Yakuza 3 (PS3) Preview

Posted by Trace Aber on 02.23.2010

411's Trace Aber explores Kamurocho, destroys faces, and wins a stuffed teddy bear in his preview of the upcoming PS3 exclusive Yakuza 3.


The Yakuza series is interesting. In Japan, the game is so popular that it is expanded into books, a film, and even radio dramas. In America, however, the original two games didn't sell so well, though there does exists a core group who swear by the game. While some have compared the series to Grand Theft Auto, I am reminded more of Shenmue. A demo of the game was released earlier this week on the Playstation Network, which will hopefully spread the word about the game because it's a great adventure game, if a bit dated.

First off, Kamurocho (based off Tokyo's Kabukicho) looks absolutely beautiful and feels very alive. All of the streets are crowded with a variety of people interacting and bright lights surround everything. Stores line up the streets and while the number of enterable places was limited in the demo, there promises to be plenty of areas to explore in the full game. You honestly feel like you're in a living, breathing city. It's magnificent. And as you're exploring the city, you almost feel like you could spend countless nights finding something to do. There's the Sega Club which offers some arcade-style games, plenty of stores to just browse, and even a mini game that requires you to win over ladies using your money. That's just in the demo - in the full version, there is even more to do, including karaoke and fishing.


You're also given the opportunity to wear some great Hawaiian t-shirts.

The demo offers a surprisingly large amount of things to do. You'll have two boss battles, a slew of random battles, as well as the entire area to explore. The battle system isn't as complex as the game would have you imagine, though it is still fun and engaging. You can unlock new abilities and moves using experience you gain. During battle, it's useful to look for environmental weapons and hot spots. Enemy AI is pretty weak in the demo, even when they gang up on you, especially when you have any weaponry. The weapons in the demo didn't allow for repairs, but they were extremely effective in combat. After dealing enough consecutive damage you'll be able to execute a finishing move, which is typically a series of button presses. They are absolutely devastating and some are even cringe worthy.


But what else would you expect from a man who looks this badass?

While the first two games were a bit more gritty, Yakuza 3 has you running an orphanage. Luckily, it's not all about orphans and some of it's about knocking out people with brass knuckles. The demo opens with some women being thrown out of a club. As you find out your friend is involved in an assassination attempt, all hell breaks loose in the large club that involves blood, swords, guns, and lamps. After clearing the place out, I had to escape while avoiding the police, which was quite difficult as I kept getting distracting by the various things to do in the city, including winning multiple prizes from a crane machine. The final battle in the demo is rather uninspired, but the finish was quite satisfying.

Yakuza 3 can feel a bit dated at times, but the game is so engrossing you will always have something to do. The demo offers just a glimpse of what the full game will offer – and in this limited area I was able to spend a few hours searching for everything. The full game features 133 side stories, fifteen bounty hunter missions, twenty mini-games including golf, poker, bowling, and even aromatherapy massage. There's also 295 minutes of cutscenes to be viewed, though some people are going to be upset that the game features no English voice track. Either way, I'm excited for the game's release and look forward to playing it.

Look for Yakuza 3 to be out March 9 in North America while Europe can pick it up March 12.

Screenshots
All 9 Yakuza 3 Screenshots