Yakuza 3
Yakuza 3 is a game that marks the fourth installment in the series. Yakuza 1 and 2 took place in modern Japan and told the story of a former yakuza named Kiryu Kazuma, who fought for his loved ones, loyalty, and friendship. The third installment, which was titled Ryu Ga Gotoku: Kenzan in Japan (not released in English yet) takes place in the Edo period in Japan, and while it shared a similar atmosphere with the previous two games, it felt more like a side story. In Yakuza 3, gamers take the role of the protagonist, former yakuza Kiryu Kazuma and the game takes place in two locations: the subtropical island of Okinawa and the red-light district of Kamurocho. The story progresses with Kiryu and the little girl Haruka from the first installment leaving the dangerous streets of Kamurochou in 2007 and starting a new life in Okinawa. Having opened an orphanage and living a quiet but peaceful life, Kiryu and Haruka soon find themselves in trouble regarding land acquisition, and plans for a military base expansion and resort development. To save his orphanage from politics and local underground organizations, Kiryu stands up to fight. However, his small personal battle in the outskirts of Okinawa connects him to the Toujoukai clan from previous Yakuza installments and eventually to a national-scale incident. Two years later, in 2009, gunshot incidents in Okinawa and Tokyo further propel the dirty affairs. Having his loved ones and trusted ones attacked, Kiryu returns to Kamurochou to uncover the truth. Yakuza 3 uses a broad mixture of elements and starts with a star-studded voice cast that gives the game a cinematic storytelling presentation. That presentation is then paired with combat; mixed with a combination of martial arts and improvised weapons. In addition to exploring a living town, gamers are also greeted with the use of an updated combat system, which lets them select between four fighting styles: fists (the standard style from past titles), single blade, dual blade and broad sword. “Heat Action” special moves return, complete with dramatic camera angels. In previous games, players learned new fighting moves by consulting with a master. This is a feature that remains in Yakuza 3, but now they can also learn moves just by witnessing key events. Kiryu will even learn special attacks by watching animals move; for instance, a dog leaping up to fetch a bone. The game also features mini games and side quests, with over 100 sub quests and some featuring historical figures. Mini games include shogi, dice and archery.
Specifications
Publisher and Developer
Yakuza 3 is developed by Amusement Vision and published by Sega.
Designers
It is a game designed and produced by Toshihiro Nagoshi.
Voice Actors
The game’s characters are voiced by the following actors: Kojiro Sasaki (voiced by Shouta Matsuda), Nagayoshi Marume (Naoto Takenaka), Itou, the bodyguard (Susumu Terajima), The mysterious monk (Hiroki Matsukata), Seijyurou Yoshioka (Masaya Kato) and Toji Gion (Takeshi Tsukamoto).
Platforms
The game supports 1024 x 768 (Sub-HD) native resolution and is designed on the PlayStation 3 game platform. It is a Action-adventure, Beat ‘em up game set released on 26 February 2009. It supports a single-player mode and is released on Blu-ray disc media.
Ratings
The game has been given the CERO: D rating.
Reviews
“Yakuza 3 seems to let you take a break from all the ultra-violence once in a while thanks to the inclusion of minigames. The ones featured in the video presentation included billiards, bowling, mahjong, baseball, poker, and even skill-tester claw machines. Romancing various young ladies also seems to have some sort of minigame element, as well as some customisation as the video showed players being able to adjust the makeup of their chosen female companion. From the presentation, Yakuza 3 not only exhibits good graphics, but looks to have the potential to be a top action game for 2009.” – (Gamespot, 2008)
“Yakuza 3 looks well on its way to becoming another cinematic gaming package, but this time it’s on the PS3. While it might not quite match the most detailed visuals of other games out there pixel-for-pixel, the game definitely looks great.” – (1up.com)
