Yakuza (series)

Yakuza is what you get when you transplant the structure and conventions of traditional JRPGs into a modern-day world, then combine them with a whole ton of sidequests, a satisfying brawler-esque combat system and a distinctly gritty, mature narrative.


Developer: Sega
Publisher: Sega
Available on: Various


Articles about Yakuza

The Yakuza games are not beat ’em ups, and never have been - I’ve been playing a lot of Yakuza Zero recently. Having been a fan of the series since its original PS2 incarnations, but also being very, very behind on it, I figured it was time I started playing through the whole shebang — starting with one of its most well-liked installments. And while I feel like … Continue reading The Yakuza games are not beat ’em ups, and never have been
The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 9 – Good Physical Morning - Pete and Chris appreciate a nice package. Let's talk about that.
The MoeGamer Podcast: Episode 3 – This Is the Game Preservation Society - The way modern gaming works with patches, DLC and online-dependent modes makes preserving these experiences quite challenging. Chris and Pete ponder what -- if anything -- we could do about that.
From the Archives: Yakuza’s Modern-Day Questing Makes a Fine JRPG - Sega’s Yakuza series is perhaps one of the most misunderstood franchises out there to people who haven’t played it. Prior to its original release, it was assumed that the game would be a Japanese clone of Grand Theft Auto. Then people saw its real-time combat and started assuming it was a brawler. It is neither … Continue reading From the Archives: Yakuza’s Modern-Day Questing Makes a Fine JRPG
From the Archives: Culture Shock - One of the things video games are particularly good at as an entire medium is allowing you to immerse yourself in… things. Exactly what you’re able to immerse yourself in depends entirely on the game — in Microsoft Flight Simulator you can immerse yourself in a realistic depiction of what it is like to fly a … Continue reading From the Archives: Culture Shock
The MoeGamer GameCast: Episode 2 - In this episode, Midori, Yumi, Penelope and I talk about whether it’s professional to cover your eyes at the prospect of boobs, one of the most well-received anime in the current season, Steam Greenlight and more. The GameCast as a whole has had a few minor refinements since Episode 1. Music should now loop properly … Continue reading The MoeGamer GameCast: Episode 2


Localisation Notes

The original Western release of the first Yakuza game featured only English voiceovers, and more instances of the word “fuck” than an average night out in Portsmouth. Subsequent localisations have stuck with the Japanese voice track.

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