"Hold on... let me find something to hit you with!"

Yakuza, also known in some circles as Ryuu ga Gotoku, was touted by some as Japan's answer to America's Grand Theft Auto series. However, there was a slight misunderstanding, as the producers just wanted a "gangster game" to be seen in a new light. To make things clear, Yakuza is NOT a Grand Theft Auto clone. It's not made to be one, it's not trying to be one, and if you expect it to be one you're probably going to be disappointed. What it is, though, is a very solid action game, the kind that doesn't come out very often. The ride is short, but it's a damn good one.

Story: 6/10
Typical yakuza story, right? The player character, the "Dragon of Dojima" Kazuma Kiryu, is just out doing errands and whatnot one fateful day in 1995. In a meeting with his oyabun Fuma (godfather of sorts), he gets a call. His girl Yumi's been kidnapped by boss Dojima for some reason, and his best friend Nishiki has gone to save her alone. He rushes to the area only to find that Nishiki has shot Dojima in a bloody rage. Since Nishiki has a dying sister that would need him, Kazuma decides to take the blame, and tells Nishiki to take Yumi and run. Kazuma's promptly arrested by the police shortly after and spends ten years in the hole...

The year is now 2005. Everyone has cellphones, technology has advanced, and the family has been slowly grasped by strife. Oyabun Fuma sends some help his way to get back on his feet, and Kazuma begins the journey of putting the pieces of his life back together. There are a lot of characters, and a lot of different situations... but while it may seem a bit lacking, it is a fitting story if you were expecting a budget yakuza flick. Maybe a bit better.

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are pretty spectacular. Faces are rendered nicely, but with a little bit of style just enough to keep out of the so-called "uncanny valley". The district of Kamuro-cho the game takes place in is without moving cars, but the surroundings still manage to bustle with life. Authentic stores, bars, clubs, you name it, crowd the streets. In battle, the only gripe is that the animations Kazuma were given could have been worked on a little better.

Sound: 7/10
In Kamuro-cho, you will hear the droning roar of a crowd often. You learn to ignore it most of the time. Some of the crowd noises are short however and they tend to repeat (which happens to be noticeable). In battle there are a limited number of tracks that play- but they're usually all very good tracks, with bumping basslines. I know I didn't get tired of them but you may; it really depends on your tastes. There seems to be nothing wrong with the effects either so you shouldn't get too disturbed.

There is some heavy swearing dispersed throughout the game but hopefully you don't mind that, right? Sega managed to get some good voice actors as well but they didn't change the lip flaps, so the actors will often try to match them (it sounds stilted at times). However, I personally loved it (it reminded me of old dubbed Kung-fu movies) but you voice connoisseurs out there might be disappointed. While there are subtitles, there aren't the original Japanese voices (at least for the American version).

Controls: 7/10
Out of battle you just walk (or run) everywhere, so it's pretty simple. In battle however, the controls could have used a little work. Fighting works almost like the "dial-a-combo" system (mass buffering is present, so you have to watch how many times you press buttons). Sometimes it can be hard to escape from being surrounded but the controls do offer you a little slack as you get used to the game.

Gameplay: 8/10
Yakuza is centered around battle. You can interact with people and items, meet women, and take sidequests... but in the end someone's going to get a boot in their ass. Because of this it is puzzling that they did not spend more time polishing the battle system, but it is still good. Anyhow, Kazuma has an array of combos, a throw button, a lock-on/dodge ability and a block button. As you start out your abilities are small and unappealing- however, as you unlock more and more abilities and train harder you'll find that you'll slowly become a competent fighter. One of the great things about the game is that every ability you earn can in fact be useful to you; in most action games, you stick to what's effective, not flashy moves... however, in Yakuza, everything you can learn is effective while keeping some sort of style in as well.

Kazuma also has a "Heat" bar that represents his adrenaline; as you beat people into submission his "Heat" will build and build until you can get close and really lay the smack down with some specials. These specials are mini-cinematic moves that are more useful than you think... they give you breathing time. You see, at least in the beginning it is impossible to deal with enemies at your rear, and at Kazuma's best it is still difficult. "Heat" specials must be performed often otherwise you run the risk of being surrounded and beat to the ground. Thankfully the specials look damn good (and pretty brutal, too).

You also have an advantage, however, in that your environment is interactive. You can pick up everything from large tables to beer bottles to crates and smack your enemies around with them. Weapons do break, but it is a joy to pick up a chair and ram it through someone's skull. Guns are present but in limited fashion, and they don't cause that much damage... they're just more of an annoyance factor. Everyone keeps their limbs, though, and there's no graphical indication that someone's getting the crap beat out of them- so basically, aside from the splashes of blood here and there, there's not that much violence. You won't be killing anyone, but you will be handing out a lot of asses on silver plates.

Replayability: 6/10
If you're still not satiated after finishing the game, Yakuza offers a feature called the Premium Box which lets you fight through as many battles as you want. However, the bad thing is that there's no New Game + or anything, so it really depends on how much you're enjoying the game. I personally would have liked to go through again with everything intact but that's not a possibility.

Overall: 7/10
Yakuza isn't really worth its $50 price tag- the developers had something good but did not spend enough time on it. However, it makes an excellent rental as it's short and pretty sweet for most's tastes. If anything it'll serve as something to tide you over for more upcoming games. Don't think it's a waste of time, however; Yakuza is still a good action game that can be quite enjoyable.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/11/06