs through September 20-23, when lucky attendees can see for themselves if Monster Hunter 4 really does have a whiff of the Dragon's Dogma about it.
Yakuza 5 to feature Dance Battles alongside the regular punching ones
One of Yakuza 5's subplots is about series hero Kazuma Kiryu's adopted daughter, Haruka, trying to find success as an idol. The usual street combat would be an odd fit for this storyline, so instead Haruka will have dance-based battles, according to leaked Famitsu info.Haruka's "battles" take the form of a rhythm game in which you compete against rival dancers. As you perform, you'll build up a gauge, much like the "Heat Gauge" in the series' non-dance fights. And, like in those fights, you'll be able to perform special moves when it's full – in this case, Dance Heat moves.There's even a parallel RPG mechanic, in the form of "expression power," which is awarded at the end of every battle by spectators.
Taiko Drum Master muscles into Yakuza 5
Yakuza games are packed with odd minigames that have you hitting baseballs, playing darts, romancing hostesses, and even fishing for zombies. Yakuza 5 adds a new but familiar distraction, according to a leaked Famitsu article reported on by Andriasang: a Taiko Drum Master minigame.Namco Bandai's arcade game will appear in-game as an arcade machine, with a variety of songs. This is kind of fun news, but also a potential roadblock for localization, as Sega and Namco Bandai would have to coordinate rights for a western release.
Yakuza 5 due in Japan December 2012, has new engine
Yakuza 5, as revealed in a leak from the latest Famitsu magazine, sounds like it's expanding significantly on its predecessors, spreading out into five Japanese cities (Tokyo, Sapporo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka) with one protagonist in each – for a total of five, one more than any previous game.Those protagonists include Kazuma Kiryu, who is now a cab driver in Fukuoka (but will certainly get back to solving everyone's problems with violence), Yakuza 4's escaped convict Taiga Saejima, once again in prison, loan shark Shun Akiyama in Osaka, and Kiryu's daughter Haruka, playable for the first time. Why, we remember when she was just an NPC in a PS2 game, cheering for us as we showed off in the batting cages ... they grow up so fast.According to the summary of this Famitsu interview, Yakuza 5 has had double the development time of previous games, and features a new engine, allowing the game to move from battle scenes to adventuring "seamlessly." The game is reportedly set for a Japanese release this December.
Yakuza 5 and second PSP Yakuza in development at Studio Yakuza (also: Yakuza!)
You may think of Yakuza games as the exclusive purview of Dan, the guy in the polyester dragon shirt who's always at the comic store, even though he doesn't work there. But over in Japan, the series is a big business. "Just how big?",you ask, as you pretend to read an Archie to avoid making eye contact with Dan. Famitsu reports (as translated by Andriasang) that the team developing Binary Domain (headed by Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi) has christened itself Studio Yakuza. Though it clearly won't dabble in the franchise exclusively, its next two titles are Yakuza Black Panther 2 -- due in spring 2012 for the PSP -- and, unsurprisingly, Yakuza 5. We think we can all agree: The day belongs to Dan.
Yakuza: Of the End hits the top of slow Japanese sales chart
After an earthquake-prompted delay, Yakuza: Of the End has been officially released in Japan, to ... pretty good sales. Not the best sales of the series, but the best sales of the very slow week. According to 4Gamer's report of Media Create sales, the gangsters vs. zombies shooter sold 298,717 copies in its first week, fewer than Yakuza 4 moved last year (384,000) or Yakuza 3 before (372,000). It wasn't enough to boost hardware sales appreciably, as PS3 sales only increased 594 units over the previous week, to 17,104. Fans of low numbers will enjoy the rest of the sales chart -- the number two game behind Yakuza was Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, which earned its position by selling 15,551 copies. See the rest of the "top" ten after the break, and start formulating your plan to revitalize the Japanese game industry. Nintendo's thinking "release the 3DS again in a new color." Sega's plan is, of course, Of the End costume DLC (as seen above!)
Sega earnings suffer from Yakuza delay, 'sluggish' Western game sales
Sega Sammy's consumer game division -- a.k.a. Sega games -- brought in ¥89.55 billion ($1.1 billion) in sales over the last fiscal year (ending March 31), down 26.5 percent from the previous year. Operating income declined even more sharply to ¥2 billion ($24.8 million), down 68.9 percent. While the previous fiscal year saw major success from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games, this latest 2010–11 fiscal year was an off-year for the two Olympians, who were in training for their next competition. Sonic's less sporting pastime, Sonic Colors, was the bestseller in Sega's lineup, moving 2.18 million copies worldwide. It was followed by ... Iron Man 2, which sold 1.54 million. Vanquish, which everyone without Stark Industries stock would agree is the better robot-suit game, only managed about half of that achievement at 830,000 units sold. Shogun 2: Total War and Phantasy Star Portable 2 Infinity (which only came out in Japan) rounded out Sega's "major" lineup with 600,000 and 370,000 copies sold, respectively. Sega said that sales were slow in North America and Europe due to "the adverse market condition," noting "sluggish personal consumption" in those regions (which ... didn't seem to be an issue for everybody). Additionally, Sega's big Japanese release, Yakuza: Of the End, was delayed out of the fiscal year as a result of the Tohoku earthquake in March, further reducing the company's bottom line. Overall, however, Sega Sammy about doubled its net profits from the previous year to ¥41.51 billion (roughly $513 million) on the strength of its pachislot and pachinko business.
Yakuza: Of the End out in Japan June 9, sales support Red Cross
A victim of really unfortunate timing, Sega's Yakuza: Of the End was to be released in Japan on March 17 -- a week after the Tohoku earthquake. Sega delayed it right after the earthquake, with no definite release date. Sega just announced the new date for the PS3 Yakuza spinoff, which has Kazuma Kiryu and other tough guys shooting up zombies in a wrecked Kamurocho. It'll be out in Japan on June 9. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the game will go to the Red Cross, and a "Let's Go, Japan" sticker will be bundled with the game. Sega has yet to make any announcements regarding a Western release.
Yakuza: Of the End begins in March
Despite the fact that Yakuza: Of the End violently breaks from series tradition, it's hewing pretty closely to the previous games' schedules. According to Siliconera, Famitsu magazine has revealed the Japanese release date for the gangland zombie shooter: March 17. The date follows tradition, apparently, as Yakuza 4 was released in Japan this past March (along with Yakuza 3 in North America and Europe), and Yakuza 3 debuted in Japan in late-February 2009. In addition to next March's release, Sega has a new Yakuza game coming this winter: a mobile social game called Yakuza Mobile for GREE, in which players raise and train Yakuza characters, earning weapons that can be transferred into Of the End.%Gallery-102455%
Yakuza: Of the End video proves the game still holds surprises
Okay, after watching this eight-minute Yakuza: Of the End gameplay trailer, we can now think of the game in a different way. Our bemusement is reduced and our interest increased. Instead of a really strange Yakuza game, we now look at it as a cheesy zombie game with great production values -- like Onechanbara, but less embarrassing and with a better budget. Kamurocho is still a great setting for games, and now it's a setting for a zombie game! Well, maybe it's just marginally less embarrassing. For some reason, the dating, hostess club, table tennis, and mahjong minigames are still present -- and for some reason, Goro Majima finds an opportunity to sing. With backup dancers.
Yakuza: Of the End screens introduce cast and ... this thing
Sega continues to work on the zombie shooting spinoff Yakuza: Of The End, releasing more screenshots as proof that it really is following through on this insane idea. The new screens feature Kamurocho pre- and post-zombies, as well as the four protagonists (and Chiaki Kuriyama) firing weapons at the undead. Also, one screen (above) reveals the presence of at least one non-zombie monster, which is totally disgusting. The accompanying news post rounds up all the voice talent behind the cast, and explains how each of the main characters ended up in the middle of a ruined Kamurocho. Kazuma Kiryu returns to rescue his adopted daughter Haruka; Yakuza 4's Shun Akiyama is in town to collect on a debt when the zombie thing happens; Yakuza 2 final boss Ryuji Goda has been wandering aimlessly, selling takoyaki on the street (to pay for maintenance of his awesome cybernetic arm, possibly); and Goro Majima is chasing Goda when he finds a city full of zombies. Apparently, the crazed Majima is enjoying himself.
Details begin to appear for Yakuza: Of the End
Andriasang has rounded up all of the details announced about Yakuza: Of the End so far, giving us a bit more info than "it's got zombies in it and it's really weird." Of the End takes place in a Kamurocho that is quickly becoming infested with zombies, causing Japan's Self Defense Force to close the district off and leave the remaining survivors for dead. Four gangsters from previous Yakuza games, including series hero Kazuma Kiryu, decide to take up arms and clean out the town rather than allow themselves to be eaten. Also, complicating matters, Kazuma's adopted daughter Haruka has been kidnapped. The "Heat Action" finishing moves from the series have been replaced by "Heat Snipe" moves, which grant increased accuracy with guns when launched. Each character has a different weapon with which they are most proficient: calm Kazuma is a rifle expert, while nutjob Goro Majima is best with shotguns. In addition to these four characters, you'll be able to pick up partner characters -- including hostesses from hostess clubs -- all of whom can be trained at "Gary's Boot Camp." Perhaps strangest of all, the usual Yakuza distractions will be back. In the midst of a zombie invasion, you can play some arcade games in Club Sega, hang out in batting cages, or even perform karaoke. Don't worry, those booths are soundproof, so the groaning undead outside won't bother you when you're concentrating on your song.
