RGG Studio Game Reviews
Review Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties (PS5) - Colossal, Confident Remake Makes Controversial Changes
Black Monday blues
For many fans, Yakuza 3 would have been their gateway to the series when it first released back in 2010 for the PS3 — but returning to it now, or even booting up the PS4 remaster, highlights loads of older design elements that have aged rather poorly. And so this classic Yakuza experience has been handed the Kiwami treatment;...
Mini Review Yakuza 0 Director's Cut (PS5) - A Questionable Cash Grab of a Classic
Hero to 0
Yakuza 0 remains one of the series' best games, and so you'd think that a PS5 re-release would be something to celebrate — but the circumstances surrounding the Director's Cut, and the new content that it actually adds, are questionable at best. Let's start with the objectively good stuff: Director's Cut enjoys a noticeable boost in...
Review Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (PS5) - Madcap Majima Does the Job
Noah's arc
RGG Studio hasn’t been entirely upfront about Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. More of a side game in a vein similar to 2023’s The Man Who Erased His Name, the developer has suggested in the lead-up to launch it’s quite a bit bigger than Kazuma Kiryu’s tear-jerking interlude. Every bit of that is indeed true, but it still...
Review Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (PS5) - The Best Yakuza Game Ever Made
Finish the fight
If Yakuza: Like a Dragon was SEGA setting up a baton toss so legendary protagonist Kazuma Kiryu could finally retire after eight games' worth of story, then receiver Ichiban Kasuga needs to work on his handling technique. The new kid on the block doesn't just require the Dragon of Dojima to handle a few side stories as his hair...
You know my name
Taking place before, during, and just after the events of Yakuza: Like a Dragon, the intriguingly titled Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name tells us all about what Kazuma Kiryu was up to in that time — and it's fair to say he was busy. But before we dig into the details, it's important to note that in its latter...
Review Like a Dragon: Ishin! (PS5) - One of the Most Intense and Intricate Yakuza Games Yet
Blast from the past
It's finally here! It's been almost a decade since Ryu ga Gotoku Ishin! released exclusively in Japan on PS3 and PS4, with Western fans begging for a localisation effort all the while. But back then, the Yak--, er, Like a Dragon series was nowhere near as popular as it is now, and so here we are with SEGA greenlighting a...
