Yakuza 3 coming stateside.

[Rman]

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/12/yakuza-3-marches-west/

Hey everyone! Aaron Webber here again – some of you may remember me from the Valkyria Chronicles 2 blog post a while back. This time, I have the privilege of bringing you guys some more exciting news – news that I know many of you are about to be extremely excited about!

After months upon months of requests, a myriad of rumors, and even full campaigns that speak to the unparalleled dedication of the fans, we can finally speak those words that all of you have been waiting anxiously to hear. So, here they are:
Yakuza 3 is coming West.

Featuring the original all-star Japanese voice cast and subtitled in English, Yakuza 3 chronicles the next steps in the life of the man once known as the Dragon of Dojima – Kiryu Kazuma.

As Kiryu works to begin a new life running an orphanage in Okinawa, the world he left behind in Tokyo also moves quickly. When the chairman of the Tojo clan is shot and the rivalry between the families plunges the city into chaos, even Okinawa is not far enough away to escape the grasp of the mysterious forces pulling the strings.

Then, when one of Kiryu’s close friends in Okinawa is found with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest, things take a new turn for the worse. Driven to protect his friends, the Dragon is alive again – Kiryu returns to the dark city of Kamurocho, and will stop at nothing to find those responsible and give them his own taste of justice.

Releasing March 2010, the epic Yakuza saga continues, exclusively on the PlayStation 3.

Last but not least, we’d like to give special thanks to you guys, the Yakuza fans! Your passion and dedication has helped make this a reality, and we’d like to extend that thanks by letting you submit questions to the Yakuza 3 development team in Japan! To do so, just put *Dev Question* before typing your question here in the comments.

Until next time – we’ll have lots more news and in-depth looks at what Yakuza 3 has to offer very soon. Spread the word – Yakuza 3 is coming!

[Trent Dole]

Bomba

[tiesto]

Bomba

Why does it matter if a game bombs in sales or not, as long as it comes out... that's what I say.

[Rman]

Why March, though? 

[demi]

BOMBA to the MAX

Yes awesome lets release it during Final Fantasy 13

[iconoclast]

Can't wait. Best game to come out in March.

[Stoney Mason]

BOMBA to the MAX

Yes awesome lets release it during Final Fantasy 13

Like it matters. The game would bomb no matter when you released it.

But as someone mentioned who cares. It's about the game not the sales.

[demi]

BOMBA to the MAX

Yes awesome lets release it during Final Fantasy 13

Like it matters. The game would bomb no matter when you released it.

But as someone mentioned who cares. It's about the game not the sales.

Yakuza is garbage. I'd sooner play the next Sonic game.

[Don Flamenco]

BOMBA to the MAX

Yes awesome lets release it during Final Fantasy 13

Like it matters. The game would bomb no matter when you released it.

But as someone mentioned who cares. It's about the game not the sales.

it'll be a mediocre experience like the rest.  though I hear this one has more fetch quests, yay

[Stoney Mason]

Yakuza is garbage. I'd sooner play the next Sonic game.

I played the first back in the day (It was average) but never played any of the others so I can't comment. I know it has a somewhat annonying fan base who thinks if it only received the "proper marketing" it would be a mega-hit which is bs but whatever.

[maxy]

Will it sell 10k?

[MyNameIsMethodis]

I'd argue that FF13 isn't it's biggest competitor, rather it'd be GoW3 or GT5 if it comes out.

[Jansen]

heh i just started playing yakuza 2 this morning (skipped the first one) and unless yak3 is an improvement in every possible way i'll be passing.

the appeal for this series must be in the crappy drama cuz it sure ain't in the gameplay.

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

the appeal to me is that its a beat-em-up/RPG, with a unique setting and fun gameplay.

I likes Y1 & 2 lots, and will gladly purchase Yakuza 3 with my monies.

[cool breeze]

FF13 is so the biggest competitor.  The audience for both games are the weeaboo who aren't weeaboo enough to understand the Japanese language.  If they did, they'd have already played the game by now and should be playing FF13 later this month.

Gonna bomb hard.  Happy to play one last Yakuza game, though.

[Bebpo]

heh i just started playing yakuza 2 this morning (skipped the first one) and unless yak3 is an improvement in every possible way i'll be passing.

the appeal for this series must be in the crappy drama cuz it sure ain't in the gameplay.

You start out in both games with most of the combat systems and moves locked.  You unlock them as you play and it becomes more and more of an efficient brawler.

It's never gets to the point of a VF-lite fighter like Shenmue was, but it becomes sort of like Streets of Rage 20XX - I'm gonna smash bicycles on your head version.

[Jansen]

you must be very easy to please because the gameplay is balls. maybe-MAYBE it would be better if it were staged based rather than some shitty attempt at an open world setting that runs like ass and has some of the worst camera angles ever.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

If it isnt obvious, it's for people who actually think the Yakuza are bad asses, which is no one with a sane sense of mind because the russiands and italians make the yakuza's look like the third grade bullys.

[cool breeze]

and the "appeal" of Yakuza games is that they play like a modern River City Ransom, except with ludicrous Kojima-lol stories filled with tons of racism.

[Bebpo]

you must be very easy to please because the gameplay is balls. maybe-MAYBE it would be better if it were staged based rather than some shitty attempt at an open world setting that runs like ass and has some of the worst camera angles ever.

There are stage based levels...

and like I said, you probably have most of the gameplay systems locked right now.  It's very bare-bones combat early on.

[Jansen]

i think it's because you guys just like shitty games. its OK i've been known to like a few stinkers myself. guilty pleasures if you will.

[Mr. Gundam]

They took too long to announce it. Already bought and played through the Japanese version over the summer.

I wonder if Kenzan is stuck in Japan forever?

[Bebpo]

Kenzan is never coming.  The series isn't profitable but does have a fanbase for the mainline titles so Sega can rely on them for sales. 

[Stoney Mason]

FF13 is so the biggest competitor.  The audience for both games are the weeaboo who aren't weeaboo enough to understand the Japanese language.  If they did, they'd have already played the game by now and should be playing FF13 later this month.

Gonna bomb hard.  Happy to play one last Yakuza game, though.

American Yakuza fans strike as the type of gamers who have a hard-on for anything Japanese. Like Garnett Lee who pitched a fit about Yakuza 3 originally not coming over and then admitted that he never played the 2nd one.

[magus]

will it have a mahjong minigame?
cause mahjong minigame rock much more than smashing bicycle on the same bunch of heads

[ManaByte]

March? Sorry my $60 is going to EA in March. BAD COMPANY 2

[Mr. Gundam]

Kenzan is never coming.  The series isn't profitable but does have a fanbase for the mainline titles so Sega can rely on them for sales. 

Doesn't matter to me, already played through it.

[Mr. Gundam]

I'm kinda tempted to troll the Y3 thread at GAF with big time spoilers. But I'm sure they would fly over the heads of 95% of the people in the thread who NEVER played the first two games.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

let me guess, his girlfriend dies.

[Mr. Gundam]

Nope, she leaves for America at the very beginning of the game. I actually gave away a lot of it in that RGG3 thread I made over the summer while I was playing it.

[MyNameIsMethodis]

All according to keikaku

[Mr. Gundam]

http://www.evilbore.com/forum/index.php?topic=31280.0

[Mr. Gundam]

Yup, I broke the news to my dear Boritos. I can't wait to see how it gets translated.

So the stalking kid was rejected by the girl due to him being black (or half black and half Japanese, they're not very clear about it). However, the girl gets humiliated in front of her crush due to the burns all over her arms that resulted from a fire that killed her parents. Black kid runs up and punches the other dude for doing that. The girl asks black kid if he's disgusted by her burn or not.  He says no, that he knows it's really painful for her, and then mentions he's got burned-looking skin all over, so it's ok.

Black people are apparently burn victims. WOW. Good job, Japan.

[Joe Molotov]

March? Sorry my $60 is going to EA in March. BAD COMPANY 2

Just wait a month or two, and Yakuza 3 will be $14.99.

[Mr. Gundam]

Ryu ga Gotoku 4 comes out on March 18th in Japan.

I'll be buying that while on vacation instead of Yakuza 3.

[iconoclast]

I guess that makes Yakuza 3 the second best game releasing in March then.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

 

[close]

[Purple Filth]

Yup, I broke the news to my dear Boritos. I can't wait to see how it gets translated.

So the stalking kid was rejected by the girl due to him being black (or half black and half Japanese, they're not very clear about it). However, the girl gets humiliated in front of her crush due to the burns all over her arms that resulted from a fire that killed her parents. Black kid runs up and punches the other dude for doing that. The girl asks black kid if he's disgusted by her burn or not.  He says no, that he knows it's really painful for her, and then mentions he's got burned-looking skin all over, so it's ok.

Black people are apparently burn victims. WOW. Good job, Japan.

holy shit 

[chronovore]

Yup, I broke the news to my dear Boritos. I can't wait to see how it gets translated.

So the stalking kid was rejected by the girl due to him being black (or half black and half Japanese, they're not very clear about it). However, the girl gets humiliated in front of her crush due to the burns all over her arms that resulted from a fire that killed her parents. Black kid runs up and punches the other dude for doing that. The girl asks black kid if he's disgusted by her burn or not.  He says no, that he knows it's really painful for her, and then mentions he's got burned-looking skin all over, so it's ok.

Black people are apparently burn victims. WOW. Good job, Japan.

That's pretty lame. But at the same time, while it's inconceivable that a culturally-American person would think that way, I wonder if a culturally-Japanese half-black person might ever get into that frame of mind. It's more likely just a weird Japanese person trying to write a foreigner, and a foreigner dealing with trauma and racism on top of that. And it's not like game writing aspires to Hemingway, or even Leonard ("Dutch"!).

[Mr. Gundam]

Kenzan was a breath of fresh air, I'd love to see another RGG spin-off game.

Heck, moving Kazuma out of Japan would also help shake things up.

[originalz]

Everyone who was screaming for this to be localized at GAF or wherever should be forced to provide a proof of purchase when it comes out or get their account permabanned.  Bloody hell was there a lot of noise for this, mainly from people who had never supported the series in the past!

[Mr. Gundam]

Everyone who was screaming for this to be localized at GAF or wherever should be forced to provide a proof of purchase when it comes out or get their account permabanned.  Bloody hell was there a lot of noise for this, mainly from people who had never supported the series in the past!

Yup.

Fuck Sega of America on this series. I've already played RGG3 and I don't want to wait another year before they even think about announcing the possibility of a localization of "Yakuza 4."

Let's see, play a game I've already played and thoroughly enjoyed, but this time in English, or play the new one?

[E-DuB]

Anyone else see this yet?



Not going to lie, don't like it

[Mr. Gundam]

It's pretty crappy, but there's still a good game there.

Whatever, I bought and played through Ryu ga Gotoku 3 last summer. Time for RgG4 this Spring!

[E-DuB]

I still have to finish 2

[HyperZoneWasAwesome]

I still have to finish 2

me too, but I'm still Day 1-ing this shiz.

2010 is shaping up to the be the year of improbable American game releases.  This, Capcom vs. Tatsunoko, Choaniki PSP, Sakura Wars.
I like it.

[iconoclast]

It's a really terrible box art but it doesn't really matter to me. Most of the reactions to it have been worthy

This is coming out the same day as FF13 too . Still not sure what I'll play through first.

I still have to finish 2

The entire final stretch of Yakuza 2 is amaaaazing.

[Mr. Gundam]

Someone is releasing Rei Choaniki in North America? I've got the JP version, it's pretty terrible.

[chronovore]

I still have to finish 2

me too, but I'm still Day 1-ing this shiz.

2010 is shaping up to the be the year of improbable American game releases.  This, Capcom vs. Tatsunoko, Choaniki PSP, Sakura Wars.
I like it.

You forgot Record of Agarest War from the Uguu~ thread!