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|developer=[[Amusement Vision]]
|developer=[[Amusement Vision]]
|publisher=[[Sega]]
|publisher=[[Sega]]
|director=Hiroyuki Sakamoto
|designer=[[Toshihiro Nagoshi]] (general supervisor / producer)<br />[[Masayoshi Kikuchi]] (producer)<br />[[Hiroyuki Sakamoto]] (director)<br />[[Hase Seishu]] (writer)
|producer=[[Toshihiro Nagoshi]]<br />[[Masayoshi Kikuchi]]
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|composer = ''[[#Soundtrack|See Soundtrack]]''<br />[[Hidenori Shoji]] (sound director)
|designer=[[Toshihiro Nagoshi]] (general supervisor)
|programmer=
|artist=
|writer=[[Hase Seishu]]
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|composer=''[[#Soundtrack|See Soundtrack]]''<br />[[Hidenori Shoji]] (sound director)
|series= ''[[Yakuza (series)|Yakuza]]''
|series= ''[[Yakuza (series)|Yakuza]]''
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'''''Yakuza''''', originally released in Japan as {{nihongo|'''''Like a Dragon'''''|龍が如く| Ryū ga Gotoku}} is an [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Sega]] in 2005 for the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 2]]. Sega announced that the budget for the game and its sequel together was 2.4 billion [[yen]] (21 million [[US dollars]]).
'''''Yakuza''''', originally released in Japan as {{nihongo|'''''Like a Dragon'''''|龍が如く| Ryū ga Gotoku}} is an [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Sega]] in 2005 for the [[Sony]] [[PlayStation 2]]. Sega announced that the budget for the game and its sequel together was 2.4 billion [[yen]] (21 million [[US dollars]]).


This game is the first entry in the [[Yakuza (series)|''Yakuza'' series]]; A sequel, titled ''[[Yakuza 2]]'', was released in Japan on December 7, {{vgy|2006}}<ref>{{cite web|title=Ryuga Gotoku 2 [Yakuza 2]|publisher=Sega|url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/0609/game060901a.shtml|accessdate=September 3, 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070115020710/http://www.the-magicbox.com/0609/game060901a.shtml |archivedate = January 15, 2007}}</ref> and in North America and Europe on September 9, {{vgy|2008}} and September 19, {{vgy|2008}} respectively.<ref>[http://www.videogaming247.com/2008/03/25/yakuza-2-for-uk-release/#more-2805 videogaming247 » Blog Archive » Yakuza 2 for European release<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
This game is the first entry in the [[Yakuza (series)|''Yakuza'' series]]. A sequel, titled ''[[Yakuza 2]]'', was released in Japan on December 7, {{vgy|2006}},<ref>{{cite web|title=Ryuga Gotoku 2 [Yakuza 2]|publisher=Sega|url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/0609/game060901a.shtml|accessdate=September 3, 2006 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20070115020710/http://www.the-magicbox.com/0609/game060901a.shtml |archivedate = January 15, 2007}}</ref> and in North America and Europe on September 9, {{vgy|2008}} and September 19, {{vgy|2008}} respectively.<ref>[http://www.videogaming247.com/2008/03/25/yakuza-2-for-uk-release/#more-2805 videogaming247 » Blog Archive » Yakuza 2 for European release<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The game was adapted into the [[Direct-to-video|video film]] ''[[Like a Dragon: Prologue]]'' (2006) and the [[feature film]] ''[[Like a Dragon]]'' (2007) directed by [[Takashi Miike]].


==Synopsis==
==Synopsis==

Revision as of 21:00, 16 June 2012

For the franchise, see Yakuza (series).
Yakuza
North American cover art
North American boxart
Developer(s)Amusement Vision
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Hiroyuki Sakamoto
Producer(s)Toshihiro Nagoshi
Masayoshi Kikuchi
Designer(s)Toshihiro Nagoshi (general supervisor)
Writer(s)Hase Seishu
Composer(s)See Soundtrack
Hidenori Shoji (sound director)
SeriesYakuza
Platform(s)PlayStation 2
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Yakuza, originally released in Japan as Like a Dragon (龍が如く, Ryū ga Gotoku) is an action-adventure video game developed and published by Sega in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2. Sega announced that the budget for the game and its sequel together was 2.4 billion yen (21 million US dollars).

This game is the first entry in the Yakuza series. A sequel, titled Yakuza 2, was released in Japan on December 7, Template:Vgy,[1] and in North America and Europe on September 9, Template:Vgy and September 19, Template:Vgy respectively.[2] The game was adapted into the video film Like a Dragon: Prologue (2006) and the feature film Like a Dragon (2007) directed by Takashi Miike.

Synopsis

Setting

Although the game does not explicitly say it, much of the game takes place in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward, most noticeably a recreation of Shinjuku's red-light district Kabukichō, which is famous for its hostess bars (cabarets), host clubs, love hotels, shops, restaurants, nightclubs and its organized crime presence. Although the area was recreated as a fictionalized "Kamurocho district", much of Kabukichō's landmarks remain such as the red neon sign Kabukicho Ichiban-kai (歌舞伎町一番街) portal in the district's main entrance (renamed "Kamurochō tenkaichidōri", 神室町天下一通り), Koma Theater (renamed Kamuro Theater), Theater Square, Milano Bowl (renamed Shunjiku Mach Bowl), Don Quijote discount store (a tie-in[3]), Seibu Shinjuku Station, Kabukicho Sakura Street (歌舞伎町 さくら通り) portal renamed "Kamurocho Pink Street" (神室町ピンク通り), and its adjacent FamilyMart convenience store (renamed Poppo). Tokyo's area called Shinjuku Golden Gai (新宿ゴールデン街), which is located in eastern Kabukicho and is famous for its small bars, is also recreated in as the "Kamuro Champion Gai" (神室チャンピオン街).

Kabukicho's highest skyscraper Tokyo-to Kenko Plaza Hygea (東京都健康プラザハイジア) and its surroundings don't exist in Kamurocho though, and they have been replaced by different streets and a comparable yet fictitious building called "Millenium Tower", the game's main landmark.

Story

Template:Yakuza chronology The game follows the story of Kazuma Kiryu (桐生 一馬, Kiryū Kazuma), a former yakuza whose release from prison after a ten-year sentence sparks the setup of the game's plot. After his release, he returns to find his friend Yumi Sawamura is missing and the Tojo Clan he was once a part of has had ten billion yen stolen from them, which the entire Japanese underworld is now searching for.

Characters

Main article: Characters of the Yakuza series

Gameplay

The main story is divided into 13 chapters. Each chapter is made of three distinct yet connected modes called Event, Adventure and Battle.

Event Mode

Cinematics, called "events", and cutscenes are enabled after completing specific actions or beating a certain character during the Adventure Mode. They also introduce the chapter's objectives.

Adventure Mode

Main article: Minigames of the Yakuza series

Various play spots are available within the Adventure Mode. These are UFO Catcher, batting cage, casino (baccarat, blackjack and roulette), toba and pachislot.

Battle Mode

As in an Action-RPG game, the main character randomly encounters foes on his path (Adventure Mode). The ensuing fight is called Encount Battle.

The Battle Mode includes the Underground Arena (地下闘技場) which is located in Kamurocho's Purgatory area.

Audio

Sound director is Hidenori Shoji; Event Mode cinematics use Dolby Digital surround sound through digital optical cable, while Adventure and Battle gameplay modes are Dolby Pro Logic II[4].

Cast

This is the only game in the series to feature English voice acting for its U.S. and PAL releases. Following titles use the original Japanese cast with localized subtitles.

Soundtrack

The Yakuza & Yakuza 2 Original Sound Track (HCV-287) dual-disc boxset was published by Wave Master in Japan on January 25, 2007[5]. The music was composed by Hidenori Shoji, Sachio Ogawa, Keitaro Hanada, Fumio Ito, Yuri Fukuda. The closing theme is John Newton's Amazing Grace, a classic gospel sung in English by Eri Kawai; additional performers are Makotch (vocals), Yuri (chorus) and Tomica (chorus). The tracklist for Yakuza has 23 titles (details are available below).

Ryu Ga Gotoku Original Soundtrack - tracklist
龍が如く ORIGINAL SOUND TRACK

01. Service Games 2005 (0:32)
02. Receive You feat. Makoch, Yuri (chorus), Tomica (chorus) (3:30)
03. 龍の嘶き (dojima no inanaki) (1:26)
04. Unrest (4:12)
05. Blow To The City (2:52)
06. Funk Goes On (2:53)
07. son of a gun (2:44)
08. Scarlet Scar (2:46)
09. Intelligence For Violence (2:07)
10. id (3:54)
11. The End Of The Drama (3:09)
12. Pray Me (3:06)
13. Receive You ~The Prototype~ (3:49)
14. Turning Point (2:49)
15. 誰が為に (tagatameko) (3:37)
16. Amazing Grace ~Quartet Arrange~ feat. Eri Kawai (3:37)
17. Poison Pill (1:58)
18. Hideout (2:00)
19. Singin' Bass (3:14)
20. Clear Starlit Sky (1:24)
21. Coming To My Life (1:38)
22. Receive You ~Remix Version~ feat. Makotch, Yuri (chorus), Tomica (chorus) (2:20)
23. Extract Medley From Original Score (Bonus Track) (10:54)

Composed by: Hidenori Shoji (1~6, 8~10, 12~14, 17~23), Keitaro Hanada (7, 11), Sachio Ogawa (15),
Fumio Ito (23), Yuri Fukuda (23), John Newton (16)
Arranged by: Hidenori Shoji
Written by: John Newton (16)
Release: January 25, 2007
Genre: Video game music
Length: 70:31
Label: Wave Master
Catalog: HCV-287

Marketing and release

The Kamuro Theater, modeled after the Koma Theater, is a main landmark in the game. TV ads are displayed in-game and can be viewed in full screen.

Tie-in and product placement

In order to both support the game's expensive production and make Kamurocho a realistic recreation of Tokyo's Kabukicho, Sega contracted a tie-in campaign with famous Japanese companies. As a result some places found in the game, such as the Don Quijote discount store and the Club Sega game centers are modeled after the real life buildings.

Sega also used product placement strategy and introduced ads within the game. This includes a collaboration with the Japanese Suntory group which advertises in-game with ad banners, Boss Coffee ads and vending machines are also visible in Kamurocho; cans are purcheasable within Kamurocho stores. Since the group produces local drinks and is a distributor of foreign alcohols, all brands appearing in Kamurocho's bars and pubs, being Whiskey, Jack Daniel's Bourbon or Carlsberg Beer, are real brands of Suntory.

Other product placements include Shogakukan's Sabra magazine, Fujisankei Communications Group's SPA! magazine and Panini Group's World Club Cup stickers. The latter appears in a TV ad, together with a Suntory drink and a Sega mahjong game, which is displayed in the Kamurocho theater wall screen.

Sega's UFO Catcher crane game machines are included as a minigame, and arcade cabinets of Virtua Fighter 4 and SpikeOut can be seen in the Club Sega game centers.

Versions

As part of the pre-ordering campaign, the Japanese first print was bundled with two limited items, a Tojo Clan lapel pin replica (特製ピンバッジ, tokusei pin baju, lit. "deluxe pin badge")[6] and a monography called Kamutai Magazine (December 2005 issue)[7]. Since then a new issue of Kamutai Magazine is bundled with each franchise episode pre-order.

Also the original PlayStation 2 the Best edition (SLPM-74234) included a bonus DVD with the trailer of Yakuza 2, while the reprint (SLPM-74253) which was released during the production of the spin-off was repackaged with a rose cover art instead of white (a.k.a. リパッケージ版, ripakkeji han lit. "repackage edition") and a bonus DVD with the trailer of Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan!, a voice cast message and a 20-minute producer interview[8].

The western releases were only regular copies, instead Sega Europe and America used online marketing. A flash game, "CodeYakuza.com", was created and an English subtitled version of the game's 2006 live-action adaption directed by Takashi Miike, Like a Dragon: Prologue, was freely downloadable on the game's official website[9].

Sales

Due to its commercial success on the Japanese market, Yakuza had a PlayStation 2 the Best edition on October 26, 2006, and an exceptional reprint on December 6, 2007. In contrast, this Asian long seller title never had a Platinum or Greatest Hits re-release on the western markets. Though, total sales reached 1 million[10].

Reception

The game was heavily acclaimed in Japan for combining innovative gameplay with cinema-like story telling and character development on the back of Japan's criminal underground.[27]

Yakuza received generally positive reviews among Western critics. IGN praised its combat system and sense of style but criticized its tedious gameplay.

Live-action adaptations

Original video

Main article: Like a Dragon: Prologue

In 2006, Takashi Miike directed a prequel Like a Dragon: Prologue (龍が如く 〜序章〜, ryu ga gotoku -joshou-) with mixed martial artist and puroresu wrestler Masakatsu Funaki as Kazuma Kiryu.

Feature film

Main article: Like a Dragon

A film adaptation Like a Dragon (龍が如く 劇場版, ryu ga gotoku: gekijoban) was directed by Takashi Miike in 2007. Kazuma Kiryu's role is played by actor Kazuki Kitamura known overseas for his roles in Shohei Imamura's The Eel, Takeshi Miike's Dead or Alive and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

References

  1. ^ "Ryuga Gotoku 2 [Yakuza 2]". Sega. Archived from the original on January 15, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2006.
  2. ^ videogaming247 » Blog Archive » Yakuza 2 for European release
  3. ^ Donki Quijote & Yakuza 3 collaboration
  4. ^ Sega (2006.12.05). Yakuza (PlayStation 2) game manual. Sega of America. p. 7 (Options). {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Ryu Ga Gotoku series soundtrack". Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 official website, News. 2007.01.12. Retrieved 2009-12-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "『龍が如く』に2大特典をつけてプレゼント！ 「セガモバ」で発売記念キャンペーン". Dengeki Online. 2005.12.07. Retrieved 2009-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "『龍が如く』予約購入キャンペーンの内容が判明！". Famitsu website. 2005.11.11. Retrieved 2009-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "龍が如く2 PlayStation 2 The Best". Sega, Ryu Ga Gotoku 2 official website - special page. 2006.12.06. Retrieved 2009-12-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Official Yakuza Website". Sega America & Sega Europe. 2006.09. Retrieved 2009-12-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) [dead link]
  10. ^ 仗桐安 (2009.02.27). "「龍が如く3」レビュー：伝説の極道が、PS3で大暴れ！――東京と沖縄でリアルな街を駆け抜けろ (1/3)". ITmedia website. Retrieved 2010-01-01. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ GameStats: Yakuza Cheats, Reviews, News
  12. ^ Yakuza Review for PS2, Game from 1UP.com
  13. ^ a b c d e f GameStats: Yakuza Articles
  14. ^ Yakuza PlayStation 2 Review - Page 1 | Eurogamer.net
  15. ^ List of Weekly Famitsu software Hall of Fame (translation), Geimin.net
  16. ^ Yakuza Review from GamePro
  17. ^ Yakuza Review for the PS2
  18. ^ Yakuza Review for PlayStation 2 - GameSpot
  19. ^ Yakuza Video Game | Reviews, Trailers & Interviews | GameTrailers.com
  20. ^ Yakuza - PS2 - Review | GameZone.com
  21. ^ Yakuza Review - PlayStation 2 Review at IGN
  22. ^ Game Over Online ~ Yakuza
  23. ^ [1][dead link]
  24. ^ Yakuza Review (PS2) - Gaming Age
  25. ^ Yakuza Review
  26. ^ UGO.COM - Yakuza Review
  27. ^ "GOfficial Yakuza website". Sega. Archived from the original on August 22, 2006. Retrieved August 15, 2006.
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