A little knowledge can be worse than no knowledge at all. I know a little about the Yakuza series, having reviewed the 1980s-set Yakuza Zero for this very parish in 2018, and tried a bit of 2019's turn-based battler Yakuza: Like A Dragon. Fast-forward to 2023, and all Yakuza games are now Like A Dragon games, including the forthcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, which is an... Animal Crossing game, actually? With skateboarding? I'm still getting my head around the existence of a zombie spin-off, Dead Souls, to say nothing of the samurai-era Like A Dragon: Ishin. And then there's the inter-quel Like a Dragon Gaiden, due this November, which seems like a relatively straight-laced delve into the past of original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Phew, it's just as well Ed Thorn wrote that guide to the order you should play the Yakuza games in.
It sounds like the developers at Ryu ga Gotoku Studio have a hard time keeping track themselves, especially given the rate at which Sega publish Like A Dragon games. According to studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama, Like A Dragon's creators feel a lot of pressure to get the games done quickly, not just with a view to making money but because as projects that riff so copiously on pop culture, Like A Dragon stories go out of date fast.
]]>Like A Dragon: Ishin rewinds the Yakuza/Like A Dragon series, both by returning to real-time brawling and by being set in Edo period Japan. It's great for it - and now a little better, since patch 1.03 fixed some PC-specific bugs.
]]>With Yakuza games (or Like A Dragon, as it's now known) on the rise here in the West, I see more and more people ask the question:"What order should I play the Yakuza games in?". Not only does it warm my heart, it also gets to me. To experience the series in the richest way possible, there's an obvious answer. But if you're someone who hasn't got all the time in the world, or you're a bit unsure whether Yakuza is the right fit for you, then there's another way in. Now pick up that bike and walk with me.
]]>I am legendary ronin Sakomoto Ryoma. I shout "yosh!" as I harvest six (6) gleaming radishes from my allotment. I shoot a bandit in the head with a revolver. I send my adoptive daughter to trade some homemade pickles. I partake in a brooding chat, then stamp on a dude's head. I help a recluse regain his confidence. I have totally forgotten what I was meant to be doing.
Like A Dragon: Ishin feels like a step backward, but in a brilliant way. Kiryu and co. may have moved onto a turn-based future, yet Sakomoto Ryoma and his pals have turned back the clock to an Edo period of brawlin' and chicken betting that's most reminiscent of Yakuza 0, only it's not the roaring 80s but the bloody 1800s. There's nothing here that will convert those who aren't keen on the series, but if you're an ardent fan or a newcomer eager to experience its wild swings between serious and silly, Ishin is an excellent place to start.
]]>I went to Berlin not long ago to sample the emotional highs and lows of Like A Dragon: Ishin, a remake of a spin-off that was previously only released in Japan back in 2014. Aside from almost crying and racing chickens, I had the chance to interview Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' chief producer Hiroyuki Sakamoto, who revealed his favourite thing about the game: Goro Majima's undeniable sex appeal.
]]>Above the Berlin Samurai Museum's gift shop and flanked by ornate helmets of fearsome warriors of a bygone era, I played a few hours of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio's remake of historical Yakuza spin-off Like A Dragon: Ishin this week. The original was a Japanese-only release back in 2014 on the PlayStation 3, but what a fever dream it was to be dropped into Chapter 3 of the story and let loose on an Edo period Kyoto as none other than Ryoma Sakamoto (multiverse Kiryu). I almost cried, I raced chickens, I caught a big eel, and I've come away with a warm fuzzy feeling inside.
From what I've played of the game's earliest portions, it's Yakuza through and through, to both its benefit and detriment. I don't expect it to convert those who dislike the series, but if you're a fan or a newcomer, it's looking like it'll both be a celebration of its cast, and a remake that feels like an old-school spin on the excellent Yakuza 0. In other words, the perfect introduction point to this mad, but beautiful action series.
]]>I thought my love affair with Like A Dragon: Ishin's teasers had peaked, but no, my heart still swells at an alarming rate. And that's thanks to a new trailer where Kiryu/Ryoma drop (kicks) his bruising samurai lifestyle to the side for a simpler, purer existence: chopping spring onions to a rhythm in what looks to be an in-depth farming side activity. Game Of The Year.
]]>Happy New Year, folks! Crikey, there are a lot of games coming out this year, aren't there? When I first asked the team to put together their most anticipated games for 2023, I was thinking we'd have a reasonably sensible number of things we were all looking forward to, you know, somewhere in the region of the 43 games we highlighted at the start of 2022. Very quickly, though, it became apparent that, actually, there are simply loads of games the RPS Treehouse is personally excited about this year, and cor, it would be rude not to include every last one of them. I'll be upfront: there are a fair number of TBA games on here that probably aren't going to come out in 2023, but as ever, we remain hopeful and optimistic all the same. So let's dive in.
]]>In the latest trailer for Ryū Ga Gotoku Studio's feudal Yakuza spin-off Like A Dragon: Ishin, you get to see Kiryu slash, punch, and gun his way through much of historical Japan. Our boy dishes out the heat in the gnarliest of ways, but it all culminates with the "Wild Dancer" fighting style which turns Kiryu into a spinning top of death. Sign me up. Get me a copy right now.
]]>A remake of Like A Dragon spin-off Ryū Ga Gotoku Kenzan could potentially happen, but devs RGG Studio say they'll only consider it if the series' other upcoming spin-off Ishin is a “a huge hit.” The comments came up in a recent interview by Ungeek with RGG Studio executive producer Masayoshi Yokoyama and chief director Hiroyuki Sakamoto. Although the remake of Ishin was announced during Sony’s September State Of Play stream, Kenzan seems quite far from being picked up for a revamp.
]]>One of the big reveals from last week’s Tokyo Games Show was Like A Dragon 8, the next in what we’ve been calling the Yakuza series. Except the game didn’t seem to be following the naming convention of its predecessor Yakuza: Like A Dragon, instead ditching the part associated with the Japanese crime syndicate. The head of series developers Ryu Ga Gotoku, Masayoshi Yokoyama, has since confirmed the change in a recent interview (thanks IGN).
]]>Longtime Yakuza series protagonist Kazuma Kiryu is back in force, starring in two freshly announced games. I’ve already reported on Like A Dragon 8, which stars Kiryu and new series main character Ichiban Kasuga, but devs Ryu Go Gotoku Studio also revealed that another game is coming in 2023. It'll explain what happened to Kiryu in his temporary absence from the series and is called, and I’m not making this up, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. To prove it to you, you can watch the trailer below.
]]>Holy heck. During tonight's Sony State Of Play livestream, it was announced that Like A Dragon: Ishin! was heading to the west for the first time - and heading to PC at the same time. The Yakuza spin-off set in 1860s Japan was first released in 2014, and the remake is described as having been "rebuilt from the ground up". Watch the trailer below.
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