[Official] Yakuza 3


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Yakuza 3, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon 3 (龍が如く3 "Ryū ga Gotoku 3"?), is the sequel to Yakuza 2 and the fourth installment in the Yakuza series, developed bySega Japan's CS1 Team[1] and published by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 3 video game console.[6] It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009, and will be released in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010 and March 12, 2010, respectively.[6]

The sequel Ryū ga Gotoku 4 is currently under development for the PlayStation 3 in Japan.[7]

Extremely weak EU/US boxart (thanks Sega)

Yakuza3_boxart.jpg

Superior Japanese boxart

ggn_Yakuza_3_boxart.jpg

New features

Yakuza 3 introduces PlayStation Network Trophies to the series with 45 trophies[8] (50 in the Eastern releases)[9]. It also adds four new gameplay elements as listed below:

  • Seamless Battle (シームレスバトル shimuresu batoru): The Seamless Battle is a streaming data-based loading-free system that allows the game to directly connect the adventure mode and the battle mode (called "Kenka") without the usual loading black screen.
  • Chase Battle (チェイスバトル, cheisu batoru): Chase Battle is a new battle mode which replaces the regular brawling (Kenka) with a running sequence set in a certain map. Both chaser and chased have a running gauge that decreases as the character runs and or is hurt by someone or something on his way. When the running gauge is empty the exhausted character stops the chase. Somewhere in the game a minor character, Mack Shinozukawill train Kazuma to improve his running performance.
  • Revelation (天啓, tenkei): Ten revelations will allow Kazuma Kiryu to learn new Heat Actions (ヒートアクション) in the Adventure mode, it is rather similar to the system introduced in the previous game Ryu ga Gotoku: Kenzan !. This time Kazuma uses his cell phone built-in camera to record new moves and techniques. These are acquired through hints and incidents spotted in First Person View. Learned Heat Actions are posted on Kazuma's his personal blog, called Kamuroblo, which uses the same template as producer Toshihiro Nagoshi's own blog.[10]
  • First Person View: When pressing the Sixaxis/Dual Shock 3's R3 button during the adventure mode the standard third person view switches to a brand new first person view mode. This perspective allows a better observation of the streets and people as well as posters reading, but looking at a distant villain in his eyes using First Person View will provoke him and engage an Encount battle. First Person View is disabled in some indoor places.

Western releases

Regular DLC

Four DLC will be delivered on release day with the PAL version's Battle Pack (a.k.a. Premium Pack)[29]. These free downloadable contents are:

  • Battle For Survival: Take on all the bosses of Yakuza 3 as Kazuma (previously known as "Survival Battle" in the Japanese version).
  • All-Star Tournament: 7 character tournament (completed game save file required to access content).
  • All-Star Tag Tournament: 8 team tournament (completed game save file required to access content).
  • Haruka's Request: This unique series of challenge missions will send Kazuma on a task of exploration throughout the entire Yakuza 3 world, playing minigames and entertaining Haruka (completed game save file required to access content).
All these DLC are returning from the Japanese version.
Regarding the western release of the DLC, a Sega America spokesperson officially stated on February 24, 2010: "[T]he western versions of the game will come pre-packaged with codes for the DLC, already localized and ready to be enjoyed"[30]. The missing Survival Onigokko DLC could be an hint that the minor character Bob Utsunomiya was removed as well as the DLC resolving around him (Item Pack and S-Item Pack deliveries).
Extra DLC
Two exclusive extra DLC codes will be sent only to North American customers who pre-order Yakuza 3 in their local GameStop stores[31]. These additional downloadable contents are:
  • 2 player mini games (for Pool, Bowling, Darts and Golf).
  • 3 extra costumes for Kazuma, Haruka and Rikiya (completed game save file required to access content).

These pre-sell only[32] extra DLC are returning from the Japanese version. Previously they were delivered for free through an eight-week downloable content campaign.

Sega gave no details about what was cut but comparing the eastern and western releases PSN Trophy lists is revealing since five trophies (out of 50) were removed, hence two sub-scenario missions (out of 103) were cut as well half-aspect of romancing the club hostesses (out of 10 completion challenges) and four minigames (out of 20). The remaining 45 trophies are the same as in the original Japanese 2009 release, except two Bronze trophies, named "Legendary Champion" and "Key Collector", were upranked as Silver trophies.[56][55] Removal of a first trophy called "Good Coordinate" (グッドコーディネート, guddokōdinēto)[55][56] hints the sidestory called Let's make a no.1 club hostess (No.1キャバ嬢をつくろう! or short キャバつく,kyabatusku) was cut. This mission consists in picking up a young female non-player character (NPC) in the Ryukyugai (Shoko, Hiromi, Shō, Kirie) or Kamurocho (Ritsuko) streets and to make her an entertainer, in cabaret club South Island, by customizing her physical aspect (with variable parameters such as make-up, haircut, dressing and ? la mode accessories). The purpose of this sidestory is to make an attractive club hostess for whom male customers (NPC) will spend money. Practically they spend time together, speaking, while Kazuma Kiryu watch over her as a bodyguard. A similar club management mission was introduced in Yakuza 2[57]. Club or "cabaret" hostesses are a common phenomenon in Japan and have dedicated fashion magazines; such as Koakuma Ageha (小悪魔 Ageha) which is a tie-in with the game.[58]

Removal of a second trophy, "Futōpara" (太っ腹, lit. "generous")[55][56], hints the ten-episode hostess clubs completion challenge (キャバクラ, kyabakura lit. "cabaret club") was partially cut since this trophy consists in spending a large amount of money in Club Ageha, Club Koakuma and Flawless.[55][56] In this multipart completion, which is a romancing challenge, Kazuma Kiryu orders drink and food while conversing with the ten hostesses. All characters are modeled after a real Japanese hostesses cast and this gameplay element was introduced in the original Yakuza episode. In fact, the possibility of romancing club hostess characters outside clubs in the western releases of Yakuza 3, as officially announced by the Sega representatives, is eventually confirmed by the presence of Ryukyugai Flawless cabaret club's Mika Tsuchiya hostess playing pool minigame on the North American edition package's backcover[59]. This possibility is inheritated from the Japanese version since the romancing completion challenge actually includes both hostess club dialogues (ordering meals and offering presents) and dating activities such as dual sessions of pool, darts, bowling and karaoke. If the former text part was cut, the latter dating part, which requires a minor translation work, definitely remain in the western releases[54].Removed contents

On February 24, 2010, a Sega America Blog community manager officially declared[51]:

"We wanted to confirm that there is some content in the Japanese version of
Yakuza 3
that didn't make it over to upcoming Western version, mostly involving the Hostess Clubs and the Japanese History trivia sections. [...] The choice that had to be made was either no
Yakuza 3
in the west, or a version of the game that was almost exactly the same, but with a little less trivia."

This statement was an answer to IGN journalist Greg Miller's unofficial insight report of February 23 claiming:

"Even though the hostess clubs are out, you can still go on dates with the girls.[...] The strip clubs are still in
Yakuza 3
."

The referred strip clubs are "Show Pub Asia: Kamurocho Asia Beauty Show Dance and Pole" and Ryukyugai's "Canal Grande: Cabaret Club", both are linked to main and side stories in the original Japanese release and therefore were not removed as confirmed by a new game trailer. This video shows the game's locations and was officially released by Sega on February 25.[53] A Sega PR further commented to Kotaku blog on February 24, 2010:

"We had a tight schedule to abide by for localizing and releasing
Yakuza 3
in the west. Due to the limited time we were given we had to leave certain bits of the game out and we chose portions we felt didn't resonate with western culture i.e. a Japanese history quiz show and the concept of hostess clubs. [...] Given the options of releasing the next chapter of a beloved game so that our fans can experience the story of
Yakuza
vs. not releasing it at all, we felt it was worth it to release it with 99% of the content intact. We made sure that the story in no way, shape or form changed from the lack of the quiz show or hostess clubs. You can still go into Cabarets and on dates with the ladies in the game."

Third removed trophy is "
" (エステ・マニア,
esute mania
)
which requires the player to take the Love In Heart
's two courses. What hinted here is this erotic minigame was cut along with its connected sidestory (俺のこと?,
ore no koto
) where the
, Ayaka Tsubaki, reveals Kazuma Kiryu she is actually a
. This minor character is modeled after its voice actress,
, who is a Japanese
and a transexual herself.

Fourth and fifth cut trophies, respectively "Fudō no kishi" (不動の棋士, lit. "unmovable shogi player") and "Sarashi no ryu" (晒しの龍, lit. "bleaching dragon")
hint that both
chess and
minigames were removed from the western releases. These are based on traditional board games that are fairly popular in Japan, yet uncommon overseas.

Another confirmed cut is Kamurocho Club Sega's
, a
quiz minigame based on the real Sega arcade game which is only available in Japanese
. The last known cut is an Adventure Mode unlockable bonus item, Ukyo's bell, which, is awarded to series fans who played the eastern market-only PlayStation 3 spinoff and, didn't made it to the western release for practical reason. Since this spinoff, titled
, is exceptionally set in the medieval-era instead of modern days, such trivia item could not possibly be unlocked overseas and wouldn't even make sense as the characters connected to it are unknown to western players.

EU/US Trailer

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=cCvTZpa4l8k

10 mins of gameplay from demo

Source: Might as well be wikipedia, but for the amount of people that play this I cannot be arsed making a lovely topic. I will however make it a bit better for release... for myself.

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I've had this pre-ordered since it was first announced. So you're not the only one who will be playing it.

Really looking forward to playing it. Being a massive Shenmue fan, this is the closest thing to its gameplay.

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After seeing how much people on here like the Yakuza series, I was looking forward to playing the demo. I played the JP demo, and I have to say I was disappointed. I'll give it another shot, perhaps with the EU demo (to see if the dialogue helps immersion).

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I was all hyped for this but the demo left a sour taste in my mouth, it felt all a little too weird and unconnected. For example, the action scenes would cut back and forth between voice and text and just didn't gel very well. I need to give it more play though.

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I'm not as interested as I was before I played the demo but hopefully the full game will give me a better experience. The character models reminded me of Saints row for some reason (especially in cutscenes). Also the random street confrontations started getting repetitive after a while, but I enjoyed the fights themselves(even though they were too short and easy).

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TheHut said they've despatched my copy of this as well!

Nooooo! If it arrives on Tuesday with FF13 I'll cry. Wanted it to come next Friday so I'd have a few days with FF13. Hate choosing.

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Nooooo! If it arrives on Tuesday with FF13 I'll cry. Wanted it to come next Friday so I'd have a few days with FF13. Hate choosing.

If getting two games on the same day is the worst of your worries then you're doing alright :p

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I was all hyped for this but the demo left a sour taste in my mouth, it felt all a little too weird and unconnected. For example, the action scenes would cut back and forth between voice and text and just didn't gel very well. I need to give it more play though.

I find that the game's really an acquired taste. I remember when I first played it, I thought the game sucked hard. Text boxes with the clacking sounds... felt like I was playing Pokemon in the 90s again.

The game's really about its story and minigames. If you're not at all interested in the content of the game, I don't think you'd like it, because lets face it, the fighting system is clunky (you should see Yakuza 1!) and the game is just outdated in pretty much every single way. That said, it's still one of my favourite game series because I really love the story and feel of the game but at the same time I do know that there are TONS of things that could make the game much better.

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If anyone is looking to buy this.

Shopto have Premium edition for 32.85 here

Yeah that's the cheapest now that PLAY10 code isn't working.

I doubt there's going to be many reviews for this, someone on GAF saying Sega like with Yakuza 2 have hardly handed out any press review copies sleeping.gif (and they wonder why it sells so little)

However at least Eurogamer managed to get a copy

Concluding parts about cuts and score

What's really likely to irk fans though is SEGA's decision to chop parts from the Western release entirely. Having already admitted that you'll no longer be able to groom hostesses in cabaret bars, it's irritating to discover that you can't engage in the hilarious erotic massage mini-game either, where Kiryu has to keep his rising excitement under control while images of scantily clad ladies waft past.

The omission of Mahjong, Shogi Chess, and the Answer X Answer trivia game is hardly a big loss, but it still leaves a bad taste in the mouth, especially given that both previous Yakuza games were translated without ditching any of the more obscure elements of Japanese culture. Maybe poor sales figures in the West for both titles convinced SEGA that it wasn't worth the additional effort.

Still, in SEGA's defence, it has got a point when says there's enough great content to satisfy Western audiences. Even playing through the main missions will take a minimum of 15 hours, while the addition of around 100 side quests easily doubles that tally. Factor in the innumerable additional challenges, and the free DLC bundled with the game, and it will be hard to feel short-changed.

For a game that could well have been overlooked for a Western release entirely, the removal of a few minor elements, while frustrating, is a small price to pay. What remains is a relentlessly enjoyable action-RPG, which offers a unique insight into Japanese culture despite its exaggerations. The Western version of Yakuza 3 might have suffered a few heartbreaking cuts, but it's still intriguing at every turn and shouldn't be missed.

8/10

http://www.eurogamer...european-review

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Mine was despatched last night but it was too late to arrive today. So tomorrow i will have it :)

Now i got the day off, time to finish Final Fantasy XIII in a day.

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Mine was despatched last night but it was too late to arrive today. So tomorrow i will have it :)

Now i got the day off, time to finish Final Fantasy XIII in a day.

:laugh:

Good luck, but I'm in the same position, only a few hours into FF13 :(

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IGN - 8.5/10

Closing Comments

If wrote about everything in this game, you’d have a 10-page review on your hands, but the long and short of it is that Yakuza 3 is a great experience. The story’s cool, the fighting’s fun, and there’s so much to do. (Did I mention beating it opens up an adventure mode, fighting tournament and other goodies?) The game is rough around the edges – it has issues when it comes to pacing and repetition, the Japanese-only voice track will turn some people off, and it does look like a game that’s been out awhile -- but all of these issues are just bumps in the road on what should be an enjoyable ride for folks looking to beat in some faces and wander the streets of Japan.

IGN Video Review

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Mine just arrived :)

Sadly i didn't complete FFXIII... nowhere near

I'm at Odin

.

Still i think i will have to hold off on Yakuza till i've completed FFXIII or at least wait till the weekend.

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So I picked this game up despite already buying 3 other games this month. REALLY got to stop spending money now...

Anyways, I can already tell this game is going to bomb so hard. Walked into Best Buy to pick it up and the game wasn't even on the shelves. One of the employees told me that I had to ask the person at checkout for them to bring it out from their locked case of games behind the cash register. Walked into EB Games/Gamestop for fun and there was one lone (empty) case of Yakuza 3 sitting there by itself amongst 40 cases of Modern Warfare 2 lol.

I should probably give up on hoping Sega will bring over Yakuza 4 lol.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Easily one of the best games I've played this generation, it's fantastic! Nearing the end of the campaign, but holy **** at the amount of side quests.

I've not heard back from you Lingwo, buy it? :p

Catching the Tuna was one of the hardest things I've done in a game, took me days, then I got 3 of the ****ers once I'd mastered it :D

IMG_0172.jpg

IMG_0171-1.jpg

IMG_0168.jpg

(Yeah it gives a trophy)

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When i finished Final Fantasy i went straight into this. I'm about 30 hours in and at chapter 10 i think. So near the end but I've spent so much time doing side missions, just got my third trophy for side missions.

Just trying to find the detective for the murder at cafe alps side mission. It says in the notebook he spends time at bars at night but currently the game is in the daytime, so i think he isn't at any

It's a brilliant game. The story is superb and full of some cool twists. Sadly i think i will have it done by the weekend but i will definitely go back and clear up all the side missions i missed as i don't think anyone could do them all on a first run without a guide. I still can't believe it doesn't sell well over here.

I hate Darts though, it never goes where i want it to.

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When i finished Final Fantasy i went straight into this. I'm about 30 hours in and at chapter 10 i think. So near the end but I've spent so much time doing side missions, just got my third trophy for side missions.

Just trying to find the detective for the murder at cafe alps side mission. It says in the notebook he spends time at bars at night but currently the game is in the daytime, so i think he isn't at any

It's a brilliant game. The story is superb and full of some cool twists. Sadly i think i will have it done by the weekend but i will definitely go back and clear up all the side missions i missed as i don't think anyone could do them all on a first run without a guide. I still can't believe it doesn't sell well over here.

I hate Darts though, it never goes where i want it to.

Heh Chapter 10 is the one I'm on, only got two trophies for side missions though. Think I've only completed about 60.

I have read though once you complete the game it creates a save called "Premium Adventure mode", which allows you to go back and complete all remaining side missions with no story bogging you down. At any time in this mode you can change to day/night, and finally speak to someone in the orphanage who will create another new save game file for what is essentially new game plus, all you've learned will carry over except from items I believe and you can start the story again.

And yeah Darts is terrible, the girl you date kicked my ass.

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Argh, was hoping to hear people come back disappointed in this as I still have FF13 and WKC to complete, not even bought GOW3 yet either..... :(

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Yeah there is premium adventure because the DLC you get free with the game can only be used in that mode.

I do find myself addicted to the UFO catcher game even though it is broken. I still play it thinking i'll catch something every go.

Disappointed?

I think Audioboxer and Me both went into this game with high expectations and knew it would be good. Also having played the other two, i knew it would be a fantastic game.

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Argh, was hoping to hear people come back disappointed in this as I still have FF13 and WKC to complete, not even bought GOW3 yet either..... :(

The only thing fans could get/are slightly disappointed with is some of the cut content. However when you see how much is still in (full main story obviously, I mean extra stuff), and how much had to be translated, it's easy to see why time and budget lead to some cut content.

That being said, Sega said on their forums sales are good, and this actually charted in the top 10 in the UK. Hopefully see Yazkuza 4 make it over subbed and uncut :)

I would recommend playing the first two games first, however this game does have video recaps of the first two games. Unfortunately though they run at the PS2's native res so the videos are a little small, but do the job explaining things in decent detail so far.

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