Tag: Yakuza
"It wouldn’t be Like a Dragon"
Longtime readers of Push Square will know that we've always championed the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games, but the series has — relatively speaking — exploded in popularity over the last decade or so. The outstanding Yakuza 0 played a huge part in introducing the franchise to a wider western audience, but even...
The Dark Ties that bind us
Yakuza Kiwami 3 will apparently feature "major hints" about where the Like a Dragon series is heading, despite being a PS5 and PS4 remake of a PS3 title. This is according to RGG Studio director Masayoshi Yokoyama, who isn't a stranger to saying stuff that'll make Yakuza fans sit up and take notice. "It contains some...
News Yakuza Kiwami 3 Becomes an Orphanage Sim with Massively Expanded Morning Glory Minigames
Daddy cool
If you ever played the original Yakuza 3 on the PS3, you may recall its notoriously slow start. The game spends several hours in Okinawa, with seasoned protagonist Kazuma Kiryu retired from the Yakuza lifestyle and running his Morning Glory orphanage. (As an aside, it was renamed the Sunshine Orphanage in the Western versions of the...
PSA The Original Yakuza 0 Will Be Delisted Forever When Director's Cut Drops on PS5
0 hour
When Yakuza 0 Director's Cut releases on the 8th December for PS5, the original Yakuza 0 — the PS4 game — will no longer be available to purchase digitally. This delisting has now been confirmed by SEGA, so if you want to play Yakuza 0 in its initial form at some point in the future — and you're not planning on grabbing a physical copy...
News Yakuza Kiwami 2 Has All-Important 60FPS Performance on PS5 Alongside Free Upgrade
Finally
Bafflingly buried within the questions and answers section of SEGA's Japanese website, the publisher finally confirms that Yakuza Kiwami 2 will run at 60 frames-per-second on PS5. The fantastic remake is being re-released for Sony's current-gen system on the 8th December, and it'll be a free upgrade for those who already own the PS4 version...
News Yakuza 0, Kiwami, Kiwami 2 Get Discount PS5 Upgrade Paths, But Only for PS4 Digital Owners
Kiwami 2 is free
SEGA has confirmed that those who own Yakuza 0, Yakuza Kiwami, or Yakuza Kiwami 2 on PS4 can take advantage of discounted upgrade paths when buying the new versions on PS5. All three PS5 re-releases are due to launch on the 8th December, but there is a catch in that these upgrade paths only apply to the digital versions of the PS4...
#REMOVEKAGAWA returns
An ongoing campaign against the recasting of a character in Yakuza Kiwami 3 — a remake of the original PS3 game — has gained some additional momentum today, as SEGA's released a new trailer that focuses on the title's Japanese voice talent. Goh Hamazaki, one of the game's main antagonists, was recast for this remake, with...
News For $1000, Maybe Get Married to Your Favourite Yakuza Character
Dreams do come true
Sometimes real people just don't cut it, and you've got little choice to but tie the knot with an entirely fictional stud / babe. That's the premise behind this new Like a Dragon exhibition in Japan, which will allow 15 lucky lottery winners to marry their favourite Yakuza character. Yes, this includes an actual ceremony,...
News Yakuza Kiwami 3 Has a 'Significant Number of New Scenes'
More than a remake
Recently revealed remake Yakuza Kiwami 3 is going to be much more than a graphical glow-up. We knew this would be the case, of course, since developer RGG Studio unveiled the revival alongside Dark Ties — an entirely new, packed-in expansion that charts main antagonist Mine's rise to prominence. On top of that, Kiwami 3's got...
Preview It's Mine's Time to Shine in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties
We play the all-new expansion included with SEGA's remaster
You never forget your first. And when it comes to Ryu ga Gotoku, many of you will have taken your first taste of the franchise with Yakuza 3. That’s because, in the West at least, it was the first entry in the series to release on Sony’s next-gen system at the time, the PS3...
News Yakuza Kiwami 1 and 2 Punching PS5 in the Mouth from 8th December
In case you still haven't played them
You can already play Yakuza Kiwami and its sequel Yakuza Kiwami 2 on the PS5 via backwards compatibility, but that’s not stopping SEGA from deploying a couple of native ports. Due out on 8th December, these new-gen re-releases will repackage RGG Studios’ remakes of the first two games in the Yakuza...
News No Upgrade Path for the Belated PS5 Version of Yakuza 0 Director's Cut
Acceptable in the 80s
Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut, the timed Switch 2 exclusive re-release of RGG Studio’s excellent late 80s adventure, will belatedly arrive on the PS5 from 8th December. But there’s a catch! There’ll be no upgrade path for existing owners of the PS4 game, and you won’t be able to transfer your save progress either...
News Run an Okinawa Orphanage for Hours and Hours in Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties for PS5, PS4
Out on 12th February with all-new campaign
SEGA has announced Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties, a remake of the third entry in the Ryu ga Gotoku franchise, originally released on the PS3 in 2009. It'll drop on 12th February for PS5 and PS4. The game splits its time between familiar location Kamurocho and Okinawa, where seasoned protagonist Kazuma...
Rumour Yakuza 0: Director's Cut Coming to PS5 This Year After Stint of Switch 2 Exclusivity
KUZE!
Still considered by many to be one of, if not the best game in the series, Yakuza 0 could soon be making a comeback on PS5. Earlier this year, SEGA released a slightly expanded version of the crime drama classic exclusively on Switch 2. The so-called Yakuza 0: Director's Cut features additional cutscenes, an action-heavy only co-op mode, and...
News Yakuza Kiwami 3 Seemingly Leaked on Dev Website
Could it be a State of Play reveal?
RGG Studio appears to have Yakuza Kiwami 3 in the works, as it's been spotted that the developer's website temporarily sported a reference to the remake in its Categories section. The mention has since been scrubbed, but was captured on social media, as seen below: It's been quite a few years since the Japanese...
News No Plans for Yakuza, Shenmue Cameos in New Virtua Fighter on PS5
"But it could change"
There are currently no plans to add guest SEGA characters to RGG Studio’s upcoming Virtua Fighter reboot – but that could change, according to producer Riichiro Yamada. Speaking with Giant Bomb at Evo recently, the veteran said development is currently focused on expanding Virtua Fighter’s world and lore, so the team’s...
News Yakuza 0's Director's Cut Has 26 Minutes of Extra Cutscenes PS5, PS4 Fans Will Want to See
Sadly, seemingly timed exclusive
Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut is currently only announced for the Nintendo Switch 2, but it sounds like it’ll be a timed exclusive judging by language used by the Mario maker. In a press release, the organisation said the prequel will be coming “first” to the new console, which is usually the language used when a...
News The Best Yakuza Game's Getting a Director's Cut, And It Could Come to PS5 and PS4 Later
Hero to 0
Yakuza 0 is considered by many — this author included — to be the best instalment in SEGA's storied franchise. How excited we were, then, to learn that a Director's Cut of this classic crime drama is dropping in the summer. There's one big problem if you're a PlayStation fan, however: Yakuza 0 Director's Cut is exclusive to Nintendo...
News Nautical Yakuza Goes Viral As Fans Fall in Love with New Piratical Like a Dragon on PS5, PS4
Ship shape
Could a gag game end up out-pirating the real pirate games? That’s the question Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii fans are pondering. SEGA hosted a short livestream to reveal new details about the forthcoming nautical escapade earlier this week, and some of its naval combat footage has gone viral. Many have pointed out how it...
News Even in a Wacky Nautical Spin-Off, Yakuza Just Feels Wrong in English
Japanese only
Nah, we just can’t do it. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii may be a wacky nautical spin on the long-running series, but it still just doesn’t sound right in English. To be fair to SEGA, it’s assembled one helluva cast here. Matt Mercer, best known for voicing Leon S. Kennedy in Resident Evil and Jotaro Kujo in JoJo’s...
Quiz How Well Do You Know Yakuza / Like a Dragon?
Kamurocho's calling
How well do you know the Yakuza / Like a Dragon games? SEGA's crime drama series has been rolling since the days of the PS2, but it really hit the bigtime with the release of Yakuza 0 — especially outside of its native Japan. With so many titles to draw from, an in-depth quiz seemed like a great idea — and so we've put...
News Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PS5, PS4 Looks Mad, Dog
Sea it to believe it
SEGA’s really gone off the deep end with Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. A new info dump and a couple of short gameplay clips reveal what we mean, as they introduce Assassin’s Creed-esque naval battles and protagonist Majima’s new mythical sea creature special moves. As was the case in Like a Dragon Gaiden: The...
Why so serious?
If you’re a long-time Yakuza fan like this author, it’s worth remembering just how far the franchise now known as Like a Dragon has come. SEGA had once famously given up on the series outside of Japan, leaving Yakuza 5’s localisation duties to Sony. A little less than a decade later, it finds itself the subject of a...
No beating around the bush
SEGA’s not really being secretive about the reason behind its Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii release date change. In a video message, anchored by director Masayoshi Yokoyama, he admitted that the new 21st February launch will allow you to “play the game that comes after it with peace of mind”. That game is...
Tharrr she blows
Zany spin-off Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii has caught a strong headwind – and will release one week earlier on PS5 and PS4. Originally planned for 28th February, SEGA must have heard word of sea shanties involving the release date of Monster Hunter Wilds, and has decided to move forward to 21st February instead. This...
News Yakuza Wars Appears to Be a Mobile Game as Social Media Page Spotted
Not like this
Following an official trademark registration from SEGA last month, a Facebook page for Yakuza Wars has been found, lending further legitimacy to it being the real deal. The kicker for fans, though, is it appears to be a mobile game rather than the next big console release. BBGame is listed as the publisher, which makes mobile titles...
News RGG Summit 2024 Will Give Us the Latest from the Like a Dragon Team in September
Maybe they'll announce summit
Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, the development team behind the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, has announced the date and time for its next RGG Summit. These broadcasts come along whenever the studio has some news to share, and the next one will be going live in a matter of weeks. RGG Summit 2024 takes place on 20th September...
News Yakuza Wars May Be the 'Surprising' New Game from RGG Studio
SEGA registers the trademark
RGG Studio is ready to announce a new instalment in the Yakuza / Like a Dragon series at the Tokyo Game Show next month, with the entry's genre supposedly being a surprise for fans. Ahead of the reveal, a new trademark has surfaced for something titled Yakuza Wars, which may be the new title. Fans are speculating this...
Get caught up on Kiryu and Ichiban
With the Like a Dragon: Yakuza television series set to debut on Amazon Prime this October, SEGA has published starter packs to the PS Store that bundle together some of the series' most important games for those getting started with the franchise. The Yakuza Series Starter Pack pairs Yakuza Kiwami with Yakuza...
News Next Like a Dragon Game Isn't Kiwami 3, But the Yakuza 3 Remake Is Happening 'Sooner or Later'
That's rad!
To no one's surprise, work is already underway on the next Like a Dragon game, with developer RGG Studio announcing that it's in the process of hosting character auditions. The team goes on to confirm that the next title is not Kiwami 3 — a remake of Yakuza 3, which originally released for the PS3 all the way back in 2009. However,...
News The Excellent Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Has Had a Huge Opening Weekend
Starting strong
Long gone are the dark days when fans had to lobby PlayStation to help SEGA localise the Yakuza games: this franchise has quietly matured into a bit of a cult hit. You won’t find Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth locking horns with Call of Duty at the top of the sales charts, but by all accounts, the latest entry is enjoying an...
News Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on PS5, PS4 Is Pokémon As Well Now
Gotta snag 'em all
Not content with aping Animal Crossing in its off-the-wall island building minigame, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth will also add a Pokémon-inspired experience to its ever-expanding list of things to do. Sujimon, as its known, will see you collecting eclectic characters from all around Hawaii, and training them to create the...
News Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Will Add a Pinch of Roguelite Fun to Its PS5, PS4 Campaign
And why not?
It sounds like there will be a touch of the ol’ roguelike in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, as an update to the game’s official website – spotted by Games Radar – mentions the inclusion of a dungeon which changes each time you visit it. To be fair, the grinding in predecessor Yakuza
News Like a Dragon Gaiden's Controversial English Dub Is Selectable on PS5, PS4 Now
If you dare
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name has been warmly received on PS5 and PS4, but there’s been controversy surrounding its English dub. While most fans generally prefer to play the franchise with subtitles anyway, SEGA has found success adding English voiceovers to the series in recent years, making the franchise more...
News Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on PS5, PS4 Has SEGA Bass Fishing, SpikeOut, and Much More
Model 3 mayhem
SEGA’s excellent Yakuza series is well-known for its minigames, but Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth looks to seriously expand upon the expectations of fans with an unprecedented number of side-activities and distractions. Chief among them is the inclusion of some fairly famous Model 3 arcade games, including SEGA Bass Fishing,...
Guide Best Yakuza / Like a Dragon Games Ranked: Which Yakuza Games to Play and Where to Start
That's rad!
SEGA's Yakuza or Like a Dragon series has been around since the days of the PlayStation 2, but only over the last half a decade or so has it really started to seep into the consciousness of a wider Western audience. This is largely thanks to 2017's Yakuza 0, which sparked a whole new wave of interest on PlayStation 4. It helped, of...
News Like a Dragon: Gaiden Won't Have an English Dub on PS5, PS4 At Launch
It's coming post-release
Those who fell in love with the Yakuza series during the PS3 era will be familiar with playing the games in Japanese, but newcomers may have become accustomed to English voiceovers. If you’re intending to play the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name with a dub, however, you may want to sit tight for...
Feature I Visited Yakuza's Real-Life Kamurocho, And Somehow Avoided an Ass Stomping
The armpit of Tokyo
In the latest trailer for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, protagonist Ichiban Kasuga describes his home town of Kamurocho as the “armpit of Tokyo”. During a recent visit to the capital, I wanted to see if the real-life location the virtual sandbox is based on lived up to that description. There was no point in visiting during...
Preview Like a Dragon, SEGA's Once Embattled Yakuza Series, Has Never Been Better
Or stranger
If you’ve been listening to the clacking of leather shoes in SEGA’s glamorous – but often oddball – Yakuza series since the late PS2 days, you’ll know the franchise hasn’t always been in this position. For years a PlayStation exclusive, there was a point where Sony was reeled in to localise the release of PS3 late-comer...
News SEGA Word Salad Attempts to Explain Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth's Name
Speak slowly
We’ve whipped out our magnifying glasses and read this unnecessarily small statement from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio’s director Masayoshi Yokoyama several times now, and to be totally frank, we’re still none the wiser. The social media post attempts to explain the differences between Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Western and...
News The Like a Dragon Team Definitely Didn't Get Much Sleep This Week
Kiryu's karaoke will have kept them awake
For as good as the Like a Dragon (formerly known as Yakuza, of course) games undoubtedly are, they all have two fairly consistent qualities: they’re long and they’re largely the same. Spare a thought for developer Ryu ga Gotoku Studio, then, who, not content with simply making the games, decided to...
Poll Help Us Rank the Yakuza / Like a Dragon Games
Judgment included
With the recent release of Like a Dragon: Ishin!, we think it's time to properly rank the games in RGG Studio's beloved Yakuza / Like a Dragon franchise. And, as always, we want your help in creating a definitive list. Determining the series' best games won't be easy, though. This is a property that's managed to maintain a fairly...
News Surprising Absolutely No-One, Like a Dragon: Ishin! DLC Lets You Dress as Kazuma Kiryu
Dress to impress
Like a Dragon: Ishin will roar onto PS5 on 21st February, and by all indications, it's looking like it will satisfy fans' cravings for a new Ryu Ga Gotoku-developed adventure. With release right around the corner, we got a peek at some DLC coming to the game at launch, and players will be able to don the modern-day threads of the...
Random Yakuza Producer Surprised by How Sexy Fans Find Goro Majima
He shouldn't be
Everybody loves a bad boy, right? That certainly seems to be the case within the Yakuza fandom, where antiheroes like Kazuma Kiryu are celebrated for solving problems with their fists. It appears to be news to series producer and director Hiroyuki Sakamoto, however, who was surprised to learn just how popular antagonist Goro Majima...
Preview Has Like a Dragon: Ishin's Journey to the West on PS5, PS4 Been Worth the Wait?
SEGA's historical period drama finally arrives overseas
It’s as ancient as Like a Dragon: Ishin’s backdrop, but there was a time when Yakuza fans had to fight tooth and nail like Kazuma Kiryu for Yakuza games. Back when Yakuza Ishin released as a Japanese exclusive launch title for the PS4 in 2014, PlayStation’s third-party evangelist Gio...
News Yakuza's Addictive Cabaret Club Will Return in Like a Dragon Gaiden on PS5, PS4
Hostess with the mostess
The minigames are a massive part of the appeal in any Yakuza title, and it looks like SEGA will be bringing back a classic for the upcoming Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Those of you who follow the series closely will know that Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio is currently holding a competition for models to appear...
News Yakuza Developer RGG Studio Announces RGG Summit Event for Next Week
See you at the summit
RGG Studio, the developer behind the Yakuza and Judgment franchises, has announced a digital event that will take place next week, on Wednesday the 14th September. Given that the studio's Western social media accounts relayed this information, it's fair to assume that the so-called RGG Summit 2022 will be aimed at a global...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon 2 Reveal Could Be Incoming
RGG Studio teases 'sneak peek'
Our first proper look at Yakuza: Like a Dragon 2, or whatever the previously confirmed sequel turns out to be called, could be incoming. Developer RGG Studio is teasing a "sneak peek trailer" for something, as part of its next RGG Studio TV broadcast, scheduled for the 8th September. The stream is set to begin at 8PM...
News PS Plus Extra, Premium Members Get All Main Yakuza Games Before End of 2022
Some part of August PS Plus Extra drop
In addition to the PS Plus Essential lineup for August 2022, Sony has announced every mainline Yakuza game will be coming to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium by t
News Very First Look at Yakuza: Like a Dragon Sequel Surfaces
Ichiban has tied his hair back
Japanese gaming publication Famitsu has given us our very first look at Yakuza: Like a Dragon 2 — or whatever the sequel to Yakuza: Like a Dragon ends up being called. Despite being officially announced back in October of last year, we haven't seen anything of the sequel up until now. All we know for sure is that
