Yakuza 3 Reviews

Yakuza 0 Review. The prequel to Sega’s Japanese crime saga is a violent and compelling drama with a liberal splash of silliness. Yakuza 0 is set in 1988 and serves as an origin story for two.

For those unfamiliar with the formula, Yakuza 3 is an action RPG in a very similar vein to the critically acclaimed Shenmue series. Players wander around a fictional area of Tokyo known as Kamurocho, finding (and often beating the stuffing out of) the relevant people to advance the plot. Along the way, street punks, gang lords and the Yakuza themselves will try and put a stop to your efforts, interrupting your business without a moment\'s notice.

These are much like the random battles found in more conventional JRPGs; everything stops, an excitable crowd appears out of thin air and the control scheme switches to that of one more suited to battle.The combat system itself takes the form of a traditional brawler, particularly reminiscent of the aforementioned Shenmue. Hammering the Square button will launch a flurry of punches with a kick thrown in at the end for good measure. Throwing a Triangle button into the mix will include heavy attacks, giving some variety to combos. A Heat gauge at the top of the screen gradually builds as you fight, allowing for more powerful environment sensitive moves. These, more often than not, simply involve slamming a head into a wall, although there are a variety of more interesting (and brutal) moves depending on the location. Boss battles are particularly entertaining, primarily because the characters involved are unable to fight without first removing their shirts.

These half-naked confrontations give rise to merciless finishing moves that prove just why the game deserves an 18-rating.With Yakuza 3, a much greater emphasis has been placed on items, and enemies can be dispatched with a plethora of interesting weaponry. Katanas, knives and baseball bats can be easily mapped to the d-pad where they can be brought into battle at the tap of a button. They don\'t last long, however, and after a few swings will break, rendering them useless. Degrading weapons have always been a pet hate of mine; how can a steel baseball bat possibly break after bashing a few heads in?

In an otherwise realistic game, this mechanic sticks out like a sore thumb, or perhaps more appropriately, a broken nose. Still, it gives the game\'s weapon vendors a purpose, who can repair and upgrade weapons in exchange for a few Yen. The role-playing mechanics don\'t stop there; Kazuma has a range of attributes that can be improved with experience earned from battle and side-quests. By allocating points to the Soul, Tech, Body and Essence disciplines, Kazuma becomes a far more worthy adversary in combat, with improved statistics and all-new moves. By the end of the game, there\'s a huge list of moves at your disposal, giving numerous options to combat.It\'s not all about violence and bloodshed though, and if the stresses of Yakuza life start getting you down, there are a wealth of subplots and mini-games to take your mind off things. Golf is a particularly effective way to let off some steam, offering a surprising level of depth for a mere mini-game.

There\'s also baseball, darts, fishing and even an arcade with working cabinets of retro SEGA titles. Literally hours can be sunk into these seemingly pointless pastimes, but they give the game a rich and full quality to it.Another way Kazuma likes to unwind is by blogging. Yes, you read that correctly. Armed with his trusty mobile phone, Kazuma can take photos of certain events in the game. Timing the shots well enough will lead Kazuma to an epiphany, which he will proceed to blog about using his phone. This in turn leads to new skills and abilities which can be used in combat. Blogging has some benefits after all, it would seem.There\'s never a shortage of things to see and do in Yakuza 3, and everything is tied into the game world so convincingly.

This, in fact, is the game\'s greatest achievement; its living, breathing and totally believable environments. For otakus and fans of Japanese culture, wandering around the gorgeous locations of Yakuza 3 is a real treat. It\'s all in the details; the vending machines, bicycles, toy machines, arcades, neon lights, the general bustle of city life.

The Japanese voice-track adds to the authenticity too, giving rise to believable characters and a realistic hubbub of background noise. I\'ve never been to Japan, but after playing Yakuza 3, I can honestly say that I feel like I have. Games with a scope as large as Yakuza 3 seem to be burdened with a few inevitable flaws however. Invisible walls rear their ugly head with alarming frequency; how these still find their way into modern game design is beyond comprehension. Navigation is problematic too, with whimsical destination markers that are never there when you need them.

All too often you\'ll find yourself ambling around without the foggiest idea where you are, or where you\'re heading.These flaws only really stand out due to the quality of the game as a whole however; Yakuza 3 is still a remarkable achievement. Kamurocho might be a fictional location, but it\'s quite possibly the most well realised city in video game history. Yakuza 3 combines visual splendour with superb sound design to create an unparalleled atmosphere. Although the dated combat might take a back seat to these environments, Yakuza\'s first outing on the PlayStation 3 feels suitably next generation. While the first two titles in the series were both overlooked and underrated, Yakuza 3 demands to be taken notice of. This isn\'t only the best game in the series, but possibly the genre as a whole.

Yakuza 3Developed by: SegaPublished by: SegaAvailable on: PS3, PS4Release date: August 20, 2019Genre: ActionNumber of players: Single playerESRB Rating: Mature for sexual themes, strong language, blood, partial nudity, use of alcohol, intense violence)Remastered Collection(Amazon Affiliate Link)Thank you for sending us the Yakuza Remastered Collection to review!Yakuza 3 was originally released on the PS3 and arrived in the United States in 2010. This series always pushed the PS3 to its limits and looked fantastic. The remastered edition now runs at 1080p with 60fps. Other enhancements include revised and rewritten English scripts and previously cut content has been added back in. Those who have started the Yakuza series on their PS4 can continue on with Kiryu’s journey of trying to stay out of the yakuza lifestyle and constantly getting dragged back into it.After retiring from the Tojo clan, Kiryu runs the Sunshine Orphanage in Okinawa. The children are well behaved and there’s a beautiful beach they often play at. It’s a wonderful setting and quite a nice place to retire to.

Yakuza 0 Review. The prequel to Sega’s Japanese crime saga is a violent and compelling drama with a liberal splash of silliness. Yakuza 0 is set in 1988 and serves as an origin story for two.

For those unfamiliar with the formula, Yakuza 3 is an action RPG in a very similar vein to the critically acclaimed Shenmue series. Players wander around a fictional area of Tokyo known as Kamurocho, finding (and often beating the stuffing out of) the relevant people to advance the plot. Along the way, street punks, gang lords and the Yakuza themselves will try and put a stop to your efforts, interrupting your business without a moment\'s notice.

These are much like the random battles found in more conventional JRPGs; everything stops, an excitable crowd appears out of thin air and the control scheme switches to that of one more suited to battle.The combat system itself takes the form of a traditional brawler, particularly reminiscent of the aforementioned Shenmue. Hammering the Square button will launch a flurry of punches with a kick thrown in at the end for good measure. Throwing a Triangle button into the mix will include heavy attacks, giving some variety to combos. A Heat gauge at the top of the screen gradually builds as you fight, allowing for more powerful environment sensitive moves. These, more often than not, simply involve slamming a head into a wall, although there are a variety of more interesting (and brutal) moves depending on the location. Boss battles are particularly entertaining, primarily because the characters involved are unable to fight without first removing their shirts.

These half-naked confrontations give rise to merciless finishing moves that prove just why the game deserves an 18-rating.With Yakuza 3, a much greater emphasis has been placed on items, and enemies can be dispatched with a plethora of interesting weaponry. Katanas, knives and baseball bats can be easily mapped to the d-pad where they can be brought into battle at the tap of a button. They don\'t last long, however, and after a few swings will break, rendering them useless. Degrading weapons have always been a pet hate of mine; how can a steel baseball bat possibly break after bashing a few heads in?

In an otherwise realistic game, this mechanic sticks out like a sore thumb, or perhaps more appropriately, a broken nose. Still, it gives the game\'s weapon vendors a purpose, who can repair and upgrade weapons in exchange for a few Yen. The role-playing mechanics don\'t stop there; Kazuma has a range of attributes that can be improved with experience earned from battle and side-quests. By allocating points to the Soul, Tech, Body and Essence disciplines, Kazuma becomes a far more worthy adversary in combat, with improved statistics and all-new moves. By the end of the game, there\'s a huge list of moves at your disposal, giving numerous options to combat.It\'s not all about violence and bloodshed though, and if the stresses of Yakuza life start getting you down, there are a wealth of subplots and mini-games to take your mind off things. Golf is a particularly effective way to let off some steam, offering a surprising level of depth for a mere mini-game.

There\'s also baseball, darts, fishing and even an arcade with working cabinets of retro SEGA titles. Literally hours can be sunk into these seemingly pointless pastimes, but they give the game a rich and full quality to it.Another way Kazuma likes to unwind is by blogging. Yes, you read that correctly. Armed with his trusty mobile phone, Kazuma can take photos of certain events in the game. Timing the shots well enough will lead Kazuma to an epiphany, which he will proceed to blog about using his phone. This in turn leads to new skills and abilities which can be used in combat. Blogging has some benefits after all, it would seem.There\'s never a shortage of things to see and do in Yakuza 3, and everything is tied into the game world so convincingly.

This, in fact, is the game\'s greatest achievement; its living, breathing and totally believable environments. For otakus and fans of Japanese culture, wandering around the gorgeous locations of Yakuza 3 is a real treat. It\'s all in the details; the vending machines, bicycles, toy machines, arcades, neon lights, the general bustle of city life.

The Japanese voice-track adds to the authenticity too, giving rise to believable characters and a realistic hubbub of background noise. I\'ve never been to Japan, but after playing Yakuza 3, I can honestly say that I feel like I have. Games with a scope as large as Yakuza 3 seem to be burdened with a few inevitable flaws however. Invisible walls rear their ugly head with alarming frequency; how these still find their way into modern game design is beyond comprehension. Navigation is problematic too, with whimsical destination markers that are never there when you need them.

All too often you\'ll find yourself ambling around without the foggiest idea where you are, or where you\'re heading.These flaws only really stand out due to the quality of the game as a whole however; Yakuza 3 is still a remarkable achievement. Kamurocho might be a fictional location, but it\'s quite possibly the most well realised city in video game history. Yakuza 3 combines visual splendour with superb sound design to create an unparalleled atmosphere. Although the dated combat might take a back seat to these environments, Yakuza\'s first outing on the PlayStation 3 feels suitably next generation. While the first two titles in the series were both overlooked and underrated, Yakuza 3 demands to be taken notice of. This isn\'t only the best game in the series, but possibly the genre as a whole.

Yakuza 3Developed by: SegaPublished by: SegaAvailable on: PS3, PS4Release date: August 20, 2019Genre: ActionNumber of players: Single playerESRB Rating: Mature for sexual themes, strong language, blood, partial nudity, use of alcohol, intense violence)Remastered Collection(Amazon Affiliate Link)Thank you for sending us the Yakuza Remastered Collection to review!Yakuza 3 was originally released on the PS3 and arrived in the United States in 2010. This series always pushed the PS3 to its limits and looked fantastic. The remastered edition now runs at 1080p with 60fps. Other enhancements include revised and rewritten English scripts and previously cut content has been added back in. Those who have started the Yakuza series on their PS4 can continue on with Kiryu’s journey of trying to stay out of the yakuza lifestyle and constantly getting dragged back into it.After retiring from the Tojo clan, Kiryu runs the Sunshine Orphanage in Okinawa. The children are well behaved and there’s a beautiful beach they often play at. It’s a wonderful setting and quite a nice place to retire to.