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Yakuza hitting US this summer

Confirming rumors, Sega announces it will bring Ryu ga Gotoku to North American and European PlayStation 2s later this year.

Yakuza

Check out the Japanese version of Sega's new crime epic in action.

Earlier this year, Sega applied for a trademark with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a game called "Yakuza." For those following the Japanese game trade, the obvious implication of the filing was that the publisher was bringing Ryu ga Gotoku, its crime-action game for the PlayStation 2, to the US. Despite the evidence, though, Sega of America reps declined to comment at the time.

Those same reps sang a different tune this morning, announcing that, yes, Ryu ga Gotoku would be released in North America under the title Yakuza this summer.

"Yakuza...delves into one of the most mysterious and iconic aspects of Japanese culture," said Sega of America vice president Scott Steinberg. "Players will have the opportunity to take on the world's most notorious and sophisticated underground organizations as they embark on a series of dangerous missions set in the gritty and seedy underbelly of Tokyo."

As outlined in GameSpot's import hands-on, Yakuza follows Kiryu Kazuma, a laconic thug who returns to a life of crime after a long absence. The game lets him roam through the colorful streets of Japan's biggest neon-bathed megalopolis, Grand Theft Auto-style, as he collects debts and defends his turf. The game's combat is exclusively hand-to-hand, with players making use of everyday objects as garbage cans, signs, baseball bats, and microphone stands in a series of brutal brawls.

Yakuza has not yet been rated, though its graphic combat--which literally lets players knock out opponents' teeth--will likely earn it an M for Mature label. No price has been announced for the PS2-exclusive title.

33 Comments

  • Jerebol

    Posted Jul 25, 2006 3:41 pm GMT

    HAVE YOU PLAYED THE DEMO?!?! It rules, the combat is great, and the story seems VERY interesting. This is gonna be the next big thing. But for the North American release they should leave the japanese voices and just put subtitiles though (that sucks), but still i cant wait to they realease it!

  • NeoJedi

    Posted Feb 24, 2006 10:16 am GMT

    Awesome, can't wait for this one.

  • Argama7

    Posted Feb 24, 2006 5:08 am GMT

    I was hoping that the title would be more...creative.

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 11:35 pm GMT

    awesome

  • onigedaki

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 10:12 pm GMT

    Thank you SEGA!

  • FuguNabe

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 7:15 pm GMT

    Played it here in Japan... very good game that I recommend to western people that liked the very good Shenmue and those that GTA crap.. It's like giving GTA a boost in narrative and general alaesthetics.

  • Killzone_Master

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 3:19 pm GMT

    I know quite a few people that will enjoy this game, if it doesnt have crappy gameplay.

  • shinchy

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 3:10 pm GMT

    Wahoo!!!!!

  • baka_baka99

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 1:08 pm GMT

    Glad it's coming to the US. Let's hope they give us the option to choose japanese dialog with subtitles.

  • JoPeMo

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:58 pm GMT

    It's GTA Meets Shenmue! Looking forward to this one

  • KakarotTheMonky

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 12:15 pm GMT

    ~~~~molivers7
    Will this be like a Japanese GTA? Wait, the Japanese have too much class for that. ~~~~

    Oh please, you're talking about a society that has porn vending machines.

  • rbarahona

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 11:09 am GMT

    This game looks interesting. I wonder if Sega will tweak the game so it can "change" some things from the Japanese version to the American version

  • HoneyNuts1215

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 11:02 am GMT

    on a recent visit to japan this holiday season, i had a chance to play this game. THIS GAME KICKS ASS. the combat is fun and addicting and the graphics are great for PS2. i cant say much for the story since i cant read japanese, but the audio quality was good too. its similar to shenmue, but its a different style. there i MUCH more combat than in shenmue and you can actually use whatever weapons are lying around. I was hoping we would get this in the states, im glad SEGA is bringing it to us.

  • molivers7

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 10:55 am GMT

    Will this be like a Japanese GTA? Wait, the Japanese have too much class for that.

  • hooliganyouth

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 10:55 am GMT

    I remember hearing about this game a while back. It could potentially be entertaining and/or good or it could be another "Rise to Honor".

  • Benny_is_here

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 10:50 am GMT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • fsales

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 10:27 am GMT

    well, this seem to be a very good game...

  • VGMusicFreak

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:29 am GMT

    finally a gta style game i can enjoy. I cant stand the american gang scene but a crime game set in japan is where its at.

  • jimb0

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:20 am GMT

    Absolutely Fantastic. Good work Sega.

  • dmfreak

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:16 am GMT

    hooray!! finally a US release of this "japanese GTA". i hope the game play as fun as GTA.

  • hittin

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:09 am GMT

    Ok.......

  • GastaS

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:03 am GMT

    that game is ugly. I dont see nothing special in the movie!
    he was punching the wall and the enemy was behing him!! that sucks fix these bugs before show that crap video

  • 247k

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 9:01 am GMT

    I was looking forward to that game coming out in the U.S!

  • LAcacota

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:53 am GMT

    Yup it does remind of Shenmue. What ever happend to the 3rd game. I really liked that game.

  • Dreamerdude26

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:45 am GMT

    Can you guys say Shenmu?

  • Schtoor

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:44 am GMT

    Yes, it's about time. I haven't played it, but read plenty of good things about the game.

  • frankeyser

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:29 am GMT

    i can put my import copy to rest now.

  • Hellisunreal

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:26 am GMT

    Finally!!!

  • glunky

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:22 am GMT

    cool

  • Southrncomfort

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:17 am GMT

    BOOO PS2 exclusive... oh wait, I still have my PS2 somewhere. *searches room a bit* Nope, its not mine anymore, a group of lawn gnomes has adversely possessed it from me since I haven't used it in 3 years.

  • Paul_TheGreat

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:11 am GMT

    Finally

  • SavoyPrime

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:09 am GMT

    I've been reading a lot about this game. It certainly sounds and looks interesting. I'm willing to get it depending on reviews.

  • blackIceJoe

    Posted Feb 23, 2006 8:02 am GMT

    nice I hope it will be a fun game.The Video looks like it has a lot of Promise.
    I hope it plays like that it looks like it will have a nice feel to it.

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