Yakuza is the true heir to Shenmue and 5 is the greatest entry yet, stuffed with combat, minigames, and endless distractions.
Key events
17th December 2015
10th May 2013
21st September 2012
22nd November 2011
31st August 2011
FeatureAfter I stepped into Yakuza's world, Yakuza's world seeped into mine
Travel and memory as the real meets the virtual.
There's something magical about video games set in the real world. At the intersection of the fantastical and the mundane you get to become the hero of our very own world while taking in some of the most beautiful vistas our planet has to offer, all from the comfort of your couch.
PlayStation Plus' August freebies unveiled
UPDATE: Retro/Grade replaced with EndWar. Yakuza 5 remains.
UPDATE 17/08/2016 5.39pm: Sony issued an update explaining that Retro/Grade was never supposed to be part of the promotion this month. Its inclusion was an error, so Sony has removed it and in its place offered Tom Clancy's EndWar for PS3.
Yakuza 5 currently free if you have PlayStation Plus
UPDATE: Fixed!
2.20pm: And it's been fixed - Yakuza 5 is no longer showing up as free for Plus subscribers.
Shenmue's true heir.
Despite a cast composed largely of gangsters, and a plot centring on the machinations of various families, Yakuza 5 is not by any stretch of the imagination a game about organised crime. Oh it's dressed up like that, and amidst battling endless thugs and police officers you could be forgiven for the mistake. But really Yakuza 5 is really a game about saving puppies, obeying traffic laws, and losing yourself in hobbies.
Yakuza 5
Publisher: Sega
VideoVideo: Sony conference roundup - Tokyo Games Show 2015
Aoife and Martin bring you the latest from Japan.
After dodging the limelight at this year's Gamescom, Sony finally gave us the press conference we were expecting back in August. Whether it was the conference we were hoping for, of course, is another matter entirely. Thankfully, in case you missed it, Aoife and Martin have gone over the biggest announcements and are ready to bring you up to speed.
Yakuza 5's Western release will include all Japanese DLC
After arriving almost three years after Japan.
Yakuza 5 will include all of the DLC from the Japanese version when it arrives in Europe and North America later this year.
Yakuza 5 heads to Europe and North America in 2015
Yakuza 4 and Yakuza: Dead Souls out on PSN midnight.
Yakuza 5 will launch on PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network in Europe and North America at some point in 2015, Sega has announced. The Japanese crime adventure came out in Japan in December 2012.
Aliens: Colonial Marines managed 1.31 million sales
That about merits a sequel doesn't it? What?
Aliens: Colonial Marines was one of Sega's best-selling games last financial year (ended 31st March 2012) despite being absolute pants.
The shooter, made by Gearbox Software - oh really? - shifted a successful 1.31 million copies, according to Sega's annual financial report.
Nevertheless, Colonial Marines remains a sore spot for Sega, having been pelted with critical scorn and even class action lawsuits about misleading advertising. And rumour has it that TimeGate Studios, the team thought to be responsible for the bulk of Aliens: Colonial Marines, has now been closed.
Yakuza 5 videos show cab racing, hunting
Plus an outlandishly slow passenger transport mission.
A pair of new Yakuza 5 videos have come out detailing the game's driving and hunting mechanics (thanks AllGamesBeta).
FeatureUlala vs. Ryu and a thousand giant ants: the games of TGS
The best games that you may never play from this year's Tokyo Game Show.
There was a single image that summed up this year's E3 perfectly, and with a little alteration it pretty much does the trick for Tokyo Game Show 2012 too. Whereas western developers seem transfixed with Naughty Dog's semi-interactive model, in Japan there's still a rush to emulate Monster Hunter's unending success. Every game announced at Sony's conference seemed to be about tackling huge beasts in expansive environments - a theme that carried through to many parts of the show floor itself.
Yakuza trailers show off dance battles, bear fighting
Buttstroke a bear in the groin!
Sega has released a pair of new Yakuza 5 trailers to announce the game's Japanese release date on 6th December.
The trailers - below - show off teen-idol in training Haruka's "street dance battles," as well as Saejima smacking a bear in the crotch with the butt of a rifle as all good huntsmen are wont to do.
They also show the new, quicker transitions into combat. It's not entirely seamless as there's still a brief bit of text that pops up dictating the shift to battle mode, but the camera doesn't pull away and it's much smoother than it used to be.
Yakuza 5 to feature dance offs and major combat enhancements
Bust a move, skulls.
Yakuza 5 is rejigging its combat system to include dance battles and brawls that blend more seamlessly with the rest of the game.
New Yakuza 5 characters revealed
Leaves Kamurocho for the uncanny valley.
Yakuza 5's known cast expanded today as Sega announced new characters accompanied by pictures of their motion-capture-based actors.
Yakuza 5 has modelling, animal hunting mini-games
And a version of Crazy Taxi.
Mob adventure Yakuza 5 will include a range of mini-games, highlighting the game's cast of characters and open-world setting.
Haruka won't fight in Yakuza 5
Not a fighter. Hopefully not a lover either.
Yakuza 5 lets you play as series' protagonist Kazuma Kiryu's adopted daughter Haruka, but you won't be able to fight as her.
Yakuza 5 screenshots show off city, characters
Tokyo jungle.
Tokyo jungle.
Yakuza 5 built using new game engine, has five main characters
70% complete. Out in December in Japan.
PlayStation 3 exclusive Yakuza 5 features five main characters and is set in five cities: Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka.
Super Monkey Ball creator promoted in Sega reshuffle
Sphere of influence grows.
Super Monkey Ball mastermind Toshihiro Nagoshi has been promoted to Chief Creative Officer, Sega has announced.
PlayStation 3 exclusivity confirmed.
Japanese magazines have spilled new Yakuza 5 information.
The game, like previous entries in the series, is a PlayStation 3 exclusive, Famitsu (via Siliconera) reveals.
The story follows on from Yakuza 4 - not zombie-themed spin-off Yakuza of the End.
Sega creates Yakuza Studio.
Sega has announced the development of Yakuza 5 and the formation of Yakuza Studio.
Yakuza creator Toshihiro Nagoshi heads up the new team. According to Japanese magazine Famitsu (translated by Andriasang), Yakuza Studio is not a Yakuza-exclusive developer, despite its name. In fact, its first game is Binary Domain.
Following that game's launch, Yakuza Studio will create Yakuza Black Panther 2 for PlayStation Portable, the sequel to the PSP spin-off. In Japan it launches in spring 2012.
