Yakuza 3
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Return to the world of Japanese organized crime in Yakuza 3!
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Yakuza 3 is a Sony PlayStation 3 Fighting Action game, written by Sega.
Guide to Yakuza 3 on the PlayStation 3
Yakuza 3 represents Japan best in a video game, not exactly in the melodramatic story that is told in this game but with the immense level of incidental detail. The first two games released off the franchise offered solid gameplay that entertained to its core. After all, it is one of few games to successfully combine action and elements of the sandbox genre into one fulfilling play. But despite its sleek modernity, Yakuza 3 stubbornly retains its traditionalism and often deemed backwards philosophy in terms of gameplay features.
Yakuza 3 picks up from the ending of the second installment off the franchise but with a significant change in scenery. From a gangster, Kiryuu has left Tokyo in his vow to transform into the life of a good citizen. He hopes to set up an orphanage in Okinawa until it was threated by a shady political deal, which hopes to take down his orphanage to put up a giant resort. Thus, Kiryuu is forced to investigate on this deal and that will fuel the events to follow in Yakuza 3. Upon his investigation, Kiryuu discovers these are all part of a massive gang conflict that forces him to go back to Tokyo and resolve things.
Given the story that fundamentally lays down the circumstances about to arise in Yakuza 3, one can understand why this title has been dubbed as a cinematic game since it is almost at the edge of being considered an action film. Despite the complexity of the story, the developers have handled the storytelling aspect quite well, such that even gamers who have not played the first two games off the franchise won't be left confused or lost. But still, some knowledge of the stories from the first two games can help you gain a better understanding of the complex web of characters in Yakuza 3. In between the action and dialogues, the cutscenes are well interspersed such that it is entertaining to watch the story unfold.
But the world of Yakuza 3 is packed with several distractions to add diversity into the experience. If you find that encountering missions and engaging in combat has become monotonous, then you are free to wander away. This is when you get to appreciate the level of detail that was put into making the game world seem vivid. You can engage in various real-life activities in Yakuza 3, such as entering licensed shops to buy items, roam the streets of Tokyo, or check out restaurants. Hence, this is where the game separates itself from other open-world games since everything in here is alive and uncanny.
For all the attention that was dedicated into Yakuza 3's development, it remains astounding how it has refused to adapt modern gameplay tastes. But nothing could be taken away with the end result though since it is still absorbing and filled with life. There is a lot of focus on combat, street fighting, and hand-to-hand brawling in Yakuza 3, which is to be expected given that Tokyo serves as the backdrop for the action.
Combat in Yakuza 3 is without any tinge of doubt intense. This was sort of a given knowing the story behind the game. It is characterized by sheer brutality, violence, and fist-fights, although one that is compelling yet entertaining. It does have its old charm to it, especially with its weapon-centric approach to combat. But Yakuza 3 does not let gamers settle with button-mashing, instead engages one in a deep combat experience. Thus, you need to use your weapons well and in here you are allowed to equip three weapons at one time. Using them would require combining with the directions and you have to hammer two buttons at the same time. As you continue attacking in Yakuza 3, your character builds up Heat energy that will enable him to execute a brutal finishing move that decimates your opponent in an instant. As you become involved with more combat sequences, you eventually build up Kiryuu's repertoire until he gains more special abilities and attacks.
Equally exciting as the weapon-centric combat is the hand-to-hand brawling in Yakuza 3. If you thought weapon-based combat was exciting, then wait until you see how this one pans out. There is a certain level of spontaneity with the brawling mechanism such that you can pick up any item you found in-game and use it as a weapon. This can range from stand lamps, chairs, or bicycles – anything is useful during brawl. Aside from hand-to-hand brawling, street fighting is also an equally important component for Yakuza 3. In fact, some of these fights are parallel to the story for some additional motivation for what is to be an intense fighting scenario.
For some diversionary measures, there are several side missions and mini-games in Yakuza 3. You can get a completion lists of all challenges participated and won, as well as the in-game items you've picked up. You can also use the completion list to find or create pieces that you can use to make weapons or armors. As for the mini-games available in Yakuza 3, some of your choices include ten-pin bowling, shogi or Japanese chess, archery, and ninja star, to name a few. Thus, with the variety of gameplay features in Yakuza 3, you could easily rack up between 20 to 40 hours of gameplay. And as the game continues to progress deeper, more fascinating twists are unraveled in the story to deliver a compelling playing experience.
When it comes to the visual aspect of Yakuza 3, one notable feature is the intricacy of details to the character models and their faces. This is especially clear during close-ups or dialogue sequences. And the game in general undeniably looks way better than the old PS2 releases, hence it is not much of a surprise at the visual quality of the PS3 port. As for the animation in Yakuza 3, the character movements seem vivid such that the combat sequences really does appear to be quite a visual marvel.
Doing the voice acting for Yakuza 3 characters are recognizable Japanese actors, thus there is a sense of authenticity with that aspect of the game. This jives well with the excellent script writing for the plot, such that playing it feels more like watching an interactive movie.
Yakuza 3 is far ahead of the games in its genre. Thus, it is one of the PS3's pride and glory for this year such that it exemplifies lavish attention to detail, quality backstory, and impressive production value. It would be long before one can find a game like Yakuza 3 that delivers a unique sense of identity and being so closely identified as a movie.
Yakuza 3 Game Features
* Rich Stories to Tell: Japanese author Masayoshi Yokoyama returns to deliver the next chapter of Yakuza bringing the game to life through a rich cast of characters and dozens of stories. All told across over 100 missions and engaging mini-games featuring original Japanese voice cast to ensure the authenticity fans have come to expect.
* Ultimate Street Brawls: Seamlessly transition into intense fights more brutal than ever before thanks to the improved fighting engine and the power of the PlayStation 3. By stringing together a combination of fighting moves, players can unleash devastating moves to take out multiple enemies simultaneously or use objects in the environment as weapons.
* Real-world Immersion: Discover the authentic, sandy beaches of Okinawa or travel to the neon-lit adult playgrounds of Tokyo. Become a regular at nightclubs, restaurants and real-world stores to uncover hidden truths and gain access to side missions.
* New ways to Explore: With new locations to venture through, the all-new free camera mode and high energy chase battles, Yakuza 3 offers an unprecedented level of exploration and interaction not seen in the franchise before.
* The Yakuza series is the brainchild of Toshihiro Nagoshi. Along with the Yakuza saga, Toshihiro also created the beloved Super Monkey Ball series and has worked on other well known SEGA games such as Daytona USA, F-Zero GX and Spikeout.
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