The recent release of the Yakuza series on GOG has been tempered by the notable removal of several developers and even entire studios from the games’ credits.
]]>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.
]]>In the dead of night I've been hearing things. At first, I thought it was the neighbours next door enjoying a bit of karaoke. Maybe some twigs banging off a discarded Tesco trolley, creating a beautiful tune. No, I'm convinced it was the dulcet tones of Kiryu singing "Dame da ne dame yo dame na no yo!", as a signal from the nether that Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 would be back on Game Pass having been removed last year. And by God, they're there! They're live! That's rad!
]]>Today I made a life-changing discovery. Takaya Kuroda, the man who voices Yakuza's beloved protagonist Kazuma Kiryu, is also the lead singer of a band. They're named Takaya Kuroda & Goodfellas and they have a Christmas song out. Not only is this excellent news, I can't get over the fact it straight up sounds like Kiryu delivering some festive cheer. So get comfy, bang this on, and let Kiryu's warm tones wash over you like mulled wine.
]]>Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, and Yakuza Kiwami 2 are leaving Xbox Game Pass on 31st December. If you need time to absorb this news, please, take it. Back? Okay, so actually we don’t have much time left now. You must play these beat 'em ups before they disappear into the realms of non-free (sort of; you know what I mean). Here’s why.
]]>Yakuza: Kiwami is Kazuma Kiryu's first outing, but it's been remade to look even nicer and play even better. And by this, I mean that self-proclaimed "Mad Dog" Goro Majima will pop out of bins and manhole covers to fight you with even more gusto.
]]>As part of the celebration for Sega's 60th anniversary, they've sat down with long-time Yakuza series producer and director Daisuke Sato to talk about his history with the company. Although he's got years of Yakuza games to his name, including Yakuza: Like A Dragon, the series he's never gotten involved with but would like to is Sonic. Heck, maybe that's a Sonic game even I would play.
]]>Following a little leak this week, Yakuza: Like A Dragon is now officially announced for PC, coming later this year. This opens a new chapter in Sega's RPG series about mobsters with hearts of gold, starring a different wrestledad in another city. Like A Dragon also shakes up the action, going from a beat 'em up to a turn-based RPG action. Huh! Come watch.
]]>Going by a little Steam database leak, it seems that Yakuza: Like A Dragon is coming to PC - and presumably soon-ish. Sega's wonderful beefy-dads-with-hearts-of-gold RPG series only started coming to PC in 2018, 13 years after it started on PlayStations, and now it looks like we're skipping a few games ahead. Set after Yakuza 6, Like A Dragon introduces a whole new star, turning away from best dad Kazuma Kiryu. In another break from tradition, it also turns the beat 'em up combat into a turn-based RPG. Curious!
]]>Humble's Monthly games bundle will be morphing into the more expensive Humble Choice at some point before the end of the year, but until that happens it's business as usual for the monthly subscription service. In what's quite possibly going to be the last Monthly bundle as we currently know it, the early unlock games for December have now been announced as Yakuza Kiwami, My Time at Portia and SoulCalibur VI. You'll need to be a Humble Monthly subscriber to get them, of course, but if you're not you can join up right now for $12/month.
]]>Sega this week announced western releases for another three Yakuza games, another three stories of kind-hearted mobsters helping everyone offering fatherly advice to children and adults alike and smashing thugs with bicycles. Yakuza 3, 4, 5 are the latest coming our way and... well, Sega haven't actually confirmed PC releases yet. Seeing as the series grew on PlayStation, it's starting there. But asked this week whether the rest of the series is coming to PC too, Sega's Yakuzoids avoided giving a straight answer and I'm totally reading that as "Shhh! The PR people won't let us talk about it yet." Please, Ian Sega, hop to.
]]>You’re a good person, reader, and I will always believe in you, no matter what. No, not you. The person behind you. No, to the left of... No, the other person. The one in the green-- No, you, with the... NO. The person BEHIND you, I said. The person with-- Oh great they’ve walked off now. This whole thing has been a waste of time. My only friend among you is gone because we’re several sentences into this intro and none of you can understand how pointing works. I hope you’re all happy. Here’s your god damned podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show.
Honestly.
]]>Gaming's best dads will return to dispense fatherly advice and bodyslam baddies in Yakuza Kiwami 2 this May, Sega confirmed today. Kiryu and Majima will bring more crime melodrama, more minigames, more daft quests, more japes, and more mobsters whipping their jackets and shirts off in one single dramatic movement to reveal their tattoos when it's go time. This remake of 2006's Yakuza 2 is the latest in Sega's mobster/father brawler-RPG series, though we've still not seen Yakuza 6 on PC - or any of the other games from previous console generations. The point is, we'll hear more men shout "KIRYYYYUUUUU!"
]]>Lovers of violent neon soap operas, rejoice. Yakuza Kiwami 2, the open world crime caper about a good dad who punches bad, is coming to PC. At least, that's if the folks who stamp warnings on game boxes are to be believed. The ERSB posted that a PC version of the game has been given a rating of M for Mature, as spotted by a Reddit user yesterday. The ERSB is the US-based ratings organisation who tell you how many bad drugs there are in your shooty-bang. We are comforted by their summary of the game, which confirms that “The words “f**k,” “sh*t,” and “a*shole” appear in the dialogue.”
]]>I heard you don’t like our podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show. But have you listened to 76 hours of it yet? Honestly, mate, it opens up after that. The 76-hour mark, that’s when it “clicks”. But I understand if you don’t have the time. Just skip ahead to this week’s episode, in which we’re talking about games about which we changed our minds. Listen in for the platformers we prematurely pooh-poohed and the Souls games that “sucked” before they were super.
]]>A ten-sided device appears in your hands. Each side features a carving of a wild animal, but three of the sides depict the face of an RPS writer instead. Look, there’s Matt. And yes, this one is John. The side with Brendan is a bit grubby, but it’s unmistakeably him. Smells a bit weird. What could this mean? Of course! It’s the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show. Perhaps if you press down on these three journo mugs at the same time… aha! A telling click, and the sound of a delicate MP3. You’ve discovered the latest episode. They seem to be talking about puzzle games.
]]>The world's greatest wrestledad and his lovable best frenemy are back in Kamurocho town, as Yakuza Kiwami is out now on PC. It is: a remake of the first game in Sega's Yakuza series of open-world brawler RPGs. Which was: exclusive to PlayStations for 13 years, only taking its first steps onto PC in 2018 with the prequel Yakuza 0. It also is: very good. Spread the word around.
]]>Yakuza Kiwami is a world of outlandish violence in which you play a kind of unmasked Batman in an out-of-date suit. Our hero, Kiryu, doesn’t kill. He helps people find their glasses, he gives coats to the homeless, and he beats up hundreds of bad people. That SEGA ever called this series “Yakuza” is a wondrous misnomer. It should be called “Helpful Strong Man Versus Tokyo”. Being a newcomer, I can’t say with authority that this remake of the mid-2000s Yakuza for PlayStation 2 is the best introduction to this realm of pugilistic do-goodery. It does feel dated at times, and repetitive. But after 15 hours of hitting thugs with bicycles and rescuing defenceless animals from the street, it has certainly produced another Kiryu acolyte.
]]>First person to make a "booby" remark goes straight into the shark pit. We're only interested in dangerous mechanisms that kill or maim over-confident explorers and other unsuspecting types. Yes, the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show, is talking about the deadliest, most disturbing, or otherwise silly death traps in videogames. Be they in temples, tombs or tunnels, traps can be anywhere, so long as it begins with a “T”. Alliteration is important.
]]>Gaming's best dad, Tokyo mobster Kazuma Kiryu, will return to PC in Yakuza Kiwami in less than one month, and Sega have now confirmed that it'll cost the same as Yakuza 0: a paltry £15. Today's formal announcement of the February 19th release date follows yesterday's not-so-subtle tease, and brings word of the open-world brawl-o-RPG's price. £15! Bargain. £15 to wrestle baddies, give fatherly advice to everyone you meet, go bowling, whip your shirt and jacket off in one single gesture, become best frenemies with a suave wiry psycho, sing karaoke... absolute bargain. Steal of the century.
]]>The adventures of the nicest gangster that ever lived and his eyepatched life partner continue soon, if Sega's teasing on the Yakuza Kiwami page on Steam is any indication. Continuing Sega's habit of teasing things in weird, creative ways, the Kiwami store page now contains an animated GIF of Goro Majima emerging from his well to shame (shank?) mankind - for a single frame, the date "February 19th" appears above his head. Scribble it down in your calendars, and finish up Yakuza 0 if you haven't- we're skipping past the 90s and diving into near-modern Kamurocho soon.
]]>Best worst crime-dad Kazuma Kiryu might be making a return to PC sooner than expected, if the whirring coming from Steam's database is any indication. We've known for a while that Yakuza Kiwami (a remake of the first in Sega's brawl-o-RPG series) was headed to PC, following up on the successful launch of 80s-set prequel Yakuza Zero - we just didn't know when. As reported by VG247, folk on Twitter have spotted them loading launch tubes via SteamDB. Achievement lists are going up, keys are being prepped - here's hoping for a launch this side of chrimbo.
]]>Has it really been six months? 2018 is passing in a blur of frozen architects, drug-pushing prophets and accordion duets. Hell, six months ago the RPS Video Department was but a glint in Graham’s eye. You may also recall a gathering of the most exciting games of 2018, a rundown of the year as it looked back in January. With E3 done there’s a clearer picture of what the rest of 2018 looks like. Many games have slipped to February 2019 - the stampeding bandits of Red Dead Redemption 2 have them running for the hills - but we’ve rustled up 15 of the remaining games that fellow video person Noa and I are looking forward to.
]]>Alright, pack it up, no need for E3 now, we can all go home as the best news possible has been announced: Sega are bringing their Yakuza games from PlayStation to PC. Prequel Yakuza 0 is coming first, then Yakuza Kiwami. This is the best news. Yakuza is... so it's an open-world action-RPG about mobsters in a Tokyo district (based on Kabukicho), with much crimechat. Also, you play arcade UFO games to win prizes for a child, sing karaoke, dramatically whip your shirt and jacket off in one motion, hit people with bicycles, fight using breakdancing, beat up rich men in gold lamé suits, and eat so many dinners. Yakuza is weird, funny, and deeply charming. Best news.
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