Written by: PlayDevil.com Staff

 

 

 

With 'Yakuza 3' coming to the West in March I thought I would check in on its upcoming Japanese sequel, the PS3 exclusive "Yakuza 4". Shown only as a video the game outlined story, actors, combat and the mini-games from this upcoming Sega title.

 

The cast continues to draw on some of Japan’s top vocal talent making the game really come to life in the cut scenes. Unfortunately the video didn’t show if any effort will be made to improve the stark difference between these scenes and the in game narrative segments which involve your wooden characters staring at each other, while you read page after page of dialogue. The absence of any in game engine conversations however suggests probably not.

 

Mini-games from dating to pachinko remain in the game, all integrated in to the world adding a significant amount of depth and reality to the each area you encounter. While the scale of these areas appears to remain similar to the previous game (significantly smaller than what you may assume if you are expecting an open world game) they manage to come alive by virtue of the attention to detail in every area, right down to branded products in the convenience stores.

 

The other big news from the video is that there will be 4 playable characters. Each with their own fighting style and playing separate roles through out the story. The combat remains incredibly fluid, allowing you to use of any number of environmental items to help you, as well as letting you learn more attacks by witnessing NPCs using them in the world.

 

It looks like a another installment in what is an incredibly highly regarded series in Japan, and if you are interested in what it is like out here but can’t afford a flight it is a great way to get a feel for the big cities (apart from the constant street fighting).

 

If you want to see Yakuza 4 come to the West though I suspect you will have to be willing to support Yakuza 3 when it gets it release.