The first three titles in the Yakuza series have centred around Kazuma Kiryu. The original Yakuza picks up when Kazuma has just been released from jail, and dropped in the middle of a Yakuza gang war over a missing 10 billion Yen. Yakuza 2 picks up after this incident, showing Kazuma that he’s really got no way out of this underworld life. This is further reinforced in Yakuza 3, where despite trying to live a peaceful life by the ocean running an orphanage, Kazuma is forced back into action when it’s found that the orphanage is built in the middle of warring Yakuza turf.
Possibly realising that the sole escapades of Kazuma Kiryu can only take so much soap opera drama, Yakuza 4 opts for a more sweeping story (if that’s somehow actually possible), by adding three more characters to the mix: Shun Akiyama, Masayoshi Tanimura and Taiga Saejima. The story of Yakuza 4 will feature all four of these fine law-abiding gentlemen, and it starts off with Shun Akiyama; a rambling yet charismatic and laid-back loan shark with a twist – he lends interest-free money as long as his client satisfies a ‘trust’ test. Such a test may be ‘work with the homeless for a week’ and the tests are ‘harder’ when a larger sum is asked. Series aficionados will appreciate the nods to how he got the money to start up his business…
Akiyama-san and 'Lily'.
If you haven’t played through any of the previous games, fret not; Yakuza 4 includes a ‘Reminisce’ mode that will allow you to play through important and edited cut-scenes from the previous games. Just be warned, you’re going to have to allow a fair bit of time to sit through these. And a fair bit if tolerance – the video quality is heavily compressed. Still, it will give you a fair idea of the recurring themes and characters that you’ll come across. Vets on the other hand, will at best see this as an optional refresher.
Players will be returning to the familiar stomping ground of the Kamurocho district (modeled around Shinjuku’s red-light district, Kabukicho), where all four of the protagonists will be sauntering their stuff. However, there have been a few additional exploration avenues opened up around town. You can now take to the rooftops of Kamurocho, which extend quite an impressive distance, as well as some backstreets (the ‘Rojiura’) and the underground (the ‘chika’ – extending through sewers and parking lots). On the surface, these locales may not seem like much, though could prove to provide some changes of pace to a gameplay formula that looks like it’s quite similar to its predecessors.
Forget shoe phone, get a shoe gun!
The big updates in these games seem to revolve around the Yakuza soap opera, as the gameplay really doesn’t change too much from title-to-title. Simply put, Yakuza 4 continues the tradition of open-world action exploration with a dash of RPG elements. Once you get through most of the formalities, Kamurocho opens up for to explore and roam around. Most NPC encounters are quite token, though some will provide you with handy tips and items. And you’ve got your fair share of diversions too, ranging from pachinko (Japanese pinball/pokie machines – to the uncultured), fishing, onsen baths, table tennis, hanafuda (Japanese card game) and karaoke – which will now included duets with certain NPCs.
Aside from interacting with particular NPCs, most of the action revolves around you beating the hell out of rivals and other gangs. Combat really doesn’t seem to have changed much since the last title, though there really wasn’t too much to really make it that much better. Winning your fights will earn you experience, which earn you better abilities and items. All four of the game’s protagonists will have their own ‘side games’ that will be unique to each of them and related to unlockables. A big part of the preview showed us often thrown into random encounters, and there was at least some variety in the encounters, including the thrilling chase scenes. Still, the overall pacing is off, with long cut scenes and dialogs interspersing short action sequences, though series vets will know the drill.
Clearly, to be Yakuza you must master the 'Fire-breathing Fists of Fury'.
The Yakuza series has had the misfortune of straddling this HD generation with the last – so PS2 games were still being released while the PS3 had already launched – and the games have never been ‘lookers’. Despite the PS3 release, Yakuza 4 still hardly gives the impression of system pusher. The overall presentation at times feels caricatured and somewhat underdone. However, this title gives the impression that it’s the cleanest technically, and the cut-scenes have been extremely well directed. Which is just as well, given how much time you’re likely to spend in them. Players will have a choice of English and Japanese voice tracks, and will be treated to some nice jazzy tunes, befitting a mob story and a red-light district setting.
Yakuza 4 seems to be adopting the mantra, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Instead, adding a whole lot more – as indicated by the four protagonists and ‘depth’ to your exploration scope. Players who aren’t familiar with the series have been given tools to allow them to catch up, but they also ought to know that the game is very story-heavy and dialog-heavy, while the gameplay bursts rely on simple charms. As such, you’d call the game (and series) an acquired taste. Fans will know what they’re getting in to, and chances are they’ll love it as much as the last three, while newbies will do well to know what awaits them in the back alleys of Kamurocho.
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