Loading ...Demo Impressions: Yakuza 3
February 21st, 2010 | 
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What a weekend for PS3 owning SEGA fans…the Yakuza 3 demo dropped on Thursday and it is a nice sample of the gameplay style of Yakuza 3. Hopefully the demo will help get the good old word of mouth going about this series as it draws closer to the release date.
If you watched the footage above, you can see that there are a whole of stuff to do in Yakuza world – just don’t call it GTA Japan.
SEGA did a great job on demo making sure it encapsulated the feel, the mechanics, and the pace of the series. The cinematic experience is intact as well as the ability to visit CLUB SEGA and kill your time.
Loved:
- Club SEGA! I finally can pretend that I’ve been there (lots to explore and do including mini-games)
- RPG styled system to level up
- A handful of weapons to try, the fighting engine
- The QTE Brutal Action scenes
- Great voice-acting in original language
- Unique Japanese flavor and mix of serious moments with supreme goofiness
- PS3 exclusive!
Meh:
- The graphics are beginning to show their age…
Hated:
- How all the main camera controls were inverted at the start – after I switched them it made navigating much easier
- The UFO crane game screwed me just like in real life
- The game did not allow me to use the practice katana during the boss fight. It didn’t tell me, the game would let me equip the weapon but not let me unpause. I thought the game had crashed. Not good
Overall:
There are good demos and bad ones – this is definitely an awesome one. For example, the demo for Brutal Legend did not in the slightest give you any idea of the RTS strategy gameplay moments – this Yakuza 3 demo gives you a mini-chunk of the Yakuza universe to toy around in.
If you’ve ever wondered about the series try it out but give it time – play around – try the activities.
Now – SEGA fans prayed, begged, and rioted to have this title brought over and if you are new to the franchise your key to enjoyment is understanding that it is a Japanese game that is intensely made for its intended home audience.
It combines RPG-lite mechanics with beat-em-up action plus a bit of open world freedom on the side. Play it without “genre” expectations and it will surprise you. Download? Yes.
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Been a fan since the original on the PS2 and I’m super psyched for this one.
I’ve played the demo, they have improved a lot from the 2nd game but I do have to agree that the graphics are showing it’s age a little (but the pre-rendered cutscenes look amazing) and I hated how they set the camera controls to inverted as default but unlike Yakuza 2, you can change it (which you couldn’t in that game) and also I think the camera was a little too zoomed in.
But still with all those drawbacks, the demo shows promise.