Tag: Yakuza
Guide All Yakuza Games Ranked: Which Yakuza Games to Play and Where to Start
That's rad!
SEGA's Yakuza series has been around since the days of the PlayStation 2, but only over the last few years 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 course, that Yakuza 0...
News Ghost of Tsushima Success Could Be Key to Yakuza Samurai Games Coming West
Kenzan and Ishin mentioned again
Western Yakuza fans have been hounding SEGA to localise historical spinoff titles Yakuza Kenzan and Yakuza Ishin for years now. The two games repurpose the characters and gameplay of the Yakuza series for a samurai era setting, but they've never been released outside of Japan and other Asian territories. Given that...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Cosplay Performance Is Impressively Accurate
I'm walkin' here
Hugely talented cosplayer Enyen has recently been making waves with a very impressive adaptation of Yakuza: Like a Dragon — and we just had to write about it. Enyen's Twitter posts have been going viral over the past few days, with the cosplayer taking to the streets as protagonist Ichiban Kasuga. With the help of fellow...
Soapbox How Yakuza Proves Bigger Open Worlds Aren't Always Better
Size matters
Bigger is not always better – at least, that’s what I try to tell myself every time I hop in the shower. Alright, I’m probably lying to myself: after all, no one orders a single patty from Five Guys, do they? I do believe, however, that in the case of open world games, a smaller, denser environment is preferable to gigantic open...
Poll Have You Played Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and What Review Score Would You Give It?
Enter the dragon
Yakuza: Like a Dragon finally launched on PlayStation 5 earlier this week, following the end of an Xbox exclusivity period on next-gen hardware. The often insane RPG runs better than ever on Sony's new system, and even though we had already played it to death on PS4, we've been enjoying it all over again on PS5. At its best, we...
Reminder Yakuza: Like a Dragon's Legends Costume DLC Is Free, But Only for a Limited Time
It's all in the suit
The 'Legends Costume Set' for Yakuza: Like a Dragon is currently going free on the PlayStation Store, in celebration of the game's launch on PS5. It includes eight different outfits, all of which are based on existing characters in the series. And yes, it lets you dress protagonist Ichiban up as the infamous Goro Majima. If...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Free PS5 Upgrade Now Available
Go, go Ichiban
Update 3: Hurrah, the free PS4 to PS5 upgrade for Yakuza: Like a Dragon is finally working for digital buyers. Either find the game on the PlayStation Store or in your library, and you should see the option to upgrade for free on the right of the screen. After you've clicked that, just make sure to download the PS5 version and you're...
Reminder Yakuza: Like a Dragon Beats Down PS5 This Week
That's rad
It’s been a long wait, but the turn-based Yakuza: Like a Dragon will finally make its move on PlayStation 5 this week. The game launched on the PlayStation 4 – and various other platforms – last year, but was delayed on Sony’s next-gen console, presumably due to marketing arrangements. Fortunately, those deals have now elapsed,...
News Yakuza Studio Head Wants Ishin and Kenzan Remakes for the West
But no plans for Dead Souls
Fans of the Yakuza franchise have been calling for ports of historical spin-offs Yakuza Ishin and Yakuza Kenzan for quite some time now following the surge in interest the series has experienced in more recent years. SEGA has said it is unsure if the feudal Japan setting would appeal to the western market
News PS Store Sells Yakuza Series for Peanuts, But You've Got to Be Quick
Get those dancing shoes on
If you're reading this and the Yakuza franchise has always piqued your interest but you've never given it a proper chance, you've got roughly 10 hours to take advantage of an outstanding set of deals. Through until midnight tonight, every single mainline entry in the series has been so heavily discounted that a single 30+...
Round Up Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 Reviews Justify a New Direction
That's rad
The PlayStation 4 release of Yakuza: Like a Dragon is just around the corner, which means it's time for reviews to hit and share their verdict on this new, turn-based direction for the franchise. These verdicts cover the current-gen release rather than the PlayStation 5 version, which is scheduled to hit next March. And, from what we can...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Pokes Fun at Next-Gen Upgrades
Crustacean AI, anyone?
Listen, we know that this is predominately an Xbox trailer and PS5 players will have to wait until next year to get their free Yakuza: Like a Dragon upgrade, but this is still a fun video. The short but sweet clip starts by highlighting the benefits of next-gen hardware, before listing a bunch of dumb selling points like...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon's Yokohama Map Is Bloody Huge
Way bigger than Kamurocho
Kamurocho, the infamous red light district that's featured in every mainline Yakuza game to date (and even Judgment), is one of our favourite places in gaming. We love it to bits, but at this point, its gaudy streets burned into our brains. Fortunately, the developer knows how to shake things up just enough, as it...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Looks Positively Barmy in New Trailer
WTF?!
Either Yakuza: Like a Dragon is poised to become the best game ever made, or the person cutting its trailers is a genius. Whatever the case, you’ve got to watch this trailer for the upcoming PlayStation 5 action role-playing game – it’s bonkers! This video showcases many of the minigames you’ll encounter during your quest, some of...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS5 Version Coming March 2021, Free Upgrade Confirmed
Free physical upgrade too
Update: It has now been confirmed that physical PS4 copies of Yakuza: Like a Dragon can also be upgraded to the PS5 version free of charge — you'll just need to purchase the console that comes with a disc drive. However, your save data will not transfer from PS4 to PS5. Original story: Whilst Xbox Series X owners...
News No, There's Probably Not a Yakuza Game Reveal Planned for Sunday
That's not so rad
Update: Oh, that's a shame. It turns out there probably isn't a new Yakuza game planned for reveal during Sunday's SEGA Nama broadcast. The co-host in question has now said that she misunderstood the panel's description, which reads: "there will be new information on the Yakuza series". So, there's going to be new info on something...
News SEGA's Making a Live Action Yakuza Movie
Enter the Dragon
SEGA is bringing Yakuza to the big screen, it seems. The Japanese publisher is teaming up with 1212 Entertainment and Wild Sheep Content in order to make the dream a reality. Apparently, they're in the process of looking for script writers right now, so it's still very early days. And er... That's about it. It's going to be live...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS4 Release Date May Have Been Moved
SEGA says "stay tuned"
The excellent looking Yakuza: Like a Dragon has long been one of our most anticipated games of 2020. It was originally set to launch on the 13th November on PS4 with a PS5 version promised at a later date, but now it looks like the release date may have been moved. It's now been confirmed that Like a Dragon will arrive on...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon English Trailer Shows Off Ludicrous Fighting Styles
PS5 version "coming soon"
How can you not fall in love with the Yakuza series? This Japanese franchise has grown to become fairly popular in the West, and we've been seeing a lot of Kamurocho on PlayStation 4. The latest iteration is Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which stars a new hero but looks just as wacky as its predecessors. A new trailer, embedded...
News SEGA's Added Kazuma Kiryu's Karaoke Songs to Spotify
Today is a diamond
With that sleek grey suit and crimson, high collared shirt, Kazuma Kiryu’s always dreamed of being a crooner on the club circuit. And now he may finally get this shot at stardom, as SEGA has added a collection of the character’s karaoke hits to Spotify. You can listen to six full-length songs courtesy of the widget embedded...
Random YouTuber Recreates Yakuza in Real Life to an Eerily Accurate Degree
Plus some GTA and MGS
Japanese YouTube channel 駒沢アイソレーション -- @KaoruGans0 on Twitter -- has done a pretty amazing job of recreating Yakuza in real life. Filmed in Shibuya, the above video nails so many aspects of SEGA's sandbox series. The character animations, the camera movement -- at times it's eerily accurate.
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Finally Comes to the West This November
Feel the power
It seems that Yakuza: Like a Dragon has received an official release date and Sony hasn't even decided to kick up a fuss about it. Available for pre-order on the PlayStation Store right now, the current-gen version is coming to PlayStation 4 on 13th November 2020. Don't forget that there will also be a PlayStation 5 version further...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Looks Superb in New English Dub Trailer, But Still No Release Date
Party time
As gigantic fans of the Yakuza series, we here at Push Square can't wait to get our grubby mitts on Yakuza: Like a Dragon -- and the game's newest trailer has done an amazing job of feeding our hype. Once again, the role-playing title looks absolutely mental. Yakuza has always been wacky, but this latest entry looks to be taking things to...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon English Dub Announced, Stars George Takei
And Greg Chun from Judgment
SEGA has revealed that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will feature an optional English voice track when it launches later this year here in the West. The upcoming role-playing title will follow the same path as Judgment, which released in 2019 complete with a great English dub. Kaiji Tang will voice protagonist Ichiban Kasuga,...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon PS5 Upgrade Confirmed, Will 'Release at a Later Date'
Timed exclusivity for Xbox
It's old news now that Yakuza: Like a Dragon will be enhanced for Xbox Series X. Microsoft has seemingly struck a deal with SEGA to promote the title exclusively on the company's next-gen console, leaving PlayStation fans wondering whether the game will receive any PlayStation 5 support. As it turns out, Yakuza: Like a...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon PEGI, ESRB Ratings Skip Speculated PS5 Version
Back compat it is, then
It is looking increasingly likely that PlayStation fans will have to settle for just a current-gen version when Yakuza: Like a Dragon launches in the west this holiday season. The game has been confirmed for PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and the next-gen Xbox Series X, but a PlayStation 5 version is nowhere in sight. The...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Gameplay Is 15 Minutes of Turn-Based Mayhem
Feel the power
Yakuza: Like a Dragon represents a major departure for the franchise, but according to reviews of the Japanese version at least, it's still a really great game. The western version is currently scheduled to launch at the end of this year, it's even an Xbox Series X launch title, and this lengthy slice of footage is our best look at...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Gets New English Trailer, But No Mention of PS5 Version
Still set for PS4
Yakuza: Like a Dragon has a brand new English trailer, which debuted earlier today during the Xbox Series X stream. There, SEGA confirmed that the game will be available at launch on Xbox Series X, but there's been no mention of a PlayStation 5 version. It's safe to assume that backwards compatibility will let you play the PS4...
News 1 Year Ago Today, Yakuza Devs 'Joked' About a Turn Based Yakuza Game
It was no joke
One year ago today, on April Fool's Day 2019, SEGA's Yakuza series development team released an off-screen gameplay video of its next title. The footage showed Yakuza: Like a Dragon in action, except it had... Turn based combat? In a Yakuza game? At the time, we all thought it was just a joke. After all, it was the 1st April -- why...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Charges Just $0.60 for New Game+, But Rises to Nearly $9 in May
Nani!?
This might be the most bizarre and suspect handling we've seen of a piece of DLC in quite some time. SEGA has stripped Yakuza: Like a Dragon of its New Game+ feature in Japan so that it can sell it back to purchasers at a later date after every previous entry had the mode packed in from launch. That's bad enough on its own, but the situation...
Guide Which Yakuza Games to Play and Where to Start
A beginner's guide to Yakuza
SEGA's Yakuza series has been around since the days of the PlayStation 2, but only over the last few years or so has it really began 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 course,...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Ships Over 400,000 Units
Breathing fire
Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s sales looked disappointing at first blush in Japan, but between physical and digital copies, the role-playing game’s done okay for itself. SEGA reports that shipments have now exceeded 400,000 copies across Asia, and the publisher is marking the occasion with a 30 per cent discount on the Japanese...
Super hard difficulty, too
Yakuza: Like a Dragon has got off to a good start in its native Japan with some pretty solid sales figures. And despite its dramatic departure in the gameplay department -- swapping action combat for turn based battles -- the title appears to have been well received. However, the release is currently being hounded by fans...
Random Yakuza Remastered Collection Proves Goro Majima Really Is Everywhere
Hiding spot
We all know that Goro Majima is everywhere, but the recent physical release of The Yakuza Remastered Collection has taken things one step further. Goro Majima really is everywhere -- even inside the game's special slipcase itself! Spotted by user Billonel on Reddit, remove the box from its cardboard casing and you'll find Goro Majima...
Uncle Kaz
All three titles in the Yakuza Remastered Collection are now available to buy on PlayStation 4, with today marking the release of Yakuza 5 Remastered. To clarify, the collection includes three games: Yakuza 3 Remastered, Yakuza 4 Remastered, and the aforementioned Yakuza 5 Remastered. All three of them originally launched on PS3, but with...
News Tattoo Your PS4 with Yakuza Remastered Collection Theme
Taste of ink
Update: Sometimes we get things wrong here at Push Square, but like a Tojo Clan member, we're man enough to admit it. This theme isn't free at all, as it comes with the Yakuza Remastered Collection. Of course, it's a great bonus on top of an already outstanding trio of titles. You know what to do. Don’t fancy getting a full body...
Soapbox Yakuza 6: The Song of Life Is One of the Best Video Game Send-Offs
Liam bids Kazuma Kiryu farewell
For the past month or so, I've been committing what some people would consider to be a video gaming sin. I started the story of Kazuma Kiryu back in 2017 with Yakuza 0 and ever since then, I have desperately wanted to see it through to its conclusion. Doing that presented some challenges, however. One of those was...
News Don't Get Your Hopes Up for Yakuza's Kazuma Kiryu in Tekken 7
Harada comments on the demand
Tekken 7 has become the home of several crossover combatants since its launch in 2017, and once the likes of Geese Howard, Noctis, and even The Walking Dead's Negan had entered the King of Iron Fist tournament, it felt like anything was possible. Without doubt, one of the most requested DLC characters across social...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Sales Aren't So Disappointing in Japan After All
Huge increase in digital sales
When last week's Japanese sales charts arrived, it was looking like Yakuza: Like a Dragon had been a bit of a flop. It didn't do terribly, but it also didn't appear to spark a resurgence for the series in its homeland. However, according to SEGA's Toshihiro Nagoshi -- who oversees the Yakuza franchise -- the latest...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Fails to Spark Series Resurgence in Japan as Lacklustre Sales Continue
Launch numbers are in
SEGA knew it was taking a bit of a risk with Yakuza: Like a Dragon -- or Yakuza 7, as it's known in Japan. The latest entry in the long running series does away with its trademark action-based combat, replacing it with a turn based battle system that has been, at least in part, designed to appeal to Japan's love of traditional...
News Persona 5 Soundtrack Steals Hearts in Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Life will change
Well this is pretty cool. The new Yakuza game, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, has a jukebox that can play music from Persona 5. It's a neat crossover given Yakuza's new direction with turn based battles -- something that Persona fans will already be very familiar with. Said jukebox can be found in a bar where the game's main characters...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Goes Dark Souls in Japanese Commercial
Lost the plot
Who doesn’t love a good Japanese commercial to round out their slow Friday afternoon? This one for Yakuza: Like a Dragon will certainly wake you up, as it proudly squeals about the series’ transition to fully-fledged role-playing game. There’s even a brief glimpse of what appears to be a Dark Souls-inspired summon, just to...
News Most of Yakuza's Kick-Ass Soundtracks are Now on Spotify
Yakuza 3, 4, 5, 0, and more
The Yakuza series has always had some absolutely banging beats courtesy of SEGA's super talented sound team, and now you can listen to most of them on music streaming service Spotify. The album titles are largely in Japanese, so the best way to find them is to search for 'SEGA Sound Team'. At the time of writing, the...
Rumour Yakuza: Like a Dragon Will Have an English Dub
Just like Judgment
Much like Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise and the more recent Judgment, the next Yakuza game may be getting an English dub. PCB Productions, the company SEGA hired for Judgment as well as Persona 5, had listed Yakuza: Like a Dragon as a credit on its official website. Said credit has now been removed, but it obviously...
News First Yakuza: Like a Dragon Review Is Incredibly Positive
The Famitsu score
The western fanbase is going to have to wait a little bit longer before it can get some hands on time with Yakuza: Like a Dragon, but the Japanese release of the game is just around the corner. Thanks to that, we've gotten a glimpse of the title's first review score and it once again makes for very positive reading. Famitsu has...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Brings Back Fan-Favourite Characters and Familiar Faces
That's Goro Majima!
Yakuza: Like a Dragon's latest trailer ended with a bit of a surprise, didn't it? Despite concluding his story arc in Yakuza 6: The Song of Life, former protagonist Kazuma Kiryu returns in the turn-based seventh iteration. We don't expect him to play too much of a major role in the narrative, but then he's going to be joined by...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Story Trailer Is 11 Minutes of Insanity
Guess who's back
We're starting to get seriously jealous of the lucky Yakuza fans who'll get their hands on Yakuza: Like a Dragon in Japan from 16th January 2020. The game doesn't have a date yet here in the west, and this latest 11 minute epic of a story trailer isn't helping things. The entire thing is in Japanese, so we can only start to infer...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon Getting a PS4 Demo in Japan, Likely to Come West in 2020
Test out the turn-based combat
Yakuza: Like a Dragon, or Yakuza 7, releases in Japan at the very start of next year. However, people in that part of the world will be able to sample the new title ahead of time, as SEGA has revealed a demo prior to release. This means Japanese players will get to sample the divisive new combat found in the sequel,...
News Yakuza 4 Remastered PS4 Launch Trailer Is the Coolest Thing You'll See Today
Four nasty, bad men
Isn't Yakuza just the best? The franchise's fourth iteration hits PlayStation 4 today with Yakuza 4 Remastered, and its launch trailer is the coolest, flashiest thing you'll see during the next 24 hours. Check it out above if you know what's good for you. The 60 seconds of footage brings together a variety of cutscenes from the...
News Yakuza: Like a Dragon's Japanese Box Art Is a Beauty
The gang's all here
SEGA has revealed the Japanese box art for Yakuza 7, or Yakuza: Like a Dragon, as it'll be titled here in the West. In typical series fashion, the cover features a bunch of prominent characters all looking suitably serious. The vibrant reds really set this one off, though. It's yet another reminder that Japan gets some...
