For the Takashi Miike Fans-Ryu Ga Gotoku movies on the web with E subtitles

[Kuang_Grade]

As a part of their promotional efforts for their Yakuza based PS2 game Ryu Ga Gotoku http://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/ (warning: slowest loading Flash nightmare ever), SEGA commissioned Takashi Miike to direct two short films (about twenty minutes each) about the backstory of the main characters in the game. The films have been around for a while and were posted on several websites when the game was released in Japan but SEGA Europe has/will release them as four streaming videos with English subtitles. The first part is currently available at http://yakuza.sega-europe.com/en/main.html with the remaining episodes to be released over the next few weeks.

On a more distressing language issue front, SEGA seems dead set on releasing the game in the US and Europe with English voice talent ONLY (no Japanese language option with English subtitles), including that baddest of badasses, Mr. 'Aw, but I was going to Tashi station to pick up some power converters!' Mark Hamill.

[tatsujin]

Kudos for getting Michael Madsen on board though, and getting Miike to do the movie previews, if they're even close to The City of Lost Souls then it should create great buzz.

Still, it always disappoints when I speak to Japanese people who haven't even seen or heard one of Miike's films, guess he's an acquired taste, albeit a sharp one.

[Mulboyne]

News Observer: Striking 'Yakuza' fades fast

At first glance, the latest U.S. release from Sega gives vibes of a "Grand Theft Auto" clone, but after a couple of hours of play, it's obvious that "Yakuza" has a story to tell. "Yakuza," based on the Japanese term for organized crime and developed by Sega exclusively for the PlayStation 2, made its North American debut last week...Though fun the first dozen or so times, the fights grow dull quickly. All the tussles begin with a painfully long load screen with whomever you're fighting, like: vs. Street Thugs, or vs. Yakuza. After the 50th same-old fight, the screen should read: "vs. increasing boredom"...So far, the Japanese mob adventure is best known in the game biz for having one of the highest development costs on record, about $21 million, according to IGN. The detail level is worth the price -- "Yakuza" sure is pretty. The streets of Tokyo cyclone in grit and dazzling neon. The characters and the cut scenes are well rendered in anime style. The story, while trite at times, is an engaging bit of melodrama. Too bad the developers didn't take the same level of detail to the gameplay...more...

From here:

But what greatly injures the "Yakuza" experience is the inane dialogue, especially before and during fights. Apparently the entire male population of Japan, including members of the Yakuza, talk like stereotypical drunken frat boys during a Limp Bizkit concert on St. Patrick's Day.

And here:

The game is full of street brawls and F-words. The game has gotten mixed reviews, stratifying into love and hate. One prominent feature is among the game's most ordinary elements: the shopping. The player can go to noodle shops to buy a meal to restore his health. He can buy snacks at a convenience store that offers no flair beyond the convenience stores of real-world Tokyo. For some players, this authenticity will provide the bedrock for fun.

[Mulboyne]

IGN: Yakuza Sequel Announced

The latest issue of Famitsu provides first details on Ryu Ga Gotoku 2, which is in development for the PS2...All areas from the original are being improved. The cabaret club, which allowed you to interact with girls in a limited way in the original, now lets you actually go out on dates with girls once you've gotten tired of sitting around in the club. You can also manage your own cabaret club now, customizing the interior to your liking...Included is a quest where you actually become a host and have to do your best to please the ladies and earn the most cash in your cabaret club...The game is set for Japanese release on 12/7...more...

[Kuang_Grade]

A fair bit of the criticism in the US is based on the weakness of the targeting system and camera controls. Apparently it is very easy for enemies to slip out of the target lock on but you are stuck doing your combo moves and you end up punching a lot of air instead of enemies...similarly, the camera movement leaves a lot to be desired and apparently not infrequently you end up have fight enemies off screen. There was a demo level included in Official Playstation Magazine and after trying it out, I wasn't impressed at all by the fighting controls. I think US gamers are a bit more fussy about this sort of stuff (game mechanics) in general than J gamers. Also the way the game is being marketed is a likely a part of the reason for the focus on fighting controls....In Japan I think it was pushed more as a first person Yakuza sim with a fair bit of beat'em up action while in the US it is being pushed more as a beat'em up with Yakuza elements. Personally, I'm going to wait for it to drop $20 in price before picking it up to poke around the non-fighting elements, such as the hostess bar mini games.

Also I don't know if Yakuza has the highest game development costs ever....I thought that SEGA's Shenmue
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenmue
held that dubious record...I've seen anywhere from $20-70 million (mid 1990s $) tossed around for guesses on it total development costs. And I can only wonder how much cash Duke Nukem Forever has burned through during its nine years and still counting development period.

[Kuang_Grade]

I finally got around to sitting down and spending some time with Yakuza and the criticisms are pretty much on the mark...Bad voice acting, just horrible dialogue, long loading times, nonexistent targeting system. On the plus side, the story isn't too bad so far, if a bit over the top at times...and there seems to be a fair bit of humor salted in places of the game...A J B-Boy thug who wears a basketball tank top with a player name of FART on the back, or a portly idol otaku who stutters about a rumor he heard about the gifts a idol at a nearby bar likes to get.

In one of the more curious scenes so far, the protagonist (fresh out of jail that day) walks into a bar to fine three murdered people and a mysterious 8 year old girl holding a .45....after taking the .45 from the child, they leave the blood splattered bar and the protagonist then runs into some B-Boy thugs throwing stones at a puppy. The child is rather upset about this and the protagonist promptly beats up 8 or so guys...then the child whines about how the puppy is hungry and how it will die if it doesn't get food. The protagonist suggests it is a hard world out there but relents eventually...if you offer the dog a bento, it turns it nose up...Then a mission title screen pops up of "SAVE THE PUPPY!" and you are now tasked to run through a busy evening Kabukicho to Donki to buy some dog food....When you enter a fairly accurate looking Kabukicho Donki, the Donki song comes on as background music (at that point, I felt my money was spent, despite the game's flaws), although they cheat a bit in the fact there is no one else in line and you don't have to move around other people in the store. You then run back through Kabukicho to the 8 year old you left on the sidewalk to feed the puppy. When you visit a family mart like conbini, there's an option to buy cat food, so I suspect there's going to be a "Save the kitten!" mission coming up.

Overall, I'm diggin' the J vibe but the game isn't the greatest. If you were not digging the J vibe, there wouldn't be much to enjoy in the game.

[jingai]

I haven't played this series but once I heard about it I'm thinking about buying a PS3 (it appears there is no regional locking)

The fourth installment is coming out shortly and looks incredible:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPpbf8O6ZX4

Looks like cabaret girls are auditioning to be in it:

[ythd]5qjPL5Vnujw[/ythd]

[jingai]

The previous link got malformed. Try this one for a subtitled trailer of the forth game.

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