Story
Exit the dragon
After ruling the Tokyo underworld in the first two Yakuza games on PlayStation 2, Kazuma Kiryu moves to Okinawa, a chain of small islands south of mainland Japan, in search of a more sedate life. Along with Haruka, the orphaned daughter of his childhood love, Yumi, he opens an orphanage beside the sea.
For a while, Kazuma's only concerns are his and the children's happiness, but when he receives an eviction notice and two suspicious men start hanging around the orphanage, he is forced to take action.
It emerges that the land on which the orphanage lies is to be used to build a holiday resort, although this is merely a smokescreen for a government plot to place a military base on the sleepy island. Connections run deeper than Kazuma could have imagined and the arrival of an old friend suggests that leaving the Yakuza life won't be so simple.
His past clings to him like the dragon tattoo on his back.
Presentation
A new generation of Yakuza
Yakuza 3 is the first game in the series on PlayStation 3 and the graphical improvements are vast. Facial animations in particular are far more realistic this time around and there are no loading screens before battles, making for a more seamless experience.
Amusement Vision, developer of the Yakuza games, takes pride in creating a gritty and real portrayal of Tokyo's violent underbelly. The city, as well as Okinawa which is a new location for the series, is depicted accurately and with great detail, right down to the brands of whisky stocked in bars. To retain this authenticity, the game features the original Japanese voice acting with subtitles.
If you're a newcomer to the series that achieved cult status on PlayStation 2, then you have the option of watching videos summarising the rich stories laid out in the first two games. They are well presented and can even be watched in smaller chapters if you want to dip into them gradually.
Gameplay
A fighting chance
Although Kazuma wants to leave the Yakuza life behind him, you'll still encounter local thugs on the city streets that are looking for trouble. Fighting is accessible and fun, with light and heavy attacks at your disposal, as well as defensive blocking moves. You can also purchase weapons, ranging from swords to traffic cones, from weapon shops or simply grab them from the roadside. If you score enough hits then Kazuma will emit a blue aura and you can unleash a brutal finishing move using either your equipped weapon or the environment.
Violence can't solve everything and sometimes you'll have to try different methods to fix problems. The action varies in pace according to what's happening in the story, so while you might be slaying dozens of gangsters in a Chinese restaurant one minute, you could be searching for a missing cat or buying clothes for the orphans shortly after.
Minigames are another recurring series feature and Yakuza 3 has a wide range of extra-curricular activities to distract you, from golf to karaoke. Some of these are just for fun, while others are necessary to complete part of a mission, such as playing golf with a councillor to befriend him and get an annoying schoolteacher off your back. Others, like gambling in a casino or mah-jong parlour, give you the chance to win money, items or weapons to improve your chances against tougher enemies.
On |
