YAKUZA 2 (PS2) REVIEW

If you haven’t heard of the Yakuza series from Sega, you wouldn’t be the first resident of North American shores to not. It’s a different story in Japan where the franchise sells like gang busters (no pun intended). In Japan, Yakuza 2 has been out since December 2006, a PS3 prequel had been released earlier this year, and a true continuation of the Yakuza crime epic has already been announced for release on the PS3.

 

Reaching the maturity of the PS2 lifecycle, North Americans fans of the first Yakuza finally get their hands on a localized Yakuza 2. People on these shores now have the chance to experience a criminal existence in an open world….Japanese style. 

The Pros

The story is as enveloping and intriguing as they come. The game itself is written by a Japanese crime novelist and delivers an over the top crime drama (with plot twists galore) by anyone’s definition. With that being said, the story creates an attachment to Kazuma (the main character), and communicates a wide array of emotions effectively in well put together, dramatic cut scenes in the game. Each character that is introduced, and there are many, have their own distinct personality and background and still manages to find their niche for each one of them in the main story line. If you are not versed in the Yakuza back story, the game does provide a nice option in the beginning of the game to have Kazuma reminisce about the events that took place in Yakuza 1.

In typical RPG fashion, while you explore the world around you, random battles will occur with petty thugs that you offend for one reason or another. However, these battle sequences you enter happen in real time as Kazuma engages in brawler action with his arsenal of attacks. Kazuma will be able to learn new moves and combos as the game progresses and there is a wide array of weapons you are able to use and apply “heat” action with. The player can eventually reach a “heat” level during a battle allowing you to incorporate a brutalizing maneuver with the environment around you or weapon of choice (i.e. smashing you’re opponents head into a car or throwing them over a ledge). This makes you look forward to each and every battle, random or not, as opposed to finding them a repetitive nuisance.

There is also plenty to do outside the story line as you walk around the city. Though it can get silly, it still serves as a nice distraction from the game as you go through the 16 chapters. You can try your hand at wooing a girl at a hostess club, actually running a club, playing various arcade games, and doing chivalrous favors for bystanders you happen to talk to on the street.

The cities are vibrant with neon lights and the cut scenes do a good job of portraying detailed emotions on the character faces. If you are able to take yourself back 3-5 years, you will be able to appreciate the technical achievement in this game considering it is on a PS2.

 

The Cons

Those already adjusted to “next-gen” graphics of the Xbox 360 and PS3 might find it hard to go back to the dated graphics and game play mechanics of a PS2 game. Awkward looking character motions and invisible walls are things of the past when you compare it to the sandbox games of today.

When you are trying to find your way through a building or the city, using the radar map can get very frustrating especially when the camera view is not always behind the back or adjustable. At some points in the game you are left to your own devices with no indication on what you need to do to progress the game. You are left with no choice but to talk to everybody, in every building in the city until something clicks.

The game itself is all voice acted in Japanese with English subtitles which some might find annoying especially considering the first Yakuza was all dubbed with English voice acting (I personally prefer the subtitles). The idea of hostess clubs, rich gangsters branding themselves with fancy knives instead of guns, and various snippets of Japanese culture in the interaction between various people in the game will typically get lost in translation to a western player.

Here’s the Deal

Up to this point, Yakuza 2 really does have the potential to be the last great original game the PS2 will see. The game continues the in-depth story from the first Yakuza, and the battle mechanics keep you coming back for more with the wide variety of moves and enemies (like an epic battle with a tiger). The Japanese flavor to the game is prevalent. Some may find this intriguing while others will find it a little confusing. The graphics are a bit dated but that is overshadowed by the fun game play and captivating story. Anyone who picks up this game will be left wondering what Yakuza 3 will be like on the PS3 and hoping that, like its predecessors, the game eventually find its way here.
8/10

SEAN C.

 

~ by consolecreatures on October 1, 2008.