Ryuu Ga Gotoku 3/Yakuza 3 Review

The next episode in the Ryuu ga Gotoku series returns to present day Japan after Kenzan!'s Edo era interlude, and you once again play as Kiryuu Kazuma as he navigates the Tokyo underworld. In this episode, you also visit Okinawa, where Kiryuu needs to save an orphanage from land developers. With this game, SEGA continued to improve on the formula from the previous games, and created a technically stunning, thoroughly enjoyable Action/Adventure.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are both technically and artistically impressive. Along with Metal Gear Solid 4, these are easily some of the best graphics currently on the PS3. And, unlike many recent games, the graphics are also colorful and artistically good looking.

Sound: The sound quality is generally good. The background music fits the situation, and never seems out of place. The effects are good, and the voice acting is well done. It is all in Japanese, though, so if you don't speak the language the voices may be largely irrelevant.

Gameplay: The fighting mechanics are much the same as in the earlier games, but with enough tweaks to keep it fresh and fun. Between fighting segments, there are an almost absurd number of minigames, possibly even rivaling GTA IV. These range from bowling, to a horizontal shmup in the arcade, to karaoke. All tend to work well, and act as a fun aside between punching people.

Overall: Ryuu ga Gotoku 3 serves as a worthy successor to the series, and as one of the top PS3 games so far. A release outside of Japan is seeming increasingly unlikely, however, so you may only get to enjoy this game by importing it. Edit: Since I originally wrote this review, Yakuza 3 has been translated into English and released in the west. It retains the original Japanese voice acting with English subtitles.