Yakuza 3

Yakuza 3 is a PlayStation 3 video game, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon 3, the sequel to Yakuza 2 and the fourth installment in the Yakuza series.

It is developed by Sega Japan’s CS1 Team and published by Sega.

It was released in Japan and South East Asia on February 26, 2009 and in North America and Europe on March 9, 2010 and March 12, 2010, respectively.

A sequel, Ryu- ga Gotoku 4, is currently under development.

Characters

Yakuza 3 main characters are Kazuma Kiryu and Haruka Sawamura though it has a casting of three hundred and sixty characters appearing in the main adventure and sub-scenarios.

Plot

Unlike the previous episodes the story is not written by Hase Seishu but by Masayoshi Yokoyama.

Yakuza 3 takes a departure from the first two games with its choice of setting: instead of focusing on the gritty cityscape of Tokyo and Osaka, it switches gears and sends Kazuma Kiryu to the Ryukyu Islands, Okinawa, where he runs the Morning glory orphanage with his adoptive daughter Haruka Sawamura (she calles him “Uncle Kaz”) who accompanied him in the previous episodes and the Movie Version.

The Morning glory orphanage is on a land that is owned by Shigeru Nakahara, the boss of a local yakuza clan or bo-ryokudan, known as the Ryudo Family.

Nakahara is under pressure from the country’s government to sell the land which is planned to become a seaside resort.

When his friend Daigo Dojima, late Chairman of the Tojo Clan, is involved in an assassination attempt, Kiryu once again finds himself in a series of tough situations and has to fight to protect his new sanctuary.

Video Review

Game Specs

Developer(s) CS1 Team

Publisher(s) Sega

Designer(s) Toshihiro Nagoshi (producer) / Masayoshi Yokoyama (writer) /Daisuke Tomoda (character designer)

Composer(s) See Soundtrack

Series Yakuza

Engine Magical V-Engine (character design)

Native resolution 720p

Version 1.08 (Japan & Asia versions)

Platform(s) PlayStation 3

Release date(s) JP February 26, 2009 / December 3, 2009 (TheBest) / NA March 9, 2010 / EU March 12, 2010

Genre(s) Action-adventure

Mode(s) Single-player, Two-player (through minigames update)

Rating(s) BBFC: 18 / CERO: D / ESRB: M

Media Blu-ray Disc

System requirements 5GB installation

Input methods Gamepad