Erik Kubik, Associate Writer

Can Yakuza 3 Succeed?

February 23, 2010

The Yakuza 3 demo was just released state side. This hybrid action, sandbox, rpg game is coming to the U.S. on March 9th. Although fans of the series are cheering, this may be poor timing for a release on Sega's behalf. The pending release of God of War III and Final Fantasy XIII in March will drain gamers' wallets. Loyal fans will buy Yakuza, but it may go unnoticed by mainstream gamers. The Yakuza series has not fared well in the West. Both the previous games for Playstation 2 were financial great successes in Japan. The games received great reviews from critics in Japan and in the West. But the series sold poorly in the United States, because Western gamers just were not interested in the games. I myself knew little about the games until recently.

Why the lack of interest? These games are fun. However, in the demo, the text in this text-heavy game is all subtitled for English-speaking players. Most Western gamers do not want to read in action games. Keep it simple! I have two other concerns--the cut screens and the varied game pace. Do Western gamers have the patience for this sort of action game hybrid? If it's considered an action game, most Western gamers want something fast paced with go-go-go and large explosions. Limited plot is fine, as long as there are good looking weapons, massive amounts of guns and swords, and destruction. Bayonetta, Devil May Cry 4, anyone?

Yakuza's combat is about combos and timing. I enjoyed pummeling people with a piece of furniture from the environment! Who knew someone could get hit with a chair five times and still get up? Or better yet the wooden chair didn't break. At one point as Kazuma Kiryu glowed blue I almost found myself yelling "Hadouken," expecting some sort of fireball!

In some ways it's easy to see the influence of the Shenmue series on Yakuza, like Shenmue, Yakuza 3 is a game that challenges players to take their time and explore the city. It seems the only Japanese games that sell well are some RPGS, action games, and fighting games. To sell well, the games usually need to be part of a successful franchise that appeals to the average gamer, such as Dead or Alive, Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Resident Evil.

If Yakuza 3 came stateside in March or April, it might fare better. Still, having a demo out before the game hits the shelves will at least peak some interest in the game. The game has a long adventure mode with 133 side quests, two player mini games, trophy support, and a tournament battle mode based on Japanese Cage fights. The promise of a large amount of content to unlock and DLC also make the game's longevity stand out to gamers looking for a lot of game for their buck. Of course, maybe Yakuza 3 will drive up the interest in the first two games, only time will tell.