Yakuza ships

by: Sean Colleli - posted: 9/5/2006 9:40:00 PM

Japan's organized crime is becoming a popular topic in gaming, with Yakuza hitting the PS2 and Red Steel scheduled for Wii later this year.  The former title is in stores now with a hearty M rating, and promises a cast of high profile Hollywood talent and an intrigue-laden plot.  It looks like the PS2 library is staying strong with titles like these, and I'll be interested to see more games based on Japan's honorable underworld.

SEGA of America, Inc. and SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that the critically acclaimed video game Yakuza™ will ship in North America exclusively for the Playstation®2 computer entertainment system.  Written by award winning novelist Seishu Hase, Yakuza features a star studded celebrity cast, an immersive storyline and action packed gameplay with a deep strategy element set in the seedy underworld of Japan.  Players will take to the gritty streets of Tokyo as they become a part of Japan’s oldest underground organization, the Yakuza, where honor, respect and loyalty are of the utmost importance. 

 

      Yakuza brings the player in the immersive story of Kiryu Kazuma, a former Yakuza top earner who is rebuilding his life after serving 10 years in prison for murder.  The plot twists and turns in cinematic style by bringing in a murder frame-up, a missing 100 million dollars and the truth behind the Yakuza organization.  The game features a new intuitive fighting engine, built from the ground up, giving players the ability to string attack combos and take out multiple enemies simultaneously. Players will also have the ability to grab and use in-game everyday objects as well as weapons to take out their enemies and feel the rush of beating their opponents.  

 

      To keep the cinematic feel and deep character-driven storyline, Yakuza features a top-notch Hollywood cast to voice the key characters in the game. Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Sin City), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bring it On), Rachel Leigh Cook (She’s All That), and Mark Hamill (Star Wars) join forces to bring the characters alive and help players follow the intense storyline.

 

      “The plot twists in Yakuza are as compelling and exciting as those in any motion picture released this year,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc.  “Players will be fully immersed in the brutal world of this deeply intriguing and iconic organization while experiencing, for the first time, the secret life of the Yakuza from the inside.”

 

      Rated “M” for Mature by the Entertainment Software Review Board, Yakuza for the Playstation 2 is available at retailers nationwide for an MSRP of $49.95. For more information about Yakuza, please visit http://www.yakuzagame.com.