[slapnutz]

Originally Posted by patsu

20 minute (extended) trailer from GameTrailers.

(Hmm.... Okinawa, US military base, mafias, lounge hostesses, beaches, stealth bomber, casino, baseball, mahjong, ..., everything under the Sun).

I like who you learn new moves by capturing it on your cellphone. We need a english subbed version so we can workout all the new stuff.

(in addition to yours)

Bowling
Darts
Gambling
Fight Training/sparing
Real life product brands?? (saw pepsi in the footage of vending machines)

I just wish they'd do a better walk cycle. Looks like he's got something stuff up his ass... too rigid.

[patsu]

Originally Posted by slapnutz

I like who you learn new moves by capturing it on your cellphone. We need a english subbed version so we can workout all the new stuff.

Okay, that's what the cellphone sequence was about. I was scratching my head with that one.

(in addition to yours)

Bowling
Darts
Gambling
Fight Training/sparing
Real life product brands?? (saw pepsi in the footage of vending machines)

And some sort of daycare/child care/orphanage in the game ?

I just wish they'd do a better walk cycle. Looks like he's got something stuff up his ass... too rigid.

Heh. Praying they have different walk cycle for the women and kids in the game. Otherwise the whole city will look like zombie town.

[obonicus]

Originally Posted by slapnutz

Real life product brands?? (saw pepsi in the footage of vending machines)

Yakuza 2 has real life brands, so I don't imagine this'll change.

Originally Posted by patsu

And some sort of daycare/child care/orphanage in the game ?

It's part of the story since 1.

[Akumajou]

Originally Posted by obonicus

True, it's Shenmue done right. But it's just hard to explain; it's an RPG, mostly, with random battles, but the 'free-world' parts are remind me a lot of Shenmue, I don't know what else to compare it to.

You could compare it to a Shenmue that left the house to make it in the big city and along the way became an adult.

PS: its important to note how Yakuza 1 was handled:

On production...
http://www.gametrailers.com/game/2576.html
and on reviews
http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/929568.asp

I am not sure how it sold but it would have had to depend in how the game where the main characters being Asian would have appealed to the western audience in the US even though you take into account the diversity.

And comparisons to GTA series were also made and unfortunately did not help the first game.

So far only one US reviewer has bothered to do a video review on Yakuza 2 (1UP):

http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/935326.asp

...and outside of previews Kenzan! is not really getting that much coverage so I don't know what to make of whats going to happen down the road when Sega of America has to decide whether to approve localizing Kenzan or 3 or both or neither.

[patsu]

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/11/21/...th-mini-games/

Finally, more gameplay info about Yakuza 3 (video !).


Valkyria Chronicles gave me new hope about Japanese titles.

[2real4tv]

new trailer look really good


http://www.gametrailers.com/player/43192.html

[Antan]

Great looking character models! some nice looking facial expressions too.

[patsu]

I'm already sold on this game. Just bring it here when they are ready.

Go Sega go !

[obonicus]

Originally Posted by patsu

I'm already sold on this game. Just bring it here when they are ready.

Go Sega go !

Well, it took a year and a half for us to get Yakuza 1 and then another year and a half for Yakuza 2. So we should be getting it late in 2010.

Did you remember to buy Yakuza 2?

[patsu]

That long ? I was hoping it would come in mid 2009. The trailer says Spring 2009.

No, I have not bought Yakuza 2. Is it good ?

In fact, I have not bought Mirror's Edge, Tomb Raider, and Prince of Persia yet. Have been busy with Valkyria and some LBP in-between. Still have Naruto to play. I will get to those 3 titles though, probably in December or late November.

EDIT: Gah, it's already late November. I meant late December, early Jan.

[obonicus]

Originally Posted by patsu

That long ? I was hoping it would come in mid 2009. The trailer says Spring 2009.

I'm joking; I don't know anything, just that the last two games took about a year and a half from JP release to come to the US.

No, I have not bought Yakuza 2. Is it good ?

It is, if you like Yakuza-style gameplay, which I do, so it's good.

[tuna]

3 is coming out in Japan on February 17. And the sales 2 get, the higher the probability 3 get released. 2 is a great game and playing it is the best way to know if you will like 3 as well.

[tuna]

Does anyone know where you can buy the preorder edition with the special magazine that amazon.jp presents here: http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%BB%E3...0583657&sr=8-1

Other shops have the game but no one seems to have the extra mag. Anyone know where to get it?

[patsu]

Yakuza battle system:

[Gradthrawn]

No Western release planned?

[psorcerer]

Originally Posted by Gradthrawn

No Western release planned?

It's not economically feasible.
It needs quite a lot of voice-over work.
And we all know that Americans just do not buy excellent Sega games.
Why bother?

[Gradthrawn]

Originally Posted by psorcerer

It's not economically feasible.
It needs quite a lot of voice-over work.
And we all know that Americans just do not buy excellent Sega games.
Why bother?

Sad but true. I'd settle for English text and subtitles. Should be a lot more economically feasible that way. Perhaps they'll release such a version for other Asian markets (maybe HK, I think I've seen other releases like that), making it import friendly.

[patsu]

Yup, I'm praying for a subtitled version + English menu too.

[ShadowRunner]

Originally Posted by patsu

Yup, I'm praying for a subtitled version + English menu too.

Do online petitions for these kind of things ever actually work? id even be happy to make a small donation if i thought it would make a scrap of difference!

Im not sure why the previous games didnt sell but there seems to be quite a bit of buzz around this one. id be very suprised if it didnt do well on next gen consoles, at least enough to make a text only translation worthwhile.

[slapnutz]

I've clocked 1 & 2 and look foward to 3. I just wish they improve the non-combat animation. They've pretty much kept the exact loops form Yakuza 2 (which is the same as Yakuza 1).

IMO Kazuma's walk looks really stiff and the turning and "transitions" between animations are very jerky and could definately be more fluid.

That said, its probably the least of our worries as western gamers.

[Antan]

Famitsu review 38/40. Demo hits Japanese PSN tommorow.

[ShadowRunner]

Couldnt rockstar pick this up and rename it GTA: Yakuza?
They would make this game a success worldwide just by renaming the title.

[patsu]

Originally Posted by Antan

Famitsu review 38/40. Demo hits Japanese PSN tommorow.

Oh, go ahead. Rub it in.

Let's see some targets. How many copies of Yakuza 3 does Sega need to sell to justify for translating/subtitling work for English-speaking regions ?

[Arwin]

Originally Posted by patsu

Oh, go ahead. Rub it in.

Let's see some targets. How many copies of Yakuza 3 does Sega need to sell to justify for translating/subtitling work for English-speaking regions ?

Or to phrase that better, what's the cost of localizing Yakuza 3 exactly? Anyone any idea? Surely it's a fraction of developing a full game.

[obonicus]

Originally Posted by patsu

Oh, go ahead. Rub it in.

Let's see some targets. How many copies of Yakuza 3 does Sega need to sell to justify for translating/subtitling work for English-speaking regions ?

I don't think there's any set number of copies. They've already brought Yakuza twice over and it hasn't worked so well. Clearly it's not as if Japanese Ryu Ga Gotoku sales are translating into US/EU sales.