| Yakuza | |
|---|---|
North American boxart |
|
| Developer(s) | Amusement Vision |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Designer(s) | Toshihiro Nagoshi (general supervisor / producer) Masayoshi Kikuchi (producer) Hiroyuki Sakamoto (director) Hase Seishu (writer) |
| Composer(s) | See Soundtrack Hidenori Shoji (sound director) |
| Series | Yakuza |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | |
| Media/distribution | DVD |
Yakuza, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon (龍が如く Ryū ga Gotoku) is an action-adventure fighter video game developed and published by Sega in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2. Sega announced that the budget for the game and its sequel together was 2.4 billion yen (21 million US dollars).
This game is the first entry in the Yakuza series; A sequel, titled Yakuza 2, was released in Japan on December 7, 2006[1] and in North America and Europe on September 9, 2008 and September 19, 2008 respectively.[2]
Contents |
Although the game does not explicitly say it, much of the game takes place in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, most noticeably a recreation of Shinjuku's red-light district Kabukichō, which is famous for its hostess bars (cabarets), host clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, nightclubs and its organized crime presence. Although the area was recreated as a fictionalized "Kamurocho district", much of Kabukichō's landmarks remain such as the red neon sign Kabukicho Ichiban-kai (歌舞伎町一番街) portal in the district's main entrance (renamed "Kamurochō tenkaichidōri", 神室町天下一通り), Koma Theater (renamed Kamuro Theater), Theater Square, Milano Bowl (renamed Shunjiku Mach Bowl), Don Quijote discount store (a tie-in[3]), Seibu Shinjuku Station, Kabukicho Sakura Street (歌舞伎町 さくら通り) portal renamed "Kamurocho Pink Street" (神室町ピンク通り), and its adjacent FamilyMart convenience store (renamed Poppo). Tokyo's area called Shinjuku Golden Gai (新宿ゴールデン街), which is located in eastern Kabukicho and is famous for its small bars, is also recreated in as the "Kamuro Champion Gai" (神室チャンピオン街).
Kabukicho's highest skyscraper Tokyo-to Kenko Plaza Hygea (東京都健康プラザハイジア) and its surroundings don't exist in Kamurocho though, and they have been replaced by different streets and a comparable yet fictitious building called "Millenium Tower", the game's main landmark.
|
Yakuza series story chronology |
|---|
|
Prologue |
The game follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu (桐生 一馬 Kiryū Kazuma), a former yakuza whose release from prison after a ten-year sentence sparks the setup of the game's plot. After his release, he returns to find his friend Yumi Sawamura is missing and the Tojo Clan he was once a part of has had ten billion yen stolen from them, which the entire Japanese underworld is now searching for.
The main story is divided into 13 chapters. Each chapter is made of three distinct yet connected modes called Event, Adventure and Battle.
Cinematics, called "events", and cutscenes are enabled after completing specific actions or beating a certain character during the Adventure Mode. They also introduce the chapter's objectives.
Various play spots are available within the Adventure Mode. These are UFO Catcher, batting cage, casino (baccarat, blackjack and roulette), toba and pachislot.
As in an Action-RPG game, the main character randomly encounters foes on his path (Adventure Mode). The ensuing fight is called Encount Battle.
The Battle Mode includes the Underground Arena (地下闘技場) which is located in Kamurocho's Purgatory area.
Sound director is Hidenori Shoji; Event Mode cinematics use Dolby Digital surround sound through digital optical cable, while Adventure and Battle gameplay modes are Dolby Pro Logic II[4].
This is the only game in the series to feature English voice acting for its U.S. and PAL releases. Following titles use the original Japanese cast with localized subtitles.
The Yakuza & Yakuza 2 Original Sound Track (HCV-287) dual-disc boxset was published by Wave Master in Japan on January 25, 2007[5]. The music was composed by Hidenori Shoji, Sachio Ogawa, Keitaro Hanada, Fumio Ito, Yuri Fukuda. The closing theme is John Newton's Amazing Grace, a classic gospel sung in English by Eri Kawai; additional performers are Makotch (vocals), Yuri (chorus) and Tomica (chorus). The tracklist for Yakuza has 23 titles (details are available below).
In order to both support the game's expensive production and make Kamurocho a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho, Sega contracted a tie-in campaign with famous Japanese companies. As a result some places found in the game, such as the Don Quijote discount store and the Club Sega game centers are modeled after the real life buildings.
Sega also used product placement strategy and introduced ads within the game. This includes a collaboration with the Japanese Suntory group which advertises in-game with ad banners, Boss Coffee ads and vending machines are also visible in Kamurocho; cans are purcheasable within Kamurocho stores. Since the group produces local drinks and is a distributor of foreign alcohols, all brands appearing in Kamurocho's bars and pubs, being Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Bourbon or Carlsberg Beer, are real brands of Suntory.
Other product placements include Shogakukan's Sabra magazine, Fujisankei Communications Group's SPA! magazine and Panini Group's World Club Cup stickers. The latter appears in a TV ad, together with a Suntory drink and a Sega mahjong game, which is displayed in the Kamurocho theater wall screen.
Sega's UFO Catcher crane game machines are included as a minigame, and arcade cabinets of Virtua Fighter 4 and SpikeOut can be seen in the Club Sega game centers.
As part of the pre-ordering campaign, the Japanese first print was bundled with two limited items, a Tojo Clan lapel pin replica (特製ピンバッジ, tokusei pin baju, lit. "deluxe pin badge")[6] and a monography called Kamutai Magazine (December 2005 issue)[7]. Since then a new issue of Kamutai Magazine is bundled with each franchise episode pre-order.
Also the original PlayStation 2 the Best edition (SLPM-74234) included a bonus DVD with the trailer of Yakuza 2, while the reprint (SLPM-74253) which was released during the production of the spin-off was repackaged with a rose cover art instead of white (a.k.a. リパッケージ版, ripakkeji han lit. "repackage edition") and a bonus DVD with the trailer of Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!, a voice cast message and a 20-minute producer interview[8].
The western releases were only regular copies, instead Sega Europe and America used online marketing. A flash game, "CodeYakuza.com", was created and an English subtitled version of the game's 2006 live-action adaption directed by Takashi Miike, Like a Dragon: Prologue, was freely downloadable on the game's official website[9].
Due to its commercial success on the Japanese market, Yakuza had a PlayStation 2 the Best edition on October 26, 2006, and an exceptional reprint on December 6, 2007. In contrast, this Asian long seller title never had a Platinum or Greatest Hits re-release on the western markets. Though, total sales reached 1 million[10].
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| GameStats | 7.9 / 10 [11] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | 8.5 / 10 [12] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 23 / 30 [13] |
| Eurogamer | 8 /10 [14] |
| Famitsu | 37 / 40 [15] |
| Game Informer | 6.25 / 10 [13] |
| GamePro | [16] |
| Game Revolution | C- [17] |
| GameSpot | 7.4 / 10 [18] |
| GameTrailers | 8 / 10 [19] |
| GameZone | 8.5 / 10 [20] |
| IGN | 8.2 / 10 [21] |
| Official PlayStation Magazine (US) | [13] |
| Play Magazine | 9.5 / 10 [13] |
| PSM | 8.5 / 10 |
| Dengeki PlayStation | 33.5 / 40 [13] |
| Game Over Online | 94% [22] |
| GameBrink | 94% [23] |
| Gamezilla | 3 / 3 [13] |
| Gaming Age | A- [24] |
| PSX Extreme | 8.1 / 10 [25] |
| UnderGround Online | A- [26] |
The game was heavily acclaimed in Japan for combining innovative game play with cinema like story telling and character development on the back of Japan's criminal underground.[27]
Yakuza received a generally good reaction among critics. IGN praised its combat system and sense of style but criticized its tedious gameplay.
In 2006, Takashi Miike directed a prequel Like a Dragon: Prologue (龍が如く 〜序章〜, ryu ga gotoku -joshou-) with mixed martial artist and puroresu wrestler Masakatsu Funaki as Kazuma Kiryu.
A film adaptation Like a Dragon (龍が如く 劇場版, ryu ga gotoku: gekijoban) was directed by Takashi Miike in 2007. Kazuma Kiryu's role is played by actor Kazuki Kitamura known overseas for his roles in Shohei Imamura's The Eel, Takeshi Miike's Dead or Alive and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.
|
||||||||||||||||||||