Yakuza (PS2)

Whichever way you looked at it, Yakuza faced some pretty weighty comparisons in the run up to its release. One common knee-jerk reaction was that the Tokyo-esque cityscape and open-world gameplay heralded Japan's answer to Grand Theft Auto, though in a time when sandbox games were in high demand, this was hardly a surprise. Of greater interest to SEGA fans was that it bore more than a passing resemblance to revered Dreamcast epic Shenmue, renewing hope that the long wait for a spiritual sequel or spin-off might have come to an end. Living up to such billing was a tough ask - the first Shenmue was reportedly the world's most expensive game when it landed in ...  Read the complete review

Yakuza is an action game for the Playstation 2 developed by Sega. This game takes place in Japan and is all about the Japanese criminal world of Yakuzas, the story follows Kazuma Kiryu, he takes the fall honourably for his killing his boss (apparently that's honourable) and once he is released from prison he finds that his Yakuza clan has had 100 million yen stolen from them and all the Yakuza clans are out to find it. Your goal is to make sure that you recover the money for your own honourable clan. The story was quite engaging and I enjoyed discovering the criminal world of the Japanese as it has never had a game devoted to it unlike the numerous GTA and ...  Read the complete review

I'm obligated to start this review by restating the obvious: this game is about the titular, Japanese organised crime syndicates which are a large part of the country's culture. Their influence being so strong, an "Act for Prevention of Unlawful Activities by Criminal Gang Members" was only passed in 1995, and they are still estimated to be the world's largest organised crime group with over 87,000 active members worldwide. While it doesn't explore their activities in full, Sega's 2005 PS2 game Yakuza is reputed to be an authentic insight into these gangs' world. Yakuza takes a serious look at crime, avoiding bawdy humour and obvious satire. Its ...  Read the complete review

Yakuza is a game that I had been looking forward to playing for a long time. The Japanese mafia has been largely overlooked in many games and to have an in depth focus on such a secretive organisation is certainly a blessing. Your role is that of Kiryu Kazuma, a man who had been feared and respected by many of members of the Dojima Clan. However, on finding the head of the Dojima clan murdered with Kiryu standing over the body with a gun in his hand, he is arrested and sent to prison for 10 years. When he is released after his sentence, he finds that the world has changed and the Yakuza has lost its way - everything is deteriorating into chaos. Not only are the rival ...  Read the complete review

The Yakuza (in real life) are essentially the Japanese equivalent of the mafia. They are a very well known organized crime organization, possibly the most famous after the mafia and the triad. The game itself take place with the player acting the role of Kiryu Kazuma, a well respected and feared member of the dojima clan held in high regards by the previous clan leader. Kirya Kazuma at the start of the game has spent the last 10 years in prison after being found at a murder scene holding a gun, and upon his release has come to find out the dojima clan has changed quite a bit with a new leader and there is a lot of inte rclan fighting due to 100 million yen ...  Read the complete review