POSTED 21/4/10


YAKUZA 3

SEGA

The Yakuza series is kinda the Japanese equivalent of The Sopranos, and whilst those in the Land of the Rising Datsun are sending PS3 sales through the roof with the recent release of its fourth incarnation, SEGA have bowed to cumulative gamer moaning and released its predecessor in the West.

The best news is that SEGA haven’t bothered with a crappy English voice cast; rather they’ve just subtitled the original Japanese dialogue. Sure, you may be thinking, “they’re just cheap” – and you may be thwacking the nail on the head - but trust us it works, as this sucker’s VERY Japanese – and ace for it.

If we had one sentence to sum it up, we’d cop out and say it’s basically a Nippon-themed Grand Theft Auto. But we’ve more space to fill, so we’ll do the right thing and elaborate.

As with most games nowadays, it’s split between myriad cutscenes and moments where you’re actually allowed to interact. These interactive bits are very reminiscent of GTA as you traipse about completing various missions in an ever-expanding sandbox-esque world, with a focus on fighting interludes where you – the mucho-tattooed Kazuma – beat the shit out of all manner of comers. Yes, we typed a naughty word – trust us, that’s nothing compared to what you’re in for here. SEGA are rather potty-mouthed nowadays…

Quite the saga, but often really funny and packed with engaging mini-quests, Yakuza 3 won’t appeal to everybody, but fans of sandbox fighters with a spattering of RPG really should give this PS3 exclusive a bash.

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