Sega to localise Ryu Ga Gotoku

PS2 News | Yakuza coming in summer.

Well, some of us at PALGN got our wish today when Sega of Europe announced that it will be localising their high profile Japanese release Ryu Ga Gotoku. The PlayStation 2 title, which cost Sega around $US20 million, was released in the Land of the Rising Sun late last year to a very positive consumer and critical reaction. The game was a big change of direction for project lead Toshiro Nagoshi, whose previous games include Daytona USA and the Super Monkey Ball series.

Players take on the role of Kiryu Kazuma, who was once a rising star in the Yakuza until he was jailed for 10 years for murder. After being released from prison, Kazuma finds himself in the middle of an underworld plot involving a young girl named Haruka, and 10 billion yen that has gone missing. Yakuza (as it's being renamed) bears a striking resembelence to Shenmue, Sega's last high budget project, offering up a balance of fighting and adventure. Kazuma's skills can be upgraded through brawling, finding certain items and by taking on various side missions. Players can also take a journey through Tokyo's vivid nightlife, visiting a variety of clubs and some rather "unsavoury" locations.

"We feel that the street brawling gameplay in particular will impress everyone" commented Matt Woodley, Creative Director of SEGA Europe. "Getting this spot on in games has proven hard for some developers in the past, but the Yakuza team have pulled it off with great style. Add to that some of the most evocative locations seen in a game and we have a title SEGA are very excited to be releasing"

Yakuza is slated to ship in the Northern Hemisphere's summer, so expect to see it on shelves between June and September.

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6 Comments

Matt

6 years ago

\o/

GTAzn

6 years ago

Awesome. It has been on my radar for quite some time.

admeister

6 years ago

Looks pretty sweet to me!

dc0079

6 years ago

Good news, just hope the game doesn't change in the process.Some meterial might be a little sensitive for the western culture (espeically here in Australia). I've completed the Japanese version, and found it not as good as it could've been. Rather short game, load time makes fight a little annoying (think random RPG). Still a good game neverless.

Git

6 years ago

It's great to see SEGA committing to something like this, but they have to market it properly (it's already cost them huge amounts in Japan).
Still, as long as the story (which is, by the way superb) remains unchanged , this will be one of the games to watch this year.