This game is for those who enjoys RPGs and Beat-em ups. Its pretty much the best of both worlds. The storyline is long but engaging and the side quests will keep you busy for hours on end. Like an RPG, there will be a lot of battles that await you but the combat is fun and highly addictive. You start the game with a small sufficient amount of moves but later on you will gain counter attacks and a wealth of extra but useful moves. The combat is fun due to "heat" moves, which is a move you can do when you fill a certain gauge up by beating people up. Once the gauge is full, you unleash a brutal attack on an enemy that can range from stylishly slashing them with a knife to smashing their face on concrete. The moves look brutal and they bring a smile to your face after unleashing them.

One thing people may not like is that the lock on isn't very precise in the game so you may find yourself hitting thin air but I believe it was done intentionally to prevent players from mashing buttons. You can't really get through the game by mashing buttons anyways. You have to strategize and find the right time to hit and dodge enemy attacks. The regular goons you fight don't pose much of a threat but bosses are when you have to utilize the fight engine to its fullest.

After beating enemies to a pulp, You will gain experience to use to level up your character's health, moves, etc... I'd prefer to learn moves than increase the character's health but that is just me. The best moves to learn are the ones you learn through optional side quests.

Overall, its a great game and worth trying out.

Graphically, the game is average. The game came out in 2009 in Japan and it uses the same graphics engine as a previous yakuza game in 2008 so it is outdated. The facial animations during cutscenes look great though. The US version had missions and minigames cut but honestly, it is not that big of a deal. You're going to get your money's worth out of this game anyways. A game like this is hard to find these days. Its rare that we get an RPG that plays like a brawler.

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There is a great open world in Yakuza 3. You get to roam the streets encountering random fights and minigames along the way. The minigames are fun and there is dating with hostess girls. You can play darts, golf, pool and go fishing. You can also go drinking in the bars and sample real drinks with nice descriptions of actual brands. You can complete the various chapters at you own leisure and the sidequests add a lot the the overall experience. I wish they would not have cut more of the hostess dating content. This does not detract that much from the overall experience though. This title is unique and it has own flavor that should be enjoyed by all.

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All I have to say is this game is very underated!! its a great game. The story just gets better and better : ) Hope they make Yakuza 4 English sub

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Took a little while to get into it, but this game holds many secrets. It has life lessons and neat philosophical anecdotes within.

The fighting sequences can become a bit boring though. Pretty good game though!

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After some thought I pre-ordered on impulse knowing this game would have too low of a supply for a clearance price drop but boy was I wrong about doubting this game. Best impulse pre-order ever. This game brought me back to the Dreamcast days. Think Shenmue/Virtua Fighter. The Yakuza 3 demo does not do this game justice.

Remember Jackie Chan for the Playstation? This game brought back memories of many Martial Artists. If you have any interest in Martial Arts BUY THIS GAME NOW. Adventure/Arcade style beat 'em up with RPG elements. Fast action with extremely fun mini games along the way. Yakuza 3 is so entertaining it does not need an online mode for a crutch. Coming from an online only fan this is a pretty good side step to step forward. It's just plain fun with a good story to boot.

Haven't played Yakuza 1 or 2? Don't worry this game has you covered. There are Yakuza 1 and 2 cinematics to get you caught up on the story.

Also like to add.. Yakuza 3 is under the radar already. GO IMPORT it if you're such a snob to underrate this game because of import differences. If you are on the edge on either buying this or waiting for a Yakuza 4 import(and cannot read japanese) get this game you will not be disappointed.

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Yakuza 2, the previous entry of the series is a perfect and brilliant example of how this Japan-centric series should be localized. That is, with subtitles and original Japanese dialogue and MOST importantly, with ALL the content left intact.

Yakuza 3 is a great game. But it doesnt hold up to the standard SEGA America set with Yakuza 2. 21 side missions were quietly cut from the original 123 in the Japanese version as well as minigames such as shogi, mahjong, and hostess club manager/coaching. Sega says its because they dont "resonate" with the fans or something. Yeah...the entire game is culturally Japan-centric. We know what we're getting into. I'm cutting 1 star because the cuts dont "resonate" with me. But please support this game.

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Yakuza 3, known as Ryu ya Gotoku 3 (Like a Dragon 3), in Japan makes its Western appearance after two years following the second installment. Because the Yakuza are the Japanese mafia, more or less, Yakuza 3 has been described as Grand Theft Auto Japan, but the story, and many of the key gameplay elements, are very different from that successful title. The Yakuza franchise is also very popular in Japan with Yakuza 3 selling 500,000 units in that country alone, placing it second after Final Fantasy XIII and ahead of Capcom's Resident Evil 5 for sales.

Story: If you haven't played Yakuza 2 on the PlayStation 2, it will take a while to fully grasp the story. It is told from the perspective of Yakuza 3's main protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, a Chairman of the Tojo clan in the Yakuza. After spending time in jail, and the events of Yakuza 1 and Yakuza 2, Kazuma chooses to raise children in an orphanage as he was. Kazuma moves from Tokyo and relocates to Okinawa near the beach. Shortly thereafter, the land the orphanage is on gets embroiled in various crime plots and politics. The government wants to establish a new military base there, but business leaders, including members of the Yakuza, want a resort on the land as well. Because Kazuma in currently residing on the property, and many in the Tojo clan do not want evict Kazuma, this sparks backroom dealings, assassination attempts, and outright extortion, to try and get him to leave. Yakuza 3 takes place in two locations, a fictional Tokyo district called Kamurocho which is modeled after the real Tokyo district of Kabukicho, and the fictional Okinawa district of Ryukyu which shares similarities to Naha's Ichiba Dori. The cast of characters is quite large and the story can be convoluted as it carries over from previous Yakuza installments. There are, mercifully, videos included with the game that details events from the previous games.

Yakuza 3 is about as Japanese as you can get without actually having to buy a ticket and go there. The characters speak in Japanese with English subtitles, the fashion and culture is paired very closely with modern-day trends in Tokyo and Okinawa, and many of the locations in the game are inspired by, or are direct copies of, real-world areas. To keep with the sense of realism, some Japanese brands have their stores or products on display in the game. These include Don Quijote, which has a store you can buy from, complete with the catchy song "Miracle Shopping" which plays in all their real stores, Club Sega which also has arcade games you can play, PRONTO Cafe which you can dine in, Vivi and Weekly Morning magazines, numerous items which can be bought in stores and restaurants that exist outside the game, and many ads plastered all over the Kamurocho depicting real companies. This is a very Japanese game complete with all the quirks that add to the atmosphere of recreating Japanese areas.

Gameplay: Many people see Yakuza 3 as Shenmue 3 in the West, but this is very inaccurate. This game takes elements from many different games, but also changes them. Shenmue was more of an adventure game in a kind of less-gritty Japanese town. Shenmue's developers, also Sega, wanted to immerse gamers in the story and location, just as Yakuza's developers did. Aside from this, Yakuza 3 and Shenmue are very different, with Shenmue being more of an adventure where many inane or pointless activities or items to be looked at or used. This game has also been compared with Grand Theft Auto. Yakuza does have the gritty adult nature of that franchise, but, unlike GTA, Yakuza 3 has a richer story and a world with much more to do, immersed in Japan. Yakuza 3 is a type of blending on Shenmue with GTA, combined with a dusting of a fighter game.

There are several modes to Yakuza 3. The main mode you will be spending plenty of time in is the adventure mode. This is the part of the game where you move around, at first like a tourist in Japan, in the various districts. Here is where you acquire the 100 side missions, called sub stories, which add character to the game and hitman contracts. You can also find hidden locker keys and go out on dates with people you meet, for some reason, always hanging out in burger joints and ice cream stores. You can also spend your Yen and buy items from healing drinks, to weapons, all the way down to frivolous items like rings and magazines. While exploring, you can also partake in the myriad of minigames, such as the rhythm-based karaoke, Club Sega arcade games, a bowling game, darts, golf, billiards, baseball, fishing, and a slew of other gambling games. You can also participate in two different fighting tournaments, one under West Park and the other in a back alley near the Champion District of Kamurocho, foot races, and the occasional drinking game. All of these minigames are well done with the golf game being as full featured as many retail games, only lacking other golfers and a larger number of courses. Kazuma can also acquire revelations by pulling out his cameraphone, and snapping pictures of an event. After the quick time event picture taking session, you have to choose from three options about what just happened. If you pick the correct option, you get a new skill. There is always plenty to do in this game.

Aside from the adventure mode and the full motion videos in the event mode, lies the battle mode for Yakuza 3. Not being a fan of fighting games, I was a little apprehensive about this part of the game, but the battle sequences are not that difficult to figure out and are not ridiculously hard. There is a button for punches, kicks, grabs, sidestepping, blocking, and locking on. Kazuma has a health meter and another called heat. The heat gauge allows for you to do special moves and can KO most standard enemies outright and heavily damage bosses. Heat moves are standard special moves, but, since this is Yakuza, you can pick up an enemy and slam him into another or face first into a car. Kazuma can increase his health, learn new moves, and increase the heat gauge by earning experience, Exp., and leveling up four different areas. Each of the four areas max out at level ten and require increasing amounts of experience. The battles are usually against a small party of enemies with some rare boss battles being one-on-one. The lock on feature is largely useless in most battles as you can only lock onto a single enemy. Maneuvering Kazuma around the battle arena can be a little tricky as you have to factor in the camera direction and getting lined up properly. In Yakuza 3, you can also use any item which isn't nailed down to fight with. Thus, trash cans can be effective at taking enemies out, as can couches, dropped stun guns, street signs, bikes, and any number of random objects. Every item, both random and actual weapons, can only be used a limited number of times before breakage. Because of this, it makes little sense to buy and upgrade weapons since they break so easily. Many opponents carry weapons into battle so you don't have to buy any. You can simply KO an enemy holding a baseball bat, pick the bat up, and swing away against the remaining enemies.

Misc.: I was a big fan of Shenmue for the Dreamcast and was eager to try Yakuza 3. This game captures the immersive nature of that previous game very well while fleshing out a very grown up, if not convoluted, story. Although the game is loaded with minigames, secondary stories, and even romance at love hotels, it is not the exact title released in Japan February 2009. To meet certain deadlines, and to make the game a little more relatable, and in some cases, less offensive, to Western audiences, certain content was cut. The Japanese trivia game was removed since few Americans or Europeans know contemporary Japanese trivia like "Which famous band played on which Japanese Sunday morning show?" along with other obscure questions. Another element taken out was the hostess clubs. The concept of these clubs are totally foreign to many audiences but there was a lengthy sub story surrounding these clubs which had to be removed. Strip clubs, however, still exist as does the two host clubs tied to the main story, Stardust and Canal Grande. The erotic massage parlor minigame was also cut, as were the Mahjong and Shogi games.

I really enjoyed this game, despite the barrier to entry, mainly not having played the first two Yakuza's and not knowing any of the characters or back story. Yakuza 3 caught me up fairly quickly and I at least had a vague idea as to what was going on with everyone. The sub stories do vary widely in quality and scale, but really add to making the game feel like a living world. Like every game, this one is not perfect. For me, the most irritating factor with this game is the random battles. At first, they were quite fun, once I learned how to handle Kazuma. However, as they dragged on, the battles became grating and I could only play the game for a short while because of them. The battles, which can take place in large public streets filled with pedestrians, police, and security cameras, are against the Japanese version of the white suburban rappers or pudgy daddy types in sweaters. These battles would be frequent, fighting on one street, then, three blocks later, fighting again. Occasionally, they would be against the slightly more difficult Yakuza but usually they were not. These battles are quite easy, more often than not, none would lay a finger on me or cause very little damage. When these battles are over, I usually got a worthless item, like comfy soles or charcoal, which can be used to upgrade weapons which, in turn, are totally unnecessary to buy. By chapter nine (Out of twelve) or so, the absurdity of these battles really set in. They were nothing but speed bumps keeping me from doing sub stories or other, more fun, activities. To recap, here you are racing through Kamurocho to your next date or sub story, run into some Eminem looking dude throwing signs, wait ten seconds or so for the battle arena to load, which, if you're becoming increasingly annoyed always takes too long, hit six buttons to take out one enemy then do it again over and over, finish the battle, get a stuffed toy, run a few blocks and do it over again. If these battles took place on side streets or back alleys, or were not as frequent, I would have no problems with them. By chapter eleven, I had enough and decided to complete the main story. I liked everything with the game, except this one thing.

On the more technical side of things, this game runs at 720p, and looks ever so slightly dated. It's not too bad, but it lacks at times. The full motion videos are well done and are highly detailed. The voice acting is top notch and I think it was a good idea not to have English voiceovers. Some people may not like reading subtitles, which can be turned off, but with a game so immersed in Japanese culture, anything other than the language in which the game is set, would be a serious blow. The music is also well done covering everything from standard orchestral, to rock, to Enka, to J-Pop, and J-Rock. The soundtrack is worth buying as many of the songs are quite good, even if you don't understand some of the lyrics in a few of them. I competed the game in 36 hours having leveled up all four areas to eight, finishing 68 sub stories, and playing, not high scoring, all minigames. Even after all that, I still only had 30 percent completion. As for trophies, get ready to play this game for many, many hours. Trophies favor completion, you have to perform all 100 sub stories, some sub stories go away as you complete chapters, get the high score in all minigames, find keys to the coin lockers, and beat the game on the highest difficulty setting in addition to other equally involved tasks. Most trophies are bronze and expect to spend over 100 hours doing everything with multiple playthroughs. Only the most dedicated fans, or obsessive trophy hunters, should even think about getting platinum. This was a great game and is suggested for anyone who liked Shenmue, Japanese culture, or rich and lengthy games.

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So, what is Yakuza? Is it the Japanese version of Grand Theft Auto? Or something else entirely?

The best way to describe the game would perhaps be a cross between an old school brawler like Final Fight, mixed with the depth and story of Grand Theft Auto. This game does have long story segments at times however, so enable cutscene skip in the game's options if you just want to skip to the fighting. However, that would be doing a diservice to the game's excellent story. The main thing here is that unlike say, Niko Belloc, Kazuma is a genuinely nice guy who just so happens to be the most elite former soldier of his old gangster clan. In classic gangster movie fashion, Kazuma is sucked back into a life of violence after the Orphanage he now runs is threatened by outside forces. What starts out as a simple crime story escalates into an incident with international ramifications, with Kazuma stuck in the middle and half of Japan trying to kill him. Our hero has to recruit new friends and old allies to cut through the lies and bring down a major conspiracy. Thankfully, the game comes with a full recap of the previous two games, so even newcomers will find a lot to enjoy in the story. The game also quite funny at times, with a highlight being Kazuma blogging absurd situations on the street with his phone to master new martial arts moves. Some of them really have to be seen to be believed.

However, you're also free to explore the cities of Tokyo and Okinawa at will. You can either advance the plot by completing marked missions, or take on the funny and rewarding side quests. If you wish, you can just relax around the city eating food to restore your health, buying weapons, playing arcade games, golf, bowling, baseball or whatever else strikes your fancy. And believe me, you haven't seen manly Kareoke until you've seen Kazuma sing.

There has been a bit of a hubbub about the Western release of this game due to some cut content. However, since most of this was esoteric in nature, (come on folks, how many people REALLY know how to play Majong?) and the game was so massive to begin with, it doesn't come across as a deal breaker. You're still looking at a 35+ hour experience if you want to complete all the quests, master all the mini-games, and face off against the ever deadly Super Hitman Amon Jo.

The GREATEST thing about this series is its signature brutal combat, and vicious it is. You have any number of normal attacks, heavy blows, blocks, counters, and the like which you gain by battling other gangsters and completing quests like an RPG. Things really get nasty though through the special HEAT gague which builds as you taunt enemies and pound them into the ground. You can throw enemies out of windows, crush their knees with baseball bats, and pin their hands to walls with kitchen knives. There are over 80 unique special attacks alone, so there's always something new to keep the combat flowing.

Simply put, if you like good characters, violent brawling, and a gangster story with more heart than most, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.

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If I could describe Yakuza 3 it would be like a mix between Shenmue, GTA (Map and Mission Structure-wise),UFC Unleashed, and Streets of Rage, with a light Rpg Leveling up System.

Being the first Yakuza game I've ever played, It took me about 64 hours to beat the game my first time through, and I have to say it was the most epic game I've ever played in a very long time!

The combat is super addicting, and there is a ton of minigames you can play within the game too!

Once you get a chance to start fighting in the Colosseum, you'll understand why I compared this a bit to UFC Unleashed.

There are a rather a good amount of "Heat" moves you can learn through books, leveling up, or revalations that you can use to crush your oppponents.

The same goes with weapons too.

The storyline within the game is a real treat to watch unfold as you progress further within the game, and is very entertaining.

Despite some cut content from Sega, mainly some side missions a

few mini-games, and the hostess clubs, It's still the most epic game I've ever played in a long time!

Hopefully Sega will continue on forward and bring us a localized verision of Ryu ga Gotoku 4 (Yakuza 4) soon without cut content this time, because Yakuza 3 has made me become a new fan of the series. :)

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This game reminded me a lot in premise of the old NES title River City Ransom except done with modern tech. It's effectively a beat 'em up game with RPG elements with a strong driving narrative. The story is probably the game's strongest point which is well told and loaded with good humor. Between all of the fighting and endless amounts of minigames there is a ton of content here. It's definitely worth the purchase!

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This game is a true gem and I would highly recommend it to any fan of action-adventure games. The charm just doesn't stop. From the beautiful and amazingly created locales, to the wonderful cast, this game exudes excellence. The plethora of minigames (from fishing to pool to darts to bowling to TOO MANY TO COUNT) ensures that it will be a long time before you run out of things to do.

If you have any interest at all in the game, I urge you to take the plunge and buy it. And Sega... please release Yakuza 4 in the US!

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Yakuza 3 takes the GTA formula, matures it, adds a fantastically written storyline and comes up with a very interesting and very mature game which makes it hard to put the controller down before the final credits roll.

Yakuza 3 takes place right where Yakuza 2 left off. Kazuma has decided to forget his Yakuza ways and open up an orphanage in Okinawa. Little does he know once it's established both the Japanese Government and Yakuza will make a land grab trying to build a resort and military base on the once peaceful holiday town of Okinawa. With this in mind, Kazuma tries to negotiate his land and from there he ends up being dragged back into the seedy world of the Yakuza.

Yakuza is a third person action RPG that plays significantly different to many other games. For example, the first three or so hours could have been the most boring, but it turns out to be quite interesting. In many ways the game reminds us of Heavy Rain, the most menial tasks can seem interesting as they are developing the story. Talking to the orphanage kids, trying to resolve disputes helps you to prepare for the back-half of the game where you are resolving much more violent, intense disputes.

The game plays out as you would expect. Get a mission, complete it and get another one in one of the most realised virtual worlds of Japan we have ever seen. Featuring both Kamachuro and Okinawa, we are reliably told that the replications of both towns are second to none with real stores present and the actual layout of each city/town present in the game. There is also a lot of side missions to complete and some of these are full of typical Japanese humor. The game all in all sticking to the main quests takes around fifteen hours to complete, but with the side missions and mini games on offer it can get to as long as fifty.

Aside from the main quest, the game also includes a number of mini games to play. Some of them become part of the storyline such as golf, but others on offer include pool, darts, bowling and others. The world itself is incredibly realised and you will find yourself distracted from the main storyline many times. You can go to a restaurant and eat, visit a karaoke bar and sing and even visit an adult club to while your hours away. All this adds to the atmosphere of the Yakuza games and you really do feel like Kazuma is a made man.

Another main area of the game is the Kazuma character himself. Throughout the game you get experience and can build either Kazumas health or his fighting styles to become more powerful. Further into the game you get access to weaponry and can purchase and upgrade these weapons which become a key component to the game.

Sometimes the animation can seem clunky, especially for Kazuma, but once you look past that you find a fairly solid combat system. On the easy difficulty levels it turns into block, block, punch, kick, but blocking on the higher levels leads to getting Kazumas butt kicked, so you really need to use tactics.

However, we can't go further in our congratulations to SEGA without mentioning the problems the U.S. version of the game has. First of all, SEGA has made significant cuts to the game to bring it to the west unfortunately. The first casualty was the hostess clubs, so you will not be entertaining young women in this game and as a result some of the side missions have been cut as well. The game still manages to stand on its own two feet very well, but the question has to be asked about this, especially when they managed to bring Yakuza 1 and 2 to the west without changes.

But once you get over that, Yakuza offers an incredible experience. From the realised world of the two Japanese towns/cities you visit, through to the incredible story line and story exposition (some of the cut scenes run a long time and give Kojima a run for his money) as well as one of the most realised virtual worlds you are likely to see, Yakuza 3 despite its problems turns out to be one of the surprises from early 2010. We just hope that SEGA continue to bring this series to the west and fully intact, because the game is so good, it deserves that much.

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great release!

This game is paving the way for Shenmue 3 to be released! So Support Sega in this endeavor!

Sega is going to sell the rights to someone to make Shenmue 3, so support this scene by buying Yakuza 3!

5 stars!

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Back in 2000, there was a little unknown gem on Sega Dreamcast called 'Shenmue', which became a huge financial flop despite the universal critical praises. Its sequel only showed up in Japan and later ported to the original X-Box after Dreamcast's demise. Shenmue was the game that invented QTE (Quick Time Event) that are so frequently used by many games like Resident Evil 4, Heavy Rain and God of War series.

Yakuza 3 is the third installment of the popular Japanese action adventure game series by Sega that inherit all the characteristics of Shenmue series. But it is this installment that finally exceeds everything Shenmue tried to be in spades with so much more contents and depths. Yakuza series was understandably not well-known outside Japan at all due to its quirky and idiosyncratic eccentricity stemming from distictively Japanese culture. Make no mistake, this is one of the most popular game in Japan. With population half as big as the U.S. but so much diversities in different genres of video games (each game is targeted speficically for intended demographic rather than potential demographic as here in the U.S.), half-million copies sold is viewed as bona-fide success. With sensible budget and half-million copies means good profits and the next sequel. The fourth one has just been released in Japan. There have been tons and tons of games on PS and Nintendo consoles that never make outside Japan, and Yakuza series are one of the rare ones that are available here in the U.S.

Warning to fans of GTA or the likes and JRPG; Yakuza 3 is not a console RPG or GTA-clone, as many would describe it. It's a grand style action adventure game that indeed plays very much like JRPG but so jam-packed with contents that it put arguably all console RPG to shame and gives even the longest CRPG like 'Oblivion' or 'Fallout 3' some serious run for its money. Don't be surprise to clock in over 100 hours to unlock 100 percent completion percentage. Beside the main story, which gives you good 20-25 hours, the game is overflowing with substories and side activities. Plus you can always engage in street fight at certain points. On and all, if you ever played either of Shenmue, you'll know exactly what you're getting into. This really is 'Shenmue' reincarnated, so if you ever moaned about the demise of the series, pick this up without any hesitation.

Its fighting mechanics is Sega's own 'Streets of Rage' style beat-them-up brawler with some depth. Just don't expect more complicated fighting game like Sega's own 'Virtua Fighter'. But the actual fighting is much more brutal, violent, bone-crunching and over the top than the unrealistic arcady fighting games that let you shoot fireball from your eyes so you will have a heck of a time engaging in combat. It's really fun.

The story is thoroughly Japanese and also very realistic and real-life related like actual Japanese TV drama. The plot progresses via dynamic cutscenes and static dialogues. While each literation in the series offers a self-contain story arc but you would have much more emotional resonance if you've already played the first two on PS2. It also have many recurring themes overlapping from the first two. Luckily, the game gives you full rundown of the story of the first two games with cutscenes directly lifted from the PS2 games.

However, the game only offers Japanese soundtrack with English subtitle, due to huge cultural differences between Japanese and western nations, the game will be difficult to get into for a lot of people. Don't be surprised if you don't understand many of customs, references and logics. Pacing would also make things difficult for more casual gamers who are used to quick access and fast-paced run-of-the-mill action game. This is an action adventure game that heavily focuses on human drama. Episodic and sometimes brutal, sometimes poignant, but always humane and realistic, it requires you to read and reminisce a lot as a main character on the way.

Visual is indeed very impressive. Facial model is the most impressive aspect and on par with 'Heavy Rain'. The graphical style opts for photo-realism so everything is very real-life like. But the jagged character models and color imperfection signal that this is still a video game. While not exactly 'Uncharted 2' or 'God of War 3', this is one fine looking game.

Controversy surrounding the contents cut from the original Japanese version are indeed true.

Cut content from the western version of Yakuza 3 includes:

-"Loser" (Japanese theme song by Eikichi Yazawa)

-Wooing women in hostess clubs

-Managing a hostess club

-Mahjong mini-game

-Shogi mini-game

-Massage parlor mini-game

-Answer X Answer trivia game

-Convenience store magazine browsing

-A handful of sub-missions

The official explanation of the cut is due to the cultural gap between Japanese and westerners, Sega worried that it would not resonate as much with western gamers with the axed contents. The omitted contents really doesn't change the game at all. Only some of the extra side activities are cut and the game is already jam-packed with side activities. But it would be much nicer to maintain the integrity of the original work.

It's been a crazy couple of months for me. From belated port of 'Star Ocean: The Last Hope', revolutionary 3D adventure game called 'Heavy Rain' to highly controversial yet solid 'Final Fantasy XIII' and the return of the king in 'God of War 3', it really has been taxing on my budget. Now 'Yakuza 3' is another excellent addition to already impressive Playstation library filled with diversified entries, variaties and quality. With 'Fallout: New Vegas', 'Two Worlds II', 'Arcania: A Gothic Tale', 'MGS: Peace Walker', 'Metroid: Other M', and possibly another Zelda, my urges and passion for CRPG and action adventure games will be thoroughly satisfied in the year 2010.

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I never played the previous games before, but when I saw the content, played the demo, watched the ign video review I had to get this game. Amid the bigger titles being released next to it I felt this one was better. Its just fun, running about as a Yakuza badass trying to changes his ways. The fighting is fun and different, the humor is spot on, I admit I haven't played it through yet, but still. I would like to see the fourth one come out as well. I agree with some of the criticisms, i.e. the somewhat dated graphics, the interruptions in cut scenes for text conversations, and I think its kind of pricy for its age, I can't say anything about some of the content that got cut. So this is a really good game, five big stars. I also think Kazuma Kiryu is more badass then Kratos

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