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TGS 06: Yakuza 2 Hands-On

Related Platforms:
  • PS2
By Justin Calvert, GameSpot, Posted Sep 22, 2006 12:42 pm GMT

We play Sega's upcoming Yakuza sequel for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show.

TOKYO--Earlier today, during a visit to Sega's booth at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show, we had an opportunity to get our hands on a near-finished Japanese version of Yakuza 2 for the first time. That opportunity was possible only after standing in line for more than 20 minutes, of course, but on this occasion we're pleased to report that the wait was worthwhile--not only because we enjoyed our time with the game, but also because we learned a lot about it from the trailers we watched while waiting our turn.

In Yakuza 2 you'll reprise the role of Kazuma Kiryu, the disgraced former Yakuza member and hard-as-nails fighter from the first game. We're quite certain that we recognized several other characters from the first game in the aforementioned trailers as well, though since their names appeared only in Japanese, we're not able to confirm that at this time.

What we can confirm is that while you'll spend much of your time in Yakuza 2 doing the exact same things that you did in its predecessor--walking around Tokyo, getting jumped by random thugs, talking to people before beating them to a pulp, and such--there are plenty of new features to look out for. The combat in the upcoming game, for example, has been improved, and among the new moves that we noted were kicking a shotgun from an enemy's hand, banging two enemies' heads together, and counterattacking an enemy with a well-timed button press. We can also confirm that bystanders and allies will help you from time to time, either by passing you weapons or by holding enemies so that you can pummel them more easily.

Yakuza 2 will also improve upon the original's collection of minigames by adding a bunch more. In the first game, you were able to gamble in casinos and win prizes from UFO claw minigames. In the sequel, you'll also be able to go 10-pin bowling, hit golf balls on a driving range, play baseball, and pump coins into slot machines, to name but a few. One of the trailers for Yakuza 2 also appeared to show options for decorating your hideout, which on this occasion involved choosing a couch. Whether or not that's actually what was going on remains to be seen, though.

Our time with Yakuza 2 came to an end when we were beaten by a group of four guys inside a nightclub, which was kind of frustrating given that we'd clicked our way through numerous Japanese-language conversations and walked all over Tokyo (that's in-game, in case you were wondering) to get the V.I.P. pass needed to get upstairs in the club. Yakuza 2 certainly doesn't look like a game that will win you over if you weren't a fan of Yakuza, but if you enjoyed that game and you're in the market for more of the same, you should definitely keep an eye on this one. We'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available.

41 Comments

  • itBit

    Posted Oct 12, 2007 11:13 am GMT

    oh my god yes!!!!! i luuuuuuuuuuuuuuv yakuza and i want that sequel today befor tomorrow , but wtf theres no new news about yakuza 2 what so ever from a long time?

  • Bahgahyahduh

    Posted Apr 4, 2007 9:49 pm GMT

    I just found out the second one is coming out today. I need this game to come out in the U.S. and soon, or I'll start cutting myself to seek some type of sadistic pleasure. I can't wait, I loved the voices in the first one and somebody needs to find out what the release date is right away, or heads will roll.

  • a12345a

    Posted Mar 24, 2007 10:06 pm GMT

    yeah! hope they keep the Japanese voices

  • mazniq

    Posted Feb 16, 2007 12:11 am GMT

    On which platform?

  • AnubisNohman

    Posted Jan 17, 2007 9:04 pm GMT

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEY i loved the first one except that 2 hrs i spent looking for the mbn or waddever. but never the less YEEEEEEY

  • hime-sakura

    Posted Dec 5, 2006 5:44 am GMT

    yessss, another one,i cant wait another game from my favorite crime organization

  • The_Weekend

    Posted Oct 14, 2006 8:58 am GMT

    Let's keep the jap voices with subtitles this time ok?

  • deviantchild

    Posted Oct 10, 2006 10:42 pm GMT

    I am currently hooked with Y1. Reminds me of Shenmue alot! Great fighting game and I can't wait for the sequel. I am sleeping late again because of this game. Anyways, those who compare this game to GTA is stupid. GTA is free-roaming; Yakuza is not - it is an action RPG game. Yes, you can roam but not that much and it doesn't matter anyways because its the gameplay and story that counts. You can compare it with Shenmue but not with GTA. Anyways, hope SEGA will launch a Shemue collection for the PS2 or PS3. If it's not too much, hope they launch a Shenmue 3 soon!

  • new_medicines

    Posted Oct 3, 2006 3:31 am GMT

    Yes =) I can't wait, the first game was amazing =)

  • alimn1984

    Posted Oct 1, 2006 11:11 am GMT

    TO SEGA:

    YOU GAVE YAKUZA TO A POPULAR CONSOLE & THAT'S WHY THAT NOW U R RELEASING YAKUZA 2(THIS DECEMEBER) THEREFORE PLEASE TRY TO GIVE SHENMUE:NEXT GEN TO A REAL POPULAR CONSOLE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE IT..."WE DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT YOU'LL GIVE SHENMUE TO A DEATH CONSOLE AGAIN..." BTW SHENMUE FANS SUPPORTED YOUR YAKUZA THEREFORE NOW IT'S TIME TO RELEASE SHENMUE III FOR THEM(SOONER!)

  • M-Yu

    Posted Oct 1, 2006 5:09 am GMT

    This looks cool
    I hope does well or even exceed it's predecessor

  • IvanKaramazov

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 11:01 am GMT

    I liked the first game, it had awesome storytelling but the whole gameplay experience wasn't that much satisfying.

    Nevertheless, this is already on my wish-list.
    Gotta hope for some major improvements though...

  • faceman420

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 10:12 am GMT

    Y1 was hoooorriiible... all hype n no substance

  • namcoman67

    Posted Sep 29, 2006 9:35 am GMT

    everyone yakuza came out in japan in 2005 we got it late due to the voice overs. so its not it was barely realeased . and anybody comparing this to the crappy grand theft auto is dumb.

  • tdaley2002

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 10:22 pm GMT

    already a sequal!! the first just came out and now theres this piece of ass??

  • Dragonball4life

    Posted Sep 28, 2006 8:01 am GMT

    maybe too fast for a sequel,i beat the first one in 7 days,already i feel a heartbeat but i think this should be tested more,no way i want the same features from the first one!one thing i hated is that everybody keeps dying,after the first 100 deaths i thought it was ridiculous.

  • firgie

    Posted Sep 26, 2006 11:10 pm GMT

    the game was great but the camera view...owhh man..we all disappointed =(

  • lilazeonboa

    Posted Sep 25, 2006 8:46 pm GMT

    mang...i hope this one is 3rd person jus like gta style...i hate the camera view on da first one..disappointed...but the game is ight...

  • LoganZRun

    Posted Sep 24, 2006 7:34 pm GMT

    This god forsaken title has been given a sequal , hope it doesnt reach state side japan needs to keep that crap over there , we've got enough crappy games of our own, i cant believe some of those game magazines even compared this too GTA you cant even compare this mess to DRIV3R let alone the bench mark for all free roaming sandbox games, like Hideo Kajima has said japan is falling behind europe and the Americas when it comes too game development ........... "For a person who lives 100yrs into the future ,the present comes as no surprise" Victor Shaubeger.

  • rasta01

    Posted Sep 24, 2006 4:20 pm GMT

    i ain't played the first one yet,,BUT i'm mad SEGA still hasn't release a shenmue coletion for ps2 or PS3...........................i snuff at this game for being a shenmue alike.....and sega not bringing shenmue back....i'll play them latter.

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