Yakuza 3 (PS3) Review

The Dragon strikes back.

 Yakuza 3 was the first game in Sega's hit Yakuza series to make the jump to HD back in 2009 (excluding the Japan-only Samurai spin-off, Yakuza Kenzan) Boasting a new distinct look using the PlayStation 3 hardware, Yakuza 3 is a more modern game than its predecessors. Kiryu's back and caught up in another Yakuza mess, this time threating his livelihood. As part of my long-running Yakuza marathon, I'll be checking out the controversial entry-- at least in the west-- and see how does it stack up against previous games while also taking a look at how it's aged 10 years later. And with the formalities out of the way, it's time dive back into the streets of Kamurocho and see what's in store for us this time around!


 After subduing the mafia threats of Yakuza 2, retired yakuza Kazuma Kiryu is living peacefully in Ryukyu, Okinawa and runs the Sunshine orphanage with his adoptive daughter, Haruka. Things seem well until Kiryu is dragged back yet again into the criminal world when the Tojo Clan's sixth chairman gets shot and the deed to Kiryu's orphanage goes missing. This forces Kiryu to return to the neon-soaked streets of Kamurocho, Tokyo in an attempt to find answers. Along the way, he'll reunite with familiar faces, experience some shocking twists, and of course, beat the ever-living hell out of thugs. I liked the Okinawa and orphanage setting this time around as it provides a much needed change of scenery after sticking with the gritty atmospheres of Kamurocho and Osaka for a while. That and the whole father-child dynamic between Kiryu and the orphans he raises was pretty memorable and provided the game with some wholesome moments, which is rare in a Yakuza game. The writing was engaging with many plot-twists to keep you invested, despite feeling on the cheesy side this time around.

Kiryu is back at it again.

 The gameplay remains fundamentally the same it's been three games in. You control Kiryu as you explore Kamurocho and Ryukyu while also beating down thugs senseless. Initially, Kiryu is limited in terms of abilities; however as you beat enemies, you'll earn experience points just like you do in an RPG to unlock new move sets. Kiryu uses his basic punches and kicks though he can use environmental items such as chairs, poles, and tables to his advantage. If improvising isn't your thing, then you can buy weapons from your nearby dealer if you want to truly lay a beatdown. Such weapons include simple ones such as tasers, knifes, nun chucks, to more absurd ones such as swords and shotguns. Interestingly, you can mod and craft weapons to pack an added edge in combat. This is done by gathering the necessary materials found all over the game to craft some seriously overpowering equipment.

Kazuma Kiryu, master of property damage.

 The Heat gauge under Kiryu's health allows him to perform various finishers on enemies when full. These range from bashing their faces to the wall, pounding their heads with an object, or just straight up murdering them by stomping on their bodies full force. You also pull off context-sensitive finishers depending on what weapons you're using as well. At certain points in the game, Kiryu will experience "Revelations", which are over-the-top sequences located throughout Kamurocho and Okinawa that has you pressing specific button commands in order for Kiryu to get "inspired". If done successfully, each revelation teaches Kiryu a new heat move to use in combat, some of them even being pretty destructive. I liked the Heat finishers since they add needed action when the fights start to become repetitive and boring. Speaking of that, the gameplay can feel on the "samey" side the more you spend time walking around town. Thankfully, the game packs interesting side attractions to keep you invested.


 When you're taking a break from the story, there's a good amount of side activities to indulge yourself in. For starters, there's the Club Sega arcade that has you playing an addictive shoot 'em up game or test your luck with the toy catcher machine. Kind of a disappointment that there's only a measly two games coming from the recent Yakuza games. Nevertheless, more mini-games are in store in the form of knocking down some pins at the bowling alley, singing some catchy songs at the Karaoke center, or taking a shot at gambling if you're into that. Unique to Okinawa is the fishing mini-game, where you catch different types of fish depending on the bait you use. It's a much slower affair, but gets exciting when the fish puts up a fight. There's also golf, which is personally a giant bore fest.

Take a break and relax with a game of pool.

 Combat aside, there's also various ways for Kiryu to earn experience through exploration. By pulling up the map, you'll immediately take a look at the impressive selection of shops and restaurants to visit. Eating and drinking will net few experience though if you're looking for huge gains then Substories return in all their former glory and they're just as memorable and wacky as ever. They're basically side-quests that see Kiryu interacting with the inhabitants of Kamurocho and Okinawa as well as characters from the story, who all happen to need his help. They range from simple fetch quests to full-on brawl fights though the writing on some of them is meh at best. My favorite one was investigating a murder at a café, where you must look for clues and question witnesses, detective style. Another was when Kiryu finds himself in an action movie set and must memorize the script to the T, while beating the crap out of the actors in the process. The ending was hilarious as well.

 If you're still itching for more action, then the Hitman missions, which has you searching all over town for deadly hitmen to apprehend in exchange for a hefty sum of money. Though make no mistake, some of them do pack a punch. Additionally, you can join an underground fighting ring in the form of the Coliseum, where you have matches with fighter from all over the world, also in exchange for money and experience.

Kick ass with some sweet moves.

 Ever since it launched, Yakuza 3 has been plagued with criticism surrounding its western release, for good reason. Compared to the original Japanese release, the western version of Yakuza 3 suffers from cut-content due to a rushed localization process. Casualties included Hostess Clubs, where you meet and drink with various girls, over nine substories, and four mini-games including Mahjong. Also, a Japanese trivia quiz, "Answer X Answer", found in Club Sega was removed, though I honestly couldn't care less for that. I wouldn't mind these changes if it wasn't anything major, but you can feel the loss of content when you see a Cabaret Club listed on the map, only to find out that you can't enter it. And while I'm on the negative side of things, it's worth mentioning that the camera can be difficult to adjust on several occasions, especially in tight areas where you can be fighting.


 Yakuza 3 holds up decently despite being launched in the early years of the PS3. The low resolution models and environments haven't aged all that well on modern TVs, mainly due to the lack of anti-aliasing. This might slightly turn those coming from the recent Yakuza games off though I personally don't consider it a deal breaker by any means seeing that the game has some neat lighting effects as seen with the sunny streets of Ryukyu. The voicework is entirely in Japanese (with English subtitles) and while I have no understanding of the language, I still have to commend some of the performances, specifically Takaya Kuroda as Kiryu. The soundtrack is good, with some neat tracks. My favorites being the intro theme "Fly" and the unnoteworthy Aqua Sky bar theme, which is ambient enough to enjoy a calming game of pool and darts.

The game starts to show its age, given it's

over a decade old.

 Yakuza 3 is a solid addition to the series though personally it's not my favorite. Mechanically, the game is not all that different from the pre-Kiwami predecessors in terms of gameplay mechanics. I would have liked to see more diversity in Kiryu's move set, given that you'll most be pulling off the same combos every time. It gets on the repetitive side of things with facing the same thugs and using the same combos, but the amount of side activities help break off the tedium. The production values for the time were good and holds up decently by today's standards. Yakuza 3 is not a bad game by any means, but I wasn't feeling the same level of excitement that I had with the previous games, especially considering some of the lost content. Nevertheless, if you're continuing the Yakuza saga then don't miss out Yakuza 3 since it has some important story moments but I'm not sure you'll be just as entertained as with the latest games.