It's that time again! Mr. Gundam wastes his summer playing Ryu ga Gotoku 4

[Mr. Gundam]

I had a running commentary last summer playing through RGG3, so I'll go ahead and do the same thing with RGG4. So far the game is 100% devoid of orphans, which is a huge positive. You start the game off playing this loan shark guy named Akiyama (voiced by Koichi Yamadera, aka Spike Spiegel, Togusa and Kaji from Evangelion) who's in the middle of a turf war with the Tojo and Ueno groups. The same beat the crap out of everyone system is still intact.

Until I stumble upon hilariously racist material within the game or start bitching about some monotonous side mission, enjoy a few pics of Kabukicho that I took back in April. If only the game let you visit the Yakuza-run bar where Chin and Cormac almost got into a fight.

[Himu]

Played a bit of the demo. Was refreshing to not play as Kazuma

[Mr. Gundam]

Played a bit of the demo. Was refreshing to not play as Kazuma

It really changes things up. I've so far played as Akiyama and encountered the young cop that you play as later on.

[Bebpo]

Are you going to play RGG PSP in the fall?

I'm thinking about skipping 3/4 for now and playing the PSP one. 

[Mr. Gundam]

Are you going to play RGG PSP in the fall?

I'm thinking about skipping 3/4 for now and playing the PSP one. 

I'll probably get it. Played some more, RGG4 is REAL GOOD. 

[demi]

I heard you went to Japan distantmantra. I bet that was cool. Tell us about when you went to Japan?

[iconoclast]

Are you going to play RGG PSP in the fall?

I'm thinking about skipping 3/4 for now and playing the PSP one. 

Have you played Kenzan? That seems to be a lot of people's favorite RgG, even ahead of RgG2

Thankfully SEGA has already announced Yakuza 4 for a western release, so I'll be playing this in a year or so!

[Mr. Gundam]

Are you going to play RGG PSP in the fall?

I'm thinking about skipping 3/4 for now and playing the PSP one. 

Have you played Kenzan? That seems to be a lot of people's favorite RgG, even ahead of RgG2

Kenzan was great. So great that RGG3 was a total letdown in comparison. Fortunately RGG4 is going in the right direction so far.

[Bebpo]

Are you going to play RGG PSP in the fall?

I'm thinking about skipping 3/4 for now and playing the PSP one. 

Have you played Kenzan? That seems to be a lot of people's favorite RgG, even ahead of RgG2

Thankfully SEGA has already announced Yakuza 4 for a western release, so I'll be playing this in a year or so!

Yeah I played Kenzan.  It was alright, but same-y just like all the other games.  After playing 1/2/Kenzan 3 years in a row, I started up RGG3 and was not feeling it.  Way too similar.  Sounds like RGG4 is a good step forward though.

PSP one could be interesting since there's no Kazuma at all.

[Mr. Gundam]

Finished chapter 1 (Akiyama) yesterday, now on to chapter 2 with Saejima. It begins with a great

spoiler (click to show/hide)

prison sequence that leads to a jali break with Hamazaki...

[close]

No real WTF moments so far, but Mack the magical negro does show up about half way through chapter 1.

edit: Nevermind, there's a scene with a character contemplating raping a child.

[Joe Molotov]

Romanu Poranski-san

[ch1nchilla]

How good is your Japanese, mayne?

[Brehvolution]

If you get in a fight in Japan, is it safe to say that kung fu will be involved?

[Mr. Gundam]

Still plugging away at RGG4.

You learn a hell of a lot about Majima and his family in chapter 2. Also, some people from RGG3 die.

Chapter 3 with Tanimura (young cop) deals with the trafficking of young Chinese girls in Japan and takes the subject matter seriously. A lot of the dialogue between characters is in Chinese and subtitled in Japanese.

The game is loads more fun than RGG3; each of the characters so far play slightly different from each other (ie. each character controls differently in battle) and the focus for each chapter changes things up. Being able to go up on rooftops and down into the subway stations and sewers is nice as well.

All those shots of the next console RGG with Majima and Kazuma holding big guns makes me wonder what Nagoshi has in store...

[Mr. Gundam]

Haven't played this in a while due to basement construction, but I found a great article where Jake Adelstein of Tokyo Vice fame sits down with three Yakuza members to play Yakuza 3.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/yakuza-3-review.html

[Sho Nuff]

Haven't played this in a while due to basement construction, but I found a great article where Jake Adelstein of Tokyo Vice fame sits down with three Yakuza members to play Yakuza 3.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/yakuza-3-review.html

  That's fucking awesome. I'm about to wrap up Yakuza 2 and I can't wait to start on the next one. It's a pretty good-looking PS2 game but I can't wait to play it with a next-gen coat of paint.

[bork]

Haven't played this in a while due to basement construction, but I found a great article where Jake Adelstein of Tokyo Vice fame sits down with three Yakuza members to play Yakuza 3.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/yakuza-3-review.html

I guess that's supposed to be a chick in the lower-left part of this screenshot, but it looks like two homeless guys making out.

[bork]

Ironically, the sections that Shirokawa seemed to enjoy the most were cut out of the US version: mahjong, the sexual massage parlor, and the hostess clubs. After I explain to him what Sega cut from the US version, he said: アメリカ版を買った奴がかわいそうだ。セガＵＳＡが最低だね.(Translation: I feel sorry for the people who bought the American version. SEGA USA sucks.)

 

[Himu]

Haven't played this in a while due to basement construction, but I found a great article where Jake Adelstein of Tokyo Vice fame sits down with three Yakuza members to play Yakuza 3.

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/yakuza-3-review.html

I was going to post this

[Sho Nuff]

Ironically, the sections that Shirokawa seemed to enjoy the most were cut out of the US version: mahjong, the sexual massage parlor, and the hostess clubs. After I explain to him what Sega cut from the US version, he said: アメリカ版を買った奴がかわいそうだ。セガＵＳＡが最低だね.(Translation: I feel sorry for the people who bought the American version. SEGA USA sucks.)

 

LOL. You know you are shit when Yakuza look down on you!