Protoman85’s Yakuza Review series on Youtube moves forward with both Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls.
Yakuza 4 is a novel entry within the franchise. You play not only as Kazuma Kiryu, but also as three other characters: Taiga Saejima, an ex-Yakuza of the Ueno Seiwa clan and more recently an escaped convict; Masayoshi Tanimura, a cop who seems to also have a corrupted, darker side that loves gambling; and Shun Akiyama, a loan shark whose life circumstances, generosity and general philosophy of money deeply impacts his understanding of life and people. Each character comes with their own fighting style, storylines, and unique gameplay elements (for example, Akiyama is able to romance more hostesses than other characters.)
Yakuza: Dead Souls is a spinoff game set in a zombie-infested Kamurocho. IT also features four playable characters: Yakuza 2’s Ryuji Goda also perhaps identifiable as “the former dragon”; the return of Shun Akiyama from Yakuza 4; the affably crazy Goro Majima who makes his playable debut in a Yakuza game; and of course it’s not a proper Yakuza party without leading man Kazuma Kiryu. It’s a polarizing title in no small part due to being the last one localized, and the apparent ambition in developing Yakuza 5 perhaps only exacerbated the fans’ appetite for the next proper Yakuza game.
Check out the reviews, and share with us your experiences in the comments section!