Hey there kids!
This week I’m catching up with the zombie filled streets of Sega’s latest Yakuza game, and though I’m not quite finished grinding through the horde, I do have a chance to offer fans an opportunity to score some Dead Souls swag, courtesy of Sega of America.
Sega’s gone a little cosplay crazed, so three lucky people have the chance to win a prize pack consisting of Goro’s signature eye-patch, Shun Akiyama’s necklace, a dragoon tattoo sleeve, and a pack of Yakuza playing cards.
All you have to do to enter is hit up the comment section of this post between now and 11:59pm est on Sunday April 1st, 2012 – and tell me why you’re a fan of the series. If you’ve never played a Yakuza game before but find yourself curious now, you can alternatively tell me what sparked your interest. On Monday April 2nd I’ll pick three of you at random, so please make sure to use a valid email address when leaving your comment.
Good luck!
HOSTESSES. The best part of Yakuza by far. It’s like having a dating sim built into a pretty sweet brawler. I was really disappointed when they didn’t translate it for 3. Oh well.
Comment by Persona — March 28, 2012 @ 5:55 pm
Never played but interested because yakuza and eye patches seem like total win!
Comment by Chris — March 28, 2012 @ 5:55 pm
ohh yakuza how I love these games, so much so that I’be gotten two copies of 3 and 4. one to play and one to forcibly insist my friends and coworkers borrow! I love the graphics and game mechanics. I really enjoy that Sega kept the original voice overs and subbed the games. Fav character? Majima-sama! Fav character I wished to come back as a zombie? Mine-san!
Comment by Melissa V — March 28, 2012 @ 6:05 pm
I’m a newer fan of the yakuza series, but I shall go on to list my reasons. I started the series with 4, it was a spur of the moment decision when it came out cuz best buy had it for 20$ off. But boy if that wasn’t the best idea I’ve had in a long time. FIrst off, praise it’s accessability by adding summaries of all the previous yakuza games in the reminise so I could get up to date, second, it’s story absolutely blew me away. My favorite scene from 4 had to be a mix of when saejima gave his emotions in the collosiuem and him meating up with Majima, though when Kiryu storms kamurocho hills with that epic as hell song plays. Yeah thoise two moments rock. But not only does it have an awesome story, but the fighting in it as well. And if you get caught up in all the serious-ness? All the silly sub-stories will cheer you up. Yakuza 4 was a game that had me both laughing and crying at certain events. I’m an emotional guy haha. And the games are also packed with so much content when you want to just goof around.
And the Dead Souls game, I expected something of a spin off, but the developers put just as much love into that game as they would a main entry. The zombie story is like before, series and hilarious, it always makes me laugh when you liberate a store, to see people inside, like “Oh zombies outside? Well there’s pachinko INSIDE” It’s so perfect. And who could ever argue a gatling gun for a hand. Those two facts alone lol.
In all honesty, for me the question of what I like about the Yakyza series in general is so vast it would have almost been easier to explain what I don’t like XD From Yakuza 4, I’m a die hard fan of this series now. And it’s by far my favorite series that is Playstation Exclusive!
Comment by Xenoguard — March 28, 2012 @ 6:15 pm
I have always loved Sega’s style of gameplay (always expect a lot of mini-games). I loved all of the Yakuza games on the PS2 and even though I own a PS3, have yet to experience any of the titles made for the system yet. With this not being a numbered Yakuza title I knew Sega was going to try something different (based on the gameplay videos I have seen I was right). It seems to be almost be Yakuza’s take on dead rising but even more feature-rich and I would love a chance to play through it myself!
Comment by Tony Rayo — March 28, 2012 @ 6:27 pm
I’ve been a fan of the Yakuza series since the first game. I bought Yakuza because of my interest in Yakuza films and samurai. Ever since then I loved the series. It’s one of those games that makes you feel like a true bad ass and Kamurocho’s one beautiful (?) city.
Took me time before i could get a PS3 but when i did, Yakuza 3 was the first game i bought. Then when 4 came out, Akiyama replaced Kiryu as my favorite character. Made me very pleased to see Akiyama again in Dead Souls.
Comment by Blazblue_mid — March 28, 2012 @ 6:39 pm
The reason I’m a fan of the series is because it combines my love for Japanese gangster movies and Hong Kong style martial arts films. Two genre of film I love more then any other in the wide scope of cinema. You don’t see any western developers trying to tell these kinds of stories. Can you name any game that was developed outside of Japan that lets you play claw mini-games, play darts, pool and bowling? beat the crap out of random dudes on the streets using stylish martial arts moves, let’s you explore the city and meet interesting characters and also tell a compelling story at the same time? It may not be popular with a lot of gamers outside of Japan but for me the Yakuza series is in a league of it’s own.
Comment by Chopsticksonfire — March 28, 2012 @ 7:03 pm
I’ve never played a yakuza game but this one looks awsome! What sparked my attention to look at this series is the new addition to zombies. This would be awsome to have! :)
Comment by Clizard — March 28, 2012 @ 7:20 pm
Big fan because of two reasons.. Mad Dog Majima! and of course mew shoes!
Comment by Emoney224 — March 28, 2012 @ 7:23 pm
I’m a GIGANTIC fan! (Not abnormally sized, I just adore the series with a giant amount of love) Everything about the game just tingles my insides! Love the story, the drama, the HUMOR! Gah, so much love. The mini-games are to die for! Each one is equally hilarious. Akiyama has to be my favorite character. Love his attitude and his easygoing nature. Plus, Shenmue is one of my all-time favorite games ever. You can see why Yakuza is a favorite of mine too. Thank you SEGA!
Comment by StuntmanSnake — March 28, 2012 @ 7:34 pm
I became interested in the series thanks to a dear friend of mine who loved learning about the real Yakuza. She found the game and I watched her play and then bought it for myself. It was love at first play. I love the storyline and the characters, even the evil people are amazing! I especially love Majima, to the point that the friend who turned me on to the series calls him my husband. Thanks Sega for creating this amazing series, keep it going!
Comment by Allie Ramstad — March 28, 2012 @ 7:40 pm
I became interested in the series when I worked at a small gameshop in Bowmanville and my coworker would bring in the first two games to play on slow days. I would watch him play and although not interested at first glance (looked too much like a GTA-type bag initially) I really became interested when I saw how detailed the world was and how dramatic the story got.
Years later I bought the third one and really enjoyed it. Just walking down the street was really cool! That same year, on my first trip to Japan, I took a walk around Shinjuku with my boss. Totally taken with my surroundings, I made the mistake of saying outloud: “It’s looks just like it did in Yakuza!”
I was later informed that ‘Yakuza’ isn’t a word you want to go shouting around the streets of Tokyo, something that should have been common sense to me!
Oh well, at least I didn’t get beaten up! (Even though the games have taught me how to deal with ’em..just activate HEAT!)
Comment by Lindsay Collins — March 28, 2012 @ 8:27 pm
I’ve loved Yakuza ever since I randomly downloaded and tried out the japanese demo for Yakuza 3 on psn. I was really intrigued by it so i hunted down yakuza 1 and 2 at a local gamestop. Since then I’ve played them all and fallen in love with the characters, style, and gameplay in what is now one of my favorite video game series of all time.
Comment by glassprison — March 28, 2012 @ 8:34 pm
Ever since I chanced on finding out about this game in a magazine…I think seven years ago now, I fell in love. 1. I liked learning about the Yakuza and looking at their tattoos, and 2. There were never any games dedicated to them. So when it was finally released in the US, I went out and bought it; I was hooked. Ever since finding out about it in that magazine, I’ve played almost every game that came out stateside since then. I haven’t played Kurohyo or Kenzan! yet, but I fully intend to. I love the Yakuza series, it’s one of those few rare games that have multiple sequels that just keep you hooked and offer something new in each game. I think my love for this game now is an obsession as it combines my love of violent/brawler type games and the Yakuza. Thanks to Sega for continuing to bring this series to the west!
Comment by Tsukihime26 — March 28, 2012 @ 8:36 pm
I never played Yakuza 1 or 2. I started off with Yakuza 3 and i loved it. I like how there’s a different culture in it that i can see that isn’t in any other games that i’ve played. The story is pretty cool and lots of “manly” like things happen. Fighting with your bare fist for the most part i think is cool instead of running around with a gun. There are PLENTY! of mini-games in the series where you can mess around with if you ever feel burnt out on the story or just feel like seeing everything the game has to offer which you can spend a lot of hours just doing the mini games. I also love the characters. The character are very cool, interesting and unique from any other game i’ve played. I love roaming around the town and just beating people up and sometimes getting paid by the victim.
Comment by Locks — March 28, 2012 @ 8:37 pm
I always wanted to play these games, since nothing’s cooler than organized crime (especially Japanese organized crime)! Just never got around to doing it! Combining it with zombies just makes it even more awesome!
Comment by ScreamingFalcon — March 28, 2012 @ 8:43 pm
Always been curious to play it. Always looked like a weird Japanese version of GTA, and that’s kind of awesome.
Comment by DrZomborg — March 28, 2012 @ 10:12 pm
I been a fan since the PS2 original release. I have double copies of all games. I love the storylines,characters and atmosphere. Just the amount of content the game series has to offer.
Comment by jjj — March 28, 2012 @ 10:26 pm
I started late with yakuza 4 but i have to say that it is quite unique and gives you that one of a kind experience great storyline that will turn anybody that is a novice to the series into a dedicated fan
Comment by kelvin clement — March 28, 2012 @ 10:53 pm
I would like to make a comment just saying “Mark Hamill” but I really want that swag.
The Yakuza series is a game I have played right from the start. The caught my eye was the sweet action. The fights in the game are so over the top and almost believable! Smashing the faces of random street thugs never got boring from start to the end. With every entry in the series it stuck to what it was good at and made it better. Every installment refined the combat just enough so the endless battles did not get old. The hand to hand combat would have been enough but NO! said the glorious Yakuza team! NO! They included weapons. SO MANY WEAPONS. So many ways for you to mercilessly beat your opponent senseless. You want to slash a thug with a sword? YOU GOT IT! You want to bash a yakuza over the head with a road cone? IF YOU INSIST! Want to swing around a loan shark into a lamp post? GO SEE HELP WHEN YOU FINISH THIS GAME! Action is what this game is about. Fighting has never been so much fun thanks to the Yakuza series! I would love to talk about the amazing story and how by the end of each game, the story gets wrapped wonderfully, yet with each installment it somehow adds to the already wrapped up story like it was part of it all along! But I will not talk about that because OH MAN FIGHTING IS AWESOME!
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Comment by Craig Mikucki — March 29, 2012 @ 1:13 am
I started with Yakuza 1, randomly picked it up thinking it would be the closest thing I’d ever find to another Shenmue. It definitely isn’t Shenmue, but that’s not a bad thing. Ever since playing through Y1, I’ve been a loyal fan and look forward to each one.
Comment by RyanCJW — March 29, 2012 @ 2:01 am
I’ve always liked the Yakuza series over other criminal based games because it never glorifies scumbaggery, violence towards innocent people or anything like that, even if Kiryu is a criminal he’s a decent honourable guy. Plus it has an amazing sense of fun, so many weird silly subquests and minigames.
Comment by Sieghardt — March 29, 2012 @ 2:13 am
I never played a Yakuza game, but what interests me the most the the setting. I just love games that take place in Japan. So I definitely would like to check it out!
Comment by Tim Verhoeven — March 29, 2012 @ 7:25 am
I love the series mostly because of the story. All of the Yakuza games I’ve played (1-4 and Dead Souls) had really great stories. I also love the humor in the series.
Comment by ShortyBoo — March 29, 2012 @ 8:05 am
Well my first game in the series was Yakuza 3. I had never heard of the series before I played that game. I was hearing a lot about people wanting it to come over to the west and I was curious about it.
I bought 3 and I asked myself how I’d missed such a great series. I was a huge fan of Shenmue back in the day and it kinda reminded me of that a little bit but with better, richer, more fleshed out characters and an awesome setting.
After I finished 3 I wanted more and I bought 1,2 and played through both of them so I could catch up on what had happened in the series.
Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls are really good editions to the series and I hope SEGA keep releasing them here in the west and I think they’re one of the most under rated games…Well pretty much ever and they deserve so much more credit for the work they do on these games.
The stories, the characters, the setting and even the mini games is why I’m such a huge fan of the Yakuza games. Yakuza 2 was (In my opinion) the best of the series and Ryuji Goda was a great “bad guy” the whole setting for that game was fantastic.
Comment by Silenthawk — March 29, 2012 @ 12:14 pm
Yakuza I have every game that came to the us even bought Kenzan there isn’t any game series to me that compares to yakuza
Comment by Dragon of dojima — March 29, 2012 @ 2:02 pm
first of all i would like to say that when i first saw the ad on the magazine, i really wanted it for christmas. and i really loved it. my favorite character is kazuma kiryu. and he’s awesome especially with a sniper! Yakuza didn’t just make me get the game i was on it! because i was playing for hours straight figuring out the rest of the story. i believe in this game being the best game ever for a PS2 and PS3. and i am really satisfied that the fact that this game is easy for me as well. luckily i have every game possible, even Dead Souls. best series ever.
Comment by khaaliq — March 29, 2012 @ 4:39 pm
I bought Yakuza 1 a few years back because of A magazine ad. I missed the second game because i bought MGS3 instead. After a few months, a copy of Yakuza 2 was impossible to find. What kept me playing up to Dead Souls was the story. I just needed to see what Kazuma would be up to next.
Comment by Shigeroo012 — March 29, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
I love the Yakuza series so much. It has just about a little bit of everything. There’s action, comedy, drama… The characters and the story and the art keeps me wanting more and gets me playing until I end up looking like one of the zombies!
Comment by missfckingawesome — March 29, 2012 @ 5:34 pm
This series is one of the most feature packed bad-ass series I’ve ever played. whenever i get tired of the fighting there are hostess clubs and a lot of other minigames.
Comment by Goda Ryu — March 29, 2012 @ 5:38 pm