Yakuza Ishin

The Yakuza franchise has always boasted a large number of quirky, often crazy side activities to keep you entertained when you're not busy beating thugs into bloody pulps, and thankfully, the series' latest samurai spin-off Yakuza Ishin is just as laden with opportunities to turn that gritty frown upside down.

According to the game's official Japanese website, the wide range of optional content varies from leisure activities like good old fashioned karaoke, to training exercises like wood-chopping. Although, as is usually the case, these particular avenues of recreation only lead to more hilarious past times, including chicken racing and a scarecrow mansion, where you'll be tasked with destroying as many straw-men as possible with your trusty katana and pistol. Of course, it goes without saying that you'll also be able to romance the local ladies as well, but this time you'll be heading to the brothel to do it. Here you can challenge the working women to drinking contests, and a steamy game of strip rock-paper-scissors.

With every new slice of information on Yakuza Ishin, it's safe to say that we find ourselves becoming increasingly desperate to hear about any kind of Western release. How eager are you to race chickens and cut cannonballs in half? Show us your steely spirit in the comments section below.

[source ryu-ga-gotoku.com, via gematsu.com]