Yakuza

Sega might have been a bit inept at making business decisions, but they’re wizards at making quality games. Their titles are easily as good as Nintendo’s, and some would even say they are better. It’s a pity, then, that many of these titles don’t get the recognition they deserve. While everyone praises Super Mario Bros. 3 and The Legend of Zelda, many of Sega’s classics like Streets of Rage, Golden Axe, and Shining Force are doomed to remain cult hits amongst the legions of the hardcore.

One such game is Shenmue. Originally intended to be divided into chapters, its complete and utter failure to recoup Sega’s investment – it goes on record as being the most expensive video game ever – has doomed the story to end incomplete at chapter number 2. Since then fans have been begging for a Shenmue 3, if only to finish the story. However, Shenmue fans looking for more of the tasty gameplay might want to look towards Sega’s new title, Yakuza.

Rather than following a noble boy in search of revenge, Yakuza is about, well, the Yakuza: the Japanese mafia. The story was penned by Hase Seishu – what do you mean you’ve never heard of the award-winning author? – and it follows Kazuma Kiryu, a shamed Yakuza member, after he is released from 10 years in prison.

As far as gameplay goes, the game is a little more biased towards action than Shenmue, which was biased towards role-playing elements and forklift driving. While wandering the city, Kazuma will frequently encounter small pockets of adversaries that he must take out before continuing: pretty standard 3rd-person beat-‘em-up action, really.

The similarities with Shenmue come from the enormous city. While access to the city is limited at first, eventually players will be given almost free reign. Like Shenmue, the city will have a constant time cycle, and the city shifts between day and night, with the latter being infinitely more impressive thanks to the Japanese fetish for neon. The presence of night also helps mask a few graphical failings.

The most impressive thing about Yakuza’s city, however, is that it feels alive in the same way Shenmue’s did. There are hundreds of virtual people flooding the streets, and it really feels like you're navigating a city. It never feels barren like Grand Theft Auto did. While cruising around the city, pedestrians will try and interact with you, even if the interaction is awfully mundane. It’s little details like this that really make a game feel immersive, and proves that the future of video games is in simulation, rather than graphical replication.

And yes, like Shenmue before it, you’ll be able to simply waste time in the arcade if you want. The presence of Lucky Hit™ is unknown at this point.

With a strong story written by a proven author, with some excellent beat-‘em-up action, and the ability to simply meander the virtual city if desired, Yakuza looks set to be another solid title that should be appreciated by Sega fans. It might not be the Shenmue 3 that so many want, but it’s close enough that it should at least quench the thirst slightly. Stay tuned to NZGamer for a full review in the near future.