A huge leap from the ps2 to the ps3 with a highly addictive package and beautiful design ex. hostess girls

User Rating: 10 | Ryu ga Gotoku 3 PS3
Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 is the big leap from the big hit Yakuza series where the first two live up to its expectations. But is this new installment the same or does it bring a bigger boom? The answer is its well worth spending your money on and it does give a boom to your face! After playing this for a week it feels a lot different from the past two. With excellent graphics and addictive gameplay in the equation it really does show how the game evolved from a ps2 favorite to a ps3 blockbuster. The story takes place a few years after the incident from the 2nd yakuza game. You still play as the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu from the previous installments minus Ryu ga Gotoku Kenzan! Kiryu is now a retired yakuza who is now living in peace with his fellow orphans and Haruka in Okinawa. But its not all peaceful when the people from his past are involved with taking over his land and rebuilding it. Once again Kazuma will have to get his yakuza threads back on and head back to his home turf of Kamurocho to investigate. When coming back you will noticed that their is a lot of things to do. Like hooking up with hostess club girls, play pool, karaoke and a lot more. Improved battle system and it has a good camera while getting engaged in fights. A lot of side missions and cage fights to keep you from putting down your controller. Super responsive controls and an excellent moves list with some of your old favorite moves returning adding in a lot more new skills to master. Apparently how Kiryu is learning skills in this game is really surprising and hilarious from time to time *cough* it involves his cellphone. Overall this is a highly addicting game but it is not really import friendly so non japanese speakers will have to wait til the March release of the North American version of Yakuza 3. Hopefully they will like they did to the 2nd yakuza not put in off sync english voice overs and stick with the japanese voices since the japanese voices do fit they're represented character! Hoping to play the english version soon.
Hope you enjoy my very first review!

The Verdict:

Graphics- Excellent
Gameplay- Addictive
Story- Amazing
Overall- 10/10

UPDATE: Hostess Club, Shogi and Mahjong and other mini games and other content have been removed from the North American Edition. It just doesn't feel the same with some content stripped off. Especially the hostess club ugh.