TEH. BEST. GAMES. EVAR.Andr'e Swartley
PSN ID: lordgodalming
Yakuza 3Developer: Sega
Platform: Playstation 3Rating: M for Mature
Similar games: Grand Theft Auto, Mafia, Saints Row
Author's Note: My reviews no longer contain grades or scores. The way I see it, if you cannot tell from any given review how I feel about a game or whether it will appeal to you, one of us isn't trying hard enough.
Yakuza 3 was my first ride with Japanese gangster, Kazuma Kiriyu, as well as old Kaz's first adventure on the Playstation 3. The first two Yakuza games appeared on the Playstation 2 in an attempt to fill the gaping void left by the unfinished Shenmue series. But if you, like most people, have never heard of Shenmue, Yakuza is also similar to a much more popular franchise: Grand Theft Auto.
Storywise, Yakuza 3 picks up where its predecessors left off, and the designers wisely give new players the chance to watch all of the story scenes from Yakuza 1 and 2 from the menu at any time. I strongly recommend you do this as soon as possible. The collected scenes for the first two games run 20-30 minutes each, and tell deep and emotional stories better than most television crime dramas.
Once you've caught up with Kaz's past, you may be surprised to find him in charge of an orphanage in Okinawa, a tropical island off the southern coast of Japan. Kaz may have brawled his way through thousands of henchman and have a dragon tattoo that covers his whole back, but he still has a soft spot for his orphans, particularly the oldest girl, whose mother was killed in an earlier Yakuza game. Wouldn't you know it, soon after the game begins, a cabal of Kaz's old rivals enters into a multi-billion Yen deal to turn a huge swath of land in Okinawa-including the orphanage-into condos, or malls, or a military base...
I forget actually. It's not important. The important thing is that if you threaten Kazuma Kiriyu's kids, you'll have to answer to the big dog himself. So after a few hours of tramping around Okinawa asking questions, beating up thugs, and generally ruling the streets, Kaz learns enough about the shady real estate deal to return to his old stomping grounds in Tokyo.
Despite a rather slow start, the game tells a coherent and interesting story. But simply following the story would cause you to miss out on the kooky heart and soul of Yakuza 3: exploration. The two districts in Okinawa and Tokyo cover dozens of city blocks, and you can go into most of the shops, restaurants, and arcades whenever you want.
The two environments very closely resemble real-life locations in Japan. More than one team of internet gaming enthusiasts has posted shots of the game's Kamurocho district alongside photos of Tokyo's seedy Kabukicho district.
The game's graphics aren't on par with Final Fantasy or Uncharted, but they are good enough not to take you out of the action. And a few bland textures are easily forgiven when you realize just how much content-how many assets the developers had to build and render-in the game.
Indeed, at almost any point Kaz can take a break from the main story to visit batting cages, pool halls, restaurants, video arcades, karaoke bars, dance clubs, go on dates with local ladies, etc.
But no matter what side activities you choose to participate in, Kaz will always have to fight. Despite being a former chairman of the most powerful Yakuza clan in Japan, every gangster, pickpocket, and drunken moron on the street seems to want a piece of Kaz.
Random people will run up to him with some flimsy excuse to fight, like, "I've been kicked out of my apartment and I lost all my money gambling, so gimme all your money." Or the ever-popular, "You looked at me funny." You can imagine how effective this is with a guy like Kaz.
Next thing you know, a battle window opens, groups of pedestrians on the street either run away or flock toward the fight, and it's time to open a clinic on respecting Kazuma Kiriyu. The combat engine in Yakuza 3 resembles that of a very basic fighting game. Kaz's arsenal of moves includes punches, kicks, and throws, all of which are cringe-worthy in their brutality.
Strangely, none of Kazuma's enemies ever die. He can send them skidding across the pavement with a 3 Iron to the chops and they will get up, bow humbly, and offer him money in apology for their disrespect.
In a way, the hand-to-hand street brawling in Yakuza 3 is the polar opposite of Grand Theft Auto's soulless and impersonal killing sprees. The fact that Kaz and his enemies almost never use guns highlights yet another difference in the Japanese and American attitudes toward violence.
In fact, every facet of this game will constantly remind you that it is Japanese. From the cityscapes to the characters' clothing to the items you can buy in convenience stores and restaurants, it's all pure Japan. You can't even switch the characters' voices over to English-not that you would ever want to. With the possible exception of the orphans in Okinawa, the Japanese voice actors are outstanding.
Kazuma's voice is deep, confident, and smooth. He can make lines as simple as a positive reaction to a hit in the batting cage into a perfect blend of mellow and satisfied.
During its best moments, Yakuza 3 gave me the same sense of wonder I felt the first time I watched the movie Lost in Translation. The culture and scenery on display are so new (to me) that at times they might as well come from another planet.
Imagine the offspring of Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid, and you're getting close to the bizarre, open-world melodrama that is Yakuza 3. Being able to run around in such a glittery and seemingly endless sandbox is a real treat. Even hard-core completionists will have troubled finding all there is to do.
In the end, Yakuza 3 is impressively designed to be enjoyed by most types of gamers. You can play it as a linear action game and run through the story in 15-20 hours; you can play it as an RPG and level up all of Kazuma's abilities and weapons in 30-40 hours; or you can investigate every inch of the game for character quests, hidden items, and mini games in 100+ hours.
Still, Yakuza 3 is a niche title that cares nothing for the casual gamer. It demands a heavy investment of your time and concentration, and in return offers a wealth of content that few games this generation could hope to match.
