Yakuza 3

[slapnutz]

They should just hire (and pay) the guy/s who did the recent english translate for Policenauts.

 

[patsu]

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176109

Just a few days ago Sega rep Aaron Webber commented that the possibility of Yakuza 3 coming to the U.S. still exists and that it's a subject discussed quite often at Sega. Today we can do one better: we've learned that the PS3 exclusive is indeed coming west. According to sources close to the project, Yakuza 3 is currently being localized for release in the U.S. and European markets.

 

[idsn6]

You know what would be nice? A Yakuza 1+2 PS3 collection a la God of War.
And while I'm dreaming, subtitled original voices for the first game.

 

[patsu]

I can hear Sega saying, "What did they say about giving an inch and taking a mile ?"

 

[tuna]

Yay! Now I just have to decide whether or not to continue Y3 in japanese....

 

[patsu]

Y4 off-screen trailer in TGS 2009:
http://gamevideos.1up.com/video/id/26536

Also, more details about the Y4 world:
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3176143

The biggest new gimmick to Yakuza 4 is its four heroes, each with his own story -- you'll play through each character separately as the story demands. The rest of the cast: Shun Akiyama, a former homeless man who now runs a small-time loanshark outfit; Taiga Saejima, a yakuza assassin who escapes from prison 25 years after being involved in the massacre of 18 rival mobsters; and Masayoshi Tanimura, a thoroughly corrupt Kamurocho police detective.

Kamurocho has been fully expanded and is much more explorable, with everything from underground sewers, back alleys and building rooftops now freely accessible. Visiting nightclubs and hitting up girls is just as important as before, and you'll even have a chance to "raise" your own nightclub girl, with Kiryu taking her out on dates and then other characters calling for her companionship when they visit the club later.

I hope Y4 doesn't dilute the Y3 experience with too much on-foot exploration. It says somewhere that Yakuza is a yearly series now.

 

[patsu]

Y4 looks like a fun game !

(Gameplay video)

 

[patsu]

Yakuza 3 coming to US on March 10 2010

Today is a good day.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18796795&postcount=1

EDIT: Whooop ! Mods, the date should be March 2010. Not March 10 2010. I blame the shaky fingers.

 

[ShadowRunner]

March is looking like a great month! GT5, FFXIII, Yakuza...

 

[slapnutz]

Shit yeah!... people geniunely interested in this should really play Yak 1 and 2. Yak2 is probably is in my top 5 quality stories ever.

I was able to put my gfx snoobery aside and borrowed my mates Ps2.

 

[Cheezdoodles]

If people didn't buy Y2 they won't buy Y3. I thought Y2 was the best game of 2008, but I was the only one it seems like.

Your logic is completely broken. Y2 released in 2008 on PS2.

That console was pretty much dead in 2008. People where playing on their PS3's, Xbox 360's and Wii's. I think most X360\PS3 owners, would never ever buy a PS2 game after they got their hands on their new consoles, as PS2 games look like horse**** in comparison.

If Y3 is any good, people will buy Y3, even thought they didn't buy Y2. There is no connection. We are talking about a game released for a console that was pretty much dead in 2008, outside a few EA releases and some other crap.

If i release CoD:MW2 for Xbox 1 (same gameplay **** graphics) today nobody will buy it. That doesn't mean that people will not buy MW2 for PS3\X360. It just means that the xbox 1 console is dead.

 

[vazel]

The kind of gamers in the west that will buy Yakuza 3 don't care if it's on the PS3 or PS2 or Dreamcast. These are the kind of gamers that will buy Sakura Wars come march on the PS2. The kind of gamers that buy Atlus games that look like they're from the psone era. Unfortunately those kind of gamers are a niche. The Yakuza games were never going to sell well in the west.

 

[ShadowRunner]

I am going to buy Yakuza 3, when i didnt buy Y1/Y2. So are several of my friends. I dont even know what Sakura Wars is.

I am interested in good games, if a game is good i will buy it. There are many other gamers like me. If i was still gaming on my PS2 when Y1 and 2 came out im sure i would have bought them, i wasnt though.

 

[vazel]

Well I didn't buy the first two Yakuza games and am getting this one. Still doesn't change my point about what kind of game this is. It has a heavy Japanese cultural design, the production values are good but not spectacular(a lot of talking is done in text), and it's not a shooter. A similar game Shenmue only managed its moderate success because of its highly touted visuals.

 

[ShadowRunner]

Well I didn't buy the first two Yakuza games and am getting this one. Still doesn't change my point about what kind of game this is. It has a heavy Japanese cultural design, the production values are good but not spectacular(a lot of talking is done in text), and it's not a shooter. A similar game Shenmue only managed its moderate success because of its highly touted visuals.

Sure, its not going to sell COD numbers. I predict it will be more successful than its predecessors combined and certainly make the effort to port it worthwhile.

 

[vazel]

I predict it will be more successful than its predecessors combined

That's not quite a feat is it. That would mean Yakuza 3 would sell around 90k? Which is still bad. But considering this is a no frills port with no dubbed voices and the game already sold well in Japan it's just money in Sega's pocket. Pocket change but still money.

 

[patsu]

Releasing Y3 helps to build good relationship with gamers too. People are aware it's a fan service.

 

[tuna]

Your logic is completely broken. Y2 released in 2008 on PS2.

That console was pretty much dead in 2008. People where playing on their PS3's, Xbox 360's and Wii's. I think most X360\PS3 owners, would never ever buy a PS2 game after they got their hands on their new consoles, as PS2 games look like horse**** in comparison.

If Y3 is any good, people will buy Y3, even thought they didn't buy Y2. There is no connection. We are talking about a game released for a console that was pretty much dead in 2008, outside a few EA releases and some other crap.

If i release CoD:MW2 for Xbox 1 (same gameplay **** graphics) today nobody will buy it. That doesn't mean that people will not buy MW2 for PS3\X360. It just means that the xbox 1 console is dead.

Y3 doesn't look that different from Y2. The gameplay is exactly the same. Also, why would anyone buy MW2 for Xbox when there is a vastly superior version for X360? As far as I know there is no superior version of Y2.

BTW, I played Y2 on my PS3 (euro BC).

 

[tuna]

Also, for all here who are getting Y3 but didn't get Y2: Why don't you get Y2?

 

[Cheezdoodles]

Y3 doesn't look that different from Y2.).

Thats like saying God of War 2 looks the same as God of War 3.

Also, why would anyone buy MW2 for Xbox when there is a vastly superior version for X360?

Okay then. If i released MW2 (Xbox 1) a year before MW2 (X360\PS3). It would have sold extremely poorly. BECAUSE THE CONSOLE IS DEAD.

BTW, I played Y2 on my PS3 (euro BC).

So what?

Just because Y2 doesn't sell on PS2 in 2008, doesn't mean Y3 will not sell on the PS3 in 2009\2010 or whatever. Completely different market.

Not that i believe Y3 will do well (but that is because i doubt Y3 has much market appeal), but you cannot overlook the fact that Y2 was released on a dead console..