Despite the fact that Yakuza: Of the End violently breaks from series tradition, it's hewing pretty closely to the previous games' schedules. According to Siliconera, Famitsu magazine has revealed the Japanese release date for the gangland zombie shooter: March 17. The date follows tradition, apparently, as Yakuza 4 was released in Japan this past March (along with Yakuza 3 in North America and Europe), and Yakuza 3 debuted in Japan in late-February 2009.
In addition to next March's release, Sega has a new Yakuza game coming this winter: a mobile social game called Yakuza Mobile for GREE, in which players raise and train Yakuza characters, earning weapons that can be transferred into Of the End.
Okay, after watching this eight-minute Yakuza: Of the End gameplay trailer, we can now think of the game in a different way. Our bemusement is reduced and our interest increased. Instead of a really strange Yakuza game, we now look at it as a cheesy zombie game with great production values -- like Onechanbara, but less embarrassing and with a better budget. Kamurocho is still a great setting for games, and now it's a setting for a zombie game!
Well, maybe it's just marginally less embarrassing. For some reason, the dating, hostess club, table tennis, and mahjong minigames are still present -- and for some reason, Goro Majima finds an opportunity to sing. With backup dancers.
Sega continues to work on the zombie shooting spinoff Yakuza: Of The End, releasing more screenshots as proof that it really is following through on this insane idea. The new screens feature Kamurocho pre- and post-zombies, as well as the four protagonists (and Chiaki Kuriyama) firing weapons at the undead. Also, one screen (above) reveals the presence of at least one non-zombie monster, which is totally disgusting.
The accompanying news post rounds up all the voice talent behind the cast, and explains how each of the main characters ended up in the middle of a ruined Kamurocho. Kazuma Kiryu returns to rescue his adopted daughter Haruka; Yakuza 4's Shun Akiyama is in town to collect on a debt when the zombie thing happens; Yakuza 2 final boss Ryuji Goda has been wandering aimlessly, selling takoyaki on the street (to pay for maintenance of his awesome cybernetic arm, possibly); and Goro Majima is chasing Goda when he finds a city full of zombies. Apparently, the crazed Majima is enjoying himself.
#crime
Real honest-to-goodness yakuza have already made their thoughts known on Sega's crime opus Yakuza 3. Now a Tokyo police officer and a yakuza lawyer weigh in on the game and suss out what's realistic and what's not. More »
Andriasang has rounded up all of the details announced about Yakuza: Of the End so far, giving us a bit more info than "it's got zombies in it and it's really weird." Of the End takes place in a Kamurocho that is quickly becoming infested with zombies, causing Japan's Self Defense Force to close the district off and leave the remaining survivors for dead. Four gangsters from previous Yakuza games, including series hero Kazuma Kiryu, decide to take up arms and clean out the town rather than allow themselves to be eaten. Also, complicating matters, Kazuma's adopted daughter Haruka has been kidnapped.
The "Heat Action" finishing moves from the series have been replaced by "Heat Snipe" moves, which grant increased accuracy with guns when launched. Each character has a different weapon with which they are most proficient: calm Kazuma is a rifle expert, while nutjob Goro Majima is best with shotguns. In addition to these four characters, you'll be able to pick up partner characters -- including hostesses from hostess clubs -- all of whom can be trained at "Gary's Boot Camp."
Perhaps strangest of all, the usual Yakuza distractions will be back. In the midst of a zombie invasion, you can play some arcade games in Club Sega, hang out in batting cages, or even perform karaoke. Don't worry, those booths are soundproof, so the groaning undead outside won't bother you when you're concentrating on your song.
Yakuza: Of The End was ... unexpected. Not in that it's another Yakuza sequel -- we can pretty much count on those being at least annual -- but in that it's a zombie shooting game. Why would Sega take a series built around realistic criminal organizations, known for its accurate (if fictionalized) representation of Tokyo, and fill its latest entry with zombies? Where do people even find all those guns in Japan?
At TGS, we asked producer Masayoshi Kikuchi about this seemingly inexplicable decision. "We want to essentially use the Yakuza universe to try our hand at different genres of games," he said. "In that effort, one of the games that hasn't been released [outside of Japan] yet, but that we've done, is a samurai-based game called Kenzan. That is our foray into utilizing the mythology and universe of Yakuza to branch out into different gameplay. The other one, obviously, is Of The End."
"For us, it's a way to hopefully attract more fans to the Yakuza franchise by widening the gameplay styles that we create," Kikuchi added. In other words, Of The End hopes to attract people who love zombie shooters, and who might then discover there are other Yakuza games; albeit ones about punching street punks and running orphanages. But what about the people who already love Yakuza? Are they to simply stare at this spinoff in disbelief?
"From my point of view," Kikuchi told us, "I feel that -- if you have 100 Yakuza fans, it's not going to be the case where all 100 of them will be receptive to the new direction. But however, we feel that by making something that is very enjoyable, we will be able to capture as many of the existing fan base who enjoy the games we create."
#tgs
Sega's ultra-popular (in Japan) Yakuza series is going completely bananas with its next console-based entry, Yakuza: Of The End. Sega is taking the crime-culture Japanese gangster series and throwing a zombie invasion into the mix. Huh? More »
