Yakuza 3 Megathread - OUT NOW!

[thunda123]

Yakuza 3, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon 3 is the sequel to Yakuza 2 and the fourth installment in the Yakuza series, developed by CS1 team and published by Sega exclusively for the PS3. It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009, and will be released in North America and Europe in March 2010.

Plot

Spoiler

Unlike the previous episodes the story is not writen by Hase Seishu but by Masayoshi Yokoyama. Yakuza 3 takes a departure from the first two games with its choice of setting: instead of focusing on the gritty cityscape of Tokyo and Osaka, it switches gears and sends Kazuma Kiryu to the Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa, where he runs the Morning glory orphanage with his adoptive daughter Haruka Sawamura who accompanied him in the previous episodes and the Movie Version.

The Morning glory orphanage is on a land that is owned by Shigeru Nakahara, the boss of a local yakuza clan or bōryokudan, known as the Ryudo Family. Nakahara is under pressure from the country's government to sell the land which is planned to become a seaside resort. When his friend Daigo Dojima, late Chairman of the Tojo Clan, is involved in an assassination attempt, Kiryu once again finds himself in a series of tough situations and has to fight to protect his new sanctuary.

Launch Trailer:

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[Horhay]

It's March 12th.

 

[DaMexiRican]

I want to get it

 

[DaMexiRican]

Pre order goodies...

If you're willing to commit to purchasing Yakuza 3 next month, despite the fact that your pre-order bill already includes God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII, you'll be rewarded with extra content. In North America, a pre-order comes with four DLC bonuses, including a "Battle for Survival" boss-rush mode, two tournament modes and a "Haruka's Request" set of missions. Pre-ordering from GameStop will add an additional Challenge Pack, containing alternate costumes and two-player pool, bowling, darts, and golf minigames.

In Europe, the Challenge Pack is the lone pre-order bonus, as Yakuza 3 will be released in "Premium Edition" format, which includes the other DLC mentioned above, a 31-track soundtrack and a "Yakuza Who's Who" guide to the characters -- useful for distinguishing the good gangsters from the bad gangsters!

 

[jefXfree]

SEGA edits Yakuza 3 for Western release

SEGA has revealed that it has made some cuts to the Western release of adventure romp Yakuza 3, claiming some scenes in the original Japanese version "wouldn't make sense" to U.S. and European gamers.

Speaking to the chaps at IGN, the company stated, "The content between Yakuza 3 US/UK and Yakuza [3] JP is a little different in that we took out certain bits in order to bring the game to the West in the time allotted for us to do so. The parts we ended up taking out were parts that we felt wouldn't make sense (like a Japanese history quiz game) or wouldn't resonate as much (such as the concept of a hostess club).”

Despite this, the developer assured fans that the content removed doesn’t detract from the overall experience, adding, “We didn't replace the parts we took out, but we made absolutely sure that the story continuity stayed intact so that the story experience was the same as the Japanese version and that it didn't take away the human drama so inherent to the Yakuza series."

Yakuza 3 hits European territories on March 12.

 

[thunda123]

SEGA edits Yakuza 3 for Western release

SEGA has revealed that it has made some cuts to the Western release of adventure romp Yakuza 3, claiming some scenes in the original Japanese version "wouldn't make sense" to U.S. and European gamers.

Speaking to the chaps at IGN, the company stated, "The content between Yakuza 3 US/UK and Yakuza [3] JP is a little different in that we took out certain bits in order to bring the game to the West in the time allotted for us to do so. The parts we ended up taking out were parts that we felt wouldn't make sense (like a Japanese history quiz game) or wouldn't resonate as much (such as the concept of a hostess club).”

Despite this, the developer assured fans that the content removed doesn’t detract from the overall experience, adding, “We didn't replace the parts we took out, but we made absolutely sure that the story continuity stayed intact so that the story experience was the same as the Japanese version and that it didn't take away the human drama so inherent to the Yakuza series."

Yakuza 3 hits European territories on March 12.

The Hostess clubs are gone? Then no deal for me. I've actually read on a few threads that a few people were really looking forward to the hostess clubs and were no longer buying the game due to them being taken out. It seems like these guys are having trouble getting laid or need a girlfriend or something.

 

[DaMexiRican]

I haven't tried the demo yet. Anybody else?

 

[thunda123]

I haven't tried the demo yet. Anybody else?

Nope, not yet.
Will get to it this weekend probably.

 

[DaMexiRican]

I tried installing it 4 times, but it gets to like 14% and says it encountered an error and quits.

 

[thunda123]

I tried installing it 4 times, but it gets to like 14% and says it encountered an error and quits.

That sucks. I hate when stuff like that happens. Not a good start by Sega.

 

[thunda123]

I tried installing it 4 times, but it gets to like 14% and says it encountered an error and quits.

Actually, I just remembered I already installed it. Didn't run into any problems.

 

[DaMexiRican]

Yeah, I'm gonna try a few more times and if not re-download. If that still doesn't work, F the game LOL

 

[Horhay]

I downloaded the demo from Japan and loved it. I downloaded the American demo and still love it! lol It's a cool game I might get this once the price drops.

 

[DaMexiRican]

The game looks cool and I like the Japanese atmosphere, but I'd still like to play the demo at least lol

 

[Wreck]

downloaded demo and played and am now finding this is a game I can skip.

The Darksiders demo was way better than this (least for my likes.)

 

[DaMexiRican]

Yeah. The click X for all the conversation said is annoying. I'll pick it up when its on sale. Cheap. Really cheap.

 

[thunda123]

downloaded demo and played and am now finding this is a game I can skip.

The Darksiders demo was way better than this (least for my likes.)

Same for me. I was kinda excited to pick it up and then played the demo and am glad they came out with a demo. I hated it! Hated the graphics, hated pressing X every couple seconds, hated even walking around in that game. Just seemed really boring to me.

Maybe I was expecting too much. I've never played any Yakuza games before.

 

[jefXfree]

Yakuza 3 Hits Western Shores!

The big day is finally here. As Yakuza 3 begins the journey to stores across the west, we take another look at what makes Yakuza 3 something you’ll find only on the PS3.

“If there’s one thing about Yakuza that these last few months have taught people,” I thought as I sat at lunch on Monday, “It’s that the fans are a force to take seriously…usually.” Fans can be the biggest allies and proponents of games that may not be the huge, multi-million sellers like (insert generic FPS here), or (insert additional generic FPS here). They can create amazing successes for games that were never expected to have them – looking at you, Valkyria Chronicles – and they can just as easily do the opposite, in some cases.

But more than anything, most fans just want to be heard. Fans want interaction, and to be responded to. So let’s begin this blog post by jumping right in to one of the biggest things fans have been asking about: the content.

Yakuza 3 is huge. Besides exploring Tokyo and Okinawa, you can also visit restaurants, pick up ramen at a local convenience store, go golfing, bowling, fishing, karaoke, or bust some heads in a local street fight.

As someone who enjoyed Shenmue, my love for Yakuza grows in knowing that some of the people who developed the original Shenmue games also work on Yakuza now. The similarity in feel between the two is no coincidence – and the epic feel of exploration, and Japanese culture, that the game offers are things you won’t find anywhere else. I’m also a big fan of playing darts while drunk – the extra level of difficulty is quite entertaining, besides being notably safer in Yakuza 3’s virtual world than it is in real life. (Note: I do not condone playing Darts while intoxicated. You’ll probably take someone’s eye out.)

Also, we’d like to make special note that while not everything from the Japanese version made it to the western shores, our community team has been – and will be– reading, compiling, and passing all of that feedback upwards here at SEGA. I can’t say more than that presently, but know that you are being heard, and we’ll make sure of that for you. To clarify additionally, as has been mentioned: Hostesses are in the game, and you can take them out on dates, build relationships, and sing karaoke with them to your heart’s content.

As Yakuza goes out the door and into the homes of hundreds of thousands of fans, I’d also like to take a moment to give some thanks to the people that really deserve it – and that’s you guys. It goes to the people who pushed from the beginning to show SEGA how much they wanted this game here. To those who post in the comments sections encouraging us, offering bright and helpful viewpoints even when the going got rough. And finally, to those who continue to support this PS3 exclusive by picking up the game, and in doing so give the franchise the legs on which to stand.

Know that we appreciate the support so many of you have already given to this series – and that we are now, and will continue to listen to your feedback.

 

[jefXfree]

Yakuza 3 is out today, in case you didn't already know, so SEGA has released a launch trailer to get you in the mood for some face-smashing, karaoke-singing, lady-wooing action. Check out the launch trailer in the OP!